Club Members,
 
Team News:
The initial 53 man roster is set and the practice squad has been announced. The 53 man cut down day is a tough day for players, coaches and staff, but, it puts us one weekend away from football season. Although it’s always tough to make the cuts; the team also understands these are the rules and all the decisions made were for the benefit of the team, and that’s a positive you can hang your hat on. Here’s a little reminder for you before I move on: any team that claims a player off of waivers, must place him on the 53-man roster and he must remain there. Any player picked up on waivers must be released if things don’t work out – they cannot be placed on the claiming teams practice squad.
 
Club News:
Remember to get your dues in before next week’s game. Dues will remain $20.00 for the season. As an effort to help our club members out in this economy – the club will be sponsoring five club members this year. We’ll be putting all the names in a hat (well, actually it will be the number each person has on my list) and drawing the five names. The rules are simple – you had to be a member last season, otherwise you have no number and your odds of being chosen are greatly reduced. I should have these names by the first game. We’ll reimburse the winners at the game – seeing how I’m sure you’ll be there and your dues will already be paid. Anyway this is our gift to you – good luck to all.
 
Northwood pizza is under new management and is being completely overhauled at this time. Everything will be new; walls, ceiling, bathrooms, furniture and yes televisions. Carpeting is gone – tile floors are being installed. The place is having everything replaced except the Southern California Viking Club sign. The new owner, Brian An, also owns the yogurt shop two doors down from Northwood Pizza – I’m thinking we’ll be adding frozen yogurt to the menu. The place is coming along and all the new televisions will be in place for the start of the season. Everything high definition and everything state of the art – the place is going to be great; the place is going to be all new.
 
OK –because I believe there may be a little excitement in the air, we open on the road at Cleveland on the 13th, to help with the excitement – I’ll bring an Adrian Peterson autographed item, for one of our drawings, to help in your decision to enjoy the opener with us. I’m not sure what else I’ll bring – when we have AD items, we’ll everything else seems second best. So anyway, please start the year off with a bang and join us for the opener.
 
New tee shirts are in, new club polo’s are in, as well as club hats; along with our usual stuff. Our guests at the Minnesota dinner signed items for our club drawings – remember we had Hall of Fame member Randall McDaniel and Ring of Honor members Bill “Boom-Boom” Brown and Mick Tingelhoff along with a host of others. Our drawings will again be the best in the country.
 
For all you planners out there – we’re reasonably optimistic that we’ll be having a California dinner this year. As in the past – it does depend on our revenues, our charities come first. The primary ways we raise our revenues are through our drawings at the club – the support you show, with these fund raising efforts, makes everything else happen. So please, join us for the games.
 
See you all at Northwood,
 
Wm. R. Martin
President
Southern California Viking Club