Fins: Training camp primer

[DolFan619]

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_seasonticket/2008/07/fins-training-c.html

Fins: Training camp primer

Thought this would be a good time to post some training camp information, for those planning to attend or simply follow the coverage on-line.

1. On two-a-days, the practice times will generally be 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. On one-a-days, 2 p.m.

2. Tony Sparano will speak to the media from 11:30 to noon on 1-a-days, and from noon to 12:30 on 2-a-days. That means that, many days, he will speak before the players ever take the field. What happens if a player gets hurt? We're working on that.

3. Players will not speak until after the conclusion of the final practice. That means that, many days, you won't hear anything from them until well after 7 p.m. This is a drastic change from previous years.

4. The bleachers hold about 2,000 people. Bring a couple of bucks for parking; Nova will charge $1 per hour.

5. Leave your umbrellas, booze, video recorders and weapons at home. (Though if your arm is lethal, you might get some snaps.)

6. Several practices are scheduled to be in the bubble, with more if there's inclement weather. Fans are not allowed in the bubble, so don't bother coming on the afternoons of July 28, July 31, August 6 or August 14, or the morning of August 2. For other dates, check the site or your newspaper.

7. The team is not allowing us to "live blog" during practices. What does that mean? That will not prevent us from providing updates, but they won't be minute-to-minute. The press room isn't that far a walk from the field. If we have enough bodies out monitoring practice, I'm sure one of us will head back to the room. (We're also not allowed to use cellphones out there, so we can't just relay information. These guys think of everything.)

8. The team is off on August 3 and August 8.  The Bucs visit on August 9.

9. If you're checking the Sentinel site, seeking updates and analysis, I recommend that you check this blog and the Dolphins blog. Omar and/or Harvey will be updating the other one frequently, as well as posting stories to the site. I am spread a little thinner than in prior years, when I was a beat writer, so I won't be at every practice. But I'll be at enough of them (and enough of the player availabilities) to get some topics started here. This blog will focus on analysis; I'm hoping that I can provide some perspective, since I have been covering this franchise for a dozen years, which is the longest of the three of us. (Though not as long as Old Man Hyde.) Consider this a "big-picture" place. I'm sure those guys will get into more of the minutia. And, if I don't know something, I'll run it by the beat guys or eventually track down the answer myself.