It was a totally ’80s weekend, Packer fans

I had a little flashback Sunday afternoon, watching my beloved Packers, led by their third quarterback in three games, stumble to their third straight loss.

It was a totally ’80s weekend.

Remember the ’80s?

I do. I used to hop a bus with my friends at Marquette University and ride out to County Stadium to watch Packer home games.

That’s right, Lambeau luxury box dwellers, in the ’80s we sat in a baseball field to watch some Green Bay home games, which looked as awkward as it sounds. Both teams’ benches lined the same side of the field, and fan seats angled out away from the diamond field. First row seats behind home plate in the north end zone stretched farther away from the field than first row seats in the outfield in the south end zone.

We looked out over a sea of blaze orange as frugal Packer backers mostly wore their hunting gear to cold weather games. Very few Packer fans sported the team colors. To augment the limited action on the field, many fans also tucked a soft leather flask under their coat for quick nips.

When County Stadium didn’t sell out, as happened every now and then, Packer fans outside the stadium had to catch the game action on the am radio. Crazy, right?

Long about November bubbler chat centered on the college ranks for savvy Packer fans, who turned their eternally optimistic attention to potential breakout stars in the NFL draft.

The good news for us this week is the ’80s proved to be equally lean for the Vikings, who dominated the NFC throughout the ’70s, though they’ve never won a Super Bowl. Remember the Purple People Eaters?

They were calling for Rolaids by 1982, finished 8-8 in 1983 and a lowly 3-13 in 1984.

A hard and fast rule of fashion states that if you wore it the first time it was in style, you can’t wear it the second.

I like that rule, which has so far kept me out of this season’s stirrup pants and leg warmers.

I’d like to think it applies to football as well.

I sat through the years when our biggest hope as a franchise was to lock in a top pick in the next season’s draft. I know what it’s like when your season ends in December, and your hopes fade in September.

We beat the Vikings 14 times during the ’80s. Here’s hoping we can beat them again on Sunday and begin a quick climb back into 2013.