Somehow I ended up at the Katy Perry press conference on Thursday, don’t ask me why. But with Perry, the halftime act for Super Bowl XLIX, holding a press conference in the same building that holds the media center, I figured, why not.
If nothing else, the press conference was worth it just to hear 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jim Moore loudly boo when the first question was an Entertainment Tonight host asking to take a selfie with Perry.
I can safely say I never imagined in all my life I would hear a pop star imitate Marshawn Lynch, saying “I’m just here so I don’t get fined,” but that was indeed part of my afternoon. Oh, and if you care, Perry likes Seattle in the Super Bowl because she’s friends with Russell Wilson.
As I mentioned Wednesday, a group of media took in the Suns-Wizards game, which was a good time, though it’s always a little bittersweet being at an NBA game. Seahawks defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett were there too, seated courtside — we were most definitely not courtside — and got a hearty boo from Arizona fans when shown on the big screen.
Funny story from us grabbing a postgame beer: I realized that the same beer I had ordered from the same establishment two nights earlier was now $2 more. I asked the bartender if this was Super Bowl week price gouging, and she smiled and confirmed it indeed was. Can’t say I blame them — this was prevalent in Vancouver during the Olympics (in New York, however, price gouging is a 12-month-a-year deal) — it was just funny to notice it so blatantly because I arrived before the gouging kicked in.
Thursday is something of a sigh of relief for players, because it is the last time they have to deal with us until after the game. While media availability is a part of players’ and coaches’ routines all season, they have to do a lot more of it this week, spending close to an hour Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Head coach Pete Carroll, whose normal week involves talking to us after games, then Monday, Wednesday and Friday, talks every day from when the team arrived Sunday through Friday’s joint press conference with Bill Belichick. I joked with Carroll as he walked into the room that he must be running out of things to say, to which he replied, “I’ve got nothing left.”
And as I write this, it has been raining steadily for a couple of hours and there is more in the forecast, which must be a good omen for the Seahawks right? Or just a sign that those of us hoping to get some sun might be out of luck.
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