Just beyond the left-field wall is an eight-story parking garage. I trudged up the stairs to the very top and found an entire row of fans hanging out, sitting in lawn chairs in pickup truck beds, enjoying food, beverages, and conversation. I had stumbled upon tailgate heaven, complete with a wonderful view of both the field and the OKC skyline.

Bo from Edmund and Raymond from Arcadia immediately caught my eye, as one was wearing Cowboy orange and one Sooner crimson, yet they weren’t arguing or fighting or wrestling. In fact, they were having a great time.

Bo explained that they come to this tournament every year and tailgate in the same spot – the first three parking spaces on the 8th floor. He later explained that he and Raymond are only Big 12 Tournament tailgate friends, that they only see each other these five days every year. They’re not the only ones with this story on the 8th floor.

However, Bo might be one of the few tailgaters who is “in attendance” for every game. He told me that for a day like tomorrow with a quadruple-header starting at 10am, he’ll get to his spot at about 8:30am and stay until the final pitch of the day. On a day like that, his group will go through 35-40 hamburgers, three packages of hot dogs, and a couple of dozen bratwursts.

The 8th floor spot has a real hold on these people. Raymond says he occasionally buys tickets and goes inside the stadium to watch, but that he prefers his “skybox” view. I asked Bo if it were 100 degrees with no cloud cover tomorrow, would he consider dropping down to the 7th floor to get some shade? He replied, “Of course not.”

Mountain climbers say that part of the allure of being on a mountain peak is the feeling that you’re close to heaven. As flat as OKC is, the top of an eight-story parking garage with a view of the Big 12 Tournament did feel pretty close to heaven to me.

Game update: Kansas is laying it to Oklahoma State, leading 5-0 at the end of four innings. Bo can’t be happy about that, but given his surroundings, I have no doubt that he’s still enjoying himself.