Vecsey/Post sued for libel by espn's Chris Sheridan

Vecsey calls out espn and Sheridan in particular for going with rumors that turn out to be false:

So Sheridan sued.

http://www.mediabistro.com/sportsnewser/espn-com-nba-writer-sues-peter-vecsey-for-libel_b10730

http://blogs.forbes.com/nathanvardi/2011/06/16/espn-basketball-reporter-sues-new-york-post-columnist-for-libel/

 

Wow, that's petty.

EDIT: I hope I'm not sued for saying that.

 

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

 

What's Sheridan suing for, definition of character?

And, can someone please, please sue Vecsey for saying on NBC that Michael Jordan visiting a NJ casino in the wee hours before a playoff game against the Knicks was a non-story?

 

Can't see much of a case, but it is a very nice fuck-you.

 

"Bill Walton won the sixth man award because he was the sixth player off the bench saying, 'Great game, Larry.'"

- Peter Vecsey's only great line. His entire NBC career was built around rumor-mongering and loudmouth proclamations.

 

This gives me an excuse to post a really good older story from S.L. Price on Peter and George V.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1013062/1/index.htm

And I'll admit, I've liked a lot of Vecsey's one-liners over the years. NBC was not a great fit though.

 

Sidebar: That award still rankles me. Just look at this breakdown:

Bill Walton, Boston Celtics: 7.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.3 bpg in 80 games, 2 starts
Bill Hanzlik, Denver Nuggets: 12.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.4 spg in 79 games, 0 starts, named to all-defensive second team
Vinnie Johnson, Detroit Pistons: 13.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg in 79 games, 12 starts
Thurl Bailey, Utah Jazz: 14.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.4 bpg in 82 games, 13 starts

You pick.

 

just another example why looking at raw numbers 20 years or more later is always dangerous. walton gave that team what it sorely lacked, defense/rebounding off the bench, and was the primary reason boston's second unit DESTROYED teams that season. i don't recall ANYONE sayingrwahat oiun, WTF?!' at the time.what, you thought bill hanzlik and vinnie johnson were more deserving strictly based upon ppg? guess you're not a rodman appreciator.

 

What?

How about minutes per game? Walton played nearly 10 minutes per game less than Bailey and substantially fewer minutes than either of the other two, as well. Importance? Vinnie Johnson had to come in to replace Thomas and (a young) Dumars. Defense? Well, as I said, Hanzlik was second-team all-defense and known for his sterling play.

But I think my overall problem is the idea that Walton was the magical ingredient that made that incredible Celtics team tick. Walton was an excellent sixth man, but I don't think he possessed the overwhelming influence on that team that everyone seems to remember him having.

I admit, though. I'm anti-Walton love. The guy played 468 games and was one of the NBA's 50 greatest players when they made that stupid list in 1996. That list, you might recall, omitted Walt Bellamy, Adrian Dantley, Artis Gilmore, Cliff Hagan and many more greats.

The only guy to play fewer games than Walton on the list was George Mikan.

So perhaps, admittedly, my consternation about that 1986 sixth man of the year award comes from the fact that had his name not been Bill Walton, he would not have won the award.

 

The notion of Peter Vecsey accusing someone of running with a wild rumor is hilarious. For years, Vecsey used to report weekly that Kobe Bryant was about to be traded to the Knicks.

From Twitter:

@MagicJohnson: Is Peter Vecsey still on TV? That's right, no, because he wasn't very good.

@MagicJohnson: For those of you who don't know, Peter used to be a powerful figure in the NBA back in the day, but now he's the low man on the totem pole.

 

your consternation over the omission of guys like dantley and WALT BELLAMY doesn't do much to sway folks to your side.