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Larry Bird in on attemp to build casino

Discussion in 'Sports Forum' started by church mouse guy, May 2, 2004.

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  1. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    Hoosier Larry Bird has been involved for some time to bring Indiana's eleventh casino to his home area of French Lick, Indiana. He is actually involved in a consortium to build the casino. His actions do not seem to tarnish him, the Pacers, or the NBA--to my own personal surprise.

    Here is a recent Indianapolis Star newspaper article on the subject:

    http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/140805-4975-009.html
     
    #1 church mouse guy, May 2, 2004
  2. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    Gaming (gambling with the Born Losers in mind) is not considered to be "evil" in our society. Folks see $$ for schools, lower taxes, helping the Indians, etc.

    They fail to see the broken homes, bankruptcy, mental addictions skyrocket and far offset any gains. And degradation of the Indians to even greater lows.

    Larry boy will not lose respect for this. It isn't the image of the mafia in Las Vegas in 1950 any more.
     
    #2 Dr. Bob, May 2, 2004
  3. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    You are probably correct, Dr. Griffin.

    The owners of the Pacers are Herb and Mel Simon, who own many shopping centers throughout the USA. With all that influence inside Indiana State government, it looks as if Bird and his group will beat out both Donald Trump and the French corporation.

    According to some people, French Lick was a gangster resort started by the Chicago mob. They have a huge white elephant hotel from the old days in French Lick where no one ever stays anymore. Also, it is a rural area with high unemployment and not very good agriculture. The Governor and the public think that low-paying, dead-end casino jobs are the answer to the problem.

    Personally, I am disappointed in Larry Bird. To me gambling still has the mafia in Las Vegas in 1950 image that you mention, Dr. Griffin. I think that Bird should resign from the NBA and the Pacers.

    Speaking of Indians, the Miami Tribe in Indiana, friends of William Henry Harrison and allies at the Battle of Tippecanoe, were never removed West and are around Peru, Indiana. They are suing to be made a tribe again so that they can open a casino. I think that they were given full citizenship in the 19th century for their military help; at any rate, their status was better than the average tribe.
     
    #3 church mouse guy, May 2, 2004
  4. mark

    mark <img src =/mark.gif>

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    He shpuld absolutely resign. And here is one FORMER Larry Bird fan that is disgusted!
     
    #4 mark, May 11, 2004
  5. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    Thanks, Mark! Some of us saw a side of Larry Bird that we didn't know about. Larry Bird is generally considered a kid from a very small town who could shoot and pass. The Pacers admire him and he fired Isaiah Thomas and turned the Pacers around. But a lot of us think like you, Mark, in that we are disgusted by the attempt to build the casino in French Lick.

    I don't see how the NBA allows these ties to gambling. I was shocked to learn recently that the Sacramento Kings are owned by the same brothers that own the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. That information is on the NBA website under the Sacramento Kings link. I wonder what other holdings there are around the NBA?
     
    #5 church mouse guy, May 11, 2004
  6. Greg Linscott

    Greg Linscott <img src =/7963.jpg>

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    In no way am I defending Larry on this one, but those who have admired Bird have not done so for his moral principles. Bird is respected because of his basketball skills on and off the court- no more, no less. Bird's track record for marriage and fatherhood, for example, has been well-documented. Many other star athletes have very publicized involvement in the gambling lifestyle (Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, for example).

    Besides, on one level, what is the difference (from the athlete's perspective) between making money off of poor deluded gamblers at a casino, as opposed to making exorbitant sums of money from greedy adolescents through outrageously inflated sneaker prices, ticket prices, uniform and jersey sales, etc. To them, it's all entertainment.
     
    #6 Greg Linscott, May 11, 2004
  7. church mouse guy

    church mouse guy Well-Known Member
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    What's it like living in Maine? It sounds great with mountains, woods, and ocean.
     
    #7 church mouse guy, May 12, 2004
  8. Greg Linscott

    Greg Linscott <img src =/7963.jpg>

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    Can't complain at all... We are about 90 minutes from the coast, and plenty of forest land, rivers, and mountains to enjoy. I went up into northern Maine along the logging roads a couple of weeks ago with one of my church members, a forest ranger... saw moose, fox, turkey, and lost count of how many deer...
     
    #8 Greg Linscott, May 12, 2004
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