Did I just get 'Big Timed' by Michael Redd?

My son and I attended the Bucks Season TipOff Event this last weekend, and it was actually pretty cool. Co-sponsor Pick N’ Save had a tailgate going on outside the BC, and the price was right - $1 for everything. Brats, polish sausages, slices of pizza, ice cream, etc. As we filled up on tubular meats, Jim Paschke was hobnobbing around, mingling with the crowd.

After this we headed into the BC where an autograph session was going down. Michael Redd is my 5-year old’s favorite player, so he wanted to get his signature. We got in line to get autographs, and while we waited we were introduced to the entire Energee Dance Squad. Each member of the dance team told us a little bit about her, and I was disappointed with how few dental hygienists there were this year. Quite a few ‘physician liasons’ though, which I can only presume is a fancy term for ‘nurse’. Lots of MFA students from UWM too. Bango came around as well, and his knee brace is gone, so we can only assume he’s healthy for 2009-10 (or he’s been replaced). All this went down while being serenaded by a sweet cover session of Boz Skaggs performed by ‘Streetlife’, the Bucks house band. Not bad.

Once we got up to the signing area, we got an opportunity to get ‘graphs from Roko Ukic (who?), Dan Gadzuric, Hakim Warrick, Luke Ridnour, Jodie Meeks, Brandon Jennings, and Michael Redd. With exception to Michael Redd, the other 6 seemed excited and pleased to be there signing and smiling away. I thanked and wished all of them well this year, and the appreciation was returned.

Redd, however was kind of put off and clearly didn’t want to be there. It was disappointing, but my little guy didn’t seem to notice or care. I was especially disappointed when I handed Mr. Redd an 8x10 glossy of him I purchased AT the Bucks shop in the BC, and he looked at it closely and then decided to sign on the darkest part of the photo, where his autograph would hardly show up. I felt like this was clearly done to make the auto unclear and un-eBay-able. Now I had no intention of moving this item, I got it to go up in my son’s bedroom. Maybe I should have asked him to personalize it? At any rate it was a lame move, considering that Michael Redd's autograph is hardly a hot, high $$ item in NBA fan circles.

On the way out, we got to shake hands with assistants Kelvin Sampson and Joe Wolf, and then share a few words with GM John Hammond. I wished him luck on the season, and that I was excited about the direction the team was taking, and he thanked us for coming out. A nice touch to end things.

Notably absent from the whole event was Head Coach Scott Skiles, but I’m guessing he’s probably not the best people person Hammond wants rolling out to greet the season ticket holders.