Grizzlies take pride on the road
Team block party brings out the fans
Under normal circumstances at home, 2-yearold Allie Peyton calls a particular Mid- South sports logo like she sees it.
“She’ll see the (Memphis Grizzlies) bear and she’ll say, ‘Teddy bear!’ ” said mother Emily Peyton, “and we’ll say, ‘That’s a Grizzly bear.’ ”
During Thursday’s visit to the National Basketball Association team’s 2012 Round Town Tour at Olive Branch City Park, Allie was completely surrounded by her favorite blue bear, and that’s just how Emily and her husband Cameron, of Olive Branch, wanted it to be.
“Absolutely,” said Emily. “Start them as young as we can; instill that Grizzly pride.”
The Peytons were three of several hundred fans to attend the first of five Grizzlies Block Parties, festival-type events aimed at getting different communities pumped about the upcoming season, which kicks off Oct. 31 when Memphis visits the Los Angeles Clippers, the squad that eliminated the Grizzlies from the 2011 NBA Playoffs.
The block parties, aside from last year’s lockoutshortened season, are an annual event, according to John Pugliese, the senior director of marketing communication.
“We want to bring the excitement of the game to the fans in their communities,” he said. “Make them feel a part of the franchise, and hopefully they’ll come to one of our games.”
In addition to moon bounces and free pizza, the Grizzlies sweetened the pot by bringing center/ forward Marreese Speights to sign autographs.
“It’s always good to come out here and have fun with the fans,” the former Florida Gator said.
The organization also made assistant coach Henry Bibby available to mingle with supporters.
“We want to have a relationship with the community more so than anything else,” said Bibby.
A young fan walking away with a Speights autograph certainly doesn’t hurt the cause.
“He’s 6-10, and the kids want that experience of being able to see somebody that big,” Bibby said. “They’ll take these autographs back home, their dads and moms are going to tell them this guy is important, look at him on TV — now that’s where the connection is made.”
Near the table where Speights signed, three of Olive Branch resident Lisa Lewis’ children were getting a different type of ink, lining up for airbrushed temporary tattoos. Torri, 16, went with the Supergirl logo, while Gigi, 13, and Stephen, 11, chose the University of Memphis Tiger and a flaming basketball, respectively.