TMTTRIO
06-04-2007, 02:21 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/salife/columnists/czapata/stories/MYSA060407.01P.zapata0604.24748d5.html
Claudia Zapata: Eating for the big game
Web Posted: 06/03/2007 04:34 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Ever wonder what fuels a championship NBA team the day of a big home game?
Pasta and peanut butter, for starters.
As the Spurs prepare to play in the NBA Finals, they'll do their best to stick to their usual game-day routines. And along with a shoot-around and an afternoon nap, players will probably eat the same meal they ate before game one of the regular season and before every home game in between.
For most players, the pre-game meal is part nutrition, part superstition. A player will eat what he likes, but more important, what experience has taught him works for him, usually a mix of carbohydrates and protein. Plus, it has to be just enough, at just the right time so he feels neither hungry during the game nor too full, but ready to go.
Recently, I asked a few Spurs wives, who after all, have prepared their share of pre-game meals, for a peek at what's typically cooking on Spurs' training tables, and here's what they revealed:
A peanut butter sandwich does the trick for Spurs shooting guard Brent Barry. According to his wife, Erin, Brent has a big lunch that varies — pasta, a deli sandwich or a hamburger, for instance — and then takes a nap. But before he heads to a game, Brent always eats peanut butter on whole-wheat bread. "He's been doing this for all 12 years of his career," Erin says.
Carbohydrates, especially pasta, are big with athletes. And about three hours before every game, Spurs All-Star power forward Tim Duncan has "some kind of pasta with chicken" reports his wife, Amy. Sometimes cooked at home, sometimes take-out, an (often whole-wheat) pasta-and-protein dish is the one thing that sits well with him and doesn't leave him hungry by game time, she says. He'll then refuel afterward, usually with whatever he can find late at night.
"Tony pretty much eats the same thing every day before a game," e-mails the future Mrs. Parker, Eva Longoria. Eva prepares Tony's "favorite lemon pasta," which he eats about 1 p.m. before he takes a nap.
So what's in Tony's "favorite lemon pasta?"
"It's very easy," says Eva. "Simmer one cup heavy whipping cream, one cup of beef broth, and let it reduce by a quarter. Then add a half-cup of fresh lemon juice. Boil your pasta of choice and put it in the sauce, letting it soak for 10 minutes to absorb. Et voila!"
Steak is another popular choice among the players and, according to Michael Finley's wife, Rebekah, the veteran All-Star is a real steak-and-potatoes guy on game day. "He always has a steak, a sweet potato and salad," she says.
Last, but never least, Bruce Bowen isn't just the most feared defender in the NBA; he's also pretty handy in the kitchen. Bruce prepares his own pre-game meal, and during a recent phone interview, he says it's always "steak, pasta, and some type of bean — red beans, black beans or green beans."
On the road, Bruce tries to find another combination of carbohydrates and protein, like a hamburger and fries, pasta with chicken or beef, or thin-crust pizza.
Meanwhile, eating five hours before game time gives him the most energy, Bruce says.
Sounds like a winning recipe to me.
Claudia Zapata: Eating for the big game
Web Posted: 06/03/2007 04:34 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Ever wonder what fuels a championship NBA team the day of a big home game?
Pasta and peanut butter, for starters.
As the Spurs prepare to play in the NBA Finals, they'll do their best to stick to their usual game-day routines. And along with a shoot-around and an afternoon nap, players will probably eat the same meal they ate before game one of the regular season and before every home game in between.
For most players, the pre-game meal is part nutrition, part superstition. A player will eat what he likes, but more important, what experience has taught him works for him, usually a mix of carbohydrates and protein. Plus, it has to be just enough, at just the right time so he feels neither hungry during the game nor too full, but ready to go.
Recently, I asked a few Spurs wives, who after all, have prepared their share of pre-game meals, for a peek at what's typically cooking on Spurs' training tables, and here's what they revealed:
A peanut butter sandwich does the trick for Spurs shooting guard Brent Barry. According to his wife, Erin, Brent has a big lunch that varies — pasta, a deli sandwich or a hamburger, for instance — and then takes a nap. But before he heads to a game, Brent always eats peanut butter on whole-wheat bread. "He's been doing this for all 12 years of his career," Erin says.
Carbohydrates, especially pasta, are big with athletes. And about three hours before every game, Spurs All-Star power forward Tim Duncan has "some kind of pasta with chicken" reports his wife, Amy. Sometimes cooked at home, sometimes take-out, an (often whole-wheat) pasta-and-protein dish is the one thing that sits well with him and doesn't leave him hungry by game time, she says. He'll then refuel afterward, usually with whatever he can find late at night.
"Tony pretty much eats the same thing every day before a game," e-mails the future Mrs. Parker, Eva Longoria. Eva prepares Tony's "favorite lemon pasta," which he eats about 1 p.m. before he takes a nap.
So what's in Tony's "favorite lemon pasta?"
"It's very easy," says Eva. "Simmer one cup heavy whipping cream, one cup of beef broth, and let it reduce by a quarter. Then add a half-cup of fresh lemon juice. Boil your pasta of choice and put it in the sauce, letting it soak for 10 minutes to absorb. Et voila!"
Steak is another popular choice among the players and, according to Michael Finley's wife, Rebekah, the veteran All-Star is a real steak-and-potatoes guy on game day. "He always has a steak, a sweet potato and salad," she says.
Last, but never least, Bruce Bowen isn't just the most feared defender in the NBA; he's also pretty handy in the kitchen. Bruce prepares his own pre-game meal, and during a recent phone interview, he says it's always "steak, pasta, and some type of bean — red beans, black beans or green beans."
On the road, Bruce tries to find another combination of carbohydrates and protein, like a hamburger and fries, pasta with chicken or beef, or thin-crust pizza.
Meanwhile, eating five hours before game time gives him the most energy, Bruce says.
Sounds like a winning recipe to me.