Aaron Curry

That's what I'm talking about.

The Other 103

Something I thought about the other day which no doubt many others are thinking about. Are we going to learn the names of the other players 103 who tested positive for ‘roids along with Alex Rodriguez?

Isn’t it a guarantee that there are going to be names on that list that we really, really, really wish weren’t on there? No one is going to be surprised if (come on, who am I kidding) when Bret Boone’s name appears on that list given season out of nowhere followed by his toss-a-boulder-out-of-an-airplane-at-30,000-feet free fall. But what about other names? What if Edgar Martinez shows up on that list? Would you be surprised? I wouldn’t be, but that’s because while I am overly sentimental at times, I’m definitely far more cynical than I’d like to be. I’m hoping, and pretty much everyone I know who roots for the M’s is hoping, that he’s clean and he’s always been clean. But the fear I have about his name showing up lingers.

It would be such a devastating revelation that I don’t want to think about it, but it’s there. We all know it’s possible. If ‘roids use was so widespread, why would he be immune? Why would he be shielded?

I’m preemptively asking why when there is no proof linking him with any usage, but that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about it.

Coming Around on Junior

I neglected to write about what I saw from Griffey the other day. I must admit, the guy is reeling me back in. Not because I necessarily like him, but it seems like he, and Mike Sweeney, have had what can only be considered a positive impact on the team. Attitude means a lot in sports and evidently those two guys have ensured that the any negative attitude that this Mariners team shows is stomped out completely and immediately.

If the attitude is the only thing that changed about the team and they were still losing, I wouldn’t care at all. But they are winning, so I do care. And it’s cool.

While I like what I see in Griffey, the weirdest thing for me is to see him at the bat about 1.5 times the size as he used to be. His swing is still beautiful and he’s always had an ass on him, but he’s just so unbelievably thick. I only saw snippets of him when he played for Cincy so I never really noticed just how large he got. It’s pretty remarkable. He’s got like a full inch layer of extra thickness all over his body.

Another striking thing about him is the way that he runs. On Jackie Robinson day when he scored from first, he rounded the bases in a very un 1995-like way (of course, that was 14 years ago). Simply put, the guy is 39-years old and runs accordingly. He’s slow. But I will say this, he looks like he’s running smartly so as not to burst his hamstrings or rupture his Achilles. He’s been through enough injuries to know just how far he can push himself before catastrophe ensues. The way that he’s running, it seems abundantly clear that he should spend next to zero amount of time in the outfield. His speed has run away from him and he can no longer catch up to it. That’s fine. Keep being a good guy in the clubhouse and making this team of former losers into winners. If that’s the reason they brought him here (and not for pure sentiment) then I applaud it.

Apologizing for the Good Dude

Another reason I’m concerned about drafting a QB is due to my affection for Matt Hasselbeck. I love nearly everything about his game, with the huge exception that he tends to lose the strike zone on deep balls and also tends to throw what look to be horrible interceptions. However, I’m almost certain that at least half of his INTs are due to WRs doing the wrong thing or a miscommunication between QB and WR. I say this because some of those INTs are so egregious and there is no way he simply throws that bad of a pass. We, at home, don’t have the benefit of seeing what happens downfield and we don’t know the playbook so it’s hard to determine what went wrong on INTs. Anyway, I maintain that it’s likely not all Hasselbeck’s fault. You can call me an apologist for him and you’d probably be right.

In addition to Hasselbeck being a good QB, he’s shown himself to be a good dude off of the field. As I’ve said before he could be a great color guy at some point for several reasons, but even when the camera isn’t on he holds up. A friend of mine relayed this story to me. A father of a senior in high school ran into Hasselbeck in the grocery store and chatted him up a little bit and told Hasselbeck that his son and a few of his son’s friends were considering going to Boston College in the fall and if he (Hasselbeck) didn’t mind, could he stop by his house and talk to them about going to school there. Hasselbeck said sure, got the address, and time to be there and moved on. The dad didn’t think that he’s show up because he certainly didn’t have to. So the kids are all over at his house and the doorbell rings and it’s Hasselbeck, his wife, and his kids. He’d come to talk to them about going to B.C. and all sorts of other stuff. I guess he just hung out with the kids and answered any questions that they had and was super cool.

Tell me, how do you not root for a dude like that?

Pre-Draft Wavering...

I’ve changed my mind. I no longer am pining for the Hawks to take Sanchez. I think that he has a very good chance to be good in the league, but I’ve been enamored with him simply because he’s possibly the best QB this year. That’s not the reason to take him, especially if there are players available who are very likely better prospects at their positions, like Curry, Smith, Monroe, Crabtree, or even Maclin.

It used to be that the draft was the only way teams could get quality play out of the QB position. If they missed out on a surefire prospect like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, or Eli Manning, they were somewhat doomed and had to keep using either their own subpar QBs or sign a veteran QB through free agency. There were exceptions, like Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer, but by and large, successful teams draft their own QBs, who they believed were great, if not once-in-a-franchise players.

Now, with the resurgence of guys like Kerry Collins, Kurt Warner, and Drew Brees, coaches and GMs are probably more apt to only go after the QB early in the draft if they fully believe in his abilities, otherwise, they’ll go after good vets who can be trusted to not wilt under pressure and execute gameplans.

This is my roundabout way of saying while I really like Sanchez and Stafford, they don’t look like surefire guys to me and therefore aren’t worth it.

If Sanchez is the pick at four tomorrow, I’ll probably be excited, but I’ll be extremely worried that they’ve just dumped a ton of cash on a guy that they don’t need right now, and who cannot help them win next year or even the year after, instead of a linebacker like Curry who will come in and play great from day one (e.g. Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Lofa Tatupu, LeRoy Hill, Odell Thurman—w/o the rap sheet). I’m leaning toward him and will be overjoyed if they nab him.

They can always take Curtis Painter (QB, Purdue) or Willie Tuitama (QB, Arizona) in rounds 5-7 and that would be just fine.

Silky J

Just a quick snippet here, but I said a few weeks ago that I wanted to date Wayne Ellington and Danny Green’s jumpers. Well, that’s still the case, but they are just flings. I would like to marry Ray Allen’s jumper. Consider this a proposal. I’ve known this for awhile, but I can't fight it anymore and his jumper was sublime down the stretch tonight.

Pulling for the [Blue] Devil

I love that Greg Paulus is going back to football simply because football is my favorite sport and if anyone can play it, then I believe that they should. I always get disappointed when a player decides to forego an uncertain football career, rife with injury dangers and a short professional shelf life, and decide to focus on a safer career with a much longer lifespan, such as baseball; to deny me the joy of watching them on the gridiron is just plain selfish.

Matt Tuiasosopo did it by spurning the chance to be a QB Messiah for the UW Football program in ’04 and entering the MLB draft. Before him, Grady Sizemore shunned UW and got drafted by the Cleveland Indians and is enjoying a really nice career in the majors replete with panty-tossing female fans. I guess he made the right choice… for him. But not for me. I would have preferred seeing him Lawyer-Milloying people up at safety.

So anyway, good for Greg. He tried his hand at playing PG for Duke, which I can’t blame him for doing, although he must have known that the chances for playing success beyond Duke as a PG is infinitesimal, maybe he just wanted a free Duke education? Or he thought he could buck the trend, but being smart, I’m sure he knew that was folly. Duke PGs do not go on to bigger and better things on the court. Whether it’s talent, or lack thereof, that holds them back (Steve Wojciechowski, Will Avery) or karmic vehicle interference (Bobby Hurley, Jay Williams), Duke PGs flame out on the court after they leave campus. Paulus, bucked that trend, he actually flamed out while at Durham, as a senior. As such, having his basketball career shuttered, he now turns to football, which is where he was once breathlessly tabbed as the best QB in his class.

No one knows if he can still be a good QB in college or beyond, and it’s probably been a very long time since anyone has stuck their helmet in the middle of his back, but I’m guessing that the guy can still toss the rock around. He’s a bright guy and college football, especially Rich Rodriguez’s offense, is not the least bit complex.

Amazingly, I find myself pulling for the guy, hoping that he makes it at Michigan (or wherever he ends up), and getting a crack at the NFL. Good talent is hard to find and if the guy had “it” once, it’s possible that he finds it again.

710 ESPN Seattle

I like the idea that there is another sports radio station in Seattle. Really, what’s not to like? It’s nice to have an alternative when I’m not interested in whatever is going on at 950 or if that station is running a huge block of ads. I still am partial to Mitch Levy’s stuff in the morning because he’s clearly the most talented and polished guy out there, if not immature at times, but I’m fine with that. We get Calabro, whom I’ve expressed my sports love for frequently. We also get Brock Huard and that other guy who I’m sure I won’t like. Seems strange that they’d go with an out-of-towner, but whatever.

Huard has been good on TV for awhile now and he’s always had really good things to say when given a venue on the radio. I’d be very surprised if this thing didn’t work out for him long term. He’s a local guy who is bright and played in the NFL, if only briefly, but who cares? He’s always been studious and has an easy manner and comes across as a more likeable Hugh Millen, whom I like as well, but he gets bogged down sometimes.

Perhaps the greatest thing, for me at least, about this new station is that I was able to conjure up an image that was in my mind back in college. Huard, for all of the good things that he brings and will bring to the air, is a strange-looking guy. When I saw him during a game I mentioned to a friend of mine that he looked like a bird, but not just any bird. He looks exactly like Evil Tweety Bird. I grew up on Looney Toons and I remember an episode where Tweety Bird gets mutated (or something) into this evil, monster bird. That, my friends, is Brock Huard.

But don’t take my word for it…

Thanks, Ric Bucher.

I’ve picked a scab and now it won’t stop bleeding. I read my first story of the year that exclusively dealt with the Sonics. ESPN’s Ric Bucher did this to me and I don’t appreciate it. I was minding my own business, reading stories about the draftability of some college players when I saw the headline, “The Rise of the…Thunder?” and I couldn’t help myself. I clicked on the story, read it, and held my own private pity party, which featured me jumping headfirst out of a two-story building with my hands tied behind my back.

It’s abundantly clear to even the most non-observant NBA fan that Presti has assembled a great nucleus and he’s got a real plan and vision for the team’s immediate and long term future. It couldn’t be more different than the Wally Walker regime. I never thought that Wally had a plan, and if he did, it was never a good one. We saw the team make pick after idiotic pick and it felt like the team was either treading water (a death sentence for mediocre NBA teams) or sinking, slowly (because of aging veterans with no young guys to take their places). It’s infuriating that this isn’t happening here.

I haven’t seen one game since they left town, but I’ve read reports on Russell Westbrook and people seem to love him. I already know that Durant is fantastic and will only continue to get exponentially better since he’s so young, so gifted, and so driven. They’re headed in the right direction and I suppose this realization is finally hitting me square in the face: They’ve moved and they’re not coming back.

Also, it seems highly unlikely that Olympia’s legislators are going to pass any bill to renovate Key Arena by the end of the legislative session (Sine Die is April 26). The bill is dead in the Senate, but could be revived because it’s a budget issue, but I’m not hopeful. If they don’t get it approved, then Clay Bennett is off of the hook and owes Seattle nothing (he’d owe $30M if Seattle didn’t get another NBA team in 5 years… but you know that already). Here’s the thing, I don’t care about the $30M. If Seattle got that money, that means that THERE WOULDN’T BE ANOTHER NBA TEAM HERE. And I want a team to relocate here, certainly before five years goes by. I’m worried that the people who matter will forget about the NBA and will no longer attempt to bring a team back. The longer the NBA stays away, the further it gets pushed out of our minds and the less it will matter. That’s a bad thing. Also, unlike some comments that I’ve heard, I do not care where the team comes from, just as long as we get one. If it’s Memphis, fine. I’ll take OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay. If it’s Sacramento, fine. I’ll take Spencer Hawes and Kevin Martin. If it’s New Orleans (please let it be New Orleans), then fine. I’ll (gladly) take Chris Paul and David West. I’m concerned about Kansas City and their already built arena though, I’ve got to think that the NBA would rather go there since an “NBA-ready Arena” (i.e. high ticket prices and luxury boxes and adequate parking) is already in place. The NBA is not going to expand, that’s for damn sure, so the only way to get a team is going to be through relocation and while that sucks, I don’t really care. The people in Memphis would not even shift in their seats if that team left. Sacramento is less likely because I’d be surprised if the Maloofs actually sold the team, don’t they like being NBA owners? As for New Orleans, part of me would feel bad, but like an addict, I’d take that hit. I’ve got to, especially for that real good package.

All that said, I readily admit that the NBA’s regular season is exceedingly boring. The season is way too long and the ticket prices are way too high. But since I go (or went) to the games so sporadically, the ticket prices don’t affect me. I just watch on TV because all of the games are televised. Regardless, while the regular season is dull, the playoffs are quite the opposite. The drama that builds during each of these series is great. This year presents several compelling matchups in both the Western and Eastern Conferences. Even if the Sonics were here, they wouldn’t be in the playoffs, I get that, but I’d have hope that they were on their way so it wouldn’t bother me too much that they’re left out.

I’m curious to see how many games Utah takes from L.A. Denver has its hands full with New Orleans, despite Chandler’s issues. San Antonio is highly vulnerable without Manu against a Dallas squad that is playing well. Portland and Houston is great for so many reasons, not the least of which is how Brandon Roy will respond to being guarded by two of the best defenders in the NBA (Artest and Battier) in a series. Sentimentally I’m pulling for Portland simply because of Roy (although I’ll be rooting for Aaron Brooks as well), but my head tells me that Houston is going to pull out this series, mostly because they won’t have to worry about McGrady’s extraordinarily fragile psyche. I’m also curious to see how Oden handles Yao. My guess? Not well.

I care less about the Eastern Conference with the exception of LeBron. I would very much enjoy watching him trounce all comers and average something like 37 points 10 boards 11 assists 3 steals and 2 blocks throughout the playoffs. No one in the East can stop him and I’d like to see him try to snap at least one defender’s forearm at the rim with one of his “I’m a He-Man Action Figure While You’re a G.I. Joe Action Figure, Thus I’m Out of Scale and Will Hurt You” dunks. He’s amazing and I want to watch him do amazing things.

I know that we’ll see the same sort of maniacal effort out Kobe, so they are set for a collision course in the finals and the basketball world should not be cheated here; we need to see Medusa v. The Kracken we deserve a Cleveland v. LA finals.

So, I’ll be watching the playoffs, while cursing my Durantlessness, but I’ll still be entertained, and I’ll remain hopeful that someone will right this wrong.

The Master

I crept downstairs at my in-laws’ house during Easter family activities yesterday to sneak a peak at the Masters. More accurately, I wanted to see how Tiger was doing at the Masters. If he wasn’t involved, there is no chance that I would have bothered at all. Such is the allure of Tiger. It’s strange because I usually dislike the favorite. I hate the Yankees, Red Sox, Lakers, Spurs, Patriots, Steelers (boy do I hate the Steelers), Cowboys etc. But as my wife told me yesterday as I was discussing this with her, “Those are all franchises, not individuals.” Well, that’s a good point. But is that really it? I’d still love basketball if LeBron wasn’t playing. I’d still love football if Tom Brady wasn’t playing (as evidenced by last year). I’d still love (ok, like) baseball if Ichiro wasn’t playing. But I would not watch a single hole of golf coverage if Tiger wasn’t playing. In fact, when he was injured, I didn’t watch a thing. I only care about golf if he’s involved and I don’t get it.

I suppose I’ve got a few reasons. He’s a minority guy, in a sport rife with white guys, historically and presently. He’s about my age (I’m about a year and a half older). He’s revolutionized the sport and made everyone around him (competitors included) wildly rich. He’s amazingly good at what he does and may go down as the best player the game has ever seen. I suppose those are all good-enough reasons, but they all seem awfully shallow.

He’s not especially engaging and has such a measured, nerdy kind of voice. He rarely says anything interesting and the only things I know about him are that he lives in Orlando (or thereabouts), he has an exceedingly gorgeous wife, he has two kids, he’s filthy rich, Nike loves him (and he loves Nike), and he has a boat named Privacy. Those are boring things to know.

But he’s not boring on the course, which is the important part. He gets pissed out there and doesn’t hide his frustration. He expects every shot to be incredible, and when it’s not, he gets angry and pushes to make the next shot the incredible one. He’s relentless and it’s cool to see because with all of that drive, talent, and mental toughness he’s bound to put together something that we’ve never seen before.

For lack of something better, I guess that's what I love about the guy. He knows that he is physically the most talented guy in the game, but he also practices harder than anyone else (or, to be fair, it's probably more accurate to say that he practices at least as hard as anyone else). He's the best in the game and doesn't waste his talents by coasting. Going further, he never, ever cheats the game, he always comes ready to dominate. By extension, he never, ever cheats us as fans because we want to see him at his best.

I appreciate that.