INDIANAPOLIS(CBS) – Day One in Indy is in the books.
Well, I should say “Getting To Indy” is in the books. Andy Gresh, Producer Jim Louth and myself took a 3:15pm flight out of Logan on Monday (yep, Gresh and Jim made it with some time to spare after being on air until around 1:40). The flight was only about half full, which worked out nicely since my carry-on was ready to burst. There is a good chance I might have to invest in an actual suitcase by the end of the week.
Matt Geagan takes a picture of 98.5 The Sports Hub producer Jim Louth taking a picture of Andy Gresh on the plane to Indianapolis.
And for those wondering (lots of people asked via Twitter), no one sat next to Gresh. I don’t think there was a full row anywhere on the flight to be honest.
I packed a winter jacket, WBZ fleece and Under Armor pullover expecting it to be fairly cold upon arrival. Nope. It was 57 degrees. All those sweaters that caused my bag to tear open a little bit more will have to wait until the weekend, when the temps are expected to dip into the 30’s.
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The Super Bowl was everywhere in the airport, but the only place you can find a Patriots logo (or Giants for that matter) are at the Super Bowl shop near the food court. I wonder if that is at Peyton or Jim Irsay’s request?
With our bags in hand and rental car all set, the three of us set out for the hotel. Everyone from the WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub crews are staying in the Hilton Indianapolis North, which is about 45 minutes from the airport and 30 away from Lucas Oil Stadium. Gresh navigated while I drove. The Stadium looks incredible from the highway, though we weren’t able to snap a good enough picture from the car. Safety first.
Is it bad that my rental has New York plates? At least there are no Giants bumper stickers on it…
Getting to the hotel was easy, but finding a good radio station was not. There was plenty of country, which did not appeal to the three of us. We finally found WFBQ 94.7FM, which is Indy’s classic rock station. It only took us 20 minutes, and some friendly tweets, to find it. Thank you to everyone that helped. (Jim was doing the tweeting, as Gresh and I focused on the road).
"Rum is in aisle 13. After the shampoo aisle but before the detergent."
The night was pretty quiet, at least for me. Instead of making the trek into the city for WBZ’s 10 and 11pm sportscasts, I opted to stay around the hotel and get a few things done; unpack, charge batteries (literally and figuratively) and do some work. Of course with travel, there are always things that are either forgotten or not allowed on the plane. I hit the CVS across the street for some toiletries, and what do I find but two aisles full of alcohol. Liquor, beer, wine… anything. It would put some local packies to shame. It was all pretty decently priced too, and one could save more with your CVS card. What a concept! I was eying the bottle of Sailor Jerry’s, but I’m here on business and Tuesday is a busy day.
Tuesday is the Media Day, which means there will be plenty going on. The Patriots session is from 10-11am, so Gresh & Zo will be broadcasting live from the 50-yard line. Both stations will have full coverage, and we’ll have three flip cams out and about getting everything you can imagine. Media Day is now open to the public too, so really, anything can happen. Check back for updates throughout the morning and afternoon. You wouldn’t want to miss all the one-liners, marriage proposals and trash talk, would you?
WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche And Steve Burton Preview Tuesday’s Events
We’ll also have more from Indy, with tons of fun stuff going on around the city. I am going to try to make it to a Boston bar downtown for the Celtics game Tuesday night, and hopefully talk with a few friendlies in the area.
That is all for Day One in Indy. Daily updates will be coming your way all week, and some of them might even have some football facts in them. Like this one:
Tom Brady and Eli Manning’s 10,168 combine passing yards in the regular season are the most by opposing quarterbacks in Super Bowl history, besting Peyton Manning and Drew Brees’ 8,888 yards back in 2009.
Follow Matt Geagan on Twitter @MattyGWBZ
