Game 41 - Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers @ Soldier Field in Chicago, IL (9/28/2014)

Wow, games on back-to-back weekends.  This time it was a quick trip down to Chicago to meet up with some colleagues in the printing industry.  You can't say no to a Bears / Packers game, particularly when the weather is perfect.  Before the game, we had a great time tailgating....some of these people are really into it as evidenced by the picture of the van (on the left) from one of the guys in our group.  For these rivalry games, the crowds are always energized.  I have witnessed a few of these division rivalries in the past - Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh & Philadelphia vs. NY Giants.  The other thing you will notice at these types of games are that the home team fans far out-number the visitors.  You would think that is obvious, but see my post regarding the Rams game.  Unlike last week's game in St. Louis, this crowd was dominated by the home team.  We live in Wisconsin now so I do cheer for the Packers most of the time.  For this game in particular, I tried to stay impartial out of respect for the Bear's fans that made this trip possible. 

View from our seats.

If you like offense, this was a game to watch.....defensively, these teams are awful - 854 yards of total offense for the two teams combined.  The game started out so promising for the Bears as they took the opening kick-off and drove down the field for a TD.  The Packers answered with a TD of their own when they got the ball.  Back and forth they went for much of the 1st half with the Packers taking a 21-17 half-time lead.  However, poor clock management cost the Bears points right before half-time when their tight-end caught the ball over the middle and was stopped at the 1-inch line as time expired.  The 3rd quarter was much of the same with both teams moving the ball up and down the field.  However, it was two costly interceptions by the Bears that stopped drives and allowed the Packers to expand their lead to 31-17.  When it was over, the Packers took home a 38-17 victory.  Rarely do you see a team put up nearly 500 yards of offense and still lose by 21 points, but the Bears did.  In terms of other big numbers, Aaron Rodgers threw 4 TDs; the Packers had two receivers (Nelson and Cobb) over 100 yards and 2 TDs each.  Matt Forte for the Bears ran for 122 yards and eclipsed 10,000 total yards for his career.  In addition, we got to witness a little history - this was only the 2nd time in NFL history in which there were zero punts.  The win was the 700th in Packer history - joining the Bears (732) as the only two franchises with more than 700 regular season wins.

I bet many people didn't know that Soldier Field was built 47 years before the Bears played their first game there in the early 1970's.  Even then it was old and outdated.  In 2003, it was renovated, but honestly, it looks like they just stuck a futuristic glass bowl on top of the stadiums well-known and historic columns.  It is still one of the smallest stadiums in the league, seating just over 60,000.

What I will say about this stadium is that the location is one of my favorites.  Signs around the stadium label it "The Stadium in a Park," which it truly is.  Granted it was late September and the weather was still in the 70's, but the location is terrific.  I parked in a lot down-town about a mile away and walked through the park and past the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Navy Pier to get there.  Spectacular.  Those that attend in the middle of winter probably have a much different perspective, but for me it was a great experience.  On a side note, Soldier Field has the best cell phone / data service I have experienced at any of the other 40 venues I have visited.  

A special thanks to Mike Carfagnini for the opportunity to see Da Bears.

Another high-scoring game, which means that I will donate another $55 to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research.  I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel

See more photos on my Facebook page.

Game 40 - St. Louis Rams

St. Louis Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys @ Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO (9/21/2014)

It seems harder and harder to get these games on the schedule with work, kid's school activities, coaching sports, curling season about to start, etc.  Perhaps many of you didn't even realize I curled.  I started playing 2 years ago and really enjoy it.  Taylor has been playing for 2 years as well and now Deb is going to give it a try.  You should stop out to our club www.milwaukeecurlingclub.com and try one of our Learn to Curl programs.  Anyhow, I digress....onto the St. Louis Rams.

The objective was to take Ryan to his first professional football game.  Two years ago we went to a preseason Packers' game, but he is quick to remind me that it didn't count because it was not the regular season.  I would have to agree with him as I did not count it toward my goal either.  We needed to schedule around his flag football game and getting back to school Monday morning.  St. Louis seemed like a perfect fit as it was a quick 75 minute flight.

We arrived at our hotel early Saturday evening just in time to walk over to the St. Louis Cardinals' game.  We already crossed this one off our list a few years ago, but decided to go anyhow since we were in town.  We tried a few people selling tickets on the street, but the prices were ridiculous so we purchased standing-room-only tickets at the gate and had a great time.  Most of our time was spent walking around the stadium and enjoying the 80 degree weather.  We did manage to find a seat in the outfield late in the game for a few innings.

On Sunday morning we walked to the Gateway Arch for a quick visit to the museum and a ride to the top.  I will say that if anyone is planning a trip to downtown St. Louis, I would recommend the Hyatt.  We took a cab from the airport, but once there we could walk to everything - Cardinal baseball game, Rams' football game and the Arch.

Finally, it was onto the main attraction - Ryan's first NFL game.  I cannot describe how excited he was for this experience.  He was a bit nervous as well because at times the crowds were a bit overwhelming (particularly when you are 4-feet tall).  A huge portion of the crowd was Cowboy fans, in fact, there were many times during the game that if you didn't know it, you might think you were in Dallas.  One time in particular, there was a very loud "Defense!" chant within the building, but the Rams were on offense....kinda strange.

Rams' fans had a lot to cheer about early in the game.  The Rams took the opening kick-off and drove down the field for a TD.  It was quickly followed by a long 50-yard TD and then an interception for another TD.  By the time the Cowboys woke up midway through the 2nd quarter, they were down 21-0.  However, they chipped away at the lead and cut it to 21-10 by half-time.  After a 68-yard TD pass to Dez Bryant (who was open by about 30 yards and from our seats in the upper deck you could see the whole play develop) and another field-goal, the Cowboys were only down 1 at the end of the 3rd quarter.  The Rams' fans started to get real quiet and the Cowboy fans were beginning to take over the stadium.

With about 6 minutes to go, the Cowboys took a 3-point lead and quickly extended that to 10 with an interception returned for a TD.  The Rams scored quickly and then held the Cowboys on downs to get the ball back with one last chance, but fell short due to a late game interception.  We got to witness a little bit of Cowboy history as it matched the largest comeback ever for the team.  Overall, this was a great game with lots of scoring and big plays (which is important to keep a 7-year-old's attention) - 2 interceptions returned for a TD and two passing TDs over 50 yards.  The experience was great and one I hope Ryan will remember for a long time.

A few comments about the stadium itself.  I would rank it in the lower tier of places I have visited.  The benefit is that it is easy to get to from downtown.  On one side is the city, but on the other side it is pretty run down and surrounded by abandon buildings.  We of course did not venture over to these parts of the city, but could see them as we traveled back to the airport.  Inside the stadium is kind of plain....it is basically a big, round dome with a carpet field.  I did however have some good St. Louis style Bar-BQ for lunch and the largest souvenir cup I have ever seen (8 1/2 inches tall) .  The truth is, by the time I finish my tour of all the sports venues, the Rams will probably be located somewhere else (if they stay in St. Louis, this stadium has to go).  One observation Ryan and I made at the game was that the majority of the seats are red.  This seemed very strange for a team with blue and gold colors, but after some investigation we realized that the stadium was built in the early 1990's in an effort to lure the New England Patriots there.

High-scoring games always mean more money donated to charity.  In this case, $65 to the Jimmy V Foundation.  Unfortunately, it was the 4th straight loss for the home team in which I have watched.  Current record is 24-16.

I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel
 
You can find a lot more photos on my Facebook page.

A Tribute to Joe Martin

From the outside, it may look like this goal of mine to see all of these games is a bit selfish.  However, it has turned out to be so much more than that.  It has resulted in creating incredible memories with my family; reconnecting with friends; making new friends and most importantly - allowing me to do my small part to raise money for a cause I believe is so important - Cancer Research.

When I was young, I watched my father battle cancer.  In recent years I have seen my grandfather and uncle pass away as a result of this disease and my mother-in-law is in the midst of her own battle.

This month a friend of ours passed away after a very courageous battle - Joe Martin.  Since moving to Wisconsin, Deb, the kids and I got to know Joe and his incredible family very well.  Deb and Joe were officers together on the elementary school PTO and developed a very good friendship and working relationship.  Joe and I coached baseball together where I watched him show extreme patience with 5 & 6 year-old boys, teaching them not only the skills of the game, but more importantly respect for teammates, coaches and opponents.  He never was frustrated and always had a smile on his face and a way to make the kids laugh.  This past summer I also coached his son (Nick, who is Ryan's buddy) for the 2nd year of baseball.

Over these few years, Deb has become friends with Joe's wife, Sue and Taylor with his daughter, Michelle. 

Joe, the community of Mequon, WI will truly miss you.  Please keep the Martin family in your thoughts and prayers.

http://www.schmidtandbartelt.com/obituaries/detail.aspx?id=7930