Re: A comment about Mercer.....

[j.hironaka@unesco.org]

Jim Hill wrote:

> Joe H. thoughtfully stated:
>
> "I believe (I still do) that some people secretly hope for Antoine to get
> arrested on a drug charge, just to prove we were "right all along in our
> hunch about his kind". While it is certainly poor breeding that makes me
> raise the moot and self-righteous topic of race on this discussion list,
> it is also staggeringly disingenous IMHO to suggest that race (or how we
> expect "acceptable" black athletes to behave) is not an issue in Boston
> that prevents us from evaluating players more ntelligently."
>
> Sorry Joe, but I don't buy your theory.  In fact, I find it ludicrous.
>
> I have lived in the Boston area for most of my life.  I have lived in
> four different communities.  I am the generation that grew up with
> "busing", the integration of suburban schools with "inner city" kid's.
> All of the kid's bused to my school were African Americans.  I also
> volunteer twice a week at my children's elementary school and have for
> five years. I also own a business that interacts with 100's of other
> business' from all over the country every week.  We deal with everyone
> from Clerk's to Salespeople to Officer's.
> I can not name one single person I have interacted with in the last 15
> years who would wish the downfall of a persons career because of the
> color of that person's skin.
> Now I won't say that there isn't some racism in Boston or anywhere else
> for that matter.  But to suggest that Walker was being booed because of
> the color of his skin is just plain wrong.
> He was being booed because of his play.  Or lack thereof.  I dare anyone
> to prove that he started to work an hour a day on his free throw
> shooting prior to being booed.  He did afterwards.  The continued boo's
> may not have been "fair" but I thought were used initially to reinforce
> his "good play" vs. sliding back into his "prior play".  The fan's also
> cheered his successes.  If Pitino could control Walker's play on the
> court to be the driving, rebounding and passing play style that the
> Garden Fans were demanding, or Walker played that style himself, the
> booing never would have happened.
> The Garden Fan's did not boo Walker the first two years did they?  Now
> all of a sudden they don't like him because he is African American?
> Baloney.  Did they just notice this detail?
> Walker just signed as the highest payed player in team history.  He damn
> well better give the effort required to earn that money.  Look at the
> beginning of the year when Dana Barros was considered by many to be an
> overpaid underachiever.  At the end of the year he was a reasonably paid
> achiever who could be used in a trade.
> Barros put in the effort and it showed.  From the beginning of the
> season he gave the effort.  Walker did not appear to give the effort and
> it showed.
> Walker is not paid as a "young man", he is paid as one of the very best
> in the game of professional basketball.  The maximum allowed under the
> rules.
> Is there one person on this list that feel's that Walker gave even 100%
> the entire season?  For being paid the most in team history, that is
> only the starting point.
> Boston sports fan's demand that the best home player on the field, ice,
> court etc... give the effort the best ALWAYS give.  All the time.
> Period.  Or don't take the role as the "best".
> If Walker wasn't able/willing to take on the role as the "best on the
> court and deserve to be paid that way" he should have opted for a lower
> salary.
> Since he did make that choice, it's time to put out the effort required
> to earn the salary.
> If he doesn't, he will be booed next season too.
> And I don't care what color his skin is, he will deserve the booing, as
> he did initially this last season.
> I believe that to be the same opinions of the Fan's I met at the Garden
> this past year.
> It's always about the money Joe.  If you "earn it" you get respected.
> If you don't "earn it" with your effort or with the results, you get
> jeered.
>
> "This isn't Kansas any more, Toto".
>
> Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Walker.  Can you measure up?

Thoughtfully stated, yourself. That's why I enjoy this discussion list.

I've lived in Boston too so I'm in a position to not have to take someone's
word on it regarding race attitudes there. If I were a whiner, I could
recount some lousy incidents I saw first hand (although I rarely ventured
outside of campus, I was in a "big brother" programme for 8 black kids age 7
to 13, plus I taught in an elementary school in Chinatown and also to adult
Vietnamese immigrants).

Of course that was the 1980s, and hopefully things are better now. One nice
incident - I took the kids to Fenway Park and a couple of young (white)
working class guys bought all 8 kids an ice cream bar without making any
kind of big deal about it. Mo Vaughn immediately crushed a homer right into
the bullpen in front of us.

Take care,

Joe

p.s. Jim, on the subject of leasing services, why in the world did "Nation's
Rent" buy so many advertising spots for the televised Celtics games last
year? I mean, what segment of the viewing audience is actually watching
these adverts and thinking: "Cripes, you know honey I think we need to rent
on short notice a couple of serious bulldozers and other heavy machinery
this weekend."

******