So yes, the first edition of local ESPYs did have a few glitches. Teleprompters did not always show the right words. Videos did not always start when they were supposed to, or at all, now that you mention it. Presenters were sometimes lost.

Sometimes, they were lost, literally, as was the case for former UCLA pole vaulter Tracy O'Hara, who was driving around the north side of Fresno with her fiance because whoever gave her directions said "41-North" instead of "41-South." She was, unfortunately, along with Fresno Bee reporter Andy Boogaard, the first presenter of the night, so the show had to be held up a little bit.

This blog was also a presenter (see: below) along with "Parker," the mascot of the Fresno Grizzlies, for the categories of "High School Athletic Department of the Year" and "College Athletic Department of the Year." It's added pressure when your co-presenter doesn't talk.

It also didn't help that the guy who is paid to be Parker was out of town, and so this wasn't the authentic Parker. It was a nervous, first-time, sweating, whining version of Parker, who lounged backstage with his head off. No real mascot would ever be seen without his mascot head. It's creepy, actually, like those old guys who dress up as Santa every year and take it just a little too seriously and don't break character from November to January.

The fill-in guy did fine, though someone who is a mascot for a living probably would have pointed out his many and obvious flaws. At one point before the show, Fresno State football coach Pat Hill jokingly offered Parker a beer, and it really looked like he was thinking about just whipping off the head right there in front of everyone and slamming one back.

This was last Saturday night downtown at the Saroyan Theatre. And luckily, during our presentation, the audience was distracted by the two guys from the local ESPN radio golf show smacking plastic golf balls into the crowd.

For a first-time local event, though, it went well, and as much as it pains this blog to give credit to the competition, it was a fantastic idea. The videos, the ones that worked, made it feel just like the real ESPYs. Dan Patrick was great as the emcee. Very funny. Nice guy. (No idea why, but it just seems an obligation to report what celebrities are really like.) He had some good material and didn't make fun of Fresno. He seemed genuinely impressed that a local station would even try to pull something like that off on a local level.

The highlights were former Fresno State football coach Jim Sweeney winning a lifetime achievement award, and former Fresno State softball player Rachael Donaldson winning the "Most Inspirational" award. Her story is remarkable. She was hit by a pitch and while it was being treated, they happened to find Stage 4 cancer. Since then, she has gone through chemo and a bone marrow transplant.

On her 21st birthday, she had a six-hour surgery that replaced pretty much everything in her leg from mid-thigh to mid-calf. The fact that she is alive is amazing, but she is up and walking and was there to accept the award and a much-deserved standing ovation.