2001 Season Opener!

Welcome back to Chicago Bears Football! And what would football be without Tailgating! Once again the St. Joseph Young Men’s Society is hosting the infamous Tailgating Scoiety. We meet two hours before every Bears football game in the back parking lot of the club. Everyone is welcome to join us! Here’s what you might expect:

It’s a potluck event, with a weekly competition for Chef of the Week. While chips and dip is a tailgate staple, don’t be surprised when Good Ole #87, er…ah, I mean Good Ole #89 whips out all the fixings for made-to-order omelets like he did our first official gathering. He definitely makes the competition more challenging!

What would tailgating be without Pre-Game coverage? Between ‘da Sceurity and ‘da Web mistress’s portable TVs, and ‘da Soundman’s killer stereo system, we are kept on top of the last minute changes and substitutions.

Whether or not the weather cooperates, the die-hard fans meet, and while many tailgates have been blessed with beautiful skies, we have been know to throw up a tent shelter, and huddle under soggy umbrellas. In the colder seasons, ‘da Keeper of ‘da Fire takes his job seriously, and has saved many fingers from frostbite! Hopefully this year we won’t lose the barrel in a monster snowdrift!

Also another Tailgate staple…’da board! Take a chance, who knows, you may win like Jim ‘da McGruff McGah did when ‘da Bears played the Ravens. That board was a $50.00 final only board, but depending on attendance, the board might change. Once thing that never changes is ‘da Treasurer! He never fails to collect the $1 donation for attending ‘da Tailgate Scoiety. All monies collected are used for a final party at the end of the season. Last year we were able to put together a prime rib dinner and drinks for Scoiety members. Attendance to weekly games determines invitations to the final party, so come weekly, come often!

Game time we all pile into ‘da Stadium (a.k.a. ‘da club) where the big screen resides. Once the bleachers are set up, ‘da drinks bought, and ‘da numbers pulled, it’s time for ‘da Bears!

The Bears were determined to deliver a knockout punch in Sunday's season opener against the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens, but all they could muster was an early wakeup call. With quarterback Shane Matthews operating an efficient offense, the Bears controlled the ball and the clock throughout the first half but had little to show for it. They held decisive edges in time of possession (21:36-8:24) and first downs (13-6) but produced just three points on two trips inside the red zone. The failure to capitalize on those golden opportunities ultimately proved costly as Baltimore rallied for a 17-6 victory before 69,365 fans at PSINet Stadium. Elvis Grbac's 6-yard TD pass to fullback Sam Gash gave the Ravens a 10-6 lead with 1:48 remaining in the third quarter, and Terry Allen's 1-yard TD run with 2:36 left in the game clinched it. "We shot ourselves in the foot," Matthews said. "They're a tremendous football team. We had our chances. We just didn't put it in the end zone when we should have.”

"We have a very a solid team, (but) we screwed up today," said Bears right tackle James "Big Cat" Williams. "It should have been 14-0 at halftime and there wasn't anything they could have done about it. We had the ball on the 1-yard line and we should have scored, point blank. That's the way it is. We didn't get into the end zone. Once we start getting the ball into the end zone, we'll be all right."

The end result was painfully all too familiar, but at least things looked promising early!

As mentioned earlier, Jim ‘da McGruff McGah walked away with ‘da board cash, and while some members sprinted away to the Music Fest across town, most members stayed and partied a little more, the Bears dismal finish couldn’t bring down the spirits of the 29 members who attended this opening game tailgate.

We hope that this year’s season will improve for our beloved Bears, but as die-hard fans, we will be tailgating no matter what their record.

Remember! Everyone is welcome to join us! We hope to see you next weekend!

Public Service Announcement

We would like to remind everyone that while it is okay to bring your own beverages to tailgate, no beverages may be carried into or taken out of the St. Joe Young Men’s Club. Please respect our hosts’ rules and remember to TIP YOUR BARTENDER!

An Announcement from the National Football League

The NFL playing schedule that was postponed this past weekend will be played on the weekend of January 5-7 to retain a 16-game regular-season schedule, the league announced today.

"We believe that a full 16-game regular-season schedule is vital to our fans and the integrity of our season," said NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE. "Each team needs to be guaranteed the same number of home and away games plus an equal number of divisional games". The NFL Competition Committee was unanimous on that point.

"We continue to work on keeping six division winners, six Wild Cards and our entire postseason format intact. Several options have been presented to us in recent days that would help us accomplish that. We will review them and make a decision shortly. If we cannot resolve our entire postseason lineup in a satisfactory fashion, we then will go to a system of six division winners and two Wild Card teams for this one season only. It is with our most sincere condolences for the families, friends and co-workers of all those who have lost their lives, and our most heartfelt encouragement to all of the firefighters, police personnel, emergency workers, medical personnel and volunteers who risk theirs in their heroic efforts to rescue and recover the victims of this most horrendous tragedy."


God Bless America


September 23, 2001 Bears V/S VikingsTrying to avoid their first 0-2 start in 17 years, the Minnesota Vikings must be salivating at the chance of facing the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday. Let’s hope we spoil their day! Membership cards for those attending the first tailgate will be distributed. New members may sign up for their personalized cards. See you there! Go Bears!