There are certain perks to covering a Super Bowl, and this is No. 3 for Sir Scribble. The Perks: A week in a warmer climate than back home and dining on the company dime, a chance to potentially see history and meet up with other reporters.
But the bill comes due on Tuesday -- Super Bowl Media Day.
Nearly 4,000 of us were bused to Glendale and the University of Phoenix Stadium on Tuesday morning for the annual rite of passage -- an hour with the Patriots, an hour to recuperate over a bad brunch, an hour with the Giants, a bus ride back downtown and then time to crank out passable prose.
A timeline of Media Day (all times Mountain):
8:45 a.m.: On the bus alongside venerable Times columnist Dan Daly, covering his 24th Super Bowl. We're dreading the bus ride ... until the police escort arrives.
9:15 a.m.: Pull up to the University of Arizona Stadium. It looks like a flying saucer.
9:43 a.m.: First celebrity sighting, if you can call former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler a celebrity. She's working for The Tonight Show. We bet she'll ask better questions than Leno.
9:46 a.m.: The media is allowed on the sidelines. On field level are 11 risers for prominent players and the head coach. In the bleachers are seven "stands" for coordinators, ownership, starting players. Moments later, the roof is opened.
10:03 a.m.: Bill Belichick appears wearing blue jeans and flip-flops.
10:15 a.m.: "Entertainment Tonight" has set up a red carpet complete with a rope for stupid interviews involving a gorgeous woman and Patriots' back-up players.
10:20 a.m.: Another norm of Media Day is every Tom, Dick and Harry television and radio station wanting to interview ESPN's Chris Berman. And he'll acquiesce to nearly every request. But photographs are a little much. "I'm working here, but let's go," he told one person.
10:26 a.m.: Tom Brady gets a marriage proposal. It seems as if every single television journalist in Mexico is at the Super Bowl. This woman is dressed in a racy bridal gown and pops the question to No. 12. "That's the first proposal I've gotten at one of these," he said. "I'm a one-woman man."
10:35 a.m.: The stuffed animals are back. These things must be all the rage south of the border. An official count reveals two furry creatures and one fortune teller guy wearing a turban.
10:42 a.m.: The following exchange between Randy Moss and "reporter" Donte Stallworth.
Stallworth: "Who's the fastest receiver on the team?"
Moss: "I've got to say … Randy Moss."
Stallworth: "The quickest receiver?"
Moss: "Let me think about this -- Raaaandy Moss."
Stallworth: "The strongest receiver?"
Moss: "[Practice squad player] Bam Childress … or Randy Moss. … Next question -- get outta here Stallworth."
11:02 a.m.: Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, a possible candidate for the Redskins job, declines to give Scrib the name of his agent or even reveal if he has representation.
12:00 p.m.: The Giants get their turn in the spotlight.
12:20 p.m.: It took awhile -- or maybe we were paying to much attention to the Mexican bride -- but we get the first religious question. It's posed at Amani Toomer. We won't bore you with the answer. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is peppered later on with the same topic.
12:32 p.m.: For approximately the 123rd time since the Giants beat the Packers, punter Jeff Feagles is asked about being old as dirt by pro football standards. At age 41, he will be the oldest player in Super Bowl history.
12:43 p.m.: The Michael Strahan Show is into its second half-hour. In a span of 10 minutes, he will quote the "Rocky Balboa" movie ("I actually didn't mind that one," he said) and sing a few notes of an Alicia Keys song ("Don't sing," some Giants support personnel yell from the bleachers).
12:57 p.m.: A camera crew from the military asks Spagnuolo to send a few greetings to the troops.
1 p.m.: Several Giants practice quad players -- wearing eye-black stickers that say 'Kellie' and 'Pickler' get their picture with Deion Sanders.
1:04 p.m.: It's over. Thank goodness.
