See everyone at the DRAFT PARTY !!

So, do you make the best chili in your family? How about in your neighborhood? Are you ready to prove your chili is the best?
On Thursday, December 22, 2011, the Colt’s host the Houston Texans at 8:20 pm on Thursday Night Football. So, what better night for the Blue Crew to host the 4th Annual Blue Crew Chili Cook Off during the tailgate? The concept is simple, make your best pot of chili and the best pot wins! Voting is by the people so the winner will be a People’s Choice Champion! We will be limiting the total number of entries to 25 based upon available space on the grills. Entry is free and on a first come first registered basis. Voting will cost $1.00 and The Blue Crew will provide the bowls, spoons and tickets for casting your vote.

So, here is the scope…

Registration begins now – Please post here that you will be entering the competition and what type of chili you are entering – meat chili, texas chili, white bean chili, veggie chili, etc. Please remember, we are limiting the total number of entries to 25 entrantants.

4:45 – 5:00 pm – all chili’s must be brought to the northwest corner of the Blue Crew lot to the sampling area.

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – tasting / voting of the chilis

6:15 pm – 4th Annual Blue Crew Chili Cook Off Champion will be announced

Notes / Rules:

1. The Blue Crew will provide grills for keeping the chilis warm so please make sure you provide a pot that can be warmed on a grill.
2. There will be no power for crock pots.
3. Bring your own ladle.
4. This is a chili cook off so please provide a chili, chili mac or similar for the competition. No chowders, soups, stews, etc. should be entered.
5. Entrants will not be permitted to stay in the tasting voting area.
6. Voters will be charged $1.00 and they will be given a bowl, a spoon and a ticket.
7. Voters will sample all chilis – they will be encouraged to sample only small quanities.
8. Voting will consist of each paid voter being given a ticket which they will write the number of the chili they are voting on on the ticket and they will place in the vote box.
9. Entrants will need to collect their pot & ladle by 6:30 pm.

Awards:

Besides bragging rights for the next year, the 4th Annual Blue Crew Chill Cook Off Champion will win a one of a kind engraved “major award” and have their name added to the Blue Crew Chili Cook Off Plaque. There will also be consolation prizes for 2nd and 3rd place.

Please contact me or post any questions or comments here.

Good luck everyone!

ALL GOOD THINGS

               It was 1997 and Lindy Infante was head coach. Jim Johnson was our defensive coordinator. Captain comeback was behind center and by week 10 we were 0-10. The team had struggled for years just to win a few games and the fan base was always outnumbered by opposing fans for many games. That year we did not win a game until week 12. By year’s end we had a 3-13 record. We were -88 in points and that was only because we won a single game 41-0. Our offense and defense ranked in the bottom of the league. All we as fans had to look forward to was another draft and the chance at finally getting a pick that could possible make a difference. Since moving to Indianapolis the team had not had a ten win season. The playoffs were a dream; well there was that one run that had us all excited. Then HE CAME!!

               The drafting of Peyton Manning was in hindsight a great choice. Many experts said we picked the wrong QB, but he was the man. Also keep in mind we had a few choice guys on the team ready to help with our new guy. Tarik Glen to guard his blind side. A young rookie wide receiver named Harrison. A great tight end named Dilger. Oh yea some guy named Faulk to carry the ball. So we draft a new quarterback and he gets a fighting chance right from the start.

               Flash forward 14 years. A franchise with more winning seasons in ten years than any other NFL team. A new stadium filled with BLUE every Sunday. Then it all comes crashing down. All good things must come to an end as they say. We as fans had, of course, hoped for a more elegant end to the Manning era. Perhaps one more glorious run and then he rides off into the sunset. But this? No we did not want this. Sure if you believe Bill Pollian he will be back next season and ready to play again. But we all know this is looking more and more like a promise that Uncle Bill cannot keep.

               But unlike 1998 the drafting of a new Quarterback in 2012 may not be the answer. In football more than any other sport, one man does not make a team. Look at the history of great young quarterbacks being drafted by teams with no support structure. They end up broken and beaten and a footnote in the NFL history books. Can Castonzo be the next Tarik Glen? Will Reggie even be there to catch a pass from a new QB? Is there a Faulk in the backfield? These pieces to the puzzle have me more concerned about the future than any first round draft pick. Not to mention that fact the Bill Pollian is not the one making a lot of these choices now. Do we really feel the Prince of Pollian has what it takes to build this team? Based on the exodus of good coaches and support staff in the last few years I would say it is very doubtful. Not to mention the questionable signings of players and the release of others.

               So my fellow fans I ask, do we believe in LUCK? I for one do not believe that LUCK wins games. I believe TEAMS win games. If Peyton does not return, and I for one am sorry to say he may not, then it’s time to start rebuilding this franchise from the top down. We need a leader on the sideline on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. We need new ideas and fresh blood. We need FIRE and BRIMESTONE. Then we need to rebuild the team around that ideal and give whoever is behind center a fighting chance to perform. Without these things the 1980’s and 1990’s will be back and this franchise will never be the same. Let’s not leave everything to LUCK!

GO COLTS !!

Greg Woods aka PT

I wanted to start an official thread for the 2011 Bar Crawl. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, November 12th. For those of you who have joined us on our adventure before you know the drill. But for those that haven’t done the Crawl before, or if you were too inebriated last year here is the short and sweet version of how the night will go:
We meet at our first stop for sign-in, dinner and our raffle (for which you are automatically entered upon registration…). We then head out, and hit some of the hot spots Downtown. Your registration fee covers your raffle entry, Bar Crawl T-Shirt, cover at all of the venues, and a drink ticket that you will be able to use at one of the stops. For those that were there last year you know that the raffle is no joke! Last year the big prize was an autographed picture of Peyton Manning. Plus, the venues we stop at along the way normally have free giveaways to pass around to us as well. So you may very well end your night with a bunch of loot! How the raffle works is that we do it at the first venue and then you will pick up your prizes in the lot the next day, that way you don’t have to worry about lugging your prizes around with you all night. Last year was the first time we did it this way, and it worked out perfectly.
So with all that out of the way, let’s get to the venue line-up for this year’s event. We are adding a 5th stop this year! So it is going to be even more fun that night:

Scotty’s Brewhouse —-> 5:00pm – 6:45pm
O’Reilly’s ————> 7:00pm – 7:45pm
Ike and Jonesy’s ——> 8:00pm – 8:45pm
Taps & Dolls ———-> 9:00pm – 9:45pm
Ugly Monkey ———–> 10:00pm – ??????

Taps & Dolls is the new venue this year. They are located in the same building as the Crackers comedy club. They are a Sports Bar, that features a ton of draft beers, and bar games like billiards, Golden Tee, Silver Strike, and darts. Plus they have dance floor and DJ as well.

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Registration for this year’s event will happen a little bit differently than in years past. In order to MAXIMIZE BLUE CREW MEMBER PARTICIPATION, we are having 2 different phases.

The first phase will begin this Sunday at the tailgate lot and will continue until the day of the Overnighter (October 8). During this first phase, registration is limited to 1 BLUE CREW MEMBER at a time. Each BLUE CREW MEMBER that signs up will be able to register one NON-Blue Crew friend as well.

The second phase will start the day of the Overnighter and end whenever we get all 75 spots filled. This phase will be the open registration and the only limitation will be that any group that signs up must have at least ONE Blue Crew Member among them. This phase will be first come first serve, starting the day of the Overnighter.

The prices for registration this year are $25 for Blue Crew Members and $30 for guests of Blue Crew members.

There will not be any holding of spots due to high demand, the fee is due at the time of registration.

You can pay by cash or check.

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Any questions feel free to send me a PM or comment on this thread. As in years past, when people register I will update this thread with a list of participants.

Thanks! And I look forward to getting the ball rolling this Sunday!

Navy

COMPLETE COLLAPSE

               As I sit at my computer and think of what I want to say the comments of Robert Mathis keep ringing in my ears. It was odd to hear a player with such ability and leadership quality throw himself under the bus. But what was even stranger was the comments of Bill Pollian, the man sounded awe struck. He was completely CLUELESS!! To say he needed to look at the film to see what went wrong was almost comical. I can see it now, Bill standing in front of the team, playing the same scene over and over saying…Down and to the Left, Down and to the Left, DOWN AND TO THE LEFT!!!

               Now as many of you know I am, and have been, a huge fan of the game. I am not one to get to upset or overwhelmed by any one lose. I have been there since the Mayflower trucks pulled into town and can honestly say I have seen some strange games and team’s with a lot less talent. I remember when the only guy scoring points was the field goal kicker. So when Mathis proclaimed he was as much to blame as anybody I was proud to be a Colts fan. There were days when this type of lose would have caused a lot of finger pointing and the blame game would have been in full swing. I mean let’s face it the press and all of us are doing enough of that already. The fact is when Kansas City was on offense even my wife commented “They are just running the same plays, why can’t we stop them?” I was at a loss to explain it.

               Then it hit me, the explanation was so obvious. After looking at the league standings and realizing that DETROIT was 5-0 and OAKLAND had a winning record it came to me. During the lockout the owners decided to screw with us and decide the whole season should be OPPOSITE of normal. That is of course except for one or two team’s that HAD to be allowed to win a FEW just to keep folks interested. I mean let’s face it; they had teams like Philly and Dallas rolling into a playoff spot with no trouble. While teams like San Francisco, Oakland and the Redskins were not even mentioned. But here we are at the start of week six, and the whole league is upside down with Buffalo, Detroit, Oakland and the Redskins looking at first in their division. While the Colts, Dallas, Philly and the Jets are sucking air. Who would have guessed? Hell the BENGALS have won more games so far. So over the summer the owners had a Texas Hold’em tournament and the owners went all in and that decided the standings. I know that is crazy, but my only other explanation is that there is a glitch in the Matrix and we all need to wake up.

               The truth is this is a game played by men who beat the crap out of each other every Sunday and they get older. The game changes and sometimes it takes a major failure in thinking to get a team to change what it was doing to compete or they get left in the dust. Great teams fall and if they have what it takes they can pick up the pieces, regroup and become winners again. I truly believe that this team will be one of those. It may take some major changes and a lot of pain along the way, but we will return to or winning ways. We are the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, and as for me and all of you that bleed blue we believe in our team.

               Injuries happen. Players come and go. Lately both of these have happened to our Colts so often I cannot even say who is playing what spot. But if you think for one minute these guys are going to give up and lay down then you do not know our team. So we as fans have to do the same, stay strong and support or boys in blue no matter what.

One last thought, if anybody even THINKS about wearing a SUCK FOR LUCK shirt into the BLUE CREW LOT I will have to get GUY IN SHORTS and his bull horn to run you out of the lot! He is our official keeper of the faith. Plus, he needs a new cause now that the Steelers game is done.

Greg Woods aka PT Colts Guy

Cost to enter the tourney is $20 per team. Each team must include a Blue Crew member to play. The winner will receive 1/2 of the total with the other half going to the guard unit.

See Nate or Dan (Coltsdude) in the South Lot  for information. Registration will begin day of the event at 8:30 with the tourney to start promptly at 9:45. The silent Auction will run from 9:00 until 11;30. We’re going to have lots of great items!

Thanks for supporting our troops through your membership in the Blue Crew!

These are some of the items we have for the auction, more are being added. All items have  starting or RESERVE bid to start.

Peyton Manning Framed Signed Jersey $450.00

ND “Play Like A Champion Today” Framed Photo $75.00

Butler Final Four “INDY 2010″ Collage $90.00 -

Butler “I AM A DOG” Framed Print $45.00 –

Butler Gordon Hayward/”I AM A DOG” Signed Collage $85.00

Mike Ditka Signed “The Bird” Framed 16 x 20 Photo $120.00

“Reggie Miller-Reggie Wayne” 2-picture Collage $90.00 -

Brian Urlacher Autographed Framed Photo $180.00 –

Dallas Clark Autographed 2-picture Collage $120.00

Joseph Addai Autographed 2-picture Collage $100.00

Downtown Panoramic “Home of SB 2012″ $90.00

Opening Night “Flag with Jets” Framed Photo $90.00

Bobby Knight “Throwing the Chair” Framed 16×20 $90.00

One night stay and Dinner for two in Madison Indiana $50.00

Colts Childs Lazy-Boy Recliner $50.00

Wine Chiller -NO RESERVE

Before the Steelers game, in the Blue Crew Lot
ALL Members are welcome to take part in this annual competition
Categories:
FINGER FOODS (appetizers)
MAN FOODS (meats, entrées)
HAPPY ENDINGS (desserts)
Registration starts between 2PM and 3PM or in the NW corner of the Lot
Until 12 entries per categories are filled, 1^st come, 1^st entered.
Final entry cutoff time is 3:30 PM.
Only 1 entry per category per person.
You will receive a Raffle type ticket at registration for each entry with category on back.You will also be given a 3×5 card to describe your entry
Ticket must be submitted with entry as we will not be placing names on the food.
We will have warmers for the warm food and a table for cold items.
ALL entries MUST be turned in at the judging area by 4:00 PM
NO EXCEPTIONS.
Judging starts at 4:30 PM.
We will have 4-5 JUDGES (number will announced by morning of cook-off).
Judging will be by category, starting with Finger Foods,
then Man Foods and Happy Endings last.

You are welcome to watch the judging but
please no influencing the judges or revealing the cooks’ names.
BIG COLTS PRIZES for EACH Category and

one GRAND PRIZE for the best of the best.
We will also draw ONE non winning ticket for a prize just for entering.

Prizes awarded and photos taken as soon as judging sheets tallied.

IMPORTANT NOTES !!
You may enter EACH category ONCE.
You will need enough of EACH item for 4-5 judges to SAMPLE.
Each entry will need to be on its own PLATE/BOWL x # of judges we will supply these for you once you sign up

Please keep in mind the judges will not have a lot of time to EAT so small portions are a must.

As my brother likes to say; “If it weren’t for the stupid people, the rest of us wouldn’t look so good.” Well ESPN proves once again you don’t have to be talented or even have a half-way good idea to be a contributor to their Pulitzer Prize winning journalistic sport reporting thingy. The newest bile to spew from the pages of BSPN the Magazine was this lovely and touching, racially motivated piece called, “What if Mike Vick were white?” I’ll wait for you to read it again to make sure you got it right. Hmm hm hmmmm. No really. I’m not making this shit up.

This racially motivated turd was written by Toure’. You know the guy who contributes to The Dylan Ratigan Show. The same guy that was a pop culture correspondent for CNN and interviewed such powerhouses as: Kehinde Wiley, Melissa Harris-Perry and Chuck D. Questlove. Still don’t recognize him? Well don’t feel bad, neither did I, or apparently the other 97% of the United States that said “who?” Thanks Google!

What’s the point of this article? I can think of no reason to write such a piece except for wanting to create controversy and possibly get 15 minutes of fame out of it. Hey ESPN! If posing a dumbass question is all that it takes to get paid from you guys, let me bounce a few ideas off of you:

What if Louis Pasteur had been lactose intolerant?
What if Hitler was Jewish?
What if Coach Caldwell could coach?
What if the Pillsbury Doughboy gave Little Debbie a yeast infection?
What if Batman were a hermaphrodite?
What if Peyton Manning were black?

Let’s go a little more in depth into that last one. Let’s say Peyton…aw hell, let’s just call him Payshayawn was a black quarterback. Do you think these sports journalist would still be calling him soft and continue claiming that he couldn’t win the big one and that he was a choke artist? Or do you think he’d be a warrior like Steve McNair or a hero like Donovan McNabb? How many Super Bowls had those two combined for? 0. How many NFL MVP awards were put up by those two? ½. Yeah that’s right the iconic African American quarterbacks combined for a whopping ½ of an MVP award. Peyton has a Super Bowl ring and has 4 MVP trophies at home. Are you telling me Mike Vick hasn’t won a Super Bowl because of the color of his skin? GMAFB. Ok, I’ll admit, maybe buying Mike a couple of pit-bull puppies and giving him the book “The Complete Idiots Guide to Illegal Dog Fighting and Complete Financial Ruin” for his birthday might not have been such a good idea. At least while he was in prison Mike Vick did pick up some valuable skills, like how to make a leather wallet by hand and how to hide money and cigarettes up your rectum so your roommate can’t find them.

The color of his skin has absolutely nothing to do with him not winning a Super Bowl or getting endorsement deals. Would you buy a product just because Mike Vick endorsed it? Well anything besides dog chains and herpes medication I mean. Of course you wouldn’t and neither would most people. Mike Vick’s skin didn’t kill those dogs and make all those stupid decisions. It was his dumb ass brain that did. Oh and for the record, the dogs he killed were all white.

So sayeth the Meanie

SATURDAY OCTOBER 8TH

• LOT WILL OPEN AT 2:00
• MEMBERS AND THERE FAMILIES ARE WELCOME
• FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED OR YOU CAN DO YOUR OWN THING !
• TRIVIA !!  THIS WAS A BIG HIT LAST YEAR.
• FACE PAINTING FOR THE KIDS FROM 4-6 PM
• PRIZES..PRIZES..PRIZES !

ALSO REMEMBER , IF YOU HAVE A PARKING PASS YOU MAY STAY IN THE LOT OVERNIGHT. ALL OTHER VEHICLES MUST BE MOVED OUT BEFORE MORNING.

• Categories are : Finger Foods, Man Foods, Happy Endings
• Registration from 2 to 3 pm
• Plates and or Bowls will be provided for all entries
• All entries must be turned in by 4PM .
• Each category will have a winner and one overall winner

Questions : info@indybluecrew.com