Tailgating: Bears fans start game-day early
A day that started out with such high spirits for Frank Bucaro and his family ended with complete disappointment, sadness and not just a little anger.
The Bucaros, carrying on a family tradition dating back to the 1960s, were the first to arrive at Soldier Field Sunday morning for pregame tailgating.
The family was up before the sun to drive into Chicago from Carol Stream for the Bears-Packers NFC title game Sunday. They arrived at the Waldron Parking Deck at Soldier Field just before 9:30 a.m. to party with hundreds of other excited fans. But by 5:30 p.m., the laughing and joking had stopped as Bears fans across the city regrouped after a seven-point loss.
Bucaro said it was a fourth-quarter timeout that halted the momentum of the team and ultimately cost the Bears the game. He said Coach Lovie Smith was to blame for the call.
“I think it’s time for a new head coach,” Bucaro said. “I really do.”
Joe Spillone, a Bucaro family friend, said he traded eight pairs of Blackhawks tickets, 1 pair of Bulls tickets and $200 cash for two tickets to Sunday’s game. He thought a seat in the stadium was well worth what Bob Dow of Oak Brook called the game of the century.
Dow also joined hundreds of Bears fans for tailgating, along with his son Parker, 11, and the Delaportes, Athens and Braner father-son pairs.
Dow agreed with Bucaro’s claim that coaching decisions caused the loss. He, too, thought the timeout was poorly timed — for the second Bears-Packers game in a row, no less.
But even while nursing the wounds of defeat, Dow was able to find a silver lining. He told his wife after the game they probably saved $10,000 on tickets and flights to Texas for the Super Bowl.
And Dow was grateful for the decorum of the Packers fans sitting behind him in the stadium.
“I think both teams’ fans appreciated the game,” Dow said. “To have two Midwestern teams playing for the Super Bowl was pretty cool.”
Like Dow and Bucaro, the vast majority of pregame tailgaters were Bears fans full of hope for a spot in the Super Bowl for their beloved team. All predicted a close win, but a win nonetheless.
Leaving Soldier Field to the opposite reality meant plenty of disappointment to go around.
“It’s a sad day,” Bucaro said.