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Friday, February 08, 2002
BenMaller.com Pro Bowl Report: Lawyer and The Freak  HONOLULU - Lawyer Milloy of the Patriots and Jevon Kearse of the Titans kicked off our day of interviews. The Freak was having a good time with the fans and us. He talked about how the Titans had no unity this season and that's why they stunk. The Lawyer said that the Pro Bowl appearance makes him a complete player. Malloy was still smilling from ear-to-ear.  Bill Cowher of the Steelers joined us as well. And yes, I asked him how in the hell he could stick with Kordell Stewart after how bad he had played. Cowher said Stewart kept working hard and he always felt he would be special. I told Cowher that he could have done a better job if he had suited up and played with the club.  Rich Gannon of the Oakland Raiders and Marcellus Wiley of the Chargers stopped by and spent some time with us. Gannon said despite reports to the contrary he is happy that Jon Gruden is staying in Oakland because he gives the team the best chance to win. I asked Wiley if it was tougher to concentrate on football playing in San Diego as opposed to Buffalo. He said, hell yes, the women in Buffalo are as big as he is!! Cleveland Brown linebacker Jamir Miller stepped up to the mic and talked about how much fun this season was for him. While Kevin Mawaii of the Jets said that he is worried about the teams future. Kevin said the Jets are 17 million over the salary cap and have already lost one assistant coach. Mawaii also said it was very difficult to watch Bill Belichick and the Patriots win the Super Bowl because Belichick used to be a Jet and the Pats are in his division. Today the NFC holds their final practice at Aloha Stadium before Saturday's game. Don't forget Saturday morning from 5am till 8am (est) you can hear my show live from Hawaii. permalink Thursday, February 07, 2002
BenMaller.com Pro Bowl Report: A meeting with Kordell  HONOLULU - It had to happen while I was here. After five months of bashing the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kordell Stewart on the radio it was my day to face the man himself. Wednesday at Aloha Stadium the AFC team held quart and after practice I spent some quality time with SLASH! I was professional on the air, that figures to surprise listeners in Pittsburgh on "The Burgh." I told Kordell that I was one of those guys that bashed him all year and that I was upset with him because he made me look like a Jackass on National Radio! He said he appreciated me being honest and gave the old cliche that its always easier to sit on this side of the mic. I have to question that after doing the show on the astro turf for 3 hours baking my ass. The locals from the groundscrew were laughing there asses off as I put the local sports page on my head to try and escape the heat. Anyway Kordell was a good guy and probably the most popular player for the AFC. Lincoln Kennedy of the Raiders was on as well. Kennedy is a great guy I asked him his opinion of Walt Coleman's performance in the AFC playoffs and he almost smacked me. Kennedy said his sources tell him that Jon Gruden would stay with the Raiders. I then asked Lincoln who his sources were and he said Chris Mortenson of ESPN and the local newspaper! Hahaha Kennedy should be a regular on Fox Sports Radio or ESPN Radio I told him I would act as his agent at FOX. He was great on air.  Ty Law of the Patriots It was alot of fun to get a chance to Interview Ty Law and Troy Brown of the World Champion New England Patriots. They were very funny when they talked about Tom Brady and Robert Kraft dancing at there celebration in Boston. Brown said he won him a super bowl he better damn dance. The Patriot players got snowed in Boston and had to drive to another airport. Then they flew 5 1/2 hours to San Jose, stopped for fuel and flew another 5 1/2 hours to Hawaii. Bruce Mathews of the Tennessee Titans joined stopped by and was alot of laughs. He said he is done with his playing days after the Pro Bowl. Mathews also said he lives in the Houston area and would like to work for the Texans if they want him. Mathews played with the Oilers/Titans franchise for 19 years. My advice to Mathews on the air was to stay away from ENRON. He laughed and then decided not to touch it. I'm working with the local station here in Honolulu and Armed Forces Radio to get a copy of the Kordell interview so I can play it on my show on Fox Sports Radio this weekend. Today the AFC team is back at Aloha Stadium... Time to go drinking! Aloha permalink Wednesday, February 06, 2002
BenMaller.com Pro Bowl Report HONOLULU - I can't believe I'm getting paid to be here and staying in a hotel room 10 feet from Waikiki beach with all my expenses covered. It dosen't get much better than this. Yesterday the NFC all-pro's practiced for the first time to get ready for the Pro Bowl. I did a three hour show from the South end zone at Aloha Stadium. We broadcasted from the turf during what turned out to be just a 30 minute walk through/practice for Andy Reid, the Eagles' coach. After the light workout, if you want to call it that, a number of the NFC's best players made their way to our broadcast location. LaVar Arrington of the Redskins, Mike Alstott and Keyshawn Johnson of the Buccaneers, "Big Cat" Williams of the Bears, Bubba Franks of the Packers and Dexter Coakley of the Dallas Cowboys all stopped by. It turns out that Arrington of the Skins was also on my flight over from LA. It was 85 degrees and humid all day... felt like Florida and being on the Turf at Aloha Stadium made it seem even hotter. It sprinkled a few times but the water was hot and just made things all the more uncomfortable. The rosters continue to be a mess. I can't believe why an NFL player would not take the chance to play in this game. Orlando Pace and Isaac Bruce of the Rams decided to do just that as they backed out. Matt Birk of the Vikings had to back out because he's getting married. So by game time we could have the Bills playing the Panthers. Today, the AFC Team holds practice at the stadium and we will be back out broadcasting and interviewing. players. I did make it to Waikiki beach for a few minutes yesterday after our show and plan on spending this afternoon there... I also stopped by Dukes again last night and it seemed I ran into at least half the NFC and AFC All-pro's. permalink Tuesday, February 05, 2002
Day one for Big Ben at the Pro Bowl By Ben Maller After a quick trip through LAX Security and a 5 1/2 hour flight, I arrived in Hawaii around 2pm. I went to the baggage claim and bumped into all-pro Jevon Kearse of the Tennessee Titans who was on my flight. After grabbing my bags, I took a 20 minute cab ride to "Dukes Waikiki--" this place is a first class seafood restaurant and the site of my day one broadcast. From 4pm till 7pm Hawaiian time, we broadcasted from about 15 feet away from the Pacific Ocean on the back patio at "Dukes" in 80 degree weather. I broke down the game with Warren Williamson as we lit up the airwaves on KHNR 650am Hawaii's premiere news talk and sports station and around the world on the Armed Forces Radio Network. We had several guests call in to break down the Super Bowl and took calls from locals here in Hawaii. An old friend of mine, John Lazerous, whom I had not seen in at least two years, is here on the Islands for the Pro Bowl and heard my show while driving around and came by and handed me $70 bucks from a bet I won years ago. The big story on the Islands, is when will Tom Brady, the Super Bowl MVP Quarterback from the Patriots, make his appearance. According to NFL sources, Brady will be here on Wednesday. Today, the NFC practices at Aloha Stadium from 10:00am till 12:00am and I'll be providing live coverage for RSC Sports. I'm also looking forward to this weekend's shows on Fox Sports Radio permalink Sunday, February 03, 2002
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