Saved By the Blog - Est. 2004

I’m going to preface this post by saying that I am a blogger, an intern and a podcaster.  Okay, now that that’s clear, I’ll tell you that I was at the Toyota Charity Strip Pre-Draft Party at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club last night.  The crew from Sports Bloggers Live was sent up here on AOL’s dime (yes, even me, the intern) to go to the party and tonight’s draft.  We brought a full compliment of studio equipment to interview all the players at the party (you will be able to hear said interviews on SBL starting tomorrow at 5).  

Because lists are more fun than real paragraphs, allow me to break down the progression of the party:

• I show up dressed fairly impressively thanks to the Express half-yearly sale.  Everyone takes note.

• We set-up shop in The Cognac Room.  Something tells me this room is usually reserved for various things that involve the word “blow,” rather than for podcasting.

Left to right: my brother (check out his blog for more photos from da club), me, and CT.

• I hear the words “open bar.”  Yes, please.

• We meet the PR girls from Lizzie Grubman’s group.  They are basically two Heidi’s from The Hills who are so happy just to be there.  Me too, girls.

• I wander outside to the red carpet. Paparazzi is taking photos of people I don’t recognize, but they must be celebs of some type, so that’s cool I guess.  Oh wait, there’s Chris Paul.  I ask him “who are you wearing?”  Okay, that didn’t happen, but it would’ve been funny.

• Yes! We get out first lottery pick to enter The Cognac Room.  It’s Memphis’ Rodney Carney.  He seems very cool and genuinely happy to be talking to bloggers.  He explains that buying Bentleys requires “second contract money.”  His mom laughs. I vomit a little in my mouth.

• We have a closed circuit feed of the red carpet on the plasma screen in The Room.  I think I see Lindsay Lohan.  I’m wrong, it’s just another pseudo-celebrity.

• Yes! We get our first NBA superstar in The Room.  It’s Chris Paul.  Two things of note about Paul: He’s short and he is wearing a full suit with bright white Reeboks.  OMG, the fashion police are on their way.

• Hey, Carmelo Anthony  enters the room… and leaves just as quickly after his bodyguard says, “Oh no, we ain’t goin’ in here.”  I think five dudes sitting around laptops freaked him out.  He does not return. 

• Lotto pick number two sits down with us.  It’s Rudy Gay.  He seems to be putting more effort into this interview than he did on the court over two seasons at UConn.   Okay, cheap shot, but let’s be honest, has anyone ever done so little with so much? 

• Our fourth and final baller of the evening rolls in The Room.  It’s Chris Webber.  He’s very not sober, which makes this one of the greatest SBL interviews ever.  He talks about his favorite jersey for about five minutes, then at the end of the interview says that I’m “the brains of the operation,” then yells to me, “You’re my boy blue!”  It is maybe the highlight of my life. 

• We pack up our gear and head to the closest Irish pub to get pissed.

So there you have it.  The only way the party could’ve been better would be if our man J.E. Skeets from The Basketball Jones could’ve made it.  He was supposed to, but they wouldn’t let him out of Canada, or something.  He is here now, however, and is blogging his first trip to NYC, so check him out.  Also, like I done said, visit Sports Bloggers Live starting at fivetomorrow to hear all our audio fromthe party… or at least just the C-Webb clip.  It’s worth it.

UPDATE: Thanks to Shawn the Producer (who also set up this whole kick-ass trip), you can listen to the Webber interview right now.

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• #1 Comment from robhwjr
  6/29/06 1:31 AM | Permalink

  Bwaaaa!
  
  "He look like Kid 'n' Play..."
  
  So funkin' fresh
  
  B.V.
  www.wcsn.com