So if you are one of the 344 people following me on Twitter you’ve already probably seen the accompanying photos. (Click on them for a larger view) If not, let me explain before we jump into this week’s links.
A great friend of mine from back in college, let’s call him Captain Dan, and I recently met up last month to tailgate for a fraternity reunion. Of course I dragged out all my tailgating gear and everyone had a great time. Captain Dan had such a good time he invited me to tag along this past Saturday. His son’s Little League team was invited to Angel Stadium to walk the field and take in the game later that night. He and the other parents wanted to make a great day of it, naturally, and planned to get there early and tailgate. Captain Dan calls me up knowing full well that I love to tailgate and offered to supply food and drink if I bring the Freedom Grill and a few more tailgating essentials. Sounds like a fair trade for me plus I would have shown up had he not offered to pick up the food and beverages. I love tailgating that much.
So I meet Dan and his family outside the stadium at a little past noon. Gates open at noon for a 6 pm first pitch. (Heeeeellllllllooooooooo? Are you listening San Diego Chargers? Apparently six hours of tailgating is not a big issue in Anaheim.) We set up all of our stuff and settled in for some awesome tailgating. This is where even a veteran tailgater like myself can learn something new.
I normally tailgate with adults so this was a new experience for me. Unpacking chairs, turning on music and just hanging out and talking for four hours while tailgating is the norm. That doesn’t fly when you are hosting a tailgate for a Little League team. This is where I learned that tailgating games might be even more essential than a grill or chairs. The attention span of an eight year-old is not that large so in order to combat boredom, games are the way to go. I’m so glad I brought the Beco Ball, Washeroos and the Sholf games. I didn’t have to break out the HillBilly Golf game because the other three games kept the kids occupied the entire time. Although I will admit that the bean bags for the Beco Ball game were used as baseballs for a pick-up streetball/stickball game with coolers and folded sweatshirts used as bases. Hey, it was a bunch of kids who play Little League. What would you expect? Two hand touch football?
The parents on the other hand were busy socializing and having a good time. The one “tailgating game” they did partake in was the Flabongo. That little number went over well and was quite popular all day. So all in all, it was good time had by all, parents and kids. So my advice to you is if you are tailgating with kids, bring the tailgating games.When you are working on your third Flabongo, you’ll thank me.
Now, on with this week’s links….
- The guys from Tailgating Times have a National Hardware Show Update
- Cool Beer Pong Trick Shots
- New tailgating league to organize infield fan tournament at Lowe’s Motor Speedway
- A Koozie for Your Keg
- Post-Game Tailgating
- Tailgating at TOSRV
- Unique atmosphere inside and outside RBC Center
- Local Louisiana inventor patents new tailgating tent
- Newly Formed Organization to Hold Sanctioned Tailgating Games at Major Sporting Events All Over the United States
- Introducing The MLB Performance-Enhanced All-Star Team
- Win A Trip To The MLB All-Star Game
- Sharpless Family Blog Goes Tailgating