Cedric's brother is Anthony Noble, a part-time tailgater with our Vikings tribe, who met the Battlewagon Boys (Doug and Terry) at Summer Camp, and shows up to hang out with us from time to time. Just last week for the Lions game, Anthony made his 2nd appearance of the year and made a huge splash in our tailgating lore.
It's a fun story. I just had given away my ticket to the game to "Black Betty"- a rookie Tailgater in her own right, and was resorted to enjoying the game with the other outdoor tailgater with a satellite TV connection. Out of blue, young Mr. Noble came walking up asking where everybody was.
"It's game time man, they are taking the shuttle up to the dome."
Without blinking an eye, Anthony offered me up his extra ticket for the game and pointed at the buses,
"We can take my limo."
I just sort of chuckled, seeing him point to the buses that everyone else was boarding,
"Ya, bro that's my limo too."
As we got closer to the bus stop, I kept walking, but he stopped when a very suave driver hopped out of a black limousine that was parked near the buses, and opened the door for him.
"Where are you going Mookie?"
I was flabbergasted.
"Are you serious? This is REALLY your limo?"
In complete disbelief, and somewhat influenced from 3 hours of "power" tailgating, I hopped in the limo and off we went. We chatted about the Longhorn/ Buckeye game that I attended a month ago (see stories elsewhere in this blog) and he explained that he had just flown in from Austin, and the first place he headed to was Rapid Park to find his Minnesota tailgater buddies.
"Yah, we were very lucky to find the lot, " affirmed the driver.
We were dropped off in the players lot, and escorted to the friends and family will call both. Anthony got the tickets, made arrangements for pick-up later in the day (presumably with his brother joining him after the game). We walked into the game and headed for Section 114.
Well, this was too good be true, and I was completely in no condition to mingle with the friends, kids and families of the Minnesota Vikings. We watched the first quarter and then I apologized to Anthony because I had to leave out of respect to the people who were seated near us. I wasn't belligerent, but I was "drunk clumsy", and I did not want to risk the embarrassment that is commonplace in most other sections of the Metrodome. It was like that Mr. Rogers song, "one of these things is not like the other, " and was the one thing.
Anthony was very respectable of my situation, and said that he would excuse me on two conditions,
"One, you buy me a burger, because I'm starving, and have no money on me, and two, you get me your phone number so we can do this up proper next time."
I had no problem with either request. We went up, bought the food, exchanged contact info, and off I went.
I write this column as an apology to Anthony, because if I had known that I would end up in the seats that he had been gifted from his NFL brother, I would have certainly taken a more professional approach to my game day preparation. Chalk it up to a lost opportunity, but an unforgettable moment in my tenure as Vikings fan.
But most important, I have to just write that I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity. For a rube like myself, who has spent his life cheering the Vikings from afar (upper deck, TV and tailgating lots), it was a rare chance to see the game from a new perspective, and l was an idiot for not being in a position to take full advantage. I certainly do hope that Anthony can give me another chance somewhere down the line. I do know that he is always welcome in our tailgate lot, and that we will always have a spot on the back of the F-150 in reserve for him in the lot.
On the occasions that I have had to interact with Anthony, I have to say that he is a good guy, eventhough he has had some bad luck in his day. He is very fortunate to have a classy brother who seems very intent on taking care of his family. It's a quality that is admirable, and should be ingrained in the type of NFL player that Vikings really need as they rebuild the image of their organization.
I think # 23, is the type of player that the Vikings should always strive to acquire. I have done some research on his playing career (more to come- maybe even a first ever one on one interview for vikingstailgate.com?) and the following are snippets of what has been said, and what I have observed:
From Mackbrown-texasfootball.com, a story titled "Cedric Griffin- Breaking Barriers" Sept. 2005:
- "Cedric is one of the toughest guys you'll ever try to get to know, but I think that once you do, you'll be very happy with who you meet..."
- "Trust and loyalty are two of the biggest qualities in getting to know Cedric Griffin. It was engrained at an early age as he ended up doing much for himself because of strained relations with his family, most of which is in southern Mississippi.
- "If you're his friend, you've got a friend for life. He'll go to bat for you, he'll go fight for you, and if he hears someone saying something about you, he'll step right up and straighten that out quickly."
- "Since he was a little kid, Cedric's been committed to football. Whatever he puts his mind to, that's what he does. From Pop Warner to middle school to high school, he's excelled at it, and it's what he's always wanted to do. Now he wants to go to the NFL, and that's his next step."
From Vikings Update Magazine, October 2006, a story titled, "Self-Made Man- Rookie Cornerback Cedric Griffin overcame a difficult childhood to become a winner in football and life:
- "Cedric has a tattoo on his arm that reads, 'Self Made Man'
- "I used my own wisdom, learned from my own mistakes. I take responsibility for what I do- I still listen to other people's advice, but I want to learn from my own mistakes and go through life on my own knowledge."
From You Tube:Cedric Griffin had a fantastic interception of a Jay Cutler pass in the end zone in the Senior Bowl
Watch # 8 lighting it up on a Texas Football highlight reel with Michael Huff (now on the Raiders)
Cedric politely disrupts Ohio State's National Title Hopes in 2005
- Rumor has it from various internet sources that Griffin was the guy who approached Vincent Young after the Longhorn's Defense stuffed USC on 4th down in the 4th quarter of the National Title Game- just before the infamous TD winning drive, and said the inspirational line "Now what are YOU gonna do?"
So far, Griffin has been playing tough minutes for the Vikings, learning the game behind Antoine Winfield and Fred Smoot, but it won't be long before people in Rapid Park, the Metrodome and Mall of America are wearing #23's jersey. I know for fact that my first jersey in the new style will be a #23 with "Anthony's Bro" on the back.
Why Not?
0 comments:
Post a Comment