And now for more important things than the markets......
-Scott
-------------------
Here is today's Green Bay Update from Jeff Ash. If you have any questions
or comments about the update, contact Jeff (mailto:jeffash@netnet.net).
--------------------------------------------------
Greetings from Green Bay, where our crabtrees have blossomed and we are
getting the first steady spring rain:
The quietest time of the year for the Packers has arrived. With the
exception of the minicamp in early June (for which no dates have been
announced) and a flurry of signings in June, there's likely to be little
news in May and June. It's the time when beat writers and coaches go on
vacation.
That said, a few odds and ends ...
-- The Packers have signed LB Mike Morton to be a special teams player and
a possible backup. He's 27, 6-4, 235 and will wear No. 56. No details
available on his deal, but it's believed to be for close to the veteran
minimum. He has good speed and can play on both the right and left side. He
spent 4 years with the Raiders, starting 27 games, but was on special teams
only last season. He was Oakland's 4th-round pick out of North Carolina in
1995.
-- The Packers also have signed C Grant Garrett, an undrafted rookie out of
Arkansas. He's 6-3, 287 and was getting ready to play minor-league football
in Louisiana when the Packers called. He was a 3-year starter for Arkansas.
-- If you are seeking the Packers' current roster, it's on the Packers' web
site at packers.com
-- CB Tyrone Williams is closer to a new long-term deal with the Packers.
The sides have agreed on a deal of 4 to 5 years, but still have other
details to work out, mostly to make it salary cap-friendly. It likely will
average about $3.5 million a year. Williams likes playing on a winner and
likes it in Green Bay. But if Williams goes unsigned, he will play for the
1-year, $934,000 tender offer, then test the free-agent market after next
season. Note that the Packers are trying to get it done with Williams
instead of CB Craig Newsome, who has been slowed by injuries over the past
2 years and also will be a free agent after next season.
-- The Packers continue to talk casually with WR Antonio Freeman. There's
no rush to get it done before June 1. If he's signed before then, the
Packers lose the franchise-player tag for next season. That would give them
less flexibility in dealing with other players.
-- GM Ron Wolf says there's no truth to the buzz going around some NFL
front offices that he wants to trade NT Gilbert Brown to the Seahawks for
DT Sam Adams. Seahawks GM-coach Mike Holmgren also dismissed the rumor. It
makes some sense because each player might fit better in the other team's
defensive scheme. Adams is a good upfield rusher who at times needs some
motivation. Seahawks defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur likes Brown's
size.
-- Coach Ray Rhodes will have a TV show after all, but don't expect any
great revelations on it. The show, "Inside 1265 -- The Ray Rhodes Show,"
will be co-produced by the Packers, who will split the revenue with the
Journal Broadcast Group of Milwaukee. Rhodes earlier said he didn't want to
do a show because he wanted to focus on football. It's believed that team
president Bob Harlan, or perhaps Wolf, gently suggested to Rhodes that such
a move wouldn't fly in Wisconsin. The show will be co-hosted by the Packers
radio team of Wayne Larrivee and Larry McCarren. It will be aired twice a
week in Green Bay, Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau, Eau Claire or La Crosse and
Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It also will air twice a week on Midwest Sports
Channel. No word on its availability on satellite or as part of the NFL
Sunday Ticket package. At least 23 shows are planned, with the debut set
for Aug. 7.
-- The Packers have let go Eastern college scout Matt Boockmeier, who'd
been with them for only a year.
-- Happy 100th birthday to Marguerite Lambeau, the 1st wife of Packers
founder Curly Lambeau. She is still active and in good health, and lives a
little more than a block away from us. Our neighborhood, known as Old
Allouez, was where a number of Packers players and officials lived in the
1930s and 1940s. Don Hutson also lived on the same street. Vince Lombardi
rented a house at the end of our block when he arrived in Green Bay in 1959
and used to go on walks in the neighborhood. Never said much, I'm told, but
was pleasant. Marguerite says "I think it would be nice" if the new stadium
keeps the Lambeau Field name. She reminisced about Curly, whom she married
in 1919, divorced in 1934 and remained on good terms with until his death
in 1965. She still lives in their house, which was built by Curly's father,
Marcel. She said he'd wake up in the middle of the night and diagram plays
in pencil on the pillowcases. The Packers and the Packer Hall of Fame keep
in touch with Marguerite, and the Hall brought her flowers on her birthday.
And, yes, she still watched the games on TV.
And now, the viewer mail ...
-- Here's the information on getting tickets for the Aug. 23
Packers-Broncos preseason game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison.
University of Wisconsin football season ticket holders have 1st crack and
can buy as many Packers tickets as they want at $34 each. Any tickets left
will be offered to the public on June 19 through Ticketmaster in the
Midwest. For updates, call the UW ticket office at (800) 462-2343 or check
the UW athletics web site at wisc.edu
Thanks to John, Mark, Tom, Paul and Doug for forwarding the information.
-- Tony in Waukesha is seeking a videotape of the 1983 Monday night classic
between the Packers and Redskins, if such a thing exists. He's at
tgmiresse@netwurx.net
-- Roger in Eau Claire wants to take his boys to training camp and is
wondering about dates and hotels. No dates have been announced, but camp
likely will open in the last week of July. That's later than usual, but the
season starts later than usual. Based on past seasons, if camp opens on
Sunday, July 25, it likely will be open to the public until roughly
Thursday, Aug. 19, or maybe a week later. Those dates are only a guess on
my part.
The Packer Hall of Fame is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day in the summer.
Lambeau Field stadium tours will be June 1-Aug. 31, except for game days,
and often sell out early in the day. Call (888) 442-7225 or check the web
site at packerhalloffame.com
Lodging within a block's walking distance of Packers practice and Lambeau
Field are Best Western Midway (499-3161), Days Inn Lambeau Field
(498-8088), Arena Motel (494-5636) and Road Star Inn (497-2666). Another,
the Hilton Garden Inn (405-0400), opens soon. A bunch of hotels are
clustered together about 1.5 miles south of Lambeau Field near South Oneida
Street and U.S. 41: Baymont Inn (494-7887), Best Western Suites (494-8790),
Comfort Inn (498-2060), Country Inn and Suites (336-6600), Exel Inn
(499-3599), Fairfield Inn (497-1010), Hampton Inn (498-9200), Ramada Green
Bay (499-0631) and Super 8 (494-2042). All numbers are area code 920. For a
complete guide, check with the Green Bay Area Visitor and Convention
Bureau. Call (888) 867-3342; e-mail at tourism@dct.com; or check the web
site at greenbaywi.com
As always, your comments and questions are welcome at jeffash@netnet.net
This week's sources: Green Bay Press-Gazette
(http://www.greenbaypressgazette.packersnews.com), Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (http://www.jsonline.com/packer/news/) and Packers
(http://www.packers.com) web pages.
-- Recent adventures with Evan: We batched it last weekend when Janet went
to Chicago for the national food marketing convention. Friday was our usual
payday trip downtown on the bus, and we went to the children's museum, one
of Evan's favorite places. Saturday was opening day for Bay Beach, the
local amusement park at which rides are still only 20 cents. He's been
asking to go for a couple of months, and he was up at 6:30 a.m. Friday and
Saturday in anticipation. He insisted we go on the Tilt-A-Whirl, then
pronounced it "too fast" after a wild, spinning ride during which he
screamed, kept his eyes closed and held on for dear life. Sunday was quiet,
but Monday was a huge day, with lunch at the nicely renovated Sports Corner
tavern in De Pere, which Evan loved because of the games and the spiral
staircase to the loft seating. Outside the tavern, we saw 2 trains,
including one parked with the crew eating lunch. But he was most excited
about my 1st softball game of the season. "This is going to be the best
season ever!" Evan exclaimed on our way to the park. He's learning T-ball,
so we got him a batting helmet and he proudly wore it at the park during
the game, even while playing on the jungle gym.
-- Now that we have a couple of pictures of Evan at the South End Zone
(http://www.southendzone.com/packerg/gbupdate/evan/), and in case you have
ever wondered what I look like, there's a photo of me from last fall's
NorthShore Inline Marathon on the race's web site. I'm the big guy in the
bright gold Packers shorts just above the lower right corner of the photo,
taken at the start of the race in Two Harbors, Minn. It's at
northshoreinline.com
That's it.
As usual, if you wish to show your appreciation for these Packers updates,
volunteer or make a donation to the charity of your choice.
Thanks, Jeff
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