July 25, 2008
View Barca’s Photo Gallery from the Road during SEC Media Days
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The NCAA may say that college football season doesn’t begin until the crack of shoulder pads in early August, but to many, the start of the season begins this week with many conferences hosting media days throughout the country.
For football-crazed fans, the summer months between the spring game and the first game of the regular season can be torture. The only football to watch is played in an arena or through your VCR or DVD player. To make it through the dog days of summer, fans snack on football preview magazines before using media days as an appetizer before the main dish is served in less than a month.
So this week, the focus of the Southeastern Conference, and the college football world in the eyes of many fans in the Southeast, centers around the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala., which is once again hosting SEC Media Days.
You’ve read the stories in the paper, seen and heard the interviews on local television and radio, but what is it like as a student-athlete to go through the media grinder? To give you a closer look, I spent Wednesday following the footsteps of Vanderbilt senior wide receiver George Smith as he made his rounds with the media.
5:00 a.m.
As a football player, early-morning wakeup calls are a thing of the norm, but Wednesday morning is a little different from most mornings for George Smith when his alarm blares before the crack of dawn. Why so early, you ask? Smith just doesn’t have to report to the McGugin Center for a 6 a.m. workout with coach John Sisk, he first must take his two-year-old pit bull, Princess, for a walk.
6:00 a.m.
The speakers are blaring in the football weight room when Smith and safety Reshard Langford arrive, still half asleep. They are here at the crack of dawn with Sisk because the two, along with head coach Bobby Johnson will represent Vanderbilt at SEC Media Day during their regularly scheduled workout in the afternoon.
7:22 a.m.
Vanderbilt’s sports information director for football, Larry Leathers, pulls a large maroon rental van into the McGugin Center parking lot. The van will be used to escort Smith and Langford, along with assistant communications director Andy Boggs and director of online services Brandon Barca, to Hoover. However, the first stop will be in Nashville at 104.5 The Zone, where Smith and Langford will be guests in studio for a segment on “The Wakeup Zone.”
7:47 a.m.
Doing his best impersonation of Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt sideline reporter and “Wakeup Zone” co-host Kevin Ingram introduces Smith and Langford to the listeners.
7:49 a.m.
In what will be a sign of things to come the rest of the day, co-host Mark Howard opens the interview by asking Smith about his battle with transverse myelitis (a rare neurological disorder) as a true freshman. The illness resulted in temporary paralysis, weeks in intensive care treatment and months of rehabilitation. “You don’t take anything for granted,” Smith says of the experience.
7:50 a.m.
In what will become another trend in questioning, Smith’s next question is about replacing departed wide receiver Earl Bennett.
7:59 a.m.
The top of the hour approaches, signaling the end of the interview. After saying their goodbyes and thank you’s, Smith and Langford head back to the van. One interview session down.
8:45 a.m.
After stopping back off at the McGugin Center to gather all of their belongings for the trip, the group stops in for breakfast at the Pancake Pantry on 21st Avenue.
9:40 a.m.
Following breakfast, everyone piles into the van to get on I-65 South to Birmingham.
10:10 a.m.
It doesn’t take long for Smith and Langford to find a comfortable spot in the van, and fall asleep. “You can tell who worked out this morning,” notes Barca as he looks back at Smith and Langford. Considering the day is just beginning, it is conceivable to imagine everyone else in the van will regret not doing the same.
11:30 a.m.
Still sleeping.
11:55 a.m.
Just South of Cullman, Ala., it’s time for a pit stop as we pull into a rest area to stretch. The van is made to seat eight, but it becomes small very quickly when you have two people well over 6-feet tall and 200 lbs.
12:50 p.m.
With the next scheduled meal not coming until the end of the day, Leathers pulls the van into the Burger King parking lot in Hoover to grab a few burgers.
1:10 p.m.
The van pulls into the parking garage at the Wynfrey Hotel.
1:15 p.m.
The lobby at the Wynfrey Hotel does not look like your typical hotel lobby during SEC Media Days. The number of guests checking into the hotel is a small fraction compared to the number of fans that are camped out waiting to snap pictures, get autographs or just get a look at the players and coaches. The autograph seekers are the first ones you notice because their heads are constantly on swivels checking each entrance and exit to the lobby.
Not all of the faces in the lobby are unfamiliar. Shortly after walking out of the elevator, Langford and Smith are greeted by Langford’s father and Earl Bennett’s father. Having grown up in Tanner, Ala., Langford’s contingent of family is close to double digits.
After a quick hello, the group piles into another elevator to head to a room and change from street clothes into suits.
2:06 p.m.
The first interview at SEC Media Day for Langford and Smith takes place on the third floor of the Wynfrey Hotel with Dick Gabriel and SEC Radio.
2:14 p.m.
Smith is interviewed after Langford and the first question that is asked is about replacing Earl Bennett.
2:15 p.m.
Smith is asked for the second time in two interviews about recovering from transverse myelitis. “I had a lot of support from my teammates and they are part of the reason I pulled through,” says Smith.
2:25 p.m.
Radio row at SEC Media Days spans 50 yards from the lobby of the hotel to the entrance of the mall with tables on both sides. With Vanderbilt’s official start time to media day not until 3:10 p.m., Smith and Langford will spend the next hour interviewing with radio stations across the Southeast.
2:26 p.m.
Smith’s first stop on radio row is with Darren McFarland of Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone. For the third time in a row, Smith is asked about filling the void of replacing Bennett.
2:31 p.m.
WHBQ Sports56 in Memphis is next to interview Smith. It is here, the fourth interview of the day for Smith, where you feel like you could just record answers to questions from previous interviews and play them back.
2:33 p.m.
Smith is asked about replacing Bennett … again.
2:35 p.m.
Smith is asked about battling through transverse myelitis for the third time.
2:38 p.m.
Smith makes his way over to Nashville’s 106.7 The Fan to interview with Thom Abraham.
2:42 p.m.
It doesn’t take long for hosts Frank Frangle and Mike Dempsey of 1010XL in Jacksonville to applaud Smith for his suit. “Early leader in the clubhouse for best dressed,” Dempsey says.
Dressed in a pinstriped suit, complete with suspenders, a tie and a handkerchief in his pocket, Smith looked primed for a photo shoot for GQ Magazine.
“It’s my first suit,” Smith would say later. “I picked it out with Reshard (Langford) and my girlfriend. Right when I saw it, I knew it was the one.”
2:51 p.m.
Jimmy Hyams from The Sports Animal in Knoxville interviews Smith.
2:59 p.m.
Smith interviews with Vince Ferrara of 1420 The Tusk in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
3:05 p.m.
Smith’s final stop on radio row is with 850 AM The Sportscene in Gainesville.
3:08 p.m.
After making his rounds on radio row in the lobby, Smith heads up the escalator to the second floor of the hotel. It is here where he finds out that all of the scheduled interviews are running more than 30 minutes behind.
Not letting a minute go to waste, Smith makes his way to the XM Radio room, where he knocks out an interview with Ryan Brown.
3:15 p.m.
Although Smith’s first scheduled interview of the day is supposed to be at 3:20 p.m., it will be 3:55 p.m. before Smith starts his interview schedule, beginning with ESPN.
As Smith waits, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow emerges from an interview room and is immediately swarmed by 10 cameras following his every move.
3:17 p.m.
With the schedule backed up like it is, many members of the print media used this time as an opportunity to do many one-on-one interviews with the student-athletes in attendance.
Smith’s first interview with a print journalist came from Larry Vaught of the Danville-Advocate Messenger (Ky.).
3:20 p.m.
Dave Hooker of the Knoxville News Sentinel interviews Smith.
3:24 p.m.
Smith is introduced to Florida offensive tackle Phil Trautwein, who looks even larger in person than the 6-foot-6, 301 lbs., that Florida lists him as. With Meyer and Tebow grabbing much of the spotlight, Trautwein has flown under the radar for much of the day.
3:31 p.m.
With 12 interviews already completed, Smith is beginning to enjoy the interview process. “I could do this all day,” he says. “The more (interviews) I do, the more comfortable I get.”
3:45 p.m.
Media day is now running 25 minutes behind as Smith, Langford and coach Johnson wait for their respective interview rooms to open. The topic of conversation moves to former offensive tackle Chris Williams and the contract he signed with the Chicago Bears just a few hours ago. “I sent him a congratulatory text when I saw that he signed,” Smith says. “I know he wanted to get it done, so he could get to camp.”
3:55 p.m.
Thirty-five minutes after his regularly scheduled time slot, it’s finally Smith’s turn to enter the room labeled ESPN to talk with Joe Schad. Among the questions he is asked is what helmet is his favorite in college football and do you spat?
Spating, for those of us not up on all of the terminology in football is when football players tape around the top and bottom of their shoes.
4:00 p.m.
Smith is interviewed in the CBS College Television room. Among the questions he is asked is, what is the hardest place you’ve played? “Probably Florida and Arkansas,” says Smith. “They were the loudest. Against Arkansas, it felt like the field was shaking.”
4:06 p.m.
Shortly after entering the interview room with CSS, Smith is complimented on his suit. And for the second time in a row, he is asked about the hardest stadiums he has ever played in. He also labels Langford as the hardest hitter in the SEC.
4:07 p.m.
While shuffling between interview rooms, Smith spots the Heisman Trophy near the escalators and is immediately drawn to it. You can see his eyes light up with excitement as he nears the famous bronze statue. He poses for a few photos with the trophy before heading into the room labeled TV1.
The TV1 room is one of three rooms (TV1, 2 and 3) that are occupied by local television stations throughout the Southeast.
4:15 p.m.
As the room falls silent with questions, Smith chimes in looking for more. “I know you guys have more questions than that.” Smith’s comment gets a chuckle from the reporters and springs a few additional questions.
4:17 p.m.
“I crushed that one,” he says to himself as he exits the doors.
4:19 p.m.
With a few minutes of downtime between interviews, Smith stops off and plays a few keys on a piano to pass time. “I’m no Shan Foster,” he says.
4:21 p.m.
Smith enters the TV3 room, where questions are about as hard to find as water is in a desert. At three minutes, it would be Smith’s shortest interview session of the day.
4:25 p.m.
The radio/internet room is next on the schedule for Smith. The ballroom has five rows of tables and is the largest room Smith has been in yet. For the first time, he is asked about Vanderbilt’s new uniforms. “You can see the smile on my face right now,” responds Smith. “I love the new uniforms.”
4:40 p.m.
Only four interviews remain when Smith enters the RAYCOM interview room. The first question tossed Smith’s way is about overcoming transverse myelitis, followed by replacing Bennett.
4:45 p.m.
After getting a handful of questions in the TV2 room, silence comes over the crowd of reporters when the doors swing open and LSU head coach Les Miles enters the room with a sea of reporters and cameramen surrounding him. “That’s one way to end the interview,” Smith would say later.
4:47 p.m.
Following Smith’s abbreviated interview in TV2, a cameraman from Sports South mikes him up. He will wear the microphone the rest of the day while a cameraman follows his every move.
Smith is just one of the players the network miked up for its all-access show on SEC Media Days.
4:49 p.m.
Far and away, Smith’s favorite interview of the day is with SEC-TV. The questions he answers range from why he loves playing wide receiver to his favorite movie.
As a movie buff, Smith has a hard time selecting his favorite, but is quick to endorse the new Batman movie, “Dark Knight”, when asked about his favorite superhero, Batman. “I think it was the best Joker performance of all-time,” says Smith.
5:05 p.m.
Smith’s final interview of the day is with the print media, but before he can go to the interview room, he must wait for Langford to finish his final interview, so they can enter the room at the same time.
5:08 p.m.
Interested in what Langford’s interview is like, Smith goes in the TV3 room to watch. After the reporters ask their final question, Smith, doing his best impersonation of a television reporter, asks Langford a question of his own. “What is it like to play against George Smith everyday?” Laughter fills the room.
5:18 p.m.
The final interview of the day for Smith is in the cavernous print/Internet room, where both players sit at elevated tables on opposite sides of the room and reporters come to the tables and ask questions.
5:24 p.m.
Reporters marvel at Smith as he tells his story of recovering from the illness (transverse myelitis) that almost ended his life. “I like telling the story to others,” says Smith. “It’s a reminder of what I’ve been through.”
5:38 p.m.
It’s finally over. Smith has officially made it through all of the interviews at media day. “It was great,” says Smith. “I really enjoyed it. I thought it was going to be a lot worse.”
In a final tally, Smith was asked about replacing Earl Bennett 13 different times, and he was asked about recovering from transverse myelitis 12 different times.
5:50 p.m.
Before heading back up the elevator to change out of his suit, Smith takes time to sign a few autographs and take a couple of photos.
6:45 p.m.
Before the group can head back to Nashville, they first must make a stop at Dreamland Barbeque for dinner.
7:00 p.m.
Accompanied by coach Johnson and Vanderbilt broadcaster Joe Fisher, the group orders three slabs of ribs, sides of baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and macaroni and cheese.
7:20 p.m.
Seated on the other side of the restaurant with SEC and Bowl officials, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive spots the Vanderbilt group and walks over to the table and thanks everyone for coming.
8:14 p.m.
The van pulls away from Dreamland Barbeque and heads back to Nashville. With their stomachs filled and their bodies drained, Smith and Langford sprawl out in the back of the van.
8:20 p.m.
Smith and Langford are asleep. Besides the occasional phone call waking them up during the ride home, the two sleep for the entire ride back to Nashville.
11:20 p.m.
The van pulls back into the McGugin Center parking lot, signaling the close to the day. Although, the activities for Smith and Langford are finished for today, Thursday brings another full day of activities.
Beginning at 8 a.m. Smith, Langford and a handful of other teammates will work their final day of the summer at the Martha O’Bryan Center, where they spend their days working with underprivileged children.
