Here is another:
Travelogue Two
Dear friends and family:
I have some websites for you if you are interested in where the team has
been and will be staying. In Cologne they were at Schloss Bensberg,
<www.schlossbensberg.com>. In Belgrade, the Hyatt Regency Belgrade,
<www.belgrade.regency.hyatt.com>. In Istanbul, Hotel Kempinski,
<www.ciragen-palace.com>. And the Queen Mary II can be viewed at
<www.cunard.com/QM2>.
On Friday morning, Roy talked to Joe Holladay in the UNC basketball office,
and said he thought it was entirely possible that the team could lose by 30
to the Serbia/Montenegro team. (No one has come through with those
adjectives yet.) This team is supposed to be the best of the Olympic
competition. But as you may have seen, that didn't happen. Our team played
defense and looked like they had actually paid some attention to what Larry
had to say to them. However, don't start counting on a gold medal yet.
The night before, they had attended a reception given by the Serbian Prime
Minister. (Was that the office? They had pictures on TV.) After the
game, they were invited to a party at the $4M home of a legendary coach in
Belgrade. Isn't it amazing what one can buy on $270. a year if you've been
friendly with the ruling regime in old Yugoslav. (PC? Me?) They had lamb,
actually two lambs, roasted whole. I guess that's similar to a NC pig
pickin' or a side of beef barbequed in Kansas City, Larry. And for the
third time since they left, Roy's call came at 3:00AM, his time. Aren't
they sleeping at all?
Three hours later they were to have their luggage at the door, in order to
depart on their flight to Istanbul.
Assistant coach Gregg "Pop" Popovich claims that in Istanbul, he is in his
favorite place in the whole world. I can't wait to get there and see what
impresses Pop. So far he has pointed out the oldest mosque in the world
(guess I won't get to see the inside of that! The country is 99% Muslim.),
the palace of the Sultan, the place where Pop buys Turkish rugs to ship
home, and he's talking up a trip to a Turkish bath, which he says is like a
spa. This is good. If someone doesn't take Roy in hand, he'll stay so
wrapped up in basketball, he might as well be in Carrboro or Olathe, Coleen.
For all his rumpled, teddy bear looks, Pop is by far the most worldly,
intelligent, well-informed person you would ever want to meet. He is also a
wine connoisseur, and can cut an unsuspecting sommelier down to size in
nothing flat. "Why would I want THAT!?", he said to one of them last year.
(That's French for wine steward. I apparently haven't unpacked the
dictionary yet, so I had to get Kimberly to check it for me. What? It's
only been a year!) You should see him in action, Mike and Scot. I wish I
could learn something from him, but it's kind of hard when you don't like
the taste of the stuff. Other than that, Pop's as nice and comfortable as
he looks.
The team played a game against the Turkish team on Sunday, and got another
win, but against another team that didn't make the field. This time Roy
called me at 2:35AM, his time. Are we improving? They have shown us they
CAN defend, and they CAN chalk up some assists, and they CAN do a few more
things. Let's hope that when they need to, they CAN put it all together in
the same game. They have one more exhibition game, against the same Turkish
team, and it will be shown on ESPN on Tuesday, the 10th, at 1:00PM Eastern
time. Kimberly and I will be in the stands at Abdi Lpekci Arena for that
one.
Yell loud, and wave if you see us.
We move to Athens on Thursday. We have security provided by the FBI, the
Secret Service, and the Navy SEALS once we get to Piraeus, the port of
Athens, and of course, the NBA's own. Plus, we have it on good authority
that a special forces unit is in the area, should they be needed. Miss
Kimberly has given me strict instructions: if she accidentally falls
overboard, I'm not to jump in and try to save her. (Good advice, since she
swims and I don't.) Rather, she hopes the seal who comes to her rescue is
gorgeous, unmarried and likes girls. Do they have female seals? Male,
gorgeous, unmarried and likes girls.
The last time we were in Athens, we introduced Michael Jordan to calamari.
Roy, the coach-in-charge, and I took the team to a restaurant, elevated and
all glass, across the street from the Acropolis. It was a breathtaking view, lit at night. Appetizers had been pre-ordered, and
Michael was chowing down on these little fried rings. He asks the waiter
exactly what it is he's eating and the waiter says something that sounds
like "skwee". Michael asks him to repeat it, and gets the same answer.
Finally, Michael turns to Roy, and Roy says "squid?". Michael jerks his
head back to the waiter, now happily smiling and nodding because he has been
understood, and exclaims, "SQUID?!?!?!? Oh, YUCK!!!!!!!! Since that time,
alot of squid have sacrificed themselves for Michael and for us in your
company.
Roy does have a cell phone. It will probably cost you a bundle, but you can
reach him at: 011-30-693-673-133. That contains all the numbers you need;
don't start out with a "1" like we dial long distance in the states.
If you don't hear from me again, you'll probably be happy. But it will be
because I can't get the e-mail to work. Yell loud, regardless, and hope the
players are sporting new gold jewelry by the end. Unfortunately, the
coached don't get medals.