The forecast for Saturday is a high of 26 degrees with mostly sunny skies.  Sun is a great thing, and we clamor for it in the long Wisconsin winter months, but our nearest star tends to make a mockery of our allegiance from December through February, for when the sun is shining, we’re generally more violently shivering.  By game time Saturday night, I’m guessing the temp will be around 20, rapidly descending under starry skies.

I will not be attending Saturday night’s Wild Card playoff game at Lambeau, not solely because of the temperature, though it is a factor.  After Gridiron Live (outside the Screamin’ Head Buzz from 5:30-6:30pm…hope to see you there) I am packing up the station vehicle and heading back.  For the Pack’s sake, it’s a good thing I am not attending, no matter the reason, as I have yet to witness a home playoff victory in my lifetime. 

It’s not that I expect anything different this time of year.  And actually, 20ish degrees is pretty solid for a January night in Green Bay.  I just don’t welcome the cold as I used to.  I like being warm.  I like being able to comfortably rest both of my cheeks on my seat while taking in a 3+ hour affair.  I like the option of standing up (and not having to worry about that precious 18 inches of butt room, already reduced to 14.5 inches due to layering, shrinking to 10 inches).  I like being warm.  I like my own food.  I like my own bathroom.  I like my 50 inch high definition television screen with endless rewind capabilities.  I like being warm.  Did I already say that?  Twice?

Yeah, so warmth is definitely a major factor.  And it will be for the players, as well.

We love to talk big, love to lower our voices, John Facenda style, and speak confidently of the “frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.”  We love to convince ourselves that this is exactly how our guys want it, that we’re a cold weather team and chill is not a concern.  We love to believe that temperature will be a greater issue for the guys from the dome.  Now, there is something to be said for the psychological side of things, but cold is cold.  There’s no real “getting used to it.”  When the temperature drops, for those of us who live here, the human body doesn’t just go into some “been there, done that” assimilation mode.  It’s still cold.  It still frosts the skin.  Eskimos wear coats.  Sled dogs wear boots. Cold is cold.