Black and Blue Division

Rainiers · Post by **Rainiers** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:45 am

Thank god the traditions of the Black and Blue Division live on with the Packers and da Bears.

I grew up with the Minnesota Vikings, an organization now in its 50th year, but back then it was the upstart team in the storied Black and Blue Division of the NFL. Man, did we all love the inter-division games, the smash-mouthed games played every weekend on cold weekends every Sunday. If you were lucky enough to have tickets, going to tailgate and see the game live were events to dream of, and the colder the better.

All the Black and Blue teams would love it when other squads would come-a-visiting in December, especially those wussy teams from Californ-I-A or Florida…teams that needed electric blankets, ear muffs and hot water bottles. Those other teams were so worried and distracted about the cold, they would concentrate less about the game. The cold and icy weather conditions would bring out the best results for the division’s style of play which was running the ball over and over, usually up the middle. A low-scoring victory would usually be at hand.

The Vikings of my youth were good solid football players on a good team. My Vikings were also men with a great deal of integrity, role models that we could look up to. Men like Fran Tarkenton who I remember coming and talking to our youth organization about life values. Men like Alan Page who would study law and later become a Supreme Court Justice. Men like Coach Bud Grant who defined integrity. The club had rock solid ownership and was administered with a strong ethical basis. I have long since moved away from the Vikings and Minnesota, but those men had a big influence on my life.

My, have times changed for the Vikings. Lately they have had too many players that live on the dark side. Too many to mention, but the one with the phony ***** to deliver a phony pee test is a representative example. The front office has very little integrity and its lack of discretion on personnel decisions and in contract negotiations is readily apparent. The Vikings have gone from best to worst in my book. They are no longer my Vikings. I’ve long since divorced myself from them.

The Vikings has been playing in a dome for twenty plus years now. No more icy cold. No more winter home field advantage. The snow-damaged deflated Dome is apt symbolism to me for an organization that has been in decline for some time.

Let me repeat myself, thank god the traditions of the Black and Blue Division live on with the Packers and da Bears.

Oh my gosh, am I looking forward to this game on Sunday. I’m hoping its 10 below, with heavy breathing creating fog banks along the line of scrimmage. I hope the final score is 9-7, with some of the points being scored on a safety or a free kick.

I’m not sure which team I will be rooting for this weekend. I just hope the toughest team wins.

I do know who I will be cheering for in the Super Bowl.

At my Super bowl party I’ll be serving either Chicago-style hot dogs or Wisconsin brats, grilled out on the deck, where I hope it will be snowing.

[ January 21, 2011, 02:47 PM: Message edited by: Rainiers ]

High Octane Baseball · Post by **High Octane Baseball** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:20 pm

amen..

Ando · Post by **Ando** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:29 pm

Well done, Rainiers.

BEAR DOWN!

(even though with all the good karma in Greg's life the past 5 days, I can easily see a Pack steamroll...but I hope not, the Bears have played them well this year.)

Navel Lint · Post by **Navel Lint** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 2:29 pm

Bears 23 - 16