Boy, that escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast! One moment Plenette Pierson and Candace Parker are jostling for position, and the next Rick Mahorn is shoving Lisa Leslie to the ground and Cheryl Ford is being carted off in a wheel chair.
In other words: one second the WNBA isn't even a speck in the casual sports fan's peripheral vision, and the next it's a guaranteed hot topic in thousands of newspapers, blogs and talk radio shows across the country, not to mention on endless loop on SportsCenter. But hey, all publicity is good publicity, right?
Try telling that to David Stern (or better yet, Mahorn) this morning. But while this is certainly a figurative black eye, I'm guessing all that really comes of this is a bunch of people who never liked the league in the first place cracking a few more jokes. If you must, please don't compare it to the Malice at the Palace just because it happened to take place in Auburn Hills (fans were never even close to being involved) nor Danica vs. Milka just because it involved female athletes (at least actual haymakers were thrown last night, not just towels).
Hearing Bill Laimbeer tell it, he tried to tell the referees to get control of the game before things got out of hand:
Laimbeer said he warned referee Denise Brooks Clauser that bad blood was brewing even before the fourth quarter. "I think the game was getting out of hand physical-wise, and I warned Denise about that, and she gave me a warning, which was kind of different," Laimbeer said. "But I warned them that, you know, 'Watch it' but it started to escalate and players can get emotional and it happens sometimes. It's unfortunate but it happens."Seriously, when Bill Laimbeer is the voice of reason, you really know things have gotten out of hand.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2008 @ 9:42AM
kianaraggsbsepgk said...
I am sad to see that an event like that happened in the wnba. But am glad to see women play with such passion. the piereson/ parker, portion of it, seemed like it was a hard block out and pierson (excuse the sp, if not correct) really took it to the next level. Not sure I wouldn't have done the same as parker, with an angry person standing hovering me. But, the retaliating person is the one always wrong, in sports, right? nolan, you're a strong lil fire cracker huh...lol tackling and holding parker. the mahorn/ leslie incident (portion), it appeared that leslie actually swung at mahorn after he was aggressively trying to back her up.( As a one year pop warner coach, I attempt to grab my players not the others teams players, if an argument breaks out.) And then after being swung at she misses mahorn pushes her to the ground. Um I don't put her in her place or ashamed to see men can not see that they are stronger in todays society. And its instances like this that leads to all of the domestic violence that surrounds our families today.
And I think that parker plays with confidence but is it cockiness. I guess you get along with some of the other players other than your team. And can i see some more dunks!
viva wnba!
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7-23-2008 @ 11:59AM
Dr Huxtable said...
Thanks for the wall of text, douche.
7-23-2008 @ 2:58PM
Susan Hayes said...
That assistant coach never pushed her. I watched this about 8 times and what I saw was that Leslie and another teammate were trying to hold back another of their teammates and the girl flailed her arms and that is when Leslie twisted her ankle and fell to the floor. You need to watch this a couple of times to see what really happened!
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7-23-2008 @ 4:48PM
Chikita said...
You are of sound mind Susan. I watched the game live and Rick Mahorn was not out there swinging his arms at anyone in malice. He was trying to break up the circus and Lisa Leslie fell on her own. It suprises me that she is quick to talk about how she's a role model and she's not that type of player, uh...excuse me her entire WNBA career has been based on her out of control elbows and cheap shot swings! I agree with Katie Smith, Lisa Leslie flopped to make it worse than it appeared.
7-23-2008 @ 11:02AM
kool said...
ugly girls in the WNBA hate Parker from the Spark! They hate that she is pretty, and a much better player then them so they start fights with her!
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7-23-2008 @ 11:04AM
Ellyn said...
I met Rick Mahorn years ago and he is a class act. Can't believe that he would push and shove a woman. I really believe that he was trying to break up the fight. Can't punish him for that. You really have to take another look at the facts.
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7-23-2008 @ 11:40AM
khajatiger said...
You know you really got to think about it, I mean Mahorn is a big guy compared to a lot of people, and of course it's probably going to look like he threw her down, so I agree that he was just trying to break up the fight, but because he's so much bigger than her it's going to look like he shoved her.
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7-23-2008 @ 11:57AM
Sparks FAN said...
I was watching the game live and from what I saw Cheryl Ford started it the play before...If you watch in slow motion you can see that Pierson was pulling parker to one side and they got there feet tangled up and they started to both fall..but the only reason Parker fell over Pierson is because Pierson had her by the hand....(you can see Candace's arm swing up as she falls thats the hand Pierson was holding to make her fall).... It wasn't Candace's fault! she was just defending herself!! I mean what would you have done if a player trips u then gets in your face?? Either way I think Pierson should be the one getting all the blame because she started it!! Everyone knows Detroit plays dirty especially to the Rivals!!! If they suspend Candace and Delisha For more than one game!! WNBA is gonna be hurting!! you can't suspend the Player Who made the WNBA what it is today and the player who made the WNBA bigger than what it was!!! Heck Parker and the other former Tennessee Players is the reason Me and a lot of other people like the WNBA and started watching the WNBA!!! NBA don't get into much trouble when they fight so why should the WNBA?!?!?! SPARKS!!!R!!!#!!!1!!!!
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7-23-2008 @ 1:18PM
gwen said...
Candace was not at fault with this incident. She should not be the one who is dismissed from playing. It is obviously that the other girl ran over her
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7-23-2008 @ 2:05PM
Samantha McCullough said...
i think that the refs should have given the players warnings and then it might not have gotten so out of control. it is no excuse for the players to act like they did they are supposed to be role models not people who start fights. i watched the game and from what i can tell there was no reason for them to do what they did and there is no excuse for the assistant coach who is supposed to be a role model to to push a player that is trying to get her teamate away from the situation.
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7-23-2008 @ 4:50PM
Chikita said...
I like the Detriot Shock, but am not a hardcore fan, but Rick Mahorn DID NOT shove Lisa Leslie to the floor. Watching the spectacle over and over, it is very clear that his intentions were to keep anymore players from getting to the pile. Lisa Leslie fell to the floor on her own, lost her balance by stepping back wrong. Everyone was off both benches and players saw half pictures half truths - DeLisa Milton Jones was wrong to hit Mahorn and you could tell by the look on his face. He was doing the right thing by trying to break things up and now his picture is smack center of the net as the bad guy. Lisa Leslie's WNBA career is NOT WITHOUT her out of control elbows and now physicality is an issue? Suspensions should be CP, PP, and DLMJ...not Mahorn.
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7-24-2008 @ 12:39AM
George B Vieto said...
In the words of the late Burgess Meredith from the movie Rocky II. "What are you waiting for? Tickets!" Rick Mahorn did not hit Lisa Leslie he simply pushed her out of the way so he could break up the catfight.
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