January 2007 Archives
Motorola has a gigantic football field set up on the sand. It has goalposts and yard lines, surrounded by a huge U filled with shots of fans so it looks like there are people sitting in the stands. They have three different pylons set up with jerseys: one is Brian Urlacher, one is Reggie Wayne and one is Marvin Harrison. You're supposed to stand at the 20-yard line and try to hit each one with a pass. You get points for hitting the pylons, and double points for knocking off their helmets.
My friends Todd and Geeter decide that I need to play the game. So they get me the small football (because I have midget hands), and I get ready. Geeter is on the microphone and there are people everywhere watching. It's all on a Jumobotron set up nearby, and there's a camera man filming you while you do it, so basically anyone walking past will see you. A little intimidating.
So I step up, throw my first one, hit Urlacher, and his helmet falls off.
My second throw is a little to right of Wayne, so everyone's cheering. Geeter is on the mike shouting, "TIFFANY SIMONS from Florida State, NBCSports.com!" So I say I want to try one more time. On the first throw, I hit Reggie Wayne, the helmet falls off. I was so excited -- everyone was high-fiving everywhere, and crowd was cheering.
I didn't get Marvin, but I did get two out of the three, and so far, no one else has gotten two out of the three (and they've all been men after me).
We're going to come back here tomorrow, when they're going to have an end-zone dance off. The winner gets two tickets to the Super Bowl. The judges will be Chad Johnson, DeAngelo Hall and Steven Jackson. Todd and Geeter said we could interview the judges, so we're looking forward to that.
Right now, we are on Motorola Mile. It's still under construction, but it's a strip of Ocean Drive where all the celebrity events and concerts are going to happen.
The cars that we have passed are insane: We've seen every hummer, Lexus, stretch limo, Yukon, Escalade, and of course they are all black with dark tinted windows. We think we saw T.O. in one, but that's questionable. Everyone is strolling up and down the street, checking out the other cars.
John and I got interviewed by a Hungarian TV show. The reporter spoke English but was also saying things in Hungarian, so we have no idea what we did.
After that we ran into a friend that we met at the New York Rangers fundraiser. He's from Bader TV, after we said hey, he told us that Friday night, J. Lo and Marc Anthony would be doing a duet on the stage that happens to be right where we were standing. He also promised us a sound bite with J. Lo on the red carpet. We're definitely holding him to it, so check back for that.
Right next door to where Miss Thang is going to perform is the Sprint Style Villa. It's this gorgeous two-story glass house that cost $500,000, complete with an elevator, even though it's built on sand. The entire purpose of the house is to look good. Right now there are random people milling about outside it, but they're still getting it ready. On Friday, it will be the place where all the celebs will be hanging out. Of course, yours truly will be sneaking in back door to get in on the action.
We're continuing down Motorola Mile, to check out some more of the stuff. I'll be back soon with an update.
Media Day is crazy in the sense that not only are you trying to get down the stadium stairs and onto the field in one piece, but you are surrounded by every major sports guy/gal in the industry. Maybe if you were in my shoes, you wouldn't gawk, but for just a moment put on a pair of Bernardo's and let's gawk.
Sighting: Security Line
Who: Chris Berman Stuart Scott going straight through (because they, unlike the rest of us, had no gear to carry)
Sighting: Media Day Circus
Who: Michael Smith from Around the Horn hanging out with Michael Strahan in the stands
Who: Terri Okita from CBS. When I was an intern I had to take down the feed (TV talk) when her packages would come into the newsroom. I'd recognize the voice anywhere and sure enough, when I looked up it was her.
Who: Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight. He tried to present an award to Rex Grossman in the middle of the circus. Judging by the camera guys reactions and the producers face, I don't think it went down how they wanted. It's so hard to get the shot you want because you are literally standing on top of people smooshed. The camera guys are on step stools or bleachers. Actually its an ideal situation for an awards presentation, what am I talking about?
Who: Tom Jackson. He and I are going through the lunch line together and we are both trying to do the "Is this the kind of bagel tray that is chewy or hard as rocks?" You know what I mean, you want to check it out but then if you touch the bagel, you kind of have to take it whether you want it or not because you've already put your grubby hands on it. Well, we both touched them and they were hard, put the bagels back, laughed, said don't tell and moved on. Let's keep that one just between us.
Who: Howard Eskin. We ran into each other at lunch as well. He said the QB job at the Eagles is McNabb's hands down. No question. Regardless of what Jeff Garcia does.
Who: Shannon Sharpe. Umm...best dressed award maybe? For sure.
Who: Warren Sapp. He's down here working for the NFL. He's also the biggest man I've ever seen. Which is good if you need a body guard. Not good if you were by yourself in a dark alley.
Who: Maria Menounos from Access Hollywood. She told me because her assistant wants the Bears to win, she'll pick the Bears on Sunday. Fair enough.
I could keep going, but the people at Starbucks are starting to give me weird looks. I've moved from chair to chair because as the sun rises, I can't see my screen. However the lady next to me is from another country and just asked if I thought she could take a seven dollar magazine out the door for free. Maybe my musical chairs act is fine.
DOLPHIN STADIUM - The Colts will be on the field at Dolphin Stadium for their mass meet-and-greet with the media in about 10 minutes...we are currently enjoying brunch on a loge level in the stadium...and listening to people complain. ... the Bears already had their media period. ...This blog took a media shuttle over to the stadium from the Miami Beach Convention Center. ... I was the only guy on a Greyhound bus. So there was nobody to complain with. ... Joe's Stone Crab was apparently a place to be last night...several media folk and a few Bears including Rex Grossman were there...
I'm interested to see how sharp the Colts look today. First of all, they arrived late yesterday. Then, around 10:15, they were still mobilizing to go out and enjoy their only curfew-less night. South Beach, where many would assume the young fellas would like to go, was about 40 minutes away. Mathematics tells me they were probably rolling in near dawn. Bad playcalling by whoever made the plans in Indy.
On Monday, around 11:30 a.m. a 20-something man with a black leather jacket and neatly-trimmed goatee peered into the media workroom. Pointing a finger at a man 30 yards away giving a stand-up interview to a TV reporter, leather jacket asked me, "Is that Brian Urlacher?" It was actually Sean Salisbury.
I went on walkabout to find some lunch. I eventually wound up at a walk-in sub shop called the Miami Grill on Washington Street. Upon going in, I saw Mark Schlereth and Trey Wingo from ESPN and said hello, introducing myself. After they left, a man and a woman who'd been speaking Spanish turned to me and said, "Are you from NBC?" I said, "Yes, NBCSports.com." A few seconds later, the man held out a piece of paper and a pen, apparently asking for an autograph. I shook my head. Then, not wanting to seem like I was giving the Bill Russell treatment, I tried to explain, "I'm not..." The woman interrupted, "You're not anyone?" Correct.
Hopping, hopping Miami Beach has Collins Avenue running along the shore for miles. I'm fortunate to be staying in a hotel on the beach. Sadly, hopping, hopping Miami Beach where I am has shut down at 11 p.m. so far this week. Monday night that posed a problem because after returning from the Colts press conferences at 11:10, I was starving. So I took an $8 cab to Lincoln Road Mall which was tumbleweeds as well. I got a piece of pizza at this joint Pizza Rustica and a coke and headed back to my hotel in another cab. This is where it gets kinda funny. My cabby is sitting at a red light when, inexplicably, he starts backing up. He doesn't hear the tinny little horn beeping behind him and backs into a 1987 Honda Civic. "Ooooh!" he shouted. I wanted answers. "Why were you backing up?!" He explained that he wanted to get into the right lane to take a right and needed room. Whatever. No damage. Little was said until the end of the ride when I paid him and said thanks. "Sorry for the accident," he hollered as I got out. Not what you want to hear at the end of a cab ride.
We're at Media Day, which is held at Dolphins stadium. We got here early this morning and had to go through intense security: dog-sniffing, metal detectors, the whole nine yards.
Finally, we get in, and there are thousands of media here. We've seen Chris Berman, Stuart Scott, Warren Sapp (who's working for the NFL Network), Tom Jackson, and even people from Entertainment Tonight, including Kevin Frazier.
Basically, what happens is, everyone rushes down the steps onto a blocked off section of the field, and all the Bears players are set up at different stations. You have to push your way through to the podium and ask your questions.
I talked to Rex Grossman, and asked him about all the criticism he's taken this year. Now that he's made it to the Super Bowl, would he like to say anything to his critics? Rex said no, that he was excited to be here and that's what matters. The time to respond to the critics is after Sunday, he said.
After Rex, we walked around, and hung out with a few different players, including safety Tyler Everett and guard Anthony Oakely. I even wound up getting interviewed by Telemundo.
There are not a lot of girls here, so when I found Maria Menounos from Entertainment Tonight, I did a little interview with her.
The Bears have all left now, and people are just hanging out or going to get food, which I'm about to do, too. We are just waiting until the Colts come at noon.
Location: Hollywood, FL
Venue: Hard Rock
Party Purpose: Kick off Super Bowl Festivities
Sightings: Jerry Rice, Shannon Sharpe, Don Shula, Leslie Visser, Jason Taylor, Bob Griese, Dolphins Cheerleaders, random mascots, among others
Musical Guests: Hootie and the Blowfish
High/Low: H: Dancing with Jerry Rice; L: Waiter spilling an entire pitcher of coffee down my jeans and into my purse. Awesome. Love the smell.
Simons Says Score: 7.5
The Hard Rock in Hollywood is this massive grouping of buildings. Kind of like a City Walk in Orlando. There is an outside area for bands and bars and then you can go inside venues to hang out. Thankfully tonight's party was inside in the main concert area (it's freezing outside).
So let's get right to what was cool: Jerry Rice standing next to me working it while listening to Hootie and the Blowfish perform on stage. [Side Note: Don't know when the last time you listened to Hootie, but the man sounds good! I was impressed.] So Jerry starts doing some moves, my producer moves to start filming him. I am watching thinking, 'Hey this is a once in a lifetime shot' and say to Jerry "Don't be shy, you know you want to dance for the camera." He then takes my hand and starts spinning me around. Ha. Man's still got them moves. Later when the concert was done I interviewed him and he insisted that he didn't get to dip me earlier and it must be done now. I wasn't about to tell him no. DIIIPPPPPPP....
I mentioned Hootie ... seriously even live, they sound exactly like the radio version of their songs. Well done.
Don Shula walked out on stage and the entire room erupted into applause. The man is a legend around these parts and rightfully so. Do you know anyone else who has coached a perfect NFL Season? Won 328 regular season games? Won two Super Bowls? Exactly.
Bob Griese took the time to speak with me right before Hootie jumped up on the stage. He was in attendance along with several other Dolphin Alums. He told me he's rooting for the Bears because his son will be out there BUT that he's very good friends with the Manning's and would be happy for them if the Colts won. I told him my prediction was 27-21 Bears. He smiled, said he liked it, and then agreed. I knew we'd get along.
The only thing that wasn't fun: coffee. All over me. In purse. Smelled. Gross.
Moving on... so the forty-first Super Bowl is officially underway. Let the parties begin.
Canisius scored the final 8 points of the first half, shrinking the Iona lead from nine to just one, 32-31.
Iona played an inspired first half, especially the first five minutes, but they allowed the Golden Griffins back in with turnovers. Eleven days ago Iona led this same opponent by two at halftime, 31-29, before losing in overtime. In that game Canisius' Chuck Harris buried a three with 4.3 seconds remaining to tie the score in regulation. That was the first of three consecutive defeats in which Iona was either ahead or down by one with the ball in the final ten seconds.
The Gaels understand misery.
On to the second half...
Iona freshman point guard "I'm Too Sexy 4" Milan Prodanovic has been lighting it up in the first half with 7 points as the Gaels lead Canisius 2-21. Iona raced out to a 13-3 lead and have since been weathering Canisius' pressure defense ever since.
Give the Gaels credit. They've been playing Jack Black/Kyle Gass (Tenacious D), which has kept Canisius from getting any easy buckets.
Maybe Milan is an appropriate name for this occasion. Milan High School was the real-life name of the Indiana high school portrayed in the film "Hoosiers".
(Sniff, sniff) Can you smell it? What is that invigorating scent, you ask? It's the smell of victory. It's permeating the Hynes Athletic Center here in New Rochelle this evening. We're fifteen minutes before the tip-off between Canisius (God bless you) and Iona. The Gaels, as you know, are 0-20 but, as that great British soccer player/rock star Rod Stewart once said, "Tonight's the night/gonna be alright."
He also said, "If you like my body/and you think I'm sexy/c'mon baby let me know." Which, of course, has very little to do with tonight's action, on or off the court.
So it's a frigid January Monday night in the northeast, but there's heat here on the campus of Iona. The Gaels are going to end the nation's longest losing streak--I cannot just feel it, I can actually smell it-- and our wistful cries for justice in the roundball biosphere will at long last be heard, our prayers answered. The jackals and vultures who descend upon such carcasses (to wit, myself and tonight, SI.com's Luke Winn) will cease following sports journalism's version of the woman with the 300-pound tumor and move on to other matters.
(Say it with me): "LET'S GO GAELS!"
Press pass. Credential. Plastic ID. Weird photo with name and affiliation. Call it what you will, but during Super Bowl week the thing is invaluable. You must at all times have this hot number around your neck if you want to hang out in the media room and eat for the next seven days.
So today, John Moody (my producer, cameraman, partner in Miami) and I went to go pick up our little golden ticket. We took the shuttle (sooo trendy to be riding on a bus down Collins Ave on South Beach. Really I suggest you try it) and arrived at the Miami Beach Convention Center. We made our way inside to get our passes and after the nice gentleman behind the desk told me I looked to young to be here, he handed me my pass and my free Super Bowl notepad. I officially became a member of the Media.
John and I decided to check things out (because we are nosy) and found ourselves at "Radio Row". This is where every radio station known to man calls home during Super Bowl week. The guys you are listening to on your way to work, on your lunch break, or while your wife is sleeping are all huddled in desks scattered around a huge ballroom. This is where the hype happens, the arguments rage and the fun starts. John and I decided to shoot some footage and as we did we began to get noticed for several reasons. A) John is really tall. B) He's carrying a camera around a bunch of guys who wear headsets and speak into microphones. They don't do cameras.
C) I'm the only chick to be seen anywhere.
Seeing as how I really thought we were just going to go and pick up our badge of honor, I didn't really put on make up or try to do my hair. This is South Florida. We don't do 'done up' we do 'beach messy and sunny cool' looks. So when I got asked to do interviews, I thought why not, its only on the radio. So here I am-the one who is there to interview other people-suddenly sitting at random tables with headphones and speaking into a microphone. I did a radio show broadcasting to Hawaii, ESPN and Denver. It was a blast. We talked football, FSU, Gators, Super Bowl predictions, parties and the good ole boys from Denver even had random questions for me to answer. I think I held my own against the boys. I just never imagined picking up a credential would be so fun.
Off to Hard Rock for the official kick off party. More later tonight!!
MIAMI BEACH - Here's a quick tour of the accomodations we the media have for doing our work this week.
The media center is in a massive, blue-carpeted hall in the Miami Beach Convention Center.
As you come in the door, directly in front of you is what's called radio row. Sporting News Radio, ESPN Radio and Sirius have prime spots near the door. Current and former players and coaches traipse past on their way to flap gums on the air.
Florida quarterback Chris Leak is conducting interviews as is Green Bay Packers receiver Donald Driver. The NFL Network crew of Deion Sanders, Jim Mora Sr., and Jamie Dukes is here as well as Adam Schefter and Fran Charles. Their setup is on a riser in the middle of radio row.
To the back of the hall, behind blue curtains and portable walls is the working media section where hundreds of tables with 20 seats at each one are laid out.
There's a media lounge with pool and foosball tables, several flat screens (all tuned to the NFL Network), free muffins, coffee and donuts. Mod seating areas are laid out with low-slung couches and coffee tables.
Back in the front room, there is a tapestry hung from the wall with scenes from each of the first 40 Super Bowls aligned chronologically.
A red 2007 Cadillac XLR Roadster is out front. It's the car that will be presented to the game's MVP. The MVP has the option, however, of ordering another style.
The Tampa Bay tourism folks are here handing out candy cigars and screen swiffers. Also, with the Super Bowl in Arizona next year, their host committee is here as well with handouts and propaganda puffing up their region.
This afternoon at 2:30 p.m. the NFL will address the security measures it has in place for the game. We'll get to the bottom of the "why no tailgating at the game" issue.
MIAMI - This blog, its luggage, four breath mints and a Nature Valley peanut butter granola bar arrived in Miami Beach yesterday at 5:30ish.
And I can't say I'm unhappy to be here even though many of my media brethren and sisteren will lodge formal and informal complaints about their hotels, the food, the access to the players, the relative humidity in the media center, rock and roll music, Bill Polian, Rich Eisen, the speed with which we receive transcripts, Tank Johnson and people who insist on saying they're standing "in line" when everyone knows the proper word is either "on line" or "queue."
This blog is under direct orders to chronicle the Colts. And since they don't get here until tonight, we'll fill ya in on the Super Bowl Experience so far.
It's a no-cloud Monday. We took a media shuttle from our hotel (Four Points Sheraton) to the media center. When jumping online (as opposed to "on line") we had to agree to some NFL stipulations to get access.
As a result, this blog is banned from: "developing, implementing or sending viruses, trojan horses, worms, time bombs, or other computer programming routines or engines that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or information."
This blog has also agreed to this code of internet conduct.
"CONDUCT
The foregoing notwithstanding, you are responsible for, and assume all liability associated with, any material you make available or transmit through the Internet service, whether through chat rooms, messages boards or other forums, including, without limitation, liability for claims of infringement, libel and/or slander. You may not post, transmit through or otherwise make available on or through the Internet service any material that violates or infringes in any way upon the rights of others, that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, abusive, profane, vulgar, sexually explicit, racist, threatening, hateful, inappropriate or otherwise objectionable, in the NFL's sole discretion, or that encourages conduct that would constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any law. Breach of the foregoing may result in legal action against you."
So there's that.
Chew on that for a few and we'll hit you back in a few minutes with some more observations.
"I could have blogged all night,
I could have blogged all night
and still have typed some more,
I could have owned this screen,
Like Mirren inThe Queen ,
Although the film's a bore,
'Notes on a Scandal', there's a lesson in prudence,
Which is, Hey, teachers, lay off your students,
But were mine Cate Blanchett, I'd be the teacher's pet,
I could have blogged, blogged, blahhhhh-ged...all night!
Yes, the Screen Actor's Guild (or SAG) Awards took place last night, a.k.a, We've gone an entire week without a an awkward red-carpet moment, for instance Ryan Seacrest welcoming "James Gandolfino" and the rest of the cast of The Sopranos . A few inappropriate comments on last night's telecast:
--Freddy Rodriguez ("Six Feet Under") gave the best "and I'm an actor" vignette to open the show, but I was distracted by the young woman immediately to his right who stuffed a full piece of sushi in her mouth just as the camera panned to him. Poor girl. She didn't know whether to spit it out or just hide under the table. Unscripted comedy is the best kind.
--Surely I'm not the first to suggest this, but next year they should take the cameras out to bars and restaurants and have the wait staff at those venues provide the "and I'm an actor" vignettes. Because so many of them in L.A. are. As Hugh Laurie, who is simply the smartest guy in the room, said after winning his SAG award, "It's not whether you do good work; it's whether you get the chance to do good work."
--I also enjoyed the Marg Helgenberger "and I'm an actor" story. It would have been sweet if below her husband, Alan Rosenberg, they would have run a graphic saying, "Over-chicked". (Over-chicked, def.--When you've married/are dating well above your station).
--Somebody kept their eye on the ball, inviting Georgia Engel (Georgette) to be onstage with the rest of the cast of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show". A little montage would have worked nicely there. And no mention of Ted Knight, the greatest comic figure of them all? Cloris Leachman, by the way? Eighty years old.
--"The Office" won best ensemble comedy, even though I'll continue to argue that the show that comes on immediately afterward, "Scrubs", deserves that honor. And "Entourage" got screwed again. The reason so many people laughed when Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Steve Carell did their bit later in the program and she said, "The British version of 'The Office' is so much funnier" is because it's true.
--If I were producing this or any other awards show this year, here's what I'd do. The moment that the winner was announced, I'd run a quick 3-second clip of Faith Hill's reaction at The Country Music Awards. You're telling me that wouldn't be the best running gag?
--Anyone else notice that after Eddie Murphy gave his speech for Best Supporting Actor for "Dreamgirls" that the camera panned to a pair of his fellow ex-SNL castmates, Brad Hall and Louis-Dreyfus? Where was Robin Duke?
--Hugh Laurie, for the second Sunday night in a row, best speech. He noted that his fame will pass, and followed by saying, "It may have already passed while I was still standing here." And he took a return swipe at Murphy, who mocked the British acceptance speeches (of which there were so many) by saying, "I'm British, by the way, which accounts for why I'm so smooth .
--Admit it. When you saw Dennis Haysbert standing all by himself up there introducing the "They Died" segment, you were wondering, "Is this another ad for 'accident forgiveness'?"
--By the way, it was a bad year for The Munsters , eh? Both Lily and Grampa. How come they never did an episode where The Munsters and The Addams Family met? Maybe they could have played Family Feud? Woulda been a classic.
--Cate Blanchett: Classic movie star. And she's cool, too. And is it just me but does Cate bear an uncanny resemblance to a younger version of Helen Mirren? Maybe she'll star in The Helen Mirren Story some day and pick up a boat load of trophies herself.
--Greg Kinnear had a funny line and reminded everyone why he's so likeable. You know how when you attend a wedding you hope to be seated at the fun table? So why not put together your dream SAG awards fun table? You get to pick the eight people around whom you'd want to sit and to whom you'd whisper put-downs about the other actors at the show. Here's mine:
--Helen Mirren, because I think she's game for anything.
--Kinnear, because he's the king of not taking himself too seriously.
--Reese Witherspoon, because everybody loves her and we want to hear the Ryan Phillippe tales.
--Kevin Connolly (Eric on "Entourage"), because that way there'd be one other dude at the table besides me with an "I have no idea how I got here" look on his face.
--Cate Blanchett, because she's Cate Blanchett. And because I think if she got together with Mirren, they'd be quite bawdy.
--Hugh Laurie, to engage us with his charm.
--Abigail Breslin, so that I'd have at least one peer in terms of emotional maturity.
--Isaiah Washington, so we could ask him how his "treatment" for being politically incorrect is going.
That's a wrap. Next Sunday it's the Super Bowl and the Sunday after that The Grammys. I almost do not want winter time to end.
By the way, I saw Pan's Labyrinth this weekend. It's awesome. It's as much of a fairy tale as The Wizard of Oz while being as unflinchingly violent as Goodfellas . Don't worry about the sub-titles. You'll be glad you chose this over Norbit .
It was 1995 when we were first introduced.
He- a famous witty writer for a heavily circulated newspaper.
Me- an 8th grade brace-faced blonde toting around bags of candy to 'fundraise' for the cheerleading team.
The man who introduced us- my history teacher (or maybe that year the class was titled Civics? Should've been called 'Waste of your Time' but either way its irrelevant). We'll call him Mr. Woods. (Not because I think he would read this blog and figure out it was me writing this but because I can't for the life of me remember his name. And right now ESPN is running for the seventh time a story on Tiger Woods).
Moving on... Mr. Woods was short, scratch that, very short. He had messy (and at least two times a week greasy) brown hair. He wore un-tucked shirts, glasses, and triple knotted his shoe laces. He was the kind of teacher who must've hated teaching us and we were the kind of 8th graders who were... well typical. We didn't care about anything except what happened in the hallways between classes for the five minutes we were allowed to roam among our friends.
So when Mr. Woods read the column of He- a famous witty writer for a heavily circulated newspaper, none of us liked it. Nor did we get it. We were 12 and 13, way too young to appreciate the humor, the witt or the just plain original writing style of the author. Besides if Mr. Woods thought he was cool, then clearly there was no way He was remotely cool.
So today when I picked up the Miami Herald, I was surprised to see that on the cover was an article by who else? He-a famous witty writer for a heavily circulated newspaper. It'd been years since we'd last spoke, but this time I decided to give him another chance. I read it. I got it. And I laughed out loud at least four times.
So, if you're still reading this... I really suggest you go and read this It turns out Mr. Woods was right. Dave Barry is actually really funny.
Brian Urlacher at the Miami Press Conference...
On arriving in Miami...
Weather was perfect number one. It was exciting... I'm going to say that a lot cause I'm excited to be here. I slept the whole flight which was nice.
On Peyton Manning...
It's his 8th or 9th year. I think he'll be one of the best of all time (numbers wise). He has a start streak of 100 games in a row.. (On his commercials) I think he does a good job with the acting .. I like his stuff... It's going to be tough... we've got Peyton throwing all over the place... It will be a challenge but we're happy to meet that challenge...We are where we want to be since day one...its the biggest challenge to date for us..
On the last time he heard Lovie Smith yell on the field...
I don't think I've ever head him yell on the field.. never heard him say a cuss word... He gets his point across to us very well... It's the same with our assistants .. They all get the point across without yelling at us.. There is no doubt on what your job is on every play.. But the number one thing is your effort has to be good.. Everyone runs to the football, offense and defense. All he really cares about is effort... He cares about mistakes but efforts cure a lot.
On finishing the season and about the banner with word "finish" all over the hotel...
To finish it to us would be the Super Bowl champs... It's been the goal from day one.. We felt like we had the team to do it this year after what we did last year...and then coming out of nowhere... It's been our motto all year for the most part...whatever happens happens but make sure you finish all the time.
On following in footsteps of famous backers in Chicago...
It's a huge honor to play same position as Bill George, Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary.. a great honor and tradition... not fair to compare me to them... they are in the Hall of Fame.. maybe one day I will be there.. but great tradition to play linbacker...
On the Super Bowl being a business trip...
It is a business trip... We had to wear our suits on the plane down here.. I'm just going to concentrate and practice... I'll get back to my room and be just like it's in Chicago.. I'll try to take my mind off the game when I'm not doing too much...
On dealing with media attention...
When I have to speak I will.. When I don't I won't. I do what I'm told when it comes to this stuff no more then I have to no less then I have too...
On is it easier to be here (Miami) rather then Chicago because they are the underdogs and what is Chicago like...
I'd rather be home... in my bed and my house.. in my own element with my routine...instead of having to travel.. Chicago is crazy right now... They are excited just like we are... but I'd much rather be there.. in my own environment.
On how important it was for Tank Johnson to make this trip...
My man Tank... He's great, he's a big part of this team.. we need him to win this game... For the most part he's got things cleared up. We're excited to have him here... He's my buddy, my friend... it's over with now and I'm just glad he's here.
Here are a few things Coach Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears just said at a press conference after arriving in Miami for the Super Bowl...
On being the underdog...
Have a hard time saying we've been in an underdog role with our record...we've met all the obstacles... here's a stage where we can finish the job one more time... we will get that respect that we deserve.
On Peyton Manning...
Again we give them all the respect that they deserve... I've known Peyton for a long time, since he was a freshman at Tennessee but we have a couple of scholarship players too.. hopefully we can slow them down a little bit.
On prep for the game...
We got a chance to put in 80-85 percent of our game plan...right on schedule.. we need this week. Been a couple of weeks since we've played... get in some practice. Get one good padded day of practice in...we'll go from there.
On impact of Big Sandy (Smith's hometown)...
I don't know how much impact I've had on Big Sandy but it's had a lot on me...proud to be from there. A lot of people making the trip down.. It's a town about hard work, small town, football town, more in that Friday Night Lights type of setting.. proud to be from there. Hopefully we can make them proud.
On the word "finish" being hung on signs throughout the Bears hotel...
After last years playoff loss... we had to come up with something... we needed to finish the season on a high note, we didn't do that last year. It seemed fitting to have that as our word...we've stuck with it. We've had a chance to finish a lot of football games... we've played a lot of close games (Arizona) and some kind of way we find a way to pull it out. We're anxious to have that opportunity.
I'm here! Back in my home of South Florida for the Super Bowl. Flew down this morning. I always forget how on any flight into Miami International Airport they always announce everything in BOTH English and Spanish. Maybe by the end of the week I'll be able to blog in both English and Spanish. Today was a perfect sunny day. Its so pretty outside. Plus its nice to know that I don't have to use my winter coat for the next week! Got all settled in to my 'home' for the week. I'm staying at one of the many NFL Media Hotels and already the media are storming South Beach. When I pulled up to the hotel, the guy in front of me got out of his car wearing a Bears sweater and carrying camera gear. Then at check in I saw another camera guy and his reporter come in. "We" as in the media are resorting back to the days of elementary school for transportation. Everyone is hoping on the bus and being shuttled from place to place throughout the week I'm sure new friends will be made considering we're all going to be at the same spots.
This whole week is looking to be pretty packed with all kinds of parties and events to celebrate the big game. We get our 'golden ticket' aka credentials on Monday. I think that night our plan is to head over to the Hard Rock and attend the kickoff party. And then on Tuesday its an early morning as it is Media Day.
I know the Bears Team arrives tomorrow around 4. They are doing a little photo shoot at the airport and then going to their hotel.
The streets on South Beach are lined with Super Bowl banners and signs. Ha, I'm watching the local news and they just ran a story on the Super Bowl Trophy. There was a presentation today upon its arrival and then it was taken to the stadium in a guarded car. Wow. Talk about taking things seriously. The next news story was on the NFL Experience at the stadium. Its definitely a little kids dream where you can run around all day and play football, take pictures and hang out.
Alright... I'll be back tomorrow with more from Miami! Have a good night...
(Thank you, Hanna-Barbera)
The Knicks played last night (nice game, Mr. Crawford) and the Nets are still out west having their hearts broken (tonight at Denver). They've lost three games by a total of three points.
So what's going on in New York City, then? Well, there's a hipster happening in Brooklyn, the Idiotarod, which is a five-person, one shopping cart race inspired by the Iditarod.
There are two checkpoints and a lot of beer involved, and this madcap event will continue being cool until people like me begin to cover it. And then the hipsters, I'm sure, will move onto something else. Something, perhaps, such as Pillow Fight Club.
http://www.pillowfightclub.org/
The other happeing sports event is college men's basketball, Loyola at Iona, live from New Rochelle. I don't know what the opposite of a bandwagon is, but I've jumped on it. The Iona Gaels are 0-19, the last winless men's hoops team in Division I, and my editor (and former friend) Barry has dispatched me to cover them until they win.
To which I can only reply, "Why can't Hawaii-Hilo be the last winless team in Division I?"
Anyway, I'm here in New Rochelle (not to be confused with "Rochelle, Rochelle"), NY, for the game. I'm hoping that my presence here will bring the Gaels some luck (though it didn't the other night in Bridgeport). Barry tells me that Loyola is only a 2.5 favorite, despite their having won 11 of their 19 games this year. Then again, the Gaels have a 19-1 record record against Loyola here at the Hynes Athletic Center. Oddsmakers, they know their stuff.
As for luck, I have this bizarre habit of being present when teams end streaks. A quick summary:
October, 1992: Covering Williams College men's football team, owners of a 24-game win streak. The Purple Ephs lose to Trinity on a touchdown scored with no time remaining on the clock.
January, 2001: In the span of 48 hours I witnessed (or put a double-whammy...as opposed to the much less hyped "single whammy") on the nation's two biggest women's college hoops win streaks. In Division I UConn falls at Notre Dame, 92-76, ending their 30-game win streak, the longest at that level. The following night I found myself in St. Louis covering Washington U., which at the time was threatening UCLA's legendary 88-game win streak. Wash. U. had won 80 straight and were taking on literal next-door neighbor Fontbonne College, which had a .500 record. Fontbonne won and afterward Washington U.'s coach, Nancy Fahey, looked at me and sighed, "You're just bad luck."
April, 2004: Long Beach State University had this amazing pitcher, Jered Weaver (now with the Angels), who was 12-0 in 12 starts for the Dirtbags. Weaver's strikeout-to-walk ratio was 11 to 1 and he was rolling in yet another game, with his team up 4-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning. Then he walked a batter. There was an infield error. Then Weaver struck a batter. The next batter up put one into the rightfield stands to tie the game.
The Dirtbags lost in extra innings, after which Long Beach State's sports information director, with a smile on his face, asked me never to return.
So here's my question: Am I a streak-buster or, as is more likely the case, am I just bad luck? Or is it all a coincidence?
Loyola leads 16-11 at the 12:47 mark of the first half, by the way. Please, Gaels, please, put something together.
The NBA All-Star Game voting results came in earlier today and tell me you're not as shocked as I am. Yes, most of the names on that list are deserving. But maybe the NBA needs to review its voting procedures to safeguard itself and the integrity of the league.
Because there's always one or two perfomers who get the shaft. Performers such as Becky, who was beaten out by fellow Laker Girl Jessica. And what about Chelsea of the Detroit Pistons' "Automotion" squad losing out to teammate Erin? You wonder if the voters even watch the games. Or, the timeouts during the games.
This year, for the first time in its history, the NBA is staging the NBA game in a non-NBA city. The game will be held in Las Vegas, which means that it will probably by the most highly attended All-Star game by players not named to the All-Star team in NBA histoy. But that's an aside.
The real issue is that, since there's no NBA host team, there is also no host dance squad. If, say, Indiana was hosting the All-Star Game, then the Pacemates would be the designated dance troupe. But, since there's no home franchise this season the folks at the league offices in New York City found themselves in a bind. Sure, there is no shortage of dancers in Las Vegas--some of them, I presume, quite familiar with NBA rosters--but the league couldn't use them.
Then someone at the NBA had a brilliant idea. If fans can vote for players, why not dancers, too? Especially since this is the first season in which every NBA franchise has a dance squad now that the Celtics have succumbed to the terpsichorean wants of the masses. And thus, a new term was born:
ALL-STAR DANCERS!
Each team was asked to submit three nominees. Then, beginning on January 4th and running until January 21st, fans were invited to vote for their favorite dancer from each squad. Apparently--I am told--there are those who log on to NBA team sites and browse pages other than player bios, schedules and stats. Apparently--from what I hear--each site has links to a dancer page and individual dancer bios.
And so some fans already felt connected to a dancer or two before this balloting got underway earlier this month.
Admittedly, I was a latecomer to this leggy new world, but I happen to be a huge fan of suffrage in all forms and of democracy in general. So I assessed the candidates without any sense of guilt, since it's not really an election year anyway? From what other political races was I being distracted?(I'll leave the risque "exit polling" jokes to someone of less refinement and taste).
And so, last Tuesday, I was as anxious as James Carville was in November of '92 to learn of the results of the All-Star balloting. I'd handicapped the races and I really felt that Becky was a shoo-in for the Lakers. Four years on the squad and she majored in dance at Colorado State. Jessica was a worthy opponent, it seemed, but she had only half Becky's experience with the Laker Girls and (unofficially) had fended off only one-third as many marriage proposals from Jack Nicholson. Becky, it seemed to me, was the obvious people's choice.
But, alas, this lass that I supported failed to win.
As for the Automotion, again I went with Chelsea and experience. On her bio under "Dance Experience" it says "18 years of training and counting." Erin is a solid candidate, no doubt, but she has only 14 years' dance experience. The vox populi spoke and they apparently said, "Chelsea, we don't care about your four more years of dance experience."
By and large, the voters spoke and they spoke responsibly. For example, Julie of the Houston Rockets Power Dancers (whose favorite movie, ironically, is "Failure to Launch") is the "Yowza!" to the Rockets' Yao.
But some of the selections, I'm sorry, I just cannot get behind. Maybe next year they will tweak the balloting. First, every dancer on every squad is eligble to be elected. And maybe, just maybe, they leave the balloting to their fellow dancers. Or to the NBA players.
By the way, I hear that two-time reigning MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns failed to be voted on to the starting team for the West. Big deal.
Any credibility I ever had as a journalist was lost last night in the back corner of Virgil's Restaurant in Times Square. I interviewed two friends who dress as Da Superfans and cheer on Da Bears. There are actually four but tonight only two could make it. I don't think I would have survived all four together. So, two of the four dressed in true character joined me for some ribs and to talk a little football. They talked alright. However it was me who couldn't keep a straight face. 
Let's discuss Da Superfan's outfit first so you can get a visual. The following are necessary before ever leaving the house:
Long hair-Check
Chicago Accent-Check
Bears gear (including but not limited too t-shirt, sweater, jacket, watch, and hat)-Check
Whistle-Check
Fanny pack-Check
The Bible: A book on Mike Ditka-Check
Mustard (Chicago Yellow Mustard)-Check
Pepcid AC-Check
Mustache (preferably one that stays on IF not authentic)-Check
Sunglasses (any style that existed in the 80's)-Check
Hatred for the Packers (apparently this is a gene you are born with if a true Bears fan)-Check
Now do you have a visual of what was sitting across the table from me? Is it possible to begin to understand why I couldn't stop laughing? These two 'fans' walked right into that restaurant chanting 'Da Bears, Da Bears, Da Bears, Da Bears' causing everyone to look and either cheer or yell something back about the Colts. Rory O'Callahan from Gurnee, IL and Larry Puchalski (pictured above) from Aurora, IL sat down and immediately tried to explain to me what it means to be a Superfan.
Watch 'Da Superfan Shuffle' music video
After ordering the sampler (ribs, popcorn shrimp, hush puppies, sausage and the key item: corn dogs) plus some PBR's the two began to talk. They read to me from the Bible-that of the man, the legend, Coach Mike Ditka. They told me how to make a true Chicago hot dog (there is so much junk on there, I don't think they even know what the actual hot dog tastes like). I listened to their favorite Bears players and how they are 100 percent behind Rex Grossman, Lovie Smith, Bernard Berrian, and Brian Urlacher. According to Rory and Larry, Peyton Manning's thumb hurts because he got a paper cut looking at his playbook and is wasting his time even showing up in Miami.
Rory had a hard time keeping his mustache on. Ha.. so thankfully he had a backup. When the video goes up, you'll see what I'm talking about. Scene 1-dark long black mustache, Scene 2-no mustache at all, Scene 3-short brown mustache. Awesome.
When I asked them what they would do if Mike Ditka walked in the door and offered them a beer I actually had to lean out of the camera shot so you couldn't see me laughing and the tears rolling down my face. I tried really I did. But I just couldn't get a question out without smiling, muffling laughter, or just plain cracking up. Nope, not exactly one of my more serious pieces in my career but definitely one of my favorites.
So I am hearing so many good things about this movie Pan's Labyrinth that it is going from being on my "Kinda Wanna See It" list (where "Dreamgirls" and "Babel" currently reside) to my "Heck Yeah I Wanna See It" list (joining "Hitcher" and "Saw IV" ). And I'm wondering how long until someone concocts a porn parody entitled Pants Labyrinth . "Hi, my name's Khaki and I'm kinky."
I'm sorry. I'm just having a Beavis and Butthead-type day. I was flipping channels earlier and came across the ABC Family channel (which is another way of saying "I was watching the end of 'Gilmore Girls'"). Anyway, here was the promo that made me do the Butthead giggle: "Everwood is next, followed by Smallville."
I need to get out more.
Right now I'm debating between heading to the gym and becoming far too involved with watching the Straight-to-Lifetime flick, "Dancing With Danger" (not to be confused with "Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?"). Seriously, if you ever come across this, I don't know how it is possible to turn away. It stars Ed Marinaro and Cheryl Ladd as a detective and a taxi dancer (I'm not sure who plays which role at the moment). There's a lot of good cheesy background saxophone and Ladd even does an undergarment scene. TV rules!
Phoenix was up by 13 with about seven minutes left, but the Knicks have converted three straight three-point plays (of both varieties) and now it's 99-92. Meanwhile, Amare Stoudemire has five fouls and David Lee is playing like Keith Lee when he was at Memphis.
But Phoenix has Mr. Potential Three-Time MVP. Nash buried a three from straight away and then he drew a charging fould on Jamal Crawford on a drive where Crawford made the basket (discounted).
But now Nash was just stripped and David Lee just scored on a lay-up and got the foul. The Knicks might have won this game if Eddy Curry hadn't gone down with what looked like a high ankle sprain early in the fourth quarter.
Right now it's 106-95 Suns with 2:24 to play. Not a piee of art, but Phoenix is getting the job done.
The Knicks, on the other hand, have some nice pieces that just don't add up to a puzzle. Curry can be a workhorse. Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and David Lee are all solid off the bench. And of course Starbury and Franchise are not playing tonight. But this is a team in search of a core, and of a style. Phoenix knows exactly what their roles are and what they want to do. That's the difference.
Kara Searle, ladies and gents:
Do you think Rolando Blackman resents that the Knicks have a player named Renaldo Balkman? I can just see him sitting there in retirement, watching his plasma TV, as this rookie usurps his name, somewhat, and saying, "Damn! A Blackman can't get a break!"
And has Knick forward David Lee met David Lee Roth yet? Twenty years ago his nickname would be "Diamond Dave". Today it would be "Blood Diamond Dave".
My sister emails teo tell em that on TV you can see that Stephon Marbury is wearing the equivalent of a four-year college education on each ear. Hey, it's his money. But it does make me think a little bit about "Blood Diamond" and the upcoming SAG Awards on Sunday night. I really hope that Leo or Djimon Hounsou win an award. Then, as say Leo is walking to the stage to accept his award, I want the producer to order his camera guys to shoot nothing but earrings of the actresses (or actors) in attendance. And as Leo is speaking, I want non-stop cutaways of those baubles. I want self-conscious expressions, awkward moments. Please.
Phoenix scored 40 points in the first quarter last night against Washington. Tonight they didn't break the 40-point barrier until about four minutes until halftime. Phoenix is not very impressive this evening, but still they're up 81-68 at the start of the 4th. Leandro Barbosa is just a roadrunner on the court and there's no other player like him. Right now he has 12 points but it's just fun to watch his motor. As I wrote earlier this month, if the NBA had a marathon, I think he'd win. I also think only three guys would agree to run it.
Had an old friend stop by at halftime. Sports Illustrated senior editor Mark Bechtel, alias "The Kid". The Kid and I have been friends for almost a dozen years now (non-consecutively) and he leads the league in "So's your mother" comebacks or variations thereof. But he's one of the wittiest people I know. If there's a real-life Chandler Bing, it's "The Kid".
And now, your moment of model...Missy Rayder (I wanted to run a photo of Loan Chabanol, but I couldn't find one that I'd be able to run without being unemployed tomorrow. You'll have to do that search yourself. You'll have to be the Loan Ranger).
By the way, Sam is looking at the Photo Tip Sheet and noticed that Mike D of the Beastie Boys gets to be cited as "Mike D". "I like that," Sam says.
Okay, there's no Models vs. Cancer Classic, but who wouldn't watch.
Anyway, the Knicks went up by as much as ten points, thanks to center Eddy Curry playing as if he's only getting paid should New York win. Curry has 21 points; his career high, which came earlier this season versus Milwaukee, is 36.
And that's how many points the Knicks had when they held their ten-point lead, 36-26. But then the Suns, who looked rusty throughout the first half, clawed back. Raja Bell tossed a skyscraper high alley oop to The Matrix, who was floating along the left baseline, and that seemed to fire up the Phoenicians. They tied it up at 42, and lead 49-46 at the half.
So I'm at the World's Most Famous Arena, watching my favorite team as a boy (the Knicks) play my favorite team since my teen years (Phoenix).
First Knicks game. I think it was 1974. My dad took my brother and I. The Knick starters were Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Dave Debusschere and Willis Reed (all now in the Hall of Fame) and the sixth or seventh man was Phil Jackson. The opponents were the Milwaukee Bucks, who started Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson (two of the top ten players in league history) and--I think--Lucius Allen, Bob Dandridge and Curtis Rowe. Anyway, that was the beauty of the NBA when there were about half the teams that exist today.
Great thing about the Garden's p.r. staff: they hand out a "Photo Tip Sheet" to us scribes to let us know what celebs are in the house. Tonight's sheet includes eighteen names, eight of whom are designated as "models". Spike Lee is here, but he's not on the sheet. They've sort of retired his number.
Patrick Ewing is here under the affiliation "Knicks Legend". I would have written "Knicks Legend/Model Connoisseur".
For your enjoyment this evening, I'll try and feature a different model in each blog entry tonight. For my entertainment, too, of course.
The Game
If you think counterintuitively, which I like to do, you have to go with the Knicks tonight. Because everything is slanted against them. Two nights ago the 'bockers gave up 27 unanswered points at Miami, which is believed to be a league record. And one night before that the Suns outscored the Minnesota Timberwolves 31-2 during one stretch of the game.
I'm going with the Knicks tonight.
Speaking of 31-2, should the Suns win tonight that would be their record in their past 33 games.
I like the Knicks.
The Suns scored 76 first-half points at Washington last night.
Knicks cannot lose. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.
Finally, the Suns currently lead the NBA in FG %, FT %, 3-point % and scoring. Never has an NBA team led the league in all four categories.
Knicks. Pick the Knicks. It'll be close, but this is the Knicks' seventh game of the World Series. For Phoenix it's Wednesday night and they're pissed that they have to fly out to Milwaukee right after the game.
More with Mardy Fish...
Andy said he was playing as good as he cany play when you two met up in the quarterfinals. How would you describe your playing?
Andy played great out there yesterday. Everything that I came up with, he came up with someone better. Just one of those matches I guess.
What has this Major done for your confidence as a player?
Doing well in this tournament has been great for me, not only has it moved my ranking back into the top 25 in the world but it helps with confidence as well, knowing that I can play with anyone.
Can Roddick beat Federer?
I think Andy has a great shot of taking out Roger. If he plays as well as he played out there yesterday he can beat him. Roger is playing great as well and when he is playing his best tennis no one can beat him. But it will be interesting to watch!
Obviously you're going to move way up in the rankings. What are your goals for this year?
My goals haven't changed for this year. No real ranking goals, simply to just get better and better and keep working hard. I think everything else will take care of itself if I do that.
INDIANAPOLIS - Asked today if there was any chance the Super Bowl would be the final game he coaches for the Colts, Dungy said, "It's something I haven't thought a whole lot about. I'll sit down with Jim (Irsay) at the end of the year and I'll sit down with my wife and we'll do what we do at the end of every year. The first thing is you have to make sure they want you back. I never take that for granted anymore."
Not thinking about it "a whole lot" means of course that he has thought about it some. According to some of the local beat writers here in Indy, Dungy intimated in past years that he might step down if he ever won a Super Bowl.
A few other nuggets....
On When He Realized He Was "OK" After the Death of His Son James Last year
* "I still don't know that I'm going to be OK. It was never anything that flashed for me, it just was time to move forward."
On Who He Feels Happiest For
* "I was very happy for our staff. I was standing up there on the podium thinking these guys are going to get to go and experience it. You're happy for equipment men and trainers, guys who work 20-hour days all year and never get any notoriety. You're happy for them. And I'm probably most happy for (owner) Jim Irsay. I thought (the runup to the game in Baltimore) the way that thing was played up was not right and he came through it like the strong man he is."
More on Irsay
* "When I was let go in Tampa, Jim called and said, 'This is not good negotiating but I want you to be my coach I don't care what it costs.' He's a very honest guy and his emotions are out front. It took me about an hour to say, 'This is going to be a guy I'll love to work for.' When we would get close and lose, he was the most disappointed person but it was always encouragement. Just a special guy to work for."
On Receiver Reggie Wayne, whose brother Rashad Died Earlier This Year
* "Reggie has done (played) in such a way that you know he was playing for more than himself this year."
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts have stepped out of the AFC Championship afterglow and are now onto preparing for the Bears.
Here at the Colts complex, head coach Tony Dungy just finished speaking at the podium. He was preceded by Adam Vinatieri, Booger McFarland, Rob Morris and Peyton Manning.
Some highlights from the Dungy press conference were:
On the Team Behaving Itself in Miami
* "We stressed that it's a business trip. We want to go down and enjoy our families and enjoy the moment. It's got to be a business trip and you're going down to win the ballgame. I had three guys speak to the team, Adam Vinatieri, Anthony McFarland and Ricky Proehl, all guys who have gone to the game and won. The guys did a good job of painting the picture for the team."
* The Colts will have no curfew Monday but will for the rest of the week.
On Peyton Manning's Bruised Thumb
* "He's fine. I didn't even really know about it until the next day. He threw the ball on the sideline and felt like he was going to be OK. He'll practice today and we anticipate everything being fine."
* Corner Nick Harper will sit for most of the week due to a high ankle sprain and his readiness will be gauged when the team gets to Miami.
On Bears coach Lovie Smith
* "Derrick Brooks (who played for Dungy and Smith in Tampa) called me and said, 'I'm so happy for you getting to the Super Bowl but you know I can't root against Lovie even though you were my head coach."
****More to Come******
So I was rubbing my eyes awake this morning when I came upon a story on the college basketball page of this site whose headline read, "SHAME ON NOTRE DAME".
Now, I don't object to that headline. No, in the words of Lt. Cmder. JoAnne Galloway, "I strenuously object."
Seems the writer of the piece, Roger Rubin, is taking Notre Dame to task for too harshly discipling senior basketball player Kyle McAlarney. In late December McAlarney was pulled over by cops and was found to have a joint in his car. McAlarney, the starting point guard for the Irish, entered a pre-trial diversion program to avoid facing prosecution.
Notre Dame, as is its policies with all of it students, sent McAlarney home while a faculty-student advisory board decides McAlarney's fate.
That the Irish are having a surpringly successfull season (16-4) or that other Big East schools have meted out softer punishments for worse transgressions--crimes that Rubin cites to bolster his argument--is not the point. Though the writer of the piece believes it is.
To which I can only respond, "Are you high, man?"
If you don't agree with the rule, Roger, that's fine. But the rule is the rule. And Notre Dame is a private institution, so McAlarney freely chose to obey those rules when he accepted his scholarship. What gives a place (or a person) integrity is the fortitude not to let mitigating circumstances, ones that will benefit them in the short term, tempt them into doing what's convenient.
First of all, Notre Dame was on winter break when McAlarney was caught and has been on such for most of the time since. So his issue needed to wait until classes reconvened. But McAlarney was on campus as a representative of the university, in the midst of his season, that day. So he is accountable.
I'm not interested in seeing Kyle McAlarney's life get ruined over one joint. But can you imagine if McAlarney had been given a free pass as opposed to a non-varsity athlete student who would have had to face possible suspension and an advisory board review? Then the columnists would have been all over the Irish.
Rubin's two arguments appear to be, 1) It wasn't that serious and 2) All the other kids are doing it. Those are indefensible positions--if you're five years old.
At Air Force Academy (or the Naval Academy, or West Point), if your professor catches you cheating on just one assignment there's a good chance you'll be out of that institution within 24 hours. At Notre Dame if you break parietals (curfew; each dorm at Notre Dame is single-sex), which is to say, if you're caught staying beyond midnight (or 2 a.m. on Friday at Saturday) in the room of another student of the opposite sex, you're gone for the semester. No questions asked.
If you don't like it? Go to St. John's or UConn. But don't condemn Notre Dame to a double standard. The Irish are always knocked for being hypocrites, for supposedly being no different than any other school when it comes to major revenue sports. But then when Notre Dame takes a stand that shows it isn't, it still gets beaten up in the press?
There's a college basketball analyst on ESPN-- a very good one, in fact--who also began his college career as a point guard at Notre Dame. But in his freshman year he stole his roommate's credit cards and ran up $900 worth of charges. He was booted off the team. Two years later, at Oklahoma State, he led the nation in assists.
Is he a bad person? No. But he broke an established rule and he faced the conseuquences. I'm sure Notre Dame missed him on the court, but those are the rules.
Oh, and while we're at it, why not take the Ivy League and Harvard to task? Harvard's top scorer and rebounder, senior 7-foot center Brian Cusworth, had to stop playing for the Crimson after their Jan. 12th game versus Dartmouth. It's kind of a drawn-out tale, but basically Harvard students have only eight semesters in which to finish their undergraduate studies and Cusworth, who sat out a year, has used up his academic eligibility. So while if Cusworth, a legitimate NBA draft pick, were at most any other Division I school he'd still be playing, there in Cambridge he is now just a very talented student assistant coach for the remainder of the season.
Stupid Harvard. They should change the rules to suit their needs and let Cusworth play. That's why Harvard remains so muddled in mediocrity.
Thoughts from a guy at 2 in the morning after watching a hard-luck hoops team lose its 19th game without a win this winter:
OSCAR NOMINATION THOUGHTS
1. If Jackie Earle Haley, nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "Little Children", should happen to win, that would give the Bad News Bears to Academy Award winners from their team. How cool is that? Sure, the Durham Bulls can make the same boast, with the battery of Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) and Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), but there's something about seeing Kelly Leak winning an Oscar that gets me so excited that I may just, I may, well...I may even see "Little Children".
Let's assume Leak doesn't win. Then here's what I'd like to see: When the winner in that category finishes his acceptance speech, Chris Barnes (you know him as shortstop Tanner Boyle) enters from the side of the stage and barks, "Hey, Eddie (or Marky Mark)... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!"
2. These things happen in threes. Some smart casting agent should book the kid who played Engelberg for a John Candy-type role.
3. How pissed is Dakota Fanning that some other pre-pubescent female (Abigail Breslin) got an Oscar nomination before she did? "I will end her!" You can just see that, can't you?
4. "Good Morning, America" gets little Abigail (who played Olive in "Little Miss Sunshine") on the phone right after the announcements and honestly, you'd have to be an idiot not to ask her with the first or second question if she shrieked when she found out she'd been nominated as Olive had when she got her good news. Of course, no one did. And that's why Diane Sawyer makes the big bucks and you and I don't.
5. I hear Fanning read for a part in "Dreamgirls" just because she heard it was an Oscar lock.
6. No love for "Van Wilder 2: Rise of the Taj"?
7. Okay, so I was sitting courtside as a former Washington Bullet (Jeff Ruland) coached his team to a 19th straight loss. Meanwhile, the present-day Washington Bullets (Wizards) were losing to a team, the Phoenix Suns, that had just won their 14th straight.
I know what I wrote about the Suns the other night, and I still stick by it. But consider this. Not only are the Suns 30-2 in their last 32 games, but here are their two losses:
1) Arriving in Phoenix TWO HOURS before game time for an overtime losses to the Wizards because of the blizzard in Denver.
2) Losing on a last-second shot to the Dallas Mavericks, who are 35-4 since starting the season 0-4. And the guy who made the shot is arguably the league's most unguardable offensive weapon, seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki.
Give the Suns those two games ( I know; you can't) and that's 32 wins in a row and they'd be heading into Madison Square Garden this evening with a chance to match the greatest team record in NBA history: the L.A. Lakers' 33-game win streak in 1969-70. Think of how the Garden would be buzzing tonight if that were the story.
[DISCLAIMER: IF THE ABOVE TITLE DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO YOU, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR COMPUTER, PUT IN THIS DVD, AND WATCH. YOU'RE A FEW YEARS BEHIND IN THE WORLD OF POP CULTURE. CATCH UP MY FRIEND!]
"Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."
So I went to a professional photographer today to get headshots done. First time for everything and in true Tiff fashion, it was an experience. I am not a model. Nowhere close to it. Yet, after today, I am a tiny bit closer to understanding what Tyra is talking about on America's Next Top Model when she says "You gotta own it." However, understanding doesn't exactly mean executing.
"Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."
Derek Zoolander maked it look so easy in Zoolander... Blue Steel, Magnum, always nailing just the right look into the camera. He was the perfect male moo-dell. I was, well, a fun participant. We were set up in a make shift studio in an apartment on the Upper West Side with lights and gear and a computer ready to download all of the images as soon as they were ready. Since I just bought a new camera (Nikon D50) I was more interested in learning how to use it then making sure my hair was in the right spot.
"Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."
We had to go into Central Park and shoot some 'summery' looking pictures as well. Reminder it's late January with a high of 38 degrees. Once you take away the dead trees, the fleks of snow on the ground, the black winter coat and get rid of my red nose and cheeks, it will totally look like a nice 80 degree day in the middle of July! Say Cheese! After what seemed like three days, ok three hours, we narrowed down 400 plus pictures to some 260. It's pretty easy to pick out the bad ones, trust me.
The funny thing is once Gregg got on IM, I asked him how it went. He says: "It was fine. Pretty quick." Boys have it sooooo good. Overall, I have to admit I had a blast. The guys I worked with have done so many cool shoots within the fashion, music, TV and sports industries. They had some great stories... but we'll save all of that for another blog, another time.
Until then... "Pose, turn, tilt, lean, smile, fluff, look....right there! That's good. NIce."