SIAP, here’s some thoughts from tonight. Sorry for the brain dump, maybe I’ll come back and edit. Work was busy today, so I missed the daytime events.
Cocktail Hour
Random Stuff
So here’s the “but.” I know this is nitpicky and will sound silly, so with those disclaimers out of the way... he didn’t wear a suit. He wore a sports coat and khakis.
It’s an event that was being filmed, attended by major donors, and had a business attire requirement. He was sitting next to Alvarez and Revsine who were both wearing suits. It just looked sloppy. What gets me is he’s clearly a smart guy, who knows how to schmooze and normally dresses appropriately. It’s not like his blazer was red and I’m sure he has a hundred suits. There was zero reason not to wear one. He also made an odd throw away reference to his Rose bowl comment. Again, I’m a fan of the guy overall.
Mike Teel - I was impressed. He was quoting stats and records from his playing days, and came off very sharp talking about the issues the program faces. I’d love for him to get more involved with the next staff.
Here’s a shot I took of the ice sculpture near the entrance.
Cocktail Hour
- No one checked tickets at the door. There was a red carpet outside. I showed up late, so not sure if anything was done with that. It was a nice venue... I was pleasantly surprised.
- Waiter passed apps were very good. Lobster Mac n Cheese, Filet, etc. Top shelf open bar. I was expecting more people, but it was not crowded at all. Also not that many people wearing red either.
- We were then ushered into a small auditorium. Dave Revsine (BTN) was the host and ran through some housekeeping issues (We’re filming a tv show, don’t yell anything, etc.). The program will air next Monday.
- The interview lineup began with a professor from PSU (didn’t catch the name). The middle panel had Battaglia, Leonard, and Teel. The last panel was Alvarez and Hobbs. Jim Delany did not join, though I thought I saw him in the audience.
- It took about 90 minutes. I’m thinking this could make a good hour show if it’s edited down.
- Revsine interviewed everyone. I wasn’t aware that he had written a book about the early days of college football. The professor was an expert on that period and they had some interesting points. Some things that stuck out to me...
- Intercollegiate sports only became possible after the railroad was built.
- The first game wasn’t like rugby at all, it was like soccer. Rugby style only came decades later.
- Rutgers and Princeton played twice that first year, but the rules of the game were completely different each time. The host chose the rules, which is probably why the home team won both.
- Both teams went out for drinks and played pool before the game. (I’m thinking this could be the first tailgate).
- Next was the player panel. I barely recognized them... it’s been a while. Brian Leonard is smaller than Mike Teel now. Some funny bits here and there. Schiano’s name came up nonstop. It was clear how important he was in their development. One quick story from BL... Schiano had assigned individual cops to essentially do secret service details for each of the key players post Louisville ’06. I’ve seen a negative slant on the board about Schiano micromanaging. Just think about this for a second though... he game planned down to the field being stormed postgame and had prepped officers on which players they were assigned to shadow/escort off the field.
- Finally came Hobbs and Alvarez. Nothing else really matters besides Hobbs saying some nice things about Schiano. Whether real or not, it came off as genuine and heartfelt. Based only off tonight, I see Hobbs having zero hesitation in pulling the trigger on Schiano if/when that’s what it comes down to.
Random Stuff
- Ok, holy sh*t... there was a phone ringing every two minutes. LITERALLY there was a phone ringing every two minutes. And not like it rings once, and the person quickly silences their phone. More like my phone is ringing, I’m going to let it ring three times, then take it out of my purse so it’s even louder, and then stare at it until it goes to voicemail. Someone’s ringtone was U2’s Beautiful Day. That person either doesn’t have voicemail or they were just playing the actual song because I heard multiple choruses... nearly the whole G*damn song played in the middle of taping a tv show!
- There was a small table on the stage between the host and panelists. It had a black B1G football helmet on it. It would have been nice if it had been a Rutgers helmet.
- The professor was wearing some ridiculous sandals. I’m expecting only close upper body shots to air on BTN. He was a joker with several funny lines, but plenty of clunkers as well.
So here’s the “but.” I know this is nitpicky and will sound silly, so with those disclaimers out of the way... he didn’t wear a suit. He wore a sports coat and khakis.
It’s an event that was being filmed, attended by major donors, and had a business attire requirement. He was sitting next to Alvarez and Revsine who were both wearing suits. It just looked sloppy. What gets me is he’s clearly a smart guy, who knows how to schmooze and normally dresses appropriately. It’s not like his blazer was red and I’m sure he has a hundred suits. There was zero reason not to wear one. He also made an odd throw away reference to his Rose bowl comment. Again, I’m a fan of the guy overall.
Mike Teel - I was impressed. He was quoting stats and records from his playing days, and came off very sharp talking about the issues the program faces. I’d love for him to get more involved with the next staff.
Here’s a shot I took of the ice sculpture near the entrance.