Filed By David Uchiyama
Staff Writer
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- I've heard public-address announcers mis-pronounce last names, give credit to the wrong player for a bucket, call out license plate numbers for a car with its lights on, wish happy birthday and even ask the magical question: Will you marry me?
I've got another one to add to my list.
Shortly before halftime of the Mocs' loss to Davidson, the PA guy gave a weather report. All he needed was a blue Weather Channel rain slicker.
"The Charleston area is under a severe weather watch," he said. "The safest place to be is in the bowl, not outside or on the concourse area."
The announcement needed to be repeated twice because that darn arena horn interrupted him.
The Weather Channel must have fired him, or canceled the watch, because the announcement was never made again the rest of the day.
Yes it rained, ruining who knows how many rounds of golf in the area.
Yes it was windy. Driving back to the hotel around midnight an SCDOT sign warned of heavy winds along the Ravenel Bridge (the new 1,546-foot long bridge over the Cooper River which happens to be the longest cable-stayed bridge in the western hemisphere) and ordered trucks to the right lane.
So for the better part of 10 hours I obeyed the instructions of the PA. Not because I wanted to be safe, but that's where the games were played.
I just wish he would have told me when it was safe to go back outside.
