Ahhh, another successful venture into the chilly Razor.

Last night’s match against an upstart Toronto side had fans coming from each side of the border, which led to an incredible tailgate. No surprise though, there always has to be something that doesn’t quite push the tailgate into that “A” range. At least this time it was something that nobody can control - the weather.

Almost all the tailgates that we’ve had this year include some sort of lame weather. Cloudy. Rainy. Cold. All the above. And the ones that did have nice weather were the games that the scheduling geniuses placed in the midweek; a.k.a. no time to enjoy it. Last nights weather was no different, as the fans enjoyed their time in the 66° air. Ok maybe not so much enjoyed, but put up with it and made the best out of it. With that said, let’s get right to the meat and potato(e)s.

Last Game’s Tailgate: B+

Really good tailgate. There is really no other way to put it. Food was great, people were great. No complaints from me. Aside from there being no sunlight for the duration, everything ended up working out alright. I enjoyed my time with the usual crew, with my car pumping the party mix from the ipod. We whipped out the oakie and played a few rounds. We enjoyed new brews thanks to Luke’s Liquors in Rockland. I must say that Monty Python’s Holy Grale probably has the greatest name in the history of beer. But for the topic of this weeks blog/article I went and spoke with the man who made ladder golf famous at the Riders Tailgate, Rorvis!

Corner Kick of the Week: Ladder Golf

ladder golf

When I first told Rory I would be highlighting his game this week, he was ecstatic. So I asked him to send over the rules and such and received this really long piece on how its made and scoring. So this is my attempt to shorten up said game.

How to play, score, make, and do anything else regarding the game.

So there ya have it! Honestly though, its a really great game and the best part is that his is made out of the piping, which he says is much easier for transporting it to and from the tailgate. Another great aspect is that you can make so many friends just by walking over and saying “hey, what is this?” and next thing you know, you’re tossing the bolos like a champ.

Well thats all for this week. Like I said numerous times, the more you get involved the more I can do. Cmon folks lets get a Q&A going! it will be fun! Later gators!

GO REVS!

Well here goes number 2.

We’ll start by grading the last tailgate: D+

Honestly, midweek games are probably the worst time to have a game, so knowing my (or the Riders) luck, we have 5 this year. Sigh. With the game time slated for 7:30 in Foxboro, I knowingly took a half day from work just to be able to enjoy the full tailgate time, which starts at 5:30, allowing for delays in traffic. I mean seriously, we live in (or around) Boston, so we know how terrible traffic is and can be.

Long story short I ended up leaving work late and getting stuck in traffic the entire way; not only to my place, but from my place to the stadium. To put things in perspective, it should only have taken an hour from work to home to Gillette.

After arriving at 7:00, most people were already inside staging the protest, which is now notorious within the Rider population. Luckily I had a few friends who were willing hang out, down some road sodas, and grab a quick bite to eat before we headed in. The reason for the higher-than-’F’ grading is due to the fact that we got to tailgate after the come-from-behind 2-2 draw. The limited time and the lack of action at the tailgate before the game is what led to the D+.

During the postgame tailgate, we played oakie (I am sure you all have seen or asked about it, so be sure to look below for how it works) drank some beverages, ate more food, listened to some good tunes, and dealt with drunk newbies. So all was not lost. The midweek tailgate continues this Friday (tomorrow) as the lots open around 4:30 for the 6:30 NE-FCD kickoff followed by the Brazil-Venezuela match at 8. Now you can look at this two ways: Tailgate before and after the New England match, with extra long post-game tailgating thanks to the international tilt; or, tailgate normally before and after both games. It looks like a win-win situation to me. Now because I am part of the working class, I will be unable to attend tomorrow nights events. So please, someone grade the tailgate for me. An A+ would be = if the lot was full, grills and music are by every car, people are enjoying themselves with songs, dances, rituals, etc., food is awesome, games are played, and colors are uniform (aka BLUE!!!!). An F would obviously be the opposite. So whoever would be willing to pick up on that and add some notes, feel free to email me at fierogt20@yahoo.com with the results.

CORNER KICK OF THE WEEK:

This week’s kick is a game - Oakie (a.k.a. - Washers, Urban Horseshoes)

This game is played in a variety of ways, but this is what you have all seen in the Riders lot:

What you need: 2′x2′ squares of 1/2″ or 5/8″ plywood (sold at Home Depot pre-cut) (qty - 2); 1″x4″x2′ (qty - 2); 2×2 outdoor carpeting (qty - 2); super glue or all-purpose heavy duty glue (for fabric and wood use); utility knife, drill with hole-saw adapter (1 1/2″); and 6 big washers (I believe 1 1/2″, they were the biggest I could find at the store); 10 drywall (or outdoor) screws; and 2 handles (either door or drawer, but make sure they’re at least 3″ long, you will use this to carry the boards); utility knife

How to do it:

1. find the center of the 2×2′ and drill a hole using the appropriate sized hole-saw (slightly larger than the washers we found)
2. Drill 5 taps into the top of the 2×2 into the 1×4 evenly spaced with one in the center
3. Attach the 2×2 to the 1×4, with the 1×4 standing up tall
4. Attach the carpet to the 2×2 boards using the glue, and allow it to dry according to the glue instructions.
5. Cut the hole in the center of the carpet using a utility knife.
6. Screw the handles into the ends of the 1×4.

End results should be something like this:

Enjoy!

Play 1v1 or 2v2. Player tosses 3 washers at a time, then opposing player throws their 3. Each washer on is 1 point. In the hole is 3 points. No bouncing onto the board. Washers can get knocked into the hole and off the board and counts as such. Scoring is canceled scoring. If Red throws 3 on, and Blue only gets 2 on, Red gets one point. Red throws 1 in, and 2 on while Blue throws 2 in and 1 on, Blue gets 2 points (2 in = 6 pts. 1 on = 1pt). Game can go to either 11 or 21.

And remember, if you have any ideas for a segment, or if you have a game or recipe you would like to submit, drop me a line at fierogt20@yahoo.com.

GO REVS!