My Late, Long, and Hopefully Entertaining Chiefs Training Camp Story

I know that everyone who went to Chiefs Training Camp this year has their own story, and even though it's a little late to be talking TC, I'd like to share mine. My dad and I made the hour-long trek to an early practice on what I think was the day before the so-called "scrimmage," and then we went again (along with my little brother) to the Family Fun Day.

At this point you've either bailed out, or are asking "Great, kid. Why should I keep reading?"

Well, because it's about the Chiefs, the players, and I have pictures!

Okay, that picture has nothing to do with training camp. It's just a sceenshot I got during the Chiefs-Bucs game.

On day 1 of our Training Camp adventures, I went prepared with a Chiefs mini-pennant, a white mini-helmet, two Sharpies, and high hopes.

High hopes mainly for the team, our view of the players, how they preformed, and Charlie's Motorized Chair.

Well, those expectations were met, along with the lower expectations for autographs, but in a big, big way.

(Keep scrolling.)

As you can see, we got a glimpse at Charlie's Chair, along with every Chief you could have hoped to have seen.

Overall, it was a great day to this point, but I didn't see anyone signing autographs, so my dad and I made our way out. Well, as we began to leave, my dad saw a crowd, so I grabbed my white mini-helmet, a Sharpie, and ran down the hill to investigate.

Well, it was Mike Cox! I played fullback last time I played football, so I actually knew a good bit about him, appreciatd the position, and was pretty happy to get his autograph. Mike came down my way, signed my helmet, and then Javarris Williams, Jackie Battle, and Kestahn Moore came down, and I got them to sign as well. I thought that was cool, but just before I turned around to leave, I heard a bunch of people yelling "JAMAAL!" and "CHARLES!!"

Guess who showed up!

Well, Charles came up to sign, and began on my right, moving his way to my left! This was perfect! Well, he somehow went right on by me, but I kept scooting down, and he kept moving just a bit faster. Well, once again, I heard shouting, and Matt Cassel showed up 5 feet to my right, signed something for every outstretched arm around me, then finally got to me!

Now, after I shouted "Thank you!" like a drunk person, and calmed down again, my attention went back to Charles, who was still signing away.

I completely left the mass of autograph-seeking humanity, and went down to the left end to pursue Charles like a slow-footed linebacker. Well, he had almost gotten away. Then, with a last-ditch effort to get that precious marking, I shouted "Hey, Jamaal! Should I keep you in Fantasy Football this year?!" As he took my helmet to sign, he tried to dodge the question with a grin, and a mumbling of "I dunno." After other Chiefs fans tried to convince me that keeping him (over Peyton Manning) was the right thing to do, I went back up the hill, showed off my helmet to my dad (who was taking pictures), and once again heard shouting, but I didn't know what it was at!

Well, Eric Berry had returned to the field to sign, even after leaving to do something.

Now, I'm a huge football card collector, and I already had Charles and Cassel's autographs, and even though getting them in person is much, much more awesome, I didn't have Berry's signature on anything.

I HAD to get this.

I franticly flew down the hill once again, dodged a bunch of fellow Chiefs fans, and got his autograph fairly quickly!

It was really awesome. But there was one problem: I was holding the helmet as he signed it, and someone bumped me, which made the autograph a little more scribbled than it should have been.

(I'm not too proud of the next part.)

After more of the crowd got Berry to sign what they wanted, I took my miniature wool Chiefs pennant and moseyed back down the hill, Sharpie in hand. Well, as we left the facility that day, I had the autographs of the entire RB core (other than McCluster and Jones), Cassel, and Eric (FREAKIN'!) Berry twice. Yep, he signed the pennant as well, and it was pretty much perfect.

This post wasn't meant to be this long. Wow.

Well, a day or two later my 10-year-old brother, my dad, and I all went to Family Fun Day, which began with the big autograph session. We stood in the beating hot sun waiting for autographs for at least an hour. It felt like seven.

You're probably thinking "Were Charles, Berry, and Cassel's autographs not enough for you? Come on!"

Well, this was my brother's first time at TC, and we wanted to see the scrimmage too. I realized that there was no way this day's chance at autographs would be nearly as amazing as the last's, but it was still a phenomenal day.

As the players came out onto the field, they seemed to go every direction but our own. After a good minute or two, I heard the guy standing next to me yell "TAMBA!"

That was instantly followed by a chorus of "TAMBA!"'s from our section, and he came jogging over, mere feet from my brother and I. Well, today I had brought this Chiefs helmet decal to get signed, and after another minute or so, he signed it! I looked down at the paper, horrified. The signature was barely noticeable. As Tamba signed my brother's hat, I said "Tamba! Since this messed up, can you sign my head?"

Yep! He did! (And he has an awesome autograph, by the way.)

Well, as he moved down the line, we realized that the entire defensive line had fallen in line behind Tamba!

I got the Sharpie to work again, and had some of the lesser-known players (but still ones I know) such as Demorrio Williams, Derek Lokey, ect., sign my decal-thing. But then Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson showed up!

Both of them signed my Arrow(foam)head, and my brother's hat, and it was awesome.

And I also got in a couple quick questions to both of them:

I asked Dorsey how long it takes to glove and tape up his hands. He said about 7 minutes.

Okay, so that wasn't a great question, and I know I'm not Dan Patrick. However, the one I asked Tyson was one that was legitimate. I questioned him about a nickname!

He just kept saying that "You guys have to come up with that!" With that, I issue a challenge to you, my fellow AP-ers. We need to give him a nickname better than TyJax!

Now, I'm 15, I'm no longer in the YOUNGEST generation of fans, and I've never even considered NOT being a Chiefs fan. But if there were any littler kids that had a similar experience to mine, the Chiefs organization may have kept, or even gained a few little fans, and gave this Chiefs fan a time to remember.