Sherman straight out of Compton to Stanford and Seattle
Postpartum aggression - The game was just over and Erin Andrews asked the Seahawks' Richard Sherman about his tipped ball that led to an interception of a pass intended for Michael Crabtree.
"Well, I’m the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the result you are going to get! Don’t you even talk about me!”
Calmly, Andrews asked whom Sherman was referring to.
“Crabtree. Don’t open your mouth about the best or I’m going to shut it for you real quick!” Sherman screamed. “L-O-B! [Legion of Boom]!" Personally, I laughed out loud. Finally a glimpse into the real game, into what goes on out there. That game was a war with players flying around and getting hurt and all those on-air gasbags telling us about game for the ages and legacies and here comes Sherman from Stanford - a smart guy and he is - letting his emotions loose. I thought it was refreshing. Last March on ESPN’s "First Take," Sherman told Skip Bayless, “I'm intelligent enough and capable enough to understand that you are an ignorant, pompous, egotistical cretin.” I’ve known guys who use their intelligence as a weapon, and Sherman was right on the money about Bayless.
Sherman went to Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif. Remember when they came to the Slam Dunk and had two players with the names Tyson Chandler and Tyshawn Prince? Sherman was a high school all-American in track, running high hurdles and long and triple jumping. It's the same Compton that produced comedian Robin Harris, who said, “In Compton, the cost of living is going up, and the chance of living is going down.” You know even NFL Films gives us the edited version of what is said on the field, like watching "The Sopranos" on the A&E channel.
One and done - I can’t get a handle on college basketball because of the abundance of one and done, gone to the NBA, man children of the Promised Land. I don’t know what’s best for someone else, but I know it just doesn’t work for me. The 2006 NBA ban of drafting high school players set this system in motion. Players not only leave Kentucky early but Duke as well and it creates a negative image for African-American players, an image that trivializes their academic abilities. We have virtually no idea who these kids are; certainly they are more than basketball players. I’d love to do a story on the top 10 college freshman entering the NBA draft just to find out more about their all-around profiles. A person’s talents tend to be of a global nature, meaning athletically talented people tend to be talented at other things as well. Failing to develop the full people is like locking them in a box for life.
After-school special - The Mariner boys' basketball team will host Seaford at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22, in what should be a rocking display of young talent. The baby Blue Jays are 8-0 and have just been rocking opponents, but winning at Mariner is an entirely different matter.
Snippets - Jan. 18 was a big day for Cape sports on the road as the wrestling team won at defending state champion Saint Georges 33-27, the boys' basketball team won at 8-1 Concord 67-49, and junior Sam Young became the first Viking to pole vault 14 feet indoors at the Yale Invitational. Young’s performance places him fifth all-time in Delaware.
Ryan Thornburg, who reminds me of a young Jerry West, nailed three three-point shots in Cape’s basketball win at Concord. Thornburg starts bringing that game, Cape becomes a much-improved basketball team.
Cape wrestling coach Chris Mattioni, after an insane two days wrestling at Smyrna and Saint Georges, both 2013 state champions, was inducted into the Valley Forge Military Academy Wrestling Hall of Fame Jan. 18 for his prowess as a prep wrestler. Mattioni wrestled at the Citadel and 18 years ago walked into Cape after making a wrong turn, and he’s been here ever since.
Sweet T, Tiara Duffy, and her mom, Tenesha, visited the University of South Carolina over the weekend. We will see where that ends up.
I'd like to see a 50-meter pool on the next school referendum; it would enhance the entire community. The Y can no longer handle all the psychotic aquatics. Go on now, git!
