Debaucher was had.

After a little bitching and moaning “I’m a bored 20-something,” “studying for Grad School has taken over my social life,” and “there’s nothing on TV!” I’ve finally done something about it...and that something was a Packer game...attended in mid-December...in 10 degree weather...watching the game on icy steal bench seats...and complete with tailgating and bloody mary’s. How was this time?! A-mazing debauchery! Allowing me to put all my worries and concerns on a cloud to float away.

First off, Wisconsin is special for one very unique aspect that you don’t find too often elsewhere in this country...tailgating...and tailgating in 20 below weather. Wisconsinites go insane for tailgating...you can consider it an expected ritual. Tailgating is part of the game...despite the weather…ignoring rain, sleet, or snow…people will have their grills rolling and flipping utensils in hand.

Green Bay this past weekend was no different. We were quite prepared for this very cold day...both in dress and in food. We had our little hand warmers stuffed in our shoes and down our pants, yummy apple cider and rum to warm our bellies when brats and cheesy hashbrowns weren’t being crammed down our throats, and a beer cozie to keep our brew cold?! Yes, we were prepared...but after walking through that parking lot outside Lambeau Field, we discovered we were completely un-prepared...covered in blaze orange from head to toe, people had full bars set up inside tents with space heaters and blankets. And the food spread they (1) had...looked like something you would only find on Superbowl Sunday.

Head to Madison on a day when the Badger’s are home and you’ll find the same thing...with the exception of FAR more drunken college students and the change of team colors. But besides this tailgating ritual...Wisconsin has one other uniqueness when it comes to tailgating….this ritual is followed to Milwaukee’s baseball stadium (2).

I’ve been to my fair share of baseball stadiums…thus far, Milwaukee is the only baseball stadium that even tailgates. Supposedly there is one more special guy out there (3), I believe up in Minnesota. Because of this unexpected variety, Brewer fans…even Cub fans, take every opportunity they have to join in on the pre-game festivities.

For this fact, I always thought baseball tailgating was more fun than football. But after this past weekend I have my new favorite tailgate. Yes I’ve tailgated at Packer games before…but there is something special about the cold weather tailgate...bundling up in a dozen layers...drinking to drink, but also drinking to stay warm. It’s absolutely wonderful!

And it wasn’t just the tailgate that captured my love...but the game itself. Yes the Packers lost AGAIN within minutes of the end of the fourth quarter, but it was the high-fives being tossed around to the strangers around me when our team reached that first down...and shots of liquor from a cold-rimmed flask being shared by a neighboring seat when the Packers ran past their goal line for a touchdown...even the wave seemed more fun, watching blaze orange arms being tossed high into the sky.

Yes, the game was SO fun it is beyond words to describe it. It is exactly what I have been looking for…and exactly what I needed. A little bit of excitement, a little bit of debauchery, a little bit of cold weather, a little bit of drinking, and a hell of a lot of fun.

(1)When I say “they,” I’m speaking about a good chunk of the attendance in
the stadium’s parking lot. “They” meaning damn near everyone.
(2)I actually wrote an article about the origins and history of tailgating.
It is posted on my blog as Learning the Tradition First Hand.
(3)I had a conversation with a fellow blogger a year back (while I was
writing my origins of tailgating article). He is a very nice gentlemen who
specializes in sports AND tailgating…two wonderful topics. You can check
out the blog about our conversation at
http://theultimatetailgater.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html wrote on
Friday, September 21, 2007 entitled The Plight of a Baseball Tailgater