Shortly after 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Saturday night, the noise crescendo soared off the scale at ""The Underground"" in Hermosa Beach, California as 300 plus LA Badger Alums in a rock n' roll, standing-on-your-feet cheering festival, watched as the clock wound down to zero. The Badgers just upset No. 1 Ohio State, 31-18.
The festivities, the brats, the cheering and the chug-a-lugs all started earlier in the afternoon, as LA Badger faithful gathered for the big game. In a setting with over two dozen high def screens, the anticipation grew as game time approached. Then after David Gilreath scampered nearly 100 yards on the opening kickoff, the cheering and high-fives in this over-stuffed-with-Alums bar went into full swing and never let up.
During commercial time-outs, the audio system turned to Badger Band music at full volume and at the end exploded anew into rousing versions of ""Varsity"" and ""On Wisconsin."" Every song in the Badger repository came into play as the game reached new levels of excitement. And when Jump About hit after the third quarter with a jolt, the whole building shook. (Was it another earthquake?)
The bar scene is repeated every football weekend and for a bunch of Badger basketball games. It is always a sea of red and it always provokes unbelievable noise levels.
This morning my ears are still not back to normal; whatever normal is.
-Ave is a 1955 graduate of UW-Madison currently living in the Los Angeles area.
