I got a call last Tuesday from one of my lab mates, Matt. His girlfriend, Danielle, was in town and he wanted to get together with Emily & me. I told him we were planning on going to training camp Wednesday night (see last post) and to the Family Night at the stadium on Friday. After a quick conference with Danielle, they jumped on Friday night.
After my experience on Wednesday I was not overly excited on Friday, aside from any man’s desire to eat $1.00 hot dogs of course. Meeting up before driving down went like normal – I was ready early, our guests were on time, and Emily was nowhere to be seen – I guess those med schools really do keep you busy. Hopefully her tardiness does not become a trend and it is all part of the preseason shake down. I don’t know how well I could handle being late on game day – she might just find a note and a ticket on her counter.
Emily eventually was able to sneak away. We all hopped in the car and made our way down to the stadium. It has been too long since I parked in the Muni lot – as I got out of the car I was consumed with questions. Where were all the modded out Browns cars and buses? Did we have the wrong day? What is going on? Where was everyone?
The four of us started walking towards the stadium – the closer we got, the louder things became. As we walked past the science center I noticed something parked in the street in front of the stadium – a modded Browns school bus. Thank the Lord! Next to it was a line of orange and brown cars – all parked next to the stadium for people to admire. I must say, my personal favorite was the ambulance with a dead Steeler’s player in the back (fake…of course).
We made our way inside and quickly bought more hot dogs than we probably should have from a walking vendor. Unfortunately, we had to wait in line for 20 minutes to get drinks, but that is a story for another time. We managed to get seats on the 30 yard line, home side, in the lower bowl – something that is near impossible even during the preseason.
We watched as the Browns warmed up and a commentator filled everyone in on the new players, the injuries, and old stories. It was a great time. The players eventually actually scrimmaged – the actual plays were not important though…I will not get into that other than to say it was funny to watch professional players play touch football. What was important was that the players and about 26,000 fans came together on a Friday night to see one another. It was like a family reunion, with, you know, the family you actually want to see. Everyone was laughing, everyone was having a great time. Emily & I were joking with a fellow fan about how all the girls love Brady Quinn, we were shouting as players made a big play.
As the practice slowly came to a close I became sad – the night was going to be over. The players were leaving the field without so much as a wave to the fans & I heard no goodbye from the commentator who had spent the entire night with us. As I looked over at the big screen I saw something that cheered me up immediately – “Stick around for the fireworks!” At that same moment I saw Josh Cribbs come out of the locker room with some other players to sign autographs. I felt a tremendous wave of happiness come over me. I let it soak in.
The fireworks were amazing, synced to music and everything. After the show we were all filing out barking, shouting, and having a good time. Kids were running around in the grass holding footballs just about as big as their entire body, parents were all smiles.
It is easy to lose track of people, even good friends, over the course of a year. But – we are a family; this was our reunion. We were welcoming each other back to town – the fans, the stadium, the players. I love this family…not only because we all share a common interest, not only because we stand up for one another, but also because this family is unique. Unlike your blood family, anyone can join this family – All you need is a desire to be part of it.
