Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

It seems as though April was a bit light for new tailgating games and gear coming out and hitting the market. That being said it doesn’t mean there was nothing new, just less than normal. I’m sure that will pick up in the coming months as we approach summer concert tailgating, summer grilling season and of course, football season is right around the corner. So, if you have been napping for the past month or this is your first visit here, here is what you missed.

Cooperstown Cookie Company – When you think of “tailgating gear” you probably don’t think of cookies. But what if they were shortbread cookies made in the shape of baseballs? Or what if these cookies were the official cookies of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York? You might change your tune on what exactly is considered tailgating gear.

Cookies are the desert of choice for tailgaters for a number of reasons. They are easy to transport and you can pick them up and eat them without needing a plate and fork like cakes and pies. Plus cookies shaped like baseballs are perfectly suited for tailgating this time of year. Combine that convenience with the fact these baseball cookies come packaged in special stadium tins designed to look like major league ballparks and you’ve got yourself a home run for those tailgaters with a sweet tooth. Find out more about Cooperstown Cookie Company or visit their website HERE.

New York Yankees Custom Tailgating Grill – Since last football season we have been taking Margaritaville Tailgating Grills and transforming them into custom team grills for various sports fans. Our most recent custom job was done for a die-hard New York Yankees fan. Of course when you customize a tailgating grill to honor the 27-time World Series champions, you need to step up your game. I think we did that in that we not only customized it to Yankees colors complete with a center emblem but also gave it the trademark Yankee pinstripes. (Click images for larger view)

As you can see, the pinstripes are the exact color and width of a real Yankee pinstripe. The white spacing between them is also the exact width as you would find on an official Yankees uniform. To learn more about how this grill came to be or to see other examples of other grills we have customized, visit this post – Yankees Tailgating Grill

Jimmy Luv’s Bloody Mary Mix – Typically an early morning call to the tailgating lot means two things… 1) ESPN has decided to televise your game and has moved it to a noon kick-off and 2) you are going to need a good Bloody Mary recipe. Now that I have discovered Jimmy Luv’s Bloody Mary Mix, No. 2 has just been eliminated. All the ingredients of a spicy Bloody Mary are right there in the bottle. All you need to do when you are ready to make one while tailgating is to “Shake the Bottle and Wake the Luv”.

Jimmy Luv’s Bloody Mary Mix is not for every tailgater. If you like a milder Bloody Mary, you may want to stick to those mixes you find in your local grocery store. The beauty of Jimmy Luv’s is the right combination of spices are already mixed in there. That means you don’t have to haul your entire spice rack from home just to make a good Bloody Mary in the parking lot.

You can get a three-pack of Jimmy Luv’s Bloody Mary Mix directly from their website for $24.99 with shipping included. A six-pack will cost you $41.49 with shipping thrown in and a 12-pack is $69.99 with shipping included. For more information or to buy some Jimmy Luv’s Bloody Mary Mix for your next tailgate, visit: jimmyluvsbloodymarymix.com

Go Green Tailgate Packs – As tailgaters we all want to lighten the environmental load our tailgate parties typically have. Because tailgating needs to be fast, quick and convenient, environmentalism sometimes gets sacrificed for convenience and disposable. Now with Go Green Tailgate Packs you can still have an easy set-up to your tailgate party yet still be gentle on the environment.

Go Green Tailgate Packs come in a variety of options but no matter what package you choose, you can rest at ease knowing all items are 100% recyclable or compostable. Go Green Tailgate items like plates, forks, spoons and knives are not made from paper and plastic but rather made of renewable resources like corn stalks and other environmentally friendly materials. To learn more about “going green” while tailgating, you can read more from our Go Green Tailgate post from Earth Day 2010.

Tailgating is one of the greatest pleasures of truck ownership, right up there with running over stuff. If you can have a good enough time tailgating, you can almost accept the fact that owning a truck means all your friends ask you to help them move.

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, it’s time for every tailgating truck owner to raise his game. Here are 7 tailgating tips for all you pickup truck owners:

#1 Sunglasses are ESSENTIAL for any tailgating function. They protect your eyes from the sun, flying objects and they help mask the fact that your drunk ass is staring at your buddy’s wife again. Get caught starring and it’s a 10 yard penalty (and that hurts the team).

#2 Just because you do it everyday at work, it is NOT OK to pee on the front tire of your truck… unless it’s the driver’s side front tire and the driver’s door is open. Then go for it.

#3 At one point or another, truck owners who tailgate WILL hit their knee or shin on their tow hitch. When it happens, the best move is to swear loudly and profusely. It will get big laughs and maybe even some sympathy from a fellow tailgater.

#4 Remember – the bigger your truck is, the more team flags you need to attach to it. Here’s a good rule of thumb: You should have one team flag for every door, plus two team flags for every inch of suspension lift. If you’re doing the math at home, a crew-cab pickup with a 6″ lift needs about 200 flags.

#5 Your buddies might think it’s cool, but tire smoke does NOT make bratwursts taste better. Therefore, ear-splitting, smokey burn-outs are not acceptable in the tailgating parking lot of your favorite sporting event. That is unless you’re cheering for the opposition in which case light em’ up on your way out of there.

#6 Don’t leave your empties in the back of your truck bed unless they are enclosed in a trash bag and/or toolbox. Why not, you ask? If you get pulled over on the way home, no officer of the law is going to believe your story about “cleaning up some trash” when they observe all the shiny new beer cans in your truck bed.

#7 Bungee cords aren’t just great for tying down cargo – they’re also great for the old “tug of war… oops I let go of the cord and it hit you in the nuts” gag. Great way to initiate casual fans and first-time tailgaters.

Final thought: Tailgating is called “tailgating” because of trucks. As a truck owner, you are a part of a proud tradition. Own it!

This is a guest post from Jason Lancaster, Editor and Administrator of TundraHeadquarters.com and all around pick-up truck enthusiast.

Image by yum9me via Flickr

Maybe luck is on your side.  Unfortunately for too many of us lady luck always ends up screwing us hard in the end.

Hey, I am right with you in believing that betting on the game adds some excitement to the game.  Your money riding on the games’ outcome gets the competitive juices flowing.  You feel like a part of the team.  But when the team tanks and your money is gone, tempers tend to rise and a good morning / afternoon instantly goes bad.

So if you are down in the tailgating lot, just enjoy the atmosphere.  Enjoy the food, the games and the company.  Don’t occupy your time with constant checking of the Blackberry to find out the score and if the point spread is being covered.

We tailgaters see it all the time.  Fans become more obsessed with their bets than enjoying the tailgate or the game they are attending.  If you can’t check scores yourself, you are asking others for constant updates (in turn ruining their tailgating experience).

I’ve said it so many times already on this site…life already has too many damn everyday stresses.  When you are able to escape down to the lot, enjoy the lot.  Later enjoy cheering for the home team.  Let the bad call by the coach, a costly pick by the QB, or a defense lapse get you riled.  Poor game play by the home team will at least allow you to play Monday morning QB the next day instead of actually working.

Maybe you’ll win big on a bet.  But too often Sundays are ruined when big money is lost on a game.  A chance to pig out, drink up, and cheer your ass off is ruined.  A relaxing Sunday instead just becomes like a crappy Monday – Friday.

So save the money.  Splurge instead on better beer, a better grade of meat, or maybe even the authentic jersey.   The long-shot is a long-shot for a reason…don’t be a sucker!

1pm Kick-Off Recipes:

Here are two of my favorite breakfast recipes for the 1pm kick-off tailgate.  Get down to the lot between 8-9.  Start with some breakfast food, maybe some Baileys or Southern Comfort in the coffee, digest, then break out the beers, then the meats!

Enjoy Kick-Off Sunday…

- Jack Daniel’s Breakfast Butter: Great with pancakes or french toast!

- Sausage Coated Deep Fried Eggs: So fat, but so very good!

Towson University hosts Tigerfest, a multi-band concert, at Burdick Field every year. Word on the Street grabbed some interviews of some of the students and aksed them, “What time did you start tailgating TigerFest?“.

Want to go tailgating in style without spending an arm and a leg? With gasoline prices sky high these days, just getting to the parking lot to go tailgating can break the bank. Now more than ever you need a way to go tailgating on a budget. Here’s a simple guide to tailgating like a pro for under $100. Read the rest of this entry »