Peter May's Strange Ron Mercer Story

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

                 [The Boston Globe Online][Boston.com]

                 [Boston Globe Online / Sports]

                 Mercer 'pratice' consists of no-shows

                 By Peter May, Globe Staff, 12/10/98

                 The breathless announcement from the New York
                 public relations firm went straight to the point:
                ''To help prevent the Celtics from losing their
                 collective rhythm, Ron Mercer has stepped up to lead the
                 team in some intense practice sessions.''

                 Well, the Celtics may still have what's left of their
                ''collective rhythm,'' but they seem to have lost their
                 sense of collective time.

                 Those intense practice sessions? The first one never
                 happened because no one, including Mercer, showed up. The
                 Terrie Williams Agency in New York had notified the Globe
                 and other media outlets Tuesday night that Mercer was
                 arranging two practice sessions at Brandeis. Their
                 release was headlined, ''Ron Mercer Helps Bring A Merry
                 Christmas To'' and said the guard was ''bringing together
                 his Celtics teammates'' for the workouts.

                 The first session was to be held from 10 a.m.-noon
                 yesterday. The two hours came and went with nary a
                 Celtic.

                 Mercer had, in fact, inquired about the availability of
                 the main basketball floor; the Celtics' practice floor is
                 unavailable because of the NBA lockout, as are the locker
                 room, weight room, and even team basketballs.

                 A Brandeis official said the university had been led to
                 expect only a handful of Celtics for possibly a half-hour
                 of light shooting.

                 There is supposed to be a second ''intense practice
                 session'' this morning at 10.

                 Jocelyn Monroe of the Terrie Williams Agency was out of
                 the office yesterday and not immediately available for
                 comment.

                 PETER MAY

                 This story ran on page B06 of the Boston Globe on
                 12/10/98.
                 © Copyright 1998 Globe Newspaper Company.