Rosenberg column on hockey incident
Just in case you aren't already sick of talking about the hockey assault or haven't already lost enough respect for Rosenberg after his bashing of RichRod, this comes along:
http://www.freep.com/article/20090128/COL22/901280378
Apparently this incident won't be over until we point out how awful Bruce Kampfer is and that Tropp is just a normal kid who made a mistake he immediately regretted after Steve Kampfer almost hurt his knee.
January 28th, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^
OHMYGOD HE CALLED A GROWN MAN WHO ACTED LIKE A JACKASS WHAT HE WAS AND HUMANIZED A KID WHO MADE A MISTAKE INSTEAD OF COMPARING HIM TO STALIN AND THE DEVIL! LYNCH HIM!
January 28th, 2009 at 12:10 PM ^
Attacking defenseless man=mistake
Retaliating while wrong still=jackass move
if one of his hockey buddies retaliates instead=hockey
January 28th, 2009 at 12:22 PM ^
I DON'T KNOW WHY WE ARE YELLING BUT...OKAY AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH
January 28th, 2009 at 3:01 PM ^
I LOVE LAMP!!
January 28th, 2009 at 12:24 PM ^
Attacking someone laying prone on the ice with a stick is slightly different then retaliating to said attack on your kid who was just in the hospital and had a neck brace. Neither act was right, but what Mr. Kampfer did is at least understandable, what Mr. Tropp did is mind boggling and could have paralyzed or even killed someone.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:28 PM ^
While the overall idea of the column is fine (though I think Rosenberg is in over his head as soon as he reaches for the Albom pen and abandons his sarcastic, goofy tone). Howevea, it's disingenuous for him to construct a parallel between the two actions, without ever characterizing exactly what it was that Daddy Kampfer did to Tropp.
Was it a mistake to go into the MSU locker room? Sure. But there's a big difference between a mistake that could have killed someone and a mistake that caused no injury whatsoever.
Oh, and like the millions of internet users who've resorted to ALL CAPS before you* (even ironically), you kinda made yourself look like a jackass.
*Note: I have done this as well in a fit of mocking electronic rage, and I looked like a jackass too.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:07 PM ^
... thanks for saving me the time to write the same exact post (except mine would have been less eloquent).
January 28th, 2009 at 1:08 PM ^
If you are yelling every word, you are really yelling NONE!
January 28th, 2009 at 3:17 PM ^
This is where I disagree with the group, maybe. If I was Kampfer, I'm quite sure my dad would have done exactly what Mr. Kampfer did, and I would never call that a jackass move. If Tropp was 14, sure. But he's an adult and can likely hold his own against Kampfer's dad. I don't think this should become normal practice, but I don't disagree with it.
When I'm a dad, I would beat up a college kid if he did something like that to my son.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:38 PM ^
I've blasted him before, but I thought this was fairly even-handed and mostly agree with the all-cap guy except Kampfer's Dad's act was not equivalent, for the reason's other poster's have stated.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:42 PM ^
Anyone of us may have reacted the same way Mr. Kampfer did had that been our son. Speaking for myself, it s hard enough watching my kids playing hockey and getting hit throughout the normal course of a game.
However I doubt very much that even a small percentage would have reacted in the manner that either one of these kids chose. I can see hitting a guy, who just blasted a teammate, but not from behind when they cant see it coming. Certainly you can not explain away a 2 handed, double pump, retaliatory slapshot to the head of a prone opponent, as caught in the moment. Clearly this kid needs to work on impulse control.
Its a shame this happened at all. A black-eye for a sport that has no shortage of black-eyes.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:43 PM ^
What's with the yell dude? Hey, buddy, I coach 11 and 12 year olds in hockey and at that level there is NEVER any acceptable circumstance for wielding a stick as a weapon. Never. Every hockey playing kid from 5 up is taught that you're gone for good from the league if you do what Tropp did. Screw him. He ain't Satan but he shouldn't be playing hockey for a long, long time.
The Dad should have stayed out of it, but I don't blame him.
January 28th, 2009 at 12:48 PM ^
I don't think you've mentioned that before.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:01 PM ^
Am I to assume total recall of my past brilliant posts for everyone on this thread? It is relevant because little tiny hockey players are taught from the cradle NOT to do what Tropp did.
BTW, I coach hockey.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:13 PM ^
Good to know that you coach.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^
You should be able to tell from my face that I played hockey.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:03 PM ^
Also, Tropp really isn't a kid anymore.
January 28th, 2009 at 1:16 PM ^
But neither is Steve Gutenberg!!!