Comments on: The Chill of Victory

The Chill of Victory

desjardins — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:31:42 -0800

The coldest game in football won't be at Lambeau Field (also known as the frozen tundra and the home of the Lambeau leap) tomorrow. It was 13° below zero in 1967 when the Green Bay Packers played the Dallas Cowboys. They called it the Ice Bowl and it had a dramatic finish.

It's only forecast to be 1° above zero (15 below windchill) for tomorrow's playoff game against the New York Giants, and Packers fans worldwide are ready to brave the cold. They're going shopping. Some will pray. Many have superstitious rituals. Some will sing. (And some go too far.)

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:58:07 -0800

The Ice Bowl is one of my favorite games to watch. I love those severe weather games, and this was back when the sport was more rough around the edges. Plus, the end is amazing. And it's Landry vs. Lombardi. How much more can you ask for?

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:18:19 -0800

I gotta say that I'm not much of a football fan, but I really enjoy the Packers. I wish all local sports franchises were run this way.

By: caddis

caddis — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:22:02 -0800

That's real football. Yeah.

By: davejay

davejay — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:22:03 -0800

When I was in high school/early college, we held the yearly hangover bowl on a local church's vast lawn. It was cold, it was tackle, and it was on January 1st after dark. I hurt just thinking about it.

By: Ironmouth

Ironmouth — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:32:58 -0800

The Packers haven't done that great in the cold this year.

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:42:34 -0800

They looked pretty damn good in the cold last week. Against a team that, you know, actually made it to the play-offs. Besides, fuck the Bears. :)

By: Ironmouth

Ironmouth — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:44:08 -0800

Besides, fuck the Bears. :) Bitter about the sweep? Enjoy the trip to the Superbowl. The results of last year's game will be pretty much the same as this years ;)

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:51:06 -0800

Besides, fuck the Bears. :) i thought they were hibernating

By: John Smallberries

John Smallberries — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:55:42 -0800

I won't say that the prevalence of domed or retractable roofed stadiums is ruining the game - as I don't think nastily HOT weather offers any benefits to the game or fans, and we get that for most of the season here in Houston - but I am really really glad that there are places left like Lambeau field. Football is supposed to be played in the cold and ice and snow, dammit, and if the weather here were ever like that, I'd vote for tearing the roof right off Reliant Stadium. Speaking of the impact of weather on the game, I am still quite tickled by this play from the Steelers/Dolphins muck-fest played back in November. (Terrible video quality, but the best I could find.) You sure don't see that everyday, ayuh.

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:57:27 -0800

The results of last year's game will be pretty much the same as this years ;) Unscramble one of those eggs for me, while you're at it.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:59:26 -0800

Ironmouth, you seem lost.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:59:42 -0800

2nd-ed maxwelton's comment. IMO all pro sports teams should be at least partially owned by the community, thus mid to small markets (such as Green Bay) could own a team without fear of them being moved at the whim of some individual with a few million to throw around.

By: JaredSeth

JaredSeth — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:08:33 -0800

Football is supposed to be played in the cold and ice and snow, dammit Absolutely. I'm a Giants season ticket holder, and was so happy to hear that funding for the roof on the new stadium fell through. I love the cold weather games.

By: louche mustachio

louche mustachio — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:09:37 -0800

Besides, fuck the Bears. :) i thought they were hibernating Oohh, they can't give consent if they're hibernating.

By: DieHipsterDie

DieHipsterDie — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:17:34 -0800

Football is supposed to be played in the cold and ice and snow, dammit And on grass!!!

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:23:30 -0800

This is the part where I admit I'm engaged to a Bears fan. Hopefully no one will read this far.

By: Rumple

Rumple — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:26:21 -0800

Nothing could be worse than being a Bears fan, except, I suppose, being married to one. on preview: ooops

By: drezdn

drezdn — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:34:55 -0800

Ironmouth, you seem lost. For the one place that sign could exist, I'm ashamed to point out that do to a rearrangement of ramps, the Green Bay sign would be next to the Chicago sign. Also, go Green Bay.

By: winks007

winks007 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:36:20 -0800

Hah...try being a SAINTS fan. Then my No. 2 (America's team - THE DALLAS COWBOYS) tanks. Then the Colts lose!!! It looks like we'll be pulling for the "PACK."

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:02:05 -0800

drezdn: I forgot about that. Goddamn construction.

By: Brak

Brak — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:06:28 -0800

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has this innate desire for football to be played in the elements. I was positively giddy watching the Packers/Seahawks game last week, with the snow coming down. The Patriots/Raiders game a few years ago? The snow was almost enough to cool my anger at that missed fumble call. I don't know what it is about snow football that makes me so happy. Childhood memories of schoolyard games of my youth, I suppose. As Joni Mitchell once said, "Now you're romanticizing some pain inside your head.". I don't think that's the kind of pain she was talking about though.

By: KevinSkomsvold

KevinSkomsvold — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:12:52 -0800

Cold football? Try the "Old Met." Lambeau is a domed stadium compared to that.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:14:16 -0800

winks007, dude do you seriously have multiple favorite teams and assign them priority favorites based on who's left standing in the playoffs? Whatever happened to sticking with one team and turning off the tv once they're done? I've been a Giants fan since I was a kid (and yes, still, fuck you, Joe Pisarcik wherever you are), and we only get to have fun only every few years, but I'm definitely enjoying this season. Most seasons, we're done by Xmas. Go JINTS!!

By: Item

Item — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:32:24 -0800

I've hated football all my life, but my family is from Green Bay and the Packers are a part of our history and very much a source of familial pride for most of my relatives. My dad's uncle - "Red" Bultman - played center for the then-champion Packers in the late 1920's and 30's, which led to all kinds of perks through the years. My grandfather was able to buy original stock in the team when it first went on sale in the 20's. My dad still owns 1000 shares and it's one of his most prized possessions. From what I understand it has no monetary value but is rare as hell and a source of envy amongst other fans. My folks attended the Ice Bowl and still love talking about it. I'm sure the story's great but I stopped listening when I was about 8. They're lifetime season ticket holders, even though they've lived in Texas for the last 30 years and are lucky to catch one or two home games a season. My dad's study has a built-in floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall bookshelf that's completely packed with memorabilia, from unopened bottles of Cheesehead beer to pom-poms, stationary, and megaphones. Pretty much every t-shirt, jacket, pair of socks - hell, every item of clothing other than pants & formalwear - my dad wears is Packer-related. He's incredibly easy to buy gifts for. Though they're getting on in years and my dad's health has been going to shit, they make it a point to go to a local sports bar (dubbed "the Packer Bar") to watch pretty much every game, regardless if it's available to watch at home or not. If he's well enough to go to church, he's well enough to go to the bar. They've made lifelong friends in other Green Bay expats at the bar, many of whom are half their age. The last couple of years have been tough for them - my dad's missed (read: had to watch at home) quite a few games due to his aging body falling apart. I'm pretty sure my dad learned how to use the internet so that he could keep up with his team. Before the digital age, he subscribed to every Packers fanzine published, and would often write long and angry letters to the editors for god knows why. As I mentioned, I hate football. It's not the sport itself I hate, but rather the slickness of the way it's played and presented to the public. Every once in a while, I'll watch an old game on ESPN Classic, games from the days before on-field computer graphics and massively sideburned players. I have to admit, I do hold a bit of respect for the Packers, not just because they've been such an intense part of my family's life but for this:

The Packers are now the only publicly owned company with a board of directors in American professional sports (although other teams are directly owned by publicly traded companies, such as the New York Rangers (Cablevision), the Seattle Mariners (Nintendo of America), and the Toronto Blue Jays (Rogers Communications)). Typically, a team is owned by one person, partnership, or corporate entity; thus, a "team owner." It has been speculated that this is one of the reasons the Green Bay Packers have never been moved from the city of Green Bay, a city of only 102,313 people as of the 2000 census.

For most of my life I didn't get along with my dad very well, but seeing him ecstatic when his team does well has always been a welcome sight. He was a bundle of corporate stress when I was growing up and the smallest thing could set him off. It really, really sucked when Green Bay lost. He'd be pissed off for days and would rant about the loss to anyone and everyone. He'd always know exactly what mistakes were made and would single out certain players and staff members as bums in a Micky Mouse organization. He'd mail off yet more angry letters to the fanzines and, from what I remember, to the team itself. But man, when they'd win... life would be all ice cream and happiness. I don't know what my parent's plan is should the Packers win this weekend, but I imagine they'll go to the Super Bowl if their team does, as they've done every other time the Pack's gone all the way.

By: beelzbubba

beelzbubba — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:32:26 -0800

psmealey wrote: winks007, dude do you seriously have multiple favorite teams and assign them priority favorites based on who's left standing in the playoffs? Whatever happened to sticking with one team and turning off the tv once they're done? I've been a Giants fan since I was a kid (and yes, still, fuck you, Joe Pisarcik wherever you are), and we only get to have fun only every few years, but I'm definitely enjoying this season. Most seasons, we're done by Xmas. I have lived in the geographic territory of the Detroit Lions for slightly more than half of their era of abject futility. If I did not develop an interest in football beyond when the local team was done, I might never see a professional football contest beyond September 1. Sorry, your model simply will not work for southeast Michigan.

By: Item

Item — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:37:59 -0800

Wow - this post's some go too far link is something my dad would've quite possibly done - or at least liked to have done and threatened to do before my mom stopped him.

By: briank

briank — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:43:29 -0800

Okay, how many other people "heard" the first two sentences of this post in the voice of John Fazenda, the NFL Films Announcer in their heads besides me?

By: Jay Reimenschneider

Jay Reimenschneider — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:57:59 -0800

I grew up loving the Packers- and the NFL was the best sports league on the planet. But watching it on TV nowadays is a chore. Too many commercial breaks (and all of the ads are horrible and unfunny) and referee instant replay review time outs. Every season the league finds new ways to bring the action to a grinding halt. And the announcers won't shut up with the promos for other shows on their network. It's all about how much revenue they can squeeze out of a game- and to hell with the actual quality of the product. I'm glad I discovered soccer a decade ago. The Premiership and La Liga are the two best professional sporting leagues on the planet. Now I get all of my "football" watching done by 6 PM (sometimes much earlier) on Sundays.

By: LooseFilter

LooseFilter — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:15:12 -0800

But watching it on TV nowadays is a chore. I couldn't agree more--that's why I record most games now, and start watching 90 minutes or so after kickoff. (Of course, you have to be careful not to stumble on any information about the game if watching other TV or online.) And even with a 90 minute delay in starting, sometimes I still catch up to the live broadcast before the game is over.

By: Marky

Marky — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:24:10 -0800

I really wish the NFL would let the reigning champions host the next Super Bowl. I want the game in New England or Green Bay.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 19:34:28 -0800

Nothing could be worse than being a Bears fan try being a lions fan - i gave up decades ago

By: casarkos

casarkos — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:16:52 -0800

I'm living in Dolphins land. Top that.

By: not_on_display

not_on_display — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:19:32 -0800

I grew up loving the Packers because I liked the way green and yellow look together. Yet I am hetero, and from New England. Go figure.

By: diastematic

diastematic — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 20:25:15 -0800

One freakin' da-gree? Holy schnikeys. Neither team can really be prepared for that. GO PACK GO!

By: caddis

caddis — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:37:50 -0800

Though they're getting on in years and my dad's health has been going to shit, they make it a point to go to a local sports bar (dubbed "the Packer Bar") to watch pretty much every game, regardless if it's available to watch at home or not. If he's well enough to go to church, he's well enough to go to the bar. They've made lifelong friends in other Green Bay expats at the bar, many of whom are half their age. The last couple of years have been tough for them - my dad's missed (read: had to watch at home) quite a few games due to his aging body falling apart. I am digging this guy. More power to him.

By: Item

Item — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:34:23 -0800

He's mellowing out in a way I never thought possible upon slipping into old age. Growing up in the Item household was really not fun, though, and the Packers are closely associated with a lot of the ugly memories. He'd get so unearthly worked up over that team and he'd scare the hell out of timid young me in the process. Looking back, I see it was some kind of twisted stress release for him. He didn't play golf, he didn't jog, he didn't get into fights. Instead, he'd scream at the TV and he'd scream at us. There's a quite a few reasons why I don't like sports - and football in particular - but topping the list are memories of getting in trouble for being a kid on Sunday afternoons. As I mentioned, if the Packers lost, well... I would just pray that they didn't lose. I love him because he's my father and I have an instinctual need to, and because I am a forgiving person. As I've gotten older I've learned to understand the old man a little bit, but I still don't understand football. Sometimes I find myself wishing that I could get into it, then I'll watch a few minutes of a game and immediately lose interest. I think the only thing that'd pique my interest in football is if steroid use was not only allowed but encouraged. I want to see man-beasts ripping each other apart, a completely inhuman and unsympathetic take on the sport. I want to see sub-mutant aberrations and I want to see blood and I want to see lots of it. Give the people what they want.

By: Item

Item — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:34:54 -0800

Wait - um, so in conclusion, my pop's okay.

By: Bonzai

Bonzai — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:45:40 -0800

I was born in Green Bay raised in the area and live there now. My dad and his dad were both born and raised here too. The old man was a punk teenager during the Lombardi years. He and his friends used to rush the gates and "sneak" in most home games. The security guards couldn't catch them all. He claims he was at the Ice Bowl, but if everyone who claims to have been at that game was actually there then attendance must have been in the 350-400k range. I guess either they are lying or they were standing on each others shoulders. I missed the first two Superbowls (alive but too young to remember) and for me the Packers were always the team I loved but who always disappointed me until Brett Favre came to town. Watching the 96 team was incredible as a fan but this year I'm just hoping Favre can get one more trip to the big game. That having been said. God himself couldn't beat the Patriots this year. Bastards.

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:28:59 -0800

they make it a point to go to a local sports bar (dubbed "the Packer Bar") I think I know that bar. Nick's?

By: pax digita

pax digita — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:46:00 -0800

My college roommate and I had dinner at the house of a guy who boasted he'd played for Green Bay in that game, a lie we easily confirmed after the fact even in the pre-Internet days; but then, this same guy boasted about running guns for various revolutions on two continents...shoulda been a novelist rather than a salesman.

By: psmealey

psmealey — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:12:32 -0800

Sorry, your model simply will not work for southeast Michigan. Bah! That's the price we pay for fandom, though, isn't it? I started rooting for the Giants in about 1975, and they were terrible for most of that stretch. When they won the Super Bowl for the first time in the 1986 season, the joy was indescribable. Not like was going to automatically start rooting for the Jets, or God forbid the Steelers or "America's Team", like so many fair-weather fans did in that era. Seems to me the Lions went to the playoffs at least a few times in the Barry Sanders era.

By: mimi

mimi — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:17:32 -0800

Item, you're not the lady who pranked her insanely Packer-memoribilia-collecting dad with the "cast of Vince Lombardi's lower teeth" for Christmas a few years ago? Because that would be awesome. "BUT I HAVE A LETTER!!" I'm from Green Bay, and I also remember The Dark Years. Savor it. Ten hours to go... squee!

By: Ian A.T.

Ian A.T. — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:42:21 -0800

Indulge this non-sports fan: does football ever call a game on account of cold? I mean, I guess not, if -15 is kosher. It just seems like it would be seen as a public health issue at a certain point, having some many thousands of people sitting immobile for hours at such temperatures, not to mention the hazards of getting to and from the game if there's just been an ice storm or a blizzard. (I'm not saying I necessarily agree with that, I'm just saying that it's surprising that the local representatives of the nanny state don't at least raise the concern.)

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 08:12:28 -0800

CANCEL FOOTBALL?! What the hell is wrong with you, Ian? People have died for lesser causes. On a similar note, I'm going to wish an evil fate on someone at Comcast if the cable isn't fixed by gametime. Remember when you were a kid and you watched the dirty channels but they were scrambled and you could only see a leg here and a boob there? That's what regular TV is like for me today. If anyone knows of a good sports bar in western Lake or eastern McHenry Counties (Illinois), please PLEASE let me know.

By: Tacos Are Pretty Great

Tacos Are Pretty Great — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:21:05 -0800

winks007, dude do you seriously have multiple favorite teams and assign them priority favorites based on who's left standing in the playoffs? Whenever I've moved, I took up some level of support for the local team, except when I moved into rival territory. After all, the childhood team trumps all.

By: aladfar

aladfar — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 11:27:56 -0800

Being from Chicago, it's hard to spare a kind word for the Packers. The Bears foundered horribly this year, but they did win the only two games that really matter (extending their overall series lead to 90-79-6). So, it's only fitting that we Chicagoans (even those of us who have recently relocated to San Francisco) extend encouragement to our uncouth, backward, NFC North brothers: Go Pack!

By: Rumple

Rumple — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:01:58 -0800

Indulge this non-sports fan: does football ever call a game on account of cold? I mean, I guess not, if -15 is kosher. It just seems like it would be seen as a public health issue at a certain point, having some many thousands of people sitting immobile for hours at such temperatures, not to mention the hazards of getting to and from the game if there's just been an ice storm or a blizzard. This explains all. Plus, no doubt, a flask or two of fireball.

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:47:49 -0800

people sitting immobile I just noticed this part. Have you BEEN to a football game? You're standing up and sitting down more than in a Catholic mass. uncouth, backward, NFC North brothers Whatever, FIB.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 14:56:24 -0800

This explains all. yeah, that's how you dress for that kind of weather - it's really pretty comfortable not to mention the hazards of getting to and from the game if there's just been an ice storm or a blizzard. -15 below just means it's cold - it doesn't mean ice storm or blizzard - if there's no ice on the trees it's not an ice storm - and if you can keep moving on the road, it's not a blizzard

By: desjardins

desjardins — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:55:56 -0800

From Deadspin, a prayer for Packers fans. Our Favre, Who art in Lambeau, Hallowed be thine arm. Thy bowl will come, It will be won. In Phoenix as it is in Lambeau. And give us this Sunday, Our weekly win. And give us many touchdown passes. But do not let others pass against us. Lead us not into frustration, But deliver us to the valley of the sun. For thine is the MVP, the best of the NFC, and the glory of the Cheeseheads, now and forever. Go get'em. Amen.

By: danb

danb — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:50:23 -0800

Go Giants.

By: caddis

caddis — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:50:40 -0800

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By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:14:40 -0800

does football ever call a game on account of cold? Lightning. That's the only reason I know of. I hate football. Loathe it. But I will give credit where it's due: those fuckers will play no matter what. Rain? Wind? Cold? Hot? Sleet? Blizzard? Mudslide? Fuck that shit. The game is on. Maybe that's why I hate watching it. You have to sit through an hour of "pre-game" banter and bullshit, then get to watch some fifteen-minute computer-generated re-interpretation of Der Ring des Nibelungen using Patriots and Giants helmets battling each other, always ending in a giant explosion, wherein your greeted with the same goddamned annoying motherfuckers who you just got finished watching an hour shooting the shit, who proceed to shoot it some more, go to commercial a couple dozen times, introduce the players, commercial, show video highlights of some half-intelligible Boo-Yah interviews with the players where they talk about how they're just glad to be playing for the team, and how they're going to go out there and give 110%, commercial, back to the moron gang of suits who then spend another 10 minutes trying to analyze all the nuances of the Boo-Yah interviews... ...A week or so later they finally get to the actual game, which invariably switches to commercial a minute after the kickoff because of some arcane goddamned penalty. So after the requisite commercial break, you get to see the refs announce the penalty, the announcers talk about what the penalty means to their family, commercial, then another 10 seconds of play where the QB hands the ball to a guy who runs straight into a wall of dudes and... wait for it... get's knocked the fuck out. Because that's what fucking happens when you run straight into a wall of 400 lb. gorillas: you get knocked the fuck out. If you're very lucky they will throw the ball at some point during the first quarter. Oh, and in case you didn't know, football is divided up into quarters of play time. They are each 35 minutes long, except the last quarter, which is 5 days long until the last two minutes, which add on another week. Just like basketball. ARGH.