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View Full Version : ESPN says Griffin is too soft.



soonerfan28
2/24/2009, 11:21 AM
I was just watching ESPN's First Take and they had the gall to say that Griffin is too soft for not responding when he has taken cheap shots in games this season. It makes me sick to think that we are telling these college players that you have to hit back instead of sitting back and proving it with your game. Am I wrong on thinking that we don't need a fist fight to prove how hard you are?

badger
2/24/2009, 11:32 AM
And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is why we will all be cozying up to CBS during the great month of March as opposed the alleged worldwide leader in sports, who can't even televise ONE lousy tournament game despite all of their alleged awesomeness.

C-B-S! C-B-S!

GrapevineSooner
2/24/2009, 11:36 AM
As a Dallas Mavericks' fan, I hear that label thrown out all the time to describe Dirk Nowitzki. When he does 'fight' back, he usually gets suspended.

Which is what would happen if Griffin tried to 'fight back' in the manner that these idiots want him to fight back in.

It's a stupid label as far as I'm concerned.

IronHorseSooner
2/24/2009, 11:44 AM
Who the bleep said that? Lupica? Digger?

Hot Rod
2/24/2009, 11:44 AM
Blake has too much class to fight back. Been raised by some good parents apparently.

SoonerJack
2/24/2009, 11:46 AM
soonerfan28, turn off espn. Pet your dog. Throw rocks at your neighbors fence. Have a taco. All of those endeavors will make you happier than watching espn. YWIA

Boomer.....
2/24/2009, 11:48 AM
Mmmmm....tacos.

NormanPride
2/24/2009, 11:54 AM
ESPN is getting more and more worthless. The more they talk like they really know what's going on, the more I don't want to watch.

sooner518
2/24/2009, 12:09 PM
is this online? Ive seen segments of this show online in the past. Who said it?

SOONER STEAKER
2/24/2009, 12:15 PM
Idiot speak. Digger needs to go back to digging graves, my bad, he diggs his grave deeper every time he speaks!

Dump Digger and bring in Clark Kellogg, he knows more basketball than digger has ever thought about knowing.

badger
2/24/2009, 12:28 PM
Idiot speak. Digger needs to go back to digging graves, my bad, he diggs his grave deeper every time he speaks!

Dump Digger and bring in Clark Kellogg, he knows more basketball than digger has ever thought about knowing.

Hate him as we all likely did when he was at Tech, Bobby Knight is the most fun to listen to. Putting him on as one of the commentators for the women's basketball tournament would instantly make ESPN's coverage of the thing better.

However, Dickie V... gawwwwwd, we muted the OU-texas game Saturday because of him. Even when he talks highly of OU, he is unbearable to listen to... baby.

To review:

MORE: Bobby Knight.
LESS: Digger Phelps.
NO MORE: Dick Vitale.

primetime43
2/24/2009, 12:40 PM
I think Dickie V has a new bromance with Willie Warren. He was def putting on his O face when Willie was putting on a show!

NormanPride
2/24/2009, 12:54 PM
And it was still disgusting.

GrapevineSooner
2/24/2009, 01:55 PM
Would I be a bad person to hope that Dickie gets his in the larynyx by a foul liner at Tropicana Field this summer?

I mean, as long as it doesn't threaten his life?

sooner518
2/24/2009, 01:58 PM
i just saw it on a replay on ESPN2. first off, the host guy, Jay something or other says that Blake chose not to play "even though he was cleared by the doctors to play".

WTF!? incorrect ******rocket

Just a dumb conversation altogether. Skip kind of defended Blake but basically said that he needs to strike back at these cheap shots or someone else on the team does. the other guy, no idea on his name, said Blake is too soft and needs to toughen up like Dejuan Blair.....his evidence was that Dejuan Blair got a black eye playing against Thabeet. I guess he hasnt seen Blake's black eye that he has sported all season.....

badger
2/24/2009, 02:15 PM
Would I be a bad person to hope that Dickie gets his in the larynyx by a foul liner at Tropicana Field this summer?

I mean, as long as it doesn't threaten his life?

I believe that Dick Vitale is a good person who got caught up in a gimmick that will now follow him around the rest of his career. His manufactured enthusiasm ending every sentence in the word "baby" is the equivalent of Keanu Reeves forever being labeled the "Whoa" guy from Matrix, or Mister T having to say "I pity the fool" in every endorsement deal he does... or Bart Simpson having to say "I didn't do it" at every turn in that one episode.

Dick Vitale will never have a job as a serious basketball-minded commentator and will always be the over enthusiastic "awesome, baby!" announcer that sounds too forced. And that is why he will never be taken seriously.

So, I pity him and don't want you to punch him in the larynyx. However, I do want him to be retired, effective immediately.

Scott D
2/24/2009, 02:23 PM
Would I be a bad person to hope that Dickie gets his in the larynyx by a foul liner at Tropicana Field this summer?

I mean, as long as it doesn't threaten his life?

I'm hoping that his throat problems that required surgery creep up on him enough to keep him from working the booth. Then ESPN can pay him to stay off to the side and only bring him out of mothballs when it's Jimmy V week on ESPN to panhandle for donations.

Gandalf_The_Grey
2/24/2009, 02:53 PM
This reminds me of the time Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer flipped Jordan onto his head. Phil Jackson asked Jordan if he was angry. Jordan smiled and said "No, they did exactly what they were supposed to do" Great players don't get even with their fists or retaliation from another teammate. Although I do wish Wright or Taylor would lay someone "accidently" out after some of the crap Blake has to put up with.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
2/24/2009, 02:56 PM
man shaq must have been soft his entire career too.

NormanPride
2/24/2009, 03:25 PM
Ghandi = soft
Jesus = pansy

ESPN rolls Old Testament style.

ouleaf
2/24/2009, 04:23 PM
His manufactured enthusiasm..........

always be over enthusiastic...........

And that is why he will never be taken seriously............

However, I do want him to be retired, effective immediately.

I don't think there is anything manufactured about his enthusiasm. He just flat out loves college basketball. I don't find fault in that, as one who also loves college basketball.

As far as being overly enthusiastic goes, if you're expecting something else from him by now just face facts that he isn't going to change.

As far as being taken seriously goes, I'd only argue by saying that he is a huge part of college basketball. ESPN has been doing this Mount Rushmore thing of late, and if you had to do one for College Basketball, you would have to put him on there.

As far as retiring goes, I say let him go as long as he wants to. He deserves the right to call it quits on his terms.


Vitale: You either love him or you hate him
Digger: An all-around a$$ pretty much, both as an analyst and a person
Last Night's OU-KU crew. Can't remember who it was exactly, but i thought they did a pretty good job.

Remembering Tom Stidham
2/24/2009, 04:32 PM
Jay Bilas? No one could ever accuse Blake of being soft.

Frozen Sooner
2/24/2009, 04:35 PM
I will say that I got EXTREMELY frustrated that while I was attempting to watch a game ESPN decided to go first full-screen with the Griffins on an in-the-stand interview then cut to half-and-half.

I'm watching a ****ing basketball game. I don't really need to watch Blake's parents interviewed again. If you want to interview them during the game, fine, but DON'T CUT AWAY FROM THE DAMN GAME.

Rock Hard Corn Frog
2/24/2009, 04:39 PM
Yeah ESPN is credible with enforcers such as Gotlieb. Blakes' PPG or Gotliebs' credit score...which is higher?

picasso
2/24/2009, 05:44 PM
I was just watching ESPN's First Take and they had the gall to say that Griffin is too soft for not responding when he has taken cheap shots in games this season. It makes me sick to think that we are telling these college players that you have to hit back instead of sitting back and proving it with your game. Am I wrong on thinking that we don't need a fist fight to prove how hard you are?

that's just stupid. who said that?

yeah I know, let's get the big guy pissed so he'll fight back and get kicked out.

pffft.

Alum81
2/24/2009, 07:24 PM
I'm sooo tired of all you posers coming to Blake's defense. He is soft! He is overweight! And he just happened to be the worst Head Football Coach.......

oh, wait.....

My bad! This is the Basketball forum......nevermind.

OUAlumni1990
2/24/2009, 08:57 PM
Man I really want to go to ESPN and rearrange their letters to "NESP". anybody want to make a road trip? ;)

OU_Sooners75
2/25/2009, 04:10 AM
Man I really want to go to ESPN and rearrange their letters to "NESP". anybody want to make a road trip? ;)


I'm game!:D

KingBarry
2/25/2009, 05:07 AM
Dickie V -- You youngsters won't remember it, but Mr Vital was a hoops god in the late 80s. Coincidentally, that's also the last time Oklahoma Basketball stood much on the national stage. I'll never forget "It's Billy Ball Baby!!!!"

Maybe he hasn't grown enough for some, or maybe he's past his prime, but fine, I'll take someone genuinely "over eager" over a corporate stuffed shirt any day.

Digger Phelps -- The first time I ever heard of this asshat (I didn't even know he was still alive until the last couple of weeks), he was openly rooting against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane during their championship run in the the NIT. I think it was 1982. That guy had the whole wrath of the City of Tulsa coming down on him for years after. Maybe they've forgotten up there, or moved on or whatever, but I don't think that I have ever seen so blatant a case of media bias. He just did not want Tulsa to win another game.

Maybe he hated TU so much because the Tulsa coach was an total jerk off? Just a guess, but it could be.....

soonerfan28
2/25/2009, 10:21 AM
that's just stupid. who said that?

yeah I know, let's get the big guy pissed so he'll fight back and get kicked out.

pffft.

Skip Bayless and somebody else. I didn't recognize the other guy because I rarely watch it but I was shocked because Bayless is from Oklahoma City. They both felt like he's kind of been soft all year by not standing up for himself and that if he wasn't going to stand up for himself then Taylor or somebody else should. When a player does retaliate then we say "you just can't do that in college basketball". In the end Griffin will do his fighting back with his game not his fists.

StoopTroup
2/25/2009, 10:28 AM
Blake was to busy posting double doubles on them to fight back.

sooner518
2/25/2009, 10:37 AM
its a no-win situation for Blake.

if he fights back, then the announcers call him "out of control" and "volatile" and that he shoudnt let the other teams' thuggery get into his head.

if he doesnt fight back, he is "soft". its idiotic

ouleaf
2/25/2009, 11:39 AM
That guy had the whole wrath of the City of Tulsa coming down on him for years after.

I mean no disrespect to the fine people of Tulsa, but that is just funny to me. The Wrath of Tulsa :D

badger
2/25/2009, 11:41 AM
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/51648/blakerice.jpg
Ref: That blood was already there, wasn't it?
Blake: NO! Elbow!
Ref: No, I think that's just part of your crimson-colored uniform. No foul...

The refs are just ready to T him up and seem to always be looking the other way when he gets this crap thrown at him. :mad:

Bourbon St Sooner
2/25/2009, 12:48 PM
Well, if the refs would start throwing some of these thugs out of games, maybe the NCAA could keep some of its star athletes in school. That's the appropriate response, not throwing more elbows like these *********s are suggesting.

soonerfan28
2/25/2009, 01:19 PM
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/51648/blakerice.jpg
Ref: That blood was already there, wasn't it?
Blake: NO! Elbow!
Ref: No, I think that's just part of your crimson-colored uniform. No foul...

The refs are just ready to T him up and seem to always be looking the other way when he gets this crap thrown at him. :mad:

Thats funny stuff.

Scott D
2/25/2009, 02:01 PM
Dickie V -- You youngsters won't remember it, but Mr Vital was a hoops god in the late 80s. Coincidentally, that's also the last time Oklahoma Basketball stood much on the national stage. I'll never forget "It's Billy Ball Baby!!!!"

Maybe he hasn't grown enough for some, or maybe he's past his prime, but fine, I'll take someone genuinely "over eager" over a corporate stuffed shirt any day.

Digger Phelps -- The first time I ever heard of this asshat (I didn't even know he was still alive until the last couple of weeks), he was openly rooting against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane during their championship run in the the NIT. I think it was 1982. That guy had the whole wrath of the City of Tulsa coming down on him for years after. Maybe they've forgotten up there, or moved on or whatever, but I don't think that I have ever seen so blatant a case of media bias. He just did not want Tulsa to win another game.

Maybe he hated TU so much because the Tulsa coach was an total jerk off? Just a guess, but it could be.....

a hoops god? The man who went to the owner of the Pistons and ASKED to be fired because he was a terrible coach a hoops god? I disagree sir.

IronHorseSooner
2/25/2009, 04:21 PM
Besides Blake being a classy player, there are two other reasons he will not resort to thuggish play:

1. He, along with Taylor and Wright, spent the summer with a retired Navy Seal. Folks in that profession are taught to keep their cool no matter what. The guy who trained them called it being the "Puppeteer." He's been physically trained not to retaliate.
2. He was raised in a Christian home that taught that resorting to thuggish play is wrong, and it's hard work, perservence, and class that help you succeed.

You don't stoop to the level of the kids from SUC or Utah, nor Pittman (aka Private Pyle) and Balbay from UTerus; you rise above it to be great. I guess some of these analysts just don't get it.

Eielson
2/25/2009, 05:45 PM
http://digitalheadbutt.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/angry-lou.jpg

Every day, every sport!

cheezyq
2/27/2009, 01:03 PM
Well, if the refs would start throwing some of these thugs out of games, maybe the NCAA could keep some of its star athletes in school. That's the appropriate response, not throwing more elbows like these *********s are suggesting.

I gotta agree with this. Who knows whether Blake would think about staying in school under normal circumstances. But the guy faces constant hacking, cheap shots, and triple teams. Knowing that and the fact that he should be facing a nice career in the NBA, it would be foolish to stay another year under those circumstances, risking serious injury nearly every time you step onto the court.

Shaq faced the same (and even worse) treatment at LSU and admitted that fear of injury was his prime reason for leaving after his freshman year.

Blake seems to like the college life (from appearances, I don't know him personally) and seems to truly want to be NBA-ready when he leaves. But at this point the risk is much greater than the potential benefits from staying and working on his game.

Gandalf_The_Grey
2/27/2009, 02:08 PM
If Blake is soft, I would hate to meet a bad mutha ****a

cheezyq
2/27/2009, 03:23 PM
Oh yeah, I forgot to add my final sentiment...

F*** ESPN. My enjoyment of sports in general got immensely better when I stopped watching that network for anything other than OU games. I don't read their garbage on their page either...just use it for scores and schedules.

GrapevineSooner
3/1/2009, 11:58 AM
Goatleap disagress.

He says that Blake going over the scorer's table backwards proves he's a warrior.

jkjsooner
3/1/2009, 05:46 PM
Shaq faced the same (and even worse) treatment at LSU and admitted that fear of injury was his prime reason for leaving after his freshman year.

.

Shaq actually played 3 years at LSU. :-)

It is true that he was beaten up and probably more importantly he was frustrated by collapsing zone defenses that he would not see in pros. LSU did not have the guards to make other teams pay.

Scott D
3/3/2009, 06:05 AM
Shaq actually played 3 years at LSU. :-)

It is true that he was beaten up and probably more importantly he was frustrated by collapsing zone defenses that he would not see in pros. LSU did not have the guards to make other teams pay.

people forget that back when Shaq was in college that the NBA still had the 3 year rule in effect. So Shaq had to stay at LSU for 3 years even though he could have been a one and done under today's rules.

badger
3/3/2009, 08:29 AM
the NBA still had the 3 year rule in effect

:confused:


In 1976, the hardship requirement was eliminated. The only age limit after the Haywood decision was that U.S. players were eligible once their high school class had graduated, while foreign players had to be 18.

Perhaps you are confusing this with baseball? The current rules, as well as the history, can be viewed here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eligibility_for_the_NBA_Draft) I know Wiki can't always be relied on, but I am pretty sure I recall a lot of players leaving before their junior years in college for whatever reason.

Shaq's reason was likely that even though he wasn't chosen for the Olympic team (that went to Christian Laettner of Duke), he was a two-time All-American and was Player of the Year... so yeah, pretty much a lock for No. 1, with his only competition being Alonzo Mourning and Christian (who went 2 and 3)

Of course, the rule today is one year removed from high school, which came about after two years after Lebron's draft, whatever year that was. The first class it effected was the Kevin Durant class... so... two, three years ago?