Seth Hoffmeistershoff583@uwsp.edu
Commentary 

For the first time since 1998, the Packers have the chance to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back home to Titletown. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 21-14 last Sunday at Soldier Field in the NFC Championship Game giving them a well earned trip to Dallas to face the Pittsburg Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. Proving that the Packers have still got it, the team who few outside of Wisconsin believed had a chance, went from underdog to Super Bowl contender. They climbed their final obstacle: a big game being none other than with the Chicago Bears.

In the culmination of perhaps the most famous rivalry in all pro sports, the two teams faced off in what nobody could deny would be a good game. While it was their 182nd game facing each other spanning almost 90 years, it was only the second time the two teams have met in the post season.

The first went to the Bears 33-14 and was played at Wrigley Field on Dec. 14, 1941, a week after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While World War II would be over in four years, this rivalry was only beginning. And this was seen Sunday. After a four game winning streak that earned the Packers a Wild Card entry into the playoffs ranked number 6, soon escalated to a team that took on the Atlanta Falcons. One Fox Sports commentator said that the Falcons, “never made mistakes.” Then the Packers won 48-21.

While the Packers success this season has been the result of a strong team playing together and not a team based around a few star players, the victory over the Falcons was propelled by the arm of Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback who filled the shoes of You-Know-Who and proved that we don’t have to wait 25 years in between Packer dynasties.

After Rodgers’ performance, this Cheesehead couldn’t imagine how he could top that.

Then Aaron Rodgers tackled Brian Urlacher after a turnover and saved a Bears breakaway touchdown. And yeah, the ball was intercepted, but Rodgers probably did that on purpose. B.J. Raji, the 337 pound defensive tackle showed up on offense as fullback on goal line plays, and ran back an interception 18 yards for the touchdown. Raji, never cocky but still confident, compared his versatility to someone else.

“The Bears had the Fridge. I’m the Freezer,” Raji said after the game. True that Raji, Chicago is windy, but Green Bay is frozen.

While the Packers offense did well, Rodgers was the first to give credit where credit is due saying, “The offense gets a little too much credit. The defense carried us today.”

Preventing the Bears from getting on the scoreboard until late in the game, it wasn’t until Clay Matthews ate his way to the Bears’ third string quarterback that the Bears’ hopes for a comeback became a possibility. With Quarterback Jay Cutler on the sidelines and the second string Todd Collins out after two series, Caleb Hanie came out of nowhere and brought the game to within 7 points.

With 47 seconds left in the game, Hanie and the Bears lined up on the Green Bay 29 with a 4th down to make something happen. With the Super Bowl on the line and the September 27th loss to the Bears (after they lead most of the game) still fresh, it was anybody’s game.

Almost.

Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields intercepted the ball, giving the Packers the NFC Championship, the trophy that is named after legendary Bears coach George Halas, and a trip to Dallas to face the Steelers to win what would be their fourth Super Bowl.

This brings the total number of Packers NFL Championship titles to 13, our first being in 1929 and our most recent victory in 1997. If successful, the Green Bay Packers will take the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the legendary Packers head coach, back to Titletown, U.S.A., where in 1919 Curly Lambeau and George Calhoun had the idea to start a professional football team.

No victory is ever guaranteed, especially with the Packers. It’ll be a good game, another comeback story to put in the history books. While Green Bay is not the first 6th-seeded team to make it to the Super Bowl, no 6th-seeded team has ever won it. But then again, no team ever won the Super Bowl before the Green Bay Packers.

thedailywhat:

Geeky Gag of the Day: “How To Defrag Your Computer” by Julia Sonmi Heglund. 

Ha! Punny.

[superpunch.]

Ben Hoffmeister’s sexy new band.  Their album is coming out around Thanksgiving I think.  Get ready.

thedailywhat:

Bill Murray Update: Still awesome.

[reddit.]

thedailywhat:

Caldwell Tanner: “Cartoon University”

More here.

[collegehumor.]

imremembering:

Koosh Balls

I had a miniature one of these when I was three years old and I ripped off one of the stringy thingies and shoved it up my nose and after I told my mother what I did I tried to blame it on Koala, my stuffed buddy.  I think she believed me, but when they took me to the hospital the doctors didn’t fall for my story.

jakewags:

thedailywhat:

Cannot Be Unseen of the Day: The Nintendo 64 looks like a koala, your argument is invalid.

[buzzfeed.]

I like Koalas and N64s.  Now I like them both a lot more.

thedailywhat:

Eco-Friendly Packaging of the Day: A 21-month-long waste-reduction project commissioned by Puma has yielded a revolution in shoebox technology: The “Clever Little Bag.”

What’s so clever about it? Well, for starters, it relies on 65% less cardboard to get its point across. In addition, the revamped box “has no laminated printing, no tissue paper, takes up less space and weighs less in shipping, and replaces the plastic retail bag.”

The environmental benefits are staggering (from the Telegraph):

[A]pproximately 8,500 tons less paper consumed, 20 million Megajoules of electricity saved, 1 million liters less fuel oil used and 1 million liters of water conserved. During transport 500,000 liters of diesel is saved and lastly, by replacing traditional shopping bags the difference in weight will save almost 275 tons of plastic.

That translates to a whopping 60% reduction in water, energy, and diesel consumption per year.

How’s that for thinking outside the box? (Sorry, it’s not like I had a choice.)

[lovelypackage.]

Whoa.  The future.  The only thing I do not like is I have a shoebox to hide my baseball cards and boobie mags in.

imremembering:

Oregon Trail

The highlight of my public schooling experience can be traced back to 1st grade when we would play this game every Thursday at the end of the day.

imremembering:

Teddy Ruxpin

Teddy Ruxpin was the shit.