Brian:

　　As of last night, Madden NFL 09 has been unleashed on the country. While folks on east coast had to wait until midnight to get the game, the lucky few at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA--attending Maddenpalooza 2008--got a chance to pick up the game at 9 p.m. PDT. Shanker and I were down here to cover the action at the Rose Bowl and I've tossed in a few photos of the event below.

　　The Maddenpalooza 2008 stage

　　Along with music acts like Busta Rhymes and Good Charlotte, Maddenpalooza featured a number of NFL-themed activities (see below for a pic of Shanker doing a startlingly accurate JP Losman impression as he repeatedly failed to hit a target 15 feet in front of him), as well as several hundred kiosks loaded up with Madden NFL 09, and a makeshift Wal-Mart-themed tent where fans could pre-order the game.

　　The Rose Bowl decked out in Madden 09 finery

　　As Shanker recounts below, the best part of the event was getting to meet some and talk to some of the former NFL greats who were on-hand at the event. Both Shanker and I got to to meet two of our personal NFL heroes--in his case, Andre Reed; in mine, former Chicago Bear's wideout Willie Gault. You'll see snippets of those interviews in our next episode of The Lineup, which should be airing at the end of the week.

　　Shanker:

　　It's a rare occurrence when a media event promoting a game launch surpasses the hype; all the more remarkable when the game is the biggest sports game of the year and the event boasts the name Maddenpalooza.

　　The strange thing is that it wasn't the excitement over the game itself, the Rose Bowl venue, the numerous high-profile artists on stage or even the list of Hall of Fame players in attendance that made the media event resonate in the way it did. Instead, it was getting a chance to meet and interview one of the least touted former NFL athletes there: Andre Reed.

　　Growing up a Buffalo Bills fan in the 1980s, players like Andre, Thurman Thomas, and Jim Kelly were more just great players; they were almost like comic book superheroes. This is why there was always such an emotional letdown (to the point of tears) when they lost those Superbowls in the early 1990s.

　　Meeting Andre in person for the first time at Maddenpalooza reminded me of how much of an emotional investment I had in football growing up. It didn't hurt that Andre treated me as if we had known each other all of our lives. The entire experience felt as though I was reminiscing with a fellow Bills fan expect, it wasn't just a Bills fan, it was Andre friggin' Reed. Now, if I can cross off Thurman and Jimbo off the list, I can die in peace.

　　Shanker with former Bills great Andre Reed

　　More pics from Maddenpalooza 2008:

　　Rev Theory singer Rich Luzzi shows us who's number one

　　Warren Sapp is a good sport after getting demolished by Marshall Faulk

　　Shanker "tossing lasers" at the NFL experience

　　The first Madden NFL 09 owners are apparently big LT fans