redsoxfan1517
04-24-2015, 10:26 PM
Hi everyone, I'm a tour guide at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum and tonight was the case unveiling at the Museum. Many people were there and got to meet the families of the new inductees, and the inductee. Could ask them how there day was going, hows life, well i actually enjoyed talking to them about there past sports history, being a huge sports nut i am.
Following is my interview with Ben Wallace, Johnny Grubb, and Paul Hatcher.
Ben Wallace:
1. How was your favorite player that you played with?
Well, I would say the 2004 Starting 5. Chauncey, Rip, Sheed, Myself and Tayshawn.
2. Outside of your NBA championship what is your greatest accomplishment, being DPOY or being on the cover of NBA 2K?
(After a bit of thinking he said) Do me a favor, read that bottom line there for me. So i did and it read. "10,482 Career Rebounds, 2,137 Career Blocks." People do not realize that you don't need to be a scorer to be something in the NBA.
3. Why didn't you wear the championship ring tonight?
Man its sitting in a safe at home where it belongs.
4. Who do you think will win the championship this year?
To be honest, I don't know wether to be proud or ashamed of this but i haven't watched basketball in 3 years. Its hard to, you do and it just sucks you back in. I still have teams calling me asking if ill come back for one more year and i just tell them nah.
5. I told him, Hey if you want to test to see if you can get back into basketball theres a basketball court right upstairs if you want to test it?
Well man ill go up there but I'm not going to play ill ref if you want me to.
6. As i was talking to Ben another guy came up to him and congratulated him and asked who was your favorite coach you played under?
He said Larry Brown.
The man continued and asked if he was already in detroit when he arrived?
Yes, thats the year we won the Championship too.
(This is where this got very very interesting)
Ben started talking about his championships, saying how they beat the Lakers and then lost to the Spurs and went 1 of 4 in his career but should have "won them all". He explained at that time was the whole Tim Donahue thing, he said that the NBA payed him 10 Million dollars to not publish the book that Donahue wrote. He said they had My name, Larry, Rip, all of us.
I ended with a joke saying thanks for your time and that you saved my 2k team a lot back in the day. he said well i might be back on it again soon. I asked really how? he said well they were talking about doing a championship cover so they might have us on it.
The only question i didn't get to ask him but i will tomorrow is "what was/is your dream matchup in the paint with someone, past/present/future.
Johnny Grubb:
1. What year is that bat from in the case?
Umm let me see, what is the number of the handle, if its 30 its from 1983.
2. Im pretty sure about this but you never played with Tony Gwynn correct?
Yea he came a few years after me, but he was just an amazing player.
He explained to me about the shoes that were in the case, were from the All Star game. He said that he went into the locker room bringing black cleats with him but when to his locker and saw those sitting in front of the locker so he told himself i better put these on.
3. You won a World Series with the Tigers so obviously you played with some great players?
Oh yea on that team we had Alan Trammel, Kirk Gibson, Lou Whitaker, Howard Johnson.
4. What do you think about the new pace of play rules?
Well even back in the day they tried to speed up the game, they just had to adjust to the new generation. Even as a huge fan of baseball I'm having trouble getting threw a whole game, so i like what they have done. As long as they respect the game I'm happy.
Paul Hatcher:
1. Does your hand get tired, i mean you have four rings sitting in there?
Ha no, i have this little one right now, i can't hold those up thats why they are in there.
He went into this. The 85 game win streak his team went on from 2003-2006.
2. How did it feel back then in that streak?
Well back then I couldn't really enjoy it, everyday your coaching and planning its hard to sit back and go wow cause you don't want to lose.
3. So how does it look now, being retired for four years? I mean that streak is up there with UCLA, Uconn, can't get much better than that?
Oh i know its amazing to think about now, even better to have 2 championships thrown in at that time.
(Heartwarming moment here)
He told me that the jersey that is in the case is his first year from coaching. I asked is the number 44 anyone special? Oh no but when my son played for me he wore 44 so i asked if they could get that number in there for me.
The End.
Overall, all 3 guys were just amazing, easy to talk to. Especially Ben, very laid back, enjoying what he has now.
Attached Thumbnails
Following is my interview with Ben Wallace, Johnny Grubb, and Paul Hatcher.
Ben Wallace:
1. How was your favorite player that you played with?
Well, I would say the 2004 Starting 5. Chauncey, Rip, Sheed, Myself and Tayshawn.
2. Outside of your NBA championship what is your greatest accomplishment, being DPOY or being on the cover of NBA 2K?
(After a bit of thinking he said) Do me a favor, read that bottom line there for me. So i did and it read. "10,482 Career Rebounds, 2,137 Career Blocks." People do not realize that you don't need to be a scorer to be something in the NBA.
3. Why didn't you wear the championship ring tonight?
Man its sitting in a safe at home where it belongs.
4. Who do you think will win the championship this year?
To be honest, I don't know wether to be proud or ashamed of this but i haven't watched basketball in 3 years. Its hard to, you do and it just sucks you back in. I still have teams calling me asking if ill come back for one more year and i just tell them nah.
5. I told him, Hey if you want to test to see if you can get back into basketball theres a basketball court right upstairs if you want to test it?
Well man ill go up there but I'm not going to play ill ref if you want me to.
6. As i was talking to Ben another guy came up to him and congratulated him and asked who was your favorite coach you played under?
He said Larry Brown.
The man continued and asked if he was already in detroit when he arrived?
Yes, thats the year we won the Championship too.
(This is where this got very very interesting)
Ben started talking about his championships, saying how they beat the Lakers and then lost to the Spurs and went 1 of 4 in his career but should have "won them all". He explained at that time was the whole Tim Donahue thing, he said that the NBA payed him 10 Million dollars to not publish the book that Donahue wrote. He said they had My name, Larry, Rip, all of us.
I ended with a joke saying thanks for your time and that you saved my 2k team a lot back in the day. he said well i might be back on it again soon. I asked really how? he said well they were talking about doing a championship cover so they might have us on it.
The only question i didn't get to ask him but i will tomorrow is "what was/is your dream matchup in the paint with someone, past/present/future.
Johnny Grubb:
1. What year is that bat from in the case?
Umm let me see, what is the number of the handle, if its 30 its from 1983.
2. Im pretty sure about this but you never played with Tony Gwynn correct?
Yea he came a few years after me, but he was just an amazing player.
He explained to me about the shoes that were in the case, were from the All Star game. He said that he went into the locker room bringing black cleats with him but when to his locker and saw those sitting in front of the locker so he told himself i better put these on.
3. You won a World Series with the Tigers so obviously you played with some great players?
Oh yea on that team we had Alan Trammel, Kirk Gibson, Lou Whitaker, Howard Johnson.
4. What do you think about the new pace of play rules?
Well even back in the day they tried to speed up the game, they just had to adjust to the new generation. Even as a huge fan of baseball I'm having trouble getting threw a whole game, so i like what they have done. As long as they respect the game I'm happy.
Paul Hatcher:
1. Does your hand get tired, i mean you have four rings sitting in there?
Ha no, i have this little one right now, i can't hold those up thats why they are in there.
He went into this. The 85 game win streak his team went on from 2003-2006.
2. How did it feel back then in that streak?
Well back then I couldn't really enjoy it, everyday your coaching and planning its hard to sit back and go wow cause you don't want to lose.
3. So how does it look now, being retired for four years? I mean that streak is up there with UCLA, Uconn, can't get much better than that?
Oh i know its amazing to think about now, even better to have 2 championships thrown in at that time.
(Heartwarming moment here)
He told me that the jersey that is in the case is his first year from coaching. I asked is the number 44 anyone special? Oh no but when my son played for me he wore 44 so i asked if they could get that number in there for me.
The End.
Overall, all 3 guys were just amazing, easy to talk to. Especially Ben, very laid back, enjoying what he has now.
Attached Thumbnails