whottt
12-23-2007, 12:23 PM
Just kidding...
It was a Spursgame and I hadn't been to one in a long long time, of course I had a good time.
The AT&T Center is awesome...nice arena, except for those skinny pathways. Those things are impossible, they make everyon stand up... :td to whoever thought of that idea.
As for the game...well I wasn't going to accept a ticket from AJ Fan Num 1 and then go act like a dick while his favorite players jersey is being retired...and I'm pretty sure timvp knew that when he made the offer in the first place...so I'm not really sure what people were expecting...it was definitely a shooting the elephant moment for me.
Game: Have absolutely no idea what happened in that game, talked pretty much the whole way through it.
Edit: Props to the Argie fans who were doing the Barry Barry Good shot chant...I know timvp enjoyed that as much as I did :tu
The ceremony:
First of all props to San Antonio Fans...they cheered AJ and they booed the living shit out of any and all mention of the Mavs, including AJ the Mav coach...it was good natured, funny, but there was an also an edge to it, and it let everyone up on that stage know that there was a line that was drawn there...and AJ the coach is never going to get special treatment in SA, not even on the night his jersey is retired.
That was funny. The fans in attentance were primarily AJ fans so...they let AJ know that they loved him as a Spur, there was no doubt about that due to the applause, but that entire Mav thing was a nono, and there was no doubt about that either,...and it doesn't matter if there was no otehr job available. I hope it wasn't lost on the Spurs players either...I don't want some kind of mental block against the Mavs...AJ is an enemy coach of a top rival...he needs to be treated like the enemy coach of a top rival when he comes into the building.
AJ the player won't be seen again in that building until he stops coaching the Mavs.
The ceremony...it was a good ceremony, probably the most emotional of the last 3 ceremonies...
:td to not putting Mario Elie's chair on the court....with the other starting 5 from the 99 team. That was lame and I'm not quite sure why they did that...
Props to AJ for singling him out...although I would have liked to have heard more...but part of that may have been due to Elie, who seemed to want no part of the camera or attention...
AJ himself:
It was pretty obvious that if this wasn't the biggest night of AJ's professional life, it was in the top 2...and while he didn't say everything I was hoping to hear him say, he said quite a bit and made it pretty obvious how great an honor he considers this. There was no doubt about it...he was extremely honored, he was extremely appreciative...in particular to Pop and David Robinson...not only in the ceremony, but in the pre game interview I heard. And for this night....he made it clear how much it meant to be a Spur.....it was good to hear that. Because he hasn't always made that clear since leaving, even before he was the Mavs coach. And to me it was something he needed to make clear if his jersey was going up there in the rafters under the fan fav/Mr. Spur criteria.
Tonight he left no doubt about it.
It was great ceremony...and AJ handled himself and the awkwardness of being the Mavs coach, with a great deal of class and dignity...
Legacy:
I still don't think his jersey deserves to be retired, sorry AJ fans, and I still think Mario Elie is more rightfully deserving of the title of being the guy who lead us to the 99 title...I will always think that...and to me, it'd be wrong to say anything else.
What can no longer be said...is that AJ doesn't get the credit he deseved...he's gotten it. He got it last night.
Mario Elie in my eyes, remains the guy who doersn't the credit he deserves...his jersey will never be retired, so I will continue to defend his contrubutions to that team and forever altering the chemistry, attitude and confidence of the Spurs...in my eyes, he's the guy who did it. He's the guy that made the big shots start going in...and that's when we started winning titles. Someday I hope to meet him and let him know that. I will also continue to defend David Robinson's legacy when it is being stepped on in the process of elevating AJ's contributions to the team.
But as for AJ, you really can't blame AJ for his jersey being retired, or for accepting the honor, who wouldn't want that kind of honor?
And he was extremely classy and gracious in accepting this honor...extremely. In fact he was so gracious in accepting the honor...that seeing that jersey up there won't be salt in the wounds(unless he's bitching about calls when coachign the Mavs against the Spurs)....For one night, AJ again was actually the underdog you rooted for and overcame a lot to make it to the NBA.
It was a fun ceremony, as was the GTG afterwards.
Thanks to timvp and kori for the ticket(and my long sought after SpursTalk TShirt) ...it was fun as always, as was the GTG afterwards.
Was also fun to meet ShoogarBear, and hook up with Blaze and the Victoria at that GTG.
So there you have it...consider that elephant shot :spin
It was a Spursgame and I hadn't been to one in a long long time, of course I had a good time.
The AT&T Center is awesome...nice arena, except for those skinny pathways. Those things are impossible, they make everyon stand up... :td to whoever thought of that idea.
As for the game...well I wasn't going to accept a ticket from AJ Fan Num 1 and then go act like a dick while his favorite players jersey is being retired...and I'm pretty sure timvp knew that when he made the offer in the first place...so I'm not really sure what people were expecting...it was definitely a shooting the elephant moment for me.
Game: Have absolutely no idea what happened in that game, talked pretty much the whole way through it.
Edit: Props to the Argie fans who were doing the Barry Barry Good shot chant...I know timvp enjoyed that as much as I did :tu
The ceremony:
First of all props to San Antonio Fans...they cheered AJ and they booed the living shit out of any and all mention of the Mavs, including AJ the Mav coach...it was good natured, funny, but there was an also an edge to it, and it let everyone up on that stage know that there was a line that was drawn there...and AJ the coach is never going to get special treatment in SA, not even on the night his jersey is retired.
That was funny. The fans in attentance were primarily AJ fans so...they let AJ know that they loved him as a Spur, there was no doubt about that due to the applause, but that entire Mav thing was a nono, and there was no doubt about that either,...and it doesn't matter if there was no otehr job available. I hope it wasn't lost on the Spurs players either...I don't want some kind of mental block against the Mavs...AJ is an enemy coach of a top rival...he needs to be treated like the enemy coach of a top rival when he comes into the building.
AJ the player won't be seen again in that building until he stops coaching the Mavs.
The ceremony...it was a good ceremony, probably the most emotional of the last 3 ceremonies...
:td to not putting Mario Elie's chair on the court....with the other starting 5 from the 99 team. That was lame and I'm not quite sure why they did that...
Props to AJ for singling him out...although I would have liked to have heard more...but part of that may have been due to Elie, who seemed to want no part of the camera or attention...
AJ himself:
It was pretty obvious that if this wasn't the biggest night of AJ's professional life, it was in the top 2...and while he didn't say everything I was hoping to hear him say, he said quite a bit and made it pretty obvious how great an honor he considers this. There was no doubt about it...he was extremely honored, he was extremely appreciative...in particular to Pop and David Robinson...not only in the ceremony, but in the pre game interview I heard. And for this night....he made it clear how much it meant to be a Spur.....it was good to hear that. Because he hasn't always made that clear since leaving, even before he was the Mavs coach. And to me it was something he needed to make clear if his jersey was going up there in the rafters under the fan fav/Mr. Spur criteria.
Tonight he left no doubt about it.
It was great ceremony...and AJ handled himself and the awkwardness of being the Mavs coach, with a great deal of class and dignity...
Legacy:
I still don't think his jersey deserves to be retired, sorry AJ fans, and I still think Mario Elie is more rightfully deserving of the title of being the guy who lead us to the 99 title...I will always think that...and to me, it'd be wrong to say anything else.
What can no longer be said...is that AJ doesn't get the credit he deseved...he's gotten it. He got it last night.
Mario Elie in my eyes, remains the guy who doersn't the credit he deserves...his jersey will never be retired, so I will continue to defend his contrubutions to that team and forever altering the chemistry, attitude and confidence of the Spurs...in my eyes, he's the guy who did it. He's the guy that made the big shots start going in...and that's when we started winning titles. Someday I hope to meet him and let him know that. I will also continue to defend David Robinson's legacy when it is being stepped on in the process of elevating AJ's contributions to the team.
But as for AJ, you really can't blame AJ for his jersey being retired, or for accepting the honor, who wouldn't want that kind of honor?
And he was extremely classy and gracious in accepting this honor...extremely. In fact he was so gracious in accepting the honor...that seeing that jersey up there won't be salt in the wounds(unless he's bitching about calls when coachign the Mavs against the Spurs)....For one night, AJ again was actually the underdog you rooted for and overcame a lot to make it to the NBA.
It was a fun ceremony, as was the GTG afterwards.
Thanks to timvp and kori for the ticket(and my long sought after SpursTalk TShirt) ...it was fun as always, as was the GTG afterwards.
Was also fun to meet ShoogarBear, and hook up with Blaze and the Victoria at that GTG.
So there you have it...consider that elephant shot :spin