The Sad, Sordid Affair of Ryan Leaf Hits Close to Home

Any Husky or Cougar fan should remember the date November 22nd, 1997. On that day, two nationally ranked teams played a thriller in Seattle. A Rose Bowl berth was up for grabs, and at the helm of both teams were future NFL Quarterbacks. I sat in the stands at Husky Stadium and watched Ryan Leaf torch the Huskies for 41 points. Brock Huard did his best to keep up, but in the end, Leaf had too much fire power, and Cougars were Rose Bowl bound for the first time in approximately 200 years.

I remember thinking that day, as a 16 year old, "damn, that guy is good. Like, crazy good." And he was - physically gifted with the size and talent to be a dominant NFL Quarterback, Ryan Leaf literally had the world at his fingertips. 

The debate would rage for the better part of six months - who goes #1, Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? The Golden Boy from Football's First Family of Quarterbacks, or the brash superstar that lead an upstart team to prominence? 

It was a decision that would ultimately decide the fate of two franchises. Of course, the Colt smartly took Peyton, and the Chargers took Ryan Leaf. If this clip doesn't explain how badly things went for Leaf in San Diego, nothing will.

His failure as an NFL Quarterback is well documented. What happened to Leaf after football is almost as well documented. He is a drug addict, hooked on pain killers. He has been arrested, sent to rehab, and then arrested again. He had a benign tumor at the base of his brain, and went through radiation treatment. 

Not exactly an easy road. As of a week ago, Ryan Leaf was 18 months sober. It appeared that finally, at age 35, Ryan Leaf was getting it together. 

News began to leak on Friday that Leaf had been arrested again, this time for a string of burglaries and drug possession. The situation was so severe that a month long investigation was carried out by a special drug task force in Montana. 

Leaf was already on probation - after his arrest, he posted bail and went home to await trial. This was on Friday - like, three days ago Friday. 

On Sunday, like YESTERDAY Sunday, Ryan Leaf was arrested again. For burglary. Let me reiterate - in the span of 72 hours, Ryan Leaf was arrested twice for burglary and drug possession. 

The latest arrest does not provide Leaf with an option for bail - he will remain in prison. I am writing about this because, as an avid Husky fan that will take advantage of any situation to dump on the Cougars, I am heartbroken for Ryan Leaf. There it is, I said it. Heartbroken. 

I am the son of an addict. I watched my father piss away opportunity after opportunity, job after job, relationship after relationship until he was literally left with nothing. No family, no job...nothing. Once I was old enough to realize it, I was so angry I couldn't see straight. My anger turned to hurt, and my hurt turned to  pity. 

I learned over time that it's a sickness - an addict does not act on these impulses because they think it's fun. They are ill, and they have a disease - the addiction is the disease. There is nothing that an addict won't do to  fuel their needs, and it doesn't matter who it hurts or what it costs. It ruins families, it costs you friends....it will literally take away anything you hold dear. I know - I've seen it happen first hand, and I wouldn't wish it on anybody, ever. 

Ryan Leaf is a sick man. Is he an asshole? Probably. Was he a washout in the NFL? No doubt, maybe the biggest bust in NFL history. Maybe all of his struggles can be attributed back to his disease, and maybe not. Regardless, I feel for him. I want him to get healthy and get his life in order. Nobody deserves to go through what he has gone through and continues to struggle with. 

For once in my life, I'm rooting for a Coug. Let's go Ryan, let's go.

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. 

What makes it so special?

Every year around this time, ESPN runs it's "My Wish" series, which features stories of terminally ill children who have a sports wish granted - like hanging out with Shaq or managing the Minnesota Twins for a day. ESPN and The Make a Wish Foundation do an incredible job both helping children and creating compelling TV.

I look forward to it every year because no matter what, the stories always touch my heart in ways that very few things can. Why does sports have that ability? What is so powerful about sports that it  becomes a tool to help alleviate the pain of sickness and provide hope and motivation?

I really think it's the simplicity of the thing. Sports is something that brings people back to their innocence, back to their youth. It's pure (in theory, at least) - the sheer emotion from a game winning hit, a comeback, a buzzer beater - those thing elicit such pure emotion and joy (or heartbreak). I also think it has to do with the nostalgia. If you grew up a sports fan, chances are someone took you to games when you were little. For me it was my grandfather and my uncle. To the day that I die, I will associate Seattle Mariner games and University of Washington Football games with Dr. Harry J. Kraft and Richard Kraft. They were the ones who took me to The Kingdome, they were the ones who bundled me up and drug me up to section 48 in Husky Stadium on all those brisk November Saturday's.

Maybe I'm way off as to what makes sports so special and powerful. But regardless of WHY it happens, it happens. Movies are made about it, stories are written about it, and friendships blossom over it. I don't care why sports are so rad, I'm just glad that they are.

Are You Ready For Some Football? Meh....I guess....

Breaking news - the lockout is over. I mean, it's good news. It really is. Football is fun, the NFL is fun to watch, and Fantasy Football is one of the most entertaining games ever created. But really...If the NFL didn't come back, if the owners and players were stupid enough to dig in their heels and cost each other billions of dollars (seriously, it would be in the billions), I wouldn't have lost sleep.

I am over Terrell Owens, I am over Chad Ochojohnsoncinco, I am over Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell and Ben Roethlisbearwneaiouwbaslmbkjabaiobesgayger. I just don't care about professional football. For me, it doesn't hold a candle to the college game. There's nothing...NOTHING like college football. I don't even know if I can explain it. The game day experience, the passion, the emotion, the high's and low's, the trash talking....the history, my god, this history! College teams have been playing organized football for more than 100 years.

I don't know if I can even put my finger on it...maybe it's because you are so invested in a team because you went to school there, or your entire family went to school there. It doesn't matter if your team goes 0-12, you still live and die with them. You still have faith that next week is the week.

Here's the thing. I know that college football is big business. I know that schools and teams and coaches and players cheat, and it sucks. I went through it with my team, with my beloved Huskies. Doesn't matter though. I still rooted just as hard, cared just as much, and went up and down with them. Just like all Ohio State fans will, just like all the USC fans have done, and just like all the Oregon fans will once that other shoe drops. And by the way, Oregon, it's coming...you guys are going to take it right up the tail pipe. Don't think that Mark Emmert, former University of Washington President Mark Emmert, won't jump at a chance to absolutely BURY you if it presents itself.

Yeah - the resemblance is quite striking. 





There's nothing like waking up on Saturday, packing up Daniel Baker's truck and heading down to Montlake. There's nothing like getting that tent set up, getting that grill fired up, cracking open that first Busch Light and settling in with all of your best friends for an entire day of food, drinks and football.

So NFL, welcome back. I'm glad that there will be fantasy football this year. I'll see you on that first Saturday in September at Husky Stadium. Or Martin Stadium. Or The Horseshoe, or The Big House, or any other iconic stadium throughout the country. So yeah, I'm ready for some football.

Back in the Bloggosphere - The sad state of the Seattle Mariners

I don't know if it's a good thing or bad thing, but I'm back to blogging. A colleague of mine just started a "30 day Challenge," where she would do one thing everyday for 30 days, and it inspired me to start writing again. So, here we go. Hopefully, 30 days will turn into 60, 90 and so on and so fourth. It may very well be that the only people that will care are my wife, mother and dog, but they are the ones that matter, right? But I digress...

Much has happened in the near eight months since I last made any kind of post on this thing - the UW men's team went to the NCAA Tournament, Venoy Overton did his best Godfather (WWF, not Marlon Brando) impression, the Seahawks made the playoffs with a losing record, and the US Women's National Team stole defeat from the jaws of victory. That's all well and good, but the thing that has had the most profound effect on me is the Mariners 2011 season. All of their struggles have been well documented. They can't hit. They can't score runs. Their ownership group only cares about turning a profit. That's not the worst part for me, not by a long shot. The worst part is...this team is boring.

In the 80's, during the heyday of the Kingdome, when 2500 fans would come watch a game and them M's were regulars in the old AL West's cellar (uh, not they are anything different in the new AL West, but go with me here), there were still players you were excited to watch. It started in 1981 with Julio Cruz. He was exciting, he stole bases and played great defense. Then there was Cuffs, Bill Caudill. He was a closer, and he was eccentric. He was the first Mariner to record back to back 20 save seasons. Gaylor Perry got his 300th win in a Mariner uniform. In 1984, two future all stars debuted, Mark Langston and Mr. Mariner himself, Alvin Davis. AD won the Rookie of the Year award, and Langston won 17 games led the league in strikeouts. Those guys were exciting. Sure, the M's only won 74 games and finished 5th, but it was fun. The Reagan era Mariners gave way to 1989 and the arrival of Lou (who actually showed up in 1993) Griffey, Randy Johnson, Buhner, Edgar and the core group that would lead to 1995 and the arrival/revival of basebal in Seattle. No need to document that here, everybody knows what happened. What many people forget is that despite those great teams and players, the Mariners STILL have only made four playoff appearances in their history. So why was that period looked on so fondly? BECAUSE THERE WERE PLAYERS THAT WERE EXCITING TO WATCH. Even after 1995, when the M's had three losing seasons in four years, attendance skyrocketed. You had a chance to watch two of the greatest players in a generation on the same team (say what you will about A-Rod, he is one of the all time greats.

You never knew what you may see from those two. In 1996, Griffey hit .300 and 49 bombs while all a 21 year old A-Rod did was win a batting title and hit 36 homers. In 1998, Griff hit 56 homers and A-Rod went 40-40. No playoffs in either year, but my God were they fun to watch. Throw in Randy Johnson every five days, the pure brilliance of Edgar's swing and the potential Bobby Ayala meltdown each night, and those teams were ridiculously entertainig.

As entertaining and enthralling as the late 90's teams were, their destrcution was equally compelling. First Randy threw a fit on his way out of town. Then Jr. decided he couldn't hit homers in Safeco and held the club ransom for a trade. Then A-Rod swore "it wasn't about money, I just want to win," and went to a last place team for $252 million. No shortage of drama there. All the while, the M's went to the playoffs in 2000 and 2001 by adding the right peices to what was already in place. A-Rod led the team in 2000 with Olreud and Mike Cameron, and in 2001 Ichiro came to town and won the MVP and Rookie of the Year award all while playing a style of baseball that we've never seen. Every night was exciting, every night something amazing happened. The farm system was rich with talent, and we all had faith in the front office.

Fast forward a decade. Lou didn't get the support he wanted from the front office. We've seen the rapid aging of Edgar, Olerud, Boone and Cameron. We saw the putrid Bill Bavasi era that included bringing in overpriced and overmatched free agents and mortgaging the farm system for a broken down lefty who has in four years made less than 50 starts. Only now are the M's showing signs of pulling out of the Bavasi doldrums. But barely. And here's the problem. The product that the Mariners have put on the field isn't just bad, it's a boring team. It's not fun to watch. It's depressing. I don't enjoy watching Chone Figgins look overmatched by a 87 mph fastball. I don't like seeing our "superstar" right fielder grounding out the 2nd baseman four times a night. I don't like seeing our Gold Glove center fielder hitting .180 on July 21st.

Baseball is a very special game. It's a game where a 2-1 pitchers dual can be edge of your seat excitement. But that's not what we're facing. We're looking at a team that if Felix gives up two runs in the 2nd inning, he knows he's getting hung with a loss, because the offense isn't going to score two runs to get you back in the game. And if they do, you're very surprised and excited. This team doesn't have, and hasn't had anybody worth watching in nearly a decade. Not to say that there isn't talent on the roster. Felix and Michael Pineda are top of the rotation pitchers. But it's tough to watch them pitch every five days when you know they're going to lose 2-1 or 1-0. Imagine if the M's could put up four or five runs on a regular basis for those guys? Yeah....it would be nice.  Dustin Ackley looks like a legit star in the making, and Carlos Peguero can absolutely mash - if he only got thrown fastballs. Maybe he should ask JoBu to come...offer him rum, and cigars....

The point is...there is a flicker of hope, even if it's faint. But it's at least two years away. And for a fanbase that has already seriously erroded, this is hard to watch. The Kingdome was a fun place to watch baseball, and that fun brand of baseball gave birth to Safeco Field, SoDo Mojo and a ton of other crappy slogans. When I was growing up, the Mariners were awful, and I didn't like them...the Oakland A's were my favorite team and Jose Canseco was my favorite player. Despite that, my grandfather took me to games, and to this day I can say that I watched Ken Griffey Jr. play when he was 19 years old. Who are today's kids going to say they watched? "Back in 2011, I saw Jack Wilson play 2nd base. Man, did he have an odd looking face." Yeah, doesn't quite have the same ring to it.