Mike Wells posted some interesting nuggets he picked up at the Fieldhouse yesterday on his Pacers Insider blog.

Marquis Daniels has been working on his shot this summer with noted sharp-shooter, Mark Price. Quisy figures to be in the mix with Brandon Rush for playing time behind Mike Dunleavy and Danny Granger. Add Shawne Williams and my man, Stephen Graham to the equation and there won't be any minutes by default offered this year. Playing time must be earned.

Even more exiciting is the item on TJ Ford working out at the Fieldhouse and reaching out to his new teammates to join him. Sounds like most of the new and/or young guys are doing just that as 7-8 players have been working out downtown this summer.

Shortly after the Toronto trade was announced but before it could be officially announced by the Pacers, TJ Ford was asked in an interview about his plans for the summer and if he'd be in town. At that time he said he preferred to work out back home in Houston and that he'd probably be in town a few times prior to camp starting.

In reality, it isn't a big deal. Whether someone in the organization pushed him to stay in town or he realized the team would be better served if he worked out locally, the act itself symbolizes a change in attitude and culture in the organization and specifically on the roster. Ideally every player on the roster would be working together, spending every minute of the day focused on turning things around. That's not exactly realistic not to mention the squad would burn out by New Year's Day. But, having the guy the organization hoped could lead  the team actually step up and show he wants to lead, is very exciting.

Another in an increasingly long list of little positive changes that are starting to mount to indicate that the direction of the franchise is taking a positive turn.

Twice in the past week I've been thumbing through a magazine only to be surprised by what appeared to be a short feature on Danny Granger. Instead it was a print ad using a portion of this Q & A with a big picture of Danny in his Rock Star pose.

The first ad took up a full two pages in the August edition of Indianapolis Monthly. Great idea, targeting a local audience with money to spend on tickets. The second ad really caught me be by surprise since it was in Sports Illustrated. Now I know SI targets local areas for covers so I'm sure they're doing the same with advertising, but it was still a cool print ad to see in SI.

Of course, my favorite part of the Q&A didn't make either ad. Bummer. There was a mention to see more interviews and info at Pacers.com. As part of their "Ignite the Passion. Restore the Pride" campaign, the Pacers have put together several player interviews as well as several columns from prominent voices within the organizations. The current collection can be accessed here.

I wonder where Danny will pop up next?

The month of May is a special time in Indianapolis, capped off, of course, with the Indianapolis 500 at the Speedway. It's been awhile since the Pacers were part of the May festivities as a playoff run had them playing deep into the month of May. I used to love the pre-race invocation when Archbishop Buechlein would add, "...and God bless our Pacers." The silence would be shaken by a quick roar of approval.

Until those days return, it's nice to see some Pacers invovled with the 500 festivities. Today, Danny Granger waved the green flag to open the track for practice. The honor includes a quick trip around the track in a pace car driven by legendary 500 driver, Johnny Rutherford. Danny seemed pretty amped up about the whole experience.

"It's unbelievable how fast they drive those cars,” Granger said trackside of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I've never experienced anything like that. I got kind of dizzy when the first one was coming at me so fast. I kind of flinched because I wanted to make sure I didn't fall onto the track. It's amazing, it really is.

"It's just amazing to be that close to the Indy 500 cars. I've never been that close before. You just don't get to do that every day. When I was in the Pace Car, I was getting sick to my stomach, and we were only going 100 miles an hour.”

I had the same reaction the first time I witnessed the field go by at full speed. Really, there's no way to explain it. You have to see it in person to feel it.

Danny and Jeff Foster will also take part in the 500 Festival Parade  the day before the race. Don't recall any Pacers being involved with the parade last year. Jim Morris is on the job, making sure the Pacers show up with a positive presence in these big, community events. Well done.