Week 16 @ Bears

Monday 24th December 2007
at 03:55pm

We caught a cab to as close to Soldier Field as we could apparently get and commenced the mile long walk through Bear territory. There were a few Packers fans around so we weren’t totally alone. My two girly friends though had decided they weren’t going to wear green and gold today and opted for warmth instead of showing their true colours.

That being said, Marc, the tourist that he is, donned a Chicago hat which was fine by me. I know, I know, real friends don’t let friends be Bears fans but in the case of public safety having a bears hat amongst us wasn’t such a bad thing. 

The weather, as everybody knows by now was abysmal. It wasn’t that bad for the most part; it’s just that when it was bad it was horrid. The game certainly took a back seat today as most just tried to stay warm and away from the elements. I know that was the case in our situation.Our seats were in section 447 row 30, which, like in Minnesota, had us almost falling out the back of the stadium. The quote of the day belonged to Robbo this week when he commented “You know you’re high when the birds from outside the stadium fly in at a lower point than you are”. Darn right Robbo.

Soldier Field is a funny one, I’ll give them that. Recently re-furbished I would have thought that this place’d be second to none. Sure everything was brand spanking new but in a funny kind of way. For a start, they had this massive grandstand on the city side of the field that seemed detached from the rest of the stadium with north and south points so high and so far back that it almost felt like you weren’t there at all. That’s where we were. Then they had their club seat section that copped the wind so badly that for most of the game there were 8000 seats empty as people clambered inside to watch the game whilst climbing on top of each other to actually get a clean view.

It might have been designed with fancy architecture in mind but it was certainly no Lambeau Field.

After much talk about the weather on the TV and Radio we were set for kickoff at a temperature of 16F (-9C). And that was the warmest it got. With winds ranging from 22 to 40 miles per hour we were certainly in for a treat of a day. Over the course of the afternoon our layers were tested. At most points we were completely covered but for our eyes as the wind hammered us like toy boats in a washing machine.

Personally, as I have said a number of times, the weather doesn’t affect me as much as it excites me. I know that’s hard for some people to swallow but never having lived here or experienced weather like this means that for the short time I am here I can look at it with wonder that I do. Yes it was cold but I knew that it was going to be. As the temps dropped nearer to 0F (-18C) it did get more uncomfortable. With the layers we had on though, we are able to stay warm on the inside at least.

It was the wind that did the real damage. When the gusts came in and threw everything around it was almost unbearable. At some points there was garbage flying up and down like a mini tornado had hit the field. It’s no wonder passing the ball today was a difficult as Brett said.

Sitting as high as we were we were open to the punishment straight off of Lake Michigan and that made even sitting still difficult. There was a poor boy, all of about 10 with his father sitting in the row in front of us. He was freezing and for the most part trying to stay warm as opposed to enjoying the game. His excited Dad asked him if he was having fun. He responded, quicker than a Jon Ryan fumble that he wasn’t. Poor kid.

So far as the game goes I could see we were in trouble right from the start. When Chicago drove the ball for 11 minutes to kick a field goal from the opening kickoff I hoped that that wasn’t going to set the tone for the day. It did. We went three and out a bunch of times before they kicked another field goal to take a 6 – 0 lead. The one shining light of the first half, and the whole game I would learn later on in the day, was Ryan Grant’s 66 yard TD run with 3 minutes to go in the second quarter. It took us to 7 – 6 ahead and it seemed, for a minute or two at least, that if we could run the ball like that, we might just have been OK.

Unfortunately we didn’t run the ball like that again and the rest of the game is history. We fumbled like we had never seen snow before and passed like the wind was something new in this area. Add to that the fact that the Bears were able to capitalise on our mistakes and we, that is to say the team, the fans and Marco, Robbo and I were all in for a very long day.

The halftime score was 13 -7. The halftime wind chill was at -18F (-28C). To escape the cold we decided to head down to the little boys room where we knew that despite the queues we would at least be warm. Warm - I’m not sure about. Queues – as far as the eye could see. This was the first time I have ever experienced the male bathroom queue being longer than the female one. It took us about 40 minutes in the end. On the inside though it was toasty. There were grown men standing in there, holding conversations well after they’d finished their business, just to stand underneath the heating vents that kept the room somewhere up around 70F (21C).

Once we were done we again braved the elements, picked up a hot chocolate and started the search for warmer seats. All the while Chicago had capitalised on an interception and punt block to shoot from 13 – 7 to 28 – 7. Alot can happen in a game when you’re running from the wind it turns out.

After Brian Urlacher’s 85 yard Interception return for a Touchdown with 11 minutes to go it was all over. Marco attempted to drink his frozen beer one more time, to no avail of course and we were on our way.

It may have been freezing, the wind may have knocked us over if we were 10 pounds lighter and we may have been beaten resoundingly but to me, this is what football is all about. The beauty of the cold, the test it puts you to and the challenge of still enjoying yourself really get’s me going. Sure we were beaten but I left with a smile. Surviving the conditions the way we did today was a life experience I will never forget. It is something I have never done before but something I hoped I would someday do. Today was the day and it was great.

As we walked back to our condo to pick up our things and commence the long drive home we were hounded by Bears fans a plenty. There alot to be said for humility and as much as I don’t want to write anyone off in a stereotype kind of way, these guys were ridiculous. Chants, name calling and intimidation seemed to be the order of the afternoon. How the fans of a team that is 6 and 9 after 15 weeks can behave the way they did is beyond me. For the most part I didn’t say much but when the opportunity was right (safe) I asked these guys what their plans were for the second week of January.

Funny, most of them didn’t have an answer. So they beat us in Week 5. So they beat us in Week 16. Fact is they’ll be clearing their driveways on January 12/13 while the rest of us “Dairy Queens” as I was called will be watching our team in the final four of the NFC.

You know why? Let’s sing why shall we – “Cause the Bears still suck, the bears still suck, the bears still suck, the bears still suck, they really, really, really, really, really, really suck, yes the Bears...still...suck.”

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