Story about Dirk/Nash pictures

[MavsFanFinley]

Even the Mavericks deserve a shot at privacy

07/18/2003

There is no valet parking here. The front door isn't roped off in velvet. You won't find a VIP room inside. You don't have to wear anything but some sort of clothing to get in.

There's an old couch in front of a fireplace. A pool table is in the back. Most of the illumination seems to come from the TVs.

If a buddy of mine didn't own the place, I'd call his near-downtown tavern a hole in the wall, a dive. It is as unpretentious a place as you can find.

It's the last place you would expect to find any multimillionaire pro athletes accustomed to the pampering their standing provides them.

But well before my buddy doubled the size of his place and hired a fine Italian chef to elevate pub grub to cuisine, his place became a favorite with Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. They came in together or with friends, usually dressed in T-shirts and jeans like everybody else. They'd have a cold toddy or two, slap a few backs, laugh a little, maybe shoot some pool.

They didn't ask for any favors, didn't cause a ruckus or seek to stand out in the crowd. They just seemed to want to be treated like they were anyone else once again.

In the highfalutin atmosphere of the pro athlete, Nash and Nowitzki are breaths of fresh air, as unassuming as multimillionaire pro athletes can possibly be these days.

At least they were.

Unfortunately for Nash and Nowitzki, there are too many people among us with small minds and little decent sense in them. They live to make things unnecessarily difficult for everyone else, or make something for themselves off everyone else.

To be sure, the World Wide Web was littered recently with photographs of Nash and Nowitzki not playing the game of basketball for which they've become rich and famous. Instead, there are photos of Nash and Nowitzki at some watering hole probably not too unlike my buddy's.

The Mavericks stars are pictured in their dressed-down best. They appear to be enjoying themselves like many people, if not most, do in bars, clowning around and yucking it up. The photos were taken, according to cut lines, after the Mavericks' season ended, not on an eve of Nash and Nowitzki having to go to work.

"Why weren't the photos of a drunk Dirk and Steve ever published?" a reader e-mailed me. "Do we need to protect their status that badly because they give to charities or because they are young up-and-comers in this area? The media gave Steve Nash a pulpit to speak out on political views and allowed this Canadian citizen to criticize the U.S. president ... why not show pictures of him in a drunken stupor?"

For starters, a snapshot is not evidence that someone is drunk.

Furthermore, and more important, neither Nash nor Nowitzki appear to be doing anything illegal.

They don't appear to be doing anything unethical, not like former Iowa State basketball coach Larry Eustachy.

They weren't pulled over afterward for driving drunk or for having run over someone or something, either.

But everyone wants to be thesmokinggun.com now. Or worse, they want to be amateur paparazzi. That stinks.

Judging from the photos, whoever snapped them asked Nash and Nowitzki to mug for the camera. The pair conceded.

Then, like vermin, the photographer scurried off with evidence of whatever, and downloaded the otherwise private time of Nash and Nowitzki, even though they were in a public establishment, for gawkers everywhere.

That's not right. Unfortunately, it's not against the law, either.

Whatever happened to respect? Whatever happened to having your picture taken with a famous person and just sticking it in your scrapbook as a keepsake? Why must some among us take advantage of a celebrity's generosity? Aren't these guys due some time just to themselves?

You could argue that Nash and Nowitzki have no one to blame for the unflattering photos except themselves. They chose to go out in public and, as we say, party. They dared to be themselves, or like everyone else. They refused to be captive to their celebrity.

"The lousy part is that each year ticket prices go up to support the contracts of these guys," e-mailed another reader. "Instead of conditioning themselves to be exceptional athletes and the best at what they do, they choose to go and get plastered in bars and clubs."

That is the very wrong impression of Nash and Nowitzki that some voyeur with a camera left embedded in the minds of many.

No wonder so many athletes just acquiesce to standoffish behavior, hiding out in public in the VIP room or private dining area. With so-called fans like the one who sidled up next to Nash and Nowitzki, they don't need any enemies.

[Smiles]

I first saw the pictures in an email an associate of mine sent to me. It was all very "hush hush" and he indicated that i should be careful to make certain they didn't fall into the wrong hands. I initially assumed he'd been out goofing off with guys, and took the pictures himself.

And I was sure the pictures were staged. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

I hadn't heard any nasty rumors attached to the pictures - not in my circles. It's too bad people used this opportunity in such a way.

[Drbio]

I don't think the majority of people were willing to condemn them for those photos. If anything, I thought it was refreshing to see them goofing off like normal folks their age.

[Hitman]

Originally posted by: Drbio
I don't think the majority of people were willing to condemn them for those photos. If anything, I thought it was refreshing to see them goofing off like normal folks their age.

Yeah, I actually thought it was awesome to see them hanging out in a bar with "Golden Tee" in the background. I love that game!!!!

[irontoad]

"The lousy part is that each year ticket prices go up to support the contracts of these guys," e-mailed another reader. "Instead of conditioning themselves to be exceptional athletes and the best at what they do, they choose to go and get plastered in bars and clubs."

What a stupid thing to say. These guys are human, aren't they? Does this guy expect pro athletes to practice their sport 24 hours a day even in the offseason?? Yeah, I heard Dirk went to see a MOVIE of all things the other night, and he had the NERVE to eat a TV dinner at his home earlier in the week instead of working on his game. For shame, Dirk. For shame. [img]i/expressions/moon.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img]

[Evilmav2]

I thought those pictures were hilarious, and they didn't make me lose an ounce of respect for Nasty and Dirty.

When sports fans are constantly subjected to news about pro-athletes doing everything from wife-beating, to drug-smuggling, to mowing down good samaritans on the side of the road, seeing a couple of guys partake in the good, clean fun of responsible, driving-less drinking just doesn't seem so bad...

Keep it up Steve and Dirk, and if I ever see you by the golden tee machine, have a couple on me!

[cookies_n_mavs]

I thought it was nice to see them having some good times off the court.

I respect them more because unlike a lot of 'celebrities', they showed that they aren't pretentious. They're just regular Joe's with a lot of cash and some fame. Sounds like Mark Cuban actually.

[Mavs_Rule2003]

Yup! They are not atleast sexually assulting any 19 yrs old or taking money to book game in college.

It shows how good and normal person Nash and Dirk. They earn MIllion and can go to any million dollar clubs with tuxedo. But they are young and come to the club for doing party "like every single other american" of their age does everyday.

Some people have really nothing to do at all. I think people are jealous how good freinds they are.

i find it ammusing when most of other stars are gettign arrested for charges like sexual assult and drugs and taking money..there we are talking about two buddies are getting little drunk on weekend.!!! wonder!! wonder!!

And what about this NAsh's comment on President? they are still talking it as an issue? I personally think Nash was 100% right saying so. Every person has right to say whatever they feel like to say about any action. Even if it is against for our president. We should be proud that atleast we have an educated player with knowledge of outside world and what is going on, rather than most of us who listen to the emotional radio addresses of the president and CNN to jump into a conclusion.

However, this was sick when people were at Nash to trade him and i saw a banner sign in a Mavs game saying something against NASH for saying those comments.

Pethetic!

[cookies_n_mavs]

They were talking about this on The Big Show and the guy keeps saying that nobody knows if they were drinking...Did he not see the picture of Dirk holding the bottle?

[MavKikiNYC]

Poor Blackistone. Always the hyper-righteous libertarian prig, defending the defenseless. And he will never ever learn to use a dictionary correctly, let alone a thesaurus.

Tough to get too exercised about the pics either way--not toward Dirk and Nash for the behavior the pics document, or against the person who took and disseminated the pics. What makes B-stone think that the person who took the pics is "taking advantage" of their "generosity"? Does he have evidence that the photographer is profiting in some way? Does he think it? Nah. B-stone just wants to sound off in his usual demi-literate morally indignant way. Some person took a pic, and then that person or someone else circulated the pics to a very wide audience.

As for Dirk and Nash's image.....if they don't care I don't either. If they're not tryng to protect their privacy, why should I care? Or Blackistone for that matter? I think what the pictures may be useful for illustrating is illustrating for impressionable young athletes and their parents that the people whose athletic abilities you admire oncourt may or may not share your family's values on a farily low-impact issue like alcohol consumption. No need to make this point by resorting to freak-show issues like Bryant's sexual assault charges, Iverson's gun-toting shenanigans, Barkley's alcoholism and bar brawls, MJ's infidelities and gambling issues, Magic's promiscuity, Dr.J's infidelity....and so on and so on.

Publishing the pictures was harmless. The only negative that came of it was Blackistone's usual irrational bluster.

[Smiles]

i was so happy to see them having such a good time. [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img] it's terribly disappointing to hear about the critical comments made... i'm glad no one made such statements in my presence... [img]i/expressions/devil.gif[/img] [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/img] although most people who know me would be afraid of my retribution against them for making disparaging remarks about the boys. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img] i would call down lightening... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[LordOfTheMavs]

Anyone that actually has a problem with those pictures and doesn't find it hilarious and refresshing and fun to see those guys being just normal guys, has a bug stick up there arses and are hypocritcal to boot. I don't really care about the collective opinion of a bunch of anal hypocrites.

The original poster needs to realize that those kind of people exist in this world and we all do our best to ignore them.

To the normal people in this world those pics solidify how cool and refreshingly down to earth Dirk and Steve are.

[Rhylan]

I think there was little reason to write that article in the first place. A bored writer faced with a deadline.

For those of you who went to (or are familiar with) A&M, it was a weak Battalion-like attempt at being controversial.

[dude1394]

Blackistone is always talking about victims. I went on lakers and kings boards with these pictures and most posters thought they were really cool, really normal young guys.

I don't know who the moron was that said they shoud be working out instead of having fun is, but I would ask why that moron has time to write an email when he should be working harder.

Dirk/Steve... Let me know when you are going out again so I can buy you a beer myself. Bottoms up boys!! [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

[DirkNash1341]

So where the F are these pictures?? Can anyone give me a link or something?

[dude1394]

I don't really know how to link them but I think they were moved to the lounge.

[thebac]

Originally posted by: DirkNash1341
So where the F are these pictures?? Can anyone give me a link or something?

No need to get mad here [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Some pics

[dude1394]

These are better and the kings fans comments are also pretty funny...

Better pictures

[Ummmmm Ok]

more pictures of Mavs, just didn't want or need to start a thread for it:






New Jersey Nets forward Tamar Slay (8) goes high over Dallas Mavericks forward Marcus Goree


Dallas Mavericks' guard Jemeil Rich (10) drives around New Jersey Nets' guard Zoran Planinic


Dallas Mavericks forward Marcus Goree (54) dunks the ball over New Jersey Nets forward Ace Custis


San Antonio Spurs' Devin Brown (3) goes up and over a tumbling Dallas Mavericks' Lavor Postell(7) for a first-quarter layup during a Pro Summer League game in Boston

[scooterj5]

Errr. .. there's nothing wrong with the pictures. And yes, they are very very drunk in those photos!

[Big Boy Laroux]

i have more respect for them now. we've heard that they are normal, everyday guys and this just cements that in my mind.

now, if they had been drinking the night before a game... then someone can have a problem with it. but they weren't.

[Ummmmm Ok]

Anybody else ready to be steve Nash for a day? (4) women???? Nice!!!




Oh and btw if this is the scenery at Woodys Tavern in Fort Worth, I might have to go. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[cookies_n_mavs]

Um. Methinks Dirk needs a haircut and not to wear babyblue colored sneakers.

[dude1394]

Originally posted by: cookies_n_mavs
Um. Methinks Dirk needs a haircut and not to wear babyblue colored sneakers.

It's a statement man.

[Novice#41]

Originally posted by: Ummmmm Ok


Anybody else ready to be steve Nash for a day? (4) women???? Nice!!!

ok one less than steve... but still (3) women... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

still immensely popular... just like before those hilarious pics [img]i/expressions/camera.gif[/img]...



2,13 Meters hight German-born basketball star Dirk Nowitzki, centre,
of US NBA league team Dallas Mavericks gets a kiss by an unidentified
female player during a basketball tournament for young talents in
Cologne, Germany, Sunday, July 20, 2003.

[one long blue sock]

Originally posted by: Ummmmm Ok


Anybody else ready to be steve Nash for a day? (4) women???? Nice!!!




Oh and btw if this is the scenery at Woodys Tavern in Fort Worth, I might have to go. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Steve Nash is the biggest pimp ever!!!

[Ummmmm Ok]

yea but steve's were legal!!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[jayC]

steve said the pics were hilarious on dunham and miller's show on monday.