Hotdog & Friends

Constable Echelon

I’m currently studying a little revolutionary era France. I’ll admit it’s always been a little hard to wrap my head around the idea of a society so unjust that the only recourse for the common man was to take to the streets, round up those responsible, and cut off their heads. I imagine that insatiable bloodlust started with those people feeling like I feel right now.

Obviously I’m being dramatic. It’s just a basketball team. In theory I’ll get over this.

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Fig Jam

So it looks like Howard Shultz is the Sonics last hope. This should not make anyone feel good.  Shultz’s lawsuit asks for the Court to literally transfer ownership of the Sonics back to local ownership, nullifying the original contract.  Right.  That’s going to happen.

I see the court unravel complex multi-million dollar transactions involving multiple parties and heated political issues all the time.

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I’d like to extend a warm Internet welcome to the Seattle Soccer Show. Hosted by Mati Bishop (Sounders color guy) and Matt Gaschk (P-I Sounders beat writer/KJR AM producer), it offers a unique and entertaining look into the local soccer community. If you’re looking for another way to enhance your Sounders cred, this is it.

Check it out: http://seattlesoccershow.blogspot.com/

 
Image from Offide Seattle

Constable Echelon

Here’s something I wrote last year just after the Tour’s conclusion that I wish I had written before the Tour to psyche people up for it. Well now the earth has moved almost completely around the sun since then rendering this post viable for the first time. I think it’s solid. Enjoy.

Tour, Je t’aime

PS I’m backing Juan Mauricio Soler Hernandez.  Tour starts Saturday.

Fig Jam

And the only prescription, is more Spaniards.  Fresh off Spain’s win of Euro 2008, everything Spanish is flying off the shelves.  The Griz, not to be left out, went out and signed themselves a Gasol.  Pau’s brother: Marc.  Apparently he’s tall (7′1″) and won some variety of European MVP award last year…. so he obviously legit (I guess that’s sarcastic.  I don’t know.  Is European basketball any worse than the NBA anymore?  I can’t tell). 

Anyways, seems like the Memphis Grizzlies are not satisfied to have one huge Euro on their team (in the form of a certain Darko Milicic).  Now they have 2. Twice the dissapointment is possible. 

Constable Echelon

Joel Smith was kicked off the basketball team on Friday. Didn’t hear? That’s because the UW buried the press release for 5pm on Friday.  In the world of public relations, 5pm on Friday is where you put news like “Mark Emmert files suit against ocean for harboring jellyfish - denies rape allegations”.

So why was Montlake running from this story? Because they knew exactly how it would be received.

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Hotdog

At the end of the day, it was a Liverpool man who ruled the day at Euro 2008. A thrilling, wholly entertaining tournament came to a close with the pride of Merseyside holding the European Champion’s trophy aloft while the streets of his native Spain erupted.

His armband proved he was a Red, Torres, Torres!! You’ll never walk alone it said, Torres, Torres!!!!

Fernando Torres celebrates with his Spanish teammates.

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Sager Bombs

OK, so I know bashing ESPN is not exactly blazing a new trail, and I’m all for making wishes come true. HOWEVUH, ESPN insists on placing non-news into the one show that is supposed to be focused on actually reporting sports news. That’s right, it’s time for the return of My Wish, ESPN’s series where the hook up disabled kids with sports stars to grant their wildest dreams.

Is this really cool for the kids? Sure. Is it so cool that it might be deserving of its own show? PLEASE. Here are the things I want on Sportscenter: sports news, sports highlights, in depth coverage of bigger stories, and if it’s Sunday, a Sunday Conversation. Nothing else. Here are things I don’t want, ever: Who’s Now, Titletown USA, Ultimate Highlight, My Wish, and anything relating to Dancing With The Stars (No really. Don’t even say those four fucking words ever again). Not only are these segments a little awkward in between baseball analysis and two talking heads screaming at each other, they kind of smack of ESPN wanting to remind us just how great they are. The whole My Wish concept is the most egregious example of program filler that isn’t called “Who’s Now”. And worse, while it makes me happy for the kids, a lot of times the segments come off as manipulative of the audience and feel a bit greasy.

So how can this be fixed? Turns out ESPN has a daily show that relates to sporting issues that would be considered a little on the fringe for Sportscenter. Hell, you could even say they cover things that are “Outside The Lines”. Oh yeah, it’s called Outside The Lines. Segments like My Wish would be perfect there. Placing them inside Sportscenter makes me (a) change the channel, and (b) get angry at disabled people for screwing up my Sportscenter. And that’s something neither of us want. So please, for the love of god, just stop. It’s well intentioned, but absolutely fucking horrible.

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy seeing a kid get hurt every once in awhile.

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Fig Jam

I tried to think of the nicest term I could to describe the Sonics selection of big men over the past few seasons.  “Grossly incompetent” is the best I can do.  So it was no surprise to me that with the #4 pick yesterday the Sonics skirted the center position, despite the availability of Kevin Love, to take his teammate Russell Westbrook.  I guess I don’t really have a problem with the Westbrook selection.  I know Mr. Echelon called for this a while back.  However, if you are a team that is desperately in need of a center, and you have available to you the best center in college last season, why wouldn’t you take him?  As a true freshman this past season, in an absolutely loaded PAC 10 conference, Love was the best player.   He was a first team All American. What further player analysis do you need? 

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