After a self made, man-fulfilling steak and egg breakfast and a 20-minute strengthening workout, I trekked, for the second time this year, to the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset in Los Angeles for a Manny Pacquiao press conference.
Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic through most of my journey with the odometer hitting upwards of 90 plus degrees, (it would hit 109 before the day was done) I was happier than ever to reach my destination and receive a valet ticket and jump inside the plush hotel.
With oodles of time before the conference even began, I found myself on a couch listening to the new Jay-Z/Kanye West album as I watched the circus begin. Some of the main players were already in plain view as Nacho Beristain held court in the lobby. Freddie Roach was flanked by HBO crews, no doubt supplying footage for Roach?s soon to be reality series set for a 2012 release, Marquez strolled by to talk to his trainer before going into hiding until the conference began, and actor and ?Entourage? producer Mark Wahlberg walked back and forth, hoping to make himself part of the Pac Man?s entourage, but to no avail. He evidently hasn?t heard of ?Pacquiao Time?, as most in Pacquiao?s groups knows all too well. Manny isn?t here yet, Marky Mark.
I stepped out briefly and watched as WWE wrestler ?The Miz? rolled up to the front. His PR person was standing next to me, and the wrestler hopped out of his chauffeured ride, walked up and asked him bluntly, ?What the hell am I doing here?? His PR walked him in and said he would go over things.
