Day Two…

“Snowboarding is an activity that is very popular with people who do not feel that regular skiing is lethal enough.”–Dave Barry

The trepidatious feeling in my stomach lasted the entire walk from my condo in Lost Lake to the Whistlerblackcomb ski/snowboard rental shop this morning. I had difficulty swallowing my venti non-fat Starbucks latte and eating my Greek yogurt while I waited for someone to fit me for my boots and board. You see, this is my first time ever snowboarding…actually let me tell it to you straight…it is my first time ever doing any snow related sport, unless building a snowman with Ronde when we were six counts. Not only am I nervous about falling, I do tend to have a bit of an ego (if you could not tell) so falling while Yahoo! Sports is filming me (which is the most visited sports website in the world) has me a little racked with worry.

However, as always time marches on and so must I. I was finally fitted for my boots, goggles, and board and before you know it I was up in the gondola, trekking up the mountain with my confident instructor, Luke.

All geared up for my first time on the mountain

Luke, equipped with a British accent, informed me that I would be perfectly safe and assured me that I would not damage any limbs during my excursion down Whistler mountain. I was not so convinced.

True to his word, Luke kept me in one piece and I made it down the mountain alive and with a new found addiction to winter sports. During my hour-long lesson on the mountain I learned how to stop, not only by falling down, but also by using my feet and side of the board. I even impressed myself and actually made it off the “bunny slope” and onto the “magic carpet ride”…where I could actually keep up with the 8 year olds. The clip from Yahoo! Sports of my first snowboarding attempt will be posted on Yahoo! tomorrow so check it out and I will also post it on my upcoming blog.

My view during my snowboarding lesson

After a few falls and then a couple of successful runs (alright, just one truly successful ride downhill), I made my way down Whistler and then up to the top of Blackcomb Mountain where I met Richard Wyne and his German Shepard Border Collie Mix, Nora, from the Polar Solutions Search and Rescue team.

Richard and Nora are quite a pair. Nora has been with Richard for the past seven years as a partner searching for injured and lost skiers and snowboarders on top of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The amazing part of their career together is that they are never apart. Nora lives with Richard and his wife and even joins them on their vacations together.

Shooting on top of Blackcomb Mountain

So I had the pleasure of intruding on Nora and Richard’s day and they could not have been better hosts. Richard took Nora and I up through a hail storm on his search and rescue snowmobile to a remote location on top of Blackcomb. If I thought I was nervous about snowboarding, riding at 50+mph, a thousand feet above the valley floor through a hail storm, had me holding onto another man’s back for dear life. On top of the mountain, Richard showed me first hand just how proficient Nora is at her job.

Richard dug a hole in the snow and then proceeded to bury me in. Within minutes Nora found and “rescued” me from the location. The experience has allowed me to gain a further respect for just how intelligent our four-legged friends are and to appreciate the unique abilities that they have.

Nora on our way down Blackcomb

My crew and I left the mountain after our escapade with Nora and Richard and found that we had some time to spare before a press conference with the Johnny Spillane, the first athlete from the United States to win an Olympic medal in the Nordic Combined, so we went to Black’s, a local restaurant in the heart of Whistler village. I am mentioning this because if you read my previous blogs, you would know that I call my head producer, Alan Springer, “hey black ass”, so the irony that surrounded our meal was thoroughly amusing.

View leaving Blackcomb

Following lunch, I made my way to the Whistler Media House (where I will say that all the employees are so humble and kind. Canadians really do have a sense of hospitality that shines above any other country that I have visited) to cover the Johnny Spillane press conference.

After the press conference, my crew and I went to meet Yahoo! Sports Olympic Editor, Lisa, Yahoo! Sports President, Kyle, Bryon Friedman, and Charles Robinson for dinner at Hy’s Steakhouse in downtown Whistler. The evening was full of nostalgic stories from my NFL career, recaps of the days of events, and a lot of humor and jest at my expense.

So far my Olympic adventures have been filled with interesting people, unique experiences, and many unforgettable memories. I look forward to the days to come and will keep you posted on my daily experiences (sorry I am a day late in getting these out…as you can tell my days are intense and jammed). Be well, all!

Day 1…

“Skiing is a dance and the mountain always leads.”–Author Unknown

Day one of my 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games coverage begins for Yahoo! and I must admit that it feels nothing like the winter olympics. When I think of the winter olympics I think of snow falling, blue skies and crisp air that brings life to your lungs. Here it is grey, dreary, foggy and raining. The weather has been so awful that a majority of the Alpine events have been canceled, including the men’s downhill.

I did not have anything to do this morning involving olympic coverage so I set out to explore Whistler. The town is absolutely beautiful, especially at dusk when the lights all come on. It reminds me of a quaint ski town tucked away in the Alps of Switzerland. There are tiny condos and lodges nestled away in thick evergreen forests and then the village of Whistler itself has several shops and restaurants set along streams and brick roads. There is shopping and food for every walk of life here and of course there are several olympic related sites to see as well, including a massive display of the Olympic rings in the center of the village that has become a tourist hotspot for pictures and every corner you turn there are jumbotrons and stages displaying olympic events and athletes. The town is crawling with tourists, athletes, and media and it is hard to tell the difference between the three breeds because everyone is outfitted in olympic garb and apparel displaying their own special olympic pride.

So what to do on your first day in Whistler, home of the Alpine Olympic Village, with no events going on? Well, my superb team at Yahoo! came up with a plan to let me take a tour of Whistler’s famed “Peak 2 Peak” gondola ride. Whistler village is composed of two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb. Whistler and Blackcomb mountains have a combined skiable terrain of over 8,000 acres. It has 3 glaciers, over 200 runs, and 36 lifts making it an ideal location to not only host the winter olympic games but also to just come and enjoy a day of skiing or snowboarding.

On our journey across both mountains we hosted by a Whistlerblackcomb employee Natalie who offered us a fantastic tour. We first climbed Whistler mountain on the Whistler Village Gondola and then transfered to the Peak 2 Peak ride. Our Gondola was equipped with a glass floor so we could see just how high above the valley floor we actually were while in between Whistler and Blackcomb. Peak 2 Peak is quite a magnificent and beautiful experience. The gondola travels 2.7 miles from Whistler to Blackcomb and at it’s highest point is 1427 feet above the valley floor (which is terrifying to look down at while standing on the glass floor). The view from this glass gondola was one of the few places where the phrase “silence is golden” holds true and you actually feel in tune with the breathtaking nature that surrounds you.

Fellow Yahoo! analyst, Bryon Freidman, and myself

After my shoot on the Peak 2 Peak tour I headed to Northface and outfitted myself with gear for my first ever snowboarding attempt which we will be shooting tomorrow bright and early. I don’t know what to expect, though I do know I will be careful to not tear my PCL again!

And my Olympic Journey Begins…

My journey to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games began after my event with Michelle Obama. Following her “Let’s Move” to end childhood obesity launch I had to hightail it to Richmond, VA. Initially I was supposed to be on a 4pm Virgin America flight out of Dulles to LA where I had a meeting with the Yahoo! executive team to discuss my future roles with the company. However, 7am, right before I made my way to the White House for a series of press interviews, I received a call from a Virgin America representative informing me that my flight that afternoon was canceled because of the impending inclement weather. Which at the time weather predictions were stating DC was going to get slammed with up to 31 inches of new snow, on top of the nearly foot and a half that they already received a few days prior (on a side note, the District Columbia has basically no snow removal strategies in place. I arrived nearly four days after the first storm hit the city and found that some streets were not even plowed).

Dealing with the change of plans and the potential for the storm to hit the entire Northeastern sea board, I had my friend check different flight options for me that would allow me to get to LA in time for my 10am meeting the next day. She finally found one that would allow me to leave Richmond, VA at 645pm, connect in Dallas, then I would land in LA at 1140pm. I know it would of been too much to ask that everything would go as plan, so I was not surprised that my flight from VA did not take off till thirty minutes after it’s scheduled departure, that we flew through a strong head wind into Dallas, and landed with ten minutes for me to scramble through 3 terminals to catch my connecting flight. You will never begin to imagine my surprise that my luggage (which included all my clothes for the Olympic coverage) was actually waiting at baggage claim for me as I strolled through LAX.

My time in LA went extremely well. My meeting with Yahoo! went great, I was stopped on the street by one of the members from Earth, Wind, and Fire who commented on how much he enjoyed the Ritz cracker commercial (the song that the marching band is playing is “Let’s Groove” by Earth, Wind, and Fire), I experienced the best deviled eggs that I ever tasted at my hotel’s restaurant (I stayed at the Hotel Palomar on Wilshire Blvd.), and even took in a late night movie (though I do not agree with the reviews that Dear John is the best romantic movie since the The Notebook, considering it differed far too much from the actual novel). My time in LA was relatively short, a two day stint that allowed me to attend two meetings and eat two great meals, and then on Friday morning I was off to Seattle, WA to make the drive to Vancouver in time for the Opening Ceremonies. Or so I thought I would be leaving Friday morning.

I arrived at LAX with plenty of time to spare, which is a feat in and of itself, because if you do personally know me, you are able to attest to the fact that I am generally late to everything. I was then ushered onto a Virgin America flight where I proceeded to sit on the plane for an hour with no air conditioning because of a malfunction with the plane’s hydraulics system. After about an hour, when Virgin America so kindly decided that they were done giving us a sauna treatment, they allowed us to leave the aircraft to only have us re-board fifteen minutes later. This proceeded accomplished in making me nearly two hours late arriving in Seattle.

Finally in Seattle, I managed to drag my luggage to my rental car, and start the two and a half hour drive North to Vancouver, BC. The drive through Seattle was just as I expected. Dreary, grey, and misting. I arrived at the Canadian border with plenty of time to make it to my condo in Vancouver and to the opening ceremonies. However, upon inspection of my passport, the Canadian border officials detained me for reasons that I am still uncertain of. I do know though that you are not allowed to use your cell phone while inside border control…thank you Miss 13343 Canadian Border Patrol Officer for that piece of information.

Finally arriving in Vancouver, I missed the opening of the opening ceremonies and decided to just attend Yahoo!’s media launch of their “Fancouver” site. This location is filled with different activities for fans attending the Olympic games to participate in, including Wii competitions, experiential pictures, internet access and much more. If you are in Vancouver for the games you should definitely stop by and check it out.

Following my appearance at Yahoo!’s party, I made the two hour drive to Whistler, the location for the Alpine Olympic events. The drive to Whistler was taxing and mentally draining after a full day of travel. The roads are narrow, you are thousands of feet in the air, and randomly the lanes change (to accommodate all the Olympic traffic that will be flowing up and down this mountain during the next two to three weeks).

I did make it though and am looking forward to discovering what I will be doing tomorrow.

Let’s Move…

I was hoping that I would get a chance to post this last night because I enjoy blogging while the day’s events are fresh in my mind but the weather on the east coast made my day a travel nightmare.

I was in Washington, D.C. yesterday for First Lady, Michelle Obama’s, “Let’s Move” to fight childhood obesity launch. Let’s Move is a program designed to prevent the spread of childhood obesity across the nation. Childhood obesity is truly an epidemic that is plaguing this country. In the past three decades the rate of children becoming obese has tripled and for the first time in our nation’s history the current generation is on the path towards having a shorter lifespan than their parents. These statistics and others have sounded alarms and now Mrs. Obama and a team composed of politicians, business executives, professional athletes, and community leaders have formed a plan to create a healthier lifestyle and prevent the spread of obesity amongst children.

Let’s Move is a four part movement that encourages more physical activity and better nutritional values for children in efforts to give each child a better chance at leading a healthy life. These initiatives include encouraging the FDA to produce more comprehensive and accessible nutrition labels on food, to enforce school lunch suppliers to decrease the amount of sugar that they put into food and to increase the amount of whole wheat and produce that they serve, and to modernize physical education throughout the nation’s school system.

So yesterday I had the honor of serving as the emcee of this new initiative to afford a better future for our children and it truly moved me to see the support and help of so many influential individuals including several cabinet members and professional athletes.

Childhood obesity has the potential to effect all of our children. As parents we promise to make our children’s lives better than our own, whether that be to enable them to have a better education, a more prosperous job, or to make better moral choices and decisions than we did. We strive to keep our commitments that we made to them at birth and we feel disappointed when we falter in keeping those promises. Keeping our children healthy and affording them a chance at a brighter future is a promise we shouldn’t break.

My challenge for you as parents is this…turn off the television go outside, create a healthy meal with your family. Whatever you do to encourage an active healthy lifestyle just remember, you are keeping your promise, and that is the greatest gift you could ever give a child.

**If you would like to read more about the Let’s Move campaign please follow these links

http://www.letsmove.gov

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-favorito/first-lady-tiki-barber-lo_b_456086.html***

NYC Bound…

“The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches.”–E.E. Cummings

I am sitting in Miami’s International Airport waiting to board my flight to NYC . I am hoping that my flight is not delayed due to the storm of the year that is hitting the eastern seaboard of the US. In my opinion, from a man who has no interest in skiing and cannot ice skate to save my life, the snow can stop all together and not return till Christmas Day next year. The thought of flying through the snow from Miami International Airport, which has the acronym MIA, does make me a little apprehensive.

Well today was my last day in Miami and I experienced “Entertainment Day” on media row. I missed my first interview of the day with Miss America, Caressa Cameron, which was disappointing because she lives in Roanoke, VA (representing my hometown!). Despite missing my first interview, I did have the chance to sit and talk with two major figures in the boxing world; Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Shane Mosley, who will be facing off in Vegas May 1st. Boxers are an extremely interesting breed of species and the contrast between each individual is shocking. Shane entered the media convention center today with five people trailing him and Floyd had an entourage of 20. While Shane is pensive and understated, Floyd is cocky and assured. While Shane is more concerned about how the players match up against their opponent in the upcoming big game, Floyd is from Vegas and is more concerned with the spread rather than the outcome of the game.

From boxing greats to music icons, I transitioned midday from Floyd and Shane to interview Snoop Dog, who has a new album “Malice in Wonderland”, which is set to be released soon. Snoop has made a 180 degree turn around with his image. When he first came out he was considered a hard-core, drug using rapper and now he prides himself with his charitable contributions and children oriented events. He is currently hosting the eight annual “Snoop Bowl” this year in which 2 youth football teams compete against each other with all the glory of famous NFL celebrity coaches, including Deon Sanders and Terrel Owens, and performances by Flo Rida and DJ Khaled. What interested me the most about this interview was that Snoop said he loves being in the music industry because he is allowed to act like a child for a living; athletes seem to fall in that same category, playing a game for a living…maybe thats why athletes and musicians often get along so well (just some food for thought for you all).

I ended the day with an interview with Chris Rock who is one of the most humorous people I have ever had the chance to meet. He talked with Yahoo! and me about his newest film “Grownups.” I find the title ironic since Chris is starring in this film alongside David Spade, Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Rob Schnider.

Now for what I think a majority of you have been waiting for…my take on the matchup between the Colts and the Saints this Sunday for Superbowl 44. So here are my thoughts. This Superbowl is a matchup of the a “dynasty” team who has possibly the best quarterback to ever play the game and a team that carries the emotions of a storm that ravaged its city and a long history of mediocrity in name of destiny. Tony Dungy said early this week that the Colts have not lost a game that they have tried to win, and as cocky as that sounded, I do agree with him. The Colts are not intimated by the stage that they will be set upon this Sunday and Peyton Manning has the rare ability to make whom ever he plays with better. Even without their star defensive end, Dwight Freeney, the Colts are still have a fast defense that takes advantage of teams that try to play catchup when they fall behind.

This said, I love the story of the Saints. The scrappy Drew Brees and his bevy of offensive weapons that allow their coach and my former offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, Sean Payton, try to create mismatches and accelerate the scoring throughout the entire game. This team is displays an opportunistic defense that has done a fantastic job creating turnovers, which allowed them to win the NFC championship game despite being outplayed by the Vikings. The most significant weapon that the Saints have on their side is the emotions and hopes of New Orleans, Louisiana.

So if I were a betting man, I’d take the over, because there is sure to be a lot of points scored. I’m predicting in the 70′s when the dust settles and my constant mind changing has ceased…I predict that the Superbowl 44 Champions will be the Colts and Peyton Manning will continue to build his legacy as one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks.

So my plane is now boarding so I am signing off for awhile so I can spend the weekend with my boys before I travel to DC to speak at First Lady, Michelle Obama’s, childhood obesity launch and then off to Los Angeles for a series of meetings with Yahoo!

I look forward to writing about my trip to DC and then a few adventures that I am sure to have in LA. Be well, all.

Purple has always been my favorite color…

“We are big pimpin’, spendin’ cheese, we are big pimpin’…”–Jay Z

Big Pimpin'

Today the media convention center was swarming with celebrities and professional athletes. I had the privilege of interviewing many of them, including Dara Torres, Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, and Brooklyn Decker (who graciously added me to her twitter list and suddenly my followers jumped from 22 to over 170…the power of social networking never ceases to astound me).

Over the past few days I’ve had the opportunity to interview many hall of famers. These men, who posses talents on the gridiron that far exceeded mine, made me realize how incredible and rare it is to find true greatness in someone. This “greatness” is something that people in all professions aspire to achieve, but rarely ever accomplished. Thats why I believe people idolize sports heros because they are able to see this greatness come to life in immediate fashion and it inspires them to work harder to achieve a similar level of greatness in whatever career they have chosen.

This past week has been exhausting, I’ve been working long days in the media convention center and am running on little sleep, so I am going to keep this blog short tonight. However, I would appreciate the chance to tell you about my favorite part of the day.

To me, one of the most interesting aspects of the Superbowl is the advertisements, such as Pepsi’s “Apartment 10G” commercial with Michael J. Fox or McDonald’s “The Showdown” ad starring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Advertisements play such a significant aspect in these games that corporations are willing to pay over three million dollars for one 30 second time slot during the big game. While the commercials are entertaining and to many, more important than the actual game itself, just as important is the multitude of athletes and celebrities that pitch different products and charities on “radio row.” These products range from the lingerie bowl, EA sports, and Campbell’s Soup. It seems that everyone is pushing one product or another. So today, trying to change things up from simply sports segments, my Yahoo! crew and I decided to have fun with the “pimping” of products (and I mean that with all due respect). It is too difficult to explain but just know that I spent thirty minutes walking around a convention center in a purple and pink suit, outfitted with gold chains and a leopard print fedora. Watch the link and let me know what you think.

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/nfl/Y_Sports_NFL/17982491#nfl/Y_Sports_NFL/17982491

Goodnight all. I will be back tomorrow to give you more updates. Also, if you want to follow me on twitter my handle is @atiimbarber.  Be well.

The randomness of Superbowl week continues to amaze me…

“This is probably the most beautiful time in human history; it is really pregnant with all kinds of creative possibilities made possible by science and technology which now constitutes the slave of man–if man is not enslaved by it.”–Jonas Salk

When I first found out that Yahoo! assigned me to the Superbowl coverage, I was a bit apprehensive, and quite honestly, less than enthused. I’ve been to the Superbowl and not to mention I’ve played in the NFL for ten years and prior to that I’ve been running around with that football since I was nine. I know the Superbowl and did not feel that I had anything that I could learn from this experience.

However, I am man enough to wear pink and purple Zegna ties, then I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. These past three days have given me such a different perspective on an abundant amount of subjects and topics, football related and not, that I would be truly remiss if I did not display appreciation to Yahoo! for giving me this opportunity to expand my horizons.

One of the many things that I have experienced while here for the Superbowl is the astonishing breath of technology that we have at our fingertips. I think I finally comprehended this abundant amount of technology today at the media center, where I spent the day with a wonderful Yahoo! crew, which consisted of Brian, Brad, Vic, Ep, Mike Pearce, and my producer Alan, who on a side note, is now calling me “Cracker” (only in reference to my Ritz Cracker commercial) and who I am now referring to as “hey, black ass” (please tell me at least someone has seen Dave Chappelle?!). As I gazed throughout the sea of journalists interviewing the players, coaches, and PR representatives, while all of different nationalities, religions, races, and ethnicities, they all had one thing in common…their blackberries, PDA’s, or iPhones. It made me think about how media disseminates information in the 21st century.

Back when I was young (because I am now ancient with the big 3-5 quickly approaching),  with Ronde and my mom in our apartment in Roanoke, VA, the only way we learned about what was going on in the world was through the 6pm evening news or by reading the newspaper over our plates of toast. Today, anyone with access to a computer with internet capabilities, can receive breaking news almost instantly as it actually occurs. Journalists all over the media center today were tweeting, facebook”ing”, myspace”ing”, blogging, and any other social networking tool that is in use, to convey information that they feel the need to disseminate to the masses of people.

I have just discovered the social networking “scene” through the help of one my closest friends who told me I needed to get with the “times” and advance my platform to which I distribute information and I could not be more grateful for her advice because I am now constantly looking at my twitter account to see the latest breaking news from a variety of sources and updating my blog so I can inform people about my day and what is important to me.

Many believe the rapid advancement of technology has been a curse but to me, as a technology geek ( you all do recall that I did wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger and I do find the language of computer programming to be more romantic than French), I am in love with the possibilities that the constant developing technology has to offer and am grateful for Yahoo! to give me the platform to explore them.

But enough of my technological opinions, more about today. I did what seemed like a thousand interviews today and some of the most memorable include Barry Sanders, one of the NFL’s all-time greats, Chris Johnson who had an incredible 2,000 yard season all with gold teeth, Chris Cooley of the Redskins, and the glorious self-promoter and social networking phenomena Ochocinco, who I had the pleasure of witnessing a production of “OCNN” (Ochocinco News Network), where athletes have a chance to interview other athletes.

Chris Cooley and me

Ochocinco and me

Close towards game day I am sure I will be able to give you all more opinions against the great matchup between the Colts and the Saints, but today was more focused on other football topics. I will share with you my top four from the day:

1. Adrian Peterson and his fumbling: It is a known fact that Adrian Peterson fumbles the ball…frequently. But hey, it is also a known fact that I have fumbled the ball once or twice (laugh at the sarcasm please) in my career as well. Today I was asked numerous times if Adrian’s “problem” could be fixed. My answer: Absolutely it can be fixed. However, someone needs to seriously make him change his mechanics and mentality and not dance around him and sugar-coat everything because he is a great player. When Tom Coughlin came to the Giants his running back coach, Jerald Ingram, told me that if I fumbled the ball even once during pre-season, I would not play. I trained constantly during the off season, constantly carried a football around in a way that was conducive to me actually holding onto it when a 250lb linebacker comes out of nowhere slamming me into the ground, and knew that in the back of mind I needed to improve or my way of life would change drastically.

2. So many people today asked me if I regretted leaving the Giants considering they won the Superbowl the same year I retired: This my blog and I have the right to be completely honest, and I will say, I have never regretted the timing of my retirement. I believe that everything happens for a reason and if I played with the Giants during the 2007-2008 season I am honestly not sure that they would have made it to the Superbowl. Life is about timing and I timed out at the right time for me. I am excited and looking forward to the new ventures that my new prospects and career has to offer and spending more time with my family and watching my two boys grow. This has been more rewarding to me than any Superbowl ring could ever be.

3. Concussions: I had the great privilege in November to testify in front of Congress the imperative need for more awareness on the detrimental side effects of concussions. Each individual player deals with head trauma in their own unique way, but I do know that 52% of all high schools in America do not have access to athletic trainers, who are prudent in the diagnosis of head trauma (which is most prevalent during high school football). I also know that every deceased NFL player who has made the great contribution of their brain to science has had the signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, basically the detoriation of brain tissue and a leading cause of early on-set alzheimer’s, which has been known to be caused by continued head trauma. This concerns me not only as a ten-year veteran of the NFL, but also as a parent, because statistics show that most head trauma occurs in high school and outside of the classroom or athletic field, so parents should be aware and also informed of the consequences that can occur from concussions and head trauma.

4. Larry Fitzgerald: While I am always impressed with Larry, his articulation and his skills on the playing field, what made a lasting impact on me today was that his father, Larry Sr., thanked me for interviewing his son last year during the playoffs. That was one of the biggest honors of my life…having a parent commend me for the piece that they did highlighting his or her son. This made me think of my own relationship with my father and wonder if he ever had a chance to feel proud of what I have said during an interview or have accomplished in my lifetime.

Larry and myself

Today was a very a cathartic day where I had a chance to release my emotions on a variety of topics including my leaving the NY Giants during their magnificent season, overcoming my fumbling difficulties, and feeling a sense of accomplishment for letting a son release his emotions towards his deceased mother whom he loved with all his heart.

I am now looking forward to a restful night’s sleep and a day full of accomplishment and experience tomorrow. Be well, all.

Sun Life Stadium has been invaded by vultures…

“Dealing with the media is more difficult than bathing lepers.”–Mother Teresa

Today I experienced my first “media day” on the opposite side of the proverbial fence and if I thought the entire process was pointless when I had the number “21″ stitched on my back, I just realized how even more ridiculous it is as someone actually asking the questions.

Sun Life Stadium

The only true way for me to actually take you on the journey with me into media day is unfortunately give you a metaphor. Media day can only be equated to flock of vultures descending upon an wandering animal. These vultures (and I certainly mean that in the utmost respect because let’s face it, I am one of them now) circle the sky and patiently wait, despite all their natural instinct, to attack until the precise moment when they smell blood…and then they swoop in and take their fatal bite.

And the "Vultures" Swoop In

These journalists today waited patiently with their blackberries and iPhones, notebooks, recorders, and film crews for the exact moment when Peyton Manning or Reggie Bush would be at the microphone and suddenly they would rush the stage and frantically start asking questions; just like vultures hunting their prey.

And speaking of questions, the questions that these journalists were asking left me completely dumbfounded. Edward Murrow once stated that, “the role of the journalist is to ask the question that is tough to ask.” I assume that the hundreds of journalists who were present today have never heard of that quote before because it amazed me how it seemed that before these journalists even arrived to the stadium, their story or segment was already written and produced, and their only purpose of being here was to get a quote, regardless of the context or agenda of their piece, and to do so, they would ask the simplest and easiest questions imaginable, such as, “are you happy to be here?” Of course Peyton Manning is ecstatic to be here…have you ever heard of a football player who was not excited to be in the Superbowl? One of my favorite “stupid questions” of all time was in 1987 when a member of the press asked Doug Williams, “how long have you been a black quarterback?” Priceless.

Despite my annoyance with media day, I will admit I enjoyed speaking with old friends, colleagues, and being part of the chaos around me. I had the incredible opportunity to speak with former teammate and close friend of mine, Jeremy Shockey, who admitted to me that he felt hurt by the New York Giants, media, and essentially fans ostracizing him during the 2007-2008 season and if  the Saints did win the Superbowl he would “sleep better” at night. In my opinion, Shockey is a great guy despite his misrepresentations. He is sensitive, articulate, and cares deeply about his profession and friends. I hope that the Saints, not only for the team who has never played in Superbowl contest before, or the city of New Orleans who looks towards this team as a beacon of hope in the amidst of their devastation, but for Shockey, who deserves peace in the darkness of night.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with runningback for the Saints, Reggie Bush. While I did ask him questions regarding the game, what I was more intrigued with was how he was integrating himself into the celebrity limelight through his relationship with the infamous Kim Kardashin.

Hard at work

One of the highlights of my media day tour was interviewing Jim Caldwell of the Colts and the 11th black head coach in the NFL. The success of Caldwell has made me realize that the color barrier in the hierarchy and bureaucracy of the NFL has finally been broken. While the Rooney rule has aided in this (the Rooney rule being that each team searching for a head coach must interview at least one minority), I truly believe that the achievements of these coaches, such as Mike Tomlin and Tony Dingy, that have broken the stereotypical white male as being the leader of a successful team. I find this to be inspiring because it gives minority children, like my own, another respectful profession to aspire to join.

Jim Cladwell

On a side note, last night the Yahoo! crew and myself went to a local restaurant YOLO (an acronym for “you only live once”) and it allowed me to think about how short life truly is and how each day is a blessing and should be lived with conviction, passion, and committment towards happiness and love.

I’m off to have a drink with my manager and eat some more fries. I look forward to filling you in on what tomorrow brings.

There was actually sun today...

I thought Miami was supposed to be sunny…

“Weather is a great metaphor for life–sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and there’s nothing much you can do about it except carry an umbrella.”–Pepper Giardino

I officially arrived last night at the site of Superbowl 44…MIAMI, FLORIDA, home of sunshine, beaches, drinks with little umbrellas, and beautiful people every corner you turn.  Tired and missing my boys I stumbled late into my hotel room in Ft. Lauderdale and decided that it would be in my best interest to devour some greasy, not even remotely healthy, room service french fries. I must admit they were appetizing and curbed my hunger pains from my 3 + hour plane ride from NYC.

I then went to bed with thoughts of sunny skies, warm weather, and fluffy white clouds for the next morning. However, what I awoke to was disappointing to say the least.

Lovely South FL weather

I took the less than desirable weather in stride and communicated with my staff and producers at Yahoo! and made arrangements to film today’s show in the media convention center as opposed to outside as it was originally scheduled. Following some brief phone calls, I decided that it would be in my best interest to try to burn off the five pounds of french fries that I consumed last night and find the gym.

I’m not sure if it was my excitement to be hosting my own show for Yahoo! or my spin classes with Ruth at Flywheel in NYC (once again shameless self-promotion) but I impressed myself with my 2.5 mile run on the hotel treadmill (for all of you extreme marathon runners who think 26. 2 miles is a piece of red velvet cake, remember I spent my entire career learning how to sprint. Anything over a mile seems like a chore to me…not to mention my knees!)

Promptly following my workout I made my way back to my room, showered, changed, and left for the media convention center to shoot my first show with Yahoo! for the Superbowl. And for those who know me personally, I would like to state that I actually arrived to the site of our show on time!

Filming site in the media convention center

From this location I began my “work” day. The first day on radio row at the media convention center was relatively quiet, but my intuition tells me that as the week progresses things will pick up pace and become much more hectic and chaotic. By 11:30am we were shooting our first series of interviews. I had the great pleasure of working with Mike Silver and Jason Cole where we discussed a wide variety of Superbowl related topics ranging from the Colts and Saints both being high-scoring teams, the battle between quarterback stars Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, and the most widely asked and popular question of what I will assume be until the final touchdown is scored on Sunday…who will win the Superbowl.

Me, Mike Silver, and Jason Cole

Asking the girls from Hooters who will be this year's Superbowl champion

As of right now, and I will be upfront and state that my opinion will change at least five times in the next six days, I am picking the Indianapolis Colts to be the Superbowl 44 champions.

Today Yahoo! aired this segment that we did on Dwight Freeney that I thought I would share with you all. I had an amazing first day shooting and look forward to the upcoming days and working with an amazing team of people. Much thanks to Alan Springer, my producer, who made this show more entertaining with his input and advice. Thanks!!

http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/nfl/Y_Sports_NFL/17921744#nfl/Y_Sports_NFL/17838267

(here is the link until I figure out how to embed a Yahoo! video into my blog or you can click BLOGPOST “First Day for Superbowl”)

****On a side note…Friday night, Heather Miller, the young inspiring girl who I talked about in my first blog, succumbed to cancer. Her memory will forever reside in the lives and hearts that she touched with her bright smile, vibrant personality, and zest for life. She made a lasting impact on many, including me and I will be eternally grateful for having the privilege to have met such a courageous, beautiful soul.****

And so the journey begins…

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure–self-determined, self-motivated, often risky–forces you to have first hand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind–and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will challenge you. Nothing will ever again be black and white.” –Mark Jenkins

Three years ago I left a career where fame and glory were par for the course and where heros were determined by how many touchdowns they made, how many yards they rushed, and how many passes they intercepted. I left that world where heros where born with numbers painted on their backs to start a journey on an uncharted course for myself. I started off on an adventure to tell the stories of real heros.

Those heros whose lives have influenced many in immeasurable ways. Not just by hitting a homerun or throwing that winning touchdown, but by having a true lasting impact on the lives that they touch. 10 years from now there won’t be many people who remember that in 2006 I rushed for 234 yards and had 3 touchdowns to lead the Giants to victory over the Redskins, but hundreds of New York City students will remember how Marc Ecko afforded them the opportunity to make their dreams and ambitions come to life through his organization Sweat Equity Enterprises. In my three years at NBC’s the Today Show and Football Night in America I have been given the wonderful opportunity to not only share the stories of true heros, like Mark Ecko, but to see the different ways in which people, normal everyday people, can have a lasting impact on a life, on a town, on the world.

My passion for “story-telling” was revealed after one defining moment early into my new career as an allegorist of people and their journeys. One of my first segments for the Today Show was about a soccer team located in Georgia. I am positive many people, including several at NBC, were thinking, “Perfect story for Tiki…something sports related.” Hey, I was even thinking it was just going to be another sports segment. However, when I arrived in Georgia and saw that this soccer team, the Fugees, was comprised of Asians, Africans and North and South Sudanese children who were all survivors of war, the segment suddenly developed an entirely different meaning. I knew then, staring out on the green grass field watching all these children of different backgrounds and religions, playing together and leaving all the awful memories that they have of “home” behind to focus on the incredible opportunities that life has to offer, that this story was not simply about a soccer team; it was about Coach Luma Mulfeh, who founded this team of refugees, and how she became a hero to so many children and their families.

In September of 2009 I was also afforded the opportunity to meet another true hero and tell her story. Heather Miller, an 11 year old girl full of life, energy, and a personality ten times bigger than her small stature, was diagnosed over a year ago with Ewing Sarcoma; a rare childhood cancer of soft tissue and blood. After receiving a bleak prognosis, Heather astounded not only her family, but me as well, by turning her fears into something positive and has captivated audiences throughout the world and became an inspiration to many, including all the members of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, with her amazing outlook on life and her phrase “FROG” (Fully Rely On God). This tiny 11 year old girl made such a lasting impact on not only my mind but my heart and I will proudly wear her green FROG bracelet on my right wrist till she is cancer free (See BLOGROLL “Heather Miller”).

These are just some of the memorable adventures that I have taken since leaving the “black and white” world of the NFL where victory was determined by how many wins you had that season and where failure was proven by another team’s success. I look forward to sharing with you the many more journeys that I will take and introduce you to the true heros of the world. My next stop is Miami with Yahoo! for the Superbowl and then on to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

I’d be remiss if I did not say that I began this adventure of blogging after being inspired by my friend and brilliant photographer, Brad Racino’s, blog (See BLOGROLL “Brad’s Blog”), who, through his blog, took me on along on his fantastic journey through South America and shared with me the true meaning of living life to the fullest.