Thread by @MikeWiseguy

True story: Cavs cheerleader came up to me during ‘96 Knicks game. Said, “Are you Mike Wise from The NY Times? OMG, I read everything you write.” I went to talk to her after game and she blew me off. I walked into locker room. Patrick Ewing looked up and smiled: “April Fools.”

This was probably the greatest April Fool’s joke ever played on me. It was perpetrated by @meanbarb and Former Knicks PR director Lori Hamamoto, who got the cheerleader and Ewing to go along with the prank. And I actually thought, “Wow, attractive Cavs cheerleader reads me. Yay!”

As @meanbarb knows, I got her back by convincing her that she needed to be guest on an El Paso radio show, because they give $200 Tower Records gift certificates for guests. After several uncomfortable questions by the hosts, I got on line. Barb: “Do I still get my $200 gift?”

It was humiliating but if there is anything I needed then it was dose of humility. @TheFrankIsola used to say I frequently introduced myself to women I was interested in, “Hi, I’m Mike Times from the New York Wise.” I didn’t check myself before I wrecked myself and grew up later

You had to be there. Here I am, single, good job, pretending I still had hair, good shape. And I walk into knicks locker room, deflated after cheerleader shunned me. And they wait till entire NY press corps surrounds Ewing before I barge in circle and Pat has ear-to-ear grin.

After I got @meanbarb back a year later w/ radio stunt, I had an ex girlfriend call Lori Hamamoto and pretend she was Matt Lauer’s asst., saying Matt would like to meet Lori. This was when he was eligible bachelor and not skeezy, #MeToo creepoid. Anyhow, Lori didn’t fall for it

Moral of the story: there is none. Oh, yeah, if you find someone egocentric and gullible enough to believe that a Cavs cheerleader reads them religiously and is totally into them, then you should try and humiliate that person next April 1. They will be better for it. Promise.

And with that I wish everyone a happy and healthy April. I also promise the same authenticity and stories if you subscribe to The Mike Wise Show podcast @purehoopsmedia. From Bruce Bowen to Jeanie Buss and beyond, the conversation has been good and real and sometimes surreal.

I want to tell my dog-falling-through-the-ice story again on @PureHoopsMedia or on air @wusa9 or for @SInow. But the truth is, @iraglass did it so well on @ThisAmerLife, it’d be tough to top:
thisamericanlife.org/669/scrambling…