Belichick — NBA expert?
Comedian Artie Lange was roaming the floor at media day. He stopped to ask Patriots coach Bill Belichick about — an NBA team?
Lange introduced himself as “Ed Davenport, Minnesota Star” and Belichick seemed to recognize him, maybe from Lange’s days on “The Howard Stern Show.”
“How would you fix the Timberwolves?” Lange asked
“I don’t know too much about that,” Belichick said with a smile. “I’m kind of a football guy.”
Lange then said, “Just kidding. Pam Oliver, CBS Sports.”
— Brian Costello
COMPLETE GIANTS SUPER BOWL COVERAGE
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Another reason to root for Big Blue
Maria Menounos, the host of EXTRA, was wearing a Tom Brady jersey yesterday. She told Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski she had a friendly bet that would result in her wearing a Giants bikini if the Giants won. Gronkowski said it was nice to know something positive could come from a Patriots loss.
— Brian Costello
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Because the NFL needs more $$$
Fans were allowed at media day for the first time. They purchased tickets for $25 each to sit in the stands and watch the interviews. There were about 7,000 fans in attendance, many wearing Colts jerseys. Tickets were going for $350 on the secondary market, according to the Indiana Business Journal.
One fan came in a full Patriots uniform. He even had a towel hanging from his waist and a wristband with plays on it. The best part? His girlfriend was wearing eye black.
— Brian Costello
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The wrong tune
R&B star and model Ciara, best known for her hits “Goodies” and “Love Sex Magic,” donned a No. 80 Giants jersey in honor of Victor Cruz, but picked the Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI in an interview with The Post.
“It’s going to be a high-scoring game, definitely in the 30s for both teams,” said the statuesque singer, who was interviewing players for “Entertainment Tonight” with a diamond-encrusted microphone. “I give the Patriots the edge because of how effectively they use their tight ends. [Rob] Gronkowski and [Aaron] Hernandez are amazing.”
She also said she is biased because she uses the same personal trainer as Tom Brady, and is friends with Brady’s wife, fellow model Gisele Bundchen.
“I love watching Tom play because it always seems like he’s so calm,” she said. “That’s going to put them over the top Sunday.”
— Bart Hubbuch
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Taming the dragon
“Do you want to grab my dragon Aaron Hernandez?”
That’s what one reporter with a Fox Sports microphone and dragon doll around his neck asked the Patriots tight end at Media Day. Hernandez did take hold of it briefly and after being told it was a “sacred beast,” he responded “a beast like [Rob] Gronkowski.”
Hernandez was then challenged to defend his Puerto Rican pride against Giants receiver Victor Cruz, who does a salsa dance after each touchdown.
“I may bring out the merengue,” Hernandez said.
— Justin Terranova
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Seeing red
Scantily clad “reporters” from Mexican TV outlets causing a stir has become a Media Day tradition, and yesterday was no exception as former Miss Universe contest Marisol Gonzalez sported a skin-tight red dress and knee-high boots while interviewing players.
Gonzalez, 28, now works for Televisa Deportes and did several interviews — including one with Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz — after asking the person to don a sombrero and wave a small Mexican flag during their chat.
— Bart Hubbuch
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Arm-ed for battle
There wasn’t a large crowd around Patriots guard Logan Mankins, who had a coveted seat behind a podium, when a blonde woman from HD TV rushed up, clearly eager to ask a question. Mankins was just finishing up a comment about dealing with the Giants’ pass rush when the inquiring mind blurted out, “Who wins an arm wrestle between King Kong and Godzilla?’’ Mankins didn’t crack a smile.
“Who knows?’’ he shot back. When prodded for a better response and why, Mankins said, “King Kong, because he’s King Kong.’’ Satisfied, the reporter departed to glean other important insights from Patriots players.
— Paul Schwartz
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Welker’s Situation
Wes Welker was asked by an “Access Hollywood” reporter if he was capable of naming the cast of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” prompting the Patriots wideout to laugh.
“I can, dude,” he said, sheepishly. “It’s sad to say but I can.”
Welker proceeded to name the four main guys on the hit show — The Situation, Vinny, Pauly D and Ronnie — but only got two of the four girls. He named Snooki and J-Woww but couldn’t recall Deena or Sammi.
The receiver also was asked if he knew how to spell Belichick’s last name.
“Tough one. B-E-L-I-C-H-I,” Welker said, and then paused. “K. Wait, that right? Is it CK?”
Told Belichick’s name ended in “CK,” Welker smacked his head.
— Mark Hale and Associated Press
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Eli on Peyton
Eli Manning endeared himself to Colts fans in Indianapolis with kind words about his brother, Peyton, who is facing an uncertain future recovering from neck surgery.
“Peyton has had an unbelievable career and in my opinion is the best I’ve ever seen play football,” Eli said. “My goal is to get to his level of play. That’s something I’ve worked on.”
— Paul Schwartz
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UConn do it
Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has had a fine career with Xs and Os, but the Connecticut native is most proud of his hand in helping to expand the Nutmeg State’s presence in the league.
“I think it says great things about the state of football coming out of Connecticut,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in that. When I first started 23 years ago, there was only one guy coaching in the league from the state. Then I was able to bring [current Titans offensive coordinator] Chris Palmer into the league, and other guys like Paul Pasqualoni and Tony Sparano and lots more have come into the NFL.
“As is usually the case, somebody gets in, and they start helping some of the other people who they have respect for and who they know will do a good job for them.”
— Mike Vaccaro