Super Bowl Blog: Media Day (And A Lot Of Walking)
INDIANAPOLIS (CBS) – As much as Media Day is about the players, it is called "Media Day" for a reason.
Gronk was out of his boot, Ochocinco was forced to go without a booth, and Bill Belichick was his normal self, but the media was just as big as the players themselves.
Take Peter from VH1. Dressed as an old school football player from the 20's, the "New Haven Pipefitters" to be exact, he made his way to each of the players and asked them various trivia questions.
Spell Belichick's last name. What does this picture of Tom Brady remind you of? Pizza or chowder?
Oh, and he made some of the Pats wear a red three-point hat as well. A very nice, and Patriotic, touch.
But he was just one of the many "characters" to grace Media Day (and the most entertaining one at that). There was also the "Nick Toons" super hero, who by the end of the day started taking footballs to the gut. Maria Menounos was in the house, sporting her Tom Brady jersey, but chose the wrong time to call for her Patriot fan friends while on the big screen. By the time the Indy crew got to her, it was the middle of the Giants media session. Giants fans did not approve, and let her know.
Video Blog On Media Day
My question is, if someone were to show up in a "Green Man" suit (from Always Sunny, not those guys in Vancouver) what would their credential look like?
Media Day is certainly an entertaining day, and it's a good way to step back and have some fun with the Super Bowl. There wasn't a player I saw that didn't have a smile on their face at one point, whether it be from the unusual questions (or even song requests) thrown their way, or pure joy that in just a few short days they would be playing for a championship on the field below them.
Of course, Gronkowski and Tom Brady drew the biggest crowds for the Patriots. WBZ-TV sports producer Joe Giza and I had the primo spots to get Gronkowski's walk out, anticipating a "boot shot." Luckily that was not the case, and we just got a few good pictures of his cleats. There was also no noticeable limp as he walked to his podium.
Gronk was his usual jovial and energetic self, but danced around (no pun intended) questions of his ankle. He kept responding he was "day-to-day" and stuck to his script.
Rich from Toucher and Rich spent the entire time with Gronkowski, and the guys were scheming during Gresh & Zo's broadcast (which was from the 50-yard line and one of the biggest envies of all the media in attendance). If you heard the giggles during Gresh & Zo, you can imagine what they have in store for Wednesday. Stay tuned for the "Best of" tomorrow from 6-10am on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with the T&R twist.
Letting fans in for the first time added to the madness, but also the enjoyment. They were given headsets and each player at a podium was broadcast on different channels, so fans could pick and choose who to listen to. I found this out after the fact, but it explained why there were random eruptions of cheering every few minutes (I thought it was for Maria at first).
Lucas Oil Stadium is unbelievable. I even had fun walking around it five or so times trying to find the WBZ live shot later in the day. From the outside it looks like a warehouse, a nice one at that, but inside it's a luxury stadium. The stands above both end zones look like they would give an amazing view (which I'd like to be able to enjoy… hint, hint CBS).
Overall, it was an eventful, but long day. Some computer issues throughout made it a bit stressful, but it is really hard to complain about the experience. An amazing pastrami sandwich with the WBZ crew (Dan Roche, Joe Giza, Al Goebel, Matt Colson and Jimmy O'Donnel) at Shapiro's served as a great breakfast at 7pm. I knew I would get closer to my fellow workers on this trip, but cramming six people into five seats (being the light-weight, and first to get out, I found my way onto someone's lap) was a little ridiculous. But at 8pm, you're willing to make some sacrifices to save a long walk...
And when I decided to close the day with a beer at the hotel bar (Sam Adams, of course) with one of the WBZ photogs, it was only fitting they had a replay of Super Bowl 42 (or XLII to you Romans) on NFL Network playing.
With an early morning ahead, I left after the Pats took a 14-10 lead…
Follow Matt Geagan on Twitter @MattyGWBZ
