Well ... if VSpan were there and he had to wear that "I will be here next year" T-shirt, it would be uncomfortable for everybody, you know?
These spoil little rotten kids make me feel sick. Where was the fan appreciation when i was 8yrs old, and i grew up in the 80's. I never had a chance to see Athletes,celebrities or even hooker cheerleaders growing up. Oh well, its not that important because i have a big you know what.
Nice pics from you and Dave 2000 (on another thread). Thank you very much for posting these so we can all see what it was like. My son and I were going to go last night, but he was sick so we had to bail. We have gone to several in the past few years and this one actually looks like you are much closer to the players. TMAC has been to the others by the way, that's where my son finally got his autograph, he had everyone else's. Someone on the other thread said that TMAC was getting back treatments. If so, then it is understandable he wasn't there.
You guys are harsh on Rafer. Gosh, I mistaken this board for Rocket haters a lot. ANYWAY... Everyone was there but Bonzi, Head, and McGrady that I saw. Shane Yao JHo JL3 JSak VSpan Skip Chuck Novak Deke Snyder I might have forgotten someone... It was a cool event, my first personally. It really lets you see the guys in normal clothes, and just mingling with the fans. It really humanizes them, and you really appreciate the guys. You see them just as normal guys, just trying to play well for their fans. My friends and I just said what's up and smiled and stuff with the players, and I can hear everyone else be fake to the players, saying what's up and then as they walk by say things like, "You should have asked him why he took that shot last night." Talk about fake ass fans...
I was there with my wife as well - it was awesome. Really, really have to applaud the organization for this. You don't get things like this from the Astros, Texans, or most any other NBA team (that I know of). VERY well organized, avoiding overcrowded me-me-me scenes from fans that tend to get selfish and inconsiderate when given the chance to mob players for pics and autographs. Highlights for us: -Checking out the locker room (the guys won't run out of Gatorade anytime soon) -Shane Battier! He was having a ball at the air hockey and ping pong tables, taking on all comers. You could really tell that he was both extremely competitive and a good sport. We take for granted the exceptionally good citizens this team has brought in over the years. He's all class and it was great just watching him play against the kids. -Mutombo alternating between helping little girls in a free throw contest (alley-ooping their shots that were several feet short) and smacking away others. A tiny little two year old gave him a hug at the end which was just around his one leg since he didn't come up to his knee. Dike took a pic with him, bending over as far as possible. -Juwan playing Mrs. Pac Man. -Bonzi loading up on the free hot dogs and nacos. -The only guy who gave off "f-this get me out of here" vibes was Tskalidas (despite pics posted to the contrary). A girl tried to get her pic with him, but he wouldn't even stop for 5 secs - her boyfriend had to take the shot while they were both moving. I'm not concerned about McGrady (or Head?) not being around. Like I said, they didn't even need to do this. I enjoyed my two hours there, and being able to make it home just in time for the OSU-Fla tipoff. Evan What? That wasn't Bonzi I saw? My mistake. Coulda sworn.
I musta missed him. I left around 8-8:15, was there before they let people in. Ah, that sucks. I wanted to see everyone. Was he a late arrival or did I just plain miss the guy?
Jake's signing on a Yao jersey haha. Well at least it's not like when Dirk got punk'd into augtographing a LBJ jersey.
I bet he was lurking around in the shadows. He's not much of a people person, you know. He's really shy! He's not crazy about pictures or interviews either.
It's a joy to see the smiling faces of the people and children,Just shows us how sports can unite an entire city(even with Rafer there ). There is no doubt the rockets went above and beyond with this event,we should all be thankful for having Leslie Alexander as an owner.
Actually he was walking around signing some autographs and he played at the air hockey table for a while.
Aw man, I guess I left too early. I figured if they weren't there between 6-8 (time I left), they were probably not going to show. Oh well, it was cool nonetheless.
