By Scott Tibbs, November 23, 2004
The man to the right is the thug who threw the first beverage at Ron Artest, prompting Artest to charge into the stands... after the wrong fan.
His name is John Green, and he has a lengthy criminal history. Well golly gee goodness guys, is it a surprise he revealed his thuggish nature at the Pistons/Pacers game? Artest should begin to assemble a team of attorneys and take the fight to Green in court.
David Stern came down hard on the Indiana Pacers, and now he must come down just as hard on the thug Green and the Pistons organization. If Stern does not place a lifetime ban on Green from all NBA games, Stern will permanently lose all credibility as NBA Commissioner and the NBA owners will have no choice but to fire him and permanently ban him from working in the NBA in any position. As far as I'm concerned, Stern should have been fired years ago. He's drunk on a power trip, and he took an opportunity to smack down a player who he doesn't like.
Professional sports in general, and the NBA in particular, are going to have to crack down on unruly fans. In 1999, "fans"/thugs in New York threw batteries (amoung other things) at Atlanta Braves player John Rocker, prompting him to go on a racially-charged tirade against New Yorkers. While Rocker's words were uncalled for, almost nothing was said about the "fans"/thugs in New York.
Let's be honest here. Throwing batteries can cause serious injuries. Which is worse, uttering some offensive words or assault with intent to cause bodily injury? It is disgusting that the focus was on John Rocker and not on the far more serious (not to mention criminal) actions of New York "fans"/thugs.
To professional sports fans: I am disgusted by you. For all the whining that goes on about professional players and their "big egos", they work their rear ends off to entertain the fans. They may only "work" part of the year, but being a professional athlete is a physically grueling job that takes as much hard work as talent. Even during the "off-season", players work to improve their game and keep their bodies in top condition. Perhaps you should show a little gratitude for the work they put in so you can sit on your couch and enjoy a game on TV.
I'm not saying all professional athletes are angels (as they certainly are not) but they deserve a lot more respect than they get from you people. Above all, they certainly don't deserve to be assaulted by a bunch of thugs who should not be allowed into the arena/stadium to begin with.
