Shock of the day, Jemele Hill hates the Celtics.

[wdleehi]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=hill_jemele&page=Hill-080614

I'm not sure I can handle seeing Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett -- three of the NBA's most likable players -- hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.

and she blames it on race.

Admittedly, to some degree it was about race. Detroit is 80 percent African-American, and as my colleague J.A. Adande stated in a fantastic piece on the Celtics earlier this season, the mostly white Celtics teams of the past had a tough time being accepted by black audiences. Boston was viewed by African-Americans as a racially intolerant city. Boston was the home of the infamous Charles Stuart case -- in which a white man murdered his pregnant wife and blamed it on a black suspect who didn't exist.

Is anyone shocked? 


(I know I'm not)

[wdleehi]

Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim.

[Roy Hobbs]

The world has been turned upside down. 

There are all kinds of things I could say about the accusation that Boston is a racist city, especially when compared to the perception Ms. Hill gives of the racial tolerance expressed towards caucasians in Detroit...  but I'll bite my tongue. 

And by the way, Jemele, it's not "Bird steals the pass!". It's "Now there's a steal by Bird!  Underneath to D.J., lays it in!"

[Donoghus]

Charles Stuart case was roughly 20 years ago.  She might as well brought up the integration of busing.  

Suck it up and just accept it, Jamele.  The team you despise is about to win the NBA Chamionship.

Progress is a pain to handle, huh?  Boston of 2008 isn't the Boston of 1978.

[Birdbrain]

I can't believe how low ESPN has fallen.  She's nothing but race baiter who knows absolutely nothing about sports.  It's just amazing that she has a job.  I keep saying this and everyone I know says the same thing and none of them are C's fans and some of them are black.  The only possible reason is to boost click and page views by riling up people with her stupidity and constant use of the race card.  ...

[Edited. No need for that last line. -R.H.]

[Roy Hobbs]

I'm glad ESPN has such a need to diversity its staff that it allows tripe like this to pass for a "joke":

Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It's like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.

Ah, yes, Hitler and nuclear holocaust jokes.  Funny stuff.

[dark_lord]

i hate when race is brought up with the celtics....

we are the organization that was first to have an all black starting lineup, as well as the first black head coach.

i could see if people were skeptical about race with us having a lot of white guys on the team, if we sucked....but we were winning championships. they were great players, period!

[Donoghus]

I'm glad ESPN has such a need to diversity its staff that it allows tripe like this to pass for a "joke":

Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It's like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.

Ah, yes, Hitler and nuclear holocaust jokes.  Funny stuff.

Seriously.  I mean, what editor(s) would let that fly?

[soap07]

Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim.


Nope, don't think so. This coming from the person that said Lebron's magazine cover was racist.

[FallGuy]

Maybe I'm reading the piece differently than you guys.

She seems to say that at one point race was at the heart of it - back when she came of age as a Pistons fan.  But now - it's simply rivalry (one that is more present in her mind than reality mind you but...). I'm having trouble being offended by this mild, bland piece of writing. I mean - Hitler jokes hardly have much in the way of edge anymore.

FG/.

[FallGuy]

I can't believe how low ESPN has fallen.  She's nothing but race baiter who knows absolutely nothing about sports.  It's just amazing that she has a job.  I keep saying this and everyone I know says the same thing and none of them are C's fans and some of them are black.  The only possible reason is to boost click and page views by riling up people with her stupidity and constant use of the race card.  I know what she needs but, unfortunately with way she looks I think she may play for the other team.

Way to take the high road.

[Last Train]

She is clueless. I remember she was on the Simmons podcast a few weeks ago and said that Pierce hadn't had a signature playoff performance yet. Ummm...only the biggest comeback in playoff history against the Nets. Oooops.

Barkley called her out for what she is. A race baiting hack. You see her on some of those ESPN shows and she really is just repeating something she heard Jim Rome say, and she doesn't even do that very well.

http://thebiglead.com/?p=5183

[Who]

Has ESPN ever had this many writers publicly declare their love and fan-worship for their respective teams before?

Some of the articles and chats just seem really wierd and out of place this year.

[soap07]

A rase baiting hack. You see her on some of those ESPN shows and she really is just repeating something she heard Jim Rome say, and she doesn't even do that very well.

Well, I don't know what a rase is, but does it come with a warranty? Kidding kidding. But really, Jemele Hill stinks. Remember her last piece on how Pistons/Spurs would be good for the NBA?

http://www.firejoemorgan.com/search/label/jemele%20hill

[Last Train]

Error fixed. Thanks.

I can't believe someone bothered to do a point by point reply to her Pistons/Spurs article. That thing was a cry for attention.