RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – PHILADELPHIA FANS
PHILADELPHIA FANS
Philadelphia fans at the NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial stadium crossed the line! This past week I had the chance to sit down and visit with Tate Streich of Madison. Tate is a member of the elite Vikings World Order organization. These are fanatic Vikings fans that have amazing Viking outfits and cheer on the Vikings. Tate said they have about 300 people in the group. You have to be voted in to be able to be part of the Vikings World Order. Tate was voted in during the season opener with New Orleans.
Tate was in Philadelphia for the game. What happened before, during and after the Vikings and Eagles championship game is almost impossible to describe. I have seen the television news stories and read in newspapers and on social media how bad the Eagles fans were. Until you visit with someone that was directly involved, it is hard to believe that so many people can act like that.
The story is about how bad Eagle fans treated Minnesota Viking fans in the parking lot, in the stadium and outside the stadium after the game. If you were wearing Viking purple apparel, you were viciously attacked, both verbally and physically. It wasn’t just a isolated incident, or a few people. According to Tate, the assaults came from hundreds of Eagle fans, with police and security ignoring the physical and verbal onslaught. He was hit in the head with beer cans. Eagle fans were urinating on Viking fans, spitting, throwing food, and vulgar language! Disgusting!
I know that every NFL team have a few fans that are totally drunk and cause problems at stadiums. The Vikings have fans like that, but what happened in Philadelphia was that the Eagle fans were said to be numbered in the thousands that were causing havoc on Vikings fans.
I need to find another word for “fan”. These people are not Philadelphia “fans”. I am struggling for a word to describe them. Thugs comes to mind. I think I will go with that word. Thugs! Philadelphia thugs! I am upset about this.
I have attended away Gopher football games. I have been to Michigan, Iowa and Nebraska. I wore my maroon and gold Gopher apparel with pride. Sure I did receive some verbal abuse and booing at times while walking to the stadiums. But it was all in fun! Nothing that made me fear for my life like Tate experienced in Philadelphia. In fact, at Nebraska I took my seat just under the goal post wearing my Gopher pull over. An older gentleman sitting next to me welcomed me to Nebraska with a handshake. I was the only person wearing maroon and gold in that whole section of red Cornhusker apparel!
I think Philadelphia thugs should take lessons from Nebraska fans on how to conduct themselves at games.
INTERVIEW WITH TATE STREICH VIKINGS WORLD ORDER
Paul Raymo interviews Tate Streich of Madison. Tate was in Philadelphia for the Vikings game on Sunday and talks about his experience with Philly fans.
RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS -MINNEAPOLIS MIRACLE
MINNEAPOLIS MIRACLE
Last Sunday around 7 pm, I was sitting in my recliner watching the Vikings. My wife was in her favorite chair and on her iPad shopping or playing games. She is not a sports fan; it is just not her thing. Me however I live for sports, well maybe not soccer. I bleed purple and am a huge Vikings fan and have been since I can remember.
The Minnesota Vikings were playing the New Orleans Saints in Minneapolis. It was definitely playoff atmosphere at US Bank stadium. I had a good number of friends attending the game and I was enjoying looking at their posts on Facebook and Twitter. I had been sitting in my chair since 3 o’clock that afternoon watching football. By seven o’clock the Saints had just kicked a field goal to take the lead 24-23 with 25 seconds left in the game. The Vikings season was coming to an end.
I can’t tell you how upset I was with 25 seconds remaining in the game. The Vikings were leading 17 to 0 with 1:18 left in the third quarter. Then the roof fell in. I’m going to give credit to Drew Brees and the Saints they fought back and played well in the fourth quarter. I am very vocal while watching the Vikings on television. I actually yell a lot at the Tv. From 6 to 7 o’clock my wife started to yell at me. She would say, “stop yelling” “calm down” “be quiet” “really.”
So here I am at 7pm, pouting, heart racing, blood pressure up and really upset that the Vikings are going to get beat and the season is over. I’m actually seething. My emotions are all over the place, I am sad, I am mad, and I am hurt. The Vikings have 25 seconds left to try and get into field goal range to win the game. Then it happens!
Keenum’s pass to #14 Stefon Diggs for the winning touchdown!! I jumped out of my chair and lost my ear piece because I was listening to the Paul Allen while watching the tv. Jumping up and down and yelling at the top of my lungs continued for about a minute! I could not believe what had happened. My wife sitting in her chair yelling at me “Calm down, you are going to have a heart attack!” There was a lot of yelling going on in our house at that moment.
One of the greatest moments in Vikings history. Also one of the greatest radio calls by Paul Allen and Pete Bercich. Since then I have put the touchdown radio call as my ringtone on my phone. I’ve been hearing it at least once a hour all week long. A Minnesota sports moment that ranks right up there with Kirby Puckett’s game six homerun! A miracle it was.
RAYMO’S RAMBLINGS – ALWAYS A VIKINGS FAN!
ALWAYS A VIKING FAN
It was 1968; I was eleven years old. My family lived in New Ulm Minnesota, just on the outskirts of town. We lived in a large two story house. 1968 was a year of turmoil in our country. Riots were happening on college campuses as students were protesting the Vietnam war. Civil right marches were taking place across the country and Dr. King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Not a good year. However, in the world of sports, it was an excellent year for the Minnesota Vikings.
I remember watching the Vikings with my dad on our black and white television set that season. I would cheer loudly in front of the television, while my dad would sometimes yell in frustration at a Vikings miscue. For the first time in Vikings history they made the playoffs, they were 8 and 6 during the regular season. The Vikings were loaded with some blue collar football players. Some of my favorite Vikings of all time, like quarterback Joe Kapp, running back Bill Brown, Carl Eller, Allan Page were playing that year with many other great players.
I remember the Vikings first playoff game really well. My dad had put a small black and white Tv in my bedroom. That is where I watched the Vikings play the Baltimore Colts for the Western Conference Championship. The game was played in Baltimore right before Christmas, and if I remember correctly it was snowing. I was emotionally involved with the 68 Vikings, loved all the players on the team and wanted them to win so bad. They didn’t, they lost 24-14.
I was absolutely devastated, so much so I cried. I cried lying on my bed in my upstairs room watching the clock wind down on my antique television. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. I was very sad that they lost; it hurt so much. Thus began many years of agony of being a Minnesota Vikings fan.
That was my first taste of the Vikings losing a big game. I have suffered through four Super Bowl losses. Gary Anderson’s missed field goal against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC championship game in 98. The Vikings were 15 and 1 that year and it was the most disappointing loss of all time. I shed a tear that day. Brett Favres interception against the Saints, Blair Walsh wide left, Hail Mary loss to the Cowboys, the list is long and hurtful.
This year’s Vikings team is fun to watch. I will always be a Vikings fan. I actually bleed purple. I really enjoy watching the Vikings on Tv Sunday afternoons. I do turn down the Tv sound and listen to Paul Allen and Pete Bercich on the radio. That makes for a perfect Sunday especially when they win, and they have been winning a lot this year.
This could be the year they win the Super Bowl! Just once before I die, I am hoping the Vikings win the big game. Then I could cry happy tears for once!