The Thunder Rolls....

As I'm sure most of you do, I have a routine when I get in to work in the morning. Turn on the computer, get coffee (if I haven't already from Starbucks, which actually makes this post quite hypocritical), check my work email, check my personal email, and then click on ESPN.com. It's always where I go first, has been since college. Today, this was the cover story.

Now, the tale of woe that surrounds the NBA and Seattle has been beaten into the ground over the past four years. The villainous NBA Commissioner who allowed the lying, scheming redneck billionaire from Oklahoma City to purchase the Sonics from the lying, financially motivated coffee magnate, the sheepish mayor who wouldn't stand up to the NBA, the City Council that simply didn't care, and the state politicians who cared even  less....

As painful as it all was, what's happening now in Oklahoma City is worse. The current Thunder team, which should be the current Sonics team, is the best team in the NBA's Western Conference. The roots of this team are in Seattle - the 2007-2008 team was Kevin Durant's rookie year, and it was the first year that Sam Presti was at the helm. Everybody remembers that draft, Presti's first chance to make an impact, and my lord did he. He traded away Ray Allen for draft picks, he didn't resign Rashard Lewis, and he brought in PJ Carlesimo to be the head coach. Let's not forget, that team was AWFUL. But even then, you KNEW that the pieces were beginning to fall into place. You had the most dynamic young player in the NBA in Kevin Durant. You had Jeff Green who was the 5th pick overall. You were stock piling high draft picks....the last time the Sonics were in this position was after the 1989-90 season, which as you recall, was the rookie season for another freak of nature once in a generation player.

The Sonics went 41-41 that year, but through previous trades (thanks Golden State) ended up with the second pick in the draft. Because they already had that monster power forward, there wasn't the trepidation about missing out on consensus #1 Derrick Coleman (Nice pick, Nets). The easy pick was a brash, defensive minded point guard from Oregon State named Gary Payton. All of the sudden, the Sonics had laid their foundation for the next decade. In the middle of the 1991-92 season, the Sonics fired Bernie Bickerstaff, hired George Karl and the rest as they say, is history....

Fast forward to 2008 NBA Draft. The Sonics/Thunder, fresh off of a 20-62 season and a rather abrupt move, found themselves with the fourth overall pick in the draft. Again - with an all world talent already in place, they needed a complimentary perimeter piece, someone to run the team. Enter UCLA guard Russell Westbrook. I mean, it's like the basketball gods were mocking Sonics fans. "Ok, so what we can do is essentially mimic exactly what the Sonics did in the early 90's, except we'll do it in Oklahoma City and really absolutely crush the soul's of those losers in the 206."

In the middle of the 2008-2009 season, Sam Presti fired PJ Carlesimo and named Scott Brooks head coach (Basically, sub Carlesimo for Bickerstaff and Brooks for Karl). With Durant and Westbrook in tow, the Thonics have added James Harden and Serge Ibaka through the draft, traded for Kendrick Perkins and utilized veteran role playes like Nick Collison, Nate Robinson and now Derek Fisher....for god's sakes, it's like deja vu all over again! The mid 90's Sonics built through the draft with Kemp, Payton, McMillan and Ervin Johnson, traded for Big Smooth and Detlef and signed grizzled vets like Frank Brikowski. We all know that this is THE way to build a team in the NBA. It's how you contend for a decade, and it's what you don't do if you're the New York Knicks.

So here we are in 2012, and the Oklahoma City are the 2nd best team in the NBA. They are more exciting to watch than the Heat, they are deeper than the Bulls (arguably), and they have their core in place for the next five years. If they don't win an NBA Championship with this group, I will be shocked. They are that good. And this is that bad.....

So as much pain as was inflicted in June of 2008, this is worse. This is much worse. Instead of a parade down 4th Avenue, there will be one down Main Street (I'm just assuming that that is the main drag in Oklahoma City) or maybe in Farmer Johnson's Field off the interstate.

The only thing that can make me feel better is watching YouTube clips of the Reign Man

and then having a Reign Man at Oskar's.

4 1/4 oz 151 proof rum
3 oz Midori® melon liqueur
splash orange juice

Sprite

Combine

Then barf.

A Perfect Ending

If there was ever anything that embodied the up and down 2011-2012 season of the Washington Huskies Men's Basketball team, it was last night's one point loss to Minnesota.

The Huskies came out inexplicably flat in the first half of a game that was on national TV (sound familiar?), then rallied back by playing the exact way they SHOULD play all the time, only to fall short in the end because they just dug themselves too deep of a hole.

This begs the question - why? This team, on paper, is the most athletically gifted that Lorenzo Romar has had in his 10 seasons in Seattle. I realize that the 2005 team was a #1 seed, and boasted two NBA regulars and several fringe players, but this year's team has four legit NBA prospects (If you tell me Aziz won't get a sniff as NBA player, you clearly never watched the Sonics draft during the mid 2000's). For the first time ever, UW had BIG guards who were freak athletes. Abdul Gaddy is the smallest, and he's 6'3", and for some reason was ranked the #2 overall Point Guard in the class of 2009 behind John Wall. Seriously - explain that to me....

There is size and athleticism on the front line with Aziz (7'0 260), Darnell Gant (6'8" 235), Desmond Simmons (6'7" 230) and ASJ (6'6" 600 pounds of pure muscle). Even when there were highly touted post players in town like Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman, they were doing most of the work on their own, and they didn't posses that elite level athletic ability that we have now across the board.

Pair all of that with a seriously down Pac-12, and the Huskies should have cake walked through the season into the NCAA tournament. Instead, well, they didn't. It was a struggle. And I mean a STRUGGLE. No offensive flow, defensive breakdowns, bad shots, quick shots, inexplicable shots and inexplicable losses.

Despite all of that, they won 14 conference games and won the league title outright for only the 2nd time in 50 years. And, there were flashes of brilliance - oh my stars, were there their flashes of brilliance.

Like I said, BRILLIANCE...

That's what made this season even more frustrating - the talent was undeniable. But what in the name of high school football held them back? Why was the defense so bad? Why couldn't they...close?

Ah, there it is - there's what we're missing. A closer. Any great team in any sport has a closer. Think about the best teams in sports over the last 20 years. Yankees? Mo Rivera. Lakers? Kobe. Celtics? Pierce. Patriots? Brady. 2005 Huskies? Nate Rob or B-Roy. 2009 Huskies? Brockman. 2010 Huskies? Quincy. 2011 Huskies? IT. 2012 Huskies? Uh.....

What's even more frustrating? There are TWO guys who it could have been! Both Ross and Wroten are so immensely talented, they should be able to take the game over when it's crunch time. Wroten can get to the rim with ease and draw fouls nearly every time. So what does he do? Misses free throws half of the time, and then makes careless and stupid fouls on defense. And my god, the shooting....the shooting....if somebody, ANYBODY (Ryan Appleby?) could teach this kid how to shoot a jumper, he would be damn near unstoppable. Terrence Ross is one of the most physically gifted players to ever come through Seattle. And yet - he simply disappears for long stretches of games. We've seen him take over games exactly four times. USC in 2011, WSU, UCLA and Northwestern this year. That's it. Not to say he hasn't had good games other times, but he hasn't imposed his will on teams. WHY NOT???? HE'S SO MUCH BETTER THAN 99% OF THE PLAYERS IN THE COUNTRY! Maybe he just doesn't have the killer instinct like those other guys do, I don't know - even Wroten has it, he wants the ball, he just doesn't know what to do with it most of the time.

The long and short of it is, I'm exhausted from this season. Exhausted from the what if's, the near misses and absolute deflating moments. The worst part of it is watching a certain 6'8" power forward make nothing but winning plays for Kentucky on their run to the Final Four, while a 5'9" (in shoes) point guard is on his way to winning Rookie of The Year for the Sacramento Kings, even though he was the last player taken in the NBA Draft this past June. Those are the guys that we're missing. Closers.

Until next year....

Why Baseball Is Still The Greatest

I can hear the groans already - Baseball is NOT America's Pastime. The NFL sells out on a weekly basis, TV ratings are through the roof, the Super Bowl is a national holiday, the NCAA Tournament is the most exciting three weeks in sports, blah blah blah blah blah.

All of that is true. But none of it holds a candle to baseball. Major League Baseball has done so much more for so many more people for so much longer than any other sport. Period. Do father's raise their sons running post patterns and working on the "Three Technique" in the backyard? No, they play catch. At the beginning of an NFL season, does every team feel like they have a chance to win? No - but in baseball, even the Royals and Pirates can feel excited during spring training, because you NEVER know what will happen.

As we sit here on March 27th, the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's are preparing to open the 2012 season in Japan. I don't care that the Mariners lost 95 games last year, or 101 the year before - ok, that's a lie, I do care, tremendously - but it has no bearing on THIS season, at least not yet. Before a pitch is thrown, any and all fans can dream of October baseball, and heart stopping theatrics from teams that nobody thought would even make the playoffs in August - right St. Louis fans?

It's very true that your team might be completely out of the race by mid May, and it's very true that they might deal away your star players for prospects by June. But for now, think about this. The next six months hold immense potential - for a dream season, for heart stopping heroics, for legends to be born. If that's not what you're into, then imagine it's a 75 degree Seattle night, with the sun setting over the Olympic Mountains.

From the Beer Garden in center field, you and your three best friends sit and sip on your $9 Coors Light's. There's no conversation - just a calm between you as you take in the game you grew up watching. You remember going to the Kingdome with your dad or grandpa or older brother to watch the "legends" of the past, like Rey Quinones or Pete O'Brien or Scott Bankhead. Or, you know, those other guys .

So, no disrespect to NFL Opening Weekend, or The NCAA Tournament, but nothing beats baseball. Nothing.