Tonight was the Press Dinner for Pacquiao vs. Mosley at Lupo at Mandalay Bay. On most big fights the promoter hosts a media dinner for about 100 writers, broadcasters and radio guys as as sort of PR bullshit marketing move. I was there to represent the Grand Garden Arena.
Sometimes I go to these painful events, sometimes not. Tonight I decided to go because my old boss Brener asked me to be there and I wanted to reconnect with some of my old media buddies. I got there around 6.45pish and as I'm standing at the entrance to the restaurant saying hi to the team checking people off the list, who walks in - radio boy. Talk about timing. I say hi and we exchange pleasantries. We decide to sit together; I couldn't have planned it better.
Earlier in the day I made a point to go see him in the media center. I wanted to get in front of him so he at least saw me. I'm finding that half the battle is just proximity. He was in the middle of work so I didn't want to bug him too much. So when I saw him at Lupo I made the most of my opportunity to get some more face time with him. He's actually quite engaging. This may sound strange but you can tell a lot about a man by the way he cuts his steak. Some men stab it and cut it like like they're digging a hole with a shovel - very barbaric. Others cut it like, well, not like a neanderthal. I'm not saying that a man's an idiot if he cuts his steak the wrong way. I am saying that you might be able to tell a little about his upbringing if he cuts it in a civilized manner. He was not a neanderthal.
Earlier in the day I went up to the press room to hang out with my pal Kieran. He owed me an autograph for his book The Great White Bear. We sat on one of the lounge sofas and chatted for about an hour. Kieran is one of my favs. He lives stateside but he's still got that great Irish charm. We spoke candidly about the fight, gossiped a bit, talked about our lives a little and mostly just hung out as friends do. He eventually signed my book with a funny, inside joke. While I may not actually ever get thru the book I'll definitely keep it for a lifetime simply because he signed it. It means that much to me. Thanks K.
Sometimes I go to these painful events, sometimes not. Tonight I decided to go because my old boss Brener asked me to be there and I wanted to reconnect with some of my old media buddies. I got there around 6.45pish and as I'm standing at the entrance to the restaurant saying hi to the team checking people off the list, who walks in - radio boy. Talk about timing. I say hi and we exchange pleasantries. We decide to sit together; I couldn't have planned it better.
Earlier in the day I made a point to go see him in the media center. I wanted to get in front of him so he at least saw me. I'm finding that half the battle is just proximity. He was in the middle of work so I didn't want to bug him too much. So when I saw him at Lupo I made the most of my opportunity to get some more face time with him. He's actually quite engaging. This may sound strange but you can tell a lot about a man by the way he cuts his steak. Some men stab it and cut it like like they're digging a hole with a shovel - very barbaric. Others cut it like, well, not like a neanderthal. I'm not saying that a man's an idiot if he cuts his steak the wrong way. I am saying that you might be able to tell a little about his upbringing if he cuts it in a civilized manner. He was not a neanderthal.
Earlier in the day I went up to the press room to hang out with my pal Kieran. He owed me an autograph for his book The Great White Bear. We sat on one of the lounge sofas and chatted for about an hour. Kieran is one of my favs. He lives stateside but he's still got that great Irish charm. We spoke candidly about the fight, gossiped a bit, talked about our lives a little and mostly just hung out as friends do. He eventually signed my book with a funny, inside joke. While I may not actually ever get thru the book I'll definitely keep it for a lifetime simply because he signed it. It means that much to me. Thanks K.
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