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**USSKittyHawk** · 01-23-2008, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Only the Knicks could turn a potentially feel-good story about the Giants in the Super Bowl into an embarrassing confrontation with the media.

I joined a group of several reporters who waited under the stands to speak with Plaxico Burress, R.W. McQuarters, Aaron Ross and Steve Smith during halftime Monday. The four Giants sat in the prime celebrity seats in the front row opposite the Knicks’ bench, but had gone to the VIP area upstairs during intermission.

As the players headed back to their seats, McQuarters stopped to take a couple of questions. By the time the second question got out, a member of the Knicks’ media relations staff whisked him away, saying McQuarters had to be back in his seat – perhaps to be shown on GardenVision.

As we headed back toward the tunnel to continue watching the game, two other reporters and I noticed security guards arguing with a fan in a Yankees cap. The fan evidently was being ejected for unruly behavior and was quite vocal in proclaiming that all he said was, “Get Jeffries off the court.”

A couple of ushers began escorting the man toward the exit, and we reporters followed, hoping to do what reporters do – interview a member of the public.

Several ushers began shouting at us to stop, telling us we weren’t allowed back there. (Even though we were in an area where celebrity interviews are conducted all the time during Knicks games.) Ozzie Jones of Brooklyn – hardly a celebrity – was about 50 yards away but was able to shout his cell phone number to one of the writers despite the best efforts of the Garden gulag to shout over him.

I would estimate that a dozen ushers surrounded the three reporters, including myself, physically blocking our path and berating us for not listening to their orders, not “respecting” them and not letting them do their jobs. I explained that, in truth, it was the other way around. The security staff was keeping us from doing our jobs.

One reporter was physically restrained and had his credential torn off his neck. The apparent leader of the turquoise-clothed brigade took all of our names down, and within a few minutes, a Knicks P.R. executive sought me out in my seat behind the basket to ask what happened.

The security staff evidently felt that we had been impeding the ejection of the fan, which of course wasn’t true. We got nowhere near the fan, thanks to the overzealous security staff. The P.R. executive explained that the fan had left his assigned section, 342, and had taken up residence in section 27, where he became unruly and used obscene language.

If only the Knicks were as persistent in defending Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett as the Garden security staff were in taking care of Ozzie Jones and three newspaper reporters.

I’ve gotten to know a few ushers and security people at the Garden over the past couple of years, and like them. But I don’t envy their jobs. I don’t envy anyone who has to work in this place, under these conditions. It’s sad, really, is the best way I can put it.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/nba/blog/

It starts and ends with the owner, he is running this circus, and the way he handles things has trickle down to the security guards and ushers.

**Oldmangrouch** · 01-23-2008, 12:45 PM

Personally, I have zero sympathy for sports writers (I refuse to call them "reporters") who think they are part of the story. I would bet good money that the security guards are telling the truth: the writers were disrespecting and interfering with them.

**Krstic All Star** · 01-23-2008, 12:56 PM

^ If it was any other place, that might be true. But I have no problem believing that MSG treated the sportswriters like they do anyone else - with force.

**Da Grinch** · 01-23-2008, 02:35 PM

truthfully the reporters are on private property to cover a basketball game , they were let in free for that purpose, if MSG has a policy in place it should be respected (it seems it does because celebrities are in those seasts all the time it would be very easy for reporters to get all the stories they wanted just by interviewing celeb row)

if msg wants them to just report on basketball i dont see the issue , other teams may grant them the access and give the bonus of being able to do other things , but this isn't one of those places ,

the irony is of course is when a player breaks the rules of msg , they harp on them mercilessly as malcontents or whatever , but now want to be in the role of the victim when they knew this arena was like that before they ever stepped in there.

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