A Cheesehead Gloats in Mandeville -- Lambeaulicious!

Just a temporary -- but justified -- name change for my blog today, in celebration of the Green Bay Packers' win over the Philly Eagles/Michael Vick.

Be it known that once a Cheesehead, always a Cheesehead, no matter how long I live in Louisiana and embrace my current state. Especially now that there's no chance of the Saints progressing any further this season.

Seems to be a good time to let folks know a little about the origination of the term. Whenever I've heard it uttered (or should I say "uddered" -- ouch!) in these parts, there's a negative connotation. Indeed, it started out that way, reportedly first coined by Illinois (flatlanders) football and baseball fans in reference to opposing Wisconsin sports supporters.

Wisconsinites, being of gracious, self-deprecatory humor, embraced the term and now -- especially since our victorious Sunday -- wear it as a badge(as in Badgers!)of pride.

The actual cheesehead hat was first crafted by "milliner" Ralph Bruno out of foam and flaunted at a Milwaukee Brewers/Chicago White Sox game in 1987. The headgear was popularized by center-fielder Rick Manning, who noticed the hat while playing ball.

Bruno got in the biz of selling the hat as a novelty. See? A good idea flies itself. The "Cheesehead" trademark is owned by Foamation, Inc. of St. Francis, Wisconsin, which began manufacture of the wearable, foam cheesehead in 1987.

Of note, unlike the neverending conflict arising out of merchandise sporting the "Who Dat!" phrase, no such problems have arisen regarding the Cheesehead phenomenon.

And that, my friends, is "the rest of the story."

Who dat? Green Bay dat!