This, Bud's, For You

There's one thing you gotta say about folks in Wisconsin: we take our beer seriously, more seriously than Fischers takes their nuts. I mean, we even have a professional sports team named after the brewmeisters (given many years ago to a minor league team in Milwaukee by a guy with the name of Veeck...go figure). Bernie Brewer is always the most popular mascot at the annual Sports Mascot Convention and Undress Cotillion, too. Probably second on the list of seriously-taken items here in the brew state (or first, depending...) are the Green Bay Packers. This was a fact even BEFORE Johnny "Blood" McNally married one of the Leinenkugel girls 'way back. (If you don't get that reference, it's because you are not a highly-trained tour guide at Lambeau Field--genuflect) Putting the two of them together in a news story means instant readership on a par with...say...BS getting out of a car sans underwear. Anyway, this ever-newswothy coupling has Titletown with a buzz on again. Editorial pages are awash with the news...countless straw polls (well, hops polls, to be exact)have been conducted, and readership to the Press-Gazette has skyrocketed. And all because of Eric Anderson.
Anderson, a real estate investor from Old Milwaukee, does/did yearly duty as a beer vendor at Lambeau Field--genuflect here--at least he did until recently. Here's a 47-year-old guy who loves the Pack as we all do and is willing to schlep up and down 60 rows of Lambeau Field--genuflect again--during every home game dispensing heady heidy-hos and frothy draft beer to fans for a mere $6.50 (I think). He figures that on any given Sunday (there's a movie in there somewhere) he'll pass out approximately 13 cases of beer for which he'll be comnpensated about $150 in tips. I have no idea whether or not an actual salary is/was involved. Suffice to say, this was not a high-paying gig unlike being a stadium tour guide. Anyway, tips are a part of the regular service, it seems. This is where things went horribly wrong for Anderson.
On November 19, 2006, the Packers were playing the Pats, and, as usual, the place was sold out (and still there are 0ver 72,000 on the waiting list). Prior to game time, Anderson was hopping around with his product, and two Packers fans, in a gesture of bonhomie which is part of the Lambeau faithful--unlike the Raider Nation or the Dawg Pound--offered him a $12 tip for NOT selling beer to a couple of Patriot fans sitting in that section. Going along with the good-natured ribbing, Anderson pocketed the bills and went about his business. Another trip up, another trip down, and he accepted a $7 gratuity for refusing service to the fans from New England. The ante had risen to $20 by the third quarter, but this time, Anderson refused the tip and fans provided the visitors with beer. No harm, no foul, right? Uh, not exactly.
Having no sense of humor, the local fans who had invited friends of a New England persuasion to attend the game with them took umbrage at the slight and refused to accept Anderson's apology. They reported him to the Packers' organization who, in turn, reported the incident to the Levy Corporation (from Chicago) which operates the concessions at Lambeau Field--genuflect a third time.
Anderson's supervisor told him to expect a one-game suspension (a lite reprimand, if you will)...instead, he got the boot, pink-slipped, shown the door, fired. Not exactly a Pabst on the wrist, but not what he expected, either. He was so upset about the decision that he cried, then bought a ticket to the next game (after all, the Lions were in town)and returned to his section of 20 years to beg the fans for their support. To this point, Anderson is still persona non grata as far as the Levy Corporation is concerned.
We don't mess around with beer here in Wisconsin.