Remember the McDonalds commercial that has Larry Bird and Michael Jordan playing a game of where the first person who misses gets the Big Mac and fries? Each star drains one crazy shot after another until Jordan is shooting from the parking lot. Each player ends their shot call with the phrase, “nothing but net” while we hear the loud swoosh sound

I love that sound. It brings back so many great memories as a kid. My dad had a basketball stand installed in our front yard overlooking the driveway. My friends and I would play for hours until it was dark and we couldn’t see the rim. Only mom yelling for us to come inside for dinner would pull us off the court. My favorite shot to take, especially when going for the win in a game of H-O-R-S-E, was the long bomb from the street. Any shot fired in from there was sure to put a quick end to the game. I’d practice the street shot for hours and hours. What made the shot especially difficult was the sun was in your face most of the time. I’d squint, take a quick look in the direction of the rim, get a running start and launch the ball from my hip. It’s a 1 in 30 shot if that.

But oh the sound of that net when the ball swished in! You could hear the swoosh from across the street. The sound of the ball whipping the net up and over the rim was music to my ears. The swoosh meant I’d hit the perfect shot. No rim, no backboard. Nothing but net.

I thought of this commercial as I shot baskets at a local elementary school tonight while my son played soccer. There were six baskets to shoot at and all had these terrible nets made of chain. I can imagine they use metal nets because they are less likely to be stolen and may last longer than those made of nylon. When I was in elementary school we’d start the year off with brand new white nets on all the baskets. By the end of the year the nets were stained black and most were torn or had been removed entirely.

 
Neither Bird nor Jordan would approve of this net at Hazelwood Elementary.

So I guess that a chain net is better than no net at all. But part of the fun of shooting baskets is hearing the swoosh sound when you nail a shot from long range. It’s a sound anyone who plays sports will instantly recognize. The chain nets make a terrible sound as they clank around after a made shot. The reward for making a basket is that the chain shaves off a bit of your ball like a cheese grater does to a block of cheddar.

In the quest to reduce the amount of maintenance to these baskets, we’ve removed one of the nuances that make basketball such an enjoyable sport. I say bring back the nylon nets. So what if the nets need to be replaced once or twice a year. The kids should be rewarded with the sound of swooshing nets when they make a basket.

I love to play basketball and have for many years. It’s one of the sports I’ve played consistently since high school. I would say I’m an average player with maybe a better than average outside shot. The three point shot hadn’t yet been implemented when I was in high school (missed by a year) and so most plays were focused on pounding the ball inside (we had a center who went on to play at the University of Utah) and occasionally the ball was kicked back out for a perimeter shot. But back then, as a guard, you’d better be very open if you decided to hoist up a shot from 18 feet. Times have sure changed since the three point came in to play. Now, many teams pass the ball around the perimeter looking for the open shot, and forwards and even centers frequently hoist up 20 footers. Look at how many centers in the NBA can shoot from down town. It’s changed the game.

I’ve played in organized leagues as well as a number of pick-up games at the gym. What I’ve learned is that I can tell a lot about a person by how he plays basketball. Here’s what I look for:

1. Does he try to involved his team member or does he ball hog?
2. Does he play defense or stay back and cherry pick for layups?
3. Does he call his own fouls or whine when someone calls one on him?
4. Will he pass the ball to an open teammate or insist on going one on three?
5. Will he make the extra pass to an open teammate who is closer to the basket?
6. Does he go after loose balls and rebounds?
7. Will he offer to sit out a game if there’s an odd number of people?
8. Can he dribble the ball with his head up? Or does he think he can drive the middle on three defenders? (My personal pet peeve)

These are few things I look for when I play. Those players who will pass the ball around and get everyone involved are those I enjoy the most off the court. As amazing a player as Michael Jordan was, he’s not the person I’d choose to play alongside had I been given the opportunity. The two players that I would have most liked to play with would be Magic Johnson and John Stockton. Both of these guys made their teammates better because of their unselfish play. They were so fun to watch because they were masters at distributing the ball at just the right time. Some of their amazing passes are legendary. I think a fantastic pass beats a slam dunk anytime.

My favorite part of youth soccer this year is how, at the end of each game, all the parents line up across the field in two lines with their hands held up over their heads. The kids do a quick cheer with their coach and then run down this tunnel of parents who cheer for both teams.

You should see the smile on all the kids faces as they beam with joy. Both teams run together and it’s a wonderful example of sportsmanship. It also leaves everyone feeling good regardless of how a child played.

It’s worth attending a game if just to see the happiness of these 30 kids. They must feel so special. What a fantastic tradition.

I wish Gus Johnson would provide color commentary for all Seahawk games. Listening to him call today’s game against Cincinnati was so much fun.

My favorite Gus Johnson moment of the day came when Seattle’s Brian Russell made an over the shoulder interception to stop a Bengal drive. Gus yelled out, “He CAUGHT THAT LIKE A RECEIVER!!!”

I like Gus because he calls the game like a football fan would call the game. He doesn’t bore you for formations and non relevant back story. He just calls the game as he see it which means he gets so excited he sometimes loses it. I love the energy he brings to the game. I wish CBS would give him more games to call because it’s hard to listen to anyone else once you’ve gone Gus.

Here’s Gus providing the call on Denver’s amazing win over Buffalo in week 1

Gus is known for many great calls during March Madness. Check out this guys tribute to some of his best calls.

It was perfect day for a soccer game yesterday as I watched my six year old daughter run up and and down the field. She looked so cute in her blue uniform, black shorts and socks to go with her new black Nike cleats. This is the first time most of these kids have played any type of organized sport, but it didn’t matter. They were so excited. You could see it in their little faces. Here’s what I enjoyed the most:

1. I loved how the kids would cheer anytime a goal was scored for either team.
2. I loved how the parents cheered anytime a goal was scored for either team.
3. I liked that no score was kept.
4. I like how both coaches also ref the games and they let the kids place. If the ball goes out bounce just a bit, they let the kids play.
5. I loved seeing the kids look towards their parents and smile whenever one scored a goal or made a good kick.
6. I like how they separated the kids into teams by size and not just age.
7. When one girl kicked the ball the wrong way, I liked how the opposing coach helped her get going the right direction.

Most of all, I enjoyed seeing the kids have so much fun together. Most of the parents were on their best behavior as well and I hope that continues. There will be plenty of time for competitive games. I’m happy the focus is on creating an environment where the kids can get some exercise and have a ball.

I love watching old games, especially games from the mid 80s and early 90’s. With ESPN classic I can get my fill of nostalgia.

As I jogged on the treadmill tonight I watched the game 5 of the 1993 Western Conference Championship that pitted the Seattle Supersonics against the Phoenix Suns. Here are a few things I noticed:

1. I miss the days when the centers and forwards players looked like like athletes. Barkley and Kemp weren’t these grotesque muscular freak shows who could only rebound and who shot 30% from the foul line. Players like Ben Wallace and Shaq are just not interesting to watch today.
   
2. I’d forgotten about Dan Marjle who never met a shot he didn’t like. Anything past half court was game.  He was a white “Downtown” Freddie Brown of the early 90’s. Game 5 is where he hit eight three pointers and many were a good 5-6 feet beyond the 3 point arc. He was in a zone!
   
3. The NBA needs a fun personality like Charles Barkley. I love how he’d fight for position under the boards and come up with offensive rebounds against guys who had four inches on him. Remember when power forward could actually shoot the rock? Barkley was such a bruiser at times that it’s easy to forget he had a very soft jump shot. He seemed to be enjoying himself and fed off the crowd.
   
4. Why didn’t Sun’s point guard, Kevin Johnson, shoot more often? He had a fantastic crossover dribble and such a quick release that was able to get off a shot anytime. He probably got used to feeding Barkley and Marjle first and looking for his own shot as the 2nd or 3rd option. Granted, he did have a way of just killing the Jazz at crucial moments of the game.
   
5. It’s sad to think of the amazing talent Shawn Kemp had and he threw much of it away. Back in ’93 he was a machine and clearly the best player on the court when he on his game. Coach Karl let him handle the ball out front like a guard much of the game and he would either post his man up or take a few dribbles and drain the jumper. There were a few years there where he was simply amazing.
   
6. I loved the movement of the games back then. Lots of passes on the perimeter and screens away from the basket. Not every possession included a pass inside while 4 guys watched a big man operate away from the basket until a foul was called. BORING! I don’t care how good the “Big Fundamental” is or how many rings he earns. He’s boring to watch. I’d much rather watch Barkley filling the lane on a fast break and dunking over a trailing guard. The game just seemed to move at a faster clip back then. The Suns today are one of the few teams that’s a lot of fun to watch.

While I was serving an LDS mission in Germany, a man asked me to explain the rules of baseball. I’d been in Germany for over a year and spoke German well, or so I thought. I started by explaining each position starting with the pitcher and catcher and then moving around the infield and finally outfield. This kind man listened intently. He then asked me to describe a few more areas of the game such as walks, strikeouts, pop fly outs, home runs, bunting, and base stealing.

It was getting more difficult to describe some areas of the game and I recall asking for a piece of paper so I could sketch a baseball diamond to help him visualize what I was describing.

I started to wonder if this guy had read the encyclopedia entry (this was well before Wikipedia) for baseball because he also asked me to describe a fielders choice, infield fly rule, ground rule double and a suicide squeeze. I had a very difficult time explaining these nuances of the game in German even though I grew up playing baseball all my life.

I mention this because I thought of this experience I had in Germany as I watched my 6-year old daughter play soccer for the first time today. I’m certain that one reason soccer is so popular is because, at the core, it’s a very simple game. At practice today, the coach gathered the girls around to explain the rules. It was the first time playing for a few of them. The coach said, “The objective of soccer to is keep the ball out of our net while kicking it into the opposing team’s net”. 

His description was so simple and so clear that even a 6-year old could understand it. I know there is a lot more to soccer. Although it may be simple to understand it’s extremely challenging to master. One has to be in excellent condition and skilled in many facets of the game. Yet it’s quite easy to begin playing at a young age and the rules are relatively easy to understand.