Further proof that sporst is a business and players, owners, just 'wanna make cake

[Garb]

...Looks like Pierce is opting out of his contract with the Boston Celtics. He will test free agency and try to get a max contract. Hey, good for him, it's the American way! However, DO NOT feed me a bunch of sh*t people! Player, owners....it's all about the money. The USE us fans. They FEED off the fans (in more ways than one). But it's really about THEM, not US. This is why is cracks me up everytime I am on twitter and I see people kissing players asses. The jock sniffing is pathetic. Most players are in it for the money. There is no team loyalty....and vice versa. Take sports for what it is.

Anyway, found this tidbit on the Boston Globe on-line. Paul Pierce's blog. He writes about being a Celtic for life and how much that means to him....hahahahahahaha..

http://boston.com/community/blogs/paul_pierce/2009/12/paul_pierce_how_boston_became.html

December 17, 2009.

Paul Pierce speaks the Truth and nothing but the Truth.

I guess the obvious question is, "Why am I doing this?"

I've put a lot out there about myself for Celtics fans and for Paul Pierce fans in the past. You all know who I am as a basketball player and a Boston Celtic.

But for me, blogging is going to give me a chance to let other people get to know me even better, which is what I really want. When I'm done with this game I want people to know more about Paul Pierce as a person than just as a basketball player.

When I retire I don't want people to just talk about my accomplishments on the court. When I'm done playing I want them to really know about me, about my life and what I do to make a difference in my community and the positive impact I try to have on other people.

I've been in Boston for 12 years. At this point, I probably know this city better than where I grew up in Inglewood, Calif. I've been here so long. (It took me like 6-7 years to really learn this city with all these rotaries, but hey ... ).

Now I feel like Boston is MY city. I have embraced it and I love it.

I still remember the day I got drafted. In my mind, there was no way I was ending up in Boston. I had only worked out for the top five teams in the NBA Draft that year. But on draft night I slipped to 10.

When Boston called my name, I felt so many mixed emotions. At first, I was kind of upset that I went to Boston -- don't forget now, growing up as a Lakers fan in LA, this was a team that I hated! Then I remember seeing how Scott, a close friend of mine, who I consider an uncle/father, reacted to the news. He just started clapping and said. "That's right! This is where we wanted to be!"

So I thought, "You know what. You're absolutely right." These other teams didn't want me and this was the team that did want me. I wanted to be somewhere with a team that wanted me. And my dream to be in the NBA was just realized. Plus all those banners and trophies certainly didn't hurt!

I remember a couple years ago -- the summer I signed an extension -- I was talking with my mom and my brother about the possibility of going to play in other cities, maybe trying to win somewhere else. It was something that I was always talking about with the people closest to me. And it was crazy because my mom said to me, "You've already started building something special over there in Boston."

I had great friends here, knew the restaurants, the hotels, the club owners. I was really comfortable, you get so used to it. When I moved from Oakland to LA -- I think I was 8 or 9 years old -- and it was traumatic because I thought I lost everything I knew, all my friends all the relationships I had built. It's like you're starting over, and you think about that.

She said, "The grass ain't always greener on the other side."

And everybody says it, but when you think about it, just because you go somewhere else, that doesn't mean that things are going to be better. She was just reminding me how I built something in Boston and how I should ride it out.

That made me change my whole attitude about the situation. I was a captain of the team. I was making the All-Star team. She said to me, "Make change there. You're going to have your ups and downs, but it's going to turn around eventually. You be the one to make change!"

And she was right.

I'm so glad I was able to sign an extension that year. I was so close to testing free agency. And then I just knew I was here to stay, that Boston is my city and I love it.

It's funny because I asked Kevin (Garnett) where he wants his number retired. He's going to be one of the greatest players to ever play this game. He started in Minnesota. He won his championship in Boston. The same thing with Ray. He spent so many years in Milwaukee.

And it's like where do you want to be remembered?

I've been in an amazing position to say that I'm going to be linked 100 percent to the Boston Celtics.

To say that I've played with only one franchise, and accomplished what we have, it's almost like a miracle. You don't see that any more. You don't see the same players staying with the same team like that. I'm a true follower of the game and only five guys have played for one team for 10-plus years, especially in the last 10. There's Tim, Kobe, Ilgauskas, Nowitzki, and me.

You're always going to associate Kobe with the Lakers. You're always going to associate Timmy with San Antonio. Those guys won championships for their teams and they've been there their whole career.

You look around the league and see a lot of great players. You have some Hall of Famers that have been on multiple teams and you think at the end of the day, which team do they represent? And I can definitely say I am a Boston Celtic through and through. When people look back at my career they're going to identify me with one team.

Boston is definitely home.

As told to Globe reporter Julian Benbow.

Paul Pierce's FitClub34 by Harvard Pilgrim is a Truth Fund program providing children with the information, resources, and tools necessary to become more active and physically fit. To learn more, visit www.truthonhealth.org

This blog is not written or edited by Boston.com or the Boston Globe.

The author is solely responsible for the content.

[faba]

there is no loyalty on either side in sports- every person for themselves rules

[rillo]

I think Pierce is opting out and he's scheduled to make $21mill or something, I don't see him making that much on the free market. Good luck to him anyway.

[Bruce Banner]

Players and coaches say the opposite of what they really want to do to drive up their salaries. If they want to stay they say they want to leave so their current employer has to pay them more to keep them. If they want to leave they say they want to stay so their future employer has to pay them more to get them to go.

In the same way, expect things to be quiet on the Revis front until Kyle Wilson is signed. If the Jets trade Revis or are having trouble with him it increases Wilson's leverage. So the Jets won't be aggressive with Revis until they have Wilson signed.

[JohnnyHector]

I think Pierce is opting out and he's scheduled to make $21mill or something, I don't see him making that much on the free market. Good luck to him anyway.

He's not doing it to make more money next year, he's doing it to sign a new long-term deal.

[dbatesman]

He's not doing it to make more money next year, he's doing it to sign a new long-term deal.

This. He's turning down $21.5 million guaranteed next season for the opportunity to finish his career with the Celtics. This thread makes us all stupider.

[Larz]

wait, they get paid ? they don't do it for the love of the game and the logo on the jersey ?

[PFSIKH]

He's not doing it to make more money next year, he's doing it to sign a new long-term deal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/nba/news/story?id=5353346

Good call.

In fact, he took less money in order to give the Celtics more cap room.

[Larz]

you know what's really proof they are in it for the money, EVEN AHEAD OF WINNING ?

lebron, bosch and wade could team up together

but they won't

cuz of cheeze