Baseball, you’ve changed. It’s Time for Me to Leave.

It isn’t easy to admit when you stop loving something. There is a sense of commitment to it even after the joy is gone. Falling out of love has been a long and slow process for me. It didn’t happen because a singular event ripped us apart. I am not hurt or angry. It happen because I changed and so did baseball, and we no longer match each other. It happened because the Mariners results didn’t change and the future doesn’t look bright. Baseball and the Seattle Mariners just aren’t for me anymore.

I remember when my disillusion with the Mariners started. It was 2013 when the Astros joined the AL West. The Astros were one of the worst teams in baseball for several years running. They lost over one hundred games in both 2011 and 2012. In 2013 they would finish 51-111. Yet against the Mariners they went 9-10. In their six matchups in April, when the season was still young and there was hope for the M’s, the Astros went 4-2. It was very disheartening seeing the Seattle Mariners get outplayed by the worst team in Major League Baseball. It really broke my passion for the Mariners. It showed me they really were a cursed/pathetic/hopeless organization.

Over the next five years the Mariners weren't even terrible; they never lost 90+ games. But they also weren’t good and they continued to no one’s surprise to miss the playoffs. The Mariners were stale. There were some fun times (Dae Ho Lee!) to be sure. However there was also a lot of the same old thing. The Mariners would start slow, start to climb back up the standings and then collapse right when it started to get interesting.

My cynicism for the Mariners didn’t end my enjoyment of baseball in immediately. That happened more gradually. There wasn’t a single event that made me lose interest.  Instead it was just a slow steady decline resulting in where I am now. Baseball is boring to me.

The games don’t hold my attention anymore. Nothing happens for long stretches of the game. Most of the time you are just watching someone in the batters box fail to put the ball in play. Batters strikeout about a quarter of plate appearances (league median is 22.3%)

Additionally, players and managers have realized the value of walks and try to maximize them which leads to taking more pitches and earning more walks (8.5% of plateappearances in 2018.) combine these two trends and it means players don’t put the ball in play around a third of the time.

Then there are the constant commercial breaks (inning changes, pitcher changes, in game trips to the mound.) It often feels like there is more time not watching baseball then actually seeing the sport. (I must see five Lee Johnson Mazda ads per game. ) I feel like I know the advertising jingles better than the players. The playoffs (not that Mariners fans would know) are even worse. The games can easily last four hours, and the networks broadcasting them try to cram as many ads as possible in. It ruins what could be an exciting playoff system. Instead of the broadcast amplifying the tension and drama of the game it does the opposite by cutting away and showing promos for some new sitcom.

With all of this downtime one of the main things to do, while you watch Kyle Seager take another strike two, is listen to the commentators talk about how great Kyle Seager is and how he is really going to come out of his slump soon, maybe right now. The Mariners broadcast can be unctuous. They pride themselves on being fans, but they fail to call out the bad play or decisions the team has continued to make for 15 years (I won’t hold 2002 or 2003 against them.) for a team that wasn’t so laughably inept it would be acceptable, but the Mariners are one of the most consistently bad teams in the major American sports leagues. They hold longest active streaks for missing the playoffs. If they played in another market with more media coverage nationally they would be a laughing stock, instead they are just irrelevant. The announcers need to be able to admit the reality the fans are watching.

I may sound bitter or mad, but I am not. I am just realistic about what the sport and my home team have become for me. I don’t think I am leaving on bad terms. I have filled my summer evening with other hobbies and I am sure we will still see each other from time to time. The Mariner’s home field is still beautiful and hard to resist on a nice summer evening. Sitting on the first base side of the stands and looking out over the left field bleachers as the sun sets is special. I also don’t expect other diehards to follow my lead or even agree with me. My experience of falling out with baseball is personal. Baseball holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many people. It is nearly synonymous with summer for some fans. It was this way for me once, but not anymore.

Baseball I don’t love you anymore.

The AFC is Broken

The AFC’s competitive balance is embarrassing. For the eighth straight year the New England Patriots appeared in the AFC title game. For the third straight year the Patriots won that game and will appear in the Super Bowl. The AFC is broken.

This isn’t an NFL problem. The last three NFC teams to face the Patriots in the Super Bowl showed they can be beaten. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Patriots. The Atlanta Falcons should have beat the Patriots. Instead they had an historic melt down. The Seattle Seahawks battled them to the last second only for an amazing defense play to bail out the Patriots. Eli Manning and the New York Giants beat the Patriots twice. Obviously the Patriots can be beaten.

Bill Belichick is an amazing coach probably the best ever. Tom Brady is a good quarterback. However, Belichick has been coaching in New England for 19 years. Teams should be able to figure him out eventually. He does make mistakes and he never actually plays on the field. Tom Brady is 40 years old and completely immobile. He isn’t an MVP quality player anymore. The Patriots have a distinct advantage with these two men in the organization, but they aren’t invincible. They can be beaten.

The problem is the AFC. It is broken. The other 15 teams are unable to compete effectively against the Patriots in the playoffs. Some clicks and teams fall apart. It makes the AFC boring because you know the outcome before the season starts. Hopefully something fixes this hex soon otherwise we will be watching the same old show for another 5 or whenever Brady finally retires.

The AL West is Too Good

After 14 years of futility and mediocre to bad baseball the Mariner’s are finally having a good season. They are 61-41, 20 games over .500. The team is on pace for 97 wins and that should surely mean a post season appearance. Everything should be good in Seattle baseball, except for the freaking Oakland A’s.

The A’s have won 7 of their last 9 and in July they have gone 15 and 5. The team is on a crazy good run and has catapulted up the standings. They are only 1 game back of the M’s and are threatening to cruise right past them. It is like a repeat of 2002 all over again.

What the hell?! We already suffered through missing the playoffs with 90+ wins, twice (2002 nd 2003.) Can’t the M’s finally catch a break? The team has served their time. They have changed their approach and signed good young players. They have a great mix of veterans and club controlled players. They can hit and pitch well enough (9th in team wRC+ and 14th in team ERA) and they are scrappy. They have one of the best closers in baseball. This should be their year. They should be fighting for a division title. Not battling to hang onto the second wild card.

Instead they are stuck in second place behind the best team in the majors (the Astros are 1st in team ERA and 2nd in team wRC+) and barely in the second wild card spot because between them the Yankees and Red Soxes have essentially locked down the first wild card. This could be another year that the Mariners win 90+ and miss the playoffs because the AL West is too good yet again.

Adam Rippon Got Robbed!

I don't care what the rules say. I don't care what the experts and judges say. Adam Rippon was robbed during the Men's Free Skate Team Competition. He should have won that event. The USA should have gotten first place and ten points. There is no way that some stoic Russian 12 year old that falls on his ass twice deserves a higher score than Rippon. There is no way that some ancient Canadian who under rotated on one jump and fell on another deserved a higher score than Rippon. All you had to do was watch the event to know that Rippon was the best. If the rules say that those other guys did better than Rippon than the rules are wrong and need to be changed. Adam Rippon was the best man on the ice during the Team Men's Free skate.

An Embarrassment in Seattle

The Seahawks completely and totally embarrassed themselves at home in CenturyLink Field on Sunday afternoon. In the most important game of the season they completely and totally failed in all three phases of the game and got their assess handed to them by the Rams. The score was 34-0 at half time and if the Rams had kept trying they could have easily scored 70. Runningback Todd Gurley was free to head where ever he wanted. The Rams vaunted D line destroyed the Seahawks; recording  seven sacks and holding Seahawk's runningbacks to 49 yards. This was the worst performance by the Seahawks at any time in Pete Carroll's tenure as head coach. None of the Seattle players should show their faces in the city this week.

The team's complete and total failure on Sunday was unacceptable. Ownership should be furious. It is one thing to lose and important to a conference rival, but to get devastated like the Seahawks is something else entirely. The teams should refund all of the fans who attended the game. These fans paid three figures to attend a football game. A certain level of effort and quality should be provided. Issuing a refund isn't unprecedented. The Seattle Sounders FC did it in 2010 after getting embarrassed by the LA Galaxy. Seattle needs to make amends to their loyal fans for such a piss-poor performance.

Sources: Pro Football Reference

Seahawks Shoots Themselves in the Both Feet, Then Face for Good Measure

The Seahawks lost to Washington 17-14 today in what can only be described by a terrible performance by most of the team. The Seahawks had no business winning the game. The played poorly in almost all phases.

The worst and most egregious performance was kicker Blair Walsh who missed three straight field goals. All of them were wide left. If he had made any of them the team would have at least tied the game. Up until this point Walsh had been having a good season. Hopefully this is just a bump in the road and he recovers.

Quarterback Russell Wilson also struggled. He threw 2 interceptions (and another on a 2 point conversion attempt). He frequently under-threw open receivers, resulting in missed big gains. Not all was bad for Danger Russ. He did lead the team on a fourth quarter touchdown drive inside the two minute warning. Unfortunately Wilson's play kept the team from scoring as many points as possible and let Washington stay in the game.

The Seahawks also put themselves into a tough situation by committing 16 penalties. Even for a Pete Carroll team this is a huge number. Many of these were drive killing for Seattle's offense or drive extending for Washington's. It is really hard for any team to win when they commit 16 penalties, but it is especially hard when the kicker gives away 9 points wide left.

Finally the defense was bit by their recurring inability to stop big plays in crucial situations. Down 4 points with 1:34 to go Washington drove 70 yards on 4 plays in 35 seconds and scored a game winning touchdown. On the drive the Seahawks defense gave up two 30+ yard passes.

Possessive Pluralization of Players

A common literary device used in sports commentary is describing a style of player with the possessive pluralized name of a player that shares the attributes. It annoys me. Every time I hear it I cringe. 

As an example to describe a fast and range outfielder a commentator might say something like "The Mariners outfield defense was subpar in 2016 so they decided to target your Jarrod Dysons and Mitch Hanigers." This pluralization is complete unneeded and it annoys me. Instead the broadcaster could say the Mariners add players like Jarrod Dyson. It is much more accurate because there is only one Jarrod Dyson. He isn't a commodity that you can buy at Target. 

Another example is something like this "The Patriots are a great team with their Tom Bradys and Wes Welkers". It is just annoying. The Patriots only have one Tom Brady and one Wes Welker. They don't have multiple of the same player. These men are unique individuals. Their other quarterbacks aren't of Brady's ilk, so don't pluralize it to allude that they are. 

Every time I hear people describe professional athletes as possessive plurals it irks me. Possessive pluralization of athletes grinds my gears. It is such an easy problem to fix, but instead of correcting it the trend seems to be growing. I don't know how we can stop it, but we need to and fast!

In Defense of Booing

Early in Saturday's Seahawks game the Seattle fans started booing the Seahawks offense for its ineptitude. The Seahawks terrible offensive line has cost them several games this year. Probably all five of their losses can directly be blamed on the inability to block for the quarterback and the running back. The 12's, as Seahawks fans are known, were beyond frustrated with the crap sandwich that is the offensive line. They were angry at management's complete and total failure to address the obvious need on the offensive line at any point since the 2016 playoff loss to the Panthers. They decide to vocalize that frustration in a cascades of boos. This was shocking to hear at CenturyLink Field. The 12's are a rabidly loyal group. They will usually defend players and coaches to a fault. So, see the frustration boil over into booing was unexpected, but it was completely warranted. All fans have a right to boo to express their displeasure and frustration with a team's failures.

As a sports fan there are not a lot of options to try and drive change into your favorite team. Players and management hold almost all of the power related to the on field product. The most obvious and impactful action fans can take, no longer buying tickets and ending games, is also the most risky. While refusing to pay money to attend games will send a message to management the resulting outcome may not be the desired one. Seeing empty stands and dropping revenue the team may decide that the market just can't support the team and then decide to move them elsewhere (e.g. The Saint Louis Rams). In this case the fans completely lose because they no longer even have a team to root for.

Another option to try and drive change into the team is using the media (newspapers, blogs, radio, etc) to bring attentions to the failures and the needed changes. This is an important step. Media needs to highlight these failings because they can reach the large fan base and educate them about the problems. However, media alone will not change the problems. It is easy for coaches and players to ignore sports media as just noise. They can write them off as talking heads trying to drive up ratings. It is only if the fans themselves react to these publications that the team has to listen.

Booing is the clearest and most direct way for fans to literally make their displeasure heard. A loud and consistent booing makes it clear to everyone involved with the team that whatever is going on is unacceptable. It is a call for action to fix whatever it is that ails the team. The players, the coaches, the training staff, the front office, and ownership all hear the chorus of anger and frustration from the fans. Those who do press conferences will be forced to address it in the media. The only way to make it stop is to address the issues that lead to the booing.

Now fans should not boo at whatever small transgression or failure occurs. Verbal beratement of a team should be saved for extended periods of failure or calls for major change. Booing because a single event in a single game doesn't go your way is a misuse of the power of the boo. Using the boo too often creates a sort of crying wolf situation; it becomes much simpler to ignore the jeering of the crowd. Players and management will still hear the calls for action, but they will ignore them knowing that they are used so

Sports fans are often captive to the whims of the teams they follow. It is difficult to influence the outcome or directions of teams. Management and players have a much more direct role to play. However, that does not mean that fans are powerless. They have a few tools at their disposal the most effective of which is booing. Fans shouldn't use this power frivolously because it will render the power moot, but they should use it when teams continuously fail in unacceptable fashion.

A Grip about Second Person

You are reading ESPN the Magazine. You like reading that magazine. They generally have interesting and well written articles. The topics are broader then what is available on many of the other conventional media sources and the they dive deeper into issues that are not based solely around the results of the latest game. You enjoy that view of sports.

While you are reading this article you come to the realization that it is written entirely in second person. That is an unconventional perspective for a written report, especially nonfiction. You never really see second person used in other forms of media. Novels, newspapers, sociological nonfiction, and radio do not use second person. It is really only written sports commentary in which it appears. You realize you don't really like second person. It doesn't add anything to the reporting, and the strange phrasing distracts from some of the points.

You wonder why they insist on using this style. Does one of the editors of the Magazine just really love second person? Was the author trying to show off his technical proficiency? You hope you this doesn't become a bigger trend. You could not stand having to read lots of different pieces written this way.

You think to yourself that hopefully it is just this one authors signature style. Something he uses to try and get people to remember him. You hope once ESPN the Magazine realizes how annoying it is to read something written in second person they will have a talking to with the author. They will convince him to go back to first person or switch to third person. You think that if the author insists on writing in second person he should really just quit writing magazine articles and start written screen plays.

You really do not like the use of second person perspective.

The Seattle Seahawk's Front Office Makes Mistakes

Seattle Times columnist Matt Calkins recently wrote a piece where he argued that the Seahawks offensive line struggles can't be blamed on the front office. In his words, "It’s easy to criticize the five guys out there protecting Wilson. But it’s hard to criticize the brass that put them out there." He thesis is that all of the front office's moves have been right and we, as  fans, wouldn't want to undo them if we could. So, their strategy of investing in the defense to build them into a historically awesome unit and paying key offensive skill players is not to blame. I disagree. The front office does share a large part of the blame for the awful mess that is the Seattle Seahawk's offensive line.

Since coming to Seattle in 2010 Pete Carroll and John Schneider have done a wonderful job of building and maintaining a championship caliber team. The proof is in their four straight playoff appearances, four straight league leading scoring defenses, and two trips to the Super Bowl. It is hard to criticize such a successful pair. However, they do deserve criticism for their terrible handling of the offensive line.

The front office has been unable to draft and cultivate offensive line talent. At times the front office's treatment and strategy around the o-line has felt downright neglectful. The draft is a good example. Since 2010 the Seahawks have drafted 12 offensive linemen and J.R. Sweezy. Take a look to see all these "legendary" men in Table 1. If we throw out the 2016 class because they are so new and still unknown quantities, these draft picks have produced five NFL starters (Glowinski, Britt, Sweezy, Carpenter, and Okung) and none of them are that good. The best of the bunch is probably Russell Okung, Pete Carroll's first ever draft pick, but that isn't saying much. During his time in Seattle Okung struggled to stay healthy and on the playing field. When he was playing he had moments of greatness, but also plenty of moments of bone headedness. The GM and Head Coach thought so little of Okung they didn't bother to resign him and instead let him bounce off to Denver. With Carroll and Schneider in charge the Seahawks have been unable to consistently use the draft to find competent offensive linemen. It has been a weakness for the team.

Table 1

The front office's neglect of the offensive line can also be seen in their decisions of which players to retain. They have let Breno Giacomini, James Carpenter, and Russell Okung walk during free agency rather than pay them. Like Matt Calkins says they used the money to sign their big time defensive play makers to longer term deals. I won't question their strategy here. Keeping Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner, and Richard Sherman gives the Seahawks three players that are arguably the best in the league at key defensive positions. They also used that money to bring in guys like Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. Again I don't question those moves. These players are the heart and soul of the defense that has propelled all the success the Seahawks have had. However, making smart decisions to sign star defenders doesn't excuse dumb decisions that were made to try and free up the money to pay those defensive guys.

This may seem like blasphemy to many, but Doug Baldwin is only a good receiver not a great one. He is a good route runner with good hands, but he isn't stellar. While the number two receiver, Jermaine Kearse, is mediocre at best. Fans wouldn't have liked it, but money could have been saved and used on a guard or tackle by letting those two receivers walk during free agency. Take a look at Table 2 for a comparison to Jermaine Kearse to three other comparable wide receivers. All three of these guys are putting up number just as good as Kearse for less money. The front office chose to reward their WR rather than pay a tackle or guard. The front office made a strategic decision here and over the last two seasons it has proved itself to be the wrong one.

Table 2

Another big mistake that Carroll and Schneider made is trading Max Unger to the Saints for Jimmy Graham. At the time the trade was made the Seahawks biggest need was a talented receiver. Getting a frequently Pro Bowl TE seemed like just the perfect fix to many including the GM and Head Coach. To other though the trade looked to be fixing one problem at receiver by creating a bigger one on the offensive line. Based on the evidence of who they started in 2015, the Seahawks coaches appeared to think they could turn any old big guy into an NFL quality center, so giving up Max Unger wouldn't be a big lose. To keep from reliving the results of the trade too much let's just say Jimmy Graham hasn't provided the level of production in the passing game that the Seahawks were hoping for. Instead he spends lots of time blocking or running around not having the ball thrown to him because Russell Wilson is scrambling away from oncoming pass rushers. The Jimmy Graham trade resulted in a fail and the thinking behind it was flawed.

It is often said that the key to success in football starts with winning the battle of the line. Whoever is able to gain the upper hand in the trenches will prevail more often than not. Seattle has done an excellent job identifying and developing defensive line talent. Their defensive tackles and ends have been able to consistently bring pressure on opposing RB and QB and disrupt the opponents offense at the point of attack. The big boys on the defensive side of the ball are so good at their jobs that Seattle brings an extra man on a blitz very infrequently, which enables the pass defense to shut down aerial attacks. Unfortunately the offensive side of the line is just plain terrible. The scouting and coaching genius that feeds the defensive line doesn't work for the offensive line. The offensive line has been a weakness throughout Carroll's tenure with the team, but rather than hold steady as mediocre they have continued to decline every year. Now in 2016 they are probably the worst o-line unit in the NFL. The fault for this horrendous line lines at the feet of the front office and coaching staff.

Sources: Pro Football Reference, Over the Cap

The Freaking Rams

I hate the Rams. I have since the mid 2000's when the Rams and Seahawks were the power in the NFC West. This was right around when I started seriously following the NFL. The Rams were at the end of their Greatest Show on Turf era and the Seahawks great Hasselbeck and Alexander teams were just coming into their own. The team to beat in the NFC West was the Rams.

The 2004 season was the one that cemented my hatred of the Rams. Prior to this season I would root for them because I remembered how fun the Kurt Warner led Super Bowl team were. The Rams had a high octane offense and I, like most fans, liked scoring. However, in 2004 the Seahawks were a good team with an exciting offense of their own. Yet somehow the stupid freaking Rams beat the Seahawks both regular season matchups that year and then just to make it hurt a little worse the Rams beat the Seahawks in a game at Qwest Field during the Wild Card playoff match. The Seahawks went 0-3 against the Rams in 2004 and kicked them out of the playoffs. It stung.

The rivalry had a long stretch of ups after the low of 2004. The Seahawks beat the Rams 10 straight times between 2005-2010. Throughout the span I didn't stopped relishing every Seahawks win over the Rams, but because of this dominance many fans forgot about the Rams rivalry. They wrote them off as jokes, not worthy of Seattle fandom's attentions. But I never forgot. Every win was a great thing, a chance to stick it to a dangerous rival and remind them who the true boss of the NFC West is. But all great things come to an end and so did this amazing run of dominance.

In During Pete Carroll's time with the Seahawks the team has been really good. They have made the playoffs all but one year (2011) and made two Super Bowls winning one (2013) and losing the other (2014). The team added stars all over the roster. One of the biggest stars is Quarterback Russell Wilson, who claim into the NFL with mild to no fanfare and yet has dominate almost the whole league. Wilson is a legitimate top five QB.

During the Pete Carroll era most fans have focused on the 49er rivalry. The Whiners were a dominate team for a few years during the same time frame. They had a similar playing style and an easily hated coach in Jim Harbaugh. For other fans the main focus of their rivalry ire has been the Carolina Panthers. Like the 49ers the Panthers playing style is very similar to the Seahawks, they are a defense first team, with a run oriented offense. Also like the 49ers the Panthers have a figure head that is easy to hate, but instead of the head coach it is the Panther's QB, Cam Newton.

But it isn't the Panthers or the 49ers that have given the Seahawks the most trouble during the Carroll era. It is the freaking Rams. They have been a thorn in the Seahawks side, frustrating us year after year. The Rams are the one glaring exception to Wilson's brilliance and Carroll's sterling record. After Sunday's loss to the now Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks have gone 7-6 against them since 2010, when Pete Carroll joined the team. With Russell Wilson starting at QB the Seahawks are 4-5 against the Rams (see Table 1 for a look at the Seahawks and Rams series since 2004). The freaking Rams got the Seattle Seahawks number and refuse to give it up.

Some of the success the Rams keep having against the Seahawks can be explained by simply looking at the matchup between the two teams strengths and weaknesses. The Seahawks are best at pass defense, and running offense. Their weakest unit on the field is their offensive line. The o-line has a penchant for giving up QB pressures and sacks. On the flip side the Rams best unit is their defensive front seven, whose ability to pressure quarterbacks is unmatched in the NFL. The Rams weakness is their offense, specifically their passing game. These perfectly aligned strengths and weaknesses usually result in low scoring slugfests.

Couple the perfect opposed strengths and weaknesses with the Seahawks strong tendency to hurt themselves with stupid penalties and the Rams stay in the games it appears they should lose. In low scoring tightly contested games  the outcome is often determined by special teams, turnovers, and trick play. Unfortunately for the Seattle Seahawks the Rams head coach specializes in exactly this sort of nonsense.

During his time as the Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher built a reputation as a football risk taker. His team faked kicks, ran weird sweeps, and went for it on fourth down. When Fisher arrived in St. Louis in 2012 he brought this same gamblers mentality with him. The Rams Head Coach isn't afraid to call for an onside kick at a random time, or go for it on fourth and long. These exact type of plays haven't beaten the Seahawks at least a couple times over the last few years. The frustration caused by losing a game because of a fake punt is huge. When it is the freaking Rams that beat you with a fake punt that frustration is multiplied several times over.

Losing to the freaking Rams is never fun. It stings even more because the Rams have been and are a much worse all around team than the Seahawks. The Rams have been mediocre to bad, yet those same Rams keep beating the Seahawks. The rivalry between the Rams and the Seahawks is one of the most annoying because the Seahawks should own the freaking Rams, but they don’t anymore. I hate the freaking Rams.

Sources: Pro-football-reference.com

Table 1: Seahawks vs Rams Results Since 2004

The USMNT's Reliance on Foreign Players

The Copa America Centenario was a blast to watch. I loved rooting for the USA to beat the other countries and prove to the world that the Yanks belong with the elite of the world's soccer teams.  Rooting for a national team is a generally harmless form of patriotism that fans all over the world can enjoy. Additionally, pulling for the Red, White, and Blue to bring home athletic glory is great fun. I was glad to see that the US Men's National (Soccer) Team (USMNT) focused more on supporting he development of young native players like Christian Pulisic.  I think the coaches should continue with this focus on native American talent when deciding who it recruits and allows to play for the team.

(I know it sounds like I am some sort of a nationalist or a xenophobe, but I don’t intend it to be that way. I use the term native American to mean citizens who live and/or work in the United States. I do not mean native born or white. Seeing players that have never lived in the States suit up for the USMNT frustrates me, but it is hard to make an argument about it without seeming like some sort of nativist, nationalist bigot.)

The FIFA rules require a player to have nationality of the country they represent. However, they do not define nationality and let the countries define it. The US requires citizenship, which is fairly rigorous by international standards. They also let the players decide on which country they want to represent, assuming they have eligibility. This has led to many very talented athletes playing for countries that they barely represent in the eyes of the fans. Players who were born in one country but moved shortly after birth often play for the birth country when they aren't good enough to qualify for the home countries team. Players whose grandparents are from another country than their home are join up with their ancestral squads. Usually this is because they aren't good enough to play for their "real" team and want a chance to play internationally.

Obviously some players should and do have legitimate claims to dual nationality. A player born and raised in Canada until age 11, who then moves to Uruguay for his formative years of junior high and high school, should be able to pick whichever country he/she most identifies with. They are clearly someone that could be considered either nationality and the current rules allow for this.

My complaint isn't with these dual national players or even the current FIFA set of rules for defining nationality. They seem fine and well thought out. A players should be able to play for whatever team they want to and have eligibility to play for. In fact I would argue the rules on changing teams should be loosened so that a player like Messi can switch team to Spain from Argentina, if he wants to.

My gripe is the way the current USMNT coaching staff has about searching for international players with American citizenship to add to the roster, instead of focusing on home grown talent. Head coach Jurgen Klinsman has made it a priority to search out foreign players with ties to the US, usually threw the military, and recruit them to the US side. Rather than give spots to US born and raised players he focuses on dual citizens.

Three of the USMNT best and most visible players were born and raised in Germany. Jermaine Jones was raised in Frankfurt to a German mother. Fabian Johnson grew up and lived in Munich. Defender David Brooks is a Berliner through and through. All three players are very talented and they have helped the US win games. I don’t begrudge foreign players for playing for the US. I just wish the head coach hadn't focusing so much on recruiting players like this instead of players with stronger ties to the United States.

I don't have statistical proof to show that the coaches should be focusing on native Americans. Instead I have more philosophical arguments. A primarily foreign/German team suppresses interest in the team and hurts development of the game in the United States. These two things feed on each other.

First let's talk about the development of American players from the United States. Playing for a national team is a huge honor, but it is also a great way to get better as a player. On a nation team a young player is surrounded by the best coaches and staff. This gives them world class instruction. They also get to play with and hang out other amazing world class athletes. They will be able to glean tips and tricks from some of the best. The experience is invaluable.

Bringing young native Americans, such as DeAndre Yedlin, to play for the team helps them grow as a player. It will keep the talent pipeline growing and prepare the team better in the future. It will also add incentive for native American players in the high school and college ranks to continue to fight for a spot on the USMNT roster. Rewarding foreign players with a coveted and rare roster spot sends a message to the native players that they aren't valued or needed. It will hurt the development ranks. I will also push native Americans with dual country eligibility onto the rosters of other countries that offer, which is bad because in international soccer you can't easily switch national teams. Once you  pick a team you are essentially stuck there.

A great way to get native players with multiple national eligibility to pick the USMNT is to build up a fan base and passion for the team. Players will want to play for the team they root for. They will want to play for the team their friends root for. They will want to play for the team featured on TV. To make the team that players want to play for the USMNT it is important to build interest in the team.

Sports fans gravitate towards local heroes and players in their community. Having a national team full of foreigners with no or very loose ties to the States eliminates that personal connection and potential rooting interest. People that aren't soccer fans are more likely to tune in if their neighbor or friend is on the team. Kids are more likely to decide to try soccer over other sports if they have a hero to emulate. A local hero is an even stronger connection. Having a team of mostly native Americans will help interest in the USMNT grow. It will help the native American pool of talent grow, which will improve the team's performance on the pitch.

The current USMNT coaching staff has a history of focusing on foreign players with eligibility to play for the US. While I don’t have proof of the correlation between native and foreign Americans on the roster, I argued that a few foreign players may help the team win in the short term, an overreliance of foreigners to fill the USMNT roster will hurt the team in the long run. American fans will lose out on the connection created by having a local player make good at the international level. Those kids that do decide to play soccer will be prevented from growing their skills from being exposed to the international game. 

The One and Done Crisis is Unamerican

Like many of you, I have been watching a lot of college basketball over the last week and a half. The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament is one of the most exciting events in sports. The single elimination format creates an atmosphere that is thrilling and creates games as teams do everything they can to win. The opening weekend is one of my favorite things in the whole sports world.

Over the last few years the tournament has been filled with super talented freshmen who jump to the NBA as soon as their college team loses. You can't help but hear about these one and doners. The phenomena has become so wide spread that it is driving many commenters to call it a crisis and decry the degrading character of our nation's youth. This is an overreaction rooted in selfishness. In a free and capitalist society, like ours, adults should be allowed to seek employment in their chosen profession as soon as they are eligible.

The phenomena of young talent basketball players hanging out at a university for a year before bolting to the NBA was  created by the NBA's adoption of an age restriction on entering the NBA draft in 2006. This rule was created in part to protect NBA teams from themselves and their habit of drafting high school players with high potential who turned bust in the pros. It was also created to help funnel talent into the NCAA and keep college basketball alive. There was a fear back at the beginning of the millennium that so many high school players were jumping straight to the NBA that fans would stop watching the college game because it lacked the stars it used to have.

The NBA age restriction did force NBA teams to stop drafting unready high school seniors. Although it didn't stop NBA teams from drafting unready college freshmen. Although it failed to change the flow of the best prospects skipping out on college basketball and heading to the NBA. Instead it deferred the problem by a year and created the current one and done situation. The NBA and NCAA traded having the best players skip college altogether to instead having them spend four months playing for some team. College basketball still loses their brightest stars before they reach their potential, but now they lack the consistency and familiarity that teams and fans get with three and four year players.

The United States is supposed to be a cultural and economic system based on capitalism, the free market, and the ability of anyone to get ahead with hard work. We can argue a different time if this really happens or if it has ever happened, but it is the supposed dream. The NBA and NCAA system of forcing players to wait a year after they graduate from high school before they are allowed to play professionally at the highest level is a stark violation of those principles. Instead of letting the best rise to the top we suppress them for the benefit of the rich and powerful, in this case the NCAA. If an NBA team wants to pay them to play basketball these young men should be allowed accept the offer. There is no legitimate reason to limit their eligibility.

Some say that a solution to the supposed one and done problem is to adopt a system similar to NCAA baseball and MLB. In this system players are allowed to turn pro right out of high school. However, if they decide to play collegiately they have to play for three years before they can turn pro. The system provide young talented athletes with a way to get paid to play right out of high school. It also allows people who aren't interested in or aren't able to pursue academic studies to skip college and enter into their chosen profession. At the same time it protects college teams by guaranteeing them at least three years of a players service thereby allowing the team to develop and maintain chemistry.

At first glance the baseball system seems like a good one. It seems to be a fair compromise. The players, colleges, and MLB all appear to get what they want. But, upon further review and thought it become clear this system is still flawed. Players who break out during their freshman or sophomore years are forced to wait before they can offer their talent on the market. They are forced to accept the risk of injury all because of a decision they made when they were 18 years old.  The baseball system still denies this young mean their economic right to pursue employment in their chosen profession.

Fans often bemoan their favorite team's best players leaving after one year. They talk about how the players would be better off staying and developing. How they would make a name for themselves and develop a legacy at the institution. These arguments are rooted in selfishness. I doubt very these fans, if they were truly honest with themselves, would turn down millions of dollars tomorrow just so they are remembered ore fondly at a school they barely attended. The fans make these arguments to try and justify their valuing of their team's athletic success over a young man's economic future. They are truly caring about themselves and not the athlete.

The NBA age restriction is an unfair and unneeded rule that hampers the free market and suppresses individuals rights. The one and done crisis is not a problem with the young men of American basketball. The common arguments against one and done have their foundations in the self-interest of the fans, not the players. The real problem is players being forced into a charade of picking a school and pretending to care about academics while missing out on a year of their prime earning potential. 

Thabo Safolosha's Battle Against Injustice

I recently read a story in ESPN The Magazine about Thabo Safolosha’s arrest and subsequent trial. In case you don’t know the story here is a quick recap. Safolosha was outside a club after a stabbing took place. A police officer told him to leave, Safolosha talked back, so several police officers arrested him, tackled him to the ground, and broke his leg. Safolosha was offered a plea deal, but decided to go to trial. There the NYPD and DA did everything they could to paint him in a bad picture and get him convicted of various charges. They failed and the jury found him not guilty on all counts.

Although the NYPD would never admit it Safolosha was targeted by the police for being black. The officers walked past lots of bystanders and focused their attention of Safolosha. There is no legal reason for this. The police let their prejudice and stereotypes control them and they unjustly harmed another human being.

The story reminded me that, as a white man, I will never know the fear of racial prejudice and targeting that Black Americans face from the police every day. I can never truly comprehend what the feelings and emotions are like. My friends, coworkers and neighbors of color are forced to live in a reality very different from mine. This is wrong. They shouldn’t have to fear for their safety and livelihood. 

I hope the continued press coverage of events like Thabo Safolosha’s does something to change our countries broken and dreadful police culture. Hopefully people reading posts like this and stories like the one in ESPN are willing to admit to themselves there is a problem. Just because white America doesn’t see it, doesn’t mean prejudice isn’t alive and well in our country.

The No Longer Invincable Legion of Boom

It is amazing how fast things can change in the NFL. Just last year, 2014, the Seattle Seahawks defensive secondary was so feared in the NFL that teams developed game plans that excluded long passing, shut off whole sides of the field, or just gave up on trying to throw all together. Heck, even this year in week 3 the Chicago Bears decided that their best chance to beat the Seahawks in Seattle was having their QB Jimmy Clausen pass only nine times in the first half. The Legion of Boom, the Seahawks secondary, was feared. In nine short weeks the Legion's reputation has been completely shattered. They have gone from being feared to being a weakness teams try to exploit.

In week twelve, the 49ers decided to have Blaine Gabbert throw 34 times. Gabbert completed passes of 31 and 36 yards. In last weeks game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Ben Roethlisberger threw it 55 times for 456 times for a passing yards record at CenturyLink field. The Steelers completed passes of 41 yards, 40 yards, and 69 yards. They attempted several other big pass plays that fell incomplete. The 49ers and Steelers obviously had no fear of the Seahawks Legion of Boom.

The reason for the change in reputation is this season string of agonizing fourth quarter collapses. Before the Steelers game every quality quarterback that had played the Seahawks had been able to beat them with passing in the fourth quarterback. Watching Rogers, Dalton, Newton, and Palmer were all able to march own the field and score at will against the previously impenetrable Seattle pass defense. Watching the Seahawks fail has obviously given opposing teams confidence in their ability to beat them in the air.

There are lots of theories for why the Seahawks secondary is worse. It could be Kam Chancellor hold out. It could be the promotion of Kris Richard from secondary coach to defensive coordinator. Maybe Richard Sherman and/or Earl Thomas are still suffering from last seasons injuries. Personally I think it is the price of paying three All Pro level talents (Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor) has caught up with the Seahawks and prevented them from field a competent corner beside Sherman or nickelback in passing situations. Cary Williams and Marcus Burley are clearly worse than Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurman.

Whatever the reason the Legion of Booms aura of invincibility if clearly gone. Fans can no longer rest assured that any fourth quarter lead is safe. I hope the Seahawks front office regains their magic touch and figures out a solution to return them to their dominance this off season.

Pete Carroll Fails, the Seahawks Offensive Line is Terrible

It is time for the experiments on the Seahawks offensive line to stop. We know that Pete Carroll, John Schneider, et al are football geniuses. They can spot talent that no one else can. They have proved it time and time again. However, not everyone can get it right every time and when it comes to the offensive line the Seahawks coaches have got it all wrong.

Currently the Seahawks have three players (Nowak, Sweezey, and Gilliam) starting on their offensive line who didn't play       offensive line in college. The Seahawks decided that the raw athletic talent that these three guys possess was enough that they could turn them into NFL level lineman. The coaches thought they could mold them into competent starters and get great value at expensive positions. If it had worked this would sure be a great success story, but instead it has been an utter failure.

On every single offensive play the Seahawks Russell Wilson is put at an increased risk of getting injured because his linemen are unable to even slow down the opponents pass rush. Wilson has already been sacked 18 times in only 4 games. At that paces he will go down for a loss 72 times in 2015. That is a ridiculous amount. His previous season high for being sacked is 44.

Also all those sacks don't count all the other hits Wilson is taking. Sacks aren't recorded when Wilson throws it away right before getting drilled, which is happening a lot. Even though the stats don't show it, Wilson body is still feeling it. He can't continue to take this punishment forever. His play is going to suffer. If he somehow manages not to get injured he is sure to get gun-shy. The constant beatings add up.

The Seahawks are lucky they have Wilson. Without him they would probably be 1-3 and none of those losses would have been close. A slower less mobile QB wouldn't even stand a chance back there. Think of Carson Palmer or Tom Brady. Guys like that would never even get a pass off. Instead we have Wilson who is able to evade onrushing defenders and throw complete passes on the run. His skill and athleticism is saving the Seahawks from humiliation.

As I have repeated stated, the Seahawks offensive line is terrible. That is entirely on the coaching staff. They chose to trade away Pro Bowler Max Unger and let quality players like Chris Carpenter walk without bringing anyone competent in to replace them. It isn't Gilliam, Nowak, or Sweezey's faults they were thrown into NFL games to play positions they don’t understand. Taking a gamble on one guy being able to successfully convert would have been worse the risk, but attempting the conversion on three guys is irresponsibly risky. Pete Carroll should have seen this awful mess coming. Everyone else in Seattle did.

With their current offensive line the Seahawks coaching staff has been a complete failure. Their attempt to find market inefficiencies and succeed by saving money on the line by converting players to the position has been a failure and is putting their star QB at risk for injury. Seahawks are playing with fire and if they don’t change something soon they are going to get burned.