OT -- Head to Evanston to Root on Northwestern -- 11/21 v. Wisconsin

… should be clearly labeled “OT” for off-topic.

There is no ‘threatening’. Every time we come to town there will be more red than purple in that high school stadium (don’t even get me started on Northwestern hoops…) With that said, I HATE playing in Evanston. No matter how good the Badgers are and how bad Northwestern is, it’s always a tricky game. Should be another close one on Saturday, and I think I’ll be there to witness it. The real challenge is finding a bar within walking distance before the game…

Going for 2-0 tonight. Tom Pritchard for Big Ten MVP

Oh I’m sorry is it still football season?

… you do realize that the Chicago area is filled with Big Ten fans of Wisc, Michigan, OSU and other Big Ten teams who will never root for NU? Do what you’ve got to do but the rationale that Cub fans should want to root for NU overlooks the fact that many of us went to other Big Ten schools.

I certainly have a lot of respect for Pat Fitzgerald and Wisc always struggles against Northwestern, but for your team to be a constant Big Ten contender, the school is going to have to do something about its athletic facilities. Oh, and I’d hardly call those guys with instruments a marching band.

But the Badgers are much better. Sorry dude.

So I will defintely be there for sure. It’s going to hurt having to root against Bucky, as I have cheered for the Badgers in every other game they’ve played in basketball, football, and hockey. I’ll be cheering for Bucky 2/6/2010 at Camp Randall Classic. That being said, I grew up with NU Football whether my dad was working at nearby Evanston Hospital or having family work at Northwestern (along with myself on a temporary basis).

As for the finances, I can assure you the money I saw going into the school was more for academics and their respective schools (McCormick, Medill, Bienen, etc.) and less for the athletics. Also, I received more mail from out-of-state alums then in-state alums by a wide margin. The prices don’t help much either in terms of putting money into the facilities. The two times I’ve seen Big Ten football on the road, I’ve paid $50+ for a ticket. This year, I got season tickets in a good spot in the endzone for $147. Yeah…that’s $21/game for 7 games…and my uncle and I are probably the only season ticket holders in that section.

All that being said…Go ‘Cats and best of luck to Bucky. Honeslty, I just want the stadium filled with respectable fans and a good game. I’ve had fun all season so far.

It’s “rite” of passage, not “right”.

and I am happy that the program has progressed to where it is. I just hope that Fitz can keep this momentum going and keep building the program.

Anyone interested in a tailgate or get together if enough are going?

have my BA and working on my masters from Northwestern and I bleed purple through and through.

Still count taking the purple to Pasadena season as one of my favorite all time seasons as a sports fan of all my teams.

Will never forget the day Michigan beat Ohio state and Northwestern was champs of the big 10. And the honest emotion in Dave Eanet’s voice when he broke in on WBBM AM with the news.

And the died purple roses I received from my then boyfriend (now husband) the next day.

we just began speaking again today. He’s an Illinois alum.

And I adore Pat Fitzgerald. Just hope ND or someone else doesn’t try and steal him from us.

The day Pat Fizgerald was inducted to the College Football Hall Of Fame something broke in the Blagojevich thing. As you may know the prosecutor on the case is named PAtrick Fitzgerald.

Someone confused the stock footage at one of the tv stations and for a few seconds you saw Pat Fitzgerald as a star linebacker at NU while the announcer called Patrick Fitzgerald a hard hitting prosecutor.

I graduated in 1990 and I was in the marching band for 4 years.

My family and NU go way back on my moms side. My grandfather, my uncle, my brother, a cousin and myself all graduated from there.

My brother and sister in law live close enough to Ryan Field you can hear the cheers during home games at their apartment.

As many of you know Pat Fitzgerald became head coach under tragic circumstances. Randy Walker died suddenly and the question was not whether Fitz would be a good coach it was if he was ready.

to watch the Maine South Hawks beat Loyola and qualify for the state 8A championship game to defend their 2008 state title.

It’ll be the first time I’m bringing my kids to see where I went to high school so they can compare it to where they’re going in Crystal Lake.

Looks like ND will go after Jim Harbaugh who is now at Stanford so one job many worried we might lose Fitz to will go somewhere else.

That is if Weiss is fired.

I want Harbaugh though as the OC for the Bears if Turner is launched.

When considering universities it came down to Northwestern and Wisconsin for me. I eventually chose UW although my father, born in Evanston but an Indiana University alum, always seemed a bit disappointed in my choice. My freshman year I bought my folks tickets for the Parents’ Day football game at Camp Randall versus the Wildcats, and my dad made sure to wear purple for the occasion. The Badgers won 45-7, so I got the last laugh.

I still have a soft spot in my heart for Northwestern, and I happened to be listening to the second half of the Iowa game on WGN two Saturdays ago as I was driving down from Madison. That was a great game.

For those of you who didn’t make it up to Evanston, the Cats won and Ryne Sandberg was at the game. Apparently he know the value of playing for fans that love their team. Even if we don’t fill the stadium, those of us that do go love our team…

Also, Fitz isn’t going anywhere. Make a note of it.

It was a good day to be my alma matter as NU and Maine South both won and I won another round in the battle of where my kids will go to college (g!) as NU is winning right now that battle over U of I. But to the dismay of NU football fans the older boy wants to play baseball and the younger one hockey!