Traveling with the Cleveland Browns (2016 Edition)

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...

Vinnie's Guide To Watching A Browns Game (On The Road Edition) First things first.  Gather everything Browns related; anything brown or orange, even candy.  Any reason to eat candy is a good reason.  Plus, sugar!  This includes pouring beer from a Browns edition Bud Light can into a Browns edition Bud Light pint glass and drinking said beer. In fact, imbibing is encouraged. Sugar,  √ . Beer,  √ . So far, so good.  Next, find a bunch of Browns fans and do a few shots.  This part is a little tricky.  You want to make it to the game under your own power, BUT you also want to hit that euphoric state provided by alcohol so use discretion and do like the pros do by practicing during the week leading up to game day. Make your way to the stadium. On your way to the stadium, you can either blend in with the opposition or, if you're ...

As we walked in to M&T Bank Stadium, there was a group of protesters outside of the stadium chanting "Love Trumps Hate", expressing their First Amendment right to freedom of speech (or apparently still in denial of the recent US election results).  Here are a few takeaways from this brief experience: 1)  M&T Bank security was on point that night.  Next to Miami, that was the fastest I've ever gotten through the gates.  Well done. 2)  Hillary's campaign cost her the presidency.  The most solid slogan they had was "Love Trumps Hate" which included the name of her opponent.  Every time someone chanted it, you'd hear 'Trump'.  I believe that Chapter 5 of the Marketing 101 textbook would advise you against such a practice. 3) Right at the :06 mark of the video, you should see someone holding a sign that says, "Pussy Bites Back".  Really?  You could have been so much more creative without being crude and that's what...

I was put in a position and I did what I had to do.  Here's my story this week.  The names have been changed to protect the...umm...we'll just say the people involved. Last Tuesday I got a call from my buddy Jake, who said he had a ticket to the game for $115 if I wanted it.  Tickets on StubHub were starting at $100 before fees so I said, "Let's do it."  I could have searched a bit and found a better deal, but this way it would be one less thing to worry about, plus I'd get to sit next to people I know.  Awesome!...(or so I thought.) Fast forward to Friday night...I'm working at the local bar when Jake's friend Mike comes up to me and says, "Hey, Jake said that you're looking for tickets to the game this Sunday." to which I replied, "Uh, no.  I don't know why he would say that because we talked on Tuesday and he said he had a ticket for me."... I immediately start a text conversation with Jake: Now I don't know...