Keys to the Tailgate: Parking Lot Games

During the season Friday becomes a day of preparation and excitement, especially if you are heading to a game on Sunday. It's also when we start prepping for our Sunday morning tailgates in the FedEx parking lot. As a "community project" we'll have a new series to discuss tailgate strategy, etiquette, etc. in hopes of becoming better tailgaters for the 2012 season. We explore beer, food, woods vs. porta-potty, but today we'll start with the games we play in the parking lots across the NFL.

Corn Hole: Corn Hole has risen to the top and has, seemingly, become the King of the tailgate in recent years. People show off their custom sets, grab a beer, and try to throw a bean bag through a hole. Go through the hole and you'll find yourself with three points, land on the board and you'll get one. First one to twenty-one wins (how fitting as Redskins fans)! Of course there are plenty of variations of house rules across tailgate nation, but that's what can make the game even more fun.

Beer Pong: Now a small sect of Maryland nerds (Kevin/Ken) refer to this glorious game as Beirut. To my knowledge neither the Ewoldt or Meringolo families hail from Lebanon, so good luck figuring it out. Many veterans bring their four, five, or six years of college experience to the FedEx asphalt to partake in this tailgating showdown. What is particularly fun is when the elements play a roll and you have to aim five feet to the left or right of your cup. If you do stop by the Hogs Haven tailgate, beware, Ken and Kevin refrain from using water and communicable diseases are rampant. Nevertheless Beer Pong/Beirut is the granddaddy of all the tailgate games.

Ladder Ball: Now in college we called this simply "Balls", which lead to our weekly "Balls & Brats" night. I've also heard this game referred to as Redneck Golf and Horse Nuts. Basically, two golf balls are joined together by about an seven or eight in rope and you toss the balls at, essentially, a three rung ladder with points of one through three. Like Corn Hole the first team to twenty-one wins.

Football Toss: One of the most underrated yet classic games of the tailgate...ahhh football toss. Every grown man likes to chuck the ball in the parking and relive their playground glory of their youth. Usually though someone has a little too much to drink (me), and starts punting the ball usually hitting the F-350 of the largest guy in the parking lot.

I'm sure their are plenty of other games out there, so lets hear 'em...