Friday, January 12, 2007 Sayson: Having a blast with T-Mac By Homer Sayson Secondovertime
CHICAGO - From that small tube in the television, he looks skinny and fragile, a child among men in the NBA. And his sleepy eyes, those tiny little windows to a man's soul, seem to have so little life in them.
But looks are often deceiving, which is exactly the case with Rockets guard Tracy McGrady. Up close and personal, the 27-year old superstar is mean and lean, packing 223 pounds of muscle inside his 6-foot-7 frame.
His eyes are sleepy, yes, but they sparkle with so much joy, blinking merrily like two bulbs on a Christmas tree.
T-Mac had just emerged from a shower when I waited my turn for an interview near his spot in the visitors' locker room of the United Center last Monday night. He was drenched in a river of ink. But of all the tattoos wrapping him, the one on his right chest speak the loudest. It says: "Blessed From Above."
Like MVP Steve Nash of the Suns, T-Mac dressed casually. No suit and tie. Just black shoes and black pants, but he did have a leather Gucci belt and he wore a bluish long-sleeve shirt with line patterns that were unmistakably Burberry's of London.
While answering questions, T-Mac unzipped a small bag, which looked a lot like the fancy Louis Vuitton creation that Amare Stoudemire had when he came to Chicago last Jan. 2.
Among the contents in the French designer's bag was a Johnson's baby power which T-Mac dabbed on his chiseled body. There was a tube of gel and a tin can of JC Crew shoe polish. He also pulled out a 32-ounce bottle of perfume and sprayed both his shoulders lightly.
As he was about to take off, T-Mac slid a necklace over his head. It was a big one, at least 70 pea-sized diamonds bunched together like beads. It had the glint and polish of a million-dollar treasure. He then wore a watch. And it was just as sick, 24-karat gold and decked with tiny diamonds.
"Is that an Ice-Link watch? I saw Bernard Hopkins wear one," I was tempted to ask. "No it's not, but I just love wearing this one," he said. I sensed that he was ready to take off, so I peppered him with questions.
"I'm a columnist for Sun.Star Cebu in the Philippines. Do you have any plans to visit our country again like you did sometime ago?" I fired. "I'm not sure, man, but I had a great time there and I'd like to come back," he replied.
"Don't you mind the long flight?" I asked. "Not really. It was 14, maybe 15 hours, I can't remember. But I slept most of it," he said with a little smile.
About half an hour earlier, T-Mac had just scored 31 to bury the Bulls, 84-77. But the Rockets played without their All-Star center so asked him how hard it was with Yao Ming in the injured list until early February.
"It's not really that hard. It's an opportunity for us to rise to the challenge. We'll be alright until the big guy comes back," he assessed. Yes indeed, the Rockets are in good shape. Including last night's win over the Lakers, they are 7-2 without Yao.
I followed T-Mac as he exited the locker room. He lingered for a while outside the door. ESPN was showing some talking heads yammering about the just finished college football championship game between Florida and Ohio State.
When a commercial break came, I asked T-Mac for a photo-op. "Sure man," he said. And that snapshot sits proudly beside this column today. Even if you're outside Cebu, you can still look at Sun.Star's Cebu's sports page and its photos in newspaper form. Just log in at sunstar.com.ph and subscribe to our e-paper. I'll have more photos of NBA stars in the months to come, including the playoffs and the Finals.
Anyway, meeting T-Mac was a blast. He had no air, no ego. It now comes as no surprise why he is one of the likable guys in the NBA.
T-MAC TRIVIA... T-Mac just got married to a woman he was dating for 10 years. He was congratulated by many reporters at the United Center. He wears Adidas, size 16, although he said his favorite ever was a pair of Nike's made for Peny Hardaway.
T-Mac is fond of fast cars. He used to have a Lamborghini Marcielago. He likes playing a PSP, or playstation portable, and his favorite musician is rapper Jay-Z, the boyfriend of Beyonce' Knowles and minority owner of the New Jersey Nets.
