Chicago Style

"I walk through the valley of the Chi where death is
Top floor the view alone will leave you breathless"
--Jesus Walks, Kanye West

Every once in a while, I'm reminded of how blessed I am, and how many ridiculously fun things I get to do because of what I do. This past weekend in Chicago was one of those occasions, as I strolled out onto Soldier Field early in the fourth quarter of the Bears' shellacking of Reggie and the Saints, snow lightly falling and Chicago fans going crazy all around us. Thankfully Joel was on hand to document the occasion photographically...

Yeah, I was pretty stoked to be there, obviously. I had been to Chicago just once previously (en route to South Bend), and hadn't really gotten to experience the city, as it were. This time, we stayed right on the Chicago River, walked a little ways (through wind and snow, so great) to dinner (Giordano's, Chicago-style deep dish) with Eddie George (he treated, good man) and then cruised down to the game the next morning.

Anyways, on this occasion, I thought I'd reflect back on the last 12 months or so, and some of the amazing things I've been able to do (though I'm likely to forget some, I'm sure) and any previous blog references, if they exist. Though the tone might appear somewhat braggadocious (that's a real word, I promise), but it's honestly coming from a place of awe, like am I really this fortunate? Wow...

March '06: Spent a week in England (and two days in Norway), including three football matches. Arsenal-Fulham (Thierry Henry is the best player I've ever seen in person), Watford-Reading (Bobby Convey's not bad) and Manchester United-Newcastle United (my Magpies lost, but it was worth it to see Wayne Rooney score twice). Briefly discussed here

April '06: My first real feature shoot was in Denver for the Clippers-Nuggets playoff game, which didn't go as well as I had hoped (not my fault, I was assured), but I still got to meet a bunch of players and coaches and hang around courtside for an NBA Playoff game, which didn't suck. Also got to sneak up to Boulder for lunch with Pat after the morning shootarounds. Mid-way through the trip here

May '06: My second big feature shoot, hanging out with Jalen Rose at Game 7 of the Suns-Clippers series. In hindsight, two things are pretty cool--I was introduced to Jack McCallum, who was (as I know now) working on a book about the Suns' season, one which I just finished; and two, Jalen is now a Sun, and the chemistry between him and those guys was very evident back then (though I think Jalen would get along with pretty much anybody). At the time, it was obviously pretty cool too, chatting with (among others) Billy Crystal, Penny Marshall, Matt Leinart, T-O and Fred Couples (don't think Jalen knew who he was, but that's okay). A note about it here (also includes a note and photo from the next two...)

June '06: We did a show from Hermosa Beach, which meant hanging out with Hooters girls, SI swimsuit model Marisa Miller, US soccer player (and model) Heather Mitts--oh yeah, and our guys and Michael Strahan too. Also went to the Reno Rodeo with Leeann, which was very different for me (I even had a few cowboys lecture me about my choice of attire--long-sleeve button-down shirt and boots were the correct choice). Those people love them some rodeo, let me tell you. Best event by far was the mutton-bustin', where little kids ride sheep like the big boys ride broncos, and the crowd goes crazy for it. We were actually out on the dirt for that one, and one of the sheep (after losing its rider) almost jumped over Leeann's head, kinda crazy. Also was treated to a nice dinner (mexican place, I had fajitas) by Leeann before heading to the airport, which was obviously nice.

July '06: Got to sit in the booth for the Yankees-White Sox game at Yankee Stadium (Fox game, I was hired as a runner for the day), the highlight of which was walking through the Yankee dugout and then monument park after it had been closed to the public, and watching A-Rod drop bombs into the bleachers during BP. Mentioned here

August '06: Two days in Alabama for a fishing show, which was along the lines of the rodeo in that it's not something I've ever done or ever thought I'd be doing. The highlight was meeting Bo Jackson (Ken Stabler too), and spending a couple hours with Salley and Rose, fishing and trying to keep up with Dibble and Rodney (we lost, four fish to one).

Also worked the Evander Holyfield comeback fight in Dallas, which was amazing. Too much to recall, but it's blogged about in great detail here

September '06: Weekend trip to Arkansas for USC's season-opener. Managed a sideline pass, so I got to hang out down there and take some fun pictures, then hand it off so Michael and John could also experience the excitement. Real tight.

In addition, the most meaningful shoot I've ever been a part of, spending a day in New Orleans with Joe Horn (and interviewer Graham Bensinger), walking around the Lower 9th Ward (one of the most devastated areas) and then the Superdome, to which Joe hadn't returned since their last game there, more than a year prior. One of the days that I've felt most proud to be doing what I'm doing, definitely.

October '06: Journeyed to Notre Dame with a fellow producer for the UCLA game, which turned out to be as heartbreaking an experience as I've had in sports (in person). We still had an awesome time (how couldn't we), spending a couple hours on campus before the game to take in all the tradition.

November '06: Holyfield fight number two, this time in San Antonio, home of perhaps the greatest all-night Mexican restaurant in the world, Mi Tierra (it's actually the only one of which I'm aware, so I have a limited pool from which to draw). Fun times with Evander once again, though he wasn't as convincing this time around.

The dunks show also came to fruition (and aired), including an awesome shoot at a playground with T. J. Fontenette (And 1's "The Air Up There"). Talked a little about it here

December '06: Two weeks of vacation were pretty nice, including a Kings game with Michael and Jeffrey, and a UCLA basketball game with Dad (and a BCS national championship or two with the XBox version of the Washington Huskies). The holidays should always be this relaxing.

January '07: This is where it picks up and gets pretty ridiculous, starting with the Rose Bowl on the 1st, continuing with a week-long jaunt to St. Maarten on a private jet (weeks in the sun are pretty solid no matter how you get there, but still), then a weekend in Arizona for the BCS Championship game (on the field with Florida the whole time, so cool), and then this little Chicago trip. Geez.

Fortunately, there's still more to come next week (leaving for Miami on Saturday), since we're doing our show every day from the Surfcomber Hotel on South Beach, and I'll be taking in the Heat-Bucks game on Tuesday night, among other things (Joel and I are in charge of two segments entitled "Model Challenge"--I'm guessing that won't suck).

I suppose this post would qualify as a clip show, in that I didn't do much original material, just kind of looked back at previous work, but it's a post nonetheless, and I haven't been producing those with much regularity at all these days, so I'll take it. Hoping to add at least one from Miami next week, but we'll see...

Super Size Me

"Super size, super size, the American way
Going down, throwing down, all day, every day
Super size, super size, the American way
Getting fat, getting broke, either way you're gonna pay"
--Super Size Me, Toothpick

There are a few different connotations for the title of today's post, one of which is the movie of same name (the theme song of which is featured above), viewed for the first time in our hotel in St. Maarten last week, and a combination of images impossible to get over in any short order. After seeing said film, were I a fast-food eater of any repute (I don't consider my semi-monthly consumption of an El Pollo Loco Ultimate Grilled burrito to represent me as any kind of fast-food eater), there would be no possible way I could continue along that culinary path.
I'm not writing any longer on this topic, but allow me to make the Big Mac-Big Mac connection and bridge myself to the real thought du jour--the supersized baseball slugger (in general) and the left-out-of-Cooperstown Cardinals' former Big Mac (in France they call him Le Big Mac). I'm obviously quite pleased at the induction of Fat Tony, and Cal deserves to be there as well (what a great class of two), but the bigger news story on announcement day was that Mark McGwire received just 25% of the vote (far short of the required 75%), and will face a long, uphill battle in his quest to make it in future years. Much has been written on this subject by vastly superior sources, so I won't bore (all three of) you with preaching on either side of the argument, but I will offer my opinion, briefly, and with solid reason.
Mark McGwire belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I walked out of an elevator in my building today and stared right at reason number one for this assertion. A series of promos for Fox Sports (or maybe Fox Sports Net, doesn't matter) depicted fans experiencing great moments and affirmed our (the royal we) connection to them (the fans) through these memorable moments. The tag line was something along the lines of "We understand" or something more clever (slogans have never been my strength, and recalling the slogan in this case is not integral to the success of my argument), and these crazed Cardinals fans were leaping out of their seats (at home, on couches and recliners) to celebrate McGwire slamming home run number 62 back in 1998. Joe Buck's call is written out on the poster as well, and since you can't see what's on the TV, that's your only reference to the event taking place. These guys were good actors, and the joy on their face is quite evident, but there were millions of people--no actors necessary-- in the summer of '98 who celebrated just the same, watching an historic (I'm not sure why people tend to use "an" in front of "historic," but I think it makes me sound distinguished in this case, so I'm going with it) period in baseball.
I care not for the Cardinals nor the Cubs, and my Padres made it to the World Series in '98 (darn you, Tino Martinez), but I'll forever remember '98 as the year of McGwire, not of Caminiti, Gwynn, Kevin Brown and Greg Vaughn. He and Sammy essentially saved baseball that year (another point that's been made numerous times), and whether or not Mac's feats were chemically-aided (and who in their right mind didn't think so, even at that time), they brought great joy to all the people (starting to sound biblical, sorry) at a time when the whole sport (and its vast fan base) needed just that. Based on those on-field accomplishments (and they are numerous) and his bigger-than-the-game influence on fans across the country, I don't think speculation should be sufficient to bring him down. In fact, I don't even think factual confirmation of said speculation (should it ever become available) should be sufficient either, because there's no way we'll ever know how many players in the late 90's and early 00's were using "performance-enhancing drugs," hitters or pitchers (and don't even get me started on Clemens).
The whole period's numbers are skewed, but the best players from the period should still be in the Hall of Fame. Baseball's history will reflect that drugs (and the surrounding suspicions) dominated this time period, and the players who enter the Hall from said period will (unfortunately, in guys like Gwynn's case) be linked to all that shadiness. Baseball writers should not blackball a generation of players, because everyone (from MLB itself down to owners, managers, players, and even writers) is to blame for the epidemic that this whole steroids thing has become, and for one member of that group (the writers, most of whom turned a deaf ear to any speculation, as long as it was good for the game--and for readership of newspapers and magazines) to decry another (the players) reeks of hypocrisy to me.
Okay, so I wasn't as brief as I initially intended, but hypocrisy is one of the most frustrating things in the world, in any field, so I'm obviously quite passionate in my assessment of the situation. I'll lighten up from here on, I promise.

Quick recap of that last week-plus, starting on New Year's Day, with an associated thought or two:

• 1/1 - Rose Bowl game (Michigan vs. USC), 10th row up in the Vince Young corner - Dwayne Jarrett is rather good (though I talked to Keyshawn Johnson on our set yesterday, and he's not convinced Jarrett's going to be an amazing pro); the Big 10 is slow (more on this in a bit); flyovers are really cool
• 1/2 - flew from LA to St. Maarten via private jet (steak dinner at like 4 in the morning, fell asleep on a recliner watching "Talladega Nights"), spent the next week or so on the beach, napping and reading (and improving my skin tone from ghostly white to pale white)
• 1/7 - flew back to LA, spent the next day coming to grips with the fact that I was no longer on an island paradise in the Caribbean - watched some NFL playoff games, and by far the worst thing that happened on Sunday was Subway Jared's appearance in the CBS post-game studio
• 1/8 - flew to Phoenix, spent Monday night on the Florida sidelines with Leeann Tweeden, a venture (paired with my buddy Joel's time with John Salley on the Ohio State sideline) which turned into an excellent piece that aired on our show Tuesday night - the Big 10 is REALLY slow (Troy Smith, 6 yards? Really?); Chris Leak seems like a pretty weird dude; Florida's cheerleaders were way cuter; found out during a quick dinner break in the 2nd quarter Leeann and I were at the same beach in St. Maarten, within about an hour of each other, last week
• 1/9 - flew back from Phoenix and came right into work, which included a nice chat with Antonio Gates before his appearance - his humility and dedication to team first are inspirational (tough game this weekend, but I'm feeling pretty good)

I'm out, afternoon meeting AT THE PLAYBOY MANSION to go to. No joke.
And one last thing before I go: greatest music video of all time? Quite possibly. Wow.