And part two of the NFL season. Game Day came and went and not too many people showed their (masked?) faces at sports bars, although this was an observation from shortly after halftime and before the Packers piled on to double up the score, again, and the win to go 2-0. As was said at the Village Inn, on their frequently spinning sign that offers multiple-at-one-time tacos on Tuesdays, (more on that street food at various venues later), and has been redacted close to the main highway: The Packers always have trouble beating the Bears at Lambeau. OK they don’t.
Being apropo goes back to the previous week’s sign, inside and slightly edited: Vikings offer (dictated) trade to North Korea to (dictate) that Kirk Cousins overthrow (the dictator). Also then, reports were that there would be only 2.500 fans allowed and spaced out at the game with Indianapolis. If in Minnesota, I would venture a guess that only an even thousand would have shown. And in the parking lot and beyond, there were a Packer Rag Doll Not Living In a Movie that was unstuffed at the bottom, then kicked to the curb, as this might have been a foray of things to come? And a blow tart where the end with the fruit was fashioned into what looked like a guitar; and the band would play on at halftime? And at Kwik Trip entering the beer vault where a couple both wearing masks, one the green way of Green Bay and another in black that was a cast away. Across the road at the new Guv’s Place, a group of three wandered out in the second half, and when questioned did not know exactly who was winning, much less the score. So curious where they (on behalf of I) checked and it was 24-10, but not to last this close. And alongside, who came pulling across the street, was a man with an Army football shirt. Was going to ask about Navy, but not time, so this game that didn’t feature those teams and will not until later in the year. This game didn’t peak his often two-cloud-of-dust, not three offense that would have required an air attack unlike they have done overseas. However the fight that continued over from the former NFC Central and Border Battle contest was not long in doubt — as some people walked to their cars and made room for those Two Minute Warning spectators. They might have Broke On Over To The Other Side via the NFL Direct Ticket advertised on KQRS radio more and more often as the outcome seemed certain.
Granted there are blackout games where people watch from home. but an opener would seem to be primo in more ways than just the pasta I have written about, and thus filing into the local TV game scene to mark the Grand Old Day first weekend. Along those lines, there were actually parking spaces empty, only a few but telling, at the places of the Village of North Hudson that is viral Packer coverage. The bars were not as full, as such follows, even though the six-foot-rule had been slightly redacted (the political word of choice these days) to make room for a few more tables, but not too many. And there even were bits of space at the bar rail, to help out the common good. To that end, outside patio big TVs got some attention, but not really too much, kind of like that old three and out. And Lions and Tigers and Bears, their games were also shown on the smaller TVs at the Village Inn, and there were patrons who seated themselves accordingly, although as has been noted this is indeed a Packer Bar. Still, more customer traffic came their way than occurred at US Bank Stadium, where it had been announced the day before that drivers could be more free wheeling with their lack of delays, since the stands had no one other than some photo guys working on top of what seemed like cherry pickers to safely do their thing. I saw this on TV at home at “Cherry” Circle North, and in our neighborhood, where there typically are more house parties than not, things were oddly absent, even with the lack of cars driving much of anywhere to get to such things. These who celebrated as such seemed to keep it at four cars in a driveway. What did they see? Head coaches wore masks that probably made it easier to call the next play from the sidelines and not be read by the lip-readers from the other sideline, but I’m guessing because of that, it took much more time to be in the huddle before the next span could be taken.
And on the topic of the NFL, sideline reporters were hard to be found, even the hotties as eye-candy — has Nestle taken advantage of this? — who’d actually come up with pertinent football questions of the Star Of The Day Or Night. It was not that way back on March 8, a full day and night of a world women’s day that was brought home by having the sports announcers be female, and the lead voices, not just for experts on gymnastics or color commentators (got to watch that word these days, I get that). It’s a safe bet that the old Lingerie Football League, where talented athletes who also had fit bodies wore basically bikinis, were not on the doubleheader game with flavor being provided by those who had been models then parlayed that into announcing, and were not just Talking Heads. But I do respect their skills for two reasons above all. The athletes were largely without protective pads and still provided a hit like Mike Singletary of the Old School Bears. And some of the QBs actually could throw a tight-rope strike 30 yards downfield, although it’s well known that women’s arms are generally better suited for things like underhand softball pitching than overhand Brett Favre-style fastballs.
Leave it to Jimmy John’s to put a must-wear-mask-sign on display in a way to prove a point, and of course deliver it home immediately. Fear not the darkness, as an educational sign front and forefront on the door had an unmistakable image of none other than Darth Vader wearing HIS signature mask and implied me-thinks that this could be the way many of us will go if we do not respect the new rules dictated by virus control. So we are Back In Black. And how to do that grill-out while again, respecting social distancing and the like? (Or just have Jimmy John’s, the pros, cater your come together). Or maybe have dad put up a sign by his George Foreman warning to stay a safe distance away, as determined by the equivalent of both his right and left arm, Foreman former tale of the tape length. It says he will turn up the heat big-time while producing the occasional flare of flame through the meat, and melt it in your mouth for the not faint of heart and palette when it gets that far, even more by loading on the cayenne pepper while himself wearing a dual-purpose mask. So the gist of his sign: Stay that six feet away from my (flaming) grill and we’ll live to do this again next year.
So how did we get to the point of closed being the new open? To take it back to the start and the streets, four months ago … It was just after dinnertime, on even a non-holiday weekend, but nowhere could be found to eat in in River Falls. The announcement was made that made it known to restaurant and bar owners, but the public needed to get up to speed. We caught up with Jennifer at her apartment complex on the near north end, which had signs for newer arrangements, being with the way to even make entry into the building. I was parked at the other end of the complex, and saw there was a firm word on where else to enter their three buildings without making a squabble. That was not good for us, because nature was holding off and waiting to hear the music, to be sung in a way less intimidating then the virus. In short, I needed to use a bathroom, pronto, and people were not being left into the building without a serious purpose, and that did not include just visiting — as I was told up, down and around in the foyer by a middle-aged resident who had — A KEY. I thought this was all overly severe, as I had no idea how bad it was to get, with each passing day. Anyway, Jennifer was able to come on down, but I had bolted for Bob and Steve’s down the block by that time, and would they even be open, much less have restrooms being in use without loads of immediate sanitation?
With that opportunity pissed away, sorry about the pun, there would soon be others. Jennifer schooled me on the new decree, that went into effect at 5 p.m. You would think the reporter in me would have been on top of such an important announcement, but as I have often said, even us scribes don’t know the deal until someone tells us. Sometimes we are the last to know. The only place you were still really able to get to anything, and in a backwards way make a last celebration, was where Jennifer had been just a bit earlier, that being Emma’s for a sort of happy hour, where they had off-sale still going until just after 6 p.m. and you had to actually enter the venue to get it, as everyone was having to redact fast and read through the more than a dozen pages of rules, differing by the state you were in, as to what was safe and what was legally actionable. Puff Puff Glass had their lights on to quite a bit later, as did McDonalds in multiple locations, presumably just for drive through. Then back in Hudson, there was more of that, as Buffalo Wild Wings was one of those ahead of the curve, already having more than one sign up they they still, indeed, had takeout available, as everyone was figuring out the new rules. Cold Stone Creamery appeared to still be going with a bit of traffic coming through. At the relatively new Mexican place, the lights were on and the owner was still scrambling around, with the door not yet locked. And this was to be more of what you would see in coming days, that Stay At Home did not mean that business owners chose to not be on site, rather they would be in, with minimal lighting, in a back office doing the newly needed raft of paperwork, as well as payroll, and I did not know how they would get this out to their employees. But the lots were empty in most places, as the new no-dining-in rules and how to work with them were being read up on (largely from this web site). An exception was an occasional car at the local laundromat in both the village and city.