Packers set for a real ring-ding tonight

Members of the World Champion Green Bay Packers will tonight receive the individual keepsake that every NFL player and coach longs for: their Super Bowl ring. In a private ceremony at Lambeau Field, members of the Super Bowl winning squad, as well as coaches and staff, will finally receive their prize. Yes, there was of course the money winnings. But the ring is what they all want. The final design has been a closely-guarded secret; word is that it will somehow represent all four of the Pack's Super Bowl wins as well as the franchise's NFL record 13 overall championships.

The Lambeau Field Atrium, typically open to the public year-round during regular business hours, will reportedly be closed at about 4 p.m. today to allow for preparations, with the ring ceremony set to start around 7 p.m.

To get a flavor of what the rings mean to current as well as former players, you'd do well to read this great article in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Lori Nickel. While the players tonight are filled with anticipation, the players of past Packers championship teams are full of appreciation. LeRoy Butler, legendary safety from the Super Bowl XXXI championship team, is quoted in the article as saying, "When you actually put it on, you feel like you're not even worthy of it."

I won't detract from the rest of the article by trying to paraphrase it here. It's too good. Be sure to read it for some real insights into what this piece of jewelry really means to the players. And just know that, as each of the players, coaches and staff receive their rings, the great winning tradition of the best franchise in sports -- the Green Bay Packers -- continues.

Say it with me: It's great to be a Packers fan!