Super Bowl Diary: And On The Fifth Day...

You Call This Rest?

Patrick Donnelly, Staff Writer
January 26, 2001, 8:59 p.m. EST

Friday, January 26, 2001
8:15 p.m. EST
ORLANDO

Dear Diary,

And on the fifth day, they rested.

After four days of almost nonstop work (fun work, mind you, but still work), your intrepid cyberscribes took Friday to catch our breath and gear up for the upcoming 48-hour blitz of Super Bowl Saturday and Sunday.

So we only worked a 12-hour day.

But it sort of felt like rest because we stayed in one place -- namely, the TV station in Orlando that has become home base for all of our photo and video work. That's the biggest difference between us and the ESPNs and CNNs of the Web world-- we do almost all of our own behind-the-scenes work. The coding and downloading, transcribing our notes and laying out the pages that you read. All of that is done here, with a little help from our friends back at corporate HQ.

Those national big-shots? Great writers, most of them, but they have a staff of Web-heads who do all their dirty work. All they have to do is get their interviews, write their stories, and hit "Send File" and their day is done.

Not that I am complaining, mind you. We love having a hands-on operation. Here at the Little Web Site That Could, we get elbow-deep in our work. We put a little piece of ourselves into everything that you read. Can you feel the love? Can you?

***** By the way, we love feedback, so if you see something you like, or something that you think we could be doing better, please feel free to let us know.

*****

Because we're taking some time to reflect on the week's events, here's one man's list of the top five players who will have a key impact on Super Bowl XXXV. Not the five biggest names, but the five who you might not expect to play a pivotal role in the outcome.

1. Tony Siragusa -- The Ravens' mammoth defensive tackle is quicker with a quip than Chris Rock, John Madden or Jay Leno. He was a one-man tour de force on Tuesday at Media Day, commanding the attention and laughter of anybody who ventured near his podium. But he's not just a broadcaster in the making -- he's also a key factor in freeing LB Ray Lewis to wreak havoc on the opposition's running game. If you're the fullback assigned to block Lewis, first you have to find him behind Siragusa's 340 pounds and fellow DT Sam Adams' 330-pound frame. Good luck, young soldier. Good luck.
2. Greg Comella -- He's the Giants fullback. See above.
3. Kyle Richardson -- Baltimore's punter led the league in punts inside the 20 this year, and field position could be more valuable to the Ravens than having Kurt Warner behind center. He's also the holder on field goals and extra points, and kicker Matt Stover figures to hit the field early and often. Giants special teams coach Larry Mac Duff said, "This game could easily come down to special teams and the field position battle."
4. Sam Garnes/Shaun Williams -- The Giants' safeties will be the men expected to do battle with Ravens' TE Shannon Sharpe. They not only have to deal with his great route-running and above-average hands, they'll also have to deal with his Pro Bowl mouth.
5. Harry Swayne -- The Ravens' right tackle will have his hands full with New York's monster pass rusher Michael Strahan. Like any quarterback, Trent Dilfer plays better when he's got time to pass, but he's not the most mobile quarterback, so pocket protection will be crucial. Swayne has two Super Bowl rings already -- the former Bronco won them in '97 and '98. If he wants a third, he won't be able to ride the coattails of his teammates. He'll have to carry his own water.

I know, that's six players. We're giving you six for the price of five. Would the big national sites do that for you?

*****

Just checked in on the family and all is well. My little girl is "up at the big lake" with my in-laws. She told me that she played on the frozen lake today, ate macaroni and cheese and watched a little "Barney." Ah, life is simple at age three.

At one point today I looked up at one of the many TV monitors here at the station and saw the big purple dinosaur cavorting with his little friends. Normally that sight is enough to send me out of the room, but today I found it strangely comforting. And I realized my job here is more than halfway to completion.

Time flies when you're doing something you love.

Previous Diaries:
Thursday, January 25 -- The Missing Egg
Wednesday, January 24 -- Midnite Vultures
Tuesday, January 23 -- Throng Of The South
Monday, January 22 -- And We're Off

*****

Check back throughout the rest of the weekend to read more from our Super Bowl Diary.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]