As John Ward used to say, “It’s football time in Tennessee.” Only now, at least in Nashville, along with college football time it’s also NFL time, hockey time, NBA exhibition time, sports road-trip time, and Lord knows what else.
With so many options in such a short time, it’s only natural to feel a little intimidated. Fear not, however. Just in time, our committee of way-insiders has arrived with some strategies and survival tips to help you plan your fall—as any red-blooded, Bud-guzzling American should—around sports.
Best Routes to Titans Games: “Whatever they had in the morning paper,” two fans told me, “was completely useless.” Their recommendation: “Go down Jefferson Street, cross the bridge, then park as close as you can to the stadium.” Another fan recommended the strategy he followed at the Titans’ first home preseason game. He parked at Greer Stadium and took the shuttle. “Fastest I ever got in and out of a game,” he beamed. While we’re at it....
Best Free Parking Spots for Predators Games: At the risk of finding them occupied next time, I’ll divulge my personal favorites: on Ninth Avenue between Clark and Shirley (names of two streets, not patrons of the nearby bus terminal). Yeah, you have to walk about four blocks; yeah, it can be cold; and, yeah, it’s a bit disquieting to find yourself on a deserted street late at night. But I’ll take the minuscule risk of being robbed over the certainty of losing $10 to the parking barons.
Best Free Parking Spots for Vanderbilt Football Games: Though they’re hardly a secret, the prime free spots are in the residential neighborhoods on the south side of Blakemore: Belcourt and Acklen Avenues, or even on Barton or Essex. It’s a leisurely walk to the stadium, and getting out afterwards (provided you head toward Green Hills) is no problem.
Best Ticket Deal in Town: An endangered species, to be sure; nonetheless, the Predators’ seats in the upper levels behind the goals are a real bargain. For $15 (a few seats are as little as $10) and a little extra walking, you have a surprisingly clear view of the game, and you won’t have to rub elbows with anyone wearing a business suit.
One October Saturday Not to Schedule a Family Reunion in Gatlinburg: On Oct. 16, Vanderbilt hosts Georgia. The Bulldogs’ QB Quincy Carter, perhaps the most electrifying player in the SEC, should alone be worth the price of admission.
Then on Saturday night, the Predators entertain the Dallas—as in defending Stanley Cup champion—Stars. It should be a riot, in the best, most violently entertaining sense of the word.
Seven Other Key Dates to Pencil in on Your Weekly Organizer: 1. Sept. 19: Titans vs. Cleveland. A renewal of an old rivalry between an old-new team and a relocated, rechristened franchise. 2. Oct. 2: The Predators open their second season against the Los Angeles Kings. By then, all tickets will be gone. 3. Oct. 31: Titans vs. St. Louis. Go see Marshall Faulk run; be home in time for trick-or-treating. 4. Nov. 13: TSU vs. Murray State. Once again, the OVC title could ride on this game. 5. Nov. 18: Predators vs. Montreal. The season’s only visit by hockey’s most storied team. 6. Nov. 21: Titans vs. Pittsburgh. As always, this means war. 7. Dec. 4: Predators vs. Detroit. In just one season, the Predators have found a bitter rival in the Red Wings, whose legion fans turn up at the Arena by the thousands. Come early. Boo often.
Best Time to Buy Scalped Tickets: In this case, the early bird gets zilch. If you’re ticketless, don’t look to buy until 15 or 20 minutes before game time (or even later, if you dare). With each passing minute, the price goes down. For example, a few years back I walked up to Neyland Stadium 15 minutes before the Tennessee-Notre Dame game and wangled a great ticket for $30. An hour earlier, they’d been selling for $200. Which brings up another tip: Single tickets are less expensive than two seats together.
Six College Football Games in September No Serious Fan Should Miss: Notre Dame at Purdue (Sept. 11); Georgia Tech at Florida St. (Sept. 11); Miami at Penn St. (Sept. 18); Tennessee at Florida (Sept. 18); Arkansas at Alabama (Sept. 25); Nebraska at Missouri (Sept. 25).
Three Reasons to Bet That Tennessee Won’t Repeat as National Champions: 1. The Florida Gators, who—let’s be honest—outplayed the Vols last year; 2. Playing the Florida Gators at Florida Field, where Tennessee enjoys about as much success as Charlie Brown’s baseball team; 3. Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Georgia, and a host of other aggrieved parties who are well armed and bent on revenge.
Six Relatively Secure Bets About the Titans: 1. Al del Greco will not forget to enter the game when it’s time to kick the winning field goal; 2. Yancey Thigpen will make some plays this year; 3. Coach Jeff Fisher will use some form of the phrase “make some plays” at least 100 times before December; 4. Bill Purcell will attend more games than Phil Bredesen; 5. Bill Purcell will attend more games than anyone from Memphis; 6. Craig Hentrich, the punter, again will make general manager Floyd Reese look like a shrewd acquirer of free agents.
One Fairly Secure Bet About Vanderbilt: Consecutive losing season No. 18, coming right up!
Six Fall Pilgrimages to Make at Least Once in Your Life:
1. Wrigley Field in September: For less than $100 round-trip on Southwest, if you buy ahead, and a $3 train ride, you can visit baseball’s most sacred site when the air is crisp, the ivy is still green, and the Cubs, as usual, are in last place.
2. Detroit’s Tiger Stadium (this September only): Think of it like the Parthenon (theirs, not ours). Sure, it’s a dump now, but what a history. Catch a game there before early October, when it closes forever.
3. Montreal in October: Attending a hockey game in Montreal is like seeing Hamlet in Stratford-on-Avon. Getting to visit Canada’s most quaint city is a bonus.
4. West Point in October: Army is no more relevant than ham salad to college football’s rankings these days. Still, there’s nothing like being at West Point on an autumn Saturday.
5. Columbus in November: The Big House in Michigan is legendary, and you can still feel Red Grange’s presence at Illinois’ grand old stadium. But for my money, the quintessential Big Ten football experience remains the Horseshoe in Ohio State, where tradition oozes from every crack of the stadium’s massive facade. If you’re lucky, the weather will be cold, with light, steady rain.
6. Green Bay in December: For the squeamish it ain’t. But you won’t really feel the cold at Lambeau Field—unless, of course, you cheer for someone other than the fans’ beloved Pack.
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