Darrell Tipton of Maryville was one of the fortunate Tennessee fans who had the ticket and means to follow the Vols to Omaha, Nebraska, where they defeated Texas A&M for the college baseball national championship.
Tipton, who works for Realty Executives, had the first flight out of McGhee Tyson in Knoxville at 5:30 a.m. Friday, the day before the best-of-three championship series. The American Airlines flight would take him to Dallas, where he would have a two-hour layover. He was scheduled to arrive in Omaha by 11:30 a.m. if all went well.
This is where you ask: “But when does all go well in air travel?”
The first sign that something was amiss came from the pilot, who told the passengers that a light was on that wasn’t supposed to be on. If you’re wondering, “Why wasn’t he more specific?” then you obviously never have flown on a commercial flight.
The passengers had to deboard while the airlines’ “light specialists” (I’m guessing at their job title) delved into the mystery.
The clock was ticking for Tipton, who was rightfully concerned about making his Dallas connection. Of course, the airlines was as considerate as ever. It repeatedly texted Tipton to let him know the flight was still delayed.
Finally, as the messages continued to pop up on his cellphone, Tipton concluded he wouldn’t make his Dallas connection. And if he didn’t make that connection, he might not reach Omaha in time for the first game.
“They told me they eventually could get me to Dallas but I would have to fly standby out of there,” Tipton told me. “I had just about given up on going. But my son-in-law lives in Asheville (North Carolina), and he was flying out to meet me. I didn’t want to disappoint him.”
As Tipton was contemplating his predicament, “two guys showed up.”
Brandon Burgess and Randy Pratt didn't know each other until they boarded the plane and struck up a conversation. Like Tipton, both were following the Vols to Omaha.
"When we checked with customer service, they said they couldn't get us to Omaha until Sunday," said Burgess, who works for Clayton Homes in Maryville. "Our only choice was to drive. We got the last car at Avis.
"Then, I saw a buddy talking to Darrell. Darrell asked if he could tag along."
When I think about getting in a car with a stranger, I have a movie moment. In “There’s Something about Mary,” Ben Stiller's character picks up a hitchhiker who promotes “seven-minute abs” and turns out to be a serial kicker.
Burgess hadn't see that movie.
When he called a couple of friends and said what his revised travel plan to Omaha was, they advised, "Be careful. You don't know who you're with."
"I think I'm a pretty good judge of people," Burgess said.
And when I asked Tipton if he had any doubts, he said, "Not with these guys. They were all dressed in Tennessee gear.”
Pratt was just as sure.
"I had just retired after 41 years (as a Knoxville electrician), and there I was driving to Omaha with two guys I just met," Pratt said with a laugh.
Tipton estimated the trip at about 13 hours. He said they arrived in Omaha at midnight.
That was long enough for strangers to become friends.
“Randy is a good guy,” Tipton said. “And it turned out, I had known Brandon’s mother (and other family members) for years. I would have really regretted it if I had thrown in the towel on the trip.”
He also would have had regrets if he had chosen to fly. He wouldn’t have gotten to Omaha until more than two hours after the first pitch of the opening game.
ADAMS:Tennessee baseball goes from bottom of SEC to tops in the country
The three fans saw each other during the course of the three-game series. Burgess and Pratt were sitting in adjoining sections, close enough to exchange first bumps during one game. Burgess and Tipton met up right after the Vols won the final game.
"This is an experience I will never forget," Burgess said.
Neither will his new friends.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 orjohn.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
Most Popular
Comments / 0