There was an excitement in the air yesterday that rivals the feelings of a child as their birthday approaches. The child knows that are getting a gift of some sort, but that don’t know exactly what form it will come in…the possibilities are endless. Yesterday, every Browns fan had this feeling. Yesterday represented the biggest day for Cleveland football each year. Others call it draft day, but here in Cleveland it is our Super Bowl.
Usually for the draft I will sit down and pretend to be studying or working on something with ESPN on in the background, but this year I did things differently. My parents were able to get 3 tickets to the club seat draft day party at the stadium. I have said before that I am not sure that I am cut out for the club seat area – I am more of a normal guy who doesn’t care much for luxury stuff, but I have to stay the club area is growing on me; the reality is it is nice to get special treatment. Anyways, Emily, my dad, and me all drove down the stadium together to check things out.
We arrived and parked right in front of the stadium – I have to say it is an odd feeling only have to walk twenty feet to get to the stadium doors…I am used to walking from the East 13th lot. We walked up to the club area and walked around a little. The had the stadium decked out with posters and hanging flags for all of the 32 teams.
The Browns also had some previous and current Browns players signing autographs. Although I didn’t recognize their names, it was really interesting talking to the old timers. They told me that they actually were still working. I have a lot of respect for that – these guys played a game, didn’t get paid a whole bunch, and when it was all over, went back to their jobs. You just don’t see that very much today – getting drafted by the NFL is like wining the lottery. You immediately are given a lifetime worth of money without the need to prove yourself.
Next, we found that they had a photo area setup so you could pose in front of the press room pattern. Emily and I took a picture as though I had just bin signed by the Browns. Of course, I was holding up my Kosar jersey. I will really enjoying sharing that picture with my friends for years to come.
We still had a fair amount of time before the drafted started so we decided to go on a locker room tour. There were 90 people in our tour and our tour guy, Larry, was quite overwhelmed. Somehow he managed to keep us together as we went through the depths of the stadium. I learned something I never knew before – the Browns have 2 away locker rooms. Why? So that when non-NFL games are being played in the stadium the “home” team does not use the Browns locker room – that is something reserved only for the Cleveland Browns. That, is just plain cool. Also, we were allowed to get on the warning track of the field, but heaven forbid we touch a blade of grass (so Larry told us understanding our desire). Being down on the field level was really a cool experience.
After the tour wrapped up we headed back up to the club area to get some food. To our surprise the Browns MCs announced that Mike Holmgren would be stopping by to address us. What? Really? There isn’t anything else you could be doing with this time? After the initial shock wore off it was clear to me that the Browns had a definite plan for the first day of the draft and there was nothing else that needed discussion. There is no way Mike would be at the stadium if there was still a loose end in the plan. When he did arrive he gave the typical address – mentioning how he wanted to improve the team by adding quality players, how important the fans were, etc. etc. He ended by instructing us to shout out who we wanted the Browns to draft; naturally, I shouted BERNIE KOSAR…
After Mike left, we grabbed some food and sat down to watch the draft. My heart pounded as the Rams were on the clock – were the Browns going to trade up and get Bradford or not? After the Ram’s picked the top QB in the draft, I looked over to Emily and my dad and said, “I hope we don’t remember this moment 5 years from now.” Honestly, I really hope we don’t. I hope Sam doesn’t turn out to be yet another example of how unlucky Cleveland is. As the sixth pick came up, the reality of us drafting Berry got closer and closer…then taken away in a moment as Kansas City drafted him instead. There were boos coming from all corners of the room as he walked up to get his new jersey. We all knew what was happening next – the Browns picked Joe Hadden from Florida.
As Joe was on the phone with the Browns right before the pick was announced the camera did a close up of his entire family. They were all crying; some would say that they were tears of relief and simply letting their nerves out. Honestly though, everyone at his table looked somber…I still don’t know exactly what to make of this. I look forward to hearing from him and getting the story.
Much like someone marrying into a family, Joe is instantly a Brown. Now comes the time that we really get to know each other. Reading articles about a player or a fan base is one thing, but actually interacting with one another is a whole different story. Joe has a lot to learn about being Brown, what it means to Cleveland, and how crazy we are. Soon enough, we will also learn many things about Joe as well. I just hope that this new family member gets along with everyone…
. I stopped at Home Depot to pick it up on my way home. One of the employees saw me carrying the box towards checkout (yes, I could carry it…fairly lightweight) and gave me an odd look. I told him I wanted to give this a shot – he laughed and said good luck (He probably thought I would be returning it tomorrow). I drove home and brought the box inside.