You like those snow globes? My son actually does; he has a bunch on his dresser… a collection of souvenirs from all the places we’ve been. They’re cool. Of course when you think of snow globes, you think a Christmas theme… with the holiday characters in a glass ball with snow flurries flying around them when you shake it. I love snow, really. When we got hit on Thursday morning in Chicago with the first of the season, it was nice, although when it turned to rain later on… Anyways, this snow made its way east, just in time for the 2nd half of the Thursday night football game in Cleveland between the Browns and Steelers.
How cool was it to watch that game in the snow? Talk about visually pleasing. I’m sure it helped a bit that I was winning my bet on the game… haha. But yeah, watching football played in the snow… does it get better than that? All these teams getting domes and retractable roofs, taking these gridiron contests inside, away from the elements… BS! Give me outdoor football in the snow all day every day. For some, at least those of us growing up in areas where winter is prevalent, it takes us back in the day, when we too played outside in the snow. I have some memorable ones there.
It started in the backyard of my house, when my brother, sister, and I, were all small. Our little backyard would fill up with snow, and we’d get bundled up to go outside and play. It was me and my brother vs my dad and my sister; my dad would be on his knees. Talk about fun times… Yep, carrying that football around, plopping down into a pile of snow, trying to keep your footing… the only way to really play football IMO. As I got older, we always looked forward to heading over to the park after a good snowfall. As the snow started falling, let’s get the boys on the horn, and get outside and play some football. One that sticks out was at Harrison Park, essentially kiddie corner from where I lived. There were a bunch of us out there that time; it was a pretty good game. The only problem… the baseball dugout where everybody hung their coats… was right off the main street… and presented an opportunity for some thieves driving by; yep, they ran out of the car and stole them… we all ran towards that way, but it was too late. Funny enough, my coat was the only one they didn’t take; guess they didn’t want my cheap JC Penney winter coat… haha. Yeah, they targeted all the Starter jackets that were in fashion at the time; guys were pissed, but… we got back to the business and got back on the field.
One game I attended in the snow was the Bears Pats a few years back; the result wasn’t great, and my toes my have started to get frostbitten, but… it was a blast; snowflakes blowing around in our beers. All bundled up, yelling our asses off… it was a blast. Hopefully get to another one in a snowstorm sometime soon, this time with my son.
Yes, football in the snow… that’s what it’s about. As the Bears look for a new stadium, most certainly it will be indoors, and that will suck. Just one of the many things changing nowadays that I am NOT a fan of. Until the time everybody gets there, let’s cherish these outdoor snow football games as much as we can. I loved the Thursday night game; looking forward to the next one. Go snow!
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