As a general rule, I have to question the legitimacy of any party in which my name is called over the PA system moments after arriving. In this case, though, fellow Baylor alum and good pal Trey Wingo was hosting the event, so it made a tiny bit of sense.
My former colleague Todd Archer and I didn't have passes to the Madden/EA Sports Party at Martini Ranch, but we did have Arizona Cardinals starting center Al Johnson in our group. In case you've never hit the town with a professional football player, they all have NFL cards that pretty much give them access to anything in life.
Once inside, we bumped into about 70 current players. The only problem was that we didn't recognize most of them. I think we talked to Cardinals return man Steve Breaston at one point, but I've yet to confirm that.
Ravens running back Willis McGahee was sitting on the main stage playing Madden while a DJ attempted to explain the phrase "Ballin'" to Wingo, otherwise known as the whitest man on earth. At one point, Trey attempted an imaginary set shot, much like the one he used while leading the Phi Delts to a "B" League title at Russell Gymnasium in 1985.
McGahee won the eight-man Madden tournament, although I never saw any of the other contestants. Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart, who had been booted from his table at Club Myst by Cowboys kicker Nick Folk the previous evening, handed McGahee a gigantic silver trophy.
For some reason, the DJ felt the need to shout "Mark Schlereth's in the HOUSE!!!" every 10 minutes. This may have been prearranged by Wingo, whose man crush on Stink knows no boundaries.
After escaping the main bar, we bumped into former Cowboys defensive end Eric Ogbogu, who has starred in several Under Armour commercials. Ogbogu, who was dressed from head to toe in company gear, said he'll be in a 60-second commercial in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLII.
I slipped away from the Under Armour conversation to see who was hanging out upstairs. Someone had told me that Hashmarks regular Jason Witten was waiting for us, but I never ran into him. According to a text I received at 11:40 p.m., he was home preparing for today's NFL Man of the Year announcement.
As I strolled past one table, a man in a black suit scowled at me and indicated that I should pick up my pace. Of course, I had to look back and see who he was protecting. Lo and behold, the two men that pretty much ruined my childhood were sitting across from each other.
I've met my share of celebrities over the years, but for some reason, seeing Joe Montana and Dwight Clark turned me into a third grader. I considered snapping a photo with my Blackberry Curve, but thought better of it.
Montana, who didn't show up for a special Super Bowl MVP presentation two years ago in Detroit, looks remarkably young. I couldn't hear what he and Clark were talking about, but I'm sure "The Catch" came up.
Johnson and I took off after that. But I'm told the party really cranked up when Hashmarks senior correspondent Ed Werder showed up about 10 minutes later. OK, I'll report back on the ESPN The Magazine Party tomorrow - if I somehow get in.
