Sunday, March 07, 2004
Shut Up! Just Shut Up!
In honor of the Mike & Mike ESPN Radio duo, I bring you my very own “Just Shut Up” awards. The contestants are Danny Ainge, Terrell Owens, and Billy Hunter.
Danny Ainge: “I think the playoffs are great for the players, coaches and fans, but I'm not going to lie about it. For the long-term part of this it's obviously better for us to get a higher draft pick. That's just the truth.”
It may be the truth Danny boy, but you are looking like the village idiot for coming out and saying it publicly. We know your agenda; we don’t need a roadmap to see where your “vision” is leading the team. As a Celtic fan, I can’t argue with the fact that the team was mediocre and blowing it up was probably the best idea. That doesn’t mean that I want to be laughed at by the league because of it. When the Sports Center guys get on there and talk about the Celtics winning despite their GM’s best intentions, that’s and embarrassment. If Red were a few decades younger, he’d have slapped you upside the head for saying that. He’d have sat you down and explained the importance of maintaining the Celtic tradition that you yourself were part of in the 80’s. Rick Pitino said “Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish aren’t walking through that door.” Instead we got Danny Ainge. I hope that Danny takes some more cues from the previously mentioned 3 and fewer from the man that uttered them. So for the sake of Celtic Nation, please, just shut up.
Terrell Owens: "We're not idiots," Owens said. "This is something we've been waiting on. The 49ers have known that I was more than possibly going to void my contract. There's been a lot of backstabbing going on the last couple of years.''
Wrong. You’re agent is incompetent for failing in his job duties and you are indeed an idiot for believing whatever excuses he is feeding you. You are in this position because you thought you were too important and too good for your team. You burned that bridge with no remorse. Now because they want to get the best deal (and in case you failed math too, the 2nd round does in fact come before the 5th) you are calling them backstabbers? No. You gifted the 49ers by screwing up your contract and letting them trade you. You signed a contract and were given the opportunity to get out of the contract, which you failed to do. Now you are their property to ship to whomever they like. Now you want to burn the bridge into Baltimore even before you step foot in the town? You care only about yourself and your agenda and you are too ignorant to realize that treating others with respect actually does benefit you in the long run. Being a solid teammate will make your team better, and as a result put you in a better position to reap the benefits of that situation. For failing to see this and acting so incredibly near-sighted, you too need to just shut up.
Billy Hunter: (NBA Players Union Rep. speaking on the Vin Baker situation) "We intend to go to the arbitrator immediately, to expose this desperate and blatant attempt to deprive this player of an opportunity to pursue his livelihood and to demonstrate to the world that he is ready, willing, and fit to play professional basketball."
The only one who sounds desperate and blatant is you Billy. You are the one fighting for the rights of a man that knowingly forfeited his rights. You are the one who fights for the rights of multi-millionaires to earn more millions at the direct expense of fans. Vin has pursued his livelihood and has indeed secured the livelihood of 6 generations of his family. Vin, by all accounts, is a good guy and I wish him the best of luck fighting his daemons and living out the rest of his days the best he can. I don’t even blame you and Vin’s agent for doing your jobs to attempt to squeeze the system for every penny you can. But to throw out quotes that paint a picture of a struggling ballplayer who’s giving his all and getting persecuted by The Man is inaccurate and stupid. Vin’s been given many more opportunities than he’s earned. The Celtic organization and the NBA have bent over backwards doing things the right way and going the extra mile. It’s now in everyone’s best interests (except yours of course) for everyone to get on with their lives and deal with the fact that Vin broke his own contract. So for the sake of the proletariat that actually earns their paycheck, we ask you to just shut up.
Feel like weighing in and telling someone to just shut up? Add a comment below.
Danny Ainge: “I think the playoffs are great for the players, coaches and fans, but I'm not going to lie about it. For the long-term part of this it's obviously better for us to get a higher draft pick. That's just the truth.”
It may be the truth Danny boy, but you are looking like the village idiot for coming out and saying it publicly. We know your agenda; we don’t need a roadmap to see where your “vision” is leading the team. As a Celtic fan, I can’t argue with the fact that the team was mediocre and blowing it up was probably the best idea. That doesn’t mean that I want to be laughed at by the league because of it. When the Sports Center guys get on there and talk about the Celtics winning despite their GM’s best intentions, that’s and embarrassment. If Red were a few decades younger, he’d have slapped you upside the head for saying that. He’d have sat you down and explained the importance of maintaining the Celtic tradition that you yourself were part of in the 80’s. Rick Pitino said “Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish aren’t walking through that door.” Instead we got Danny Ainge. I hope that Danny takes some more cues from the previously mentioned 3 and fewer from the man that uttered them. So for the sake of Celtic Nation, please, just shut up.
Terrell Owens: "We're not idiots," Owens said. "This is something we've been waiting on. The 49ers have known that I was more than possibly going to void my contract. There's been a lot of backstabbing going on the last couple of years.''
Wrong. You’re agent is incompetent for failing in his job duties and you are indeed an idiot for believing whatever excuses he is feeding you. You are in this position because you thought you were too important and too good for your team. You burned that bridge with no remorse. Now because they want to get the best deal (and in case you failed math too, the 2nd round does in fact come before the 5th) you are calling them backstabbers? No. You gifted the 49ers by screwing up your contract and letting them trade you. You signed a contract and were given the opportunity to get out of the contract, which you failed to do. Now you are their property to ship to whomever they like. Now you want to burn the bridge into Baltimore even before you step foot in the town? You care only about yourself and your agenda and you are too ignorant to realize that treating others with respect actually does benefit you in the long run. Being a solid teammate will make your team better, and as a result put you in a better position to reap the benefits of that situation. For failing to see this and acting so incredibly near-sighted, you too need to just shut up.
Billy Hunter: (NBA Players Union Rep. speaking on the Vin Baker situation) "We intend to go to the arbitrator immediately, to expose this desperate and blatant attempt to deprive this player of an opportunity to pursue his livelihood and to demonstrate to the world that he is ready, willing, and fit to play professional basketball."
The only one who sounds desperate and blatant is you Billy. You are the one fighting for the rights of a man that knowingly forfeited his rights. You are the one who fights for the rights of multi-millionaires to earn more millions at the direct expense of fans. Vin has pursued his livelihood and has indeed secured the livelihood of 6 generations of his family. Vin, by all accounts, is a good guy and I wish him the best of luck fighting his daemons and living out the rest of his days the best he can. I don’t even blame you and Vin’s agent for doing your jobs to attempt to squeeze the system for every penny you can. But to throw out quotes that paint a picture of a struggling ballplayer who’s giving his all and getting persecuted by The Man is inaccurate and stupid. Vin’s been given many more opportunities than he’s earned. The Celtic organization and the NBA have bent over backwards doing things the right way and going the extra mile. It’s now in everyone’s best interests (except yours of course) for everyone to get on with their lives and deal with the fact that Vin broke his own contract. So for the sake of the proletariat that actually earns their paycheck, we ask you to just shut up.
Feel like weighing in and telling someone to just shut up? Add a comment below.
