ESPN's dream job

ESPN's dream job winner Mike Hall downplayed his impressive debut
as a SportsCenter anchor last week. "Trust me, I'm really an
idiot," says Hall, who beat out 10,000 contestants for the
$95,000-a-year gig. "They just have good people around me to make
me look decent." (One was coanchor Linda Cohn, who gave Hall
supportive fist knocks during commercial breaks.) Hall's
flub-free, witty stint impressed ESPN brass enough to earn him
his own SportsCenter segment, Around the World. Starting on Aug.
15 Hall will report from five continents in five days, covering
topics such as the spate of suicides among cricket players in
South Africa. ESPN, meanwhile, is conducting a 14-city search for
new Dream Job contestants. "I would tell them to try and be
themselves," says Hall. "And remember to wear pants. It's always
embarrassing if you show up without them."

--Lisa Altobelli