You can check out the eyewitness accounts here: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=80171 Anybody think there might be a chance Bradley benches him for this? Hell, the way Metro fans are talking, in a tactical sense that might be the best thing to do. The Magpie
SOME FOLK'LL NEVER SLUG A FAN BUT THEN AGAIN, SOME FOLK'LL LIKE CLETUS, THE SLACK-JAWED YOKEL SOME FOLK'LL NEVER MISS A SHOT BUT THEN AGAIN, SOME FOLK'LL LIKE CLETUS, THE SLACK-JAWED YOKEL (i'll be singing this next sunday in the fort)
conflicting reports say mathis was already in the stands signing autographs for some kids before all this there ruckus started...I say, what kind of player jumps into the stand to sign autographs after your team just lost a home playoff match? whichever way it occured, theres no reason for mathis to get into anyones face over merely words, if some object was thrown or something of that nature, I can understand, but a professional should be able to deal with words...
Wasn't there an incident a fews years back where Clint went bersirk in Columbus while signing autographs? If I remember correctly, some chick threw a cup of candy on top of him and he had to be restrained from going after her. I'm glad he's willing to sign autographs for little kids, but does it make sense for him to go up into a pissed off crowd and not expect to get razzed? What kind of example did he show those little ones by that reaction? That you should get violent when someone makes you mad? I can imagine little kids being horrified and confused watching grown men screaming and threatening each other.....nice image of MLS to take home, eh?
Right now, how many of you would trade Pat Noonan for Mathis, straight up? How many of you would have laughed if I asked that same question 6 months ago? I thought so... Noonan is a class act, and is just beginning to make his mark. Who do you think has better future prospects with the USA Nats? Hello, Bruce?
I won't fault him for that. My son was pretty psyched a few years ago when Clint showed up at autograph alley. Still, he has trouble keeping his composure on the field, so incidents like this are somewhat unsurprising. As for trading Noonan for Mathis, I'm not saying I'd do it, but it wouldn't surprise me if Mathis regained some of his form playing in front of players like Cancela and Ralston.
Mathis is a very good player who has hit a run of bad form, some of which is his own fault, some of it not. It is unclear if he has the maturity to overcome it, but I wouldn't sell him for done yet. Noonan is a fine player in his own right, but when both players are at their best Mathis would be most coaches first choice.
It is always a very tricky situation when players, fresh from having played, come into direct contact with fans. I'm not so sure who is ever to blame in these situations and I wouldn't point the finger either way. It really is best for players to be on the field and fans in the stands and for them to actually meet after a shower, etc. the way it used to be at the old Boro. Cooloff time. JIM DOW
A NJ paper says that Mathis admitted he went into the stands after the fan. I wonder if the league will have the guts to give him his suspension right now or will they let it wait till the start of next season? As far as I'm concerned his behavior is worth at least a 3 game suspension.
It's Mathis, and it's the Mutts. Call me cynical, but MLS won't punish him until next season, and if they suspend him for any amount of time, it'll be just one game. More likely, they'll just fine him.
Re: Re: Mathis Goes After "Fan"? (R) hey, if someone wants to use some ulterior motive rationale to the way mls deals with metros.....who knows? maybe they'll punish metros swiftly because they been a constant embarassment to the league in spite of all the overt rule bending they receive. maybe not for that reason exactly....but, i think they'll come down on him before sunday.
In Frank D's article in the Sunday Globe, he described it as a Revolution fan who Mathis went at it with. I know there were a bunch of us who went down, and here I was thinking it was Foley telling Cleetus in his best red neck voice that he'd never make it in "Yerr-ip." I can see how the Mutts fans might be frustrated with Mathis, but to turn on your own like that isn't right. On the other hand, any player, especially anyone with as high a profile as Mathis, should know better and be able to ignore the knucklehead factor. Surprisingly, a lot of players have shown that fans can get under their skin, and that will just encourage more of this. To think that Stoitchkov, for example, hasn't been called a lot worse things than "an old man who should be playing in the retirement league" by Real Madrid fans is laughable, but here he was, yapping back to Revs fans... I would be very, very surprised if the League does anything at all, now or at the start of next season. Like someone said, it's the Mutts and their biggest name. Tom
Perhaps the most meaningful incident I ever witnessed regarding interaction between player and fan took place some 35 plus years ago in the bowels of the old Boston Garden. In them days the Bruins and their opposition used to waddle out to the ice amidst a guantlet of fans who would lie in wait to cheer, boo, say stupid things and generally be close to their heroes or the enemy. Anyway, along comes Stan Mikita, of the Chicago Blackhawks, a sort of Cancela-quality centericeman who dominated every game he played and, to boot, was one of the nastiest players in hockey. Some fan, who tipped in at a good 275 or more, started screaming at Mikita when he went out to warm up, continued when he went back in before the game and then worked himself up into an apoplectic fury by the time the players came out for the anthem. As the Chicago player, who was only about 5' 8" and wiry to boot, walked by the red-faced screamer he simply turned and with one hand slammed the huge guy against the wall and pushed him up to the full extension of his arm, saying calmly, "how do I look from here *#*#*#*#*#*#*#?" He then dropped the jerk into a pile of humiliated blubber and continued on to the rink without missing a stride. We pay good money for the right to heckle, boo, cheer, rant and gripe. But there needs to be a distance. If someone breaks the plane, either player or fan, the inequality of the exchange is potentially horrific. I'm not excusing Mathis but I don't think anyone is blameless here. The best policy is for players and fans to go their seperate ways once the game is done. JIM DOW
If I remember Big Mamma Diello went after a fan while he was playing for TB and go a huge number (5?) of games suspension. I don't think the league can afford to let this one slide--mathis and the Mutts not withstanding. Players who lose control MOST be punished no matter who they are.
so he got into an altercation with a rude fan. Big deal. If you think what Clint did was bad go to the brazil forum and look for the thread about Romario and his fight with a fan. Now that was bad. althought the fan did throw a dead chicken on the field..