From gift bags and red carpet to pre- and post-parties

	Detroit's no-hitting hurler Justin Verlander enjoyed himself in his first trip to Hollywood. Matthew Simmons/WireImage.com
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HOLLYWOOD -- I'm not supposed to be on the eleventh floor of the Mondrian Hotel. At least, I don't think so. I have no business being pampered alongside the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson, Justin Verlander and Vincent Chase himself, Adrian Grenier, yet there my name is on a list right next to theirs.

"Thank you so much for coming," says the sultry blonde, welcoming me and other guests as soon as the elevator doors open. "We're so happy you could make it."

I'm on the exclusive floor of this chic Sunset hotel for the ESPY Style Studio, which is basically a dozen gifting suites where athletes and entertainers are handed a duffle bag and encouraged to go to each room and take as much stuff as their hands and bag can handle. Think of it as a high-end version of trick-or-treat.

I politely turn down the bag, which judging from the look on the surprised woman's face handing them out, is the first time a guest has ever refused one. I suppose it would be the equivalent of a kid shunning a bag of candy corn for a notepad and pencil on Halloween, which seems appropriate as I jot down some notes about the scene.

"I thought you were going to try to blend in today," says my friend Bonnie-Jill Laflin, a real celebrity who gladly takes her soon-to-be-filled bag and hangs it over her right shoulder. "I don't see any other celebrities taking down notes and turning down gift bags."

She's right. My assignment today is to experience what the other half does on the day of an awards show and so far I'm not doing a good job of fitting in.

Style Studio

Less than 10 minutes into my mission and I've already dropped the ball. "Most of the big celebrities came in yesterday," says one of the many attractive females escorting celebrities to the different gifting suites. "This is the third and last day so there's not as much to choose from."

Maybe, but while Ed Hardy and Retribution might not have as much clothes in stock ("Mike Tyson raided all our good stuff yesterday," said one designer), there are still plenty of laser eye procedures being offered by one doctor in what had to be the most random suite on an already chaotic floor.

"I had laser eye surgery two years ago," says New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis, who still takes a certificate just in case. "Maybe I'll stop by for a touch up."

The first thing you pick up on when you walk into these gifting suites is the subtle feeling out process between the celebrity and the representative from each company. The celebrity wants to stuff their bag with as much swag as possible, while the rep wants to make sure they are not dealing with the sports world's version of Kathy Griffin. They want to save their good stuff for the A-Listers. The escorts, as gorgeous as they are, do little to help the athletes' cause.

"This is Justin Ver...Verlander," mumbles his escort, looking at a piece of paper and introducing him at one of the gifting suites. "You play for the Tigers, right?"

"Gosh, c'mon," says Verlander jokingly as he pats her on the back. "Yeah, I play for the Tigers. I just got in last night. It's actually my first time in Los Angeles."

Meanwhile Lisa Guerrero, no doubt a veteran of these gifting suite negotiations, requests the last of a popular Ed Hardy watch, promising to wear it on her microphone hand. "It'll go perfect with my dress," she says. "And everyone will see it when I'm interviewing them."

In a nearby suite transformed into a hair salon, Tomlinson is being told they don't have any more products to give to the NFL's leading rusher. "You came at the tail end, we don't have anything left," says the woman. "But if you give me your card we'll try to ship you something."

Tomlinson says he doesn't have a card, which isn't surprising although it would be interesting if teams gave their players business cards like most companies do with their employees. "I guess I could get some if I wanted them," says Tomlinson. "But I don't think I'd use them."

As I head out of the Mondrian, I bump into Matt Leinart, who didn't roll through the gifting suites but had a friend make the rounds for him instead. "That's the way you got to do it," he says. My education continues.