The Roundup

2008-02-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

Spread the Word Baby, Omar Back

It's been quite some time since my last post, and a whole lot has changed. I went from living on a couch in Battery Park City to a air mattress, then futon in Harlem, and now have a crib in the East Village. Unemployed to intern to full time employee. Cheering for Durant at the NBA Draft to Felix in the Bronx to the Seahawks in Green Bay. Added a few Facebook interests (cheese, Kenny Mayne hosting SportsCenter), found a few new bars to frequent (Lucy's, Mudville 9), got hooked on a few TV shows (The Wire, Lost). I missed over half of 2007 here in Cyberspace. I guess that's what happens when you get a job.

Despite my job, I still managed to get out and experience one of my favorite things in life: Live sporting events. Here's a rundown of what I've been up to:

NBA Draft, Madison Square Garden: Sporting my Chris Wilcox t-shirt, I was in the front row of the back section of the MSG WaMu Theater, and was officially the first Seattle Supersonics fan in the world to shake the hands of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. I also gave props to fellow Washingtonians Spencer Hawes and Rodney Stuckey. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.
Yankees/Angels, Yankee Stadium: When a few of my buddies from Boston came to town and we had extra tickets to a Yankees game, naturally we all put on Red Sox gear and made a trek out to the Bronx. One of us had a few too many beverages beforehand and nearly instigated a riot, as the entire stadium booed us and tried to get us kicked out. It was arguably worse than it would have been had the Yankees actually been playing the Sox. Remind me not to do that again. I'm not even a Sox fan.
Yankees/Devil Rays, Yankee Stadium: On a nice Friday night in July, I got to see the Yankees get crushed by Tampa 14-4. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Yankees/Mariners, Yankee Stadium: I got to see King Felix pitch for the first time in my life, and he delivered: 7 innings, 1 run, 5K in a 7-1 Mariners victory including an Ichiro! home run. The hopped on the subway to go to...
US Open, Queens: Roger Federer defeating Feliciano Lopez, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. We got hooked up with incredible seats. What a day of sports.
BC/FSU, Chestnut Hill, MA: The beginning of the end for BC Football, this is when the wheels came off. I should have learned my lesson and not attended any other games.
BC/Maryland, College Park, MD: If the wheels came off against FSU, the whole thing caught fire and burned to the ground at Maryland. Not even my Jesus piece could help us.
Sonics/Knicks, Manhattan: Kevin Durant's first trip to the Mecca, and boy did he impress. Led the Sonics to a 117-110 victory with 30 points, including key buckets down the stretch and a thunderous jam right on David Lee. I loved it. Spike Lee would disagree.
Blazers/76ers, Philly: After meeting Greg Oden and spending a day with reporters demoing College Hoops 2K8 (I love my job), we posted up 7 rows back on the baseline for the Blazers/Sixers game. I was excited to see my boy Brandon Roy play, and by halftime the game was an embarrassment: 45-27, advantage Portland. But the Sixers came out hot in the 3rd quarter and eventually completed the improbable comeback, winning the game by 4 points. It was the first time I had ever seen Louis Williams play. I added him to my fantasy team the next day. The kid is going to be good.
Mavericks/Jazz, Salt Lake City: After I missed my connection in SLC back to NYC from Sun Valley, I rang up my one friend from Mormon Country and he had a spare ticket to the game. I have honestly never seen an NBA crowd quite like Utah--every single person was engaged, the place got LOUD, and everyone stayed until the finish. Deron Williams is going to go down in history as a great point guard. Mark my words.
Seahawks/Packers, Frozen Tundra, Wisconsin: This trip truly deserves its own post, but I'm not sure that'll happen or not. The abbreviated story: 14.5 hour drive from NYC to God's Country, freezing weather, snowflakes as big as softballs, lots and lots of cheese, and the best experience you could ever have while watching your favorite team lose a playoff game on the road. Simply amazing. Until that 14.5 hour drive home.
Clippers/Knicks, Manhattan: Typical Knicks game, they stayed in it for nearly 4 quarters before letting the game slip away with 3 minutes left. It was great seeing David Lee dunk on Chris Kaman, exclaiming "That was out of this world!" after a Sam Cassell drive, and discussing how he was an "All-Universe" guard, representing Mars.

The main staple of The Roundup has been sports, especially attending games live. Doing so is one of the things in life that I truly value. Sure, I grew up watching Michael Jordan on NBA on NBC, but I'll never be able to tell my kids that I saw him in person. But over the last 7or 8 months, I've added some good new ones to my list. Crawford, Felix, Federer, Ryan, Durant, Green, Roy, Igoudala, Louis, Dirk, Deron, Favre... and of course, the only extra terrestrial playing professional sports, Sam Cassell.

2007-07-02T15:33:00.001-04:00

Find me at BucketsMagazine.com

I probably will not post as much here as I am now writing for Buckets Magazine. I will still write about the Mariners and Seahawks on occasion, but all basketball writing will appear on the Buckets website. Check out the site, and thanks for reading.

2007-05-29T11:56:00.000-04:00

Luck Reigns in the Pacific Northwest - Mock Draft
This entry appears on BucketsMagazine.com

A year ago, the Portland Trailblazers were in position to get the top pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, but the lottery didn’t favor them. A year later, luck came back to them in the form (potentially) of a 7-foot franchise center named Greg Oden. A few hours north on I-5, the Seattle Supersonics were also counting their blessings, beating the odds and obtaining the second overall pick that will likely translate into Kevin Durant. In two other cities, Memphis and Boston, who were poised to take the top two picks, morale is low and GM’s are heated. But with all the talk about the Blazers and Sonics sneaking in to grab the top two picks, people have overlooked how lucky the Atlanta Hawks were.

The only way the Hawks were going to keep their top pick was if it was in the top-3, when they were likely to land just outside at 4 (otherwise it would go to Phoenix due to the Joe Johnson deal). They also obtained the top pick of the Pacers because of the Al Harrington trade, but only if it was outside of the top-10. The pick landed at 11. Already with a core nucleus of young, exciting players, Atlanta is poised to make a serious run in the East and have a legitimate shot at rebuilding their team.

This is the deepest draft we have seen in years, and every team has a chance to add an impact player who can step in right away and contribute. That said, this is how I see the first round going down:

1. Portland Trailblazers - Greg Oden, C, Ohio State - Although they may be gun shy passing up an explosive swingman for a center (Sam Bowie vs. Michael Jordan, anyone?), Greg Oden is the real deal. They should immediately contend in the West with a nucleus of Rookie-of-the-Year Brandon Roy and fellow 2006 lottery pick LaMarcus Aldridge.

2. Seattle Supersonics - Kevin Durant, SF, Texas - The Sonics have said they are going to re-sign Rashard Lewis, who plays the same position as Durant. This will be a very exciting team to watch next year, and should institute a game plan similar to the Golden State Warriors this season. A lineup of Luke Ridnour, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Kevin Durant, and Chris Wilcox would be tough to keep up with.

3. Atlanta Hawks - Mike Conley, Jr., PG, Ohio State - The Hawks most glaring need is at the point, and Conley is going to be great. A no-brainer.

4. Memphis Grizzlies - Al Horford, PF, Florida - Horford would be able to step in and help right away, and could contend for Rookie of the Year honors. A frontcourt of Pau Gasol, Horford, and Rudy Gay is a great way to move forward.

5. Boston Celtics - Yi Jianlian, PF, China - Bill Simmons called this the “worst case scenario” for the Celtics. It’s bad news in Boston, although Yi could shut everyone up if he lives up to his potential.

6. Milwaukee Bucks - Brandan Wright, PF, North Carolina - If the Grizzlies and Celtics pass him up, Milwaukee would be stupid not to select this explosive power forward.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves - Corey Brewer, SF, Florida - Brewer fits the bill as an explosive scorer and defensive stopper, exactly what Minnesota needs to add to their roster. He would compliment Kevin Garnett, Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, and Craig Smith extremely well, giving the Timberwolves a strong nucleus to win now as well as build for the future.

8. Charlotte Bobcats - Joakim Noah, PF, Florida - His stock dropped this season, but should still stick in the lottery. He would help the Bobcats in the frontcourt on both ends, as well as provide intangibles such as leadership and work ethic.

9. Chicago Bulls - Spencer Hawes, C, Washington - The Bulls most glaring need is low-post scoring, and Hawes may be the best low-post scorer in the draft.

10. Sacramento Kings - Julian Wright, SF, Kansas - This draft is stacked at the small forward position, and Wright is one of the best. Wright would fit in well in Sacramento as they are likely to try to move Ron Artest this offseason.

11. Atlanta Hawks - Al Thornton, PF, Florida State - Atlanta, like the draft, is stacked at the small forward position. Thornton would give them some needed help in the frontcourt, as their selection of Sheldon Williams last year continues to haunt them.

12. Philadelphia 76ers - Jeff Green, SF, Georgetown - If Green stays in the draft (70% chance he returns to school, he claims), Philly would be ecstatic if he dropped this far. I personally think that if Green is taken anywhere outside of the top-5, he is a steal. He plays both ends of the floor, his body is NBA-ready, he has range on his shot, and he is a proven winner and leader who can take the big shot.

13. New Orleans Hornets - Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech - With Desmond Mason likely out in New Orleans, the Hornets will look to reload with the best SF still on the board.

14. Los Angeles Clippers - Acie Law IV, PG, Texas A&M - With Shaun Livingston’s career up in the air after his gruesome injury, the Clippers will look to shore up the position.

15. Detroit Pistons - Sean Williams, PF/C, Boston College - The Pistons need to address the defense in the low post that they lost when Ben Wallace took off for Chicago. Williams, a projected lottery pick before his off-court issues, would be a great fit, but a bit of a stretch.

16. Washington Wizards - Jason Smith, C, Colorado - Even without Brendan Haywood requesting a trade, Washington needed to address the center position. Smith is a talented, athletic big man who would work well with the uptempo style of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jameson.

17. New Jersey Nets - Nick Young, SG, USC - Young has a smooth stroke and can rock the rim… sounds like Vince Carter, right? He isn’t quite on that level, but drafting Young will allow the Nets to not worry so much if Carter is gone next year.

18. Golden State Warriors - Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil - The Warriors don’t have much need except in the front court, and Splitter can run with the guards.

19. Los Angeles Lakers - Rodney Stuckey, PG/SG, Eastern Washington - The Lakers need to give Kobe another scorer, and Stuckey is as explosive as they come. Under the radar at Eastern Washington, he could really turn some heads in the spotlight of the NBA.

20. Miami Heat - Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech - Miami needs to address the point, with Payton aging and Williams slowing down each year due to injury.

21. Philadelphia 76ers - Josh McRoberts, PF, Duke - I am not sold on McRoberts as an NBA player, but it may be because he played out of position at Duke. Billy King fits the bill as a GM who could make the mistake of drafting him.

22. Charlotte Bobcats - Daequan Cook, SG, Ohio State - Cook will be the third Buckeye taken in the first round this year, and would give the Bobcats a serious upgrade over Matt Carroll.

23. New York Knicks - Glen Davis, PF, LSU - With the 23rd pick, unless a lottery pick drops to the Knicks, I don’t see Isaiah Thomas doing anything but getting booed.

24. Phoenix Suns - Marco Belinelli, SG, Italy - He can shoot and play some defense, and would be a good pick in case the Suns lose anyone from their core backcourt in the next couple years.

25. Utah Jazz - Derrick Byars, SF, Vanderbilt - The Jazz could use to add another outside shooter. Byars stock soared after a strong senior season and stronger NCAA tournament.

26. Houston Rockets - Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas - If Rush slips this far, it would be a perfect fit for the Rockets, adding a scorer in the backcourt to play alongside Tracey McGrady.

27. Detroit Pistons - Marcus Williams, SF, Arizona - He can play the 2 and the 3, and would be a huge upgrade over Flip Murry in the “scorer off the bench” category.

28. San Antonio Spurs - Rudy Fernandez, SG, Spain - It is no secret the Spurs like foreign players. Fernandez could be another good one.

29. Phoenix Suns - Ante Tomic, C, Croatia - Everyone is searching for the next quality foreign big man. Tomic could be it.

30. Philadelphia 76ers - Gabe Pruitt, PG, USC - With 3 picks in the first round, I would be surprised if they keep them all. If they do, Pruitt would be a strong pick, as they need a young point guard. I don’t see Andre Miller on their roster next season.

2007-05-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

Bombed in the Bronx

Just as I did with Madison Square Garden, I made a point to get to Yankee Stadium this season because I live in New York. A weekend series against my Seattle Mariners was a perfect excuse. After the game Friday night (a 15-11 Seattle win that I did not attend) I was thinking there could be 100 runs scored in the 4-game series, with the problems the Yankees had been having with their rotation and the Mariners lack of good pitching in general with Felix Hernandez on the DL. Boy was I wrong.

Saturday started off with a nice little reunion on the roof of a parking garage with a few of my friends, as we enjoyed some beers and sunrays. With Jeff Weaver pitching for Seattle, I made a couple bets that the Yankees would hit a first inning home run. Keep in mind, Weaver was entering the game 0-4 with an ERA over 18. We found our seats and settled in with an $8 beer to enjoy America’s pastime.

Surprisingly, Jeff Weaver didn’t get shelled in the first inning as I had expected. Or the second. Or the third. In fact, it took until the sixth inning for Weaver to let the game get away. You know it’s bad when you go five and two thirds of an inning and give up six runs, and your ERA actually goes down.

On the other side of the ball, it was a completely different game. Chien-Ming Wang had been perfect. No hits, no walks, even aided by a couple great defensive plays by A-Rod. At this point, I became a very annoying person to all the Yankee fans in our section, continually asking out loud, “Is it bad that I’m talking about this being a perfect game? Am I going to jinx it?” Sure enough, in the eighth inning the Mariners finally got to Wang as Ben Broussard pulled a misplaced changeup over the fences in right. Perfect game, huh? Almost made it.

I returned to the Bronx on Sunday, two glorious days in a row to watch a baseball game. It wasn’t quite like watching a perfect game unfold, but it was fun nonetheless. In the fifth, as Yankees first baseman Josh Phelps scored New York’s first run, he went out of his way to railroad Mariners catcher Kenji Johjima, even though Kenji had left home plate wide open for him to slide through because he knew the throw from Ichiro would be late. The following inning, as Phelps came to the plate, Jarrod Washburn plunked him in the back in retaliation. Because it was Yankee Stadium and not Safeco Field, the fans didn’t even realize that Phelps had made a dirty play and this retaliation was inevitable. So when Scott Proctor threw at Yuniesky Betancourt’s head in the seventh inning and got tossed, the benches cleared and the crowd came to life. Comments like “David Justice wouldn’t have let this happen” and “Where’s Paul O’Neill when you need him” poured on much to my amusement. Unfortunately for us, no brawl ensued, but it sure would’ve been fun to watch A-Rod get pummeled by Richie Sexson and Ichiro have a kung-fu battle with Kei Igawa.

Even though I saw the Mariners gather only six hits and one run in the two games I attended, my trips to Yankee Stadium were great. I saw a nearly perfect game, a near brawl, and Roger Clemens announce that he is returning to the Yankees. It truly is a wonderful ballpark, and it’s a shame it is being torn down. I’m sure the new stadium will be great, and I hear they are keeping all the same dimensions, but there’s something about the history of a ballpark that I love, like at Fenway Park, that I never had in Seattle. The Kingdome wasn’t a historical ballpark, and as beautiful as Safeco Field is, it doesn’t have that same feeling as Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium. So I’m glad that I got to see some baseball in one of the game’s historical playgrounds before it is gone forever.

2007-04-27T02:06:00.000-04:00

Sports Icons of my Childhood

My dad recently mailed me an article from the Seattle P.I. about Sonics play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro, and it made me realize how much I loved watching the mid-90s Sonics play. As entertaining as Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detliff Schrimph, and Sam Perkins were to watch, it would not have been the same without Calabro. I began to think about the sports icons I looked up to as a kid in Seattle… and here are my top ten:

1. Ken Griffey, Jr. – “Junior” as he was called burst onto the scene and took the Mariners from cellar-dweller to one of the most exciting teams in Major League Baseball. The "Refuse to Lose" 1995 season was one of the best summers of my life, going to games and listening on the radio as Griffey ironically had his first injury plagued and worst year of his young career. But he came up big in the playoffs, hitting .391 with 5 home runs against the Yankees. One of the great sports images in my mind is his picture-perfect swing. But the memory that will always stick with me of Junior was the image of him under a pile of teammates after scoring from first base on an Edgar Martinez double to win the ALDS. I’ve never seen someone run as fast around the bases in my life. It was the most amazing sporting event I have ever attended.

2. Marquis Tuiasosopo – The Washington Huskies option-quarterback from 1997-2000, he was one of the most exciting players I have ever watched. His freshman year he was forced into a game against eventual national-champion Nebraska due to an injury to the starting quarterback and threw for 270 yards and 2 TD, and that season became the first ever true freshman to start a game at quarterback for the Huskies. His career highlight came his junior year, where he became the only player in NCAA history to pass for over 300 and run for over 200 yards in a game, a 35-30 victory over Stanford. I remember watching that game, and I have never seen a performance like it. It was even more impressive than Vince Young’s Rose Bowl. No joke. In his senior season in 2000, Tuiasosopo led the Huskies to the Pac-10 title, an 11-1 record, and victory over Purdue and MVP in the Rose Bowl.

3. Shawn Kemp – The Reign Man, as Calabro called him, was a force to be reckoned with. He teamed with Payton to be one of the great guard/forward dynamic duos of all time. Like Payton, Kemp left Seattle on bad terms and ended his career even worse, but while he was in the Emerald City, he was king. I think only Ken Griffey, Jr. surpasses the excitement that Kemp brought to the Seattle sports scene. Like Griffey’s swing, Kemp’s dunks captivated an entire city during his reign.

4. Kevin Calabro – An amazing play-by-play announcer, with catch phrases such as “and Shawn Kemp takes it down THE BOULEVARD!” and “million dollar move, five cent finish.” His talents on air led to his simulcast of games on both TV and radio. Not many broadcasters can cater to both mediums at the same time.

5. Edgar Martinez – “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeedgarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!” I’m not sure who started it, but some crazy fan decided he would yell Edgar’s name for as long as he could when he came up to bat. It caught on and every time he came to the plate, fast scattered throughout the Kingdome (and later, Safeco Field) would compete and try to have the longest yell. I remember one time I almost passed out from trying to yell so loud. I also remember Edgar Martinez hitting the double that drove in Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. to beat the Yankees in game 5 of the 1995 ALDS. Edgar was a clutch performer and a class act, as well as a pleasure to watch play.

6. Randy Johnson – The mullet, the slider, the fastball, and the intensity all took a major part in my love for Randy Johnson. A few Randy moments stick out in my mind above the others… the 500ft bomb he gave up to Mark McGwire while he was on Oakland, when he came out of the bullpen to face the Yankees in the 10^th inning of Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS, and even his first game back in Seattle at the newly opened Safeco Field in 1999, when he shut us out and struck out 10 in a complete game, and received a standing ovation after each inning.

7. Dave Niehaus – The voice of the Seattle Mariners, I would listen to him every night until we got satellite TV (cable couldn’t run out to our house). I could never ask for more than the Mariners loading the bases, because if someone hit one out of the park it was time to “GET OUT THE RYE BREAD AND THE MUSTARD, GRANDMA! IT’S GRAND SALAMI TIME!"

8. Gary Payton – The Glove burst onto the Seattle scene from Oregon State and quickly made a name and reputation for himself throughout the league as a trash talker and defensive stopper. He ran the Sonics of the 90s, who will probably go down as one of my favorite bunch of balers of all time. He left Seattle on poor terms, but while he was there, it was nothing but love for GP.

9. Jay Buhner – “The Bone” was famous for his bald head, high strikeout rate, power at the plate, “the catch” in Boston where he went over the wall in right, his rocket arm, and my favorite, Buhner Buzz Cut Night. One year as a promotion, the Mariners gave free tickets to anyone willing to have their head shaved. Each year, Buhner Buzz Night became more and more popular, even attracting women to participate. Every team needs a character and a tough guy. Buhner was both, and I loved him for it.

10. Cortez Kennedy – It is kind of sad that there is only one Seattle Seahawk on the list, and that he ranks tenth, but they were a straight AWFUL team throughout my childhood. Not to say I didn’t root for them and follow them, but there just were not a whole lot of players to become attached to. Shawn Springs was the only other guy who came close to making the list. Besides, the 1990s were a great decade for the Mariners and Sonics. Regardless, Cortez was a pleasure to watch, and was good enough to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1992 on a team that won only two games.

2007-04-20T15:03:00.000-04:00

Seven Steps to Save the Supersonics
This entry appears on BucketsMagazine.com

The Sonics are not in a great place. They haven't been good at all in recent years, they have wasted their last 3 top picks on project centers (I wouldn't mind one... but 3?), and the threat that the team may pack up and move to Oklahoma City is becoming more of a reality. There are several steps that need to be taken to fix the problems of the Seattle Supersonics. Here is how I would do it:

1. Stay in Seattle. Somehow, some way, they need to stay in the Seattle area. Even if it's in the suburbs of Seattle, that's fine, but they've got to stay the Seattle Supersonics.

2. Let Rashard Lewis walk, or try to work a sign-and-trade. Lewis is our second best player, and with Ray Allen's deteriorating ankles, he may be our best building block for the future. But the problem with Rashard Lewis is that he isn't a leader, and neither is Ray. A team is not going to go anywhere with their two best players lacking leadership skills. You know your team has a problem when it's "leader" is a guy who doesn't even get consistent minutes. Earl Watson, ladies and gentlemen. But back to Rashard... simply put, he isn't worth a max contract. He is a great player, and I'd love to see him stay, but not at the price we would have to pay.

3. Draft Jeff Green. If Jeff Green leaves Georgetown and jumps to the NBA, and the Sonics have the #5 pick, they need to draft Green. Even if they are going to keep Lewis, the Sonics can play small with Green and Lewis at the two forward spots. Throughout his career at Georgetown, and especially this last season, he has proven to be not only NBA ready, but a player who could be an MVP down the line. This guy played in a Princeton offense. If he had played at just about any other school, he would've averaged a double-double. There are only two other choices that the Sonics could make with this pick that I would agree with: Corey Brewer (maybe a little more potential than Green, but I'm not completely sold on him yet) or Mike Conley, Jr. Conley would be an interesting pick, because we would be taking him a little too high. But he is the best PG in the draft and has loads of potential, and the Sonics second most glaring need is at point guard. But I would only be ok with Conley if the Sonics resign Lewis.

4. Use the second-round picks wisely. The Sonics own the second round pick of Memphis as well as their own. I wouldn't have a problem with packaging these two picks to move up to the late first round, but if they are going to keep them both, they should use one to strengthen the front court, specifically defensively, and the other depends on how they use the first pick. If they select Conley, this pick should be used on a swingman. If they draft Green or Brewer, they should use this pick on a point or combo guard. That being said, they should use one of these picks on Sean Williams of Boston College. The Sonics have zero presence under the basket on defense. Their starting frontcourt doesn't have a player over 6'10" and neither Nick Collison nor Chris Wilcox are shot blockers. Due to character issues, Williams should be available, and he may be the best shot blocker in the country. Assuming the Sonics draft Jeff Green, I would like to see the other second round pick used to select Aaron Brooks from Oregon or Rodney Stuckey from Eastern Washington. Stuckey might not go pro, but he is an explosive scorer with decent size (6'4"), but not a true point guard. Brooks is undersized (5'11") but is a natural leader and can run a team at different tempos. Both have local ties, and I would be ok with either of them in a Seattle uni. If the Sonics use their first round pick on Conley, then this pick should be used on a swingman or small forward. The players that appeal to me in this spot are Jared Dudley of Boston College and Alando Tucker of Wisconsin. Both of these guys proved to be leaders and posses great intangibles over the last four years. There's a better chance of Dudley dropping to this spot than Tucker, and I would be happy with either.

5. Revamp the point guard. Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson aren't getting it done. Whether the means are the draft, trade, or free agency, something needs to be done about this. If it takes trading a guy like Nick Collison in order to do so, I'm fine with it. I'm ok with either of them as a backup, but I'm not ok with either of them as a starter or using them both in a platoon situation.

6. Involve Chris Wilcox. The guy is a freak of nature. He gets most of his buckets in transition, but when the Sonics do use him in the half court, he has shown he can get the job done. The problem is, they don't use him in the half court. Many writers are calling him a bust and an underachiever, but I feel like he hasn't gotten a chance to backup the contract he signed.

7. Figure out which center you want to develop. Robert Swift was the leader in this category until he blew out his knee in the final preseason game and has since put on weight and struggled with rehab. Johan Petro and Mouhamed Saer Sene could both be solid players, but they could as easily both be complete busts. I'm not even sure which one of these guys I would rather see as the main guy, but Swift would be the most fun to watch.

So, there are my Seven Steps to Save the Supersonics. But in reality, there's only one way to save them... by keeping them in Seattle.

2007-04-14T11:38:00.000-04:00

Long Live the King

A few years ago, I was reading an article about the top prospects in the Seattle Mariners farm system, and read about a 17-year-old pitching prodigy named Felix Hernandez, or "King Felix." I told myself not to get too excited about him, until about a year later, when as an 18-year-old he was tearing up the minor leagues. By the time he was 19, the Mariners were having an awful season, and talk began of calling Felix up for the end of the season. In his third career start, still as a teenager, Felix went 8 innings, struck out 11 Kansas City batters, and gave up one run. He had arrived.

This season, Felix became the youngest opening day starter since Dwight Gooden. Learning from the mistakes of Gooden and the Mets, the Mariners have been careful with Felix the last two seasons, keeping him on innings pitched counts and monitoring his arm, being extremely cautious and not wanting to wear his young arm down. They'll have to keep him away from the coke as well. That shouldn't be too hard, as Felix has recently shown increased dedication.

If there was one major knock on the 21-year-old it was his weight. Felix looked more like CC Sabathia than Pedro Martinez. The Mariners were concerned, but not overly so. Then Felix showed up in spring with the rest of the pitchers and catchers having dropped 20 lbs and put on some serious muscle.

Felix has been absolutely dominant in his two starts this season. He mowed down Oakland on opening night, striking out 12 and giving up 3 hits and 2 walks over 8 innings. Then, in one of the most anticipated pitching match ups I can remember, Felix stole the spotlight from Daisuke Matsuzaka in his first game at Fenway Park, throwing a complete-game one-hitter, with a dazzling array of fastballs and breaking pitches. I was at a Red Sox bar watching the game (only way I knew I would get audio on the game) and talking to a couple Sox fans as Felix was throwing 85-mph curve balls and 91-mph sliders. "How is that possible? How can someone throw a pitch with that much movement that fast?"

In 17 innings so far this season, Felix has only given up 4 hits in 53 at-bats. That comes out to opponents hitting .075 against him. These numbers put him in pretty good company... the last time someone had thrown that many innings while holding opponents to a batting average that low in the first two starts of a season was 1970, when it was done by two players: former Associated Press Pitcher of the Year Tom Phoebus of Baltimore, and one of the best pitchers of all-time, Nolan Ryan. Like I said, pretty good company.

I've been onto Felix for a few years now. After Wednesday's performance on National Television, the rest of the country has started to take note. Felix Hernandez has arrived. Long Live the King!

2007-01-01T17:49:00.000-05:00

NFL Season Review

This NFL season was full of highs and lows for all teams, and especially my Seahawks. Shaun Alexander fell victim to the Madden Cover Jinx. Matt Hasselbeck hurt his knee. Jerramy Stevens missed the first part of the season recovering from surgery. Bobby Engram was out with a thyroid condition. There were various injuries across the offensive line. And just as everything was coming together before the end of the season, Darrel Jackson and Marcus Trufant get hurt. And to top it off, in the season finale against Tampa Bay, the Seahawks lost cornerbacks Kelly Herndon and Jimmy Williams. So going into the playoffs, the Seahawks will be starting a rookie and a safety at corner. But despite those downs, the fact that the Seahawks won the division and made the playoffs (with a weak 9-7 record in a weaker NFC) is still something I will take. If you told me before the season what all the injuries would be, and that the Seahawks would make the playoffs anyway, I would've called you a liar.

So with the playoffs starting next week, now is a good time to look back on the season and hand out a few accolades.

My First Team Selections

NFC Offense:
QB - Drew Brees, NO: Bounced back from shoulder surgery to have an MVP caliber season in his first season in New Orleans. Also considered: Marc Bulger, StL.
RB - Frank Gore, SF: Injuries in college caused Gore to slip in the NFL Draft two years ago. He's stayed healthy in the pros, and led the NFC in rushing. Also considered: Tiki Barber, NYG; Brian Westbrook, Phi; Stephen Jackson, StL.
FB - Mack Strong, Sea: The perfect name for a fullback, he has a game that is close to perfection as well.
WR - Torry Holt, StL: One of the most underrated players in the league. Also had one of the best plays of the year when he juggled and under thrown ball and beat two Seattle defenders for a TD.
WR - Donald Driver, GB: Another underrated receiver, he's not afraid to go across the middle. Also considered: Roy Williams, Det; Anquan Boldin, Ari; Steve Smith, Car; Darrell Jackson, Sea.
TE - Alge Crumpler, Atl: Vick's favorite and only dependable target for the Falcons. Also considered: Chris Cooley, Was; Jeremy Shockey, NYG.
T - Walter Jones, Sea: The best player in the NFL according to The Sporting News.
T - Chris Samuels, Was: An essential piece to the Redskins ground attack.
G - Steve Hutchinson, Min: Seattle misses Hutch this year in both the running and passing game.
G - Shawn Andrews, Phi: The 340-pounder has emerged as one of the best linemen in the game in his 3rd season.
C - Olin Kreutz, Chi: A very mobile center, the Bears like to pull him around the line on outside runs.

NFC Defense:
DE - Aaron Kampman, GB: Leading the NFC in sacks.
DE - Leonard Little, StL: Has 7 forced fumbles to go along with his 13 sacks. Also considered: Julius Peppers, Car; Will Smith, NO.
DT - Corey Redding, Det: Leads NFC DTs with 8 sacks.
DT - Tommie Harris, Chi: The run-stopping anchor of the Bears defensive line. Also considered: Kevin Williams, Min.
OLB - Lance Briggs, Chi: Lead the NFC with 113 solo tackles.
OLB - Julien Peterson, Sea: Has 10 sacks, the second highest total from NFC linebackers. Also considered: DeMarcus Ware, Dal; Derrick Brooks, TB.
MLB - Brian Urlacher, Chi: The best defensive player in the NFL. Also considered: Lofa Tatupu, Sea.
CB - Ronde Barber, TB: For most of the season, he had more touchdowns (2) than twin Tiki.
CB - Charles Woodson, GB: Rejuvenated in Green Bay, had 8 interceptions. Also considered: Terrence Newman, Dal; Marcus Trufant, Sea; DeAngelo Hall, Atl.
SS - Adrian Wilson, Ari: Led all safeties with 5 sacks, and added 4 interceptions. Also considered: Roy Williams, Dal.
FS - Sean Taylor, Was: The hardest hitting defensive back in the league, leads all safeties in tackles and puts fear in the heart of any receiver attempting to go across the middle. Also considered: Brian Dawkins, Phi; Ken Hamlin, Sea.

AFC Offense:
QB - Peyton Manning, Ind: You can't say enough about how good Peyton Manning is. I just wonder if he'll ever be able to win in the playoffs. A great actor as well. You know, that is if you like 6'5" 230lb quarterbacks with rocket laser arms. Also considered: Tom Brady, NE; Carson Palmer, Cin; Phillip Rivers, SD.
RB - LaDainian Tomlinson, SD: The most dynamic player in the NFL. Shattered Shaun Alexander's TD record before the ink could dry in the record books. He can throw for touchdowns too. Also considered: Larry Johnson, KC.
FB - Lorenzo Neal, SD: He and Mack Strong are a rare breed of run-blocking fullbacks. Lo Daddy has blocked for a 1,000 yard rusher in 10 straight seasons on 5 different teams.
WR - Chad Johnson, Cin: Ocho Cinco has emerged as the best WR in the game in my opinion. It's too bad the NFL put a limit on what he can do after he scores touchdowns.
WR - Marvin Harrison, Ind: Manning's favorite target, he is one of the best route-runners in the game. Also considered: Reggie Wayne, Ind; TJ Houshmandzadeh, Cin; Lee Evans, Buf; Andre Johnson, Hou.
TE - Antonio Gates, SD: The ex-college basketball star continues to tear up opposing defenses for the potent San Diego offense. Also considered: Tony Gonzalez, KC; Todd Heap.
T - Jonathan Ogden, Bal: He and Jones are the two best linemen in the NFL.
T - Willie Anderson, Cin: Rudi Johnson gets a fair share of his yards running behind this mammoth tackle.
G - Will Shields, KC: The Chiefs like to pound the ball up the middle. And it works, as seen in Larry Johnson's spectacular season.
G - Brian Waters, KC: See above.
C - Nick Hardwick, SD: The third-year center is emerging as one of the best in the NFL.

AFC Defense:
DE - Jason Taylor, Mia: He shed a lot of weight but is still dominant on the line and impossible to stop.
DE - Aaron Schobel, Buf: Leads AFC linemen with 14 sacks. Also considered: Jared Allen, KC; Derrick Burgess, Oak.
DT - Jamal Williams, SD: The nose tackle in the deadly San Diego 3-4 defense, he is the best run-stopper in the NFL.
DT - Warren Sapp, Oak: Washed up? Not yet. Sapp had 10 sacks this season. Also considered: Richard Seymour, NE.
OLB - Shawne Merriman, SD: Missed 4 games when he violated the league's steroid policy, yet still led the NFL with 17 sacks.
OLB - Adalius Thomas, Bal: Has began to outplay even teammate Ray Lewis. Just don't say that to Ray-Ray, or Thomas could be a victim of a homicide that Lewis somehow escapes from. Also considered: Terrell Suggs, Bal; Andra Davis, Cle.
MLB - Zach Thomas, Mia: A mainstay in the Miami defense, year after year he holds the team together. Also considered: Al Wilson, Den; DeMeco Ryans, Hou.
CB - Champ Bailey, Den: The best corner in the league, he has the ability to shut down any wide receiver he lines up against.
CB - Rasheen Mathis, Jax: With 8 interceptions on the season, Mathis is emerging as one of the top corners in the game. Also considered: Quintin Jammer, SD; Asante Samuel, NE; Darrent Williams, Den (RIP).
SS - Troy Polamalu, Pit: A very versatile safety, he has the ability to shut down tight ends in coverage and creep up to stop the run. Quarterbacks always need to be aware of where he lines up on each play. Also considered: Chris Hope, Ten.
FS - Ed Reed, Bal: One of the best safeties in the league, Reed is versatile enough to return puts, so when he gets his hands on an interception, the runback could be a real treat. Also considered: John Lynch, Den.

Clearly it is a little tough to evaluate positions like offensive linemen, and much of my selection for the other positions are based strictly on what I saw on SportsCenter and statistics because I couldn't watch every game, but I am fairly confident in my selections. I do feel I need to give out a few major awards though.

MVP: Tomlinson. Although Brees put up an MVP season with what he did in New Orleans, you can't not give this award to Tomlinson.

Defensive Player of the Year: Urlacher. Nobody else brings as much to the table as he does for the league's best (when healthy) defense.

Comeback player of the Year: It looked as though it was going to be Donovan McNabb until he tore his ACL. So I'm going to have to give it to Steve McNair. He may not have put up gaudy numbers in Baltimore, but he led them to the AFC's second best record.

Rookie of the Year: There is no rookie that stands head and shoulders above all the others. Reggie Bush, Maurice Jones-Drew, Marques Colston, and Vince Young all had seasons deserving of the award. But Devin Hester (cornerback and kick returner for the Chicago Bears) takes the cake in my book based on his returning ability. For a team with an awfully inconsistent quarterback and sometimes lackluster offense, Hester provides a scoring punch in his return game.

For many of you, the season is over. I am lucky enough to have my team to follow in the playoffs (who knows how long though), but for those of you who don't, I'll help you to begin to look forward. Here's a quick list of players to watch next season. These are players who are beginning to emerge as stars and I feel could break out next year. Once again, for positions other than RB and WR, it's a little tough for me to follow.

QB: Jason Campbell, Was; Vince Young, Ten.
RB: Brandon Jacobs, NYG; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jax; Chester Taylor, Min; Jerious Norwood, Atl; Michael Turner, SD.
WR: Reggie Williams, Jax; Reggie Brown, Phi; Greg Jennings, GB; Eric Parker, SD; DJ Hacket, Sea.
TE: LJ Smith, Phi; Vernon Davis, SF; Marcedes Lewis, Jax
T: Jeremy Trueblood, TB; Marcus McNeill, SD.
DE: Mathias Kiwanuka, NYG.
OLB: AJ Hawk, GB.
MLB: DeMeco Ryans, Hou.
CB: Kelly Jennings, Sea.

And next season's comeback player of the year? If McNabb can stay healthy, he'll get it.

2006-12-18T18:59:00.000-05:00

The NBA (National Brawl Association)

It was an exciting weekend in the NBA, to say the least.

Saturday night, as I was sitting in Pete's Tavern, enjoying a Sierra Nevada, my phone rang. I figured Casey was calling to see what I was up to for the night, to see where I was going, and if I wanted to join him at the bar he was at. The call wasn't about that at all. The brief conversation was similar to the following:

"Hey Casey, what's up."
"B. Are you watching the Knicks game?"
"It's on in the bar--"
"--there's a huge brawl, you have to watch this. It's insane."
"Shit. You're right, this is crazy--WAS THAT CARMELO ANTHONY?"
"Yeah, with a sucker punch."

There are plenty of nicknames already emerging from this altercation between two fired up franchises. The Malice in the Palace Part II. Fight Night at MSG. You get the idea. It wasn't as crazy as the Malice in the Palace last season in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Jermaine O'Neal was suspended 25 games, Stephen Jackson 30, and Ron Artest never again suited up for the Pacers after they were each involved in fights with fans, both on the court and in the stands. It was an embarrassing moment for the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons, the Detroit fans, and especially the NBA. In a league desperately trying to improve its image, there was now an enormous setback.

A dress code and a new code of conduct were a part of it. The NBA had also tried to improve it's image by marketing a new crop of players. Out were the likes of the rape-charged Kobe Bryant and practice-skipper Allen Iverson ("We're talking about practice. Not a game, practice."), and in was the new school. A crop of international superstars including Yao Ming (China), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), and reigning League MVP Steve Nash (Canada) are at the forefront of commissioner David Stern's global marketing strategy. Also featured prominatnly in NBA marketing is the cream of the 2004 NBA Draft class: LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.

Wade is coming off of an NBA Championship where he gained Finals MVP. James has the city of Cleveland thinking about a professional championship for the first time in ages. And Carmelo? He can throw one hell of a right cross.

Forget the fact that he proved the be the most clutch player in the NBA last season. Forget the fact that he has slowly but surely, all under the radar in Denver (or over the radar, as it is the Mile High City), has improved every aspect of his game. In his first two seasons, he scored 21ppg, then upped it to 26.5ppg last year, and is leading the NBA with an average of 31.6ppg. He is also averaging 5.6 rebounds and a career-high 4.1 assists per game. His scoring average has gone up 6 points a game, and he is still dishing out an extra assist and a half per game? Unbelievable. But perhaps the most impressive statistic to look at is field goal percentage. I haven't seen a high-scoring swingman shoot over 50% from the field since Michael Jordan. I'm too lazy to look it up to see if it's happened, but Carmelo has increased his percentage every season, from 42.6% to 43.1% to 48.1% to 50.3% this season. Only centers and power forwards, who take the majority of their shots inside of 8 feet, should shoot that high. The dominant scorers in the NBA (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter) shoot in the low-to-mid-40% range. Kobe is shooting an impressive 48.9% this season, but has never shot over 47% in his career. Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks is shooting right at 50% this season. No offense, but it's Joe Johnson. Yeah, he may be scoring 28.4ppg, but I would put at least 10 other swingmen above him on the list of deadly scorers in the NBA, none of which shoot over 50% from the floor. Except Carmelo.

One thing Carmelo Anthonthy is 100% on, is sucker punching. Right as he is emerging as one of the NBA's favorite young stars to market, he does something that could (and probably will) taint his entire career. Yeah, he was sticking up for teammate J.R. Smith, who was flagrantly fouled by Mardy Collins of the Knicks on a layup with less than two minutes to play on Saturday night. And he wasn't the only player who's head got hot and made some bad decisions (Smith himself retaliating, Nate Robinson, Jared Jefferies), but there is no way he should have put himself or his team in this situation. Now they are without the NBA's leading scorer until mid-January after his 15 game suspension. They'll be without second leading scorer Smith for ten games as well. And they are right smack in the middle of the playoff race. 18% of the season the Nuggets are going to be without Anthony. It's time to pull the trigger on that Iverson deal, or their hopes of a championship will fade away faster than Carmelo ran away after he laid the smack on Collins.

A few other notes on the brawl: Was George Karl running up the score to avenge how Isiah Thomas treated his great friend and ex-Knicks coach Larry Brown? Did Isiah Thomas order a flagrant foul? Is anyone else as surprised as I am that only two players received an automatic one-game suspension for leaving the bench during the brawl? I would've expected at least three players per team to go join the melee. And finally, how did Marcus Camby make it through the whole fight without tearing a ligament or throwing out a shoulder? The guy is made out of glass.

But that wasn't the only exciting thing this weekend in the NBA. On Sunday night, the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers enjoyed an epic battle, resulting in a 147-141 overtime victory for the Wizards. But the subplot of the game was bigger than the score showed. Gilbert Arenas dropped 60 and Kobe Bryant had 45. But instead of tipping his hat to the great performance, Kobe criticized Arenas publicly about his shot selection and amount of shots he took following the loss. "First of all, he shot 27 free throws. We as a team shot 30. Think about that... Some of the shots he took tonight, you miss those, they're just terrible shots, just awful. You make them and they're unbelievable shots." Kobe Bryant has no right to criticize any player in the NBA for shooting too much or shot selection. He got lit up by one of the most explosive scorers in the NBA, and just didn't want to admit it was a great performance. This is one of the reasons I can't stand Kobe Bryant. That, and he always had a knack for putting up big numbers against the Seattle Supersonics.

I would've loved it if Carmelo had thrown that right cross at him instead.

2006-11-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Maiden Voyage to the Mecca

One of the things that got me excited about moving to New York was the sports scene. I anticipated trips to Yankee Stadium, Shea Stadium, and, of course, Madison Square Garden. Knicks, Rangers, and college basketball all occupy the latter. Before I even arrived in NYC, I had tickets to four events at MSG. Two Knicks games (Miami Heat, because I feel I need to see Shaq and Wade play, and the Seattle Supersonics, because I'd like to see them play as much as I can before they move to Oklahoma City) and two Rangers games (both against Ottawa, to see my boy Pat play). But on Wednesday, with the Wizards in town, Liz wanted to fill her fix for DC sports, and I wanted to see Gilbert, so we decided to catch a game at "The World's Most Famous Arena."

Madison Square. The Garden. MSG. It doesn't matter what you call it, say any of those to a sports fan and they know exactly what you mean. MSG may technically stand for Madison Square Garden, but in reality, it stands for a lot more.

MSG stands for New York City. The Garden that is standing now was built in 1968, but the history of Madison Square Garden goes back to the late 1800s. As New York City grew, developed, changed, so did MSG.

MSG stands for music. It isn't just a sports arena. MSG has been home to many non-athletic events as well, including music. The Garden is quite the concert hall, a stopping point of many major tours and big-time acts. In fact, Billy Joel has his number retired, the only non-athlete to gain that honor (he was honored with the number 12 after playing his record 12th concert at MSG in 2006). Bruce Springsteen must be pissed... he has played 11 concerts at MSG, but there is only one "11" hanging in the rafters (more about that later).

MSG stands for boxing. In it's earliest sporting days, boxing was what The Garden was known for. It has been home to many famous fights, but none more than the historic Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier bouts. Big time boxing may have moved to Las Vegas, but The Garden will always be known for the historic fights that took place in boxing's glory days.

MSG stands for hockey. The New York Rangers are one of the NHL's most known teams. Sure, they've got four of Lord Stanley's Cups. And they also have four retired numbers (including the "11" that Bruce will never have, but not counting the league-wide retirement of the Great One's "99"). But part of the allure of the Rangers is the fact that they play in Madison Square Garden.

But for me, most of all, MSG stands for basketball. As I walked into MSG for the first time, I heard the NBA on NBC theme song playing in my head. During the glory days of the NBA, or at least my glory days, so many of the great memories took place at The Garden. LJ. The brawl. The choke. MJ. Starks. Before my time, there were even greater moments and players that came through MSG. The Knicks, as awful as they are now (although there are few bright spots for the future), are one of the NBA's greatest franchises, with two titles in the 1970s, 9 retired numbers (including Clyde, The Pearl, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, and Patrick Ewing), 10 Hall of Famers, and one famous fan. But MSG is also home to college basketball, hosting the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, the occasional St. John's game, and countless NCAA Tournament games.

It wasn't Reggie, Smits, and the Davis's vs. Ewing, Starks, Mason, and Oakley. It was Arenas, Jamison, and Butler vs. Marbury, Francis, and Curry. Not quite the same appeal. But walking through those doors, looking at the banners, and seeing Spike Lee complain to the officials more than Isiah Thomas made me appreciate where I was. It was a great way to honor the nation's most famous arena. It may not have been MJ, and it may have been the least attended game in 14 years, but in a quirky way, it was a great look at sports history.

2006-11-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

BC Reunion Weekend

This weekend, I made my triumphant return to Boston to see the crew, the campus, and the football team. It had the potential to be a disaster from the start. Why? Three words: Fung Wah bus. To save money, Liz and I took the "Chinatown express" on Thursday. Some of you may be able to recall me saying things such as "I will never take the Fung Wah," in the past. But in the past, I didn't equate $25 (the amount I saved by traveling Fung Wah over Greyhound this weekend) to four meals . But I had reason to be skeptical of taking the FungWah, like the multiple articles I read during my four years at BC in the Herald or the Globe about buses breaking down, getting in accidents, or even catching fire. Or, sophomore year when Joe, Rob, Amish, Chris, and I drove to Jersey for the BC/Rutgers football game, and while traveling around 80mph, had a Fung Wah scream by us on the right. This particular instance, coupled with the popular Boston Chinese take-out restaurant Lucky Wah, has led me to the conclusion that "Wah" directly translates to "fast" or "express." What else would a bus service and a take-out place have in common other than speed? "It could mean 'unsafe' or 'harmful,'" Fell noted, on our return trip to New York on Sunday.

Arriving in Boston in the afternoon, I headed into campus to see some of the fellas and lose a couple games of NHL Hitz (a great throwback memory to the days of Joey, T-Bone, Robbie, and Mac). After a few hours at Roggies (an essential stop) and some sushi from Sapporo, I hopped on the T and went out to Somerville for a night of "drinkin' beehs with the smaht kids at some Hahvahd bahs" with Ethan. After a few ogre-sized Hoegaarden beers and a few other imports, Ethan and I headed back to his mansion for some drunken foosball. I would like to note that I don't remember how many games Ethan and I played, but I did win one game.

On Friday, after watching Good Will Hunting and a movie I probably shouldn't disclose with Ethan, I went to another mansion, this time the one that is home to Reed, Finch, Galligan, and his boy from home, Jeff. Friday night quickly turned into a shitshow, as noted in the 20th edition of Monday Mornings With Levy. Beirut, an 80's power hour, a few scattered half-pints of whiskey, and a solid group of friends eventually made it downtown to Faneuil Hall and our favorite dive joint, Dockside. Having most the crew back together was great, and it was a wonderful night.

Saturday, after taking a field trip to my storage unit to pick up some winter clothes to bring back to New York, it was time to tailgate the much anticipated match up between Duke and Boston College. Starting off in Ignacio was a good throwback to last year. Robbie and I then moved down to the Mod Lot for the Meehan tailgate, which included delicious seafood dip and a Conorburger. After a reunion with Frank Albano and a few of the mushes, I decided it was time to go to the infamous Galligan tailgate, and cut through the Mods. Little did I know, it would take me nearly an hour to make it through the Mods, as I ran into a ton of people I hadn't seen in months. The Galligan tailgate was as great as always, with Marty tossing me a keg as soon as I got there.

The game itself was pretty boring. I harassed the band to "play song 16" throughout the game. About half the times I asked, one of the band members would say "do you even know what song 16 is?" Of course I know what song 16 is. And I have no problem with requesting a marching band to play Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." They good thing was, they actually played it for me in the 4th quarter after I had spent the entire game yelling at them to do it. Unfortunately, I was otherwise occupied at the time. At least I was there when they played song 14.

After the game, it was back to Galligan's mansion for a night of flip-cup, beirut, and other various drinking games. But one of the best parts of a reunion weekend is the reminiscing of the great memories. We remembered Gootz pouring ice on Galligan per request of the mayor of Mazatlan, the effects of 100 Beer Weekend (including the development of alter egos named Scott), and of course, Senior Week. After perching in a makeshift throne for nearly two hours, Ethan and I formed an OT (Ogre Team) to take on Shane & Co., who talked a lot of trash. But as soon as Ethan left me with one cup to hit, I knew it was Game Over. By the end of the night, everyone was exhausted from such a long weekend.

The trip to Boston was a fun and much needed one. It was great to see the majority of the crew, tailgate, see a game, and spend some time in Chestnut Hill. But by Sunday night, I was glad to be back in the city so nice, they named it twice. Thank God I got back alive.

2006-11-05T14:09:00.000-05:00

2006-2007 NCAA Preview

I grew up playing basketball, listening to basketball, watching basketball, eating basketball, sleeping basketball, breathing basketball. It is, without question, my favorite sport. It helped that I really started following sports during the glory days of Michael Jordan and the NBA. I also remember the great memories of watching college basketball. The O'Bannon brothers at UCLA. Miles Simon, Mike Dickerson, and Mike Bibby at Arizona. The Runnin' Rebels of UNLV. The great Duke and UNC rivalries. And the emergence of Gonzaga and the other lovable Mid-Majors. Needless to say, my favorite month of the year is March. Not only do I get March Madness, but Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day as well. And skirt day occasionally falls in March if we're lucky. Guys know what I'm talking about.

Being at a college that grew into a legitimate program while I was there was something I really enjoyed. I saw the senior season of Troy Bell, who became Boston College's all-time leading scorer. That season, Craig Smith had an outstanding freshman season, and eventually became arguably the best power forward in the Big East. Jared Dudley showed up. So did the Sean Williams Block Party. And the program is on the rise, after moving to the basketball superconference of the ACC. It was awesome to be in a collegiate environment like that. I took classes with Craig Smith. Lou Hinnant would go out of his way to say "What up." I shot hoops in the Plex on the same court as Coach Al Skinner. One of my favorite things about college basketball is following those players once they reach the pros.

I am a Seattle Supersonics fan, and always will be (unless they move to Oklahoma City, then I don't know what I will do). But I follow other teams depending on the players they have. I followed Golden State for a couple years, and now Washington because of Gilbert Arenas, who I loved at Arizona. The same goes for the Knicks and now the Trailblazers because of Nate Robinson and Brandon Roy, who both played at Washington. Kevin Garnett, who is one of my favorite players, didn't attend college... but I was a huge fan of two of his teammates while they were in college: Craig Smith (BC) and Randy Foye (Villanova), both rookies. The Clippers are emerging as one of my favorite teams, due in part to some players I liked in college, including Elton Brand (Duke), Cuttino Mobley (URI), Tim Thomas (Villanova), Chris Kaman (Central Michigan), and Corey Maggette (Duke). And would I really care about the Charlotte Bobcats? If they didn't have Adam Morrison (Gonzaga), I wouldn't. This is one of the reasons I love watching the NBA Draft so much. You better believe that I'm going to go to MSG in June for it this year. One of the perks to living in the city that's so nice, they had to name it twice.

Anyway, onto my preview for the 2006-2007 NBA preview, starting with the RoundyRankings:

Florida
North Carolina
Ohio State
Kansas
UCLA
LSU
Pittsburgh
Georgetown
Wisconsin
Duke
Arizona
Texas A&M
Boston College
Washington
Alabama
Memphis
Georgia Tech
Connecticut
Texas
Kentucky
Syracuse
Marquette
Tennessee
Louisville
Gonzaga

Roundy Award for the Best Player in the Nation
Glen Davis, Senior F/C, LSU

First Team All-Roundy
PG: Mustafa Shakur, Arizona
SG: Brandon Rush, Kansas
SF: Jared Dudley, Boston College
PF: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
C: Glen Davis, LSU

Second Team All-Roundy
PG: Dominic James, Marquette
SG: Rodney Stuckey, Eastern Washington
SF: Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
PF: Joakim Noah, Florida
C: Greg Oden, Ohio State

All-Breakout Team
PG: Tyrese Rice, Sophomore, Boston College
SG: Jeremy Hunt, Senior, Memphis
SF: Pierre-Marie Altidor-Cespedes, Junior, Gonzaga
PF: Jon Brockman, Sophomore, Washington
C: Josh McRoberts, Sophomore, Duke

All-Freshman Team
PG: Tywon Lawson, North Carolina
SG: Daequan Cook, Ohio State
SF: Chase Budinger, Arizona
PF: Spencer Hawes, Washington
C: Greg Oden, Ohio State

Freshman of the Year
Greg Oden, C, Ohio State

Defensive Player of the Year
Sean Williams, Jr. F/C, Boston College

Coach of the Year
Thad Matta, Ohio State

2006-10-24T12:52:00.000-04:00

Bit by the Injury Bug

By now you've all heard of the "Madden Jinx." The player who ends up on the cover of Madden gets injured, and that team's season is ruined. It dates back a while. When I first heard Shaun Alexander was going to be on the cover of the 2007 edition of Madden, I was worried. But then I convinced myself that there couldn't really be a curse. Just a very consistent coincidence. Then after the Seahawks Week 3 win over the Giants, Alexander was diagnosed with a broken foot. "Out indefinitely" was the initial report. There is a chance he could return next week at Kansas City, but is most likely out until Week 9, a Monday Night matchup with the mighty Oakland Raiders. Luckily this wasn't a season ending injury. But the Madden Jinx cannot be ignored. No, it is to be blamed. Lets take a look at the history of the Madden Jinx:

Donovan McNabb, 2006: McNabb suffered a sports hernia in the first game of the season. Not to mention all of the TO drama he had to deal with the remainder of the season. He played 9 games before missing the rest of the season.
Ray Lewis, 2005: Lewis didn't get hurt until the last game of the season, when he broke his wrist. But it was his first season of his career in which he failed to intercept a pass.
Michael Vick, 2004: The day after the game hit shelves, Vick fractured his right fibula during the preseason. He missed the first eleven games of the year, and had his worst QB rating other than his rookie season upon his return.
Marshall Faulk, 2003: An ankle injury forced him to miss two games, and was held under 1,000 rushing yards for only the second time in his career. He would never again break the century mark.
Daunte Culpepper, 2002: A year after throwing 33 touchdowns, Culpepper struggled to a 4-7 start to the 2001 season before a season-ending knee injury.
Eddie George, 2001: Perhaps the exception to the rule, George had a career year, but had a key fumble in a Titans playoff loss.
Barry Sanders, 2000: After becoming the first player to appear on the cover of Madden (sharing the space with Madden himself), Sanders shocked the football world by retiring a week before training camp.

So the Madden Jinx is for real. I am convinced. I'm typically not a superstitious person. I feel being superstitious is bad luck. But I believe this one.

And the pain hasn't come to an end.

The Seahawks began the season without tight end Jerramy Stevens, a key piece to the high-scoring 2005 Seahawks offense, providing great speed at the tight end position, and a big red-zone target to a team with no starting wide receiver over 6'. He played for the first time in the awful Week 7 loss to Minnesota. But it seemed the team was coming together. A huge conference win as time expired vs. St. Louis the week before. A key offensive player returning in Stevens. Deion Branch adjusting and increasing his role in the offense. Alexander just a week or two away from returning.

And then it hit. On the opening drive of the second half, Vikings linebacker EJ Henderson was blitzing, got passed Mack Strong, and after an incomplete pass, rolled into Matt Hasselbeck's planted leg. Hasselbeck hit the turf immediately. He tried to get up, but couldn't put weight on the knee, and went back to the ground, pounding the grass in pain and anger. It wasn't a cheap hit, like Carson Palmer's injury last season in the playoffs. It was an accident. I'm not going to complain about that. But this injury possibly hurts even more than Shaun Alexander's.

Losing the MVP is never a good thing. But until last week, the Seahawks had actually played fairly well considering the fact that they were missing the league's leading rusher and touchdown-record holder from the year before. And that's because Hasselbeck makes this team go. The game was tied when Hasselbeck went down, but the Vikings took the lead on the ensuing drive, and soon led by two touchdowns. I think Seneca Wallace is a good backup quarterback, a change-of-pace scrambler who shows a different skill-set than Hasselbeck. But I am much more comfortable with Wallace in the game when the Seahawks have the lead. He has never started a game. Never had to lead the team in a close game. This wasn't ideal. Only Hasselbeck was going to lead the Seahawks back from a two-touchdown deficit, like he had done the week before and as he has shown the ability to do in the past.

So now the Seahawks, who have been defined over the past few years by Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck, have to rely on Maurice Morris and Seneca Wallace. I always thought Morris was one of those backups who would excel if ever given the opportunity to start. I was wrong. Hopefully he only gets one more before Alexander returns. Wallace, on the other hand, was one of my favorite collegiate players, but I'm not too sure what he can do leading a team for the next 3+ weeks. I'm excited to see if he can do it. Because if there is one word that defines Seneca Wallace, it is excitement.

2006-10-10T17:20:00.000-04:00

The Boston Accent

Simply put, I love the Boston accent... on guys. It's a masculine thing, I guess. Makes guys sound cooler. More "BA." It's exciting. On girls, the accent drops from "exciting" to "below average" in status. It just doesn't appeal to me. Going to school in Boston, I was around it quite a bit. Not as much as you might think, because so many BC kids came from other areas of the country. But it was there. Some of my friends, some of their friends, professors, employees of the university... it was around me. And when I would venture from Chestnut Hill into Boston for a night out at Faniel Hall or for a Sox game at Fenway, the accent really took off.

I remember the first real education about the Boston accent. Freshman year, talking to Jomo and K-Mac. They gave me the "pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd" tutorial. But I also learned a few other things. A water fountain is a "bubblah." A liquor store is a package store, or a "packie." And chocolate sprinkles are "jimmies." Those are just the basics. See, one of the great things about the Boston accent is when you incorporate things from the region to it. "We were going to Hahvahd to a pahty, and had to stop at the packie. But Murph couldn't find a place to pahk."

Something I've noticed with Bostonians and their accent is when it comes out. The most obvious time for a college student to notice is that it comes out when they are drinking. One of my coworkers this summer, Dave, was a prime example. He had a thick accent to start, but once he got some beehs in him he really stahted with the accent. Sorry.

The other time that the accent comes out of a Bostonian in force is when they are talking, or rather arguing, about something they are passionate about. The Sox especially. It was very fitting for the Sox to have "Nomah" for so many years. He just so happened to be one of the fan favorites. Sox fans were devestated when they traded Nomah. One of my friends, Matt, is from Boston but, somehow, is a Seattle Mariner fan. I remember Jomo saying he shouldn't be allowed to pronounce Nomar "Nomah." But anything a Bostonian is passionate about, when argued, the accent comes to the surface even more. Like one night over the summer, when my coworker Dave had been drinking, and a Fort Minor song came on the radio. Dave doesn't like Fort Minor, or Linkin Park for that matter. (For those of you who don't know, Fort Minor is the side project of Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda) Needless to say, it was very amusing to hear Dave verbally assault "Fort Minah" and "Linkin Pahk" for fifteen straight minutes.

As I said earlier, I love the Boston accent. Over the summer, when I would drink with the gang, the Boston accent could be found coming out of my lips. That happens to me when I'm surrounded by it. After four years in Boston, I can pull it off well enough. And as stated, I like it. I enjoy it. It's exciting. So, sometimes I like to get in on the fun as well. Saturday night, a huge BC crew went out to Brother Jimmy's on the Upper West Side. At one point, I was talking to a group of guys and girls from Jersey that I had never met. One of them said, "So, where in Boston are you from." It was at that point that I realized I had been speaking in a Boston accent the entire conversation. And I realized the reason I was talking like that, in addition to the booze in my system, was because I had seen The Departed earlier that day.

The Departed (or "Depahted" as it should be called) is a fantastic movie based in Boston, starring two actors (Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg) who grew up in Boston and absolutely nail the Boston accent. I saw it on Saturday with a few of the BC kids who live in NYC or were visiting for my friend Chris's birthday. We all loved it, all agreed it's one of the best movies we've ever seen, and all agreed that, for the most part, the Boston accent was fantastic on every character in the movie, minus one: the girl. Maybe if Vera Farmiga had nailed it as well as the men did, I would appreciate it more on women. Maybe.

2006-09-29T13:37:00.000-04:00

Served by Bobby Kielty

My last night in Seattle, I was fortunate enough to attend a Seattle Mariners game with my buddies Ben and Randall. Randall's tickets are in right field, about 10 rows in from the foul pole in foul territory, right on the field. In other words, everything I yelled with my booming voice could be clearly heard by whoever was patrolling right field. I would've killed for these seats back when Paul O'Neill was on the Yankees. Actually, I would've been too young to really heckle Cry Baby Paul, but I'm sure others around me would've been. But that night, the Oakland A's sent Bobby Kielty out to right field.

Before that game, I really didn't care about Bobby Kielty at all. I never had him in fantasy baseball. I never traded for him in MVP Baseball on my XBox. He was just another below average switch hitter. Bobby Kielty, as you can guess from his name, has bright red hair. He's also a below average right fielder. Both of these points would be the basis of my heckling throughout the game. If only I had known that he was only owned in 0.1% of ESPN MLB Fantasy leagues. I would've had a field day with that little known fact. Kielty began the game 0-2 with four runners left on base, two stranded in scoring position. Around the 4th inning, I began asking him if I could call him "LOB," much to the amusement of the fans around me. I believe it was earlier that inning, when the A's were up to bat, that a fire alarm went off in Safeco Field for a few seconds. So I also yelled at Bobby to keep his hat on in the dugout or he'd set off the fire alarms again. Bobby made a few good plays in the field, and I informed him that he better be good with the glove because he wasn't doing it at the plate.

After a walk in his 3rd at bat, Bobby was still 0-2. Upon his return to the outfield, I cheered my glass of Guinness towards him, stating "Bobby, I bought you a Guinness! A taste from the old country!" He was not amused. Inning by inning, he began to pay more attention to me, glaring at me after my comments. I finally broke through late in the game when I noticed that he was going to be one of the first three batters in the following inning. "Hey Bobby," I yelled, "at least you won't be leaving anyone on base next inning." He slowly turned to me, and gave the universal "suck-it" symbol. Jackpot. I was in his head. This guy was mine.

Boy was I wrong.

Some players respond poorly to heckling. Then there are those players that thrive on it. Jared Dudley has stated he prefers to play games away from Conte Forum, where the opposing fans really lay into him. It gives him fire. Well, aside from his red hair, Bobby Kielty gets his fire from heckling fans like myself. His next at bat in the 9th inning, he bunted for a single, and came around to score on a 2-run triple that tied the game. In the 10th, he came up again. With a man in scoring position. This was his chance to say to me, "Hey kid, you just got Punk'd." And, he did. He doubled in Hiram Bocachica (of hirambocachica.com fame). One of Randall's friends who was at the game came to our seats for the bottom of the 10th, and chewed me out. Blamed the loss on me. My last words to Bobby were yelling, "I HATE YOU BOBBY KIELTY! BUT GOD DAMNIT DO I RESPECT YOU!." ESPN.com's headline of the game read, "A's rally past M's behind Kielty's RBI double in 10th."

Maybe I was the motivation that Bobby Kielty needed to have a good game. Maybe heckling isn't a good idea. But if I learned one thing from being in Boston for four years, it was heckling. Red Sox fans are some of the best. My fondest sports memories are from showing up to BC football, hockey, and basketball games early and yelling at opposing players, trying to get them off their game. Ted Dunlap once told me that the men's hoops team talked about me in the locker room, saying how they loved that I got in the heads of their opponents. Is it wrong that I asked Charlie Villanueva where his eyebrows were even though he has alopecia areata? Probably. But I got into his head. I almost got kicked out of a BC football game vs. West Virginia sophomore year, an hour and fifteen minutes before kickoff. And if you've been to a BC hockey game and sat in the student section, you've heard the things I'll say about the opposing team's goalie. It's what I do.

Besides, it was a meaningless game. Oakland had clinched the night before, rested two thirds of their starters, sat Barry Zito, and even the manager handed the reigns over to his bench coach for the night. I'm not saying I'm not mad the Mariners lost. But if they had, it may have been just another game. But I made the most of it, and because of that I will remember that game forever. And, unfortunately, I will remember Bobby Kielty forever as well.

Bobby Kielty, who before September 27th was just a below average player, is now my most hated player not in Yankee pinstripes.

2006-09-24T00:43:00.000-04:00

Extra Points are Automatic

Browsing away messages after the BC loss to NC State tonight, I'd say about 92.4% of them had something to do with death threats, injury wishes, transfer requests, or other negative thoughts intended for Ryan Ohliger. The remaining away messages centered around the firing of Tom O'Brien (If you haven't seen it yet, check out http://firetob.com). It's depressing. It really is. With the fall off of Miami, and games vs. VaTech and FSU this season, we had a legit shot at winning the ACC. Unfortunately, we have TOB leading the charge, and Ohliger missing extra points. Which are automatic, last time I checked.

Here are a few extra points from tonight's game, as seen on my buddy list:

"Shit List
1. Ryan Ohliger" -DL

"proud to be hating tom o brein for over 4 years." -AP

"Tonite, one man should lose his life, two need to lose their jobs... Kill Ohliger, Fire Spaziani and TOB..." -DB

"ohliger, you are just terrible" -JR

"and that's how you ruin an entire football season." -DD

"Look out for Oh-no-liger." -KA, posted before the game

"Number of Seasons Ryan Ohliger has cost Boston College Football: 3....and counting" -TM

"Dear Ryan Ohliger, Dana Bible and Tom O'Brian,
Please kill yourselves. Thanks
-Stephen" -DS

"Ryan Ohilger is an awful awful human being and should be shot." -MaS

"Dear Ohligher,
You SUCK!
Sincerely,
The Entire BC Community" -SJ

"A lot of people probably deserve blame for tonight's loss, but none is weaker, more arrogant, and less talented than ryan ohligher. So fuck him" -AS

"God has deserted BC. And #20 needs to die. I volunteer." -BB

"Fuck you Ohliger, you blew the game. If it were not for you, we would have had a 20-10 lead in the first place, and it wouldn't have mattered. You are miserable, and have no right to get defensive when people join a facebook group about how much you suck. Extra points are automatic. FUCK YOU." -AR

Speaking of Facebook, if you type in the name "Ohliger," you come up with 13 names and 10 groups. The funny thing is, all 10 of the groups are dedicated to the Boston College kicker. Not Anne Ohliger of USC or Joshua P. Ohliger of Ohio Northern. Ryan Ohliger, kicker, Boston College. Let's take a look at the groups, their descriptions, and their membership (which will probably be on the rise):

Group: Ohliger Isn't a good kicker
Description: Ohliger isn't a good kicker
Membership: 34

Group: Ohliger sucks, let's go for 2!
Description: Ohliger can't even hit an extra point. Keep Matt Ryan on the field, bring in the T(oal) and lets go for 2!!!
Membership: 137

Group: Ryan Ohliger is the new Ray Finkle
Description: Self-explanitory to anyone who has seen Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.
Membership: 15

Group: Castrate Ohliger
Description: Join this group if you want our kickers balls to be gone.
Membership: 33

Group: If Ohliger doesn't transfer, I will!
Description: Ohliger sucks, we alll know. Join.
Membership: 9

Group: Ryan Ohliger is Ray Finkle
Description: shittystylekickergraduatedfromchokeartisthighinjune2004bostoncollegegraduateclassof2008holds2ncaadivision1records:oneformostmissedextrapointsinaseason,theotherforlowestfieldgoalpercentageEVERcurrentnickname"shortshanks"thefirstand(hopefully)onlyathleteinhisfamilytoplayforBC...and one hell of a model american!
Membership: 23

Group: Send Ryan Ohliger to Baghdad
Description: A petition to send Ryan Ohliger to serve alongside our troops in sunny Baghdad, Iraq.
Membership: 25

Group: BC ALUMS WHO THINK OUR KICKER SUCKS DICK...FOR LEISURE
Description: RYAN OHLIGER KICKS LIKE A BITCH, SUCKS DICK FOR LEISURE, AND LOVES IT IN THE ASS
Membership: 5

Group: Ryan Ohliger for the Heisman
Description: A group dedicated to getting Ryan Ohliger the Heisman trophy! He may shank the extra point once or twice (per game), and he may nail some 45-yarders (per year), but we don't think there's any doubt who the NCAA's best player is!
Membership: 168

Group: Ohliger is the biggest douchebag and should die
Description: i hate the BC kicker b/c he is gay and likes losing and is a douche. fuck him. i root my heart out and he should die
Membership: 4

But perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on Ohliger. I mean, extra points are pretty tough to come by. Late in games, some teams even go for two point conversions. If teams are willing to go for two late in games, when it is in the "clutch," extra points must be REALLY hard. In a recent halftime interview, Tommy Bowdon stated, "We're done kicking extra points." Nobody ever quits scoring touchdowns, so extra points must be much harder. Plus, Ohliger has to worry about field goals, too! Can you imagine? Having to practice extra points AND field goals? Is there even enough time? Plus, imagine the importance of the holder. Why is nobody mad at our holder, or even long snapper? Couldn't it be their fault? Let's stop being so hard on poor little Ryan.

When asked if he had any words to contribute to the Ryan Ohliger discussion, Jeffrey Newton of Newton, MA stated simply, "Ray Finkle." That's right, Ray Finkle. The poor man's Ryan Ohliger. Laces out, Dan.

2006-09-22T02:36:00.000-04:00

The Story of a Lifetime

So my local newspaper has been notorious for it's crazy headline stories. Living on an Island, not much happens, so some pretty silly stuff can make the front page. My personal favorite used to be "Lawnmower Man disrupts free concert," followed a year later by "Noisy concert foe arrested." Same guy. Same file photo used on the front page. I loved it, even making a photocopy and bringing it with me to BC to post up on the wall of my dorm room. But the Lawnmower series may have finally gotten a serious contender. I picked up the local Whidbey News Times yesterday and read the front page headline... "Man sans pants steals dog, truck, wreaks havoc." Seriously. Read the article, it's classic. Especially the part about stealing the truck:

"Next, Hooper and the dog, which he apparently renamed 'Ruff Ruff,' drove over to Golf Course Road and stole a dump truck."

Now, just imagine yourself as that dog for a while. I don't know about you, but growing up with two dogs, I always did want to trade places with them for a day. So imagine becoming this dog for this one day. For the sake of the story, let's pretend the dog's name is Griffey, which I think would be an awesome name for a dog and tops the list of names I want to give my first dog.

Griffey's Adventure:

So I woke up today, just like every day. Thought I'd be doing the same old stuff, you know? As soon as the sun rises and the birds start chirping, I stroll around my kennel a bit until the master comes and feeds me, takes me out for a walk around the neighborhood. I saw Fido as usual. Sparky was licking his balls on the front porch as usual. That dog needs a bitch. Seriously needs to get laid. I don't think I've ever walked by his house without seeing him licking his own balls. Anyway, the rest of the walk went as usual. Chased a few birds, a squirrel. Some cat even tried to act all tough around me so I yelled at it, and the thing ran away. I can't stand cats. They're worse than small dogs like Sparky.

Anyway, I got back home and took a nap, and then all of a sudden, there's this crazy guy who has pulled into the driveway and is walking towards my kennel. I mean WTF is this stumbling guy doing? But he's got this aura about him, seems like he's ready for adventure. He opens my cage up and picks me up. I'm totally digging this guy. I don't know where he's taking me, but I like the way it sounds.

So we're driving down the road, and this guy is just rambling on and on about being fired from the Navy. I'm like, dude, relax, roll a J and forget about it. He looked at me and yells, "WHAT? YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?" It's about time somebody starts to understand me. Then all of a sudden, this dude drives off the road and into a fence. What is this guy thinking? He's just yelling and cursing about how he couldn't bust through the fence, so he backs up and we take off again. Pretty soon we pull into a construction site. Then my day gets REALLY wild.

This dude takes his pants off. Off. Takes. The pants. Off. Boxers too. This guy is just standing there in all his glory from the waist down, drops his pants into the front seat, and grabs me. I'm thinking, what is this sicko going to do to me? I ask him, "Why the hell did you take your pants off, dude?" "Oh," he replied, "I got hot. But don't worry about them. They were on sale."

Next thing I know, this guy has hoisted me into this freakin' huge rig. Master rolls in his F250, which I used to think was a beast of a truck. But this thing was freakin' huge. And what do you know, dude is going to let me drive! I somehow manage to get my paws down on the gas, but I can barely steer. I plow through a rock wall on to the road, and immediately run into two cars. "RUFF RUFF WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE?" I replied the obvious, "I'm a freakin' dog, dude. What do you expect?" The police showed up a little while later, and this dude got hauled off in an ambulance. But the K9 unit came, and this hot little German Shepard asked for my number. Score. Griffey's back on top, baby!

2006-09-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

In Last but Looking Forward

The Seattle Mariners have, like they have each of the last five seasons since winning 116 games in 2001, missed the playoffs. In '02 and '03, they were in the hunt for a playoff berth, winning 93 games each season. The following two seasons were a mess. 99 losses in '04 and 93 losses in '05. The Mariners are currently standing at 72-79. An improvement over the last two seasons, and looking towards the future. The future could be very bright for the Mariners, and they know it; they have been stockpiling young talent over the last few years, and have one of the best under-25 talent pools in the League.

If you are going to talk about the future of the Mariners, the conversation begins with Felix Hernandez. "King Felix" has had his ups and downs, but he is only 20, throws in the high 90s, and has a disgusting curve when it's on. He is arguably the best pitching prospect in all of baseball... and he's been in the big leagues for two seasons now. The rest of the starting rotation wont even warrant my writing, except that Gil Meche would be a decent #4 starter but some team will stupidly pay him too much this offseason for the Mariners to match.

The bullpen seems very strong. JJ Putz has emerged as one of the top young closers in the game. Raphael Soriano is amazing in a setup role. George Sherrill, who is lights out vs. left handed bats, and Jake Woods can be the other two top arms in the pen.

The middle infield seems set for years to come, with Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Lopez emerging as a great double play tandem for the Mariners. Lopez made the All-Star team, and Betancourt has hit near .300 ball with a ton of doubles this year. But what he is known for is his exceptional glove. They say he could be the best defensive shortstop since Ozzie Smith. I've seen him play... the prediction isn't that crazy.

Ichiro is going to keep doing what he's doing... hitting for a high average, scoring runs, playing stellar defense. But the Mariners need to move him to center field permanently next season (he is playing there now) to make room for Chris Snelling. Snelling has been a top prospect in the Mariners farm system for years, and has already made a few big league stints with the M's. He also has a serious case of the injury bug. But if he can stay healthy for the full season next year, he could very well hit .300 with 20-25 home runs. And he plays plus defense in right and holds nothing back. Think Trot Nixon.

At catcher is Kenji Johjima, who at 28 is old for a rookie. He has shown the ability to swing the bat for average and power, but the jury is still out on his throwing arm behind the plate, and his signal calling. He still may be the best offensive catcher the Mariners have ever had, and that's saying something for a rookie.

Then you've got the two biggest free agent signings in Mariner history, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, who will be entering their third season with Seattle. Beltre has shown improvement over his horrendous 2005 campaign, and Sexson has done what he's being paid to do... .258 with 29 HR and 98 RBI for the team that scored the second fewest runs in the majors. And don't forget Raul Ibanez, who has been the most consistent Mariner over the last few seasons. He really should be moved to full-time DH, but he can play in left.

Basically, that sums up 8/9 of the 2007 Mariners lineup, with an open spot in left or at DH for the Mariners to go shopping. Jeremy Reed, who missed this season due to injury and is an outfielder, hasn't shown that he can be an every day starter offensively for a team that is in serious need of power. Adam Jones, the 21 year old phenom center fielder, isn't ready for the majors yet. And Ben Broussard, who could play DH, can't hit lefties and doesn't hit righties well enough to warrant a starting spot. So this offseason, the Mariners should look to sign a LF or DH not named Carlos Lee. Other than that, the lineup is set. The bullpen is set. The Mariners need to focus on getting some legit starting pitching. With available free agents taken into consideration, I think the 2007 Seattle Mariners could push for the AL West crown if they looked something like this:

Batting order:
1) Ichiro CF (L)
2) Snelling LF (L)
3) Beltre 3B (R)
4) Raul Ibanez DH (L)
5) Richie Sexson 1B (R)
6) Kenji Johjima C (R)
7) Pedro Feliz LF (R)
8) Jose Lopez 2B (R)
9) Yuniesky Betancourt SS (R)

Pitching Rotation:
1) Felix Hernandez (R)
2) Jason Schmidt (R)
3) Daisuke Matsuzka (R)
4) Jarrod Washburn (L)
5) Cha Seung Baek (R)

2006-09-20T04:08:00.000-04:00

The Seattle Seahawks: Getting Defensive

My Seahawks sit a lovely 2-0. Not the best season so far after squeaking out narrow Weak 1 win vs. the lowly Lions 9-6 and a 21-10 win over division foe Arizona in Week 2. One thing is apparent... the Seahawks are no longer a dominating offensive team. Maybe this is due to the departure of Steve Hutchinson, or maybe because Jerramy Stevens is out, or because last year everything just clicked. Whatever the reason, the potent offense isn't there anymore. I would still consider the Seahawks to have one of the best offenses in the NFC (especially after trading for Deion Branch), but it is becoming more and more apparent that the offense isn't the strength of this football team.

Last season, I saw it changing. Actually, maybe even a couple seasons prior. After Mike Holmgren picked offense with five of his six first round selections while acting as GM and Coach on a team in desperate need of defense, he stepped down from his role in the front office. To his defense, Holmgren did draft Shaun Alexander, Steve Hutchinson, and Jerramy Stevens with three of those picks. But he also picked Steve McIntosh and Koren Robinson, and his lone defensive first round selection was his first: DE Lamar King. Koren Robinson went with the 9th overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft. This means Holmgren passed on Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Chris Chambers, Steve Smith, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. And I don't even want to get into the great defensive players he could've snagged at that spot. Let's just say that Dan Morgan, Marcus Stroud, Adam Archuleta, and Nate Clements all went in the first round. That's three Pro Bowlers and one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league.

Then Holmgren stepped down from his GM duties. The Seahawks, who have had a good offense for a while but typically had their struggles on the defensive side of the ball, started to become a defensive team.

Over the three seasons following Holmgren stepping down, the Seahawks managed to draft six defensive regulars on this season's squad, including five starters (Marcus Trufant, Ken Hamlin, Marcus Tubbs, Michael Boulware, Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill). All of them except Hill were picked in the first two rounds. In the 2006 Draft, the Seahawks continued with defense, selecting Kelly Jennings and Darryl Tapp in the first two rounds. Jennings could very well be starting at CB by the end of the season, and Tapp will probably be starting at DE in one or two seasons. Tubbs will probably be starting by then, as well. If it works out like that, it would be 7/11 defensive starters drafted in the last four years, including the entire secondary and 2/3 of the linebacking core. Oh, and the Seahawks inked Julian Peterson (Pro Bowler) to a seven year deal. I like the way this sounds.

In 2005, the Seahawks were 7th in the NFL in points allowed, 5th in rush defense, and 10th in red zone defense. And this was with two rookie linebackers and an injury-depleted secondary. In 2006, this defense has looked absolutely frightening. They didn't let the Lions do anything in Weak 1 (I know, it's the Lions). And in Week 2, a potent offensive Arizona squad (who was most people's trendy sleeper pick in the NFC this season, I may add) was held to 256 yards, only 65 of which came on the ground. The defense is now in control. But all the press about the Seahawks is about the offense. Granted, the offense is home to the NFL's best player (Walter Jones), MVP (Shaun Alexander), a great quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck), and the receiving core has been all over the news because of the Deion Branch signing. So allow me to introduce you to the key players of the Seattle Seahawks defense:

Lofa Tatupu, MLB: Made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, led the team in tackles, and controls the defense on the field. Recently compared to Ray Lewis. I don't like that comparison, because he hasn't stabbed anyone. Considered undersized at 6' 240lbs.
Marcus Trufant, CB: Has become one of the best cover-corners in the NFC.
Ken Hamlin, FS: Missed most of last season after getting jumped outside of a Seattle nightclub and having his skull fractured. He is a Sean Taylor type huge hitter and is very underrated.
Michael Boulware, SS: Converted from OLB to SS when he got to the NFL. Great awareness, he always seems to come up with the big interception when it counts.
Leroy Hill, OLB: Was thrust into the starting lineup after injuries depleted the linebacking core last season. Great run stopper and good pass rusher.
Julian Peterson, OLB: Two-time Pro Bowler for San Francisco, one of the premier OLB's in the game. There aren't many others as good at pass rushing as he is.
Grant Wistrom, DE: "Thor Power" as he called himself on Kenny Mayne's Mayne Event. Power rusher who can contain the run.
Bryce Fisher, DE: 9 sacks last season, complements Wistrom's power rush with more of a speed rush.
Rocky Bernard, Chuck Darby, Marcus Tubbs, DT: Rocky, Chuck, and Tubbs sound like they should be cartoon characters, partnering up to take over the world. Instead they clog up the middle and stop the run. Very sold three-man rotation.
Kelly Herndon, Kelly Jennings, CB: The Seahawks will have a Kelly starting opposite of Marcus Trufant every game this season. It's the last name that may change. Herndon already covers the slot receiver in the nickel. It wont be long before the Seahawks top draft pick of 2006 (Jennings, out of the U) will be starting.

That's the defense. I hope the offense isn't offended, but there has been a change in the guard on the Seattle gridiron.

2006-09-20T03:23:00.000-04:00

An Introduction

So they call me "Big B." It was a nicknamed coined my freshman year at BC, after two Brians emerged in our group of friends. One was short, while the other (me) was 6'7". Makes sense. So it should also make sense that "Big B" has decided to move to the Big Apple. This should be interesting.

I was born in Seattle, but moved to the tiny town of Coupeville, WA (pop. 1813) before I started gradeschool. Throughout my childhood I had my eyes set on bigger and better things than Coupeville. Don't get me wrong, I love my hometown. My core group of friends are great, and it's beautiful. But I had to get out, do new things, experience a new city, a new way of life. 2,492 miles later, I enrolled at Boston College. This has turned out to be the best decision of my life. I fell in love with Boston. Just a great city. And, after graduation, I wanted to be close enough to Boston to be able to see my friends who still remained and catch the occasional BC game. But, as the great decision I made earlier in my life, I decided to take the opportunity to experience something new. So, where was I to decide to move?

The Criteria

Close proximity to Boston. This means the ability to drive or take a reasonable bus ride to get back. In other words, nothing on the West Coast or deep south.
A city that I would have a lot of college friends around, because by being on the East Coast, I have eliminated being close to my friends from home.
A good job market for Sports Media, PR, and Broadcasting.

Cities of interest eliminated: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Washington DC, Philadelphia.

New York City is a short enough bus ride from Boston. There is a great network of my BC friends throughout the greater NYC area. And if you want to talk Sports Media, PR, and Broadcasting, the Big Apple has to be tops on the list.

So this is how it's going to go down. My first time really living away from home. My blood relatives are all on the West Coast, spreading from Seattle to LA. Then I've got the uncle in central Mexico. But I'll make it work. I've got my Jewish mother and sister in the City. And I"ve got my brothers and sisters from BC from Boston down to Jersey. I have a lot of love in the Northeast. And it's gonna be a heck of a ride. I might as well keep you posted.