Football legend and Packer great Max McGee passed away over the weekend. Max is known for scoring the first touchdown ever in Super Bowl history. The best part of it was that he was hung over when he did it.

"McGee had only four receptions for 91 yards during the 1966 regular season. He didn't plan to play in the title game against the Chiefs, because he violated the team curfew and spent the night before partying. The next morning he reportedly told Dowler: "I hope you don't get hurt. I'm not in very good shape.""

I actually had the privilege of meeting Max about 10 years ago up in Green Bay. My Father and I went up to the game and he was at an appearance at Lambeau before the game. Since my father actually got to see him play I think it meant more to him then to me. Yet I still remember meeting him.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Any of you that have read me over the last 3 years know that I'm a Green Bay Packer fan. Tried and true, I'm loyal to my team. Anyone that has known me for longer knows that I've been a Packer fan since the early 80's which is when I truly started watching football. Technically I can say I've been a Packer fan all my life as my father raised me one, but it wasn't until I was older that I started following football and actually caring about the team. Hell, that was back in the Lynn Dickey period where you could hear Packer fans exclaim after a loss, "You might beat the back, but you can't lick our Dickey". I remember watching him play, he had a great arm, but couldn't scramble to save his life.

Being a Packer fan to me is part of who I am. It's like being a Husband, father and re-enactor, I identify myself with it. I live it, I breath it and I love it. The heritage, the memories, the excitement and the disappointment. I remember watching the games with my father and learning new ways to curse with out it being an actual curse, such as my infamous "For the love of Pete!" and "Oh my heck!" My father had much better control over his tongue then I do.

After the domination of the NFC in the 90's there were a ton of Packers had a ton of "fans". People that swore they were true Packer fans and loyal to the team. Then a couple of years ago they started to disappear. Sure the Packers had a very bad losing season and then a mediocre 8 and 8 season. It's not a winning season, but it's not a losing season either. Either way, you didn't see as many people claiming to be Packer fans or wearing their Green Bay gear. In fact you started seeing some of these people wear the Blue and Orange of our arch rivals, the Chicago Bears.

Now the Packers are 3 and 0 on the season and the Bears are 1-2. Sure it's early into the season, but these bandwagon jumpers are already rearing their ugly heads. At work, at the store, on the radio I've heard and seen people who had been cheering on the Bears for the last couple of years raising a boisterous voice to the cheer, "GO PACK!" I was happy when these fair weather fans where cheering for other teams. It makes me sick to think I'm someplace talking with someone about the greatness of the Packers when just a year ago they were pulling for New England, the Colts, the Steelers or the Bears.

I just feel that it waters down the fan base and the opportunities for real fans. But I guess it's too much to ask them to pick a team and stick with them through thick and thin.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:35 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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What a great weekend! Ktreva and I left Rockford around 10:00AM Saturday Morning. We were to our hotel and out shopping in Green Bay by 2:00 PM. We found some new items for each of us. Ktreva was extremely happy as that she got a new ladies cut Jersey that JUST came out. It’s all sparkly and glittery in off colors and everyone was asking her were she got on game day. She loved the extra attention. It also got her some extra attention for the legendary Packalope. This man is in the NFL Hall of Fame as a fan, and has been on countless television specials, documentaries and sporting magazines as an “Ultimate Fan”.

Giving the Packalope some love.

Of course Ktreva wasnÂ’t the only one that got their picture taken. We were doing some pre-tailgating tailgating. Yes, I that is correct. As we were walking around what did I see, a giant walking inflatable bottle of Miller Lite with two of the Miller Girls in tow. They were handing out stuff and about for photo opportunities. Me being the dirty old man that I am couldnÂ’t pass up a chance to have my picture taken with the Giant inflatable bottle and the two slightly less attractive than my wife Miller Girls. Unfortunately the bottle did not find it amusing when I tried to pop his top for a frosty one. Later on they had the Miller Lite Ref girls walking around as part of the Beer League policing. Ktreva wouldnÂ’t let me get my picture with them though, something about me being a perv.

Trust me that smile is real.

We had club seats for the game, which were really nice. Cup holders, waitresses, private bathrooms, a special lounge, and VIP access. Well worth the price of admission. We sat around some of the best and nicest people we’ve met at a game. We made friends with the people around us and had a great time. There were some Charger fans sitting in the “commoner” section right below us that were really obnoxious. Of course once the game started going against them, they shut up. They also left with more than 2 minutes left on the clock. We met some really nice Charger fans, so I’m not saying all of them are obnoxious, but this group of 20 definitely was. To make matters worse, I think they were related to one of the players.

One of the guys were sitting with took a picture of Ktreva and I together. Between her Jersey and my necklace we were a hit. Oh, I forgot to tell you about the necklace! You have all seen the Packer Cheese wedges; well this year they have the “Wisconsin Lei”. It’s a lei made out of foam cheese and bratwursts. I saw it and had to buy one!

She couldnÂ’t keep her hands off of my meat.

Every year Green Bay has a specialty hat they sell for various charities and causes. A couple of years ago it was a pink hat for breast cancer, last year was a red hat for heart disease, this year it was a charcoal gray hat for the Military. They even had a wall were fans can sign a thank you to the troops. Of course I bought the hat and signed the wall, $5.00 of the hat goes toward charities that focus on veteran health, counseling and family support.

Me signing the wall after buying the hat on Saturday.

We had a great weekend. A lot of football (Packers beat the Chargers 31 to 24), we even had time to catch a couple of movies we wanted to see, ate at some great restaurants and just had some one on one time that we really needed to have.

Posted by: Contagion at 03:02 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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This weekend I'm actually taking Ktreva out of town on a romantic weekend for two. Saturday I'm going to take her shopping and on Sunday I have tickets to a very hard to get show. I know people that have been waiting years to get their hands on these tickets.

To learn more, see the extended entry. more...

Posted by: Contagion at 02:23 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Yesterday Tammi invited the family down to watch football with her and her Sunday Ticket. She even was going to cook stuff I could eat. How could I turn that down? The only thing that would have made it better is if we could have talked the ladies into wearing cheerleader outfits and serving us male folks, but hey I know that will NEVER happen. Unfortunately this was the first time Tammi, Harvey and TNT got to see me in football mode. Ktreva and the boys have seent his many times in the past.

There I am in her house in a nice quiet small community. Her windows were open so that the cool September air could keep us cool. She has a nice spread set out and there I sat on the Golden Throne with remote in hand. A glass of Glenmorangie 10 year in my other hand and IÂ’m talking in a normal and respectable manner (for me). Then it happens, a play, a big play. A play that involves either my team or a player I have on a fantasy team, and any ounce of respectability dies and my voice carries across the valley.

Such terms as:

“Run! Run you magnificent black man you!”

“For the love of Pete, just let Colston get a touchdown!”

“F@#$ Toomer!”

“Give the ball to Colston already!”

“Run faster, run like you stole it!”

“DAMMIT! That’s not Colston!”

“F@#$ Brees!”

“Eli, Archie doesn’t love you anymore. Peyton gets all of daddy’s love.”

“Is Colston even playing?!?!”

There were many more, but I just wanted to give you a sample. The best part was that since the windows were open my voice had to have carried out of the house and TammiÂ’s poor neighbors had to have heard most of them. I think I just took her fine respectable reputation down a couple of notches.

The sadest thing is that I was holding back.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:42 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Well, the good news is the Landlords - you do know I'm renting from the church, right? - anyway - no complaints as of today. So I think we're good.

And the neighborhood kids didn't even WALK on my part of the sidewalk.

So, it's pretty much all good. Come back anytime, you magnificant white man you......

Posted by: Tammi at September 17, 2007 05:13 PM (xYhVQ)

2 Yeah, it's good you held back. Don't want Tammi to get thrown out of her nice house. *grin*

Posted by: Teresa at September 17, 2007 07:29 PM (rVIv9)

3 Damn and I guess it's just common for me to hear this. Hell I stole some of your sayings!

Posted by: Bruce at September 17, 2007 08:05 PM (l5Qg2)

4 you can come watch football at my house anytime. I own it, and I'll compete with you for the Loudmouth award.

Sounds like me in this post instead of you. I knew there was a reason I liked you :-)

Posted by: caltechgirl at September 17, 2007 11:36 PM (IfXtw)

5 Sounds like you had a great time though!!

Posted by: Richmond at September 19, 2007 02:04 PM (Ppf6b)

6 Funny post and Tammi's comment is great. Holy crap..

Posted by: Bou at September 19, 2007 07:46 PM (fGpp7)

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After the first week of the NFL season I want to share some observations and opinions with everyone.

There were some really good games and some that were really one sided. The Packer game was a good close game that I thought was interesting to watch. It was a strong defensive game, the type I like. Plus the Packers won, which always makes it a good game. The Bears Vs Chargers game started off good, but turned bad in the second half when San Diego started running off with the game. I think it was due to the fact that the offense could not hold onto the ball and that the defense was getting worn down being hammered on by LT and Gates. However Grossman performed almost exactly how I thought he would against the Chargers. Now Bear fans take solace in this; itÂ’s only week one and the Chargers are a tough team.

What is up with the running backs this week? Other than Addai in Indianapolis, most of them put up dismal yardage. If they did put up over a hundred yards, they didnÂ’t score. ItÂ’s almost as if every team in the NFL decided to forgo the ground game and stick to the air. Is it because defenses are stacking against the ground? Maybe they are preparing for an onslaught of rushing all season and thatÂ’s how every team except New Orleans built their defense.

Speaking of sticking to the air, what the hell is up with all the QBÂ’s that got 4 or more touchdowns in one game? Brady, Romo, Rothlesberger, Eli and Peyton Manning. ThatÂ’s not even including the four QBs that are going to be playing tonight! Potentially there is a chance of adding a couple more names to that list. Usually if you get a QB that scores that many touch downs, itÂ’s only one maybe two a week. It is NOT five or more that sling the pigskin for the touchdowns.

IÂ’m wondering what is going to happen with the obviously horribly missed off sides against the Bears that wasnÂ’t called. It was clear that the BearÂ’s defensive tackle, Tommie Harris was off sides and possibly encroachment when he forced the goal line fumble of Philip Rivers. But none of the officials called it.

We have two more games tonight and then itÂ’s on to week two.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:56 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Pool sheets printed, Fantasy Teams rosters printed, stat books on the ready and tip sheets loaded. 10 pounds of meat, buns, condiments, snacks all ready to go. A couple of gallons of water chilling (Because I can't drink Beer!) Ktreva has hung her "We put this marriage on hold for Packer Season" sign up. It can only mean one thing.

IT'S OPENING WEEKEND FOR NFL FOOTBALL!!!!

Yea, I'm a little excited. I'm getting ready to head over to Bruce's house for a kick off Sunday party. I haven't been this excited since the Raptor's Season started last April.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:26 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Football season is right around the corner, and there are a lot of people I know that are gearing up for it. There are also a lot of fantasy football leagues starting or started and people are really getting gung ho over the whole thing. I thought this little NSFW (no nudity, just hard to explain) video would help celebrate the soon to be opening regular season of NFL football.

Yea, Weird Science for the football fanatic.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:38 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Folks itÂ’s that time of year again for my annual Pro Football PickÂ’ems and Salary Cap Football league. If you are interested in playing and didnÂ’t get an invite already, leave a comment and IÂ’ll send you one. Maybe you donÂ’t want to play, but you know someone that would, let them know. IÂ’ll be more then happy to let anyone play. The more the merrier.

ItÂ’s completely free, you donÂ’t have to pay for anything and if you take first place, you get a prize of nominal value for the team of your choice. But the big thing is that itÂ’s for fun and bragging rights.

See if you can make the leader board

Posted by: Contagion at 08:28 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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The Raptors lost last night and they lost badly. It wasnÂ’t even a close game. This was the worst played and coached game IÂ’ve seen all year. I donÂ’t know what was going on, but something didnÂ’t seem right. Some players really put their all into it. They really tried and were frustrated during the game, other players just seemed to let it go. Some of the coaching decisions were really suspect. IÂ’m not saying there was any impropriety by some of the coaches and players, but during and after the game there were a lot of angry players, coaching staff and fans with contacts making statements.

All I know is that Mayor Morrissey is now going to be able to really start on the renovations to the MetroCentre like he wanted.

Posted by: Contagion at 11:26 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Last nightÂ’s draft has come and gone. I didnÂ’t do as well as I had hoped. Then again I could have done much worse Here is my line up:

QBs: Donovan McNabb PHI,
Matt Hasselbeck SEA
RBs: Steven Jackson STL, Willis McGahee BAL,
Deuce McAllister NO
WRs: Deion Branch SEA, Plaxico Burress NYG, Margues Colston NO,
Greg Jennings GB
K: Jason Elam DEN,
Jason Hanson DET
Defense: Jaquars

WeÂ’ll see how this season plays out.

Posted by: Contagion at 10:04 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It's a football weekend for me! Tonight I have the draft for a Fantasy Football league that I joined. I'm kind of excited as this is the first time I've done a league like this. Usually I just do my SalCap and Pool. Which will be coming soon as soon as Yahoo! opens it up. But this year BlogSpawn Bruce started an NFL fantasy league and asked me to join. My goal is to not lose ever week.

Then tomorrow night is the first of the Raptor's Playoff games. Good times, good times! Tomorrow I will start holding court at Carlyle Brew Pub at about 3:00 PM, any and all that would like to join me are more then welcome to. We'll be there until approximately 6:30 PM. Good beer, and me... what more could you want?

Anyway I'm really ready for some good football, and it looks like it's going to be starting for me in just about 3 hours.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:14 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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There has been a lot of flack for Michael Vick (Atlanta FalconÂ’s QB) for his indictment in the dog-fighting incident that took place on his property. On the radio, in the news, on blogs people have been condemning him for being involved in all of this. They donÂ’t even hear his side, they are just ready to put the shoe on the other foot and feed him to the dogs.

Vick on the other hand is denying any knowledge of the incidents and involvement with it. Whether this is true or not I donÂ’t know, all I do know is this: An indictment is not proof of guilt. ItÂ’s just a formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense, usually felony level. The prosecutor has to prove to a Grand Jury that there is enough evidence to bring the case to trial. At least that is how it is in Illinois.

There are numerous cases where people have been indicted of a crime and been found not guilty. Until this whole thing goes to trial and a verdict is given, IÂ’m reserving my judgment. IÂ’m not saying heÂ’s innocent, IÂ’m not saying if he was involved it is okay. All IÂ’m saying is that IÂ’m going to wait for the legal system to find him guilty or not before I crucify the man and demand that his career be destroyed.

This is America, and the last time I checked we are still innocent until proven guilty.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:59 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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The Raptors won Saturday night. It was a great game; we had a lot of fun. If you missed it, itÂ’s your loss. The best thing is that we have secured home field advantage through out the playoffs, and if we make it the United Bowl AND the Sioux Fall Storm donÂ’t make it, the United Bowl will be held here in Rockford. That would rock!

The sad thing is that this was the last regular season home game until next season. IÂ’m going to miss my regular trips to Carlisle Brewery, my fellow fans at the game, and the after game parties with the players. Sure, I have the play offsÂ… but itÂ’s just not the same. As I told my regular waitresses at Carlisle that this was the last home game, and that meant I wasnÂ’t going to be coming in as often, they told me I needed to make an excuse to stop by anyway. It was a general agreement of the people at my table; Ktreva would not like me saying I had to go to Carlisle to visit with Cougar and Kitten.

T1G used my other ticket at the game. He appeared to have a lot of fun. Although he did complain that the horn I use to distract the opposing team was loud and annoying. Not just to the team, but to him and the rest of the fans as well. Then he would add on, “but it’s awesome.” Of course at the end of the night my voice was still intact while his was starting to give out. Yea, I might be blowing a loud and annoying horn, but he was screaming his fool head off. Although our chanting to the opposing team players they suck was amusing. We did have to give one of them props though, we singled him out and he just waved and said, “Yeah, baby!”

All in all, it was a great time. Now we just need to not lose in the playoffs.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:56 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Tonight is the Rock River Raptors last regular season home game. ItÂ’s a must win for us. We have two games and a by week left in regular season. Currently we are sitting atop of the division with a 9-4 record, but River City is right behind us with a 7-5 record and Lexington a 7-6 record. Tonight we play Lexington. If we win tonight we pretty much clinch the division. If we lose, then we have to beat Sioux Falls next week at home in hopes of winning the division. The problem is that Sioux Falls is on a 32 game wining streak and sitting atop the other division.

That means that tonightÂ’s game should be a good hard-hitting game. So any of you football fans out there want to go have some fun, tonight at the MetroCentre is your chance.

IÂ’m not saying that the Raptors and their organization listen to me or that I have any influence with them. But I do think they like fans like Bruce and myself. We really get the crowd involved. So occasionally they like to throw a little something back our way. Like last week. During half time the Dynomites did a zombie themed dance routine to Michael JacksonÂ’s Thriller.

Football and zombies, how perfect is that?

Posted by: Contagion at 08:47 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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What a wild and fun weekend for me. First off I would like to take this time to apologize to anyone that received a phone call from me between the hours of 8:00PM and 2:00AM CST. If you couldn’t tell, I was not quite functioning at full mental capacity. I really lost count of how much I had drank early on in the night. I don’t blame anyone else for my actions; it was completely my own fault. Next time I need to remember to not listen to T1G when he states that I need to “keep up with him” and that “I’m one behind.” So yes, I am truly sorry. We are going to invest in a drunk phone for me next time. The one that has the built in Breathalyzer so that you can’t drunken dial.

Other then that, Friday night was a blast. After work Ktreva and I went to the Rock River Raptor’s Season ticket holders party. I know they tried, but the party was pretty dead. Almost no one showed up other then the players and people associated with the organization. It was held outside in the heat… and they only served Bud, Bud Light and Corona. BLECH! We hung around for a while, but when we saw the party wasn’t going to get any better we left. Since we had a babysitter for the night, Ktreva didn’t want to go home. She wanted to hit the town. The problem was we couldn’t agree on were to go. She wanted to hit a bar. The problem was finding a bar that I would be comfortable in, but would also take my wife to. Most of the bars I tend to like are a little on the rougher side. Thus we ended up at Fritz’. Now I wasn’t positive T1G was going to be there, but well… yea I was pretty sure. Ktreva made the comment. “Great you guys are going to be talking all night and ignoring me.” I told her to call Tammi and tell her to come down. At this point she says, “I don’t have my phone.” FINE! So I call Tammi for her. And of course upon answering the phone I’m accused of drunk dialing. I explain the situation, and Tammi agrees to head down there as well. Flash-forward to a night filled with Day-glo green drinks, Tabasco in beer, and my ultimately delving into drunk dialing.

Saturday night I went with Bruce and our friend KF on the Rock River Raptor bus trip to Bloomington. Folks, this was well worth the price of the ticket. On the bus they supplied sandwiches, chips and fee beer and water. However the beer was Bud and Bud Light. Now I canÂ’t fault them the beer. The local Bud distributor sponsors them, and apparently they are very generous. ThatÂ’s okay; Bruce and I brought our own beer. For the bus trip IÂ’m going to give some high lights.

-BloomingtonÂ’s stadium is awesome. They have a really nice set up with corporate sponsors. They have a Leinie Lodge, a Jack DanielÂ’s VIP section as well as a corporation that bought the rights to the stadium. There is an in stadium pro-shop and a jumbotron with instant replay. Their concessions were better quality and at about the same price range. Their seats have cup holdersÂ… NO SPILLED BEERS!

-Apparently when I get upset and am drinking I swear. Also apparently if I do this with Bruce around the angry parents of little kids will blame him.

-On road trips I do become “That Fan”. You know, the one that is really loud and cheering his team on, even after getting threatening looks from the home team fans. Either that or Bruce was swearing again.

-The best part about our seats was the fact that we were sitting with some of the playerÂ’s families. Blue AldridgeÂ’s uncle was right behind us and he was just as fevered about the game as we were.

-The Raptors won by a point. Yes one point, which made this a very exciting and good game. Of course a missed PAT and short field goal doesnÂ’t help. (IÂ’m watching the placeholder for the next couple of games.

-Tom Crow, the Raptors GM, seems to be an actual nice guy. I’ve spoken with him on a couple occasions. He rode on the bus back from the game with us. We got to spend some time talking to him, and shooting off some ideas and what not. He seemed to take everything we said into consideration. Not that I actually expect him to listen to us, but he was cool about it. Especially since I kept calling him Tim. For the love of me I don’t know why I couldn’t get his name right. I actually started calling him Tim-Tom at one point as I tried to correct myself. He didn’t blow us off. During the ride back, I got a little hungry and Bruce grabbed the three remaining bags of Cheetos from the back of the bus. At that point Bruce kept calling me Cheeto and saying, “Good times Cheeto.” Tom Updates the Raptors site and in his brief post, Raptors Defeat Extreme he ends it with, “Also, a big “Thank You” goes out to our first official Fan Bus Trip of the season… Good Times Cheeto…” I'd like to the post itself, but the way the site is set up, I can't.

-I guess I should mention that my sister lives down there and is a Bloomington Extreme (yes, their team name sucksÂ… extremely) fan. So I was able to see her. And harass her about the guy she brought withÂ… and rub it in after the game that we wonÂ…

All in all it was a great time. For those of you that missed it, you missed a lot of fun. Just remember the next time they do a bus trip, you might want to jump on and just enjoy life a little more.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:10 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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On June 16 the Rock River Raptors play the Bloomington Extreme (Yea, their name sucks). This will be the third time we play the Extreme this season. We have a 1-1 record against them this season with our overtime loss last weekend. This is playing out to be an important game for us to win the division and to be a good close game.

The Raptors are planning a fan bus trip from Rockford to the game. They are charging $50.00 for anyone that wants to go on the bus. The price includes a round trip bus ticket, food and beverage on the bus and a ticket to the game. I am going to this game, so IÂ’m jumping on the chance to take the bus. It saves me money just in gas alone, plus I donÂ’t have to worry about the two hour drive. Throw in the food and the ticket to the game, this really is a steal.

The problem is that they only have 50 spots available; they need at least 30 people in order to make the trip happen. Including me they currently have 10 people signed up. If you live in or around the Rockford area, love football, and want to have good time, IÂ’m telling you, jump on this opportunity. Plus we really want to support the home time at what is playing out to be a crucial game. We all know how much fan support can really help a team play.

So if you are interested in going, call 815-965-7000 and sign up for the bus trip. Not only will you be able to go see a great game and have a lot of fun, but you get to hang out with me! That in itself should be worth $50.00!

Posted by: Contagion at 05:07 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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WHAT A NIGHT! Normally before the Raptor games I go to Carlyle Brewing company to do some tailgating since you arenÂ’t allowed to tailgate in the city limits. Yesterday since we decided to go to the Raptors sponsored tailgate party. They had a VIP section for season ticket holders. Since they were going to do something nice for us, I figured I should go check it out. Well we did and to be honest I wasnÂ’t all that impressed.

When we arrived at the park we had to go through the security shake down. Fine, I can understand that, but they really should get a security guy that is familiar with what Illinois licenses look like and their renewal processes. He was completely thrown off by Ktreva’s and my license. To quote him, “I’ve never seen a renewal sticker for a license before.” Which is sad, because I got my renewal sticker 4 years ago.

You couldnÂ’t just buy beer or food; you had to buy tickets in order to get beer or food. Depending on what you where getting depended on how many tickets you needed. Well, I donÂ’t know how much IÂ’m going to need in advance, and there is only one place to get tickets, which wasnÂ’t by the beer or food tent. Thus many trips back and forth to get tickets.

They stated the tailgating was going to start at 4:00 with food and drink. Well they had Bud, Bud light and Bud Select (Bleh to all three). The food wasnÂ’t ready until almost 5:30. The VIP section was supposed to have it so we didnÂ’t need to wait in line with everyone else to get food and drink. The drink wasnÂ’t a problem, food however caused quite a bit of commotion.

They had a live band for everyone to enjoy, the band was name Ten Times Better. Well to steel a line from Ktreva, “Just about any other band would have been ten times better”. It may have been the sound system they where using or the mixing board, but they didn’t sound good at all. All in all I pretty much decided I’m not going to back to their tailgating party again unless there is a band I really want to here. IE I know someone playing in the band.

The game itself rocked. Unfortunately we lost. But I did get another game ball. My favorite player, Jeremiah Thompson scored a pair of touchdowns. After his second touchdown he came over and threw me the ball he scored with. Then after the game I stuck around to get him to autograph it.

And thatÂ’s how I got kicked out of the MetroCentre. They set up these tables for all the players and the Dynomites (Cheerleaders) to sit at. They had a line for people to walk down the row of tables so each person can autograph something. Well I didnÂ’t want everyoneÂ’s autograph, just ThompsonÂ’s and he was in the second to last spot. After waiting for 30 minutes just to get onto the field, and the line was moving slowly, I asked a guy if I could just run over and get ThompsonÂ’s. He told me he couldnÂ’t let me do that and then he said we probably wonÂ’t get anything signed anyway because they have to close in 20 minutes and the line wasnÂ’t moving fast at all.

When he walked away I turned to Ktreva and Boopie. I told them to stay in line, I was going to go get Thompson’s autograph when a break in the line got to him. Quickly I ran over handed him the ball and said, “Thompson, sign this before they kick me out.” As soon as he started signing it, two security guys came running over, “Sir, we can’t have you cut in the line like this we’re going to have to ask…” Me, “No problem, I just wanted his autograph on the ball he scored a TD with. I’m out of here.” Thompson gave me the ball back and I was escorted off the field. Ktreva and Boopie left the line and we headed home.

I did have a great time and IÂ’m looking forward to the next game in a couple of weeks. This morning I have no voice. So for those of you expecting a phone call from me today, itÂ’s not going to happen.

Posted by: Contagion at 09:12 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Tomorrow is a big day. IÂ’ve been counting the days for a while now in anticipation. Now I could tell you that tomorrow is important because itÂ’s CloneÂ’s birthday, and I guess that wouldnÂ’t be wrong. But thatÂ’s not why IÂ’m so excited. Tomorrow is the first day of football season!

Wait, did I say football season? Yes I did. The Rock River Raptors have their first game tomorrow night. I bought my season tickets again this year, the same incredible seats I had last year. Now I know some people say that Arena football is not real football. They would be wrong. Sure the field is shorter and there are fewer players on the field, but they hit just as hard, if not harder. Remember they are playing on lightly padded concrete and constantly are run into walls and flipped into the stands. These guys get hit so hard that you can feel it in the stands. A lot of these players played college ball or are trying to get into the NFL. They work hard and trust me; they are worthy of the respect that should go toward any athlete.

IÂ’ve completely thrown myself onto the Raptor bandwagon. Well, it is only their second season in Rockford and IÂ’ve had season tickets, best seats in the house if you ask me, for both seasons. IÂ’ve bought jerseys, shirts, hats, etc. IÂ’ve even bought Ktreva and the boys various Raptor gear. IÂ’m even getting a custom made Jersey this year. They changed their jersey style and I wanted to get one of my favorite playerÂ’s jerseysÂ… so I did. IÂ’ve completely thrown myself into the Raptor camp.

So tomorrow night at this time, IÂ’ll be in the stands getting ready for kick off. What are you going to be doing? If youÂ’re in the area, IÂ’d suggest heading to the MetroCentre and watching the game. ItÂ’s well worth the price of admission.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:52 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I generally donÂ’t talk about money on here, because I really donÂ’t have any serious money problems. So my pissing and moaning about would just be stupid. IÂ’m doing pretty well, IÂ’m not bad off and I enjoy my lifestyle. So my bitching about not having the funds to spend a weekend with the wife in some secluded space just seems insulting to those that might have real financial concerns.

But not today, today IÂ’m going to bitch about it, why? Because I have some pretty big expenses coming up, things that I need to pay and I am not about to start financing. Plus some things I canÂ’t finance. IÂ’m not worried as I have been saving all year and have the money to cover these expenses. So why am I going to start bitching about money?

I received a letter in the mail today. A very important letter. Maybe even the most important letter of my life. This is the kind of letter a lot of people hope to receive. Upon opening the mailbox I saw a letter with the official logo of the Green Bay Packers. It was thick, and very official looking. I was nervous as I thought I knew what this was. It was the notification that I was eligible for Packer Season Tickets.

I about had a mild coronary

The holy grail of tickets. The waiting list for these bad boys is legendary. They span generations. Then I looked at the price I was expected to pay and the first thing I thought wasÂ…. I could max a couple of credit cards. Then I thought I could not have that work done on the house IÂ’ve been saving for. Finally I thought; I could sell one of the boys on the black market. Nope, I couldnÂ’t do any of that. Between the seat tax and the rest of the expenses that go with it, there is almost no way I can afford these this year. Hell, I have to send in my letter saying IÂ’m interested with $500.00 per seat as a deposit by the end of the month, and I may not even get the seats. But I would get the deposit back. But there is no way I would be able to pony up the money by the time the deadline was due if I got the tickets.

So I did the only thing I could think of, I called my father. HeÂ’s a bigger Packer fan then I am. IÂ’m trying to talk him into going halvsies with me.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:08 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 that seems like a good idea.

Of course, I would also sit down and budget it, and if it worked out, I'd credit them now and pay them off while setting aside the $$ for next year's tickets. But that's assuming you can take that out of your budget.

Damn dude. Perhaps a trip to Vegas is in order, seeing as your luck is running high :-)

Of course, you could also finance this by selling the tickets.... Stubhub.com or some such after you get them!

Posted by: caltechgirl at February 08, 2007 07:50 PM (r0kgl)

2 i mean of course, those you don't intend to use.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at February 08, 2007 07:50 PM (r0kgl)

3 I hope your dad will go halves with you. Seriously, that's very cool and I hope you don't miss the opportunity.

Posted by: Teresa at February 08, 2007 09:41 PM (gsbs5)

4 Congrats, dude!!! I hope to gott that your dad can go halves...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at February 08, 2007 10:24 PM (Hn1Gg)

5 Damn dude... sucks that my tax return is already slated to go to my creditors or I'd help you out.

Tell your Dad he's destined for one of those bad nursing homes they show on 60 minutes if he doesn't pony up

Posted by: Graumagus at February 09, 2007 12:08 AM (LV+mK)

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