What's your most memorable experience at a Packers game?
Tony from Bronxville, NY
Being at the Ice Bowl game along with 150,000 of my friends.
Keith from Andover, MN
Doug from Union Grove offered me his tickets to the Cardinals in 2018. I got three out of four tickets. Doug met me and told me his brother-in-law had the fourth ticket. It was Frank Lamping. I have been to a handful of Packers games; some won, some lost. There was nothing like watching with him. The glow off him was incredible. Such love for the game, the team. Amazing. If memories make us rich, then that time alone, has made me millions. Thanks, Doug. Thanks, Frank.
Joshua from Mankato, MN
Taking my daughter to her first game: 2018 opener vs. the Bears. I splurged for the good seats just behind the end zone. An ugly injury to Aaron Rodgers, a dominant Khalil Mack, and a 17-0 Bears lead at half. At the concessions, I apologized for bringing her to a depressing game. Then came the comeback. After Randall Cobb scored the winning touchdown right in front of us, I told her, "Enjoy it. You'll probably never top that one."
Dave from Bolingbrook, IL
The most memorable game I went to was Seahawks vs. Packers in 2016. My wife was a few months pregnant with our daughter and had never been to a football game before. We walk towards our seats and I can see her take it all in and all she says is "I get it now" it was just a special moment during a special run. Honorable mention is last year against Oakland from a pure historic standpoint of seeing Rodgers get a perfect passer rating.
Hope from Pecatonica, IL
We were lucky enough to be able to attend Reggie White's last game. We were America's Pack fan club members so the day began with brats and beer for breakfast. I only drink beer in Green Bay and brats are never better as at Lambeau! At the end of the game, Reggie took a well-deserved final victory lap around the field and it began to snow ever so lightly! Very fitting and oh so priceless!
Jerry from Bismarck, ND
I'm 10 rows up and on the goal line during the Carolina game. The fourth-down pass play is broken up and I run outside to get to my car before the traffic jam. I run by Johnsonville and through the window see a TV and realize there was a penalty. I watch the last two plays and turn around and see snow peacefully falling into the stadium. I was there, I had one of the greatest seats in the world, and I watched it on TV with a bunch of brats.
Joel from Green Bay, WI
The 2005 Christmas game. My brother-in-law got tickets for him, his dad, his best friend, and me. We had six Bears fans right behind us. They tried to give us the business before the game, and my father-in-law (a dearly missed man who lived his Christian faith) said, "You guys have a good team. I hope we get a good game, and good luck to you the rest of the way." All ten of us had a great time watching together. Life lesson learned.
Dean from Leavenworth, IN
My first time attending a Packers game was at Milwaukee County Stadium in 1960. That ensured I would be a lifelong Packer fan, but the Packers vs. Lions on Dec. 30, 2007 at Lambeau Field tops it. Brett Favre's last regular-season game as a Packer and my son's first Packer game and Lambeau Field experience. The day before we visited the pro shop and ate dinner at the stadium. That evening we went to Fuzzy Thurston's bar and downed a few with Fuzzy.
Dan from Northfield, MN
My late sister and I were able to see the Packers play in Milwaukee. We had a pact that if one of us ever got tickets for GB game, we'd go together. Years later in Colorado, I was offered two tickets and had to inform my spouse (West Allis, WI) she was not going with me! My sister flew in from Virginia in her business attire, even though her sons told her to wear Packers gear. First stop, buy Packers gear. The Packers beat Tampa Bay. It was our one and only GB experience together – priceless!
Jeff from Vandenberg AFB, CA
Packers at Rams on Oct. 28, 2018: My mom passed away in July 2018 and her birthday was Halloween. I got to go to that game with my dad, wife, sister, and brother-in-law. It was an amazing experience from the pregame walk to the stadium surrounded by cheeseheads to the incredible environment inside. My mom wasn't much of a sports fan but she would've loved knowing we were together that day watching the Pack, despite the tough loss.
Kirk from Laguna Beach, CA
My most memorable experience at a Packers game was the roar of the crowd every time the Packers scored against the Chiefs in their January 1967 NFL-AFL Championship Game, now known by another name. You can't imagine how much street cred it's given me over the years and how surprised many people are that the first Super Bowl wasn't played in the 1920s. The Coliseum crowd would have.
Al from Pasadena, CA
The fake field goal against the Bears at Lambeau in 2012 in which Tom Crabtree scored a touchdown after Tim Masthay flipped him the ball. I thought the snap had been mishandled and didn't know what had happened until I saw the replay. Second choice, watching the Packers beat Jim Brown and the Browns 28-21 at County Stadium in 1964.
Jake from Athens, GA
My most memorable experience at a Packers game was at the Vikings game in November 2013. It was my first tailgate at Lambeau (and it ended in a tie), so it was memorable for a variety of reasons. Specifically, though, it was also right on the front end of that legendary Winter, the one that popularized the term "polar vortex," and I have a vivid, vivid memory of watching my beer freeze in my cup, right in front of my eyes. That kind of thing will leave an impression on a native Southerner.
Ivan from Little Chicago, WI
In 1967, on a rare short vacation from our family's dairy farm to see relatives in Pelican Lake, my dad surprised us with a trip to Lambeau for a Packers preseason game. I remember walking in at ground level, amazed that, wow, we were already halfway up in the seats! Who'd a thought? My brother said the field looked like a pool table. And it did! Just unforgettable. Didn't matter dad more than likely used our first Packers game as an escape from mom's relatives.
Monica from Blue Mounds, WI
Nov. 30, 2012: Saints at Lambeau. Had four tickets for my birthday. They insisted we go. Daughter went into labor just before game, got called with two minutes left in game. She was at Bellin. Running out of stadium, we missed Mason Crosby for the FG win! We had a granddaughter born that evening! Exhausting, I'll never forget it!
Bill from Savannah, GA
Last game of the season against the Lions to decide NFC North title. Before halftime, touchdown! Music-blaring, celebrating...then the jumbotron shows Rodgers, down, holding his leg. It was like a library. Then, as he came running back out, the whisper building to a roar!
Jeff from Wentzville, MO
Packers vs. Lions at Lambeau, I believe 1967. Packers QB Don Horn overthrows a bomb to a receiver. The ball is coming right at me, a 10 year-old kid. I put my arms out, and an old drunk guy in the row in front of me grabs it!
Jim from Lima, OH
Nov. 16, 1997, at Indy and the 0-10 Indianapolis Colts got the game-winning FG. I took my 6-year-old son. He's in his Reggie White jersey and I'm in my Nitschke jersey. It was his first Packers game. The first hour of the three-hour drive home he didn't say a word. Then, he began to dissect the Packers performance that day as only a 6-year-old can and the rest of the drive was spent in as serious a discussion of Packers football as you can have with a 6-year-old. I never smiled more after a loss.
Lynn from Somers, WI
Easy answer, since I've only been to one regular season game. For my 60th birthday (yes, I waited a long time!), my kids took me to Lambeau Field on 11-5-17, to watch the Packers play the Lions. It was an experience I will never forget, and I still tear up at their generosity for giving me that precious gift. Unfortunately, we lost; it was right after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone. My next goal is to get to go to a game that we win!
Jim from McLean, VA
My most memorable experience at Lambeau came in the fall of 1970 when I was just back from a year in Vietnam and was invited by a friend to my first Packer game at Lambeau. Sadly, it was the 40-0 loss to the Lions, reflecting the sad decline of the Pack in my two years in the Army. The most memorable and very sad moment was Greg Landry's 76-yard sneak. Fortunately, my second-most memorable moment came in 2014 when Rodgers and the Pack beat Brady and the Pats.
Christopher from Frederick, MD
On my 16th birthday (in May), my dad called to tell me for my birthday, he and I were going to actually make a trip to Lambeau Field to watch the Packers play the Rams on Monday Night Football. I was through the roof. Then, three weeks before the game, I remember doing some math, and saw that my first trip to Lambeau was going to be Favre's 200th start. And the Packers stomped the Rams, behind Najeh Davenport's running. I still have that program.
Mark from Eau Claire, WI
When my son Justin passed away in 2017 a customer from his job at Famous Dave's gave Justin's best friend and me tickets to the opening game at Lambeau against the Seahawks. My son gave me an IOU to a game on Christmas Eve 2016. He died on Feb. 1, 2017. Well, when his friend and I walked in I felt his presence with me especially when Jordy caught his sliding on his knees TD. It was a great moment that my son (in the worst way ever) came through on his IOU.
Dave from Sparta, WI
Packers vs Patriots in 2014. My best friend had just lost his fiancé to suicide less than two months prior. She was 23. I also worked with him. I invited him along to the game. As much as that game was made to be a "Top 10" game to see, I really can't recall much of it. My friend, was smiling, appearing to enjoy himself for the first time since his fiancé passed. My friend passed away last year at the young age of 32. "The memories make us rich."
Doug from Union Grove, WI
Going with Frank Lamping to his last Packers game.
Favorite new recipe you learned to cook during quarantine?
Bret from Hertel, WI
During quarantine our bananas went bad so I got a recipe for banana bread from the Delhi Iowa Sesquicentennial Cookbook. Now I have a bread I can share with everyone when we can come together in-person. Thanks Wes for giving us this opportunity!
Dominic from Chesapeake, VA
During quarantine, I took Mike's advice for a simple brats recipe. Just boiled the brats in some beer and let it sit for an hour and finished them off on the grill. There is a farm about 30 miles away and I'm able to buy some quality farm raised pork without any antibiotics and growth hormones. They were excellent!
Bob from Beaver Dam, WI
I have been working on perfecting dinner rolls. Fresh, hot, pillowy soft. Good yeast dough is a magical art, and I have come up with a pretty darn good roll.
Jenn from Peoria, IL
I have been laid off for four months during quarantine. I purchased a used Italian pizzelle iron and started making pizzelles. For those of you that have no clue what those are, they are very thin and crispy cookies that look like snowflakes that Italians have at holidays. My grandma was famous for hers and I was always too intimidated to try. I've now made about 20 dozen of different flavors; traditional anise, cinnamon, lemon and chocolate. I can feel grandma when I bake them & it makes me smile.
Paul from Ellensburg, WA
Prosciutto-wrapped shrimp by Rachael Ray. Marinated with a fresh sage leaf under the wrapping with crispy, bacony outside and lush shrimp beneath. It's easy and delicious, give it a go.
Dale from New Holstein, WI
I don't have a favorite new recipe. My favorite thing has been cooking with my two boys, teaching them how to have fun making a mess and cleaning it up before mom gets back home from work.
Bones from Ripon, WI
So Wes, I'm pretty sure you won't look at this because I use my nickname but during the quarantine we started making chicken/chorizo street tacos on my pellet grill that are amazing! The shredded chicken and chorizo goes in the smoker and the soft corn tortillas get a light fry on the gas sidekick in lime infused olive oil. Add cheese, onion, tomato, cilantro and salsa.
Bruce from Palatine, IL
Ox-tail stew. Haven't had it since before my dad passed away 10 years ago.
What is the all-time best II quote to place on a T-shirt? (Mark from West Lafayette, Ind., adds: My new personal favorite, "Living la Vida Spofford." I picture one of the vintage '70s, washed out colors with a flowing script.).
Zak from Huntington Beach, CA
What is the all-time best II quote to place on a T-shirt? Two words: "Laser freakin' Goalposts". OK...three words.
Ben from Pensacola FL
In response to quotes, I don't remember the exact wording - but the Vikings never hesitate to toot their own horn.
Scott from Grovetown, GA
T-Shirt quotes. 1) Line 1: "Green Bay Packers." Line 2 – "Insider Inbox." Line 3: "Indubitably." Front of shirt: GB Logo. Back of shirt: "I survived COVID-19 because of Insider Inbox" with the words wrapping a picture of Mike and Wes. Also, "Insider Inbox where no lunch is safe." Right Wes? (Editor's note: Right).
Bruce from New York City, NY
"Less whistles, more cowbell." -Scott from Lincoln City, OR
Scott from Lincoln City, OR
"Conjecture based on speculation is just another layer removed from reality" (with Spoff's face where the TM mark is supposed to be).
Venny from Montgomery, AL
Quote on a T-Shirt: "Indubitably" On a gray shirt, white letters, outlined in green and gold. Washed out.
Rueben from Huntingburg, IN
"I don't need to climb the whole staircase. I just need a step."
Donna from Darien, WI
All-time best II quote would have to be "Bass-ackwards" from Mike Spofford.
Spencer from Rockford, IL
"Banned."
Lisa from Plymouth, MN
For the T-shirt, I switched things up and rather than use a quote, I went with a topic that got a lot of "yardage" last season. I would picture an exploding football going through laser goalposts. The caption: "Any Questions?" (Editor's note: I want that shirt. No, I need that shirt).
Rod from Middletown, NJ
"Physics Rules!"
Matt from Bloomington, IN
I'd wear "Good Morning!" on a T-shirt, even in the evening...
Dave from Sheffield, South Yorkshire
I have three great quotes from both of you guys, pearls of wisdom that resonated enough that I had to make a note. One stands out, however, as the winning t-shirt, scripted by Wes: "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready!" It should ideally be accompanied by an image of either "Shaggy Lockdown" Wes or "Unscripted Saluting" Wes. This is my first contribution, so I want to thank you both for the sanity you bring, both during the season and over the last few months.
Derek from Eau Claire, WI
Mr. Wes Hodkiewicz: "No prescription, just understanding. Understanding the need for change in this country. Not tomorrow. Not a year from now. Today. If we truly value the life of every man, woman and child in this nation, then we need to have an open and honest conversation about institutional racism. That discussion can't wait any longer and I include myself in that. I need to be more outspoken and find ways to help amplify the voices that need to be heard."
Thomas from Cedar Rapids, IA
For many years I have tagged a quote on my email signature at work, changing it about once-a-week. I have never used the same one twice. I am happy to say that Wes and Mike have each made the grade. I gave you each proper credit, of course. "Expecting to avoid adversity is the first step toward not handling it properly when it arrives." ~ Mike Spofford. "Our stories are written in pen, not pencil, and what we choose to put on that page defines us." ~ Wes Hodkiewicz
Who is your vote for the 2019-20 Insider Inbox Fan of the Year?
Lori from Brookfield, WI
Wes, question. Wes, question. Wes, question…
Is there no longer an II MVP?
(Editor's note: Leave it to me to forget how I branded this last year).
Who is your vote for the 2019-20 INSIDER INBOX MVP?
(Editor's note: It was a great field of nominees for the honor of being our second-ever Insider Inbox MVP. Others receiving votes, from someone other than themselves, included Brett from Green Bay; Al from Green Bay; Curt from Oronoco, MN; Scott from Lincoln, OR; Dean from Leavenworth, IN; Doug from Union Grove; and the incomparable Frank Lamping from Union Grove…All fantastic readers and people. Here are your top three…)
The second runner-up goes to….Derek from Eau Claire
Lane from Kihei, HI
I nominate Derek from Eau Claire. He asks concise, unique, insightful questions. As a traveling frontline health care provider dealing with COVID-19, I really appreciate the mental break Insider Inbox provides six days a week!
The first runner-up goes to…Lori from Brookfield
Josh from Wild Rose, WI
Lori from Brookfield gets my vote! Her questions are all well-thought out and her work in the medical field during these trying times is not overlooked by II nation.
And finally your 2019-20 Insider Inbox MVP is….Margeaux from Tallahassee
Dean from Leavenworth, IN
In December with a snowstorm predicted to dump 6-10 inches of snow on Lambeau, she mentioned in a post that she was headed to GB to join the snow shoveling crew. To come to GB in a blizzard from Florida to shovel snow is a whole different level of fandom. With the storm not reaching expectations (2-3 inches) they only needed half as many to shovel so I hope she was able to participate.
Congratulations Margeaux. Maybe someday there will be a physical award or prize associated with this honor but that day is not today. But once this COVID nightmare is over, I owe a big hug the next time I see you at a Packers pep rally. And that concludes the third-annual Outsider Inbox. Thank you to everyone who participated. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled Insider Inbox on Thursday. Take care folks.
