 Pat Garrity: Likes formal introductions and his wife's quesadillas
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Straight Shooter| What’s the best way to approach a player in public for a photo, autograph, handshake, etc.? | The best way to approach a player in public is to just be friendly and brief about what you want. I also like it when people introduce themselves. I know I’ll never meet them again but it is a bit socially awkward for me to say “nice to meet you” when the person fails to introduce him or herself. Also, it’s nice when fans have some sense of appropriateness about the timing. I generally don’t like to shake hands with people while I’m eating, and it can be uncomfortable if after the encounter, the person lingers after we have each said what we had to say. If you run into a player, don’t shout out the player’s name to yourself or whomever you are with as if the player can’t hear you. Saying, “Hey, that’s Pat Garrity” when I’m standing two feet away is an odd way to start a conversation. And don’t tell us how short you feel. We know you feel short. |
| Are you looking forward to free agency? | The season is so long that I haven’t given it much thought. With the progress our team has made this year, I’d love to stay in Orlando but after nine years here and since I’m not playing at all this season, that might not be an option. I’ve been lucky to have the length of career that I have had so whatever happens, I consider myself fortunate. |
| What do you do when a teammate throws a locker-room tantrum? | The best thing to do is just to let them roll with it and make fun of them after the dust has settled. I haven’t seen many tantrums in my career. Guys get emotional at halftime in big games or when we’re not playing well, but outbursts are limited to a few words that I think wouldn’t constitute a tantrum. Of the few that I could remember, they have always provided good ammunition for the comedians we have on the team during the bus or plane ride home. |
| What’s your musical choice for “White Boy Wednesdays?” | Not many people respect the tradition of White Boy Wednesday in the weight room. Bo Outlaw was one of the few who understood the sanctity. There have been others. My go-to’s are always something in the hard rock/metal genre. I love any of Tool’s albums for the occasion. Ænima is my favorite followed closely by 10,000 Days. Metallica’s ...And Justice for All might be the greatest weight room album of all time. Also, Straight Ahead by Pennywise creates a good atmosphere. Guys will make fun and claim it’s just a bunch of screaming they can’t understand. As if Soulja Boy is finely crafted poetry. |
| What types of conversations (game-related or otherwise) take place on the bench during the game? | Well, let me see. Yesterday during the game I was talking to a teammate about the new car he just leased and how much the lease payments were. If the game is close to being over and I know I won’t be going in, we’ll talk about dinner plans after the game. Yesterday JJ [Redick] said he was going downtown with some friends to Kres, a popular steakhouse in Orlando. I told him I’d pass because my wife said that she was going to make me some chicken quesadillas at home. Generally speaking though, during the meat of the game, most guys are locked into the game and conversation revolves around what’s going on in it. |
| Besides NBA players, which famous names are in your phone? | I just scrolled through my address book and to my dismay, I couldn’t find one non-NBA famous person in it. And since we all know that a measure of a man is not his good deeds but how many famous people are in his phone, that doesn’t say much for me. |
| Who do you like in the 2008 presidential race? | I think the general election will be McCain vs. Obama. I consider myself a conservative (with a little “c”) so I’ll probably back McCain. I like that he’s not beholden to partisan politics and that he bases his action on conviction rather than what the party wishes. It also encourages me that people like Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are outraged that he’ll be the GOP’s nominee. I would have deep misgivings about anyone whom these folks were enthusiastic about. If I had to pick a winner though, I think it will be Obama. |
From the Mar/Apr 2008 issue
