I've learned a lesson today... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

CityOfAngels · 07-20-2005, 01:05 AM

...and that lesson is: If someone gets in your face, don't get in theirs. Swing first and ask questions later.

So I'm playing a game of basketball. Some of you may remember my rant about hackers in Tilted Sports. Well, I'm playing against these same guys tonight. Everything is going fine; they're still hacking, and I'm still on fire. Now, basketball is a contact sport, and I embrace that. When I post up, I post up hard. When I box out, I box out hard. It's not a rediculous amount of body, but you have to have a hunger to win, y'know.

I'm boxing this guy out. He can't get past me. I'm using my body to keep him back (notice I said "body" and not "elbows" or "grabbing his shirt"). So he literally grabs me by the arm and pulls me back behind him. In my mind, I'm like, "Oh so he wants to play that way. Fine I can play that way." So I grab his arm and bring him back behind me, continuing to box him out again. Suddenly he says, "What the fuck!?" and gets in my face. I get back in his and I said, "You're grabbing my arms, so I grabbed you back." Right then and there, with no provocation other than me not backing down, he swings and connects on my jaw.

I was caught by surprise, but I still squared up, 'cause I'm not gonna let some guy just beat on me. I'll defend myself to the best of my ability. He swings again but my arms get in the way, so he decides to go UFC on my ass and tackles me down to the ground. By this time I have him in a choke hold, trying to subdue him, and he's swinging away at my head. Now that I look back at it, I probably should have chosen some defensive defense by protecting my head rather than going on the offensive, trying to choke him out. But I was in the adrenaline-pumped moment.

His boys break it up. I was lucky they didn't decide to jump in, too, but I guess they realized that I was attacked; I wasn't about to try and start any fights. So yes, here I am, typing this out with a swollen right side of my face. I can't close my mouth all the way because the swelling is pushing my teeth in a wierd situation that makes me afraid of breaking 'em. I got my ass beat. Why? Because I didn't swing first. I let myself get caught by surprise.

Now I know not to assume that there are actually sane people out there. Self-defense comes BEFORE figuring shit out. Sorry if this seems immature or rash; feel free to throw it in nonsense if you feel the need. It's just I'm filled with both anger and embarassment. Fuck, I was just trying to play a game of basketball.

shakran · 07-20-2005, 04:06 AM

your offense was appropriate. a "defensive defense" nearly always results in the other guy eventually getting lucky and connecting.

Next time, try backing away with your hands up as though you're surrendering. Your hands are now in a position to stop what he throws at you, or launch your own attack, without appearing overtly aggressive.

kramus · 07-20-2005, 06:01 AM

A tough call - and only hindsight tells you the right move. If you'd clocked the guy right off his pals may have gotten a little rough. As shakran says perhaps the only successful move would be a defensive retreat while in an attack posture. And if the situation had been just a guy shoving a guy, you don't go for his major vulnerable spots like the knee unless you are ready for his chums to escalate the situation real sudden-like.

streak_56 · 07-20-2005, 08:43 AM

Well.... not to sound like a pompus ass here but if that guy would've connected a punch. It would've been all over, I would have just beat the living snot out of him. I am not one to start a fight, nor will I try to, but I sure as hell would defend myself if need be.

If he threw a punch because you did the same thing he did, then he better be aware of the consequences.

Jinn · 07-20-2005, 09:53 AM

Realistically, however.. you could really only return one punch before it's gone from legal self-defense to illegal assault. Its a fine line, and I think I'd rather a sore face then months in jail becuase some punk got out of line on a basketball court. Thank your stars that his "krew" was smart enough to break it up before one of you two ended up severely hurt (or in jail...)

TM875 · 07-20-2005, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CityOfAngels

...and that lesson is: If someone gets in your face, don't get in theirs. Swing first and ask questions later.
.
.
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I got my ass beat. Why? Because I didn't swing first. I let myself get caught by surprise.

Um, if, in all situations when you face a confrontation, you physically retaliate immediatly, then my guess is that you'll be posting from the prison computer pretty soon.

Dude, the reason you got your ass beat is because you went after this guy. He was in the major-wrong by punching you after you didn't back down. Your next step should have been to step back, tell him that he's insane, and walk the fuck away!!!

Hitting first is not a good way to defend oneself. Hell, I've tried to stay away from physical assult my entire life. I've never been in a fight, because I've never had to. There's very, very few reasons to fight anyone (money and survival)...saving face with a stranger over a game of basketball is not one of them.

You could have walked away and had a good story to tell your buddies over beers about these asshats you played ball against tonight. Instead, you're gonna be spending time in the ER (note: if you haven't gone yet, you might want to. You know, most people like their teeth where they are, in their mouth.

Hopefully, one day you'll realize that fighting back only leads to more trouble than it's worth, and that the calm solution is usually the best.

canuckguy · 07-20-2005, 03:58 PM

sorry that you got smacked, violence solves nothing. but i was just curious, were you playing a pick up game? was it for money? sounds like your playing for keeps. i've played tons of sports with two different types of people, the ones who are there for safe fun, then the other ones who want to rip your head off and shove the ball down your throat to show you there the "man". Do you guys set out rules before play?
I have to know the rules before i play, is it contact, no contact...etc.

rival · 07-20-2005, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Fuck, I was just trying to play a game of basketball.

I see this kind of stuff all the time on the basketball court by my house. A pick up game with nothing riding on it turns crazy violent. I always get worried they'll spill over into my court and I'll have to beat them with my tennis racket.

I think the problem is most pick up games go by the no blood, no foul rule. It only takes one asshole to start shoving and before too long the blood starts flying. Oddly, I never see anyone at the foul line afterwards.

I really only play contact sports with friends these days. About two years ago I went to play some football with a few friends and a lot of assholes. After watching my buddy get laid out by a 250 lbs. jack ass, I realized I wasn't having fun. What's the point of playing any sport if you're not having fun and not getting paid?

CityOfAngels · 07-20-2005, 04:25 PM

After looking around on the internet, I found that a common symptom of a broken jaw is a "bad bite" where the teeth don't fit properly when you bite down. I have that symptom. So I went straight to the clinic today, and after examining my jaw, the doctor said that she can't tell if it's broken without an X-Ray, and my symptoms aren't severe enough to permit an X-Ray without first seeing if it is the swelling. So she said to wait until Monday, after the swelling goes down, and if my bite is still like this, then she'll set up the X-Rays.

TM875 - I don't know where you read that I went after him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by What you claim to have read

Suddenly he says, "What the fuck!?" and gets in my face. I get back in his and I said, "You're grabbing my arms, so I grabbed you back."

I was caught my surprise, plain and simple. I was attacked. If you're mentioning the fact that I squared up, well of course I did. I was already a victim of the attack and was ready to defend myself by any means necessary. You said I should've told "him that he's insane, and walk the fuck away!!!" but read my quote again. I already tried talking, but he decided to swing. I already deducted that talking was getting me nowhere.

brian1975 - Nothing was on the line. We've played a million times before, always as a contact sport. I'm not talking about tackle whoever has the ball, but rather play REAL basketball; as in don't be afraid to use your body if necessary. Rules are assumed street ball pick-up game rules. Call your own fouls, every shot is a one, and most importantly, accept the fact that you're losing and being dominated if such is the case. That means if someone is boxing you in and you can't get by him, you either back off and try to run in front of him or you just accept the fact that you're not going to intercept the pass. You don't grab your opponent by the arm and pull him behind you. That's not basketball; that's wrestling.

canuckguy · 07-20-2005, 04:29 PM

that sucks man, hope the jaw is okay and not broken, get some beers into you to help with the pain. if you have any type of expense from this i would be sending the bill to that hacker.

clavus · 07-20-2005, 05:16 PM

You can't always swing first. You did the right thing. How the Hell were you supposed to know he was going to blow up on you? For all you knew, he was going to just yell, or threaten, or whatever.

You were in the right. Sorry that doesn't make your jaw feel better.

And for everybody who says "just walk away," it is a lot easier said than done in the heat of the moment. Besides, this guy has already shown himself to be out of control. What if CoA backed up and the guy kept attacking? At some point you need to defend yourself.

Shauk · 07-20-2005, 10:41 PM

I'm glad I'm a monster, I never have to deal with punks who think they can take me.

I had some guy charge at me once trying to get me to cower out of his way, I didn't move, I jumped when he did, he body contacted me right in the chest with his and fell flat on his ass despite his momentum

then again

<---- 6'6 300 lbs.

I move for no one.

And yeah, i've had people swing on me, I don't dick around in situations that involve violence, I would say I'm borderline brutal. I usually just slam one of thier softer body parts into the ground and walk away.

Johnny Pyro · 07-21-2005, 02:31 AM

I've gotten my jaw broken, knee cap dislocated, tons of black eyes, and six sticthes in my head just because I didn't act first. Almost every fight I gotten in to I lost. I think its the element of suprise. From now on I will make the first move. I just rather not fight so I don't swing first. Always be the one to throw down first.

Yakk · 07-21-2005, 01:04 PM

Notice that you did not get the shit beat out of you because you let him attack first.

Had you followed your own advice (attacked once he got in your face), you would have been bloody and on the floor when his buddies decided to join the fight and defend him.

Why in the hell are you playing basketball with gits?

Journeyman · 07-22-2005, 12:21 AM

Two things to note: A) He hit you without sufficient reason to, and no prediction could have been made that he was going to. So your suprise is justified, and there's less embarrassment to be had in being false cracked (sucker punched) than there is in getting your ass beat in a straight fight; in other words, don't sweat it. This also means that IF you did swing before him... well, hindsight is 20/20, but clocking a guy for "What the fuck?" isn't kosher.

And B) for anyone who would think "Walk away": Holy fucking shit, he just whapped a guy in the face over "What? You did it first?" and you think that the back of CoA's head isn't considered a "reasonable" target to the guy? The fact that CoA didn't get roughed up by any of this fellows buddies says to me that they knew their player was out of line from the start, and the immediate readiness to hit CoA without provocation indicates that this isn't the first time that he's displayed himself in such a manner for his friends to view (which is to say, even his team mates know he's a prick).

And PS: (In this case it would have been) The idea that the first punch will keep your odds of winning stacked but your odds of jailtime stacked with it isn't correct for every situation. If a guy acts like he's going to fight and you can't talk your way out of it, either the cops take a He Said/She Said approach or there's a third party witness who steps forward, either case being much preffered to an ass whooping.

dlish · 07-23-2005, 03:00 PM

i dunno about some of you guys..maybe you havent played bball before, but you find yourself surrendered to 'the game'. so anything can happen in the spur of the moment. for you to walk away would show signs of weakness and they come after you during the game with taunts. i rekon what you did what right in defending ureself. although connecting with a few would have been nice..what happens on the court stays on the court though.

im sure he knows he got a cheapshot on ya and that he didnt really win the fight, i just hope you won the game. at the end of the day its the scoreboard that counts, and if you were on fire, what better way to 'whos the man' than the scoreboard.

CityOfAngels · 07-24-2005, 01:34 PM

Thanks for all your responses. I really appreciate you guys letting me know your views on the situation. As for my jaw, I now don't think it's broken. The worst that could've happened is a very small fracture. The reason I think this is even though I still have some severe pain in my jaw, a lot of the pain has centralized on my wisdom tooth. I still can't eat anything, but now that a lot of the swelling has gone down, it feels more like that wisdom tooth is what's obstructing my teeth from closing, not a jaw misalignment.

Tomorrow I'm going to go back to the clinic (I was told to go back if my teeth still couldn't close by then), and see if I can get a professional opinion. What I'm thinking is I'm going to have this damned wisdom tooth pulled, but I don't want to rush anything without first hearing from a doctor, "No, your jaw is not broken or fractured." If I am going to have to get this tooth pulled, that probably means I'll have dental bills to pay, unless the Venice Family Clinic also does dental work, I'm not sure.

Because of the probability of having bills to pay, I'm probably going to have to come after this guy civilly. That means I'm going to have to go to a police station and file a police report. I'm not going to press charges against him, 'cause I feel he needs a good basketball coach rather than jail time, but that police report will definitely come in handy if I need to sue him (which I don't really want to do, but if he refuses to pay my dental bills after this incident, I just might have to). To tell the truth, I don't even know if I would win a civil lawsuit over him, and I'm really hoping he just agrees to pay the bills and we both put this incident behind us, but I don't know the guy and I don't know how he'll respond to such a request, so I want to take necessary precautions before I take any other actions.

So, pretty much since this happened, all I've been able to eat is yogurt, split pea soup, tomato soup, and beans and cheese. Heh, maybe this incident will bring about some sort of weight loss for me. :-p I have a friend who was a combat medic in Vietnam, and he told me prescription amount of Motrin is 800mg (which is 4 of the 200mg tablets), so I've been taking that and it has actually been working like a charm. It's just when it stops working, I'm in sooo much pain. I'm tellin' you, this guy is sooo lucky I don't believe in suing people for "pain and hardship" when it's something you can get over.

Robaggio · 07-24-2005, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlishsguy

for you to walk away would show signs of weakness and they come after you during the game with taunts.

Oh no! Nobody wants to be made fun of! What is this, 3rd grade? Weakness is giving into the charade, not walking away.

Not trying to be harsh, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with walking away. The weak ones do the taunting.

CityOfAngels · 07-26-2005, 08:44 AM

I went back to the clinic today to get that professional opinion, and I was seen by a different doctor. She was HOT! She was indian (like actual india, not native american), and looked like she should be a model. Anyways...
She said it's not just my one wisdom tooth that's moved, but rather all three of my back teeth. She had her supervisory doctor come and take a look, and he said I'm definitely gonna need an oral surgeon. I'm actually about to leave right now to go get X-Rays, and then I have an appointment back at the clinic later today to analyze the situation, etc. Wish me luck; I really hope nothing is fractured.

SirLance · 07-26-2005, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robaggio

Not trying to be harsh, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with walking away. The weak ones do the taunting.

If walking away will diffuse the situation, I agree. That is a judgment call. I would have put up my hands and stepped back. From there, I could meet an attack or let the matter drop, because the ball is now in HIS court.

Some people are going to be violent, and if you walk away, they will pursue. The best course of action is to position yourself defensively and wait.

Marvelous Marv · 07-26-2005, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CityOfAngels

I went back to the clinic today to get that professional opinion, and I was seen by a different doctor. She was HOT! She was indian (like actual india, not native american), and looked like she should be a model. Anyways...
She said it's not just my one wisdom tooth that's moved, but rather all three of my back teeth. She had her supervisory doctor come and take a look, and he said I'm definitely gonna need an oral surgeon. I'm actually about to leave right now to go get X-Rays, and then I have an appointment back at the clinic later today to analyze the situation, etc. Wish me luck; I really hope nothing is fractured.

How are you going to go after the guy for your bills if you don't know his name?

Plus, it sounds like he had a lot of friends around, and in those situations, the friends will generally lie for him.

My money says your jaw is fractured, by the way.

CityOfAngels · 07-26-2005, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marvelous Marv

How are you going to go after the guy for your bills if you don't know his name?

I know his first name and where he works. The rest of the info has been being worked on since the incident. I can't really give out much more info regarding that, though.

CityOfAngels · 08-01-2005, 02:10 PM

Got the X-Ray results today.

Quote:

Originally Posted by X-Ray results

Indication: S/P PUNCH TO RT JAW WITH MIALIGNED BITE AND PAIN
SIX-VIEW FACIAL SERIES WITH MANDIBLE
HISTORY: Status post injury to right jaw, with malaligned bite and pain.
DISCUSSION: AP and bilateral oblique views of the mandible demonstrate a fracture at the angle of the right mandible. The left mandible is unremarkable. No significant distraction of the fracture components is seen. The presented views demonstrate no additional fractures, and no dislocation of the temporomandibular joint is demonstrated. The fracture line extends to the root of the last right maxillary molar.
IMPRESSION: Fracture, right mandibular angle, without significant displacement.

So yeah, it's fractured. They gave me a referral to visit the UCLA Harbor Emergency Room, which I will be on my way to in just a bit. Just felt like taking a little rest before I have to dedicate the rest of my day to dealing with people asking me how I'm going to pay for whatever needs to be done to me. I really don't know how. I was told to file some ATP thing. Hopefully that helps. But I'm definitely gonna have to go after this guy civilly. There's no doubt in that.

At least there's some good news. The day I went to the clinic, I also asked them to conduct STI tests, and I just got the results today. I'm sqeaky clean, baby! Squeaky clean!

Now on to the ER. Wish me luck. I really hope I don't have to have my mouth wired shut for 6 months.

Edit: Decided to take another day off and go in tomorrow. It's real late and all I foresee is chaos when I get there. I might have better luck going in the morning.

Willravel · 08-01-2005, 05:38 PM

You swing first = buddies jump in and rape you.
You wait = swollen face, the other guy limping away.
You play with people who aren't bitches = you have fun.
Get the doctors phone number = possibly worth the soar jaw.
Just my two cents.

Drider_it · 08-04-2005, 10:12 AM

you get punched like that drop.. when you drop he will stand there with that smug look on his face. land with your arms locked beneath you. and one leg bent at the knee. make sure of its footing place ment. you have a few seconds then with your other leg lash out. Kick him in the jewels.. as he bends over swich legs and kick out connecting with his jaw. end of the fight. stand up and look around for his friends.

all you have to say.. "if any of you move at me, his suffering truely begins" they wont move a muscle.

one and only one rule applies here.. in a fight there is not honor. you fight to win.. check my sig for proof.

which sums it all up.

07-20-2005, 01:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
CityOfAngels Oh shit it's Wayne Brady! Location: Passenger seat of Wayne Brady's car.	I've learned a lesson today... ...and that lesson is: If someone gets in your face, don't get in theirs. Swing first and ask questions later. So I'm playing a game of basketball. Some of you may remember my rant about hackers in Tilted Sports. Well, I'm playing against these same guys tonight. Everything is going fine; they're still hacking, and I'm still on fire. Now, basketball is a contact sport, and I embrace that. When I post up, I post up hard. When I box out, I box out hard. It's not a rediculous amount of body, but you have to have a hunger to win, y'know. I'm boxing this guy out. He can't get past me. I'm using my body to keep him back (notice I said "body" and not "elbows" or "grabbing his shirt"). So he literally grabs me by the arm and pulls me back behind him. In my mind, I'm like, "Oh so he wants to play that way. Fine I can play that way." So I grab his arm and bring him back behind me, continuing to box him out again. Suddenly he says, "What the fuck!?" and gets in my face. I get back in his and I said, "You're grabbing my arms, so I grabbed you back." Right then and there, with no provocation other than me not backing down, he swings and connects on my jaw. I was caught by surprise, but I still squared up, 'cause I'm not gonna let some guy just beat on me. I'll defend myself to the best of my ability. He swings again but my arms get in the way, so he decides to go UFC on my ass and tackles me down to the ground. By this time I have him in a choke hold, trying to subdue him, and he's swinging away at my head. Now that I look back at it, I probably should have chosen some defensive defense by protecting my head rather than going on the offensive, trying to choke him out. But I was in the adrenaline-pumped moment. His boys break it up. I was lucky they didn't decide to jump in, too, but I guess they realized that I was attacked; I wasn't about to try and start any fights. So yes, here I am, typing this out with a swollen right side of my face. I can't close my mouth all the way because the swelling is pushing my teeth in a wierd situation that makes me afraid of breaking 'em. I got my ass beat. Why? Because I didn't swing first. I let myself get caught by surprise. Now I know not to assume that there are actually sane people out there. Self-defense comes BEFORE figuring shit out. Sorry if this seems immature or rash; feel free to throw it in nonsense if you feel the need. It's just I'm filled with both anger and embarassment. Fuck, I was just trying to play a game of basketball.

07-20-2005, 06:01 AM	#3 (permalink)
kramus loving the curves Location: my Lady's manor	A tough call - and only hindsight tells you the right move. If you'd clocked the guy right off his pals may have gotten a little rough. As shakran says perhaps the only successful move would be a defensive retreat while in an attack posture. And if the situation had been just a guy shoving a guy, you don't go for his major vulnerable spots like the knee unless you are ready for his chums to escalate the situation real sudden-like. __________________ And now to disengage the clutch of the forebrain ... I'm going with this - if you like artwork visit http://markfineart.ca

07-20-2005, 09:53 AM	#5 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	Realistically, however.. you could really only return one punch before it's gone from legal self-defense to illegal assault. Its a fine line, and I think I'd rather a sore face then months in jail becuase some punk got out of line on a basketball court. Thank your stars that his "krew" was smart enough to break it up before one of you two ended up severely hurt (or in jail...) __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

07-20-2005, 05:16 PM	#11 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	You can't always swing first. You did the right thing. How the Hell were you supposed to know he was going to blow up on you? For all you knew, he was going to just yell, or threaten, or whatever. You were in the right. Sorry that doesn't make your jaw feel better. And for everybody who says "just walk away," it is a lot easier said than done in the heat of the moment. Besides, this guy has already shown himself to be out of control. What if CoA backed up and the guy kept attacking? At some point you need to defend yourself. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

07-21-2005, 02:31 AM	#13 (permalink)
Johnny Pyro Hey Now! Location: Massachusetts (Redneck, white boy town. I hate it here.)	I've gotten my jaw broken, knee cap dislocated, tons of black eyes, and six sticthes in my head just because I didn't act first. Almost every fight I gotten in to I lost. I think its the element of suprise. From now on I will make the first move. I just rather not fight so I don't swing first. Always be the one to throw down first. __________________ "From delusion lead me to truth, from darkness lead me to light, from death lead me to eternal life. - Sheriff John Wydell

07-20-2005, 04:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
shakran Tone.	your offense was appropriate. a "defensive defense" nearly always results in the other guy eventually getting lucky and connecting. Next time, try backing away with your hands up as though you're surrendering. Your hands are now in a position to stop what he throws at you, or launch your own attack, without appearing overtly aggressive.

07-20-2005, 08:43 AM	#4 (permalink)
streak_56 who ever said streaking was a bad thing? Location: Calgary	Well.... not to sound like a pompus ass here but if that guy would've connected a punch. It would've been all over, I would have just beat the living snot out of him. I am not one to start a fight, nor will I try to, but I sure as hell would defend myself if need be. If he threw a punch because you did the same thing he did, then he better be aware of the consequences.

07-20-2005, 03:58 PM	#7 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	sorry that you got smacked, violence solves nothing. but i was just curious, were you playing a pick up game? was it for money? sounds like your playing for keeps. i've played tons of sports with two different types of people, the ones who are there for safe fun, then the other ones who want to rip your head off and shove the ball down your throat to show you there the "man". Do you guys set out rules before play? I have to know the rules before i play, is it contact, no contact...etc.

07-20-2005, 04:29 PM	#10 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	that sucks man, hope the jaw is okay and not broken, get some beers into you to help with the pain. if you have any type of expense from this i would be sending the bill to that hacker.

07-20-2005, 10:41 PM	#12 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	I'm glad I'm a monster, I never have to deal with punks who think they can take me. I had some guy charge at me once trying to get me to cower out of his way, I didn't move, I jumped when he did, he body contacted me right in the chest with his and fell flat on his ass despite his momentum then again <---- 6'6 300 lbs. I move for no one. And yeah, i've had people swing on me, I don't dick around in situations that involve violence, I would say I'm borderline brutal. I usually just slam one of thier softer body parts into the ground and walk away.

07-21-2005, 01:04 PM	#14 (permalink)
Yakk Wehret Den Anfängen! Location: Ontario, Canada	Notice that you did not get the shit beat out of you because you let him attack first. Had you followed your own advice (attacked once he got in your face), you would have been bloody and on the floor when his buddies decided to join the fight and defend him. Why in the hell are you playing basketball with gits? __________________ Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.

07-22-2005, 12:21 AM	#15 (permalink)
Journeyman Like John Goodman, but not. Location: SFBA, California	Two things to note: A) He hit you without sufficient reason to, and no prediction could have been made that he was going to. So your suprise is justified, and there's less embarrassment to be had in being false cracked (sucker punched) than there is in getting your ass beat in a straight fight; in other words, don't sweat it. This also means that IF you did swing before him... well, hindsight is 20/20, but clocking a guy for "What the fuck?" isn't kosher. And B) for anyone who would think "Walk away": Holy fucking shit, he just whapped a guy in the face over "What? You did it first?" and you think that the back of CoA's head isn't considered a "reasonable" target to the guy? The fact that CoA didn't get roughed up by any of this fellows buddies says to me that they knew their player was out of line from the start, and the immediate readiness to hit CoA without provocation indicates that this isn't the first time that he's displayed himself in such a manner for his friends to view (which is to say, even his team mates know he's a prick). And PS: (In this case it would have been) The idea that the first punch will keep your odds of winning stacked but your odds of jailtime stacked with it isn't correct for every situation. If a guy acts like he's going to fight and you can't talk your way out of it, either the cops take a He Said/She Said approach or there's a third party witness who steps forward, either case being much preffered to an ass whooping.

07-23-2005, 03:00 PM	#16 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	i dunno about some of you guys..maybe you havent played bball before, but you find yourself surrendered to 'the game'. so anything can happen in the spur of the moment. for you to walk away would show signs of weakness and they come after you during the game with taunts. i rekon what you did what right in defending ureself. although connecting with a few would have been nice..what happens on the court stays on the court though. im sure he knows he got a cheapshot on ya and that he didnt really win the fight, i just hope you won the game. at the end of the day its the scoreboard that counts, and if you were on fire, what better way to 'whos the man' than the scoreboard. __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

07-24-2005, 01:34 PM	#17 (permalink)
CityOfAngels Oh shit it's Wayne Brady! Location: Passenger seat of Wayne Brady's car.	Thanks for all your responses. I really appreciate you guys letting me know your views on the situation. As for my jaw, I now don't think it's broken. The worst that could've happened is a very small fracture. The reason I think this is even though I still have some severe pain in my jaw, a lot of the pain has centralized on my wisdom tooth. I still can't eat anything, but now that a lot of the swelling has gone down, it feels more like that wisdom tooth is what's obstructing my teeth from closing, not a jaw misalignment. Tomorrow I'm going to go back to the clinic (I was told to go back if my teeth still couldn't close by then), and see if I can get a professional opinion. What I'm thinking is I'm going to have this damned wisdom tooth pulled, but I don't want to rush anything without first hearing from a doctor, "No, your jaw is not broken or fractured." If I am going to have to get this tooth pulled, that probably means I'll have dental bills to pay, unless the Venice Family Clinic also does dental work, I'm not sure. Because of the probability of having bills to pay, I'm probably going to have to come after this guy civilly. That means I'm going to have to go to a police station and file a police report. I'm not going to press charges against him, 'cause I feel he needs a good basketball coach rather than jail time, but that police report will definitely come in handy if I need to sue him (which I don't really want to do, but if he refuses to pay my dental bills after this incident, I just might have to). To tell the truth, I don't even know if I would win a civil lawsuit over him, and I'm really hoping he just agrees to pay the bills and we both put this incident behind us, but I don't know the guy and I don't know how he'll respond to such a request, so I want to take necessary precautions before I take any other actions. So, pretty much since this happened, all I've been able to eat is yogurt, split pea soup, tomato soup, and beans and cheese. Heh, maybe this incident will bring about some sort of weight loss for me. :-p I have a friend who was a combat medic in Vietnam, and he told me prescription amount of Motrin is 800mg (which is 4 of the 200mg tablets), so I've been taking that and it has actually been working like a charm. It's just when it stops working, I'm in sooo much pain. I'm tellin' you, this guy is sooo lucky I don't believe in suing people for "pain and hardship" when it's something you can get over.

07-26-2005, 08:44 AM	#19 (permalink)
CityOfAngels Oh shit it's Wayne Brady! Location: Passenger seat of Wayne Brady's car.	I went back to the clinic today to get that professional opinion, and I was seen by a different doctor. She was HOT! She was indian (like actual india, not native american), and looked like she should be a model. Anyways... She said it's not just my one wisdom tooth that's moved, but rather all three of my back teeth. She had her supervisory doctor come and take a look, and he said I'm definitely gonna need an oral surgeon. I'm actually about to leave right now to go get X-Rays, and then I have an appointment back at the clinic later today to analyze the situation, etc. Wish me luck; I really hope nothing is fractured.

08-01-2005, 05:38 PM	#24 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	You swing first = buddies jump in and rape you. You wait = swollen face, the other guy limping away. You play with people who aren't bitches = you have fun. Get the doctors phone number = possibly worth the soar jaw. Just my two cents.

08-04-2005, 10:12 AM	#25 (permalink)
Drider_it Junkie Location: Louisiana	you get punched like that drop.. when you drop he will stand there with that smug look on his face. land with your arms locked beneath you. and one leg bent at the knee. make sure of its footing place ment. you have a few seconds then with your other leg lash out. Kick him in the jewels.. as he bends over swich legs and kick out connecting with his jaw. end of the fight. stand up and look around for his friends. all you have to say.. "if any of you move at me, his suffering truely begins" they wont move a muscle. one and only one rule applies here.. in a fight there is not honor. you fight to win.. check my sig for proof. which sums it all up. __________________ It means only one thing, and everything: Cut. Once committed to fight, Cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resoultely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gaps in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don't allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depth of his spirit. It is the balance to life: death. It is the dance with death. It is the law a war wizard lives by, or he dies.