Who knew it was possible to tune out a crying baby at 30,000 feet?
My day began with an 8 a.m. flight on Tuesday from JFK to Las Vegas for the super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The idea was to make it in time for Pacquiao?s media session at 11:30 a.m. after a rally for his grand arrival at Mandalay Bay.
But I didn?t anticipate dealing with a baby and future opera singer screaming for the entire five-plus hours in the row behind me.
No matter, after two straight hours of crying, the noise somehow blended into the background and no longer served as a distraction.
In the end, the plane touched down an hour ahead of schedule, making it possible for me to make the media session without rushing.
Or so I thought.
A shuttle bus was supposed to whisk me to my destination in a few minutes, I was told by the nice woman by the curb who worked for the bus company.
Note to self: Never trust someone you meet on the curb.
Well, the shuttle bus ended up running more than 30 minutes late, and I arrived at the hotel after the media session was supposed to start.
But with this being boxing, where everything starts late, I was actually early. So it wasn?t a big deal.
Pacquiao soon appeared, looking far too relaxed for someone with a fight ahead of him, and the gathering commenced.
Everyone in Vegas has a theory on what?s going to happen in the fight.
The most bizarre idea was offered by a guy waiting with me for the shuttle bus who said that Pacquiao is going to win a close decision, allowing him to pocket Mayweather?s earnings and forcing Mayweather into a rematch. He smiled and nodded. I didn?t have the heart to tell him he was insane.
