Ken Griffey, Junior is coming back home.
He's pitched Pepsi before, so let's call it the 'Right Choice.' Needless to say, as a lifelong Junior fan with the Nike Swingman tattooed on my right arm, I am exceedingly happy.
Shoot, one of the deciding factors in my relocation to Seattle was Griff and the Mariners. I've been watching Reds and White Sox gamecasts online for years. I've poured over the stats. I've read almost every quote ever to come out of Junior's mouth.
Mildly obsessed? Majorly.
When all the Garret Anderson or Griffey talk was going on, I was flabbergasted. I thought Seattle front office blunders would again reinforce my hatred for the organization.
They let Griffey go the first time by not inking him to a long-term deal. They never make trades for the post-season run. Never.
But then, Griffey chose the Emerald City and the clouds over the Seattle sports scene have begun to break up.
The future is wide open. Of course, I'm not expecting 60 homers and 150 RBI. I'm realistic. But realistically, I can see Griffey putting 30 over the fence and driving in 100.
He might be the missing piece that galvanizes the 100-loss team.
Harold Reynolds' insight into Griffey's agonizing decision-making days were the most in depth I've seen. Reynolds had it right, Seattle has a more realistic chance of being a contender than the Braves have of overtaking the world-champion Philadelphia Phillies or the New York Mets.
The pitching is reinvigorated. Are you watching 2007 first-round draft pick Canadian right-hander Phillippe Aumont in the World Baseball Classic right now?
Get him in the show. The guy is big with heat, and he can break one off. I would love to see him in Seattle before the all-star break.
Miguel Batista will refire. Erik Bedard with put the 'K' back in his name.
Griffey will unite the clubhouse.
Garret Anderson caught the injury bug Friday, hurting soft tissue in his calf. I feel for him, but thank goodness we didn't sign him, we've got a mission.
The American League West is not out of the question. The Mariners have penciled in some of the answers.
After all, the champions on paper are rarely hoisting the World Series trophy come October.
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.
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Seattle. Show all posts
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Finding Nate Robinson on Youtube's Birthday
I missed the dunk contest.
Between acquiring huge, pink, amazing smelling tiger lilies and taking care of the everyday business of being the world's best boyfriend, I had my hands full.
Well, I may not be the world's best boyfriend, but shucks, I try to be.
Yoda would say, "There is no try, only do," to which I would reply, "I am doing oh wise, green creature."
I didn't even remember this was NBA All-Star Weekend. My love and I hit the gym for 'bring in your significant other so we can lock them into a contract day,' and then we together for the first time ventured into a Pho joint for the highly touted noodle soup.
I recommend it, but soup never really fills me up. Get extra vegetables. Careful with the Sriracha.
To chop a long tale short, I didn't even watch ESPN this weekend. Busy is the man who loves. Or maybe it's just me. Sometimes, I am rather beaver-like.
Anyhow, the dunk contest.
I had to log on to youtube to see the dunks. Coincidentally, this has only been possible since four years ago today.
Happy birthday youtube. Man, the site kicks butt. You can find anything on it. Want to see some funny stuff? Search for Chris Farley, the late funny man also born on this day. Farley was some good clean fun. Sort of.
But, back to the dunks.
Nate Robinson is the short man's hero. I am a short man.
Holy cow, the man can leap! Wish I had those ups. Not my hero, but I'm sayin'!
While I do think the whole Superman/Kryptonite was a total setup, that didn't really dampen the performance. Nate can fly. The green shoes? Super dope.
Go Nate. Now, if only New York could get rolling (for Nate's sake). You gotta love the hometown alumni.
Speaking of the hometown, Nate isn't the only baller representin'. Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster, Spencer Hawes, and others are showing the rain can grow some NBA players, while the college ranks are filled with Seattlites.
Today I saw the future.
I had the opportunity to mill around, eat snacks and drink G2 while the best high school players in the area (from bottom to top in height) had a photo session and interviews at the P-I.
These kids have no idea how lucky they are. So young, so talented. Future so wide open. Watch out for Josh Smith world. Peyton Siva makes plays. The rest of the squad isn't a drop off.
It's a sign that Washington basketball as a whole is taking off. The Pac-10 is a tough conference (thanks to many Seattle-area players) and guys are getting serious looks from major D1 programs. Seattle U is actually one of them and they're actually not too bad.
Go Seattle. Who needs the Thunder anyhow?
In closing, go youtube seattle high school basketball players and check out some sick plays. When you're finished, find Farley and laugh a little.
Or laugh a lot. Life is short. So am I. So is Nate.
Nate can dunk...so I can dunk? Wait a sec!
Between acquiring huge, pink, amazing smelling tiger lilies and taking care of the everyday business of being the world's best boyfriend, I had my hands full.
Well, I may not be the world's best boyfriend, but shucks, I try to be.
Yoda would say, "There is no try, only do," to which I would reply, "I am doing oh wise, green creature."
I didn't even remember this was NBA All-Star Weekend. My love and I hit the gym for 'bring in your significant other so we can lock them into a contract day,' and then we together for the first time ventured into a Pho joint for the highly touted noodle soup.
I recommend it, but soup never really fills me up. Get extra vegetables. Careful with the Sriracha.
To chop a long tale short, I didn't even watch ESPN this weekend. Busy is the man who loves. Or maybe it's just me. Sometimes, I am rather beaver-like.
Anyhow, the dunk contest.
I had to log on to youtube to see the dunks. Coincidentally, this has only been possible since four years ago today.
Happy birthday youtube. Man, the site kicks butt. You can find anything on it. Want to see some funny stuff? Search for Chris Farley, the late funny man also born on this day. Farley was some good clean fun. Sort of.
But, back to the dunks.
Nate Robinson is the short man's hero. I am a short man.
Holy cow, the man can leap! Wish I had those ups. Not my hero, but I'm sayin'!
While I do think the whole Superman/Kryptonite was a total setup, that didn't really dampen the performance. Nate can fly. The green shoes? Super dope.
Go Nate. Now, if only New York could get rolling (for Nate's sake). You gotta love the hometown alumni.
Speaking of the hometown, Nate isn't the only baller representin'. Jamal Crawford, Brandon Roy, Martell Webster, Spencer Hawes, and others are showing the rain can grow some NBA players, while the college ranks are filled with Seattlites.
Today I saw the future.
I had the opportunity to mill around, eat snacks and drink G2 while the best high school players in the area (from bottom to top in height) had a photo session and interviews at the P-I.
These kids have no idea how lucky they are. So young, so talented. Future so wide open. Watch out for Josh Smith world. Peyton Siva makes plays. The rest of the squad isn't a drop off.
It's a sign that Washington basketball as a whole is taking off. The Pac-10 is a tough conference (thanks to many Seattle-area players) and guys are getting serious looks from major D1 programs. Seattle U is actually one of them and they're actually not too bad.
Go Seattle. Who needs the Thunder anyhow?
In closing, go youtube seattle high school basketball players and check out some sick plays. When you're finished, find Farley and laugh a little.
Or laugh a lot. Life is short. So am I. So is Nate.
Nate can dunk...so I can dunk? Wait a sec!
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.
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