bradygirl_12: (brady (can't resist))
Happy Birthday to Tom Brady! He's 40 today, and that's ancient in sports years, but he looked pretty good to me when I was at training camp at Gillette Stadium. ;) The Patriots have baby goats at camp today for fans to take pictures with, because Tom is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time). Tom had his picture taken holding a baby goat years ago for a GQ shoot, and he got plenty of ribbing from his teammates for that one! ;)

Today he will be serenaded by the fans in camp, and his teammates will have something for him. He'll be embarrassed by the whole thing, but we don't care. He deserves birthday accolades. He's certainly given us New Englanders years of joy! :)

It's practically a state/regional holiday! ;) Our local news are mentioning it; sports talk radio is all over it; it's Tom Brady Day on ESPN; Twitter's afire; and people are saying, "Happy Tom Brady's Birthday!" to each other. It's really a lot of fun, and in this crazy world, grab fun when you can get it! :)
bradygirl_12: (brady (yes!))
Yesterday was my annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Saints Bill and Tom, who are fresh off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. :) Fitting, as the weather was very autumnal, with the day being cool, breezy and cloudy, a huge improvement over last year's humid 100 degrees.

15,000 of us made the trek to Gillette Stadium. That meant I didn't get near the bleachers (third year in a row) and had to climb up the hill, but got a great viewing spot under a shady tree and used my binoculars for close-ups of the field.

Yep, saw Tom, who doesn't look like a guy who's gonna hit 40 in a week! :) He was sharp in drills, too, and Gronk spiked a ball after a touchdown. :) Newcomer Brandin Cooks looks very good in the offense, so it appears he isn't lost in this complex scheme. Coach Belichick was there spinning his whistle, barking out commands, and reveling in being at the top of his game.

Both back-up QBs looked pretty good, though Jimmy G. ended up with two INTs and had to run a lap with the center after a botched hand-off. Jacoby Brissett has healed from his thumb surgery and was less accurate, but not by much. He has a lot of promise.

It was a very festive atmosphere with a lot of Brady jerseys (and Gronk and Edelman and so on), and they added a few new vendor stations this year. Unfortunately, they also added security check with bag inspection. Pretty sad state of affairs when you have to check fans' bags just to enter training camp. *shakes head*

I brought some slices of bread and my own water, not wanting to pay the jacked-up prices, and it worked out fine. I do wish I could get a bleacher seat like the old days, but I refuse to come hours early before the gates open. I have a long enough drive as it is early in the morning to get here, so I'll make do with the hill.

All in all, very excited about football season! It officially kicks off in September, but training camp is an unofficial opening. The Pats will hold joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars next week, and I bet the Jags don't see 15,000 people at their training camp! :) They are also holding joint practices with the Houston Texans at their camp and the Detroit Lions back here at Gillette.

The Texans and Dallas Cowboys clear out of Texas in the summer. Smart move! They hold their camps out-of-state to escape the godawful Texas heat.

So, yay, football is back! :)
bradygirl_12: (Default)
Happy Birthday to the prettiest quarterback in the NFL! Pats fans in New England have been celebrating the day with birthday greetings, buying Brady-decorated cakes, and piling in at training camp and enjoying the day with a little serenade. :)

Tom is now the oldest active player (excluding kickers/punters) in the NFL. Lookin' good for 39, Tommy! ;)

First day of training camp drew over 12,000 people (I was one of the 12,000), and the first four days drew over 72,000. Monday night was a practice limited to season ticket holders and citizens of Foxboro and 24,000 showed up.

Before the game the team inducted Kevin Faulk into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Kevin wore a Brady jersey under his jacket as he did on Draft Night. At the end of the ceremony a surprise guest appeared: Tom! Who just happened to be wearing a Kevin Faulk jersey. What a couple of sweethearts! :)
bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)
Hi, luvs!

I made my annual trek down to Foxboro with a couple of friends this year. OF COURSE it was as hot as blue blazes, as Dad used to say. :) It was 95 degrees and high in humidity. Everyone was melting. The place was crowded, and my buds and I had to go up on the hill instead of the bleachers because when we got there at 9:15 (practice started at that time), every bleacher seat was already gone. Crazy! We found a good spot up by a tree and had some shade, which was a godsend!

We cheered and chanted, "Brady! Brady! Brady!" for our quarterback, who is being forced to sit out a QUARTER OF THE SEASON FOR NOTHING!!! I plan on making a post about that sorry situation before the season begins. >:( Anyway, Tom was there, looking gorgeous as always. I think he was a tad disgruntled about having to share first-team reps but he understands that his back-up, Jimmy Garoppolo (another hottie, I kid you not), needs to get ready because he's the starter for the first four games. Everyone was a little lethargic on this first day as the heat was unbearable.

We saw the usual training stuff, and enjoyed watching 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Tom looked good and Jimmy G. wasn't bad. Hopefully the plot against the Patriots fails miserably this season as Coach Belichick and the team forge ahead. It would be the ultimate payback if they won the Super Bowl again this year (No. 5 for Tom!).

When we decided to leave when practice was over, I stood up a little too fast and got dizzy and had to sit down again. We had stayed hydrated but the sun did give me a touch of heatstroke. Once I rested for a minute I was good to go. I think my recent health problems probably contributed.

Anyway, a hot but interesting day. Usually I eat a First Down Frank sold at the concession stand but the thought of a hot dog in the excessive heat did not appeal to me, so I had brought a plain hamburger roll and ate that as a snack with my bottled water. Yep, bread 'n' water! :)

We stopped on the way home after cooling off in the car's a.c. and had a proper lunch. Back home I hopped in the shower and relaxed the rest of the day on my deck, reading and drinking more water. I felt fine by the end of the day.

So begins the 2016 training camp season!
bradygirl_12: (brady (can't resist))
Hi, luvs!

On Tom Brady’s birthday (38 and lookin’ yummy!), I’m posting this entry. :)

I made my annual trip down to Foxboro to attend Patriots’ training camp. Naturally, it was literally on the hottest day of the year! I baked like a lobster, but thank heavens for air-conditioning in my car on the way home.

It was great fun despite the heat. It was the first day of camp, and Tom Brady got a rousing standing ovation and chants of “Brady! Brady! Brady!” several times throughout the three-hour session. He looked sharp and his back-up Jimmy Garropolo was splitting reps with him with the first team. Team owner Robert Kraft was cheered after his blistering salvo against the NFL a few days prior, but I have to wait and see if he’ll change his mind again and cozy up to Commissioner Goodell. He can’t quite grasp the fact that Goodell is NOT his friend. How many times must Lucy yank away the football before Charlie Brown gets it?

There were some trick plays with Tom catching passes that had everyone roaring with approval. For the first day of camp, players looked pretty good, and there will be lots of improvement before Opening Night in September. If Brady has to sit that game out, fans are urging Kraft not to raise the championship banner until he comes back.

My water bottle was handy but of course after three hours in the sun the cold water was warm, but it was wet. I had a First Down Frank but really wasn’t very hungry after that. I did enjoy watching Julian Edelman and Gronk and Malcolm Butler do their thing, and kept my binoculars trained on Tommy often. ;)

If I feel like it, I may do an entry before the season starts laying out the case of the NFL going after Brady and smearing their greatest player with trumped-up charges. He may be guilty as sin, but they have no hard evidence. And, yeah, I’m biased, I’m a fan, but the facts are pretty glaring.

Watch a sting operation at work )
bradygirl_12: (brady (smile))
Hi, luvs!

I made my annual pilgrimage to Patriots' training camp yesterday. There was only one session and it started at 9:15, so I had to get ready early and hit the road. I took a water bottle, chocolate bar, binoculars, and wore my Pats cap and Brady jersey. :)

I arrived at Foxboro with time to spare and texted my sister that I'd made it. I managed to get a good spot on the bleachers after stopping to get a hot dog (I knew I'd be hungry before the session was over and I'd lose my spot if I went to get something to eat) and enjoyed it. I sat next to a lady by the name of Jen and we oohed and aahed over the pretty players and talked about football stuff like how our O-Line looked this year and how Revis was as good as advertised, etc.

I trained my binoculars often on Tom and he's lookin' great, as usual! ;) He has a short haircut to start this year and back-up QB Ryan Mallett has the same kind of cut. Tommy is not only the most talented quarterback in the NFL, he's the prettiest! ;)

Gronk was at practice and signed autographs later. He always has a smile on his face and not only is popular with fans but with his teammates as well. The guy enjoys life. I saw him on Whose Line Is It, Anyway? about a month ago and he tried hard (improv can be tough) and the actors appreciated his enthusiasm.

Bill Belichick was in fine form and in complete charge of camp as always. The drills were interesting and there was a variety of them so we fans never got bored. The weather was pretty hot so I was glad to get into my air-conditioned car for the ride home but I stayed hydrated. I did get a mild sunburn. It's been a long time since I got one of those!

Training camp is always a festive atmosphere. It represents a new beginning every year and people just have fun. The players have fun with it, too, when they can, and Tom even acknowledged the crowd with a Victory sign and a smile. :)

It would have been Mom's birthday yesterday so I wanted to do something special. She loved the Patriots and would have enjoyed the trip. I had a very nice day.
bradygirl_12: (brady (yes!))
Hi, luvs! I took the day off yesterday and after some quick chores in the morning, headed down to Foxboro for Patriots training camp located next to Gillette Stadium. It was so crowded when I go there that I couldn't get a bleacher seat and had to go up to the hill. I was disappointed as it was farther away than I would have liked, but I was in the shade under a big tree and didn't bake like a lobster in the sun! There's always trade-offs. :) And I did get to see Tom when he came down to our end of the field for goal-line work. He looks incredibly gorgeous, as usual. ;)

Many plays were run throughout the day and drills, too. Rookie WR Kenbrell Thompkins showed some good work and rookie TE Zach Sudfeld made a spectacular one-handed catch that got him big congrats from Tom, who pounded him on the helmet. Chandler Jones was a pass-rushing stud, which is good because it's what we've lacked for a long time. Maybe he can stay healthy the entire year this time.

Rob Gronkowski was seen on the sidelines and will remain so until Week 7 of the season (he's on the PUP list after his back surgery).

Tim Tebow worked out as a quarterback and some of his throws actually hit their targets!

Camp was very festive and even with the crush of people, there was little conflict. We saw a scrum on the field at the end of practice between DT Kyle Arrington and RB Stevan Ridley, but it was brief. Coaches like training camp fights, anyway. Shows spirit in the wilting heat! Though yesterday the humidity wasn't bad.

I brought a water bottle with me and bought a Kayem hot dog which was pretty good. I wore my Brady jersey and Pats hat and blue shorts. It was fun to see the boys and it was a nice change-of-pace for me. I've been in too much of a rut lately.

There was an induction ceremony for the Patriots Hall Of Fame last Monday and linebacker Tedy Bruschi (now an analyst for ESPN) and radio broadcaster Gil Santos (he called the games for 36 years) were honored with red jackets and a place in the Hall. The place was jam-packed from the photos I saw. Tedy has 3 Super Bowl rings and Gil called all the games. Good times! :)

Stay tuned for the preseason and regular season reports of the Pats march through the 2013 season! :)
bradygirl_12: (brady (smile))
(Preseason) Week 1: New England Patriots 27, New Orleans Saints 24 (1-0) (Thursday, August 13, 2010)

I went down to Foxboro on Tuesday for my second training camp visit. I hadn’t planned on going again this year (I’d seen Tom my first time out, and it’s not a quick trip down there, not to mention how it chews up gas), but when I heard the Saints would be doing joint practices with the Patriots, I decided to go.

Training camp and game review )
bradygirl_12: (brady (smile))
So, training camp’s Opening Day down yesterday in Foxboro was a smashing success!

Squeeing behind the cut )
bradygirl_12: (brady (smile))
Whew, what a night! I was up for half of it with an upset stomach. Not fun! Luckily this morning I felt better though woozy, but doing some yardwork helped. I cut the grass, trimmed the lawn, shrubs, and bushes, swept the garage stalls, sidewalks, and stoops, and am dead tired now. I think I'll treat myself to watching Emergency! later today. :)

And...*squees* PATRIOTS' TRAINING CAMP STARTS NEXT WEEK!!! *bounces* I hope to go at least once. There's lots of talk about Tom being unhappy with stalled contract talks (this is his last year on his current contract) and while it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up leaving the Patriots (sports is a crazy business), I don't think it'll happen. While athletes are obscenely overpaid, within the scope of the sports world he is UNDERpaid, considering his three Super Bowl trophies and he doesn't make as much as some newbies who haven't thrown a single NFL pass getting more than him! Something's wrong with this picture.

Anyway, it was recently revealed that he suffered a broken finger and three broken ribs last year, solving the mystery of his inaccurate passes. ;) He, of course, still played, because that's what football players do.

This year should be interesting! After last year's abysmal playoff loss, how will the team fare in a division with stronger rivals? And will the contract be a distraction? Stay tuned! ;)
bradygirl_12: (brady--superman)
Sports Illustrated has some cool pix from the New England Patriots training camp. You can see yummalicious Tom and a lot of the other equally tasty guys going through their paces. ;) It'll give you a flavor of training camp, which is located behind Gillette Stadium. There are 19 pix in all. Enjoy! :)
bradygirl_12: (brady--superman)
Patriots' Training Camp Fun! )
bradygirl_12: (brady--sexy (blue))
So, it was off to training camp for another visit! I was very glad I went. It was more crowded than last Monday, but I snagged a seat on the bleachers and had my overpriced First Down Frank, which took 15 freakin’ minutes to get, and enjoyed the action on the field.

I was pleased to see Randy Moss and Wes Welker on the field, and of course, Tom! ;) Tedy Bruschi was also present, and the drills and practices were going along at their usual efficient pace. While the defense did well, the offense looked sharper today. Tom was in his usual form, working with the first team and getting the majority of reps. There were several long passes to Randy, absolute things of beauty.

We serenaded Tom for his 31st birthday. ;)

The weather was warm but not uncomfortably humid. It was a beautiful day, in fact. After 90 minutes dark clouds scudded across the sky, and we felt sprinkles and wind. There was lighting but very far away, which was good because we would have had to evacuate the aluminum bleachers during a storm!

Sprinkles? Eh! As a football fan, I’ve sat in close to 100 degrees with humidity, been drenched in torrential downpours, and sat in cold literally ten degrees below zero as the beer bottles froze up before you could take a sip. Sprinkles are NOTHING! ;)

After the practice, some of the players came over to sign autographs. Tedy was one of the first, and he looks absolutely GORGEOUS! It’s a requirement to be a Patriot, I think. ;)

And then what do my wondering eyes see, but Bill Belichick coming to sign! Before this year he never did that after practice, and I think he’s showing his gratitude to the fans for our support during last year.

And Tom came over! Rock star, rock star! ;) Of course he’s gorgeous, too. ;)

So the day went very well. Unless my sister wants to go, I probably won’t go to camp again, but I’ve had two out of three trips turn out successfully, so I’m happy. :)
bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)
I decided to try my luck at training camp again, and it was a great success! It was a glorious summer day though too hot, but not as bad as some camps I’ve attended.

When I arrived, the gates to the fields hadn’t been opened yet, but it was only a fifteen-minute wait and a quick movement of the line. I bought a First Down Frank and had my water bottle with me. I love the organization, but like every sports concern, they overcharge for food and drink. I wasn’t paying 4 bucks for a warm water bottle. I could bring my own warm water! ;) Good thing I wasn't drinking beer. That’s $7.50 a pop.

I got a good seat on the bleachers and ate my hot dog while watching pre-practice warm-ups. I saw three quarterbacks but no Tom! I was resigned to the fact that he had the day off when I saw him about ten minutes later. My day was complete! ;)

I kept my eye on Tom most of the camp, but was watching the other drills, too. Training camp is just glorified practice, of course, but we enjoy watching our boys at work. I got into some conversations with fans around me and it was like the old days in the old stadium. ;)

I saw good work with the goal-line offense and blocking drills for the running backs, and Lamont Jordan, a new pick-up from Oakland, showed some solid flash. Sammy Morris is back from a chest injury and looks sharp. Richard Seymour was anchoring the defensive line and was a presence, as usual.

The special teams were fun to watch as the kick-off and field goal drills were performed.

The goal-line offense is always intriguing, and Tom looked sharp though there were some defensive coverages to mess up offensive packages.

Hardy fans all! We stood in rain and wind yesterday and baked in the sun today waiting for the gates to open, but today was much better, of course. I drank lots of water and got a mild sunburn, but nothing compared to some people walking around like lobsters! There’s a lot of Irish-descended people in this part of the country, and there was a lot of red skin and fair hair bleached by the sun! I’m part Irish, too, so have to be extra careful in the sun! :)

I was very happy with the way camp went and probably won’t go again until ‘til next week. If I lived in Foxboro I’d go practically every day, but gas prices are just killing me.

So, happy to say all went very well today and I’m glad I tried again. :)
bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)
Well, my first visit to training camp was a washout...literally! When I arrived, they hadn’t opened the fields yet, but it looked like they were getting ready to. Then we got word that we were going into the stadium to watch practice on the big TV screens, as the team was going to play in the fieldhouse instead of outside.

We managed to get inside the stadium just before the downpour, which included lightning. The lightning show was quite impressive! I wandered around the stadium for awhile, then watched practice on the big screen. I even got to see Tom, who was talking to Randy Moss and even did a little wiggle. ;) He looks great. Must have had a very relaxing off-season!

I was disappointed but not crushed. Probably because in the last few years I've enjoyed several successful visits to practice and seen Tom up close. ;)

I'll try again Tuesday!

And I know that I can still drive without a problem in a torrential downpour. :)
bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)
Luckily I attended training camp last night instead of this morning. This morning’s work-out was cut short because of the horrendous heat, and sitting on those metal bleachers would have been a tad uncomfortable.

bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)
So, I was lucky enough to attend training camp again yesterday, and this time it was up close and personal! :) 



 
bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)
My sister, brother-in-law, and I all journeyed to Foxboro to see our beloved New England Patriots in the early days of training camp. 

bradygirl_12: (brady--beautiful)

Well, I'm taking a breather from finishing uploading my last batch of chapters of "Rainbow's Freedom" over on the S/B Archive. Seventeen over three nights! :) It'll probably take me twice as long to upload for the second arc in the future as I'm up to Chapter 26 and counting. *rubs writing/typing hand and wrist*

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