The 61st Axe: Random Thoughts

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008
CAMP RANDALL STADIUM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
MADISON, WISCONSIN

Some random thoughts, game and non, from this weekend's extravaganza in Mad-town:

-I bought a couple of car magnets, and I put them on the side of my car for the trip down on Friday afternoon. I got a few honks and waves, as well as a few middle fingers. You have a nice day too, sir.

-State Street Brats was swamped with Gopher fans on Friday night, taking over the upstairs. If looks could have killed, the Dane County coroner would have been a busy man.

-I don't like how Mad Hatter's is set up. No one downstairs while the upstairs resembles the Black Hole of Calcutta? Set it up like Burrito Loco here.

-I first found Silver Mine subs in Boulder, Colorado. The location next to Hatters' makes for a fine addition to the Madison late night menu.

-Finding cabs at bar time is a beyotch. My hotel was out on High Crossing Blvd., and by the time I found a cab that wasn't hired and got back, it was after 3:00 AM and my buzz was totally gone. Cabbies, if you're hired, TURN YOUR LIGHT OFF!

-Tailgating was great. One buddy of mine made arrangements with his sister's future in-laws for us tailgate with them. We were in the corner of the Regent Apartments parking lot. I also saw GopherLady, NateDawg, Crazy Tony, et al. at the same party.

-I know the U is going to have to learn how to do game-day tailgating once we get back home next year. However, I think that as long as Bob Bruininks is the president of the U, he's going to do everything he can to make it happen. The U is a better place because of him.

-My brother has poo-poohed the Gopher fan base, claming that we're going to want the Dome back as soon as a cold-weather game hits. Yesterday afternoon, it was cold, it was windy, and it started to snow at the end. And I loved it. Just how November football in Big Ten country ought to be. Sure I was frozen through by the time it was over, but it still was great.

-Good grief, was I getting flashbacks to "Punt Kucek Punt" when that kick return got muffed.

-Two points on the little rhubarb during "Jump Around." A) I have no problem with the Gopher bench jumping around like they did. It sure did pump 'em up. The only trouble was that it also pumped up everyone else in the stadium. Seeing the entire stadium doing it was a sight to behold. B) One friend of mine pointed out that the display was borne partly because few of the Gophers had been on the sideline of a game in Madison, and mostly as a "shot across the bow" at Wisconsin, saying something like "Hello Wisconsin! How do you like us breathing down your neck?"

-For all the Gophers' muffs, penalties, screw-ups, and other misadventures, they still had the ball with 2:30 to go with a chance to win or go to overtime. In hindsight, when I planned to come down, all I asked for was a game that wasn't decided midway through the first quarter, as my only other football trip to the Camp was.

-Was it just me, or was the band a little quick to start "Varsity" at the end of the game, before the Axe even got hoisted? I'm watching them hoist the Axe out of the bag just as the students get to the last "U-rah-rah Wisconsin!"

-I realized when I woke up this morning that other than one plate of heavenly cheesy potatoes, I drank ALL of my meals on Saturday. Fortunately, a Mickie's Dairy Bar scrambler was there to save the day. Not only do Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa share heated sporting rivalries, they also share quality breakfast locations (Al's Breakfast, Mickie's, and the Hamburg Inn).

Now only one more game in the Dump. And I still f'ing hate Iowa!

GR