Super Bowl Pregame Planning for Miami

Super Bowl XLIV in Miami is rapidly approaching, and I'm doing my best to stay on top of all the developments in South Florida relating to the gameday weekend activities. I've secured my Super Bowl Ticket through TicketCity.com, reserved a room overlooking Miami Beach, got the flights and rental car taken care of, I even bought the Official Super Bowl XLIV jersey (ridiculous, I know). This is the biggest weekend of the NFL Calendar year and I want to make sure I am a part all peripheral party destinations, within reason. So the NFL Experience has been canceled, the Playboy Party has been canceled, Super Gate III with Jay the Tailgate Guy has been canceled ... all of which make for a nebulous mass of misinformation as to what to do down there. To top it all off, NFL regulations strictly prohibit any gameday tailgating on the grounds and surrounding area at Sun Life Stadium. They even have an ordinance against loitering in the parking lot in gameday. So how does one sift through the vast amounts of web data touting the best of the best pregame celebratory bashes? Well, I've decided to post a page on my website describing the who, what, and where of pregame celebrations.

Each year the Super Bowl site is mobbed by fans of the Super Bowl participants, or in this case New Orleans Saints fans and Indianapolis Colts fans. So where are they all planning to gather? Who's coordinating Colts or Saints pregame tailgating? Well, that's what I aim to figure out. I've been in contact with fan tailgating organizations in Indy and NOLA and restaurants and bars down in Miami to figure out where the best Super Bowl Parties are at. If you're interested in figuring out what to do down in Miami over Super Bowl Weekend, check out my Guide to Miami Super Bowl Tailgating on Questfor31.com.

If you have information for me to post on my site either fill in the Comment Frm at the bottom of the page, or send me an e-mail. I'll post addresses, directions, cover charges. Everything you need to know about the Super Bowl XLIV pregame festivities down in Miami. You might also check out the Super Bowl XLIV Visitor's Guide, that I've also posted on the site. It a great source for league sponsored activities.

TicketCity.com Sends me to Super Bowl XLIV!

I recently received an incredible offer from "the fine folks at TicketCity". After promoting their online services over the last three years, writing stadium reviews for inclusion on their website, and sending them video from my many adventures around the league, they've actually offered to provide me with a ticket to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami! A ticket to the elusive NFL Championship game ... it's like the Quester's Holy Grail. I mean actually getting your hands on a ticket to the big dance is unheard of, unless you're one of the privileged few that can afford such a luxury. I'll tell you this much, that sucker is going to get bronzed, encased in a titanium ticket holder, and frozen in carbonite! I can't believe I'm finally going to the Super Bowl!

In the early Nineties during the Buffalo Bills reign of terror over the American Football Conference, I dreamed of going to the Super Bowl, but as it became more and more of a commercial entity, the likelihood of my actually attending a grew less and less feasible. In recent years, I grew more and more comfortable with the fact that attending football's greatest game is something that would probably never happen. For TicketCity to come forward and offer me a chance to be a part of an NFL Championship game is a great honor that I do not take lightly. It's certainly a most fitting way to close out the 2009 Season of Questing for 31. Words cannot express how greatful I am for this opportunity. I've just setup a page on my site to provide details to this year's Super Bowl Tailgating in Miami, click HERE for more information.

Completing the Quest ... but what's Next?

Wow! It's been a while since I had time to add to this blog and lots of things have been going on with my Quest for 31 over the past several weeks. I ended the season in December, two days after Christmas, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Donning a Marques Colston jersey with shoulder pads and spiked-studded arm guards, I reconfigured my JokeRaider costume from Oakland to include metallic gold facepaint, thereby transforming me into the Who Dat JOker. The lime green hair garnered lots of attention and I was able to capitalize on some local media as well while in town. The Times-Picayune in New Orleans and Star Tribune in Minneapolis did features on my Quest and three of the local affiliates down in New Orleans sent camera crews to interview me as I completed my four year journey. It was nice to finally be recognized for this passion of mine that's taken me all around the country in search of thirty-two unique home team experiences. The journey's end is bitter sweet.

I'm constantly asked what my next step or my next challenge will be. With pause, I respond that I think I'll attack the NHL and NBA Arenas next. Maybe, try to see a home game in each of those pro sports venues and write about my experiences as a fan of NBA Basketball and NHL Hockey. It will be at a much less aggressive pace, but it would be incredible to continue to follow in the mighty footsteps of Peter Farrell and Andrew Kulyk who are the ultimate questers, having traveled to every major sports venue in the nation. I'd also like to continue Questing for 31. As new stadiums are built, I gotta be there. As old friends around the league continue to send invitations, I'll be there. There's only one Commissioner of Tailgating and he is an exceptional mentor that's seen and done things I can't hope to achieve, but perhaps I can continue to hold the torch of Questing high, and in my own way, work to contribute to the sense of unity that is NFL tailgating.

Ralph Wilson Stadium - Fowling comes to Buffalo

This year, for our annual family weekend retreat, I decided it was time to introduce a few new wrinkles to our tailgate agenda. Along with our first attempt at cooking up the ever popular beer can chicken, as the self-appointed commissioner of fowling, I decided I needed to bring the game Western New York. So gathering up the traditional cast of characters, we met at my parents house on Saturday morning, loaded into the rented RV, and were on our way to the parking lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium by noon. Arriving on Saturday has it's perks including getting a jump on gameday preparations and libations, but unfortunately due to the weather, we were restricted to staying in the RV for most of the afternoon. Scattered showers and cold temperatures kept us from our traditional Saturday tailgate activities, but with plenty of movies, meal prep, and willing participants in the lost art of conversation, there was still plenty to do (if that were to fail us, we still had plenty of beer).

Sunday morning came quickly and the weather had turned in our favor. With sunny skies, and warmer temperatures, we setup the fowling lanes allowing for exhibition tournament play throughout the day. surprisingly enough the game was incredibly popular. several strangers approached us during each fowling frame asking if they could try the game as well and before we knew it the fowling lanes were full and we were enjoying our ice cold beverages of choice from the sidelines. All in all a very successful introduction.

Later in the morning, I needed to stop in on Kenny "Pinto Ron" Johnson, the guy that cooks all of his meals on his 1983 Ford Pinto. When it comes to creative tailgating, Kenny blazes the trail for all others to follow. Using household items and tools in uncommon food preparatory practices has become his trademark. Old ironing boards serve as tables and cutting boards, a garden rake to cook hamburgers, the file cabinet pizza oven, even an old hub cap to cook sausage in. these are Kenny implements of mass destruction. The ketchup opening ceremony is one that's not to be missed. At 11:30 Kenny emerges through the crowd with a naked hamburger. when he asks for some ketchup, he's sprayed from head to toe by condiment snipers perched on the roof of his truck. so that's Buffalo, if you're a Questor, be sure to make this one of your first stops.

Stadium #4 - Bank of America Stadium

Week 7 took me to Bank of America Stadium to revisit stadium 4 onthe Quest for 31. My best friend, Jermain, has lived in the Charlotte area for years and my brother, Erik, recently moved his family out that way, so we may make Charlotte and annual stop on the Quest. Along with the family connections, the other attractive aspect of a return trip to Bank of America Stadium is the tailgating. With Lots scattered throughout the city, sometimes it can be difficult to zero in on the tailgating hotspots, but there are several areas that are worth hitting. I always like to stop in on Coach Dan Ortel and folks at PantherFanz.net. They consistently provide, great food, local beer, and they're always entertaining. With characters like Joe the Cedar Street Seeer, Patrick, Mad Mike, James, and Barbecue Pit boss Clay workin' the spits, visitors will appreciate the southern hospitality. But Premiere tailgating in Charlotte doesn't just stop there, Hall of Famers, Pantherman and Catman host a great tailgate along with the Tailgate Resuce Crew who have an awesome custom Tailgate Cruiser. Outfitted with dual beer taps, a rockin' paint job and a fire-rescuse pole inside their vehicle, the Tailgate Rescue Crew is in a very enviable as one of the top spots for Panther fans to take in the pregame libations.

My Buffalo Bills happened to be in town this weekend, so dressed in my Quest for 31 jersey, and flanked by legions of Bills fans, we watched a very mediocre performance that ended in a rare Bills win. For that I am truly grateful.

Fowling, the Football-Bowling Tailgate Game

Looking for a new tailgate game idea for your next parking lot party? How about the tailgate game of Fowling. This combination football-bowling tailgate game is a great way to bring the competitive nature of the gridiron to an asphalt playing surface near you. Played on a set of fowling lanes which support ten regulation-sized bowling pins that are configured in the standard 10-pin triangular arrangement, competitors from a distance of forty-eight feet launch an NFL football at their opponent's bowling pins in an attempt to knock ‘em down. First team to knock down all the pins wins the frame. Fowling matches are a race to three frames or a best three out of five frame series.

It’s sheer genius! You build a set of fowling lanes from 2x4’s and some plywood, go to your local bowling alley and ask to buy their bad pins (the ones that are cracked at the base after years of collisions), bring a football with you to the lot, and you have everything you need to set up a Fowling Tournament.

I couldn’t help myself, I built a set of Quest for 31 Fowling Lanes, acquired the necessary bowling pins, and will be loading up the Hummer H31 with these implements of mass destruction for a tournament in Buffalo on November 1. We will be playing in the RV lot during my family’s annual weekend retreat at The Ralph. Fowling is a great time, and it will easily supplant your propensity bean bag tossing the first time you chuck the football at those pins. If you’re interested in trying it out, just go to http://www.fowling.org/, they have all the rules and regulations, plans for building the fowling lanes, and everything to get you started.

Tailgating in the Motor City

Detroit Rock City is the spot for Halloween Tailgating, as once again I found myself compelled to plan my Quest for 31 road schedule around the Halloween tailgate of Kevin Nowak and DetroitTailgate.com. As always, Kevin and the boyz throw a kick-ass tailgate party especially when the Black Sabbath Tribute band, Banned from E.A.R.T.H. is in town to rock out Ozzfest in Detroit. It’s really incredible if you think about it. They setup a full stage right in the middle of the lot and Stonecage and his crew evoke the dark lord himself through a tribute performance that is like you’re watching the golden age of rock played out in the Motor City.

Our day began early in the morning as we vied for pole position next to the DetroitTailgate setup in the eastern market parking area of Lot 1. A little Keggs and Eggs to kick off the morning while Banned form E.A.R.T.H. setup for their first set, and soon the parking lot was humming with some vintage Sabbath.

Although the team continues it’s decade-long rebuild process, the Detroit Lions fans remain unfazed and faithful. Tailgating is certainly alive and well in the eastern market. Lions fans put meat to flame utilizing the prime fresh cuts thy purchase from eastern market butcher shops as they guzzle their preferred cold beverage of choice. Eventually the Ford Family will field an organization worthy of this diehard group of fans, but until that day, the Lions faithful will continue to keep the flame of vintage Silverdome Tailgating burning bright.