A Grip on Sports: It’s June, so NFL contracts have to be the No. 1 point of discussion, right?
A GRIP ON SPORTS • What else should we talk about in mid-June besides the intertwined NFL, money and contracts? Oh, maybe a little golf. After all, the toughest of all the major tournaments begins tomorrow.
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• We will start with the NFL, though. After all, everything in American sports revolves around it, no matter the month. Just as everything in the NFL revolves around money. Too much, too little. Never just right.
The Seahawks opened their mandatory minicamp Tuesday and Jamal Adams wasn’t in attendance. The first reporting that mentioned that news also made sure to mention the Hawks’ all-everything safety wanted a contract extension. Turns out, the two aren’t straight-line connected.
Yes, Adams is skipping the camp. And yes, Adams wants an extension. But the reason he is not in Seattle is family related not money related. At least that is what everyone connected to the Hawks is saying. Well, Pete Carroll, but that’s the lone source who spoke on the record, though others signaled their acceptance of that storyline. We will too. For now.
After all, Seattle has invested quite a bit of capital in Adams and not just draft capital. The trade of two first-round picks and a third-round one to the Jets came about because Adams was disgruntled with how much he was earning. He felt he was the NFL’s best safety and wanted to be paid as such. Now he’s in the final year of his contract. The Hawks have to pony up or he could leave.
Will they? It seems as if they are in no position to say no. Carroll loves Adams and all he can do. General manager John Schneider put all his chips into the pot in the trade. Adams is a perfect fit. The match is about as good as it gets in the modern NFL. The two camps have to figure out a number that satisfies everyone. Have to.
It’s that simple.
• Now let’s do Duane Brown. The Hawks’ best offensive lineman is also in the final year of his contract. He also came to Seattle via a trade after a contract disagreement. And he also wants more money.
Left tackles of Brown’s ability are not easy to come by. Neither are ones as respected by his peers and his teammates. Yes he is 36-years-old, but age is just a number when it comes to left tackles. Barring injury, this shouldn’t be his last season. Though it may be his last in Seattle if something can’t be worked out.
• One thing we’ve always loved about the U.S. Open golf tournament is it often played on courses anyone can play. Bethpage. Chambers Bay. Pebble Beach. Pinehurst No. 2. And Torrey Pines. (Actually, though, that’s the list. Everywhere else is a country club, which is golf code for “Al Czervik isn’t welcome.”)
Of those courses, we’ve played two: Pebble (twice) and Torrey Pines (at least twice but it was long ago and we’re not sure if we played the North or South course).
When we were attending UC Irvine, a golf trip to Torrey was essential. After all, it was just an hour away – the traffic between south Orange County and San Diego was always less intrusive than the crowds north to Los Angeles – and back then there were special rates to be had. The course in the 1970s wasn’t the course it is today. Oh, sure, the views were the same. The Pacific Ocean hasn’t moved. And the routing was the same. But the city of San Diego wasn’t about holding major tournaments at its two signature courses back then. It wanted to make money. The place was a public course after all. The city wanted players to play – and spend their hard-earned bucks.
One time we played it, it was in such bad shape if not for the views one would have thought they were playing a muni in Anaheim or someplace. Another time conditions were better but it was really packed and the round took forever (the fact I lost about a gazillion balls had nothing to do with that, I assure you).
That changed as the century changed. The city decided to invest in a redesign. Close the place down. Rebuild it. And the 2008 U.S. Open – Tiger Wood’s broken-leg win – was the result. So is the 2021 U.S. Open.
The sentimental favorite is Phil Mickelson, the 51-year-old hometown boy who has won every major – including this year’s PGA – except the U.S. Open. Can he do it? Probably not. But who knows? It’s been that type of year.
By the way, don’t miss Charles Apple’s Further Review page on Mickelson’s amazingly bumpy career. It ran in today’s Spokesman-Review.
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WSU: Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is one of the top 10 transfers for the conference, according to Jon Wilner in the San Jose Mercury News. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college sports, the most interesting transfer in the conference? No contest. Quarterback Sam Noyer leaving Colorado for Oregon State. … The Buffaloes have some family connections on the coaching staff. … Experience matters on the offensive line. That’s one reason why Utah should be good at that position. … UCLA and USC are expected to have stadiums that can be filled. They won’t be, but they should be capable of it. … In basketball, Tommy Lloyd is melding Gonzaga’s and Arizona’s cultures. He’s also attracting players still. … In baseball, Arizona has to face one of Vanderbilt’s aces in the college World Series’ first round.
Gonzaga: There are two Corey Kispert stories from Jim Meehan this morning, covering both parts of the term student/athlete. The latter? He’s the only Zag who will be at the NBA’s draft combine. The former? He is the West Coast Conference scholar/athlete of the year. … The Wirth sisters are bidding to become TikTok stars. … Larry Weir talks Zags (and other subjects) on the latest Press Box podcast. … Around the WCC, BYU is listed in this rundown of the top mid-major schools. And Loyola Marymount almost made it. Saint Mary’s? Though the Gaels were in Joe Lunardi’s projected NCAA bracket yesterday (and neither BYU or Loyola were), they are nowhere to be found.
Preps: One more night of GSL basketball is on tap tonight. It’s been a long, short season. Dave Nichols has a roundup of Tuesday night’s games.
Indians: The opener of the six-game series in Pasco ended when the Dust Devils scored in the bottom of the ninth for a 3-2 win. Dave has the story.
Shock: Ryan Collingwood has a rewind of Saturday night’s big win in Iowa that includes some notes on two former WSU receivers.
Mariners: An early offensive explosion combined with shutout pitching always spells victory. It happened for the M’s last night, 10-0 over visiting Minnesota. … Mitch Haniger wants to play. He may have to sit a bit more. … The M’s bullpen has some interesting parts.
Seahawks: We wrote about the drama that is always part of any June minicamp. We link the Seattle stories here, mainly because that’s what we do. And because they are worth reading.
Storm: Indiana turned out to be just another road win for Seattle, as the Storm rolled 87-70.
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• Picked up an old baseball yesterday from my college days. It is discolored and scuffed up. But try as I might, I couldn’t get it to stick to my old chest protector. Maybe the Super Glue I used to put on it for the pitchers has worn off. Wait, that didn’t happen. Doesn’t mean we didn’t push the envelope, though. One guy, Bob Dobey, used to throw one heck of a spit ball (though I don’t think he used spit), but that was different. Cheating isn’t cheating when your team does it. It is called competing. Until later …