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All work, no play? TNT's Sager serves up the best of Miami's private parties
Posted: Wednesday January 27, 1999 06:48 PM
"Party in the city where the heat is on, all night on the beach til' the break of dawn. Welcome to Miami ... Bienvenidos a Miami!" -- Will Smith ON THE STREETS OF SOUTH BEACH -- The corks are poppin', the champagne is bubblin', the party is flowin', and there I am in my mustard and black waiters' jacket serving Dom Perignon to Tony Jones, Mark Schlereth, Tom Nalen, Dan Neil, Harry Swayne and the rest of the Denver Broncos offensive line. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry was the theme for this private gathering of behemoths at historic Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant on South Beach. A culinary hot spot for 86 seasons, no reservations are granted. So to avoid the long lines at the corner of 1st and Washington, as well as the tight security outside the private dining area of the Broncos, I traded my TNT Super Bowl jacket for a server's coat and a part-time job. As the founder and co-owner of Jock's-N-Jill's in Atlanta, I do have some restaurant experience. However, serving wings and slopping beer to a bunch of jocks does not qualify one to crack stone crabs and pour $135-a-bottle champagne. After some initial fumbling, I was finally recognized by Tony Jones, an old buddy of mine from his Dawg Pound days in Cleveland. About as welcome as the red tide, I was allowed to remain at this private function only if I agreed to pay for the champagne -- which I did until my $500 ran out and so did I. It was on to the festive Clevelander Hotel in the Art Deco District of South Beach. A wash in activity, both day and particularly night. There was former Dallas Cowboy Alfredo Roberts, planning the rest of the week's party calendar with former Miami Dolphin Louis Oliver, Kansas City's Derrick Thomas, the Cleveland Indians' Kenny Lofton, Seattle's Alex Rodriquez and a bunch of beautiful women from the more than 35 model agencies that make Miami their home and contribute to South Beach's reputation throughout the world as "America's Riviera." Aspiring models like to be seen and what better place to be seen than at a party surrounded by celebrities during Super Bowl week. In the spirit of Will Smith's music video, we did party till the break of dawn, come to think of it. And the heat was still on at 6:30 a.m. when I had to leave to meet my crew for media day -- UGH! -- and say goodbye to my favorite bar-maid Biveca. "Miss Sweden 1986!!!" This is the first of a five-part party-crashing installment from Turner Sports' main reporter Craig Sager. Sager is serving as the Official SBTV Party Crasher, attending as many parties as possible during Super Bowl week.
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