1999-06-20, By Roy Bragg
终极篮球迷：球票遍天下
对于一个狂热的 NBA 球迷来说，天堂是真实存在的。
那里，金钱不再是问题，你的座位永远是场边，你拥有全年、全通的通行证，可以进入更衣室、训练场和新闻发布会。
体育记者像你一样喜欢他。球员们和他一起玩耍。老板对他很友善。
对于狂热的 NBA 球迷来说，天堂就是拥有吉姆·戈德斯坦(Jim Goldstein)一样的身份。
戈德斯坦不会出现在头版头条或精彩片段中，但他像绑好的脚踝、喧闹的音乐和球鞋在硬木地板上的吱呀声一样，是 NBA 场景的一部分。
周五晚上，马刺队赢球时，他坐在场边 - 戴着白色巴拿马帽，身穿橙色和锈红色条纹西装，长长的灰色头发，憔悴的脸上带着轻松的表情。其他时候，他穿着一件皮革西装和一顶黑色毡帽。
住在洛杉矶一个高档社区的戈德斯坦，没有带笔记本、相机，也没有什么特别的日程安排。
在 NBA 球场，戈德斯坦是平静的孤岛，漂浮在狂热的球迷、苛刻的球场官员、压力重重的记者和精神振奋的球员的海洋中。
“他总是在洛杉矶（当我们在那儿比赛的时候），”现任马刺队后卫、前芝加哥公牛队后卫史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)说。“我整个职业生涯都见过他。去年总决赛的时候我也见过他。”
“他无处不在，”一位不愿意透露姓名的网络电视节目主持人说。
“我从 1988 年开始报道联盟，我一直都在看到他。我们去哪里，他就在哪里 - 季后赛、全明星赛、选秀，无论什么。他只是一个篮球迷，”这位体育播音员说。
“我看到他了。我跟他打招呼，”马刺队前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)说。“他总是去看湖人队的比赛。在我们击败湖人队之后，我想他认为我们会一路走到最后，因为他去了波特兰，现在他又回到了这里。”
“我从 1981 年开始参与联盟，”NBA 高级副总裁兼通讯主管布莱恩·麦金太尔(Brian McIntyre)说，“他一直都在那里。他是一个狂热的 NBA 球迷，而且是多年的球迷。他只是沉浸在氛围中。”
戈德斯坦承认他对 NBA 着迷。
“从 20 世纪 50 年代初开始，我就成为 NBA 的狂热粉丝，”他说，然后又补充道：
“那时，NBA 被认为是局外人，甚至被篮球迷所排斥，他们大多更喜欢大学篮球。”
电视转播比赛很少，报纸报道零星，上座率也很低迷。
戈德斯坦的痴迷始于他在家乡密尔沃基打高中篮球时。
1954 年，当他 15 岁时，他得到了一份工作，负责为当时的密尔沃基老鹰队(Hawks)的广播比赛记录比赛的实时数据（这支球队后来搬到了圣路易斯，现在位于亚特兰大）。
“当老鹰队搬出密尔沃基时，我经历了一场重大灾难，”他说。
戈德斯坦买了一台高功率收音机，晚上在广播电波中搜寻，寻找任何 NBA 比赛的广播，无论是谁在比赛，信号有多差。
“我也真的很喜欢当时的 NBA，”他说。“当我写历史论文时，我写的是 NBA 的历史。当我演讲课要演讲时，我讲的是 NBA。”
大学把他带到了加州，他在斯坦福大学学习，获得了经济学学位。
之后发生的事情并不十分清楚，因为戈德斯坦不喜欢谈论他的职业或个人生活。
“这增加了神秘感，”他笑着说。
“人们总是在 NBA 的各个地方来找我，问‘你是谁？你做什么？’我告诉他们‘我是一个篮球迷。’”
他会谈论篮球，没错。
1962 年，戈德斯坦买了他第一张 NBA 季票，洛杉矶湖人队比赛的场边座位，当时每场比赛的票价只有 15 美元，而现在这些座位的票面价值是 500 美元。
从那以后，他几乎没有错过任何湖人队的比赛。除了湖人队的票，他也是洛杉矶快船队的季票持有者，他也会去看大部分快船队的比赛。
事实上，他只在两支球队同时在城里比赛的时候才错过比赛。
由于这两个球队将在洛杉矶新球场在下赛季开幕后共用一个主场，所以不会再有冲突。戈德斯坦希望能够完美地出席所有比赛。
戈德斯坦也不仅仅是南加州球队的球迷。五年前，当休斯顿火箭队打进 NBA 总决赛时，戈德斯坦与包括现任马刺队球员马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)在内的几名球员交上了朋友。
“那是我的男孩，”埃利谈到戈德斯坦时说。“我爱吉姆。他总是支持我。他是一位特殊的球迷。他总是坐在场边，总是穿着那些蛇皮西装，或者其他的什么。他很棒。”
当季后赛开始时，戈德斯坦的生活就变成了一个行李箱，每天晚上在不同的城市观看不同的比赛，为季后赛的第一轮比赛而战。
“我认为我每年大约观看 100 场比赛，”他说，包括常规赛和季后赛比赛。
而且，当戈德斯坦去看比赛时，你可以放心，他不会坐在看台的最上层。
凭借着体育球队或联盟的证件，戈德斯坦在走廊里与体育记者们一起走动，在比赛期间坐在场边或尽可能靠近球场，并且可以在赛后与记者和球员一起参加采访环节。
他是怎么做到的？他是怎么负担得起的？他是如何与 NBA 建立联系的？
不要指望戈德斯坦会说得太精确。
“我很幸运，我在加州的一些房地产投资取得了成功，所以我不用花太多时间去做那些我不想做的事情，”他含糊地说。
翻译：戈德斯坦很有钱。
然而，一个 NBA 老球迷都知道。
看看戈德斯坦的本尼迪克特峡谷住宅吧，这座住宅是由已故的约翰·劳特纳(John Lautner)设计的，他是弗兰克·劳埃德·赖特(Frank Lloyd Wright)的弟子。它被认为是西海岸的建筑瑰宝，曾出现在《建筑文摘》杂志的封面上。这栋房子经常被用于时尚拍摄。
劳特纳还设计了戈德斯坦地产公司在圣莫妮卡大道上的世纪城办公室。
但真正让戈德斯坦兴奋的是篮球。看看他的名片，上面写着：
詹姆斯·F·戈德斯坦(James F. Goldstein)
时尚
建筑
篮球
“这些是我最感兴趣的事情，”他说。“我不必处理太多其他的事情。”
戈德斯坦说，他之所以受到 VIP 待遇，是因为他长期以来一直非常引人注目，并且在整个联盟中结识了许多朋友。
“在球员中，他是联盟中最知名的非媒体人士之一，”《今日美国》NBA 作家格雷格·博克(Greg Boeck)说。他还补充说：
“他得到了他们的信任，因为他们知道他是一个多么狂热的球迷。他对自己的参与没有恶意。他只是喜欢这场比赛。”
他从黄牛党那里获得的出城的球票，大多数黄牛党都以他的名声或名字认识他。在季后赛期间，戈德斯坦会从主队那里获得证件。
“我只是依靠与各支球队官员的友谊，”他用他善于轻描淡写的方式说。“他们通常会尽力满足我的要求，这很好。”
在总决赛期间，他佩戴着由联盟总裁大卫·斯特恩(David Stern)办公室颁发的证件。
“他认识大卫，”博克解释了戈德斯坦的人脉关系。
这是真的。
戈德斯坦在周五的比赛开始前，在球场边遇到了斯特恩。他们握手并交谈。
“他对这场比赛投入了大量的资金，”斯特恩开玩笑说戈德斯坦每年的球票开销。“我们正在想办法雇用他，这样我们就能利用他的球票资源。”
“说真的，他是一个很棒的球迷，也是一个非常认真的比赛研究者，”斯特恩说。
当他们说话时，马刺队的替补中锋威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)走过来，他一直在投篮热身。
“不错的衣服，”他拉了拉戈德斯坦的夹克，笑着说。
马刺队主席彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)在几场马刺队的比赛中都见过戈德斯坦。
“我记得我们在洛杉矶的时候，”他说。“我们都在 VIP 房间里，我和杰克·尼科尔森(Jack Nicholson)和大卫·斯特恩在聊天。我们都在谈论篮球。这时，吉姆走了进来。每个人都跟他说‘嗨，吉姆’。”
戈德斯坦曾经尝试过做出终极承诺 - 拥有球队。
“实际上，我一直都想拥有一支篮球队，”他说。“但是球队的价值一直在上升。我的财务状况总是落后于球队价格的上涨速度。”
“这样更好，”他谈到自己经常去观看比赛的身份时说。“这样，我就可以看到所有的比赛，而不用担心所有权带来的麻烦。”
点击查看原文：Ultimate basketball fan has tickets everywhere
Ultimate basketball fan has tickets everywhere
For the diehard NBA fan, there is a heaven.
It’s a place where money is no concern, your seats always are courtside, and you’ve got an all-year, all-access pass into lockers, practice sessions and press conferences.
Sports reporters like you. Players hang out with you. Owners are nice to you.
For the diehard NBA fan, heaven is being in Jim Goldstein’s shoes.
Goldstein doesn’t make it onto the front pages or highlight reels, but he’s as much a part of the NBA scene as taped ankles, loud music and the squeaking of sneakers on a hardwood court.
He was courtside at Friday night’s Spurs victory - white Panama hat, orange-and- rust streaked suit; long, gray hair; haggard face; and an easy-going demeanor. Other times, he’s in a leather suit and a black fedora.
Goldstein, who lives in an exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood, carries no notepad, no camera and no particular agenda.
In NBA arenas, Goldstein is an island of calm set adrift in a sea of frenzied fans, retentive arena officials, stressed-out journalists and psyched-up ballplayers.
“He’s always in L.A. (when we play there),” said current Spur and former Chicago Bull guard Steve Kerr. “I’ve seen him my whole career. I saw him at the Finals last year.”
“He’s everywhere,” said one network on- camera personality, who didn’t want to be identified by name.
“I’ve been covering the league since 1988, and I’ve always seen him. Everything we’re at, he’s at - playoffs, All-Star games, drafts, whatever. He’s just a basketball geek,” the sportscaster said.
“I see him. I say ‘Hi’ to him,” Spurs forward Sean Elliott said. “He’s always at the Lakers games. And after we beat the Lakers, I guess he figured we were going to go all the way, because he was up in Portland and now he’s down here.”
“I’ve been involved with the league since 1981,” said Brian McIntyre, NBA senior vice president for communications, “and he’s always been there. He’s a big NBA fan, and he’s been one for years and years. He just soaks in the atmosphere.”
Goldstein admits he’s got it bad for the NBA.
“I’ve been an intense fan of the NBA since the early 1950s,” he said, and then added:
“Back then, the NBA was considered an outcast, even by basketball fans, who largely preferred college basketball.”
Television games were few, newspaper stories were sporadic and attendance was anemic.
Goldstein’s obsession began when he was playing high school basketball in his hometown of Milwaukee.
In 1954, when he was 15, he got a job keeping the play-by-play statistics for the radio broadcasts of the then-Milwaukee Hawks (the team has since moved to St. Louis and now resides in Atlanta).
“I suffered a major catastrophe when the Hawks moved out of Milwaukee,” he said.
Goldstein bought a high-powered radio and spent his nights trolling the airwaves, looking for any NBA broadcast, regardless of who was playing or how bad the signal.
“I really loved the NBA back then, too,” he said. “When I had a term paper to do in history, I did it on the history of the NBA. When I had a speech to give in speech class, I did it on the NBA.”
College led him to California, where he attended Stanford University and earned a degree in economics.
Events after that aren’t really clear because Goldstein doesn’t like to talk about his occupation or his personal life.
“It adds to the mystery,” he said with a smirk.
“People always come up to me all over the NBA and ask ‘Who are you? What do you do?’ I tell them ‘I’m a basketball fan.’”
He’ll talk ball, all right.
Goldstein bought his first NBA season tickets, courtside seats for Los Angeles Lakers games, in 1962, when such tickets went for a paltry $15 a game, vs. the $500 face value those chairs now command.
He hasn’t missed many Lakers games since then. Besides Lakers tickets, he’s also a Los Angeles Clippers season ticket holder and he attends most of those games, too.
The only times he misses games, in fact, are when both teams are playing in town at the same time.
Since the teams will share a home when Los Angeles’ new arena opens next season, there will be no more conflicts. Goldstein is hopeful for perfect attendance.
Nor is Goldstein just a fan of Southern California teams. Five years ago, when the Houston Rockets were in the NBA Finals, Goldstein made friends with several players, including current Spur Mario Elie.
“That’s my boy,” Elie said of Goldstein. “I love Jim. He’s always supported me. He’s a special fan. He’s always courtside, always in one of those snakeskin suits or whatever. He’s great.”
When playoffs roll around, Goldstein lives out of a suitcase, hitting a different game in a different city every night for the first round of the playoffs.
“I figure that I attend about 100 games a year,” he said, compiling regular and playoff games.
And when Goldstein attends a game, rest assured he’s not in the nosebleeds.
Sporting team or league credentials, Goldstein mills around in the corridors with sports writers, sits courtside or as close as possible during the game and can be found in post-game interview sessions with reporters and players.
How does he do it? How does he afford it? Where does he get his juice with the NBA?
Don’t expect Goldstein to be precise.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some property investments in California turn out successfully for me so that I don’t have to spend too much time on things I don’t want to spend my time on,” he said, vaguely.
Translation: Goldstein has mucho moolah.
It wouldn’t take an NBA lifer, however, to know that.
Take Goldstein’s Benedict Canyon home, designed by the late John Lautner, a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright. It’s considered an architectural jewel on the West Coast and has been featured on the pages of Architectural Digest. The house is used regularly for fashion shoots.
Lautner also designed the Century City offices of Goldstein Properties on Santa Monica Boulevard.
But it’s basketball that gets Goldstein going. Check out his business card, which reads:
James F. Goldstein
Fashion
Architecture
Basketball
“Those are the things I’m most interested in,” he said. “I don’t have to deal with much of anything else.”
Goldstein said he gets VIP treatment because he’s been so visible for so long and has made friends throughout the league.
“Among players, he’s one of the most recognized non-media members in the league,” said Greg Boeck, USA Today NBA writer. He added:
“He’s got their confidence because they know he’s such a big fan. There’s nothing bad about him or about his involvement. He just loves the game.”
He gets his out-of-town tickets from scalpers, most of whom know him by reputation or on a first- name basis. And during the playoffs, Goldstein gets credentials from the home teams.
“I just rely on my friendships with the officials of the various teams,” he said with his gift for understatement. “They generally go out of their way to accommodate me, which is nice.”
For the Finals, he sports credentials issued by Commissioner David Stern’s office.
“He knows David,” said Boeck, explaining Goldstein’s connections.
It’s true.
Goldstein ran into Stern courtside before Friday’s game. They shook hands and spoke.
“He’s heavily invested into the game,” Stern said, joking about Goldstein’s annual ticket tab. “We’re trying to figure out how to hire him so we can tap into his ticket sources.”
“Seriously, he’s a great fan, and a very serious student of the game,” Stern said.
As they spoke, Spur backup center Will Perdue, who had been taking warm-up shots, walked over to Goldstein.
“Nice threads,” he said, tugging at Goldstein’s jacket and laughing.
Spurs chairman Peter Holt has seen Goldstein at several Spurs games.
“I remember when we were in Los Angeles,” he said. “We were in the VIP room and I was talking to Jack Nicholson and David Stern. We’re all talking basketball. In walks Jim. And everybody says ‘Hi Jim.’”
There was a time when Goldstein tried to make the ultimate commitment - ownership.
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to own a basketball team,” he said. “But values of the teams kept rising. My financial status was always a step behind the increases in the prices of the teams.”
“This way is better,” he said of his frequent-fan status. “This way, I get to see all of the games without all of the problems of ownership.”
By Roy Bragg, via San Antonio Express-News