[Texas Aggie]

So I get a call the other day for my first (football) playoff game -- as White hat. Excited until I start getting the weather report. Cold, which had been expected and isn't a big problem, PLUS rain, which is always a problem but particularly when cold. I've only had one drizzle game before now and it really wasn't that wet, but the forecast for Saturday (yesterday -- the day of the game) was for rain ALL freakin' day.

I double check all my cold weather gear, which up until now has just included the Nike Pro long sleeve turtleneck and the long stripes. I haven't needed anything else, but I know I will need gloves and perhaps a small belt towel. I go and buy the gloves, which I think will work, but can't find the towel at 4 stores. At this point, I've resigned myself to the thought that I'm going to be miserable for 3 hours, but to concentrate and work through it. It isn't THAT cold (just under 40) and I don't think my gear is going to saturate, so I'm not going to freeze to death and since I've been hunting in much colder weather, I know I'm going to survive, be it uncomfortably.

We get to the game and do our pregame. It IS cold and drizzly when we go to the field, but after a few minutes, I don't really notice the cold. By the time the game starts, it isn't raining, though the field is still wet and muddy in places. The ball folks (adults rather than boys) on both sides are armed with big towels, so I see that isn't going to be a problem. After a while, the drizzle starts back, but it isn't bad. In fact, it is neither distracting nor uncomfortable. After the half, we come back out and its cold again for the first few minutes on the field, but after that, no problem. Rain picks up a *little* (still not really much more than mist), but we finish the game, which was a blowout.

I know, I know, for some of you guys up north, this is a typical day's work. We don't get that many bad weather games down here. But my anxiety was all for nothing. Everything worked out fine and we had a good game. I don't know if my cap will survive, but white hats probably need to be new every year anyway.