There’s this weird thing in the sky in Los Angeles, I’m not quite sure what it is. I think it’s called the sun, but I don’t believe that.
Okay, enough about the weather. You’re not here, there’s no reason for me to brag about it. (Final word: faaaaannnnnnntastic) It’s finally Rose Bowl week. Although the questions posed to the players and coaches are quite similar to what we’ve been hearing for the past month, at least you can see the end in sight. For the Ducks who wanted to not think about an opponent while they were in Eugene, they finally can admit that yes, they are playing Wisconsin.
The press conferences are different than the BCS game against Auburn last year. First of all, it’s a much more controlled setting, set up like a normal press conference instead of a free-for-all. Second, and the nicest part, there are fewer than five billion media outlets here.
Last year every station from Alabama was in Phoenix. As were most from Mississippi. And a few from Georgia. No, I’m not kidding. Maybe two dozen, maybe 30 stations had somebody there. Trying to interview somebody, anybody one-on-one was- it wasn’t nearly impossible, it *was* impossible.
This year (so far) it’s been Madison and Eugene, and a few web-only cameras. So nine cameras at the most. That’s expected to change as the “big boys” from Milwaukee and Portland arrive. But still…. 15? Maybe? Half the amount as last year.
It’s also nice that I was also there last year, so I know how things work, kind of. Like athletes, I’ve been here before. It’s also interesting to watch how other stations and media outlets work. Usually, of course, we do our thing at our own stations. Here, however, we’re all working in the same room, so you see who’s stressing out, whos having trouble with their producers back home, and who has their stuff together. It’s entertaining.
So far, so good. We can only hope that continues.
