Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...19091904sep19,1,3050480.column?coll=orl-magic On way out of town, McGrady remains a hit to community Published September 19, 2004 LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Precisely three minutes into the 1 o'clock hour, Tracy McGrady began the slow walk out of our lives. Sweat beaded on his forehead, a souvenir from the mid-Saturday sun. A small crowd bellowed for autographs. These loyal followers had summoned him from Toronto four years ago, welcomed him to Orlando, watched him grow into stardom, winced with him as stardom tweaked his back, grinned with him through MVP-caliber seasons that looked easy, cried with him as death ravaged his inner circle and sighed with him during one horrible year of basketball. Now, as McGrady concluded his celebrity softball game, they sought one last moment. They tossed old Orlando Magic No. 1 jerseys for the new Houston Rocket to sign. It was strange. McGrady's team wore shirts from his 2003 adidas collection, and the color was Magic blue. It was sad. And then one boy threw McGrady a white and red baseball cap, his new colors. It was final. Wow. That's it. T-Mac is leaving us. It's not an idea, not a nightmare, not a decision we can debate endlessly instead of just accepting. It's a certainty. This was McGrady's last public outing as a full-time Central Floridian. This week, he's off to Los Angeles to film an adidas commercial promoting his new shoe. Then he's gone. "Then I come back, pack myself and I'm out," said McGrady, who will be in Houston by week's end. His new home, not to mention his new team, awaits him. "Actually, it's nicer than my house here," McGrady said, flashing that familiar grin. "Full-court gym. It's phat." Training camp begins in about two weeks. A fun, yet short-lived, period ended here Saturday. It ended at Disney's Cracker Jack Stadium, not TD Waterhouse Centre. It ended with a baseball glove in McGrady's hands, not a basketball. It ended with Bo Outlaw at first base and Drew Gooden on the pitcher's mound and Pat Garrity in center field. They were all teammates of that 6-foot-8 shortstop over there. Only Garrity remains with the Magic. It has been a wacky four years of abrupt endings and tasks left unfinished. So this was fitting, to wrap up in some foreign stadium, playing some foreign sport. Not that long ago, McGrady and Grant Hill joined a team of overachievers and hoped to make it championship worthy. Slowly, the overachievers disappeared. Rapidly, misfortune matured. And now the McGrady-Hill Magic are a scattered group of guys who used to play together, who couldn't get it right together and who only can hope change means reinvention. "As much as you know to expect change to happen, when it does happen, it shocks you," Garrity said. Garrity, always optimistic, believes in the promise of the new Magic. The McGrady trade is irreversible, but the Magic did get Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley from Houston. They did draft an undeniable talent in Dwight Howard and an unflappable talent in Jameer Nelson. But they don't have No. 1. Wow. That's it. T-Mac is leaving us. "I can't wait to come back Jan. 20, though," McGrady said, referring to his regular-season return to Orlando. Those weren't meant as consoling words. McGrady will come back to bust butt. He still thinks Magic General Manager John Weisbrod misread his intentions and showed disrespect as he exited. "He's confused," McGrady said on this day. There, we've kept the rivalry simmering. And there goes McGrady, nearing Houston. There goes McGrady to play with an all-star center, reasoning, "Yao Ming's 24 years old. I'm 25. Enough said." There he goes, out of our lives. This day had to come. This day had been finalized for months. Nonetheless, change shocks. Jerry Brewer can be reached at jbrewer2@orlandosentinel.com. Well, he should be here by the end of the week. Can't wait!! Traing camp must be starting soon!!!
Hmm... Weisbrod's confused and sent McGrady to Houston. It's quite funny if you think about it. And Francis was shipped to Orlando because Weisbrod's confused? The Franchise will hate Weisbrod for that!!
This is scary since he bought Payne Stewart's former home in Florida. That thing was worth around $7 million and had a boat dock, water slides, and an elevator. He added gamerooms and a movie theater to that. It was 18,000 sq. ft. I mean, it's tiny compared to the Shaq Complex, but... Where's he building in Houston? I wanna see.
T-MAC buying a "phat" house in Houston is a good sign for the prospects of us resigning him. Carlos Beltran, who has been living in a "phat" hotel room since he got traded to the Astros, is another story.
Its a little different when one move happened in the offseason and the other took place in the middle of a pennant chase with rarely a day off. That discussion is for another forum though
I don't think he has to play next year in the Asian Championships or in the Olympic qualifiers in 2 years since China is already qualified to play in Beijing in '08. We'll see if he does, but it might be a good time to let the younger guys develop on the CNT in international play in preparation for the Olympics in '08. That also gives Yao 4 years to develop and at that point, China might vie for a medal.
Honestly, I don't think anything can help those Chinese guys. They looked kinda bad. But we'll see...
Very good news in a time where there is none. Getting TMac this offseason still seems like a dream and too good to be true. So, I am happy to hear things like this from a reliable source. I still will have a hard time believing it until I see him dawn the Rox uni for the first time on the court.
Well, dependent on the progress of other players on the national team, Yao Ming might still be required to play in the 2005 Asian Championship, which is a qualifer for the 2006 World Championship in Japan. But given the World Championship is expanded from 16 to 24 slots, there maybe other than Japan, the host country, additional slots for Asia, say 3 slots, which makes it easier for China to qualify even if they fail to win the Championship, but came 2nd or 3rd. But then due to national pride, China may not want to risk not becoming Asian Champion and will still summon for Yao Ming's services.
I wonder what would happen if he told the Chinese National team a flat out NO, I don't want to go!!! I wonder what they would do or say?
Seriousy, enough with this about Yao's off-season, I don't see why people are making such big deal about it, I was against it the first season because Yao miss the training camp, but as long as he can get back before the training camp start, I have no problem with it. Play summer ball only can make Yao better, it's not like other player don't work out during the summer or something, so cut the crap about Yao gets tired for the season.
