The first stop on the training camp tour was but a short drive, but I believe that it set the tone nicely for the two weeks ahead. The temperature ascended to nearly triple digits, so it wasn't necessarily football weather, but try telling that to the throng assembled in all types of Giants gear. Here are some of the non-playing field observations of the day.

The youngsters who convinced their parents to drop them off with a cooler filled with water bottles were geniuses. They undercut the concession stand prices and cleaned up on the lawn. Entrepreneurs at work!

The top jersey of the day belonged to Eli Manning. Fans young and old paid homage to their new icon. The second-most popular jersey of the day by my unofficial tally was the No. 55 worn by LaVar Arrington. There were surprisingly few Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan jerseys this day, although the caricature T-shirts were out in force.

At the mini-Giants store at the front entrance, pink Manning jerseys were flying off the rack. That's marketing brilliance, although I'm sure purists would fling together a 5,000-word diatribe against the practice.

Tom Coughlin responded to the crushing heat by ordering frequent water breaks. The result was a crisp 90-minute workout with only two minor injuries and no casualties to the heat.  I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the fans that yelled "soft" in response to the early exit of the team.

A mother sat down with her son and daughter behind me as the air horn sounded to begin practice. She spoke softly and told them, "Let's get our seats. It's time to watch the Giants." Her son, who couldn't have been more than five or six, turned to her and asked, "Who are we playing?" Priceless.

Finally, kicker Jay Feely spent a considerable amount of time working the crowd after practice. He signed autographs and posed for photos for quite awhile. At one point, someone in the crowd yelled, "Jay Feely helped me win my fantasy title!" and followed it up with a Ric Flair-inspired "Whoooooo!"

I don't believe Feely heard him, but it put the perfect cap on my day at the University of Albany.

I'll revisit my trips to Latrobe and Bethlehem in the next installment of my blog on Friday