Game Girl

It's nearly time. You know what I'm talking about. Don't pretend you aren't as excited as I am, even if you aren't a Skins fan. Because I KNOW you are. Yeah, I said it...I just KNOW you can't wait. And neither can I. Now that school's out, camps are in session, vacations are underway and the 4th of July is behind us, it can only mean ONE thing, and one thing only. Only 16 more days until my absolute, all-time favorite summer right-of-passage arrives.

Not sure what I'm referring to? Has the summer heat fried your brain or lulled you into a false sense of sports laziness where baseball reigns supreme?

Let me help you out here. I've got two words for you: Training. Camp. Ah, yes. Training camp! I'll say it again, just to savor the sound of the words rolling off my tongue. Training camp. It really doesn't get much better than that, now does it?

Training camp - a time when "all things football" begin anew. Old wounds have healed, last season's bitterness has been wiped away. It's time for a new football storyline to be written. New players, new coaches, new enthusiasm. And in our case, a brand-spanking new training facility to watch our beloved players strap on the pads and start playing our favorite game again.

God, I love training camp. Those who follow my blog probably remember my obsession with this annual summer ritual from years past. But that won't deter me from revisiting my passions again here, so indulge me if you will. I absolutely LOVE training camp. I love the sweat, the heat, the excitement. I love rookie players suiting up for the first time (I don't really count mini-camp as the "real" thing), I love wanna-be players trying out for the practice squad, I love veteran players hitting the sleds in the sizzling summer heat. I love fans schlepping out to watch practice as the sun rises, then lining up for player autographs afterwards. I love the comraderie of communing with my fellow die-hard fans ('cause only crazy fans actually show up for this stuff in the first place). I love shelling out money for a few pieces of brand-new Skins merchandise to add to my growing collection of fan crap. I love taking my kids to see the players up close and personal (even though those traitor children of mine have moved to the dark side and become Ravens fans).

Doesn't matter - training camp is a rite of passage I simply refuse to miss, surly pre-teen Raven fan children aside. On July 25th, I'll eagerly tune in to the local sports newscasts to watch the first Skins practice of the 2013 season, which reminds me of another thing I absolutely LOVE: those local media tents where sporstcasters like Dan Hellie broadcast live from the practice facility sporting sunburns and sunvisors and sweaty hair.

Sigh. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it all. So, 16 days and football will begin and all will be right with the world. Take a deep breath, because the long stretch between Superbowl Sunday and the beginning of football season is about to come to a close.

We are ALMOST there.