Nets' Mourning Retires, Citing Ailment

AP, via New York Post ^ | 11.24.2003

[NYC GOP Chick]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey Nets center Alonzo Mourning is leaving basketball again because the kidney disease he's had for three years is worsening and he needs a transplant.

The team said Mourning needs a transplant "in the near future" and that a nationwide search is under way for a prospective donor.

[TheBigB]

Okay then, thank you. Now I know it's not due to content or source.

[cgk]

I think this is the reason they both were moved:

So What Sort of FreeRepublic Should This Be?

[TheBigB]

Rats. My efforts to gently steer the site to irrelevance have been discovered. ;-)

[NYC GOP Chick]

Nah, it was due to me being a Noo Yawkuh! ;)

[NYC GOP Chick]

Oh, I'm always good for hijacking threads on the Irrelevance Express -- even my own! ;)

[TheBigB]

[cgk]

If Mr Martin really said that about Mr Mournings kidney. He is a disgraceful human being !!

He really said it - in front of the press. Here's the rest of that article snip:

---

You also have to wonder about the Nets' chemistry after this episode at practice last week, which was witnessed by reporters.

Mourning played for the losing side in a scrimmage and was the last to finish the resulting conditioning drill. When he heard teammates laughing at him, Mourning shouted, among other unprintable phrases, "This ain't funny. This is about winning."

Kenyon Martin countered by mocking Mourning's rebounding skills. "Get more than one rebound next time and you won't have to run," he said.

"At least I'm out there on the court," Mourning shot back. "I'm trying to make the best of my time. You can't be a leader in the trainer's room crying, 'My ankle, my ankle.'æ"

When Martin responded by taunting Mourning with "my kidney, my kidney," the 33-year-old center had to be restrained.

"What did you say about my kidney?" he shouted angrily. "Don't talk about my kidney. I'll put you on your back."

The following day, all parties suggested the exchange was all in good fun. It was just typical athletic humor that should have stayed in the locker room.

"Every day we joke around and trash talk," Mourning said. "That's part of the league. It really was nothing."

"I'm not upset about it," said Nets coach Byron Scott. "It was a great practice. We really got after each other. I wish it would have happened earlier, where (the media) wouldn't have seen, but it didn't."

[cgk]

LOL!

And here I go innocently exposing you.

I was trying to cool you two off, and missed reading between the lines that it was all in fun. ;)

[cgk]

So.

Do you think Magic will offer him a kidney?

[cgk]

The weird thing is - ALL topics/keywords were removed. I added some keywords back, but couldn't even add the topic "NJ"... it wouldn't take. I think it's been disabled so noone sticks it back into front page or extended, or *gasp* breaking!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Actually, it started off a little tense, but we decided to have some fun instead. :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

I hope not!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Yeah, I noticed that. Makes it hard for people to find it by searching... Oh well, such is life... ;)

[TheBigB]

The Nets need to go ahead and trade for Grant Hill and Antonio McDyess just to tie up $100 million in guys who can't play anymore.