March 3, 2000

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'm back from All-Star weekend and I thought I'd have a ton of good stories for ya'll. Sorry, but I'm going to disappoint you. I'll give you the only dirt I found - which isn't much (also, I'm writing this column after a 5 a.m. wakeup call and an eight-hour photo shoot ... please cut me some slack):

Thompson

 Tina Thompson is still one of my favorite people in the league. She hasn't changed and is always good to hang with. She doesn't even care if you dog her lipstick.
Chamique can be flat out goofy ... and it was good to see her. I also thank her for letting me (and my broke knee) sit in the front seat on the way to the concert. Of course, she recited her Nike commercial for the 30-minute ride.
Becky Hammon is a great teammate. For the record, though ... I can't hook people up with her, so stop asking (and I'm not just referring to folks who work for the NBA, WNBA, and NBAE).
Natalie Williams is, simply, sweet.

J. Williams

 Jerome Williams (no relation) is a lot of fun. The "Junkyard Dog" did a good job as a guest correspondent on Inside Stuff (I say this because he interviewed ME).
Allen Iverson is shorter than I thought. The man is barely six feet (which makes me respect his game even more).
Ray Allen represented UCONN well. His nine shots in nine minutes of the first half were pretty impressive, too.
Shaq is big.
Vince Carter can dunk.
 I tend to understate things.

I didn't go to any player parties while I was in San Francisco. I was too busy answering fan emails and studying for the Tech Summit, which was held on Friday of All-Star weekend. I was in a room full of million and billionaires and internet gurus. In essence, I was a misfit. I have to give David Stern and Chris Weiler CREDIT for putting together an amazing list of panelists, though. Great job, guys!

Other interesting notes:

 Check out Dunk.net. This internet site sells great hoop shoes and clothing. I will talk about them more in a later column, but finally there is a shoe company that is interested in doing the right thing. Just check it out!
 Check out the next issue of Next Zone magazine.
 I met Mike Piazza in L.A. while doing a photo shoot for DUNK. What a nice guy!!!
 In case you missed it, Tonya Harding was arrested for "smashing her live-in boyfriend's face with a hubcap in a drunken rage." Apparently our favorite ice skater attacked the man as they returned from a trip to Oregon to play video poker. I want to know a few things ... 1.) Where did she get the hubcap? 2.) What the boyfriend thought as she picked up (or removed) the hubcap. 3.) Who makes a trip to Oregon to play video poker? 4.) Ever heard of Nintendo?

As a P.S.

 If you follow me out of a restaurant on a rainy night to take my picture, don't say you need to use the panoramic setting.
 On that same rainy night, don't ask my friend to hold your purse. (That is for your own good. I might make like Puffy and hang out with thieves.)
 On that same rainy night, don't ask to give me a kiss on the cheek and be a man with alcohol on your breath. More importantly, don't kiss me before I have the chance to answer ... "NO!"
 Note to self: Don't go out on rainy nights.

Time for Shout Outs galore to:

 The 25-0 St. Catherine Siena Saints, and their free-throw star ... Coleen Baird.
 Tony and Kat. Better unlist your number 'cause I'm calling when I come to Chicago.
 Kids at the Church of the Good Shephard. Great questions!
 My All-Star friend - Bryan. Thanks for keeping me company during the games.
 Our new assistant PR person - Jason. (Don't worry, I still miss my little stack of pancakes.)
 My lovely and talented sister. Way to work the catwalk!
 Kids playing in the Illinois state girls' hoop tourney. Good luck!
 Folks who answer email.
 New employees at Octagon.
 Old employees everywhere else.