Dec. 13, 1999

The following is not a typical athlete's journal entry. You will not read about how many points were scored, who won, or who was difficult to guard. Mostly because of what you'll read about below. Instead, you will experience The World According To Me. Each week, I'll be posting another entry, so stay tuned ...

I've been busy enough in the past week to write a brand new column. (Is there a difference between "new" and "brand new?") Some fun stuff went down , so check it out.

I did a photo shoot for Sports Illustrated For Women. It was a 40-degree day but the photo editor wanted a picture of me outside on the roof wearing my uniform. When the magazine hits the stands in the Spring, look closely and you'll see goosebumps on my arms!

Busy Days
Some days it is hard to even find a minute to catch your breath. Thursday, Dec. 2 was one of those days.

I spent the morning at rehab shooting hoops and working on my sprinting at a track on the upper east side. When my therapists were done running me through the workout, I rushed back to my room with enough time to shower and grab my sister and duffel bag and head to the Bobby Bonilla bowling event to benefit the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. (No worries, my sister was not in the duffel bag.)

The event was a lot of fun. I can now say I own my own bowling shoes and ball courtesy of Bobby Bo. Robin Ventura and Eddie Murray were quite competitive and kept checking my score -- an incredible 126.

My fellow ESPN analyst, Harold Reynolds, was fun to hang with. Every time a kid asked me to sign something, Harold told them they had to dance in order to receive an autograph. It made me wonder if people would still seek autographs if they had to do something in return for them -- like sing or dance. It sure would make it more entertaining for those being asked.

We left the bowling event a little early to go to the Sports Illustrated 20th Century Sports Awards at Madison Square Garden. I couldn't believe the incredible athletes who attended. Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Joe Montana, John Elway, Tiger Woods to name a few. Billy Crystal sat right across from me and said "hello." Paul Simon was two rows ahead of me and could rival Mini-me for the title of Shortest Celebrity In North America. (Gary Coleman was disqualified as soon as he auctioned off his yellow pimp suit ... for obvious reasons.)

All around the evening was incredible. I just wish there was such a thing as comfortable heels, (that didn't look like Easy Spirits!) Women would be much nicer at the end of a long evening if such a beast existed.

Now to Miscellaneous Items:
Good ways to approach someone (me): walk over, introduce yourself, and say hello.

Really, really bad way to approach someone (me):
1.) Walk over, step inside my personal space and just say, very loudly "REBECCA LOBO" with an expectant look on your face as if that was a statement or question that necessitated a response. (Then hit your chest and give me the peace sign, Like Sammy Sosa, and walk away), or

2.) ask "Is it you?" (Is there a wrong answer to that question?), or

3.) If I'm in a conversation with someone, don't walk behind me chirping my name, "Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca." A simple, "Excuse me" would be much more effective.

Note from author: I probably mention these three things simply because they all happened in the past week. They also made me laugh and that is the intent here ... to spread my joy to you.

Bad Line of the week:
"Can I buy you a drink?" ... when it is an open bar, it loses a bit of it's luster!

Jaw Dropper of the week:
At the late night party following the SI awards show, I was sitting in a booth with some of my friends. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods were two booths away and drawing most of the attention. Derek Jeter came over and said hello to my little posse. When he turned his back, a woman, (not a posse member) reached out and grabbed a nice size portion of his tush in her hands. He kind of swatted her violating hand away. She just smiled and told her companion that she couldn't wait to brag to her friends. (I can hear her now ... "Yeah, I never met the man and he wouldn't recognize me anywhere in the world, but I grabbed him. I'm da bomb!") I was just praying that Derek didn't think it was me with the Lobster Claw hold on his bum.

As a P.S.
I still don't understand the appeal of NASCAR. I'm gonna try and check out a race next year though. Gotta give it a fair shake.

There is nothing more uncomfortable than a pair of new pointy-toe heels at the end of a long evening. (Yeah, I wear two-inch heels. At this point, I figure, if you can't handle 6-6, you sure can't handle 6-4.)

Word to the wise: When people are blowing their noses ... don't stare at them. Glance away and wait for them to finish wiping their faces clean! (Yeah, I have a cold at the moment.)

Quotable Kym is back, and in top form. She performed some Christmas carols at the NBA Store and before one medley she raised the crowd's anticipation for her next number by proclaiming, "This mix is kinda weak, but I'm gonna sing it anyway."

While we were signing autographs, Kym added this gem to her quotable section ... she said to a tall couple getting autographs for their daughters, "I bet you two have big-footed daughters. I bet you have big girls." There's nothing like being told that you look like your offspring would be BIG-FOOTED!!!

(In case you didn't know by now, the chip that provides the filter between what you think and what you say ... is missing in Kym.)

Shout Out time to&
 My six-week-old nephew Luke Michael
 Bobby Bo ... keep speaking your mind
 Folks on the front row cheering for John Starks at the Garden when Golden State was in town
 Sisters who leave cameras in limos
 Dutch National Team members
 Frantic holiday shoppers
 Those who DON'T shout in my ear
 My hooping crew. Thanks for b-balling with me and getting me back on the court
 Harold - stop blaming the shoes
 Mom's Night Out participants
 Fellow spinach lovers
 The piano player at Houston's restaurant (but take it down an octave)
 Fans of "Tufu"
 Kitty-litter having, French food loving, spin class taking, Upper East Side studio residents
 "Dateless in Hoboken" workout queens
 Those with New Year's Eve plans
 Those WITHOUT New Year's Resolutions
 He who makes me laugh
 Yvonne: you go above and beyond and I'll never be able to thank you enough