By
Joshua Mayers
February 26, 2007
EUGENE, Ore. — Only the Pit Crew, the Oregon student section seemingly comprised of classless idiots, would make the victim into the villain.
Last year, in the Pac-10 Tournament, Ryan Appleby was the target of one of the most egregious acts in all of college basketball: Aaron Brooks shamelessly assaulted the UW sharpshooter with an elbow to the face. Brooks deserved to be in jail for his actions – but instead the point guard became a hero to the Oregon faithful.
They chanted that Brooks “owned” Appleby, unabashedly praising their player for his dirty behavior.
The Pit Fools would probably cheer for O.J. Simpson if he were a Duck grad.
The UO students will undoubtedly look to the declined handshake before tip-off as a justification of the anti-Appleby treatment, but I was in attendance — I witnessed the harassment long before that moment arrived.
Nearly all the student-made signs in the arena attacked Appleby, clearly a premeditated decision. One sign implied the Husky guard was a bitch for needing stitches after the assault; another went so far as to question his sexuality.
You probably didn’t see that in the AP game recap or on SportsCenter. Classy kids, huh?
Photocopies of a swollen, bleeding Appleby were distributed among the students and used as ammunition to berate their object of ridicule. Some tried to emulate the image, bandaging their faces as though they themselves were assaulted out of cowardice.
Then came the tip-off incident.
Brooks, whose only attempt to make amends for the unjustified act of violence was to send a note instead of coming clean by talking to Appleby man-to-man, approached the Husky guard hoping all was forgiven.
From my view it looked more like a gesture of politicking than sincerity.
With an outstretched hand, Brooks expected time to wash away the stains of his spineless actions worthy of a felony; Appleby declined his hand, exhibiting that indeed he deserves no exoneration.
“Good for him, as far as I’m concerned,” said Spencer Hawes in support of his teammate.
Oregon fans and some of the Oregon media, clearly lapdogs of the assailant, used Appleby’s dismissal of the gesture as validation for the behavior, at times casting blame upon the victim.
Maybe someone close to them needs to get socked in the face and then ridiculed for it, to reformulate how they feel.
Appleby stood resolute in his actions after the game. He admitted Brooks’ gesture didn’t resolve him of a “cheap shot.” He went on to note that a one-game suspension – one that catered solely to what benefited Brooks – was insufficient.
“There’s no reason for me to acknowledge somebody like that,” Appleby said.
In the end, any student-led chants against the team – “F*** the Huskies” to be exact – are dismissible in the name of an age-old rivalry, but the abuse of Appleby just proved the Pit Crew is as classless as their abusive goon of a point guard.
While Brooks led his team to the win, it was Appleby who stood strong in the face of his attacker and the mindless fans in the stands.
Good for him.
Reach columnist Joshua Mayers at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.
19 Comments
#1 Pit Crew
on February 26, 2007 at 11:02 a.m.(Eugene, OR | Unverified Name)
You seem to forget that Appleby was the one who initiated the incident from last years Pac-10 tournament. Additionally the classless students at UW did not hesitate to harass Oregon Coach Ernie Kent for having an affair last year at your venue. I suggest that you do not let your frustration with the performance of your team on the court cloud your ability to report without bias or your career as a journalist will be short lived . Good luck in the NIT.
#2 Brad
on February 26, 2007 at 11:50 a.m.(Philadelphia, PA | Unverified Name)
Appleby initiated the contact? Wow. I watched that game and somehow missed Appleby smashing his own face into Brooks' elbow. That's quite a trick.
#3 ???
on February 26, 2007 at 12:05 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
brooks should've gone to jail, ernie kent is an adulterous bastard, UO's bball program and fans are ridiculously immoral
#4 mike
on February 26, 2007 at 1:24 p.m.(Portland, OR | Unverified Name)
Sore loser! You've got it wrong as Huskies always do. Let's start with your comments about being classless. How about your fans shameless derision of Coach Kent at last years game in Seattle. Coach Romar had to caution your fans against their behavior. There is no excuse for Brooks' action, but, if you followed him at all, you will know that he is very remorseful for his actions. Also, he served a THREE game suspension that was agreed to by the AD's of both universities. Do your homework, before you write this drivel. We Ducks assume that you Huskies will continue to lead the way in being classless and when the going gets tough, start blaming others. I'll watch for you in the NIT.
#5 Pit Crew
on February 26, 2007 at 1:51 p.m.(Eugene, OR | Unverified Name)
The play before Appleby got hit; he intentionally shoved Aaron, so yes he initiated it. And nobody has argued that what Aaron did was right, but he did what he was required to do and more, so I would say that he is the bigger man because he has put it behind him whereas Appleby obviously has not. I am disappointed to see that a player in our conference is not man enough to show some sportsmanship and shake a competitors hand like a man.
PS. Enjoy the drag show on campus.
#6 the pit is full of classless people
on February 26, 2007 at 3:05 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
The play before Appleby got hit, he created space. Yes he did it intentionally. Yes he pushed brooks back. That is apart of the game. Getting leveled is not. You cant compare the two. If brooks was actually remorseful about what he had done, he would have talked to Appleby somehow; not write a letter that ernesto probably made him write. I can understand not wanting to shake his hand. I wouldnt shake his hand.
There is a little difference between ernestos affair and Appleby getting hit. ernesto made a choice, Apples had no choice.
How is a three game suspension enough? He sat out the game right after the hit which will happen when you get thrown of a game. the next game? a non-important game that the team would have no problem winning. and the third? the game up here. is that punishment? not really. he got off real easy.
I was at the game on saturday night. after the game, i asked a mother who was there with her two kids why she was yelling at appleby throughout the entire game. i just wanted to try to understand why she would hate a guy who got knocked in the face. she said that she was mad at appleby because he wouldnt accept brooks' apology. this made me think, would she forgive a guy who hit her son in the face? i think it would be hard.
on the class of the pit crew...or lack of class.
my favorite chant of the night was "f*ck the huskies". i went on the pit crews message board and the first chant mentioned on the board was this one. very creative. why does there need to be foul language used in chants. i know that you're going to say that we say "f*ck wazzu" in our fight song. thats cool. it means that one team, once a year gets cussed at. owell. I also liked the "aaron's b*tch" (or maybe it was "apple-b*itch"? thats what it sounded like up in the rafters.) Very creative.
Lastly. Dont ever compare the class of our student section with yours. It is an insult and i do not appreciate it. Thank you.
#7 Pit Crew
on February 26, 2007 at 3:45 p.m.(Eugene, OR | Unverified Name)
If it makes you feel better to pride yourself on class go ahead, we in the Pit Crew like to pride ourselves on intensity. We prefer an intense college basketball atmosphere over having an atmosphere that is comparable to a picnic or taking a long walk on the beach like it is at UW. Stop kidding yourself by claiming that your students are classy. When it comes down to it the students in the Pit are simply more creative and intense than those at UW and you are painting them as classless because of your jealousness.
#8 the pit is full of classless people
on February 26, 2007 at 4:16 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
more creative? how so? please provide me with some examples. convince me this is true.
#9 sigh...
on February 26, 2007 at 4:37 p.m.(Seattle, WA | Unverified Name)
i love how duck fans are convinced appleby started it, this makes absolutely no sense
i guess we should see haymakers thrown, intended to hospitalize others, after every clear-out
#10 BigBallaJ
on February 26, 2007 at 4:44 p.m.(Location Unknown | Unverified Name)
Oh Pit Crew, what will we do with you!
Anyone watching that game knowns Ryan's "elbow" was normal movement that ANY offensive player would make when he's looking for someone to pass the ball to. It seems the only people who think Ryan "deserved" what he got are Oregon fans who honestly aren't known for their intelligence.
It's okay though, I wast just in Eugene and now it makes sense. Some day you'll make it to the big city little buddy, some day.
What's wrong with the Dawg Pack celebrating Mexican Heritage Night on the same day as Oregon was in town?
In all honesty, what Ernie Kent did was very hypocritical. This self-proclaimed moral individual went on a "recruiting trip" to California. What he in fact did was take the daughter of a booster to Mexico to engage in extra-marital activities. As a public figure, Ernie is fair game.
Face it, if Brooks had done what he did last year on a street or place of business, he would have been arrested for assault. As it is, he will never live down the action. What a punk. Props to Appleby.
OLE "Pit Crew". You guys were not that impressive as a student section. Get louder, get more creative. Enjoy it, because your team is not going that far in the tournament.
NIT here we come!
GO DAWGS
#11 whoooooooo!!!
on February 26, 2007 at 5:23 p.m.(Seattle, WA | Unverified Name)
yea NIT!!!!!! we're gonna will it all!!!!!!!!
#12 CSC
on February 26, 2007 at 5:24 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
So...you're claiming that Ryan Appleby's shoulder brush that resulted from a normal pivot was what initiated the incident? And Appleby is the one being labeled as a "b*tch*"? If he's a pussy because he got punched in the face, what does that make Brooks? The way Brooks went flailing backwards after that, I would have to reconsider who the bigger pussy is here...
No call was made on that. It was a simple pivot, you are entitled to the space in front of you. There was no consideration of even calling a foul on Appleby, let alone issuing a suspension. Brooks was entirely in the wrong. That's the difference between UW and UO. If someone on Washington did that, I would question whether or not I would want them on my team anymore. At UO, he's a hero.
I hope Brooks enjoys his only NCAA tournament of his career. This win doesn't change the fact that he got completely owned in his career against UW.
#13 michael
on February 26, 2007 at 5:39 p.m.(Eugene, OR | Unverified Name)
i love how uw fans are saying that if brooks had elbowed someone in the face on the street, he would have been arrested. but pretty much anything done in sports would be illegal. if i ran someone down and tackled them on franklin boulevard, it would be illegal. but i would never try to argue that it was legal in football so it's legal on the street. the argument is futile and illogical. yes, elbowing someone in the face is not part of the game. but i've been elbowed, kicked, and drowned in waterpolo and i never pressed charges.
i understand why appleby wouldn't accept his handshake and i understand why brooks would extend his hand. the arguments going back are forth are ridiculously circular. this argument goes nowhere.
yes we are proud of the pit. and we are proud of our ducks. but let's just be proud of the rivalry. next year, brooks will be gone and appleby will be making more three's than two's in seattle. so that's the end of that.
btw, to the guy who told us ducks to step up to the big city i say: i dig eugene. and most people do. plus most of us are either from the bay or from portland. so we're used to the scary urban lifestyle.
#14 no michael
on February 28, 2007 at 4:47 p.m.(UW Campus | Unverified Name)
you are wrong to bring in other sports to demonstrate your argument. yes, you can run into people in football. thats football. but when you take cheap shots in football, you get in trouble (i.e. Albert Haynesworth). you cant tackle someone in basketball. basketball and football are different. same thing goes with water polo. its a different sport. if you were in a public pool and someone did that stuff to you, you could press charges. when you sign up to play basketball, you dont sign up to get elbowed in the face. accidental hits will take place, but you dont expect someone to do what brooks did. dont say the argument is futile and illogical because it is very logical.
#15 Rick
on March 1, 2007 at 4:41 p.m.(Kailua, HI | Unverified Name)
Watching the first OSU/UW game I was struck by the gratuitous and quite violent fouls that UW was dispensing to a thoroughly beaten Beaver team. Dentmon seems to have mastered the closed fist face smack. Late in the second half Marel Jones steals the ball, and is headed for a meaningless lay in, Dentmon can't get to the ball, so in one of those "Classy" Huskie moves he pounds Jones across the face partially closing his eye. By the way, Appleby is one of the most annoying guys to ever step on a court, Chris Heron dressed for choir practice.... How many hours a day does he spend studying Danny Ainge tapes?
#16 Ben
on March 2, 2007 at 1:45 p.m.(Gresham, OR | Unverified Name)
This is not womens basketball. This is not organized keep away. He did his time get over it. 3 games in the penalty box, not just one as you wrote. And as for Joshua Mayers, "make the victim into the villain," "one of the most egregious acts in all of college basketball," "as though they themselves were assaulted out of cowardice," "used Appleby’s dismissal of the gesture as validation for the behavior, at times casting blame upon the victim."
What is this nonsense jargon you are filling the pages with? What, are you a psychology minor? I thought the Oregon Daily Emerald was bad. But this takes the cake.
#17 no no michael
on March 2, 2007 at 1:46 p.m.(Eugene, OR | Unverified Name)
i am not saying they are the same and i demonstrated that in basketball one is not to expect getting hit with an elbow but due to the fact that it is within a sport, the elbow should not be considered a legal "weapon", if you will. anything in sport should be barred from law unless you knock a man unconscious or injure him leaving him unable to ever play again. i am not arguing that tackling and an elbow are the same. what i am saying, however, is that if you get elbowed in the face during a game, you are not going to press charges, thus nullifying the claim that brooks should be held liable in a legal sense. appleby is fair in not accepting brooks' hand. i agree with that. if someone did that to me i probably would have hit him back. but stop trying to make brooks out to be a criminal and stop trying to make appleby look like a victim. we have all been hit. we all get back up. theres no need for the victim card.
#18 Brooks is a Hero
on March 2, 2007 at 2:05 p.m.(Eugene, OR | Unverified Name)
Brooks is not a hero because he elbowed Appleby in the face, no brooks is a hero because he didn't let that one game define him. We all agree what brooks did was wrong and shameful. His actions not only brought shame on himself and the team, but the school as well. Brooks could have gone on with his career and continued to bring shame to the team and school, yet he didn't. He came off the season with renewed energy to lead this team to one of its most succesful seasons. If you and people like appleby want to define brooks for that one game, go ahead, but do not let the crowd's behavior define brooks. All fans are a**holes and thats a universal fact.
Appleby stood strong? No he let pride get the better of him, and now he holds a grudge. What a fool. let's just hope for your sake appleby doesn't let this game define him, cause there is no class in that.
#19 kevin
on February 11, 2008 at 12:43 a.m.(Portland, OR | Unverified Name)
your such a pussy. THIS IS BASKETBALL. and you seem to just love UW. if your a professional writer atleast write like one and not talk down to another university. h
Post a comment