AFTER-AFTER-AFTER PARTIES ESPY MADNESS

I met Brady Quinn.

It's going to be pretty damn hard to top my night at the ESPY's. For starters, I rarely stay out past 1am and I got home, via cab, at 5am.

I was excited all week for the ESPY's. My heiress roommate loaned me her $800 dress and I was ready to go. I arrived to the ESPY's with my friend Arash, barely making the 5:30 "doors closing" cutoff for the 6pm show. One of my amazing mentors at ESPN scored me a ticket. My seat was at Orchestra level, which was better than some of my celeb friends that walked the carpet. Dodgers player Matt Kemp was seriously in the row in front of me. I run into World Series of Poker Champion Jamie Gold as I walk in. He's one of the nicest guy's ever and now I know the night is off to a good start.


Justin Timberlake was the perfect host for the ESPY's. Ridiculously funny, charming, prepared and god damn talented. I had taken all of these notes from the ESPY's but I don't even care about those anymore because you should seriously just watch the show for yourself. What I want to talk about is the after parties.

After-party:

Once inside I saw about 25 friends and colleagues that I knew. I sit down to eat and start chatting with some famous boxer who's name I can't remember when the entire Celtics team walks in. Kendra and the Girls Next Door are eating a few tables next to me, Greg Oden walks in, I'm introduced to Tony Gonzalez, Terrell Owens enters with his entourage and Kate Walsh looks hot in her purple dress as she's chatting up a hot Tom Brady look-a-like by the door. Later, the Tom Brady look-a-like comes over to talk to me and my friend and I find out his name is Ryan and he's not athlete at all. He's an actor on some show called "Chuck" and thinks it's super cool that my friend and I are into sports, specifically that she is into Fantasy sports. After two of my colleagues and I make a few rounds around the party they invite me to the after-after party. They've got the "in." That's how it's done in Hollywood.

The after-after party is at a huge church downtown. I've been to a Snoop Dogg concert and Grammy party there before, which means I know where the bathrooms are. Once inside I see Derek Fisher whom I haven't seen since the NBA playoffs. He introduces me to his wife and we crack up about a certain scandle that happened a month ago he thinks is hilarious. "This is the girl from that story I told you about!" he says to his wife. Nice.

Matt Leinart's also at the party so I briefly chat up my former college classmate. "I like the look," I say eyeing his baby blue sweater. "I think I'm a little too preppy," he says.

Michael Vartan and his friend happen to be at the party as well and at this point we're at the hugging stage. We all hug and chat about the ESPY's which they missed. I fill them in on the det's.

T.O. and pretty much every other A-list athlete from the ESPY's and the first after-party make their way to this one and by 2am it's time for the after-after party. My incredible two friends toss me a wrist band and we cab it over to the Standard hotel. They're amazing and they've also got another "in" to an even more exclusive bash.



I didn't think it was possible to get more athletes into one party but I feel like I'm in some mega-star locker room. There's only one person worth mentioning though and that is Brady Quinn. Say what you will about his football skills, Brady Quinn was my second favorite athlete for the last four years (it was Barry Zito, Brady Quinn, Scott Podsednik and Tom Brady) and I was never able to meet him even at the Notre Dame football game in South Bend. I don't ever get nervous or too excited to see athletes or celebs (I mean I interview them on a daily basis) - but this was Brady Quinn. It'd be like meeting Zack Morris when I was in middle school. I introduced myself, met his gorgeous girlfriend and then sat down on the couch of the hotel room to take a breather, thinking, "Shit, there's no way to top this. Ever. I went to the ESPY's. Best show ever. I met Brady Quinn. I'm at an after-after-after party. And I met Brady Quinn."

By 5am, it was well past my bed time so I jumped in a cab and after the cab driver made a few wrong turns, I eventually ended up at my apartment, where I laid down and thought, "There's no way I'm making my 9am appointment in Orange County tomorrow."