We took I-44 downtown and used TW's parking pass to park several blocks from the stadium. The parking garage was right across the street from the Old Busch Stadium. Where Old Busch once stood, there was nothing more than a dirt hole. To its left was the New Busch Stadium. It's styled to look like an old ballpark made entirely of brick. Really nice looking from the outside and a definite improvement over the old stadium.
We headed down the street towards the dome. Along the walk is a park that is across the street from an old domed building. I believe that the building is an old courthouse, but don't quote me on that. No matter what it is, it's a really neat building and it is framed by St. Louis' most recognizable sight, the Gateway Arch. Note that the arch is actually a few blocks away from the courthouse, so it looks much smaller in this view than it actually is if you were closer to the arch.
As we walked down the street, we noticed that there were a lot of Chiefs fans in the street. Not surprising that the Chiefs fans travel well, but there seemed to be even more than I expected. We got in line to wait for the doors to open. 1 1/2 hours before the game, they opened and we filed in. There were security people lined up frisking everyone who came into the door. The line of guards alternated male and female. I didn't think anything about it and spread my arms out in front of a female guard. She laughed and pointed me aside to the guy next to her. Evidently, the guards were only supposed to frisk members of the same sex. Oops! Well, no one can accuse me of showing bias. That lady could have searched me and I wouldn't have even cared.
We received American flag pins as we entered in honor of the upcoming Veterans' Day holiday. I stuck mine on my jersey and we headed up the escalators. I felt like I was in a mall while riding the escalators. We ended up going up several escalators until we finally reached the top. We had seats in the upper deck in the end zone. Not a bad vantage point at all as you could easily watch the RB's try to find their running holes and see the overall offense and defense. We were also in the front row of the section, so there were no issues with people getting in our sight lines.
The pre-game for the Rams didn't go very well. The Chiefs came out as a team with no player introductions. Then they fired off a bunch of fireworks and lights. It was actually pretty impressive.
The cheerleaders all came out and lined up along the runway where the players were to come out. There was only one problem. As the announcer was calling out the starters, no one was running out of the tunnel. Someone evidently forgot to pass on to the players that they were supposed to be hitting the field. The announcer wasn't phased as he continued to announce the starters. Eventually, the fireworks stopped and the lights came on. Only then did the Rams walk on to the field. It was a bit weird to say the least.
It was obvious after the lineups were announced that this was not going to be any ordinary Rams football game. Roughly 25-30% of the crowd was clad in Chiefs red. One of the common traditions at Arrowhead during the national anthem is to replace 'the home of the brave' at the end with 'the home of the CHIEFS!'. It's one of those things that send chills up the spine of any person attending their first Chiefs home game. NFL rookies often comment about that moment whether they are on the Chiefs or visiting Arrowhead for the first time. It sets the mood right away. At the end of the national anthem, the Chiefs fans made sure to let St. Louis fans know that they were not going to go down quietly as 'the home of the CHIEFS!' echoed through the dome. Some of the Rams fans knew it was coming, but other more casual fans appeared to be caught off-guard.
The first half went well as the Rams fumbled the ball 3 times which lead to 17 points for the Chiefs. Here's a picture of Tony Gonzales celebrating in the back corner of the end zone with a teammate.
Huddle time......
Another play from scrimmage giving a good view of the dome from floor to ceiling......
The halftime score was 24-10 after the Rams hit a field goal at the end of the half. At halftime, the Marine Silent Drill Platoon hit the field. These guys were amazing. They carried guns that weigh around 10 pounds with sharp bayonets fixed to the end of their rifle. They put on a great show where they spun, flipped and caught guns while showing the precision that the military prides itself upon. The crowd gave them a very loud standing ovation when their performance was complete.
One thing I noticed was a couple of season ticket holders next to us. TW knew them from previous games. It was a dad and his son. Both were extremely nice with the occasional razzing about TW bringing along a Chiefs fan. They were good football fans and the son was a bright kid who you could tell really was a big Rams fan. There were a lot of drunk and immature fans on both side in the crowd. Amongst all that, here was a guy who brought his kid to the game and they were having a good time together. It was good to see.
The second half was exciting with St. Louis mounting a comeback, but a couple of bad penalties by their offensive line really hurt their chances of winning. A second touchdown by Tony Gonzales in the second half sealed the win, 31-17. The rowdy Chiefs fans up in the visitors section started the tomahawk chop as the St. Louis fans headed for the exit.
We walked out into the downtown streets to head back to the car. There was still lots of talking between the fans in the streets. KC fans were giving high-fives to total strangers. The usher holding open the doors was going out of his way to tell every Chiefs fan to 'remember who has the ring'. I'm not sure he realizes that, although it has been awhile, the Chiefs actually have also won one Super Bowl. I didn't bother to correct him. I was just happy the Chiefs won.
