Last regular season game on Sunday!

Where has the season gone, my friends?

On Sunday, January 2 the Green Bay Packers will play and defeat the Chicago Bears at noon. Lambeau Field is where I'll be at, courtesy of a Christmas present of Green Bay Packers tickets. Thanks, Gma!

Tune in to Fox Sports otherwise.

It's 2011 and there's no better way to welcome the year than with a Green Bay Packers win!

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Pack!

Brad Jones' Viola

Let me introduce you to Green Bay Packers linebacker, Brad Jones.

"Hi, hotforthepack blog readers."
"Hiya, Brad!"

Quick facts about this guy.

He wears jersey #59. He went to college at Colorado. He was born in Lansing, Michigan. Now lives in Boulder. Plays the viola. Is 24 years of age. And James Baldwin is his favorite author.

* Record screeching sound.*

Back it up.

PLAYS THE VIOLA?

Yes, my friends. Brad Jones enjoys playing the viola!

A viola is the stringed instrument that falls between the cello and violin in size and depth of sound. Here's a tutorial for those of you unfamiliar with viola facts:



I always admire those who are musically talented (remember past blog posts about a certain Green Bay Packer who plays the drums, trombone and tuba? Bonus points for putting his name in the comments!). Brad Jones just went up in my estimation because of this fun fact.

Mark Tauscher the newlywed

Did any of you all get an invite last summer to the wedding of Mark Tauscher and his fiance, Sarah Helgeson? On that beautiful July day, Mark Tauscher said "I do" in Madison, Wisconsin and around thirty of his fellow football players were there representing his Wisconsin college team and the Green Bay Packers. Even Green Bay Packers left tackle, Chad Clifton, was a groomsman.

Mark Tauscher wishes he were in a tux.

So, how long exactly does the newlywed label last? Six months? A year? Two years? As long as your registry is online? Apparently, Macy's and Williams and Sonoma keep those suckers up for at least a year--it's one the first listings when googling the couple's names. Weirdness. Feel free to buy the pair some Kate Spade dinner plates. They still need four!


Mark Tauscher's marriage may be new, but his career in the NFL is not. He started in 2000 and has seen stints in NFL Europe, the Green Bay Packers, and on the injured list. Let's hope his knees stay strong and healthy for the upcoming Green Bay Packers 2010 season. Gooooooo, team!

Green Bay versus the New York Giants

December Lambeau Field games are not for the faint of heart.

Are you tough enough?

Fan enough?

DEDICATED ENOUGH?

...to attend a game on the 26th?

Green Bay Packers tickets are few and far between but still out there. Game time is 3:15 p.m. at Lambeau Field on Sunday, December 26. It's going to be a good one!

If you aren't able to attend the game (no judgment) then tune in to Fox Sports.

And watch the rest of us true fans see it live (judgment).

Purchase Green Bay Packers Tickets!

The Green Bay Packers are in the thick of a wild-card race for a birth in the NFC playoffs. They have 2 games remaining and control their own destiny if they win out. The last two games remaining are the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. Purchase your Green Bay Packers tickets from Green Bay Packers tickets!

Ryan Pickett will crush you

If you're looking for the heaviest, beefiest, thickest dude on the Green Bay Packers team, look no further than number 79, Ryaaaaaaan Piiiiiiiiiiiiiickett!

"Wheeeeee!"

Though the guy stands at 6'2" (definitely not the tallest on the team) he outweighs all his fellow teammates, including B.J. Raji by 3 pounds. At a hefty THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY POUNDS, Ryan Pickett is a whopping 149 pounds heavier than his lightest green and gold teammates, Brandon Underwood and Tramon Williams who are tied at 191 lbs apiece.

Well, I calculated Ryan Pickett's weight in a BMI program and the news ain't good. According to that device, Ryan Pickett's BMI is 43.6. Obesity is labeled anything over 30. Yipes.

However, those BMI calculations are pretty lame imo. They don't calculate build, muscle mass, or anything at all. Ryan Pickett is huge but in shape. He could outdistance most of us in the 40, don't you think?

(Even if you don't believe it, just keep quiet. This guy has a smile on his face, but if he's mad he'll block out the sun. And we don't want that. That whole the-sun-is-needed-for-life-on-earth thing is pretty important.)

Atari Bigby's Second Choice Sport: Football

Isn't it remarkable that Atari Bigby is so talented at football yet he acknowledges it isn't his favorite sport?
In fact, soccer is Atari Bigby's true favorite. A different kind of football. Some futbol if you will.

I just put my stellar Microsoft Paint talent to good use in order to drive this message home.

I know. Next stop for my career? Graphic design.

I wonder if Atari Bigby ever tried to go pro in soccer. The sport is slowly gaining popularity among Americans, especially after the U.S. team did better than expected at the World Cup. Though it's never been my favorite sport, I still enjoy playing or watching it from time to time. And if Atari Bigby was a soccer player, I would definitely start watching soccer more often!

Green Bay versus New England Patriots

At 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, December 19th, the Green Bay Packers will be challenging the New England Patriots on Patriots' turf.

This should be a tough game but we have a chance.

The game airs on NBC Sports.

I'm staying in for this one (again, Green Bay Packers tickets would be awesome, but I'm not down for the travel costs!) and instead ordering lots of pizza and inviting the crew over.

Only a handful of games left until we rock the Super Bowl, right?!

Clay Matthews on the cover of SI

This kind of cover is the dream of most football players and Clay Matthews hit the jackpot when appearing on the April 2009 edition. He stands confidently aside fellow USC teammates Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga who all were all expected to be drafted early on. Clay Matthews was selected as the 26th overall pick--not too shabby for an often described "late bloomer" who was physically undersized until bulking up his senior year in high school.

I think that Clay Matthews appreciates the attention. With long blond locks, chiseled features, and a statuesque build, Matthews looks like a Roman general or English knight.

"Even the water droplets flung from my full-bodied hair are beautiful."

So whether you tune in to the Green Bay Packers because of their great skill or because Clay Matthews resembles a Nordic god...


....either way you get some eye candy during the game!

Tom Crabtree's Image

So Tom Crabtree is new to the squad this season. Forget his football skills, though. Let's talk looks!

I have a few pictures of Tom with a couple different hairdos that radically change his persona.

Here we go with Tom clean-cut, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed. He looks like your run of the mill college kid who is about to enter his first internship. Eager. Ambitious. Excited. Wearing his first real suit. Close shaven and tidy. Probably logs lots of hours in front of the Xbox and has friends name Brian, Andy, and Pat.

Just a guess.

Now take a look at the slightly older version of Tom Crabtree.

This kid has seen some hard times. Anger management issues. Sticks with black Jnco jeans (the wider the better), concert tees for ICP and Tool, and likes to take a drag on a cig now and then with his friends, who are named Dusty, Jared, and Todd.

Which version is most like the true Tom Crabtree? Will he radically transform yet again as his pro career advances?

I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Green Bay Packers versus Detroit Lions

ROAR!

The Green Bay Packers take on Michigan's Detroit Lions on Sunday at (you guessed it) noon!

Can't wait to see some good December football. I can't believe the season is already winding down--just three games to go after this one. Sadness.

Fox Sports is carrying the game so tune in then!

Aaron Rodgers Mash-up

The Bible is his favorite book,

Guess it deserves a second look.
Charles is his middle name
Football is his one loved game.


Chico, Cali is still his home
No matter where else he will roam.
Green Bay must be just a bit too cold
For on California his heart is sold.


Rumors say there's not just one girl in his life
Will he soon come to marry a wife?
His nickname is a simple one
"A-Rod" they call him; it's lots of fun!

His daddy-o, Ed, played semi-pro
I think that's one cool fact to know.
In high school A-rod played baseball
And was the pitcher for them all.

Does charity work from time to time
Listens to music like Sublime.
Loves The Office and Southpark
Where the humor is bitter and dark.


LA Dodgers are his team
And for them he'll surely scream.
Just like we do for the Pack
And can't wait until they next attack.

AJ Hawk's In-laws

Q: What does a mother-in-law call her broom?

A: Basic transportation.

* * *

My mother-in-law is a well balanced person. She's got a chip on BOTH shoulders.

* * *

Q: How many mothers-in-law does it take to change a light bulb?

A: One. She just holds it up there and waits for the world to revolve around her.

* * *

Well, the mother-in-law jokes are never in short supply on any given jokes website. Neither are horror stories of in-laws intruding on personal events, getting into huge fights, and not speaking for years. With all these in-law stories and jokes floating around, it got me wondering how AJ Hawk gets along with his wife's family.

AJ married Laura Quinn in a courthouse in 2006.

The happy couple

Laura Quinn, for those of you who aren't aware, is sister to Brady Quinn, aka Notre Dame turned Denver Broncos quarterback. Laura, Brady, and younger sister Kelly are the three children of Ty and Robin Quinn of Ohio. Robin and Ty had a reputation of being sports-minded, no-nonsense parents and it clearly served their children well. Brady is a successful pro athlete, Kelly played college level soccer and Laura competed in lacrosse.

Brady, Kelly and Ty Quinn

I have a feeling those awful in-law situations just don't hold true for AJ Hawk. This family seems practical and sports-minded like Hawk himself and that certainly is a good situation for them all to be in.

Kumbaya.

Green Bay versus the San Francisco 49ers

Where: Lambeau Field

Who: Green Bay Packers and the San Fransisco 49ers

When: Sunday, December 5 at noon

How: Green Bay Packers tickets or Fox Sports at noon

Why: Because we want to add another win to our record!!!

Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, Green Bay!