HoopsHype.com Articles
No
love for Ron
by Seth "Soul Man" Ferranti / November 27, 2004
It was a normal Friday
night on the block. Dudes were chilling. Watching the games. NBA doubleheader
on ESPN. The normal whaling, hating
and hollering going on. Dudes were all posted up in front of the TV. Hoping
to hit that four-pick. Betting pushups on the games and shit. Then it
happened. The drama jumped off. Shit got chaotic. Punches
were thrown.
But it wasn't on the
block. It was on the TV. On ESPN. Broadcast live to the world. And live
into FCI Gilmer, a medium-to-high federal prison in West Virginia. It
was supposed to be the Pacers vs. the Pistons.
A rematch of the two title contenders. Primetime entertainment. But it
turned into Friday Night Fights and dudes on the unit were going crazy.
"That shit was
vicious man," says Tennessee. "I mean you expect to see
that type of drama in here, but that shit was on TV."
In the moment, the
prisoner's reaction to what was happening on the TV must have seemed like
a mini-riot to the guards.
"Dudes were jumping
up and down and screaming like they was at a Mike Tyson fight,"
says Big Ock. "That shizzle was off the hizzle."
"Man, I seen
the guard looking all scared and shit," says Blaze. "Ready
to hit the deuces. He didn't know what the fuck was going on."
As the events escalated
on the TV so did the prisoners frenzy. The already loud unit got even
louder.
"I was chilling
in my room reading, " Soulman says. “And I hear all this
hollering. I looked out my cell and everybody is jumping up and down in
front of the TV. I thought they was watching a boxing match or something.
Pay-per-view, you know. But they don't got no pay-per-view in prison.
I figured somebody was getting punished on the TV, but I didn't think
it was no basketball game."
All the prisoners
ran to the TV to see what was causing all the commotion. Usually that
type of stampede is reserved for some fiend action. But it was the same
on all the blocks. Nobody wanted to miss anything. And the aftermath was
brutal as dudes did their best to imitate Charles Barkley and Kenny
Smith.
"You don't throw
no shit in no man's face," says Smoke defending Ron
Artest's actions. "And Ben
Wallace started it. I think the fans fucked up. There’s
only so much a man can take. The fans should be happy Artest didn't do
more. Fuck Detroit anyhow. They some bammas."
Another prisoner called Jason concurred.
"As being a man,
it's hard when someone hits you. You want to hit back. If a man punches
you, your natural reaction is to punch back."
But Jason’s bunkie Moneyball had a different view.
"I think it was
unprofessional. Them dudes are supposed to be role models for kids. I
think those dudes acted like thugs."
And surprisingly,
a lot of other prisoners echoed this attitude.
"NBA players
should have more tact and professionalism. A cup of water should never
provoke a man where he's willing to lose his livelihood," says Ralo,
a Pistons fan. "And the fans was wrong, they was mad cause we was
losing. They made the Pistons organization look bad."
Barry from
West Virginia brings up another angle. "Them dudes are a bunch of
idiots. They need treatment for real," he says. "How could someone
making millions of dollars be bothered by a cup of water? Dude needs psychological
help. He’s got issues. He’s
got plenty of time to work on his rap album now.”
My man Big Troy sums it all up: "Professional athletes need to control themselves
on and off the court. It was an emotional game, but the fans were out
of order. Spitting, throwing soda and shit was uncalled for."
For the whole weekend
the "basketbrawl" was all dudes talked about in the prison.
When the suspensions came down, dudes voiced their opinions too.
"The punishment
was too harsh and severe," Jason says. "David Stern singled
out Ron Artest for his past behavior. The fans should be held accountable."
Smoke agreed with
Jason again.
"The suspension
is some bullshit," he says. "Saying all that, I think Artest
got what he deserved”.
But Petaway had a different view: "The suspensions were appropriate. All that
tough-man act is through. They're NBA players not gangsta rappers. I mean,
they’re in front of a national audience not in prison like us."
Ralo from Detroit
thinks the punishment was swift and just. "Cats like Artest got too
much to lose to get involved in shit like that," he says. And Moneyball
agrees.
“Just walk away.
It’s not gonna hurt to walk away. Look at all the negativity that
happened because Artest couldn’t just walk away.”
"Yeah," Rasou says. "It’s gonna cost Artest a lot more then it’s
gonna cost an idiot fan. Plus it cost two other players. He let idiot
fan cost him his and his team’s season."
Big Troy brings up
a different but very valid and real point.
"The suspension
is appropriate because if you don't set an example for something like
that, it could cost somebody's life. They got to be more professional.
They had kids up in the stands very frightened and crying. That’s
not right."
So there it is. The
prisoner reaction on the basketbrawl from the heart of the federal prison
system. Surprisingly, the attitude is a very sane one. But still like
my man Petaway says, “It was exciting. I love how the Detroit fans,
both black and white, came together to attack Artest.”
So like in all things,
maybe adversity and controversy can promote unity on some level at least.
Even in the harsh environments of prison.
Seth "Soul Man" Ferranti, federal prison number 18205-083, is housed at FCI Loretto. Previously he resided at FCI Fairton, FCI Fort Dix, FCI Beckley and FCI Manchester. He has been a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com since 2003
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Soul Man is the world's leading prison basketball journalist. He also writes for Don Diva, Elemental, Vice and Slam.
