Even though I was at the Giants-Saints on Sunday night, I didn't know about Joe Horn's now-infamous phone call till the morning after, when I saw it on SportsCenter. I didn't think about it too much at the time, because I had greater concerns: the friend who was going to sit next to me on two flights was puking in the cab taking us to the airport.
My initial reaction was, Who intentionally draws a 15-yard penalty early in a 17-7 game? You don't have to seek out Mr. Miyagi for the simple answer to that one: a selfish teammate.
My second reaction was, Why didn't the Giants ensure that this punk-ass' next call would come from his hospital bed? The fact that Horn scored two more touchdowns in the game might be the most embarrassing aspect of a most embarrassing Giants season.
My third reaction was, Maybe sports needs classless pricks like Joe Horn. I may not want my team's players to act like that, but it's fun to have someone to root against. I still feel guilty about rooting for Scott Norwood's life to be ruined in Super Bowl XXV. It's too bad he never called his mother after making a field goal. I'd feel a lot better about myself. In short, sports needs villains. Where would the Red Sox be without the hated Yankees to kick their asses every year? They'd be just another crappy team with whiny fans.
How bad were Horn's premeditated actions? To me, no worse than Barry Bonds or Manny Ramirez admiring their home runs or hoopsters posing before running down the court to help teammates on defense. It's all selfish and attention-getting and a personal statement against respectful competition in the company of athletes who prove that you don't have to be a dick to be entertaining or successful. (Anyone ever hear of Dr. J. or Brett Favre?) Not everything has to be as polite as Wimbledon and the Ryder Cup, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out where the line stands between charismatic athlete and punk. Joe Horn is far, far from being a genius, and that was well-known even before Sunday.
Thankfully Joe Horn doesn't call me. I wouldn't want to rely on him for anything.
Joe Horn Reaction:
• Tooting Own Horn Not Kosher to Ickey — The former Bengals running back, whose own end-zone celebration was always considered goofy fun, thinks things are getting out of hand.
• Get on Horn, Millen and Rest of NFL Idiots — Mike Lupica gets some quotes from classy Jets coach Herm Edwards, who says, "Guys have to be smart enough to know that we are, all of us, just a part of the stage in professional football. But none of us is the whole stage. And when people start acting like they are the whole stage, they've made a mistake."
• Shameless Horn Show a Phony Phone Call — Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti compares Horn's actions to other famous and infamous end-zone celebrations.
• Phil Simms' NFL.com Column — The former Giants quarterback says that those who endorse such actions should "just shut up."
• Gregg Easterbook's Tuesday Morning Quarterback — The columnist asks the same question I did. "Giants, why didn't one of you lay this guy out? When Terrell Owens danced in the big star at Texas Stadium a few years back, George Teague of the Cowboys laid him out. I would have donated to the defense fund of any Giant who laid Horn out on Sunday."
$30,000 fine for acting like a jerk off. That kind of loot is pocket change for someone like Horn, so where is the punishment? The punishment should be that any player that wants to act so selfishly and unsportsmanlike has to sit out of a game with no pay. They need to be reminded that they are on a TEAM and when on the field they are not individuals.
Wasn't kicking the shit out of the Giants good enough for the Saints? No, the element of disrespect had to be added to the mix. Another fine example of pathetic behavior for young, impressionable athletes to start mimicking. Horn was a complete jerk off, and the Giants should have kicked the shit out of him. If this were hockey, Horn would have a few less teeth, a major concussion and missing the next few games right now...
Posted by Cass at December 17, 2003 8:01 AM