By now, you all have seen it, but I will post the Twitpic again anyway.
A quick back story, via KSR:
The final story seems to be that Orton has declared for the Draft, left campus and headed to California to train and will make a final decision in a few weeks. He tweeted out that he will finish his classes at UK so that the Cats wont take a hit to their scholarship ranks and that he loved the UK fans and the program.Now, I think it goes without saying, Mark Hamilton is a jackass. You have to be a jackass to make a post like that on the wall of a 19 year old kid simply because he wants to start making money off of his talents. If you have a problem with him declaring for the draft, think about what just happened to Da'Sean Butler. That knee injury will no doubt affect his draft status. Orton has a shot to be a first round pick, which means guaranteed millions. If he shreds his knee next season coming back to Kentucky, is that still true?
But did Daniel Orton handle this correctly?
His response is funny, saying simply "thanks Mark." He could have ended it there, and knowing how rabid the Kentucky fan base is, the post likely would have gone viral as it is.
But he decided to post it as a twitpic, and now the very picture I have posted has been posted at just about every sports and college basketball blog you read. Is that really what Orton needed to do there? To unleash to cyber-masses of Big Blue Nation on this guy?
I can't condone Orton's decision to post this picture, but I also cannot sit here and honestly say that I would have done anything differently.
Social media sites like twitter and facebook have given us previously unheard of access into the life and personality of our favorite sports stars and celebrities, but it also has its downfalls. While Hamilton's comments were better left said to a fellow patron at the local watering hole, there's no questioning that Orton could have handled the situation differently.
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4 comments:
If Hamilton wants access to Orton, when he says something outrageous like that, people should have the right to berate him. In fact, I support Orton for offering his respons but posting it and allowing everyone else to rip on this guy. he deserves it for that outburst. Uncalled for.
I don't think he would say that to him in person. Why is this dumb redneck harassing people over the internet in the first place?
Well being as this was a few years ago, and looking at Daniel Orton now, and remembering that he really contributed nothing at all to the team I would have to call Mark Hamiltons opinion correct, but I do agree it wasn't or shouldn't have been intended to be hateful, or have been so disrespectful. Kentucky fans as we all know are the most passionate fans in college sports, and I could also tell just by reading the post Hamilton had probably had a few during the game, and did something 90% of people who drink have done before. We will call it "drunk face booking" pretty much the same as "drunk dialing". Orton WAS NOT READY for the NBA and I don't think I have to provide any evidence of that. Anyone who calls themselves Cat fans knows what's going on with every ex player that is playing on the next level, and guess what Orton isn't playing in the NBA, and is now not even playing overseas. I saw all this nonsense so long ago, but as I sit and hear about Orton being literally kicked out of a country for some remarks about Pac-Man I think "really what would one more year at Kentucky have hurt and not helped"? Hamiltons remarks although out of line and pretty harsh and direct were absolutely true. It's just a bad mixture when you have an upset Big Blue fan and alcohol is in the mix. I have conversed with Mr. Hamilton several times since this took place and first of all he truly is a diehard fan of the Cats, and secondly he admits to going a little far, and agrees his mother should have never been brought up, but what he said to me as for his reasons of being so "in your face" made since. He really was concerned about Ortons future, and didn't want him to fail and to take it at his own speed not his fathers. One more year in college and Daniel Orton would be playing in the NBA! Don't think one year cannot make a difference. Ole Jorts busted his butt senior year and that year and that year alone allowed him an NBA career. He NEVER would have made the cut before his senior year. I'm taking no sides persay, I do believe the BBN was a little hard on Mr. Hamilton because I was involved with several diehard fans during that year who had the EXACT SAME OPINIONS about Orton, Hamilton just so happened to go through with what in a moment of poor decision making making Orton think about it all really hard. Bet he would take that sophomore year now. Oh well everyone is intitled to their own opinions.
#CATS #BBN #THEYAREONLYKIDSPEOPLE
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