Jim Irwin (right) is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. He is pictured here with his partner of many years Max McGee. Irwin died today of cancer.

When Jim Irwin made the call as the clock wound down to zero at the end of Super Bowl XXXI, Packers fans were ecstatic.

“World champions, Green. Bay. Packers.” That was Irwin’s call – one he had waited decades to make and one that was well deserved.

That’s what came to mind today when I heard that Irwin had died from cancer.

How many times did we listen to Irwin through the years – probably more than we realized. If we listened to the Badgers, Packers, Bucks and even sometimes the Brewers, you heard his golden voice calling the plays, describing the game like none other.

More after the jump.

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That’s because the Green Bay Packers FanCam will be at Lambeau Field to take a 360-degree image of fans in the stadium.

The camera that will take the shot from the 50 yard line is an ultra-high-def, 5-billion pixel piece of equipment capable of taking a 360-degree image.

This is according to the published report on Packers.com:

The exciting fan feature, which has been popular with fans of the Wisconsin Badgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Rangers, Michigan Wolverines and Kentucky Wildcats, allows fans to identify themselves by using an optic-zoom and tagging feature.

This high-definition image will capture Lambeau Field in its entirety, and the image takes between 5-7 minutes to shoot. While looking at the photo, fans will be able to “step inside” a view they otherwise may never get to see.

The resolution of the photo will be so high that fans will be able to visit Packers.com, follow the links to the photo, zoom in to find themselves or friends, “tag” themselves with a Packers G-Force logo, and share via email, Facebook and Twitter.

So be sure to be in your seat by 3 p.m. for your photo session Sunday and then enjoy the game as the Packers take the field against the Giants in what is sure to be a classic playoff game at Lambeau Field.

And don’t forget to Like Lombardiave.com on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Raymond T. Rivard photograph

What a year it’s been for football fans and sports fans of all stripes in the state of Wisconsin.

The Packers win a Super Bowl and then continue on a 19-game winning streak; Beast mode continues well into October for the Milwaukee Brewers; and the Wisconsin Badgers ride the wave all the way to Pasadena, Calif., and the Rose Bowl.

Count your blessings, folks. Count them every day. Enjoy this time, document it, remember it and savor it. How many other states can boast such accomplishment? Not many … maybe Massachusetts and the Patriots and Red Sox.

Here’s to hoping our new year continues as the past year has. Gotta love every minute of it and look forward to even better times in the future.

And with that, we here at Lombardiave.com send out our new year greetings to all our readers and friends. Have a great year and let’s celebrate together!

The Packers have given Wisconsin residents and so many across the country and the world something to cheer about.

It’s been a tough year in Wisconsin.

From the sky-highs of February’s Green Bay Packers’ Super Bowl championship to the center of the political fight between unions and the conservative political wonks who took cost-cutting steps to balance budgets to the roller coaster rides of the Milwaukee Brewers and UW-Madison Badgers, and the continuing recall cycles that have thrown both electors and the system out of whack.

Throw in the loss of jobs, low consumer confidence and an uncertain economy and one could say that these ties are tough at best, disastrous at worst.

The only constant and the one entity that continues to pull Wisconsin residents to a positive pole is the Green Bay Packers. Their unbeaten streak is not only exciting for us all, but a phenomenon that is catching on across the country and the world.

That’s why we love this team.

Consider that Reuters took the time to write about the good the Packers are bringing to Wisconsin – a story that describes the political divisions, but counters it with statistical surveys that overwhelmingly show Aaron Rodgers and the Packers as the only unifying force emanating across and throughout the state and beyond.

I’ll let the story speak for itself. Give it a read.

You might start to feel better …

Clipped from: mobile.reuters.com (share this clip)

While Carimi started the season, the Bears offensive line has adusted to his absence and have been playing well without the rookie.

With the roster spot opened up by the loss of Carimi, the Bears have moved tackle Levi Horn from the practice squad to the active roster. Horn has been on the Bears’ practice squad for most of the last two years since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Montana in 2010.

The quick-scoring abilities of the Packers' offense has caused problems for the Packers defense. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Expectations were high for the Wisconsin Badgers football team in 2000. The year before, they won the Rose Bowl and Ron Dayne won the Heisman. Despite Dayne’s departure to the NFL, UW fans weren’t worried because the new starting running back, Michael Bennett, looked like another superstar in the making.

But when the Badgers switched running backs it also altertered the way they played games. How could just one player affect nearly all other aspects of the game, including the defense?

The answer lies in a couple statistics that are wreaking havoc on the Packers’ defense this season: Time of possession and number of possessions.

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Aaron Rodgers threw for more than 400 yards, four touchdowns, while running for two touchdowns Sunday against the Broncos ... the first time that's been done in team history. Raymond T. Rivard photograph

Oh, to be a Packers, Brewers, and Wisconsin Badgers fan this past weekend!

Can things get any better?

We all know they could get worse, but for the time being we won’t dwell on that point.

Let’s recap: The Badgers dominate another top 10 college football team in the Nebraska Cornhuskers … maybe dominate is too kind. It was more like obliteration; The Brewers continue their roll off of their last 165 games and continue to pound the baseball into oblivion in the first two games against the Arizona Diamondbacks; and of course the Packers pummel the Denver Broncos into submission yesterday by putting up a near 50-burger, embarrassing the Mile High City’s NFL team and the entire AFC West in one fell swoop.

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I can’t remember any October when the world’s sports fans have turned their collective eyes to the Badger State quite like they have this particular weekend.
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