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.

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.

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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.

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.'

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.