Lipid, are you serious? He said in alot of ways this couldn't have gone worse for Northwestern. Perhaps I took creative license with my interpretation, but I vehemently disagree with this assessment. All the NU fans I talked to before and afterwards had a great time, the score notwithstanding. I'm not locking on Irish Boy, but the tone of his post does not reflect the general view of the NU fans that I communicate with. The game was a blast. The whole event was a lot of fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Yes, I am serious...

...normally, when the first words someone uses to desribe something are "fun time, good experience" I tend to believe they didn't think of it as a failure.

Oh fuck, lipid. Don't do this. That's not what we are discussing. He had a fun time, but we are talking about whether it was a success for Northwestern.

Ive been on these boards for a long time. I'm the first guy to be self depricating about the NU players, the coaches, and the program. All I'm saying was that this was indeed a success for the marketing of NU's program. We have a genuine problem with attendance. I think the AD Jim Phillips did a tremendous job of thinking out of the box to get more season tickets sold AND to draw attention to the fact that there is Big Ten college football being played a stones throw from the city. Credit Phllips for doing his best to make sure this was seen as a NU event. NU took a big risk trying to do this, and I think it paid off. We got ESPN Gameday here because of Wrigley. The endzone thing turned out to be a non issue. The only thing NU fans really have to complain about is some seat views (which were not that bad afterall) and the score. In sum, I don't think IB characterized things well when he said things couldn't have gone worse for NU. It was hyperbole. I can speak for a great majority of fans when I say this game was a success.

Well, it goes without saying that I enjoyed the experience. While my seats in the left-field bleachers had a good angle, it was still pretty far from the action and you'd miss things that got closer to the near sideline due to the benches blocking the action.

My main gripe with the venue was they either didn't turn on the speakers in the bleachers or they just weren't functioning. I couldn't hear a single thing from the PA, the refs, nothing. You could hear the faint calls if you listened closely but, for some reason, there was no sound in the bleachers. I've been to many Cub games in the bleachers and never had a problem like that.

One other thing, Erin Andrews doesn't do much. From her reports, you'd get the impression that she's pacing the sidelines listening in but I watched her the entire game...the entire game...I'm still not sure who won...and she didn't move from the 50 yard line hardly at all.

It was good to see Leshoure have an exceptional day. He's a very good back. Even though Illinois dominated the first quarter, it still looked like they'd bonehead their way to losing it so it was good to see them take control in the 2nd half and put a team away.

The atmosphere around the park was crazy, as crazy as any I've ever seen, including playoff games and clinchers. Going into the game, I was certain they'd never do it again but, after watching it, I'm not certain they wouldn't agree to do it again with the same rules. It really didn't impact play at all to anyone's advantage.

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You know me like that.

Whatever...

And to think I listened to two guys repeat over and over last week that Wrigley doesn't mean a damn thing and that the Cubs should move to a deluxe new stadium in the suburbs!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Maybe

Spiegs was taking notes so he can talk about it on the air?

Spiegs was walking into the section in front of him where his brother and kids were sitting, so he joined them for most of the game.

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I think my post is being read a little to negatively, and as I warned in the very first sentence, I was a few glasses into the evening, so I wasn't very interested in re-reading my post to make sure the tenor of it was pitch perfect. I had a great time, and it seemed like everyone else did too.

That being said, 99% of college football fans weren't at the game, and 95% of them didn't watch the game. Had Northwestern and the Big Ten announced the rules change two months ago, the storm would have passed over. Instead, the huge storyline all day was "Illinois plays Northwestern in wacky, pick-up-style scrimmage." In truth, the rules change wasn't a big deal at all. But that doesn't matter. Perception becomes reality at some point.

Similarly, Northwestern put a lot of eggs into this Wrigley basket. The "Chicago's Big Ten Team" stuff was all done for this purpose. Losing would have been one thing, especially once their QB was injured last week. But the defense was almost non-existent. Northwestern has now played in two prime-time games: against PSU, and this one. That is the window by which casual fans look into the conference, because unfortunately almost no one is watching those 11:00 AM games except die hard college football fans and fans of the team. And for those people that tuned in to see the novelty of the contest, they saw Illinois rush for over 500 yards.

I had a great time. I thought everything was pulled off well, except for the snottiness of NU marketing, who decided to sit the Illini marching band in Cuba. If they did it again next year, I'd go again. But step into the average comment thread on ESPN or message board for people not already predisposed to liking Illinois or Northwestern, the common sentiment, however misspelled it may be, was "what a joke." Whatever accurate or not, the rules stuff became the entire game.

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Fire Phil Emery

i always wonder why anyone is concerned with making chicago into a "college town". there are enough pro teams to keep everyone interested and enough nearby colleges with a lot of alums to fill up the bars on saturday afternoons and root for their teams. i've never felt something missing here because of the lack of a "college presence" or anything.

Tough to take notes when you're not watching the game, no?

Nope. We were in one of the front rows of the 200 level section. They weren't letting anyone through to the 100 level without tickets. I know, because I had family down there. If he had a 100 level ticket, why not sit down there? Also, he stayed in his seat at halftime.

Any more defense of Spiegel theories? Maybe he needed an emergency appendectomy? Maybe Tributasaurus just landed a record deal?

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Fire Phil Emery

I think you've got it backwards. NU is trying to market its athletic program as "Chicago's Big Ten Team". The Wrigley game was a part of that marketing, not the other way around. You'll notice they are using that tagline for their basketball advertising now.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

I get that, but this was supposed to be the apotheosis of all that. Northwestern beating "the state school" (as their coach so lovingly calls Illinois) in a purple-clad Wrigley field. It would have been like the Auburn Outback Bowl, but times ten, because, you know, they actually won. I don't think you can really use that game as the centerpiece of your marketing going forward, like they did with the Outback Bowl.

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Fire Phil Emery

Too bad. Things don't always work out as planned. I'm an Illinois guy who grew up in Evanston. My mom actually had the nerve to ask me who I was rooting for. I don't blame Fitz for being pompous. He is an NU grad after all. But he would do well to remember he came from Orland Park. Someone might chide him like Lecter chided Clarice.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

They walled off the 100 level sections as well. We were pretty much on the edge between 200 and 100. He couldn't have been moving down.

Also, like I said, he didn't leave during halftime, which would be the most logical time to go and see someone.

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Fire Phil Emery

from Spiegs to Mr Friendly IB

I was typing notes on a memo app for my phone. I take notes at games...I work in the sports business...maybe he was unaware of that.

I kept walking to my brother in law and nephews in the section in front of us...often sat with them for several minutes at a time.

Scalped a ticket...so got in a little late...then left after 3 because I was cold as hell. Sat with Shep, who came down from his own scalped seat, and talked about the game. And yeah...I'm not a fan of either team. I was there for the experience, as cultural anthropology. Historic, interesting day.

Tell Irish Boy to introduce himself and not just sit in silent judgement of someone he knows, 2 feet away from him next time. Enjoyed some conversation with the guys in front of me.

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Why doesn't Mr. Meatpants get on here and tell us all that himself?

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

The man's devotion to his craft is nearly endless.

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Fire Phil Emery

And wait, everything I said above as corroborated. He was at the game for about 2.5 quarters. He wasn't in his seat for most of that. When he was in his seat, he mostly wasn't watching the game.

The proof will be in the pudding on Monday, assuming his band doesn't have a gig and he has no other pressing matters. I'm looking forward to some awesome notes.

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Fire Phil Emery

Tell meatpants to come on here and not in sit in silent judgement instead of calling people out on his radio show for things said here or sending his girlfriend on here to admonish us.

What Irish Boy did is EXACTLY what meatpants does here. Unless of course, you know, YourMom is in fact Meatpants.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Yes meatpants, come and post here so our members can talk a bunch of shit to you!

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

He's the one who had a problem with Irish Boy "silently judging".

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

He is also the one that said he would be interacting on the board, which he has not done.

He is a pussy. He makes comments on air, he makes them through his woman, yet he will not come on here and say anything.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Isn't it somewhat unusual to criticize someone for "silently judging" their leaving a ten point football game before the fourth quarter starting? Should I have leaned over to the empty seat and said "you know, you should stick around for this one?"

When he left, Northwestern was down ten and had the ball at the Illinois 30 on first down. Spiegel left because he was cold. Color me slightly skeptical that he was doggedly writing notes during the earlier parts of the game.

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Fire Phil Emery

I don't "work in the sports business" but isn't the last quarter of a game normally considered pretty important?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Well, in fairness, it was 36 degrees at 5:00 PM yesterday. Never has Chicago football seen such hellish conditions.

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Fire Phil Emery

So this place is the only possible source of feedback for the show? It's not possible for people to have made the same complaints via email to the show, or through the comcast feedback zone? Or even through the facebook page? The shit that meatpants answered to on air only came from this place?

Maybe he wanted to refute the complaints from all the sources and not just the ones here. Could that be possible?

_________________
team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

He specifically mentioned that he's "dating a lurker" in the same conversation. I don't know if he was talking ONLY about the board but he certainly was talking about the board.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

So was this thing televised?

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ESPNU...so, I guess it's up for debate...