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Friday night Fever in Indiana!
Posted by Alex W.C.
on
11:49 AM
Now on stop #9, I find myself at Conseco field house getting ready to watch the Indiana Fever take on the Atlanta Dream!!
Umm, well, not just yet…
As I have used several modes of transportation - plane, train, cab, shuttle, (dog sled & rickshaw too, if they were available) this trip has gone extraordinarily smooth, with no serious delay or interruption. *knock wood* Just as I was thinking that, I arrived in Chicago to connect to Indianapolis – only to find out my 1 hour layover turned into a 3 hour delay. *groan* After a few phone calls, the Fever PR coordinator, Kevin, offered to send an intern to pick me up at the airport. This way, my journey to the game would be quickly expedited. (skipping checking into the hotel and any time to clean up or change clothes. Ick!) After much delay in Chicago, my flight departed to Indianapolis, arriving just hours before tip-off. Intern Joshua came to pick me up, and took me directly to the game…by way of several incorrect routes and u turns. (Hey, it was the scenic route!) In all fairness, Joshua was from Kansas City, and was not familiar with the area. He looked somewhat nervous, and I knew we would eventually make it in time for the game, so I was not going to say anything. (Hey, haven’t we all had days like that?)
I arrived at Conseco, hoping I had just enough time before the game to change clothes, throw some cold water on my face and get ready for the game. But first, I had a chance to say hi to Catch (#24, Tamika Catchings) while she was warming up. While we exchanged greetings, she signed my Olympic team shirt. The exciting thing was, she was the last person to sign it! I now have my USA Women’s basketball Olympic team shirt autographed by all 12 members of the team!! I told her how I got up early several mornings to watch her and the other members of team USA go for the gold. As we chatted, she looked at my shirt and asked me, “What you got on?” After seeing it was just a Nike shirt, she told me, “We need to get you some Fever gear” Not a few minutes later, Kevin handed my choice of a medium or large Fever shirt; I chose the medium.
After chatting with a few reporters, and changing clothes (after that long delay, I had to put on a clean shirt) I was escorted center court for a bit of recognition. It was kind of awkward, as I stood there, I had no idea what I should do; kind of deer in the headlights. (but I did remember to smile). Then it was game time! Atlanta came out to an early lead, but Indiana put a stop to that fairly quickly.
Side note - I am not sure who she was, but there was a Fever fan sitting on the isle a few rows ahead of me that deserves props. Every time one of the Fever drained a 3, she would run all the way up the stairs and back, giving out high 5’s! That is team dedication, and great cardio! (maybe I should start that in Phoenix...hmmm…)
The game was awesome; both teams had great energy! At the half, I was interviewed on local Indianapolis radio, and invited to sit on press row for the 3rd q. Not being a “press guy” I made the mistake of cheering on the Fever. Now, not that cheering on the Fever is wrong, but cheering of any kind on press row, is…well…taboo. I guess they expect sports guys to me impartial. Ok, so, my bad. Hey, why didn’t someone tell me not to? *laugh* The Fever eventually pulled out the win, their 11th straight win I might add. It was exciting to be there for that.
Post game in the locker room was rather low key and casual, as I made conversation with several players. We chatted about my travels, and all of the ups and downs that come along with it. I saw that Birann January was free, so I nabbed the former Lady Sun Devil for a few questions.
After that, I headed on over to Katie Douglas’s corner of the locker room for a quick chat. I actually I sat close to her husband during the game, so I asked Katie about his dancing abilities. (you will notice at –minutes- I look up to see all of the mainstream media gather around Katie. I asked one last question and I was outta there)
After Katie, I got time with Catch for a few questions. She made sure I was wearing my Fever shirt. I asked her not to mention it to Dee and Cappie. *laugh*
Finally, I got in some camera time with Tully. Several people from Seattle, Twitter and Facebook told me that I would be missing out if I didn’t talk to her. I tried to do an interview, which became a round-about sporadic conversation about her native Australia and ending with her teaching me a cool handshake…and as you can see, it took a few times. (Oh, my mic cut out a few times. Sorry for the technical difficulties.)
Click here to check out an article in the Indy Star!
Indiana was quite an experience, wow! Now, time to get a move on – Indy is my first of three games in three days. Up next, off to see the Mystics in our nation’s capital!
Umm, well, not just yet…
As I have used several modes of transportation - plane, train, cab, shuttle, (dog sled & rickshaw too, if they were available) this trip has gone extraordinarily smooth, with no serious delay or interruption. *knock wood* Just as I was thinking that, I arrived in Chicago to connect to Indianapolis – only to find out my 1 hour layover turned into a 3 hour delay. *groan* After a few phone calls, the Fever PR coordinator, Kevin, offered to send an intern to pick me up at the airport. This way, my journey to the game would be quickly expedited. (skipping checking into the hotel and any time to clean up or change clothes. Ick!) After much delay in Chicago, my flight departed to Indianapolis, arriving just hours before tip-off. Intern Joshua came to pick me up, and took me directly to the game…by way of several incorrect routes and u turns. (Hey, it was the scenic route!) In all fairness, Joshua was from Kansas City, and was not familiar with the area. He looked somewhat nervous, and I knew we would eventually make it in time for the game, so I was not going to say anything. (Hey, haven’t we all had days like that?)
I arrived at Conseco, hoping I had just enough time before the game to change clothes, throw some cold water on my face and get ready for the game. But first, I had a chance to say hi to Catch (#24, Tamika Catchings) while she was warming up. While we exchanged greetings, she signed my Olympic team shirt. The exciting thing was, she was the last person to sign it! I now have my USA Women’s basketball Olympic team shirt autographed by all 12 members of the team!! I told her how I got up early several mornings to watch her and the other members of team USA go for the gold. As we chatted, she looked at my shirt and asked me, “What you got on?” After seeing it was just a Nike shirt, she told me, “We need to get you some Fever gear” Not a few minutes later, Kevin handed my choice of a medium or large Fever shirt; I chose the medium.
After chatting with a few reporters, and changing clothes (after that long delay, I had to put on a clean shirt) I was escorted center court for a bit of recognition. It was kind of awkward, as I stood there, I had no idea what I should do; kind of deer in the headlights. (but I did remember to smile). Then it was game time! Atlanta came out to an early lead, but Indiana put a stop to that fairly quickly.
Side note - I am not sure who she was, but there was a Fever fan sitting on the isle a few rows ahead of me that deserves props. Every time one of the Fever drained a 3, she would run all the way up the stairs and back, giving out high 5’s! That is team dedication, and great cardio! (maybe I should start that in Phoenix...hmmm…)
The game was awesome; both teams had great energy! At the half, I was interviewed on local Indianapolis radio, and invited to sit on press row for the 3rd q. Not being a “press guy” I made the mistake of cheering on the Fever. Now, not that cheering on the Fever is wrong, but cheering of any kind on press row, is…well…taboo. I guess they expect sports guys to me impartial. Ok, so, my bad. Hey, why didn’t someone tell me not to? *laugh* The Fever eventually pulled out the win, their 11th straight win I might add. It was exciting to be there for that.
Post game in the locker room was rather low key and casual, as I made conversation with several players. We chatted about my travels, and all of the ups and downs that come along with it. I saw that Birann January was free, so I nabbed the former Lady Sun Devil for a few questions.
After that, I headed on over to Katie Douglas’s corner of the locker room for a quick chat. I actually I sat close to her husband during the game, so I asked Katie about his dancing abilities. (you will notice at –minutes- I look up to see all of the mainstream media gather around Katie. I asked one last question and I was outta there)
After Katie, I got time with Catch for a few questions. She made sure I was wearing my Fever shirt. I asked her not to mention it to Dee and Cappie. *laugh*
Finally, I got in some camera time with Tully. Several people from Seattle, Twitter and Facebook told me that I would be missing out if I didn’t talk to her. I tried to do an interview, which became a round-about sporadic conversation about her native Australia and ending with her teaching me a cool handshake…and as you can see, it took a few times. (Oh, my mic cut out a few times. Sorry for the technical difficulties.)
Click here to check out an article in the Indy Star!
Indiana was quite an experience, wow! Now, time to get a move on – Indy is my first of three games in three days. Up next, off to see the Mystics in our nation’s capital!
