Weekend Observations

I had the opportunity to attend Seahawks training camp over the weekend and I'm a little concerned. There's no real play makers on offense and none of the quarterbacks really established themselves as a front runner for the starting position. Our receivers looked average and Utah St. running back Robert Turbin fumbled the ball several times. With a schedule that includes New England, Green Bay, Chicago, and the New York Jets Pete Carroll better come up with some solutions and quickly. The defense looked pretty good however so hopefully they can help keep the games close. The secondary is without question the strength of the team and Bruce Irvin is a special player. I predict at least 10 sacks for the rookie this season. From what I saw the Hawks will be fortunate to go 9-7 this year. Here are some observations over the weekend.

Don't pick Maurice Jones-Drew or Mike Wallace for your fantasy football teams. Holdouts always get hurt and I don't anticipate either player coming to camp anytime soon. They will not repeat their performances from last year.

Aquaman now has a legitimate rival. If Michael Phelps doesn't get his head in the game fellow countrymen Ryan Lochte will steal the spotlight.

Don Levin is trying his level headed best to complicate plans for a new arena in the SODO. Bringing the NHL to Seattle is noble cause, but not at the risk of ruining the chances for an NBA franchise. His overzealous tactics could blow up the whole thing.

The Washington Huskies and the LSU Tigers have football commitments from kids that aren't even in high school yet. This is morally wrong and will result in an eventual rule change. Why would you allow a 14 year old to make a decision that important so early in their life?

Weekend Observations

Penn St. football didn't get the death penalty, but they will never recover from the sanctions levied against them. NCAA president Mark Emmert didn't just throw the book at the Nittany Lion program , he came off the top rope like Macho Man Randy Savage. No bowl games for 4 years, a $60,000,000 fine, the loss of 80 scholarships, and the forfeiting of 112 wins is an unprecedented level of punishment. There is no ambiguity as to how the governing body feels about the tragedies that occurred in Happy Valley.

To say that the Joe Paterno legacy is tarnished would be a complete understatement. There will be no statue to honor the 4 decades of football excellence. He has been dropped from 1st to 12th in all time wins. No one will remember Penn St. as linebacker U and his image invokes anger, embarrassment, and shame. The lies and deceit overshadow his accomplishments. On a campus where football had become larger than life and the moral compass had gone completely awry president Emmert made sure he put things back in their proper perspective. Here are some observations over the weekend.

Adam Scott collapsed at the British Open in a fashion that is usually reserved for NFL place kickers and hockey goalies. Shankapotimus ended his final round with 4 straight bogeys and lost the tournament by one stroke. I suggest he seeks therapy to recover from that colossal meltdown.

USA basketball barely held off Argentina in an exhibition game 86-80. The good news is we still have Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. The bad news is we are tremendously undersized up front and that may come back to haunt us in the Olympics. Stay tuned.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won 5 straight games and trail the Cincinnati Reds by a 1/2 game in the NL Central. This is not a misprint.

Michael Vick has gone on record saying he thinks the Philadelphia Eagles could be the next great dynasty. If he stays healthy I would have to agree.

Do Athletes Drink Too Much?

Kenny Britt became the 3rd athlete THIS WEEK to get pulled over for a DUI. On the surface you have to wonder if these guys don't watch the news or if they think the laws that govern our nation don't pertain to them. It seems inconceivable for the same mistake to be made on 3 different occasions in such a small period of time. Everyone knows athletes like to have a good time and as high profile, wealthy individuals it's their right to do so. The problem occurs when their appetite for fun and excitement endangers the lives of innocent people. Is there a solution?

Several leagues (including the NFL) offer a ride service wherein someone will pick up an athlete, drive them to their destination, and return them to their car when they are sober enough to drive. This may have been a good idea 10 years ago, but in today's social media crazy world athletes are super protective of their privacy. The less people that know their whereabouts and the company they keep the better. As the rapper Treach once said, "They do their dirt all by their lonely."

Other have advocated a team mandated service that the organization pays for. Again, 10 years ago this may have been a good idea, but athletes are paranoid. Why would you give your employer that kind of leverage in negotiations and information about what you do in your personal time?

We all know that athletes aren't going to stop drinking and who they are makes them easy targets. A bored police officer's favorite past time is run the plates on the fancy car that just passed by. That's not to condone the behavior of these athletes, but riding around in a Benz on 20's at 3:00 in the morning is going to draw attention (unless you're in Vegas or Miami). The sad truth is there is no plausible solution for this epidemic and we will hear this story at least 20 more times before the year is over. I only hope no one is seriously injured or worse the next time we hear it. You got any bright ideas for a quick fix?

Linsanity Is Over

For someone who's Harvard educated Jeremy Lin made a very poor decision for himself. The overnight sensation signed an offer sheet worth $25,100,000 over the next 3 years to play for the Houston Rockets. The deal calls for Lin to make $14,800,000 in the 3rd year of his contract. People in the sports world refer to this as a "poison pill." If the New York Knicks were to match the offer it would cost them in excess of $30,000,000 in luxury tax money down the road.

Seattle fans are all too familiar with the "poison pill" scenario. The Minnesota Vikings signed Seahawks left guard Steve Hutchinson to an offer sheet. The offer sheet had a clause in the contract that guaranteed the entire deal if he wasn't the highest paid lineman. At the time the Seahawks had signed left tackle Walter Jones to a huge contract and couldn't match the parameters of the deal.

The difference in these two "poison pill" cases is Steve Hutchinson was an all pro. I can name 10 point guards off the top of my head (Derick Rose, CP3, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Steph Curry, Steve Nash) that are better than Jeremy Lin. The move was madr for PR amd marketing reasons as much as basketball ability. 25 games is not a very large body of work to guarantee that kind of financial compensation for one season.

Although $25,1000,000 sounds like a lot of money it's chump change from a sports economics perspective. New York is the media capital of the world and basically created Linsanity out of thin air. If Lin would have put up the same numbers in Utah, Sacramento, or Milwaukee he never would have graced the cover of Time magazine. His story took on a life of its won because he was a New York Knick. Lin has probably cost himself hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsement money because the interest level in Houston pales in comparison to the Big Apple. He'll be a story, but not as big as when he was playing in Madison Square Garden. The city embraced him and Jeremy became arrogant. In the long run he'll realize it was a mistake.

Mt. Midoriyama Is Brutal!

For those of you that haven't been watching American Ninja Warrior is an awesome show. Competitors attempt to complete a series of physically demanding obstacle courses that require a unique combination of strength, endurance, timing, and coordination. The final obstacle is the dreaded Mt. Midoriyama and only 3 men have ever completed the course. Even the most gifted athletes fall victim to the challenge.

At first I was a skeptic. The contestants have strange athletic backgrounds (lots of rock climbers and acrobats) and range in age from 18 to 42. There is no particular skill set that gives the competitors a distinct advantage and the overall strategy is difficult to determine. So long as you complete the course it seems like anything goes. After watching a few episodes I started to get a feel for what the ideal contestant needs in order to be successful.

First off, anyone over 220 pounds shouldn't participate. The added bulk will slow you down and lifting that much body weight is an impediment to completing the courses. Secondly, long arms and legs are a plus. The obstacles themselves involve a lot of hanging, pulling, and bracing yourself against odd shaped objects. The more length you have the better off you'll be. Lastly, balance is a crucial part of the equation. I've seen numerous participants fail to get passed an obstacle because of poor timing, bad footing, or weight distribution. It's important to be in the proper position at all times.

The most fascinating aspect of the show is the unpredictable outcome. More likely than not no one will conquer Mt. Midoriyama all the way to the finish and subsequently there will be no winner. There will be no champion to celebrate and everyone will go back to the drawing board in preparation for their next opportunity. The competition isn't against an opponent, but rather the mountain itself. If you haven't already, give American Ninja Warrior a chance. I guarantee you'll get caught up watching it.

Weekend Observations

I typically don't watch summer league basketball. It's like watching an uneventful JV game where the score doesn't matter and most of the good players go at half speed. It's a glorified training camp for rookies and guys on their last legs. This year however I've decided to take a different approach and watch a few games with an open mind. To my surprise the level of play is not that bad and you can learn a thing or two. Here's what I discovered.

Michael Jordan and Rich Cho got it right picking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist instead of Thomas Robinson. Kidd-Gilchrist looks like he belongs already while Robinson is struggling to find a position and an identity.

Klay Thompson will make Warriors fans forget all about Monta Ellis. His jumper is silky and with the addition of Andrew Bogut and Harrison Barnes Thompson will get plenty of opportunities to display his unlimited range. He's a star in the making.

Bradley Beal is a little overrated. If he's having trouble getting his shot now what happens when the starters are on the court? There's still time, but his game needs work.

Jimmer Fredette has lost a ton of confidence. It looks like he's still trying to recover from being overshadowed by Isaiah Thomas last year. It might be time for him to move on to a more experienced team with more structure and a defined role for his skill set.

Here are some other observations over the weekend.

The Breesy got paid down in New Orleans, but all is not well with Who Dat Nation. The Saints will still be without Jonathan Vilma and Sean Payton for a whole season and the interim coach will miss the first 8 games. There is too much chaos and not enough cohesion with this team. The Saints won't make the playoffs.

Amir Khan has gone from one of boxing's marquee fighters to a washed up scrub in 6 months. After a surprise loss to Lamont Peterson Khan was stunned again Saturday by Danny Garcia. Watch out for that left hook Amir.

The Seattle Mariners have been shut out twice in the three games since the all star break. Can someone tell me why the hitting coach still has his job?

Hope Solo is arrogant. Just days after getting a pass for failing a drug test Solo admitted to going on the Today show drunk after winning the gold medal in Beijing. She will pay for double crossing the media and putting herself in such a negative context.

NBA Free Agency Observations

Free agency has shown us that NBA players no longer want the burden of carrying an NBA franchise all by themselves. It's all about collaboration. I'm sure when the Celtics put together the original big 3 they didn't anticipate their blueprint would be duplicated so many times. Now everyone wants to join forces in a quest to win a title. Personally, I think the game is more exciting when the best players compete against each other to see who's really number one. On the other hand it's interesting to watch star players sacrifice individual accomplishments for the greater good. This is the trend so I guess I have to go with it. Here's a list of the biggest winners in free agency.

5. Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers re-signed veteran point guard Chauncey Billups and added former 6th man of the year Jamal Crawford. Chauncey's leadership was sorely missed down the stretch this year in the playoffs and Crawford provides instant offense off the bench. This move may get them past the 2nd round.

4. New York Knicks. The Knicks added Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby while matching Houston's offer sheet for Jeremy Lin. Kidd will be a calming influence on Linsanity and will show him how to get the most out of Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Having Camby to go along with Tyson Chandler gives the Knicks the best defensive front court in basketball.

3. Brooklyn Nets. They didn't get Superman yet, but keeping Deron Williams and adding Joe Johnson is a good start. Johnson has always struggled under the pressure of being the front guy, but now he doesn't have to be the only marquee player. Deron Williams will also benefit now that he doesn't have to carry the team offensively every night.

2. Los Angeles Lakers. No disrespect to Derek Fisher or Ramon Sessions, but Steve Nash gives the Lakers a significant upgrade at the point guard position. This move will make Andrew Bynum a better player (if they keep him) and gives Kobe a teammate that can hit clutch shots. Making the finals is now a realistic goal.

1. Miami Heat. The rich just keep getting richer. Adding Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to a team that already has LeBron James and D Wade almost seems unfair. The rest of the league is now playing for 2nd place. Signing those guys makes Miami a lock to win the championship