MR. ESPN SHARES A "LOCAL'S" WEEKEND ON
THE HANDSOME HAWAIIAN ISLE
"He … could … go … all … the … way." Since joining ESPN a month
after its 1979 inception,
Chris Berman has lived up to his famous
tag line, becoming one of
America's most popular broadcasters - as
big, raucous, and frequently funny as sports itself. Responsible
for the channel's
NFL coverage, Berman will be front and center at
the ESPN sports desk February 3, when the AFC and NFC battle it out
in the
Super Bowl, and again when they play the Pro Bowl a week
later.
Berman's Emmy-winning penchant for combining sports and humor -
especially coining player nicknames like Irving "Deep" Fryar and
Roberto "Remember the" Alomar - have won him roles (always playing
himself) in movies such as Big Daddy and Kingpin and TV appearances
on Spin City and Arli$$. Berman, who lives in his home state of
Connecticut along with his wife,
Kathy, and two teenage kids, has
signed on with the sports network until at least 2005, when he
turns 50. Then, when he's "done being Mr. ESPN," he says he'll pack
up his family and move to Maui, where he has returned for an annual
vacation for the past 20 years. "I really feel like we're kamaaina
[local], which is the highest accolade you can get," he says.
Here's a weekend on Maui with the voice of American sports.
FRIDAY
Lodging
"We stay in a condo at the Ka'anapali Ali'i, and we've stayed there
20 times. It's right along the strip in Ka'anapali. Of course,
there's the Marriott and the Westin and the Hyatt Regency right
next door. If you want a hotel, the ones along the strip are more
luxurious. There's also the Four Seasons out at Wailea or The
Ritz-Carlton Kapalua, but I like the ones along the strip."