It's a tough thing to like a sports team. They can bring so much excitement and happiness into ones life but they can also cause an immense out of pain. People claim to love their home team more than someone else, but no one can say how much you love your team. Some fans have it tougher when the organization they root for doesn't win very often, if ever, but through thick and thin true fans will stay faithful to their team.
Since birth, I've bled Green Bay Packer Green and Gold. There is nothing better than that team winning on Sunday (or Monday or Thursday). We've had more up and down seasons than many other teams in the NFL. We've gone from being the best team in the league to the worst in a matter of seasons, sometimes within the same season. The organization has a history unlike many others in professional sports. From the beginning as the Acme Packers, a group of Wisconsin meat packers led by Curly Lambeau, have remained true through and through. The Packers are the only NFL organization true to its roots, still playing as the Packers and in the founding city of Green Bay. (They did play some seasons in Milwaukee, WI). What we can hold over the rest of the NFL is a few things. One, we won the first 2 Superbowls, one being the legendary "Ice Bowl" against the Cowboys. Two, the trophy everyone wants... the VINCE LOMBARDI trophy, was named after the legend. Lombardi is God in Green Bay. He changed the game with his coaching and with what he did in his years at Green Bay. Excuses weren't an option on his team and his word was the final word. It wasn't a bad thing either that he had players like Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke, Jerry Kramer, and Willie Wood. Under his leadership the Packers were lead to their 10th and 11th "NFL World Championship" (Before Superbowls 1 and 2, they won the first 3 by league standing and the next 6 by the "NFL Title Game") The Packers eventually won the 1997 Superbowl to claim their 12th world title, which by the way is the most for any NFL organization with the closest being the Bears at 9.
After Lombardi's reign ended, so did the winning, however that didn't deter the fans. If anything that made them even more crazed than before. Packers fans are unique. We don't like the hot weather, we prefer the below freezing temperatures where we can drink beer and wear our coveted Cheeseheads. Despite many a dreadful seasons, Cheeseheads continued to flock to Lambeau Field for every game with hopes of a victory, or sometimes even a touchdown. I'd say more about this era but that's all there was, fans showing up to games hoping for a win and more often than not, getting nothing. From Lombardi's departure to Brett Favre's arrival the Packers only had 5 winning seasons. FIVE. The 1992 happened. 1992 was an ever changing season for the Packers. With Mike Holmgren now the head coach hired by Ron Wolf and some young QB traded from the Atlanta Falcons named Brett Favre, Packer Nation didn't know what was coming.
That year the Packers went 9-7 and already started to turn heads in the NFL. But when they signed Reggie White your head went a full 360. This team was going to be unstoppable. Almost at once, the Packers found success with this revamped team. The next two seasons they made it to the 2nd round of the playoffs and finally to the NFC championship in 1995, sadly all 3 years they were defeated by the powerhouse that used to be the Dallas Cowboys. All the while I'm growing up in Wisconsin during this resurgence, now I'm not even 10 years old at this point but despite what others may say, I remember this time period. Growing up, Sundays were spent at someone's house watching games with a group of other loud Cheeseheads. The only attire allowed was Green and Gold, food was themed to the game. Some of these parties were (and still are today) bigger than some holidays, especially when we get to the playoffs. Everything in those years revolved around 2 main players: Brett Favre and Reggie White.
Brett Favre, the man who not only changed the Packers but changed the way people watch professional football. An unknown 2nd round draft pick by the Falcons, traded to the Packers replacing Don Majkowski in 1992 almost instantly became the face of NFL. No one played like he did. Legends like Steve Young, Troy Aikman, and John Elway didn't know what to think of the young gunslinger from Mississippi, and neither did anyone else. But it didn't matter, especially to Packer nation, because he was throwing touchdowns and winning games all with that boyish grin. He took a lot of chances that many other QBs would never take and more often than not, it worked. I remember countless times holding my breath when he'd launch a rocket 40 yds down the field to Robert Brooks and not breath until the ball was caught. And while nervewrecking to watch it was thrilling all in the same. People criticize him for having a high number of INTs in his 20 year career in the NFL, but for me I look at it differently. He took chances, and yes sometimes they didn't turn out the way he wanted, but he took that chance. He went for it, gave it all he could. There are countless games that I remember watching Favre play with the Packers, but one will forever stand out, besides their Superbowl victory in the 90s. December 2003, Favre's father had died the day before their game against the Oakland Raiders. A number of people expected Favre to not play, but he did quite the opposite he played the game of his life. Anyone who watched that game could feel the emotion coming from not only Favre but the entire team. They all wanted to win for him and seeing him after the game looking to the sky will bring tears to anyone's eyes. For the better part of 2 decades, I watched that man play for my team, and right now I want nothing to do with him while he plays for the enemy but when it's all said and done, what he did for the Packers and for the NFL can not be overlooked. He's one of the game's greatest QBs and players of all time. Anyone who refutes that just doesn't understand.
During the 1990's on the other side of the ball was the gentle giant that we knew as Reggie White. When the Packers picked him up as a free agent, I think deep down every other team knew they were in trouble. It's because of White that I have an immense respect for the Philadelphia Eagles organization. White was never like a lot of players in the NFL then or today. He didn't over-celebrate a sack or a tackle, he didn't get into fights with other players or bad mouth refs (not saying that he didn't get upset at a bad call because he did) but all he wanted was one thing: to play the game. He was an unstoppable force and would play each play like it was his last. You could see in his eyes, from the moment the ball was hiked that he was going to do anything he could to stop the play. Known across the league as the Minister his gentle nature and leadership was unmatched. While it's always exciting to watch a good offense make plays and score points, that's not what it was all about w/ the Packers. During White's tenure with the Packers, fans got just as excited to see the defense take the field. When Reggie got a sack you could have sworn it was a game winning TD. Reggie's legacy in Green Bay and with the Eagles will never be forgotten. He was good man until his death in the early 2000's and we will remember him forever. Rest In Peace Reggie, you're in good hands upstairs with the other greats of the NFL.
Superbowl 31... Packers/Patriots... Bledsoe/Favre... Holmgren/Parcels. Going into the game many thought it was going to be an evenly matched game, but it all changed as soon as Desmond Howard caught that first kick off return and ran it back for a touchdown. I remember being at a family friends house for the game and thinking this is going to be good. All pistons were firing together that day. The Packers could do no wrong and when the final seconds ran out, the joy that was felt was unmatched. I couldn't believe that I had seen a Packers Superbowl victory before the age of 10. The talk for the next months leading up to the next season was, How many more Superbowls could the Packers win before Y2K? Little did we know... it would be 0. The next year we played the Broncos, in San Diego. A heartbreaking loss and one I wish to never have to relive again. We had gone from a dominating performance the year before to a devastating loss. The next 10 years were hard on the entire Packers organization. We lost a lot of players, many losing seasons, devastating losses but nothing hurt more than the loss of our leader: Brett Favre. After his first decision to retire in 2007, the season of the heartbreaking loss to the Giants in the playoffs on a Favre INT, a lot of Packer nation thought we would never recover. But then we found a new leader in Aaron Rodgers. The man truly stepped into a big pair of shoes and in my honest opinion, he has succeeded beyond my expectations. While we may not have seen a lot of success like we did in the early 90's it's not something to be pinned to Rodgers himself. Since his start, he's been a phenomenal QB making some plays that even Favre himself couldn't make.
Through the ups and the many downs, Packer fans are more faithful than any other team in the NFL. We've been through some of the hardest times and still have sat through the below freezing games with the smallest hope that they could pull out a win from 14 points down. This 2010 season has already caused me to have about 6 mini heart attacks but have I stopped watching the games, absolutely not. I feed off the thrill every week of watching my team. Yesterday's loss to the Falcons was especially painful, but the team they have is outstanding. The Packers didn't show up with everything they had and the Falcons did. There is nothing we can do to change the outcome (unless something happens to the Falcons organization and they're stripped of all their victories in the 2010 season) so we have to move on, prepare for the next game and hope the final score is in our favor.
"I don't wanna work, I just wanna bang on the drum all day"
GO PACK GO!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Hugs for Zach Benefit Weekend
There isn't often that one person can influence so many others with a such a positive Ora and personality. But fortunately for myself and many others we have been able to meet someone who does just that. Let me tell you about my friend, Zach Powers.
Zach is one of the most amazing people I have been fortunate enough to meet. We met approximately a year and a half ago on a Dave Matthews Band fan club message board known as the Warehouse. I know it seems lame to meet people through it, but as in previous posts, they are some of my closest friends and because of them I have some of the greatest memories of my life. Zach is one of those people. We officially met in July 2009, when he, along with many other people who I knew, and had yet to meet, came up to Wisconsin for the DMB shows @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre. We all went downtown Milwaukee the night before the first show. Before I could even get a word out Zach was there giving me the biggest hug (I showed up around midnight). We stayed for a few hours until bar close and in those few hours, I already knew just how awesome Zach truly was. He was either sitting at a table telling awesome stories, drinking Appletinis w/ his pinky up with Matt, or dancing for a group of people doing some of his favorite dance moves. Little did I know he'd become one of my closest friends.
Fast forward a year or so and we're in the next DMB summer tour season. Zach is part of the reason I went to half of the shows I did. Because it would give me a chance to see him. By this time Zach had become very close. Many inside jokes, constant txting, phone calls at 3-4 am just for the hell of it. I ventured down to Indy for the n2 show at Deer Creek, aka Best.Seat.Buddies.Ever night (see DMB Part 2 post). I waited a few weeks for Alpine Valley and of course Zach was there. We all spent the weekend camping in Ang's parents backyard and I couldn't ask for a better weekend. I don't know how many times he did the worm, but every time someone asked, he was happy to do it.
No matter who he was talking to they had a smile on their face. Besides Jeff, when he lost the Worm-off, well more like failed miserably. If it weren't for Zach pulling me away that afternoon, I probably would have been beaten up by some Notre Dame football players with whom I was trash talking to (I blame the tequila).
September 2010 rolls around and we're all together once again in Chicago for the DMB shows at Wrigley Field. So many people came in for the weekend and it was going to be memorable, good and bad. The weekend was amazing, great shows, good people, good times. Saturday night/early Sunday morning we were struck with a tragedy. Zach fell from the 8th floor balcony of our hotel to the roof of the hotel's convention center. An accident that we are very lucky to have him still alive. He is currently at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and has a long road ahead of him in his recovery. He has a broken pelvis, 3-4 fractured vertebrae and about 6-8 fractured ribs, with some moderate brain damage that with time will heal. But thankfully there is no serious brain damage or paralysis. Right now we're just waiting for him to fully recovery and get back to his normal self.
What truly amazed me in this situation is the outpouring of love that has come from not only his friends and family, but the entire DMB community. Within 48 hours of the accident there was a PayPal acct set up in his name taking donations from anyone and everyone. Within a few weeks we had a trust fund, Hugs for Zach, set up with nearly $3000 purely from donations. While the money is helpful, what's amazing are the cards and gifts sent to his hospital room. A group of people here in Chicago and across the country thought of the idea to have a few benefits to help raise more money for his trust. Here in Chicago, I helped put together and run this regions benefit. We had raffle prizes, paintings, an incredible musician in Alex Hoffer and even Zach himself on the computer via Skype. In NYC, they had a phenomenal turnout from the DMB community with raffle prizes as well as bunny ears galore (Zach this year at Alpine Valley was given a pait of bunny ears that we could all see in the pit in front of the stage the entire night, we felt it tribute to wear them for him)
Between the 2 benefits 1000 miles apart we were able to raise more than $3000. We may not be professional event planners, but I think that's pretty damn awesome. The outpouring love and support from everyone was the best part. To see his family and friends able to talk to him on the computer and cheering him with their drinks was beyond amazing. The best part of the evening, his mom, Gina. She was given the chance to finally get out and see his friends and share with us the stories about what makes him so amazing. In NYC, Operation Rabbit Rampage and MSG n2 was a success. Nearly a hundred bunny ears were seen throughout the venue and more people became aware of what we were doing and who it was for.
A friend of mine put it best for the past weekend: 2 benefits, 2 different cities, all for one guy...pretty amazing.
It's not done yet. With DMB at their "Last Stop" in Charlottesville, VA we've got a few more benefits and gatherings for Zach that I know will be a huge success. Not many people can impact so many lives, but Zach, he's one of them. I can't wait for him to get better and I can dance with him once again.
For any information about Zach please visit www.hugzforzach.org
LoVe
Zach is one of the most amazing people I have been fortunate enough to meet. We met approximately a year and a half ago on a Dave Matthews Band fan club message board known as the Warehouse. I know it seems lame to meet people through it, but as in previous posts, they are some of my closest friends and because of them I have some of the greatest memories of my life. Zach is one of those people. We officially met in July 2009, when he, along with many other people who I knew, and had yet to meet, came up to Wisconsin for the DMB shows @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre. We all went downtown Milwaukee the night before the first show. Before I could even get a word out Zach was there giving me the biggest hug (I showed up around midnight). We stayed for a few hours until bar close and in those few hours, I already knew just how awesome Zach truly was. He was either sitting at a table telling awesome stories, drinking Appletinis w/ his pinky up with Matt, or dancing for a group of people doing some of his favorite dance moves. Little did I know he'd become one of my closest friends.
Fast forward a year or so and we're in the next DMB summer tour season. Zach is part of the reason I went to half of the shows I did. Because it would give me a chance to see him. By this time Zach had become very close. Many inside jokes, constant txting, phone calls at 3-4 am just for the hell of it. I ventured down to Indy for the n2 show at Deer Creek, aka Best.Seat.Buddies.Ever night (see DMB Part 2 post). I waited a few weeks for Alpine Valley and of course Zach was there. We all spent the weekend camping in Ang's parents backyard and I couldn't ask for a better weekend. I don't know how many times he did the worm, but every time someone asked, he was happy to do it.
No matter who he was talking to they had a smile on their face. Besides Jeff, when he lost the Worm-off, well more like failed miserably. If it weren't for Zach pulling me away that afternoon, I probably would have been beaten up by some Notre Dame football players with whom I was trash talking to (I blame the tequila).
September 2010 rolls around and we're all together once again in Chicago for the DMB shows at Wrigley Field. So many people came in for the weekend and it was going to be memorable, good and bad. The weekend was amazing, great shows, good people, good times. Saturday night/early Sunday morning we were struck with a tragedy. Zach fell from the 8th floor balcony of our hotel to the roof of the hotel's convention center. An accident that we are very lucky to have him still alive. He is currently at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and has a long road ahead of him in his recovery. He has a broken pelvis, 3-4 fractured vertebrae and about 6-8 fractured ribs, with some moderate brain damage that with time will heal. But thankfully there is no serious brain damage or paralysis. Right now we're just waiting for him to fully recovery and get back to his normal self.
What truly amazed me in this situation is the outpouring of love that has come from not only his friends and family, but the entire DMB community. Within 48 hours of the accident there was a PayPal acct set up in his name taking donations from anyone and everyone. Within a few weeks we had a trust fund, Hugs for Zach, set up with nearly $3000 purely from donations. While the money is helpful, what's amazing are the cards and gifts sent to his hospital room. A group of people here in Chicago and across the country thought of the idea to have a few benefits to help raise more money for his trust. Here in Chicago, I helped put together and run this regions benefit. We had raffle prizes, paintings, an incredible musician in Alex Hoffer and even Zach himself on the computer via Skype. In NYC, they had a phenomenal turnout from the DMB community with raffle prizes as well as bunny ears galore (Zach this year at Alpine Valley was given a pait of bunny ears that we could all see in the pit in front of the stage the entire night, we felt it tribute to wear them for him)
Between the 2 benefits 1000 miles apart we were able to raise more than $3000. We may not be professional event planners, but I think that's pretty damn awesome. The outpouring love and support from everyone was the best part. To see his family and friends able to talk to him on the computer and cheering him with their drinks was beyond amazing. The best part of the evening, his mom, Gina. She was given the chance to finally get out and see his friends and share with us the stories about what makes him so amazing. In NYC, Operation Rabbit Rampage and MSG n2 was a success. Nearly a hundred bunny ears were seen throughout the venue and more people became aware of what we were doing and who it was for.
A friend of mine put it best for the past weekend: 2 benefits, 2 different cities, all for one guy...pretty amazing.
It's not done yet. With DMB at their "Last Stop" in Charlottesville, VA we've got a few more benefits and gatherings for Zach that I know will be a huge success. Not many people can impact so many lives, but Zach, he's one of them. I can't wait for him to get better and I can dance with him once again.
For any information about Zach please visit www.hugzforzach.org
LoVe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)