Rachel Lets Her Hair Down
Nov. 22: Fantasy Taildate Recap Aggregation Visited: Wisconsin
After weeks spent whittling bottomward from 24 teams to two, with both of my Fantasy Taildates completed, and with a Nov. 25 borderline closing in, I anticipation I'd be assertive of my Academy Football Bachelorette winner.
To be honest, a cyclone weekend in Wisconsin larboard me with added questions than answers.
But afore I get to all that, let's allocution about my cruise to Madison.
Late Friday afternoon, I collection the about three hours northwest to Madison from Chicago with my wingman (and husband), Brad -- a Wisconsin built-in (though not a Badgers alumnus). His dad, Val, and stepmom, De, aloof confused to Oregon, Wisconsin, a little over a year ago, so their abode was our home abject for the weekend. We abandoned off our actuality and fabricated the quick 20-minute drive to Madison, communicable a few of the sites, including Lake Monona, Lake Mendota, the Terrace and the admirable Wisconsin State Capitol building.
A scattering of association recommended banquet at The Old Fashioned, a retro-style alehouse aloof off Capital Street, so we headed there. The restaurant was arranged to the aspect and boasted a 90-minute delay for a table, so we hit the bar for a acceptable Wisconsin brandy old fashioned, a few Schlitzes and a bassinet of cheese curds. All the credibility Columbus acquired for that adorable annihilate bowl I ate aftermost anniversary were added than counterbalanced out by the cheesy, gooey, adorable curds. (So, Ohio State and Wisconsin are alike on absolutely approximate aliment credibility now, if you're befitting count.)
While cloudburst my beer, the bartender, Jesse, said he couldn't abode how he knew me. "ESPN?" I said, and he exclaimed: "Oh wait, you're on that appearance with the adult affiliated guy with the hair!" So blow assured, Tony Reali, the Manhattan beard bold plays all the way out in Madison, too.
Brad lived up to his Wisconsin roots all weekend, accomplishing what amounted to a bratwurst bout of the city. It started that night at The Old Ancient with a double-brat and wurst. Total brat calculation for Brad in a day and a half? Four. It would've been higher, but extenuative up for a Culver's burger on the way home slowed him bottomward the stretch.
Over banquet we talked about De's adherence to the Badgers. She had division tickets for 57 years, casual them on to her son aloof aftermost season. While active in Madison with her aboriginal husband, now deceased, she was a approved at battle matches ("They chock-full accepting them aback a boxer died in the arena aback I was there") and hockey amateur ("I like it aback they fight!"). For a near-octogenarian, she's still action strong, blessed to bung aback chardonnays and break out late, agriculture off the bustle of acceptance and visitors.
Val and De headed home, and Brad and I absolved bottomward Capital Street, casual all sorts of restaurants and bars, a scattering of them with curve bottomward the street. Curve were abiding in Madison all weekend, but that's to be accepted aback an best football aggregation is hosting a Big Ten rival. We assuredly fabricated it to Kollege Klub, which came awful recommended by NHL abundant (and above Badger) Chris Chelios. Joining me on "Izzy and Spain" Thursday night, Chelios could name all three ancestors of Meiers who accept the run the bar aback he was at school, from John "Big Dad" Meier, to his son Bruce, to his son, Jordan. (Chelios couldn't name a distinct assistant he had at Wisconsin, but that's a adventure for addition time ...)
The bandage for Kollege Klub was bottomward the block, and it was bright that anybody branch in was a accepted apprentice -- no one earlier than 22. It acquainted all-important to annual Chelios' suggestion, but there was no adventitious these two old association were cat-and-mouse in line. I abhorrence to accept it, but I pulled the rarely acclimated "ESPN card" (of advance I forgot to accompany an absolute business card, so I had to appearance them my Twitter annual instead) to skip the bandage and get in for a drink. I wasn't appreciative of the move, but you gotta do what you gotta do in the name of award love. We had a beer, airtight a attempt of Chelios' jersey on the wall, talked about how old we felt, and watched the academy kids ball and alternate about and accomplish out adjoin walls, and I accurately articular a bore abounding of barf as regurgitated quinoa and we hit the road.
With an 11 a.m. alpha Saturday, we had an aboriginal turnaround from the bar to Academy GameDay. (I'm abiding we weren't alone.) But admitting morning snow and arctic temperatures, admirers arranged the set aback we accustomed at Bascom Hill. I met Bucky, chatted with the all-knowing Wisconsin "nuns" and bent some appealing acceptable GameDay signs afore we started the expedition against the stadium.
After endlessly to see a acquaintance at a Badgers-themed ambulance tailgate, we absolved bottomward the capital amplitude of confined on Regent Artery and concluded up at the tailgate of one of my hosts for the day, Chicago acquaintance Nate Faulkner. A die-hard Wisconsin fan whose father, "Big Ed," played hoops for the Badgers aback in the day, Nate served up some Spotted Cows and told us added about the arena in Madison.
It was appropriate about this time that I started to apprehension a few adverse trends. First, there were a ton of Packers affair tents, hats and gear. I've got no botheration with Blooming Bay -- in fact, Aaron Rodgers is one of my admired players -- but as a die-hard Bears fan, it was boxy to be amidst by blooming and chicken and not accept them be the enemy. Also, there was a ton of camouflage. Hunting is a way of action in Wisconsin, and it goes above a weekend action into game-day attire. Overalls, hats, jackets -- all camo, all the time. Sorry if that's your deal, but I can almost bear a fly, so all the camo grossed me out a little.
While we accomplished our beers, my accompany Joanna and Nick (Michigan fans) and I sat aloft a adding bank and high-fived admirers of both squads on their way to the stadium. I got a ton of applesauce for my Chicago Cubs beanie (the aforementioned exact one I'd exhausted in Columbus), which reminded me that my adolescent Badgers admirers and I wouldn't be seeing eye to eye on a lot of actuality above UW. At the alpha of this journey, I said I couldn't brainstorm actuality a Wisconsin fan because of the state-to-state animosity (back to that FIB appellation again) and the acrimony amid the teams, but I pushed it abreast because of the abundant fans, air-conditioned traditions and amazing arena in Madison. It's not their accountability they're amorous about their pro teams -- in fact, I like it! But it's article to anticipate about aback I accomplish my final decision.
It was bold time, so we headed into Camp Randall to acquisition our seats. (Thanks, De!) It was anon bright that The Shoe at Ohio State is appropriate aback it comes to concessions -- they're able to advertise beer in the amphitheater in Columbus. No suds for us in Madison, so we affective some hot amber (and a brace of brats for Brad) instead. The bold was a acceptable one, as the Badgers exhausted Michigan 24-10 to break undefeated. The in-game traditions didn't disappoint, as the bandage was loud and proud, the apprentice area (though late, as always) was crazy (and profane), and "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "Jump Around" were as air-conditioned as advertised.
And afterwards the game, of course, was the Fifth Quarter, area admirers stick about to watch the bandage dance, bang and comedy their way through addition set of tunes.
Wisconsin got a leg up on Ohio State, artlessly by my appointment accident aback the stakes were aerial and the arena was crazy, but the bold acquaintance and the pre- and postgame in Madison were legit. Afterwards the win, we absolved bottomward to Jordan's Big 10 Pub to accommodated up with my added hosts for the day, the Kay family. Caroline, 14, a huge Wisconsin fan and ambitious sports reporter, had emailed me acquisitive to accommodated up. She and her parents and adolescent brother all affective a berth with me and Brad, and we chatted about their adulation of the Badgers, which brought them all the way to Madison from Philadelphia for the weekend.
The confined up and bottomward the artery were still raging, but it was time to hit the alley and arch aback to Chicago. On the drive home I anticipation about my accommodation -- the pros and cons of anniversary abode and how I ability fit in with anniversary fan base. Remember, this has never been about aloof the best acknowledged program, the coolest amphitheater or the game-day scene. It's consistently been about all of those -- additional my gut actuation and the affiliation I feel to the team.
I anticipation about seeing my guy, Jim Harbaugh, jogging accomplished me at the half, and the agony of answerability I acquainted for eliminating his Wolverines early. I remembered the accustomed cull I acquainted against the big block "M" on my acquaintance Joanna's winter beanie. And that's aback I accomplished I absolutely wasn't yet accessible to decide.
Screw the rules and spiral the deadlines. I'm action to the Big Abode this weekend and seeing, aloof in case, whether I fabricated the appropriate accommodation in adage goodbye to Michigan. Who said there can alone be two finalists for the rose? In the end, I've gotta go area my affection leads me, and I'm aloof not abiding I can accomplish my aces until I accord UM a fair shot.
That agency no big acknowledge on Saturday. Instead I'll be watching the Wolverines booty on the Buckeyes, acquisitive to acquisition some clarity.
I can alone achievement afterwards all this, my best will be clear. Break acquainted ...
