RECAPS 2004

Sept. 4, 2004: Maryland 23, Northern Illinois 20
Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.

Team A-Game nearly 30 strong for the season opener.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/N-I-Who gameday.

The most anticipated season opener ever for Team A-Game kicked off in glorious style as Craig Hall, Darren and Paul were in Lot 1d by 6:30 a.m. as it appears the Fun Police have finally gotten the picture. As the Team continues to bulk up, set-up takes even longer as tents, extra chairs and tables, and a fifth flag pole extension to bring it up to 25 feet were put in place in preparation for the crowd of 30 that would usher in the ninth season of the A-Game Tailgate. The flag pole has resumed its place as biggest in the lot and was properly saluted upon set-up. The first Brats since way too long ago were enjoyed with “( )” [no words]. Dave brought the TV, and Mike Norris arrived and did not spill a beer. He is obviously not in midseason form yet. Walt then arrived with the new generator, and the DirecTV satellite easily asserted themselves as the A-Game’s Rookies of the Year, as the tube was up and running in time for College Gameday’s 10:30 a.m. start. Most of the Team’s regular roster posted, though some reserves were called in and did an AdmirAble job feeding their stomachs and livers. Some menu items included: homemade potato chips from Doug, chicken and pork souvlaki from Paul, crab dib from Sam, and taco dip from Becca. Tracy and co. brought Jagermeister bombs and all was good. The five-tiered flag pole was taken to a raucous Terp Alley, where the traditional C-Hall/Fridge photo was taken. We fought off soaring temps from Mother Nature for the rest of the way and then headed into Byrd 25 strong for Section 7. Inside, the Terps made some mistakes to keep N-I-Who in the game, but they battled and made the plays they needed to to earn revenge for last year. Most of the nearly 52,000 were loud when it counted, though Uncle Jesse and Co. did their worst to make Byrd a library. Fortunately Paul had the immunity letter from the A.D. and we rocked and rolled our way through the 23-20 win. The post-tailgate included Victory Brats and lamb chops and lasted until 11:45 p.m. as we watched Oregon State miss three extra points at LSU and Colorado State come up short vs. Colorado. Next week is the third annual Family Day. Go Terps!
Record: 44-24

Sept. 11, 2004: Maryland 45, Temple 22
Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.

Kathie Brigham, Mother Krome and Big Sid were part of the roster for Family Day 2004.

Click here for pictures of the third annual Family Day.

The third annual Family Day at the A-Game Tailgate ranks as one of the top tailgates ever and certainly the best of the three Family Day events. Attendance approached 45 and the menu was easily the most diverse in the three-year history of the tradition. The day started with a junior Fun Police attendant properly allowing Craig Hall and Paul into Lot 1 just prior to 6:30 a.m., but then a senior Parking Feminazi overruled her subordinate and denied Darren and Christina at two entrances at 6:40. No matter. Who needs to go through an official entrance when curbs are no match for a Rav? Christina brought jello shots, probably 30 of them, but the early arrivals were in such a celebratory mood for another Terrapin Gameday that they did not last past noon. The team suffered the first of eventually two casualties on the day when the football, after numerous games of "catch" with hands-of-stone specialist Mike Norris and punts that hit the pavement, deflated due to excessive contact with the ground. That left tailgaters with more time to eat, drink, and watch the early games on TV, which we did add excessiveness thanks to items such as Swedish meatballs from the Brighams, quesadillas from Mary Kay and Bob, watermelon in rum and pasta salad from Kristine, beer-battered bread from Kenna, fruit punch from Shannon, Caribbean dip from the Wilkinsons, baklava from Mother Krome, and of course the standard Brats, lamb chops, salmon and kielbasa. We gorged so much food that a second casualty was discovered – a chair was broken under the weight of one A-Gamer. That is a step up for the Team as we did not crush a chair last week. The only downers of the day were Neil Hall’s unexpected absence to work on protection schemes with Ethan and the conversation with the UM athletic department, who made a special trip to the tailgate to discuss whether or not fans can stand during the game. Evidently, the bulk of the Terps’ non-student fans are as lame as they were when we started back in ’96. Par for their course. Inside the stadium, the Terps clicked on the cylinders they missed last week and cruised to a 45-22 rout of Temple before another sellout crowd of 51,292. Afterwards we fired up the grills, to the delight of several Terp fans downwind of us, and watched another Georgia Tech-Clemson classic before finally vacating Lot 1 at nearly 12:30 a.m., which established the all-time gameday record at 18 hours. Saturday the Team visits one of its favorite destinations, allegedly hostile Morgantown, W.Va., for the Terps and W-V-Who. See the chart below for directions and a map of where the A-Game Tailgate will set up shop. All Maryland fans welcome as we prepare to set the delusional Eers straight. Go TERPS!!!
Record: 45-24

Sept. 18, 2004: West Virginia 19, Maryland 16 (ot)
Mountaineer Field, Morgantown, W.Va.

The WVU tailgate was perhaps the best ever for a noon away game.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/WVU gameday.

For Team A-Game’s third consecutive trip to Morgantown (2000, '02, '04) for the Terps/WVU game, Mother Nature threw us just about every curve imaginable as Hurricane Ivan dumped on us on the Friday travel day, forcing members of the A-Game to go through their own “Storm Stories.” Thunderstorms marred the drive to Cumberland, and while Mike Norris, Doug and Andrea were able to make it to the hotel, Craig Hall, Paul and Kristine spent too much time eating at Denny's, which allowed the flood waters to rise and prohibit driving up the street to the hotel. With police blocking traffic and fire trucks racing around, Team A-Game took the time to shoot video and phone in a report to The Weather Channel studios, complete with droplets of water on the lens. As brooks and streams overflowed and water rushing down the sides of the streets, the Rav and Celica were left to the safety of a McDonald's parking lot, and the Team walked the center line a half-mile to the hotel, trudging through six inches of water to get into the endzone of the Super 8 parking lot, where Mike Norris’ car was trapped. Just when all was starting to quiet down, at 2 a.m. Christina FTF and Daniel arrived to complete the team roster, having driven all the way from Richmond in the Hard-core, Step Up Move of the Night.

With only fog left to battle Saturday morning, the Team completed the trek to Morgantown, was the first to arrive in Lot Cellular One along a main street in town, and promptly raised the Maryland and A-Game flags 25 feet in the air by 8 a.m. As per the norm, the flags served as a visible welcome sign and a good contingent of Terp fans made their way in. The A-Game Tailgate went on to host one of its best tailgates ever, as the lack of pretailgate time for the Noon kickoff sent the team into chugging mode right away. Thanks to mudslides from Kristine, fruit punch from Andrea, and the Drinking Jenga game, the Team enjoyed an extended Power Hour from 8-11, and also enjoyed excellent cool weather and accompanying Brats – which are always better in the cold. Christina, Daniel, Todd, Noli, Geoff and crew arrived, as did the taunts and heckles from the Eer fans driving by. Nothing gets Team A-Game more pumped than tailgating in enemy territory. Mike Norris again set out in search of a table to destroy, but in the absence of same, he settled for ripping his pants. Singing and chanting amidst all the blue and gold, we made our way into Mountaineer Field. Unfortunately the Turtles were in a giving mood, turning the ball over five times against the allegedly No. 7 team in the nation, which could manage just a 7-3 halftime lead. The Terps battled hard all day but could not overcome the mistakes in an eventual 19-16 overtime loss. It was W-V-Who's first win over Maryland since 2000, and you would've thought the Eers won the national championship the way they celebrated. After the game, the A-Game convened for a post-tailgate until 6 p.m., to conclude a solid 10-hour road gameday under sunny skies. The A-Game Tailgate will next meet for the Terps' home game vs. Georgia Tech in Part II of the 2004 Revenge Tour on Oct. 9. Go TERPS!!!
Record: 45-25

Oct. 9, 2004: Georgia Tech 20, Maryland 7
Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/Georgia Tech gameday.

Record: 45-26

Oct. 10, 2004: Ravens 17, Redskins 10
FedEx Field, Landover, Md.

Happy couple.

Click here for pictures of the Ravens/Redskins gameday.

Record: 46-26

Oct. 16, 2004: N.C. State 13, Maryland 3
Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.

A good breeze and cool temps made it the best football weather day yet for '04.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/N.C. State gameday.

Record: 46-27

Oct. 23, 2004: Clemson 10, Maryland 7
Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.

Ready for our first walk to Death Valley.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/Clemson gameday.

Team A-Game made its inaugural trip to Clemson and Death Valley to support the Terps in an effort to halt a two-game losing streak. We should've known we were in trouble when it was learned earlier in the week that Craig Hall would not be able to make the trip. Strike 2 came when the Virginia State Pigs b-gamed Paul with a speeding ticket in southern Va. It marked the second straight year a member of Team A-Game was b-gamed by Pigs in Virginia, who obviously still can't accept the fact that the Potomac River really does belong to Maryland. After a solid pregame Friday night at the team hotel bar, Paul, Darren, Walt, Christina and Daniel arrived at the designated parking lot at 7:30 a.m. and raised the Maryland and A-Game flags 25 feet in the air. We hung another flag on the street corner and slowly Md. fans made their way in. Kristine, Geoff, Mike Norris, Karen, Jason and other arrived, and we feasted on the traditional menu that included excellent Brats, kielbasa and some dogs. Karen brought some excellent shrimp dip. She is Mike Norris's sister, but it was tough to see the relation as she did not drop anything. Beverages included Goldschlager's and Bloody Mary's. Throughout the tailgate and on the walk to the stadium it was tough to get fired up because there were no beers lobbed at us and very little taunting, even by CU students. Most Clemson fans are very nice, which is fine, but Team A-Game prefers being shown the love properly with cans of Busch Light fired at us and the usual barrage of profanity-laced “Maryland Sucks” and “Your Coach is Fat” taunts by true fans in holes like Morgantown and Raleigh. As for the game, the Terps showed improvement and had the game in hand when Strike 3 came in the form of the Zebras in the fourth quarter. Terps got hosed in a complete-game sense—offensively and defensively. Bogus calls and non-calls, including a horrible pass interference, helped the Kittens rally to a 10-7 win to extend the losing streak to three. A somber post-tailgate was held before concluding an 11-hour gameday heading back to the hotel at 6:30 p.m.
Record: 46-28

Oct. 30, 2004: Maryland 20, Florida $tate 17
Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.

One of the most festive tailgates ever prior to Team A-Game's first-ever win over a top 5 team.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/F$U gameday.

Facing a three-game losing streak with the No. 5 team in the nation coming to our house, Team A-Game knew it had to step up and did so, hosting one of the drunkest, most-festive tailgates ever. It began at the customary 6:30 a.m. arrival time with Craig Hall, Paul and Liz soon joined by Dave, Darren and the lovely and gracious Nolehoney. The beer began flowing right away. We beasted the set-up and first Brats were on the grill by 7:09 a.m. With several beers already downed, the rest of the tailgate gets fuzzy from there. The Fun Police stopped by to chat and conceeding victory to the A-Game Tailgate for its eArly arrival times. The Team visited Friedgen's Legions tailgate and graciously accepted several shots of G.M. and then Blue Something followed by Vodka and Red Bull. Andrea brought the punch again, which further contributed to the good spirits. Mike Norris battled a bag of ice, taking a 3-2 decision with a late near-fall after the bag rallied from an earlier splash to talk smack to Mike Norris. Soon after, the bag tagged in Yancy and C-Hall and a battle royale ensued. Sam stepped up and brought Emily a big birthday cookie and we all sang to celebrate her day. That is about all the author recalls and comments are welcome by e-mail to fill in the gaps.

At 0-14 lifetime against F$U, the Terps came out fired up and played their physical brand of ball in leading wire-to-wire for their first ever win over the Nole$. Stunningly, the 52,203 at Byrd rocked the whole game, causing confusion for F$U. The defense yielded just 10 points, and every time the Nole$ looked like they would take control, the Terps responded. Joel Statham passed for one score and rushed for another, and Nick NovAk kicked two FGs in the 20-17 win. Delirium ensued as the clock reached zero and Team A-Game rushed the field to celebrate. The post-tailgate lasted until 11 p.m., as we feasted on more food in celebration and watched another upset as Carolina knocked off No. 3 Miami. Alcohol consumption not withstanding, it was an unforgettable 16.5-hour gAmedAy.
Record: 47-28

Nov. 6, 2004: Virginia 16, Maryland 0
Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va.

It became Lot 1 South in Whoville, Va.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/UVA gameday.

It was a veritable "Who’s Who" among Maryland tailgaters that descended upon Whoville for the Terps’ ACC tango with hated Virginia Saturday. Craig Hall and Paul arrived to establish the Md. presence in Lot U-Hall (should be C-Hall) at 8:45 a.m., raising the flags promptly upon arrival as local Boo Hoos drove by and booed us. From there, the rest of Team A-Game arrived (Kristine and Darren delayed by another b-game effort from the Virginia State Pigs), followed by Friedgen’s Legions, the Terrapin Nation, the Crazy Greek Terps, J.R., Terps55Mike and Noli and Crew. The menu included the standard, along with bacon from Doug, punch from Andrea, and mulled wine from Kristine. The drinks were flowing, especially once the Legions arrived with the G.M. and Desi brought the Touaca. Another bag of ice challenged Mike Norris, who was up to the task of defending his crown. But it was not over with the pin, as C-Hall came to the aid of the ice and tagged in Paul Krome for the battle royal. Further contributing to another festive tailgate was the reappearance of the Drinking Jenga game brought by Noli. With Maryland flags flying high all over the place, we got ready to cheer on our Terps to their second straight win. After downing shots after shots, we took the hike to the stadium, singing the Victory Song. Kristine attempted to run a post pattern, literally, on the walk, but she could not elude the street sign’s press coverage. Inside, the Terp fans were more fired up than the team, as Md. came out flat and played pretty poorly in a 16-0 loss to the BooHoos. Team A-Game is now 0-2 all-time in Whoville. This week it’s the sixth annual Regents Cup Game, as Salisbury, 9-0 and ranked No. 5 in Division III, takes on cross-state rival Frostburg at Towson U.’s Johnny Unitas Stadium. Go Gulls!
Record: 47-29

Nov. 13, 2004: Salisbury 23, Frostburg 7
Regents Cup Game, Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson, Md.

PK and Sam are fired up for the annual Salisbury-Frostburg hatefest...

...while SuperFan Ralph Murray attends his 1,047th consecutive Sea Gull football game.

Team A-Game took in its annual Division III game Saturday, as the Sea Gulls of Salisbury took on Frostburg in their annual grudge match for the Regents Cup and Maryland-state bragging rights. Craig Hall and Paul were the first to arrive on the Towson U. campus, raising the Sea Gull and A-Game flags 25 feet in the air despite serious winds from Mother Nature that caused momentary concerns. DJ Sam arrived with the stereo set up, and cold weather Brats were enjoyed. After getting lost, Kristine and Darren joined the crew, as did Jason and the alumni staff from SU. While enjoying the first-half action of Boston College's eventual 19-point rout of W-V-Who, we feasted on salmon to the delight of the judges who once again crowned the A-Game Tailgate champions of the annual tailgate contest. Included among the judges was legendary Sea Gull Superfan Ralph Murray, who ran his consecutive games attended streak to 1,047. Way to go Ralph! Jesse from the Swim Club arrived with Rum, and Team A-Game once again passed the bottle, which leads to fuzzy recollections from the rest of the tailgate. With 3,000 fans on hand, most wearing the Maroon and Gold, Salisbury turned in a solid performance to defeat the Kittens from Frostburg, 23-7, to return the Regents Cup to its rightful place on the Shore. Afterwards, Salisbury alumni gathered for a victory party at Charles Village Pub in Towson. The Gulls evened up the all-time series at 16 each, and completed a 10-0 regular season to lock up a first-round playoff game Saturday at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury. Team A-Game will convene for that game, but only after traveling to Blacksburg, Va., Thursday to help the Terps get back on the winning track against Virginia Tech on Thursday Night ESPN. Go Terps!!!
Record: 48-29

Nov. 18, 2004: Virginia Tech 55, Maryland 6
Lane Stadium, Blacksburg, Va.

Another good showing on the road for Terp fans and the A-Game at Virginia Tech.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/VaTech gameday.

Record: 48-30

Nov. 20, 2004: Christopher Newport 35, Salisbury 24
NCAA Division III Playoffs, Sea Gull Stadium, Salisbury, Md.

After a rough night out, Paul, Andrew, Chris, and the Mancha clan gathered for an old-school tailgate featuring subs and suds. The younger Manchas, Stevie, 3, and Brady, 10 months, showed off great potential throwing the ball around. They will be future stars for the Gulls, who could've used them today, as SU commits seven turnovers to give away a winnable first-round game to CNU, 35-24. Salisbury ends a great season at 10-1.
Record: 48-31

Nov. 27, 2004: Maryland 13, Wake Forest 7
Byrd Stadium, College Park, Md.

Always love the pre-sunrise setup for late November home games.

Click here for pictures of the Terps/Wake Forest gameday.

Record: 49-31

Dec. 12, 2004: Ravens 37, Giants 14
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md.

Give us the cold December gray anytime.

Click here for pictures of the Ravens/Giants gameday.

Record: 50-31

Jan. 2, 2005: Ravens 30, Dolphins 23
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md.

C-Hall and PK close out the 2004 season with a W.

Click here for pictures of the Ravens/Dolphins gameday.

Record: 51-31