Archive for April, 2006

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why this story isn’t on the Tri-City Herald’s web site, but at this moment it’s not.

Title this, “How to kill good will in one easy step.”

Shaun Alexander was committed to an appearance yesterday in Moses Lake at a dinner and charity auction with Ultimate Warrior Christian Ministry, to raise money for Alexander’s foundation. At the moment, the event is listed on Shaun’s schedule on his official web site, though I suspect that’ll get removed at some point soon.

But, as Jahmal Corner reports in today’s Tri-City Herald, Shaun skipped out on the event, allegedly over appearance fees. Event organizer Mike Keyes says Alexander wanted $20,000 per hour for the 8-hours he expected to be in Moses Lake.

“He called me (Saturday morning) and said that he wasn’t sure if he could make it, and (wasn’t sure) that the event would raise enough money,” Keyes said. “He said, ‘You know I’m worth $20,000 an hour right.’”

And then later in the article, the most damning quote — one that equates, in Keyes words, raising money for charity with making money himself…

“He said, ‘If I can’t make money, then why should I come,’” Keyes said. “It was about him making the big bucks.”

The article ends with a mention that “calls to Alexander for comment were not returned.” I would certainly love to hear an explanation on this. On the surface, it flies in the face of all the “Shaun Alexander is a Good Guy” stuff that I have said, and others have said, in the past.

Since the article isn’t online, here’s a scan of it for those who want to read the full thing. Click for a larger version…

Another NFL draft, another success for Tim Ruskell and the Seattle Seahawks. Given that the team’s stated needs coming into the draft were an impact CB and a pass-rushing DE, it’s hard to imagine the Hawks could’ve done much better — at least on paper — than they did today.

Some early reaction and quotes about Miami CB Kelly Jennings and VaTech DE Darryl Tapp:

The Times’ Steve Kelley notes how odd it looks to see Tim Ruskell, who’s huge on drafting character guys, take someone from the Univ. of Miami, but says Jennings is the anti-Hurricane.

“He is a rarity in college football, a cornerback whose GPA is as high as his 40-speed is low. And he wasn’t satisfied getting one degree at Miami. He got a second degree in business administration.”

The Seahawks’ coaches say both Jennings and Tapp are potential starters on what was already a vastly improved defense.

Seahawks defensive coordinator John Marshall said the two new players will have chances to prove themselves — and soon.
“Believe me, they’re both going to log considerable playing time this season,” Marshall said. “Both have significant opportunities for starting roles.”

And over on the T-N-T blog, Mike Sando has lots of audio from today’s interviews with Hawks’ officials and the draftees, and also points out that the selection of Jennings likely kills any interest Seattle had in Ty Law.

Over on NFL.com, Vic Carucci says Kelly Jennings should “eventually” make a solid starter.

Ultimately, it’ll be how Jennings and Tapp perform that determines if this draft was a success, but for now it looks good.

—————-

So what about the rest of the draft?

– Mike Shanahan should be arrested and put in jail for stealing his way into the 11th pick (Jay Cutler) and for stealing Javon Walker from Green Bay. Incredible.

– On ESPN.com, John Clayton praises two of the Seahawks’ NFC West rivals — Arizona and San Francisco — as early winners from Day One. And his .com colleague, Michael Smith, does the same thing.

Hey — good for AZ in getting Matt Leinart, and good for them in signing Edgerrin James. But their offensive line is still crap, and until that’s fixed, they could have Joe Montana and Walter Payton in the backfield and it wouldn’t matter. As for the 49ers — congrats. You might win 6 games this year instead of 4.

This is getting pretty impressive. First it’s Shaun Alexander landing the Madden 2007 cover. And now Matt Hasselbeck lands a national endorsement deal with Campbell’s Chunky Soup.

He’ll be joined by Ben Roethlisberger and Donovan McNabb (again/still), and all their moms. MattHass talked to JM Romero in today’s Times, and makes it sound like these commercials could be his mom’s coming out party:

“My mom is really dynamic, really athletic, really fit. She’s not what you think of as a typical mom. I’m excited for her.”

Cough, cough … You think that’s cheesy? How about this quote from the Campbell’s guy:

“Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Hasselbeck represent the very best of the NFL and they resonate with our Chunky consumer – a hard-working, approachable guy who is always looking out for others, especially his mom.”

Awww, shucks. But I can’t give MattHass a hard time. I like the guy too much.

Tomorrow’s Daily Yomiuri has an article about Japanese workers voting Ichiro as the ideal company president “because he has talent, leadership and trustworthiness.” The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce credits the results to Ichiro’s leadership at the WBC last month.

Anyway … let’s play along with this. The Yomiuri article notes that the top 5 vote-getters are all from Japanese baseball. They didn’t have to choose athletes, but I will for my voting.

The Five N’West Sports Figures I Think Would Make a Great Company President (not that I know any of them personally…)

1. Tim Ruskell — kinda not fair cuz he already IS a president for the Seahawks, but let’s face it … he’s flat-out good at what he does; incredibly thorough talent evaluator; recovers strongly from mistakes; preaches team effort and values above individual glory.

2. Ray Allen — seems very smart and is very articulate; maintains composure in difficult circumstances; good leadership qualities; seems to float effortlessly between athletics and the business world; all-around Good Person.

3. Jamie Moyer — ditto on smart and articulate; confident and assured, but doesn’t have an ego problem; gets everything he can out of the tools he has to work with; another Good Person.

4. Tyrone Willingham — like Ruskell, promotes team concepts at all costs; seems very trustworthy, the kind of guy you’d want on your side; appears to have a real strong compass and sense of purpose/direction.

5. Lofa Tatupa — a born leader; comes in as a rookie and immediately takes over a veteran-laden defense and leads them to a Super Bowl berth; obviously has great leadership skills.

So, no … Ichiro wouldn’t be on my list.

I’ve always wanted to soak up the sun and enjoy the casual atmosphere of spring training, but if this is true … all the more so!

According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Mariners and Indians are rumored to be planning a spring training game at Aloha Stadium next spring.

(Scroll down to catch the M’s bit near the end of the article.)

By most indications, the Seahawks are most interested in finding a good CB with the 31st pick on Saturday. But they’re not so desperate that the best available CB is a lock to be called. It’s a pretty good position to be in, and made even better since this draft is said to be deep at defensive back.

On ESPN.com, John Clayton debates size vs. speed at the CB position.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks don’t appear to need a safety this weekend, though drafting for depth / value isn’t out of the question at that spot. The reason they don’t have a need there is because Tim Ruskell stole Mike Green from Da Bears this week. Seriously … they get a veteran who can play both safety spots, who’s been a starter for a couple years, and who doesn’t make a ton of money, for just a 6th-round draft pick? Highway robbery.

In Tim we trust…..

Bonds hints Aaron’s record might be out of reach

Wouldn’t it be great if Bonds retired? The sooner, the better, I say.

The Mariners organization continues to have an unhealthy fascination with Clint Nageotte. Unhealthy, because this fascination continues to hurt them time and time again. Today being the latest example, a 3-run implosion in the 8th inning that theoretically cost the Mariners the game.

Nageotte has had his chances in Seattle. Coming in to today’s call-up and appearance, he’d made 15 appearances with the Mariners over the past two seasons. The results? 1-6 record with a plump 7.3 ERA. How many chances does a guy get? How many does he need?

And then there’s Borchard, a guy who — unlike Nageotte — just hasn’t had a chance to really show the Mariners what he can do. 2 for 9 in six games isn’t enough to judge a guy. The M’s will say he’s the victim of a numbers game — too many OFs and not enough pitching. Still, sometimes this organization really baffles me.

Update: Nageotte was sent back down after the game. Nice.

Talk about two guys going in different directions…

First, on the bright side, Gary Washburn reports in today’s P-I that Chris Wilcox wants to return to Seattle next season.

“Hopefully the organization does the right thing and re-signs me over the summer,” said Wilcox, who averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 29 games. “If we keep building on what we have while we’re young, we’ll have a successful season. Right now, I really don’t know where I will be but I like Seattle and hopefully I can grow here.”

And then there’s Danny Fortson, who made no contribution whatsoever to the Sonics this season, yet should be commended — and is commended in Washburn’s article — for keeping his trap shut about the whole situation. But Fortson warns not to expect him to be Mr. Nice Guy if he’s still a bench-bound Sonic next season:

“That’s not going to work out. I think Bob Hill knows that. I think (general manager) Rick Sund knows that, and if you see me back here next year, just know they know what they’re getting themselves into.”

Methinks Mr. Fortson has nothing to worry about. I don’t see any way he’s a Sonic next season.

Look at it and weep, boys and girls.

The Madden cover jinx is coming to Seattle. Marshall Faulk, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, and to a lesser degree Ray Lewis and Eddie George … all jinxed after appearing on the cover. Good thing Mo Morris re-signed, eh?

In all seriousness, this is very cool and very surprising. I was sure it would be Roethlisberger or Brady or even a guy like Polamalu (sp?). But it makes sense — that Shaun Alexander, Inc. post from a couple days ago included Shaun mentioning some national-level endorsements coming up, and this counts.

“To be on the cover of Madden NFL 07 is a big milestone in my career since I have always been a huge fan of this franchise,” said Alexander. “EA SPORTS is focusing on the running game in this year’s version, so I was honored when I was chosen to be on the cover to represent the improved running game.”

That’s from the official release.

The game’s out in August, but you knew that already.