GaryMrMets
02-02-2005, 11:02 PM
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/special1/article.adp?id=20050201195809990006&ncid=SPR0001200501290000000001
Updated: 09:56 PM EST
Notebook: Now, WR Mitchell Feels Disrespected
Brash Receiver Is Upset He Had No Podium at Media Day
By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 1) - Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell fired another verbal shot Tuesday. This one, though, was at his own organization.
Mitchell said he was no longer speaking to Derek Boyko, the team's director of media services.
"I'm not even talking to Derek Boyko anymore because they didn't even have a podium for me," Mitchell said at the Super Bowl's official media day.
Boyko downplayed the comments, saying Mitchell was probably joking. But Mitchell, who loves the spotlight, appeared serious.
Eleven players, including just-signed backup tight end Jeff Thomason, addressed reporters from a podium, while other players were assigned a specific location in the stands.
Mitchell may have been bumped from his spot because he dissed New England's secondary last week. Known more for his big mouth than making big plays, the Eagles' other loquacious receiver - the one without the All-Pro pedigree and ankle injury - said he didn't know the names of most of the defensive backs. He also took a dig at Pats safety Rodney Harrison.
"I think they've been hiding me from the media," said Mitchell, who caught 22 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Later, Mitchell said only quarterback Donovan McNabb deserved his own podium.
Thomason, who played in two Super Bowls with Green Bay in the 1990s, was surprised he was set up in a prime location.
"My last two media days when I was with the Packers, I was over in the corner trying to get someone to talk to me," he recalled. "This is definitely a thrill."
Pro Bowl Reservations
Troy Aikman wants to do away with the Pro Bowl. He says most players feel the same way.
Aikman, who once was fined by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue for leaving the game after the third quarter, thinks the season should end with the Super Bowl. He will announce Sunday's game for Fox TV.
"Paul Tagliabue won't want to hear this," Aikman said Tuesday, "but nobody wants to play in the Pro Bowl. Everybody wants to be voted and go to Hawaii and be there. Nobody wants to play.
"I don't watch it. I don't know who watches it."
Aikman suggests holding a skills competition in lieu of the game, believing it will be more compelling for any fans at home who want to watch.
He said it's especially a difficult game to play in if you've just finished playing in the Super Bowl.
"Going to play another game is the last thing you want to do after a long season and the Super Bowl," he said. "And guys have been hurt over there."
Aikman nearly was injured in the 1993 game when he was decked by a blitzing Derrick Thomas - even though blitzing is outlawed in the Pro Bowl.
"It's a dangerous game to me," he said. "I'm not supposed to say it, but I don't know why they play it."
Snazzy Attire
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice and former Chicago Bears defensive tackle William "Refrigerator" Perry were among the celebrities posing as journalists on media day.
Rice was easy to spot because of the hooded black, white and gray chinchilla fur jacket he was wearing, and the Fridge was just as easy to find because he still appears to weigh close to 400 pounds.
Rice, working for the NFL Network this week, is a former high school teammate of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb. Asked how far back he goes with the Eagles quarterback, Rice quipped: "Underwear and diapers."
Please Coach, Please
A reporter for Nickelodeon's U-Pick Live - standing on a riser and dressed in a superhero-type outfit featuring a mask and cape - spent nearly 10 minutes in an unsuccessful bid to get in a question to New England coach Bill Belichick.
Despite pleas from the masked man, Belichick continued to answer questions from others surrounding the podium where the coach was seated.
"How can you miss the guy in the cape," he said after one attempt to get Belichick's attention failed.
The man finally gave up when the coach didn't acknowledge one last plea: "Coach, people consider you a genius. Can I get a question in?"
Just Happy to Be Here
A month ago, if anybody suggested to New England's Hank Poteat that he could wind up playing in this year's Super Bowl, the reserve cornerback would have considered it a cruel joke.
But when the Patriots put Ty Law on injured reserve after missing the last nine games of the regular season, Poteat was signed on Jan. 10. The fourth-year pro was released by Carolina during training camp and was taking classes at the University of Pittsburgh when New England called.
"The Super Bowl wasn't on my mind. I just wanted to get back into the NFL. This is a bonus," said Poteat, who saw action in the Patriots' playoff wins over Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. "I'm just happy to be playing for a great team."
Global Attention
Worldwide media exposure is one of the benefits of being the host city for the Super Bowl. Sunday's game will be televised to 222 countries in a Super Bowl-record 31 languages.
In all, 17 television and radio outlets from 11 countries will be in Jacksonville to broadcast the game on site.
The NFL estimates a potential worldwide audience of at least 1 billion people, with the game being carried in Arabic, Basque, Cantonese, Catalan, Danish, English, Farsi, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Greenlandic, Hindu, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish and Thai.
Worth the Price?
The official Super Bowl tour operator for both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles is selling tickets to the game that, when included in trip packages to Sunday's game in Jacksonville, Fla., cost more than four times face value.
The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that PrimeSport International has been charging $1,099 for same-day airfare from Boston for people who already have their ticket. The identical package with an upper-level end zone ticket was $3,299. The face value of that ticket is $500.
The Eagles have also designated PrimeSport as their official travel partner, and their fans are paying even more.
Same-day packages from Philadelphia without a ticket are $1,199 per person; with a ticket is $3,629 - a difference of $2,430.
Prices can vary based on location of the seat, with the best available seats costing up to $3,500 more.
Kell Kelly, a spokeswoman for Beverly Hills, Calif.-based PrimeSport, said Eagles fans may be paying more because of higher demand, because the team hasn't been to a Super Bowl since 1981 and the Patriots have been to three of the last four.
02/01/05 19:46 EST
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Super Bowl Facts and Figures
Site: Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.
When: Sunday, Feb. 6, 6:30PM ET
Teams: Eagles (15-3) vs. Patriots (16-2)
Line: Patriots by 7 | TV: FOX:
Super Bowl Media Day
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/02/05/20050201143409990013
All eyes are on Eagles WR Terrell Owens at media day, who states that he will play on Super Bowl Sunday.
Updated: 09:56 PM EST
Notebook: Now, WR Mitchell Feels Disrespected
Brash Receiver Is Upset He Had No Podium at Media Day
By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 1) - Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Freddie Mitchell fired another verbal shot Tuesday. This one, though, was at his own organization.
Mitchell said he was no longer speaking to Derek Boyko, the team's director of media services.
"I'm not even talking to Derek Boyko anymore because they didn't even have a podium for me," Mitchell said at the Super Bowl's official media day.
Boyko downplayed the comments, saying Mitchell was probably joking. But Mitchell, who loves the spotlight, appeared serious.
Eleven players, including just-signed backup tight end Jeff Thomason, addressed reporters from a podium, while other players were assigned a specific location in the stands.
Mitchell may have been bumped from his spot because he dissed New England's secondary last week. Known more for his big mouth than making big plays, the Eagles' other loquacious receiver - the one without the All-Pro pedigree and ankle injury - said he didn't know the names of most of the defensive backs. He also took a dig at Pats safety Rodney Harrison.
"I think they've been hiding me from the media," said Mitchell, who caught 22 passes for 377 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Later, Mitchell said only quarterback Donovan McNabb deserved his own podium.
Thomason, who played in two Super Bowls with Green Bay in the 1990s, was surprised he was set up in a prime location.
"My last two media days when I was with the Packers, I was over in the corner trying to get someone to talk to me," he recalled. "This is definitely a thrill."
Pro Bowl Reservations
Troy Aikman wants to do away with the Pro Bowl. He says most players feel the same way.
Aikman, who once was fined by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue for leaving the game after the third quarter, thinks the season should end with the Super Bowl. He will announce Sunday's game for Fox TV.
"Paul Tagliabue won't want to hear this," Aikman said Tuesday, "but nobody wants to play in the Pro Bowl. Everybody wants to be voted and go to Hawaii and be there. Nobody wants to play.
"I don't watch it. I don't know who watches it."
Aikman suggests holding a skills competition in lieu of the game, believing it will be more compelling for any fans at home who want to watch.
He said it's especially a difficult game to play in if you've just finished playing in the Super Bowl.
"Going to play another game is the last thing you want to do after a long season and the Super Bowl," he said. "And guys have been hurt over there."
Aikman nearly was injured in the 1993 game when he was decked by a blitzing Derrick Thomas - even though blitzing is outlawed in the Pro Bowl.
"It's a dangerous game to me," he said. "I'm not supposed to say it, but I don't know why they play it."
Snazzy Attire
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice and former Chicago Bears defensive tackle William "Refrigerator" Perry were among the celebrities posing as journalists on media day.
Rice was easy to spot because of the hooded black, white and gray chinchilla fur jacket he was wearing, and the Fridge was just as easy to find because he still appears to weigh close to 400 pounds.
Rice, working for the NFL Network this week, is a former high school teammate of Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb. Asked how far back he goes with the Eagles quarterback, Rice quipped: "Underwear and diapers."
Please Coach, Please
A reporter for Nickelodeon's U-Pick Live - standing on a riser and dressed in a superhero-type outfit featuring a mask and cape - spent nearly 10 minutes in an unsuccessful bid to get in a question to New England coach Bill Belichick.
Despite pleas from the masked man, Belichick continued to answer questions from others surrounding the podium where the coach was seated.
"How can you miss the guy in the cape," he said after one attempt to get Belichick's attention failed.
The man finally gave up when the coach didn't acknowledge one last plea: "Coach, people consider you a genius. Can I get a question in?"
Just Happy to Be Here
A month ago, if anybody suggested to New England's Hank Poteat that he could wind up playing in this year's Super Bowl, the reserve cornerback would have considered it a cruel joke.
But when the Patriots put Ty Law on injured reserve after missing the last nine games of the regular season, Poteat was signed on Jan. 10. The fourth-year pro was released by Carolina during training camp and was taking classes at the University of Pittsburgh when New England called.
"The Super Bowl wasn't on my mind. I just wanted to get back into the NFL. This is a bonus," said Poteat, who saw action in the Patriots' playoff wins over Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. "I'm just happy to be playing for a great team."
Global Attention
Worldwide media exposure is one of the benefits of being the host city for the Super Bowl. Sunday's game will be televised to 222 countries in a Super Bowl-record 31 languages.
In all, 17 television and radio outlets from 11 countries will be in Jacksonville to broadcast the game on site.
The NFL estimates a potential worldwide audience of at least 1 billion people, with the game being carried in Arabic, Basque, Cantonese, Catalan, Danish, English, Farsi, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Greenlandic, Hindu, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish and Thai.
Worth the Price?
The official Super Bowl tour operator for both the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles is selling tickets to the game that, when included in trip packages to Sunday's game in Jacksonville, Fla., cost more than four times face value.
The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that PrimeSport International has been charging $1,099 for same-day airfare from Boston for people who already have their ticket. The identical package with an upper-level end zone ticket was $3,299. The face value of that ticket is $500.
The Eagles have also designated PrimeSport as their official travel partner, and their fans are paying even more.
Same-day packages from Philadelphia without a ticket are $1,199 per person; with a ticket is $3,629 - a difference of $2,430.
Prices can vary based on location of the seat, with the best available seats costing up to $3,500 more.
Kell Kelly, a spokeswoman for Beverly Hills, Calif.-based PrimeSport, said Eagles fans may be paying more because of higher demand, because the team hasn't been to a Super Bowl since 1981 and the Patriots have been to three of the last four.
02/01/05 19:46 EST
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
Super Bowl Facts and Figures
Site: Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Fla.
When: Sunday, Feb. 6, 6:30PM ET
Teams: Eagles (15-3) vs. Patriots (16-2)
Line: Patriots by 7 | TV: FOX:
Super Bowl Media Day
http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/02/05/20050201143409990013
All eyes are on Eagles WR Terrell Owens at media day, who states that he will play on Super Bowl Sunday.