Long Overdue

TEAM Tailgate was watching that abomination of a game on Saturday ... truth be told, the game was DVR'ed and actually caught up on the action about an hour after kick-off.  Wow.  An entire hour of our lives that will never be returned.  Ever. 

Oh well ... it got us thinking.  It's all about the Tailgate.  Has been for years ... could be for many more.  Was doing the fine followers of this Blog (yep, all 8 of you) a disservice; no updates, no pictures, no good times.  Unacceptable.  Please accept this Photo Dump with our deepest apologies. Sure, the Win column continues to be bleak, but the good times continue at Eleventh & Mississippi and that just ain't changing ...

GAME #2 vs. RICE

The calm before the storm ...

The early crew ...

Busting out a new appetizer for this game ... our guys at Fritz's make a killer summer sausage!  Pair that with an extra sharp cheddar and you're in business.

The main culinary attraction of the afternoon was pulled pork.  It's as easy as 1 ... 2 ... 3.  Finale shot with some spicy slaw courtesy of Oklahoma Joe's. 

 

The biggest surprise of the day ... How MTB didn't get a truck load of MIPs served on this crew.

*Side note .... Worst. Shirt. Ever.  This weekend was the beginning of the end for the "In Crist We Trust" era.  Yep, it lasted 2 effing games.  F me!


GAME #3 vs. TCU

Jeff. D.
Boss.

Broke in the newest member of TEAM Tailgate.  Beer pong table ... Big Ups to Clark Wilson on the craftsmanship! 

A couple new culinary gems whipped out for the 11 AM kick-off ... a.k.a. Breakfast Tailgate!

#1 - The Exception.  Cinnamon bread, PB, honey, & bacon!

#2 - Cinnamon/Raisin bread, cream cheese, & bacon! 

And ... without further ado.  Sign of the Day.  Hands down!

 ROAD TRIP - JAYHAWKS STORM DEKALB

Yep, TEAM Tailgate took their show on the road.  Unfortunately, we still lost.  Oh well ... good time nonetheless.

Friday night pep rally.  We're a pretty big deal.

Minutes before kick-off ... Baby Jay luck would not pay off, nor would an impromptu tuba session from Dr. Morris.  

GAME #4 - OKLAHOMA STATE

Oh, how the Football Gods have been drilling us for multiple season.  Sure, we can't win a game to save our lives, but then we can't even party in decent weather.  LOT 96 shut down via e-mail on Friday Night!  Omaha!  Omaha!  Audible called ... and the monsoon just drilled us all day in Lot 56 on the West side of the stadium.  Horrible.

We tried to make the best of our new surroundings ... even fraternizing with the visitors from Stillwater.

The new flavor explosion of the week ... Squealers!  Ground chuck & bacon formed into a patty.  Your choice of cheese ... American or Cheddar.  Got both working here.

 

So ... This Saturday is Homecoming.    Not any ol' Homecoming ... 100th year of homecoming.  Who's with us?  TEAM Tailgate will be getting after it like it's 1912.  Let's party.  Seriously.

Week 1 - South Dakota State

It's been a long off-season ... TEAM Tailgate was back to our old tricks early this past Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas.  Despite the fact Hurricane Issac was wreaking havoc throughout the Heartland, nothing was gonna stop the Jayhawk van from traveling the speed of sound on K-10 bright and early Saturday morning.  Turns out even a blown driver's side windshield wiper couldn't derail this locomotive of tailgate fury ... Big Ups to Jeff D. for pulling his best Ace Ventura driving scenario - into the passenger seat instead of out-the-window - but impressive nonetheless!

The first tailgate of the season is typically a bittersweet affair.  Super jacked for another football season, but inadvertently many kinks must be worked out.  Always on the cutting edge of innovation, we did roll out a few new items.

Swanky new TV stand to take the AV situation up yet another notch!

 Turns out, despite the extremely efficient tri-pod style design, this stand canNOT, in fact, hold up to Hurricane Issac wind gusts ... so that was kinda painful to find out.  Again, a few kinks!

We also took the glassware up a rung this season.  MTB will be flinging drinks with just a touch more sophistication.

 Just a quick housekeeping item ... TEAM (The Eleventh And Mississippi) Tailgate has created quite a cult following over the years, so if you are new to the game we wanted to ensure you could locate us on Saturdays this Fall.  Turns out the very special (and long overdue in our humble opinion) renaming of Eleventh street adjacent to the stadium did in fact stretch all the way to our front steps ...

 Although we will not be renaming the operation, it is pretty cool to have Coach Fam along for the ride from here on out ... just spitting venom toward Missourah with all the rest of us!

It was nice to have all "the pillars" of the operation on hand bright and early to usher in the Charlie Weis era and yet another loud and proud season of TEAM Tailgate.

 And it just wouldn't be an official blog post without a few obligatory pics showing that, once again, the crowds were treated to divine eats and obscene amounts of booze.  The staple that we've all come to love, and truly one of the signature offerings ... The Campbell.

Our friends over at CLEAR10 provided the libations. 

As for the game action ... perhaps a little TOO close for comfort there in the 4th quarter.  We saw some very encouraging things, well as some things requiring attention.  Bottom line, we saw them with over 46,000 strong from Jayhawk Nation.  Great day!  Here's to a fun tailgate season!

Next Saturday kick-off at 2:30 p.m.  Hope to see you at 11th (Fambrough Drive) and Mississippi!

Spring Game Recap

TEAM Tailgate has been looking forward to this day since the clock struck 0:00 inside Arrowhead Stadium last Fall ... the official end of the Turner Gill experiment.  Saturday marked the begin of the Charlie Weis era! 

Despite a laundry list of conflicts affecting numerous members of the crew, TEAM Tailgate marched onward.  First things first ... lock down meat for the grill. 

Goal was to be fully operational by 11:00 AM in the parking lot.  We circled the Chi-O fountain at 10:45 sharp ... right on schedule!  Quick aside:  To the nice young couple attempting to take engagement photos at the fountain, sorry for the overly aggressive honking by decked out KU van.  That's on me.  Good times ...

Impressed with tailgate crowd.  Been hitting the Spring Game for many years ... largest crowd we can ever remember.  Look, are we Ohio State or Alabama with the attendance situation?  Of course not.  However, the announced 15K inside the stadium was a welcome surprise (surpassed our over/under set at 8,000) to jump start the excitement leading into next Fall.  Plus, we'd estimate about 1/4 of folks around the stadium never went in ... just threw back some cold ones and enjoyed the day.  Well played.

As mentioned in an earlier post, crucial cog to the operation Jeff D. was out of town.  The first glaring consequence is the makeshift AV situation.  Subwoofer?  No.  Wireless speakers? Negative.  What you see is what you get ...

Game tidbits: It simply echoed what HCCW has been saying over the last two months - Offense is WAY ahead of the Defense;  Crist is a "man among boys";  Gonna need the influx of 5th year transfers, JUCO kids, and a few high school recruits to make an impact immediately, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.

The best part about an intra-squad scrimmage?  Guaranteed Victory Beers!

Here is a highlight video.  Players of note:  #10 Dayne Crist; #3 Tony Pierson; #55 Michael Reynolds; #20 D.J. Beshears; #9 Jake Heaps; #28 Marquis Jackson.  See a trend?  Yep, only one guy plays defense. 

September 1, 2012 can't get here soon enough.  Should be a fun season ...

Hope SPRINGS Eternal

Back at it after a long hibernation ... a few quick hitters since our last post.

1. Glorious run by the basketball team. A funny thing happened this season from TEAM Tailgate's vantage point. Squad went from almost unwatchable in November/December (just not real "fun" to watch that is ...) to one of our favorite teams in recent history by March. Just warriors all season long. Congrats to Coach Self and all the guys!

(Photo courtesy of KU Sports)

2. Charles in Charge in Lawrence, KS. We can't drink enough of the new regime Kool-Aid. More accountability? Check. Increased discipline? Yep. New level of competitiveness? Sure as hell hope so! T minus 2 weeks until the 1:00 p.m Spring Game kick-off on April 28th at Memorial Stadium. Although the head count (and aggressiveness level) may be down a bit (read: COO Jeff D. unfortunately will be MIA), we are anxiously awaiting the game.

(Photo courtesy of KU Sports)

3. Jamie's Wish Update. Who could forgot that epic Saturday last Fall when rivals (KU vs. K-State) came together for one common goal (Jamie's Wish)?!? Recap here. The goal of raising $100K to completely overhaul the Lawrence Memorial Hospital infusion rooms was set. Although it seemed quite daunting, Jamie's friends not only accomplished their goal ... they crushed it! Yep, the current tally is $140K and counting ... Here is an excellent article on the ribbon cutting ceremony for the updated Oncology Center! TEAM Tailgate is honored to have helped with this incredible cause!

See you on April 28th ...

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.