Table tennis player jailed for smoking marijuana
By: Tim Boggan, USA Table Tennis (USATT website), 11-25-05

The California G Unit (Keith Alban, Ben Johnson, and Barney Reed) had advanced into Division play without losing a match. Barney had been taken into the 5th by young Preston Chin, but that was o.k.—he was cool, “layin’ low,” he said, “just below the radar.” Barney had won the MVP Award in Shashin Shodhan’s 6-team Bay Area league, but lamented the fact that for those in the age bracket 22-40 there wasn’t anything being done to motivate them to continue playing.

So maybe he wouldn’t continue playing? As I’d heard repeatedly, and even now reluctantly hush-hush tell you “Off the record,” Barney, preparing to play another tie but not yet in court, appeared on screen in his notorious “T.T. Bad Boy” manner and was soon being interviewed both at the Convention Center and elsewhere. It wasn’t clear to many, but the fact that he was wearing a Hennessy shirt to warm-up in suggested to some that he might have been obliging a sponsor—that is, being filmed with a small nip in private of something other than Gatorade—and that this was frowned on by Convention Security. But such a thought surely went up in smoke, because we all know he couldn’t be stupid enough to impair his play, or let his Team’s chances for at least $650 quarter’s money, go to pot. Nevertheless he disappeared for a while before returning to beat Allstar Li Yuxiang.

Ah, but the damage had been done….What’s that, you want me to put it more clearly? Oh, alright, for allegedly smoking marijuana, Barney was taken away from the Center, spent a night in jail while USATT President Sheri Pittman with considerate phone calls was doing her best to look after him. Of course there would be the inevitable repercussions. For without Barney, and undermined psychologically, this Unit lost their chance for advancement—were defeated by Canada’s Juniors 5-2. Pierre-LucHinse beat both Keith Alban, whom someone described as a t.t. mercenary(have racket; will play for pay) and Ben Johnson who, probably feeling a win just wasn’t in the cards, also lost to Canadian Junior Champion Guo Peng whose focus is now primarily on school.

(Rolo commentary: Table tennis anyone...?)

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