20140904

Summer meetings complete, Packers play Bears three times in '29

Coach Curley Lambeau looks ahead to the 1929 season.
[September 4, 1929]

Well, dear readers, New Jersey is a hell-hole and I'm thrilled to be back in the north-country after attending the 1929 NFL ownership meetings out east in Atlantic City. 

While Atlantic City is famous for hotsy-totsy women and plentiful black-market booze, the league big-wigs descended upon this sea-side cess-pool for another reason last month, welcoming one of its newest franchises into the fold. Dirty rotten money-bags Ole Haugsrud and his lumber-barron associate Dewey Scanlon bought the old Duluth Eskimos franchise and moved them out east, now playing at the "Orange Tornadoes." A sad day for the fine folks of Duluth. 

Ole and Dewey throw a grand party but I'm glad the Packers refused to schedule a game against these monsters. I've had enough Jersey giggle-water in the last week to last a life-time!

After a disappointing 1928 season (6-4-3) I'm sure Curley Lambeau and Packers fanatics world-wide have been eager to get a first look at the 1929 campaign, featuring three games against the hated Chicago Bears. Huzzah! 


Fresh off the presses, here is the complete 1929 Packers schedule:
 

Preseason
Sept 15 Portsmouth Spartans
 

Regular Season
Sept 22 Dayton Triangles
Sept 29 Chicago Bears
Oct 6 Chicago Cardinals
Oct 13 Frankford Yellowjackets
Oct 20 Minneapolis Redjackets
Oct 27 Chicago Cardinals
---
Nov 3 @ Redjackets
Nov 10 @ Bears
Nov 17 @ Cardinals
Nov 24 @ Giants
Nov 28 @ Yellowjackets
Dec 1 @ Steam Rollers
Dec 8 @ Bears
 

You'll notice, of course, the traditional "home" and "away" break between the first and second half of the season. If the Packers are going to bring home their first league championship this year they'll have to fight through one of the toughest rail-trips ever devised from November into December. 

Some-day we'll have to convince the rest of the NFL that playing in Green Bay during the early winter is not just tolerable, but a treat. Until then, Packers fanatics back home will have to follow the "second season" live via tele-type feeds and/or radio re-broadcasts, as the technology to follow my excellent twitter account (@fgunion) does not, as yet, exist.

Perhaps you cannot afford a radio-box. Take heart, though, dear readers, I will be riding the rails with the team all season and filing my reportage with all of the finest print establishments available daily on street-corners across Packersland. If you have a shiny nickel you will have your Green Bay Packers news. The future is now.


Hell, I'll have yous all spifflicated on Packers reportage by the time the snow flies.
 

So who stands in our way this season?
 

The Packers play the hated Bears three times in 1929, including the regular season finale on December 8. There will be a home-and-away series against the Chicago Cardinals and the start-up Minneapolis Redjackets, as well as the skilled Frankford Yellow-jackets squad, who nearly won the title in '28.

The regular season opens at City Stadium on September 22 against the Dayton Triangles, but the obvious marquee match-up of 1929 is the November 24 contest against the juggernaut New York Giants squad. Filthy rich owner Tim Mara seems to think he can just buy him-self NFL Championships. Hopefully Curley and his bunch can burst that bubble out in New York, bringing an early winter down upon the Big Apple.


Roaring twenties profits spilling from his deep and dapper velvety pockets, Mara simply bought the high-octane Detroit Wolverines in the off-season and combined the two rosters as the new, New York Giants. The Wolverines are no more. The Pottsville Maroons folded and are now the Boston Bull-dogs. The other New York team, the Yankees, were bleeding money without star Red Grange and are now the Staten Island Stapletons (clever name, eh?). And good news! The Buffalo Bisons finally raised their $2500 franchise fee, and are back after sitting out the '28 season.


An effort by Ambrose L. McGurk to raise a franchise in Milwaukee folded once again after McGurk got zozzled on panther-piss and drove his motor-car into the city's excellent fresh-water harbor (again).


Until next time, then. -FG


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