Back in the Game...

I fell asleep early Thursday, in desperate need of some sleep catch-up. I had come home from the gym exhausted after a work day featuring a 6-hour turnaround (I left work at 3am, and returned for 9am).

I awoke to the familiar sound of my phone vibrating on my table-top.

Groggy, I flipped open the lid of my over-aged Motorolla V300...

"Hello?"
"Were you out drinking last night? Hitting the town?"
"Not Quite. What's up?"
"I need you down at the ACC. Eric was working the morning show, and TJ Ford is going to be introduced to the media."

I hung up the phone with my boss, and shot up like a dart.

Finally. With such a high-profile summer of top picks, trades, and rumours... this would be my first taste of officially getting back in the Raptors swing.

Surely it would be an intimate gathering.

Everyone was in Vegas.

I showered, got dressed... re-versed myself in some Ford stats... and headed to the station to pick up the mic-flash and mini-disc that I had come to know as my own (only to have returned it after the season was over).

We were reunited again.

It was beautiful.

I actually think I saw the mini-disc well up some mechanical tears.

Either way. I headed south of the Yonge line to Union, checked my watch, and saw that I was running a smidgen late.

It was 11:26. Media availability was 11:30.
I was still a good 6 minutes away.

My pace quickened, my thoughts raced. I knew what I wanted to ask TJ, and I knew I would get the chance to converse a little more loosely.

Shoot the shit, as they say.

I managed to sign in and get up to the RBK court for 11:29.

No one was there. Perfect.
I saw one of the media relations people, and tried to confirm my observation.

"I guess it's not open yet, huh?"
"Oh, it is... they're already inside. But TJ will be a few minutes."

She unlocked and opened the door... and to my stunned disbelief it was RAMMED.
Absolutely packed with media. Outlets that don't normally make their presence felt (notably CBC) were there.

I saw some familiar faces of people I hadn't seen since April, re-acquainted myself, and started pacing around.

I knew my hopes and wishes of a somewhat intimate conversation with TJ would be dashed. Now I was thinking about positioning.

About half a minute later, a small statured man with big shoulders walked in wearing a white T-shirt. It was him.

Everyone immediately surrounded him like a pack of wild wolves about to pounce on a lonely white sheep.

It was the same old questions...

"How does it feel being in Canada?"
"Why do you think people don't want to play here?"
"Are you looking forward to playing with Bosh?"

He'd answered these questions numerous times, before even stepping on Canadian soil. I'm not saying that I'm a master-questioneer (and if you're a regular follower of this blog, you'd know I'm not), but I've learned to at least TRY to keep it fresh.

I didn't want to ask about his back... I wanted to ask about his contract... I wanted to ask about his thoughts on the Raptors turning into the Toronto Euros...



I got my questions in... but the answers were of the standard, to-be-expected variety.

I followed up a question regarding his excitement about playing with Bosh, with:

"Like Bosh, TJ... you're also up for an extension this summer. Has that at all come into conversations, or are you just going to play, and see what happens?"

(Sadly, because the answer was blahzay, I didn't keep the clip... but his response, NOT-verbatim, went something like:)

"I let my agent deal with all that stuff... I don't really get involved in all the contract talk. I'm just here to play basketball and try to win some games."

A few other reporters asked their questions... then I shot in with another:

"With all these unknowns on the Raptors roster, and rumours of more names coming over from Europe... are you concerned at all about an adjustment period, with different styles of play?"

I think he took the question to mean something else, because his response was (again, something to effect of:)

"I just play my game. I'm going to run up and down the floor, and get guys the ball where they want it. Right now, a lot of things are a mystery... but once we get summer league and training camp in there, everything will be fine."

I got one more question in there, but can't recall what it was right now...
But overall, Ford seems like a personable guy. Friendly, open, and honest (even though I KNOW there has to have been talk about a contract extension).

I'm booked to cover "Free-Agency" on Friday (although chances are, Thursday will be when all the action hits - as Colangelo has said he wants to round out the roster as quickly as possible).
==
Monday, I get to cover a newser about how the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport and NSF International have joined forces to educate Canadian athletes about what nutritional supplements they can take without getting busted for doping.

I'm hoping for a free energy bar.