Ok, the deal with Waco, according to a guy who’s only once ventured more than a mile off its primary thoroughfare, is as follows:
This town is known for two main things: The first is a bizarre enclave which evangelizes their unique way of life, has some cult-like elements, and has been covered extensively by the media. The second is the Brach Davidians.
This town should be known for one main thing:
It’s the best interstate stop in the world.
In Waco, Texas, in about a five-mile stretch (less, really, it’s denser in the middle), you have access to something like 95% of the chain restaurants in these United States. Everything you could ever want to eat for breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, fourthmeal, or anything else, really, all straddling Interstate 35 in that one five-mile stretch. You could spend a week there eating five meals a day and not eat at the same national chain twice. Paradoxically, you would never spend a week there, because it is by nature an interstate stop. Located halfway between the Austin-San Antonio northernmost reach and the Dallas-Fort Worth axis of antagonistic affluence, Waco is quite possibly the most heavily used interstate stop in the country. And dammit, does it have the frontage road to show it.
Housekeeping
Nothing else at the moment. We are sitting outside of our friends’ house in Birmingham and I need to wrap these the heck up so I can go inside and see them.
**
Viewing schedule for the day ahead:
3:30 PM EST: Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (ESPN)
7:30 PM EST: Boca Raton Bowl (ESPN)
The one convincing case I’ve ever heard that the United States is flawless is that the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl exists.
9:30 PM EST: Oklahoma vs. Florida (ESPN2)
Game of the NITe. Just screams Game of the NITe. Doesn’t it?
7:00 PM EST: Marquette @ Providence (CBSSN)
Shaka Smart looks to stay tied for first in the Big East.
5:00 PM EST: Mississippi State vs. Drake (Baller TV, no I’m not kidding)
6:30 PM EST: Duke @ Wake Forest (ACCN)
8:30 PM EST: Virginia @ Miami (ACCN)
8:30 PM EST: Seton Hall @ Xavier (FS1)
9:00 PM EST: Pitt @ Syracuse (ESPNU)
Lot of NIT-impacting action here. Eight NIT candidates, because you know Jim Boeheim has something up his nose.
3:00 PM EST: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi @ Oklahoma State (ESPN+)
7:00 PM EST: Alcorn State @ Dayton (ESPN+)
Oklahoma State’s our NIT favorite in waiting if Memphis plays its way off the throne. Terrible win-loss record, solid team. That’s our music. That’s our song.
8:00 PM EST: Senators @ Jets (ESPN+)
Big one for the Sens, who will try to return mankind to the era of two-dimensional transportation only. Wish us (the broader Sens community) luck.
