Funny article about TMac Francis trade.

I was googling around and found this article. Thought it might give some laughs.

http://www.sportsgoons.com/volume2/Vol2_Iss23/francis_mcgrady_trade.htm

Disney's Goofy, Funnel Cakes Seal Deal on Francis - McGrady Trade
The day after the deal that sent Tracey McGrady to the Rockets for Steve Francis in an exchange of selfish, immature guards, it was announced that Goofy, Donald Duck, and the delicious funnel cakes at Disney World were what ultimately changed Francis’ mind and allowed the deal to be completed.

Francis agreed to visit Orlando on Tuesday after learning late Sunday night that Disney World is in Orlando. “Space Mountain is super cool,” said Francis. “I guess I never really thought about the fact that I’d be living so close to the Magic Kingdom. I’ve never been there, but I hear the German Pagoda at Epcot Center serves up a mean weinersnitzel. I’ve always wanted to try that.”

Francis had balked on a potential trade rumored to include sending himself and teammates Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato to the Magic for All-Star Tracey McGrady, Juwon Howard, Reece Gaines, and Tyronn Lue, because he didn’t want to play for a non-contending team, but that was before he tasted the funnel cakes at the Magic Kingdom.

Who can resist the crispy sweetness of fried funnel cakes? Not the Magic's new guard, Steve Francis



“That fried, crispy, oh-so-sweet batter topped with powdery sugar is just irresistible,” said Francis.

Even though Francis does not have the right to reject any trades, Weisbrod claims the team “wanted to just go ahead and make the deal, but we didn’t want to just exchange one whiney b**** for another. We wanted someone to come in here who actually wants to be part of the special Orlando Magic Experience. Stevie said he really likes petting the baby lions at the Animal Kingdom, and that’s what it ultimately took to bring him here. We did everything we could to accommodate Steve’s love of roller coasters, corn dogs, and petting zoos.”

"Steve was very impressed with the way Weisbrod has a vision for the team, and he also got a real kick out of Goofy, and to a lesser extent Donald Duck" added Francis' agent, Jeff Fried. "It was a necessary step. I think Goofy really connected with him."

"That dude [Goofy] is one cool cat. I told him I wasn't convinced the Magic were headed in the right direction, since they finished dead last and all last year, but somehow he explained it to me and everything made perfect sense. Goofy has a vision for bringing peace, happiness, and laughter to the world one kid at a time that is very refreshing. I just hope I can join with him, Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the gang to bring just a little bit of happiness to everyone who comes to Orlando."

"That fried, crispy, oh-so-sweet batter topped with powdery sugar is just irresistible."
-Steve Francis Francis was escorted around the Magic Kingdom by Magic General Manager John Weisbrod, who said, “unfortunately for us, we couldn’t use the fact that there are no state income taxes in Florida as our trump card, since there aren’t any in Texas, either. So, we brought out the heavy artillery. You should have seen the laser light show we put on Tuesday night. Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade was probably the clincher, though. That’s fun for all ages.”



Not wanting to lose McGrady to free agency and receive nothing in return, the Magic had hoped the lure of Epcot Center, Splash Mountain, and other nearby theme parks like MGM and Universal Studios will be enough to entice the talented Francis to accept the trade. Ultimately, it turned out they were right.

“Astroworld is pretty fly,” said Francis of the amusement park scene in Houston. “But nothing tops the festive atmosphere and multicultural experience of Epcot Center. I learned a lot about how diverse the world really is there. It was magical.”

The Rockets, meanwhile, reported that they didn’t really care if the deal went through or not, but they were happy with shaking up the roster “just for fun. Either way, we were going to have one overpaid, overrated, selfish ball hog who won’t give the ball to our franchise player, Yao Ming, so it really didn’t matter,” said Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy. “T-Mac is probably a better nickname than ‘Stevie Franchise,’ though, since there aren’t going to be any franchises built around that selfish b*stard anytime soon, so I guess we got the best of the deal.”
After his Tuesday visit to Orlando, Francis is apparently no longer angry about the trade to the Magic, saying, "Thunder Mountain just scared the **** out of me, so I still wasn’t too pumped about it all at first. We waited in line for Space Mountain for almost 20 minutes, but it was worth it. You know I was mad, but that Goofy just puts a smile on my face, so now I'm cool. I'm cool about everything. That Mickey sure is whimsical, ain’t he?"
"It was a necessary step. I think Goofy really connected with him [Francis]."


Francis added that, as long as he never had to go near the annoying “It’s a Small World After All” ride again during his tenure with the Magic, he should be fine with the move.