Through our Revolution Rewind series we’ve had the chance to relive some of the most dramatic moments from the 2013 season. From a trio of five-goal outbursts against the Rochester Rhinos, LA Galaxy and Philadelphia Union to the playoff surge through late September and October, we’ve looked back at many of the Revolution’s most memorable on-field stories from the past year.
But the entertainment value of professional sports isn’t purely derived from the on-field product. Sometimes it’s the personalities which make pro sports truly special, and the Revs certainly aren’t lacking in personality.
Throughout the course of 2013 we occasionally stepped away from the field to get a glimpse into the psyches of players and staff, and had quite a bit of fun doing so. Here’s a look back at some of the lighter moments …
It was a simple idea during our preseason trip to Casa Grande: show the players a series of pictures and have them blurt out the first word that came to mind. The result was a hilarious glimpse into the minds of a few players and one of the most popular videos we produced in 2013.
My personal favorite? Matt Reis responding to a picture of Landon Donovan with, “Martina Hingis.”
Sometimes fun videos are planned, like our word association piece. But other times situations arise unexpectedly and you need to be prepared to capture them at a moment’s notice. Such was the case during our preseason trip to Tucson when MLSSoccer.com editor in chief Greg Lalas began pacing back and forth while on a phone call. Seriously, he just kept pacing.
This greatly amused Matt Reis, who grabbed the microphone and began calling play-by-play.
In early March, FC Dallas put together a clever infomercial for the “Orange Obliteration System,” designed to take a jab at the rival Houston Dynamo. It was well done and inspired us to take a similar route. So when the Revs hosted FC Dallas on March 30, we decided to poke a bit of fun with our own infomercial advertising a medication – REVS – which cures the symptoms of FCD.
Notable is the acting expertise of Cathal Conlon, who really made me believe he had FCD.
One afternoon in early April the Revolution’s digital department received an urgent phone call. A bear costume, which had been rented for a separate shoot, was available for a few hours if we wanted to use it. Of course, we said we absolutely wanted to use it, despite the fact that we had no need for a bear costume.
This video was the result.
Today’s technology has its benefits, to be sure, but for one unlucky Revolution beat writer, it was a cause for slight embarrassment following the Revolution’s 2-0 win over Toronto FC in late May.
During Jay Heaps’ postgame press conferences, most reporters put their recording devices on the table in front of coach Heaps. Many of those recording devices are cell phones. Sometimes, cell phones ring. So when one of the recording devices (a.k.a. cell phones) rang, Heaps answered. It was the reporter’s mother.
I shudder to think how the call would’ve gone had the Revs lost that night.
One of the premier “off-field” events in recent years has become the Revolution’s celebrity bartending nights, when a few players hop behind the bar to mix and serve drinks for charity. This year’s Boston event featured Matt Reis, Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares and Bobby Shuttleworth serving as celebrity mixologists.
Be sure to stay tuned until the end when “Buddy Stallworth” gives us some fashion tips, and I jokingly make Farrell feel like he botched my Cape Codder.
One of the most popular tailgating games nowadays is cornhole, which tests the ability of participants to toss a beanbag onto a wooden plank a short distance away. If you’ve never played, I highly recommend it.
As a promotion ahead of College Night, we pitted a team of rookies (Andrew Farrell and Scott Caldwell) against a team of sophomores (Kelyn Rowe and Tyler Polak). It got pretty competitive. Check out the video to see who won.
