Daily Dan Sports Blog

Sure, the Dawgs were spurned by a couple of former players kids when Josh Garnett (Scott Garnett’s son) and Zack Banner (Lincoln Kennedy’s son) chose Stanford and USC respectively over their pop’s alma mater. Yes, it hurts but let’s be real. Maybe these guys wanted to make a mark in a school different than where their fathers played. I get that.

But all is not lost…

Steve Sarkisian landed an even bigger fish. Shaq Thompson is the #1 rated safety in the country and one the top 5 players nationally. Certainly, all these kids still need to perform, but this was a coup for the Huskies. They also picked up a few more kids from California this evening and their class is rounding into fine shape.

You never know what you’re getting. Sometimes kids don’t pan out. But, on a week that sets the stage for years to come, the Dawgs should be pleased even if they didn’t land Garnett and Banner. The best of the bunch may be heading to Montlake!

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Joe Namath and Suzy Kolber

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to watch a fascinating documentary on Hall of Fame QB Joe Namath. It shows on HBO and prominently includes interviews with Namath, teammates, journalists, and Beaver Falls, PA residents.

One of the things that most impacted me was the incident that occurred between Namath and ESPN sideline reporter Suzy Kolber during a 2003 prime time game between the Jets and Miami Dolphins.

Namath was honored along with his teammates from the 1969 Super Bowl team. Namath admitted that he had been drinking heavily all day. By the time the 4th quarter rolled around, he was completely intoxicated. Kolber was charged with interviewing Broadway Joe. In the beginning, it was apparent that Namath was having some issues talking, but they had no idea what was about to happen in front of the entire prime time audience. Namath eschewed Kolber’s question about Chad Pennington and several times told her he wanted to kiss her. ESPN scrambled to get out of it, but the damage was done.

Namath admits he was humiliated. In fact, that set the stage for him to reform his life to where it is today. But, I digress. The thing that resonated with me was the response by Suzy Kolber.

She was interviewed for this documentary and clearly recounted the event, with assistance from the footage. She recounted how Namath called her the next day to apologize. She said it took him 5 minutes to apologize and she accepted. She then spent 45 more minutes on the phone with him talking football and life. Here’s what she said that so intrigued me. She said, “What I saw was a really good guy who was in trouble.” She felt bad for him, didn’t judge him, and saw him not as some drunk who couldn’t control himself, but as a regular guy who needed help.

In the world of sports, we are very quick to pass judgement. We often look for and hope that successful people fail (see Tim Tebow). We automatically jump to the conclusion that someone is damaged. I loved that Suzy Kolber looked deeper. She really exuded a perspective that thinks of the human being first. Often, journalists are the most cynical. Kolber showed humanity.

I’m as guilty as most of us. It’s easy to throw guys under the bus; make fun of them; and not worry about consequences to their lives. Suzy Kolber gave me perspective and one that I hope I can keep the next time my QB throws an interception or one of my sports “heroes” falls.

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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The University of Washington basketball team is young. Really young. Gone are floor leaders like Isaiah Thomas, Quincy Poindexter, and Jon Brockman from years past. The roster is filled with freshman

Lorenzo Romar

and sophomores, and even a scholarship football player. The Dawgs have at times looked clumsy and out of sorts. They’ve lost games they should have won. And, through all of that, they find themselves atop the Pac-12 (with a whole lot of other teams) at 6-2, and 13-7 overall after a win against Arizona State last night in Tempe.

At some point, we need to recognize the job Lorenzo Romar has done with this program. It’s one thing to recruit great players, which he has done. But, it is an altogether different thing to take a group of young players and guide them through turbulent times and growing pains, while still winning. That is exactly what he has done. Marv Harshman (Coach Romar’s old coach) at this point is certainly the king of coaches at Washington, at least in the modern era. I see Lorenzo Romar surpassing his mentor at some point. Why? He’s much younger when he got started here; has a long term deal at his alma mater; is a terrific recruiter; and most of all lives by his convictions. And, as it seems, he may know a little bit about X’s and O’s.

This team featuring Terrance Ross and Tony Wroten may end up being his best to date in the next year or so. In the meantime, they may still find a way to win the Pac-12 and go to the Big Dance. And all the credit goes to Lorenzo Romar…

But, that’s just me…

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Make no mistake, I wanted Prince Fielder in a Seattle Mariners uniform.

Justin Smoak

That being said, I’m okay with Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik not opting for the big dough that snagged Fielder for the Detroit Tigers. I guess as a lifelong M’s fan, I’ve seen Kevin Mitchell not hit HRs in the Kingome, and Richie Sexton and Adrian Beltre never come close to the power numbers they displayed with other teams. Now Fielder may be different, but the reality is that I think it’s too high a price-tag. Fielder may have several good years in front of him, but a 9-year commitment and still needing to sign your own guys like Felix Hernandez in a few years leads to an awful lot of issues. I’m tired of hearing people say the M’s didn’t try to get him. They have no idea that’s true. It’s not like they can run to the store and pick him up! Outside of money, why would he want to be here? The Mariners are at least a couple of years away from contending again; they are young; the ball park is huge and hitting HR’s isn’t easy; the cold makes it worse for the first 3 months… You get the picture. In Detroit, they are already contending and they have a hitter friendly park. He may be there ticket over the top now.

I like Jesus Montero and I’ve never seen him play. The guys who know a lot more about baseball rave about him. Who cares if he isn’t that much of a defensive catcher. We haven’t had stellar backstop work since Dan Wilson hung up the spikes. The kid is 22 years old. As long as he can keep the ball in front of him, throw the ball back to the pitcher, and keep runners halfway honest, I can live with it as long as it comes with .330, 30 HR’s, and 120 RBIs! If Montero can be anywhere near the lofty status people project for him, comparing him to mashers like Frank Thomas and Miguel Cabrera, then the M’s may have their own “prince” locked up for the next 6 years. Time will tell.

At this point, I actually find myself excited to watch Montero, Justin Smoak, Mike Carp and Dustin Ackley for a full season. Spring always brings hope eternal, right? It just might need to be hope in 2013 or 2014. I’d settle for a anything better than a lousy .233 batting average and .292 on base percentage. THAT  would at least keep me watching more games. And, it would lead to more wins – something the Mariners organization, Jack Zduriencik, and Manager Eric Wedge desperately need!

© 2012 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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You might notice that it has been over 10 months since I last posted. My apologies. In reading the date, I notice that it was just 6 days before my father passed away last year…just a few days before he went into a coma he would never recover from. Crazy how a year goes by. With that being said, I am armed and ready to get back to talking about sports. With my apology and explanation, I hope you will once again start reading.

My next REAL blog post will begin tomorrow with my thoughts on the Mariners and losing out on the Prince Fielder sweepstakes. Game on!

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