More Pierce commentary - Herald (Joe Fitzgerald)

[CeltsSteve@xxxxxxx]

http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/fitz09252002.htm


For some, celebs have bull's-eyes on their backs 

by Joe Fitzgerald 
Wednesday, September 25, 2002


Satch Sanders, who does orientation for the NBA, offering guidance to each year's crop of rookies, will now add Paul Pierce's experience to his inventory of horror stories, though he doesn't need to borrow any because he has horror stories of his own.


``These things have always occurred,'' he said. ``There's always someone who thinks you're getting more attention than you deserve, and anyone can become a target; once you get that high profile, your life changes whether you like it or not.''

Sanders, 63, the superb defensive forward whose number (16) the Celtics retired, played a major role in eight championships during his 13-year career but was never regarded as a superstar, certainly not of the stature Pierce enjoys today.

Just being a Celtic, however, was sufficient to put him in harm's way one night.

``I was in a Boston club, talking with a young lady, when this guy confronts me, telling me he had been spending time with her before I arrived. I said, `Friend, that's between you and her.'

``Now he's yelling, `You think you're so big-time because you're a Celtic. You ain't nothing!' Everybody is looking. I said, `Would you please just leave me the hell alone?'

``Then he exposes the butt of a gun, grabs it and asks, `You want to do something about it?' What was I to do at that point? Attack him? Raise my hands? Try to leave? It was a very tenuous moment. What I did was sit down, turn my back to him, and listen to a whole lot of abuse about how I had no guts, no this, no that, until management realized what was happening and took him out.''

So Pierce's experience at a club called the Buzz wasn't hard for Sanders to understand.

``I know this kid and believe me, that's just what he is, a nice kid, a good guy, nothing loud about him at all.''

Then what, he was asked, is the lesson to be shared?

``Most of these situations occur late at night when they're made worse by alcohol or whatever the drug of choice might be. So I point out that the later it gets, the more the likelihood of trouble increases. Yet I'm talking to young men, so it's not realistic to tell them, `Stay home, or at least make sure you're in by 11.' That's not going to work. What I tell them is they need to control their environments as much as they can.

``In Pierce's case, it got physical, but there are other ways to beat up someone; it can be verbal or psychological, too. You have to know how to turn away, which isn't easy, especially if you've got a bill to pay. You can't just get up and walk out. That's why guys who know they're targets need to go to places where management is familiar with the problem and will protect them.''

Walking away, Satch admits, isn't always an option either.

``It's not like talk radio,'' he agreed. ``You'll hear people calling in just to see if they can embarrass someone supposedly more knowledgeable. But the host always has the final word; when he realizes he's not winning, you'll hear a click, cutting off the caller, followed by, `He's an idiot.' You can do that on radio; ending a conversation in a bar is a lot harder.''

Athletes also become obvious targets because of the macho nature of sports; beating up an accountant is useless for braggadocio.

``But it's not just sports,'' Sanders said. ``We're talking human nature. Go to a popular club where someone's an outstanding dancer, the kind who turns everyone else into spectators. Girls start thinking, `Wow, he's great,' which really annoys the guy who can barely move his feet because the lady he's trying to impress is suddenly enthralled by someone else.

``Soon you hear, `He's nothing! I bet he doesn't even have a job.' And it's being said loud enough for the dancer to hear. The poor guy's not doing anything but getting a little exercise, and now he's got a problem on his hands.''

Like the mythical dancer, Pierce found himself with a problem on his hands, one that nearly cost him his life.

This year's class of rookies has been told all about it for whatever good it might do, which might not be a lot.

``There will always be someone whose jealousy can't be avoided,'' Sanders said, ``There's no getting away from that. So you just have to be careful, realizing trouble can find you even when you're doing nothing wrong, as we've just seen again.''