We knew it was coming.
Another avalanche of unmitigated love and admiration from Brucie. How dare you you act this way, Warriors fans! Shame on you. Oh Brucie. Please.
Sounds like another phoner with RadUnich and KrUEger on the way, chief fawners.
Thankfully, ESPN's Bill Simmons gives us more perspective on la affair, le Joe Lacob.
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Bill Simmons wrote an excellent piecde for ESPNabout the Warriors long history of incompetence.
ReplyDeleteMany of us had forgotten how many bad moves this franchise has mae over the past 35 years. They've been to the playoffs only six times over that span and have won just four series in those 35 years.
They've traded the likes of Robert Parrish, Bernard King, Chris Webber, Mitch Richmond, and Jeremy Lin for very little in return...and they've made some horrible draft decisions, bringing in the likes of stiffs such as Chris Washburn and Todd Fuller.
Joe Lacob should have known he was going to be the target of the fans' wrath when he took the court to speak, and even though he said later that he wanted to show everyone that it was his idea to bring Chris Mullin back for the jersey-retiring ceremony, he didn't need to prove to the fans how wonderful an owner he is compared to the abomidably stupid Chris Cohan.
Warrior fans may be loyal, but their patience is wearing thin. I'm still amazed that they get 17,000 plus fans night to shell out an average of $75 each (not including parking and concessions) to watch such crap.
Yet with all of that said, they could have shown some class by not drowning out Lacob with a torrent of boos. It was Chris Mullin's night, and they could have made their displeasure of Lacob's appearance plain with some boos when he was announced by Greg Papa, and left it at that. Instead, the rude fans became more of the show than Mullin and helped to put a black eye on what had been previously a memorable night.
Leave it to the Warriors to be dogged by bad luck; even on a night when they're celebrating the history of one of the franchises' great players, a boorish display of fan behavior became a bigger story.
And I vehemently disagree with what Rich says about Bruce Jenkins. I have a lot respect for Bruce; he knows the NBA and has covered it since the 1970s, he is the best sportswriter on the Chronicle, and he was absolutely on the money when he said that the booing fans at Oakland that night showed no class.
I agree with the above comment. I listened to Bruce yesterday and thought he was spot on. I always find Bruce's insights to be fair. I have always appreciated someone like Bruce who can make his point without screaming, ripping or being mean spirited. It seems to me journalists have to have an edge these days to be favored. I am quite able to be entertained without someone having to drop their pants!
ReplyDeleteRich,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the comprehensive Bill Simmons article detailing the sad, mind-numbing history of the Warriors. A true lesson of incompetence.
While Lacob certainly didn't deserve the wrath he received Monday night, he set himself up by for some-unknown-reason deciding to speak last...and the "oh and Chris, here's a week vacation to Maui for you and your family..." Certainly fitting of the moment. Wow.
ReplyDeleteWarrior fans are among the most patient (Mully asking for the fans patience was kind of...weird and laughable) and ardent perhaps of any, so they were well within their rights to unleash some fury at somebody...as was stated above, though, a chorus of boos at his announcement initially would have sufficed. But in the end, the seemingly unending rancor made the night that much more memorable. For the wrong reasons, but memorable nonetheless.
I think the team is making the right move, it's a good draft next year - who knows, a top 5 player and a decent free agent could make the team relevant again.
ReplyDeleteThough reading that Simmons article was like reliving getting punched in the nuts 60 times. Pretty amazing that the pro sports team that has the biggest monopoly in the Bay Area could be so bad during the greatest boom era in NBA history.
What a piece by Simmons! Painfully true. Fans have a right to bitch. Timing sucked, but that's life. Mr. Jenkins is a solid writer, but he's wrong here. People are pissed. Pro sports aren't cheap. Fans make an investment in time and money. They want results. They don't want propaganda from Comcast and the sports bleeder. Take the ear rings off the pig. It's not pretty. Neither are the Warriors. Fans, make a statement. STOP SHOWING UP! If you keep coming, the owners won't care. They just want your hard earned dollars. WAKE UP! They need you more than you need them! Stop being sucked in by the propaganda. Think with your brains and not with your privates. YOU HAVE CONTROL.
ReplyDeleteThinking with your privates?
DeleteAre they supporting the Warriors because they want to sleep with them?? lol
But yes, I agree. The fans have shown their "respect" by supporting a bad franchise for many years. Keep paying for crap and the incentive to change isn't as strong.
Is anyone surprised by Jenkin's defense of Lacob?
ReplyDeleteThe Chronicle sports writers cover up the short-comings of the Giants, 49ers and the Warriors.
They fear losing their jobs.
That's ridiculous. Chronicle sports writers don't work for the teams they work for the newspapers and offer lots of criticism when appropriate. Jenkins was just offering his opinion which I disagree with.
DeleteOne person who does work for the Warriors and never criticizes them is that tool, Bob Fitzgerald. If you heard him on KNBR the next day he was kissing Lacob's ass big time and ranting about those "sorry fans" who booed.
What else would you expect from fatty-Fitz? He's the all-time suck-up, brown-nose king of the local media, and has been for years. It's the only way he's managed to keep his job all these years.
ReplyDeleteHe's
used this M.O. from the very start. How else would a guy who was working in sales with no professional broadcast experience get his first job on KNBR back in 1992 at the age of only 26? Take note all of you young-eager beavers! If you want to make it in broadcasting these days, just find out who the boss is, and make some slick effort to ingratiate yourself with them...then suck up to them shamelessly and stab anyone in the back who gets in your way, as Fitz has. What a tool!