Dexter, okay...maybe I was being a TAD sarcastic with my post. The main point I was trying to make was that any number of people can witness the same incident, but each person will paint a slightly different, to completely opposite, picture of the same scene. This doesn't mean that NOTHING happened, only that we are human, and we all see things from a different perspective.
A very good example (yes, another one - but, this one is real) would be the great discussion on these boards after the Irmo-S.Aiken State Championship game some months ago. I can�t find the link to it now, but somewhere out there is posted a video clip of a questionable goal. Okay, there is no question that a goal was awarded by the referee, but whether the ball actually crossed the goal line, and whether a S.Aiken defender kept the ball out of the goal illegally, IS in question. I have seen the video numerous times, and I have read numerous posts stating that one thing or the other �obviously� happened �because it�s right there on video.� �Look at the shadows,� �Look at the angle,� etc. An entire stadium witnessed the incident, but it�s amazing how many differents descriptions of the same incident there are.
I have seen the coach in question (back to this subject) at practices and at games many times. Now, I�m not going to be like the parent in the news who says their �wonderful, sweet child would never ever hurt a flea,� while that same sweet child is on trial for murder. No, I don�t �know� everything about this coach, but if you lined him up with a hundred other coaches from around the state and asked me to rank them according to their propensity for aggressive behavior, he would be very near the opposite end.
Tommyboy, I don�t think Carson was accusing the player of intentionally running into the flailing arms of this coach � I believe he was merely suggesting that when the incident happened, the kid took advantage of it to the fullest. NOTREBMALHH gives a good example of how easy it is to manipulate people when the circumstances are ripe. This is one of the reasons I love my TiVo � in the middle of pretty much any EPL game, there will some some contact between players, and one of them will dive backwards as if hit between the eyes with a sledgehammer. Funny thing is, when I play it back in slow-mo, I usually don�t see any (or much) contact at all. The fans in the stands don�t have TiVo � what do you think they see?
Dexter, I know this one will also sound like a �second gunman theory,� but regarding the �cursing,� I have seen first-hand (and you can quote me on this) how this could possibly be a �mis-interpretation.� As I mentioned, I have spent a good amount of time around a few of the Tobagoan coaches in the area. They tend to have very strong accents, and there are plenty of words they say that just do not come out right. I watched one game in particular where I was asked afterwards by more than one spectator what I thought about the coach�s foul language. Fact is, there WAS no foul language. After said spectator went through the words they heard, I gave them the translation of what was actually said. I, myself, have listened to them talk, and on more than one occasion, perked up when I �couldn�t believe� what they just said, only to realize what the actual word was several minutes later. I am sure that you will not believe me until you witness it yourself, but it is true � I am not exaggerating.
Okay, I have finally come to the end. I am NOT saying that the above is what actually happened, and I am not saying that nothing happened � I am merely suggesting that what APPEARS to be OBVIOUS is not always so. Do not believe everything you hear, even if it is from a witness � remember, there are three sides to every story � his, hers, and the truth.
