SSR Interviews: Afraid of Ed Hochuli

We continue our interview series with another Seattleite (I’m done with Seattle after this you little….), Afraidofedhochuli (otherwise known as The Matt).

1. Why did you decide to join the blogging world?

I love sports and I love to talk about them. As long as I can remember I have loved to write – I have a degree in playwrighting and am currently working on a book. I figured that putting the two things together (sports and writing) were a logical choice.

I am trying to get myself together to go back to school for journalism, but it is really difficult in the crazy world we live in.

2. What are your most fond memories in Seattle sports history?

Listening to the 1995-1996 finals with my Dad on the radio. Hearing the Sonics toss up threes and miss, and the young me yelling at the radio: “Don’t take ‘em if you can’t hit ‘em!”

The 1995 “Refuse to Lose” Mariners. My favorite part of this was watching the people, not the team. My step-father’s mother was a huge M’s fan, and I remember watching a game or two at her house. Now that she is gone, the memory of the joy and excitement on her face was worth more then any of the other memories.

The Seahawks memory is vague and not fully formed. Yes, I was a big fan of the “Bowl” run, but that is a cop-out. I guess it would have to be every draft day. I love seeing the picks, doing some research and then realize that these are the players of the future. I can tell you where I was the last 5 years and what I was doing when the Hawks’ pick happened.

3. I’m mostly “angry” at Howard Schultz in this whole Sonics deal because he was the one that sold the team. Thoughts on this whole debacle?

I was down on Schultz until the last week happened. After the debacle that has come forward, I am starting to side with Schultz. It looks like he got duped just as much as the rest of us. Maybe that is what he wants, and maybe I am naïve, but I still blame Bennett and Stern more then anyone else.

4. Are you really afraid of Ed Hochuli?

You know what…I kind of am. The guy is huge and he is a lawyer. But, no, he is a great guy – even though he is too busy for my emails… – and I think that he wouldn’t actually hurt me…unless, I piss him off.

5. What happened to the Mariners offense? It seems that they can’t hit at all.

What happened? Bill Bavasi happened. ‘Nuff said. (P.S. It is kind of funny that after you send me this, they have a 5-run 9^th.)

Update: They’ll punish me and score 23 runs tonight…

6. What happened to the predictions thing we did a while back?

No one (other than you) really did them. They took forever to get back to me, we finished the big-3 sports and no one spoke up. I just didn’t think anyone cared. But, if you like it so much…maybe I will get the “prediction” machine up and running.

7. What are some of the other blogs you recommend (don’t include mine)?

The Sports Apple; Cold, Hard Football Facts; Chicks in the Huddle; Women Like Sports; Joe Sports Fan (one of my all-time favorites); Oh No, Romo!; Sports Censored.

8. Finally, what do you think of the Seahawks draft picks?

I like them all…for the most part…but I am not going to give away my “Hoch’s Nest” article for today.

Thanks to AOEH, and please visit his site at http://www.afraidofedhochuli.com. Besides, shouldn’t you be looking at the blogroll anyway?

Links of the Day

I will TRY to revive my once weekly linkage to other blogs.

1. The Sports Hernia gets mentioned on Sportscenter!

2. More on the debacle that was Costa Now from Awful Announcing.

3.  David Beckham is on Sesame Street says The Beautiful Game.

4.  After the Suns loss last night, Signal to Noise reports Mike D’Antoni won’t be coming back.

5. Pacifist Viking looks at what the Vikings fixed with their draft picks.

6.  Finally, Larry Brown Sports (not the coach you fools) on how the Giants are mishandling the Barry Zito situation.

Larry Brown to Coach Bobcats

(Ap Photo)

Larry Brown shocks everyone and decides to comeback to coaching and the Charlotte Bobcats is team #664523534.

This comes after the firing of rookie head coach Sam Vincent, who finished the season 32-50, but had clashed with players on a couple of occasions. Sportsline says:

Brown hasn’t lasted anywhere long, and has had some ugly divorces. His last coaching job was the disastrous 2005-06 season in New York, when the Knicks went 23-59 and Brown clashed with management.

His dismissal was followed by a long dispute over how much money he was owed for the rest of his contract.

A deal eventually was struck and Brown became an executive vice president with the Philadelphia 76ers, but Brown yearned to return to the bench.

“I was a bad coach. I did a bad job. I learned from that,” Brown said, referring to his time with the Knicks. “But being out of it in the last few years, even though I had a title in Philly … I just missed being around the game. I love it. I want to be a part of it.”

Jordan said he contacted Brown before hiring Vincent last spring, but Brown said he wasn’t ready to return. He changed his mind late this season, quitting his job in Philadelphia after being interviewed for the Stanford opening.

If you’re like me, you wonder why Larry Brown hasn’t just decided to coach 30 teams at once. He is a hall of fame coach but he has only won 1 NBA title, despite coaching 500 teams in the league. I still believe he is a coach that can turn the ship around if the players are good enough, but he won’t lead you to a championship.

We’ll see how this plays out, but I’m not too fond of the hiring.

SCHOLES!!

Thank you for doing something. The wonderstrike from Paul Scholes gives Manchester United a spot in the UEFA Champions League final, and guarantees an All-English final, as the Red Devils face either Chelsea or Liverpool.

Owen Schmitt is the Seahawks Runaway Beer Truck And YOU Can’t Have Him

I was quite pleased with the players chosen by Mr. Ruskell. My favorite pick has to be Owen Schmitt out of West Virginia. Not only is her a runner, a blocker, and just flat out huge….he is a runaway beer truck. Remember this play?

Owen Schmitt, Leonard Weaver, Julius Jones, TJ Duckett, Mo Morris, and no more Shaun Alexander? I must be dreaming.

Please Watch Costas Now

I’ve never been so infuriated by words from another guy like Buzz Bissinger.

We missed the live edition, but I urge you to join me in watching Costas Now (if you have HBO) because it involves the state of sports media, the rise of internet blogging, and the rise of sports radio.

I say this because apparently last night, writer Buzz Bissinger just went on an all out assault on Will Leitch of Deadspin fame. He discredited everything blogging and questioned his 40 years of writing experience, when a blogger on Deadspin used the word that rhymes with ”runt”.

Bissinger also called out Leitch, saying he was “full of sh*t”.

He just went off, and Leitch did not bite back, which I applaud because that would’ve meant more fuel to the fire, considering that Costas and Bissinger were talking about the mean-spirited tone of the internet.

I’m happy that Leitch didn’t walk off the stage looking at some footage that spilled over to the world of video sharing. It was just a horrible display, and Bissinger is probably not going to be called Buzz Bissinger from now on.

If more videos show up I will post them.

SSR Interviews: The Beautiful Game

This is the debut of a series of interviews with other bloggers. Today, I’ll start off with one of my favorite hangouts, The Beautiful Game, a blog dedicated to soccer (ONLY!), and written by Seattle’s own Josh Mayers.

1. When did you decide it was time to join the blogging world?

How crazy does one have to be to start a soccer blog in the U.S.? It’d probably garner as much interest as a VCR/Discman repairman these days.

Anyways…

It must have been early in 2007, I got a random Facebook message from a former high-school teammate. He saw that I’d gotten into the sportswriting field and casually said “Hey, you should start a soccer blog!”

It made perfect sense.

I’ve always loved the sport, it’s the only one that I’ve played competitively and it could be a great way to keep informed and keep my writing fresh.

It’s been fun.

2. Do you have a strong soccer background in your family?

Not really. My dad played casually and loved watching games when I was young. That exposure really got me interested in the international stars like Ronaldo, Dennis Bergkamp, Zidane.

My little brother, like myself, played through high school. But not much else.

3. What is your favorite league to cover?

<epic anthem style>The Champions!</epic>

I love the Champions League, which isn’t a domestic league, but it’s awesome, so there. Otherwise I spend most of my attention to the Premiership, which has all the money, the stars and, oh yeah, three of the four semifinalists in the UCL. (And I can read England’s newspapers)

I’m trying to get more into the MLS, especially with Seattle getting a team, but it’s a work in progress.

4. What can Bob Bradley do to improve the US Men’s National Team?

‘Roids.

The USMNT would be unstoppable if all the guys were on the juice. It’s the great equalizer. Other countries have loaded talent pools and passion for the sport, we need some help.

5. Have you bought into “Beckhammania” at all (like most people)?

As a soccer fan in this country, I’m thrilled that Beckham is here.

He’s set a precedent for European stars to come over in the future. (you reading this Thierry? Zinedine?) He’s gotten all the ESPN heads and media folk talking about the game. And he’s still a phenomenal player, with service second to none.

Some soccer purists think he’s a sideshow, but I think American soccer is a better and more entertaining product with him here.

6. Who wins the title? Manchester United or Chelsea?

Man. U.

Despite a dip in form of late, I still think the Red Devils will get the two wins. They got the tiebreaker (goal differential) locked up, obviously that’s work.

Oh yeah, Cristiano’s on the juice. That’ll help.

7. What are some soccer blogs that you recommend?

I love the soccer beat-writers’ blogs: The Soccer Insider, Soccer by Ives and Sideline Views.

101 Great Goals always has the highlights and awesome videos for me.

Some other favorites: Center Holds It, Goal! NY Times, Kickette, MLS Rumors, The Offside, The Offside Rules, The Spoiler and Who Ate All the Pies?

8. Do you think Seattle Sounders FC will threaten to move (like the Sonics and Mariners) if not granted a new stadium?

I can’t see that happening.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the best markets in the country, and people love soccer up here.

I appreciate what the league is doing, stressing the importance of soccer specific stadiums, but in Seattle I think it’s win-win with or without one.

Plus, I’ve been to many games at Qwest. In my opinion it’s a great soccer venue.

9. Finally, if you had one ticket to go to any international match in the world, where would it be and why?

It’s not very creative or original, but being the stands for a World Cup final would be out of this world.

It’s a soccer players dream, so it’s got to be a soccer lover’s dream too, right? 100,000 fans going nuts for 90 minutes. The pinnacle of the beautiful game puts the world on pause.

Where legends are made. I’d love to be there live blogging.

Thanks to Josh for the interview and you can check out his website at http://jmayers.blogspot.com

Seattle Seahawks Unveil New Helmet

That kinda looks familiar doesn’t it (click photo for better look).

Way To Blow a Win Liverpool

Not only did Liverpool give Chelsea an away goal, they gave them the equalizing own goal at the kop end of Anfield. John Arne Riise probably lifted the Blues into the Champions League Final, as no one has beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in over 3 years.

I love the shock of the announcer (Clive Tyldesley), brilliant stuff.

SS Note: Won’t post anything until Monday, on a mini vacation.

Suns vs. Spurs Live Blog

Looks like it is evident the Hornets are going to run the Mavericks out of the water in game 2, while the Magic are fending off the Raptors in the 3rd quarter.

But it’s the Suns vs. Spurs tonight. Will game 2 do the impossible and be the classic that game 1 was and more?

Will Shaq hit a three to counter Tim Duncan’s? We will find out in a few minutes as Kevin Harlan and Doug Collins are calling the game at the Bell Center or whatever they call it now in San Antonio.