it surprises me to hear any canes fan say that they didnt like the OB. was it a run down, dilapidated, outdated, old **** hole? absolutely and i dont think anybody will try and deny that. but that was part of what added to the appeal of the place.
for any first timer just driving there could resemble driving through beirut but you quickly realize that it isnt nearly that bad, but the visitors (players included), especially from places like blacksburg who have never seen anything like it, it was intimidating and probably scared the **** out of them. once getting there, parking on the front lawn of some barely english speaking cuban with a "no blockee" sign is something we all loved and looked forward to. this again was something that absolutely paranoid the **** out of many visitors. so before even going inside the stadium the mere surroundings had already started to swing the momentum. then once you walked inside it was magic. starting with running through the smoke. that got the crowd going and the noise, especially in the WEZ hit levels ive never heard in any other stadium in my lifetime. the metal flooring and large overhang just held the noise and the reverberation was insane. the fact that you didnt know if the floor was gonna collapse under you or the upper deck would fall on top of you was part of the aura. running out of water, ice and pretty much everything during some of the extreme heat and having to stand in an inch of **** just to take a leak during the 2nd half of the games werent the greatest of experiences, but they were unique to our home. then seeing opposing fans leaving after a night time beating, dejected, heads hanging and then walking back outside and looking over their shoulder thinking they were going to get mugged was always a great way to cap off a good night. there was no other place like it in the country and there will likely never be a place like it again. the OB provided the ultimate in home field advantage. for me though my favorite part was always the pregame, the OB was a great tailgate atmosphere and a great way to start a good day of football.
