Farewell: Leon Crenshaw

Leon Crenshaw, a huge defensive tackle who played in 10 games for the Packers in 1968, has died.

You may remember Crenshaw as Kurt Schmitz of Columbus, Ga., did, reminding us in an e-mail: "He's a character in Jerry Kramer's 'Instant Replay' (a book which I read roughly 50 times when I was a kid in Appleton)."

Indeed he is. I read that book roughly 50 times when I was a kid in Sheboygan.

Here's what Kramer wrote about the 6-foot-6 Crenshaw in that diary of the 1967 season: "A rookie tackle named Leon Crenshaw, from Tuskegee Institute, ... reported to training camp a week ago weighing 315 pounds. Dr. Lombardi has reduced him to 302."

Crenshaw was listed as weighing 280 pounds on the 1968 roster. He wore No. 70.

He was 65 when he died in Columbus, Ga., on Aug. 22, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

Crenshaw was retired from teaching at Terrell County High School in Dawson, Ga. He also had been a minister, serving True Divine Baptist Church in Phenix City, Ala. He held degrees from the Tuskegee Institute and the University of Georgia and had studied for a doctorate at Vanderbilt University.

Schmitz added this in his e-mail: "What surprised me is that I have lived in this area for 19 years and had no idea Crenshaw was living among us. Had we met at any time I am sure the name would have rung a bell. The man no doubt had some interesting stories about his short time in Green Bay."

Especially if Lombardi is dogging you to lose weight.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Packers at Buccaneers: Your game-day guide

Revised Saturday morning for slightly warmer weather forecast.

Who: Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1).

When: Noon Sunday.

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

Weather: Partly cloudy, hot and humid with a 20 percent chance of a thunderstorm. Kickoff temperature of 85 on the way to a high of 87. Light and variable winds.

The line: Buccaneers by 1 point.

TV: Fox (Channel 11, Green Bay) with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa.

Also on DirecTV Channel 710 as part of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 4

This week it's our duty,
To mix drinks cold 'n fruity,
As the Pack hits the tropics,
To break the Bucs' pockets,
And walk off with their booty.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

The Packers have another celebrity fan

Lil' Wayne, described by ESPN The Magazine as the "mega-rapper of the moment," is blogging for The Magazine.

In his first blog post, he says he digs the Packers. He also digs Aaron Rodgers.

He says:

"As a Packer fan, it's been pretty good so far. Aaron Rodgers has been wonderful, man. He's handled everything, and way more than just the football part. Of course it helps the Jets aren't doing nothing."

He adds:

"Besides the Packers, my favorite teams are the Red Sox, the Lakers and the Boston Bruins. I also love tennis."

Not sure how a 25-year-old guy born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. in New Orleans winds up as a Packers fan, but there you go.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Photo: Lil' Wayne performs at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month. File/AP

Remember Dave Hampton's 1,000-yard day?

Were you there the day Dave Hampton finally ran for 1,000 yards?

It never happened while Hampton played halfback for the Packers from 1969 to 1971, but it happened against the Packers in 1975.

Joe Posnanski, writing on his blog and at SI.com, recalls the remarkable story of how Hampton twice came close to gaining 1,000 yards in a season while playing for the Atlanta Falcons, only to come up just short.

The third time was the charm, and it happened on a 12-degree day at Lambeau Field, in the season finale on Dec. 21, 1975.

The Packers were leading 22-13 with less than 3 minutes left in the game. The Falcons gave up on winning the game and focused instead on getting Hampton his 1,000 yards. He started the drive 28 yards shy of 1,000.

Hampton carried first for 4 yards, then for 22 yards.

Posnanski writes:

"The Green Bay crowd was into it ... heck, they had to be into something, both teams stunk. They cheered. The Falcons players on the sideline cheered. Fate cheered. The next play, Hampton carried it over the right side for four yards. He had done it. He had become both the first Atlanta Falcons runner to gain 1,000 yards AND the first Atlanta Falcons runner to finish the season with 1,000 yards. And make no mistake, his season was done. The Green Bay crowd gave him a standing ovation as he came off the field -- no way they were leaving Dave Hampton out there for even one more play."

The Packers won 22-13 that day. Both teams finished 4-10 that season. Hampton finished with 1,002 yards and was named the NFL's comeback player of the year.

After that 1,000-yard season, Hampton was released by the Falcons. He played one more season for the Philadelphia Eagles, then retired.

(Hampton wore No. 25 when he played for the Packers. His best season in Green Bay was his rookie year, 1969, when he was second on the team with 80 carries for 365 yards and four touchdowns. He came close to that in 1971, when he had 67 carries for 307 yards and three TDs.)

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Photo: Dave Hampton at the Packers' 50th anniversary celebration in September 1969. Press-Gazette archives

Packers at Buccaneers: Your game-day guide

Who: Green Bay Packers (2-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1).

When: Noon Sunday.

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

The line: Buccaneers by 1 point.

TV: Fox (Channel 11, Green Bay) with Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa.

Also on DirecTV Channel 710 as part of NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

Weather: Partly cloudy, hot and humid with a 20 percent chance of a thunderstorm. Kickoff temperature of 84 on the way to a high of 86. East wind at 5 mph.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Will you shut up about the Ice Bowl?

The Packers Pro Shop doesn't need much help with selling Packers swag to the faithful, but it's airing a couple of clever TV commercials.

Both feature a middle-aged woman whose house is full of Packers stuff supposedly purchased at the Pro Shop.

In one, Donald Driver is sitting at her kitchen table. He'd like more milk for his cereal, please.

In the other -- and this one is terrific -- Bart Starr is sitting in a recliner in her living room. He waves at the camera and says "I was at the Ice Bowl!" She rolls her eyes.

Imagine that. Bart Starr, spoofing his iconic image on the Packers' behalf. Good for him, good for them.

We called the Packers to ask whether these spots are posted on their Web site, but apparently they aren't. If they post them, we'll point you there.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Farewell to an old foe: Wally Hilgenberg

Wally Hilgenberg, a tough, chippy linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings from 1968 to 1979, died Tuesday at his home in Lakeville, Minn. He was 66 and had been battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

He went to four Super Bowls with the Vikings, but never won a ring. Hilgenberg talked about that in "Black and Blue: A Smash-Mouth History of the NFL's Roughest Division," a book about the old NFC Central Division written by former Press-Gazette sports editor Bob Berghaus.

"When people are looking back and say the Vikings were there four times and lost four times do I regret it? Certainly," he said. "Would I have liked to have won one? Absolutely."

"On the other hand I’d like to think my perspective is I loved the game. I loved to play the game and it was a game. I remember walking out of the locker room after the Kansas City loss and my wife was crying. I asked ‘What are you crying about’ and she said ‘We lost the game’ and I said ‘Hey, if that’s the worst thing that ever happens to us in life we’ll be pretty grateful.’

"That’s always been my perspective. I loved the game. I don’t think anybody prepared any harder or played any harder than I did and I was very grateful for what I accomplished, for the talent I had. But as I look back on it, it was a great experience. My whole career was fun."

Hilgenberg, who was the Vikings' starting right-side linebacker for 12 seasons, played a memorable role in a 3-0 win over the Packers at old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minn., on Nov. 14, 1971.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he teamed up with defensive linemen Alan Page and Jim Marshall to stuff Packers running back Donny Anderson twice with 2 feet to go for a first down and just 1½ yards to go for a touchdown.

Hilgenberg starred at Iowa and started his NFL career with Detroit, spending three seasons with the Lions. The Vikings acquired Hilgenberg after he was cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers during training camp in 1968.

After retiring from football, he went into banking and real estate with former teammate Stu Voigt, a tight end who starred at Wisconsin.

Hilgenberg is survived by his wife, four children and 14 grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Photo: Packers guard Bill Lueck (62) blocks Vikings linebacker Wally Hilgenberg (58) to clear the way for running back MacArthur Lane during Green Bay's 32-17 loss to Minnesota in the season opener at Lambeau Field on Sept. 15, 1974. Press-Gazette archives

Get your soup on, Packers fans

The folks at Campbell's Chunky Soup apparently have decided it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

They've changed their annual Click For Cans contest. For the past six years, the Packers have won the contest, getting millions of votes from their fans and stocking food pantries across Wisconsin with cans of soup.

The folks at Campbell's say they've "completely reformatted the food drive to give other die-hard NFL fans a chance. Now it consists of head-to-head match-ups that mirror the team’s NFL season."

You can vote only once a day, so there'll be no more stuffing of the ballot boxes that Packers fans became legendary (notorious?) for doing. Voting is open through the last game of the NFL regular season on Dec. 28.

To cast your vote, go to the weekly matchups at the Chunky Soup Web site and click on the Packers helmet. Again, you can vote only once a day.

It's hard to tell how the Packers are doing in this year's voting. The standings are about as clear as mud. The Packers are the only NFC team that's 3-0, but six AFC teams -- Cincinnati, Buffalo, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets -- also are 3-0.

The eight teams with the best records at the end of the regular season -- four each from the NFC and AFC -- advance to the single-elimination playoffs.

So, you call this Progress ... o?

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Photo: That's Packers nose tackle Gilbert Brown weighing in on a giant scale shaped like a soup spoon in August 2002. That year, 9,794 cans were donated to Paul's Pantry in Green Bay. Press-Gazette archives

Alumni update: Getting caught up

It's been a while since we posted any alumni updates, and seeing as how Sunday night was Alumni Night at Lambeau Field, let's get caught up:

Alumni from the 1960s



-- If you haven't seen it, Press-Gazette photographer Corey Wilson caught up with some of the Lombardi-era alumni at an autograph signing session on Saturday. It's in his Tundra Exposure photo blog. Among those on hand: Tom Brown, Ron Kramer, Bob Skoronski, Zeke Bratkowski, Bart Starr, Dave Robinson and Willie Davis. That's Robinson and Starr in the photo above.

-- Wally Mahle, a halfback who was the Packers' fourth-round draft pick in 1965, is battling throat cancer, according to the Erie (Pa.) Times-News. He spent the 1965 season on the Packers' taxi squad. Mahle, 65, was honored this month by Syracuse University, where he played college ball, and by Fort LeBouef High School in Waterford, Pa., where he starred as a quarterback.

Alumni from the 1970s

-- Bill Moats, a punter who was the Packers' 12th-round -- and final -- pick in the 1979 draft, has been inducted into the Coyote Hall of Fame at his alma mater, the University of South Dakota. Moats didn't make it with the Packers. He also had tryouts with the 49ers and Patriots. These days, he works at an orthopedic and sports clinic in Boise, Idaho.

Alumni from the 1980s

-- Eddie Lee Ivery, the Packers' first-round pick in that 1979 draft, is thrilled to be an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Thomson High School in McDuffie County, Ga., he told the McDuffie Mirror. The Bulldogs retired his No. 44 in 2004. Ivery wore No. 40 for the Packers from 1979 to 1986. He led them in rushing in 1980, 1982 and 1985.

-- Syd Kitson, an offensive lineman who blocked for Ivery from 1980 to 1984, is a big-time real estate developer in south Florida. He has $750 million in seed money and wants "to buy developed and undeveloped land large enough for 500 to 1,000 homes and medium-sized shopping centers anchored by supermarkets. He's looking at several Tampa deals worth tens of millions of dollars," according to the St. Petersburg Times.

-- ESPN's Sal Paolantonio and former Packers coach Forrest Gregg are among those who think Ken Riley should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to the Lakeland (Fla.) Ledger. Riley had 65 career interceptions while starring at cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1969 to 1983. He was the Packers' defensive backs coach under Gregg in 1984 and 1985. These days, Riley, 61, is a dean at Winter Haven High School in Florida.

-- Lee Weigel tells his hometown Eau Claire Leader-Telegram how he came to be a running back on the Packers' strike replacement team in 1987 -- and how he cherishes those memories. These days, the former University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire star runs a concrete business and has been an assistant football coach at Marshfield and Eau Claire Memorial high schools.

Alumni from the 1990s

-- Antonio Freeman, who starred at receiver for the Packers from 1995 to 2001 and in 2003, wants to get into broadcasting, he told the Roanoke (Va.) Times. Rarely at a loss for words, he also chatted recently on ESPN.com.

-- Reggie Cobb, the Packers' second-leading rusher in 1994, the only season he played in Green Bay, is scouting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to the Knoxville (Tenn.) News.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 3

This Sunday night, set your chrono,
For a big event that needs no promo,
An aerial show,
Comes to Lambeau,
Pack versus 'Boys, Rodgers 'gainst Romo.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Cowboys at Packers: Your game-day guide

Revised Saturday morning with slightly cooler weather forecast.

Who: Dallas Cowboys (2-0) at Green Bay Packers (2-0).

When: 7:15 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Lambeau Field.

The line: Cowboys by 3 points.

TV: NBC (Channel 26, Green Bay) with Al Michaels, John Madden and Andrea Kremer.

Also on ESPN International, in three languages to more than 180 countries.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on Westwood One national broadcast with Dave Sims, Jim Fassel and Tommy Tighe; on NFL Field Pass subscription broadcast at Packers.com; and on NFL Sunday Drive subscription broadcast at Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

Weather: Partly cloudy and cool with a kickoff temperature of 60, then falling into the mid-50s during the game. Southeast winds at 5-10 mph.

Going to the game? They're giving away Packers "G" flags as you enter the stadium. The Marine Corps Combat Center Band will perform the national anthem. At halftime, Packers alumni will be introduced.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 2

Aaron set the fans all aglow,
Marching downfield by run or by throw;
Things are looking up,
For the Pack's new pup,
With his starting career now 1-and-0.

Putrid Packer Poetry has been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Where there's smoke, there's ... brats?

Enjoy this item, found in the police log of the St. Helena (Calif.) Star:

11:28 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8:

"A Napa County sheriff’s deputy responded to an alarm he heard near Fawn Park Road. He found smoke billowing out from under a house and pulled out one victim. Firefighters responded, but the smoke was just from cooking. The man had been making bratwursts to celebrate the Green Bay Packers’ victory on Monday Night Football."

That must have been some postgame party.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Packers at Lions: Your game-day guide

Who: Green Bay Packers (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1).

When: Noon Sunday.

Where: Ford Field.

The line: Packers by 3 points.

TV: Fox (Channel 11, Green Bay) with Matt Vasgersian, J.C. Pearson and Charissa Thompson. Also on NFL Sunday Ticket subscription telecast on DirecTV Channel 709.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren. Also on www.packers.com with an NFL Field Pass subscription or on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 122, on NFL Sunday Drive.

Weather: Indoors.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Good thing the Packers are 1-0

Otherwise, ESPN.com's Kurt Snibbe might have mocked them. He's redesigned the logos of some NFL teams that aren't doing so well.

A couple of examples:

Kampman savors a special homecoming

Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman went home to Parkersburg, Iowa, on Friday night as his high school football team played its first home game since the area was blasted by a tornado in May.

Aplington-Parkersburg High School, which sat next to the football field, was destroyed. Eight people were killed. Half of Parkersburg, a town of about 2,000 people in northeastern Iowa, was leveled.

"This game is a symbol of hope, that things are getting back to normal," Kampman told the Sioux City Journal. "It provides an escape for these people."

Kampman also gave the Falcons this pregame pep talk: "You go out there and play hard. Forget about these cameras and stuff. Put all these distractions away from you. ... I am so excited for you. Get out there and cut it loose."

It worked. The Falcons routed West Marshall 53-20.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

(Photo credit: Matthew Putney, The Waterloo Courier, via The Associated Press)

NFL Network has a replay, sort of

Were you in the bathroom when Will Blackmon returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown against the Vikings on Monday night?

If so, and if you have NFL Network, you'll get another chance to see it.

A 90-minute recap of the Packers' 24-19 victory, with additional game and sideline footage and interviews, will air at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on NFL Network.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

It must be the shoes!

During Monday night's game, the Packers wore black shoes for what is believed to be the first time since 1975, according to Uni Watch, a blog that covers sports uniforms in exhaustive detail.

The Packers usually wear white shoes.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Vikings at Packers: Your game-day guide

Weather forecast updated Sunday afternoon with increased possibility for rain.

Who: Minnesota Vikings (0-0, 1-3 preseason) at Green Bay Packers (0-0, 1-3 preseason).

When: 6 p.m. Monday.

Where: Lambeau Field.

The line: Packers by 2 points.

TV: ESPN (simulcast on WBAY, Channel 2, Green Bay, and WISN, Channel 12, Milwaukee) with Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski.

Also on NFL Sunday Ticket subscription telecast on DirecTV Channel 206 (HD Channel 73); ESPN Deportes, with Alvaro Martin, Raul Allegre and John Sutcliffe; and on ESPN International, in three languages to more than 180 countries.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on Westwood One national broadcast with Marv Albert, Boomer Esiason and Jim Gray; and on NFL Field Pass subscription telecast on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

Weather: Cloudy and cool, with rain likely during the game (a 60 percent chance). Kickoff temperature of 60, after a high of 64. Northeast winds at 5 to 10 mph, becoming northwest at 10 mph.

Going to the game? They're giving away a team calendar and a G-Force towel as you enter the stadium. The country group Diamond Rio will sing the national anthem. The Air Force will provide the pregame fly-over. The halftime show will be by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Marching Band.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Mapping Brett Favre's appeal

If you think the CBS stations in Wisconsin are the only ones falling all over themselves to air the New York Jets' games, think again.

Brett Favre's first game with the Jets -- at Miami at noon Sunday -- is being aired in most of the country.

How much of the country? Head over to the506.com and check out the great NFL TV distribution maps.

Here's the map for Sunday's CBS broadcasts. We can't publish it here for copyright reasons, but click on the link. See all that red? That's where they'll be watching Favre. I'd say it's roughly two-thirds of the nation, including most of the upper Midwest.

CBS' top team, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, will be calling the game.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Putrid Packer Poetry, Week 1

We're on the verge of another Packers season, and we're delighted to share more Putrid Packer Poetry.

It's been lovingly crafted since 1996 by Keith Brewster, a Packers fan from Norman, Okla. Take it away, Keith!

The Vikes try to steal the national stage,
Storming the shores, the Pack to engage;
Our new man under center,
May be a team reinventor,
When the Pack boldly begins a new page.

Keith also is a senior research scientist at the Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms at the University of Oklahoma. He's long provided our game-day weather forecasts.

More to come.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Vikings at Packers: Your game day guide

Who: Minnesota Vikings (0-0, 1-3 preseason) at Green Bay Packers (0-0, 1-3 preseason).

When: 6 p.m. Monday.

Where: Lambeau Field.

The line: Packers by 2 points.

TV: ESPN (simulcast on WBAY, Channel 2, Green Bay, and WISN, Channel 12, Milwaukee) with Mike Tirico, Tony Kornheiser and Ron Jaworski.

Also on NFL Sunday Ticket subscription telecast on DirecTV Channel 206 (HD Channel 73); ESPN Deportes, with Alvaro Martin, Raul Allegre and John Sutcliffe; and on ESPN International, in three languages to more than 180 countries.

Radio: WTAQ, 1360 AM, and WIXX, 101.1 FM, Green Bay, and the Packers Radio Network, with Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren.

Also on Westwood One national broadcast with Marv Albert, Boomer Esiason and Jim Gray; and on NFL Field Pass subscription telecast on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 127.

Weather: Cloudy and cool, with a 30 percent chance of rain during the game. Kickoff temperature 63, after a high of 68. West winds at 5-10 mph.

Going to the game? They're giving away a team calendar and a G-Force towel as you enter the stadium. The country group Diamond Rio will sing the national anthem. The Air Force will provide the pregame fly-over. The halftime show will be by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Marching Band.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Tunes for your tailgate

Just in case you want to fill your mp3 player with new Packers tunes in time for Monday night's season opener, we have a couple of ideas.

Our colleague Kendra Meinert writes today of a new batch of Packers tunes.

"Tailgate Tunes: More of the Greatest Hits of Football" is out with 16 new songs, including tunes about Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre. There's also "Titletown," set to Lipps Inc.'s "Funkytown" and "Ballad of the Green Bay Pack," set to Barry Sadler's "The Ballad of the Green Beret."

It just came out today, but will be available on iTunes and at CDBaby.com. In the Green Bay area, it'll be available at Sports, Gifts, Plus at 2075 S. Oneida St. in Ashwaubenon and at Shopko stores and convenience stores.

Also worth noting: Beware of the Blog, one of the quirkier music blogs out there, has posted mp3s from a 1960 album of NFL fight songs done by a studio group called the NFL Marching Band.

It's worth visiting just to get "Go! You Packers Go!" which comes complete with an introduction by Bart Starr. Fans of a certain age will remember it as the song played at every kickoff by the old Packer Band.

But if you've been looking for "Bear Down Chicago Bears" or "Let's Go You Colts" or "Hi-O Hi-O for Cleveland" instead, you'll find them there, too.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

What did the barber say? Next!

OK, you're up now, Jim Nelson.

A backup linebacker who played in 16 games for the Packers in 1998 and 1999, Nelson now owns three Big League Haircuts franchises in the Philadelphia area.

He found out about them when he went to one in Indianapolis while playing for the Colts.

"Why doesn't this exist where I'm from? It wasn't pink twirly things. I was in a guys' place," he told the Daily Local News of West Chester, Pa.

His newest store, in Upper Darby, Pa., has seats from old Veterans Stadium, lots of team pennants and a 55-inch TV.

Even so, running a barber shop for men is a little different from the NFL.

"I went from being in a locker room and being with all guys to having all-women staffs," he told the local paper.

"I went from one extreme to another. The testosterone level has been different."

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com

Like father, like son

Remember when Packers tight end Paul Coffman used to jump over defenders as he headed downfield after the catch? Turns out his son does it, too.

Chase Coffman, who plays tight end at the University of Missouri, is bigger than his dad at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds. On Saturday, he twice jumped over defenders in Mizzou's 52-42 victory over Illinois. He had nine catches for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown.

According to an Associated Press report, Chase looked at some old game film, saw his dad jump over defenders and recognized the similarities.

Chase also is playing with a broken right pinky finger held together with three pins. Not bad.

-- Jeff Ash, jash@greenbaypressgazette.com