duncan228
04-22-2009, 11:51 PM
Famous fighting words (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Famous_fighting_words.html)
Mike Finger
When Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier talked about the need to put Tony Parker “on his back” this week, he might have been over the line. But he was just upholding a tradition.
From the days of Bob Gibson on the mound, Dick Butkus and Jack Lambert in the front seven, the Detroit Pistons' “Bad Boys” in the NBA and just about every hockey game ever played, the implied threat of violence has always been a part of professional sports. Sometimes, those threats become more public than the leagues would like, which is why the NBA reportedly looked into Dampier's remarks.
Here's a look at a few other incidents the commissioners would rather forget:
The “Bounty Bowls”
When the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-0 on Nov. 23, 1989, it wasn’t merely the worst loss the Cowboys had ever endured on Thanksgiving. It was the beginning of one of the most deliciously sordid controversies in NFL history.
Cowboys kicker Luis Zendejas, who had played previously for the Eagles, was pummeled by Philadelphia’s Jessie Small on a kickoff and suffered a concussion. After the game, he told Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson that Eagles coach Buddy Ryan routinely offered $100-$200 bounties to his players for taking out opposing quarterbacks and kickers. That, in part, led Johnson to accuse Ryan of putting up bounties on specific Cowboys, and he made a reference to Ryan’s “big, fat rear end.”
Less than a month later, in what was dubbed “Bounty Bowl II,” the Eagles won 20-10, but that game is better remembered for the deluge of snowballs Philadelphia fans hurled at officials and Cowboys coaches and players.
Ultimate headhunting
Beanballs have been part of the baseball culture almost since the game’s invention. But for the most part, it is a phenomenon that is to be seen, and not spoken of.
But every now and then the threats become more than subtle, and that’s what happened during the notoriously testy 2003 version of the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry.
After Boston’s Kevin Millar was hit by a Roger Clemens fastball in July, Millar was furious about both the pitch and Clemens’ lack of remorse. That week, he uttered a phrase that proved to be more prophetic than even he likely realized.
“If they want to get into any headhunting thing,” Millar said, “we’ve got the ultimate headhunter on our side.”
Millar, of course, was referring to Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, a well-known beanball artist. And when tensions came to a head in the playoffs that October — with Martinez throwing behind Karim Garcia and then memorably pushing 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground in the fracas that followed — it was clear Millar’s threat wasn’t a hollow one.
New-era NFL smack-talk
Short of perhaps boxing press conferences, there is no likelier locale for vows of causing physical harm than at the locker of an NFL linebacker or defensive back. It seems that almost every week there is a warning to a mouthy opposing wide receiver about coming over the middle, or a proclamation about the importance of putting a quarterback on his back.
But even in that culture there are moments in which certain threats stand out. Many of them come from the mouth of Joey Porter, the brash linebacker who infamously announced before Super Bowl XL that he was gunning for Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens.
“I’ve got my first taste of blood,” Porter said, “and now I’m thirsty for more.”
Then, in 2007, Cowboys linebacker Bradie James took a new approach to bounties. Angered by comments Jon Kitna had made about him, James intimated his teammates could earn some free food if they took out some of their frustrations on the Detroit Lions quarterback.
“Everybody knows that a guy on the opposing team has been talking a little too much,” James said. “So, we’ll see. I might have to take someone out to lunch after the game.”
And therein lies some of the danger of making threats in today’s vagabond professional sports environment. James and Kitna now share a locker room.
No word on whether they’ve shared a meal.
Hot List
A glance at the top 10 trends of the week, along with the people making them popular:
1. Attacking the basket: Tony Parker
2. Getting fed up: Erick Dampier
3. Seizing an opportunity: Matt Bonner
4. Getting lost in the crowd: Dirk Nowitzki
5. Taking home hardware: Derrick Rose
6. Making it rain (3-pointers): Ray Allen
7. Taking a tumble: Dikembe Mutombo
8. Shedding a boot: Michael Crabtree
9. Inching up the draft board: Jason Smith
10. Getting lit up: Chien-Ming Wang
Happy Birthday
To Lee Majors (70), four-time “World’s Strongest Man” Magnus Ver Magnusson (46) and Andruw Jones (32). Celebrate by purchasing a bionic limb, towing a bus with your legs and proving to the world you’re not washed up yet.
Mike Finger
When Dallas Mavericks center Erick Dampier talked about the need to put Tony Parker “on his back” this week, he might have been over the line. But he was just upholding a tradition.
From the days of Bob Gibson on the mound, Dick Butkus and Jack Lambert in the front seven, the Detroit Pistons' “Bad Boys” in the NBA and just about every hockey game ever played, the implied threat of violence has always been a part of professional sports. Sometimes, those threats become more public than the leagues would like, which is why the NBA reportedly looked into Dampier's remarks.
Here's a look at a few other incidents the commissioners would rather forget:
The “Bounty Bowls”
When the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-0 on Nov. 23, 1989, it wasn’t merely the worst loss the Cowboys had ever endured on Thanksgiving. It was the beginning of one of the most deliciously sordid controversies in NFL history.
Cowboys kicker Luis Zendejas, who had played previously for the Eagles, was pummeled by Philadelphia’s Jessie Small on a kickoff and suffered a concussion. After the game, he told Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson that Eagles coach Buddy Ryan routinely offered $100-$200 bounties to his players for taking out opposing quarterbacks and kickers. That, in part, led Johnson to accuse Ryan of putting up bounties on specific Cowboys, and he made a reference to Ryan’s “big, fat rear end.”
Less than a month later, in what was dubbed “Bounty Bowl II,” the Eagles won 20-10, but that game is better remembered for the deluge of snowballs Philadelphia fans hurled at officials and Cowboys coaches and players.
Ultimate headhunting
Beanballs have been part of the baseball culture almost since the game’s invention. But for the most part, it is a phenomenon that is to be seen, and not spoken of.
But every now and then the threats become more than subtle, and that’s what happened during the notoriously testy 2003 version of the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry.
After Boston’s Kevin Millar was hit by a Roger Clemens fastball in July, Millar was furious about both the pitch and Clemens’ lack of remorse. That week, he uttered a phrase that proved to be more prophetic than even he likely realized.
“If they want to get into any headhunting thing,” Millar said, “we’ve got the ultimate headhunter on our side.”
Millar, of course, was referring to Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, a well-known beanball artist. And when tensions came to a head in the playoffs that October — with Martinez throwing behind Karim Garcia and then memorably pushing 72-year-old Yankees bench coach Don Zimmer to the ground in the fracas that followed — it was clear Millar’s threat wasn’t a hollow one.
New-era NFL smack-talk
Short of perhaps boxing press conferences, there is no likelier locale for vows of causing physical harm than at the locker of an NFL linebacker or defensive back. It seems that almost every week there is a warning to a mouthy opposing wide receiver about coming over the middle, or a proclamation about the importance of putting a quarterback on his back.
But even in that culture there are moments in which certain threats stand out. Many of them come from the mouth of Joey Porter, the brash linebacker who infamously announced before Super Bowl XL that he was gunning for Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens.
“I’ve got my first taste of blood,” Porter said, “and now I’m thirsty for more.”
Then, in 2007, Cowboys linebacker Bradie James took a new approach to bounties. Angered by comments Jon Kitna had made about him, James intimated his teammates could earn some free food if they took out some of their frustrations on the Detroit Lions quarterback.
“Everybody knows that a guy on the opposing team has been talking a little too much,” James said. “So, we’ll see. I might have to take someone out to lunch after the game.”
And therein lies some of the danger of making threats in today’s vagabond professional sports environment. James and Kitna now share a locker room.
No word on whether they’ve shared a meal.
Hot List
A glance at the top 10 trends of the week, along with the people making them popular:
1. Attacking the basket: Tony Parker
2. Getting fed up: Erick Dampier
3. Seizing an opportunity: Matt Bonner
4. Getting lost in the crowd: Dirk Nowitzki
5. Taking home hardware: Derrick Rose
6. Making it rain (3-pointers): Ray Allen
7. Taking a tumble: Dikembe Mutombo
8. Shedding a boot: Michael Crabtree
9. Inching up the draft board: Jason Smith
10. Getting lit up: Chien-Ming Wang
Happy Birthday
To Lee Majors (70), four-time “World’s Strongest Man” Magnus Ver Magnusson (46) and Andruw Jones (32). Celebrate by purchasing a bionic limb, towing a bus with your legs and proving to the world you’re not washed up yet.