Fantasy Football Training Camp

On Sunday, I packed up my son and daughter, grabbed a couple of Sharpies for autographs, stepped into our time machine, and took a short trip to Seahawks Training Camp.

While I was certain I was standing just a few yards from my favorite football team, I have to admit that something just didn't seem right. The teams were split by colors, offense in white, defense in blue, but the blue didn't really seem to be the right shade, and some players seemed to be trying their hand at a new position on the other side of the ball.

I chalked this up to the heat, and the three-and-a-half hour drive home from Vermont that the family and I made that morning, and just decided to revel in the cornocopia of football unfolding before us.

The day started off with a pseudo-celebrity siting, seeing ESPN's Sal Palantonio in the VIP tent. I figured given his extensive experience covering the Eagles, he was here to follow up on both the Superbowl Runner Up and the Cowboy's Terrell Owens angles.

I was able to catch Lofa Tatupu standing with Isaiah Kacyvenski, and was surprised to see not only how much taller Lofa was than Kaz, but that he appeared to be wearing one of those old Simmons jerseys, that seemed to be altered by a dylexic tailor.

Showing off another facet of his multi-positional athleticism, Julian Peterson was one of the defesive players taking a turn in offesive backfield, and it appears that Mack Strong misspelled his favorite porn star's name on his jersey.

To even things off, Shaun Alexander not only donned a defensive blue jersey, but he took the opportunity to pay homage to down home roots, and displayed the position of his favorite domestic helper on the back. (hey, millionaires can't be expected to know the names of the hired help!) I was also able to get a close up of Shaun as he walked off the field.

I couldn't tell if they were undrafted free agents, or recent additions to the team, but a couple of kids were really impressive, even though they weren't practicing in full pads on this day.


The battle at quarterback was interesting to watch, and while I couldn't find Seneca Walace anywhere, they did have some journeyman QB in a #10 jersey. Of course, the highlights, and the most real experience of the day, was seeing good old #8 in his red "no touch" jersey, with the correct name proudly displayed on the back!

After practice, the crowds waiting for autographs were pretty thick, and so my kids only really got one, but they got the one that really mattered, the guy who sealed a significant victory for the seahawks at a critical point in the season, yes, the autograph they got was none other than Jay Ohferthreeley!

Having fully enjoyed this day at Cheney, I new that it was time get back to Albany, so I threw my camer case over my shoulder, put on my sunglasses and Mariners cap, and piled the kids into the time-machine, for the short trip home!


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