<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>MEMPHIS, TENN. - Shane Battier tried to explain the way Memphis feels about him.Sometimes, something is just right. It's fresh and new and somehow just works."It's like your first girlfriend," Battier said. "You always have great memories."Battier will return to Memphis with the Rockets tonight in the city where he was embraced not as much as a sports hero, but something more real, more familial.Posters of Battier will be distributed as part ticket promotion, part tribute. The loudest FedEx Forum cheer is expected to be for a player on the other team. Battier will be feted as a player that became part of this town's identity."It's not too often in life you're embraced like I was," he said. "I felt the love. I tried to give it back as much as I could."</div><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Battier never won a championship, never made an All-Star team, never set a record. That, however, was not what his relationship with Memphis was about.He was the first player drafted after the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver. He jumped into the community and became a symbol for the franchise's revival."I'm proud of what I accomplished in my five years there," Battier said. "I'll always have a connection with the city. I did my best for the team and for the city, and I felt I was embraced."I came in on the ground floor of the franchise. I think the city feels the same way about Pau Gasol. We came in and basically built something from scratch."At the time, we were a really bad franchise. The first year, we won 23 games, but people were happy. We progressed every year. It culminated in three straight playoff appearances."</div><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>He said "Grizzlies" and "playoffs" were once words that were not often seen together. "I don't profess to be a superstar. I am a regular guy who happens to play basketball."I think I was one of the few guys people could relate to. I try to do my best every single day. People appreciated that. I helped out where I could in the community and did my best there. I thought people appreciated that effort."The applause might have come because he was not a superstar and had to succeed with effort and intelligence."It's hard to know why certain towns embrace certain players," said Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, who has said he appreciated Battier more even than when the Rockets gave up the eighth pick of the draft and Stromile Swift to get him. "In this case, I don't think it's hard to figure out. First draft choice. Solid player. Great person. Well-spoken."Some people want to see a runner, a jumper. Other people might want to see a guy who is always in the right spot and unselfish. Anybody who appreciates aspects other than statistical aspects of basketball will appreciate Shane."That, however, only explains why Memphis loved Battier. The other half of the relationship was that Battier loved Memphis back.With Memphis, he was part of a team to sell and found charities in need of support. He remains a member of the advisory board of the St. Jude Children's Hospital, a Memphis institution."I would have tried anywhere, but I got lucky," Battier said. "I was in an area with so much need. And in Memphis, it's the only show in town. The Grizzlies are it. There were a lot of opportunities to use my name and the Grizzlies' name to help a lot of people. I thought that it was a great opportunity for myself and my wife."I'm going to try to do the same things for Houston, or anywhere I end up playing in my career, but the fact I was there and it was brand new, there were a lot of opportunities right off the bat."</div>Very big night for memphis fans. He isnt just another player who got traded(Wells, Jwill, Posey). He was literaly the face of the franchise and in many ways our first player. He and Gasol(also Wright) have been with Memphis from day one. Its going to be a emotional night for the Grizzlies, griz fans, and Shane Battier. Cant wait for the game tonight.
