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Jan 23 06 – 1st anniversary of NFC Title game. I can’t believe it’s been a year since going to the game. I had to cook for the tailgate. Shrimp, bay scallops and mussels over fettucine in a lemon caper sauce. Because I brought the pasta down hot in a cooler, Barry didn’t have to fire up the grill. That meant he didn’t get to use his “Special” starter fluid, old lawnmower gas kept in a milk jug. He just labeled the jug “Old” gas. We told him it should be “Vintage” or “Retro” gas. He’s pretty generous with it and has set fire to the grass, tarmac, concrete and dirt on different occasions.
Because of the snow, the drive down was treacherous. It was so bad, I didn’t get the traditional Krispy Kremes on the way. I-95 was down to 2 random lanes that had nothing to do with the painted lines. By the time I got to the FU lot, the snow was starting to taper off. I tried to find our normal area, but the City had plowed it under. Skip hailed me down (seconds before I ran him over) and showed me where we were. Jay, Barry and Stewie had dug a hollow out of the snow bank. We had a private little grotto, complete with a trashcan fire (courtesy of the city trashcan I had “liberated” from in front of Bravo’s Pizza) and Pisser Tom’s bathroom (2x3s, a tarp, & a 5 gallon bucket).
We ended up with more than the expected 27. About 10 more. We only had enough food for 30-35, so some of the guys trekked over to CVS and bought hot dogs. They were cooked on a shovel blade over the fire.
Every Birds fan knows the details of the game, so I’ll skip them. I wore a bowler to the game, not very warm, but good for stashing 2 beers in. Before the game, I bought a game pin. They make different ones for each game, and since this was going to be my last game for a long time, I wanted a souvenir. I also bought a Boddingtons Ale. Since we were ahead at Halftime, I repeated the process for luck (had a hard time tracking down another Boddingtons).
A girl in front of me brought balloons and confetti. With around 7 minutes left, she started to tentatively toss them around. About 5 of us told her to stop, lest she jinx the Birds. Superstitious cowards, all. After the post-game ceremony, I grabbed some of the confetti the Eagles showered the field with and headed back to the tailgate.
All the guys were already drinking champagne. I went to my trunk and brought out my contribution. A bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon with green and silver sealing wax. I also had about 30 shot glasses. I called for quiet. I had retired as “Consigliere” the year before, but most of the new guys still thought of it as “Kevin’s tailgate” (Barry is, and always will be, “The Don”). I filled everyone’s glass, spoke about how much they all meant to me and how it had been a pleasure to run the tailgate for 9 years. We threw back the sweetest bourbon ever, there were hugs all around, then I drove home with tears in my eyes.
The pin, confetti, shot glass and game ticket are in a wood and glass display case in our living room. It will always be my most treasured piece of sports memorabilia.
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