My Mic Smelt Like Stir-Fry...

Since words have the ability to transcend time, it's Thursday. Believe me, it is.
You are a girl who is out to dinner with me, at a fine establishment called “Sweet Lulu” (if you don't know, now you know).
Maybe it's because of the wine, maybe it's because we want to duck out soon, but either way... you can't finish your stir-fry.
Which is too bad for you, really... but great for me, seeing as how you'd forget it in my fridge later that night, and I would reap the benefits the following day.

Leftovers. The real reason for food.

Just like that, it's Friday. Apparently the Raptors have game-day shoot-arounds now. Don't know if anyone planned to tell me, but either way, I'm pretty sure the responsibility is not mine.

Let's move this bad boy further... it's 6:07pm.

I arrive at the ACC, get my bag checked, head to the media center, shake some hands, share some smiles, and grab some pizza.

Nothing new there.

One of the Raptors' staffers comes by...

“Commissioner Stern's scrum has been pushed forward. He'll be there in 5 minutes.”

I finish my slice, and head for the door. But not without a cookie. A huge cookie, at that. With big beautiful white chocolate chips.

I'm through about half of it, when I see the scrum has already encompassed the commish. I rest the greasy half-circle of joy on someone's unfortunate pile of papers, whip out my microphone and recorder... and see it's got some interesting fluid on it.

I try to wipe it off as quickly as possible, and really do a piss-poor job of it. No Matter. I had to get my mic in there.

So David Stern's talking about:

-Why the refs are calling so many fouls, and how he's trying to clean up the game.

-Steroid use in professional sports – and how he's becoming less and less thrilled with the antics of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)

-Mark Cuban's antics

-Spreading the NBA all over the world

All while, I'm thinking... something smells amazing. I'm looking around, directly behind the commissioner, sniffing everywhere, and half-heartedly realizing that I may have bits of cookie on my face.

I give 'er a quick wipe. Didn't feel any crumbs. Something still smells amazing.
I lean in closer. It's my mic.

It's my mic. And it smells like the leftover stir-fry I had eaten at the station, before coming to the game.

That's what that liquid substance was on my microphone. It was oyster sauce.
I fought back the urge of doing a super-lick behind Mr. Stern's back – fully knowing that he was enjoying the aroma as much as I.

I was thinking of him, here.

So after he wraps, up all the reporters clear, and I head back to my bag, which apparently smelt just as good as my mic.

It's amazing how much destruction one little half-carton of Chinese/Thai food can do to a bag full of papers.

Thankfully, nothing else of importance was oysterized.

==

With that little tale now behind us, let's move forward to the game, shall we?

Let's.

Home opener. TJ Ford against his former team. The return of Charlie Villanueva. All good things. Charlie V gets a warm reception. I drink some water and listen as the little singer, Keshia Chante, flubs up some words in the American National Anthem. She rebounds well for us Canucks, though.

Her vocals weren't bad... but the musical moment of the night came before tip-off, actually... Matisse and the Playground, was responsible for greeting fans awaiting entrance to the ACC with live, soulful, RnB.

Anyway, so the game gets underway... the Raptors start out with steam. Chris Bosh hits his first 5 shots, and finishes with 10 points after 1. The 2nd opened with Freddy Jones posterizing someone, coming in from the baseline. Jones then followed that with a steal... and then threw up an airball from behind the arc. By the time the clock read 4:15, Bosh had his first double-double of the season - 16 points, 10 boards. The Raps led by as many as 12, but by halftime, the Bucks tie it up at 50's.
Villanueva had 13 and 9.

The Raptors opened the third with an 8-0 run, as Ford picked apart the Bucks' defense, always seeming to find someone open on the perimeter. Heading into the 4th, the Raptors led by 4... Bosh had 25 and 11. Ford had 11 and 7 assists... while Charlie V had 17, and 10 rebounds.

After 3 minutes of PT in the final frame, Villanueva's night was done, thanks to a pulled right hamstring. No matter, as Toronto poured it on, outscoring the Bucks 24-7 over the first 9 minutes (or so). Kris Humphries, Andrea Bargnani, and Joey Graham wound down the clock.

109, 92
I think I asked only two questions after the game. And if there were more, there were only two worth repeating the responses.

The first was to Freddy Jones, who made reference to Bosh being 'the man,' selling the tickets, and getting fans in the seats... I told him that a few more dunks like his early in the third, and he might be account for a nice contribution.

His response:

“You know, that's what I'm here for. My teammates, they joke with me all the time that I haven't [done] anything... I'm a dunk contest winner, but I never get dunks in the game... I told them, 'you know, it's the regular season... I'll bring something up.'”

Over to Bosh, now...

“That 4th quarter, Chris, you guys were completely dominating... it seemed like you guys hit every shot, got every shot you wanted... while the Bucks couldn't get any rhythm.”
“Well yeah, we've been working on our defense. Coach has been preaching defense, and you know, we let our defense turn into fast-breaks. When we get that rebound, and the ball is still live, we kick it out to the guards... you know, our wings are so good at running, TJ, he's just finding people left and right... and it's helping us out a lot.”

So that's that. The Raptors handily win their home-opener... and Commissioner David Stern smelt my leftover stir-fry.