Traveling with the Cleveland Browns (2016 Edition)

We didn't talk about it much, but I managed to grab a souvenir cup at every game I attended.  Towards the end of the season though, I ran into a problem.  The Browns had a series of six cups with different players on each one.  As the season wound down, I was having a hard time tracking down the Joe Thomas cup.  I found one in a display once, but the concession stand attendants were not very helpful in allowing me to take it.  Not to be discouraged, I contacted the Browns fan relations department who put me in touch with Aramark Food Services and after a few weeks of back and forth, I FINALLY got the last cup to complete my collection. Without further ado, here are some pictures of them throughout the season and the final product. Fun fact : Out of the 9 stadiums I visited, Philadelphia was the only one that served a souvenir beer. Another fun fact : Due to the cold weather in Buffalo, they served souvenir "Hot Cups" in place of souvenir ...

When I first planned this tour, I said that this final game would be the hardest one to attend because of it being played on New Year's Day, however, if I made it to the first 15 you'd be hard pressed to stop me from going to this one.  After making arrangements with my cousin who lives in the Pittsburgh area with her Steelers fan husband (booooooo), we settled in for a fun New Year's Eve party at their place and a thoroughly entertaining game day experience on January 1st. First things first.  In all of the years attending Browns games in the tailgate lots, I NEVER saw an opposing team's gear being sold.  Yet here we are in Pittsburgh and I see Browns gear and a decent selection of it to boot. My Cousin Jenny and I made our presence known on North Shore Drive just outside of Heinz Field. One thing I enjoyed was all of the bars and eateries on this strip where you could hang out outside with a burger and a beer before the game. After wal...

As of this post, my voice is at 90% recovered. What a game! Christmas spirit was all about; there was a slight chill in the air.  I may have been phoning these last few posts in, but I have still been documenting everything and I'll probably put a year end video together. For now, here's a shot from my seat. As the final seconds were ticking off the clock, Josh Lambo looked up at me and said, "I'm kicking it to you for the tie." So I moved over two seats, he kicked it to me as promised, and he missed wide right.  True story. Stay tuned for the final chapter in this amazing adventure.

Just to keep things going and let you know I made the trip, here's a placeholder picture of a Bills fan holding a Browns kickoff edition Bud Light. Actually, that's just proof that Bills fans are comfortable holding something with a losing team's logo on it. Here's proof of my attendance.

I woke up on Sunday, went downtown, yadda yadda yadda, and the Browns lost another one. That's kinda how I feel about this blog. It's a lot of work to regularly post pictures and try to make this semi-interesting. Honestly, though, this is more for me to look back on the things I did throughout the season.  So in case you're following, here's a picture of a couple rooting for the Bengals holding a Browns kickoff edition. One of them is pregnant and the other has some shit on the front of their hoodie. (I'll let you decide which one is which.) That should tide you over until I get the full update in. Stay tuned!

What a great day it was for football and tailgating! The cornhole boards were looking fresh.. ..the sky was a beautiful blue.. ...and then someone invited this guy. Fans made the trip from New York and they're Tribe fans too...but which team are they rooting for today? Then the clock struck 1:00 and it all started to make sense. Believe it or not, there are crowds of people still attending Browns games.  You may not see it on the broadcast, but they're there.  Most likely getting back in line for another beer at concessions after they just bought one because you'd either have to be drunk or someone who still believes in Santa Claus to want to attend one of these games. (Bonus points if you can correctly guess which category I fall into.) I get to my seat and think, "It's looking a little blue over there." The Browns brought out Leroy...

Every Sunday, I try to experience something different at the home games.  Every Sunday, it gets colder and colder.  Every Sunday, the Browns fail to deliver a win.  Am I going to witness history? Browns fans surround the city with a party, dancing and drinking regardless of the weather.   Bud Light helps to numb the pain of another losing season. You know what else numbs the pain?   Jägermeister! I met up with the Browns Brothers again and participated in their pre-game ritual before the walk up to the stadium. It was a chilly one, but we were ready for it. For this game I had tickets in two locations:  One with the Browns Brothers.. ..and the other in the Dawg Pound. Most home games I'll meet up with some peeps to take our "Scalpers Bar & Grille Family Photo".  Here we have a nice sized group for the Dallas gam...