Perhaps, if we’re to believe the following report from the Sacramento Bee’s Sam Amick (link swiped from Detroit Bad Boys‘ Matt Watson) :
As the continuing radio career of the Kings small forward continues, Ron Artest is now hoping to interview the infamous John Green (above) of the 2004 “Malice at the Palace” brawl. The Pistons fan is the one who hurled a plastic cup of beer at Artest as he rested on press row on that Nov. 19 in Detroit, sparking the bolt into the stands and yadda yadda yadda.
You know that story well, but this is something new and so very American if it comes to fruition. Apparently, Green has already been tracked down and appears to be on board with the plan. No date has been set, but the buzz grew enough that Fox’s Best Damn Sports Show caught wind of it and wanted Artest to do the interview in their LA studio. Artest, who has grown so comfortable in the studio of KHTK’s Carmichael Dave as his unofficial co-host recently, wants to do it in “his” house and Best Damn may be sending a video crew to capture the magic.
Artest interviewed Kings rookie Spencer Hawes on the air on Thursday, when he revealed the plan to talk to Green and even asked Hawes what he would do if someone threw beer at him while he was on the free throw line. Hawes, who was his quick-witted and comical self throughout, said, “I probably wouldn’t go into the stands to go after them. That probably wouldn’t be what I’d do. That’d be a tough one.”
Artest followed by asking, “What if they came up and put the straw in your head band?” to which Hawes answered, “Who drinks their beer with a straw? I mean, I’m not old enough to drink beer but I’ve never seen it taken with a straw.”
If Bill Buckner and Mookie Wilson can do autograph shows together, there’s no reason why Artest and Green cannot mount a tour of the nation’s Ramada Inn conference rooms this summer.