It was a calm Bears Sunday for the first time in a long time. I had no tailgating options since my friend, Mike Holzman, was in New Orleans for the game and my other connections were also missing today’s game. Nicole on campus working on job applications so I was going to a Bears game solo for the first time ever. And, it was pretty relaxing.

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
The game was also calm as the Bears got to Brett Favre and the Vikings. Favre threw three interceptions and lost …

I picked up my mom after the Northwestern football game – our babysitter for the evening. I planned to attend the Chicago Bulls game Saturday night before going out to dinner with Nicole. This game happened to be the 100th Chicago Bulls game I have attended.
Beg, Borrow and Deal
I had to pay for a $25 standing room only ticket from the box office since none of the scalpers would take $20 for a ticket and I was not going to pay more than $25. I knew I would be able …

Once again Northwestern was hosting an 11 am kickoff. However, rather than bring the Ultimate Sports Baby with me, I called Nicole’s cousin from East Chicago, IN to come over and babysit. Thus, without the Ultimate Sports Baby with me I headed up to my usual tailgate early.
Beg, Borrow and Deal
In what may be my most convoluted ticket scheme in a long time – I ended up making money attending today’s Northwestern football game. First, a fan contacted me through this website asking me the best way to buy tickets …

In a rare moment, I had to turn down an invite from Hospitality Jim to attend the Chicago Blackhawks game on October 27. First, I was not feeling well and second, we were leaving for Europe the next night and I needed to pack.
However, two days after getting back from Europe, Hospitality Jim invited me to tonight’s Blackhawks game. Since I figured I would not be invited to both games, tonight’s invite could have been a makeup invite.

Phoenix Coyotes at Chicago Blackhawks
The Coyotes scored two goals within 35 seconds and …

We made it to Brugge yesterday. We’re spending two days at the Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce in Brugge before we go to Brussels for our last two nights in Europe. We chose Belgium for three main reasons. First, it was a quick Eurostar train ride from London. Second, American Airlines flies non-stop back to Chicago from Brussels that was available on miles. Third, Nicole and I had not been to Belgium together.
I actually almost decided not to go to this game tonight. Let’s go back to last night – our first …

From a European perspective, the biggest event I was attending this week was the Champions League match between Inter Milan and Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Inter Milan were coming into the tournament as defending champions and the hype had translated into high ticket prices.
Beg, Borrow and Deal
As usual I showed up to the stadium with no ticket in hand expecting to buy a ticket from a ticket tout (most tickets online were well over £350 for the cheapest seats). Most touts on the street wanted more than £200 for …

One of the main reasons for taking the trip to London this week, was that the San Francisco 49ers were hosting the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium in the NFL’s annual regular season game in London. The game was scheduled to kick off at 5 pm on Sunday night.
Beg, Borrow and Deal
After spending the day with one of Nicole’s friends from high school I arrived at Wembley around 4 pm. Rather than check out the pub scene around the stadium, I decided to look for a ticket. I found an …

We landed in London on Friday morning and were planning to stay with our friends for five days. We chose London because our friends have a son eight months older than Dylan. Thus, it would be a good “first” trip to Europe to see how well we could travel. Arsenal was home against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon meaning I would be spending the day with the Arsenal boys.
Pre Game Dining
Nicole’s favorite part of hanging out with the Arsenal boys is the great lunch we go to before the …

The rare occurrence of last week was actually not that rare. My buddy, Mike Holzman, received his father’s South lot parking pass again. However, Nicole needed to move forward with her school work so we were on our own for this tailgate.
Since she did practically all of the work last week, Mike ended up putting this tailgate together. He brought burgers but the fact the grill worked was a major plus. I, with a 6-month-old at home, brought nothing to the table except a 12-pack of beer.
Washington Redskins at Chicago …

The Ultimate Sports Baby and I were off to Ryan Field as Northwestern hosted Michigan St. at 11 am for Northwestern’s homecoming game. As usual, we tailgated in the west parking lot on the corner of Central St. and Ashland Ave.

Beg, Borrow and Deal
I paid one of my friends, who I tailgate with all the time, $20 for his extra single (face value for season ticket holders is $36) rather than look for a free ticket.
Michigan St. at Northwestern
Northwestern took a 17-0 lead and was ahead 17-7 going into halftime. …