Christian Cantwell Gets Mean

In case you haven't heard, Cantwell not only won the biggest event at the USA Indoor meet, he made the biggest stink.

Cantwell saved his best shot for second-place finisher Reese Hoffa (70 feet 2 1/2 inches). Last week, Cantwell asked Hoffa, the reigning world indoor and outdoor champion, to bring his 128mm indoor shot to nationals. Hoffa declined, believing it was not his job to help a competitor.

"For the most part Reese is a pretty good guy, but he pulled a quick one on me this weekend and I'm a little upset with him," said Cantwell. "So, I'm glad he made it, but, in the end, I would have rather had [third-place finisher] Adam [Nelson] make the team for the world championships. Reese has a 128 indoor and he wouldn't bring it.

"I couldn't believe it when I called him and said, 'Would you bring this for me?' He goes, 'Nah, I'm not going to pack it.' I said, 'Well, send it. I'll pay for it.' He goes, 'No, I'm not going to help you. Why would I help you? You're my competitor.' He's a hypocrite."

When told of the comments by Cantwell, Hoffa looked genuinely shocked. He didn't think turning down the request was a big deal, especially since Cantwell easily could have purchased his own shot.

Throwers tend to be a friendly bunch, but this seems a bit extreme. Imagine, if you will, another coach calling up Bill Belichick and asking for a favor the day before a game. Ridiculous.

But here's why throwers do tend to be a friendly bunch:

By the time the US team heads to Valencia, Hoffa figures the bad feelings will have blown over.

"He can trash talk all he wants," said Hoffa. "While he's in Valencia, he's got to have someone to hang out with."