RECAPS 2003 Sept. 6, 2003: Florida $tate 35, Maryland 10
Team A-Game completed a successful road trip to Tallahassee though the Terps lost to Florida $tate. After meeting up with the Terrapin Nation at a local watering hole and partying with some of F$U's finest until the early hours of the A.M. Friday night, Team A-Game recovered in time to establish the Maryland section of the parking lot at the Leon County Civic Center. The A-Game Tailgate officially kicked off at 10 a.m. with the raising of the Maryland and A-Game flags on the new 20-foot flagpole. Paul and Craig also posted Terps Football yard signs on the surrounding streets and a decent contingent of Maryland fans made their way into the lot. Christina FTF, OldLiner Dave, Parrothead Darren, and the Friedgen's Legions group were among the A-Gamers that enjoyed good food and fellowship with Terp fans and with the locals, including a certain Nolehoney, who are some of the friendliest people around. The Tallahassee football fans are true examples of Southern hospitality and Team A-Game will likely make the trip again in two years. The supermarket did not have Johnsonville Brats, so the Publix brand served as the substitute and they were gotten out. For the first time in recent memory, neither Paul nor Craig had a second Brat. After an enjoyable eight-hour tailgate, the Team walked down Fraternity Row to the stadium, withstanding several taunts but not nearly as thuggish as Morgantown or Raleigh. We continued tailgating with F$U fans we had met the night before before making our way into Doak $. Campbell $tadium, where we put up a fight early before the Nole$ pulled away. Paul and Craig beasted the drive home in record time until the Virginia state police b-gamed us less than an hour south of D.C. GET THEM OUT. Sept. 13, 2003: Maryland 61, Citadel 0
Team A-Game simply could not wait for the opener of the 2003 home season, so much so that for the 6 p.m. kickoff against the Citadel, we arrived at our new home in Lot 1d at 6:55 a.m. Craig sweet-talked the half-asleep but cute UMd. Fun Police parking attendant, and we handed out an A-Game Award to her for letting us in. Upon arrival, Paul and Craig raised the flags 20 feet in the air and fired up the grills, because once you fire up a grill, you cannot move. We also posted in the ground our new A-Game banner. Neil, Darren and Mike soon followed, and we held a full regular tailgate before the rest of the Fun Police arrived to post the directional signs showing where fans should park. Showers did not stop the A-Game, and the traditional first quarter toss was completed without allowing the ball to touch the ground, which was a huge step up from the horrible passing game exhibited in the F$U tailgate. Also bouncing back to true A-Game form were the Brats, as the Johnsonville brand returned and were as good as ever. The theme for the morning in the lot, which was empty except for us, was “Wow, we are the only ones tailgating for this game right now.” When 12 Noon finally game, which followed what seemed like a full tailgate, other fans and A-Game members arrived. Kenna and Yancy made a great rookie debut, bringing the easiest tent ever assembled. They are veteran NASCAR tailgaters and proved they are worthy A-Game team members by throwing down the alcohol. Kristine brought her typically-good Vodka-drenched fruit, Craig Lestner and Big Mike brought jumbalaya and our new jerseys, and Stefanie and Rebecca contributed great dessert items. Walt beasted his drive down from Connecticut to make his debut as a season-ticket holder, and super sophomore Chad was unfortunately the lone representative of the Hereford contingent, though thankfully did not make any Hereford references. The grilled Salmon was again a hit, as was the new item of scallops wrapped in bacon. Darren brought a second TV to hook up with the EverTerp satellite, and we watched N.C. State almost knock off defending national champ Ohio State. Mother Nature eventually cooperated, but Terp Alley b-gamed because the Fridge was carrying stuff in both hands, so we could not take the traditional picture of Craig Hall shaking the Fridge's hand. Inside, wearing our new Team A-Game jerseys, we were right at home in our new seats in Section 7, which offered great close-ups of the Dance Team. We moved the chains in midseason form, and the Terps got the much-needed feel-good win before a sellout crowd of 51,594. After the 61-0 spanking, we partied until about 11 p.m., while the Terrapin Nation continued watching F$U rally past Ga. Tech. Sept. 20, 2003: Maryland 34, West Virginia 7
The A-Game Tailgate hosted its second consecutive 16-hour gameday for the Maryland-West Virginia game, although Mother Nature delayed our start time by forcing to search high and low for available ice. Step-up Award goes to Vince, who provided ice from his bar. We finally arrived at 7:45 a.m. to begin the festivities with the usual crowd of Craig, Darren, Mike, Neil, Paul and Vince. A full tailgate was again held before lots officially opened at noon. We were without Sam, Kenna and Yancy, but Ralph, Chad and co. stepped up in place. Paul from Salisbury also made an appearance after he removed a fallen tree from his house. Craig Lestner and Mike arrived, but without jumbalaya, as there was no power to cook. Non-Brat Dish of the Week Award goes to Paul's salmon and Kristine's shrimp and bacon. Under a new tent (get the blue cover out) we watched the early games and then headed to Terp Alley. Cleanup came too soon as it always does. Inside, Neil Hall was all over the WVU fans sitting in front of us. Neil Hall then called the drum major a 'band leader.' Vince was in A-Game form until halftime, which is when the Eer fans started leaving, as Md. rolled to a 34-7 spanking before second consecutive sellout crowd. Hurricane Isabel got more yardage on the ground than the WVU offense. The post-tailgate included more of everything and watching Northern Illinois win at Alabama.We reluctantly wrapped up shop at 11:45 p.m. Oct. 4, 2003: Maryland 21, Clemson 7
Click here for pictures of the Terps/Clemson gameday. Mother Nature treated us to gloriously cool, cloudy autumn football weather as we hosted the 2nd Annual Family Day at the A-Game Tailgate for the Clemson game. Paul, Craig and Neil began the Maryland gameday with the 6:45 a.m. arrival, and after a 45-minute setup, enjoyed an A-Game bratwurst in what is becoming traditional morning rain during a tailgate. The Brat was cooked on the brand new Weber Q grill. What a step-up the Q is with tons more cooking area. Darren, Mike and Christina arrived for the rest of the pretailgate before the 9:30 opening of the lots. In the 2nd quarter catch, Craig Hall sustained an injury trying to cover Paul on a corner pattern. He got 6's from all the judges except a 5.2 from the French, get them out. While family members were slowly trickling in to the tailgate (next year we're doing a 6 p.m. game for Family Day), Team A-Game took turns getting beat by the Clemson team in NCAA Football 2004 on the X-Box brought by OldLiner Dave. The Md. play-calling and execution were so bad that it resulted in several debacles with the throwing of the hats. As the tailgate got into full swing with attendance near 25, we feasted on homemade dishes like Baklava from Mother Krome, crab mold and Red Beans & Rice from the A-Game Legal Advisor, great dip from Becca Lestner, Rona's cookies, jumbalaya from Becca's brother and Rona's son (a.k.a. Craig), and of course the traditional salmon, lamb and kielbasa. Big Sid had the honor of carrying the flags to Terp Alley, where the traditional Craig Hall shaking the Fridge's hand picture was taken for the records. The roster for Family Day include the Krome parents, Ralph and Father Lusby, Walt, Big Mike, Brooke, Brian, Kevin and Carole from the hood (a.k.a. Owings Mills), Stefanie and brother Bryan and Co., and Kristine played hurt. Former Sea Gull softballer extraordinairre Julie brought the B.F. and friends from Salisbury, and perhaps more importantly the beer funnel, which was used early and often. Joe and Tracy, Paul's old editors in Ocean City, arrived and promptly copy-edited the Md. media guide. The third straight sellout crowd watched the Terps beat Clemson 21-7 on the strength of outstanding defense. After victory cigars at the post-tailgate, we gave Chad his birthday hits and sent him on his way. The tailgate wrapped up too early at 9:45 p.m. Oct. 11, 2003: Maryland 33, Dook 20  Gameday for Dook: 16 hours, 45 minutes. Click here for pictures of the Terps/Dook gameday. With Lot 1 not as full, Team A-Game chided the rest of the Terp fans for not taking Dook seriously (but really, can you blame them?), as the Team brought its Super A-Game for the Dookies, setting a new record with a 16-hour, 45-minute gameday that began at 7 a.m. and finally ended at 11:45 p.m. The Team also set a record for most debacles (the throwing of the hats in protest of something), and several members set new personal bests for amount of food eaten. With not as many fans around to party with, there was little to do but sit around and eat, and for the first time, Team A-Game feasted on Cluck-U Wings, the College Park tradition. They would prove later to be explosive. Craig, Paul and Neil began the festivities once again and were joined around 9 a.m. by Mike and Darren, who were gotten out for being late. Kenna and Yancy showed no rust from two games off due to NASCAR and a wedding, Sam made his first appearance of the year, Big Mike and Craig appeared, as did Chad and Walt, and Kristine played hurt. With no DirecTV this week due to EverTerp getting married (poor scheduling), Team A-Game 'kicked it old school' and tuned in on the radio to hear Clemson beat Virginia. Doug and Andrea brought margaritas which got everyone in peak form for the game, where we put on another terrific performance until Uncle Jesse had the gall to ask us to sit down. Please. He was gotten out as well. We cheered the Band Leader several times and enjoyed the Terps 33-20 win over the Dookies before the fourth straight 50,000-plus crowd, a record at UMd. Nov. 1, 2003: Maryland 59, North Carolina 21
Click here for pictures of the Terps/UNC gameday. To properly prepare for the noon kickoff against Carolina, Team A-Game set the all-time arrival record, pulling onto the College Park campus at 4:44 a.m. However, the UMd. Fun Police were out in full force and delayed the Team's arrival at the official spot in Lot 1d until 5:10 a.m. Get them out. Craig and Paul began the setup, and were soon joined by Darren and Mike, and Neil and Walt (in a stunning 5:30 arrival). Not two minutes after he arrived, Mike spilled his beer (and later an omelette), continuing a horrible performance he began at Cornerstone bar for the Georgia Tech game. We enjoyed the Red pre-dawn sky and a great sunrise. Then some guy pulled up and asked, “Hey, you guys want to be on TV?” Team A-Game, a firm believer in media relations, responded, “Sure.” So the Terps' all-time leading scorer and former NFL placekicker Jess Atkinson gets out of the car with his camera. Atkinson has created FridgeTV.com, an exclusive, behind-the-scenes website for the Maryland Football program. Atkinson wanted to find the best football fans in the state, the ones who start gameday earlier than anyone else, so of course he found the A-Game Tailgate, the only tailgaters around at 5:45 in the morning. “The Fridge said he was getting up at 4 a.m. to get ready for the game. We figured we'd get up with him,” said Team A-Game in the interview. The interview proved a great start for what turned out to be another Family Day-type tailgate with an extra 20 or so in the house, including Big Sid, Mother and Brother Krome, Julie and the Harford County contingent, the Wolf sisters, Craig Lestner's and Big Mike's better halves, and more. Kristine's Feta/spinach dip was a hit, as was Mother Krome's Baklava again. Darren and Chad drew praise for indicating they went out the night before to celebrate Halloween. The only downer to the day was the heat. Temps soared to 80 and sapped the energy out of the 51,195 homecoming fans. The Terps rolled the Heels, 59-21, in their last visit to Byrd for a while. Maryland set an ACC record with 39 points in the second quarter. After the game, we cooked all the food and watched Penn State and Virginia both lose, which was icing on the cake. Nov. 13, 2003: Maryland 27, Virginia 17
Click here for pictures of the Terps/UVA gameday. Team A-Game kicked off Rivalry Week by arriving on the UM campus at 1 p.m. for the Thursday Night showdown against the BooHoos from Virginia. Par for the course, the UMd. Fun Police denied us entrance into Lot 1, so we carried the tailgate gear in from the church lot. Mother Nature blessed us with cold weather, but crushed us with wind. We tried the normal setup, but tables were blowing everywhere, beer was being spilled, flagpoles were denting cars, and the wind was cutting off the gas flow to the Q. So it was an old-school, no-frills tailgate with the Q on the ground surrounded by a shield of coolers. With Mike running late, Paul decided to take his role by spilling two beers early, and Neil Hall got on him right away. Craig Hall enjoyed a terrific drive around campus, taking in all the A-Game while looking for a place to park. A-Game to Darren for securing the student permit to get into the lot. The Team hosted Mollie to her first Maryland gameday. She's an Arkansas native and Texas A&M grad who taught us the A&M yells and how they call the hogs in Arkansas. We educated her as to the A-Game rituals and the moving of the chains. Despite the wind, the Q cooked up some of the best Brats we'd ever had. Cold weather Brats are truly a step up. Kristine brought homemade crab cakes that were a big hit. Ralph and Craig Hall finally traded hats back after the debacle series of Clemson. Kenna, Yancy, Craig Lestner, Big Mike, FTF and the rest of the crew arrived as Team A-Game enjoyed plenty of Hot Chocolate and Schnapps on the day. Mother Nature forced the cancellation of the carrying of the flags to Terp Alley, but Craig Hall still shook the Fridge's hand, and the crowd was rocking then all the way through the game. Inside, the full house rocked and helped the Terps pay back Virginia for last year with a 27-17 win. On the field afterwards, we got some good hits in and Yancy went off the top rope to pin Craig. The ground shook and a portion of the upper deck was seen to have crumbled. After the game, we saluted Neil Hall on his last tailgate of the year and stayed until 12:30 a.m. to close out another A-Game home tailgating season with a 6-0 record in Lot 1. Nov. 15, 2003: Frostburg 15, Salisbury 14 
Salisbury SuperFan Ralph (L) hasn't missed a Sea Gull game since 1812. Click here for pictures of the fifth annual Regents Cup gameday. Team A-Game continued Rivalry Week Saturday, arriving at 9:45 a.m. on the Towson campus for the Salisbury-Frostburg Regents Cup Game. As Towson was playing at 12:30, we joined the dozen Towson tailgaters in Lot 20. It took a couple tries before Craig and Paul were able to successfully get through to the parking attendant that we were there for the Salisbury game at 7 p.m. Again the Q stepped up, cooking Brats that rivaled the all-time best, the Cleveland Brown Brats from a year ago. Walt got off work and overcame a flat tire near Canada to celebrate his birthday in A-Game fashion. After several debacles and lamb chops, we turned on the Syracuse-Miami game, until the TU Fun Police forced the shutdown of the tailgate in order to attend the Towson game. Horrible crowd, except for one fan who was into it, although there was some A-Game in attendance. We coasted through the three quarters of Towson's rout, then met Kenna, Yancy, Chris and Jolene back out in the lot for resumption of tailgating. Fellow alumni Julie and Rob, Joey and Ericka, Brandon, Marianne and Krisine showed up, but the party really got started when Sea Gull SuperFan Ralph Murray arrived. Ralph hasn't missed a Salisbury football game in 162 years. There was no tailgating contest, in part because the judges were doubling as the chain crew. We watched N.C. State and Florida State before heading in. A crowd of 3,432, which was 1,300 more than what Towson drew to its home game, watched as the Bobcats once again claimed the Cup with a 15-14 win. After the game, we headed over to Charles Village Pub and toasted what we always seem to toast after this game: “Next year.” Frostburg has won four of five Regents Cup Games and now leads the all-time series 16-15. Nov. 22, 2003: Maryland 26, N.C. State 24
Click here for pictures of the Terps/N.C. State gameday. There are really no words to describe the N.C. State roadtrip. You really just had to be there. Shame on you if you weren't, and commit now to going in '05. For the fourth straight year, the N.C. State gameday gets Tailgate of the Year Award. And for the fourth straight year against Maryland, the Wolfpack shot its collective load too soon and melted under the weight of yet another double-digit second-half lead, once AGAIN coming-from-ahead to lose to the mighty Terps, 26-24. Even when it looked like the curse would be over, when the Pack would finally beat Maryland, when it looked like it was wrapped up when Terp K Nick Novak hooked the potentially game-tying PAT left after Scott 'A-Game' McBrien scored to pull Md. to within 24-23 with 2 minutes left, you just knew somehow, someway, the Pack would find a way to choke and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This time, it was Pack RB T.a. McLendon, who won Terp MVP of the Game honors for coughing up the ball and the game with 1:30 to play after getting smacked by Leroy Ambush. Madieu Williams recovered, McBrien, Josh Allen and Bruce Perry drove the Terps down the field and set up NovAk. His FG from 43 yards sailed through the uprights, sending the 2,000 or so Maryland fans into delirium and once again silencing 50,000 rednecks all at once, just like two years ago when Shaun 'A-Game' Hill hit Guilian 'A-Game' Gary in the endzone in the closing seconds for the ACC Championship. “You wouldn't think that would happen three years in a row,” said Freddie Aughtry-Linday, a Wolfpack junior who wasn't around for the Pack's double-overtime loss at Maryland in 2000. But he has lived through the last three, as Ralph Friedgen's Terps have scored the winning points in the last minute each time. “I don't know if they've got our number or what. They just find ways to win and we just find ways to lose.” Pack fans were left crying in their beer, or throwing it at the Terps, our band, and our fans. We responded with “You Can't Win Here!” and “Oh and Four!” and “If you can't go to college, go to State!” and endless singing, dancing, and flag-waving. ABC-TV wanted the Terps to cooperate for Philip Rivers' coronation as best ACC QB ever; sorry fellas. Rivers can have all the stats he wants, but we like these two: 0-4 all-time vs. UMd. and zero (0) ACC Championships. Maryland fans rocked and rolled in an empty Carter-Finley Stadium, then walked as a group back out to the tailgate lot for the Victory Party. There really aren't any words to accurately capture the emotion of the night as we supported our team in its comeback from a 24-10 fourth-quarter deficit. Perhaps the most emotionally-draining game ever attended by Team A-Game. As for the pregame tailgate, Team A-Game arrived at 7:45 a.m. to the Fairground lots off Trinity Road and established the Maryland section with the raising of the Md. and A-Game flags 20 feet in the air. We got Food Lion out for not having any lamb chops, but other than that it was a true A-Game Tailgate with way too many fans in attendance to mention. Plenty of food, debacles, hitting, mugging for ESPN cameras, verbal fights with some N.C. State fans, offering drinks to the other, better-looking N.C. State fans, and making plans for the Md. bowl game. Some thugs tried to steal the “Turtle Wax the Pack” sign but it burned their hands and we reclaimed it promptly. Dec. 7, 2003: Ravens 31, Bengals 13
Click here for pictures of the Ravens/Bengals gameday. Team A-Game gathered Dec. 7 for its traditional regular-season ending cold-weather Ravens gameday at the regular lot off of Pratt & Paca streets downtown. Paul and Walt arrived at 7:06 a.m. for the 1 p.m. kickoff, and were soon joined by Craig Hall, Kristine, and Mike Norris, who won Step-up Award of the Day for driving in from D.C. to watch the only legitimate NFL team in the area. Mother Nature did not disappoint, blessing us with a snapping wind and temps in the 30s, and as everyone knows, those are the best conditions in which to enjoy a Brat hot off the grill. Underneath a sunny sky with the Ravens and A-Game Tailgate flags flying high, we feasted on Brats, lamb, wings and dogs, as we handed out our second annual year-ending Team A-Game Awards. Walt won the Team's Rookie of the Year Award for repeatedly fighting off a lack of sleep due to job duties to post for weekly A-Game Tailgates. The N.C. State trip once again won Gameday of the Year. The Grilled Salmon was named Dish of the Year. The tailgate was taken to a next level when Kristine broke out the hot chocolate and peppermint Schnapps. It was at that point that we also opened the Coconut Rum, and the passing of the bottle began and continued add infinitum. Craig Hall had his Gator Bowl Debacle. He then tried to throw Paul into the wrestling ropes, but he stumbled and tried to brace himself against the table. Unfortunately the table was no match for this Team A-Game Offensive Lineman, who checks in at 210 LBS in August, but 235 after three full months of tailgating. The table was crushed and Doritos were sent flying. Mike, evidently seeing some life still left in the nearly-split table, then did a splash off the top rope that would've made “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka proud. Referee Paul made the 3-count and Mike Norris had his first-ever win over a table. Incredibly Mike did not spill his victory beer. The Team joined 69,438 Raven Maniacs who rocked Baltimore over the Bengals 31-13 in a game for first place in the AFC North. The A-Game Tailgate will next meet in Jacksonville, Fla., for the Gator Bowl Jan. 1 pitting the Terps against West Virginia. More info to be posted as gameday approaches. Go TERPS!!! Jan. 1, 2004: Maryland 41, West Virginia 7
Click here for pictures of Team A-Game's week in Jacksonville. Team A-Game, not five hours from retiring from New Year's festivities, established the Maryland section of Lot Z at the Gator Bowl shortly before 7 a.m. Jan. 1. We arrived to find cones blocking the entrance, so of course we moved the cones and proceeded to the location of the A-Game Tailgate that we predetermined during a parking lot scouting trip following a bar tour two nights earlier. While Kristine, who did a little too much partying New Year's Eve, needed some extra sleep, Paul K., Paul O., and Liz immediately opened the tailgate with the playing of the Maryland Victory Song while raising the Maryland and A-Game flags on the 20-foot flag pole promptly upon arrival. Setup continued in the early morning fog with the hanging of the banner and the firing up of the grill until the rest of the Terrapin Nation arrived with much-needed coffee and donuts to clear the fog in our heads. Darren, Mike, Dave, Doug, Andrea, Christina, Daniel, Roslyn, Noli, Nick, Gus and Carolyn brought the cavalry and the A-Game was in full force with first Brat and Beer consumed by 8 a.m. There were plenty of debacles to go around, and remarkably Mike did not spill one single beer. General Richard and Friedgen's Legions brought the reinforcements, including some excellent G.M. to enjoy as the sun rose to create a beautiful Maryland Day in Jacksonville. It turns out that the Legions' 2nd Lt. Jason is another product of Queen Anne Village, the hood that produced Paul and the Hall brothers. A host of others stopped by, including Matt and Beverly, MdBubba Brad and YeahTerps A.J. It was at that point that we decided to kick it up a notch by throwing the salmon on the grill. With extra helpings of the creole seasoning (Bam!), it was far and away the best salmon the Team has ever enjoyed. As the tailgate closed, and it did way too quickly, face paintings were applied, beads and boas were donned and pictures were taken as the A-Game prepared its march to the stadium. On the way, we belted out several renditions of the Victory Song and snapped with Mountaineer Fan. Inside, we put on a great performance in the upper deck and got great participation Moving the Chains, leading cheers and singing our own songs as we could not hear the band. To no one's surprise, Maryland dominated the Eers, and we quickly became bored with their pathetically unimaginative offense. We felt so bad for them by the second quarter, that by the time they got their first first-down, we even moved the chains for them. As the rout wore on, the gold disappeared from the stands and the 15,000 Maryland fans made themselves at home. With the 41-7 victory in hand, we joined the student section and took in the postgame trophy presentation with the band. We sang the Victory Song several more times on our way out to Lot Z for the victory tailgate, where we lit sparklers and firewords in celebration. We cooked all the food, and finally at 6:30 with the lot empty as it was when we arrived, the A-Game Tailgate called it a day and put a wrap on the 2003 Tailgating Season with the lowering of the flags and a final singalong of the Maryland Victory Song. Congrats to Coach Friedgen, the Terps and all Maryland fans on a great year. Ten wins for the third consecutive season; one of only five programs in the country to accomplish that. Thanks also to everyone for taking the A-Game Tailgate to yet another level in 2003. We'll be adding improvements during the offseason to make 2004 even better. Recruiting season also is underway, and Team A-Game is in discussions with several highly-rated tailgating recruits. If you're interested in joining the best football fans in the state for 2004 Maryland Football season tickets, email Team A-Game. Go TERPS!!!
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