- Whew. I have to admit, watching
that 15 years later? Just may be a bit more special
than I thought it would be. Only because
I had the wherewithall to actually edit that
piece... FOR NO FUCKING REASON. You
know? Welcome to the story of my life. Unparallelled
time spent putting things together, that virtually no
one will ever see. I guess it's just in the
blood. I like creating stories.
-
- There's actually a LOT more to the
story than what's in the video, and thankfully -
I actually kept a journal back then for all of my
WTVN stuff - and it's actually part of The Journey
(Man it's just occurring to me how much of my life is
so public and so detailed online. 15 of 35 years.
That's... <shakes head> Anyway... I have to
share the story, exactly as I wrote it, a few
weeks out of my teens. It's poorly written, but
goddamn it's sincere. I adore this
story.
-
 -
- I leave around 2:20 PM and
get to the arena at 4:30. I wait for an hour,
meanwhile people are going in with permanent passes
and I'm just praying that nothing goes wrong. The cops
were nice and funny...and then I heard Rodman was
injured! Rumor though. Finally the guy gets there at
5:35. I get the pass and as I'm walking away I read
it:
-
- "Admit bearer to
Gund Arena, Press Row, Press Room, and Locker
Rooms"
-
- OH. MY. GOD. I've done it. I'm
in. I finally find my way downstairs and find the
visitors locker room. I'm very cool, collected. The
police guy says the team's not there yet. JESUS! Have
I come early enough or what? Then I see Phil
Jackson in this Gangster suit and hat...very cool. My
heart starts to race. Then Paxson, then Buechler...
then Michael Jordan. I can only imagine the look on my
face as I swallowed and stopped breathing. Nice
suit, listening to his discman, he glances at me and
walks in. Once everyne else got in, I asked the
guard if I could go in. He said fine... so
I walked in.
-
- The room in front of me was the
locker room, and to my left is the tinytraining room.
I found out later it's all a circle. I see Jerry
Krause, Paxson and someone else. I was gonna just
walk through and Jerry yells at me:
-
- "YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN HERE!"
-
- I show him my slip and he
screams: "6:15!!!". It says this nowhere on the slip,
but it is indeed 5:45. I just said "sorry,
I lost track of the time" and I just walk
into the locker roon and he screams "NOOOOO" again. He
was such an asshole but inside I was
laughing...as any Bulls fan would be. You hear so many
stories about him being a prick.
-
- So I walk out and the cop
says: "Might as well get some food while you're
waiting..." Hell yeah! Free
food!
-
- After wandering around for
awhile I finally find the food place where the
media eats. Goddamn! Steak, fried chicken, salad,
corn, mashed potatoes, big ol' hot dogs, all the Diet
Coke I could drink... I was in total shock.
So I sit down to eat and I see Johnny "Red"
Kerr and Wayne Lerivee. Both nice guy. Then Paxon
walks in and comes up to me and says:
-
- "Sorry about my General
Manager"
-
- "Oh Jerry? No big deal
man, I was early"
-
- "Yeah, but he didn't have to
say it like that."
-
- "Well then...could you sign an
autograph?"
-
- "Sure..." and he
proceeded! John Paxson! The winner of the 3rd
Championship!!! HELL YEAH!! Then Stumpy
McKrause comes in and as John was going to sit at my
table Jerry pointed him as far away from me as
possible. Bastard. Then Phil Jackson joined them. Then
a black guy named Greg Miles? I think he sat with
me and we talked. He told me how Jordan was
approachable and a good guy. Greg was nice.
I looked at my watch and it was 6:05 so
I booked. Since Jerry was eating he couldn't
get me. SO the cop let me in again, and there was
Jordan listening to his discman in one ear and
listening to that one irritating broadcaster from
NBC in the other. God what's his name... Jim
something. Jim Grey.
-
- You know how they say slow
motion? It was slow motion. The air actually felt
different as I entered the room Jordan was in. It
was absolutely unimaginable that he was just chilling
there and he was absolutely larger than life.
I slowly pulled up a chair and sat next to him
and Michael Jordan, Jim Grey and I
talked...
- ...for 45 minutes. About
everything. One of the first words I heard him
say was "Fuck" and it was like being in the
Twilight Zone. Every topic comes up. In particular the
Browns as they just announced they
- 're leaving. It was crazy
Michael and I thought Modell was doing what he
had to do, but everyone else thought no. Luckily
I said my point before MJ and it was he and I
talking with Jim and one other guy I didn't recognize.
Michael said:
-
- "He'd been asking for a new
stadium since, what 1988? Hell, the man's broke..."
then I jump in...
-
- "Yeah, '89 and what goes up in
that time? Gund Arena, Jacobs Field..." and
Michael points to me: "Yeah, and what's that other
thing?" I jump in again:
-
- "Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame"
-
- I realize this may not
mean something to you but you do realize that when
I say Michael, I'm talking about
MICHAEL FUCKING JORDAN right? Ok, back to
all this.
-
- So I asked him why this
doesn't happen in the NBA and he said:
-
- "Stern's a better commissioner,
he has more clout...and the owners would never approve
the move."
-
- Then all the reporters give
their two cents. We just shot the shit about
everything. Quinn Buckner comes in and sits between me
and Jordan. They're laughing and talking about other
plays. Get this - Jordan turns and bets Quinn $100 on
Glenn Robinson having a breakout season now that he's
with the Bucks. ?!?!?! Did we all really want to hear
him betting on the NBA? I spoke up and
said: "Vin Baker is the man on that team" and
Jordan looked at me like I had made fun of his
children. That was the last thing I spoke up about.
Heh. Anywy - he was really loose with Quinn and it was
great hearing them laugh and carry on. Then Mike
handed him his discman and I commented on how
skinny it was. And I mean skinny. Skinnier than 2
CD cases together. MJ goes: "Yeah, some japanese guy
gave it to me at the beginning of the season,
" he smiled "I said thank you..." We
laughed. I alway wondered what Jordan listened
to... There was Silk and some other black groups.
I picked up the plastic covering of one and kept
it.
-
- Now one of the PR guys
said no cameras or autographs allowed, but he didn't
check my camcorder. So we talk a little more and when
another reporter jumps in to interview I figure
I should try and get my camcorder out. The
batteries weren't charged when I got them, which
blew my mind, but I got an adapter. Plugged it in
bext to Jordan's CD adapter and started taping. Jordan
didn't even mind! So I taped for awhile.
I taped Scottie in the training room drinking
gatorade and getting taped...then back to Jordan for
awhile. After about 5 minutes I stopped, it just felt
rude. Like you're talking with friends and then some
dork gets out a camcorder and starts taping you. I had
to do it so people believed I was there. The
trainer said at around 6:50 that we had to leave.
I unbottoned my shirt, which held my Jordan
Jersey underneath and as he was walking to the
training room I asked him to sign it.
-
- "You're with the press man, you
could lose your job, you could lose your stripes for
this," he said as he was...
-
- ...SIGNING MY JERSEY.
-
- Listen, I felt kind of bad
that Jordan somehow thought less of me, but you have
to be kidding. Babe Ruth just signed my jersey. Lose
my stripes? Hell, will I ever get this
opportunity as long as I live? Worth the risk MJ.
Sorry if you think I'm a dick.
-
- I left quickly and showed
the cop who was grinning from ear to ear.
Unfortunately t PR guy saw it and said "Oh,
pretty good, real respectful". Whatever man.
I did what I had to do.
-
- So onto my next adventure, the
court. I walk out on the court and look for a
place to set up. I decide I want to be where all
the camera guys. So in front of the Bulls bench
I sit down and wait. I left my stuff and ran up
to the third level where Burg and my dad was and take
off my Jersey and give it to her so I don't have
to mess with it. I cannot tell you what kind of awe
they were both in. Then I run down and check my
batteris and sure enough, they're completely drained.
For the next 15 minutes I look frantically for an
on-court outlet, then..during WARM-ups right before
the game, I find one and was able to borrow an
extension cord from the Bulls photograher. Whew -
absolute disaster avoided.
-
- I finally get everying set-up
and some guy who's shooting pictures asks me if
I knew that it was illegal to have a camcorder in
the arena and I said I was only using it for
sound. Not sure if he bought it, but it's not like he
was gonna call security over. The game started and
I was set.
-
- I got a great deal of the
game - both in black and white letterboxed and in
color. The black and white looks so much like film
with this shutter effect. I went back and forth
with my still camera and video and used all my film up
before halftime as they were closer, then I ran
that up to my dad. One less thing to worry about.
Videotaping was one of the most strenuous things I've
ever done. I had to hide it in between my legs
and put my head down in order to do it and keeping a
good level shot was nearly impossible - but I got
some doozies.
- The game was great...I guess -
I was so busy concentrating on my shots
I paid no attention. Jordan ended up with 29 on a
barrage of 3's and they won by 19. I really got some
great shots. I even got Jordan pointing to a
beligerant fan (thesauruses rock) and telling him to
"Shhhhhh" as he had 23 in the 2nd half and just
destroyed the Cavs. When the game ended I packed
up quick and headed for the locker room.
-
- CONSIDERABLY more crowded this
time. I ended up standing on a stool and
recording the whole thing. Jordan said:
-
- "My man, my man - you're on my
cord."
-
- I picked up my stool and then
I asked him if he wanted his adapter...he said
yah and I handed it to him. Afterwards the
reporters stated asking him things I got up the nerve.
I asked Jordan, if now that they won 4 straight
are then even thinking 66 more for the record (No
one's ever hit 70). He said, "One game at a time...we
still have a lot to learn as a team. We're not rushing
the record, one game at a time." I finally
stopped taping and more reporters kept asking him for
his autograph...
-
- "You guys are at work!
Shouldn't you be working." He said, somewhat joking.
You know, y'd think Cleveland wasn't the only place
this happened.
-
- I shook his hand and said
thank you for signature, "Alright my man". I'm just
now realizing how cool this really is. This is
incredible.
-
- On my way out I went up to
Pippen and shook his hand. I said I didn't want
to bother him with a signature, and I just wanted
to say hi. Jason Caffey was sitting next to him and
I said I was impressed. He was doing really well
as a rookie. I left and then realized I could
have stayed but didn't want to go back in for nothing.
I ran into Dan Majerle and I wished
I 'd had one of my friends rookie cards but Bruce
never rembered to get it to me.
-
- So I waited outside and
watched him talk to all these people he knew. Old
friends, joking and laughing. It was just crazy.
I ended up having to leave the same way Jordan
was leaving. It was incredible...I was actually
following him out. I'm right behind him as he's
walking outside through this GIANT hall of
people. RIGHT behind him. The crowd was going
NUTS. Insane. Holding shoes, paper, cards,
pictures...and I was right behind him the entire
time. I got my first real feeling of fame and it
was the coolest thing I've ever felt. Christ,
I almost got on the bus, but I just turned
and went to my car. And then suddenly hat was it. The
fame that I was with disappeared, the crowd
stopped...and I was Adam again...
-
- It kind of sucked.
-
- I met Quinn Buckner again on
the elevator in the parking garage and said: "See you
April..." (the next Bulls-Cavs game, I am
there).
-
- So that was it. The best day of
my life. I actually flunked a test for this but
DEAR LORD was it worth it. I met, joked
with, took
video of, shook hands
with, got an autograph from Michael Jordan. THE
Michael Jordan. This will be a fun story to tell
tomorrow...hell I'll just read this on the
air!
-
- ***
-
- Simply awesome. That part about
standing behind him as he got on the bus? Just, that
will never leave me. It was life changing for
me.
|
