Suspension coming for Ostertag

[MFFL]

Here's the link

Deseret News, Wednesday, February 06, 2002
Broken at the break
Jazz lose to lowly Memphis; Sloan to suspend Ostertag
By Rich Evans
Deseret News sports writer

MEMPHIS — When one shorthanded bad team beats you, it's easy to chalk it up to poor officiating or bad luck or just an off-night.

But when two shorthanded bad teams in a row beat you, something's wrong.

Seriously wrong.

The Jazz got handled Tuesday night by the lowly Memphis Grizzlies, 86-79 — a classic "It wasn't anywhere near that close" outcome. They were down by 27 in the fourth quarter at The Pyramid, and only a mercifully poor final few minutes by a Grizzlies team tired from stomping all over the Jazz made the score reasonably close.

The loss leaves Utah stumbling into a much-needed All-Star break with everyone heading for destinations unknown, with the exception of center Greg Ostertag, who is heading for a suspension.

Midway through the third quarter, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan sent Scott Padgett in for Ostertag, who to that point had committed three fouls in four minutes of play, looking for all the world like someone who started his break sometime well before this game.

As Ostertag left the floor, Sloan must have said something about being ready to play, because Ostertag shot back, "I'm ready. I'm ready. Put me back in the game." Then he started toward the scorers' table, but Sloan made it clear that would be unacceptable, so Ostertag headed back to the bench. On the way, though, he bumped Sloan, and the coach gave him a little shove and told him to go to the locker room.

"Ostertag is going to be suspended," Sloan said afterward, adding that it hadn't been determined yet for how long.

Explaining why, Sloan said, "Greg wanted to go back in, and he picked the wrong path to try to get back in the ballgame."

Then he added, "Greg has to grow up and decide if he wants to play basketball or he wants to be the Bear. Everything's a joke to him . . . One game every month or so is not enough to be competitive."

Neither Ostertag nor his teammates would comment on the suspension.

If noncompetitiveness were a crime, Ostertag wouldn't have been the only culprit Tuesday. As they did the night before in Houston, the Jazz started slowly. Only this time they never got any better.

Keep in mind, the Grizzlies were without Michael Dickerson (stress fracture), Lorenzen Wright (broken leg), Stromile Swift (sprained toe) and Jason Williams (toe ouchy). Only seven Grizz played in the first half. But they played with energy, while the Jazz seemed to be just biding time until the break.

"They were fired-up right from the beginning," Sloan said. "They cracked us early . . . They're struggling with guys out of the lineup, and they come out and walk right through us."

Not that Sloan didn't try everything, and everybody. He threw guard John Stockton back into the game earlier than usual in the second quarter, and he used everyone on his bench, in a vain search for someone who felt like playing.

Some lowlights: four turnovers in the first five minutes; 28.6-percent shooting in the first half; John Starks missing three shots on the same possession.

Utah's only mild threat occurred in the third quarter, when they cut a 20-point lead to 13. But the Grizzlies needed slightly more than three minutes to push their advantage to 23, and Sloan went with his bench and young guys most of the rest of the way.

All things considered, the break may prove very timely.

"Right now it's best we take advantage of the break, and have everybody come back for a fresh start," Stockton said.

Malone, who made 2 of 13 shots for 10 points, was more to the point.

"I think the All-Star break is coming at a damn good time," he said.

[madape]

Did you know that Ostertag and Bear have the same Jersey number? Coincidence? Think about it... have you ever seen them together?

[Hales233]

What a tool...Ostertag is the anti-Scot Pollard (fellow KU alum).

[#41]

I didn't care too much about Utah-beer, cause I thought mormons are not allowed to have beers...

Ostertag is a 00

[LonestarROB]

LMAO madape [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[madape]

I've been investigating this Ostertag/bear phenomenon, and have found some interesting facts... Apparently men have been transforming into bears for centuries.. here is an interesting clip I've pulled speaking of an Hotcâgara indian tribe legend of the bear-man...


In some Hotcâk stories people turn into grizzly bears and wreak havoc on their own communities. People who turn into grizzles may be of either sex, but they are all driven by some kind of abnormal lust. When these people are infuriated, they turn into cannibal grizzly bears who are difficult, but not impossible, to kill. Furthermore, once dead, extraordinary measures must be taken to ensure that they do not return to life: the were-bear, as well as everything owned by the affected person, must be completely burned up and its bones pounded into powder. However, an unusually holy person may be able to use the powdered bones of the were-grizzly to resurrect its victims. [5]

People of Ostertag's kind seem to have originally come from Norway..

In Norse mythology, we have alongside the ulfhedhnar, who can transform themselves into wolves, the berserker, who are possessed by the spirit of the bear. This complementary pattern is seen as well in the Hotcâk Wolf and Bear Clans who have a special friendship relation. Similarly, in Hotcâk thought the were-grizzles are like European "vampires," in the sense that extraordinary measures must be taken to make certain that they do not rise again from the dead.

Perhaps a berserker was posing viking adverturer on one of their famous excavations into Nefoundland. This would put the were bear in America about the time of the Hotcâgara legend.

I need to check on this, but I beleive that Ostertag is a name of Norweigan decent.

I'll be back with more information as soon as possible.

[Hoopsmeister]

One big hole in your theory Madape. The Berserkers were fearsome warriors. Ostertag is a rather unattractive teddy bear.

[madape]

Here is the results of my geneology study on the Ostertag surname.

The Ostertags originally came from a German town near Wurtemberg (first record about 1638). According to my sources, all current day Ostertags are decended from a single group of a guild of executioners.. meaning they killed people upon command. Back then, Executioners always married within their profession. So basically, the Ostertags of today are the result of centuries worth of select breeding among executioners. Only the strongest and most bloodthirsty of the clan were alowed to mate, thus producing more and more efficient executioners as genereations passed. From time to time, others who displayed desirable characteristics were brought into the clan. It isn't too much of a stretch to imagine that the guild tried to introduce berserker blood. This could perhaps explain why our favorite 7'0" Jazz player occasionally transforms into a bear when he gets angry.

It's all true, here's a link.

[madape]

Here's the latest on "tag". From bskball.com

The Jazz have told media they would address the run in between Greg Ostertag and Jerry Sloan after the All-Star break, why? Because they tried like crazy to deal him this weekend, offering him and Bryon Russell to just about anyone who'd listen...had the popcorn guy has the caproom Tag would have been selling popcorn at the half... In the end it seems like Ostertag will remain in Utah, but will be getting the Mookie Blaylock treatment...parked on the furthest side of the bench on the newly named "inactive list" for the rest of the season. The Jazz do not want to eat Ostertag's deal, and talks of a buyout have surfaced, but that's viewed according to sources as the "last resort". The Jazz have maintained they will try and trade him before absorbing his deal, but tensions between Tag and many members of the team have labeled him a "distraction" and Jerry Sloan will not have that in his locker room.