Green Bay, Wisconsin is a wonderfully neat town. It is home to the last truly small town professional sports team. What makes the Packers special is the community that surrounds it and supports it. It is not owned by a George Steinbrenner or Jerry Jones type. The Packers are owned by its community and fans. What made Brett Favre their hero was his down to earth, blue collar, working man’s personality. He brought Green Bay back to the title games it had grown accustom to during the early years.
This weekend the legendary QB returned to play against his old team, this time clad in purple and gold. I was lucky enough to witness the tussle on the tundra. Much was made about his multiple efforts to retire only to return late in the summer. I would describe his behavior as that of a drama queen; however, the Packers organization did choose to trade their favored son. Packer management wanted to move on without number 4 leading the team to a younger quarterback. It was a nasty divorce with lots of crying, some kicking, and lots of media coverage. It was ugly on both sides.
Unlike the ESPN and Fox coverage of the jeering crowds, yesterday I noticed a lot of truly classy people in the stands. As Favre took the field for his pregame warm up there were hundreds standing and clapping. There were signs displayed thanking Brett for many years of good memories. As the boos drowned out the warm greetings there were also T-shirts and signs calling Favre a traitor and even calling him Judas. It was a hostile environment, but I am sure Alabama or Florida State was a little more hostile when he was in college at Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles being lead by Favre commonly upset ranked opponents. College fans in the south are much more vicious than pro football fans. Trust me on this one. The only true difference in a pro fan’s wrath and a college fan’s passion is that alcohol can be sold in pro stadiums (notice I didn’t say “consumed”).
Everyone we met seemed to have something nice to say about the aging diva. One lady we met in our hotel said she slept better on Saturday night just knowing that Brett was in Wisconsin again. Another man remarked as he was pumping gas that he was a die hard Green and Gold man, but he wanted to see Favre do well on Sunday. There were more number 4 jerseys in the stands than any other player, true there were some green and some purple. Heck, there were also a few number 4 Atlanta Falcons jerseys and I saw one Southern Miss jersey as well. Overwhelmingly, people still support him. The gift shop in Lambeau still sells Favre jerseys. One clerk told me they sell more 4s than 12s even after the divorce.
Overall the game was great. The Packers have an up and coming team. Pretty boy Aaron Rodgers will one day take the pack to the playoffs, maybe even bring home the title. Brett Favre can also still play for the love of the game. The Vikings gave the aging player a chance to make one more run to the title! As we left I was sad. The environment that surrounds Lambeau is strictly for the enjoyment of football. The stadium is like a stadium should be, even with the addition of luxury boxes. The memories of Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi can still be felt in this simple but classic structure.
Today we ventured to the book store to purchase our Fighting Okra paraphernalia! I’m sure you’re thinking, “What’s this Okra thing all about?” 
He survived as did I. But I am not so sure about Lucy. Saturday we cooked steaks out on the grill. Hot grill plus little girl equals burnt finger. Poor little Lucy cried and cried! At first, I thought she had cut her finger on something. No blood, so it wasn’t a big deal. She continued to cry. I can’t speak crying kid so I didn’t understand what was going on. I tried to help with my expert Be Ready Camp skills, but setting up a triage tent was an over kill. When I saw the little blisters on her fingers I almost started to cry. We bandaged her fingers up by using ace bandages as substitute for gauze, but we didn’t use duct tape.
Late in the game State trailed Ole Miss. There was an obnoxious Rebel fan waving his keys and telling us all to go to the parking lot it was over. State mounted a come back and my husband looked to me and asked, “Can I ring the bell?” We took turns ringing the bell as State climbed out of a seventeen point hole! My nephews, Rhett and Reece, rang their bells hard too. It is really fun watching a 30 pound kid ring a cow bell. The cow bell owned him. As State kicked a winning field goal we all rang our cowbells in the Rebel fan’s ear until our hands hurt. It was a glorious day. A day that makes you root a little bit harder for the Dawgs!
Attention Southerners!!! There is something better than Chick-fil-A and Hardee’s, and that is 
Year three and I am still on the recruitment team. Charity hasn’t kicked me off the team yet. I am trying to figure out how to take an In-N-Out burger home to her, which should keep me on the team for another year. I am trying to stay out of trouble in the southwest. However, yesterday while visiting Yavapai College I thought we were about to be kicked off campus or worse. We set up in the campus cafeteria right at the front door so everyone could see us. We met lots of nice people including a Space Camp alumni and Navy veteran. The cafeteria’s general manager walked to our table and asked what we were doing. We told him cheerfully, recruiting staff to work at Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama. He didn’t want a job. He asked a few more question, like who gave us permission to set up in “his cafeteria.” Snapper and I both debated the best way to escape the wrath of Mr. Food Service. All was ironed out, but it was tense there for a few moments.
I am lucky to visit this beautifully ugly area. Prescott is so wonderfully neat. Snapper proclaims daily that Arizona is so different than home. She wouldn’t want to live here, but loves the cactus and hills, the rocks and trees. The one thing she doesn’t love is the rattle snakes. There are houses in between rocks and on the edges of cliffs. There are not many bright colors and hardly any green grass. I love visiting different places to help remind me why I love the south so much! I am thankful for this trip each year!
From great college games to family vacations to big league parks, I have had some seen great moments in baseball. I have listened intently to ballgames on the radio, watched records be broken from my college dorm room, and visited historic ball parks. Without a doubt I love baseball. I know most all the lines to all of Kevin Costner’s baseball movies and cry when watching the Pride of the Yankees.
The game itself was awesome. I had dreamed of going to a Yankees game for years. I think Derek Jeter knew this fact and went 3 for 4 with a home run. He also tied Lou Gehrig’s Yankee all time hits record. ARod also gave us a little show. In the first inning he hit a grand slam which put everyone on their feet. The crowd was electric. And just because I was in town, they put Mariano Rivera in for one out! It was the perfect day. 
This year the Yankees are headed to the playoffs. There will be no farewell speeches at the last game. The new park has lots of glitz and glamour. I will cheer for them just as I always have, but I am sure the new park will not have the same magic. I only visited one day last year. But I feel like I had a little bit of the Yankee magic rub off on me. Now I carry that with me where ever I go.