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[bbf1af96]By Guy Maudlin[/bbf1af96]
[ibf1af96]Special To The Fargo Forum[/ibf1af96]
Fargo, North Dakota. Outpost of the north. As the wheat fields sway in the brisk north wind, a familiar sound joins the ceaseless rhythm of the Burlington Northern and the Santa Fe. The slapping of pads, the shrill whistle and hoarse shouts of the drill coach, the murmur of onlookers from the old bleachers at the north end of the practice field.
It's Training Camp time in Fargo. In this small, northern railroad town, the Boxcars are the talk of the town, and the hopes of another season's start on the minds of football fans from Horace to Harwood, from Dilworth to Mapleton. Fans here are an unforgiving lot; the crushing disappointment of the 2007 season still puts a cool rush of caution on football talk around town. We spent some time with the regulars at the old Northern Pacific diner and shot the bull, as they say around these parts.
"Ain't like we got much else around here. Unless you like pipe organs," growled Hercamer Higgs, a long time Boxcars fan, refering to the Fargo Theatre's cacophanous attraction. "So, we pay close attention to the 'Cars. And this new guy they brung in from Nevada? I hope he can handle the weather here. This ain't no shiny Las Vegas."
"Draft day was depressing," chimes in his wife Dolly, a battered Boxcar baseball cap sitting precariously upon her shiny bouffant. "We brung in a running back from Iowa. I guess that's okay, but we still love our Alvey! And we got that Foran guy, too. All three of them are gonna make the team? I don't know."
"What else they got? A punter and a long snapper? New guy sure knows how to draft up some excitement," Sheldon Wake laughed ruefully, while looking up from his newspaper and soft boiled eggs. "And they sign up that Brady [sic] guy from Shreveport or something. Ain't he as old as my pappy? I guess if he can keep Brett [Hedges] off his rear end, he's okay in my book." Wake refers to the Boxcar's new veteran left tackle Daniel Braddy, who's already purchased a massive spread of land outside Felton. The fans hope that it won't be a retirement ranch any time soon, but that could be likely.
The new guy. Paolo 'Pucky' Luxx, the gaunt, blue-haired new general manager, has quietly gone to work adding some veteran players to the already aged team through free agency, but aside from that, has shuned the lime light, if there is such a thing in this part of the Dakotas. "At this moment in time, our main concern is putting together a championship team. Mr [Head Coach Korey] Tyworth will have a quality product to provide the citizens of North Dakota, at which time, this old fool, yours truly, shall have time for further interview, palm slapping, baby kissing, whatnot," babbled the eerily grinning Luxx, while speed walking to his office three blocks west of the Great Northern Depot.
The wheels are beginning to roll with a few new ties beneath the rails and the locals watch with cautious optimism. Should be an interesting season.
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