In belated honor of National Tailgating Week, which ended a week ago.

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The early-morning sun bore down on Xanadu for a pair of pre-pubescent football fanatics.

The practice field for the mighty Army Black Knights sat across a two-lane, winding, hilly cross the street from Michie Stadium, the football cathedral on the U.S. Military Academy campus.

Michie remained locked early on gamedays, but that practice field usually sat empty, especially early in the morning. One Saturday, our football heaven was open no more, instead guarded by a Jeep full of military policemen.

MPs are no-nonsense soldiers and have little use for jersey-wearing children, but my best friend and I wanted to play on the field in the worst way. We begged to no avail. We had nothing but a couple of crinkled dollar bills to offer as bribes.

Up the hill, though, in the Army “A” lot — the most coveted parking for a football game — Pop and Smitty manned the grill for what had become one of the most popular tailgate parties at the Point.

I knew the power of the egg sandwich, especially on an empty stomach — and these MPs looked hungry. An easy swap — Army’s field for a full belly. If the lure of an egg sandwich wouldn’t work, nothing would.

“If you let us play on the practice field,” I began the last-ditch effort, “you can drive up to ‘A’ Lot, ask for Mr. Murphy and he will make you guys egg sandwiches.”

My friend and I played ball as the Jeep climbed the winding road toward the near-empty lot.

Pop recalled, years later, being concerned as a Jeep full of MPs approached. A door opened, an MP emerged and said, “Murph sent us for egg sandwiches.”

The MPs had full stomachs and we were executing post patterns across from Michie.

Hours after the practice-field bonanza, the real Army game had ended and the tailgate party was packed away for another week. Our van crept toward the exit. At West Point, there are few roads on and off campus, each is two lanes and most are either leading up or down a hill. Getting out of the parking lot and into traffic after a game was a nightmare.

The van reached the parking lot exit as cars flowed up and down the hillside. Two hardened MPs, whose day was made so much better with egg sandwiches hours earlier, manned the intersection. They caught sight of our van. Traffic whistled to a halt in both directions. We pulled out — the only vehicle allowed to do so.

Traffic again flowed up the hill and down as drivers waited impatiently in “A” Lot not fortunate enough to know the power of a gameday egg sandwich and a two children’s desire to toss around a football on a real college practice field.

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Sean P. Murphy is web editor. He can be reached at smurphy@vicksburgpost.com