Corsicana Daily Sun, Corsicana, Texas

Sports

November 28, 2009

Morgan: Jerry’s Death Star is a true monument

If you need a stadium built, Cowboys owner is the guy to call

By Ron Morgan

I got my first inside look at Jerry’s Death Star last Thursday. We had a company planning meeting in the press box of the new Cowboy Stadium followed by a guided tour of the place.

I’ve been to the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. With apologies to Tut and Michelangelo, they don’t hold a candle to Jerry’s monument.

My first impression was that I had just walked into the lobby of Caesar’s Palace without the slot machines. Perhaps that would be more Bellagio since they have a fountain that mimics the one on the strip. It was a far cry from walking into the Cotton Bowl for the first time in the early ‘60s. The floors and the chandeliers don’t say stadium. They say Highland Park.

We got to sit for a minute in one of the luxury suites. We also got to go into the Cowboy’s locker room where we were instructed not to sit or stand on the lockers or the seats attached to them. It seems that the wood for the lockers was imported from Africa, and that each locker cost $9000. Let’s see, 53 players times $9000…

We walked around on the field. I did my own end zone dance, tiptoed down the sideline and tackled someone who had the audacity to dance on the star. Let me tell you, that’s not your grandfather’s Astroturf. I’ve seen carpet in million homes that wasn’t that good.

My favorite part of the tour, obviously, was the cheerleader’s locker room. While the cheerleaders don’t have lockers made from African wood, they do have live size pictures of each cheerleader above her locker. Boy, it’s almost impossible to get one of those pictures down and fold it up small enough to get in your pocket!

Saturday night, I made a return trip to the Jerry Dome to watch Trinity High School and Plano. My daughter’s best friend plays for Trinity, so we sat among a sea of red and black.

There is a reason that high school football is king in Texas. Plano played the entire game without having to punt and lost.

There were four games in a row at the stadium. One $12 ticket got you through for the entire day. Southlake and Allen played the final game of the day, and it went double overtime.

In fact, my daughter ran into Sally Wasson. I looked for Homer Gene, but couldn’t pick him out in the sea of green.

My only complaint with the stadium is the giant screen.

Don’t get me wrong. It is amazing, and the picture would make a videophile envious. It’s just that my neck still hurts. I found myself looking up at the screen even when the game was right in front of me. If I had that screen at my house, there would be no reason to go to the game.

Jerry might not be the best general manager in the NFL. His choice of plastic surgeon might not be spectacular. He might not even be the best judge of coaching talent around.

But, let me tell you … if you ever need someone to build you a stadium, he’s your man.

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