TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – I almost fell out of my chair Thursday (Feb. 3) watching the Washington Huskies burn the nets with shots that all year have clanked off the rim or slammed off the glass. The Huskies are one terrible shooting team. But on this night everything they threw up went in. I called my youngest son and suggested they should be drug tested. Holy cow, they actually looked like a half-decent college basketball team. I have watched thousands of basketball games in a long career in sports and a long time ago I concluded in a 20-game high school schedule there would be at least two games where the ball bounces the wrong way, passes strayed out of bounds and shots a 4-year-old makes misses badly. Conversely, there are games where the ball seems to be radar directed into the hoop, passes always find their mark, the ball always bounces their way. That was last night. The Huskies seemingly could do no wrong. California was playing without its best player due to an ankle injury, but it might not have made a difference the way karma appeared to be on the Huskies’ side the entire game. The Huskies are the surprise team of the Pac-12. They were predicted in preseason to finish 11th and here they are 7-3 and tied for 4th place with Oregon. And the Huskies are playing with one offensively-challenged player – Nate Roberts. The 6-11 junior is 245 pounds of muscle and looks like he should be a tight end for the Seahawks. He has two shots – a layin and put-back, and neither is guaranteed. If he got into a game of HORSE with the first kid walking down the street, I would bet my money on the kid. But Roberts fills a role. He is a good defender in the paint. If he played for the Mafia, you wouldn’t want him to be out looking for you. If you watch closely, though, his four on-the-floor teammates rarely pass him the ball expecting an offensive move leading to a basketball. They know better. But you get fouled by Roberts, you call a medic. … Pete Carroll is overhauling his team’s defense. Ken Norton Jr. is gone, and Clint Hurtt is expected to be promoted to take Norton’s spot as defensive coordinator. Carroll is also bringing in other people to help Hurtt out. There has to be some more moves centering on cornerback and a couple more quality edge rushers would be a nice addition. Maybe the biggest thing needed is to make sure the Rashaad Penny that exploded late last season is the real deal, and then make sure to retain him. It goes without saying teams need a running back that can hurt people and evade people when needed. Penny is that guy, we think. If he is, the Seahawks should be in good condition because a back like him, who can be elusive, fast and quick, is worth more than a penny. … I may be in a small minority when I say I disagree with the controversy Brian Flores has ignited with his lawsuit against the NFL and three teams (Giants, Broncos, Dolphins), claiming there is racism involved in hiring practices in the league. I wouldn’t put it past owners, at least some are likely reluctant to hire a black man as head coach, despite the majority of the players in the league (about 60 percent) being black. Racism exists in this country. Always has. This country was founded by white men who created laws favoring whites, building a democratic government with ystematic racism built into it. The undercurrent of racism started with slavery and it has lingered in the minds of men since. It’s extremely difficult to scrub racism from minds when it’s taught from an early age blacks are inferior to whites. In short, it’s tough to be color blind when your family has grabbed on racism going back two hundred years. I’m veering off the subject a bit here, so I would just say if I was a NFL owner I would not want any of that bleeping stuff near my franchise. Color is just color, and has nothing to do with character or knowledge. I wouldn’t care if an applicant for head coach with my team was black, orange, pink, green, white or any other color. Flores could be my coach if he can beat out other applicants. I would hire him in a second if he is in a football knowledge class by himself. Here’s a whistle, go get ‘em. Ok, that’s enough for today. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
