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Brent Yarina's Bio: BigTenNetwork.com editor Brent Yarina takes you around Big Ten athletics, on and off the court. |
Highlights from the annual Kickoff Luncheon
| Jul 25 2008, 2:34 PM | Topic: Talking Big Ten | |||
Those were the common words uttered by coaches, emcee Brent Musburger and player representative James Laurinaitis at the annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon on Friday in Chicago. This year's Luncheon -- the first I've attended -- had it all. My first impression? I'd say spectacle sums it up pretty well. An estimated 1,700 people were in attendance at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, and all of them were treated to an enjoyable show. KICKOFF LUNCHEON HIGHLIGHTS -- Joe Tiller: During his time on the mic, the outgoing (in both meanings of the word) Purdue coach told a hilarious story about a Boilermaker ticket holder who offered his late-wife's ticket to an Ohio State fan for free in the parking lot. The Ohio State fan, according to Tiller, insisted he pay for the ticket. However, the Purdue fan responded by saying something to the extent of just take the ticket, which sparked the Buckeye fan to ask this: "Don't you have any family or friends who would like it?" Then came the punchline: "No," the Purdue fan said, "they're all at the funeral!"
Paterno also mentioned he ran into Rodriguez's wife a few years later, when she asked him, "Do you remember me?" JoePa, of course, responded, "I'm old, but not that old!" -- Joe Paterno (honorable mention): You can never get enough JoePa, that's for sure. And this one has to do with Tiller, who said something to the extent of the snow reaching "rear-end levels" in Wyoming, where the coach plans to retire to following the season. Paterno opened his speech by asking Tiller about the statement, saying, "It would take a lot of snow to fill your rear end." -- Bret Bielema: Every coach spoke glowingly about his wife, except for one: Wisconsin's Bret Bielema. Bielema, who is single, joked about his bachelor status: "I'll save time. I don't have a wife to introduce because I'm not married. If anybody stands up, I'm in trouble." -- Eric Peterman: This one actually occurred Thursday, the first day of the two-day event, but it was one of the more memorable things I heard. While I was conducting a Q&A with the Northwestern receiver/engineer major, I asked him about his biggest superstition, to which he said: "Actually, I have a great superstition. Before every game, starting in high school, to get myself ready for the game and get the nerves out, I make myself throw up. Before every game, I just have to make myself throw up." Really? Gross. That has to go down as one of the "great" superstitions, no doubt.
-- Rich Rodriguez: It's been a rough few months for the Big Ten's newest coach, so much so that Musburger introduced Rodriguez as "the only coach I know who had a worse summer than the stock market." Rodriguez made light of the issue by telling a story about his family's dreaded drives from Ann Arbor back to West Virginia. He said while it's never all that exciting driving through Ohio or Pennsylvania, it's nothing compared to West Virginia because "There are more than ["Wanted"] posters [with my face on them]. They sell a lot of guns in that state." -- Josh Gaines: Pick an adjective, whether it's loquacious, engaging or gregarious, it describes Penn State's defensive lineman. Gaines has the unique ability to make anyone, and I mean anyone, feel like they are his best friend. In the couple minutes I sat at his table, he seemed so excited to be talking to me and every other reporter. He was also a quote machine, spewing out dandies, in reference to JoePa, like, "He's the Moses of football -- he's never going to die or leave." Another good one was, "Look at him, he's a real cute guy. His hair always looks nice, he wears nice suits. JoePa's just the man." ONE POPULAR GUY: Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis is destined for great things at the next level, so maybe that's why everywhere he went he had a bevy of reporters following his every move. If you wanted to have a few minutes with the national superstar, I kid you not, you had to take a number. I was never patient enough, but I did hear him speak as the player representative during the Luncheon. Laurinaitis was humbled by the gesture and thrilled to "speak into the same mic as Joe Paterno, Pat Fitzgerald and all the other coaches." Best of all, his sentiments seemed 100-percent genuine. POPULAR DRAWS, AS WELL: Take a guess who else's every step was followed by reporters? If you said JoePa, Rodriguez or Jim Tressel, you're right. But there was one more, at least on Thursday, and that was ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. It seemed like everyone who saw Herbstreit wanted a minute of his time. To no surprise, just about every women in attendance made it a point to talk to what is basically ESPN's male version of Erin Andrews. Heck, even Curtis Painter told me "Herby" is the most famous guy programmed in his cell phone. GO DEEP!: No quarterback pulled a "Chad Henne" this time around, and you can bet the Hyatt was very happy about that. At the end of each Kickoff Luncheon, it's tradition for all the quarterbacks in attendance to grab a football and throw it to the fans who have winning ticket numbers. Last year, legend has it that Henne, while throwing a pass to his winner, knocked out one of the lights in the ballroom. The closest thing we had to that was a slightly overthrown pass, which knocked over a pair of drinking glasses. The concept is a great idea, but it's just asking for disaster. OSU'S BOECKMAN HAS EVERYTHING BUT...: Life is good for Buckeye quarterback Todd Boeckman. He's the conference's reigning highest-efficient passer, he boasts weapons all over the field, and he calls Ohio Stadium home. He has it all, really -- everything but an IPod, that is. I was shocked to find this out when I asked him about his favorite song on his iPod. And here I was thinking I'm the only 20-something who hasn't come to grips with technology. Glad to know I'm not alone. |
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