I loved sideline reporter Kevin Burkhardt’s interview with a construction worker from Citi Field, the soon-to-be home of the New York Mets, during SportsNet NY’s telecast of the Mets/Padres game last night. Perhaps "sideline reporter" isn’t the right phrase for baseball–in fact, it definitely isn’t–but Burkhardt does a very good job of playing the Everyman and finding colorful people in the stands. As Mets fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new ballpark, which is visible beyond the fence of the club’s current home, Shea Stadium, the construction worker interview was appropriate.
And the working stiff, whose name is Danny Sessa, played the part perfectly. He had a Joey Ramone-esque Queens accent and a lively sense of humor. For his part, Burkhardt did what he does best–throw out offbeat questions to elecit unexpected comedy, such as asking the hardhat what the most consumed food was on the construction site (if you’re scoring at home, buttered rolls was near the top of the list).
(Mind you, Sessa isn’t completely unfamiliar with the media–an SNY spokesperson says he’s the brother of a Bloomberg reporter.)
When the telecast shot back to the studio, the announcers suggested Sessa–who said he grew up near Shea, and took in all sorts of Mets and Jets games there over the years–provide regular updates from the Citi Field site. I think it’d be a great idea. Seemingly other viewers did too–the SNY spokesperson says he’s gotten "more calls about [Sessa] this morning."
