48HOURS Late Edition 1

• Published in: Sydney morning herald
• Main Author: EDITED BY HEATHER SMITH
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sydney, N.S.W Fairfax Digital 26.08.1996
• ISSN: 0312-6315

H OT-TEMPERED Shane Heal is absolute proof that it is possible both to live and die by the mouth. Six weeks ago, the US Dream Team's fast-talking, tough-guy forward, Charles Barkley, said of Heal: "I'd pay to see him in the NBA. We'll just have to work on his vocabulary." This complimentary statement came after the cocky Australian point guard had stunned the Dreamers with a blazing 28-point game and an equally heated on-court shouting session with Barkley. "Sir" Charles had taken Heal's legs out from under him in what amounted to a cheap shot, and a snarling Shane responded by calling him an extremely rude word (which can't be repeated here). That one act of aggression, as much as his dizzying eight three-pointers, caught the attention of National Basketball Association talent scouts and whammo, the "Hammer" was on his way to a three-year contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. But how the wheel turns. On Saturday night, after the Sydney Kings had just been pipped by the Brisbane Bullets in their National Basketball League game, a frustrated and furious Heal grabbed referee Graham Clarke and called him exactly the same expletive. The result of his anger this time, however, was far different. Clarke reported Heal, who now faces a suspension or fine. We can draw only one conclusion from Heal's vitriolic outburst: clearly, he has not taken Barkley's advice and tried to extend, if not improve, his vocabulary.