I was in a deep slumber last week when my phone rang. It was about 10 a.m. and I was resting comfortably on my couch, trying to pretend the Orlando Magic meltdown the night before never happened.
The Commish was on the other end of the phone. He had landed tickets to a special Buccaneers function and invited me to attend. New head coach Raheem Morris would be speaking and the event would certainly be worth writing about. Little did I know there would also be cheerleaders there.
Chalk Talk with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is an annual luncheon held by the team which gives fans a chance to meet players and personnel. It's kind of like the team's State of the Union address. This year's function was held at the Hyatt Downtown.
With all the off-season moves and acquisitions, a buzz surrounds these Buccaneers, as evidenced by the turnout. There were several hundred media members, fans, businesspeople and elected officials in attendance. Oh, and did I mention there were cheerleaders?
This article appears in Jun 17-23, 2009.