Best teammate fights
away the ball at the last second. And the watching fans were no more kind, with audible groans and a few boos emanating from the sidelines.
It seems pretty clear that Aguayo is currently suffering from the yips, the dreaded and extreme loss of confidence that has in the past ruined careers. The 22- year- old has contacted a mental coach and acknowledged his struggles were in his head.
“I’d say a little bit, but in times like this, it builds you up so down the road in the future, you’re a lot stronger, you know?” he said. “You’ve got to have times like this where you struggle a little bit.”
At this point — although the malicious side of me thinks it is kind of funny — you have to root for the kid to put those words into practice and turn it around. As you’ll see in our panel to the right, teammates don’t always get on. The enmity can occasionally lead to fights but, even when the sentiment festers without turning to violence, it can make things a little awkward in the locker room.
How that translates inside the lines is another question, with several successful sets of teammates famously disliking one another, and we now know that’s what the Washington Wizards are trying to figure out.
Because in an admirable display of honesty, the traditionally middling Wizards’ star players this week acknowledged the team’s problems could be because they’re hardly the best of buds. Both John Wall and Bradley Beal spoke openly about their relationship with Comcast SportsNet, saying they were hoping to smooth over any kinks heading into the new NBA season.
“We have a tendency to dislike each other on the court,” Wall said. “We’ve got to be able to put that to the side. If you miss somebody on one play or don’t have something go right . . . as long as you come to each other and talk.”
And Beal, who has played with Wall in Washington since 2012, agreed the pair’s communication needed to be amended.
“Sometimes I think we both lose sight of the fact that we need each other,” he said. “I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in without John. John wouldn’t be in the situation he’s in without me.
“It’s tough because we’re both alphas. It’s always tough when you have two guys who firmly believe in themselves, who will bet on themselves against anybody else, who want to be that guy. We both can be that guy.” Finally this week, we turn to another enjoyable instalment of Man, That’s A Dumb Name. Today’s contestants, the Chicago White Sox, who have renamed the ground formerly known acceptably as US Cellular Field and previously known much more pleasantly as Comiskey Park.
The new moniker for the home of the White Sox? Drum roll please . . . Guaranteed Rate Field. Sheesh. Let’s allow White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton to sum it up: “It’s a mortgage company?” Eaton asked. “Man, they must be doing really well . . . I don’t really know what to say.”
I do. Man, that’s a dumb name. Let’s give thanks that our stadiums in New Zealand — aside from the one everyone just calls the Cake Tin — have so far largely been graced only by relatively nondescript sets of initials. Everyone has that colleague they don’t like, right? Well, athletes are the same, except with all the adrenaline and testosterone that comes with their profession, animosity can quickly lead to violence. Which we saw again at the Oakland Athletics this week, with teammates Billy Butler and Danny Valencia throwing down in the clubhouse. The source of the beef, as they often are, was trivial, with Butler telling Valencia’s equipment sponsor that his teammate had been wearing a different brand of cleats. Valencia was rather displeased, punching Butler in the head and doing enough damage to knock his teammate out for two games. These two over- grown children have plenty of company . . . Romanowski was involved in numerous altercations throughout his NFL career, perhaps unsurprisingly being implicated in the BALCO drug scandal. And the Oakland Raider’s ‘ roid rage was in full effect during a 2013 practice, pulling off Williams’ helmet and punching him in the face. The punch ended Williams’ career and he subsequently sued his teammate, with Romanowski ordered to pay $ 300,000 in damages. Heard that saying ‘ pick on someone your own size’? Skiles clearly never did. During a scuffle at an Orlando Magic practice in 1994, Skiles aimed a wild right hook at a player more than a foot taller than him, grabbing Shaq in a headlock and, according to a witness, ending up “wrapped around his shoulders hanging on for dear life” as Shaq attempted to shake him off.
Unlike the other examples, Dyer and Bowyer had the generosity to save their fight for the playing field, so millions around the world could watch it. As frustrations boiled over during a 3- 0 home defeat against Aston Villa in 2005, the Newcastle midfielders found themselves in a wild punch- up off the ball, eventually and hilariously being broken up by the opposition. Both were sent off.