Rafer’s Mom Is an Intense Woman

by Marcel Mutoni

If you’ve been watching the Houston Rockets lately – and reallly, if you haven’t, I’m not entirely sure what you’re doing on this website right now – you probably noticed that Rafer Alston is a feisty guy. He got into it with Sasha Vujacic on Sunday afternoon, and nearly came to blows with Rajon Rondo last night (before a single point had even been scored in the game!).

I think it’s safe to say that Skip gets some of his feistiness from his mother. Why you ask? Check out the phone call she placed to Peter Vescey after she read a piece of his that criticized her son.

“My husband and I just now got to read your column on line when we came home,” Geraldine allowed. “While I don’t agree with your assessment, I do respect your right to voice an opinion.

“Having said that, do me a favor; please e-mail your picture. We’re making a print out of the column and we’d like to burn it and your picture together in effigy.”

Story time: When I played high school basketball, my mother once approached a coach of mine about giving her beloved son more playing time. When the poor guy pointed out that I was a starter, thus getting plenty of minutes, she told him that I still wasn’t getting enough burn.

It’s a shame that our games rarely got mentioned in the paper; maybe her scathing letters to the editor might’ve lit a fire under me and gotten me to The Show!

(Thanks to Shoals for the wonderful find.)