Drunk-dialing Magic CEO pays for PR blunder

Philadelphia, PA – Cell phones weren't all that prevalent in my college days and that was probably a good thing. Otherwise a fetching young lass by the name of Mary Pat would have gotten more than a few phone calls after I stumbled in from quarter beer night ... I mean studying.

The drunk dial is a classic miscue, almost a rite of passage for the young and stupid, who often confuse amorous feelings on a given night for something far deeper. The thought of sitting on a public phone in the middle of Wayne Hall, professing my "feelings" in front of my quick-witted buddies saved me.

Many years later, maturity and a little self-esteem keep me from breaking out the Blackberry even if I'm on the road with three or four Bombay Tonics in me. Heck, I'm convinced I wouldn't even drunk-dial Jessica Lucas if she was the object of my affections (Google her and thank me later.)

That's why I can't explain outgoing Magic CEO Bob Vander Weide.

Vander Weide, the son-in-law of Magic owner Rich DeVos who began his career with Orlando in 1992 as vice president of basketball operations, officially announced his retirement Wednesday morning.

A retirement that curiously came after he confirmed to Bright House Sports Network that he made a 1 a.m. phone call in recent days to Magic superstar center Dwight Howard, a call in which Superman thought Vander Weide may have been intoxicated.

The late night ring from Vander Weide was to tell Howard how much the Magic wanted to keep him in Orlando.

"I was playing paddle with friends and had a couple of glasses of wine," Vander Weide told BHSN. "Maybe Dwight thought it was inappropriate to talk business after a couple of glasses of wine... Maybe I should have waited until the morning."

Ya think?

For what it's worth Vander Weide, DeVos and new CEO Alex Martins all insisted the phone call had nothing to do with any of the restructuring.

"That had absolutely no role in this whatsoever," Martins told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel. "This is something that Bob has started talking to me about over a year ago and something he's probably talked to the family about longer than a year ago. And we've been preparing for this time for a year."

Perhaps, but you can't help but feel that this certainly sped-up any planned move.

Let's be honest -- Howard, who can become a free agent after the 2011-12 season, has been eyeing the Miami-template and laying the groundwork to flee Central Florida in an effort to join a so-called "super team," whether that's in Los Angles with the Lakers this season or perhaps New York down the line.

Like Chris Paul in New Orleans, his questionable status and future plans has become the story in Orlando. It's not about feeling wanted, it's about a championship for Howard and he has already indicated that he would like to play with Paul or Deron Williams.

To have any chance to keep Howard, the Magic must improve. Nothing changed after Vander Weide's call. He did, however, embarrass the organization and perhaps the team's brand.

For now Orlando is still fighting the good fight and working overtime to convince Howard that Central Florida is his home.

"We've built a championship-caliber organization for him, and we believe that this is his home," Martins said. "He can own this city for the rest of his career, like the Brett Favres and the Albert Pujols of the world. "They've been with their franchises for the most part, stayed with their franchises and built championship organizations around them in what would be considered small-to mid-size markets.

"And Dwight Howard can be the NBA equivalent of that, and we're going to do everything we can do to make that occur. In the end, it's his decision."

Thanks to Vander Weide, the odds are that decision will eventually portray the Magic as a jilted, perhaps tipsy, suitor in Howard's rear-view mirror.