Family day at camp

In what's becoming something of a family tradition, we all made the trip over to the Tampa Bay Lightning's training camp in Brandon earlier today. Like most other camps, it's open to the public and the players are willing to sign.

For Lisa, it's an opportunity to check out the, how shall I say this, the Lightning's new faces. For Colin, it's a chance to hook up with some friends from Bradenton. For me, it's a chance to step back and watch Lisa and Colin interact with the players.

As you can see, Colin did pretty good, getting 12 players, including Vinny Lecavalier, on one of his team sheets. Please note, too, the new Lightning logo. Most fans I've spoken with seem to like it, saying anything was better than the old one. My jury's still out. Despite my indecision, though, it didn't keep me from getting the pucks above signed by goalie Johan Holmqvist, left, and defenseman Paul Ranger.

Either way, about the only thing we'd change would be the near 100-degree temperatures and the glaring sun. Back when we lived in New England, I used to kibbutz, especially on brutally cold January days, about how much fun it would be to collect autographs down here in Tampa. Now that we're down here, I certainly wouldn't have minded one of those January breezes today.

Anyways, I digress. As expected, it being Sunday and all, the autograph pen at the Ice Sports Forum was crowded. At one time, before a couple dealers decided to pack it in, the crowd flirted with 50 people.

And while some players drove past, quite a few stopped and rewarded those of us who dealt with the heat and humidity.