Globe/Herald on the stabbing

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

In the morning papers, Patriot's pro bowl cornerback Ty Law reacts to
friend's stabbing. Jo Jo, Blount, Chris and ML Carr, Jungle Jim
Loscutoff and others react as well. A little surprising that McCarty
would give it a blunt "no comment". Good piece of background reporting
by Shira Springer highlights how surprising it is what happened to
Pierce. Gerry Callahan portrays Pierce as something of a party animal,
without passing judgement on it.

---------

Law reacts to stabbing
Patriots Notebook/by Michael Felger
Tuesday, September 26, 2000

FOXBORO - Being a fellow high-profile athlete in New England, Ty Law has
come to know Celtics guard Paul Pierce. Yesterday, Law spoke out for his
friend, who was stabbed seven times in a bar fight early yesterday
morning.

``He's one of the good guys,'' Law said. ``I don't see a reason for
anybody to do something like that to a guy like Paul Pierce. . . . There
are a lot of jealous people out there. He is a target. He is a big name
in this city. At the same time, he should be allowed to go out and have
a good time. I don't know the details of the situation, but all I know
is what I know about Paul Pierce - and he's a damn good guy.''

Law grew up on the streets of Aliquippa, Pa., and through his rise to
fame and fortune, he has learned to avoid the type of situation that
Pierce may have found himself in yesterday.

``The one that is willing to run is the one that lives to tell the
tale,'' Law said. ``I'm getting the hell out of Dodge if something like
that happens to me. If you're pinned into a corner and you have stick up
for yourself then (you do) - because I come from a place like that. I
was born and raised around that type of atmosphere.

``But at the same time. . . . I'm going to run. I lived that life plenty
of days back where I came from. Right now, it's not worth it, now that I
have a daughter of my own. The way I want to show off is show off on the
field.''

---------------

Expressions of anger, shock over incident


By John Vellante, Globe Staff, 9/26/2000

     CELTICS COVERAGE
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SALEM - Celtics players past and present expressed shock and anger at
the stabbing of Paul Pierce, who was in fair but stable condition last
night at New England Medical Center.

The stabbing cast a pall over the Red Auerbach Youth Foundation All-Star
Celebrity Golf Tournament yesterday at Kernwood Country Club. Many
current Celtics, including Pierce, were scheduled to play, but most
backed out and chose to stay close by their fallen teammate.

But Walter McCarty and Adrian Griffin did play, as did free agent Chris
Carr. Another free agent, Mark Blount, showed up for the post-tournament
activities.

Visibly shaken was former Celtic Jo Jo White, who, like Pierce, played
collegiately at Kansas.

''I think I might have been as devastated as anyone,'' said White. ''I
think I may have been the first one to hear it this morning. We had just
gotten our kids off to school and my wife and I sat down to watch the
news and that's when we saw it.

''I was in shock. I've been with Paul most of the summer working out in
Kansas. He was working hard and excited and anticipating the season as I
was. Then I hear this. I was devastated.

''He did his camp in Kansas and I was with him and we were together in
the Bahamas, so I had a chance to really talk up close with him. We
talked about the expectations of the season. He was very excited about
it.''

At the hospital, Pierce was visited by Celtics personnel past and
present, including Dana Barros, M.L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and coach
Rick Pitino. General manager Chris Wallace, head trainer Ed Lacerte, and
vice president of media relations Jeff Twiss stayed longer to monitor
the situation.

The sight of visitors was taken as a positive sign.

''He's doing fine,'' said Pitino as he left. ''We're all hoping for a
speedy recovery.''

White, at the golf tournament, said people in the limelight such as
Pierce are more susceptible to attacks.

''There's the jealousy and all sorts of things,'' said White. ''It's
just unfortunate that now the rules have changed that allow young
athletes to come in at an early age. I think it turns on a light for the
Boston Celtics to realize that once they become our property, it's our
responsibility to make them aware of the position they're in and make
them aware of certain places to go and not to go, and surround them with
as many veterans as we can. Even though this is a tragedy, I'm one who
believes things happen for a reason.''

Former player and coach K.C. Jones said, ''I'm shocked, but I don't know
if I'm surprised.'' He recounted an incident he had in Boston that had
the potential to turn ugly.

''I experienced it some years ago when I was a player,'' said Jones. ''I
was sitting at a bar and some people came by me and made some obscene
gestures. It could have easily been a fight, so I decided the best thing
to do was to quietly and quickly leave.

''But this hurts. I really feel bad about this.''

Chris Carr, who hopes to make the Celtics after being signed as a free
agent from the Bulls, said, ''I'm shocked, to say the least. This is a
tragic situation that hopefully we'll all be able to recover from.

''I feel really bad for [Pierce] but I think this puts things in
perspective for us from the standpoint that we all know now that we have
to take more control of our lives, even more so, because life isn't
promised to us.

''A guy like Paul had the grace of God with him or he wouldn't be here
with us today. That being said, everybody has to do a better job of
watching out for themselves, because nobody else is going to watch out
for us.''

Carr said today's athletes have to watch every turn they make.

''A lot of this stems from jealousy, then there's the individual that
wants to make a name for himself,'' he said. ''Whatever the situation,
we're definitely targeted more so than the everyday person. Maybe fear's
not the right word, but you're always conscious of everything you're
doing.''

Blount, a free agent out of Pittsburgh, said he was saddened that this
could happen to ''a good person with a good heart. When I first heard
it, I was angry. I couldn't believe it. We have to take it upon ourself
to take more precautions. We're publicized, our contracts are out there,
everything's on the line, nothing's hidden. I'm just grateful that Paul
is still alive.''

M.L. Carr, another former coach and player, said, ''It's unfortunate,
but it's indicative of society. It's where we are. A young guy like
Pierce, he's a good kid. You like to think those things aren't going to
happen, but they do. Our prayers are with him and hopefully he'll bounce
back from this.

''Any public person is more of a target. Things like this can happen at
any time, but it's always a shock when it happens to someone of note,
someone in your family.''

When asked his reaction, former Celtic ''Jungle Jim'' Loscutoff took a
deep breath, then said, ''There should be a curfew law, that's my
reaction. These athletes of today, you know, they party and they stay
out late, etc., etc. I think that Pierce is a nice kid, but in a
situation like that, it's a blackboard jungle, more or less. They've got
to take care of themselves and stay away from altercations. If there's
an altercation of any sort, just walk away from it.''

McCarty chose not to talk about the stabbing.

''I have no comment on that,'' he said. ''If you want to talk about
basketball, I'll talk about basketball.''

It wasn't just those in the basketball world who were disturbed by the
attack. Bruins goalie Byron Dafoe said, ''It's a little wake-up call.
Sometimes you go the whole summer and you're kind of anonymous because
you're back in your small towns or whatever. It makes you realize
anything can happen to anyone out here. No one is invincible, and when
you are out in the city, you are in the spotlight whether you think it
or not.''

-----------


Stabbing pain

Ever-careful Pierce found harm's way


By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 9/26/2000

     CELTICS COVERAGE
from Boston.com

TODAY'S STORIES
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During a recent drive through his hometown of Inglewood, Calif., Celtics
forward/guard Paul Pierce pointed out gang graffiti as he made his way
down dangerous streets. He parked his Mercedes-Benz outside Rogers Park,
where he'd played pickup games as a child, and surveyed the scene before
venturing outside.

Pierce always exercises caution. He hangs out with trusted friends. He
carries

his celebrity lightly, stashing a basketball and an extra pair of
sneakers in his trunk in case anyone challenges him to a game of
one-on-one. Pierce, 22, experienced enough things growing up in
Inglewood to avoid situations where trouble might find him.

''I've got friends who got shot here,'' said Pierce that day while
leaving Rogers Park.

''You've got to be careful. Anytime. You never know what's going to
happen. Inglewood's a place where a lot of people are hustling. You
never know what's on anybody's agenda. I was just fortunate to grow up
with the right people.''

But early yesterday morning, while attending a private party at the Buzz
Club in Boston, Pierce was the victim of a stabbing. He suffered
multiple wounds to the neck, back, and face, and was listed in fair
condition at New England Medical Center after undergoing surgery. The
attack shocked those closest to Pierce, who know him as someone who does
not take chances with his personal safety.

''I've been out a couple of times with him at various places and
parties,'' said Patrick Roy, Pierce's coach at Inglewood High School
coach and a friend. ''Paul is very conservative at parties, so when you
hear he was stabbed 11 times to the front, back, and neck, it's real
scary. Paul has seen his share of violence. Definitely living in that
situation makes you aware of what's out there. After getting to the NBA,
he became even more cautious.''

Following three years at the University of Kansas, Pierce arrived in
Boston as the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Last season, he
averaged 19.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, and he ranked
second in the league with 2.08 steals per game.

Pierce had vowed to ''unleash the dragon'' and take his game to another
level this year.

When Pierce was a child, his single mother, Lorraine Hosey, thought
sports were the best way to keep her three sons off the streets. Hosey
made sure they stayed far away from the crime and gangs that were
ever-present in Inglewood.

''I brought Paul to school and I picked him up,'' said Hosey. ''I made
sure [he was safe]. I was really concerned because I didn't want him to
get in with the wrong crowd. I was so happy when he focused on
basketball the way he did. He would be in the gym from the time he got
out of school until I picked him up.''

Pierce said gangs tried to get him to join, ''but you see what's going
on and you don't want to get caught up in the crossfire. Basketball kept
me out of that.''

Though he dabbled with baseball and football, basketball became his
obsession. He saw Magic Johnson drive down Manchester Boulevard to
Lakers games at the Forum. At Rogers Park, he watched NBA players
practice their moves. At the ''dunking courts'' across from the Forum,
where the baskets were lowered to 81/2 feet, he dreamed.

Making the dream a reality was never a certainty. With a mix of
frustration and resignation, Pierce sat on the bench in high school for
eight straight games at the start of his sophomore season. He was
blessed with a deft shooting touch but cursed with an overweight,
5-foot-10-inch frame. Finally given the chance to play in a Christmas
tournament, Pierce showed his talent. After almost being demoted to
junior varsity, he soon earned a varsity starting spot.

He worked out at 5:30 every morning before school, setting higher and
higher goals, until he became a McDonald's All-American. He maintains
that work ethic and passion for the game. Over the summer, he reviewed
each Celtics game from last season at least three times.

Though Pierce takes his personal safety and basketball seriously, he
jokes and smiles about everything else. Asked to describe Pierce, his
former Kansas teammates recalled his work ethic as well as his penchant
for practical jokes, his attempts to lighten the mood during team
dinners and team meetings.

A recent visit to Inglewood High brought out the prankster in Pierce. He
walked into the basketball office and asked for Coach Roy. Told Roy was
not around, Pierce conned two new administrators into believing he was a
transfer student from Mississippi, ready to start his senior year and
try out for a spot on the basketball team as a 6-foot-7-inch, 220-pound
forward.

''Well, tell Coach Roy that Paul stopped by,'' said Pierce. ''And I hope
I see you for all the right reasons this year.''

He left the office with the administrators none the wiser.

Pierce's easygoing manner arises from the confidence of being a
professional basketball player, as well as the good advice he received
along the way.

Scott Collins, a detective with the Inglewood Police who is a surrogate
father to Pierce, said recently, ''We had a lot of long talks, not about
basketball, but about being successful in life. I told him, `You've got
to be happy in who you are.' Also, I told him, `Always remember that
people know you. If you are out, be careful who you hang with. It's best
to stand on your own. If you're going to make a mistake doing something,
make it because you decided to do it. Always have your eyes open. Think
that someone's always watching.'''

Early yesterday morning, unfortunately, someone was watching.


------------
Rules don't apply: Pierce stabbing shows no one escapes madness
by Gerry Callahan

(snip) The dispute allegedly began in the early hours Sunday morning
outside of the Top Cat Lounge, a nightclub near Faneuil Hall, as Pierce
walked to his limousine with friends. The incident then resumed near the
pool table at a place called Buzz Club early yesterday morning.

``They exchanged words out on the street near the limo,'' said one
witness to the Saturday night argument. ``But Pierce and his buddies got
out of there. Nothing came of it that night.''

Early Monday morning, the Celtics star was stabbed seven times and
rushed to New England Medical Center by teammate Tony Battie and others.
His condition last night was listed as fair, and by most accounts, it
could have been much worse. Cops have an expression for a stabbing
attack that is meant only to scare the victim or make a statement.

``A calling card - that's just a couple of quick jabs to make a point,''
said one cop yesterday. ``This doesn't sound like that. Anytime you're
cutting someone near the neck and face, you mean business.''

Brash and confident, Pierce appeared unafraid to live his life like any
other 22-year-old guy, out in the public, in the clubs and the bars. He
was at The Rack the other night with E! channel's Jules Asner for ``Wild
on Beantown,'' a lively bash that still has them buzzing around the
city. He liked to dance and talk and play pool, and if there was a knock
against him, it was that he could be somewhat naive.