Another hot 105° day in Paradise today, but we had threatening skies
around sundown so it wasn't so hot at the old ballpark tonight.  Just
muggy as Hell.  A capacity crowd filled AT&T Field to watch the
Chattanooga Lookouts lose their last home game of the season.
Righthander, Johnny Cueto struck out 11 in a losing effort.
http://www.pbase.com/image/84423726

Most of the fans were there to try to win a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
that the Lookouts were giving away to one lucky winner after the
game.  It was the culmination of a season-long promotion where 10
people qualified at each home game.

I won't bore you with the details since they can be found here:
http://www.lookouts.com/images/pdf/ToyotaFJCruiserGiveawayRules.pdf

OK, now I'll bore you....

Each qualifier was given a key of a certain color.  There were 10
different colored keys in all and there were probably 70-100 people
with each color.  During the game they would eliminate all the colors
except one and everyone holding that color key would go down on the
field after the game and draw a new key.
Only one of the new keys would unlock the vehicle.

I'm about the unluckiest sumbitch you've ever seen when it comes to
winning anything, but I did enter online one day and was surprised
when a Yellow key showed up in the mail with 4 tickets to the final
game.  So I had to go.

In the 7th inning they eliminated three colors.  Yellow was still
alive!

The 8th inning couldn't get there fast enough for me.  I just wanted
to go home since I was tired from standing the whole game taking
pics.  Three more colors were eliminated, but yellow was not among
them.  This is too cruel.  But I just kept thinking, "Tonight is my
night.  I'm due."

The 9th inning came and the final 3 colors were eliminated.  The color
that remained was ..... YELLOW!

So me and about 100 other people with Yellow keys were told to line up
and we stood for the whole 9th inning, which mercifully passed without
a hit or any runs being scored.
We go down on the field and line up down the 1st base line.  There
were at least 70-100 of us, just as I had predicted and one-by-one
they would announce the name of the next person in line and that
person would draw a new key.  Then that person would go and see if the
new key unlocked the car.  This took forever as most people would
stick the key in, take it out and try it again. Somehow I ended up
near the end of the line amongst a bunch of drunks.  One guy had his
beer confiscated by a cop on the field.  I told him that he might win
the car and get arrested for DUI in front of 6,398 people.

Anyway, it seemed like another hour passed as each person trudged up
to try their luck and then trudged back.  I told the lady in line in
front of me that our odds were getting better with every failed key
turn.  I think I was the 6th person from the end so I didn't think I'd
get a chance since someone would likely win before I got there.  But
the keys kept failing to unlock the door.

"Tonight is my night.  Tonight is my night."

I was dead calm as I got closer and closer to the FJ Cruiser.  I was
steeling myself for the eventual disappointment when the lady right in
front of me wins the car.  But she walked up there, put the key in,
and ........nothing.  It was my turn!  I asked one of the girls
running the show to hold my 20D and the 400 f/5.6L attached so I
wouldn't throw it or something.  Then I reached into the batting
helmet to draw out my new key.  My fingers immediately hit one
particular key, but for some reason I moved it aside and grabbed the
one underneath it.

"Tonight is my night!"

I held the key to the Heavens as I walked up to the Toyota.  This got
only a small pop from the crowd, who were no doubt growing weary of
the whole thing and looking forward to the fireworks afterwards.  I
put the key in the lock and turned.  It felt like it turned the
correct amount, but I didn't hear the door unlock.  So I figured maybe
I should pull the handle and so I did.

The door opened.

Take that, Bad Luck!  Tonight is MY night!

I put on a little show for the crowd, ala Hulk Hogan.
The Toyota guy came over to shake my hand and tell me that I'd have to
pay title, taxes, and all that crap on it.  I said, "No problem," not
knowing where I was gonna get the money to pay it.
Some guy took my pic with a Nikon, and I didn't even care.
I was one sweaty, fat happy bastard!

After the festivities I left the stadium and walked the two blocks
back to my car.  The fireworks were exploding overhead as I waited for
the light to change to cross the street.  A family of four was
standing there and the lady says, "Hey, you're the guy who won the
car!"

"Just another night at the old ballpark, ma'am."

WHO RULES ???