The ‘Blogler Does the 2011 ESPYs Pre-Party
As I'm sure you know by now, thanks to a shot in the dark tweet and some very generous donations, I was invited and able to cover the 2011 ESPYs in Los Angeles last week. The night before the show (last Tuesday), most to all of the presenters, nominees, and other big names in the sports and entertainment world attended the ESPYs pre-party at Spot 5750 in Hollywood.
There was a short red carpet (actually black) outside the entrance where most of those in attendance (list) would stop for pictures and interviews. Being a 'Blogler and only that, it took me a while to warm-up and get the courage to shove myself into a spot and ask someone for an interview, but I eventually mustered up the courage to do so. I wanted to keep all of my questions Auburn-related because that's all you really care about, but because of that, I was limited in who I let myself talk to.
My first interview was with Stephen A. Smith, followed by Warren Moon, followed by a valiant attempt at Cam Newton. I got one quick message from him, but he was whisked down the line (you'll notice a theme with that in later posts), where he eventually stopped at Vibe Magazine. I did get that whole interview on video (below) as well as another quick exchange with another media outlet.
After everyone was inside, thanks to Keri Potts of ESPN, who set this whole thing up for me, I was able to go inside as well. Here's the ticket:
Your Auburn Dads
Last week, with Father's Day on the horizon, I asked for your favorite Auburn-related memories that included your dad, and you definitely delivered. I had planned on picking a few to post, but all were too awesome to leave out. That means this post is going to be long, very long, but it's worth it. If you love Auburn, read them all.
These were so good that it's given me an idea that hopefully will come to fruition in the next year. Stay tuned, and thanks again to all that took the time to tell me about your dads. If you have a story to tell, please feel free to send it in and I'll add it to this post.
"My father (John Sharp, Class of 1949, Forestry-right in photo) won the beard growing contest one year while at Auburn! The annual contest was held by the Forestry Department. He also wore his Auburn belt for years until it finally broke. I remember fearing that belt! Today, It belongs to my daughter, Casey Page, Class of 2009! As my father would say, Auburn gave him something that no one could take from him! An education! War Damn Eagle, Daddy!" --Pam Sharp Cray
"The week after the AU men's basketball team lost to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament in 2002 or 2003, my Dad happened to be on campus at Auburn. He graduated in '72 and was a Lifetime member of the Alumni Assoc. He passed a young man who was wearing a Syracuse hat so he stopped him and asked him what he was doing wearing it? The guy kinda laughed and said it's not because of the basketball game, he attended Syracuse before he came to Auburn. To which Dad replied, "Hell I attended kindergarten before I came to Auburn but you don't see me wearing a kindergarten hat!" The guy removed the hat." --Drue Knowles
Charles Barkley Does the Stanky Legg
Charles Barkley calls Bo Jackson the 2nd-best athlete in Auburn history. I don't know about that, but we all know Bo is definitely the better golfer. Barkley's disgustingly terrible golf swing has been documented and laughed at worldwide, but it met a new low Wednesday at the 1st tee of the Regions Tradition Pro-Am at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, AL. As you'll see, the usual hitch in his swing was joined by a new shake of the legs. It was so bad, it even broke his driver.
No idea what the Stanky Legg is? Here you go.
Where Do We Celebrate For Now?
This past Monday night, following President Obama's announcement that U.S. Forces had killed Osama Bin Laden, students across the nation filled the streets, bars, and other favorite spots around their campuses to celebrate. For George Washington students this meant storming the area outside the White House lawn. For Penn State students this meant gathering at Beaver Avenue to shoot fireworks while dressed in costumes. Of course, 95% of the crowds were probably guys just looking for a party, but it was still a pretty cool thing to see.
However, when I sent out a tweet requesting pictures or videos of Auburn students celebrating, the two main responses I got back were "studying for finals" (which is somewhat understandable) and "Toomer's is blocked off" or something to that effect. That's when it hit me: in Auburn, no Toomer's equals no celebration. This was a great chance to take part in a great American celebration using one of our most storied traditions, even though it had nothing to do with Auburn (unless you count this), but there was nothing to do because no one could get near the trees.
Video Highlights from the AUSPYS
Last Monday Night, the Auburn Athletic Department hosted the inaugural AUSPY Awards (obviously derived from ESPN's ESPY Awards), honoring the top student-athletes for the 2010-2011 school year. In this highlight video you will see a few awards being given out, a banjo being played, and Jorrell Bostrom singing a song, but my favorite moment is Jack White of Sports Illustrated punking Gene Chizik. Just try to get past his grandfather-style jokes at the beginning and the rest is all good.
Here's the all sports highlight video that I assume was played at the AUSPYS. It was a pretty good year in Auburn Athletics to say the least.
2011 Auburn Basketball Season Highlights
Go ahead, make your jokes about there being no such thing as highlights from Auburn basketball and prove that you didn't watch a game this season. Barbee is building a program. Watch and see.
Video from Auburn Athletics.
2011 WarBlogle.com Bracket Challenge Final Standings
Congratulations to David Pierce for taking the top spot in the 2011 WarBlogle.com Bracket Challenge! David has won the ever popular WarBlogle.com t-shirt. If you want your own or one for your dog, go get one.
As expected, the top five spots all chose UConn. This just goes to show how important picking the champion is in the Bracket Challenge. If you look at 2nd place, Olas Connolly actually correctly picked two more games than David, but they were apparently first round games that only counted as one point.
Thanks to the 231 of you that participated. Come back next year, and bring your friends.
If you weren't in the top 10, or just want to see how far I fell, go view the full standings.
2011 Bracket Challenge Standings after the Final Four
If UConn beats Butler, David Pierce wins. If Butler beats UConn, Glenna Neilson wins. The suspense is killing me.
To see the rest of the list, you can go view the standings on our bracket group's page.
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