It has been a rather warm winter in OKC, at least up until this game. We've had temperatures in the 60s and 70s. It's just wrong to be able to wear shorts in December. Maybe if you live in Florida that's okay, but not here. Props to US Cellular for giving away these snow hats. It was icy and cold outside, and this thing is just what we need! Incidentally, the cold and ice are what allowed me to be able to attend this game, as I wasn't originally planning to go. Due to someone else not being able to attend, I was the lucky beneficiary of these tickets. My hometown Thunder played against the Denver Nuggets, and I honestly expected this game to be a blowout (in the Thunder's favor), but it was not. There were many moments during the game where it was evident our team did not bring their A-game. I personally think Anthony Morrow should get the start at SG over Andre Roberson, and our team is average at best on allowing/preventing rebounds. Seriously, Kenneth Faried should not get two or three shots at the bucket, guys. Get it together. Autograph-wise, I didn't fare so well. However, previous outings made up for what ended up being a pretty disappointing night of graphing. For starters, I got there a bit later than I wanted. I expected it to be nearly empty because of the ice, but it turned out to be the fullest I've ever seen downstairs. I actually had to scrounge around and basically weasel my way into a spot, and then I hear from some little boys near me that Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka had just been out and signed for them (and presumably everyone else there). If I didn't already have both of them, I would have been more disappointed. Would I have liked a second KD graph? Or a third Serge? Yes. Yes, I would. But I digress. The first guy I got was Anthony Morrow. Good old A-Mo, great 3-point shooter, should definitely be starting over Roberson. Have I already mentioned that? Unfortunately, it was raining/icing today, and some of my photos were a bit damp coming in, so Morrow's signature smeared just a little bit. It was okay I guess, considering it was on an Atlanta Hawks pic of him that was pixellated to begin with. That was the last photo I had of him, so if I see him again between now and early next year, he'll have to sign my hat. The next guy I got was Josh Huestis. Again, no one knew who he was. The boys asked their parents who this was, and the parents had blank looks on their faces. If you think that was bad, some of them couldn't tell the trainers from the players. Wow, when did I become a snob? I only had one photo printed for Josh and he signed it at the Trail Blazers game. I knew ahead of time that I wouldn't have anything for him, so I brought the hat I got signed back in April and had him sign that. One of the boys next to me didn't know who he was and presented him the program page for Steve Novak. Josh was okay with that though, saying that he "would sign anything," and signed over Steve's face. What a nice guy. I wish more people knew who he was. Folks, this is your Public Service Announcement -- Josh Huestis is a nice guy. I wish I had more pics for him, I bet he would rack if given the opportunity. There was a lull in signing after that. Kyle Singler came off next and signed for everyone waiting for him. Again, he signed one for me and everyone else waiting. As I watched Andre Roberson, Nick
Collison, and Steve Novak shooting. I wondered if Novak would "pull a Novak" again this time. Collison looked like he was about to head to the locker rooms, but instead of heading our way, he disappeared onto the visitor's side of the court. For a moment there, I thought he would exit on that side like he did at the Bulls game. He eventually came back over, but didn't sign for anyone, instead opting to wave us off and run back down the tunnel. If he hadn't already signed for me at the Kings and Trail Blazers games, I would have been more disappointed. Andre Roberson was trying to please everyone and started at the section behind the net, signing across and then moving to the section across from mine; he signed for several, and I do mean several, young fans before giving up halfway on that side to run back to the locker rooms. If he had more time, he certainly would have signed for us all. While Roberson was signing, Novak "pulled a Novak" and ran back to the lockers. No one really noticed because we were all focused on Andre. Someday, Steve... someday. Collison 0/1 Durant 0/0 - arrived too late Huestis 1/1 - signed hat Ibaka 0/0 - arrived too late Morrow 1/1 - signed 8x10 Novak 0/1 - pulled a Novak Roberson 0/1 Singler 1/1 - signed 8x10 The next game on the docket is still the January 6th game against Memphis. Until next time, J.R.
0 Comments
Warning: this post is more bitter and rant-laden than the others. Proceed at your own risk. So it's Christmas Day and I'm excited. I've been waiting for this day for months, and I'm thinking, even though the Chicago Bulls are a really good team (but hit-or-miss on signing), maybe they will be generous given the holiday. This was only my second time attempting to graph the visiting team and given my history, I'm inclined to believe I'm standing in the wrong (sub-optimal) section. Visiting players seem to really love signing for the kids and there's a lot more of them in the section across from mine. The section I'm standing in appears to be more optimal, position-wise, but it also happens to be where the wealthy status-seekers sit (status-seekers up front - SSUF). They occupy space and occasionally get selfies when players walk by so they can name drop, but other than that they really don't do much other than get in the way and take up the player's time. I'll try standing over in the other section next time, and maybe I'll have better luck. Sometimes I wish I were a kid again -- especially when it comes to getting autographs. We didn't have the Thunder when I was growing up in OKC, only the Dallas Mavericks. I hear the Bulls sign for their homers in Chicago but not so much on the road. Can I move to Chicago for a day? Or can we trade for Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, and Pau Gasol? You guys can have Kyle Singler. First out of the gate, I do a scan on the court -- Rose, "Captain" Kirk Hinrich, and Doug "McBuckets" McDermott were already out shooting. I was able to get Doug McDermott on an 8x10. After him, there was a lull in signing, which was filled when Anthony Morrow and then later Nick Collison unexpectedly came over. I was so sure I wouldn't be graphing my home team that I left those items at home! Side note to the n00b: always be prepared. You never know who you're going to see. I did what no professional grapher would do, and that's let them go without asking for anything. I was fine with it because they have both already signed for me twice this season. I missed out on E'Twuan Moore right before Dougie McBuckets came over because of the lady in front of me who didn't know I was going to try to get him (again, with the folder fumbling -- I'm still working on my technique). She didn't move out of the way in time and I didn't have my photo out in time, but that's all right -- in my mind, all I'm here for is Derrick. Just focus on getting Derrick. If I get no one else but Derrick, it will have been a successful night. The next guy to walk by was Aaron Brooks and he signed one for everyone waiting. Kirk Hinrich may have signed or posed for a selfie with someone at the front, but snubbed the rest of us and ran back to the locker room. Nikola Mirotic came out next, waved, high-fived a few people, and went out on the court. Later on, it was the same story with Taj Gibson. Mirotic ran back when he was done, maybe posed for selfies with the SSUF, and then ran back to the locker room but didn't sign for anybody. Derrick Rose eventually came out and signed for a few people, mostly kids, and totally skipped me. I was the next person in the queue! Same story with Jimmy Butler. Do they just not like signing flats? Do my items look like eBay dealer items (painter's tape)? Is it because I'm wearing Thunder gear? Do they not like me videoing them? Who knows. Despite being stung by both guys, I'm still a fan. At this point, I was sure no one else was going to come out (and there were no other guys on the court), so I was getting ready to head back up to my seat, but Pau Gasol unexpectedly came out and high-fived people while running on to the court. I couldn't leave and neither would anyone else. We were all waiting for him and it was obvious -- no other player (Bull or Thunder) was on the court. Mysteriously, Taj Gibson had exited the court from the side of the Thunder locker rooms. I guess he knew what he was doing. Pau stayed out there a really long time, and it didn't occur to me then that he'd pull a Steve Novak* on us (*see previous entries). Maybe it's his strategy to avoid the autograph hounds. At least that stings less than blatantly skipping me. I don't sell the autographs I get in person, and I only buy them if I can't get them mself. I know they don't owe me anything, much less a signature. From my perspective, them not signing for me feeds the eBay cycle because I don't have other ways of obtaining their signature for my collection.
From doing research online, the consensus is that D-Rose and Butler are hard to get, with some saying Butler is even more difficult than Rose. That's truth! One guy said he's never gotten Rose, and he's tried many times. Good to know I'm not alone, but a little disappointing knowing that other people around me got Rose and I didn't. Pau was nice though, if he had come out earlier and not been the last guy off the court, he probably would have signed. He seems nicer than Rose and Butler when it comes to signing. I will try again next season, and hopefully I'll have better luck then. Brooks 1/1 - signed 8x10 Butler 0/1 Gasol 0/1 Gibson 0/1 - he snuck off Hinrich 0/1 McDermott 1/1 - signed 8x10 Mirotic 0/1 Moore 0/1 - missed Rose 0/1 Next up on the docket is the January 6th game vs. Memphis. See you all next year! Until next time, J.R. Tonight's game is against the Portland Trail Blazers. I don't have anything for them, and while the biggest draw would be Damian Lillard, I have decided to graph the Thunder (and I'm glad I did)! This was by far the best haul ever. I got there early enough to be one of the first few in line to get in, and once I did, I made a bee-line for the lower level. First off the court was Serge Ibaka. I didn't even have enough time to get my camera out, but I was glad he stopped to sign for me. Next up was rookie Cameron Payne. I like this kid; I think he has promise. This might be his year to break out. Cameron really took his time signing for me (a good ten-fifteen seconds, it seemed). I'm not sure if he was just happy someone printed out a photo of him, but I don't think he spent that much time signing anyone else's stuff. One thing to note, Cameron's signature is probably going to change in the near future in order to keep up with the demand. In my brief IP-graphing career, I have never seen Kevin Durant. Until tonight. He stopped and signed for most everyone there, but I'm pretty sure he has a rule of only signing one-per and I've heard he doesn't do jerseys anymore. Also, he looked up at me afterwards but didn't say anything, as if he were taking mental notes on people's faces so as not to allow anyone to double-dip. The next two guys to come off the court were Anthony Morrow and Kyle Singler. Morrow signed his usual "AM2", and Singler gave a scribble to everyone waiting. The next guy was one where most all of the casual fans and kids around me started asking, "Who's that?" and flipping through their programs to see if his page was in the book. I knew it was Josh Huestis, and I might have been the only person out there who actually had a photo for him. His signature isn't anything more than "JH," but he did add his jersey number #34 which was nice. Nick Collison and Andre Roberson both signed one-per with no problems, but Steve Novak again did what I now refer to as "pulling a Novak," meaning that he was the last guy on the court and the last guy off, maximizing all the time on the court at shootaround, but not leaving enough time to sign for fans afterward. I'm not upset about this, but I can't deny being just a little disappointed. Again. Collison 1/1
Durant 1/1 Huestis 1/1 Ibaka 1/1 Morrow 1/1 Novak 0/1 - same as last game, this is becoming a pattern Payne 1/1 Roberson 1/1 - signed for a bunch of kids so the Sharpie was dying (still came out OK) Singler 1/1 Next up is the Christmas Day game against the Bulls. Let's hope Derrick Rose is healthy and in a good mood to sign! Until next time, J.R. Tonight's game is against the Sacramento Kings. It was sort of impromptu, as I didn't really have enough time to print out photos for the Kings and I know that DeMarcus Cousins isn't a very good signer, so I'm graphing the Thunder. I have a stack of photos for them, and it's time to thin it out some. I'm actually at this game by myself. I thought it would be awkward, but it turns out that it's no different from going to a game with someone else (at least, for me). I don't really pay much attention to the person I'm sitting next to. Sorry to anyone I've ever gone to a game with. I'm in the zone! It's the same story when I go to the movies. It's only weird when I become mentally aware of my surroundings. Everything is fine because I know where I'm supposed to go for the most part. After staking out a good waiting spot, I noticed there were two overzealous, hormone-overloaded girls to my right who kept commenting on who was attractive and who wasn't. I learned that Andre Roberson and Nick Collison are, and Josh Huestis isn't. To my left, there was a boy practically begging the players to stop and sign (but not loud enough for any of them to hear, only me). The first guy I saw was DJ Augustin. He skipped around again, signing for a few people here and there, before moving to a completely different section. Not surprisingly, he skipped me. I don't know if he just doesn't like photos taped to boards or fans with cameras, but he straight-up skipped me last time and I only had a hat for him. Maybe he just doesn't like me. But who knows? Anthony Morrow came off the court next. After getting snubbed by DJ, A-Mo made up for it by signing for everyone waiting, and even went around checking to make sure everyone went away satisfied. He's a nice guy, but he doesn't really say much when he's signing. That's okay with me though. You rock, A-Mo! The next guy I see is Kyle Singler. Kyle was a bit heavy-handed with the pen, and the signature captured the corrugated cardboard impression from the layer underneath. I won't be using those boards again! Singler is another one of the nice guys on the team, who signs for everyone and even chats with fans. Too bad none of that translates to skill on the court. As nice as Singler is, sad to say, he's probably one of the worst players in the NBA. I do like him just a little bit, even if no one else does. Nick Collison came off the court next. He signed for everyone, chatted with some, and posed for selfies with others. In other words, a stand-up guy. I can't believe I wasn't recording when Nick stopped to sign for me. It was the perfect shot and everything. Nick has a nice signature and he really takes his time with it. A lot of sigs look like scribbles but Nick's isn't one of them. Too bad he didn't get to play. Apparently there's a rule where you can only have one Collison on the court and Darren was playing backup for the Kings. Boo. Andre Roberson came out and did his usual, signing for a bunch of kids (and I mean a bunch) before signing one for the rest of us. I hope he gets to stay with the team for a long time!
Steve Novak was the last guy on the court and the last guy off the court. He ran out of time and couldn't sign for anyone, but if he had more time I suspect he would absolutely rack for everyone out there. Augustin 0/1 - once again, skipping around and misses me. seemed intentional this time Collison 1/1 - signed 8x10 Morrow 1/1 - signed 8x10 Novak 0/1 - last guy off the court, had no time to sign for everyone but probably would have Roberson 1/1 - signed 8x10 Singler 1/1 - heavy handed and graph caught the impression of the cardboard underneath - I won't be doing that again Until next time, J.R. |
Welcome!If you've ever wanted to know the ins-and-outs of In-Person (IP) graphing, or if you've ever wanted to know what goes through a grapher's head, this is the place to be! Archives
December 2018
Categories
All
|