Packers 24 Panthers 16
NFL rules state that you cannot pick up a player that is on a pile and take him forward to advance the ball. Therefore, Christian McCaffrey did NOT score a touchdown! Nice try Van Houten or whatever his name is!
Just Sayin’
87 Packer backers congregated at Spare Time to celebrate our team and the midway point of the season. The great folks at Spare Time treated us to a nacho bar at half time that was enjoyed by all, and the club hosted a raffle with some great gifts. 131 Gerald Schultz chose the $25 gift card from Packer Pro Shop, 463 Wayne Hansen picked a classy backpack, and 290 Don Jordan received a fleecy Packer blanket. Congratulations to you lucky winners.
From the Desk of the Webmaster at Greenvillepackerbackers.club
The "new" Greenvillepackerbackers.club website is in its second year. I hope everyone is enjoying this humble little website. Now that we combine this with facebook and the e-mail distribution list, it is easier than ever to stay up to date with the club and the Packers! I don't always get the posts up at the right time, but they get there nonetheless. If anyone has some bright ideas on improvements of our digital presence please let us know.
(
It should be a week off for the staff of the Packer ‘Bits. Emphasis: Should. The lack of participation of all of you out there over the history of the newsletter puts even more pressure on a publication that is already fighting for its life in this era of the death of print media and instant gratification. What’s happened over time has created a hostile work environment for the artists, the visionaries, like me who write for all of you. Well, I’ve had enough. I speak for all of us when I say that I’m not some random plaything found at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box, to be used and abused at the whim of this Editor and this publication. It’s time to blow the lid off of this thing. If not for me, then for Ken, Jimmy, Barb, Marge (?, We’ll get to that}, and whoever who has been ghost writing for the Editor, “Packer John.”
As I was preparing for our family trip to Ireland this past September, I googled “packers everywhere” and then searched for potential Packer meeting place(s) in Ireland. I was hoping to be able to watch a game while there (I missed three games while gone). Unfortunately, I found none (but there are lots and lots of places in the US).
However, all was not lost!
On a Sunday when we were in Dublin, I noticed a vehicle driving down the street with Viking painted on the side of it. A closer look identified people inside wearing Viking helmets (coincidentally this was also the day of the Packer-Viking game). Unfortunately, an even closer inspection revealed it was a tour company driving around the city (and likely not going to a Packer pub for the game). Oh well, I tried.
While driving from the Dingle peninsula to see the Cliffs of Mohr, we took a ferry boat from peninsula to peninsula to save driving time on the narrow roads where everyone drives on the “wrong” side. After driving onto the ferry, I quickly noticed the stripped lanes for the cars and the color of those lanes. While green is one of the colors in the Irish flag, the stripes were gold. For me, it was a definite sign of Lambeau in Ireland.
After we arrived and the Cliffs of Mohr and began walking around, I identified a Packer fan (his shirt gave him away). When I said “Go Pack” to him, we immediately began a conversation. He was from Appleton, WI, and a big time Packer fan. And in a restaurant a few days later, I noticed another man walking in with a Packer cap on. While I did not get to talk with him, I know that Packer fans are traveling around the world!
So, as you travel, go to “Packers Everywhere” to find a Packer bar (or pub) to watch that next Packer game with some new friends.
(Wayne 463 & Sara 531 Hansen)
Just Sayin’
Just Sayin’
(Jimmy Smith 220)
87 Packer backers congregated at Spare Time to celebrate our team and the midway point of the season. The great folks at Spare Time treated us to a nacho bar at half time that was enjoyed by all, and the club hosted a raffle with some great gifts. 131 Gerald Schultz chose the $25 gift card from Packer Pro Shop, 463 Wayne Hansen picked a classy backpack, and 290 Don Jordan received a fleecy Packer blanket. Congratulations to you lucky winners.
Warm and dry was the theme for many of the door prize winners this week. 508 Norbert Bracke chose a pack of socks, 438 Karmell Smith has fuzzy socks, and 538 Shea Ray will keep her toes warm in slipper socks. 507 Linda Bracke will stay warm under a Packer blanket. 290 Don Jordan has a ball cap, and 516 Jackie Boyd will stay dry under her new umbrella. 533 Aaron Whalen took home a set of pint glasses. 262 Tom Zumbach was the last door prize winner of the evening and I must confess I didn’t write down what he chose, but I’m sure it was great and he’s enjoying it.
We were able to fill both a $1 and a 50₵ pool this week. Winners of the $1 pool were 262 Tom Zumbach, 516 Jackie Boyd, and 328 Marge Bramlett (2). Winners of the 50₵ pool were 242 Christina Harrison (2) and 287 Perri Bressman (2). 127 Kent Sargent correctly answered the trivia question and was awarded a $25 gift card from the great folks at Spare Time.
Next Sunday (11-17) is our bye week, so we won’t be getting together as a club, but remember to send in your bye-week trivia answers. I just read that our game on November 24, against the 49ers has been flexed to the Sunday night game at 8:20. I know this is going to present a problem for some of you who have to work on Monday, but I hope you will join us at Spare Time for at least the first half of the game. Our team always does better when we’re cheering them on. Remember, we back our team through thick and thin……
Marge 328
(Barb Gambrell 221)
From the Desk of the Webmaster at Greenvillepackerbackers.club
The "new" Greenvillepackerbackers.club website is in its second year. I hope everyone is enjoying this humble little website. Now that we combine this with facebook and the e-mail distribution list, it is easier than ever to stay up to date with the club and the Packers! I don't always get the posts up at the right time, but they get there nonetheless. If anyone has some bright ideas on improvements of our digital presence please let us know.
Now about the Packers bye week. This year it's actually a pretty good time personally. It's the weekend before the biggest time of year; deer season! The bye will give me a chance to get out some christmas decorations, some hunting gear, and settle the house down before I take my annual trip back up to the family farm in northwest WI. Deer season is one of the biggest holidays of the year in my family. This will be the 25th season that we've joined together as a family at my Aunt and Uncle's farm near Colfax in Dunn County. I say 25 seasons, but that's just hunts that I was old enough to take part in. My Dad has been doing this for probably 50+ years and even longer for the generation before him. My great uncle likes to talk about how when he was younger, it was a big deal just to see some deer droppings. Not so today! There are deer everywhere in WI now. It is a great time to be a hunter, Packer fan, and Wisconsinite. Every year I get a good taste of the WI life with cold weather, great outdoors, cheese, beer, and Packer game on Sunday! This is the time of year where Packers fans don their third official color - BLAZE ORANGE. The flex time for the game with the 49ers couldn't have been better. This means I no longer have to debate about staying in the woods or coming in for the game. After a full day of hunting, I'll be able to saunter back to the warm house, grab a cool leinie's, maybe eat a bag of fresh cheese curds, and watch the Packers put on a show. The only difficulty will be to avoid falling asleep before half time. Cheers to Wisconsin, Deer Season, and the Green Bay Packers!
(Justin Curtis 246)
(
When you break it down from a fan’s perspective and from an entertainment standpoint, bye weeks suck. I want to watch the Packers kick someone’s ass each and every week of the season. It no doubt also sucks for Spare Time, but in this case, it was a welcome thing for the team. There are quite a few guys whose bodies and minds will benefit big time. Not to mention the players…
It should be a week off for the staff of the Packer ‘Bits. Emphasis: Should. The lack of participation of all of you out there over the history of the newsletter puts even more pressure on a publication that is already fighting for its life in this era of the death of print media and instant gratification. What’s happened over time has created a hostile work environment for the artists, the visionaries, like me who write for all of you. Well, I’ve had enough. I speak for all of us when I say that I’m not some random plaything found at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box, to be used and abused at the whim of this Editor and this publication. It’s time to blow the lid off of this thing. If not for me, then for Ken, Jimmy, Barb, Marge (?, We’ll get to that}, and whoever who has been ghost writing for the Editor, “Packer John.”
First, let me describe what is really going on behind the scenes. Historically, because of the Culture of Fear cultivated within the ranks, the Packer ‘Bits has had no leaking like traditional papers, who leak like submarines with screen doors. No, the ‘Bits has been and continues to be tighter than the Misses-size tanktops my 220-lb sister-in-law wears to family functions. But as an insider, I learned, and I have always known how to read the statutes…
The truth: The ‘Bits are run like a sweat shop. I’ve been worked like a borrowed horse for like ten (10) years of columns, and I’ve not received one paycheck! Not. One. Dime. When I approached the Editor in his office, thick with cigar smoke like every editor’s office in every movie, like a cliché he slammed his fist down on a
In the beginning, he was an ambitious yet inspiring editor, often with a kind word and a velvety touch. No longer. Some say it’s the pressure, others say it’s the “Iron Maiden” (aka his wife Linda) behind the scenes. Hardcore conspiracy theories have Marge (aka The “Puppetmaster”} pulling the strings of everyone like marionettes from her sinister toybox behind the club table… It is my time, my legacy.
I am The Whistleblower…
(II). Crunching the Numbers (See related “Addendum” at the end of the newsletter)
Again, bye weeks suck, and not just because of tyrannical editors and their related and associated operatives. But this segment should be fun for all. If you’re not into numbers, that’s ok! I’m like the SAT. I’ve got Math and Verbal. In dealer quantity, not user quantity, so read on…
Numbers have been around as long as human communication. Numbers have always had incredible power, symbolism, and message. In many cultures and throughout history, numbers have been iconic, spiritual, and often mystical in their impact. 666. Lucky 7. Unlucky 13. Y2K. 9/11. 1040-EZ. And a “211 in progress.” In the sports context, anyone who is superstitious or enjoys some reasonable gaming on occasion likely has “lucky numbers…”
Maybe it’s the numbers we pick when we play the lottery, when we bet the over/under, or when we bet the point spread, pick from the roulette table, or when the Italians “run the numbers” in Racine…
Similarly, jersey numbers carry a heavy popular and symbolic significance in the history of sports. So many of our heroes from the gridiron, diamond, or court are readily identified by their number; the number is them and they are that number. This preseason, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and The Milwaukee Record put out a couple of noteworthy lists designed to spark debate across Packer Nation. One was put together by the NFL, the second was by the MJS. They were lists of the best players historically to wear each and every jersey number in the history of the league, as well as the Green Bay franchise, respectively, from 00 through 99.
As die-hard and unabashedly biased Packer fans, you may ask “Best Packers=Best in the NFL, What’s the difference?” (LOL-I’m with you!) In fact, there are a number of guys who top both the NFL and the Packer lists. These are the easy ones: Brett Favre (4), Paul Hornung (5), Curly Lambeau (14), Bart Starr (15), Jerry Kramer (64), Ray Nitschke (66), and Reggie White (92).
Less renown would be Arnie Herber (38, First QB to throw for more than 1,000 yards in ’36 and four titles in the Lambeau Era), Emlen Tunnel (45, played a short time with the Packers in leather
There are a few current players on the NFL list, no Packers, but hopefully that will change in the future! Aaron Rodgers (12) has Tom Brady in front of him for the time being. Let’s hope anything and everything that would put him ahead of Brady actually happens…Take a hard look at the all-time Packers list in the Addendum and let the debate(s) begin…
(III). The Whistleblower
As far as my exposure as The Whistleblower, I need to remain anonymous, for my safety as well as my ability to remain on the “inside.” I know you all can keep my secret. I know you all have at least the honor and integrity of a spurned mistress on Days of Our Lives, which we unfortunately learned may be ending, aka headed the way of the rest of the classic soap operas. But please remem-ber: I need this gig! The last time I got laid off, it was Johnsonville instead of real brats, Cheez Wiz instead of cheese curds, and Ramen was a delicacy to be savored. I’ve got nowhere to go. I can’t write for a rival. And I don’t want to depend on people who aren’t even Packer fans…
Numbers. Six games to go. Q: Why was Six afraid of Seven? A: Because Seven Eight Nine…
Go, Pack, GO!!!
(Kriag Pringle 123)
As I was preparing for our family trip to Ireland this past September, I googled “packers everywhere” and then searched for potential Packer meeting place(s) in Ireland. I was hoping to be able to watch a game while there (I missed three games while gone). Unfortunately, I found none (but there are lots and lots of places in the US).
However, all was not lost!
On a Sunday when we were in Dublin, I noticed a vehicle driving down the street with Viking painted on the side of it. A closer look identified people inside wearing Viking helmets (coincidentally this was also the day of the Packer-Viking game). Unfortunately, an even closer inspection revealed it was a tour company driving around the city (and likely not going to a Packer pub for the game). Oh well, I tried.
While driving from the Dingle peninsula to see the Cliffs of Mohr, we took a ferry boat from peninsula to peninsula to save driving time on the narrow roads where everyone drives on the “wrong” side. After driving onto the ferry, I quickly noticed the stripped lanes for the cars and the color of those lanes. While green is one of the colors in the Irish flag, the stripes were gold. For me, it was a definite sign of Lambeau in Ireland.
After we arrived and the Cliffs of Mohr and began walking around, I identified a Packer fan (his shirt gave him away). When I said “Go Pack” to him, we immediately began a conversation. He was from Appleton, WI, and a big time Packer fan. And in a restaurant a few days later, I noticed another man walking in with a Packer cap on. While I did not get to talk with him, I know that Packer fans are traveling around the world!
So, as you travel, go to “Packers Everywhere” to find a Packer bar (or pub) to watch that next Packer game with some new friends.
(Wayne 463 & Sara 531 Hansen)
Later I moved to South Carolina and pretty much continued my solitary support of my team, until one Saturday night I met a guy from Wauwatosa who knew about a Packer fan club in Greenville. I was SO excited! He took me to the Corner Pocket on Sunday, and I felt like I had come home. I reveled to be sitting among folks who were cheering the green and gold. I became member #328 on the spot.
Since that fateful day, I have
followed the club to Friar’s, Chiefs, Hall of Fame, and now Spare Time. Some venues were better than others, but no matter where we are, the best part is the people who make the Greenville Packer Backers. Working in the “office” has given me the opportunity to get to know so many of you, and I gotta admit, I love y’all! Keep on coming, and cheering, and lovin’ our team and each other. Remember, it’s always through thick and thin…
Marge (Bramlett)328
I was given the book “Before They Were the Packers” by Denis J. Gullickson & Carl Hanson) for Christmas last year. It’s an account of the days prior to the official start date of what would eventually become the NFL. I have picked out a few interesting tidbits and high-lights.
College football was played long before the “town teams” came to be. Two games were played at Ripon College in 1881 and a mention of the sport was found on the Carrol College campus in 1866.
On August 18, 1895 an article appeared in the Sunday Gazette which said “It is safe to say that once the game is introduced it will be one of the most popular amusements ever seen in Green Bay. It is predicted that the first game of football played in Green Bay will be more largely attended than a ball game, and that each succeeding game will bring out a crowd.” The author was a prophet indeed. The first “formal” football game in Green Bay was played on September 21, 1895. It was played at Washington Park.
The captain of that first team was Fred Hulbert and considered the Father of Green Bay Football and as a result, the Grandfather of the Packers. Fred attended and played football at Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam and after graduating in spring of 1895, he moved to Green Bay. He took a job as a trainer at the West Side Athletic Association. Wanting to continue to play football, he “preached the gospel and the tonic of football to the seething youths” who gathered at the gym and formed the first team.
In 1897 Tom Silverwood took over as captain and coach with lots of ideas for improving the team both on and off the field. A board of directors was formed to ensure community support and a second team was added to give the regulars real practice.
Games were arranged and scheduled by the different town teams’ managers. The list of teams played from these cities include: Marinette, Oconto, Menomonee, Oneida, Oshkosh, Milwaukee, Rhinelander, Stevens Point and Menasha. In fact, due to scheduling “difficulties” only two games were played in 1898.
The Oneida Nation played a significant role in the early teams with three stand-out players, Tom Skenandore, Jonas Metoxen, and Martin Wheelock – all trained in football at the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania; the school that one day would turn out Jim Thorpe. These and a couple others were often seen as an asset to a team and enough to turn a struggling team into a champion. Skenandore, a running back was the first professional football player in Green Bay with a promise of $20 per game over a 5-game season in 1897. (Note: Lambeau has an Oneida Nation gate. Even though sponsored by the casino, perhaps it is also a nod to the importance of Oneida players to the early teams.)
A history of football scoring is quite interesting. In 1898 a touchdown changed from 4 to 5 points; in 1904 a field goal went from 5 to 4 points; in 1909 field goals dropped again to 3 points; and in 1912 touchdown went from 5 to 6 points. Prior to 1898, points’ scoring was often a “gentleman’s agreement” between the two teams.
Throughout the early years there was a lot of backlash toward the violence in football games often referred to as more like organized brawls. In 1910 a player from Bethany College was charged with murder in the death of a West Virginia Uni-versity player when he died from injuries received in their game. (He was exonerated by a coro-ner’s jury.)
The forward pass was made “legal” in 1911.
In 1915, the Green Bay East-West high school annual Thanks-giving Day game featured East junior, Curley Lambeau. On September 29, 1917 the following appeared in the Green Bay Press-Gazette regarding Curly’s departure to UW “the majority of football critics consider the Green Bay boy one of the best gridiron prospects that has ever been turned out of a high school.” Lambeau did return to Green Bay that fall to play in an “all-star” charity game. In 1918 Curley set off for Notre Dame to play for Knute Rockne; however, his stay was short lived and he returned to Green Bay for his (and the Packers) “date with destiny.”
In the August 27, 1919 Green Bay Press-Gazette the town team was now called the “Footballers on the Indian Packing Corporation squad” for the sponsorship of the team by Lambeau’s employer which was shortened to Indian Packers (which became the Acme Packing Co.) That 1919 season was remarkable for the record number of points scored by the Packers. The major players of the “semi-pro” team each got a split of the take for the season - $16.75. Lambeau was given $500 to buy materials for the team by boss Frank Peck of the Indian Packing Co.
1920 was the last year the Packers played town team ball. In 1921 they became members of the American Professional Football Asso-ciation. But in fact, they remain in the truest sense of the word, the last remaining “town team.”
(Barb Gambrell 221)
As grateful as I personally am, if you look at the names noted above, you will see many names repeated. Also note there are only 2 non-staff articles, Wayne & Sara Hansen and Justin Curtis in this special edition of the PBB. That is 1.5% of our club members willing to share their story or opinions with the rest of us. Pretty sad in my opinion.
During the week I take care of the club’s books, search several websites looking for and buying prizes, keep the office stuff up to date and put together the newsletter for the club. This on along with my other responsibilities, sometimes make me feel like I’m living on a house of cards. I cannot continue this level of club participation and still attend to my other duties (including work).
With almost 130 members, there has to be someone(s) willing to set-up. Case in point, no one has signed up to be on the mic for this weeks 49’ers game. With the change to a night game; Linda can’t stay because she’s up at 4:00 for work. That means we either take two cars to the game or Linda stays home. Either way, I’m not keen on getting home around 12:30. Beyond this game, the Giant’s, Skins, duh bears and Lyins games are also open.
Other help is also needed. Last week, no one volunteered to set up; I hung the flags and the prize bags sat on the table until Jamie filled in 5 minutes before game time. Then after the game NOBODY help put things away! You’re there already and five minutes is all I ask.
I started the newsletter 12 years ago and feel like it’s my baby. The rest of the club jobs I acquired from my late Son-In-law Tim. I am more then willing to relinquish any other club function. I have found through the years the best way to keep any group or organization healthy is to have many people involved. If only a few are involved, it can easily die when the one or two people involved quit.
Don’t get me wrong, I love our club and love doing things for it, but it seems at times I am on the 12 level of my house of cards and not liking the view from up here. If you are willing to take over any of the weekly function's, like taking care of the club’s books or buying prizes, let me know and I can help you get started. If you want to help set up or pack up, let me know and I will make sure to make it worth your while. And most of all, consider taking the mic for a game. It’s not that hard and most times, I will be there to help you through it. I know you’re out there.
I am leaving the rest of this page blank as a reminder to everyone that it take more of us to have a healthy club. Together we can continue to make this one of the best Packer clubs in the USA because I know for a fact, we all have Packer Pride and we all
Bleed Green My Friends!
(Packer John 106)
