All-Star Blog

Wow - another All-Star weekend in the books! I must say that even through it can be a very busy and restless 4 days it is never boring. And of course it’s always good to catch up with friends and old teammates.


My trip to Dallas started out with uncertainty. Our flight left Seattle early Thursday morning with the knowledge that many flights were canceled going into DFW, because it was snowing with a forecast of 9" of snow for that day - the most in over 40 years. Do you believe in Climate Change?

Our flight was one of the few that made it in and I arrive in time to go to Jam Session and the Legends Shoot-Out. After signing autographs for a while AC Green, Bruce Bowen, Mitch Richmond and I competed in a Legends shoot-out (that makes me feel old). I felt much older after only making 3 out of 12 NBA 3 pointers, but then again I had lots of excuses: I had not shot 3's in a while, the balls were slick and I had to pee. :) Fun time joking around with AC and talking about the jerry curl he used to have. I remember I had a roommate in college with a curl and I made him put a towel on the back of the sofa.

The plan that night was to attend at least one of the many parties and we went on to Magic and Zo’s billiard party to support the relief effort in Haiti. Over 2000 people showed up – and all the celebs were out to play. The music was so loud my ears were ringing for 2 days!

The next day I helped build a playground at an elementary school (not much work in 1 h, but the actually work crew did a fantastic job and most of the work), met with NBA.com about hosting their German website, went to the NBA Partner Reception and on to the FedEx dinner (a group I have gotten to know well over the years). Afterwards I stopped by the TNT All Star Reception and had planned on going to Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry’s party. At that point it was already late and I was not very excited to head out to an airport hangar in the snow.

All-Star Saturday was spent at the NBA Africa reception and then at the evening festivities at American Airlines Arena. Steve Nash surprised everyone in the Skills Challenge again that a 35 year old can still rule just by having fun and playing with enthusiasm (duh – trying to be cool in a competition usually does not win it). The 3 Point Competition was close and competitive, but not very exciting and the Slam Dunk Contest was marginal to say the least. I believe people still had a great time because the atmosphere was very entertaining and American Airlines Arena is one of the best.

On Sunday morning I played a pick-up game with the International Media. About 20 guys showed up and we had two courts going for a little over an hour. Age and skill levels were all over the place and it made for some funny moments until a late 50 year old former player from Hungary got into it with a 35+ year old Canadian, who played hard, but would have been better at ice hockey ( I told him: “Son you’re playing hard, but you’re killing us!”). I had to separate the 2 teams and tell the guys that we are playing for fun and beers and not the MVP trophy.

Right after I rushed to the Legends Brunch where I was very honored to be able to present Sam Perkins with a Community Service Award. The event was attended by over 1000 people and well done.

Following the brunch I was a last minute substitute for the NBA 80’s Round Table with Bill Walton, Kevin McHale, Daryl Dawkins and Michael Ray Richardson. I felt a little out of place because even though I played against all of them it was at the tail end of their careers. Some funny stories were told and you can check it out on NBA TV. Of course I have a couple more Daryl Dawkins suits for you:

Getting to the All-Star game that evening only took us a little over an hour compared to some people who spend 2+ hours in traffic. 108,000 people attended - Guinness Book world record! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The game was as All-Star games go, but at least it was close at the end. Steve Nash tried his best to get his buddy Dirk Nowitzki the MVP trophy, but the unbelievable athletic and showmanship talents of Dwayne Wade and LeBron James overshadowed his great shooting. The half time show might have been the highlight of the evening with Beyonce and ? rocking the stage and a 100” screen showing close ups of Beyonce’s skimpy outfit and behind. I felt like I was a fly on the wall of a small dressing room. I watched people looking at the screens mesmerized and maybe drooling a little.

Getting home from the game was no joke and then at 1 AM knowing I had to get up early I called it a night. With all the NBA activities and scheduling quite a few meetings in-between with agents, players, adidas and the NBA the 4 days went by quickly. I hope to be able to get some rest the next couple days. I know from experience that the players attending All-Star can’t re-charge their batteries for the second half of the season like they wish they could. Too many events and way too many parties. Almost every player has one plus Magic and Zo, Michael Jordan, the NBA and Player’s Association and a few of the rappers.

Like they say: NBA – it’s fantastic!

See you next year in LA LA land!

New Years Eve Party song list

It only took 2 long evenings and about $50 spend on i-tunes for songs I could not find. Here is our song list for the 80's party we will be attending tonight. Starting with some slower jams and working up to the hits that will make you sweat! (Some changes will still be made)
Party on!

Christmas thoughts

Christmas and the end of the year is a great time to reflect on the year past and to plan ahead for the coming year. I love Thanksgiving – good food, family, friends and no pressure to ‘give’, but Christmas might be my favorite holiday: the great smells of cookies, candles and the tree help make everything warm and cozy. Then there are all the feel good events we all attend: the charity fundraisers, family and friends lunches, dinners and parties.

But when did ‘Merry Christmas’ become politically incorrect? It is strange to me that Christians I know well will tell me ‘Happy Holidays’ or that there is this expectation that I should not say ‘Merry Christmas’ to a non-Christian but preferably just a ‘Happy Holidays’ – and that’s what we should put on our Christmas cards as well to our Jewish and Muslim friends. I sure believe in God, but do I need to know which religion people are practicing and should that influence me on addressing them one way or another? And would I be offended if someone told me ‘Happy Hanukkah? I would be honored to be embraced by them in their beliefs and sure don’t expect anybody to be offended if I wish them something good based on what I believe in.

Come on people have some common sense!

Merry Christmas to all!

Tiger and the tabloids

It is quite amazing how much media time and coverage is dedicated to tabloid news, rumors and reality shows. Of course the fact a large percentage of our populations follows those stories does not help.
Did Tiger screw up and do we have the right to dig into his personal life to find out all the details? Some will argue that with all the millions he is being paid we can hold him to a higher standard and maybe the companies paying him to represent them feel the same way – or they may not.
Marriage in general does not mean what it used to – in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy…. It does not seem to matter anymore like it did for our parents. They fought through their issues, ignored them or just figured that’s how it is. Nowadays people just give up and move on. I have no idea which is better and who is happier.
The divorce rate in the US is between 41-50% in the last few years, but the statistics in pro sports and the entertainment industry are staggering! There are estimates out there of over 70% and possible up to 90% in pro sports. I personally must say that a vast majority of all the players I played with and against are no longer with their spouses from back then.
But are they so different than other successful people on top of their respective industries? There are roughly 340 NBA players every year – the best 340 in the world! To get there is almost like becoming the CEO of a big company. You cannot be an average guy. You have to be talented, driven and maybe a little crazy or off-center.
The emotional and physical highs and lows a player is able to experience are immensely different than inking a big deal in a board room. Those feelings are almost impossible to duplicate. Just imagine making that impossible shot to win a game in front of 20k life spectators and millions more on TV against a big rival in the play-offs. When and where will you get that feeling again and especially after you are done playing? You see guys get in trouble for gambling, racing their cars, women, drugs or getting in physical confrontations. Are they looking to duplicate those moments or at least get close to it? When the most memorable moments in your life are determined by adrenalin and testosterone levels it is a challenge to chill out and be “normal”.
With money and fame everything that can get you in trouble is available all the time – women, cars, parties, drugs, etc. I am not excusing the behavior, but don’t expect above the norm performance from all without below the norm behavior from some.
As far as Tiger is concerned he has not really hurt anyone but himself and his family so far. People and especially kids who see him as a role model might be disappointed, but why do we expect more from him that from any other married man? In reality half of us are divorced and I am sure we all have divorced friends – do we judge us or them like we judge Tiger?

A few observations

Lebron James wants the NBA to retire #23 in honor of Michael Jordan and he will change his jersey number to #6. How does that reflect on Bill Russell?

While getting a healthy shake at Emerald City Smoothie I noticed that they had some new security cameras in the store. The owner informed me that they have a lot of people steal stuff. What kind of health and work out nut steals the fat-burning pills and bars?

Why do some things hurt some people more than others? I took a nice fall playing hoops - got undercut jumping back for a rebound (I know - I wasn't up very high) and ended up on my back and elbow. Even through my elbow swelled right away and turned a nasty color I didn't really feel it that much. On the other hand if I go to the dentist and he starts messing around in my mouth I could start crying right away.

In a way it is peaceful sitting in the car with the rain pelting down on the roof, but I am looking forward to leaving the Northwest to visit sunny LA. I need to be dry and get some Vitamin D. I will be meeting with a few pro sports representatives to learn what they have in place for their clients to ensure their financial security for the years to come. What I have heard up to know is not very encouraging.

NBA News and Finances

One could say that 2008 was tough on many people especially on those who were exposed and over-leveraged, but when talking about pro athletes it is a whole new ballgame. Some of them have made not just a few millions, but close to or over $100 million. They might have invested in some bad restaurants, real estate deals or apparel companies, but are usually not overcommitted in private equity deals/start-ups. Shady advisors and bad habits are a curse to the pro leagues.

When I read the following articles I was saddened, but also embarrassed by what we stand for as a whole. We have many quality pro players who have a huge impact on their communities, but the lost opportunities we see in the cases described is appalling. Just imagine what the proper counsel and direction could have meant for not just the individual player and family but also for the entourage or the hanger-on.

Like most athletes who are totally consumed by the sport I did not pay as much attention in my playing days as I would now after working in the financial sector for almost 10 years. As a player you trust your advisors and don't want to be bothered with financial matters you might not understand anyway. The key is to find proper counsel and that is a challenge in this unreal culture of recruitment and presentation. The shady advisors/agents outnumber the solid firms and the NBA and Player Union are not doing enough to monitor the player management sector. But that is obviously only one part of the problem. Education is necessary to guide the players to a life style which they can hopefully maintain for the rest of their lives.

We at Coldstream have our thoughts on this issue – what are yours?

http://www.businessinsider.com/10-ways-sports-stars-destroy-their-finances-2009-9
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Former-Celtics-star-Antoine-Walker-is-broke-and-?urn=nba,198509

Europe: Paris, London & Madrid

Work and travel has kept me quite busy, but I do want to share my recent trip to Europe – or at least some of it.
My wife Mari and I joined 4 other couples on a surprise trip to Paris for our friends’ 30th wedding anniversary. Yes we are getting old! Paris might be the most beautiful city in the world! We did all the touristy stuff – Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, etc and had great dinners all over the city. The Eiffel Tower created the most excitement though since our friend Janice got her money and passports stolen out of her purse – most likely on the elevator going up. She realized it soon after and we headed back hoping that they dropped them somewhere. We were so relieved to find them jammed in a corner of the upper platform. 1000 Euros lighter but very happy we went for lunch and drinks to celebrate!

After 4 days enjoying sunny Paris I went on to rainy London to do some PR for the NBA pre-season game between the Utah Jazz and the Chicago Bulls. I got to hang out with the Chocolate Thunder - Darryl Dawkins and do some appearances with him. Double D is a nice guy and still dresses old school! At least I could take it fairly easy since his loud suits drew all the attention. The game was in front of a sold out O2 arena, close and competitive all game and came down to a last second shot. Definitely a good exhibition for the NBA.

After the game in London I flew the Jazz charter plane to Madrid. The NBA leased a regular Delta plane for the 3 hour flight with only 16 First Class seats. One by one the players came on board and moved into the front cabin until it filled up. A couple Rookies had to sit in economy with the rest of us riff raff. Then the coaching staff and wives came on board and it was quite interesting to see Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan move to the back. I wonder what I would have done as the 14th guy trying to make the team – offer him my seat and receive the scorn of the team or sit there with my headphones on engrossed in a movie. Anyway nobody offered and it probably would not have made a difference in selection anyway. You do wonder though when a week later 4 guys got cut. And what the heck is wrong with the NBA and the Collective Bargaining Agreement that a 60 year old head coach has to sit in economy whereas a non-proven, snot nosed 21 year old is enjoying the luxury of First Class?

We arrived at the hotel in Madrid at 5 AM – welcome to the NBA! It is not all fame and glory and travel can be extremely difficult and tiresome. That afternoon I did a Special Olympics basketball clinic with the Jazz and I must say that Andrei Kirilenko, Eric Maynor and Ronald DuPree did a great job with the kids in our station! The Jazz played really well against Real Madrid and put on a good show for NBA basketball. Utah will definitely compete for a high play-off spot if they stay healthy.

Since the game started at 9:45 PM I did not get to bed until around 1 AM. Got up at 4:30 AM to catch my flight back home. Not surprisingly the hotel lobby was very busy at that time from people just getting in – that is Europe.