Buffalo Rumblings
My journey to 100 Consecutive Games reached number 91 as Bills fans traveled to South Florida while the team, unfortunately, seemed to stay home. Miami weekend is usually one of my favorites because it’s the only game each year where I don’t need to get on an airplane or book a hotel room. It’s my one true “home” game.
Normally I push myself to get to the beach on Friday or swing by Brendan’s Sports Pub to kick off the weekend, but this year I was so exhausted that I actually sat out Friday’s festivities. I was a little sad about it because my fellow Mafia blew up my phone Saturday morning with pictures and stories that gave me overwhelming FOMO. Then again, they all had matching hangovers on Saturday, so maybe I made the correct life decision.
Saturday was a beautiful day. I got down to the beach early to meet up with people at Elbo Room, then made my way down the strip to Rock Bar. By noon, the crowd had multiplied every 15 minutes. Bills fans flooded Fort Lauderdale Beach in full force. I spent some time talking with the Bills Backers of Miami, including their chapter president Jonathan. Everyone, please congratulate Jonathan and his wife on expecting baby number two! Jonathan told me that every year he tries to make the Miami takeover bigger and better than the year before, and each year he wants to add something new. He partnered with Fans of Buffalo again, and it showed. Fantastic job all around. The number of Bills fans was absolutely ridiculous, although at this point it’s almost expected when the Bills travel.
Sunday morning before the game was supposed to be chill. I was relaxed and confident, in retrospect I’m now realizing that was my biggest mistake. The tailgate was packed beyond anything I have seen at Hard Rock for a Bills game. It was brutally hot, but that didn’t stop the wave of red, white, and blue that took over the lot. At least 6,000 Bills fans filled the area, spilling out into the surrounding lots with flags, music, and shade tents.
And in the middle of it all, Mama J celebrated her 250th consecutive game. She is one of the anchors of this fan base, and watching her be celebrated was one of the best parts of the weekend. She has been one of the most supportive voices while I have been on my consecutive game streak and I am so thankful to her and Kenny (Pinto Ron).
Sunday morning felt awkward for me personally. Getting ready for a 1 p.m. EST kickoff at an away stadium just feels strange because the Bills almost never play in that slot anymore. Honestly, after watching the game, I think someone forgot to put the team on the plane from Buffalo because no one showed up. From the coaching staff on down, it was an embarrassing performance and to be quite frank — I’m still a bit...
