All Is Revealed

For those of you who may have been scratching your heads over the questions in my last post regarding the Green Bay Packers, here are the answers.

The Green Bay Packers were formed by two gentlemen who worked for the Indian Packing Company, a company that produced canned meat.  Hence the name Packers.  But, as you can see, they could have been the Green Bay Indians.



One of the two founders of the team was Earl L. "Curly" Lambeau.  And that, of course is the connection to the Three Stooges (and also why the Packers play at Lambeau field).

Curly Lambeau

The Other Curly

The Indian Packing Company was bought out by the Acme Packing Company and, as I am sure you know, Acme was where Wile E. Coyote bought all of the devices he used to try to capture or kill Road Runner.

Oh, and for a short while the Green Bay Packers actually were the Acme Packers.

Kudos to Jim, my brother-in-law, who was the first to email me the answers.

Jim, Not Curly

Da'Boars - The Finale

My friend, Rico, sent me an email and reminded me that the bartender's name is Shelly and her husband's name is Jeff.  I updated the blog where I said I had forgotten her name.

An aside before getting back to Da'Boars.  I just got back from visiting a friend of mine who has a weekend getaway in Pennsylvania.  Bob and his wife Loretta are old tailgating friends of mine and we still get together on Sundays to watch the Jets.  Wouldn't you know, with minutes to play and the Jets trailing by 3 the channel we are watching cuts away from to show that Eagles game.  And because he has DirectTV we can't get it on any other station.  We had to call my buddy Bernie, who was in New York watching the game, to get a play-by-play update as the Jets pulled one out of their butt.

Okay, Back To Da Boars


Now I may not be the biggest fan of Miller Lite, but that is just because, in general, I am not a fan of light beers.  But I sure wouldn't mind having this vehicle for tailgating.

The Ultimate Tailgate Van


And Here Is Mr. Miller Himself


Okay, that wasn't really Mr. Miller, but he was the one driving the van.

Da'Boars has a couple of volleyball courts out back, but they weren't getting too much use on this rather chilly and somewhat damp day.

A Bit Forlorn


But hearty Minnesotans aren't put off by a little bad weather so there were still outdoor activities.  And of course nothing says outdoor fun more than drinking yourself silly, spinning around with your forehead on a baseball bat and then trying to kick a football.  And my friend Sandy gave it the old college try.

Forehead On Bat


Spin Around


Well, She Tried To Kick The Ball


To be fair to Sandy, almost everyone who tried this had about the same result.

Getting Ready For Their Turn


My friend Rico and his friends wisely chose to just be observers.

Better Safe Than Sorry


Oh yes, the Green Bay Packers Cheerleaders.  I hope this picture doesn't get censored.  I managed to get a peak into their dressing room before they put on their outfits.

Hey, A Little Privacy, Please


And Here They Are, In All Their Glory




I wonder if they knew the origin of the Packers name?  And, a bit of trivia, the Green Bay Packers is the oldest team name still in use in the NFL.  Oh, they could have been the Green Bay Indians.  For extra credit, let me know why.  And for double extra credit, what is the very tenuous connection to the Three Stooges? Or to The Road Runner cartoons, for that matter (a different connection).

I will reveal all tomorrow.

Best Bar Contender

Before I continue on about Da Boars, one of the best bars in which I have ever had the pleasure to have a beer or two or three or, well, whose counting, another short rant.

Don't you get a bit tired of the government telling us how to run our personal lives?  Banning McDonalds from putting toys in meals with over 600 calories?  C'mon, give the kids a break.  Shouldn't it be the parents responsibility to say no to their kids once in awhile if they ask for something unhealthy?  Same thing with taxing high-calorie drinks.  But what really roused Bar Man's ire was the New York State Liquor Authority trying to change the law to ban Four Loko, Joose and other heavily caffeinated alcohol beverages.

For those of you who may not know, Four Loko and Joose are malt liquors that run about 12% ABV and come in several fruity flavors in brilliant colors like red and green.

And Blue


They are very sweet and have about the same amount of caffein as two cups of coffee.  This, apparently, is bad because, and I am shocked, people buy this stuff to get drunk and yet stay awake.  Obviously this must be prevented at all costs.

What next, no Irish Coffees on St. Patrick's Day, any other?  Will I have to give up my rum and coke (the kind you drink, not sniff)?  No more Red Bull cocktails?  Are Jello shots to be banned?  Enough already, There are plenty of things for the government to worry about without getting involved with sweet and caffeinated malt liquor.

Okay, back to Da Boars.  Now what makes this such a great bar?  Well, for starters they really know how to throw a party.  Now remember, we left before the Vikings/Packers game even started.  That is because my friends both have jobs and, for some reason, thought showing up for work on Monday tired and hungover wasn't a great idea.  Man, we are really getting old.  I kind of thought that was how you were supposed to show up for work every day.  Maybe a healthy slug of Four Loko or Joose for breakfast would take care of things.

Beer, of course, it all starts with beer.

And There Was Plenty Of Beer


Food, plenty of food also helps.  And all of the food was free.  You certainly can't beat that.

And Not Just Any Food


Not only was the smoker cranked up, there were grills going too.

Just Like Tailgating


Pork Chops On A Stick


And Pizza Too


And bratwursts, nothing goes with beer like brats.

A Brat, A Bar Man, A Beer  - Heavenly
 

Now I am not sure what Sandy was munching on, but she was obviously impressing, or appalling, the Mysterious Chinese Woman with her gusto.

Go Girl, You Go


Somebody who was famous for his delicious popcorn brought in a bunch of it so there was plenty of free popcorn too.  And chicken wings also popped out.

More Food


Oh, and those "If it were up to the government they would probably be illegal" Jello shots.

The Little Kids Love Them


Those Jello shots kind of remind me of when they pass out your medication in the mental ward.  Not that I would know about that first-hand, of course.

Well, as it turns out, I have a lot more to post about Da Boars but that will have to wait until Monday.  I am getting ready to head to Pennsylvania to visit friends and won't be returning home until then.  I have to head to the liquor store to get the ingredients for my much-in-demand glogg.  My friend Bob wants me to make it after I get to his place so he can see how I do it.  I guess he figures it will be easier to make it himself in the future instead of having me bring it over and then putting up with me.

Back In Minneapolis

We headed back to Minneapolis on Saturday and stayed at my friends Rico and Sandy's place.  Rico was barbecuing ribs in his style.  I know he smokes them for awhile and grills them at the end to finish them but I am not sure what else he might do inbetween.  Maybe I don't want to know.  But they are delicious.  I think Sandy makes the barbecue sauce.  I know she made the date bread that the Mysterious Chinese Woman loves so much.

On Sunday we headed out for a bit of mischief and made our first stop Floyd's where we had our breakfasts in a glass.

Breakfast Of Champions




Our ultimate destination was Da Boars, but first we had to make a little stop for a couple of beers and a chance for Sandy to fund our day's expedition.

Just Like A Bank


Well, not on this day.  Sandy is a pull-tab maven, or so she says.  And, based upon the times I have been with her, she does win more than she loses.  But, alas, we had no luck today.

And then:

Da Boars


It might not look like much from outside, but this is one kickass place.  And, being that this was game day, they had all kinds of special stuff.  Of course this is Viking country and we were playing their arch-enemies, the hated Green Bay Packers.  There are still mixed emotions about Favre around here.  I should have worn my Jets Favre jersey just to see the reaction.

Obviously Vikings Fans


The first thing I had to do was hit the bathroom.  Hey, I had those beers at the American Legion.

Now, Which Door?


Needless to say, I was a bit intrigued by the poster above the urinals.

Sounds Like A Fun Day


I admit I was a bit intriqued by the Green Bay Cheerleaders! thing.  But that became clear a little bit later in the day.

There was a lot going on here so I will finish up tomorrow.  But I will leave you this picture of the bartender, Shelly who, along with her husband Jeff, owns of the place.

Shelly, Another Beauty With Brains


Had to laugh about the Knicks having to postpone their game last night because when they were cleaning out abestos-related materials (whatever they are) from the attic above the arena, debris of some sort fell through the ceiling onto where they were installing the court.  They were installing the court above the ice (the Rangers play here too).

Coney Closings, A Sad, Sad Day

My heart dropped when I read about the proposed closings along Coney Island's famed boardwalk.  Among the businesses that will not have their lease renewed and have two weeks to clear out is my beloved Ruby's.

Best Beach Dive Bar In The World


With A Beach View


Ah, the many memories that I have of Ruby's.  And when I think of all the things I can't remember it makes me even more morose.

I Kind Of Remember This


Ruby's was welcoming in all kinds of weather.

Rain Or Shine, Ruby's All The Time


Plus you could always meet some disreputable character to spend some time with at Ruby's.

Sigh, It Had To Be A Yankees Fan


And, of course, you always could count on the Mysterious Chinese Woman showing up.

Did Someone Say Food?


Now There Are Only 20


And not just Ruby's is going, my next favorite bar on the Boardwalk.  Cha Cha's, is going as well.

Now This Is Just Cruel


And Shoot The Freak will be going too.

Not Quite As Big Of A Loss


Even Beer Island, one of the coolest recent additions to Coney Island, is going to go.

Have They No Mercy?


I will have to visit next year just to see what destruction that has been wroght by the decisions to close all of these places. I can guarantee you, it won't be good. Certainly not as good as it used to be.

Tomorrow I will post about a great bar that I visited while I was in Minneapolis.  Well, two, actually.  But mostly about one.

You Can See Russia, Or At Least Canada

Our next stop after leaving Jon and Ruthie's was International Falls to visit our friends Bruce and Donna.  They actually live outside of International Falls on Dove Island.  Between International Falls and Dove Island is Ranier.  Lot's of political action around Ranier which recently incorporated a bunch of unincorporated whatever they ares and have thereby more than doubled their population.  International Falls is bent out of shape because, apparently, they wanted to incorporate these same whatevers.  Dove Island remains whatever it is.  And who knows what this all means for anybody.  International Falls has a population of a bit over 2000 people and it is dropping while Ranier had a population of a bit over 200 before the incorporation of the whatevers.  We are not talking huge populations here, by any means.

Normally I wouldn't know about this stuff, but you can't get a major newspaper up here.  They don't even deliver the Minneapolis paper this far north.  So you can either read about Mildred's aunt coming for a visit, the local highschool that had to play eight-man football for their homecoming because so many of the players on the opposing team went moose hunting that they couldn't field a full team, or local politics.  Believe me, I read everything.

Oh, and you don't even want to hear about the proposed sewer line out to Dove Island.  People actually want to be billed based upon the amount of waste they produce.  I want to see how this works out.

To escape the insanity we all headed over to Fort Frances across the Pigeon River and in Canada to take in some curling.

Senior Curling League In Action


I kind of think of curling as Canadian bowling.  The one big difference is that you can't actually have beer down where you curl.  Oh, okay, there are some other big differences, I will grant you that.  Kind of fun to watch, though.  And they had a nice little viewing area upstairs where you could buy food and beer.

Beer And Curling, Does It Get Any Better?


They didn't have a real extensive menu and it was kind of like snack food.  But it was much better than snack food and the portions were quite large.  Sadly, I cannot remember what we ate.

One other place that we went was Thunderbird Lodge.  We go there at least once whenever we visit Bruce and Donna.  It is very close and has excellent food.

Thunderbird Lodge


And the views are magnificent.  You would almost think this is a painted background, but it isn't.

Donna And Mysterious Chinese Woman, With A View


Bruce had a most excellent rib-eye steak while the rest of us had walleye.  My walleye was deep-fried with just the lightest of a crust and delicious flaky meat inside.  You can't go wrong with walleye.

Now, being a city boy, living on Dove Island isn't my cup of tea.  I expect to be able to walk to fifty differnent bars and restaurants, but I do like to visit.  And in Brooklyn you will never wake up to views like these, right from Bruce and Donna's deck.





And you can shoot a deer with a bow right from that same deck, not something you could do in Brooklyn, even if you had a deck.  Bruce shot one from this deck last year.  Yes, country living does have its benefits.  I would just have to figure out how to minimize my waste production.

And, in the Did You Know portion of this post, did you know that the hockey mask used in the first Halloween movie was a modified Halloween mask of Captain Kirk?  That's right kids, you are actually being frightened by William Shatner.