Kevin_C's Blog

Just got back to our mobile HQ from New England Patriots Media Day.  If you're unfamiliar, Media Day is when the NFL lets all of the journalists into the stadium to interview all of the players and coach Bill Belichick.  Some of the players are set up in booths which are surrounded by reporters and camera crews, some of the players are roaming around the press area.  Press can mean anything from national media, international media, or cable. 

Unsurprisingly, this guy had the biggest throng around him:

When I arrived near the Tom Brady podium, I heard him ask "Come on, don't you guys have any stupid questions for me?"  Someone (I have no idea who) asked him what his favorite music group was.  This question was deemed "Not Stupid Enough" by New England's QB, but he did consent to give an answer: U2.

I was not close enough to ask Tom any questions.  I would have asked him how we in the media can get Bill Belichick to show us some love.

Randy Moss was also nearly impossible to get near.  There's a photo gallery of the whole shebang being created now (should be up soon, I'll link from here and it will also be linked from the Patriots Page), and I assure you that any photos of Brady and Moss contained therein are taxing my digital camera's "zoom" function to its limits.

Along with your typical sports-media types, there were some more gimmicky people running around (and I have not been shoved around like that since I was in the Japanese mass transit system during rush hour.  No wonder Bill Belichick is so taciturn with us!  We, collectively, have no manners.)

This woman, for example, was working for one of the Spanish-language broadcast outlets and showed up asking Tom Brady for his hand in marriage.  I missed the exchange but apparently Tom politely declined.  Other on-air gimmicks involved getting young children to interview players (who can deny answering the question of an adorable little moppet?  NOT PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS, apparently.), some dude walking around in a swami outfit (I asked him if he could predict the outcome of the game, but he was rushed away in a tide of media before he could answer.  My magic 8-Ball says "Ask Again Later" - it could be these signs are telling me that MANKIND WAS NOT MEANT TO PREDICT THE FUTURE.)

Here's Butch and photojournalist Walt getting ready to shoot a taped-inside segment for the FOX25 News at 5.  You'll be able to see a lot of the Media Day highlight there and at 10 and 11, but here are a couple of the other interesting bits I overheard.

Journalist: Who is the fastest receiver on the Patriots?

Randy Moss: Randy Moss!

Journalist: Who is the quickest receiver on the Patriots?

Randy Moss: Randy Moss!

Journalist: Who is the strongest receiver on the Patriots?

Randy Moss: Uhmmmmmm........ Randy Moss!

Tom Brady, near the end, talked a lot about global warming and urged everyone to watch the film "An Inconvenient Truth" - someone asked him what kind of car he drives and he replied "I drive a hybrid."

More to come soon.

Kevin