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  • May 16, 2008 10:32 AM ET

Should opposing players competing against each other in a playoff series be eating at each other's homes between games?

Cassidy's Ultimate Sexy (135-76-9) vs rstowe (223-66-17)
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In case u missed it, Chris Paul of the Hornets & Tony Parker of the Spurs have been having dinner dates @ each others homes between games when they are playing each other n the Western Conference Semifinals. See story here: http://thebiglead.com/?p=5791

I dont think if I was a teammate of either of these players, I would appreciate knowing that my starting point guard is dining @ the home of a player we r going 2 war against every other night 2 try and advance to our Conference Finals.

What does it really say about the necessary intensity between these 2 guys when the night before they were sipping wine together & toasting a delicious filet mingon? I say it takes away from the intensity. Would u like 2 see as a sportsfan your PG having recently dined @ the home of his playoff counterpart? How about any other position or any other sport? You want KG doing dinner exchanges with Lebron during their current series like old high school buds? You want Manny and A-Rod pulling this crap while they are battling each other in playoffs trying to get to the World Series?

As a fan, I want my players to see the current opponent as an enemy/barrier to where I want to get, not chummy.


In this day and age of free agency, more and more players are becoming friends with players on other teams. Most of these guys have played with every single player in the league at some point in their career (whether it's college, all-star games, olympics etc). Gone are the days like MLB was in the 60s and 70s were members of other teams are the enemy.

Would it be nice that your favorite team's players hated the opposing team's players like you do? Of course but that ain't happening any more.

These guys share the same agents, share some of the same endorsments etc. As long as they're not discussing game plans or giving away team secrets, what is it really hurting? Absolutely nothing.

These guys are still professionals and as soon as they step on the court/diamond/field they want to win no matter if a friend is on the other team or not.


I dont care if they r friends off the court. That was never my point. The point is they r playing against each other NOW. I dont think its the appropriate time 2 b doing dinner exchanges. Save that bonhomie 4 the offseason or even during the year when they arent facing each other THE NEXT NIGHT 4 Pete sake!

If u dont think other teams players take these playoff games personally look at how the Wizards talked junk to Lebron. Players still think of the opponent as the enemy, they just r not as vocal about it as they were back in the day because the media picks up on everything and would b writing hate stories everyday 4 Fannation like the recent story we saw here about how as Jim Edmonds was getting ready to join the Cubs, Carlos Zambrona expressed a dislike for him.

You think it would have been okay for Piazza and Roger Clemens to co-dine when they were facing each other in the World Series, even if they were bosom buddies off the diamond? Heck no!

Jeff Kent hates the Giants and he used to be one for many years. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that his current team is their rivals and it doesnt matter that he may or may not still have buds on Giants


It's fine to do it during series. Piazza and Clemens wouldn't have done it because they're not friends but if they were friends and ate dinner together the night before Clemens pitched, I don't see Clemens give Piazza a 60 mph pitch down the middle of the plate just because their friends.

As long as they give 110% during the game, do their job (depending on the sport - this means tackling, fouling etc your friend) I have no issue with it.

Do you have any examples of where 1 guy took it easy on a member of an opposing team just because they are friends? I don't think so.

These guys are pros and know the difference between a friend off the court/field/diamond and an enemy on it.


How can you give it 110% against a guy you just had dinner with at your house the night before? You cant. Some of these guys dont even invite their own teammates over to their houses, let alone an opponent. Intimate familiarity with someone(inviting them into your home) naturally leads to a lack of intensity when you have to face that person the next night where one game or play is so huge in determing who is going to get to steal a road game for example. You gotta see your opponent as someone who will gladly take away what you want(a win) for his own personal gain than someone that you want to backslap as you show him your floor-to-ceiling plasma that comes out of the wall via remote control as you two tip back some brewskis.

Its not a matter of if rstowe has an issue with it or not. Its about the intensity of the game and what you should be doing as a professional athlete to mentally prepare yourself for the game the next night which is not to foster a friendship you have with an immediate opponent!

Nobody will take it easier on someone conciously, but subconciously it will be inevitable.


Most of the time, the only time 2 friends on opposing teams can get together all year is when they are playing each other...the rest of the year, they live in different cities, are preparing for the upcoming season, spending time with the family etc. So there is no problem with 2 friends having dinner with each other during a series. Most of the instances I've heard of this was happening was 1 time during the series and normally just before or after the 1st game.

There is a reason these guys get paid to play a GAME (that is the key word here, these are games not battles no matter how many military catchphrases are used to describe the games/players/situations etc). The reason they get paid is because for their entire life they were able to separate their feelings for their friends off the court/field/diamond and the will to WIN the GAME. The best guys have been doing this their entire life. Growing up, I'm sure they had to play against friends all the time, but as soon as the game starts - there is no such thing as a friend. If they need to throw at their friend's head because the opposing pitcher threw at your best player - they will!

Comments (270) Add A Comment

May 16, 2008  10:34 AM ET
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Coolness, never TD'ed against you before, right stowe?

May 16, 2008  10:36 AM ET
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Oops, found one:

http://www.fannation.com/throwdowns/show/113297

May 16, 2008  10:38 AM ET
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We've TDed twice I believe.

May 16, 2008  10:43 AM ET
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Jordan and Barkley did it. Nash and Dirk do it. Its no big deal. These athletes can't take the game home with them just like I don't take my work problems home with me.

May 16, 2008  10:46 AM ET
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Nash and Dirk do it. Its no big deal. These athletes can't take the game home with them just like I don't take my work problems home with me.

buckybadger | 05/16/08, 10:43 AM
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do you think nash and dirk make racist jokes?

May 16, 2008  10:47 AM ET
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Just because other people have done it doesnt set the standard for all players that its okay to do it. When you are playing AGAINST somebody NOW, hold off on the barbeques boys. Geez.

May 16, 2008  10:49 AM ET
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Just because other people have done it doesnt set the standard for all players that its okay to do it. When you are playing AGAINST somebody NOW, hold off on the barbeques boys. Geez.

Cassidy's House's 5-5-6 Posse | 05/16/08, 10:47 AM
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they have to do it while the series is going on, they have to discuss the game script, just like pro wrestlers discuss the matches

May 16, 2008  10:50 AM ET
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It's a bit different, but Gregg Poppovich and Larry Brown, then the NBA Finals coaches of the Spurs and Pistons, had multiple dinners together during those finals.

May 16, 2008  10:50 AM ET
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this is tough, because in a way i agree with both.... they are playing for something huge so the other person should be the enemy.... but if you think logically they should only be the enemy for 60 minutes... this td is making me think too much... good arguments so far by both... but i will wait

May 16, 2008  10:55 AM ET
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There was a time players wouldn't even venture into or pass through another Team's railway car from strict fear. I don't care if the two guys are brothers playing for opposing teams...they should not be noshing together even at Mama's house.

May 16, 2008  10:55 AM ET
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More players choose NOT to dine with their friends on opposing teams during playoffs series(a good thing) than the ones that do, which are a very small minority by the way, as the media loves to let us know whenever it happens.

May 16, 2008  10:57 AM ET
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good arguments on both, i wish it were more realistic rivalries though... i bet i hate the eagles and their fans more than the actual cowboys players do... oh and NE fans, theyre a bunch of ****

May 16, 2008  11:00 AM ET
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"Do you have any examples of where 1 guy took it easy on a member of an opposing team just because they are friends? I don't think so."

HA! im not a pro, and i still try to kick my friends as ses anytime we play a sport! good point!

May 16, 2008  11:05 AM ET
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Good arguments both sides. But I tend to lean a little to the left on this one. Will wait to vote for the final argument though.

May 16, 2008  11:05 AM ET
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They are playing a game not fighting a war. Just because they are playing against each other doesn't mean they have to hate them 24-7. I think this is just another example of to much media coverage. We are now going to restrict who they can have dinner with. To be honest I don't care what they do as long as its law abiding and even than there is much I don't care about.

One social observation. This is a general rule of thumb and not meant to be racist in any shape or form. I find that the black athlete can turn on and off the competitive edge much better than the American white athlete. Seems like the white athlete needs time to get himself psyched up for the game where the black athlete can be dancing around having fun moments before they take the field and be just intense when the time comes. I could be way off, this is just what I have noticed being a white athlete at D-II football and a boxer.

May 16, 2008  11:09 AM ET
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You said Nash and Dirk do it and they are both white. Not buying it.

May 16, 2008  11:11 AM ET
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During the WWI, WWII and the Civil war..... Soldiers would take breaks and fratinize with thier opponent. There is even one story of some American GI's and some German GI's playing baseball together during the dead of war

May 16, 2008  11:12 AM ET
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Doesnt make it right Commish.

May 16, 2008  11:13 AM ET
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In the civil war they traded guns, swords, and rabbits feet.

 
May 16, 2008  11:15 AM ET
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Zito needs to trade in his Hyundai fastball.

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