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Stadium #1 Ralph Wilson Stadium Orchard Park, NY |
New York Jets
vs. Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills Stadium October 21, 2012 35 - 34 Loss |
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Free 2011 Fantasy
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Stadium Vitals Built: 1973 Capacity: 73,967 seats Playing Surface: Titan 50 by A-Turf Draft Beer: $9.00 Hot Dog: $5.00 Stadium Parking: $25.00 |
 Ralph WilsonStadium Address One Bills Drive Orchard Park, NY 14127 (716) 312-0409 Get Directions |
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Stadium Review - Der Gral von Graf (the Cup of the Duke)  Every year my Buffalo Bills enter the NFL season with a renewed sense of promise. Some new gimmick, coaching/personnel change, something that allows this desperate fan base some ray of hope that our organization is finally primed and ready to end the playoff drought that has lasted for over a decade … and every year we are disappointed.
This year was no exception as the men in our family reconvened for our 17th annual Buffalo Bills Weekend Retreat on Saturday morning at the Ralph Wilson Stadium RV Lot. This weekend, however, was filled with promise as there were lots of additional items of note on my itinerary of fun. Kenny “Pinto Ron Johnson” was celebrating his 300th consecutive Bills Game (both home and away), a streak that began in the early nineties. The Steiniger Family Fantasy Football Championship trophy, Der Gral von Graf, was making its inaugural debut. Finally, we decided on a thematic approach for our menu of edibles for the weekend, 2012 would be out first Wild Game Weekend, so an impressive menu of critters and carcasses was rolled out throughout the weekend.  It was an overcast and rainy weekend when we arrived at the RV lot at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Saturday morning, but we did not let the weather dampen out spirits. Once parked and settled in, we uncorked the first few Growlers of our regional microbrew beer tasting. Representative samples from Buffalo, Detroit, Rochester, Tampa, and Charlotte were placed on the beer tasting table in the shadow of my latest creation, Der Gral von Graf, the new Steiniger fantasy football championship trophy. This oak based, stainless steel cup will be awarded to the winner of our family fantasy football league and this monstrosity (weighing in at about 45lbs) will accompany that winner to their home city for the year to do with as he/she pleases. Featuring engraved placards that showcase not only each year’s Super Bowl winner, but also the loser that was beaten into submission during the championship game, this trophy has really ratcheted up the competitive nature of our so called “developmental league”, which was in fact it’s intended purpose.
 In addition to the beer tasting, as part of our wild game weekend, we served up steaming hot bowls of venison chili for lunch; and after a couple of hours of tossing around the football and drinking more beer, we began the dinner preparations. Dinner was a combination of a marinated rotisserie roasted rabbit, some wild salmon and trout steaks, and a Kangaroo roast. When I opened the rabbit package, they looked like little fetuses (feti, maybe), but we jammed the spit through the two bunnies that were marinated overnight in a pineapple- teriyaki blend, and put them on the fire. The roast was cut into pieces and coated in Joe Cahn’s (the commissioner of Tailgating) special dry rub before being placed on the charcoal grill, next to the fish. Everything was surprisingly tasty and free of that pesky gaminess that sometimes accompanies wild game. To be perfectly honest, by the time I ate most of this stuff, I was well into the beer tasting and I have to believe that corrugated cardboard would have been tasty considering the state I was in. Sunday morning began with our traditional Kegs and Eggs breakfast and soon we took to the lot to catch up with some of the finest tailgaters that the national football league has to offer. Buffalo is home to some of the most innovative blacktop culinarians in the country, so as we made our way through the lot, there was lots of activity as meat was put to flame and beer drinking vessels were emptied with regularity. We stopped in on the Necessary Roughness Crew who
typically setup in the parking lot of Tailgater’s Bar and Grill located on the corner of Southwestern Blvd and Abbot Road. Inside their party van is an
an awesome full service bar and I'm happy to report that Tom and
Michael are sure to check ID's to make sure everything is on the up
and up. With Jell-O shots and a beer or two, Necessary
Roughness hosts an incredible tailgate that's frequented by some of
the areas finest tailgaters. Bills fans are always welcome,
visiting fans. These guys are truly a class act. I specifically chose this game for my 2012 Quest for 31 tour because my mentor, the great Kenny ”Pinto Ron” Johnson was celebrating an impressive milestone this weekend. Beginning in the early nineties Kenny began a consecutive streak of attending every Bills game, every season both home and away. To put that into perspective, he had to acquire tickets, stave off illness, rearrange schedules and brave the elements for over two decades of Buffalo Bills football in order to keep the streak alive. So we stopped by during his famous ketchup opening ceremony to congratulate Kenny on his accomplishment. So after being dowsed with ketchup and mustard from head to toe Kenny accepted a plaque from the Buffalo Bills organization recognizing his commitment to the
organization and wishing him well on his next 300 consecutive games.
 Gametime, as always, was upon us before we knew it. The 2012 edition of the Buffalo Bills was floundering once again, but the Tennessee Titans were ripe for the plucking. As we filed into Ralph Wilson Stadium on what was a glorious day for football, there was a glimmer of hope. The Buffalo Bills were reeling from consecutive losses, but sat at a manageable 3-3 with a weak
Tennessee Titans team and an underachieving Chris Johnson. The game itself was an exciting contest the Bills and Titans exchanged touchdown drive and field goals during a game where neither team appeared to play much defense.
Chris Johnson seemed to rebound quite nicely against a struggling Bills defense that allowed him to gallop for 195 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Holding the lead late into the fourth quarter, Ryan Fitzpatrick simply had to lead the Bills on a game clock killing drive to seal the win, but threw yet another ill-advised
interception at midfield with 2:57 to go in the game. From there, Matt Hasselbeck led the Titans for the go ahead score with 1:03 on the clock to give Fitzpatrick one last shot at redemption. The Fitzmagic was gone as he tossed one more interception to end the game. Titans Win 35-34.For more information on the city of Buffalo, NY check out my other reviews by clicking on the links below: NFL: October 19, 2014 - Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: September 15, 2013 - Carolina Panthers vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: November 6, 2011 - New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: November 7, 2010 - Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills - Rogers Centre: Toronto NFL: October 3, 2010 - New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: November 1, 2009 - Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: August 15, 2009 - Chicago Bears vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: October 19, 2008 - San Diego Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: December 9, 2007 - Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: November 4, 2007 - Cincinnati Bengals vs. Buffalo Bills NFL: November 26, 2006 - Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Buffalo Bills NHL: March 12, 2010 - Minnesota Wild vs. Buffalo Sabres NHL: Buffalo Sabres, HSBC Arena - General Information |
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| City of Buffalo Local Information | |
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Top Tourist Attractions: Niagara Falls - Maid of the Mist Boat Tour Anchor Bar - Originator of the Buffalo Chicken Wing Local Foods: Buffalo Chicken Wings Kimmelweck "Beef on Weck" LaNova White Pizza What They're Drinkin': Labatt's Blue, Molson Canadian, Yeungling Tailgating Hotspots: Kenny "Pinto Ron" Johnson's Tailgate Party Recreational Vehicle Lot Fan Resources: Pocket Map of Buffalo Stadium Policy Stadium Parking Map Local Sports Media: The Buffalo News WGR 550AM |
Popular
Bar Districts: Chippewa Street (SoHo, Papaya, Pure, Omega Lounge, Bayou) Elmwood Avenue (Mister Goodbar, Coles, Sahara Grill, JP Bullfeathers) Delaware Avenue (Nektar, Toro, Fahertys, The Thirsty Buffalo, Snooty Fox, Stillwater) Hertel Avenue (Fiamma, Shadow Lounge) Best Restaurants: Anchor Bar (Originator of the Buffalo Chicken Wing) Pearl Street Grill Buffalo Chophouse (Steak) Tandoori (Indian Cuisine) Kentucky Gregs (BBQ) 800 Maple (Brick Oven Pizza, Martinis) Papaya and Seabar (Sushi) Northend Trattoria, Romeo and Juliet's (Italian Cuisine) Getting to the Stadium: To get to Ralph Wilson Stadium, you're going to need to drive to Orchard Park, NY, which is a suburb of Buffalo. Public transportation is not an option here. Where to Stay: I would suggest staying in a hotel in downtown Buffalo to take advantage of the nightlife. The best hotel is definitely the Hyatt Downtown, located a stone's throw from the Chippewa Street bar district. the Hampton Inn downtown and Adam's Mark are also good options. |
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| Kicking a Field Goal | Field House at Ralph Wilson Stadium | Prepping the Roast Rabbit | ||
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| Roastin' Rabbit in the Parking Lot | Parking Lot Field Goals at The Ralph | Ralph Wilson Stadium - Buffalo Bills | ||
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| Awesome FF Trophy - Dergralvongraf.com | Celebrating 300 with Captain Buffalo | Go Bills! | ||
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| Nobody Circles the Wagons | Where would you rather be? | Steiniger Men - Go Bills! | ||
| COMMENTS? Please feel free to post any suggestions or comments you might have for my journey to Ralph Wilson Stadium, including the following: - Local Hotspots (Bar Districts, Restaurants, Clubs) - Local Foods (Traditional Cuisine, Micro Brews) - Tailgating Traditions - Your Experiences or Helpful Hints - If you saw me let me know! All commentary will be moderated. Your e-mail address will not be published. |
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A Production of Madness Unwatched LLC |
