For the “Word Around Here” title for best verbal sucker punch of the week, I mean. Let’s take a look at the contenders.
It’s not a stretch to say that Seymour is generally a pretty reserved guy, but that comes with the New England territory. Just like anyone who’s ever been in the Oakland A’s farm system will never swing at the first pitch, anyone who’s been in Foxborough is cautious with the media.
Maybe it’s the fact that he’s no longer with the Patriots, or maybe it’s just the losing that’s finally getting to him, but Seymour is done being a part of the NFL’s punching bag. True, the Raiders don’t have all that much positivity to hang their hats on. But still, there is something to be said for standing tall among a big, stinking pile of diffidence covered in Raiders jerseys.
And then there’s Starbury, who has never been short on words. And he’s never been short on disdain for his old team, either. Thought he was done slinging mud at New York when he came to Boston? Ha. That’s a funny joke. He was just saving his best for last.
Who wins? Check it out.
Plus, Theo Epstein tells you exactly what to do with your “Red Sox lost because they have no personality” theory, and Doc Rivers vies for Rodney Harrison’s position as Word Around Here’s favorite sound bite.
"They got what they deserved this week. I'm not sure how many points the Saints scored on them, but if I'm not mistaken, it was half a hundred points. So, I think he got enough to chew on himself with that."
–Oakland defensive end Richard Seymour, on ESPN.com, in response to Antonio Pierce’s recent claim that playing the Raiders felt like a scrimmage
"I'm just talking as a fan and New Yorker who grew up loving the Knicks: Why would I give you my money to watch them? This is atrocious. Guys coming down court, just raising up 3-pointers from anywhere. The coaching is horrible. What kind of coaching is this? If they shoot like that in the game, imagine how they shoot in practice. New Yorkers deserve better decisions form the front office and New York City has to deal with this mess."
–Former Knick Stephon Marbury, in the New York Post
“I hate player meetings. The right things are never said. I’ve always believed that either guys blow smoke up each other’s [butts], or they go the completely opposite way and say [bleep] they can’t repair. Well, they had it, and everyone got on the bus all pissed off at each other.”
–Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, on Yahoo Sports, on the team’s struggle to come together after Kevin Garnett went down last season
“I wish he would have had the courage to say this stuff to me face-to-face, as opposed to writing it in some damn book to sell and he can make money off it.”
–Former NBA coach and player Isaiah Thomas, on ESPN.com, on taking criticism in Magic Johnson’s new book
“[The 2009 team was] basically the same team that we had in 2008. If we get one clutch hit in the 2008 ALCS Game 7, we’re going to the World Series, probably winning it. … For the 2004 team, if Tony Clark’s ball doesn’t bounce into the stands, and we lose that series, you’re saying this team had too much personality. This personality was out of control. I understand it. There’s a human phenomenon where you want to sort of attribute personal characteristics to groups and say that they have this personality or they lack this characteristic. The reality is, we can’t build a team based on, sort of, psychobabble.”
–Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, on Boston.com, on fans making too much of the idea of a team’s personality
"That was my training camp.”
–Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, on Boston.com, on beating the Titans 59-0 in his first game back from retirement
“I wanted to feel like a winner.”
–Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, on ESPN.com, on why he wore a Peyton Manning Colts jersey to a charity event
“For me, it’s a business trip. It’s very easily recognized as a business trip when you’re going to play a team that just won 59-0.”
–Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris, on Patriots.com, on his team’s upcoming matchup against New England in London
"That's highway robbery! A dollar isn't even worth a pound over there!''
–Patriots running back Laurence Maroney, in The Boston Globe, on the exchange rate in London
“My agent’s got a certain number in mind, and if they don’t reach that, we’ll just wait. I feel like if we win another title, obviously that helps my chances [of getting more money].”
–Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, on Boston.com, on waiting for the right number before he signs a contract extension
“That’s because they don’t coach. Don’t get me wrong, Rondo is a fantastic defender, but he’s got a level to go, and he can be a great, great defender. For him to do that, he has to stay in front of the ball. When the GMs start coaching, then we’ll listen to them. Until then, go with the coaches.”
–Doc Rivers, in the Boston Herald, on a recent GM poll that named Rajon Rondo one of the league’s best on-the-ball defenders
"Marvin [Williams] was a witness. We were at the free-throw line, and he was telling me that they were going to sweep us and all this, and, you know, we bet, and I never got anything."
–Hawks forward Al Horford, on Atlanta 790 The Zone, on being owed $10,000 by Paul Pierce after Pierce bet Atlanta would not win one game in a seven-game playoff series against the Celtics in 2008. The series went seven games.
“It was unfortunate that it swole up on me afterward.”
–Celtics guard Tony Allen, on Boston.com, on playing too soon on his surgically repaired ankle
