Welcome To Packer Week

Two weeks every year are different. For 50 weeks a year Bears fans and Packers fans can treat each other with civility and at least a small amount of respect. We really have to, since our states border each other, separated by the renown "cheddar curtain".

The truth is that we need each other. Bear fans enjoy vacationing in Wisconsin with it's many lakes and woods, and Packers fans - who do little other than consume beer and burp - need our tourism dollars to keep their beautiful, yet oddly dull state from otherwise certain economic collapse. Interesting state, Wisconsin. Nowhere else in the world can one find an entire population dedicated to a life of sloth, and bizarre outdoor pursuits. Of course, I say this with a certain amount of respect, because our friends to the north despite a marked lackadaisical approach to life, do seem to find odd ways of distinguishing themselves none-the-less.

For example, did you know that a majority - not "a lot" or "many" or even "quite a bit ya hey der" - but a real honest injun majority of drowning victims in Wisconsin are found fully clothed with their pant's zippers open? True fact. I'm sure you've figured out the cause of this phenomena by now, but in case you haven't I'll add that they are solitary males, generally somewhat intoxicated, and usually an empty boat, still full of fishing gear, is found floating nearby.

But I digress. This is Packer week and it is time once again to beat and humiliate the loathsome swine from the north. It is a simple fact that this, more than any other, is the greatest rivalry in pro sports. Active since 1920, when Curly Lambeau (note the French surname) and the legendary Mr. George Halas led the Green Bay Packers and the Decatur Staleys (who the next year became the Chicago Bears), both teams have been meeting twice every fall on the gridiron for the world's greatest grudge match. Of course, the Bears hold the advantage having trounced the Packers more often than not, but we still pay homage to our worthy foes.

So I won't be turning the Pursuit into a sports blog this week, but I will regale you with tales and trivia from years gone by, as we prepare for a glorious Bears victory next Sunday. The picture above is from the Wrigley Snowstorm on December 11, 1932. Details of that game (Bears won) can be found here.

Tomorrow: Tarzan Taylor teaches Packer Howard "Cub" Brock where to find his nose.