Tailgate rules- Go Easy on the Potential Converts

Can you tell who the Viking fan is in this picture?

Yeah, I know, I can't explain it, but marriage can do strange things to a family.  When your child marries outside of the fellowship, you have to bide your time and be patient.  I think it is a much safer way to welcome unbelievers into the fold.  We are at the 2007 Opener with the Packers beating the Eagles.  Look for this group at the 2008 Packer-Viking game..... and be patient.

Tailgate tradition- Bring the Ladies of Lambeau

When it comes time to return to Lambeau this year be sure to bring your own version of the "Ladies of Lambeau".  The Packer tradition has no gender boundaries.  All are welcome.  They don't spend as much on jerseys, trading cards, mini helmets, shot glasses and other essentials.  But they add color and flavor to the tailgate experience.  Go Packers!

Tailgate tradition- What? All Indoors?

I can't believe it, I just learned that Mike McCarthy is having all mini-camps inside of the Don Hutson center this year.   What a disappointment.  He likes the controlled environment of the indoor practice facility.  Well, cancel my plans to assess the newest version of the Packers.  I think they should practice outside since last year's team didn't do that well facing the elements at Chicago and at Green Bay in the final game against the Giants.  Get tough!

This picture is taken at a mini-camp in 2005.  The last year for Mike Sherman.

Tailgate tradition- Get to a Mini-camp!

Last I heard, the snow has melted off the statues of Vince and Curly and spring is nearly here.  A rite of spring in the Green Bay area is to drive over to the Nitschke Field for the mini-camp drills.  They don't tackle, they don't wear pads, but you can tell who can catch, and who can run and how fast the team will be.  It adds to your appreciation of the new year.  Actually, the flowers smell fresher, the birds chirp louder and the earth feels like it is ready to rumble.

Tailgate rules- Study History!

So, why do we like football?  Why is tailgating such an essential activity?  I think you have to go back in time to the gladiators of another age.  The thrill of competition, the roar of the crowd, the possibility of blood, compelled the Romans to create the greatest amphitheater in the world.  They brought together the strongest, fastest, most skilled players for the sake of entertainment.   The crowd identified  with the winners, the champions.  They felt the rush of adrenaline and screamed and shouted and felt pretty good at the end of it.  It is a part of western culture.....our culture.

Tailgate rules- Make the Pilgrimage

If you are a true fan, you don't need the season to have an excuse to experience true American history.  Hop in the car and head to Green Bay, Wisconsin,  East High Football field and you have one of the most hallowed fields in football history.

This is the field where Curly Lambeau established the Packers as the most stored franchise in the NFL.  Here is where the ghosts of the past hang out: Don Hutson, Arnie Herber, Cecil Isabel, Johnny Blood.  Yeah, Lambeau is awesome, but let's do our homework first!  Get to City Stadium!

Tailgate rules- The Good Old Days

Anytime you have a chance in the off season, you need to remember the good old days.  Here is a foursome that had a decade of going to at least one game a year at Lambeau Field.  Robert Goetzke, Eugene Bukowski, Jeff Bukowski and Bill Bukowski.  We had some great times from 1990 to 2000.  This game is the opener in 1991 against the Philadelphia Eagles.  In the first series the Packers broke Randall Cunningham's leg so they put in Jim McMahon and he killed the hapless Pack with a surprisingly accurate passing game.  Reggie White was still an Eagle and he "beat the heck out of" Donny "Majik" that afternoon.  We tailgated that day with the Pack Fan Club.