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BRILLION, WI (July 22, 2000) - Well, your roving reporter is here 30 miles south of Green Bay at his parents retirement shack, sneaking in a few words about the day's activities up in Green Bay. Me, Mom, and Girlfriend went to PACKER TRAINING CAMP and the LAMBEAU FIELD WALK THROUGH today so here's my eye-ball report of fluff and facts...

It seems the sun always shines on Green Bay, it being a picture-perfect morning as we headed into Green Bay for Training Camp. We arrive perhaps about 7:45 AM and the bleachers and prime spots along the fence at HINKLE FIELD were already filling up. Thanks to advice from training camp veterans (this is our first Training Camp) we claim seats in the back of the bleachers so that we're up high and it gives us a good view. Unfortunately, 7:45 AM is late so we have to take the northern most set of bleachers because the middle ones were full.

It doesn't seem like a long wait until the Packers start coming down from the team facilities in Lambeau Field, and what a sight! We all know how the players just walk down amongst the public or ride bikes with the kids, but to actually see it!

The players don't all come out at once so it was like a parade, lasting about 15 minutes. I went over and took pictures, players walking right by me, close enough to touch, but you don't because that's getting too weird. Some kids would bring a player down and then run back to get another!

Oh, speaking of weird... there's this guy there, perhaps my age (my birthday was yesterday, 42 now) and he's dressed out in a full Packer uniform, he probably buying the components at one of the Pro Shop tent Sales. And he has a ball, and he's trying to get autographs.

Yep, just like me. 42 going on 12. :-)

The newspapers made it sound like this mingling of players and public was a dying tradition, most players opting to take the bus over. Favre of course does, can't blame him, but many of the big-name starters still made the walk/ride over. Virtually all of them did.

As for practice itself, it was fun to watch. I would guess close to 1,000 people showed up to watch. I'm not an X's and O's kind of person, so I couldn't tell you whether the routes were clean or if the players were sharp, whatever. There was one play that a group ran and the player in question (DIGGS #59?) did something wrong and you could hear the coach bellowing something, "... get your ass...!" Everyone laughed. :-)

It turns out that being in the end bleachers was good. Practice isn't held in the middle of the field, they split up into groups, so a lot of the action moved to the end of the field in front of us.

The quarterbacks went through snap drills, and it was almost like choreography. The ball gets "snapped" and they would all run back in their step counts. I believe QB's are trained to take so many steps because the four of them moved together, step-for-step, as if they were performing on stage in a dance routine. Brett Favre was a little out of step with the others, he not really looking crisp. I don't know if it's because this is old stuff for him or he's lacking the fire, or what. I'm not an X's and O's guy. It did bug me, though. Watched him through the binoculars and the coach was giving him instructions, it looking like he was pushing Favre a bit on whatever. From the way he was responding it looked like Favre was saying yessir, OK sir, etc.

Me sitting on the sidewalk looking through binoculars doesn't mean anything, though.

As the morning progressed I left Mom and GF and wandered a bit, taking pictures of the crowd and such. I went back across the street in the Lambeau parking lot where the players came through and there, on the ground, was a mouth guard from one of the players. Eww! Gross! Waitaminnit... a REAL Packer MOUTH GUARD?! Wow!

I pick it up and put it in the car.

It has the number "51" written on it and I look through a program that the Pro Shop was selling (the Pro Shop had a trailer parked nearby) and #51 is BRIAN WILLIAMS. I have Brian Williams mouth guard? WOW!

I have a little collection of sports and Packer memorabilia so this should make an "interesting" addition. I guess you could call it a conversation (mouth) piece. ;-)

By then it was getting on 10:30 AM and that Lambeau Walk-Through was starting at 11:00, so we starting making our way up to the stadium.

The LAMBEAU WALK-THROUGH was a special event today where Lambeau Field was open to the public so they could "showcase" problems with the stadium and make their pitch for the stadium tax.

Starting point was gate 22, so we sit outside, waiting, and listen to these two guys talking. The one was telling the other that he was here when Tommy Thompson (Governor of Wisconsin) signed the Lambeau bill, allowing Brown County to vote on the referendum. He related how everyone was allowed to walk onto the field and "it was the first time ever the public was allowed to do so. It was just great being out there on Hallowed Ground."

"Hallowed Ground?" OK, I'll buy that. :-)

11:00 comes and the gates open, and they start bringing out a table and some chairs. Taking our cue from this we zip up to the table and end up being the first ones in line! :-)

MARK WAGNER, Ticket Director for the Packers, was organizing the staff at the gate. While things were being set up I asked if the Packers have determined how those 4,000 general sale tickets were going to be distributed and whether they were going to be strictly for Brown County residents. He said that they're close to making a final decision on this, but there's no news to report on this now.

The way the Walk Through worked was that they'd let in about 25 people at a time and they were escorted by a guide. Each group was led to various checkpoints within the stadium where problems with the stadium infrastructure were pointed out.

The three of us are the very first ones in, so please feel free to come with us as I take you on the tour as we did.

First stop was a little introduction describing how the tour was to work. (I kinda did that already, so let's go).

Stop #1:
THE SLOPE: There are areas in the concourse that are sloped with a fairly steep grade. It makes it difficult for handicapped and mobility-challenged people to move through. It's also a safety hazard when someone spills a beer in the winter and it all turns into ice. Also, as rain and snow comes down these slopes it collects into the low areas and causes other ice problems. The stadium improvements will have an even concourse and eliminate these problems.

Stop #2:
CRUSH ZONES: There are 4 areas in the concourse where physical structures cause the concourse to be half as wide as other segments. 50 percent of the entire concourse are considered to be Crush Zones. There are traffic problems with people trying to move through these areas as they conflict with the lines for vending and restrooms. The stadium was designed for about 32,000 people when it was built and there are additional safety concerns in how people move through these narrow sections. The Packers would like to widen the concourse to help with traffic and safety.

STOP #3:
WOMEN RESTROOMS: Please come inside and look! (We all go inside and look woo hoo!). Since men can use urinals they have many more stations to relieve themselves with. What is available for women is a fraction of what men can use. A renovated stadium will provide more restrooms for everyone and you literally won't miss a quarter once these facilities are improved.

STOP #4:
ADDITIONAL SEATING: Here we all get to go sit out in the bowl for a while. They discussed the physical changes and additional seating, pretty much a lecture with dry numbers. If I heard it right, they will build the new luxury boxes and other upper-deck components behind the existing ones, and then tear down the current ones. The gap then will be filled in with the extra bowl seats. That way they won't disrupt current seating during construction. Clever!

Regardless, what I thought was interesting was the field. The grass is looking GREAT. It looked like you could dive into it and go swimming.

STOP #5:
STRUCTURE: Renovated stadium or not, Lambeau Field is in dire need of repairs. Here our attention was given to a portion of the bowl seating above where the concrete was caving in. It was pretty bad looking, and they basically put a band-aid on it for now. I could see that in a few years that section of seating was going to be scary.

STOP #6:
BOB HARLAN and JOHN JONES: They make their pitch for the stadium, describing a number of points that we've all heard before. I thought it was neat that here we were, just general rabble, and these two guys were willing to meet with us. Harlan asked how many people in our group were Brown County residents and only one raised his hand. I would think Bob would have preferred talking to actual voters. Can't say that he didn't try, though. They spoke much of the atrium area and how the facilities would benefit the team and the public. What they've come up with is impressive if you were to ask me.

Then he opened it up for questions. One asked about construction and the plan was to begin in January, 2001. Harlan talked about how everything around you would be turned into a modern NFL facility but once you went out into the bowl, all the Traditions of Lambeau Field would be preserved.

One question was about parking. The Packers have been discussing with the city of Ashwaubenon the possibility of adding 5000-7000 parking spaces, but it was too early to give any specifics.

Is this a big deal: The renovated stadium means the Packers would come into the stadium from the side, and the VISITING team would enter THROUGH THE NORTH END ZONE. This kind of blew my world a bit because I have two Gold tickets, section 3, North End Zone. Then I thought, nah, the Packers come in, they go out, and over a 4 hour period that makes up what, 10 minutes? But it is fun to watch the players go in at the end of the game and see them give their gloves and such to the kids.

The timing of the groups wasn't even, so since we were the first group, others starting log-jamming behind us. There was no way people could resist not coming down to see Harlan, so it started to turn into a little mob and I think Harlan sensed this and thanked us for coming in order to send us on our way and greet the next group. I would have loved to stay to listen to the people and their questions, but my staying there wasn't going to change anything and I wasn't alone, so we exited.

I did go up to Bob first and shake his hand, telling him that he was changing things on me since I was in section three (tone of voice indicating I wasn't too concerned), and he gave me a warm smile and told me that I was going to like the changes.

I think he's right.

Well, there we are, standing at the southwest corner of Lambeau, it's about noon, and it's Saturday. My cousin is probably home and it's two blocks to walk from here to his house so we go on over.

He and his wife are home and we talk a while. I ask him if he's going to vote YES (on the referendum) but he says he's leaning toward voting NO. Seems there's a lot of "fine print" in what the politicans are adding to the whole deal and he's finding it hard to support some of that crap. Damn those politicians. Damn them!

We have a nice visit but they have plans and we came unannounced so we head back to the car and drive over to SKIP'S PLACE for lunch. Skip's is where Ray Nitschke used to always eat and as many of you know, his lunch counter stool having been retired.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: This place has to-die for chocolate malts.

Skip's has a bumper sticker on display that says "GO PACK GO! NO TAX NO!" *sigh* Damn those politicians...

It's a beautiful day, it's only midday, so we drive up to the town of PULASKI for their PULASKI POLKA DAYS fest. It's an easy drive up and we get there, park our car, listen to polka music as we get up to the gate, and guess what... it's $12/person to get in. 36 bucks for the three of us? We just wanted to wander a bit for an hour or so. For 36 bucks we'll go buy our own accordion!

You could see it was quite an event. There were firemen there in competition, and up the street for a half-mile long was crafts for sale. The craft fair was along the street so there was no admission, but we were of no mind to purchase knick-knacks, so we just got back into the car and headed on back to the shack my parents are now retired to.

It was dern good polka music, though. Place was packed too, at $12/shot, but minus 3 customers.

Later, that evening, as we were eating dinner, the news came on with an extensive report on training camp and it was announced that Brian Williams was injured. :-(

I hope it wasn't because he didn't have his mouth guard. ;-)

That's it, July 22 2000 as I saw it in Packerland. Thanks for coming along with us! We had fun and I hope you did, too!