Happy Friday, everyone.

Among the most popular requests I get (besides "Can I have your cameras?") is folks wondering if they can ever assist me on a shoot.

Well, here's a great opportunity.

My friends Mike Gastineau and Dave Grosby (a.k.a. "Groz and Gas") over at KJR-AM sports radio are having their annual "Groz-with-Gas-athon" to raise money for charity.

They spend the day doing a radio marathon of sorts, talking sports and interviewing celebrities while having an online auction at the same time.

On second thought, I think the "-athon" suffix relates to telethons, not marathons. Sitting around eating great food and drinking, well, "drinks", and talking sports doesn't really equal the exertion of running 26.2 miles, does it?

I digress.

Gas and Groz are great guys. Once a year, they gather their friends from all around the local sports world and raise money for three charities -- Eastside Habitat for Humanity, Central Area Youth Activities (CAYA), and Northwest Literacy -- all great causes.

Now to the point -- one of their auction items is to spend this Sunday as my on-field at the Seahawks vs. San Francisco home opener at Qwest Field. You'll get to hang out with me on the on the sidelines as I shoot the game for the Times.

Here's 10 reasons why you should think about bidding:

10. A chance to witness an NFL game from the sidelines -- a ticket you can't buy just anywhere.
9. Close-up look at how professional sports photographers work (we'll try to find some).
8. You won't have to worry about exposing my film accidently -- it's all digital now.
7. Get to wear a dorky cool red photo vest issued by the NFL.
6. Chance to carry really heavy and expensive lenses while running up and down the sidelines.
5. Close proximity to the SeaGals!
4. You'll know what's in the paper before anyone else.
3. Press food -- all the hot dogs you can eat!
2. If Seahawks receivers fail, Coach Holmgren might look your way.
1. Did I mention, close proximity to the SeaGals?!

Okay, here's five reasons why this might not be your thing:

5. Your lawn needs mowing
4. Still can't believe the Huskies beat Oklahoma the day before.
3. (If #4 above comes true, there won't be a Seahawks game on Sunday because hell will have frozen over)
2. Carry your crap all day? Yeah, right!
1. "Rod, if you need people to pay to be your friend for a day, you need more than just an assistant.."

Still interested? Here's a link to the specific auction item:

Bid to help Rod on Sunday.

And here's a link to the all of the items up for bid:

2008 Groz-with-Gasathon