Vikings Tales: Thanks for the Playstation Games!

PJD is on a quasi-sabbatical for a while. We won’t be doing any real news updates for a week or so. Instead, we’re going to run a feature called Vikings Tales where PJD and several guest posters share stories that they have which may or may not peripherally relate to the Minnesota Vikings. Enjoy. Today’s post is courtesy of PJD himself …

There was a time when I used to have season tickets to the Vikings games. I don’t anymore, because let’s be honest … it’s hard work getting shit canned every other Sunday morning during the fall after you were up all night beat up your liver as well. That, and Vikings games in the Metrodome aren’t the greatest thing ever. I think that’s something we can all agree on. Regardless, it didn’t stop me from tailgating one morning with a group of friends.

I don’t remember exactly when this event occurred. I know the Vikings were playing the Lions, and that it was remarkably cold outside. Surprisingly so, actually, because I think it was a 2006 game against the Lions, which was played in early October (October 8, to be exact). I had rarely gone tailgating before this. Instead, my season ticket buddy and I would usually just end up at Town Hall Brewery and partake in the usual fare of brunch and booze before walking over to the Dome. This morning however, we managed to meet another group of friends early on at a tailgating site north of the Metrodome for some early morning shenanigans.

The entire morning started off with your typical events. When we drove into the lot, Bloody Mary’s were being passed around, someone had broken out a homemade recipe for chili that was being heated over the propane, jersey’s were being layered over sweatshirts and footballs were being tossed between the cars. We parked my car and met up with these guys, and started drinking and eating along with them. It wasn’t long before things started getting out of control; the football started wobbling on its throws, people were pissing on buildings, and I’m pretty sure someone ended up with eggs somehow that they then began throwing at a parking garage nearby. Naturally, it became a contest to see who could throw them further. To top it off, I remember my season ticket partner somehow tore a huge scab off of his arm that he had created in anther blackout drunken night which started bleeding all over everything. He was a fucking wreck. We had to make a makeshift tourniquet from an old golf towel and duct tape out of my trunk. I’m not even so sure if he ever got me a new golf towel afterwards, the dick. When it was done though, he looked like a MASH patient.

It wasn’t long before the game when something completely random happened though. After we had all been indulging ourselves in the liquor for some time, an utterly out of place collection of Japanese men came walking through the tailgating area dressed in fine outfits and carrying smiles on their faces. Slowly they made their way east to west, waving at the drunken American football fans who were hooting and hollering as the visitors passed them. Drunken American football fans are hilarious like that. Shortly they came upon our group where an outgoing friend of mine began a very enthusiastic clap as the men passed. Without hesitation, he then yelled out:

“Thanks for all the Playstation games!”

The men paid no mind to his comments and kept walking on. I stood a bit shocked; both aghast and humored at the comment but nonetheless happy that tailgating had turned into such a shit show where random cat calls could be made to visiting business men from half way around the world and everyone could keep on smiling. With a similar quiet exit, they had left our scene just as soon as they appeared. From there, we started to bar hop and stumble our way to the game.

I think the Vikings won that day thanks to an EJ Henderson interception return. I don’t remember much of the game though, to be honest, as the best part of the day happened much earlier. I think one of the guys got kicked out by halftime. Another one passed out against the upper seat wall. I don’t think any of them cared by that point. That will happen though when Brad Johnson is throwing touchdown passed to Travis Taylor for your football team. Lesson learned.