Fortress Of Good Fortune

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! :)

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!

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.

(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 )

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! ;)

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. :)

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.

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.