Dispatches from Camp #1: Qb #3

From training camp: there's nothing much to report today other than heat and special teams practice. I was on station by the Autograph area, but since I'm one of two returning veterans (so to speak) to the whole security at training camp thing, I got to spell everyone for their breaks. The Vikes, from what I could tell, looked pretty good- the Favre mess doesn't seem to be an issue here, with people more focused on the battle between Brooks Bollinger and John David Booty for the #3 slot for QB behind Tavaris Jackson and Gus Ferrotte.

One has to wonder why the Vikings need so many quarterbacks. Just the fact that there's a battle for the #3 slot seems to indicate to me that any chance of Favre getting traded to Minnesota went from miniscule to microscopic. With Jackson and Ferrotte plus with Bollinger and Booty duking it out for number 3, that's a plethora of quarterbacks. Who needs one more?

Speaking of Favre: the drama continues, as he's faxed the reinstatement letter to the NFL and the Packers are going to have 24 hours to consider what to do with him (cut him loose or reinstate him) whenever the NFL approves the letter in question. My feeling would be to cut him loose. I know Green Bay would probably want to ensure he doesn't go to another NFC North Team, so trade him to the AFC. The guy's got maybe 2, 3 seasons left in him anyway and you should start looking to the future with Aaron Rodgers. The latest seems to indicate that if not back to Green Bay, then a trade is most likely- the Packers don't want to release him in case he does go ahead and sign with Minnesota (unlikely, but not impossible) but we'll see what happens.

**An interesting twist that I haven't noticed as of yet: Sodexho employees are not at all happy with Training Camp this year. Sodexho, which handles the food service contracts for MSU and for training camp is apparently hosing their employees a bit by forcing them to:

She said Sodexo, the company with the MSU food service contract, has her working odd shifts that don’t add up to full-time hours at the end of the week.

In the past, food-service companies on campus had employees sign up for shifts during training camp. This year the slots weren’t filled because Sodexo wanted employees to work split morning and evening shifts making meals for the Vikings and filling other food-service jobs during the camp, Lang said.

Shady, shady, shady! According to the article, it seems that in years past, employees sign up for shifts and show up. Seems like a pretty logical system- but now, for some reason, Sodexho is having split and short shifts and having people fill other food service positions around the place during training camp. Do employees get a choice of shift? Nope. They just get put in a shift, whether they like it or not.

This to me, is seriously dumb. Employees may not be able to work a certain shift or they may not want too or may have a prior something or other. Dumb, dumb, dumb- straight out of 'how to piss off your employees and alienate them.' Sodexho, a national company, does have a grievance process that many employees are already availing themselves of. But boo to stupidity!