Strictly ignoring the news out of Centre County... LA LA LA LA LA LA LA - I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
Let's talk tailgating.
Very enthused by the awesomeness of the Blue White Tailgate - we did some brainstorming on the trip home regarding the fall festivities.
There are 8 tailgates this year (DON'T FORGET TEMPLE). Seven home and one away.
September 1st - Florida International - We're thinking - Seafood. Last time we tried this there was a freakin' hurricane - so there's no telling what mother nature will throw at us this year.
September 8th - notre dame - still under consideraton
September 15th - Buffalo - leaning toward a retro theme. Martinis for everyone.
October 6th - Iowa - Oktoberfest, of course. The last weekend of the festival - we'll do it up right with brats, sauerkraut und beer.
October 13th - Wisconsin - Homecoming - the preliminary choice is Fiesta - with the legendary nacho bar.
October 27th - Ohio State - Still thinking
November 3rd - Purdue - French - you read that right - FRENCH! oooh la la. With onion soup, beef burgundy, and other yummalicious items.
November 10th - Temple - at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA - What else? Italian, prego.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
More Blue White Tailgate Pictures
I took a lot of pictures at the game, understandably (megalomaniac), most of them were of the cake. We had a whole bunch of other great food! There were the standby burgers, brisket, chili and deep fried goodies (from cheese wontons to whole turkey) - along with a great variety of snacks and desserts. Some favorites of the day were: marinated cheese (2 kinds!); homemade biscotti ("they're like cookies...but harder"); tarts (lemon, blackberry and me!); grilledmarinated vegetables; insalata caprese bites; shrimps on the barbie; navy blue jello shots. Bestest "keeper" original recipe of the event? Chocolate covered pretzel tart (chocolate & nutella pie with pretzel crust and topped with pirouline cookies - yes, it was that good). The big surprise of the day?? Duck's beercan chickens - you kidder you! Favorite quote of the day? "I thought artichokes were vegetables." Items lost to the abyss of
the MaxCooler? Pizza Steak bread; pepperoni pinwheels (treason!); chicken bites; kielbasa (say it ain't so!!!!!). More Blue White pix and commentary at FOOTBALL.
Monday, April 23, 2007
mmm, cake
I had already planned to make the stadium cake for the Blue White game - but after the events of April 16th, I altered my design plan, a bit. I had read in the Daily Collegian that some kids were organizing a color block "VT" in support of Virginia Tech, and that they needed 800 volunteers - apparently the PSU administration also heard about the effort, because they (PSU) donated the 800 t-shirts on a "first come" basis. The outpouring of
support and solidarity was amazing and reassuring. So, I wanted to make sure that "our" stadium was as spirited as the real one... a few pictures...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Blue White 2007
Getting ready for the Blue White game - things are crazy with the team right now - but we're soldiering on with our preparations.
The game is Saturday, April 21st, at 2pm. Parking lots open at 8am - and we'll be there when they do. We'll be parking in the lots outside the West stands.
Click Here for directions/info
The "theme" is, as always "Practice" - but we're adding an Italian flair this year (in honor of coach Paterno).
Currently, the forecast has no rain...
Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
The baking has begun
Finally - although I can not take any credit for it. Suzanne championed the inaugural culinary confections. I was there, however, to taste-test 2 new recipes (courtesy of America's Test Kitchen) - Delicious. It was, a bit of a sacrifice too - as I am not a fan of berry/fruit filled desserts - I took one for the team and sampled the new berry bar - I thought it was fantastic - so those of you who actually like the flavor(s) are sure to love it!
I, for my part, placed an order with Genuardi's supermarket to deliver some groceries - many of which are tailgate related items. So that's a start. I clicked on a bunch of stuff, and tomorrow after work I will sit in the house and wait for the delivery guy to bring the groceries to me and carry them into the kitchen.
I, for my part, placed an order with Genuardi's supermarket to deliver some groceries - many of which are tailgate related items. So that's a start. I clicked on a bunch of stuff, and tomorrow after work I will sit in the house and wait for the delivery guy to bring the groceries to me and carry them into the kitchen.
Monday, February 19, 2007
let's get it started
ha!
It's time to start planning/preparing for the Penn State Blue White scrimmage (and practice tailgate) - I'm not sure when the kids are allowed to officially start training - but it's time for us to get baking!
The Blue White tailgate, much like the game, is a practice tailgate - a time to try out new equipment, recipes, clothing - everything.
This year the game is scheduled for April 21st - at 2pm. We'll be arriving at the parking lots, when they open, so to get a good spot. Parking (and admission into the game) are free - so it's a great opportunity to see the Lions without much stress.
New to our equipment cache are a propane fueled coffee maker, a fondue pot (specifically purchased for Chuck's Cheese sauce) as well as an assortment of new cookbooks and decorations.
The "theme" for Blue White is Italian - looking forward to that.
It's time to start planning/preparing for the Penn State Blue White scrimmage (and practice tailgate) - I'm not sure when the kids are allowed to officially start training - but it's time for us to get baking!
The Blue White tailgate, much like the game, is a practice tailgate - a time to try out new equipment, recipes, clothing - everything.
This year the game is scheduled for April 21st - at 2pm. We'll be arriving at the parking lots, when they open, so to get a good spot. Parking (and admission into the game) are free - so it's a great opportunity to see the Lions without much stress.
New to our equipment cache are a propane fueled coffee maker, a fondue pot (specifically purchased for Chuck's Cheese sauce) as well as an assortment of new cookbooks and decorations.
The "theme" for Blue White is Italian - looking forward to that.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Blue White date announced
April 21, 2007.
Time to start planning - We have some new "gadgets" that need to be tested - and some new recipes!
Time to start planning - We have some new "gadgets" that need to be tested - and some new recipes!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Per the Tailgating Coordinator
All,
Thanks to all of you who voted. Your votes have been counted and our 2007 tailgate schedule has been posted at:
http://www.carter.myvnc.com/vote/vote.html
****For those who can't wait to know... The tailgates are Notre Dame; Wisconsin (HC); and, Temple (Away).
As happens every January, hotel reservations need to be made for the regular season. Chris and I will be making reservations at IMI and Sleep Inn respectively.
Due to problems in 2006 and the fact that I'm married (and thus own nothing ;-) ), I will only be making reservations for eople who pay me in full ($85/weekend) before Jan 19th.
Please contact Chris (cfluck@gdeb.com) or me (Rob@psualum.com) if you want a spot with us. Generally, all hotels in the area will be completely booked by the end of this month and then you'll be SOL.
More info http://www.dieseltailgate.no-ip.org/lodging.html
Reservations for Blue/White Weekend will be made after the date is officially announced.
For the Glory,
-Rob
Thanks to all of you who voted. Your votes have been counted and our 2007 tailgate schedule has been posted at:
http://www.carter.myvnc.com/vote/vote.html
****For those who can't wait to know... The tailgates are Notre Dame; Wisconsin (HC); and, Temple (Away).
As happens every January, hotel reservations need to be made for the regular season. Chris and I will be making reservations at IMI and Sleep Inn respectively.
Due to problems in 2006 and the fact that I'm married (and thus own nothing ;-) ), I will only be making reservations for eople who pay me in full ($85/weekend) before Jan 19th.
Please contact Chris (cfluck@gdeb.com) or me (Rob@psualum.com) if you want a spot with us. Generally, all hotels in the area will be completely booked by the end of this month and then you'll be SOL.
More info http://www.dieseltailgate.no-ip.org/lodging.html
Reservations for Blue/White Weekend will be made after the date is officially announced.
For the Glory,
-Rob
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Stadium Cake
Where do I begin? Well, it all started when I went to Williams Sonoma to buy their train cake pan (which I did get) and Suz saw the Stadium Cake Pan I was, understandably, a little excited about the prospects of making a PSU inspired stadium cake. The Outback Bowl was just 2 days away and we were having a football party - how perfect! We had the absolute best time buying blue candy at in Wegmans' bulk candy section - $.64 worth of blue runts (awesome!). Suz made the cake and I decorated it Monday morning. The decorating took about 2 hours (give or take) - first I glazed the cake with a heated mixture of sugar, milk, lemon juice and lemon curd (brilliant idea of suz'). The "field" is a rectangle of graham crackers covered with green sprinkles and icing details. I used buttercream frosting for the icing - it worked really well. making navy blue is a pain in the bum, but it worked out well. I just used ziplock bags for the piping - I didn't really have the time or inclination for anything more involved (the game started at 11am!) - I used candies to embellish. My favorite parts (apart from the whole) are the "S block," the "team" with their striped helmets, and the back of the one scoreboard which reads "No ReEntry" - fantastic!
Friday, December 29, 2006
It's bowl time
So, Penn State meets the tennessee volunteers in the Outback Bowl this New Year's Day. The Lions' game kicks off at 11am (EST) - and 12 hours of College Football fun. 5 other bowl games are scheduled for Monday, including the Rose Bowl (UM v USC).
We're having an Open House to celebrate - we figured we'd be "in" for the day, serving our favorite football fare, so why not invite the neighborhood over?
We'll be serving New Year's Pork and Sauerkraut; potatoes; queso & chips; cheese & meats - featuring a blue cheese cheese log; chips, pretzels, etc; keilbasa; kir ROARals (a Suzanne creation); and much much more.
We're having an Open House to celebrate - we figured we'd be "in" for the day, serving our favorite football fare, so why not invite the neighborhood over?
We'll be serving New Year's Pork and Sauerkraut; potatoes; queso & chips; cheese & meats - featuring a blue cheese cheese log; chips, pretzels, etc; keilbasa; kir ROARals (a Suzanne creation); and much much more.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
michigan state tailgate
"don't worry about it - I'm getting an egg"
We served sausage scallopini (yum!), penn state pasta salad (in all honesty, the blue noodles were freaky
- I don't think I'll be getting this again), garlic crescents; mini pizza bread; pizza bread; assorted meats and cheeses; grilled garlic kielbasa; assorted cookies/pastries from a local italian bakery; cannoli; sweet potato pie; hot cider with spiced rum (a combination which we found out, thanks to the internet, is called a "broken leg" in the world of cocktails - since the tailgate was in honor of coach paterno - this was an easy choice); and, chips, crackers, beer (paulander pils), hot drinks, etc.
The funniest moment of the day was early on, while we were still setting up. I was sitting down, arranging the cookies on a platter when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I see something hit the ground and splatter up toward my leg/boot - simultaneously I hear shouting and laughter - My first thought was "why the heck are those kids playing water balloons?" - it wasn't a water balloon - it was an egg - and it had hit me. After 30 seconds of confusion - I come to understand that, for charity, 2 kids are going around the parking lot "selling" eggs and letting "you" throw them at them. The young lady was wearing a clear trash bag and a bulleye on her torso with "MSU" written across it (Target Girl) - Apparently a gentleman 5 CARS DOWN THE HILL had purchased one such egg and so egregiously missed the mark that it flew up to our spot, and my pant leg. Much hooting and hollering could be heard from their tailgate - and, by the time the purveyors of eggs reached our spot - I had already told Suzanne - "I'm getting an egg" - a look of wicked childhood glee crossed her face (one reserved for 2nd and middle children) - By this time the young man who had thrown the egg had come up to apologize - I gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and said "Don't worry about it. I'm getting an egg". To make the story a little bit longer - I did buy an egg (from Money Boy) - and target girl obligingly stood in front of me as I lofted my egg (pre-cracked - a tip from Money Boy) into the air - for the second time in my life the winds of the gods of fair play guided my projectile to its mark - and I hit the kid right on the numbers of his jersey - the egg bounced off his belly and smashed to the ground. Cue eruption of laughter. I think the kid was surprised that I actually threw it at him - which was odd, because I told him I was going to.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
PENN STATE michigan state - Senior Day
Penn Staters,
Saturday, November 18th is the final football game of the 2006 season. It has been a rocky season: rain, wind, mud, irksome parking attendants, and that's just on the football field!
The tailgates, with all of the adversities that Mamma Nature has tried to throw at us have been great - and we hope to finish out the season with a bang!
We wish the same for the Nittany Lions, as Penn State hosts the michigan state spartans. Kickoff is at 12pm and the game will be televised on ESPN 2 - Accuweather is forecasting "variably cloudy" with a high of 47 - it's expected to rain during the week - hopefully all will be dried out by Saturday!
Sparty and the michigan state faithful (and I mean faithful) wear gear of green and white. They have had a terrible season - one that began with promise, and ostensibly ended during the 4th quarter of their match up against notre dame - nothing has been good for them ever since (although they did, against northwestern, record the largest comeback in NCAA football (DIA) history). It is Drew Stanton's final game (it's about time!) and the final outing for coach John L. Smith. The last 2 times PSU and msu have met up the spartans were playing for bowl eligibility (denied both times, btw) - but this week they play for nothing other than pride. Assuming that they do have some left, the Lions must be prepared and play with intensity - last week was fun, but this week means something.
Parking lots open at 7am and we will be there waiting line - We park in the western half (yellow) of Lot 13 (directly across Park Ave from the soccer field) - email us for cell phone numbers if you don't already have them - look for our super distinctive Penn State flag (immediately preceding clause to be read with sarcastic tone).
In honor of Coach Paterno, we'll be dishing up an assortment of Italian favorites, featuring sausage scallopini, crostini, (Penn State) pasta salad, meats and cheeses and, of course, some delicious desserts.
If you're going to be up for the game, please stop by and see us - all are welcome - send us an email or call if you can, so we can plan accordingly. Contributions are always welcome, but never compulsory. If you can't be there, please feel free to forward this email to any and all Penn Staters you know.
Hope to see you there!
2theLion!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Americana Tailgate, revisted
It was pitch black and very cold when our morning started for the 5th home game of the season and our 2nd diesel tailgate of 2006. We arrived at lot 13 at 0630 hrs. Our largest convey to date started at the 10th vehicle in line for the lot.
After a quick half hour of socializing in the dark, the lots were opened. The parking attendants did a horrible job of attempting to pack us in like sardines. No one wanted to park as close to us as they were directed. Lucky for us, we were able to throw out a few canopies to widen the gap. A few smart parkers in the first row didn’t pull all the way up to the fence until after the 2nd row had stopped. Official Stats
Total hours: 17
Guests: 80
Pounds of BBQ: 30 *
Donations: $186 *
Vehicles: 7 *
Hours driving
Vaughn home: 1.5 *
Words in this
newsletter: 3,259 *
* new records
As chairs and tables were set up, the kitchen was assembled. We put a little bit more thought and planning into the kitchen arrangement to keep hungry tailgaters out of the way of the cooks. It also allowed the cooks to see and enjoy the tailgate while helping out. The flag pole was set up last.
Elyses' brother and friends dropped off their giant boat-sized cooler and said they'll be back later. This park-bench-sized cooler was big enough to stuff a few bodies in, but it was filled with beer.
For some odd reason, one of the early morning parkers decided to leave before our setup was complete. This opened up a space for the fire place on the other side of the aisle.
Beth, Carter and Julia cooked an assortment of breakfast meats. Mad and Suz sat out a collection of muffins. Chris’ Ma brought 2 of her famous apple pies too. Mimosas were passed around, and the first batch of hard cider was heated up.
The sun came out and the temperature began to rise as the morning hours passed. We were greeted by blue skies.
Chris and I played the first game of polish horseshoes. Chris’s winning streak remains intact at 1000-1. Then we played Team CT (Rob and Chris) vs Team Hawaii (Carter and Jessie) Chris had to break out the new “Put on your diesel tailgate game face hand signal” when some people (Rob) couldn’t keep from being distracted by shiny objects (THA PSU Co-eds) To do this hand signal, start with your hand in front of your face with palm away. Pivot the hand away from the thumb while pulling down slightly. When the palm is facing you, curl the fingers as if grabbing the face mask of a helmet and make your game face. Grrr! You’ve got it.
The beginning of the end of Vaughn’s day was when he funneled 3 scalding hot glasses of hard apple cider. It just went downhill from there.
For the early lunch, Mad and Suz set up the "make your own barbecue" station including BBQ sauces of America TM + slaw (creamy and spicy), pickles, cheese, onions, bacon bits, heated up pulled pork and chicken. Chris K grilled up one “brick” of beef brisket to complete the meat trifecta.
Just before the noon kickoff, Alumni and students were dazzled with a helicopter fly-over which honored “LifeLion”, PSU’s medivac, 20 years of service without a single crash. From our seats in the south end zone, we were able to do quite a bit of leaf peeping. All of Happy Valley was decked out in reds, browns and oranges.
The offense looked promising during the first drive, but failed to get it in the end zone and had to settle for a 49-yard field goal. After that the first drive, the offense remained dormant for the rest of the game. The Fighting Illini raised their lead to 9-3 by half time.
The combined half-time show feature the blue band and alumni band’s renditions of modern dance songs, such as YMCA. Fans were really impressed by Blue sapphire PJ Maierhofer as well as several alumni feature twirlers.
In the second half, the defense turned things around. Anthony Scirrotto (#7) intercepted a long pass and returned it to midfield. Our offense went 3 and out on the following drive, but Jeremy Kapinos (#36) punted the ball to the Illini 2 yard line. The Illini didn’t give up the safety that the student section wanted, but were forced to punt. It was returned to the IL-34 to set up the offense’s only touchdown of the day. This put PSU in the lead for the first time.
A few minutes later, Paul Posluszny (#31) sacked “Juice” William and knocked the ball loose. The fumble was recovery by Tony Davis (#11) and ran in for a touch down. This raised the score to 17-9.
In the 4th quarter, the Illini were able to drive far enough to score 3 more points. Late in the quarter, “Juice” was sacked again and the ball was fumbled. Josh Gaines (#47) picked it up with dreams of the end zone. The crowd was going nuts. Unfortunately, Gaines was tackled and fumbled at the IL-11. Illinois recovered it. With the crowd back in the game, the defense was able to get a safety during the Illini’s next drive. Even the announcer was getting too excited, saying things like “and that brings up 4th DOWNNNNNN”.
With the score 19-12 and time quickly running out, the Illini attempted an on-side kick. All of the Illini overran the kick and it was scooped up by a wide open Anthony Scirrotto (#7). A quick 29-yard dash raised the score to its final mark of 26-12. Anthony later said, “To be honest, I saw this huge hole. No one was going to get me down; I wasn’t going to let anybody. I wanted to score big time. It was exciting.”
Penn State 26 Illinois 12
The game concluded with the ringing of the Victory bell, a gift from the class of 1978.
Penn State recorded its first safety since last season’s Orange Bowl against Florida State. It was the first safety in a regular season game for the Lions since Penn State had two safeties against Iowa in a 4-6 loss on Homecoming 2004 (HC4).
Paterno was not happy with the offense’s poor performance. In the post game interview, he said, “No, we’re just lousy. Can I get that across? It’s spelled l-o-u-s-y.”
Post game, Chris’s Ma and I wandered to the north end zone to watch Drum corner. It was quite an impressive show. After the entire drum line played, each section (snares, basses, cymbals and tenor) put on a show of their own.
Back at the tailgate, the afternoon temperature peaked at 60. Skies were sunny. Food was rolled out in mass quantities. The all of the BBQ was heated up again to feed hungry tailgaters. Chris fired up some sausage grillers, and I made a handful of bacon-cheddar burgers and had to chase Tim away who was camped out right in front of grill.
Matt called ahead to make sure that the deep fryer was heated up when he got back to the tailgate. He made just about everything in the deep fryer including: pierogies, cheese sticks, cheese and cream cheese poppers, corn dogs, Freedom toast sticks, blooming onions, turkey, breaded chicken bites, chicken wings, and freedom fries. Mad and Suz bought us the blooming onion kit, but unfortunately, they didn’t come out right this time. We’ll get ‘em right next time.
Shelley and Nick heated up some home-made pepperoni bread on the grill. It was so good.
This is about the time that Vaughn funnels 6-8 shots of Jagermeister at once. He chased it with a Busch pounder funnel.
While the turkey was cooking, the group photo was taken. This tailgate’s group photo was around the fireplace with the stadium in the background.
One of Chris’s favorite moments was when Suzanne asked Matt if he wanted a serving tray for some of the fried foods he was making after seeing him just keep dumping them into the same foil pan on the ground. Matt pointed to the group of savages huddled around the pan chowing down like they had never been fed before. He said, “No, I think we will be OK.”
The afternoon musical excitement continued. Carter’s stereo/car continues to be the loudest thing out there. He played a good mix of just about everything all day long. He even played thriller, which has been a huge hit since the Nittany Lion did it last season. With new hook-ups, he was even able to connect Kevin’s I-pod directly into the setup. Things were going pretty well, until Vaughn decided that he didn’t like the country music and decided to change it himself.
After spending much time trying to guess what he actually does for a living, Kelly found out that Vaughn works at Long John Silvers. She was giving him shit for not bringing any hush puppies. Vaughn said that he didn’t think anyone actually liked them, or that they would eat them with all of the other good food around. Apparently hush puppies are a lot more popular than he thought. A drunken Nick was taunting a very drunken Vaughn when he said "You're like a little leprechaun that nobody f***ing likes." This was a best quote all day. Then Vaughn proceeded to funnel a mixture of Carolina’s Irish Cream and Merlot and get even more fired up.
As evening descended after the Penn State victory, folks settled around the fireplace. There was an ever changing circle of people in the chairs around the fireplace and the ring of vultures ready to swarm on a seat when someone got up. Matt and his team loaded up his dad’s heavy Chevy and did a huge smoke show for the kids (FTK) especially Chris who kept yelling light ‘em up.
After we returned from our adventure, the few remaining tailgaters helped pack up and take it home at 2330 hrs.
Thanks to everyone who made it out to this tailgate. It’s always great to see old friends and make new friends. There were plenty of new faces out there. Many people were also excited to bring out their favorite foods for the next tailgate.
I’m sad that this is our last Diesel tailgate for the season. It’s been a great October to watch Penn State football. If you happen to be in town for any of the remaining home games, drop Mad & Suz a line.
We’ll see everyone out there again for Blue/White. My guess is that it will be April 21, 2007.
For the Glory,
-Rob
Tailgating Coordinator
After a quick half hour of socializing in the dark, the lots were opened. The parking attendants did a horrible job of attempting to pack us in like sardines. No one wanted to park as close to us as they were directed. Lucky for us, we were able to throw out a few canopies to widen the gap. A few smart parkers in the first row didn’t pull all the way up to the fence until after the 2nd row had stopped. Official Stats
Total hours: 17
Guests: 80
Pounds of BBQ: 30 *
Donations: $186 *
Vehicles: 7 *
Hours driving
Vaughn home: 1.5 *
Words in this
newsletter: 3,259 *
* new records
As chairs and tables were set up, the kitchen was assembled. We put a little bit more thought and planning into the kitchen arrangement to keep hungry tailgaters out of the way of the cooks. It also allowed the cooks to see and enjoy the tailgate while helping out. The flag pole was set up last.
Elyses' brother and friends dropped off their giant boat-sized cooler and said they'll be back later. This park-bench-sized cooler was big enough to stuff a few bodies in, but it was filled with beer.
For some odd reason, one of the early morning parkers decided to leave before our setup was complete. This opened up a space for the fire place on the other side of the aisle.
Beth, Carter and Julia cooked an assortment of breakfast meats. Mad and Suz sat out a collection of muffins. Chris’ Ma brought 2 of her famous apple pies too. Mimosas were passed around, and the first batch of hard cider was heated up.
The sun came out and the temperature began to rise as the morning hours passed. We were greeted by blue skies.
Chris and I played the first game of polish horseshoes. Chris’s winning streak remains intact at 1000-1. Then we played Team CT (Rob and Chris) vs Team Hawaii (Carter and Jessie) Chris had to break out the new “Put on your diesel tailgate game face hand signal” when some people (Rob) couldn’t keep from being distracted by shiny objects (THA PSU Co-eds) To do this hand signal, start with your hand in front of your face with palm away. Pivot the hand away from the thumb while pulling down slightly. When the palm is facing you, curl the fingers as if grabbing the face mask of a helmet and make your game face. Grrr! You’ve got it.
The beginning of the end of Vaughn’s day was when he funneled 3 scalding hot glasses of hard apple cider. It just went downhill from there.
For the early lunch, Mad and Suz set up the "make your own barbecue" station including BBQ sauces of America TM + slaw (creamy and spicy), pickles, cheese, onions, bacon bits, heated up pulled pork and chicken. Chris K grilled up one “brick” of beef brisket to complete the meat trifecta.
Just before the noon kickoff, Alumni and students were dazzled with a helicopter fly-over which honored “LifeLion”, PSU’s medivac, 20 years of service without a single crash. From our seats in the south end zone, we were able to do quite a bit of leaf peeping. All of Happy Valley was decked out in reds, browns and oranges.
The offense looked promising during the first drive, but failed to get it in the end zone and had to settle for a 49-yard field goal. After that the first drive, the offense remained dormant for the rest of the game. The Fighting Illini raised their lead to 9-3 by half time.
The combined half-time show feature the blue band and alumni band’s renditions of modern dance songs, such as YMCA. Fans were really impressed by Blue sapphire PJ Maierhofer as well as several alumni feature twirlers.
In the second half, the defense turned things around. Anthony Scirrotto (#7) intercepted a long pass and returned it to midfield. Our offense went 3 and out on the following drive, but Jeremy Kapinos (#36) punted the ball to the Illini 2 yard line. The Illini didn’t give up the safety that the student section wanted, but were forced to punt. It was returned to the IL-34 to set up the offense’s only touchdown of the day. This put PSU in the lead for the first time.
A few minutes later, Paul Posluszny (#31) sacked “Juice” William and knocked the ball loose. The fumble was recovery by Tony Davis (#11) and ran in for a touch down. This raised the score to 17-9.
In the 4th quarter, the Illini were able to drive far enough to score 3 more points. Late in the quarter, “Juice” was sacked again and the ball was fumbled. Josh Gaines (#47) picked it up with dreams of the end zone. The crowd was going nuts. Unfortunately, Gaines was tackled and fumbled at the IL-11. Illinois recovered it. With the crowd back in the game, the defense was able to get a safety during the Illini’s next drive. Even the announcer was getting too excited, saying things like “and that brings up 4th DOWNNNNNN”.
With the score 19-12 and time quickly running out, the Illini attempted an on-side kick. All of the Illini overran the kick and it was scooped up by a wide open Anthony Scirrotto (#7). A quick 29-yard dash raised the score to its final mark of 26-12. Anthony later said, “To be honest, I saw this huge hole. No one was going to get me down; I wasn’t going to let anybody. I wanted to score big time. It was exciting.”
Penn State 26 Illinois 12
The game concluded with the ringing of the Victory bell, a gift from the class of 1978.
Penn State recorded its first safety since last season’s Orange Bowl against Florida State. It was the first safety in a regular season game for the Lions since Penn State had two safeties against Iowa in a 4-6 loss on Homecoming 2004 (HC4).
Paterno was not happy with the offense’s poor performance. In the post game interview, he said, “No, we’re just lousy. Can I get that across? It’s spelled l-o-u-s-y.”
Post game, Chris’s Ma and I wandered to the north end zone to watch Drum corner. It was quite an impressive show. After the entire drum line played, each section (snares, basses, cymbals and tenor) put on a show of their own.
Back at the tailgate, the afternoon temperature peaked at 60. Skies were sunny. Food was rolled out in mass quantities. The all of the BBQ was heated up again to feed hungry tailgaters. Chris fired up some sausage grillers, and I made a handful of bacon-cheddar burgers and had to chase Tim away who was camped out right in front of grill.
Matt called ahead to make sure that the deep fryer was heated up when he got back to the tailgate. He made just about everything in the deep fryer including: pierogies, cheese sticks, cheese and cream cheese poppers, corn dogs, Freedom toast sticks, blooming onions, turkey, breaded chicken bites, chicken wings, and freedom fries. Mad and Suz bought us the blooming onion kit, but unfortunately, they didn’t come out right this time. We’ll get ‘em right next time.
Shelley and Nick heated up some home-made pepperoni bread on the grill. It was so good.
This is about the time that Vaughn funnels 6-8 shots of Jagermeister at once. He chased it with a Busch pounder funnel.
While the turkey was cooking, the group photo was taken. This tailgate’s group photo was around the fireplace with the stadium in the background.
One of Chris’s favorite moments was when Suzanne asked Matt if he wanted a serving tray for some of the fried foods he was making after seeing him just keep dumping them into the same foil pan on the ground. Matt pointed to the group of savages huddled around the pan chowing down like they had never been fed before. He said, “No, I think we will be OK.”
The afternoon musical excitement continued. Carter’s stereo/car continues to be the loudest thing out there. He played a good mix of just about everything all day long. He even played thriller, which has been a huge hit since the Nittany Lion did it last season. With new hook-ups, he was even able to connect Kevin’s I-pod directly into the setup. Things were going pretty well, until Vaughn decided that he didn’t like the country music and decided to change it himself.
After spending much time trying to guess what he actually does for a living, Kelly found out that Vaughn works at Long John Silvers. She was giving him shit for not bringing any hush puppies. Vaughn said that he didn’t think anyone actually liked them, or that they would eat them with all of the other good food around. Apparently hush puppies are a lot more popular than he thought. A drunken Nick was taunting a very drunken Vaughn when he said "You're like a little leprechaun that nobody f***ing likes." This was a best quote all day. Then Vaughn proceeded to funnel a mixture of Carolina’s Irish Cream and Merlot and get even more fired up.
As evening descended after the Penn State victory, folks settled around the fireplace. There was an ever changing circle of people in the chairs around the fireplace and the ring of vultures ready to swarm on a seat when someone got up. Matt and his team loaded up his dad’s heavy Chevy and did a huge smoke show for the kids (FTK) especially Chris who kept yelling light ‘em up.
After we returned from our adventure, the few remaining tailgaters helped pack up and take it home at 2330 hrs.
Thanks to everyone who made it out to this tailgate. It’s always great to see old friends and make new friends. There were plenty of new faces out there. Many people were also excited to bring out their favorite foods for the next tailgate.
I’m sad that this is our last Diesel tailgate for the season. It’s been a great October to watch Penn State football. If you happen to be in town for any of the remaining home games, drop Mad & Suz a line.
We’ll see everyone out there again for Blue/White. My guess is that it will be April 21, 2007.
For the Glory,
-Rob
Tailgating Coordinator
PENN STATE temple
While the Lions have been struggling a bit on the field and poor Joe keeps getting knocked about - the tailgates have been a great success and tons of fun.
This weekend the Nittany Lions host the Temple Owls. Kickoff (hopefully we'll be onsides) is at 3:30pm and the game will be televised regionally on ESPN. The Owls have had another tough year, but they are rebuilding - their coach, Al Golden, is a former PSU player and he is dedicated to turning the program around, both athletically and academically. Temple's colors are Cherry and White - so leave your Strawberry Shortcake umbrella at home....
Because (no umbrellas are allowed in the stadium, and,) yes, it's forecasted to rain. High temperatures in the 50s but showers during the day.
Parking lots open at 8am - my guess is that we'll roll in around that time (assuming that the showers are scattered) - We park in the western half (yellow) of Lot 13 - email us for cell phone numbers if you don't already have them.
We'll be serving chili with fixins - with other tasty treats. Please come join us if you're going to be around. All are welcome (if you can, give us a call or email beforehand so we can add another can of beans).
Remember to root for the Lions as they fight fight fight against the Cherry and the White!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
this is a rant
In the wake of negative cheering; paternoville; having a beer in the parking lot during a PSU football game; Kerncraft 400 (ie Zombie Nation) Guess what PSU is now trying to phase out...Tailgating.
What? you say Tailgating? They'll never try to get rid of tailgating -it's an integral part of the Penn State experience - I'd have said the same thing, until last Saturday.
My ever faithful group of tailgaters and I were in line to park in Lot 13 at 06:30 Saturday morning - the lots opened at 7 and our convoy made its way to the front row of parking - as we exited our vehicles we noticed that the parking attendants were guiding the next row of cars remarkably close to our bumpers (seriously) - angry voices were shouting everywhere as the one attendant was yelling "park them closer - they want them closer" - I must have had a look of disbelief because she turned to me and said - "yeah, they're trying to phase out tailgating" - further dumbfounded I answered "tailgating? You can not be serious". To which she retorted "oh yes, it's out of control."
Out of control - I feel completely responsible for this - I apologize to the entire Penn State community for the 20 pounds of pulled pork and chicken that I brought into the lots, coupled with the 7 kinds of barbecue sauce, football shaped cake, pizza bread, keilbasa, chicken wings and other assorted snacks and desserts. I know that we, as a nation, and as a college community, have to take a responsible stance on the issue of consuming delicious foodstuffs outdoors, with great friends, in the number one college football arena, promoting camaraderie and team pride. Apparently it is an epidemic and must be stopped.
Or perhaps it's only in the "common man" parking (ie yellow) that is a target - because "preferred" parking was widely spaced and, of course there are no bans on canopies in reserved parking.
I am angry about this - and this post may well be the beginning of a letter to the editor of the CDT and/or Collegian - I've been "burnt" by those publications (okay edited) before - but I don't think we can just quietly sit by and let this happen.
What? you say Tailgating? They'll never try to get rid of tailgating -it's an integral part of the Penn State experience - I'd have said the same thing, until last Saturday.
My ever faithful group of tailgaters and I were in line to park in Lot 13 at 06:30 Saturday morning - the lots opened at 7 and our convoy made its way to the front row of parking - as we exited our vehicles we noticed that the parking attendants were guiding the next row of cars remarkably close to our bumpers (seriously) - angry voices were shouting everywhere as the one attendant was yelling "park them closer - they want them closer" - I must have had a look of disbelief because she turned to me and said - "yeah, they're trying to phase out tailgating" - further dumbfounded I answered "tailgating? You can not be serious". To which she retorted "oh yes, it's out of control."
Out of control - I feel completely responsible for this - I apologize to the entire Penn State community for the 20 pounds of pulled pork and chicken that I brought into the lots, coupled with the 7 kinds of barbecue sauce, football shaped cake, pizza bread, keilbasa, chicken wings and other assorted snacks and desserts. I know that we, as a nation, and as a college community, have to take a responsible stance on the issue of consuming delicious foodstuffs outdoors, with great friends, in the number one college football arena, promoting camaraderie and team pride. Apparently it is an epidemic and must be stopped.
Or perhaps it's only in the "common man" parking (ie yellow) that is a target - because "preferred" parking was widely spaced and, of course there are no bans on canopies in reserved parking.
I am angry about this - and this post may well be the beginning of a letter to the editor of the CDT and/or Collegian - I've been "burnt" by those publications (okay edited) before - but I don't think we can just quietly sit by and let this happen.
Belated Northwestern recap
A cold grey Pennsylvania sky greeted us for our Oktoberfest tailgate. We lined up outside of Lot 13 at 0655. We had just over an hour to kill before the lots opened. Chris start the morning off properly with a Lager. It was a brisk 45 degrees. The fog rolled in while we were waiting.
The parking attendants opened the fields at 0755 and we made a bee line to our new parking spot. Changes in the regulations gave our old spot to “brown” preferred parking, so our new spot was along the mid-field fence. This is where we parked for HC4.
As set up began, Carter cooked breakfast on the grill. Mad and Suzanne brought out the Stuffin’ muffins and other breakfast treats. The morning fog lifted so we could see the stadium, but the sun didn’t come out. Chris and I got in a morning game of Polish horseshoes before the shoes were overtaken by tables and canopies.
Official Stats
Total hours: 16.5
Guests: 45
Donations: $55
Trucks: 3
Carter’s new stereo modification included 2 speaker towers on workstands. It was louder than anything in the parking lot.
Just in case you didn’t get enough at breakfast, Mad and Suz put out a collection of baked snacks including black forest bars, peanut brittle bars ,buckeye ball bars, picnic bars (chocolate and coconut), blueberry cheesecake brownies, carnutty bars (caramel, nuts & cream cheese), turtle brownies, truffle brownies, candy bar brownies (peanuts, chocolate & peanut butter frosting), butter bars (with blue sprinkles), almond toffee brownies, and raspberry streusel bars. It was quite the spread.
Matt cranked up the deep fryer for lunch. We had French toast sticks, pierogies, onion petals and cheese balls. Mad and Suz pulled out the stops. The “big ol' pork roast with sauerkraut” was cooked in the new propane slow cooker (a wedding gift) and Todd made bratwurst on the grill. Matt’s Ma and Pa brought out a baked bean dish and cheeses. Larry and Carol brought some awesome ring baloney with cheese. Mmmm.
We snapped the group photo just after lunch against the back of the truck just before game time. Intermittent rain started.
The game started with a C-17 flyover. It was much lower than I was expecting. Penn State dominated the “mildcats” on the field. Their only score was from an interception in the 2nd quarter. Deon Bulter (#3) set the school receiving yardage record. Tony Hunt (#26) passed the legendary Lenny Moore on State’s career rushing list. In the four quarter, Penn State picked up a fumble. It was ran back and by {insert name here} and dove in the end zone to make it 40-7. Unfortunately, the refs ruled it an incomplete pass and tacked on a big penalty. JoePa was not happy. Either way, the game ended on a good note as our record improved 3-2. “Me-ouch” indeed.
In a light post-game rain, there was a little light left in the sky. Even more food was cooked. Mad and Suz made mini-ruebens, mini-racheals and sauerkraut pockets. I cooked up a batch of bacon-cheddar burgers. Matt deep fried the turkey.
The rain stopped after dark and it warmed up a bit. Many tailgaters warmed up by the fireplace.
We finally decided to pack it up after the monsoon started. We rolled out at 2330 for a total of 16.5 hours of tailgating. Thanks to everyone who came out. This was really a good time.
And despite the administation’s best effort, everyone had a good time.
For the Glory,
-Rob
Tailgating Coordinator
The parking attendants opened the fields at 0755 and we made a bee line to our new parking spot. Changes in the regulations gave our old spot to “brown” preferred parking, so our new spot was along the mid-field fence. This is where we parked for HC4.
As set up began, Carter cooked breakfast on the grill. Mad and Suzanne brought out the Stuffin’ muffins and other breakfast treats. The morning fog lifted so we could see the stadium, but the sun didn’t come out. Chris and I got in a morning game of Polish horseshoes before the shoes were overtaken by tables and canopies.
Official Stats
Total hours: 16.5
Guests: 45
Donations: $55
Trucks: 3
Carter’s new stereo modification included 2 speaker towers on workstands. It was louder than anything in the parking lot.
Just in case you didn’t get enough at breakfast, Mad and Suz put out a collection of baked snacks including black forest bars, peanut brittle bars ,buckeye ball bars, picnic bars (chocolate and coconut), blueberry cheesecake brownies, carnutty bars (caramel, nuts & cream cheese), turtle brownies, truffle brownies, candy bar brownies (peanuts, chocolate & peanut butter frosting), butter bars (with blue sprinkles), almond toffee brownies, and raspberry streusel bars. It was quite the spread.
Matt cranked up the deep fryer for lunch. We had French toast sticks, pierogies, onion petals and cheese balls. Mad and Suz pulled out the stops. The “big ol' pork roast with sauerkraut” was cooked in the new propane slow cooker (a wedding gift) and Todd made bratwurst on the grill. Matt’s Ma and Pa brought out a baked bean dish and cheeses. Larry and Carol brought some awesome ring baloney with cheese. Mmmm.
We snapped the group photo just after lunch against the back of the truck just before game time. Intermittent rain started.
The game started with a C-17 flyover. It was much lower than I was expecting. Penn State dominated the “mildcats” on the field. Their only score was from an interception in the 2nd quarter. Deon Bulter (#3) set the school receiving yardage record. Tony Hunt (#26) passed the legendary Lenny Moore on State’s career rushing list. In the four quarter, Penn State picked up a fumble. It was ran back and by {insert name here} and dove in the end zone to make it 40-7. Unfortunately, the refs ruled it an incomplete pass and tacked on a big penalty. JoePa was not happy. Either way, the game ended on a good note as our record improved 3-2. “Me-ouch” indeed.
In a light post-game rain, there was a little light left in the sky. Even more food was cooked. Mad and Suz made mini-ruebens, mini-racheals and sauerkraut pockets. I cooked up a batch of bacon-cheddar burgers. Matt deep fried the turkey.
The rain stopped after dark and it warmed up a bit. Many tailgaters warmed up by the fireplace.
We finally decided to pack it up after the monsoon started. We rolled out at 2330 for a total of 16.5 hours of tailgating. Thanks to everyone who came out. This was really a good time.
And despite the administation’s best effort, everyone had a good time.
For the Glory,
-Rob
Tailgating Coordinator
Monday, October 23, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Great Tailgate for um - Homecoming Americana Tailgate for illinois
The Lions match up with the university of illinois' fighting illini on Saturday, October 21st as they celebrate Homecoming 2006!
Gametime is 12pm - and parking lots open at 7am - we'll be there when they open the gates armed with breakfast treats and hot beverages. We'll be parking in the far side of Lot 13 - look for the PSU flags and submarine flag topper - for more detailed directions, email us for cell phone numbers.
This is our 2nd Diesel Tailgate extravaganza - check out the planning pages on http://dieseltailgate.no-ip.org/ for more info. Our theme is Americana as we cheer on our team, alumni and country. We'll be serving a variety of down home favorites including a wagon load of pulled pork, chicken, brisket and other barbecue favorites!
Gametime is 12pm - and parking lots open at 7am - we'll be there when they open the gates armed with breakfast treats and hot beverages. We'll be parking in the far side of Lot 13 - look for the PSU flags and submarine flag topper - for more detailed directions, email us for cell phone numbers.
This is our 2nd Diesel Tailgate extravaganza - check out the planning pages on http://dieseltailgate.no-ip.org/ for more info. Our theme is Americana as we cheer on our team, alumni and country. We'll be serving a variety of down home favorites including a wagon load of pulled pork, chicken, brisket and other barbecue favorites!
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