 Pat Garrity: Hasn’t stopped believing
|
Straight Shooter| What’s been the weirdest place/situation in which you were approached by a fan? | The weirdest situation in which I was approached by fans happened this summer when I was serving on jury duty. We had just spent the better part of three hours reaching a verdict and I just wanted to get home when three of my jurymates asked me to sign their juror ID cards, not knowing that the court collected them from jurors once the trial concluded. The bailiff did come in to ask for the ID badges back but when he saw that they’d been autographed, he kindly made an exception. |
| Be honest: do you sometimes get pumped up by the “jock rock” music played during games? What’s your favorite in-arena track? | I used to get pumped by the music played either during introductions or during the game but to be honest, after playing for so many years, it doesn't do much for me anymore. The only exception would be if they ever played “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. |
| Do you play bourré or other card games on team flights? | Bourré is hugely popular with a group of four on our plane. It’s a bit like spades only it’s played with five cards per player and the pots can escalate in a hurry. I’ve seen games from the plane carry on to the bus and hotel afterwards. I even had a teammate so eager to play that, when no one else wanted to play, he sat in protest in the center aisle of the plane and refused to move until a group decided to play with him. |
| Is it uncomfortable being interviewed by the media wearing only a towel? | I’ve never liked being interviewed in only a towel so I just tell reporters that I’ll answer questions once I’m dressed. I’ve never had anyone disregard my request. |
| Besides Orlando, which NBA arena is your favorite? | My favorite arena is Madison Square Garden. The visitor’s locker room is a dump, the showers hardly drain at all, and the stench is a mixture between stale beer and the circus, which seams to have always just been in town. That said, the history of great players and great games to which the Garden has been host makes it a special place for anyone who loves the game of basketball. The fans are also brutally honest and genuinely knowledgeable about the game. |
| Have you ever been offered a trade/bribe for your jersey number? If not, have you seen this transaction go down between teammates? | One of the luxuries of being on the same team for as long as I have (I’ve spent eight of my nine years in Orlando) is that I’ve never had to deal with changing numbers. I doubt that I’m so emotionally linked to #8 that I’d ever pay to wear it. And unlike some guys, I’ve resisted the urge to get “8” jewelry or tattoos. I’ve heard of stories of guys paying for numbers, but in my experience, if a vet comes to a team where anyone other than an established player has the number that the vet wants, the team makes the change without much in the way of negotiation. |
From the Mar/Apr 2007 issue
