If you buy one sports jersey this year, make it Rasheed Wallace

[fob]

http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/pnotes31e_20050131.htm

What will Rasheed Wallace and President George W. Bush talk about when the Pistons visit the White House at 3 p.m. today? Foreign policy? Defense strategy? Try nothing.


When asked what he would say to the president, Wallace said: "I don't have (expletive) to say to him. I didn't vote for him. It's just something we have to do."

[trotsky]

1. What a guy. Awesome.

Reminds me (in an opposite sort of way) of how former Green Bay Packer Mark "Child Rapist" Chmura didn't want to meet with President Clinton after the Packers won the Super Bowl, because of Clinton's supposed lack of morals. Typical right-wing hypocrite.

[Greybnk48]

4. Good thing Chmura couldn't keep his fingers to himself in the Hottub

He was going to run for political office here in WI on a conservative (extreme?) agenda. He would have won because of the Packer affiliation. Now if we could get rid of Mark Green...

[noonwitch]

7. I understand his sentiments, but it is just a celebratory thing

It's not a political event. The team gives Bush a jersey and they take some photos. All pro-sports teams get to go to the White House when they win a championship. The last time the Pistons won, Daddy Bush was in the White House and they went. Bill Laimbeer is a repub, so he was probably did have stuff to talk with that Bush about.
The Red Wings went to see Clinton in 97 and 98, and Bush in 2002.

[devilgrrl]

2. His attitude is no different than the jocks who dissed Clinton

Let's hope he doesn't end up like Mark Chmura: http://courttv.aol.com/trials/chmura/

[fob]

9. Well, this is, or at least somewhat remains, America and the First

Amendment is still mostly in tact. So if Chmura bitched about Clinton I'm sure he received support from the fweepers and probably even MORE SO after his molester episode, but I don't support that idiot.

I do however support Rasheed Wallace and admire his disdain for bush*.

[Wapsie B]

3. Remember now,

Mark Chimura of the Packers had such a hissy fit about going to the White House when Clinton was President that little Mark was the darling of rwingers. Markie refused to go. Damn child molester.

[MadHound]

5. Sorry but I can never honor that thug

This is the same man who holds the record for number of technical fouls and ejections, and the record he broke was his own, from the year before!

Sorry, Rasheed is a good ballplayer, and I applaud his voting against Bushco, but the man is a thug, pure and simple. And when he doesn't get his way, he whines and bitches about it.

[fob]

6. He's a THUG for the way he plays basketball?

Saying he's a "thug, pure and simple" is way over the top in my book. Don't like the way he plays, fine, but don't let that color your view of the ENTIRE person. I have no idea who he voted FOR, but I know a good slam on bush*y deserves support.

[MadHound]

10. Have you ever watched the man play?

I have, and with his cheap shots, flagrant fouls, elbows here, pushes there, yes the man plays like a thug. You're defending a man who twice set the record for technical fouls and ejections, in the NBA no less, a league whose refereeing model is "Let 'em play". Should tell you something about how over the top Rasheed's antics are. He puts other historical BB thugs, like Bill Lambeer, well into the shade.

He may be a fine person off the court, but on court the man is a thug. Don't like that assessment, too bad, Wallace is doing the actions to earn it.

[pnb]

11. Not just that

He's also been arrested, while in college he attacked another player, didn't pay child support. Yes, he certainly is an upstanding individual.

[fob]

13. Wow. You do know it's a game right? You're acting like he set the record

for kills by a serial killer. I am glad you finally qualified your statement as referring to his on-court play though. The "assessment" I didn't like was your attributing his on-court style to his entire life in a one-fell-swoop admonition that he was "a thug, pure and simple". Maybe next time start with your second post about someone with which you have so much hatred you can't take a realistic stance out of the box(unless it's bush*).

Cheers and maybe switch to decaffeinated or something.

I also checked some stats at (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/statistics?stat=nbafouls&sort=techs&order=true&league=nba&avg=pg&qual=true&seasontype=2&pos=all&season=2003)

2002-03 Season

#1 Antoine Walker 23 Technicals, 1 Flagrant, 1 Ejections
#2 Steve Francis 21T, 0F, 1E
#13(tied with 5 others) R Wallace 11T, 1F, 0E

2003-04 Season
#1 Steve Francis 19T, 0F, 0E
#2 R Wallace 18T, 0F, 1E

2004-05 Season to date
#1 Danny Fortson 15T, 3F, 2E
#2 R Wallace 14T, 0F, 1E
#3 Steve Francis 11T, 0F, 0E


So is Steve Francis "a thug, pure and simple" too?

[Ronbrynaert]

14. No

Because "thug" only applies to non-whites in today's conservative sports pages.

It's really sad that some Democrats also use that word.

Bill Lambeer used to annoy the hell out of me when he was playing ball, but I respected him, because he was a winner, even if he got a little bit dirty from time to time.

All athletes play dirty from time to time. Let's leave the "thug" mark for the Republicans to throw around.

[fob]

16. Hey, I agree with you, thug is over the top as presented.

And is it playing "dirty" or playing "tough" or "on the edge"? It's probably a combo of all three. And you may recall when it was Laimbeer and his teamates winning they were called "the Bad Boys" as a name to wear proudly. Other teams probably didn't like the tough style of play but I wouldn't expect them to take it lightly either.

[MadHound]

17. Ummm reread my post friend

And notice that I tagged both Wallace and Lambeer as BB thugs. Don't try to play a race card when one isn't called for, and when you don't even know me OK. It makes you look foolish, and gets people pissed at you.

Oh, and I like to call Republicans "thugs" too. If the shoe fits. . .

[Ronbrynaert]

21. Mad Hound

I apologize.

I do see you did refer to Bill Lambeer as a thug, too. But I only half read your second comment when I responded...in the first you only mentioned Wallace...then there's always the chance that you threw in Lambeer because someone else reacted...but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

It's just that...I don't like that word. I read the New York Post (have too for research) every day and they use it all the time...

but...yeah...i've used the word thug too for rethugicans...so I don't know...i guess its context not necessarily the word...i just think it's a little over-the-top to call any sports athlete a thug...so peace

[theboss]

25. I fucking still hate fucking Bill Laimbeer

Laimbeer was a vicious thug on the court and I used the word to describe him then.

The difference was he never got arrested off the court. When you behave like Wallace on the court and then back it up with a rap sheet, it's hard to make the argument that he's a "good guy."

[MadHound]

15. Well you know, I thought most people would "get" that

I was talking about his on court antics, but I suppose I have to make myself crystal clear, since apparently you aren't most people.

And I really can't say a thing about Francis, since I haven't seen him play. But his 11 and 19 technicals don't hold a candle to Wallace's 38 and 41 technicals.

So are you a Detroit fan, a Trailblazers fan, or simply a Wallace fan?

[fob]

18. Read your statement again and see if it doesn't read the way I thought.

Sorry, Rasheed is a good ballplayer, and I applaud his voting against Bushco, but the man is a thug, pure and simple. And when he doesn't get his way, he whines and bitches about it.


That "but" excludes the reference to his on-court play and his vote so all that's left is your raw "the man is a thug, pure and simple", which, as I said is uncalled for. Now if that's not what you meant that's a different story and exactly what I was trying to point out. He may very well be "a thug, pure and simple" but other than a few snippets of his public life I've seen no evidence of such. I am aware of the "baggage" Wallace brought from Portland, the papers went all through that when he first came to town, but "thug" was and is uncalled for.

I grew up a "Bad Boys" Pistons fan, and just got back into watching the game during last years Pistons run. The playoff series were some of the most awesome basketball I've ever seen. I'm also a HUUUGGEEEE fan of anyone that calls bush* like he really is, a naked stupid emporer wannabe* who acts like he won 99% of the vote when he DID NOT!

[MadHound]

19. Gee, I guess you didn't(or didn't want to) put two and two together

Notice that I mention in my OP things like technical fouls, ejections, record numbers etc. etc. Are these things that occur off court? I was assuming that the readers would, and could put two and two together, but hey. And yes, in the context of playing over the top, cheap shot, whiny, throwing fists type of Bball, thug is quite the appropriate word.

But damn, somebody is speaking badly of your precious Pistons, how dare they:eyes: Like you said earlier, it is just a game friend, and there is no need to blind yourself to reality out of loyalty to a team, OK.

[fob]

20. "My precious Pistons"? What are you talking about? It's a GAME,

why do you insist on going overboard with your rhetoric?

And yes, I did notice the on-court things you mentioned, BUT, did you re-read your sentence?

It works like this; "Guy A is a good father, and he works hard at his job, BUT the man is a thug, pure and simple."

Do you see NOW what I'm talking about? You can make a thousand references to decent behavior prior to the "but", and they all go away afterwards.

"Blind myself to reality"? You win the Irony Award of the Month for that one.

[pnb]

27. Actually...

...he has a history of being a bad father (not paying child support) AND not working hard at his job (unless he's traded damnit).

THAT is the reality.

[fob]

29. As I said in a previous post, anything's possible. He may be a

"thug, pure and simple", I just haven't seen any thing that wuold convince me to support such a stark judgement. If he has a history of not paying child support than that ain't gonna win him FOTY for sure, but all I have seen is unbacked assertions regarding that. Got a link? How about any court docs online at The Smoking Gun?

As for not working hard at his job until traded, I believe that's a rider in most Detroit Lions contracts so you'll get no sympathy from me there. :evilgrin:


I thought a core democratic principal was "innocent until proven guilty"?

Besides, I was only in this for the bush* hatred, I'm still not sure where it all went wrong.

Same team, man, same team.


Cheers,



fob

[theboss]

12. He's a dick off the court too

Sports Illustrated had a great story on the JailBlazers a year or so again, showing Rasheed at some charity event talking on his cell phone and refusing to interact at all with any of the kids. He's been busted for pot a few times too (and, yes, I think it should be legalized but still...).

Oh, he also invented the expression "CTC" for "Cut the Check." That was when he basically refused to play hard for the Blazers until they traded him.

[rucky]

8. Why'd we trade him?

If he had said that as a Blazer, I may have actually sprung for a $30 ticket to see him play.

plus...Blazers are suffering without him.

[theboss]

26. Because he stopped trying for the Blazers

CTC, baby, CTC.

It never ceases to amaze me who this site will adopt as an icon just for making one anti-Bush statement.

[tinonedown]

22. How about not buying any jersey

And instead pledge that money to a local Dem vote action group or other party cause? The ball players and jersey manufacturers seem to be well financed already.

[stevedeshazer]

23. Rasheed Wallace is a Grade-A #1 jerk

I'm glad he doesn't like Bush. That's probably the only good thing I can say about him. A more pompous, self-centered, arrogant person would be hard to find outside the Republican inner circle.

I'll just leave it at that.

CTC, baby.

[fujiyama]

24. That's awesome!

As a Pistons fan, this makes me all the more happier!

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

28. Sorry, but

I can't stand Sheed since his Tar Hole days, regardless of his personal politics.