boiga
01-04-2010, 07:27 PM
Because pbmax asked, I figured I'd write up a full bodied after action report of the week 17 Packers game.
I've been living in Tucson for the past couple of years after having grown up in Wisconsin. Having been cut off from all things Midwestern, my devotion to the Packers has grown to compensate, so when I learned that the Pack would be playing the last game of the season here I had to make the trip up to Phoenix to check it out.
My wife is foreign, so football makes absolutely no sense to her. She couldn't distinguish between NFL and kill the carrier. Making her sit down an watch games with me at home would only lead to irritation at the annoying beer commercials and confusion over why the QB is massaging the ass of the guy in front of him before each play. I'd more or less given up on making her a Packers fan.
Nevertheless, because I had driven her up to the Cardinals' stadium for a Gold Cup soccer match the previous summer, she agreed to accompany me to a Packers game out of fairness. So, on the day before our 5th anniversary we made the 2 hour drive up I-10 to the Flying Saucer in the Desert.
We had to walk from the most distant corner of the parking lot, wait about 15 minutes in the desert sun to get through security before we even got into the building. There was some gentle jibing between the different fan bases on the way in, but both were fairly cordial. Packers fans made up about 1/4th of the total crowd, so we didn't feel lonely.
We had to wait for the national anthem to finish before sitting down, and my wife was impressed by the quality of the singer at least. That was a good sign. We got to our seats right at the coin toss and then the game began with bang.
Our lower section corner seats were nearly ideal for this game because the Packers were aiming for our endzone the entire 1st quarter. We got close up views of the Ryan Grant scramble for a TD and the beautiful long bomb to Nelson. For the first time in her life, my wife actually understood things like down and distance and the importance of field position. She screamed when the Cardinals kick returner got sandwiched and up ended and was cheering along with the screaming of a 12 year old Pack fan two rows back (he'll be hoarse for days.)
I felt somewhat sorry for the Cardinals fans who were sitting next to us: a father and 11 year old girl or thereabouts. They had absolutely nothing to cheer for the entire first half. Even at the end of the second quarter when Leinart was finally moving the ball to midfield, he got intercepted by Bigby to end the half. They knew that this one didn't matter, but they were still peeved that their team laid down on them.
The emotional climax of the afternoon for us had to be the drive in the 3rd quarter. We were a little distracted for the first half of the drive by an annoying fat bald Cardinals fan who hadn't shut up or sat down the entire 1st half being escorted out by the police, but we got the best part of it when the drive reached our side of the field. Rodgers had been easily marching down the field to reach 1st and goal when our entire half of the stadium starting reverberating with GoPackGO! GoPackGO! Everyone was on their feet screaming during that absolutely gorgeously lofted fade to Finley right into our corner of the endzone. The packers fans went nuts and the Cardinals fans started leaving.
We left not to long after as well to beat most of the rush on our way to dinner in Tempe and then back Tucson. My wife was amazed that she actually enjoyed herself at a football game. I was amazed by how great Rodgers looked in real time and how dominant Finley can be. Really terrific experience all around.
Now we just have to hope next week goes the same way. There were still tickets available at cost from the Cardinals for residents of Arizona, so I picked up two and my father's flying down to Phoenix to join me for the game. If you guys would like, I'll do another AAR next week as well.
http://img02.imagefra.me/img/img02/2/1/4/t_13ct364km_062d709.jpg (http://imagefra.me/view.php?img=/2/1/4/f_13ct364km_062d709.jpg&srv=img02)
http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/1/4/t_13ct364jm_321a9e4.jpg (http://imagefra.me/view.php?img=/2/1/4/f_13ct364jm_321a9e4.jpg&srv=img38)
I've been living in Tucson for the past couple of years after having grown up in Wisconsin. Having been cut off from all things Midwestern, my devotion to the Packers has grown to compensate, so when I learned that the Pack would be playing the last game of the season here I had to make the trip up to Phoenix to check it out.
My wife is foreign, so football makes absolutely no sense to her. She couldn't distinguish between NFL and kill the carrier. Making her sit down an watch games with me at home would only lead to irritation at the annoying beer commercials and confusion over why the QB is massaging the ass of the guy in front of him before each play. I'd more or less given up on making her a Packers fan.
Nevertheless, because I had driven her up to the Cardinals' stadium for a Gold Cup soccer match the previous summer, she agreed to accompany me to a Packers game out of fairness. So, on the day before our 5th anniversary we made the 2 hour drive up I-10 to the Flying Saucer in the Desert.
We had to walk from the most distant corner of the parking lot, wait about 15 minutes in the desert sun to get through security before we even got into the building. There was some gentle jibing between the different fan bases on the way in, but both were fairly cordial. Packers fans made up about 1/4th of the total crowd, so we didn't feel lonely.
We had to wait for the national anthem to finish before sitting down, and my wife was impressed by the quality of the singer at least. That was a good sign. We got to our seats right at the coin toss and then the game began with bang.
Our lower section corner seats were nearly ideal for this game because the Packers were aiming for our endzone the entire 1st quarter. We got close up views of the Ryan Grant scramble for a TD and the beautiful long bomb to Nelson. For the first time in her life, my wife actually understood things like down and distance and the importance of field position. She screamed when the Cardinals kick returner got sandwiched and up ended and was cheering along with the screaming of a 12 year old Pack fan two rows back (he'll be hoarse for days.)
I felt somewhat sorry for the Cardinals fans who were sitting next to us: a father and 11 year old girl or thereabouts. They had absolutely nothing to cheer for the entire first half. Even at the end of the second quarter when Leinart was finally moving the ball to midfield, he got intercepted by Bigby to end the half. They knew that this one didn't matter, but they were still peeved that their team laid down on them.
The emotional climax of the afternoon for us had to be the drive in the 3rd quarter. We were a little distracted for the first half of the drive by an annoying fat bald Cardinals fan who hadn't shut up or sat down the entire 1st half being escorted out by the police, but we got the best part of it when the drive reached our side of the field. Rodgers had been easily marching down the field to reach 1st and goal when our entire half of the stadium starting reverberating with GoPackGO! GoPackGO! Everyone was on their feet screaming during that absolutely gorgeously lofted fade to Finley right into our corner of the endzone. The packers fans went nuts and the Cardinals fans started leaving.
We left not to long after as well to beat most of the rush on our way to dinner in Tempe and then back Tucson. My wife was amazed that she actually enjoyed herself at a football game. I was amazed by how great Rodgers looked in real time and how dominant Finley can be. Really terrific experience all around.
Now we just have to hope next week goes the same way. There were still tickets available at cost from the Cardinals for residents of Arizona, so I picked up two and my father's flying down to Phoenix to join me for the game. If you guys would like, I'll do another AAR next week as well.
http://img02.imagefra.me/img/img02/2/1/4/t_13ct364km_062d709.jpg (http://imagefra.me/view.php?img=/2/1/4/f_13ct364km_062d709.jpg&srv=img02)
http://img38.imagefra.me/img/img38/2/1/4/t_13ct364jm_321a9e4.jpg (http://imagefra.me/view.php?img=/2/1/4/f_13ct364jm_321a9e4.jpg&srv=img38)