Rookie dinner for the linebackers
Hey Yardbarkers,
I recently hosted the first rookie dinner for linebackers in Jacksonville in five years. I found out the last time they did it was when Daryl Smith. Kinda funny how it all happened. For about three weeks I was hearing it from some of the veterans in the lunch room - "hey rook when we going out?" I'd say whenever you want. Then I'd get it again a few days later, same response. Meantime, a couple of the guys told me the linebackers don't do a rookie dinner so I figured we were in the clear. Then one day I got it again in the lunch room and I said whenever you want and they said "Friday. Where you taking us?" It literally went on for about three weeks before they made me play that card.
I was worried that they were going to make me take everyone to the Capital Grille or Ruths Chris or one of those nice steakhouses, so as a joke I said Cheesecake Factory and they said "cool, Friday night, Cheesecake Factory." I thought there was no way they would go for that, but it was great. They took it easy on me.
Then it was on me to get everything lined up. I got the limo to make sure no one was driving and set the reservation for 8 people at 7:30. The limo arrived at my house at 6 and then we rolled to get the rest of them. By the time we got everyone in the ride it was almost 9. Some guys just weren't ready and sent us to get someone else and one guy lived in a gated community but didn't leave our name at the gate so security had to track him down, it was funny. The limo ride was the best part of the night. We were playing music and laughing, it was just a lot of fun. The best bonding experience we had all year. We see each other at work and then we go our separate ways. It gave everyone a chance to see where each of us lived and we all saw another side of each other. It was definitely the closest we've gotten all year.
When we got to the restaurant the vets started ordering all sorts of appetizers, stuff I knew they wouldn't even be eating. They just kept saying put it on his tab. In the end we ate so many appetizers no one really ordered dinner, they just grabbed a bunch of food to go. I was lucky, I've heard stories of tabs that were 11 grand, but they all took it easy on me. They only got me for $1,800 with the limo. The main thing is we had a great time together and we were all laughing about it the next day in the locker room. It was a different connection and we all said it's something we need to start doing every 2 or 3 weeks in the future.
pistolpete said December 24, 2008