The Legend Killer

No, I'm not talking about the WWE's Randy Orton. I'm talking about the tendency of the overprocessed, reactionary, relentless, overexposing attitude of the media to destroy greatness.

Its no secret that the media has an inferiority complex, as well as most of this nation. Thats why everyone hates the Yankees, and the Patriots and locally in Seattle, everyone hates Bellevue High School. Down in California everyone hates De La Salle. Its why the Seattle Times and the Pac 10 teamed up to destroy the University of Washington football powerhouse and the Pac 10 is trying to bring down USC now.

Its a loser attitude, envy, jealousy and insecurity team up to hate the Yankees. You ask why and someone will respond, "They try to buy championships", even though they haven't won a title since they started on their spending spree and the four titles they won in the 1990's contained a roster full of homegrown talent, savvy free agent pickups, and great coaching. The Patriots have a system, thats what got them their titles, coaching, and a system.

The crime is, everyone hates these teams because "they win all the time", when everyone should actually be studying what they do and emulating it.

But, thats not what this is about, we live in a media processed culture that operates like the oldwcw. Push the hell out of a team, player or story, to the point where everyone is sick of them, and tear them down ruthlessly and without remorse. The media pushes the hell out of stars, legit players, players that should be appreciated to the point of repulsion, society ends up hating these very athletes instead of savoring their talents.

Its shoot from the hip, reactionary journalism, you see it all the time on message boards, espn and sports talk radio. Harsh opinions are voiced with no accountability and when they are proven wrong, it is completely ignored.

The Seahawks, without a qb, an offensive line, or a wide receiving corps were 4-12, and all of a sudden, Mike Holmgren couldn't coach. People ignore the fact that the Seahawks beat the Jets, and were in games against the Redskins, the Patriots, the Cardinals, all with guys off the streets. They played disciplined, competitive football, and no one lauded Holmgren and his staff for the achievement of getting five offensive linemen who never played together to not just compete, but play well, they bitched about the loss, the lack of a blitz pickup.

We bitch and we bitch and we bitch about athletes and coaches, never enjoying the time they have given us. Expecting perfection in an extremely difficult game. Sports fans spout what they hear on the radio and tv, passing these ideas off as their own, completely blind to how these sports actually work. Why the hell is Edge NFL Matchup on in the wee hours of the morning but ESPN's First Take is on right after Sportscenter.

The NFL Network has blown their chance to be the best network in the history of sports, instead falling victim to showing NFL Total Access 10 times a day.

Knowledgable commentators are told to dumb it down and stick to the "storylines" that apparently keep the casual viewer interested. The last time I was drawn into the "storylines" was when I was about 10 years old. What happened to letting the pure beauty of the game display itself.

Nobody knows how the triangle offense works, they just hear the term "triangle offense" and throw it around to sound intelligent.

We have an entire generation of great players that people rip on. Few appreciate Peyton Manning, they get sick of him and don't like him because he's in a lot of commercials, instead of appreciating the mind games he plays with the defense and his unbelievable accuracy.

I fall victim to this as well, one of the first thing I noticed about Tom Brady is that when things don't go well for the team, and a loss is eminent, he tends to overthrow his receivers, letting his anger get the best of him and occasionally he gets a little statuesque in the pocket. Instead of appreciating the fact that he has one of the most underrated arms in the game and has ice water in his veins, and his mechanics are near perfect, I noticed one of his few flaws.

Few appreciate how great a passer Lebron is, that he has unbelievable court vision, they just like his dunks, and some people don't like him for playing in Cleveland.

Its sick.

I know cheering for the Nuggets against the Lakers is like cheering for the Timberwolves in 2004's conference finals, an act that will inevitably lead to disappointment. But, I'm going to anyway.
I'm going to finally set aside the wounds from one of the worst moments in my life as a basketball fan(aside from the Sonics actually leaving) and root for the Nuggets. Why? George Karl. My favorite coach for the Sonics taking a middling team to heights unseen just like he did with the Sonics and Bucks. He's smug, he's a bit of an ass, but I like him.
Why is it as a sports fan that you remember the worst moments so vividly. I remember everything about Mothers Day 1994 when the Nuggets, at 42-40 beat the 63-19 Sonics in Game 5 to win the series. I remember opening up the Seattle Times and a sign with "NOT IN OUR HOUSE" written in big block letters fell out. I remember not being able to watch most of the game because we were going to the Woodland Park zoo with my grandparents. I remember watching the first five minutes where the Sonics blazed out of the gate trying to end the series once and for all. I remember bringing a walkman so I could listen to the game as we walked throughout the zoo and various people asking what the score was. I remember at the end of the fourth quarter thinking the Sonics were finished before Kevin Calabro started screaming because Kendal Gill made an improbable shot. And I remember my nine year old self fighting back tears as Lafonso Ellis made a three point play and then Mutumbo grabbing the last rebound. This utterly scarred me.
Yet once again, the following year I was back on the bandwagon, the Sonics roared through the regular season again but this time it was Nick Van Exel, Eldin Campbell and the Lakers summarily dispatching the Sonics in four games. I've never fully recovered, the 1996 season helped and I found myself a couple years ago watching the game again on ESPN Classic, noticing things my nine year old self never could have. The Sonics playing tighter than a drum, missing free throws, open jumpshots, getting caught in their achilles heel, the halfcourt game. God that was awful.
The Nuggets are back now, instead of Robert Pack, Mutumbo, Lafonso Ellis and Reggie Williams, its Carmelo, Kenyon, Chauncey and Nene. They'll probably lose, but I'm hoping they'll break a few Laker legs in the process.

Random thoughts...

I've given in, after a regular season long hiatus of the NBA, I have given in and watched the playoffs, I love basketball too much to completely shun that atrocity of a league.

As much as I hate everything Boston, I've found myself rooting for the Celtics the last two years. Last year it was to see KG and Ray Ray get a ring, this year, its because the wounded, crippled and utterly outmatched Celtics are somehow in great shape to go up 3-2 tonight on the Magic. I love the history of the NBA, and I love it when the teams that have been around for a while are good. Thats why its so imperative the Knicks are a playoff team. Playoff games, in MSG, are unrivalled.

Ron Artest should've been shot after game 3, early offense does not mean to drive into three defenders and hoist up a wild shot with 18 on the shot clock. Without Yao in there now, you'll see even more of that, Aaron Brooks isn't going to drop 30 every game.

Here's to the Magic, for once again proving that talent doesn't win championships, thats an incredibly athletic and skilled basketball team, too bad they coast too much and don't have that edge that playoff hardened teams (Cavs, Celts, Spurs) have. I feel like its 1995 all over again.

The Lakers constant falling asleep at the wheel has to bite them sometime. This is what happens when you have a roster full of softies and flakes.

Curry

I don't know if Aaron Curry is a top 5 pick, but I really like him as a football player.

Why? Because he can tackle.

You don't see a lot of arm tackles from this guy its form tackles, head across the bow and driving with the legs, feet spread apart for good balance.

He is exceptionally strong, he can get into the chest of an offensive tackle and drive him backward. You don't see that a lot from linebackers.

He has the ability to be very good in coverage.

From what I saw of him, Wake Forest used him as a spy on any action coming out of the backfield, be it the qb or the halfback leaking out, they didn't blitz him a lot by scheme, and played a lot of zone which is typical for college.

I don't know if he'll be a superstar, but he can be a very very good player, a pro bowler if nothing else, for me, that will be enough.

I really don't like to damn a season before its started, but I am not optimistic about the Seahawks next season. The last time I wasn't optimistic was 2005, where I took the offseason off from the Seahawks to rehab my health, both physically and mentally after 2004(By far the toughest Seahawks season of my life). They lost their first game in typical Seahawks fashion, went 2-2, losing to the Redskins in typical Seahawks fashion and didn't hit their stride till the legendary victory over Dallas.

I wish I could feel the same about the Seahawks this year, but I know success comes and goes in the NFL, the Seahawks had their run, they had three great teams 2003, 2005, 2007. (Believe me, 2003 could've easily been 13-3, I'm not kidding). Their horses are aging, the new "talent" is mediocre, the coaching staff is okay. Thats it. Yet the important thing is I can still talk myself into getting excited, however, the more I know about football, the more I know that a great season is a low possibility. The defense could be good, and I'm hoping the Seahawks draft Aaron Curry. I used to be on the draft an o linemen bandwagon, but hopped off that when I realized Locklear will replace Walt, Willis will move to tackle(this alone gives me wet dreams) and there isn't a guard or center worthy of a high pick.

I'm not on the D.D. Lewis bandwagon, he is servicable, but not starter material, if Curry is there, take him. That would give you Hill, Tatupu and Curry chasing ball carriers behind a revamped D line which, if nothing else, is very deep. I still think they have too many attackers and not enough stuffers on the d line. I want a d line that can get push, not run around guys. Gap control at all times, at all times gap control.

I can't possibly stress how happy I am that Torry Holt is no longer in the division, the man took years off my life.

The Apple Cup

Moving the Apple Cup to a neutral site, although economically beneficial for the schools, sucks. Proponents point to the Red River shootout, or the World's Greatest Cocktail party as proof that the neutral site idea works. The NFL has already done everything it can to debunk home field advantage, must college football, which is so reliant on passion, home stadiums and mystique do the same?

However, there is a deeper issue here, and for once, I will argue mostly on behalf of my crimson and gray bretherin instead of the purple and gold i was raised on. I've been to the Apple Cup at both stadiums, and both are great in their own right. It helped that the Apple Cup in Seattle was when both teams were ranked in the top 15(the last time this would happen I believe) and you had legit stars on both teams(Although Reggie Williams utterly abused Marcus Trufant). You had Mike Price doing what Mike Price does, infuriating 73,000 fans by getting a penalty called on the Huskies for carrying on too long with honoring their seniors, and doing what he does even better, and outthinking himself in a big game for the umpteenth time and his team getting shellacked because of it. This game also upheld the time honored tradition that the Huskies will ALWAYS be more physical than the Cougars.Cut the crowd in half, as well as the teams win totals, and you have the 2006 affair, a wildly entertaining contest under the lights in Pullman that the Huskies ultimately won because the Cougars safety play was terrible and they couldn't get off a punt(somehow Cougar fans blamed Alex Brink for this one, nice).

Anyways, long story short, the game means more in Pullman. Its the biggest crowd, its the biggest visiting crowd, which means more hotel rooms are booked, more restaurants are filled, more beer is bought, more money is spent. The economic effect means more than the couple hundred thousand the university makes on the game.

By moving the Apple Cup, the university is thinking about itself, not the fans, alums, students, who would all have to travel 4 and a half hours, spend the money, on food, lodging and the jacked up price for tickets every year instead of every other year. Not to mention all of the pissed of alums that will withhold donations(don't think this is possible? You think UW would have any trouble raising money to remodel their stadium and other programs if they hadn't lost 40 out of their last 50 games?). How is this the same athletic department that refuses to have home night games because the travelling fans might not get home till late at night? How can the university gripe about how they need the extra two million a year when they spent 20 million on a ridiculous stadium "enhancement"?Then again, this is the same school that sells individual tickets to the west endzone of martin stadium for the Apple Cup when its a student area for every other game so they can make more money and in turn, fewer students can attend(Great idea guys). Not to mention the apple cup ticket would be extra added onto the season tickets purchased, meaning that

A) a season ticket package would not include the Apple Cup gameand

B) assuming tickets are divied up evenly, 20,000 or so UW season ticket holders would not be able to go to the Apple Cup. Hardly fair.

C)Assuming the Cougars continue their one pilgrimmage to Qwest Field a year for a non conference game, that would be two "home games" taken out of Pullman.

Also, as great as Qwest Field is for Seahawks games, its roll as a neutral site venue sucks. It is like all new NFL stadiums, huge, impersonal and lacking in the charm that stadiums like the Cotton Bowl(one of the reasons Oklahoma/Texas works so well) have. It screams the NFL, which means it screams money. College football is supposed to scream passion, thats not helped by the sterile environment of an NFL Stadium. The lesson, as always, is that the administration at WSU will chase the money, and then use that money to dress up a university that needs an academic makeover more than new dorms, a new stadium entryway, a new CUB, a new videoboard and all those other bells and whistles they are adding instead of adding new, quality faculty.

I'm buying what shark is selling

I am not one to blindly believe in a coach, or a team until I actually have seen them play a time or two, I still have my reservations about what Sarkisian is doing at UW, but I see nothing but good things in the future.

I like the enthusiasm, I like the open practice(Come August I'll be there as much as humanely possible), I like Nick Holt, a ferocious defensive coordinator, I like the physical attitude, the perfectionist streak and the speed that they are trying to build this team around. I like the athletes they are putting on the o line. I don't know about moving Ossai to guard, but I'll try to make it out there Saturday to see how he looks. Senio Kelemente switching to guard could work wonders, he's got good feet and was so raw technique wise at D tackle, he's not losing much switching to offense(*EDIT* I've watched a couple games on film and now I think moving Kelemente to guard is the absolute right idea, he was the worst DT i've ever seen, I'm shocked I didn't notice this during the season, he was literally getting destroyed every play).
The linebackers, with Savannah back, are good, probably the best part of the team. The tight ends have scary potential, Kavario Middleton, although not a big blocker, has the talent to play on Sundays. Chris Polk has me excited as well. There are some very good pieces on this team. I'm not saying they are winning 6 games next year, I hope for 4, but there is a good base with the underclassmen.

Last years UW team was the poorest coach and worst prepared college football team I've ever seen. I am not exaggerating. The lack of recruiting the first three years left the defense, young and utterly overmatched. The front 7 actually wasn't that terrible, it was the secondary that was truly a disaster and the fact that the offense would leave the defense with no support and in terrible position most of the season.
The offense was a mess. If you have a running quarterback and a huge offensive line and no receivers, why would you try and run the spread offense? Doesn't it require a line with good lateral movement? Receivers that can block, find spots in the zone and run good routes? I know the spread option is the sexy thing these days, but a power option game, however outdated, ran out of the I(the Huskies did have a legit fullback), would've controlled the clock better, kept the receivers from taking too much on themselves. Who would've wanted a piece of jake locker swinging around the end on offense? Granted, part of the 0-12 season was the fact locker was hurt, but I still think he was misused before he went down, they were losing to stanford when he was hurt. Stanford.

My one complaint, Sark is trying to turn Locker into a pocket passer, thats all and good, but he made his name with his legs, Sark has never dealt with a qb that can move like him, don't pigeonhole him. I've always felt that you recruit players who fit your system or if you have to take what you have, then build the system around the players. Tim Lappano tried to do that here, he was just an idiot. Its fine to make him more of a pocket passer, but I hope to see plenty of qb draws also next year, he's best when barrelling down hill, let him play.
Here's a prediction for you, by Locker's senior season, the Huskies will be an 8 win team.