By Scary Barry Rodriguez January 28, 2011
( HONOLULU )- Yet another practice at Kaolei High School for the crew. The Scary one and his media conspirators , Superbowlwayne " Mr. Emotional " and Paul " Merlin " were loaded for bear heading out to the High School. Superbowlwayne had his morning coffee, Scary Barry AKA Wild Man Barry stocked with water and Paul laden with technical equipment. On this Thursday we had no problem finding our way.
First thing in the parking lot, we all thoroughly sprayed ourselves with sunscreen and then sorted out our equipment. The NFC squad was up first and was already on the field. The Scary one could see coach Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons supervising the drills. He was easy to recognized because of the big game hunter hat he wore. Later, I would rib him about it. Big Paul , the security man, in his red shirt, was patrolling the sidelines. I had seen him every time in Hawaii , blotting out the sun with his bulk ! Fans were in the nearby stands eyeballing the players. Its all part of the big show.
Michael Vick did a special interview on the sidelines and drew a crowd. Superbowlwayne and his cameraman Mike were on the prowl. The Scary one was concentrating on who he was going to interview. There is no telling given the setup who he could get. Warm greetings were given to Will Kiss , PR man for the Oakland Raiders, Jason Jenkins , PR director for the Miami Dolphins ( a 49er connection ) and Merton Hanks , an ex 49er and all around good guy who works for the NFL now. There was a group of military veterans , who had obviously paid dearly to defend our country on the sidelines. Zak DeOssie, the long snapper for the New York Giants autographed balls for them and also gave me an interview.
Zach DeOssie spoke to me about what it takes to stay focused when you are a long snapper, saying " we have one job to do and no room for error " Being from the bay area I alluded to the famous 49er - New York Giants playoff game that featured a very high snap which cost the Giants the game. Zach spoke about how he practices on the sidelines during games to stay sharp. The fraternity of long snappers consists of only thirty two players. I brought up Brian Jennings of the San Francisco 49ers and Zach said he was one of the best. It was his second Pro Bowl and he was really enjoying Hawaii.
Before you could say " the surfs up ! ", the NFC practice was over and the squad headed toward the exit gate. The Scary one interviewed the NFC coach Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons. Smith was happy to be in the islands for the Pro Bowl. I complimented him on his big game hunter hat and asked him how the two Japanese coaches Akira Yonekura and Hiroyuki were doing at these practices. Mike said they were doing fine and told me he hadn't learned any Japanese yet. Nine Atlanta Falcons are at this year's Pro Bowl so its like coaching his team for him. His fullback Ovie Mughelli was nearby and he told me how excited he was to be walking around the practice and seeing players like Peyton Manning and others he was in awe of. There he was part of the same thing. Plus Mike Smith his coach was running the NFC squad . It was his dream come true.
The Scary one didn't nab all the interviews he wanted but had a good time. I had a good talk with Paul Gutierrez of COMCAST/SPORTSNET. Paul is a bay area sport's media fixture and very knowledgable. We traded Al Davis stories and he gave me his take on the Oakland Raider's press conference for Hue Jackson, that went down on January 18th. Al Davis didn't like something Paul had written and made a point of going after him at the press conference. At the time I didn't know what to make of it. There is always a back story in the Sport's world. After talking with Paul I realized that I still had a lot to learn. Sometimes the business is like a chess match !
After broiling in the hot sun the crew was tired and hungry. We stopped in a shopping center nearby the Kopolei High School. We invaded the local Taco Bell and the Scary one ordered the " Touchdown Volcano Pack " meal . It didn't really register with my broiled brain just what I had done. Superbowlwayne wisely played it conservative and ordered a generic cheese burrito. Soon I was breathing like a volcano ! Now I was hot outside and inside ! Most of the time Scary knows fast food !
The highlight of the meal is when the Japanese coaches Akira Yonekura and Hiroyuki Yabe entered the Taco Bell where we were eating. They didn't realize that now they were famous. Paul AKA " Merlin ", Superbowlwayne and myself immediately greeted them in American fashion. These guys were now part of the NFL elite not to mention getting to rub shoulders with the unadulterated charisma of Scary Barry. After heaping profuse praise on them we allowed them to order their food. Welcome to Hawaii !
By the way I neglected to mention that I had interviewed Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders. The interview was so short I totally forgot about it ! That is the situation when a player becomes a big star ! He really is a great guy but too many people want his interviews. There is only so much time !
Superbowlwayne dropped me and Merlin off at the Hilton Hawaiian village so we could chill out . We bumped into George and Kristy. During the whole week the Scary one would pass this couple coming and going. George is from Brooklyn and Kristy from Philadelphia. They are good folks and I hope my future fans. On the way to my room I saw Doctor Buzz, from The Doctor Buzz Show of The Daisey Network. Talking with people is the great thing about covering the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The non celebrities are a gas ! Besides the Scary one has enough charisma for everyone. During the day I made my most profound statement to my fellow media conspirators when I said " this caveman here represents the Future ! ".
Note: For my fans out there ! I have the GPS to your hearts baby !
Stay tuned for another exciting installment of The Road To The Pro Bowl 2011.
Courtesy of Scary Merlin Productions. barryrodriguez (c) 2011. all rights reserved.
( HONOLULU )- Yet another practice at Kaolei High School for the crew. The Scary one and his media conspirators , Superbowlwayne " Mr. Emotional " and Paul " Merlin " were loaded for bear heading out to the High School. Superbowlwayne had his morning coffee, Scary Barry AKA Wild Man Barry stocked with water and Paul laden with technical equipment. On this Thursday we had no problem finding our way.
First thing in the parking lot, we all thoroughly sprayed ourselves with sunscreen and then sorted out our equipment. The NFC squad was up first and was already on the field. The Scary one could see coach Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons supervising the drills. He was easy to recognized because of the big game hunter hat he wore. Later, I would rib him about it. Big Paul , the security man, in his red shirt, was patrolling the sidelines. I had seen him every time in Hawaii , blotting out the sun with his bulk ! Fans were in the nearby stands eyeballing the players. Its all part of the big show.
Michael Vick did a special interview on the sidelines and drew a crowd. Superbowlwayne and his cameraman Mike were on the prowl. The Scary one was concentrating on who he was going to interview. There is no telling given the setup who he could get. Warm greetings were given to Will Kiss , PR man for the Oakland Raiders, Jason Jenkins , PR director for the Miami Dolphins ( a 49er connection ) and Merton Hanks , an ex 49er and all around good guy who works for the NFL now. There was a group of military veterans , who had obviously paid dearly to defend our country on the sidelines. Zak DeOssie, the long snapper for the New York Giants autographed balls for them and also gave me an interview.
Zach DeOssie spoke to me about what it takes to stay focused when you are a long snapper, saying " we have one job to do and no room for error " Being from the bay area I alluded to the famous 49er - New York Giants playoff game that featured a very high snap which cost the Giants the game. Zach spoke about how he practices on the sidelines during games to stay sharp. The fraternity of long snappers consists of only thirty two players. I brought up Brian Jennings of the San Francisco 49ers and Zach said he was one of the best. It was his second Pro Bowl and he was really enjoying Hawaii.
Before you could say " the surfs up ! ", the NFC practice was over and the squad headed toward the exit gate. The Scary one interviewed the NFC coach Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons. Smith was happy to be in the islands for the Pro Bowl. I complimented him on his big game hunter hat and asked him how the two Japanese coaches Akira Yonekura and Hiroyuki were doing at these practices. Mike said they were doing fine and told me he hadn't learned any Japanese yet. Nine Atlanta Falcons are at this year's Pro Bowl so its like coaching his team for him. His fullback Ovie Mughelli was nearby and he told me how excited he was to be walking around the practice and seeing players like Peyton Manning and others he was in awe of. There he was part of the same thing. Plus Mike Smith his coach was running the NFC squad . It was his dream come true.
The Scary one didn't nab all the interviews he wanted but had a good time. I had a good talk with Paul Gutierrez of COMCAST/SPORTSNET. Paul is a bay area sport's media fixture and very knowledgable. We traded Al Davis stories and he gave me his take on the Oakland Raider's press conference for Hue Jackson, that went down on January 18th. Al Davis didn't like something Paul had written and made a point of going after him at the press conference. At the time I didn't know what to make of it. There is always a back story in the Sport's world. After talking with Paul I realized that I still had a lot to learn. Sometimes the business is like a chess match !
After broiling in the hot sun the crew was tired and hungry. We stopped in a shopping center nearby the Kopolei High School. We invaded the local Taco Bell and the Scary one ordered the " Touchdown Volcano Pack " meal . It didn't really register with my broiled brain just what I had done. Superbowlwayne wisely played it conservative and ordered a generic cheese burrito. Soon I was breathing like a volcano ! Now I was hot outside and inside ! Most of the time Scary knows fast food !
The highlight of the meal is when the Japanese coaches Akira Yonekura and Hiroyuki Yabe entered the Taco Bell where we were eating. They didn't realize that now they were famous. Paul AKA " Merlin ", Superbowlwayne and myself immediately greeted them in American fashion. These guys were now part of the NFL elite not to mention getting to rub shoulders with the unadulterated charisma of Scary Barry. After heaping profuse praise on them we allowed them to order their food. Welcome to Hawaii !
By the way I neglected to mention that I had interviewed Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders. The interview was so short I totally forgot about it ! That is the situation when a player becomes a big star ! He really is a great guy but too many people want his interviews. There is only so much time !
Superbowlwayne dropped me and Merlin off at the Hilton Hawaiian village so we could chill out . We bumped into George and Kristy. During the whole week the Scary one would pass this couple coming and going. George is from Brooklyn and Kristy from Philadelphia. They are good folks and I hope my future fans. On the way to my room I saw Doctor Buzz, from The Doctor Buzz Show of The Daisey Network. Talking with people is the great thing about covering the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The non celebrities are a gas ! Besides the Scary one has enough charisma for everyone. During the day I made my most profound statement to my fellow media conspirators when I said " this caveman here represents the Future ! ".
Note: For my fans out there ! I have the GPS to your hearts baby !
Stay tuned for another exciting installment of The Road To The Pro Bowl 2011.
Courtesy of Scary Merlin Productions. barryrodriguez (c) 2011. all rights reserved.
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