Well, the Packers came through as predicted by the unscientific sampling blogged about yesterday.
Wearing Packer gear reminded me of a funeral I once attended. Dan was born without flexible joints at his knees and elbows. He was in a wheelchair while other kids were learning to walk and run and for the rest of his life this was his ride. I was Dan's counselor during his junior high years. He and some of his friends used to come to my office over their lunch hour and play chess or just visit. That was our routine on days that Dan was in school and he was a kid who had almost perfect attendance. I never heard him complain about anything-EVER. He later went on to high school and some college. The last time I talked to him he was working as a guide for the Bureau of Land Management at the The Three Trail Center in Casper. He was never able to exercise and gained weight. This probably led to his death in his 30's.
What does this have to do with Packer paraphernalia? Dan for some reason became an ardent GB Packer fan. Someone (I'm not sure whom but one of local columnist's father had been the defensive coordinator of the Packers) arranged for Dan to go to Green Bay for a Packer's game. He came back with all sorts of Green Bay souvenirs. At the funeral everyone in attendance was asked to wear a Green Bay item. I don't think I saw any rubber cheeseheads but almost all wore something from the Packers. I confess that as a Vikings fan I just couldn't do it. I did wear some green, however, and hoped that would suffice. Dan was well liked and the church was packed including a U.S. Senator and his wife, several teachers and coaches, and just people from the community who knew Dan. There are Packer fans and then there are Packer fans.