Sal Paolantonio’s nose was as red as his scarf Tuesday morning in snowy Philadelphia where he provided SportsCenter reports from outside the Philadelphia Eagles’ NovaCare Center practice facility.
The first on-air report, at 9 a.m. ET, two hours after producer Jim Johnson’s team began setting up outside, featured “Sal Pal” throwing a snowball at cameraman Mark Gambol’s lens.
“I believe in soft pretzels. I believe in cheesesteaks. And I believe in football in the snow,” Paolantonio said to the crew, adding a distinctive Philadelphia flavor in referencing Kevin Costner’s “I Believe” declaration to Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham.
For his second report outside, before heading off to cover the team’s 11:55 a.m. practice, Paolantonio held up a replica of LeSean McCoy’s size-11 shoe with 3/4-inch cleats. He explained how the Eagles running back changed from 1/2-inch cleats after Sunday’s pre-game warm-ups, seeking more traction in that day’s snow. The result: a team-record 217-yard rushing afternoon in a victory over the Detroit Lions. Paolantonio explained McCoy’s real game-worn shoe was en route to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
SportsCenter anchor Chris McKendry wrapped Paolantonio’s in-depth report — did we mention he was outside? – saying, “That’s Sal Paolantonio out there freezing, so we’ll let him empty his notebook.”
