There are trips you plan, and then there are trips that have been living in you for years even before you ever pack a bag.
This one felt like the latter.
I had been to Lambeau Field before—twice, actually. Once with Stephanie which resulted in me catching Jordy Nelson in Lambeau Leap and once for a -19* playoff win, so I knew what it looked like, what it felt like, how it somehow manages to feel both massive and intimate at the same time. But I had never been there like this. Never with both of my boys. Never with the four of us together. Never as three Packers owners standing side by side, carrying a tradition we’ve talked about endlessly at home into the place where it actually lives.
After landing in Miwaukee on a quiet Friday night, we started the long drive across Wisconsin, the kind of drive where conversation fades in and out and everyone is half-tired but too excited to really sleep. Green Bay doesn’t announce itself loudly. There’s no sudden skyline, no dramatic entrance. Instead, it sneaks up on you. And then, in the distance, you see it—a small glow against the dark sky. Easy to miss if you didn’t know what you were looking for.
But we knew.
That tiny illuminated speck grew with every mile. Slowly at first. Then unmistakably. Until finally, there it was—Lambeau Field, rising out of a sleepy town like a cathedral, glowing against the night as if it had always been there and always would be. I’ve seen it before, but seeing it through the windshield with my family beside me made it land differently. Heavier. Fuller.
We couldn’t go to bed, not even after a long flight and a three hour drive… That night we found ourselves right inside Lambeau for some food and a walk around the atrium where so many of my football memories live. It wasn’t the focus of the trip, but it added to the feeling that this place isn’t just about Sundays. It’s about moments. Shared ones.
Inside the stadium, everything felt amplified. We took the tour. We walked the halls. Later in the trip we would step onto the field and stand beneath the goalposts, trying to fully process the fact that we were standing where legends stood. In the Hall of Fame, the Lombardi Trophies gleamed behind glass, and for a moment the boys were quiet. Not because they were bored—but because they were registering something bigger than themselves.
Meeting former players throughout the weekend felt like touching history. Dan Majkowski. Brady Poppinga. James Lofton. Jerry Kramer—a Hall of Famer whose name still carries weight the second it’s spoken. Watching him talk to Jax about how to avoid a block and footwork and then allowing him, as the oldest, (because according to Jerry, “the oldest has the most responsibility”), to wear his Super Bowl Ring had me covered in goosebumps. Watching my boys meet them, shake their hands, listen to their stories, felt like watching football generations overlap in real time.
And then there was Oliver, standing with Super Bowl champion Ryan Grant, getting a lesson in running back technique. No crowd. No pressure. Just a former Packer passing down knowledge to a kid who dreams in green and gold. That’s the kind of moment you don’t fully understand while it’s happening—but you know it will matter forever.
Game day came fast.
We spent the morning in Titletown, the boys running around with that restless energy only kids can have when something big is coming. We tossed a football back and forth, the boys throwing passes to Steph (who believe it or not throws a pretty tight spiral) while Lambeau towered over us in the background. That image—casual, unscripted, perfect—might be my favorite memory of the whole trip. No tickets scanned. No crowd noise yet. Just us, a football, and the stadium looming quietly behind it all.
Tailgating together felt like something we had been rehearsing for years. Food, laughter, green and gold everywhere. Conversations with strangers that didn’t feel like strangers at all because when you’re there, wearing those colors, you’re already connected. The boys took it all in, wide-eyed, absorbing not just the spectacle but the sense of belonging.
The game itself had its own unexpected twist. With Jordan Love injured, Malik Willis stepped in and did what Packers quarterbacks have always been asked to do—win. Watching him guide the team to a win felt symbolic, especially with my boys beside me… waiving the Yellow G Flag in support. Football, like life, doesn’t always go according to plan. But preparation, belief, and opportunity still matter. The end of the game came down to a defensive stop on fourth down to put the game away and just like that the four of us cheered like it was a Super Bowl win.
As we walked out of Lambeau that day, tired and happy and still buzzing from a HUGE WIN, I realized something simple but important. I’ve written a lot about the Packers. I’ve watched them for decades. I’ve passed that love down intentionally, sometimes obsessively. But this trip wasn’t about teaching my kids why the Packers matter.
It was about watching them feel it.
Seeing the place. Standing on the field. Meeting the players. Throwing a football in the shadow of Lambeau. Driving toward a glowing stadium on a quiet Wisconsin night and knowing exactly where we were headed… to the place where the Lombardi Trophy was born…. and while it might visit other cities… the Lombardi Trophy will always call Titletown home.
Titletown
This wasn’t just my third trip to Green Bay.
It was our first—together.
And somehow, that made Lambeau feel brand new again.
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BTW… we are now all currently on the 44 year waitlist for Season Rickeys at Lambeau:
Go Pack Go!!!
The Owner Trio
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…PS When you can try to get in a Lambeau Leap… you do it!
Hopefully this is just the first of his many Lambeau Leaps
A while back I stopped coaching Jax and while I missed it, he seemed to thrive with other coaches giving him feedback. I started to enjoy JUST being able to be a dad on the sideline again. Although I’m sure most parents would disagree… I was calmer being just a dad and not a coach-dad.
Then earlier this summer Jax asked if I would coach him again during this football season on the G5 (fifth grade) team. Tackle football is one of the toughest sports to play. The commitment, learning curve, physicality and effort it takes to be part of a tackle team is not for everyone. Jax and I talked through what coaching him again would mean and entail for both of us. This wasn’t just about learning football, it was about the trust between a father and his son. I knew he needed me and I knew from the look in his eyes when we spoke that I needed to consider it.
The problem is that’s not just something you can “join up” for. The tackle teams here in town are coached by a group of coaches that work hard and have been together for a while. However, coincidently, later this summer I’d receive a text from the team’s head coach asking if I’d be willing to join the coaching staff, and as they say, it was fate.
I’ve been locked in to coaching Oliver’s flag- football team the last three years and have really enjoyed helping the program grow. It is a lot of hard work and I had been committed to coaching Oliver, a commitment I would not abandon and I wasn’t sure that adding on coaching a second team that competes vs towns across the state in full pads and helmets was feasible for me. We would be talking six-to-seven days of week of coaching football between both teams…
…. Yet, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
SEASON RUNNING SUMMARY:
Pre Season Jamboree vs Madison, North Haven and Glastonbury:
2 Wins – 1 Loss
I had an absolute blast today coaching Jax in football for the first time along with 29 other kids who love to compete. Jax had a PHENOMENAL day… springing two touchdown runs with two pancake blocks at WR. He played a ton at middle linebacker a new position, but he just keeps learning! There are some big time players on this team! Every one of his teammates are phenomenal and I am so stoked to be coaching this team!
The block that sprung a touchdown
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Game 1: @ North Haven
L: 28-14 (0-1)
After a great training camp and a fantastic preseason jamboree, Jax was named team captain before the first game! To be named captain of any sports team is an honor and a privilege. Being a captain is about leadership, work ethic and respect. To be named a captain is the ultimate sign of respect from your teammates and coaches. I am so incredibly proud and humbled to be this guy’s dad AND coach!
Captains on the field for the coin toss
Opening day was full of emotions for both of us. But to be coaching this football player and leader is an honor! Yes he was a captain, yes he retuned a kick for one yard (lol)… but more importantly, he is a teammate who has everyone’s back! I LOVE coaching this kid and I LOVE coaching this team! Big things coming for #G5
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Game 2 @ Pomperaug
L: 7-44 (0-2)
I hated Pomperaug when I was in school playing sports and I still hate them today! Jax did have a devastating hit on a kick off which resulted in an opposing player having to be helped off the field, but it was too little too late. We took a tough loss. The boys got hit hard, but they picked themselves up every play. That’s the mark of a champion.“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
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Game 3 @ Bristol:
W: 28-0 (1-2)
There’s nothing like a win at Lambeau
While our G5 team was taking care of business in Bristol, Jax and I were busy enjoying another win this weekend while in Green Bay watching the Packers beat the Colts at Lambeau Field! It was awesome getting updates via text from the coaches and other parents who wanted to keep us in the loop! The kids played well and represented Jax in the city where he was born to capture our first win on the season (also the Packers first win of the season too)!
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Game 4 vs. Monroe
L: 19-0 (1-3)
Facing an undefeated team who dismantled a team that blew us out a few weeks ago seemed a daunting task. Yet, my goal for this team and these games is not just about winning or losing, it is also about building character and character is built on the foundation of effort, perseverance and integrity.
These boys showed what it takes to make the character of a champion. Down 19-0 at halftime the team rallied around each other to not allow a point in the second half… to a team that was undefeated and no one had been able stop offensively all season. There are bad wins and there are good loses. We can take something positive from this loss… and continue to build character as the boys continue to grow and learn the game. I am very proud of this team.
Jax started the game at tight end (a position I’d love to see him get more looks at). We ran four straight plays down the throat of Monroe with Jax leading the way bulldozing the opposing linebacker and cornerback, highlighted by a block that he sustained for about 20 yards downfield until the whistle blew! He is starting to put things together and like many of the boys on this team, I feel like a full-on steam train is coming and once it gets going it’s going to be hard to stop!
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Game 5 @ Shelton
W: 24-0 (2-3)
What could better than getting on a bus for a road trip with your teammates for a game? (At 45 years old I can think of many things), but for a group of ten year olds you’d have thought they were in heaven! Very cool experience for the team and an opportunity for team bonding (and a lot of smelly people in a small area)!
The game started off slow with multiple turnovers by both teams and a huge touchdown run called back by a penalty that would have given us the early lead. However, G5 broke off huge chunk plays, (I thought Oliver was fast, but man can Hunter fly), recovered two fumbles and had an interception as well to highlight a very good defensive day. We even punted (and a good one at that) for the first time all season, and completed two big pass plays (Charney!!!!)
Jax played two new positions. For the first time all season he played at right tackle and middle linebacker, both very tough positions and be looked raw, but showed some potential at both. I was impressed with his ability to just go find someone to hit/suplex on the offensive line (at least it was before the whistle this time) and to find a gap and get into the backfield at MLB.
I hope he can get some more reps here in practice and before the season is over in games, because if we can harness the “JaxPlex” into a legal, aggressive style of play, I do think he’s going to be a very valuable piece to the team at these two new positions. Also, sprinkle in a few nice blocks as our best blocking wide receiver and add in a win and it was a very successful day for G5!
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Game 6 vs Cheshire
W: 19-36 (3-3)
We put together a dominate home victory over Cheshire by the score of 36-19 to even our season record at 3-3 with two regular season games remaining. The playoff push has begun.
At one point in the game we were up 30-6, but needed to pump the brakes a bit to ensure we did not go up more than that (league rules). But after some complaints by the other coaches and a few quick scores by Cheshire it was “all gas, no brakes.” The boys responded to playing multiple new positions during quick substitutions and played hard on every single play!
Jax played the most he has all season. He bulldozed some defenders off the offensive line and at one point was growling at defenders from his three point stance. Something his teammates got a kick out of. He was disruptive in the backfield from the middle linebacker position and also made his first tackle of the season.
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Game 7 vs Glastonbury
W: 30-6 (4-3)
Last year’s Glastonbury game came down to a last minute game winning pick six… this year we decided to make sure we didn’t need a score at the buzzer to win.
With playoff seeding on the line and a new offensive scheme coming together, the G5 Grizzlies had a statement game against a pretty good team. Glastonbury relies on teams to play undisciplined and hopes to eat the clock to prevent teams from running up the score.
With a defense that refused to fall for any tricky cadence, or hard counts and an offense that scored fast and often we took them out of their own game plan by the second quarter.
I was impressed with Jax at the middle linebacker spot again as we put in a new package that called for the MLB to creep to the line and blitz from his position. This play was called from the sideline and did not allow our linebackers much time to think about what to do. It called for discipline at the line of scrimmage to not jump offsides as they were about to rush the quarterback, all three of our middle linebackers (Oden, Jax and Theo) executed flawlessly and were able to get pressure on the QB, disrupt the play in the backfield and not be called for any neutral zone infractions.
Overall great game played and a great job by Jax being a leader, hyping up the team before the game and at halftime as well! I have enjoyed coaching him and watching him grow!
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Game 7 vs Newtown
L: 24-0 (4-4)
We ended the year with a tough loss to one of the best teams in the league. The really schemed well both offensively and defensively and we had little answer to anything they did.
At halftime the team looked downtrodden and had little life until a young man took the team on his back and gave a halftime speech for the ages. It was like Vince Lombardi and Al Pacino (from Any Given Sunday) wrote the speech in tandem for Jax to read. The team came to life and only let up 6 points in the entire second half and we sustained a few big drives. This gave us some life going into next week’s first round of the playoffs against… Newtown!
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Playoffs:
Round One: @ Newtown
L: 34-6
We held one of the best teams in the league to 12 points in the first half and we played without our starting quarterback/running back. In less than one week we installed a completely new offense and completely new defense. Talk about learning a lot in a very short period of time… our players took on the challenge and worked very hard to study their assignments. Players were playing brand new positions for the first time all season and for the first time in two years learned to play cover 2 zone defense. While those changes did not result in the outcome we wanted it showed our team has the ability to face challenges when faced with them.
At half time we, again we needed someone to step up and inspire our team to do more, we needed someone to put the team on their back…
Again, the same two players stepped up. Carter got the team up and going… and Jax finished the half time speech off like our team was going back out on the field for the second half of the Superbowl. I’ll take a LEADER over a follower all day long. Down by two touchdowns at halftime with heads hanging… this is the guy I want firing my team up! Fraggle is a winner in my book today and everyday.
Jax played on kick off and kick return and put a shoulder into someone when he had the chance, he led one of our longest runs the of the game with a seal block from the wide receiver position and he was able to get in on defense at the linebacker position. He wanted to play more, he wanted to get in with 58 seconds left, he did not want the game to end… he did not want the season to end. That is what this season was about. The desire to play, to improve and want to work hard everyday to better himself. That is what this year became. While our season ended in a loss (as it always does for all but one team in sports), the season was a success. Jackson learned that it is he alone who can control who he becomes. It is not a teammate, a coaching staff, or one coach. It is him alone.
I am beyond proud of what my son and my player did this season. I was not just a dad this season and I was not just a coach this season, I was both. Thank you Jackson and the entire G5 Team for inspiring me to be better this season too!
September isn’t just for pumpkin spice and flannel, today is the day the Wizarding World Calendar reminds us it’s time to head back “homel. September 1 is day the Hogwarts students return for a new term by boarding the Hogwarts Express (or occasional a flying a Ford Anglia). As J.K. Rowling has said, “Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.”
(Maybe this year the typo would draw JK’s attention, then again, maybe not):
So in keeping with tradition, for the 10th year in a row I tweeted @jkrowling to get some advice for Steph and I as we “dropped the boys off” on Platform 9 3/4.
Every year September 1st rolls around, I tweet the same thing to JK Rowling “Dear @jk_rowling any advice for parents… #BackToHogwarts”.
Still no response or any advice from her, but maybe this year will be the year! If not Stephanie and I will have to hope to run into a nice Wizarding family to help us out… Molly? Arthur? Can you hear us…
Steph and I didn’t want to put pressure on our kids to read until they were ready, but I can tell you that we definitely did everything we could to get them ready. We’ve read to them since they were babies, but never pushed a formal program or system. As an elementary school principal and former primary grade (early literacy) teacher I know the importance of foundational reading skills; but, we sort of said, if they learn on their own, cool. If they take their time, also cool (caveat: I stressed at every milestone)!!!
I honestly didn’t expect much in terms of reading progress before kindergarten because or the pandemic thing. Oliver had learned his letters and some sound combinations in preschool, but nothing was really clicking right away (except how to hit a baseball a ton and how to juke out a defensive back with the football in his hand). Ollie loved reading with us, but he just wasn’t super interested in reading on his own for fun. The first months of kindergarten were the same.
Then he checked out a book on Aaron Judge. You know MVP, AL HOME RUN KING… that Aaron Judge? Oliver is a sports fanatic. He is IN LOVE WITH BASEBALL and IN LOVE WITH THE NEW YORK YANKEES. Like so many kids his age, Aaron Judge is his favorite. As soon as we read that book together… it all started coming together. He was starting to work his way through books . Don’t get me wrong he was reading Pokémon books, but this Aaron Judge book helped him turn the corner and led to more interest in short stories and even longer ones that were not focused on “Judgie” as Oliver calls him. By the second or third time through the book, he’d pretty much memorized it which lead to reading other books more fluently with more confidence.
Pretty soon he was picking up books like Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie and begging to start the Harry Potter series with Jax and I. However, each night since he first picked up Baseball Superstar’s: Aaron Judge, he has become a Superstar himself… a Superstar Reader.
Thanks “Judgie” for inspiring my little slugger to read!!!
Let the games begin! This is the first big stop on Ollie’s baseball journey: 8U travel team… LET’s Go Grizzlies!!! So excited for this kid and his friends to dominate! I’m lucky I get to coach this great group of boys!!!
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Season Ending Totals for Oliver in his first year of Travel Ball against kids MUCH older than him:
17-27 (.630 AVG); 11 RBI; 6 R
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GAME 1:
I hate losing, but I love learning. Our boys learned a lot today. I am extremely proud of how they put things together in their first Travel All-Star Game EVER. We got destroyed in our first game 10-2 against a much more experienced travel team.
Oliver went 1-2 with a single. I am so proud of Oliver for what he has taken on this season. He’s the funny guy, but he’s turning into a leader on this team!
Thanks to all the fans (families) who came out to cheer us on!
GAME 2:
Another tournament game in the books! We were much improved from our first game. Even though we lost, the boys had fun and played hard and smart!
Ollie went 2-2! Two hits with an RBI and made a great play in the field at second base! I love watching this kid play!
Also: HUGE SHOUT OUT TO JAX who literally did play by play and color commentary from the pressbox!
“Wow he was called out!??? I’m not sure what the umpire was seeing there!!!”
GAME 3
What a game tonight for the 8U Seabreeze team! Our bats finally broke out scoring 10 runs on the night. While we lost, we actually played the A team from the town that we lost to in Game 1 and played them better!!! We are making progress.
Ollie went 2-3 with 2RBIs and a run! Scoring all the way from first on a short double, it’s a cool feeling waving your own son home as you’re watching watching his face as he is flying by you at thirdbase! I FELT LIKE A TURNSTILE OUT THERE WAVING PLAYERS HOME!!!
Tonight the boys broke out the bats and broke out of their shells. The excitement from the bench was infectious and the fans kept the spirits high! (Also, another superb performance from Jax on the play-by-play!)
Superstars all around tonight!!! I really wish my grandfather was around to see this!!!
GAME 4:
Short handed, playing a much better, more experienced team, in 90* humidity (and a fourteen year old umpire whose brother was on the team we were playing)… we lost, but did hold our first lead of the season thanks to some timely hitting in the early innings.
Oliver went 2-3 with an RBI to put us up for the first time all season. His third at bat was a screaming line drive that would have been a double if not for a nice play by the third baseman. He made another great play in the field at shortstop with his partner in crime Connor. They are turning into a dominant defensive force in the middle infield (sort of).
GAME 5:
We “RUN MERCIED” our first team in the third inning yesterday! I can not tell you the screaming and jumping up and down from the kids and families when the ump called the inning! I swear, you would have thought we won the World Series! It felt good to put things together… move players along the bases and get big hits when we needed them! Though we lost the game, this was definitely a BIG step for the boys!
Oliver went 2-3 (his out came on a hard line-drive, so he is making good contact even on outs). He played catcher and came a few inches from making a great tag on a play at the plate. It was one of the most exciting games so far this year!
UPDATE GAME 6:
Yuck. We aren’t going to talk about this game or the umpire again.
Ollie went 0-1 with a hard ground out in the first and didn’t bat again.
UPDATE GAME 7:
The single most thrilling game this year and by far one of the most exciting games I’ve ever been part of as a coach and/or parent. We held our first lead of the tournament, scored five runs in an inning and batted through a the lineup four times.
All you can ask for is a chance to win. We came into the bottom of the sixth down two and came up just a run short. Ollie came up down one with runners on first and second and did his job and moved the runner into scoring position with a sacrifice ground out. The game ended on the next at bat with the tying run on third and winning running on second. A loss stings, but this was one of the best losses I’ve ever been part of (if that’s possible).
Ollie went 3-4 with three RBIs and a two runs. His first two hits were absolutely crushed into the outfield. His second hit was a bomb over the centerfielder’s head and Ollie pulled into second base with a double!
Look at the ball (top of the picture) absolutely crushed off the bat!
GAME 8:
Ollie was 1-2 with a single and fly out. He was an absolute vacuum in the field. He looked like Brooks Robinson at third. As far as the game… YIKES. Quite a step back for the boys today. This is one of those games you live and learn.
GAME 8:
I’m still not ready to completely accept that the end of the season is here, but our 8u Grizzlies’ Seabreeze team ended their season with a 17-16 loss which has a LARGER ASTERISK than Barry Bonds’ homerun record. Oliver “The Ultimate Warrior” Fragola (who in his last game of the seasons went 3-4 with 5 RBIs and 2R) came to bat with the game on the line, down three with the bases loaded and knocked in two runs to bring the game within one, however the game ended there “time limit rule”. These kids’ commitment was unwavering and their resolve and hard work to improve each day was more than i could have ever imagined. I am proud to be their coach, I am proud to have grown with them and I am proud of the frienships and bonds that have been forged from this travel baseball season.
Thank you to Steph for allowing me to be gone six nights a week and to be cranky when things weren’t going our way. Thank you to the parents for trusting me with your children and trusting me with their baseball development. Thank you for coach Meg for getting me on board, and a special shout out to the Pepperbush Crew. Thanks for dealing w me and Joe (thanks for all the feedback, you’ll always be Coach Joe to me!!!)… and thank for getting my third base coach arm “wave them home” working!!!
But most of all thank you Oliver for teaching me more than I could ever teach you; thank you for showing me that coaching could be just as rewarding as being an athlete on the field; thank you for showing me how sports can be about fun and laughter just as much as winning… while reminding me that winning is important too! Thank You for being you, Oliver, a true ALL-STAR!!!
*One of my favorite pictures of the tournament. Clapping for my son who reached first after singling home two runs he knocked in! In one of the biggest spots all summer, Oliver came to bat and came through and had one of the biggest hits of the season. It should have resulted in a win… But Win or lose… I couldn’t be more proud of my son as a baseball player, leader and little boy!!!
Oliver’s Official Rookie Card
Season Ending Totals:
17-27 (.630 AVG); 11 RBI; 6 R
“If my uniform doesn’t get dirty, I haven’t done anything in the baseball game.” -Rickey Henderson
Oliver picked up a pack of 1988 Topps cards today. Today’s break was special not just for the Tom Glavine rookie card he pulled, but his first experience with baseball card pack gum! what’s your favorite Oliver quote from this break!!??
We had an epic show down at the Hearthstone’s house today. BROTHER v BROTHER. Jax pitched great for the first time off a mound and Ollie got two hits off big bro!!!
Sorry Sons: Chronicles of a New Dad 