Spaulding
07-14-2006, 10:59 AM
Okay, I'm a homer on this but it's always nice to see. Family of mine in the area mentioned the Packers road trip hit LaCrosse yesterday and that Driver was amazing with the general fans, at a hospital and at a retirement home. Based on the below article it seems that Franks did a nice job as well.
Regardless of their performance on the field be it good or bad I'd rather have players of this caliber clogging the cap and performing wonderful community service than punks giving us an extra win or two and then hanging out with their posse. It goes without saying that the diehards will love the Pack regardless of the record and news of community goodwill isn't published as much as it should.
Anyways, I'm off the soapbox and here's the article with the fact (text in caps) substantiating the topic title:
Bubba Franks has a 4-year-old son. If the child hasn’t asked his dad about where he came from  I don’t mean the name of the hospital or the city  he likely will. Kids ask the darndest questions, or so I’ve been warned.
But how do you respond when a youngster asks you if you wear socks with your shoes? It happened to Franks somewhere along the line during the Green Bay Packers’ Tailgate Tour, which pulled into the Oktoberfest South Side Festgrounds on Thursday. It was the third stop on a four-day tour of Wisconsin.
Part of the 2½-hour event involved Franks, the Packers’ tight end, wide receiver Donald Driver and long snapper Rob Davis sitting in front of an estimated 600 fans and answering questions. Some were good, others weren’t.
Franks knows being a Packer means being in the hot seat, which had to have been a bit toasty in the 90-degree heat. On a day when patience was a necessity, Franks had plenty to spare.
“I want to meet my fans. That’s the main reason I’m here,†Franks said.
Packers fans obviously are sticking around, even after the Green Bay’s dismal 4-12 mark last season. Apparently that holds true here. Aaron Popkey, the Packers’ Corporate Communications Specialist, said MORE PEOPLE CAME TO THURSDAY'S EVENT THAN PREVIOUS STOPS IN MILWAUKEE AND MADISON COMBINED.
Why is that? All of you saw the near-misses  eight losses by seven points or less  and the 45-point loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. You saw key players like Franks and Ahman Green get hurt. I’m not sure, but I think I might have seen a former neighbor play a few snaps.
But you stuck around, like you always do. Yes, you were spoiled by the Packers’ success that lasted more than a decade. But you know it could be worse. The dark ages at Lambeau Field, otherwise known as the 1970s and 80s, lasted longer than “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.â€ÂÂ
You care about the Green Bay Packers. You want them to succeed, and it hurts when they don’t. And Packers chairman Bob Harlan, who also is a part of the tour, is grateful that’s the case.
“When we thank the fans for their loyalty and patience, we mean it because they have been loyal and patient,†Harlan said.
That doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be critical if things don’t go well.
They should expect Brett Favre to play like he used to  minus the interceptions and reckless decisions, of course. They should expect big things from Charles Woodson, their big-name free-agent acquisition.
Will that happen?
“I guess only time will tell,†Davis said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve said many, many times the tank wasn’t empty in Green Bay. But did we need a little gas? Absolutely.â€ÂÂ
Franks, for one, was eager to get on the bus to Wausau, the final stop on the tour, and go straight to training camp. The Packers are 29 days away from their exhibition opener against the San Diego Chargers.
Maybe Franks can’t say for sure if the Packers will be a force in the NFC. But he promised they would be better. That’s an answer Packers fans can be satisfied with.
“Everyone in Wisconsin lives, sleeps, drinks and breathes Packer football,†Franks said. “We really are Wisconsin’s team. It makes you feel good that the fans are always behind you.â€ÂÂ
Kirk Bey can be reached at (608) 791-8414, or at kbey@lacrossetribune.com
Regardless of their performance on the field be it good or bad I'd rather have players of this caliber clogging the cap and performing wonderful community service than punks giving us an extra win or two and then hanging out with their posse. It goes without saying that the diehards will love the Pack regardless of the record and news of community goodwill isn't published as much as it should.
Anyways, I'm off the soapbox and here's the article with the fact (text in caps) substantiating the topic title:
Bubba Franks has a 4-year-old son. If the child hasn’t asked his dad about where he came from  I don’t mean the name of the hospital or the city  he likely will. Kids ask the darndest questions, or so I’ve been warned.
But how do you respond when a youngster asks you if you wear socks with your shoes? It happened to Franks somewhere along the line during the Green Bay Packers’ Tailgate Tour, which pulled into the Oktoberfest South Side Festgrounds on Thursday. It was the third stop on a four-day tour of Wisconsin.
Part of the 2½-hour event involved Franks, the Packers’ tight end, wide receiver Donald Driver and long snapper Rob Davis sitting in front of an estimated 600 fans and answering questions. Some were good, others weren’t.
Franks knows being a Packer means being in the hot seat, which had to have been a bit toasty in the 90-degree heat. On a day when patience was a necessity, Franks had plenty to spare.
“I want to meet my fans. That’s the main reason I’m here,†Franks said.
Packers fans obviously are sticking around, even after the Green Bay’s dismal 4-12 mark last season. Apparently that holds true here. Aaron Popkey, the Packers’ Corporate Communications Specialist, said MORE PEOPLE CAME TO THURSDAY'S EVENT THAN PREVIOUS STOPS IN MILWAUKEE AND MADISON COMBINED.
Why is that? All of you saw the near-misses  eight losses by seven points or less  and the 45-point loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. You saw key players like Franks and Ahman Green get hurt. I’m not sure, but I think I might have seen a former neighbor play a few snaps.
But you stuck around, like you always do. Yes, you were spoiled by the Packers’ success that lasted more than a decade. But you know it could be worse. The dark ages at Lambeau Field, otherwise known as the 1970s and 80s, lasted longer than “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.â€ÂÂ
You care about the Green Bay Packers. You want them to succeed, and it hurts when they don’t. And Packers chairman Bob Harlan, who also is a part of the tour, is grateful that’s the case.
“When we thank the fans for their loyalty and patience, we mean it because they have been loyal and patient,†Harlan said.
That doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be critical if things don’t go well.
They should expect Brett Favre to play like he used to  minus the interceptions and reckless decisions, of course. They should expect big things from Charles Woodson, their big-name free-agent acquisition.
Will that happen?
“I guess only time will tell,†Davis said. “Iââ⠀šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve said many, many times the tank wasn’t empty in Green Bay. But did we need a little gas? Absolutely.â€ÂÂ
Franks, for one, was eager to get on the bus to Wausau, the final stop on the tour, and go straight to training camp. The Packers are 29 days away from their exhibition opener against the San Diego Chargers.
Maybe Franks can’t say for sure if the Packers will be a force in the NFC. But he promised they would be better. That’s an answer Packers fans can be satisfied with.
“Everyone in Wisconsin lives, sleeps, drinks and breathes Packer football,†Franks said. “We really are Wisconsin’s team. It makes you feel good that the fans are always behind you.â€ÂÂ
Kirk Bey can be reached at (608) 791-8414, or at kbey@lacrossetribune.com