How can you tell a true Cowboys fan? Ask this question: If God and Tom Landry got in a fight over who should have the best view to watch their favorite team through the hole in the roof, who would win? And the answer is: Trick question! Tom Landry is God! (It's a joke people, don't blast me as blasphemous.)
Tonight the old girl hosts her final game - unless the Cowboys somehow luck into a home playoff game which appears very unlikely. Texas Stadium has served the Cowboys well since October, 1971 when Dallas dispatched the New England Patriots in a 44-21 rout in the first game played there. There have been complaints along the way - the turf is too hard, the crown of the field slopes too much, the contrast between the sun coming through the hole and the shade can wreak havoc for pass receivers. It's all immaterial now; after tonight our heroes will no longer roam that artificial turf surrounded by decorative stars along the walls and human stars along the Ring of Honor.
Progress waits for no man and it certainly doesn't wait for football teams. Next year they'll line up in Jerry World, which is a better name than the anticipated Crappy Corporate Name Stadium that we'll get sometime in the future once Jerry Jones gets his money.
I won't try to create a teary goodbye for the stadium's passing, I'll miss her, but after seeing what the new stadium will offer, it's hard to say that it's not the right move for this franchise. Like the opulent palaces and courts of past kings, the new stadium is designed to awe its visitors with the power and mystique of the Dallas Cowboys franchise.
I hope we turn the funeral of the stadium into a celebration, kind of like an Irish wake, with a much-needed win. The ghosts of Cowboys-past will be on hand to remind us of all that has transpired in the stadium with a hole in the roof. And I'm sure the game will be watched from above by a stoic man in a fedora who did so much to build the reputation of Texas Stadium. Let's make him smile just once.