packinpatland
01-19-2008, 02:28 PM
Wasn't the boy from 'Christmas' Story name Ralph?
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7695388
Frigid weather awaits NFC foes, naturallyby Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com
GREEN BAY - A storied Packers player has advice for New York Giants offensive lineman planning to go sleeveless for Sunday's NFC Championship game.
Please don't.
"Who are you bulls*******?" retired Packers guard Jerry Kramer told FOXSports.com in a telephone interview. "It's colder than hell out there! Really cold!
"You're not going to psyche out anyone. If I'm playing on the other team, you can probably figure out my arms are cold, too. It looks silly."
Kramer speaks from first-hand experience. He played in the 1967 NFC Championship game that remains the most frigid in NFL history.
And he wore sleeves — as well as gloves and thermal underwear.
The temperature was minus-13 with a wind chill of 49 degrees below zero. The forecast for the Packers-Giants game won't approach "Ice Bowl" proportions. But a projected temperature of 5 degrees with a negative-nine wind chill will rank among the chilliest conditions ever at hallowed Lambeau Field.
"I don't think I can prepare for it," said Packers strong safety Atari Bigby, a Miami native. "I've been trying not to think about it, but everybody keeps asking me about it."
The big chill has become a big story surrounding Sunday's game. And the talk all starts with the quarterbacks.
New York's Eli Manning — who has played in just one game with temperatures under 30 degrees — is expected to wear a glove on his left hand to better handle the snap (he's a right-handed thrower). Conversely, the Packers have one of the greatest all-time cold-weather players.
Belying his Mississippi upbringing, Brett Favre is 43-5 in home games when the temperature is 34 degrees or less. Favre said one of his secrets to success is increased concentration on snaps, handoffs and touch passes.
"In games like that, it does come down to mental discipline," Favre said. "Yeah, balls will move, things will happen that ordinarily would not happen. But it's the team and the players who make the least amount of mistakes that handle it the best."
The Packers didn't handle their coldest game of 2007 well, losing 35-7 at Chicago in December. Temperature at kickoff was 16 degrees but strong winds made it feel below zero.
"We looked like a team that was very cold and the Bears did not," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who used frozen footballs during indoor practices this week. "That's something we definitely need to learn from."
Staying warm on the sideline will be key. Dr. Don Hartig of Green Bay-based Bellin Health said players are more susceptible to pulls when their muscles become cold.
Starters find it much easier to remain loose than backups.
"It really is hard staying warm for a full three hours," third-string quarterback Craig Nall said. "Those pants are skin-tight, so the back of your legs and calves get cold. You have to almost pace up and down to keep your ankles and feet from getting too numb. I usually stretch between drives.
"At the same time, you don't want to put on so much that if you have to play, you can't move. You can't be walking around like Randy in 'A Christmas Story.' You have to find a happy medium."
Not wanting to give away any trade secrets, the Packers declined to make their equipment manager available for comment. But the Packers will have sideline heaters, padded jackets, and hand and feet warmers available. Some players also will place Vaseline on their face and ears to prevent wind burn.
For the first time in stadium history, the Packers issued a cold-weather advisory with tips on how to stay warm. The Packers also have added extra EMTs and warned fans against drinking excessive alcohol. Hartig said doing so "actually dilates the blood vessels. (Fans) lose more heat and may not be aware of signs of frostbite or hypothermia."
"If you wear the proper clothing, I think you've got a good chance of surviving it depending on your health conditions," Hartig said. "If you have heart problems or asthma, you may take more of a chance. Moving around, using the hand warmers in the bathrooms and getting out of the wind chill will help a lot, too."
Tom Pigeon, though, doesn't plan on following Hartig's advice. The 67-year-old Pigeon, who has attended Packers games since the 1940s, said he won't leave his seat during games because "I want to see all the plays."
A Packers tour guide and security worker, Pigeon was just as steadfast during the Ice Bowl and left Lambeau with his feet "feeling like two concrete blocks." But he actually got off easy compared to Packers and Cowboys players, some of whom sustained permanent physical damage. Kramer said he suffered lung problems that caused him to hack for a week afterward.
"There wasn't much warmth on the sideline," Kramer said. "There were some heaters. If you were fortunate enough to have a spot next to one, someone else took your place as soon as you went into the game."
Kramer, who played with the Packers from 1958 to 1968, said he was tempted to attend Sunday's game. Instead, Kramer will watch from his Idaho home with his sons.
"I'm going to have a fire going," Kramer said. "I'll be nice and toasty and enjoying myself, hooting and hollering for the Packers."
It sounds like Kramer made the right call.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7695388
Frigid weather awaits NFC foes, naturallyby Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com
GREEN BAY - A storied Packers player has advice for New York Giants offensive lineman planning to go sleeveless for Sunday's NFC Championship game.
Please don't.
"Who are you bulls*******?" retired Packers guard Jerry Kramer told FOXSports.com in a telephone interview. "It's colder than hell out there! Really cold!
"You're not going to psyche out anyone. If I'm playing on the other team, you can probably figure out my arms are cold, too. It looks silly."
Kramer speaks from first-hand experience. He played in the 1967 NFC Championship game that remains the most frigid in NFL history.
And he wore sleeves — as well as gloves and thermal underwear.
The temperature was minus-13 with a wind chill of 49 degrees below zero. The forecast for the Packers-Giants game won't approach "Ice Bowl" proportions. But a projected temperature of 5 degrees with a negative-nine wind chill will rank among the chilliest conditions ever at hallowed Lambeau Field.
"I don't think I can prepare for it," said Packers strong safety Atari Bigby, a Miami native. "I've been trying not to think about it, but everybody keeps asking me about it."
The big chill has become a big story surrounding Sunday's game. And the talk all starts with the quarterbacks.
New York's Eli Manning — who has played in just one game with temperatures under 30 degrees — is expected to wear a glove on his left hand to better handle the snap (he's a right-handed thrower). Conversely, the Packers have one of the greatest all-time cold-weather players.
Belying his Mississippi upbringing, Brett Favre is 43-5 in home games when the temperature is 34 degrees or less. Favre said one of his secrets to success is increased concentration on snaps, handoffs and touch passes.
"In games like that, it does come down to mental discipline," Favre said. "Yeah, balls will move, things will happen that ordinarily would not happen. But it's the team and the players who make the least amount of mistakes that handle it the best."
The Packers didn't handle their coldest game of 2007 well, losing 35-7 at Chicago in December. Temperature at kickoff was 16 degrees but strong winds made it feel below zero.
"We looked like a team that was very cold and the Bears did not," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who used frozen footballs during indoor practices this week. "That's something we definitely need to learn from."
Staying warm on the sideline will be key. Dr. Don Hartig of Green Bay-based Bellin Health said players are more susceptible to pulls when their muscles become cold.
Starters find it much easier to remain loose than backups.
"It really is hard staying warm for a full three hours," third-string quarterback Craig Nall said. "Those pants are skin-tight, so the back of your legs and calves get cold. You have to almost pace up and down to keep your ankles and feet from getting too numb. I usually stretch between drives.
"At the same time, you don't want to put on so much that if you have to play, you can't move. You can't be walking around like Randy in 'A Christmas Story.' You have to find a happy medium."
Not wanting to give away any trade secrets, the Packers declined to make their equipment manager available for comment. But the Packers will have sideline heaters, padded jackets, and hand and feet warmers available. Some players also will place Vaseline on their face and ears to prevent wind burn.
For the first time in stadium history, the Packers issued a cold-weather advisory with tips on how to stay warm. The Packers also have added extra EMTs and warned fans against drinking excessive alcohol. Hartig said doing so "actually dilates the blood vessels. (Fans) lose more heat and may not be aware of signs of frostbite or hypothermia."
"If you wear the proper clothing, I think you've got a good chance of surviving it depending on your health conditions," Hartig said. "If you have heart problems or asthma, you may take more of a chance. Moving around, using the hand warmers in the bathrooms and getting out of the wind chill will help a lot, too."
Tom Pigeon, though, doesn't plan on following Hartig's advice. The 67-year-old Pigeon, who has attended Packers games since the 1940s, said he won't leave his seat during games because "I want to see all the plays."
A Packers tour guide and security worker, Pigeon was just as steadfast during the Ice Bowl and left Lambeau with his feet "feeling like two concrete blocks." But he actually got off easy compared to Packers and Cowboys players, some of whom sustained permanent physical damage. Kramer said he suffered lung problems that caused him to hack for a week afterward.
"There wasn't much warmth on the sideline," Kramer said. "There were some heaters. If you were fortunate enough to have a spot next to one, someone else took your place as soon as you went into the game."
Kramer, who played with the Packers from 1958 to 1968, said he was tempted to attend Sunday's game. Instead, Kramer will watch from his Idaho home with his sons.
"I'm going to have a fire going," Kramer said. "I'll be nice and toasty and enjoying myself, hooting and hollering for the Packers."
It sounds like Kramer made the right call.