- 06:25 PM
- 11/05/24
All I have to say to those who suggest that this should not be pursued in any legal arena as assault because it occured in the context of the game would be to consider this - Change the sport to baseball. Random batter is at the plate, his team is being blown out by a much better team and he is totally frustrated. He swats at the ball, whiffs, and strikes out to end the inning. As he leaves the field mired in his frustration, he turns around and swings his Louisville Slugger at the pitcher's head, opening up a gash and causing the pitcher to leave the game to receive stitches to close the wound. Would you suggest to me that because the assault of taking a baseball bat to the head of the pitcher occured during the game that the offender should escape criminal charges and instead face a meaningless fine and miss a few games? Come on. What happened in Nashville Sunday afternoon was in no way, shape, or form associated with the game of football. It did not occur in the course of play and had no bearing on the game. It was in fact a criminal assault just as thuggish (and illegal) as taking a baseball bat to someone's head, and as such it should be dealt with so that not only will this individual never find himself in the position where he might "lose control" and do something even worse (ban the jerk for life!), but also to ensure that other players who "live on the edge of sanity" during games have cause to stop and rethink an assault they feel like carrying out before they find themselves staring at the same consequences. Lifetime bans can go a long way to correcting criminal behavior in professional sports.
posted by Daddy Crush at 01:36 PM on October 02, 2006
wow...talk about a "don't blink!" moment. Seriously... count out two seconds to yourself it's not that long...it takes longer than two seconds to say the first sentence up there (at least here in the south... ; ) hehehe) I guess rules are rules and 2 seconds is no different than 2 minutes if you stick hard and fast to the rules. But my opinion is that sports in general, whether it be racing or football or baseball or whatever, are much more enjoyable to watch when those officiating the events temper the rules with common sense and a grasp of reasonable expectation that give a bit of room for the HUMAN judge to make a HUMAN call in the interest of the HUMAN competitors and the HUMANS watching the event. but that's just me
posted by Daddy Crush at 10:02 AM on August 14, 2006
Hey y'all...first post here for me, though I've been lurking for awhile now. : ) I've really enjoyed all the posts. Y'all are great! No one has brought up something that has been keeping me hungry for a Dallas/Miami Finals. A little while back, Shaq made a lot of noise publicly about how poor a player Dampier was. Damp just let it roll off his back and did not take the bait, but for those of us who are die-hard Mavs fans - we haven't forgotten! I would SO love to be courtside when the Mavs wrap the series to see the smile Damp sends Shaq's way as he prepares to hoist the NBA Championship trophy while Shaq can only watch from the sidelines. To be fair, I have noticed that lately Shaq has started shutting up and putting up, but these are the Dallas Mavericks and he has nothing but a very bad time in store for him and his team now. Check the earlier regular season match-ups between the two teams. Dallas in five - gonna finally win the title and they're gonna do it at home. (the only reason I don't say Dallas in four is that they have won every series this year on the other team's home court....they gotta be really tired of that happening and not being able to celebrate with their home fans. 1am in the airport is just not the same! LOL!) Also - a quick nod to both the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs. Between those two and the Mavs, I honestly believe that ANY of them could have made it to the Finals and had they done so ANY of them would be deserving of the chance. The West is definitely the Creme de la Creme imho.
posted by Daddy Crush at 04:55 PM on June 04, 2006
Talk about getting kicked in the teeth!
I don't really know about that Bishop, but I can at least argue the point that in your scenario the fastball thrown at the batter's head would have occured during the course of gameplay. Now if a pitcher, in between innings, or batters, or whatever, takes the ball and pelts a player in the bean with it, opens them up like a overripened canteloupe, then I would classify that as assault as well and instead of retiring to the clubhouse, they should get a first-class seat in the back of a police cruiser. During the game, part of the tactics of some managers/pitchers/catchers involves intentionally hitting batters and as such it is an accepted part of the game. Everyone knows it is a possibility and they are prepared for it to a certain extent. But to remove a batter's protective head gear, then assault him in a manner that is not consistant with playing the game - that's criminal and not really up for comparison between the two. Haynesworthless commited an act far outside the scope of the game and I for one don't think there is any place in the NFL for a Thug like that who has no regard for the rules that are in place to try and keep such a violent sport from killing and maiming all of its participants. For an act this aggregious, I don't see any need for leniency nor forgiveness. He did the crime, let him do the time. I have a million reasons for needing to go rob a bank and get me a nice chunk of money - but knowing I would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law keeps me honest and legal. I can't help but think that approach would work just fine in our Pro Sports as well.