I was trolling the internet again this morning for Packer info, which is a daily activity, and I realized that the excitement of stumbling across a good read on the Packers has, oh my, actually decreased. Prior to the loss, I couldn’t possibly have enough info. I would be pumped to read an article about anyone/anything Packers. I’d read about the Quality Control Assistant with great satisfaction. (Though I do wonder, what does the person with this title really do on a football team? Does he stand on the sidelines and just get worked up when Jon Ryan shanks a punt because, despite his best efforts, he’s unable to control the quality of the punt?).
I am realizing more now that not only did the Packers lose a heartbreaker at home, but the season is essentially over. I’m not a big fan of either of the Super Bowl teams so it’s hard to get really excited about it. Now we have that painful gap of time between now and pre-draft speculation (though one could argue that has already begun). This is a time sportswise, in general, that the American male (or in some cases female) suffers greatly. While I am a big PGA Tour fan and have 4 Wisconsin guys I can follow weekly (Stricker, Kelly, Hayes – no relation, Mark Wilson) that only is fun to follow online Thurs and Fri and then watch on Sunday. The rest of the week, I’m left to…I don’t know, actually work.
Anyway, had to get that off my chest. I think I’ll go search for some Mock Drafts or something to help me overcome my despair.
packergeeks 
January 25, 2008 at 4:10 pm |
I am there with you…having been at Lambeau for the game and my toes being numb for most of the 2nd half, it still stings a lot.
We all just sat around a bar by St. Norbert after the game, not really talking, but everyone nursing a double cocktail (more to take the edge off and try to forget what we just witnessed.) Just stunned by the silence, when we had all prepared to tear up Green Bay/De Pere area that night in celebration. Every few minutes, someone would start shaking their head with a “pfffft….run the ball!” or “freakin Bush, just fall on it”.
I am trying to turn my focus to NCAA hoops, which is my #2 behind football and the Pack, but the loss is such a bitter pill, given how they were so thoroughly outplayed and outcoached.
January 25, 2008 at 4:24 pm |
Hear ya trav, hear ya. So, did you go to both playoff games? Nice – was it just brutally cold in the stands or were there enough people around you to keep reasonably warm? You know, I’d be curious to see if fans of other teams are as silent as Packer fans after a loss. There is just such a profound sense of loss – almost grief, when the Packers lose. My friend and I hardly exchanged a “see ya” after the game ended and he and his wife just quietly went home.
You’re right, NCAA hoops can be a nice thing to get into and I’m a big fan myself. And, the Badgers and maybe Marquette could do some damage this year perhaps. We’ll see…
January 25, 2008 at 5:17 pm |
I was lucky enough to go to both games. (Props to my boy, Wally, and his father in law. 40 yard line, 40 rows up for Sunday’s game. Best seat I have ever been in.). I think part of the disappointment stems from how well they played against Seattle and the whole atmosphere in Lambeau, to the polar opposite some 6 days later. I equate it to what a manic depressive goes through, just on a longer timeline.
As far as the cold, my wife quipped during my dry run of trying all my gear on (and testing a trip to the men’s room with it all): “Are you going to call me when you hit the summit of Everest, or just take a picture and come home?”. I was warm enough, except for the feet. In retrospect, all the people carrying 2×2 pieces of pink insulation to stand on were definitely on to something.
As we walked down the concourse, I mentioned that I have never heard 72,000+ people create less noise. You could hear the shuffling of feet and an occasional profanity, but otherwise, just ambient noise in the background. I think there was more noise at my grandmother’s wake in November. The “see ya” exchange….that’s about all anyone could muster that night.
January 25, 2008 at 5:21 pm |
And one last thing to add: the seats he has are always #1 and #2, at the end of the row. Given how many layers everyone had on, coupled with the average girth of a typical Packer fan (sorry, has to be said….love you all though…), it made it hard to even find some bench to sit on. I spent most of the 3rd quarter standing in the aisle as there wasn’t even a cheeks worth of room to be found.