loafoftatupu
Active member
razgriz737":34oe5x4n said:Great story. I miss the training camps in Cheney. I went to VMAC for this first time this year, and it was still fun and is an awesome facility, but there was something about Cheney...seemed more informal I think.loafoftatupu":34oe5x4n said:Also, at the 2006 camp in Cheney, there were kids on the barrier calling players over to sign autographs. They were all yelling "hey 88" over and over again. My kid, all of 8 years old yelled "Mr Mili" and he walked right over, grabbed my kids brand new unsigned ball, with his pen and took it out to the field as practice was ending. He got signatures from Hass, Robbie Tobeck, Wistrom, Big Walt, Morris, Strong and even caught Tatupu who was out of the way. To top it off, Holmy was driving by in a golf cart and he stood on front of it (which was actually pretty funny because Holmy was all "hey, I don't want to hear it" in a joking manner) then he signed it with all the rest.
When Mili came back, he handed the ball to my kid and told him that he was the only kid that called to him by his name that entire day. That Mili signature meant EVERYTHING to my then 8 year old son. So Mili will always be the coolest to me.
I used to take the RV to some Yogi Bear RV park for training camp and it was a short drive from there everyday.
That 2006 camp had a HUGE crowd, daily. I have to add one story to it.
The fans would line up at the exit ramp from the locker room, so my kid would always want to get there early and have the best spot. He wouldn't leave.. On the ramp, in the shade, the players had a game console set up. Tobeck and Wistrom were playing something and arguing, swearing and talking trash to each other when a group of trainers came out with a kit behind Tobeck. Wistrom got up and held Tobeck down in his chair while the trainers proceeded to administer what appeared to be an extremely painful shot, in both of his shoulders. He SCREAMED f-bombs, regardless of the fans not 50ft away. After they were done, they put huge ice packs on his shoulders, wrapped in big Ace bandages. Tobeck got up, walked out towards the parking lot and just grunted, walking line a beat-up zombie.
Not a single fan tried to talk to him as he slipped through the barricade. As he neared a vehicle, he turned to Wistrom and said "your driving me back, I can't even put my (expletive) arms on the wheel" and sort of fell into the vehicle.