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| | | | | | | |  Thursday, December 21, 2000
5 questions with Melissa Stark
By Melissa Stark
Special to MondayNightFootball.com
A lot of people want to talk to Monday Night Football's Melissa Stark. Five of you got the chance this week, courtesy of MondayNightFootball.com.
|  | | Warrick Dunn has breathed new life into a previously listless Bucs offense. |
The MNF sideline reporter recently answered user questions on a variety of topics, including Keyshawn Johnson's mouth, her vote for NFL MVP, and last-minute Christmas shopping.
Below are Stark's responses to users who e-mailed their questions.
How has your interaction with Keyshawn Johnson been? Is he a tough interview?
James Towey, Boston, Mass.
I've talked to Keyshawn a couple of times, and found him to be an interesting guy, very witty and not afraid to challenge you. In short, he is a character and a fun interview, like a Warren Sapp or Jamal Anderson. A ham, if you will. He is also at times misread by the media, as I think he just likes to talk and have fun. The problem is, he has said so many things this year that he hasn't been able to back up. You have to put your money where your mouth is, otherwise you lose credibility with what you say.
I'll give you a classic example. This year, Keyshawn Johnson will be remembered for the "flashlight" comment about Wayne Chrebet before they played in Week 4. When asked about Chrebet before the game, the Bucs receiver was quoted as saying: "You're trying to compare a flashlight to a star. Flashlights only last so long; a star is in the sky forever. He's not even close to me and anyone who knows football knows that." Then, the Jets promptly came down to Tampa and defeated the Buccaneers 21-17, with the game-winning touchdown coming off a diving 18-yard catch from Chrebet. It started Chrebet's new nickname, "The Green Lantern."
On the field, despite high expectations with that $53 million dollar contract, Keyshawn hasn't delivered either. Johnson had one catch for one yard in that loss to the Jets. He's not completely to blame, the way the Bucs play, the emphasis is on the run. And Warrick Dunn is playing so well right now that Keyshawn is not getting a lot of catches. Like I said, he is often misread and not afraid to say what he thinks. He is not a mean-spirited person either. From my perspective, he is one of those special players who don't give you that generic answer. But people get tired of the talk when a player isn't producing.
With Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk back, are the Rams once again the team to beat in the NFC?
Adam Paluka, Racine, Wisc.
You know, the Vikings are very, very good offensively and will likely have the benefit of home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But they are not quite as good as St. Louis right now, as we learned in the Rams convincing 40-29 win over Minnesota in Week 15.
When the Rams are healthy and in sync, they are the best team in the league. As luck would have it, we will see if St. Louis is truly rejuvenated and able to defeat Tampa Bay on the road this Monday night. It's interesting, there are so many fair-weather fans out there ready to just change their opinion of a team in a heartbeat. When Kurt Warner came back from a finger injury in Week 14, he threw four interceptions in a loss to Carolina. And what people don't understand is it takes a while for a quarterback to get back in sync with the offense, even an NFL MVP.
Last week in the win over the Vikings, Warner finally showed his old form by completing 27-of-32 attempts for 346 yards. So now that he is used to the offense again, the Rams are a force to be reckoned with.
Who would get your vote as NFL MVP this year?
Casey Gerritsen, Waupun, Wisc.
Well, I believe that leading a team with a great record counts most when considering an NFL MVP. So in that vein, three quarterbacks should be considered this year: Rich Gannon of Oakland, Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper and Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb. All three are surprises this season. Who would have thought these guys would be in consideration for anything last year? So let's work from there.
Given that Culpepper plays with three other Pro Bowlers (and some would say potential MVPs) in running back Robert Smith and receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss, his performance doesn't stand out quite as much. So now we are down to Gannon or McNabb ?
McNabb is the guy who did the most with the least. The second-year quarterback lost running back Duce Staley in Week 6 and has no stars at any other position on offense. Gannon, meanwhile, has been the difference in the Raiders' 11-3 record and a shot at home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Why don't we give this decision two more weeks.
Of course, if Rams running back Marshall Faulk hadn't missed a couple of games at midseason, his numbers would have warranted consideration for MVP. He might have broken 1,000 yards rushing, 1,000 yards receiving in consecutive seasons.
With your MNF schedule, how are you getting your Christmas shopping done?
Terri Johnson, Miami, Fla.
That's a good question. It's easy and hard at the same time because I'm on the road. For example, in Indianapolis last week, our hotel was attached to a mall, and with my downtime I went over there. But in the same vein, you don't want to lug all these gifts back with you. Still, I've gotten most of my shopping done this season early, which is very unusual for me.
I actually like to go to the mall the day before Christmas to do all my shopping, which sounds crazy given that is gets so crowded. A lot of times I will find out exactly what somebody needs, and just go to the mall the day before and get it.
This year, I will not celebrate Christmas Day with my family, since the Monday Night Football crew will be in Tennessee for the Cowboys-Titans game. I sort of have three Christmas celebrations. This week I will celebrate Christmas with my fiancé, then I will be with my sister down in Florida after the Rams-Buccaneers game, then I will be with my parents and brother on Dec. 26.
Do you think Alex Rodriguez's $252 million deal is bad for sports?
Chris Franchino, Roseland, N.J.
I don't know about all sports, but it's definitely bad for baseball. Not surprisingly, Manny Ramirez's $160 million contract with the Red Sox soon followed Rodriguez's deal. These big-money deals just exacerbate an already existing problem of rich franchises against small ones.
In December of 1980, Dave Winfield became the highest paid ballplayer when he signed a 10-year, 15-million dollar contract. In 1989, Kirby Puckett became baseball's first $3 million player. Now the Rodriguez deal is off the charts. When the labor agreement expires at the end of next season, negotiations are going to be more difficult than ever. Something has to be done - the league isn't exciting anymore. It has become a league of haves and have nots. These small payroll teams like Kansas City and Milwaukee have no shot at these big players while the bigger markets reel in the big-name players. What we have here is predictability in Major League Baseball now: The Yankees seems to win every world championship now.
The NFL, in comparison, doesn't have this problem. There is plenty of parity. This season alone, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Baltimore have come out of nowhere, and it is fun to watch. No one predicted all three of them in the playoffs. Meanwhile, you can almost pick the World Series teams before the beginning of each season.
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