Tailgate VII - How did we do?

[Just Jack]

Post any and all comments, good and bad here, so we can try to improve for VIII next year.

[udonkey]

This was my 2nd TDB tailgate, but definitely a good group of people.

 

- Great setup w/ the tent - it really came in handy, especially for those mini-downpours after the game

 

- Great raffle/auction items - I'm really pumped that I picked up that TKO signed football (THANKS CINDY!!!).

 

- Great wings by Rich (came in clutch pre-game, since our grill wasn't working)

[BILLEAFAN]

I enjoyed the game and the company GOOD JOB by everyone BTW Rockpile you were on TV walking down the steps( 14.52 in the second quarter )

[BILLEAFAN]

Sorry the time is 14.25 in second quarter It sure looks like you?

[rockpile]

I enjoyed the game and the company  GOOD JOB by everyone                      BTW Rockpile you were on TV walking down the steps( 14.52 in the second quarter )

785122[/snapback]

 

I'll check it out.

 

It was not me though! My first trip I was in my seat until half-way through half time.

 

I got back just in time for the Q3 kickoff.

[rockpile]

So, how was Danny's?

 

 

This was my 2nd TDB tailgate, but definitely a good group of people.

 

- Great setup w/ the tent - it really came in handy, especially for those mini-downpours after the game

 

- Great raffle/auction items - I'm really pumped that I picked up that TKO signed football  (THANKS CINDY!!!).

 

- Great wings by Rich (came in clutch pre-game, since our grill wasn't working)

785015[/snapback]

[rockpile]

Post any and all comments, good and bad here, so we can try to improve for VIII next year.

784991[/snapback]

 

Thanks to:

 

Ruth for the Sunday pre-dawn coffee.

Everyone who had a hand in organizing this thing. If I list names, I might miss someone.

Hammer for his usual hospitality.

 

Good Things:

 

Bigger tent

Silent auction

Tagging raffle tickets to prizes to speed up the process

Rich in Joisey and the entire CNJBBB for the wings

The ticket girls (my daughters)

GREAT tailgate shirts and TBD hats

 

Not so good things:

 

Danny's - do they want us there?

We asked for the big screen to watch football. They said it was not hooked up, then it was , then they could not find any football, so they left it on ET.

Luckily, EZC was tall enough to snatch the "hidden" remote for me and I flipped channels until they got pissed, took it from me, and found a game.

 

The room was NOT ours at 7PM. We cleared it pretty fast (heh), but even though we tried as hard as we could to get that last table of interlopers to leave, they didn't. Did we reserve the room?

 

For the amount of cash the roomful of us spent, we deserved better. The BEST thing about Danny's is the location.

 

Improvement:

 

The NFL needs to have opening day on Week 1

Danny's needs to show us more respect.

 

 

 

 

I tip my hat to you all!

[EndZoneCrew]

Thanks to:

 

Ruth for the Sunday pre-dawn coffee.

Everyone who had a hand in organizing this thing. If I list names, I might miss someone.

Hammer for his usual hospitality.

 

Good Things:

 

Bigger tent

Silent auction

Tagging raffle tickets to prizes to speed up the process

Rich in Joisey and the entire CNJBBB for the wings

The ticket girls (my daughters)

GREAT tailgate shirts and TBD hats

 

Not so good things:

 

Danny's - do they want us there?   

We asked for the big screen to watch football. They said it was not hooked up, then it was , then they could not find any football, so they left it on ET.

Luckily, EZC was tall enough to snatch the "hidden" remote for me and I flipped channels until they got pissed, took it from me, and found a game. 

 

The room was NOT ours at 7PM. We cleared it pretty fast (heh), but even though we  tried as hard as we could to get that last table of interlopers to leave, they didn't. Did we reserve the room? 

 

For the amount of cash the roomful of us spent, we deserved better. The BEST thing about Danny's is the location.

 

Improvement:

 

The NFL needs to have opening day on Week 1

Danny's needs to show us more respect.

I tip my hat to you all!

785549[/snapback]

 

glad I could lend my services!

[JÂy RÛßeÒ]

As always it's about the people - renewing old acquaintences and making new ones. In that regard the tailgate just keeps getting better and better.

 

I was sad that several TBD tailgate mainstays were not with us this year, including Bob Lamb, Lancaster Steve, Mark VI, & bill in Livonia (We hope you're feeling better Pat!!!). Sid & Tyrone and their epic jerk chicken were also missed, although Guffalo and Theesir did cook up some mighty fine ribs, and Rich in Joisey's wings were very tasty also.

 

Cablelady - you gotta stop with the limos. Apparently some people are not meant to ride in style.

 

NOTE TO NFL - no more starting us with 2 road games please . While the rain mostly held off for the pre-game tailgate, the wind was formidable. If there's any way we could play Houston in Buffalo on week 1 every year that would be great.

 

Ticket girls were once again stellar. Big thanks to Nikki, Kalene, and Laura for their enthusiasm and salesmanship.

 

I did like having the raffle this way - assigning tickets to items. It did speed things up and make it more orderly. Thanks again to Sully's Stadium Sportswear for donating many raffle items - please make sure you visit Sully's whenever you need Bills gear and mention TBD for a discount.

 

Big thanks as always to Hammer for his help with the tent, setup, and great parking process.

 

What did people think of the new parking pattern? We put cars across the front rather than side-by-side on the road. It seemed to block the wind a bit and created a more contained cooking/sitting area, and also gave people an easier exit.

 

I liked the bigger tent, even without the weather the way it was. Should we make that permanent?

 

I wish we had remembered to make one of the silent auction items into an item that was only for the people who paid their tailgate fee, as we did the year before.

 

I heartily agree with Rockpile's comment on Danny's, although I was thrilled that Guinness pints were only $3! And it was nice of Danny to just give me one of the Labatt's Bills pint glasses - I guess that's what happens when you buy 6 or 7 (or more? ) pints from the same person and tip well...

 

There was some talk at the Saturday Night party that the tailgate has become kind of passe' and people have lost some of their enthusiasm for the event. I'm not sure if that's because of low expectations for the team, having to wait until week 3 rather than week 1, the weather, or some other factors. I'd love to hear from others on this.

 

To Cindy & Jack - my co-conspirators in setting up this great endevor: Great job as always guys. There's no way this would happen without your hard work and it is greatly appreciated. This years' T-Shirts rocked!

 

Thanks also to my lovely wife Melissa for her sacrifices to allow me to fly solo this weekend.

 

Next year would someone make sure that I don't forget my suitcase at the hotel? Thanks in advance

 

I guess that's about it...

[taterhill]

I didn't win enough prizes this year...EZC is a wuss for not making the walk over with us...I need to lose weight so my Marv Levy sweater fits better...I should have put a bid on some of the silent acution items...some GREAT deals there...ticket girls should put out a calendar(dives for cover)

[rockpile]

As always it's about the people - renewing old acquaintences and making new ones.  In that regard the tailgate just keeps getting better and better.

 

Like a family reunion without the bad seed branch of the family tree.

 

I was sad that several TBD tailgate mainstays were not with us this year, including Bob Lamb, Lancaster Steve, Mark VI, & bill in Livonia (We hope you're feeling better Pat!!!).  Sid & Tyrone and their epic jerk chicken were also missed, although Guffalo and Theesir did cook up some mighty fine ribs, and Rich in Joisey's wings were very tasty also.

 

We missed you folks.

 

Cablelady - you gotta stop with the limos.  Apparently some people are not meant to ride in style.

 

That would be me! I drove the Griswald mobile!

 

More comments -

 

KEEP the large tent.

Loved the key rings!

I had to steal my LaBAtt's glass (I mean I forgot to give it back) - even though my tab was for a party of FOUR and I tipped VERY well!

 

 

To Cindy & Jack - my co-conspirators in setting up this great endeavor:  Great job as always guys. There's no way this would happen without your hard work and it is greatly appreciated.  This years' T-Shirts rocked!

 

I have my t-shirt on today, have gotten several compliments.

 

Thanks also to my lovely wife Melissa for her sacrifices to allow me to fly solo this weekend.

 

Yes, if Bernard is a Saint, so is Melissa! I was also impressed that your young son, Ben, called illegal procedure before the ref through the flag!

[The Tomcat]

I got stuck in traffic and didn't get there until 11:00...I missed out on a lot...oh well...had to park across the street....tried to throw out twobillsdrive but she still couldn't fit me in....

 

I wish there were more name tags....I wasn't able to put one on and I know you people wanted to know who I was!....I was the guy with the worn Jim Kelly Jersey...

 

I went to Dannys the night before but didn't recognize anyone.....come to find out there was another room....oh well, I'm an idiot.

 

I loved the seats Jay....great location, thanks.

 

Nice talking with Ann(OI) Jay, Glenn, R.Rich and his wife......sorry I didnt get to speak with you all...I was hoping to talk w/Tatertot (hill) and meeting others....I'm sticking with calling RichinJoisy as Rich 'n Juicy....

 

Oh yeah....Rich it was a 3 beer walk to the stadium! and how did the Jack taste?

[BillsWatch]

It did not feel like a TBD/TSW opener tailgate for some reason.

Part of the reason was that not all of the regulars were there and I got there much later than usual both because I came late and I parked at other side of stadium but there were other factors - the weather, the timing, no group picture and no big event.

 

I think that we ought to declare a mulligan and do it again this year.

 

Thanks for the raffles Cindy; I was tempted to just take home a lot of stuff since I have put in so much overtime this year and I missed trainign camp due to it but I decided to just bid on those things which I really "needed".

 

Thanks for beers Bernard - you truely are a "Saint".

 

I liked the big tent even if it is dry for I tend to wilt in the sun.

 

Thanks to all who made my friend Ken feel welcome.

He is not a Bills fan (yet) but he is a nice guy.

 

Oh and I missed Rockpile although reports were he was there.

[udonkey]

So, how was Danny's? 

 

785504[/snapback]

 

Hey, I did say hi to you on my way to the salad bar. By the way, previous reports are correct, Danny's chicken wing soup is pretty damn good!

[rockpile]

I enjoyed the game and the company  GOOD JOB by everyone                      BTW Rockpile you were on TV walking down the steps( 14.52 in the second quarter )

785122[/snapback]

I checked the video - very similar looking (beard and rain parka) but he had binoculars and a different hat.

[mead107]

good time at the tail gate . thanks all who put it together . better than last year . sh-- weekend for me , first ceiling falls down at one of my apts as we drove out to buffalo from leak , then on sunday sewer backed up in a basement apt. that we had just did over -- sh-- all over the new rugs . did not make dennys sat night . veryb good wings . won jim kelly jersey and jp jersey in the silent auct . ( more people should have bid ) --- (glad they did not )

glen got the bills light that i wanted .

cindy very good job on the shirts.

good to see everyone . sorry to all that i did not say hi to .

[rockpile]

Oh and I missed Rockpile although reports were he was there.

786319[/snapback]

 

I got there about 5PM Saturday!

 

Went over to Kenny's Pinto about 11 or a bit later.

 

Sorry I missed you.

 

I agree that it did not feel like the "opener" but a lot of things were just not right. Usually cars are lined up at the gate at 7:30 - this year it was a ghost toen (pun intended) at 9 o'clock!

 

End of September - Game 3

Schizo Weather: sun/wind/rain/wind/rain/sun

No Bob Lamb

No Bill and Pat

No MarkVI

No LancasterSteve

No Bill and Pat

No Bills4Life

No Cablelady (her own damn fault)

 

We made the best of some bad timing!

 

Highlight for me is that someone won the Rockpile Toilet Plug Hole from last year!

[Lori]

As always it's about the people - renewing old acquaintences and making new ones.  In that regard the tailgate just keeps getting better and better.

Ditto that.

 

I was sad that several TBD tailgate mainstays were not with us this year, including Bob Lamb, Lancaster Steve, Mark VI, & bill in Livonia (We hope you're feeling better Pat!!!).  Sid & Tyrone and their epic jerk chicken were also missed, although Guffalo and Theesir did cook up some mighty fine ribs, and Rich in Joisey's wings were very tasty also.

...

Ticket girls were once again stellar.  Big thanks to Nikki, Kalene, and Laura for their enthusiasm and salesmanship.

 

I did like having the raffle this way - assigning tickets to items.  It did speed things up and make it more orderly.  Thanks again to Sully's Stadium Sportswear for donating many raffle items - please make sure you visit Sully's whenever you need Bills gear and mention TBD for a discount.

And all of that.

 

Big thanks as always to Hammer for his help with the tent, setup, and great parking process.

 

What did people think of the new parking pattern?  We put cars across the front rather than side-by-side on the road.  It seemed to block the wind a bit and created a more contained cooking/sitting area, and also gave people an easier exit.

Liked it a lot. Would it still have worked as well with a larger crowd? Dunno, but I'd say keep it this way until we find a reason not to.

 

I liked the bigger tent, even without the weather the way it was.  Should we make that permanent?

If it's not too cost-prohibitive, the extra room is definitely nice to have. (And when the rains did come, we would've been in trouble trying to crowd under the 20x20. Good call on the switch.)

 

I heartily agree with Rockpile's comment on Danny's...

Thought it was darned strange myself when I walked by the room Cindy had already told us we'd booked, at the appointed time, and saw it full of people I didn't recognize. When queried, the manager (NOT Danny) told me "there are only a couple of people here, and the room wasn't full last year", etc., etc. Seems to me if an agreement is made to reserve a room for a certain time, the establishment should honor said request. But maybe that's just me?

Personally? I like the place, and it is convenient and easy to find. But if these difficulties continue, there ARE other options...

 

There was some talk at the Saturday Night party that the tailgate has become kind of passe' and people have lost some of their enthusiasm for the event.  I'm not sure if that's because of low expectations for the team, having to wait until week 3 rather than week 1, the weather, or some other factors.  I'd love to hear from others on this.

The two factors you cited - weather and timing - probably do have a lot to do with it. How many people did we miss because of other commitments, conflicts that wouldn't have been a problem season-opener weekend? Guess we just got lucky, having a week-1 home game all those years in a row.

The Jets aren't exactly a "sexy" opponent, either, which probably affected overall attendance. If some of our long-distance travelers can only make it to one game a year, a matchup of teams that both drafted in the top 10 this spring doesn't exactly have the same cachet as a Dolphins game...

 

To Cindy & Jack - my co-conspirators in setting up this great endeavor:  Great job as always guys. There's no way this would happen without your hard work and it is greatly appreciated.  This years' T-Shirts rocked!

A massive tip of the hat to the three of you... as usual....

[rockpile]

Lori said:

Sep 26 2006, 12:46 AM]

 

Thought it was darned strange myself when I walked by the room Cindy had already told us we'd booked, at the appointed time, and saw it full of people I didn't recognize. When queried, the manager (NOT Danny) told me "there are only a couple of people here, and the room wasn't full last year", etc., etc. Seems to me if an agreement is made to reserve a room for a certain time, the establishment should honor said request. But maybe that's just me?

We filled every table this year. When I got there, we had one table for TBD with a bunch of us standing around. As far as not filling the room last year, maybe if they put some football games on, people would not wander out to the bar to catch their team. We only got the game because we MADE them put the projector on.

The two factors you cited - weather and timing - probably do have a lot to do with it. How many people did we miss because of other commitments, conflicts that wouldn't have been a problem season-opener weekend? Guess we just got lucky, having a week-1 home game all those years in a row.

The Jets aren't exactly a "sexy" opponent, either, which probably affected overall attendance.

It was not really the Jets, IMO. We did fine with the Jagwads and Texans.

A massive tip of the hat to the three of you... as usual....

Agreed!!!

 

That said: I like Danny's for the location, prices, and good food. A couple of the waitresses were a bit bitchy.

[nhbillsfan]

I know we had a great time. It was nice getting to chat with people. Would go again in a heartbeat, win, lose or draw, still a good time. Thanks for all that put it together, you guys are great.