When pride still matters

Chapter 78 This kind of thing won’t happen to me

"Conduct yourselves, in whatever you do, without murmuring or quarreling, so that you may be blameless and children of God without blemish in a crooked and perverse generation. Show yourselves as lights shining in the midst of this generation, giving life to the word of the Lord.”​—Philippians 2:14-15 (New Testament)
“Let no evil word come out of your mouth, but always say something good that is edifying, so that it may benefit those who hear it.”—Ephesians 4:29 (New Testament)
"I do not say this out of lack. I have learned to be content no matter what my circumstances are. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound; whether I am full or hungry, whether I have a surplus or whether I am in need , I have been given the secret in everything and in everything. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:11-13 (New Testament)
Doug Collins was very "considerate" and folded the pages he wanted Yu Fei to read in advance.Yu Fei only needed to open the book to reach these pages.

As a non-religious person, Yu Fei's understanding was that Collins wanted him to keep to himself and not complain.

However, this kind of chicken soup for the soul has no effect on Fei, because Collins obviously did not get the teachings from the Bible.

If the biblical teachings and morals had helped Collins, he wouldn't have been fired after leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals.If his devotion to the Lord is genuine, then he should not have a double standard in his treatment of Jordan and other players.

"Tony, keep it." Yu Fei handed the book to Lawson.

Lawson took the book, read it, and threw it aside. "He might as well treat you to a pork chop meal."

"really."

On November 11, the Wizards returned to DC from Detroit.

Returning home is not because there is a game, but they have two days off.

The day after tomorrow, the Wizards will go to Boston to challenge the Celtics.

For the Wizards, Boston's road trip was given a narrative due to Jordan's presence.

That was a story that happened before Jordan came back. Paul Pierce spoke wildly to the retired Jordan off the court, claiming, "If you dare to come back, I will beat you up."

This is not unlike future Jeremy Sohan repeatedly mocking Vice Dog on Twitter.

The difference is, while Piers was trolling her in person, Sohan was just one of millions of trolls on the internet.

However, Jordan and his team's staff do not have time to deal with this matter now.Compared with the warm-up for the Celtics game, Jordan faced a more troublesome problem.

Kara Knafer, a hairdresser in her late 40s, wants Jordan to honor his promise to pay her $500 million in hush money.reason?She and Jordan maintained a relationship for several years in the 90s. Kara was pregnant for a time and could not rule out the possibility that Jordan was the biological father of the child.At first, Jordan gave her 25 US dollars as hush money. Now, when the god returns to the stage, the hairdresser thinks of this old lover again, and 25 US dollars is far from enough.

Moreover, there are two reasons for this kind of thing. Jordan himself is not a clean person.

In Cleveland, a stripper named Robert Mercer wrote a letter to Jordan and Wizards executives claiming that Jordan had had a five-year affair with someone from the Mercer family.Mercer next sent a similar letter to a secretary at Jordan's Flyers headquarters in Chicago.At this point, the stripper's accusations began to circulate privately.

This quickly caused a serious public relations crisis and left a huge crack in Jordan's godhead.Frederick Sperling, Jordan's senior attorney in Chicago, wrote a hastily written letter denying the allegations and threatening Mercer with legal action if he went public with them.Mercer wrote him an angry letter, vowing that he would not be intimidated.At the same time, he was also preparing to write a letter to Jordan's wife, Juanita, claiming that he had conclusive information that would "embarrass both of our families."

As Jordan's legal team took decisive action to protect God's reputation, Mercer's accusations quickly collapsed. The truth was that Mercer's wife was an avid Jordan fan and suffered from mental illness.Mercer didn't want to pay for seeing a psychiatrist. He thought Jordan should pay the money, so he wanted to fish in troubled waters.

The turmoil caused by Mercer quickly subsided, but the impact on Jordan's image was irreversible.Such is the fragility of celebrity that an inconsequential male stripper can make Jordan miserable.

What is the difference between this and the rumor-mongering article posted in QQ space after 2008 that "Jay Chou refused to donate money to Wenchuan and took a private plane to the disaster area to steal instant noodles⑴"?Jordan was lucky after all. The black material and unofficial history he exposed in 2001 were swallowed up by the ever-growing Internet. Ten years later, nothing was left.

Jordan disappeared for two days.

Collins said that Jordan went to other cities to recover because of tenosynovitis, but anyone who watches the news knows what Goute did.

When Jordan is away, the Wizards' training atmosphere is relaxed. After all, who likes to be teammates with pressure monsters?
The only thing Yu Fei is dissatisfied about is that after training, the team's business director Susan O'Mary arranged a large number of public relations and community activities for him.

In addition to spending two hours in training sessions every day, Yu Fei also spends two hours participating in team activities.

It would be fine if everyone needed to participate in the event, but often only Yu Fei and Hamilton participated in the event.

"Why don't others participate?" Yu Fei asked.

O'Mary explained: "Because the reputation is low."

"So you keep letting me participate in activities? Don't you think this is a bit too much?" Yu Fei's words confirmed that "anti-bone" is real. "Others are less popular, maybe, but if they don't participate in the game, Won’t the popularity of team activities become less and less popular? Will Rip and I take care of all team activities from now on?”

Omari said without doubt: "We will have a meeting to discuss this matter in the future. All you have to do now is go to the event."

There is an information gap between Yu Fei and the team.

He believes that the Wizards are Jordan's people from bottom to top, so it is Jordan's idea to arrange a large number of community activities and team activities for him.

This really misunderstood Jordan.Jordan also hates Omari's marketing behavior that wants to wipe out star players.

Overall, except for this little thing, it was a pleasant two days without seeing Jordan.

At nine o'clock in the morning on November 11, the Wizards flew to Boston on a special plane.

On the special plane, Jordan finally appeared after not showing up for two days.

Brown looked uncomfortable when he saw Jordan.

Jordan walked up to Brown, grabbed his arm, and bent him over to listen.Brown did so.Jordan whispered something to him and then patted Brown's head affectionately.

As if struck by lightning, Brown stood up straight and headed the ball away from Jordan's hand almost like a football player. He hated having his head touched.In other words, he hates being touched on the head by Jordan.

It can be said that this is a kind of stress reaction from Brown to Jordan. He cannot accept that the old man who controls the team cares about him like a kind uncle one second, and insults him like an enemy the next second.

He could only accept one reaction, love or hate.

Brown has decided not to have any close relationship with Jordan.

However, there are always licking dogs who think their licking skills are great.

Tyrone Naseby welcomed Jordan's return like a Labrador who hadn't seen his owner for a few days, "Hey, Michael, we have more confidence with you! Man, I heard about you, it's really a pity, I"

Jordan gave him a cold look and said, "Shut up."

"OK OK" Naseby walked away embarrassed.

Yu Feixiao asked the team reporter beside him, "Has the boss always been like this?"

Steve Wyche said lightly: "I only know Michael from the DC period. But I can guarantee that Michael from the Chicago period is even more harsh."

Observing Jordan's PUA teammates is Yu Fei's daily repertoire. It is not only interesting, but more importantly, it is very educational.

What Jordan did vividly conveyed an unquestionable message to Yu Fei: In the sports world, the strong have the power to dominate, and the weak can only accept it.

Yu Fei's generation belongs to the standard AAU generation. They have been exposed to the spotlight since they were young and are accustomed to the respect of others. They are sensitive to any negative reviews.This is completely different from Jordan's leadership style. He needs people around him to be humble. If someone is too presumptuous, he will educate them until he recognizes them.Jordan will also allocate the emotions he invests based on these people's performance and attitude towards himself, just like a machine.

That's how he treated his teammates in Chicago, so when the Bulls achieved unprecedented success in the post-merger era, Jordan's admirers and the media believed that Bulls players grew into dynasty players under Dogger's spurs. .Chicago's success proved God's right with unquestionable facts.

This noble status and alluring power made Yu Fei couldn't help but think about it when the plane took off.

What would I do if I were Jordan?

This idea only appeared for a moment before Yu Fei shook it out of his mind. How could he be Jordan?

No, even if one day he achieves the power and status of Jordan, he will not do this.

There are so many successful people. Who can’t be imitated? Why do we have to imitate Jordan?Who among Bill Russell, Magic, Bird, Shark, Duncan, Curry and James likes to bully his teammates and declare his status with a double blow of spirit and body?Those who can't bear the blow are easily labeled as "cowards", and those who endure the hardships and persevere are said to be "because you withstood Jordan's test, that's why you can become so good." Why? ?Why?
"Do you think this is right, Steve?"

Yu Fei asked Huai Qi, this person is not only the team's reporter, but also Jordan's confidant. He knows the consequences of saying this to this person, but who the hell cares?

"I don't think it's right. We are human beings first, and then NBA players. As long as we are human beings, we have our own dignity and dignity that cannot be offended." Yu Fei glanced at Jordan, who was concentrating with his eyes closed, "I won't let that happen. This happened to me."

⑴If you have reposted "Jay Chou refused to donate money to Wenchuan and secretly ate instant noodles in the disaster area", please list it here.

PS: There will be five chapters tomorrow, and they will be accompanied by a small climax. The last two chapters are mainly to pave the way for tomorrow's plot.

感谢永远忠于百事、羽刃、木头会自然、书友20220331003455304、大千520、爱特哪银月、书友20230910002807386、一蓑风雨任平生、99书箱、天上青云、钻省身5、句号0、病树前头万木春、燃情渣客镇的打赏。

Finally, please ask for a monthly ticket, and I wish everyone a happy National Day.

(End of this chapter)