Under the shadow of Mt Diablo, the grass in Wolves Stadium was a draught-ignored brilliant watered green -- in contrast to the autumn brown hills of California before the rains began.
A month or so ago, Griff had seen an aerial view of newly renovated Huskies Stadium in Seattle. It was, he supposed, impressive, but it was no longer resonant of the place where he had played college football under Coach Don James and where he received his degree. Did other colleges hold their graduation ceremonies in their football stadium?
As was Husky Stadium, the Wolves Stadium was open at one end. From Husky Stadium, you could see water and Mount Rainier. From the Wolves Stadium, no lake or bay was visible, only somber Mt Diablo.
The most striking thing about Wolves Stadium on this day was the snarling wolf painted for game day in the center of the field. Griff had once watched as -- using stencils and hose-delivered paint -- field artists painted the Raiders logo in the center of the field. But, as was probably dictated, it was a precise image of the Raiders logo. What Wolves field artists had painted on their field was a larger than usual actively attacking wolf. If it was meant to be intimidating, it was.
Probably we are playing on Miwok ground Griff thought . Probably he should ask Sally Highpine about this, but on the bus she had informed him pointedly that she and the Sac Valley Coach would not have sex until she graduated in the spring. Griff was not anxious to continue this discussion. What, he wondered, would Coach Madden have responded?