When I arrived at Mohegan Sun at 3:30 p.m. for the Basketball Hall of Fame ring ceremony, Dennis Rodman was standing in the lobby surrounded by his entourage. The journalist in me wanted to drop my bags and fire questions at him, but my polite and respectful human side held me back. So there I was, waiting for the elevator and shooting awkward glances at Rodman, somehow thinking that maybe he’d walk over to where I was and strike up a conversation with me. Of course this would lead to an impromptu gambling session where he would bankroll me in Blackjack, followed by endless hours of drunken debauchery and the greatest night of my life. Then the elevator sound came, I snapped back into reality and Rodman caught me looking at him. But I was frozen, so I kind of just kept staring. After a brief moment, he gave the “Yep, it’s me” look. Maybe not as good as I had hoped for, but good enough.
At 5:30 I headed to the cocktail hour, during which time the cheese platter and I became best of friends. Our courtship wasn’t smooth at first; it was more of an awkward dance. Free food is great, but you don’t want to come off as a hoarder. Sure, you can always take the no shame route and just stand there for an hour, but with plenty of people around, I didn’t want to be an obvious hoverer. Luckily there were a few platters scattered throughout the room so I could divert my hoarding three ways. Ultimately, though, I still had to continually rediscover the platters, pretending my palate had yet to experience the delicious array of culinary delights.
A few drinks and a lot of different bread and cheese combos later, it was time for the dinner and ring ceremony in the main room. Coaches, players and contributors walked down the center aisle (with plenty of circular tables on each side) accompanied by loud applause, as everyone’s accomplishments and contributions to basketball were announced along the way. Rodman received the loudest cheers, as he slowly strutted down the aisle with his feathered head attire.
Then, of course, came the most important part. Steak dinner. Somehow the Mohegan kitchen staff knew I liked my stake medium rare, so I was pretty psyched. The mild calm that had fallen over the entire room was a nice respite, but I knew it was merely a product of Rodman’s absence. When asked where he was going, Rodman reportedly claimed he couldn’t speak because he was “celebrating.” I thought that would be reserved for his after party at the Ultra 88 Night Club, but apparently not.
When it came time for the ring presentation, all the players hopped up on stage. As each player received his ring, everyone answered a few questions and displayed the respect and class the Hall of Fame and Mohegan Sun deserved. Of course the second the ceremony ended, Rodman was gone – celebrating, I assume. Luckily I managed to snag a few minutes with Tom “Satch” Sanders to talk basketball. I knew he was a nice guy, but he couldn’t have been happier to take a few minutes to speak with me.
When the official ceremony ended and everyone headed out, I ran back to the cheese platter, grabbed what I could and shove it in my mouth as I headed to play No Limit Hold ‘Em. By 3:30 a.m., I had doubled my money and was ready to walk away. But a part of me couldn’t get up because the guy directly to my left was literally giving away chips. He pushed all-in with terrible cards, and every player at the table combined must have taken at least $1,200 from him. So I stayed, found myself in a huge hand with the table’s strongest player, and ended up with zero chips in front of me. Whoops. So I walked away, exhausted and frustrated, but ready to go to my room and pass out.
Despite my minor financial mishap, I can say I walked away happy. Mohegan Sun and the Basketball Hall of Fame put on an event that I will remember for years to come.
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