IRRELEVANT WEEK XXXII:Salata-Fitch makes week fun

There were about 65 Tongans who took over a floor at the Irvine Marriott in the summer of 2001. At times, some slept out in the hallway. Throughout the day, hotel room doors on that floor were left open because all the Tongans were family.

It was a stressful time for Melanie Salata-Fitch, but now she can laugh as she describes the setting of one her memorable moments of Irrelevant Week, the annual celebration that’s in its 32nd year and celebrates the final pick of the NFL Draft.

In the days leading up to this year’s draft, which is April 28-29, Salata-Fitch, the CEO of Irrelevant Week, expects some more adventures that, hopefully for her, aren’t as stressful.

“It was like a village,” Salata-Fitch said of the hotel floor that occupied the Tongans when Tevita Ofahengaue was Mr. Irrelevant. “Sixty-five Tongans was stressful.”

Because of that entourage, Salata-Fitch has since told each Mr. Irrelevant he can only bring two people along for the week-long festivities in late June. In 2001, the Irrelevant Week staff had to pick up the tab for all the Tongans. Salata-Fitch made sure it wouldn’t happen again. Each year, as she prepares for Irrelevant Week, she learns from the previous year.

Sure, Paul Salata is the face and founder of Irrelevant Week, but his daughter is the driving force behind the scenes.

“If she wasn’t here, we would need about five other people to cover,” Salata said. “And, she’s doing it with family, church and school and [me] and everything around her. It’s phenomenal that she gets it all done.”

Salata said he’s a bit biased because he’s speaking about his daughter, but, “it just gets so tough when she leaves or she’s gone.”

Salata-Fitch, 51, has done her best to be there each year. She travels to New York with her father and watches as he walks to the podium to announce the final pick of the NFL Draft.

But she does more than just watch.

Throughout her stay, she’s involved in meetings and constantly brainstorms for Irrelevant Week ideas.

After 31 years, she knows preparation is key. The less stress, the better. But sometimes it’s inevitable.

This year, she was elated to hear that the Patriots did not have the final pick of the draft. Two years ago, she had to deal with the wrath of Bill Belichick, the Patriots’ coach, who initially did not want Mr. Irrelevant XXX to partake in the festivities in Orange County.

“I read a story in the New York Post where he talked bad about Irrelevant Week,” Salata-Fitch said. “I’m so glad the Lions have the last pick.”

Stokes’ week was cut short in 2005 because he had to get back to New England for practice. Salata-Fitch said she and her staff drove Stokes to LAX the night before, aided by a police escort. But all the work went for naught. There wasn’t even a practice the next day, Salata-Fitch said in a bothersome tone.

That was easily the worst memory for Salata-Fitch. But there aren’t too many bad experiences with Irrelevant Week, especially because of her personality. She said she has the humor and eccentricity of her father, yet the calm and solemnness of her mother, Beverly, who died three years ago.

Those traits are needed. That was evident at a recent meeting when a few members of the staff reminded Salata-Fitch about what went wrong in 2006 and what’s needed for this year.

“That stuff just rolls off me,” she said of the complaints.

She knows that, in the end, she will be the one to blame, or receive credit. That’s why she’s always thinking of ideas. The Colts won last year’s Super Bowl, usually that means they have the final pick in the NFL Draft. But because of compensatory picks, the Detroit Lions have the last selection.

When Salata-Fitch found that out, she immediately started to think about Irrelevant Week.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if we had a Motown theme?” she said. “Or, we could have cars be part of theme, too.”

Each year, she creates a theme that usually coincides with the pick. This year she thought it would be neat to incorporate some of the team’s aspects as well. Every year she has taken on the challenge of making Irrelevant Week fun. When the actual week gets here, it can sometimes become chaotic.

Most nights during that week, she gets about two hours of sleep. She knew it was going to be that way when she took on the job 10 years ago. But still she wanted to do it.

“I do it because he’s my dad,” she said. “Dad’s my hero. It’s all for him. It makes him happy.”

Salata-Fitch said giving Mr. Irrelevant a week to remember also makes it worthwhile.

“Getting a hug from him at the end, you just know the guy had a good time,” she said. “You see them have fun. What a neat thing. He’s basically a king for a week. It’s like opening up a phone book and making any random person a celebrity.”