Yeah, But It's A Dry Cold

Well, the unexpectedly amazing Green Bay Packers season has come to an end, one game short of the Super Bowl, with their heartbreaking 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Giants last night at Lambeau Field. The frozen tundra. Home of the Ice Bowl. Etc.

The temperature on the field at gametime was hovering right around zero, with windchills around 20-25 below zero. I tried to send some positive mojo to my beloved team in Green Bay by brushing the snow off my car in the driveway wearing only my Meat Puppets t-shirt, which is quite threadbare after 20 years, but apparently it wasn't quite enough mojo.

It would appear Bart Starr was trying to give some of his own potent brand of Packer mojo to Brett Favre, but even his mojo wasn't enough. No, there's not enough mojo in the whole state of Wisconsin to overcome one of Favre's inexplicable passes into coverage. Packerland lives and dies by Favre's right arm and left brain hemisphere, and last night we died, every last bitterly cold one of us.

It was a hard fought game under extreme circumstances, to be sure, but there were few highlights by either team. Ryan Grant, the best running back in the NFL in the second half of the season, who ran for 201 yards against the Seahawks just a week ago, was shut down by a now-formidable Giants defense. Indeed, the only real Packer highlight was Favre's 90 yard TD pass to Donald Driver in the second quarter, a new franchise post-season record.

Oh yeah, and the monster hit Atari Bigby (Winona Rough Ryders, holla!) put on Plaxico Burress. Fuckin' A!

Anyways, it's over, it's done. Most likely jinxed by the local media and their whole RETURN TO GLORY angle, which pre-supposed that the Packers would not only go to the Super Bowl, but actually beat the Patriots when they did. If we had Hines Ward on our team, well yeah, then I would have agreed.

But what the fuck do I know? Before the season started, I predicted the Packers would go 6-10 to finish third in the NFC North.

Hotcha! Hank