The Big West Conference has done away with what used to be an "annual basketball media day", in large reason because fewer and fewer media-types were attending each October in Irvine.
This morning the conference, along with Downtown Disney's ESPN Zone, presented an alternative "media day" scenario and the execution of the idea was a bit more successful than I anticipated it would be.
The "Big West ESPN Zone Cookoff Challenge" brought together the head men's and women's coaches at Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Northridge, and UCs Irvine and Riverside.
Each school's pair of coaches got 20 minutes to emulate a pesto pasta dish prepared beforehand for ESPN culinary staff and then toss together their own creation while conference officials, school boosters and, yes, even a few media-types (includes yours truly and another PT staffer, Robert Morales).
File this under "irony": One of the three judges -- sports columnist Marcia Smith of the O.C. Register -- was the most high-profile media-type in the building.
The only coach-prepped pasta I partook of was LBSU's Dan Monson's "Meat Special" (49ers' women's coach Jody Wynn whipped up the prerequisite pesto pasta).
Monson spiked his giant rigatoni with ample portions of shrimp, sausage and chicken, generous doses of Parmesan cheese and enough cream and garlic to merit Monson's other name for his dish "heart attack special".
But it was tasty and I even discovered some broccoli in it, as well!
The CSF duo of Bob Burton and Marcia Foster bagged medals (yes, they gave medals with ribbons) in three of the five categories: Presentation, Best Taste and Top Chef, in large part based on Foster's "Smokin', Chokin' Chicken".
I can see Burton lugging those three faux-Olympic medals into some player's abode on a recruiting visit next spring. It will wow 'em!
"Kitchen Nightmare" honors (based on lowest combined score via the three judges) with the UC Riverside pare of Jim Wooldridge and John Margaritis.
I loved the Highlanders' women's coach's response after the medal was hung around his neck:
"I was scared I would come home (from the event) and my wife would think I could cook."
Let's see the Pac 10 top that!
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