San Franchised - Jen's 30th Bday in Words & Pics

On the Golden Gate w/ my Girl of Gold

Good morning y'all.

So you're probably wondering how Jen's birthday trip to San Fran was...What's that, you caught all of our pictures and statuses on Facebook? Well...uhm....read this anyways.

Actually, there's a lot more to our trip than what was mentioned on the incessant messages, the latter of which were not replied to for the simple fact that the Niners absolutely Pwned the Bears on Monday Night Football.

(As I was waiting to get me and Jen some In-N-Out Burger, I overheard some idiot Bears fan backing out of a bet he made with a 49ers friend of his which would require him to shave his head since the Bears lost. I absolutely hate...HATE...when people back out of bets - more on In-N-Out later).

Happy 30th to Jen!

Here's some randomness from the trip:

The Full House houses (we think)

1. Planes, Trains, Automobiles...and many more forms of transportation were taken on our trip. Starting from our flight to San Francisco, here's how our daily transportation went:
   
   Saturday: Car to Airport, Plane, Shuttle Bus
   Sunday: Walk to Golden Gate (about a 3-to-4 mile walk from our place), Taxi (including a free ride down crookedest street of Lombard Street), Boat to Alcatraz
   Monday: Walk through Lombard Street, Trolley to Chinatown, Taxi to the Painted Ladies, Bus to the Full House houses and three more bus rides, including a round-trip to/from the Niners game
   Tuesday: Shuttle, plane, car back to our Chi-town palace.
   
   Needless to say, we made the most out of every type of available transportation in the past four days.
   
2. Did You Know....That Interstate 80 ends in San Francisco? It feels like I-80 runs through every major city. I wonder how long it would take to drive from one end to the other.
   
3. It feels like big upsets in sports occur whenever I'm on vacation and I can't watch them. Oregon loses to Stanford (which I heard the end to in the shuttlebus radio), Baylor destroys Kansas State, which moves Notre Dame to the #1 spot for the first time in 400 years*. I'm not sure which upset I'm more surprised with, but anyone who watches college football knows that November is a great month for these upsets of previously unbeaten teams. It's so so hard to play a great game for all 12/13 games before the Bowl season comes around. Even though Matt Barkley is out this week, I wouldn't be shocked if Notre Dame lost this week - just so hard to win week in/week out.
   
   *slight exaggeration
4. Jen had a great birthday trip here, except...for her experience at Candlestick. And no, I'm not just talking about the drubbing that her Bears took. I was not aware of the Stick's hostile treatment of visiting fans until earlier this year when reading about some Saints' fans experiencing some harassing douchebags. When she went to go get some food during the game, Jen experienced some of this as she was waiting in line and was right near some idiots who were fighting. Also, some guy was giving her a hard time for wearing her Peppers jersey and was questioning her knowledge of what the GSH initials were in reference to (she correctly said George Halas, while the idiot thought it may have been for Gale Sayers).
   
   I know all teams have their share of assholes at games, but I felt bad that Jen had to experience this, especially with me not being there at the time to help her out of the situation.
5. As always, the best parts of any trip are the ones you don't expect or plan...and this trip was no exception. It's hard for us to determine what spontaneous moment we liked the best from our trip. There was the moment where a homeless guy scared the crap out of Jen by hiding behind a tree branch full of leaves that he was holding, only to pop out and scare her. There was also our cab driver who was a delight and stopped our taxi meter about 10 minutes before we got out of the cab - during that time, he drove us down the crooked part of Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the country/world). If you have the chance to go to San Fran, you should see this street.



The cheerleaders came by to say Hi (and then left really quick after that)

6. People watching at Monday Night Football. Our great seats at the game allowed us to see a few celebrities walking the sidelines before the game. Among them were Jeremy Piven (actor), Drew Rosenhaus (NFL Super Agent - think new age version of Jerry Maguire) & the ESPN crew (Trent Dilfer and old 49er Steve Young among them). Oh yeah, and there were the cheerleaders dancing in front of us. Yeahhhhh...
   
   
7. San Fran is so damn expensive. It's not normal to want to go back to Chicago because the prices are cheaper, but that's the case when comparing the Gold Rush city to the Windy one. It felt like everything was Chicago prices multiplied by an additional 20%. I'd love to live in the city if it wasn't for the damn prices.
8. You know you're a fatass...when you're charging Diet Cokes that you are buying from a vending machine at your hotel. I can't believe my first ever use of EasyPass was to buy cold carbonated beverages for me and Jen from a Coke machine. I can hear all of you shaking your head...and I don't blame you.
9. No matter whether Cutler played or not, the Bears would not have won the game we went to. If you're not a football fan, you may not know Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears starter) missed his first game of the year due to a concussion, leaving them with backup Jason Campbell to face a San Francisco 49ers defense whose mouth was foaming at the possibility of facing the Bears' weak offensive front and slow-footed backup. Cutler would have done better (I hope), but he hasn't really done anything this year to make me think he would have been able to match Colin Kaepernick's offensive output.



Jen trying not to show her disappointed face

10. If you're a fan of historical stuff, there's no question that you should visit Alcatraz. I believe Jen's favorite site on the trip was visiting Golden Gate Bridge, which is an excellent choice and a must-do for anyone visiting the city. However, the one thing I didn't do on my trip in January was the one big thing missing from my San Francisco experience - visiting Alcatraz. Getting to hear the history of the prison, including how the US government helped form the island into an inescapable (supposedly) fortress, was an amazing story. Hearing of all the escape stories from the island made me realize just how clever criminals can be - if only they applied that same reasoning and intelligence in the real world as upright citizens. I read the book about some of these escapes on the flight home - loved it. As far as anyone knows, no one has ever successfully escaped Alcatraz (many have drowned or died from hypothermia since the San Francisco Bay are so cold - some folks were never found and are assumed dead).



Fitting location for this Alcatraz Pic

11. In-N-Out Burger was ok...but definitely not better than Five Guys. Yeah, I said it. Me and Jen both devoured our double double's, don't get me wrong. They just weren't the high quality burger that we've grown to love from Five Guys. If you disagree, you are wrong. Way way wrong.

The Bear Necessities: A 2012 Preview from Bears' Fans Point of View

With all the coverage I did on fans of out-of-market teams, I figured I should ask some questions to some Bears fans and see what they thought of this year. I was able to get nine fans to respond to the questions I sent them.

For the record, I have the Bears at 11-5 and winning the NFC North. I like their Super Bowl odds of 26/1 that can currently be found on 5dimes.com, although I don't have them winning it. I just find it to be good value.

Jennette Swick (w/ her b/f Chris)

Most of the people interviewed (ages range from early 20s to mid 40s) have been fans their whole lives. Jennette Swick's parents, whose first anniversary was the day the Bears won the Super Bowl in 1986, raised her on the Bears from a young age. On Sundays in the Fall, you'll catch her in her Dick Butkus jersey at Buffalo Wild Wings watching the game with the guys in her boyfriend Chris' fantasy league.

She admires players like Butkus who she believes played for the love of the game.

"They weren't making multimillion dollar contracts and doing hold outs," she said. "Yet alone, they were out there playing with broken bones."

While she's able to watch her Bears on a weekly basis, Sherman Griffin seems to have issues with getting a job that allows him to be off on Sundays.

Peanut Lovers

Like Jennette and several others who completed this survey, Sherman's favorite player is Peanut Tillman. He likes the way that Peanut plays.

"He hustles and gives me a chance to yell 'BALL' during the game," Sherman said.

Jennette and Brad Zoeteman, the youngest of survey participants, cited Peanut as their favorite based on his off-the-field endeavors.

"He definitely has a big heart when it comes to charities," Jennette said, "and I believe he plays with a lot of heart."

Brad's pre-game routine is similar to Jennette's, except he has a customized jersey that he has to put on before every game.

Concerns about 2012

Unlike many people who cited the Bears' offensive line as a potential worry heading into 2012, Brad is more worried about the health of the defensive core, which includes Peanut, Lance Briggs, Brian Urlacher & Julius Peppers.

"Finally a great offense, but now the defense is gonna crumble," Brad said.

Brandon Marshall/Jay Cutler

Most believe that Brandon Marshall will have an immediate impact. Don Flynn is predicting 1200 yards and nine visits to the end zone, while Bears fanatic Elias Valaveris is tabbing Marshall for 100 catches, 1300 yards and 10 TDs.

Paul Bodenlos (left), who apparently loves ranch.

Nick Pazoles thinks Marshall will be the best receiver the franchise has had in a long time, but feels his value is being overblown with all the weaknesses they have.

"The two biggest worries are directly tied together: weak offensive line and Cutler's health," Nick said. "People seem to ignore the fact that he has been hurt the last two seasons."

Paul Bodenlos agrees with the Cutler worry.

"This year's team can make a deep run," he said. "But the Bears proved already that a healthy Cutler is the key to the team's success."

As soon as Cutler joined the team, he instantly became Elias' favorite player. He likes his attitude and thinks Cutler is the best quarterback the Bears have ever had.

"I think he is a bad ass and doesn't care what people think of him," he said. "That is a quality that QB's should have. I'm so tired of watching all the scrubs that the Bears have had the past couple of years. I like watching a real QB."

Predictions

Everyone who answered the survey (all nine) believes the Bears will be at/above 8 wins. The most optimistic of predictions have the Bears winning the Super Bowl (Elias, Sherman, Rick Ryzner, Bob Flynn), while others seem to believe the Bears will be around 10 wins, which is slightly above what Vegas projects for the team (over/under 9.5 wins).

"I don't think there are any questions about them besides the O-Line," Sherman said. "They have been phenomenally better than in previous years."

Rick, whose been a fan since the early 80s, is the eternal optimist when it comes to the Bears and their Super Bowl chances.

"I always predict they're going all the way," he said. "Don't care if I'm wrong in the end."

Like many others, Rick's been to multiple games (in his case, a total of 10). He had the privilege of meeting Walter Payton, who was cited the most as favorite Bear of all time.

Pre-Game Rituals/DA COACH

Bob Flynn

Bob Flynn is among those who admire Sweetness. Bob, the man with the mustache, became a fan of the Bears when Ditka grew out his stache. He has the most established and detailed routine of those who participated in the survey.

Bob has a picture sketch of "DA COACH" in a frame on his wall that he prays to before games. Depending on the situation, he will drink Ditka wine during the games.Whether he watches the game out on the deck or in the living room, Bob has to sit in his round Chicago Bears egg chair.

"It's the only way," he said.

Paul was lucky enough to meet Ditka the night of his bachelor party in Vegas.

"Getting to shake his hand may sway my favoritism," Paul said.

He also has a good ritual, at least in my eyes.

"Pregame routine consists of cracking open a beer, drink the beer. And then cracking open another beer. And then another, and another, and another," said Paul, who recently moved to Arizona and will rely on Sirius radio to listen to Bears games. Luckily, he has a Bears bar within walking distance that he plans on attending a few times this year.

Super Bowl Shuffle

Don in his Forte jersey with his friend Christopher.

Bob doesn't remember the words to the whole Super Bowl Shuffle, but he has a chance to memorize them now that he has an original cassette tape of it. He will likely be playing it on a continuous loop if his prediction of a Bears over Patriots Super Bowl comes in.

His brother Don also doesn't know all the words of the hit 80s song, but he has an excuse.

"Years of drinking way too much made me forget a lot," Don said.

No one surveyed said they knew all of the lyrics, but Nick had a particular favorite part of the song that he remembers.

"If you put the music on, I could sing along," Nick said. "Gary Fencik is by far my favorite part."


Memorable Moments

Everyone surveyed has been to at least one Bears game except Sherman, who is hoping to change that this year.

Here's some of their favorite moments:

Jennette (doesn't remember the exact game): It was snowing so hard, we could barely see a thing cause the wind was whipping it around and we were freezing. Now that I look back at that, it was the only way to truly enjoy a classic Bears game.

Bob (opening day of 2005 season): The Bears beat the Lions pretty impressively that day but the awesome thing comes in my personal experience. I got to meet Keith Van Horne of the 85 Bears and got to see his Super Bowl ring right up close.

Don (vs Broncos): Bears over Broncos in overtime. Two run backs by Hester in the game.

Rick (vs Tampa Bay): 7 degrees against Tampa was a fun game - Tampa lost.

Elias (right) and yours truly at SF/Chi 2009

Elias (vs San Fran in San Fran, November 2009): I will always remember Cutler throwing five interceptions and almost somehow winning the game. And then we didn't get that bus back to the hotel for a while and I was pretty pissed.

Brad (vs. Detroit): Some broad was wearing a Favre jersey and they put her on the Jumbotron and the place erupted in boo's. Then she gave the finger.

Nick Pazoles: no memorable moments.

Paul (week 17 game a few years back in a game not featuring the Carolina Panthers): My sister was dating her husband at the time. The Bears were out of the playoffs. But it was one of the coldest days on record. We stayed all four quarters of a meaningless game...My brother-in-law is a Panthers fan.

Bolek Blog Series - Fans of Out of Market NFL Teams: Pittsburgh

As many of you have seen through my whored out Facebook statuses, I am profiling people who live in the Chicago area and are fans of out of town teams.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out a survey so far. If you're a fan of an out-of-town team and I haven't given you a questionnaire to fill out, please let me know ASAP, as I am looking to profile as many people as possible.

My tenth feature highlights a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Mike Walsh was born and raised in Chicago but became a fan of the Steelers during the Steel Curtain days of the 1970s. I know Mike from my days at the Daily Southtown (now the SouthtownStar) when I would call him on a weekly basis (he works at De La Salle) for the team's latest's stats.

Here's a list of other blogs in the out-of-town feature series:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New Orleans Saints 
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. Denver Broncos

6. Kansas City Chiefs

7. San Francisco 49ers

8. New England Patriots

9. New York Giants

A lifelong Chicagoan, Mike Walsh grew up in the age of the NFL where the Pittsburgh Steelers & their "Steel Curtain" were making their presence known as one of the most formidable and feared franchises in the league in their 1970s dynasty. This, along with the Steelers garb, was a big selling point in Mike's choice of favorite football team.

"I became a Steelers fan because they were really good in the 70s when I was a little kid and starting to follow football," Mike said. "I loved the black uniforms and the helmet as well."

Mean Joe Greene was one of Mike's favorites. Pretty sure the little kid is not Mike.

His favorite players of all time came from those teams: Mike Webster, Jack Lambert, Joe Greene & Lynn Swann - all of whom are immortalized in the Hall of Fame.

Thanks to their success that started in Mike's childhood and has continued into modern times, the Steelers are often featured on national TV and prime-time games. This allows Mike to consume many of the games on regular TV, not DirecTV like many fans of out-of-town teams must do. Otherwise, he'll watch the NFL Red Zone channel, catch the highlights and read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette online.

Just because he is a Steelers fan does not mean Mike hates the Bears. In fact, he considers himself a fan of his hometown team, just not as much as Pittsburgh.

"I root for the Bears every game except on the rare occasions when they play the Steelers," he said. "I do consider the Bears my 1-A NFL team."

In addition to following some Bears stuff in the local papers, Mike has also attended a Bears game at Soldier Field when they faced the Steelers in the early 90s. He went with a friend who was a Bears' season ticket holder and was given specific instructions when attending the game.

"He threatened to kick my ass if he saw any Steelers apparel," Mike said. "It was winter, so I was OK".

He believes that B-Bo Knows prediction of the Steelers (10-6, AFC North champs) is close to his own thoughts, but he went a step further in his prediction. In addition to a division title, he expects Pittsburgh to be AFC Champs and a legitimate contender to win the Super Bowl.

Speaking of which, the Steelers own 6 Super Bowl titles, the only team in NFL history with that distinction. Mike enjoys this fact and makes sure his football-following friends know about it.

"It means everything since I am a diehard Steelers fan and two good friends despise my beloved Steelers," he said. "It gives me bragging rights and allows me to gloat, good-naturedly."

	Mike Walsh
	(whole life in/near Chicago)
Favorite team	Steelers
A fan since…	1970s
# of games attended	1 (in Chicago)
Choice of Team Consumption	National TV, RedZone
	Channel, Pittsburgh Gazette
Favorite Player All-Time	Mike Webster, Lynn Swann
	Jack Lambert, Joe Greene
Favorite Player Currently	Heath Miller (O)
	Troy Polamalu (D)
2012 Prediction	(12-4, AFC Champs)
Vegas Projection for team	10 wins
(as of 9-6-12) 5dimes.eu
Over/under?	Over
Odds to win division - 5dimes.eu	(+115)
Super Bowl odds	20/1 (+2000)
(as of 9-6-12) - 5dimes.eu

Bolek Blog Series - Fans of Out of Market NFL Teams: NY Giants

As many of you have seen through my whored out Facebook statuses, I am profiling people who live in the Chicago area and are fans of out of town teams.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out a survey so far. If you're a fan of an out-of-town team and I haven't given you a questionnaire to fill out, please let me know ASAP, as I am looking to profile as many people as possible.

My ninth (and possibly final) feature highlights a very humble New York Giants fan. Russ Williamson has been a Chicagoan since 2005. Before that, he grew up in New Jersey, where he became a big Giants fan (no, I'm not going for a triple entendre there, although perhaps I am). An aside - If you happen to be going to the city sometime soon, I recommend checking out his comedy act - just look him up.

Here's a list of other blogs in the out-of-town feature series:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New Orleans Saints 
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. Denver Broncos

6. Kansas City Chiefs

7. San Francisco 49ers

8. New England Patriots

Russ Williamson may be a man who makes a living off of making people laugh, but he is dead serious about his allegiance to the New York Giants.

A man who makes people laugh, Russ was not amused at B-Bo Knows NYG prediction

He was dumbfounded by B-Bo Knows prediction of the Giants missing the playoffs with a 7-9 record, a year after winning their second Super Bowl against the Patriots in the past five years.

"I didn't really like your prediction," Russ told me. "I don't know where you got that from."

Russ's fandom began around 1990, when the underdog Giants, missing their Hall of Fame QB Phil Simms, upset the Buffalo Bills (the first of four straight Super Bowl losses for the Bills). The game is remembered for the Scott Norwood missed kick as time expired that would have put the Bills ahead.

Russ remembers it for a similar reason, but on a more personal level.

"My dad is a huge Giants fan," he said, "and my earliest memory was how happy he was when the Bills missed that field goal and the Giants were champs."

He doesn't have any issues following the Giants, relying on the Internet to keep him up-to-date on team news and scores. He also has no problem with being a fan of the Giants in a Bears town, unless his team happens to be the opponent.

"When your team plays the Bears, you will be called a (gay slur) at some point (by a Bears fan)," Russ said.

"I don't have a problem with the Bears," he said, "but if they're playing the Giants, I want them to fail miserably."

Being the humble person he is, Russ didn't want to make any predictions about the Giants for the 2012 season.

Ok, I lied.

"I'll be the first to say it here," Russ said, "the Giants repeat."

His thoughts about Eli being immortalized at Canton after winning his second ring - just as indifferent.

"Eli is a Hall of Famer, no doubt," he said.

	Russ Williamson
	(Chicagoan since 2005)
Favorite team	Giants
A fan since…	1990 (Giants/Bills in Super Bowl)
# of games attended	1 at MetLife
Choice of Team Consumption	TV/Internet
Favorite Player All-Time	Lawrence Taylor
Favorite Player Currently	Jason Pierre-Paul
2012 Prediction	Super Bowl champs
Vegas Win Projection
(as of 9-3-12) 5dimes.eu	9 wins
Over/under?	Over
Odds to win division - 5dimes.eu	(+205)
Super Bowl odds	45/2  (+2250)
(as of 9-3-12) - bovada.lv

Bolek Blog Series - Fans of Out of Market NFL Teams: New England

As many of you have seen through my whored out Facebook statuses, I am profiling people who live in the Chicago area and are fans of out of town teams.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out a survey so far. If you're a fan of an out-of-town team and I haven't given you a questionnaire to fill out, please let me know ASAP, as I am looking to profile as many people as possible.

My eighth feature will highlight a New England Patriots fan. Adam Stefko became a fan of this team because of his dad's allegiance when he was a kid, not because of their Super Bowl run in the 2000s (which many people may suspect).

Here's a list of other blogs in the out-of-town feature series:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New Orleans Saints 
4. Minnesota Vikings 
5. Denver Broncos

6. Kansas City Chiefs

7. San Francisco 49ers

Don't mistake Adam Stefko for a fair-weathered New England Patriots fan. He didn't become a fan of the team when their run of success began in the early part of this century.

"I became a fan of the team the same way I'm a fan of any team," he said. "My dad liked them so I automatically just followed suit. Of course, I can think for myself now, but they happen to be a good team, so why not keep the loyalty?"

While he doesn't mind the Bears, Adam doesn't go out of his way to root for them.

"I would say I typically kind of root for them," he said, "but I often end up reaffirming the reason I don't like them as much as the Patriots."

He hasn't had any issues with following the Patriots in his life, including his last couple years living in the suburbs of Chicago. He doesn't get too much of a hard time about the Patriots since most people end up agreeing that they are a good team.

Lately, his main consumption of New England football is the Red Zone channel, which he thinks he prefers over having NFL Sunday Ticket.

"It's not the easiest following the Patriots when all you hear on the news is the Bears, but I do alright on Sundays," Adam said.

I couldn't find many others of him on FB w/ Pats gear. Hence, the look.

He's never been to a New England game, even though he had a chance to go to Soldier Field in 2010 when the Patriots routed the Bears 36-7. He ended up passing on the chance to go due to the high ticket prices, but he didn't mind missing out on the extreme weather conditions.

"It was a ridiculously cold day, so I think my body thanks me for not going," he said.

Adam believes that B-Bo Knows predictions of the team are accurate, but hopes they go a little further than the prediction of a loss to the Texans in the playoffs.

"Obviously, I hope that they do even better and win the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl," he said. "But who knows. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'd be alright with that."

Despite consistently being one of the best teams in the league over the past decade, the Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl since the 2004 season.

Nevertheless, Adam doesn't think that Bill Belichick & Tom Brady have anything to prove to maintain or enhance their legacy as the elite coach/QB combo.

"Even without that recent of a Super Bowl win, they have proven throughout the regular season and postseason that they've got a great system and still perform rather well," he said.

	Adam Stefko
	(few years in suburbs of Chicago)
Favorite team	Patriots
A fan since…	childhood
# of games attended	none
Choice of Team Consumption	Red Zone Channel
Favorite Player(s) All-Time	Tedi Bruschi
Favorite Player Currently	Aaron Hernandez
2012 Prediction	(14-2, Super Bowl Champs)
Vegas Win Projection	12
(as of 9-3-12) 5dimes.eu
Over/under?	Over
Odds to win division - 5dimes.eu	(-360) (bet 360 to win 100)
Super Bowl odds	23/4 (+575) co-favorites w/ GB
(as of 9-3-12) - 5dimes.eu

Bolek Blog Series - Fans of Out of Market NFL Teams: San Francisco

As many of you have seen through my whored out Facebook statuses, I am profiling people who live in the Chicago area and are fans of out of town teams.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out a survey so far. If you're a fan of an out-of-town team and I haven't given you a questionnaire to fill out, please let me know ASAP, as I am looking to profile as many people as possible.

My seventh feature highlights an NFC West team, the best one in my opinion. Brad Schmidgall is a fellow U of I alumus. I got the pleasure of meeting him in the Garner dorms on the Champaign side of campus and recently ran into him at a social event for healthcare professionals. He is also a 49ers fan - something I can relate to.

I will also be including myself in this story and talking in the third person. If you can't handle that, then Brian says you're shit out of luck.

Editors note: Brad and I, along with one of his 49ers fans, may be coming up with a 49ers fan blog. We still have to work out the details - it will likely be throwing crap at the wall at first until we see what sticks. It will likely feature game recap, our thoughts on the next week's game and a fantasy football/gambling angle to it.

Here's a list of other blogs in the out-of-town feature series:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New Orleans Saints 
4. Minnesota Vikings 
5. Denver Broncos

6. Kansas City Chiefs

Brad Schmidgall and Brian Bolek may have been separated by hundreds of miles as kids, but they shared a common link that they would discover when they lived on the same floor of the Garner dorms at the University of Illinois in 2002.

Both gentlemen were fans of an NFL team thousands of miles and two time zones away in California. They both started following the San Francisco 49ers right around the time Joe Montana wrapped up his fourth Super Bowl win with the team, which then transitioned into the Steve Young era.

Brad (right) on Metrodome surface before the start of the Niners/Vikings game in 2009

"I'd say I followed the Bears as well as a kid," Brian said, "especially with them being on TV every Sunday. When a Sunday ticket doesn't exist and you can't go to a bar, you end up watching a lot of Bears game by default."

Brian can sadly remember a project he did in junior high for a required home economics class, where he made a Bears pillow with Rashaan Salaam's name and jersey number on it. It was near that time where Brian's allegiance went strictly to the Niners, although he can't remember why it happened around then.

Brad grew up in Morton, IL, over 150 miles southwest of Chicago, and was a St. Louis Cardinals fan. Since St. Louis had no pro-football team at the time, Brad started following the 49ers.

Like Brian, he doesn't root for or against the Bears. But Brad does find it annoying at times to turn on sports radio during the regular season.

"DirecTV makes it easier, and I have a ton of friends that root for teams other than the Bears," said Brad, who has lived in Chicago for almost seven years. "I do wish there was a 49ers bar nearby I could hit up for big games."

Between the two, they have attended a combined three 49ers games. Brad saw a game that the Niners lost on a last-second heave by Brett Favre in the Metrodome during Favre's brief run on the Vikings, while Brian saw one of the best playoff games of all time in January against the Saints.

That made up for the clunker of a game he saw in 2009 featuring the Bears and the Niners on a Thursday night game, won by the 49ers 10-6. The game featured 5 Jay Cutler interceptions, but luckily, the forgettable game was more easily forgotten with the combination of beer and lack of food consumed by Brian.

"That game was a disaster, and I say that despite the fact the Niners won," Brian said. "At least me and my friend had good seats for the game."

Brad and Brian will be going to separate games this year - with Brad attending the Niners' home opener against the Lions in Week 2 while Brian and his girlfriend Jen will be going to the Niners/Bears Monday night game in November.

Speaking of the 2012 season, Brad and Brian have different views on the Niners. Both guys like the moves the team has made in the offseason, particularly drafting LaMichael James, a Darren Sproles-like backfield option. Brian believes the division race will be tighter than most people expect, with a Niners regression to about nine wins this year but still winning the division. Brad is a little more optimistic, with the Super Bowl as his team's projection.

"I think their defense is too good for seven losses, plus the offensive weapons we added will improve us overall," Brad said. "The NFC West is still pretty weak though, so I don't see us winning fewer than 10 games."

Brian (right) at Niners/Saints playoff game. He may have had a few beverages.

They both agree that the Seahawks will be the team's biggest obstacle in winning the division. Brian originally thought Arizona may be the team who might contend for the NFC West earlier this offseason, but his thoughts have changed as he has seen the Cardinals struggle mightily at the quarterback position, the one position Brian believes the Niners are still missing in order to be considered a serious Super Bowl contender.

"Alex Smith had a good run for us last year, but I still don't think he is the long term answer," Brian said. "Look at how poorly he did in the red-zone last year. I hope Randy Moss can help with that, but I think it's more of a quarterback problem than a receiver problem."

	Brian Bolek		Brad Schmidgall
	(27 yrs near/in Chicago)		(6.5 years in Chicago)
Favorite team	49ers		49ers
A fan since…	early 90s		early 90s
# of games attended	2 (both in San Fran)		1 (in Minnesota)
Choice of Team Consumption	DirecTV		DirecTV - regular season
			Joe's Bar - postseason
Favorite Player All-Time	Jerry Rice		Joe Montana
Favorite Player Currently	Patrick Willis		Patrick Willis &
			Vernon Davis
	9-7, Division Champs,		11-5, Division Champs
2012 Prediction	(loss in WC round)		Super Bowl bound
Vegas Projection for team	10 wins		10 wins
(as of 9-3-12) 5dimes.eu
Over/under?	Under		Over
Odds to win division - 5dimes.eu	(-245 - would need to
	wager 245 to win 100
Super Bowl odds
(as of 9-3-12) - 5dimes.eu	13/1 (+1300)

Bolek Blog Series - Fans of Out of Market NFL Teams: Minnesota Vikings

As many of you have seen through my whored out Facebook statuses, I am profiling people who live in the Chicago area and are fans of out of town teams.

Thank you to everyone who has filled out a survey so far. If you're a fan of an out-of-town team and I haven't given you a questionnaire to fill out, please let me know ASAP, as I am looking to profile as many people as possible.

My fourth feature is on Tim Caleca, who represents the Minnesota Vikings. I attended broadcasting school with Tim for 10 months between 2010-2011. While there, he was very vocal about his love of the Vikings (and dislike of the Bears - to put it nicely). His team's woes of the past couple years hasn't stopped him from loving his team any less. Thank you to Tim for giving his thoughts on the Vikings.

Here's a list of other blogs in the out-of-town feature series:

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Tennessee Titans
3. New Orleans Saints 




Who knew a kid's first jersey would play the biggest role in deciding what NFL team to root for the rest of his life?

That's exactly what happened with Tim Caleca, whose purchase of a future Hall-of-Fame wide receiver jersey set up a lifetime of fandom for the Minnesota Vikings.

Right now, things aren't looking up for the Vikings

"My first jersey was Cris Carter, and I loved it," Tim said. "Basically, I've rooted for them ever since I can remember."

He seems to relish in his bickering with Bears fans, who hassle him every Sunday during football season.

"Mostly because being in Chicago as a fan of the enemy, I have to constantly defend myself," Tim said. "Some years, (Bears fans) praise my team for being quality; some years (such as this year), they don't."

He utilizes bars with the DirecTV package when they are not on local TV and is kept up-to-date on Vikings news through ESPN, NFL Network, the Vikings mobile app and a Vikings site called dailynorseman.com.

He's been able to attend a few Vikings games at Soldier Field. Each of them have been memorable in their own way, he said.

"(I went) mostly in the mid-00's when the Vikings were rebuilding," Tim said. "I've never had to give so many middle fingers."

Out of the current batch of players, his favorite players are Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen. He also noted that Chad Greenway is one of the more under-rated linebackers in the NFL (keep an eye on him, Bears fans). 

As far as football fans go, Tim is as outspoken as any of them. However, he is also one of the most realistic fans of any team I've encountered.

When mentioned that B-Bo Knows predicted a 4-12 record for the Vikings, Tim didn't seem to disagree.

"I'm extremely realistic when it comes to projections," he said. "I haven't made my predictions but I can't imagine they'd be far off from yours.

"Off the top of my head, between 3 and 5 wins seems realistic to me."

Tim doesn't seem sold on Christian Ponder as the team's franchise quarterback, with the team's offensive talent surrounding him not helping much.

"We'll have to see what he does this year," he said. "He's got tight ends that make plays, but his receiving core isn't very deep. They have a questionable offensive line, no vertical threat and a healing AP.

"I think the front office will say 'No' to him before they surround him with enough talent."

	Tim Caleca
	Whole Life in Chicago area
Favorite team	Vikings
A fan since…	early 1990s
# of games attended	several (all at Soldier Field)
Choice of Team Consumption	bars w/ DirecTV
Favorite Player(s) All-Time	Cris Carter
Favorite Player Currently	Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen
2012 Prediction	(4-12)
Vegas Projection for team	6
(as of 8-30-12) 5dimes.eu
Over/under?	Under
Odds to win division - 5dimes.eu	32/1
Super Bowl odds
(as of 8-30-12) - 5dimes.eu	335/1