Bruce Bowen, A Night Out, and the Unexpected
A very tall man arrived in our restaurant, today. Something about him. His skin seemed a bit darker than I remembered, and he had a bit of a hunch but those wide eyes and the shape of his head were unmistakable- it was Bruce Bowen, one of the dirtiest players of his day in the NBA. As a superb defense player, Mr. Bowen helped the Spurs to three championships in 2003, 2005, and 2007. He previously had played for teams like the Heat, Celtics, and the 76ers and later hung up his jersey after playing for San Antonio in 2009 (jersey 12 was retired, btw). Bowen also had a very distinct 3-point clutch shot which could serve as a morale booster for the team.
Mr. Bowen had his wife with him and they sipped margaritas and even took a picture with my GM’s mom. He was courteous, tipped well, jovial, and he and his wife seemed to enjoy themselves very much.
You see, Bowen will always be a great lion and hero for Spurs fans (author included), as will all of the team from that era. While Robinson and Duncan may have been gentlemen in their way with little drama, you had the snobbery of Parker, the dramatic flops and falls of Ginobili (he could have been a pro wrestler with the way he sold), and the tactics of Bowen.
Bowen is a philanthropic and generous man to the community he has called home and dismisses talk that he was a dirty player as well, fake news. He points to the very good things he does in the Alamo City. The camera doesn’t lie and I watched Mr. Bowen play live and on TV and he was a dirty player who tried to hurt those on the opposing team. He also was excellent at getting into the minds of his opponents to provoke negative reactions and draw fouls. I accepted it as what it was, even if he seemed at odds with most of his teammates. What was unexpected for me, was this very affable man in his early 50s, long since retired from a sport he dominated in. What we see on the surface, the image, it is just that. Is Bowen closer to the brutish and psychological champion who jumped on the feet of opposing players and get in their heads or the casual humanitarian at our restaurant today? Why not both? I certainly don’t know what goes on in his mind, but I know we probably wouldn’t have won those three titles without him. The image is precisely that, what we perceive but it never tells the whole story of who a man is.
My neighbor in the same building invited me out with a couple of his buds. We had very dry interactions in the past but got on well. I had catsat for him a couple of times and evening I just texted him because I felt alone and wanted to talk to someone (I don’t get to do much of that, these days). Before I knew it, we made plans to go to a local public house a couple of evenings later. With him and his friends, I found things in common I didn’t expect, I had men who would listen to where I was in that moment, and they even kindly paid for my drinks. My neighbor was adamant our rather voluptuous barmaid was interested in me, and so they gave advice both silly and serious on how to work on my rizz. No cap, I have been learning lingo from the porters at work. It’s probably going to be a while before I will be pulling BUT I was again reminded later that unexpected things can happen in the most silly of moments. I made some new friends and got out and interacting with people again.
Open yourself to the unexpected and put yourself out there and let people surprise you. Happy Saturday.