Chatting with celebrities at the ESPYs As the 2000 ESPY Awards get rolling, ESPN.com is on the scene. Celebrities have been rolling in to the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas in preparation for Monday's telecast. ESPN.com caught up with veteran actor Danny Glover, ESPN boxing analyst Al Bernstein and actor Micheal Clark Duncan from 'The Green Mile'. All of them talked about the ESPYs and their favorite sports. ESPN.com: You are a busy man, why do you get involved with something like the ESPYs on ESPN? Danny Glover: I love being asked to be involved with anything sports related ... I'm a frustrated athlete. So when you are around these young athletes, who are much younger than I am, there is something energizing about that. I get a chance to see more of these players in sporting events, whether it is basketball, football or whatever, than I do movies. ESPN.com: You say you are a frustrated athlete, so we have to ask you, what sport would you play if you could play any sport? Danny Glover: If I could play any sport it would be football and I would love to play wide receiver. I love the grace of the position. There is just something about a wide receiver, something about a Jerry Rice, an Issac Bruce and all the past great receivers, there is just a great flare to them. ESPN.com: Being such a big sports fan it must be a thrill to be involved with ESPN (SportsCentury, ESPYs etc)? Danny Glover: I am enamored with what has happened and the transformation of sports -- from just an activity that started out for fun. There is now something very specific about the talent and the time these athletes put in to it. The competition has grown so much and what the athletes are capable of doing has magnified. Each era of sports has made its own statement. But when you see the difference between the people that are naturally gifted and the number of naturally gifted athletes, and they have to work to enhance their skills. Look at Ken Griffey Jr., my goodness, he is so naturally gifted but he works just as hard as the guy that is not as naturally gifted. ESPN.com: Would you say the 90s is the ultimate sports decade? Danny Glover: I grew up in the 60s watching some of the greatest athletes and baseball players. When I was a kid growing up, I was introduced to Hank Aaron -- I think it was 1957. I had a card of him and it had a drawing of Aaron on it with his statistics on the back and what he had done that year -- they won the World Series that year. I made this amazing identification with him. It was like the first time I ever saw Walter Payton. There is some uniqueness about each era but there is just something about watching a young Wilt and a young Kareem and Oscar Robertson. They were just so fundamentally sound and fundamentally gifted. It was just a joy to watch those guys in that era along with Gale Sayers and Jim Brown. Those guys were men among boys. It is just so different watching them compared to today's athletes. They are all good, there just seemed to be more strategy back then. ESPN.com: How does the ESPY Awards compare to the Academy Awards? Danny Glover: You are talking about two different things. I don't think you can compare the two. There is no comparison. There is a newness about the ESPY Awards. The Academy Awards have so much history behind them. If ESPN was around when television started in the 50s, we would be talking about the 50th anniversary of ESPN. ESPN is part of the media age and the expansionism of the media age -- the enormous expansionism that is reaching all over the world. The Academy Awards is just something else. But if you are talking about the history of sports, that is a whole other thing. More people pay attention to sports than movies. More people have a relationship with sports. More people can tell you about sporting events than they can about movies. It is just magic. You are always a kid when it comes to sports. I remember years ago when I was a kid and I met Billy Aaron. She wanted me to come to Atlanta and I said I would, only if I got to met Hank Aaron. Next up was ESPN boxing analyst and local Las Vegas resident, Al Bernstein. ESPN.com: What does it mean to have the ESPYs in Las Vegas? Al Bernstein: I think there is a real buzz here. I also do sports on a local station here and I have to say leading up to this, there is a real buzz -- people are excited. I think the reason is the star power, there are so many big people that come to this. Even for this town that is known for big people, I think people are genuinely excited about it. ESPN.com: How do you think the athletes view the ESPYs? Al Bernstein: I think they view this as a 'fun' awards show because it is a mixture of the sports and entertainment industry and that is a big part of it. The entertainment people really love the sports people and sports people really love the entertainment people. The synergy of these two groups getting together is what makes this special and why people want to be here. ESPN.com: Boxing has taken such a hit lately, is the sport capable of rebounding? Al Bernstein: That is a tough question. No doubt it was a tough year for the sport of boxing. Almost anything that could happen, did happen that could be detrimental to the sport. The athletes are in place for the sport to rebound. There are a lot of good fights out there and some are being made. That is what it is going to take. But now unfortunately, boxing is at the point where you can't be a casual boxing fan. There are too many organizations, too many weight classes and too many champions. Boxing relies solely now on how good the fights are and that is why it is imperative that they unify champions and make good fights. The fights are out there, but time will tell this year if they do it. ESPN.com: You have been in the fight game for so long, did last year make you want to throw you hands up and quit? Al Bernstein: I cover boxing so I consider myself a little different because I don't consider myself part of the industry. I cover all sports but I'm most known for covering boxing. And although I only cover that one sport, I am not an advocate of the sport. I enjoy boxing and I hope it continues to get better. But I view myself as someone that has to view the sport honestly. So while I was saddened by what happened in the sport this last year, I know the sport of boxing always rebounds. We are at the point where, will boxing ever be one of the top three sports which it was 20 or 30 years ago? I don't think so. But will it find its niche where it can expand its fan base and get close to where it once was? Yes, I think it can under the right circumstances. People were writing off baseball a couple of years ago after the strike and the spiraling salaries. ESPN.com: What two fighters should boxing fans get behind? Al Bernstein: I am glad you gave me two, because two might be the exact number. Floyd Mayweather Jr. who is the junior lightweight champion who is just utterly spectacular. The other would be Shane Mosely who was a lightweight and has jumped up to welterweight who is from California and might fight Oscar De La Hoya later this year. Those are the two young fighter to go see if you want to see really good fighters. ESPN.com. You can't talk about boxing without mentioning Iron Mike. Is Mike Tyson past his prime? Al Bernstein: Yes, he is past his prime, his skills have eroded. What we don't know is whether he has enough punching power and some skills left to win another title. He looked terrible against Francis Botha, Orlin Norris was too quick to tell and Julius Francis is not a very good fighter. So we don't have an answer where he is in this latest reincarnation. I don't think he has enough to beat Lennox Lewis. He might get a Lewis fight if he can win a few fights and stay within the rules for a change. ESPN.com: What upcoming fight are you excited to see? Al Bernstein: March 3, David Reid against Felix Trinidad. It is an outstanding fight and anyone that is interested in boxing, and I don't push fights, that is one you should see. David Reid is a gold medalist from 1996 and Trinidad is obviously a great fighter. It should be a tremendous fight and David Reid is a 2-1 underdog. I think he is one of the most live underdogs you will see and I think he will win the fight. One of the hottest actors working right now, Micheal Clarke Duncan, dropped in to visit ESPN.com. Duncan is currently starring opposite Tom Hanks in the film 'The Green Mile' and is considered a favorite to receive an Oscar nomination for his work. Duncan also starred with Bruce Willis in the film 'Armageddon.' ESPN.com: Why are you involved in the ESPY Awards? Micheal Clarke Duncan: Oh man, I have been watching ESPN since Day 1. I used to play ball at Alcorn State in 1984-85 and we made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and we had to play Patrick Ewing and Georgetown. We got beat by five points and ESPN had most of the highlights. We would sit at home and watching those on ESPN, it was very exciting. So I have been watching ESPN for a long time, it is great sports entertainment. ESPN.com: What are your sports? Micheal Clarke Duncan: Basketball, baseball, football and I like hockey a little bit too. I really love those sports, but basketball would have to be No. 1. ESPN.com: You have been very busy lately. How has your life changed in the last few months? Micheal Clarke Duncan: Here I am talking to you! ESPN.com would never have known who I was had I not been in these recent movies. But I can't take all the credit. It also goes out to all the cast and crew of 'The Green Mile.' It just seems like everything has fallen in place since I met Bruce Willis on 'Armageddon.' He told me about 'The Green Mile.' So there you have it and here I am. ESPN.com: Are you surprised at where you are right now? Micheal Clarke Duncan: Yes, definitely. You see, when I was doing 'The Green Mile', I was just trying to pay my bills because 'Armageddon' had been over for three or four months. Money was getting low and the bill collectors were calling and I needed a gig. When I went to that audition, I just wanted to pay my bills and I had no idea it would turn into this blitzkreig. I think I have handled it pretty well but I am loving every minute of it. ESPN.com: What are your thoughts as Oscar nominations approach? Micheal Clarke Duncan: Nervousness. I will be in New York filming Rosie. But it is a strange thing -- I thought Scottie Pippen should have been in the All-Star Game, so I hope I am not in the same situation talking about someone that should be there. Hopefully they will just call my name. Now winning is a another thing, I just want to be nominated right now. ESPN.com: What do you think your chance are to take home an Oscar? Micheal Clarke Duncan: I think they are really good. I think 'The Green Mile' really helped me out a lot. It put me on the map as a true actor and now I am in the category with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, even though they are beating my behind. I am still in their category, but it is a lot like following Vince Carter in the dunk contest -- you have no chance, you just want to be in there! I was at the NAACP Awards recently and I saw Denzel in the front row and I said, 'Now he has front row seats, he's not going to lose.' So I'm just happy to be here. ESPN.com: What is next for you? Micheal Clarke Duncan: 'The Whole Nine Yards' comes out Feb. 19 with Bruce Willis and Mathew Perry. Very funny gangster movie. It is just funny now how people are coming up to me asking for my autograph when a year ago I was working security and nobody knew I existed. So I am having a lot of fun. Next up is Dick Vermeil, head coach of the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. ESPN.com: Why do you get involved with the ESPYs? Dick Vermeil: I was invited because I am one of this year's nominees. That's the reason I'm here. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here. I don't think I've been to Las Vegas in 10 years. ESPN.com: How has your life changed in the past month? Dick Vermeil: Well, in the last two weeks its changed -- after winning the Super Bowl and retiring -- in that I no longer walk around with the concerns on my mind about all these different things that go on in the NFL when your a head football coach and president of football operations. Your mind is a little bit more relaxed and you're a little bit more at ease and you can concentrate a little bit more on yourself, on your family and those types of things. ESPN.com: Any regrets on your decision? Vermeil: None whatsoever. No regrets about my decision. ESPN.com: What's next? Vermeil: I'd like to go back into broadcasting if at all possible. I haven't been offered a job yet, but if I was offered a good one I think I would do that because the only thing I know anything at all about is football. I'll do some corporate speaking -- I already have some opportunites for that -- and go from there. ESPN.com: How would you sum up this year? Vermeil: Unbelievable -- beyond expectations. I think it will be a while before I totally realize everything that has happened. Next up is Robin Ventura, ESPN.com: What's your favorite part of the ESPYs? Ventura: This is fun. You just come here to bother people that you play with or against. It's fun to come over and relax and enjoy the night. ESPN.com: How do the athletes view the ESPYs? Ventura: It's nice, but I don't think we really care that much about who wins. We just like to enjoy it and have fun. ESPN.com: When do you head to Spring Training? Ventura: Sunday. I'm feeling pretty good and I still have another month to get ready. It's nice to actually just get down there and relax and get in shape. ESPN.com: What are your expectations for the year? Ventura: I hope we do good. We've made some moves and gotten a little better than we were last year. Hopefully, the moves pay off. We added Mike Hampton and got rid of some speed so hopefully will still be able to score some runs without all that speed. ESPN.com: Any one person you are looking forward to meeting? Ventura: I've already met Dan Patrick, so I think I'm OK. Next up is Justin Leonard, ESPN.com: Why get involved with the ESPYs? Leonard: It's fun and it's something in that you're kind of celebrating something that I did. Ben and Julie Crenshaw are both here and it's just going to be a fun couple of days. I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other guests and celebrities. ESPN.com: Any one person you'd like to meet? Leonard: Not really. There's a few, actually. I'm looking forward to meeting the soccer team. I've talked with a couple of the girls recently so I'm looking forward to that. ESPN.com: If you weren't a professional golfer, what sport would you play? Leonard: I wouldn't be too well suited for a lot of sports, but I probably would have played soccer if I would have had the chance. ESPN.com: What's your outlook for this year? Leonard: I feel really good. I've been playing well -- not getting too much out of it, however. I've played three weeks and I have got a three-week stretch coming up here. I'm doing something a little different with my schedule, taking a little bit more time off at the start so that I can stay ready to go throughout the year. I feel good, my game feels good so we'll go out and see what happens. ESPN.com: Can you sum up the emotional year that the PGA had last season? Leonard: There were so many great stories during the year and then we had to end on such a sour story. It was hard on all of us and a lot of the people who follow golf. I think I've had a bit of a change in my attitude and I'm not taking things quite so serious anymore. I think along with a lot of other guys on the tour, it really made us stop and think. ESPN.com: Are you surprised at all at how popular golf has become in the past five years? Leonard: It's really grown a lot since I've gotten on Tour and I think it's all attributed to Tiger Woods and David Duval and Sergio Garcia being able to come out and dominate the game at times like they can. They've brought in people that may not have normally had an interest in playing golf. I am benefitting directly from that. ESPN.com: Do you set goals for yourself? Leonard: Sure, you always try to find ways to improve because you want to get better every year. ESPN.com: What one piece of advice would you give to a 12 handicapper? Leonard: Just be patient and try to enjoy the game.		ALSO SEE Live backstage coverage of the ESPY Awards