Pacers Courtside

Conseco Fieldhouse seemed packed at the Pacers FanJam compared to a regular season game during the last 2007-2008 season. There was a huge crowd waiting for doors to open, a huge crowd trying to get up the stairs and into the Fieldhouse, and the long lines for free hot dogs, chips, and drinks lasted for at least an hour. It was packed, which is obviously a good thing for the Pacers.

Free hot dogs or not, it seems Pacers fans are much more excited for this season. Maybe it’s all the new players, maybe it’s because we got rid of the old players, maybe it’s cause . . . well those are really the only two possible reasons. The size of the crowd seemed like twice the number of fans that showed up for the Pacers Draft Night Party. OK, so you get the idea - turnout was good. Now what was going on?

The first 5,000 fans received a free jersey which was better than expected, free Pacers Fan Guide, free coupon for the hot dog meal, and the parking was free. I was broke by the end of the day. You could watch the Island Breeze band in the entrance, the way too energetic juggler, the Uncle Sam jugglers on stilts, get your face painted or a free caricature drawn, enter for some cool prizes, and get autographs from Denar, Paetz, Buckner, Boyle, Slick, White & six-time shot misser Kravitz. Oh yeah, and three hot Pacemates were available for extras including autographs in a short line.

Young and old alike were also shooting free throws on the actual Pacers court. That had to be pretty exciting for the little ones, even if they couldn’t make the basket. They had to donate one dollar, and if they made their basket (most got two tries) they won tickets to one of the upcoming games. So after all the food and fun, it was time to meet YOUR Indiana Pacers.

If you’re at the FanJam to see some tough and raw Pacers versus Pacers scrimmages, you came to the wrong place. However, if you’re up for a good time, and maybe have some kids with you, this was a very enjoyable experience. A group of fans and radio guys played Knockout against each other, with Bob Kravitz missing six shots in a row, and the top two played against the Pacers’ top two. It was kind of surprising that Jeff Foster and Roy Hibbert ended up beating the rest of the players, and Roy ended up on top against Jeff and the two fans. The crowd laughed when Jeff or Roy threw the ball at another player to try and stop them from knocking them out, maybe cheaters do win! They played some other games, Boomer and his pals did some super stunts, the cheerleaders danced for us, and then the rookies got roasted.

Roy Hibbert sneaked some shades on and played it cool while his song was cued up, the classic Parents Just Don’t Understand, and then lost it. I don’t think he could hear the beat . . . or something, but he started out all wrong, realized he was off beat, and then laughed and gave up. This brought out many boos by the fans which were encouraged by Foster. He tried to start again, but there was no going back. Roy - you failed. Boo. I wonder if he really wanted to do a rap song and that was the only clean one he could find. In comparison, rookie Brandon Rush looked like a novice compared to Roy. To be fair, they did take a while to cue his song which gave him time to do some goofy dancing, and it went downhill from there. He tried to sing along to a rap song called Get Silly, another humorously clean song, but just like Roy ended up laughing and getting booed by Dunleavy and Foster. Mike then took some questions from the audience for Roy and Brandon. One fan asked Brandon what we have to do to win the championship. The other fan, a cute 7 or 8 year old, asked Roy what is HE going to do to help the Pacers win a championship. Classic.

After the event there were super long lines all over Conseco for autographs from every player, former players, and the chance to shoot more free throws. The players all seemed very nice and in great moods while signing autographs, so it looks like they had a good time as well. All in all, a fun time had by all.