| |  Friday, October 5, 2001
Melissa Stark talks back
By Melissa Stark
Special to ABC Sports Online
A lot of people want to talk to Monday Night Football's Melissa Stark. Ten of you got the chance, courtesy of ABC Sports Online.
The MNF sideline reporter recently answered user questions about the recent terrorist attacks on the United States, and her favorite stadiums, among other topics. Below are Stark's responses to users who e-mailed their questions.
Click here to send your questions to Melissa. Her answers are posted every Thursday.
|  | | Tampa Bay RB Warrick Dunn quietly made his way to the Pro Bowl last season. |
Hi Melissa. You live in New York, don't you? Is everyone in your family OK?
Jim Jaconetta -- Pittsburgh
Melissa Stark: Yes, I live in New York. Thanks for asking. I live about three miles from where the Twin Towers used to stand, but I was at the Denver airport getting ready to board my plane when all of this happened.
It was absolute chaos because none of the cell phones worked. I was trying to call my husband, who works at Morgan Stanley, but luckily works in midtown, not in the branch at the World Trade Center. I was trying to call my family because they thought I was in the air.
We just kept getting updates of the events. It was so scary because we weren't near a TV and didn't know what was going on. But I got together with all the Monday Night crew when we got back to the hotel, and finally I spoke to everyone that I knew.
Luckily for me, all my family members and close friends were not injured or harmed. But many friends of friends are missing and have suffered terrible tragedies. It's just awful, and it really touches everybody.
What impact do you think last week's tragic events will have on the players and coaches' physical and mental ability in the upcoming games?
Gary Kolegraff -- Cupertino, Calif.
Melissa Stark: First of all, I'm glad the league decided to take a week off. I don't think there's any way players and coaches could or should have played. Forget the travel and safety issues. The devastation the country suffered as a result of the attacks was enough.
Last weekend was a time for mourning, especially for teams like the Giants, Jets and Redskins. Teams would have had an unfair advantage against them. There were more important things on their minds other than football, and that spread across the league.
As we start the transition of moving forward this week, it's going to be tough. Just like people who work on Wall Street went back to work, and those who worked in the World Trade Center are now working in areas surrounding New York, we can't let these terrorists stop our lives. If we do, they've won.
It will certainly be on players and coaches' minds this weekend, but at least they've had a period of time to mourn and reflect. These are professional athletes, and will go about their jobs in a professional manner.
|  | | San Francisco QB Jeff Garcia gave blood to help the relief effort. In total, 49ers donated 70 pints. |
What are the NFL teams doing to pay their respects to those lost in the WTC and Pentagon tragedies? An emblem on their uniforms and helmet?
Cedric -- Taft, Calif.
Melissa Stark:They are wearing an American flag on the back right of their helmets. And I know that over the past two weeks many teams have gone out into the community and tried to help in every way possible.
The Washington Redskins went to the Pentagon to visit rescue workers and to the hospital to visit burn victims. Team owner Daniel Snyder has established a foundation where all the proceeds will go directly to the family members that were lost at the Pentagon.
The Giants and Jets have helped gather and take supplies to the rescue workers in New York, and have also gone to visit "Ground Zero."
The San Francisco 49ers all gave blood to help the relief effort.
How come the NFL can't move the Super Bowl back one week? If the entire nation can adjust their schedules in light of the tragedy, why can't the Super Bowl?
John Kokalj -- Milwaukee
Melissa Stark: The NFL has tried to adjust as much as it can. I know they looked into moving the Super Bowl back, but a car convention is taking place in New Orleans the following week, and they cannot reschedule.
However, the NFL is still considering other options, such as playing the conference championships in New Orleans and moving the Super Bowl back a week to a different location. Atlanta, Miami and Pasadena have been discussed as alternate locations.
So I do think the NFL has shown tremendous flexibility and sensitivity to what has happened.
Do you believe that Warrick Dunn is one of the most underrated players in the NFL right now?
Dan Fargo -- Medina, Ohio
Melissa Stark: Fans voting on the Internet, players and writers decide who goes to the Pro Bowl, and Dunn went to the Pro Bowl last year, so certainly they recognize how good he is.
The thing with Dunn is that he has no ego at all. He's such a quiet player, so maybe you don't hear about him as much in that sense. He's a team guy. His stats from a year ago speak for themselves: 1,133 yards rushing, 44 catches for 422 yards and nine touchdowns overall.
Anyone who watched the Rams-Bucs MNF game from Week 16 of last year remembers his 21-yard run on fourth down that helped set up the game-winning score knows how good he is in clutch situations.
Who were some of your favorite teams when you were a kid? Who do you consider to be the most exciting players to watch in the NFL today?
Carson D. Keyes Jr. -- Milwaukee
Melissa Stark: I grew up in Baltimore and my dad, sister, brother and I went to every Colts home game. My dad was the eye doctor for the Colts, so at halftime we would go down with him to the locker room and I got to know the players. Former quarterback Bert Jones taught me how to throw a football in my front yard.
But when they left in the middle of the night in 1984, I didn't really have another team to root for and never really felt any kind of allegiance to a team the way I did with the Colts. When the Ravens came to Baltimore I had already moved away, and didn't feel a connection with them.
Talking about exciting players, Randy Moss jumps out, of course, because of his athletic ability. No one makes circus catches like he does. He's a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. Edgerrin James and Marshall Faulk are probably the most versatile running backs in the game, and I'm a huge fan of Doug Flutie. He's a lot of fun to watch.
Defensively, Ray Lewis of the Ravens, Jevon Kearse of the Titans and Warren Sapp and John Lynch of the Bucs are some of the guys that stand out. I like watching guys who display emotion, get fired up and inspire their teams. They make the game fun and interesting to watch. It also makes them look more human.
Of all the stadiums in the NFL which one do you find most appealing to watch a game at considering the fans, atmosphere and overall experience of being at a football game?
Sam Pociask -- Menasha, Wisc.
Melissa Stark: I loved old Mile High Stadium, because of the noise, the weather and there was so much history there.
Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City is definitely the loudest. The atmosphere there is similar to a college game.
3COM Park in San Francisco always has a sea of red. The 49er fans are some of the most loyal fans in the league.
But the best fans, I'd have to say, are Packer fans. They define die-hard. The first time I was at Lambeau Field, I saw a couple getting married in the parking lot, wearing Packer jerseys. And the equipment they use for tailgating is incredible. They are professionals.
In the September 2001 Maxim, Jill Arrington way quoted about a cage match versus you. She said, "I'd take her down. She's just a thin little thing." What are your thoughts on her comments?
John Meyer -- Las Vegas
Melissa Stark: (laughing) I've never met Jill and I don't know her sense of humor, so hopefully she's joking. But just in case she's not, I guess I'd better start working out in case we run into each other!
For a woman interested in your line of work, what advice could you give for those who want to pursue it, and, what have you learned from your experience at ESPN/ABC?
Kara Hudson -- Austin, Texas
Melissa Stark: First and foremost, you have to love sports, and have an understanding and knowledge of the game. It's definitely a hard job, in the sense that there are so few women. As a result, all the women stand out.
You have to work extra hard to be seen as credible and you need to make sure your co-workers, athletes and viewers respect you for your WORK. You're certainly held to a much higher standard.
This job is very rewarding and fun. It's one of the greatest jobs in the world, but don't be fooled. You're definitely under the microscope and will have to overcome stereotypes.
|  | | LaVar Arrington is looking to have a breakout season in Washington. |
In all your years of covering high school sports for ESPN, who was the one player you featured that made the biggest impact in college and/or pro sports?
Dan Behringer -- Phoenix
Melissa Stark: During my time as host of Scholastic Sports America, I did stories on many players. I featured Ken-Yon Rambo, the current Dallas Cowboy WR and former Ohio State star when he was setting records at Long Beach Poly in California.
I also knew that Grace Park, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour, would be something special. She was a standout junior golfer and was College Player of the Year in 1998 at Arizona State.
But the person who could probably have the greatest impact is LaVar Arrington. Everyone who followed his career at Penn State knows of his talents and what he did there. Now with the Redskins, he is one of the players Washington is looking to build its defense around.
It was great to have met these athletes at such a young age, follow their careers and see them be so successful.
Ask Melissa Stark:
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