This week’s Gathering is brought to you by Bad Trade.
Let’s jump right in:
- You’re having some beers and brats outside Notre Dame Stadium, just chilling with friends. If you could have one Notre Dame player or coach drop by to share a drink, a brat and some stories with you, who would it be? I’d have to go with Knute. It would be awesome. We could all stand around and listen intently to his stories of how things once were at Notre Dame and witness him marvel at modern miracles like the ubiquity of helicopters overhead, portable high definition home theaters televising every game that’s already being played that day, homogenized milk, and the cut of modern-day womens’ shorts. Can you imagine? And we could tell him all about how ND’s got a head coach that embraces the forward pass that Knute revolutionized so much that it makes “old” alums long for the “good old days of smash-mouth ND football.”
- What was your best experience ever with a tailgate party? Every Loyal Son, even those who don’t post much these days, was always welcomed as family to a particular tailgate. I wont name names, but they know who they are and we know who they are and we all know that it was the greatest tailgate ever. On any given game day, you might get sloppy joes, Capri Suns, chocolate chip cookies, and an explanation of how best to use a mitre saw. The conversations we all had there were things we’ll remember forever.
- There are lots of great tailgate experiences around the country – what school’s tailgate tradition do you most want to experience? I’d really like to attend The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party someday, even though both Georgia and Florida’s administrations have tried to suck the fun out of it. It’s an intense rivalry, and I’ve heard plenty of great stories of incredible tailgate spreads, unbelievable crowds, amazing people-watching, etc…
- Indiana decides that their drinking laws are far too un-draconian (I’m from Wisconsin. I don’t understand these things like “kids aren’t allowed in bars,” “your parents can’t give you liquor if they are supervising” and “no alcohol purchases on Sunday”), and drinking is now forbidden on Saturdays. The Excise Police stop by your tailgate, and proceed to dump out the liquor you were attempting to hide from them. What do they pour out? Bottles and bottles of beer. Really good beer. I don’t get to host a tailgate party much any more, but the next time I do, my goal is to essentially buy a sampling of every domestic micro-brew my local beer store sells and serve it at that party. Naturally, I’d attempt to have every HLS Beer of the Week available. I never understood liquor at tailgates, but my aim at tailgates has never been to get wasted. My aim was to “soak it all in.” What better way to do that than with great beer and good food with excellent company?
- OK, I couldn’t leave it alone completely. How do you feel about the impending end of the Coach Willingham era at Washington? It’s like the denouement of an epic story where the good guy (ND) triumphs, and we don’t quite yet know what exactly will happen with the rest of his life, but we know things are really looking up while we get a much clearer picture of what ultimately happens to the bad guy. It’s as if we’re seeing the bad guy get pushed into a police cruiser, and we know he’s eventually going to be cellmates with a guy the other inmates jokingly call “Tiny.” Granted, it’s not as satisfying as, say, seeing the bad guy fall off an incredibly high cliff with a 2 ton boulder following him on his way down, but it’s still pretty good.*
Thanks for the questions, Sarah.
You can catch other answers to the same questions at:
Charlie’s Nasties
OC Domer
Brawling Hibernian
Subway Domer
I’ll link more responses as I run across them.
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BJGator
domer, let me reassure you that, although the name has been changed, the Cocktail Party still lives up to its former namesake. It’s absolutely unreal, despite President Bernie Machen’s attempts to rid the University of Florida of all associations with alcohol. And this year, it only figures to be crazier, and even more intense. I recommend you follow through on your desire to attend one year. It’s a great all-day event…
domer.mq
Good to hear, BJ. Some of my best friends are Georgia alums, so maybe, just maybe, I’ll find myself down there in the not-too-distant future.
Dneelean
Very nicely put on your response to the best tailgate question