<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">This is what you wanted, Magic fans. You wanted your team to be tougher. You wanted your team to be meaner. You wanted your team to be more hard-nosed and less softhearted. Well, now you've got it. First, we learn that lovable, huggable point guard Darrell Armstrong was arrested after scuffling with police at 2 a.m. in front of a downtown nightclub last week. And on the same night in the same club, we now find out that goofy, gangly rookie forward Drew Gooden tried to take on an NFL running back and, in the process, allegedly injured a 400-pound bouncer named -- are you ready for this? -- Tiny. Forget the Pistons; the Magic are seemingly getting ready for the Packers. Either that, or this is a desperate ploy on the team's part to gain more "street cred." After all, we've had countless experts tell us in recent days that the best way to fill the arena is to fill the police blotter first. OK, so maybe we're overreacting, but why shouldn't we? This is, after all, the Magic we're talking about -- those nice, polite choirboys who used to help little old ladies across the street. Now if a Magic player were to approach a little old lady in the street, she'd probably whack him over the head with her pocketbook. Remember when the Magic's roster always looked like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood? Well, those cardigan sweaters and gentle, soothing voices are gone, replaced by throwback jerseys and a throw-down mentality. From Mister Rogers to Mr. Hyde. Can you say barroom brawl? Sure you can. Knew you could. The first bit of shocking news came last week when Armstrong was arrested at closing time at the Club at Firestone after getting into a ruckus with a cop. But earlier that night, club owner Jan Harrold told the Sentinel on Monday, Gooden and Stacey Mack, an NFL running back from Orlando, had to be separated and kicked out of the bar. When the Magic traded for Gooden at midseason, they fell in love with his feistiness, but perhaps team officials should teach their young warrior the first rule of barroom engagement: Never, ever get into a fight with a pro football player whose claim to fame is going into the game in goal-line situations for no other purpose but ramming the ball into the end zone. Mack, a sculpted 6 feet 1 and 238 pounds, is referred to by teammates as "Mack Truck." Quick physics lesson: When Mack Truck hits skinny power forward, Mack Truck inevitably wins. But on this particular night, Mack reportedly became angry and threw a barstool at Gooden, who responded by picking up an ashtray and attempting to hurl it back at Mack. Instead, Gooden apparently hit club bouncer Chris "Tiny" Groce, who was injured and hasn't been back at work since the incident. "Tiny has a concussion," Harrold said. "He has a bunch of medical bills. It's up to Tiny to decide whether he wants to file charges." Translation: If you have to get clocked in the face, it's best to be clocked by two rowdy millionaires. There was a time not so long ago when image-conscious Magic officials would have gone batty over this adverse publicity, but the standards aren't nearly what they once were. The Magic realize now they need players more than they need paragons. Remember the quote from Coach Doc Rivers after the Magic signed the troubled Shawn Kemp before last season? "We need help on the front line," Rivers said. "We're not trying to save the world here." Now Kemp is back on the free-agent market and shopping for a new team. It's no wonder. Too many bad influences here in Orlando</div> http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/bask...?coll=orl-magic
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Remember when the Magic's roster always looked like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood? Well, those cardigan sweaters and gentle, soothing voices are gone</div> Cardigan sweater, haha!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting "Love It Live":</div><div class="quote_post"><div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Remember when the Magic's roster always looked like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood? Well, those cardigan sweaters and gentle, soothing voices are gone</div> Cardigan sweater, haha!</div> Mr. Rogers is awesome
