TERRY MOSHER
AROUND THE COUNTRY – I get tired of Antonio Brown. Now he’s being accused of sexual assault. What bothers me most about Brown and others like him – and sexual assault is nothing to treat lightly – is their exceptional athletic talent and their character, which seems to be just the opposite, which dooms them to most of the time to not live up to their athletic talent. While covering sports for nearly 50 years I have come across countless athletes of the same hue and they never live up to the potential because of character issues. It’s a crying shame, but then the world is littered with all kinds of people so you should expect some of these types. Many times it’s their upbringing, or lack of proper upbringing, that does them in. It’s the old theme – you get what you build. I had a friend in my youthful days that was an incredible athlete. We played football together – me as quarterback and he as a running back – and he was the best at that age I ever saw. He had a meanness to him that made him just be a wild beast on the football field. Unfortunately, he never lived up to his potential. He was raised by his grandparents. His father was a street bum and alcoholic. My friend developed in his adulthood like that of his dad. I once lost a PE boxing championship to him. He just overwhelmed me, and I was pretty good. Years later I urged him to train as an amateur boxer with the aim of being a pro. But it was too late. He was going down the wrong path. What I have never gotten is how a gifted athlete in any sport can screw it up and throw millions of dollars of earnings down the drain. Its one thing to turn away from the possibility of $500 million of future earnings as Andrew Luck did because of the pain and suffering he endured because of football and another to throw it away because you can’t keep your pants on or because you don’t like the helmet. But that’s life. Not everybody is a good guy. … The Seahawks have never beaten Pittsburgh in the Steel City and they are underdogs Sunday when they clash with the Steelers there. The Steelers are a 3.5 point favorite, but I’m going with the Seahawks. If Tom Brady and the Patriots can smash them so easily, why can’t the Seahawks at least squeak out a close win? I think they can, although the offensive line has to be better and the backend of the secondary has to have a good game. It’s a lot to ask, but I’m crossing my fingers and hoping. … Don’t quit on the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. They are 2-0 coming into Saturday’s game against Washington at Husky Stadium. They beat two Pac-12 schools – Arizona 45-38 and Oregon State 31-28 – so they know how to play bigger schools even if Arizona and Oregon State are at the lower level of the Pac-12. And junior Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald. A 6-4, 220-pound junior from California, has already thrown eight touchdown passes and 799 passing yards. He threw for 3,875 yards and 36 TDs last year as a sophomore, leading the Rainbows to a 7-5 record. The Hawaiian defense is not great, so I expect a big shootout against the Huskies. I predict a 45-28 Husky victory. … The world has finally caught up (and passed) the United States. The American team, coached by Gregg Popovich, has lost two straight games in the 2019 World Cup in China. They lost to France 89-79 on Wednesday and then lost on Thursday to Serbia 94-89. The Americans play Saturday for seventh place, which is the worse finish ever for a United States men’s team. The Americans did qualify for the Olympic Games, so that is a positive. The bad thing is they need all on board to have a chance, and in the World Cup many of the best NBA players did not commit to the team. If that happens for the 2020 Games in Tokyo it may have a similar ending. That’s it for today.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.