It was only six years ago today that the USA started using colors to alert its residents of the terror threat level.
What a joke.
If George Orwell was still around, he'd be all over those things. Alas, he'd probably be buried by our corporate-owned media anyhow, so really what does it matter?
What I'm wondering is when they're going to have neon warning signs for our drinking water? Boy, that story really blew me away. Millions of Americans are sipping up prescription and illegal drugs with every gulp of their eight glasses of water a day, and no one seemed to think we should know about it until now?
Turns out they don't clean out all of the drug residue when they recycle our water, and tiny, tiny amounts of it reach the population. Who knows what kind of problems this has already caused? How many more will arise?
I never realized that Roger Clemens' steroids weren't just his, or that every time Daryl Strawberry was partying away the 1980s, we were too (sort of)!
I'm hoping they find a way to remove the drug residue, but who knows? Here we thought water was safe. It's our pride and freedom. It's a symbol of life, and humanity has damaged it. To what extent, we don't yet know or understand.
We could really use a father figure calming us with his friendly fireside demeanor. But would it do any good?
On March 12, 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first of his famed fireside chats in the midst of the Great Depression.
"Good evening friends," he said. 'Trust the banks. Pass my New Deal legislation.'
Things haven't changed.
Here we are on the brink of recession after another round of irresponsible banking and I wonder what good the New Deal really did. I mean a 'broker state' is fine if you're into your government juggling the spheres of your society and organizing them by financial importance (as opposed to actual importance).
Around this time Roosevelt also ordered people to turn in their gold. It was a brilliant move on the government's part. Now, we all slave to their paper.
Speaking of paper, David Carr signed a million-dollar, one-year contract with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
Lucky guy. He gets to back up one of the NFL's worst quarterbacks that won't get benched any time soon. All the ex-Carolina Panther Carr has to do is study and practice and he gets the dough.
Nice. If Eli Manning goes down, he gets performance bonuses, so all of his bases are covered. For the Giants, they think they're getting a steal, and they just might be.
I hate Eli. I can't say he can't play, because obviously the guy can scramble, avoid the sack and deliver in the clutch, but I can say he is inconsistent at best. At worst, he's terrible. If the Giants can unlock the mystery that is Carr since he was drafted in the first round, he just might end up helping them.
Today's terror color? For me, it's gray. The future is unclear on many fronts.
About Me
- samcam
- Seattle, WA
- I looked at everything and felt fine with it. You know, at peace. Not that everything was perfect. But it was life. I was living it, and that alone felt pretty damn good. But there was more than that. Much more. An unexplainable amount of goodness more. It was all this good stuff that made it even better. Worth it. Fun.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
On This Day: The Death of Chris Wallace and the End for D Wade, VCU
It was a dark day.
On March 9th, 1997 Christopher Wallace was shot and killed in a drive-bye shooting.
The loss of Biggie signaled the end of a hip-hop era and the genre was never the same. Gone were the days of lyrics. The days of cheesy, dancing beats and empty rhymes were on the horizon.
Wallace's life was a tragedy. He was a huge, larger-than-life personality spit out by the game he helped create. As far as he and the music he lived had seemed to come was as far both really fell.
The industry pushed negativity on a public that was eating it up. The responsibility of artists to make music they believed in didn't cross their minds when the money was flowing and the party was on.
It's as much a tragedy that the music didn't change after the loss of Wallace and Tupac Shakur as the losses themselves.
Throughout America, the violence persists. But, really, there's nothing we can do.
So we do sports.
They take us away from the drama. Or at least the real drama. Then again, they too, have a stake in drama.
Dwyane Wade got shelved by the Heat today. As courageous and heady a basketball player as there is, Wade fell victim to his own attacking attitude.
He doesn't lose his life.
But still, Wade has the pain and agony of surgery, recovery and rehab before he gets to give it another go next year. Have you ever had surgery? It sucks. Big time.
For his sake, hopefully he'll fall back on his jumper more often, and maybe Miami can fix the mess that is their team.
There is no fix when you don't get in the big dance.
Virginia Commonwealth's shot at an automatic bid ended Sunday. The victim of William & Mary's "Cardiac Kid's" third and final last-second miracle now has to wait to hear from the committee.
I hope they don't get in. Freeze them out like UDUB last year. Who cares about the winner of the CAA? Don't get it twisted, I really don't like Eric Maynor or the rest of the Rams, after they dropped Duke last year.
Not that I like Duke, not one bit do I like Duke, but me and gambling run into each other now and again. Usually, I end up leaving the meeting lighter in the wallet. This time was one of those times.
In summary, today I'm reminded that everyday is a gamble. You could win big, or you could lose big. Some losses are bigger than others. Some wins, meaningless.
On March 9th, 1997 Christopher Wallace was shot and killed in a drive-bye shooting.
The loss of Biggie signaled the end of a hip-hop era and the genre was never the same. Gone were the days of lyrics. The days of cheesy, dancing beats and empty rhymes were on the horizon.
Wallace's life was a tragedy. He was a huge, larger-than-life personality spit out by the game he helped create. As far as he and the music he lived had seemed to come was as far both really fell.
The industry pushed negativity on a public that was eating it up. The responsibility of artists to make music they believed in didn't cross their minds when the money was flowing and the party was on.
It's as much a tragedy that the music didn't change after the loss of Wallace and Tupac Shakur as the losses themselves.
Throughout America, the violence persists. But, really, there's nothing we can do.
So we do sports.
They take us away from the drama. Or at least the real drama. Then again, they too, have a stake in drama.
Dwyane Wade got shelved by the Heat today. As courageous and heady a basketball player as there is, Wade fell victim to his own attacking attitude.
He doesn't lose his life.
But still, Wade has the pain and agony of surgery, recovery and rehab before he gets to give it another go next year. Have you ever had surgery? It sucks. Big time.
For his sake, hopefully he'll fall back on his jumper more often, and maybe Miami can fix the mess that is their team.
There is no fix when you don't get in the big dance.
Virginia Commonwealth's shot at an automatic bid ended Sunday. The victim of William & Mary's "Cardiac Kid's" third and final last-second miracle now has to wait to hear from the committee.
I hope they don't get in. Freeze them out like UDUB last year. Who cares about the winner of the CAA? Don't get it twisted, I really don't like Eric Maynor or the rest of the Rams, after they dropped Duke last year.
Not that I like Duke, not one bit do I like Duke, but me and gambling run into each other now and again. Usually, I end up leaving the meeting lighter in the wallet. This time was one of those times.
In summary, today I'm reminded that everyday is a gamble. You could win big, or you could lose big. Some losses are bigger than others. Some wins, meaningless.
Brett Favre Takes an NFL Generation With Him
It's over, or is it?
If Brett Favre really has chucked his last off-balance, ill-advised pass down field into three defenders and an opening the size of a kicking tee while being draped by two hoggies thrice his size, somewhere there's a fat lady singing.
You can bet it's not Sonny & Cher's "I got you babe." No, the Groundhog Day that was Favre's career, is according to No. 4, over. Green Bay no longer has it's beloved, brash signal-caller. For my money, the large lady is probably busting out the Who's "I'm Free."
Wisonsinites, the NFL and football fans everywhere won't be singing along.
He gets to go home. He can go play touch football in his jeans on a farm somewhere. But we get left behind without a maverick. Football and the NFL have transformed into an American game of Roman proportions since the Atlanta Falcons decided it would be a smart idea to shop Favre. His retirement officially signifies the end of a forgotten football era.
For us left behind, we might just hear an overweight female singing a sad rendition of The Doors "The End."
But the end of what exactly?
The late 1980s through the mid 1990s were the glory days of football. It was before Spygate, before these annoying two- and three-back systems, before coaches tried to freeze kickers mid-snap and before unnecessary quarterback controversies overplayed by the vulturous media.
Remember when Joe Montana, then Steve Young passed the 49ers and Bill Walsh into the national spotlight? Jerry Rice was a superstar. He was no Randy Moss, then again he also was no Randy Moss! John Taylor, Roger Craig and Tom Rathman were studs.
How about Bo Jackson? What a player. There won't be another like him.
Barry Sanders, ditto. How many backs get the chance to carry the load anymore? The day of dizzying spin moves isn't over, but the day of devotion to one runner is.
How 'bout them Cowboys? For my money, as much as you can hate Troy and the 'boys, they weren't half the boring team Tom Brady and the Patriots are. Sure they score a lot of points, but Asante Samuel was no Deion. Laurence Maroney is surely no Emmitt Smith, and who is the Pats' Leon Lett?
Even the hapless Buffalo Bills, perennial playoff letdowns, are a type of team that won't be seen again.
Favre is not and never was an enigma. He was an above-average athlete that got to play through his personal shortcomings on the football field. It will never happen again. Never.
His records wouldn't be if he were starting today. He'd be killed by the media. Rex Grossman anybody? Give a guy a chance, he just might turn into a legend, but chances cost too much money nowadays.
How long till Tony Romo loses his starting gig? No, this is not the NFL's glory days. This is the end of them. This is when the NFL, like every other sport, over-markets its superstars (and unproven draft picks), over-hypes its games and forgets what made them great.
Favre was the underdog that always stood a chance. It was 17 years of you never knew what was coming.
This chapter of NFL history is now closed. It was glorious, and it flew by all to quickly. Adieu Brett, thanks for the memories.
If Brett Favre really has chucked his last off-balance, ill-advised pass down field into three defenders and an opening the size of a kicking tee while being draped by two hoggies thrice his size, somewhere there's a fat lady singing.
You can bet it's not Sonny & Cher's "I got you babe." No, the Groundhog Day that was Favre's career, is according to No. 4, over. Green Bay no longer has it's beloved, brash signal-caller. For my money, the large lady is probably busting out the Who's "I'm Free."
Wisonsinites, the NFL and football fans everywhere won't be singing along.
He gets to go home. He can go play touch football in his jeans on a farm somewhere. But we get left behind without a maverick. Football and the NFL have transformed into an American game of Roman proportions since the Atlanta Falcons decided it would be a smart idea to shop Favre. His retirement officially signifies the end of a forgotten football era.
For us left behind, we might just hear an overweight female singing a sad rendition of The Doors "The End."
But the end of what exactly?
The late 1980s through the mid 1990s were the glory days of football. It was before Spygate, before these annoying two- and three-back systems, before coaches tried to freeze kickers mid-snap and before unnecessary quarterback controversies overplayed by the vulturous media.
Remember when Joe Montana, then Steve Young passed the 49ers and Bill Walsh into the national spotlight? Jerry Rice was a superstar. He was no Randy Moss, then again he also was no Randy Moss! John Taylor, Roger Craig and Tom Rathman were studs.
How about Bo Jackson? What a player. There won't be another like him.
Barry Sanders, ditto. How many backs get the chance to carry the load anymore? The day of dizzying spin moves isn't over, but the day of devotion to one runner is.
How 'bout them Cowboys? For my money, as much as you can hate Troy and the 'boys, they weren't half the boring team Tom Brady and the Patriots are. Sure they score a lot of points, but Asante Samuel was no Deion. Laurence Maroney is surely no Emmitt Smith, and who is the Pats' Leon Lett?
Even the hapless Buffalo Bills, perennial playoff letdowns, are a type of team that won't be seen again.
Favre is not and never was an enigma. He was an above-average athlete that got to play through his personal shortcomings on the football field. It will never happen again. Never.
His records wouldn't be if he were starting today. He'd be killed by the media. Rex Grossman anybody? Give a guy a chance, he just might turn into a legend, but chances cost too much money nowadays.
How long till Tony Romo loses his starting gig? No, this is not the NFL's glory days. This is the end of them. This is when the NFL, like every other sport, over-markets its superstars (and unproven draft picks), over-hypes its games and forgets what made them great.
Favre was the underdog that always stood a chance. It was 17 years of you never knew what was coming.
This chapter of NFL history is now closed. It was glorious, and it flew by all to quickly. Adieu Brett, thanks for the memories.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
International Women's Day: Have Sports Gained Ground?
Today is the day women everywhere are recognized for, well, being women. It's International Women's Day (IWD).
On this day in 1884, one Susan B. Anthony addressed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to appeal for women's voting rights. They didn't come till much later, and for years, women came together on this day for protests and marches to advance women's rights throughout America.
Women can now vote. They can do anything really. Their salaries are finally starting to creep up behind men's. They have career freedom and more and more women choose to put off childbirth every year. Stay-at-home-dads are probably at an all-time high.
But this is only in America and other developed countries. In third-world countries, the problems continue. Women are regarded as less than men, and in some cases, less than human. They lack rights, and they lack safety. Nearly 540,000 women die a year giving birth.
Yes, the world has it's major problems.
But in the U.S., have things really gotten any better? Obviously, they have, but what hasn't changed that needs to?
Today I opened both Seattle local papers and found exactly zero stories on IWD. Zero.
I couldn't believe it myself, but I half expected it. Turning on the tube, I noted three national stations showing NCAA men's basketball. Only the local FSN had the NCAA women on, despite the fact that the women are in conference tournaments and the men are just wrapping up regular-season play.
I've seen this all before.
I used to write for the University of Washington student newspaper, The Daily. I was eager to get involved in any way possible, and that way turned out to be to cover the women's basketball team. I was excited.
My excitement lasted all three seasons, but unfortunately, interest in the team never grew. Not a fifth of the people that came to watch the men, came to watch the women. In the student section, not 1/100 showed up.
I had run-ins with editors that actually said no one cares about women's basketball. I was taken aback. Which came first, I asked, the chicken or the egg? Who's going to come watch if we never feature the women? Who will care if we don't give them the opportunity to?
Maybe I'm an idealist. I think so. I really think that no one outside of the families and the athletes gives two anythings for women's sports. I don't know why, but it clearly shows that women have a lot of ground left to gain here at home even.
I've seen girls' and womens' basketball games that were more exciting than many boys' and mens' games hands down. I've seen amazing athletes that will never get the accolades of their male counterparts. If you haven't, you haven't looked.
We're all to blame. The family unit has nearly become a thing of the past and in a quest to prove their equality, many women have shunned traditional values for individual freedom. I am a supporter, but I don't think they'll ever reach their mountain top.
That doesn't mean I don't think they should try.
On this day in 1884, one Susan B. Anthony addressed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee to appeal for women's voting rights. They didn't come till much later, and for years, women came together on this day for protests and marches to advance women's rights throughout America.
Women can now vote. They can do anything really. Their salaries are finally starting to creep up behind men's. They have career freedom and more and more women choose to put off childbirth every year. Stay-at-home-dads are probably at an all-time high.
But this is only in America and other developed countries. In third-world countries, the problems continue. Women are regarded as less than men, and in some cases, less than human. They lack rights, and they lack safety. Nearly 540,000 women die a year giving birth.
Yes, the world has it's major problems.
But in the U.S., have things really gotten any better? Obviously, they have, but what hasn't changed that needs to?
Today I opened both Seattle local papers and found exactly zero stories on IWD. Zero.
I couldn't believe it myself, but I half expected it. Turning on the tube, I noted three national stations showing NCAA men's basketball. Only the local FSN had the NCAA women on, despite the fact that the women are in conference tournaments and the men are just wrapping up regular-season play.
I've seen this all before.
I used to write for the University of Washington student newspaper, The Daily. I was eager to get involved in any way possible, and that way turned out to be to cover the women's basketball team. I was excited.
My excitement lasted all three seasons, but unfortunately, interest in the team never grew. Not a fifth of the people that came to watch the men, came to watch the women. In the student section, not 1/100 showed up.
I had run-ins with editors that actually said no one cares about women's basketball. I was taken aback. Which came first, I asked, the chicken or the egg? Who's going to come watch if we never feature the women? Who will care if we don't give them the opportunity to?
Maybe I'm an idealist. I think so. I really think that no one outside of the families and the athletes gives two anythings for women's sports. I don't know why, but it clearly shows that women have a lot of ground left to gain here at home even.
I've seen girls' and womens' basketball games that were more exciting than many boys' and mens' games hands down. I've seen amazing athletes that will never get the accolades of their male counterparts. If you haven't, you haven't looked.
We're all to blame. The family unit has nearly become a thing of the past and in a quest to prove their equality, many women have shunned traditional values for individual freedom. I am a supporter, but I don't think they'll ever reach their mountain top.
That doesn't mean I don't think they should try.
Seattle Seahawks Sign Julius Jones
Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it doesn't, it just sort of stays the same.
Julius Jones has signed with the Hawks giving them a running corps of five backs I could care less about. I thought T.J. Duckett (a clone of Leonard Weaver) was a waste of time and money, but this move really takes the cake.
Jones could be Shaun Alexander's smaller, faster twin. They both have perfected the two-yards-and-fall-upon-first-contact running style that Seattle and Dallas fans have come to detest, and for good reason.
The only way I support this move is if Seattle grabs an offensive lineman in the draft.
Jones' speed is meaningless if Mike Wahle is the only upgrade to the hoggies. He needs holes to run through people. It's like a dog at a show jumping through hoops. The puppy flies when he sees the daylight in the rings, but no daylight and the sucker just sits there.
Mo Morris has Jones' speed, and the Hawks could never capitalize on it because they could never run block.
If Jones brought anything besides what Momo brings, don't you think he would have carried more of the load in Dallas. Sure, Marion Barber is a freak, but Jones had all the carries in the world (plus a decent line in front of him) and he only managed to fall off his horse riding into the Texas sunset.
And don't give me any of this crap that he averages five more yards a carry at Quest Field because the "track is fast." Two strong performances do not a feature-back make.
So now what happens with Alexander? Who cares?
I like the guy. He's a great community member and all, but football-wise, he's done. He did Seattle proud for a couple seasons and made his money. Now we don't have to watch him fall apart in front of us, we'll leave that up to Jones.
Julius Jones has signed with the Hawks giving them a running corps of five backs I could care less about. I thought T.J. Duckett (a clone of Leonard Weaver) was a waste of time and money, but this move really takes the cake.
Jones could be Shaun Alexander's smaller, faster twin. They both have perfected the two-yards-and-fall-upon-first-contact running style that Seattle and Dallas fans have come to detest, and for good reason.
The only way I support this move is if Seattle grabs an offensive lineman in the draft.
Jones' speed is meaningless if Mike Wahle is the only upgrade to the hoggies. He needs holes to run through people. It's like a dog at a show jumping through hoops. The puppy flies when he sees the daylight in the rings, but no daylight and the sucker just sits there.
Mo Morris has Jones' speed, and the Hawks could never capitalize on it because they could never run block.
If Jones brought anything besides what Momo brings, don't you think he would have carried more of the load in Dallas. Sure, Marion Barber is a freak, but Jones had all the carries in the world (plus a decent line in front of him) and he only managed to fall off his horse riding into the Texas sunset.
And don't give me any of this crap that he averages five more yards a carry at Quest Field because the "track is fast." Two strong performances do not a feature-back make.
So now what happens with Alexander? Who cares?
I like the guy. He's a great community member and all, but football-wise, he's done. He did Seattle proud for a couple seasons and made his money. Now we don't have to watch him fall apart in front of us, we'll leave that up to Jones.
Friday, March 7, 2008
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Thursday, March 6, 2008
Which one Ruined Golf? Duck Hunt Meets the PGA, Phones Debut
What an idiot
Tripp Isenhour, a two-year, part-time PGA tour card holder, aimed at and killed a red-shouldered hawk with a golf ball on Wednesday. The hawk reportedly was annoying Isenhour while he was filming a golf shot for the television show "Shoot Like a Pro" in Orlando.
Taking matters into his own hands, Isenhour repeatedly aimed at the bird, which was too loud for his taste, until he shot it down. The bird was buried on the course.
While Isenhour has released an official statement saying he's an animal lover and his shots had no ill intentions, his actions have spoken much louder than his words, which come all too late. I don't think anyone cares if you have three adopted cats at home dude.
Here I thought we golfed to escape the city and to see birds and to be one with nature. What was I thinking?
Apparently, going out on a golf course has now become some twisted version of "Duck Hunt."
I'm not the best golfer, I never had a card on the Tour to lose twice and I don't shoot TV shows, but I do think this guy should be banned from the sport.
We all make mistakes of course, but this is malice people.
The great outdoors are part of what makes golf great, and if Isenhour can't understand that, he's lacking a basic respect for the game and for those who've played before him. At the least, we should put Isenhour's picture up at every golf course in the nation with a large "BANNED" above it.
No more golf for you mister, not after that.
I always thought Tiger would aim at a fan on purpose after she snapped a souvenir during the Champ's back swing.
I didn't think golf was so inhumane.
And talk about ruining golf.
Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone on this day in 1876.
I hate phones. Phones will mess up golf real quick.
I'm the first to admit that I talk on them constantly, and yes, I've had a cell phone since 2000, but I mean it, I really hate them.
Mom, I love you. I love you too Dad, and Sis too, but can't we all just wait till we get home?
It's impersonal. It's trapping. The things are practically plugged into our kids nowadays, and no where is safe from their reach.
How many times have you had a buddy take calls on the course? People texting in the golf cart? Other people you don't know talking loud enough so that you can hear them as you're lining up for double-bogey three holes away?
Thank Bell for that.
Actually, today I guess it kind of makes sense.
Yesterday, a little bit of nature died on the course. Yes, it is sad when humans show disrespect for any life.
But March 7, 1876 was a far more infamous day for golf and for golfers.
Tripp Isenhour, a two-year, part-time PGA tour card holder, aimed at and killed a red-shouldered hawk with a golf ball on Wednesday. The hawk reportedly was annoying Isenhour while he was filming a golf shot for the television show "Shoot Like a Pro" in Orlando.
Taking matters into his own hands, Isenhour repeatedly aimed at the bird, which was too loud for his taste, until he shot it down. The bird was buried on the course.
While Isenhour has released an official statement saying he's an animal lover and his shots had no ill intentions, his actions have spoken much louder than his words, which come all too late. I don't think anyone cares if you have three adopted cats at home dude.
Here I thought we golfed to escape the city and to see birds and to be one with nature. What was I thinking?
Apparently, going out on a golf course has now become some twisted version of "Duck Hunt."
I'm not the best golfer, I never had a card on the Tour to lose twice and I don't shoot TV shows, but I do think this guy should be banned from the sport.
We all make mistakes of course, but this is malice people.
The great outdoors are part of what makes golf great, and if Isenhour can't understand that, he's lacking a basic respect for the game and for those who've played before him. At the least, we should put Isenhour's picture up at every golf course in the nation with a large "BANNED" above it.
No more golf for you mister, not after that.
I always thought Tiger would aim at a fan on purpose after she snapped a souvenir during the Champ's back swing.
I didn't think golf was so inhumane.
And talk about ruining golf.
Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone on this day in 1876.
I hate phones. Phones will mess up golf real quick.
I'm the first to admit that I talk on them constantly, and yes, I've had a cell phone since 2000, but I mean it, I really hate them.
Mom, I love you. I love you too Dad, and Sis too, but can't we all just wait till we get home?
It's impersonal. It's trapping. The things are practically plugged into our kids nowadays, and no where is safe from their reach.
How many times have you had a buddy take calls on the course? People texting in the golf cart? Other people you don't know talking loud enough so that you can hear them as you're lining up for double-bogey three holes away?
Thank Bell for that.
Actually, today I guess it kind of makes sense.
Yesterday, a little bit of nature died on the course. Yes, it is sad when humans show disrespect for any life.
But March 7, 1876 was a far more infamous day for golf and for golfers.
Joey Harrington Released by Atlanta Falcons
His future was limitless. Sure, he was a bit undersized, but Oregon's Joey Harrington could throw the football. Joey Heisman had a billboard in Times Square for goodness sake.
And now, here he stands a free agent.
One has to wonder how this all came to be. He's a great guy. His background is flawless. You would never find him in a strip club smacking dancers around with the butt-end of his handgun. He never got suspended for drugs. He never, ever, got out of hand with the media ala Ryan Leaf. Nice guys really do finish last I suppose.
But is he finished?
The better question is what the hell happened? First of all, Detroit and Matt Millen and their inefficient running game and offensive line killed him (not too mention high-profile receivers that never amounted to anything). His confidence couldn't have fallen further if it was up on that Times Square billboard. Next thing you know, Harrington can't make the simple passes and every Detroit fan boos the kid incessantly.
While the former Duck never lost faith in his religion, he may just have lost faith in himself.
When he finally got out of Detroit, he didn't get into a system of support. Detroit fans could blame Harrington for their mediocrity all they like, but they still haven't figured out how to integrate balance into their offense.
The same could be said of Miami. He never had an overly strong supporting cast there, and while he shined initially (most notably taking it to the Lions at Ford Field), it wasn't long before interceptions pulled down his star and put him on the bench in favor of Cleo Lemon.
Atlanta came calling. Harrington earned the backup spot and next thing you know, Mike Vick gave him the starting gig. Harrington said it was the most confident he'd felt his entire career. He showed it at first, leading Atlanta before those dang ill-advised throws came creeping back into his psyche.
Benched again, and now released, will he ever realize that billboard? Will he even get the chance? To say he's not deserving would be untrue, but it also might be right. He's had his chances, and each time, he's thrown his way to the bench.
He and we can blame the turbulent environments he played in, but the fact is Harrington is a head case. Head cases don't make good quarterbacks. I say he should just get to work on producing the third generation Harrington Oregon quarterback before his confidence starts to effect other areas of his 'playing ability.'
And now, here he stands a free agent.
One has to wonder how this all came to be. He's a great guy. His background is flawless. You would never find him in a strip club smacking dancers around with the butt-end of his handgun. He never got suspended for drugs. He never, ever, got out of hand with the media ala Ryan Leaf. Nice guys really do finish last I suppose.
But is he finished?
The better question is what the hell happened? First of all, Detroit and Matt Millen and their inefficient running game and offensive line killed him (not too mention high-profile receivers that never amounted to anything). His confidence couldn't have fallen further if it was up on that Times Square billboard. Next thing you know, Harrington can't make the simple passes and every Detroit fan boos the kid incessantly.
While the former Duck never lost faith in his religion, he may just have lost faith in himself.
When he finally got out of Detroit, he didn't get into a system of support. Detroit fans could blame Harrington for their mediocrity all they like, but they still haven't figured out how to integrate balance into their offense.
The same could be said of Miami. He never had an overly strong supporting cast there, and while he shined initially (most notably taking it to the Lions at Ford Field), it wasn't long before interceptions pulled down his star and put him on the bench in favor of Cleo Lemon.
Atlanta came calling. Harrington earned the backup spot and next thing you know, Mike Vick gave him the starting gig. Harrington said it was the most confident he'd felt his entire career. He showed it at first, leading Atlanta before those dang ill-advised throws came creeping back into his psyche.
Benched again, and now released, will he ever realize that billboard? Will he even get the chance? To say he's not deserving would be untrue, but it also might be right. He's had his chances, and each time, he's thrown his way to the bench.
He and we can blame the turbulent environments he played in, but the fact is Harrington is a head case. Head cases don't make good quarterbacks. I say he should just get to work on producing the third generation Harrington Oregon quarterback before his confidence starts to effect other areas of his 'playing ability.'
This Day in Sports: Tom O'Hara Runs His Tail Off, Shaq Lives, Kirby Dies
March 6th, 1964.
Tom O'Hara of Illinois finished the indoor mile in under four minutes 44 years ago today.
Yikes!
Myself, I keep an eight-minute pace and I've never just tried to race a mile. It might be an interesting undertaking, if you're into punishment from the pavement like myself anyhow.
Shoot Tom could probly still whoop my behind. Running is a challenge isn't it? My right hamstring feels like it is made out of ice today. Sweet.
Speaking of painful running...
Shaq better figure out how to get up and down. Happy birthday big man. On this day in 1972, you said hello to the world, now it's time you say hello to the treadmill. I love the big fella, but he better get some good rest before the Suns take on division leading Utah. His 12 and 18 didn't look too bad today, they also didn't get it done.
As for done...
Willie Stargel was also born today. He was a great player, but the only reason done fits in here is because the Pirates are already done in the NL Central. Sorry Pittsburgh, this is the year the Reds finally take control of that crappy division. Tis a shame they haven't put it together sooner, but Dusty Baker is the promised one (as long as Scott Hatteberg gets the nod at first over Joey Votto for now).
Cassius Clay became Mohammed Ali on this day in 1964. Sadly, many journalists at the time didn't take the worthy one's conversion to Islam seriously. Howard Cosell recognized the name change. The world hasn't changed much here. It's sad people can't have more compassion or understanding.
It's also sad to note Kirby Puckett died two years ago today.
Man, he was impressive. Puckett was everyone's favorite player, until he woke up in March of 1996 and couldn't see. Diagnosed with glaucoma, one of the game's best hitters crumbled under the collapse of his baseball career and made bad press before ultimately falling victim to the loss of his baseball skills.
Your smile, your hustle, and your persona are missed Mr. Puckett. You got a raw deal.
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