I think the article is rather condescending to the fine athletes who have chosen to go and represent their country. There are reasons for some, who are not there, to be absent. Can you tell me, in all honesty, that if you were the owner of the Lakers, you would want Shaq to delay surgery so he could participate in these games? I wouldn't. Also, some of these guys are family men. Spending time with their children and families is important to many of them...and if they decided to take their kids away just before the start of school, knowing they will be back to work shortly anyway, what right would any of us have in finding fault with that? Here, for example, Steve Nash, at the last moment, decided he couldn't play with Canada. Of course there was just a small detail of Mark Cuban wanting an adequate insurance policy in case Nash was injured and unable to perform for the Mavs. Nash, a bachelor, was heartbroken because he WANTED to play. How they could not have arrived at an agreement, I don't know. Is Pierce's insurance policy strucured in such a way that IF he was injured during this tournament, the C's would be covered with a policy that somehow would provide equivalent compensation? I honestly believe we place too much pressure on athletes to play for this reason or that reason when there are far more important things taking place on this continent than the results of a game or two. Cecil -----Original Message----- From: Lance Jacobson [mailto:lancejacob@attbi.com] Sent: September 04, 2002 3:41 PM To: Tammo29@AOL.com; celtics@igtc.com Subject: Re: more pack journalism I think it's become obvious that the media is dying for a U.S. loss, although Deveney is the first writer I've seen actually admit to it. You would think American pride would be more important than any "I told you so's", but I guess not>>Tammo29. Tammo's got me filtered, so I don't expect a direct response, but I read the author's pleading for a loss another way. He's seeing sloppy play by the Americans, and it's as much a testament to the missing talent of Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, and Tracy as it is to the limited practice time. He'd like to see more of the top players willing to play to show just HOW GOOD the US players are, rather than just eking out a win. He feels this will only happen if the team loses, and the best Americans are drawn into defending the honor of the U.S.A. Tammo thinks that the author should root for the U.S. I don't see why. These guys don't truly represent the best we have, and if that's what we're putting forth against the world's best, then we need the wakeup call of a loss. Just another example of how Tammo interprets things differently than I.