The Tailgate Finale & New Beginning ...

Here we are again ... an eventful few weeks in the KU Football universe since summarizing the stellar Baylor tailgate. Settle in, let's take this one step at a time.

1. Arrowhead Game vs. Mizery

Could this be the final Border War football game of our lifetime? Quite possibly. As a result, TEAM Tailgate deemed it mandatory to get aggressive, real aggressive. Jeff D., MTB, and QC Tim, earned "first in Lot H" status and had tailgate popping by 7AM. Much appreciated the love from our friends at InBev for the early grass pass. Great to have a solid showing for the final tailgate of the year.

The food lineup was equally impressive. We'd been holding a few back in the bag o'tricks all season, just waiting to unleash the fury during the final epic tailgate of the year. Behold. Frito Pie. Yep, chili served right in the bag topped with cheese & jalapenos. BOOM!

Enjoyed by the masses, no doubt about it. First up, QC Tim getting after it.

Next up ... the birthday girl herself ... Libby. Without question, the #1 fan of TEAM Tailgate's culinary efforts. Showering praise, offering constructive criticism, and spreading the word! Big Ups.

Next up ... Bacon Spread! Yes, you read that correctly ... Bacon Spread! Look - anybody can serve a flipping cheese burger. Come on, child's play. TEAM Tailgate has already wowed with the Spud burger (topped with hash brown patty). Yup, we've taken it to DEFCON 1. Feast your eyes on this culinary masterpiece: Cheese burger, topped with hash brown patty slathered in Bacon Spread! Face.

2. Charlie Weis - Head Coach, University of Kansas

Still seems weird to say, let alone wrap your head around. Regardless of where you shake out ... Love it? Lukewarm? Skeptical? Please allow TEAM Tailgate to share some extremely insightful tidbits:

A. There is no way, and we mean no way, that things can get any worse than they were two weeks ago today!
B. KU has been throwing around the pigskin for 122 years. Our program has gone to back-to-back bowl games ONE time! ONE time! Our team has won TWO conference games in three seasons. TWO freaking games! Dr. Z just locked up a coach who has FOUR Super Bowl rings!

Zenger brought this "power surge" to put butts in the seats at Memorial Stadium. Reports indicate that over 300 NEW season ticket packages were sold yesterday. Well, to be perfectly honest, the buzz has carried over to TEAM Tailgate, too. We have seen our shareholder requests jump over 65% in the last 48 hours! As you know, we have a grueling screening process, so please be patient. All applications will be processed in the order they were received.

3. Spring Game - Date & Time TBA

More details forthcoming, but rest assured, TEAM Tailgate will be mobilizing in record fashion to help usher in the Charlie Weis era.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Border War Preview

First off, Happy Turkey Day to our extended Blogosphere family!

We hope you can join us for the last Border War of our lifetime. Remember this ... someday, you will have grandkids. And someday, said grandkids will hop up on your lap and ask you "What was it like when KU played Mizery in football?"

Yep ... do yourself a favor and participate on Saturday! Because at the end of the day, I'm certain you'll want to go into detail about how much you crushed with TEAM Tailgate during the last Border War game ever ... right?

It's safe to say that Arrowhead is set for a collision course on Saturday ... This place about to blow!

Baylor Recap

Lawrence tailgate finale was pretty much par for the course ... TEAM Tailgate continued to bring the thunder, and the KU Football team continued to find new ways to add to their losing streak. Bravo on both fronts. Won't waste any blogspace recapping the colossal 4th quarter melt down, but it's worth documenting some of the day's tailgating happenings.

We gave you a little teaser earlier in the week of the limo being properly Christened! Well, here she is in all her glory. Ladies and Gents ... we present JAYHWK1. Amazing!

Thought we could hand out a few end-of-season awards ...

PERFECT ATTENDANCE AWARD. Week in, week out ... this trifecta is automatic. Jeff D., MTB, and Uncle Tim. Great season, boys.

LONGEST TRAVEL DISTANCE AWARD. According to Google maps, Seattle, WA to Lawrence, KS logs in at 1,926 miles. It's nice to know that TEAM Tailgate has loyal followers spread all over the US of A. Well done, Bruce.

Just as an added bonus, Bruce schooled us with his PacNW outdoorsman knowledge, too. Bloody mary, check! Pork loin & swiss croissant sandwich, check! A properly tethered tent, check! Well played, kind sir.

MVP AWARD. It's quite simple, really. There are tailgates WITHOUT a subwofer ... and then there is TEAM Tailgate and this bad boy. Pound-for-pound the undisputed champion of 11th & Mississippi, no question!

Here's the deal: Saturday, November 26th. Arrowhead. Border War. Open Invite. We party.

Always Doing Work

Yup ... TEAM Tailgate has officially been on ice for two weeks now. However, for those of you who know us well, it's not like we have just been lollygaggin' around during the non-tailgate weekends. Nope. Doing work, per usual.

First off, limo was officially dedicated by Jeff D. & MTB. Applause.


Classic.

Secondly, recipe testing is always a favorite pastime of ours ...

#1 - Mediterranean Flat-bread

Ever been to Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder? Great eats! Now, you just have to make your way over to Meadow Lane b/c it is being replicated (perfectly I might add) at Dreiling Mansion. Behold.




#2 - Tomatillo Pulled Chicken Sammies

Shredded chicken + homemade tomatillo-garlic sauce + Jack cheese + Torta = Feast




The final Lawrence tailgate of the season is rapidly approaching ... hope to see you all there on Saturday. 1:00 p.m. kick-off.

Jamie's Wish

Jayhawks and Wildcats united for a special tailgate experience this past Saturday at 11th & Mississippi. We don't take to hyperbole too often here at TEAM Tailgate, but this tailgate was epic.

TEAM Tailgate was on K-10 at 5 bells to get the tailgate prepped for the masses. Once the tents were popped, the pink balloons hung, and the grills fired ... it was go time.

The crowds flocked to 11th & Mississippi with a purpose. Ready to eat ... ready to drink ... and ready to DONATE! (More on that $$$ later). Although the crowd was littered with Blue & Purple ... the Pink was out in full force as well, to support Jamie's Wish.

Our sponsors stepped up huge. Need to hand out a few ATTA BOY awards.

The crew at CLEAR 10 vodka kept the libations flowing ...

Our boy, Angel, at the Krispy Kreme near 103rd & Metcalf dropped us 20 dozen donuts ... no that wasn't a typo ... 20 dozen! And we all know how TEAM Tailgate appreciates a good Krispy Kreme ... hot off the grill, of course!

Through our glorious years of tailgating we've gained somewhat of a reputation for the following: Serving an absurd amount of ice cold beers; creating culinary gems; staffing mixologist extraordinaire MTB; and, of course, exploiting every golden opportunity to bust each other's balls on a regular basis ... hardly the characteristics of a fundraising dream team.

TEAM Tailgate caught wind of Jamie's Wish over the summer and we were asked to help with this special Sunflower Showdown tailgate event. As the event grew closer, we made the executive decision that we were going to own it! Then something else happened ... as the week-of arrived, word spread like a brush fire ... newspaper articles, TV spots, etc. and we started to realize that Jamie's Wish was getting bigger than we could possibly fathom. When it was all said and done, it was a Great tailgate, with Great people, for a Great cause!

TEAM Tailgate is honored, humbled, and proud to be have teamed up with Jamie's Wish. We learned a few things over the last 48 hours ...

1. Real men wear pink!


2. The human spirit is alive and well in the State of Kansas. Jayhawk or Wildcat? Crimson & Blue vs. Purple? We all united to support Jamie's Wish, wear PINK, and ante up the green! Yep ... over 6 grand! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

TEAM Tailgate goes on ice for a few weeks ... See you November 12th.

Tailgate for a Cause

TEAM Tailgate invites you to join us this coming Saturday as we support Jamie's Wish.

We will be taking the tailgate to a completely different stratosphere this weekend and the best part ... 100% of all money raised will go directly to Jamie's Wish. So please, take the rest of the week and reflect on what level of awesomeness TEAM Tailgate has contributed to your own lives via our tailgate domination over the years. NOW ... time to give a little back.

For the regulars ... same spot as always!

For the rooks ... 11th & Mississippi! Once your eyes gaze upon this glorious Jayhawk van, you know you're there.

Oh ... and you'll probably hear the 300 watt subwoofer once you get within a mile radius. Here is a link to parking map for reference ... Lot #96.

We are honored to be associated with this worthy cause. I'll let Matt Tait of KU Sports provide some additional color. Great read!

**Please take special note of article comment by Patty Dreiling ... as most of you know, this is our fearless leader's mother!

Hope to see you on Saturday ... Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

OU Recap

Well ... well ... well ... TEAM Tailgate is at it again.

Sailing thru some uncharted waters with this whole 8:15 PM kick-off situation, we vacillated all week about arrival time. What time is reasonable to arrive for such a late start? Don't you worry ... first operational tailgate at 11:00 a.m. Sorry for partying! And no, we don't count these clowns who set up tents and chairs early in the AM and "begin" tailgating 2 hours before game time. Weak sauce.

Our fellas over at Clear 10 continue to bring the fury, fueling TEAM Tailgate and guests with libations.

It appears word travels fast these days ... the Italian Stallion lore spread like a brush fire. Folks came from far and wide to feast on this culinary dynamo. A grilled Italian sausage with provolone, topped with Italian beef and marinara. Hells yes! A few loyal TEAM Tailgate followers popped in from Austin, Chicago, and Prairie Village to chow down. Happy gullets indeed.

And these two fellas, accompanied by none other than the Godfather of TEAM Tailgate, Larry P. They jumped "the pond" to partake in this sandwich extravaganza. Yep, all the way from England! Good times mates ...

10 hours of tailgating can drain ya, no question. Unless ... an impromptu game of flip-cup breaks out on the track. Really took the energy up a notch. Great call, Mr. Johnson.

Next Saturday ... 11 AM. KU v K-STATE. 11th & Mississippi will be a rockin'.

Homecoming Recap - Texas Tech

As loyal followers/supporters of TEAM Tailgate, you have come to appreciate that an 11 AM kickoff means a wire-to-wire tailgate. Add in the Homecoming spectacle, though, and we feel obligated to take things up a rung.

Pop quiz: You ever set up a tailgate at 6 AM? I mean, you ever wired a complete audio/visual system with surround sound? Yep ... proper gear is in order! Hey Johnny Spelunker ... eat it. Nice work, Jeff D.


We've always thrown our chest out there a little bit, thinking our setup was pretty top shelf. Well ... MTB's buddy, Tom, did us a little favor and quietly reminding us the game can always be taken to another level. Umm ... yeah. This gear won't quite fit inside the Jayhawk van, gonna need it's own trailer.




Let's get up close and personal with this bad boy. Six burner grill with more BTUs than a 747! See those smoke signals coming off this puppy? Yep, full side box smoker with enough capacity for multiple smoked meats! And finally, no your eyes are not deceiving you, that is a freaking deep fat fryer! Done and Done.

A deep fat fryer!?! The possibilities are endless, right? Well ... today's menu called for crawfish pies. They did not disappoint - brought some Cajun fury. (Go get yourself some of that green Louisiana Jem sauce. You're welcome.)

There's something about a grill loaded up with Krispy Kremes that gives the crowd that extra skip in their step.

Just a picturesque day in Lawrence, Kansas.

The weather Gods were shining down ... the football Gods? Not so much.

See ya October 15th.

GRIDIRON

Grab a coldie and settle in ... great stuff.



May wanna pay special attention to tailgate scene around the 11:26 mark ... Yep, TEAM Tailgate strikes again!

Week 2 Recap - Northern Illinois

After a debacle of a tailgate to kick-off the 2011 campaign, TEAM Tailgate did some soul searching over the last week and got back to our roots. What follows are the ingredients to an A+ tailgate and good times in Lawrence on a football Saturday ...

Got the DeLorean out and Jeff D. dialed up this legendary throw back


Breakfast of champions right here


Solid group shot of the early crew. Surround sound? Check! College Gameday? Check!


Over the years, we've all come to appreciate that MTB is a man of many hats ... yep, we'd like you to meet MTD (Mike the Driver). Bravo.


TEAM Tailgate welcomed Jason as a guest smoker this week to dazzle the crowd.


This Baron of BBQ did not disappoint. The mass quantities of brisket, pulled pork, burnt ends, as well as ribs were an instant crowd pleaser. Here is a shot of his glorious rack!


Always on the lookout for new culinary improvisations, TEAM Tailgate created a nice synergy with Jason's BBQ spread. Behold ... a true FOOT LONG from our guys at Fritz's, sprinkled with pulled pork and slathered up with BBQ sauce. Hot damn! Collaboration at its finest!


No matter how off-the-charts a tailgate is, the game often dictates if the party will continue. What a freaking game! Our stable of Clydesdales at the running back position continue to turn heads. James Sims = Man!


Although TEAM Tailgate is officially on ice until Homecoming (October 1st), we're revved up for Georgia Tech this weekend down in HOT-lanta. Rock Chalk!

Week 1 Recap - McNeese State

Jayhawks ... 1-0.

TEAM Tailgate ... 0-1. Now, don't get us wrong, we brought the fury early and often. However, the equipment and Mother Nature just didn't hold up their end of the deal.

Although it has become our calling card over the years, first arrival status just doesn't get old. Operational by 7:30 a.m. for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff. Dominate!

Let the comedy of errors begin ... Perhaps the Jayhawk van ran thru a Haskell Indian burial ground on the way into Lawrence, but we were jinxed from the word GO. After 45 minutes of College Gameday viewing with ice cold beer in hand, BOOM! the TV blew. First thought ... maybe the generator was bad? Solution? Jeff "A/V guru" Dreiling secured a replacement generator with enough juice to power Memorial Stadium from nearby Anderson Rentals ... Bravo!

Still nothing. Maybe we need a new TV? Solution? Jeff "A/V guru" instructed afternoon crew to purchase a new TV and haul up to Lawrence ... Bravo!

Nope. Unreal. So, we huddled around the 15 inch Sat-Go screen and watched games. We stress "huddle" because this is about when rain storm #1 rolled thru forcing the masses under the tent. Good times ...

The food, though, was on point. Three ... meal ... tailgate!

Breakfast sammys - Ham & Swiss on croissant

Spicy Buffalo chicken sammys w/homemade blue cheese spread

A loyal Blog follower in the Fort Worth metropolitan area suggested some "cowboy" burgers to foreshadow the domination of McNeese State "Cowboys". Good call. Burgers w/sharp cheddar, chopped bacon, and jalapenos.

Back to this electrical cloud/Poltergeist wrecking havoc on the tailgate. Theories were flying around ... maybe the Jack Donaghy-inspired GE 3-in-1 crock pot pulled too much juice?

Regardless of the cause, we guarantee all systems go for Saturday.

Finally ... the game. Jayhawk Nation lost perhaps its most dedicated, devoted, wear-it-on-their-sleeve member on Saturday. RIP Coach.

Impressed with the freshman. Could have some real players. D needs some work.

Huge game on Saturday. See you at 11th & Mississippi.

New Season ... New Toy

Well ... Well ... Well ... we trust the off-season has been treating everyone well. As the taste of tailgating season comes sweeping thru the Heartland, we deemed it time for an update from America's Team ... T.E.A.M. Tailgate.

T minus 1 week until we storm into Lawrence for a traditional wire-to-wire, 3 meal tailgate. Early and often all season ...

How exactly do you upgrade a tailgate that already has the following?
1. Beers colder than frostbite.
2. Made from scratch, cooked to order eats.
3. Hand crafted cocktails and MTB.
4. High def big screen with surround sound.
5. Tent large enough to house a Winnebago.
6. A cash money Jayhawk van.

After studying that list long and hard ... we concur. That is a great freaking question!

Perhaps something that just oozes class and sophistication? I don't know, maybe an alternative vehicle for arrival on GAMEDAY Saturdays? An addition to the "fleet", if you will.

Without further ado ... MTB & Jeff take a bow ... great find!


A loyal BLOG follower from the greater Buffalo NY area summed it up best ... "The question isn't why WOULD Dreiling buy a limo ... It's why WOULDN'T he " Yep.

See ya September 3rd.