That's a picture of the Chicago Bulls' mascot, Benny the Bull, holding the smoking gun from his latest run-in with trouble. Last night during the team's loss to Boston, Benny blasted Kevin Garnett and James Posey in the back with t-shirts, resulting in some understandably angry Celtics.
... the Chicago mascot shot T-shirts out of a T-shirt gun that hit them in the back. The incident happened when Garnett and Posey were walking to the bench during a timeout with 2:49 remaining. Garnett and Posey gave Bennie the Bull a glare, and, said Garnett, "We exchanged words."
"I felt threatened," said Posey, who is considered a villain among Bulls fans for his tough fouls when he played for Miami, and was booed every time he touched the ball last night. "They already don't like me here already.
"Two T-shirts were thrown at me and KG. I don't feel safe. The T-shirts were fired out of that gun or whatever.
"I feel a little sore in one spot. I might have to get treatment ... Let's see how the league handles this."
While I doubt the t-shirts caused enough harm for Posey to actually require "treatment," it is ridiculous that a mascot would be messing with opposing players like that. But as I mentioned, this isn't the first time that Benny has run afoul of the law.
In 2006, Benny was charged with attacking an off-duty police officer by punching a sheriff's deputy who was working at an outdoor festival. And after seeing Benny appear on a recent episode of the Jerry Springer show, I can only come to the conclusion that this is one seriously messed up Bull, and one that should probably be kept as far away from NBA players as possible.
[via Michael Rand at the Star Tribune]
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. Wow. Boston Globe misspells Benny...in the lead! =)
Who says paper sites go through rigorous peer review before publication?
Posted at 3:01PM on Apr 2nd 2008 by Ryne Nelson
2. It certainly is more serious than Randall Simon's whacking of the racing sausage in Milwaukee a few years back. He was fined for that. I would think a rolled up T-shirt fired at high velocity would still have some kick to it. Benny should be fired.
Posted at 3:52PM on Apr 2nd 2008 by oldpatfan
3. Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is not the first time a Boston player has been the target of a malicious attack by an opposing teams' mascot. I beg you to recall the showdown between Coco Crisp and the Mariner Moose (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZe1hDIEHJM).
Based on these two attacks, happening within one year of one and other, i can hypothesize that Boston sports teams will suffer tremendous player losses in the next 10 years (20 players at 2 attacks per year) due to mascot gorilla attacks.
Posted at 7:04PM on Apr 2nd 2008 by Swise
4. "I felt threatened," said Posey
LOL LOL LOL threathened by a tshirt? LOL
booo hoooo hoooo..whah...whah.....wha...
then he's too big a Puss* to be on a team
Posted at 6:31AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by betty
5. He should be a Rat not a Bull........Only a rat would shoot someone in the back!
Posted at 8:27AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Joe
6. Assault with a deadly t-shirt, STONE HIM dammit!!
Posted at 8:28AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by paul
7. Boston will make hamburger out of him!
Posted at 8:59AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Ricky whitten
8. If they paid me the money that these players are receiving he could shoot me all day with t-shirts. LOL
Posted at 9:02AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Tim
9. Posey is a Wussy!!! Get a life.
Posted at 9:38AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Judi
10. Players need to get in on the fun. Like wipe their armpits or butts with the shirts and then give them to the fans. Pro athletes need to relax sometimes and drop the toughguy/gangsta personnas. Start catering to the 98% of fans that watch sports for fun and do not care to see attitudes.
Posted at 10:00AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Barry
11. This is the stupidest thing I have ever read about.
Posted at 10:33AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Teresa in Virginia
12. Shooting someone with anything that comes out of a gun sends the wrong message to urban areas which are dealing with gun violence.
Posted at 11:05AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Gene
13. Awwwww......poor lil babies!!!! Why don't u cry about it! I'm sure the 2 thugs did way worse than that out on da streets wit their gangsta friends....... too bad it wasnt paul pierce and sam cassell, 2 of the biggest gangsta thug crybabies in the league
Posted at 11:34AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by t
14. Some of these people didn't get the actual picture here and neither did the writer of this story (or he doesn't have the knack to put it into words properly). The Boston players' comments were made in jest while smiling on the sideline as they were catching their breath. The comments were made while going along with the joke and also to let people know they weren't dumb. They knew it was a deliberate prank. But, it wasn't taken that seriously.
Posted at 11:42AM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Bobby G
15. ANIMAL FOUL!
Posted at 12:01PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by BAMA
16. Lets face it guys,Whatever the situation is,You have to look at the intent and not the act sometimes.Is not like he shot a cannon ball at them.
He was trying to take them out of their game and he did it.Lary Bird would do the same thing only in a different way.You look at those films of larry playing and all you see is Larry Jawing his opponent all game long.He wasnt shooting T-shirts.He was shooting insults to take them out of their game.Its just strategy!But Because he's Larry Bird, and not Allen Iverson,he gets away with it.
TELL ME I'M WRONG
Posted at 12:05PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by rickster
17. You can mamake a big deal out of anything.A bunch of millionaires playing basketball are a little spoiled to. Dont you think!
TELL ME I'M WRONG
Posted at 12:15PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by rickster
18. He should be charge with assault and band from the venue for ever.
Posted at 12:37PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by JOE
19. Little boys and their toys.
Posted at 1:32PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Leigh
20. "I feel a little sore", "I may need treatment". Give me a break!! Can you believe this Girly-Man's whinning and crying. Trade him to the WNBA!!!
Posted at 2:56PM on Apr 3rd 2008 by Monty Python 1975