Steven P. BarrettWHAT THE HELL WERE THESE GUYS THINKING IN THESE TIMES
August 13th 2008 16:07
By Steven Barrett
What were these guys thinking? Honestly? I know I"m not the only person in the world wondering if these guys have a combined IQ representing normal room temperature after posing for this shot.
But I figured I'd get in my licks too. And whiile I originally didn't want to whip this story up any more than it has been, I figured I'd run an image to, shall I put it, put a "human face" on it.
What seems incredulous is that they'd pull this off in the "other guy's house," specifically China. Big, huge and DUMB Mistake. Colossally DUMB!
Had any, and I mean ANY of these knuckleheads pulled this stunt off during the NBA season, there wouldn't be any Olympic-sized diplomatic efforts to soothe ruffled feathers so that game could go. NBA Commissioner David Stern would be hauling any of these guys out of play for weeks.
Surprisingly, according to Yahoo/Sport's, one of the Spanish members,
At least he's honestly unrepentant. Yeah, like that'll help. Want more kindling?
If Calderone pulled this nonsene off in Toronto and offered up the same lamebrain excuses, his sorry butt would be hauled before Ontario's Human Right's Commission. Senor Calderone, do you remember your country's history, particularly that part about the Inquisition? They don't play around in Canada. You'll be lucky if you have two American nickels left to rub together if you pull this up in Ontario. Big time pain.
But Calderone's not the only one who had trouble getting the message. At first even the Laker's star center, Pau Gasol, seemed mentally challenged at first when he participated in this dumb stunt. But he came around. (Maybe that pounding in the 6th and final game in Boston might explainfor his recent lapse.)
That's nice, but it's kind of late, don't you think?
Spain's coach has a problem getting the picture, too:
The rest of Rogers' story chronicles more Spanish problems with international diplomatesse in the realm of sports competition.
If I were the Chinese, I'd have the photo blown up to a size so big that it'd be impossible to miss whenever anybody from Spain visits her embassy in Madrid and consulatesl in other major Spanish cities, -- and have every damn player autograph it so nobody will forget it.
What were these guys thinking? Honestly? I know I"m not the only person in the world wondering if these guys have a combined IQ representing normal room temperature after posing for this shot.
Not Too Bright, Guys!
What seems incredulous is that they'd pull this off in the "other guy's house," specifically China. Big, huge and DUMB Mistake. Colossally DUMB!
Had any, and I mean ANY of these knuckleheads pulled this stunt off during the NBA season, there wouldn't be any Olympic-sized diplomatic efforts to soothe ruffled feathers so that game could go. NBA Commissioner David Stern would be hauling any of these guys out of play for weeks.
Surprisingly, according to Yahoo/Sport's, one of the Spanish members,
Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors has spent the last three years in North America, but he didn’t get it. He could still not understand how an action with such deep racial undertones had generated so much attention. In his mind a non-story became a story only when it was blown out of proportion by journalists with a mind for mischief.
“We did it because we thought it was going to be something nice, something with no problem,” Calderon told Yahoo! Sports. “But somebody wants to talk about it. It is too much of a big deal with you guys (the media) and everybody talking about that.”
“We did it because we thought it was going to be something nice, something with no problem,” Calderon told Yahoo! Sports. “But somebody wants to talk about it. It is too much of a big deal with you guys (the media) and everybody talking about that.”
If Calderone pulled this nonsene off in Toronto and offered up the same lamebrain excuses, his sorry butt would be hauled before Ontario's Human Right's Commission. Senor Calderone, do you remember your country's history, particularly that part about the Inquisition? They don't play around in Canada. You'll be lucky if you have two American nickels left to rub together if you pull this up in Ontario. Big time pain.
But Calderone's not the only one who had trouble getting the message. At first even the Laker's star center, Pau Gasol, seemed mentally challenged at first when he participated in this dumb stunt. But he came around. (Maybe that pounding in the 6th and final game in Boston might explainfor his recent lapse.)
. . . He didn’t get it when the Spanish courier company persuaded the players to pose with their index fingers stretching their eyes to a thin slit at a team media day, but he sure as heck gets it now.
“Some of us didn’t feel comfortable doing it just because to me it was a little clownish for our part to be doing that,” Gasol said. “But the sponsors insisted and insisted. I think it is just a bad idea I guess to do that, but it was never intended to be offensive or racist against anybody.
“I didn’t find it very funny. I didn’t find it offensive, either. I guess some guys didn’t mind. To me I don’t want to be that way, I guess, to be doing that stuff.
“If anybody feels offended by it we totally apologize for it. We never meant anything offensive by it.”
“Some of us didn’t feel comfortable doing it just because to me it was a little clownish for our part to be doing that,” Gasol said. “But the sponsors insisted and insisted. I think it is just a bad idea I guess to do that, but it was never intended to be offensive or racist against anybody.
“I didn’t find it very funny. I didn’t find it offensive, either. I guess some guys didn’t mind. To me I don’t want to be that way, I guess, to be doing that stuff.
“If anybody feels offended by it we totally apologize for it. We never meant anything offensive by it.”
That's nice, but it's kind of late, don't you think?
Spain's coach has a problem getting the picture, too:
Head coach Aíto García Reneses didn’t get it, either. Reneses comes from an older generation of Spanish society, one which has little time for the politically correct niceties of the modern world.
“If I go to play with a taller team and I put here (raising up on the tips of his toes) it is not an offense,” Reneses said. “I can’t understand anything more.”
“If I go to play with a taller team and I put here (raising up on the tips of his toes) it is not an offense,” Reneses said. “I can’t understand anything more.”
The rest of Rogers' story chronicles more Spanish problems with international diplomatesse in the realm of sports competition.
If I were the Chinese, I'd have the photo blown up to a size so big that it'd be impossible to miss whenever anybody from Spain visits her embassy in Madrid and consulatesl in other major Spanish cities, -- and have every damn player autograph it so nobody will forget it.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Lucky for Spain, they're not US, huh?
Comment by Steven Barrett's OpEd Blog
Oh yeah, and who knows what might happen if they take a shot at our team which is mostly Black? Our guys won't take it, especially since some of them play against these Europeans and that's got to add a certain edge should any other (European in particular) team take a shot at the US. A lot of our guys know of a lot more fellow Americans who aren't in the NBA but who might've been if they weren't passed over for European players.
And how dumb could those Spaniards playing in the NBA be knowing full well Yao will keep what they did in mind when they face off on the court?
But I'm also seething that Kobe Bryant didn't pick a single Celtic for the team, A or B. They only won their 17th Championship and beat the hell out of this self-appointed "heir" to Michael Jordan. Explains it all. And now Bryant wants to play overseas? A lot of people will gladly pay for his passport!
But dumb, dumb, dumb!
Comment by Chris Champion
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Loved your "room temperature" snub. I've written my own post on this issue here and took the liberty of quoting you and linking to you post.
Regards,
Chris