cto
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Looks like Tomcat is not doing one of his masterful reports, so I will say just a few things about the Basket Ball (with hope that Tomcat will still come through).
Crowd was huge ... more than 800 folks. I (and others) put some pictures on Facebook to give a flavor for it, but I am sort of hit-or-miss regarding my ability to post pix here, and this evening seems to be one of my "miss" nights. Also, the Post-Standard (syracuse.com) had some decent coverage of it this year. In previous years, they wouldn't pay to buy a ticket, but they apparently did this year.
It is really a cool event that all fans should attend at least once (and who knows how many more there might be, given JB's potential retirement within the next few years). All the players and coaches were there (plus Mark Coyle and Dino Babers), and all of the above are happy to chat with anyone who wants to chat. In that regard, it is a pretty informal event. No dais, no head table, just a lot of people mingling around.
Dan Patrick, who became the MC only after he lost a bet to JB, did a very nice job... and quite by coincidence, wound up being my dinner partner (not planned, just happened). He was really delightful. Turns out we live about 12 minutes from each other ... and he could have saved the miserable round-trip car ride between CT and JFK and the vagaries of flying if we had known that earlier. (On the other hand, he may not have enjoyed my driving much better, but at least I did not get a speeding ticket or a wrong0-way driving ticket this time).
The live auction items were the usual... all expense-paid trips to the Final Four, ditto for the ACC tourney, etc. They all raised a lot of money. Being that I was standing in the very rear of the very dark auditorium during the auction, I could not see who won the various items. But there was no "special" item like JB's famous Duke-worn sports jacket from two years ago.
During the two (yes, two) cocktail receptions, the players all dutifully drank soft drinks (if they drank anything), and they were all very willing to chat with anyone who approached them... and to pose for what must have been many thousands of pictures. I got some with Michael, Trevor, Malachi and both Tylers. They all look great in the pictures, but, as usual, my eyes were closed in most of them. But, hey, they are still nice souvenirs.
Michael said his first private work-out is scheduled with the San Antonio Spurs. Trevor said he would definitely be playing some place next year, but he doesn't yet know where. Malachi said all the right right things about whether he would be back next season, but his body language seemed to indicate he would like to be playing for NBA money (Don't panic, I am not an expert on body language). Tylor R said he was very happy about retuning next season... and he seemed more animated that I recall in the past. Tyler L, still sporting Rico, is very shy. But he seemed happy when I told him I had driven through his home town of Pine Plains on my way to the Turning Stone.
There were two neat photo ops available to all attendees last night. At some point during the pre-dinner reception, all the players stood in a group and people could wait in (a very fast-moving) line to get their pictures professionally taken with the entire team. Another neat option was taking a photo with the net (or, more correctly, the rim and what little remained of the net) from the Elite 8 win over UVA.
As for the food, I am no Tomcat. I think the main course was a beef fillet, served with a variety of vegetables. And I literally do not remember what was served for desert (which I generally do not eat). The red wine was very drinkable ... but then I've hardly ever met a red wine that was not drinkable. (An oenophile, I am not. I just like to drink the stuff).
Anyhow, it was a great evening... and well worth attending if it fits within one's budget.
Crowd was huge ... more than 800 folks. I (and others) put some pictures on Facebook to give a flavor for it, but I am sort of hit-or-miss regarding my ability to post pix here, and this evening seems to be one of my "miss" nights. Also, the Post-Standard (syracuse.com) had some decent coverage of it this year. In previous years, they wouldn't pay to buy a ticket, but they apparently did this year.
It is really a cool event that all fans should attend at least once (and who knows how many more there might be, given JB's potential retirement within the next few years). All the players and coaches were there (plus Mark Coyle and Dino Babers), and all of the above are happy to chat with anyone who wants to chat. In that regard, it is a pretty informal event. No dais, no head table, just a lot of people mingling around.
Dan Patrick, who became the MC only after he lost a bet to JB, did a very nice job... and quite by coincidence, wound up being my dinner partner (not planned, just happened). He was really delightful. Turns out we live about 12 minutes from each other ... and he could have saved the miserable round-trip car ride between CT and JFK and the vagaries of flying if we had known that earlier. (On the other hand, he may not have enjoyed my driving much better, but at least I did not get a speeding ticket or a wrong0-way driving ticket this time).
The live auction items were the usual... all expense-paid trips to the Final Four, ditto for the ACC tourney, etc. They all raised a lot of money. Being that I was standing in the very rear of the very dark auditorium during the auction, I could not see who won the various items. But there was no "special" item like JB's famous Duke-worn sports jacket from two years ago.
During the two (yes, two) cocktail receptions, the players all dutifully drank soft drinks (if they drank anything), and they were all very willing to chat with anyone who approached them... and to pose for what must have been many thousands of pictures. I got some with Michael, Trevor, Malachi and both Tylers. They all look great in the pictures, but, as usual, my eyes were closed in most of them. But, hey, they are still nice souvenirs.
Michael said his first private work-out is scheduled with the San Antonio Spurs. Trevor said he would definitely be playing some place next year, but he doesn't yet know where. Malachi said all the right right things about whether he would be back next season, but his body language seemed to indicate he would like to be playing for NBA money (Don't panic, I am not an expert on body language). Tylor R said he was very happy about retuning next season... and he seemed more animated that I recall in the past. Tyler L, still sporting Rico, is very shy. But he seemed happy when I told him I had driven through his home town of Pine Plains on my way to the Turning Stone.
There were two neat photo ops available to all attendees last night. At some point during the pre-dinner reception, all the players stood in a group and people could wait in (a very fast-moving) line to get their pictures professionally taken with the entire team. Another neat option was taking a photo with the net (or, more correctly, the rim and what little remained of the net) from the Elite 8 win over UVA.
As for the food, I am no Tomcat. I think the main course was a beef fillet, served with a variety of vegetables. And I literally do not remember what was served for desert (which I generally do not eat). The red wine was very drinkable ... but then I've hardly ever met a red wine that was not drinkable. (An oenophile, I am not. I just like to drink the stuff).
Anyhow, it was a great evening... and well worth attending if it fits within one's budget.
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