Bullpups should keep steaming right along

I’m not sure I can wait until Sept. 6.

That’s the opening night of the high school football season and it’s one of the red-letter days of the entire athletic year.

McPherson High will be on the road for its season opener, traveling to Salina South. The teams met last year in the opener as well, with the Bullpups needing a big second half to pull away for a 21-0 victory as the defense made a statement that proved to be a harbinger of things to come.

That game also proved to be the closest the Bullpups would have during the regular season as they steamrolled the remaining teams on their schedule, including the rivalry game with Buhler that wound up going into running clock, almost an unfathomable thought.

I’ve heard chatter from some that they don’t believe the Bullpups will approach their lofty levels of the last couple of years.

But judging from the summer, and what the opposing teams have coming back, the Bullpups should be just fine, thank you.

MHS spent the past weekend in the Kansas City area competing in a 7-on-7 tournament to wrap up its summer. While a 4-3 record might not get some excited, two of the losses came to last year’s Class 6A runner-up Blue Valley North and Bullpup coach Jace Pavlovich said the loss in the semifinals of the tournament was decided by one late play.

It’s probably unreasonable to expect the offense to be as prolific as it was last year, at least early on. The Bullpups were loaded in the skill positions as Kyler Hoppes, Jace Kinnamon and Gabe Hoover were among the best in the state. Had they been needed to play four quarters in every game, it boggles the mind to think of the staggering numbers they would have put up. In fact, all three most likely would have put up school records that may never be approached.

The Bullpups also lose some other quality skill players in Chandler Wiard and Tayln Huff, not to mention some top linemen, including Dawson VanGoethem, who earned plenty of postseason honors.

But based on the 7-on-7, the Bullpups have three quarterback candidates and a bevy of backs and receivers who will carve their own niche. While the passing game may not be quite as explosive, the team should pound the ball on the ground.

The defense, which was thought to be in a rebuilding mode going into last year, was actually as good as the year before, led by league Defensive MVP Khalil Lisbon. Again, there’s some big gradation hits here, but MHS should still be plenty good. Cody Stufflebean will wreak havoc as he’s almost unblockable, one reason he’s been scooped up by Kansas State. MHS will be linebacker-heavy, led by Mason Thrash and Brycen Labertew. Kaleb Hoppes and Jakob Feil have All-State written all over them.

So MHS fans, get ready. It’s going to be another tremendous season and I hope Sept. 6 gets here in a hurry.

NBA megatrade is a stunner

Another day in the NBA, another blockbuster announcement that sent shockwaves throughout the league.

Most of the news this offseason — and there has been plenty — is in regard to free-agent signings, but on Thursday the framework of a trade that would send Oklahoma City superstar Russell Westbrook to Houston for fellow superstar Chris Paul was announced.

The swapping of such megastars is unprecedented in any sport, but this is your new NBA where player movement keeps fans’ heads spinning as the shuffling of talent will make the 2019-2020 season as intriguing as any in recent memory.

This trade boggles the mind. Oklahoma City has officially torn down its team and will begin the long reconstruction process. In getting rid of Westbrook and fellow superstar Paul George (and fracturing the fan base), the Thunder now have accumulated eight future No. 1 draft picks and will be asking for patience from their supporters.

It’s hard to believe this was a franchise that once possessed Westbrook, James Harden and Kevin Durant all at the same time. Why the Thunder ever broke up that triumvirate is still a mystery to me because at that time they were all young and their egos were still somewhat in check.

But this trade makes no sense from Houston’s standpoint.

No player in the NBA has to have the ball in his hands more than Harden. “The Beard” is, in a word, a ballhog.

Now you add Westbrook, who is probably only second to Harden in time of possession. Westbrook is a triple-double waiting to happen, but he takes a lot of shots to put up his numbers.

Rockets games are going to be Harden and Westbrook taking about 80 percent of the shots with the other Houston players standing and watching on the offensive end.

Maybe Oklahoma City is going to flip Paul for even more draft picks. But the kicker is that Paul’s salary is bloated as he’s being paid for past performance and not his current production. He’s 34, injury-prone and a shell of what he was about 10 years ago. He’s a balding tire with almost no tread left.

It also doesn’t make sense for a team that’s blown it all up to retain an aging star who most likely will be disgruntled when the Thunder wins only 25 or 30 games next year. I don’t think OKC is paying him for mentoring services.

It’s hard to remember a trade in any sport that featured two stars of this ilk. It would have been like the New York Yankees trading Mickey Mantle to the-then New York Giants for Willie Mays or the Green Bay Packers trading Aaron Rodgers to the New England Patriots for Tom Brady.

It would have been even bigger had Westbrook been traded for Paul, say, five years ago. Westbrook is no spring chicken himself, having turned 30 and he plays as many minutes as any player in the league. As you would expect with somebody who’s plays so hard, he’s had his fair share of hurts. So this is a trade of players who are on the downside of their careers, though still productive.

My guess is that Paul won’t remain with the Thunder, while the plot only thickens in the soap opera that is the Houston Rockets.

It looks like Boomer Sooner will continue to reign

The Oklahoma Sooners have been to Big 12 football what the Kansas Jayhawks have been to the conference in basketball, though KU finally did have its 14-year run ended by Texas Tech and Kansas State this past season.

Since the Big 12 became an entity in 1996, the Sooners have won 12 Big 12 football titles, with Texas far and away a distant second with three. Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska have two, while Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A & M all have one.

So it’s no wonder the Sooners, who have won the last four Big 12 titles, were the overwhelming favorite on Wednesday when the Big 12 media poll was released.

Even though the Sooners must replace Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray — former Alabama star quarterback Jalen Hurts should step right in quite nicely as a grad transfer— they received 68 of the 77 first-place votes.

The other nine went to Texas, which is slowly returning to the days of Vince Young and coach Mack Brown as Tom Herman is gaining a stronghold in the Lone Star State.

It wasn’t that long ago when Iowa State and Kansas were battling for the bottom spot, but the Cyclones have experienced a renaissance under youthful coach Matt Campbell, who probably has the toughest recruiting sell in the Big 12. 

TCU, most likely due to the presence of the well-respected Gary Patterson, was picked fourth, while Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys were tabbed No. 5.

Baylor, which is recovering from the Art Briles scandal-riddled era, is making strides as it was picked sixth, while voters brought up the rear with four schools all with new coaches — Texas Tech, West Virginia, Kansas State and Kansas.

I believe this will be a year of transition in the Big 12. The conference has lost some of its luster as its reputation has been sullied by defenseless games that produce pinball numbers. The SEC and Big 10 are more defensive dominated, while the ACC is top-heavy and the Pac 12 has fallen off since USC and UCLA simply aren’t what they once were.

There will be a honeymoon period for the new coaches, but I know at Kansas it is tired of being the Big 12’s laughingstock. After fumbling on coaching hires such as Turner Gill, Charlie Weis and David Beaty, new AD Jeff Long was brought in almost solely for the purpose of making KU football relevant again. His hire of Les Miles gives the program instant credibility, if nothing else fans won’t be subjected to the horrible disorganization that permeated the program during the Beaty era.

Miles’ hire also has resulted in an uptick in recruiting, as he’s almost finished with his 2020 class, which has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the conference by some services so far.

I also believe Kansas State being picked No. 9 is too low. I really like what new coach Chris Klieman is doing and I think he’ll be one of the sleeper hires in college football this year. Being disrespected is nothing new for Kansas State, as it spent much of the Bill Snyder era being overlooked and the Wildcats used that as motivation every year to defy the pundits.

I’m sure the media got it right with Oklahoma winning it and Texas being No. 2. But from then on, most of the remaining teams could finish anywhere in the order.

Home runs have taken over baseball

Twenty years ago, Atlanta Braves star pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux made a baseball commercial about “chicks dig the long ball.”

It was in reference to women being impressed by the feats of strength by baseball’s home run hitters.

This season, about every player in baseball would be a chick magnet. The game has turned homer-happy and pedestrian players are candidates to hit 35 to 40 homers. In fact, baseball is going to shatter the Major League record for homers in a season and it may happen before Sept. 1.

Longtime pitcher Justin Verlander, who started for the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday, is convinced the baseball has been juiced. That drew a reply from Commissioner Rob Manfred, who admits MLB is taking a long look at the baseballs, but says no juicing has been intentionally done.

The New York Yankees, who play in a bandbox, are most likely going to shatter the single-season team record and that’s with sluggers Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge having been injured most of the year. Stanton has played only nine games and has just one homer, while Judge has been limited to 33 games and nine homers after being a candidate for 60 at the start of the year.

But the Yankees already have six players with double-digit homers and several more who will probably get there. 

The increased liveliness of the baseball has changed the way the game is being played. Bunting, hit-and-runs, basestealing — it’s all become passe’. The late Earl Weaver, the longtime manager for the Baltimore Orioles — used to be a proponent of sitting back and waiting for one of his sluggers to hit a three-run homer as the Birds often were last in the American League in stolen bases. He was way ahead of his time.

Now the game is all about launch angles and shifts. You go to a game now and you’ll probably see three or four homers a game and a lot of hits taken away by the shifts, as baseball has become a science of charts and spray charts.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to see a homer or two when I watch a baseball game. But I miss the days of my beloved St. Louis Cardinals when they had Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, Ozzie Smith, Terry Pendleton and Tommy Herr when they used to steal teams blind. 

I also was a big fan of the hit-and-run and putting runners in motion. Bunting is a lost art as managers can hardly count on hitters anymore to execute because they’re thinking about putting the ball in the seats.

But now it’s all about the homers, which puts fans in the seats. I’m not sure if MLB will do anything about “dejuicing” the baseballs, but I for one would like to see more action and strategy rather a deluge of home runs.

Loecker a home-run hire for Bullpups

Katelyn Loecker was born to be a coach.

When I covered Loecker during her McPherson High sports career, it was a no-brainer that she would someday be a coach, given her basketball acumen during her Bullpup playing days.

But I never thought she would apply her trade with her alma mater.

It was announced by MHS girls basketball coach Chris Strathman on Monday that Loecker is the newest addition to his staff. She replaces longtime assistant coach Mike Reith, who has departed the school to become the principal of Uniontown High School.

Strathman obviously was ecstatic to add one of his former players, especially one who was the two-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year.

Loecker played in exactly 100 games in her Bullpup career and was successful in 89. So she immediately brings the winning pedigree to the program that has been among the best in Kansas for the past 40 years. 

She is third all-time on the MHS scoring list with 1,572 points, trailing only Taylor Robertson (1,912, a record likely never to be broken) and Ashley Sweat (1,593). She averaged just under 16 points a game for her career as she was a four-year starter and made the All-Mid America Classic team in each of her four years.

Loecker went on to play at Oklahoma State, where she was a valuable player for the Cowgirls for her four years. She played for former Seward County coach Jim Littell, who also once coached at Friends.

At Oklahoma State, Loecker did all the little things that didn’t show up in the box score. She often made the extra pass, came up with a key rebound or would make a big blockout. It’s those aspects that she should be able to pass along to the Bullpup players. She should be a tremendous asset to the Bullpup inside players, as few were able to post up like she did and she had tremendous footwork in getting to the basket.

Loecker spent a couple of years at the University of Saint Mary of the KCAC, serving as the team’s head coach last year as she was among the youngest head coaches in the country. While the Spires were 8-20 in her only year, she gained experience of the ups and downs of the coaching profession.

Her wealth of experience should prove invaluable. She also gives the Bullpups two coaches on staff who have been college head coaches, the other being former McPherson College head coach Shelly Prescott. Tim Ellet remains to coach the freshmen and put together quality scouting reports.

Not only was Loecker a basketball star, she was a driving force behind the Bullpups winning the 2012 Class 4A state volleyball championship. Again, her competitive spirit was contagious as the Bullpups outlasted Topeka Hayden in a thrilling three-setter, with the deciding game 25-23 as MHS finished the year 43-4.

The outgoing Loecker has the type of personality that should resonate with her new Bullpup players. Because of her success, she should have instant respect as the players know how hard she worked to bring home the state championship banner that is displayed in the Roundhouse rafters.

It will be fun to watch Loecker transition into her new role and I have the utmost confidence she’ll be a integral part of the program for years to come.

Royals have been a big disappointment

We knew it was going to be a long year for the Kansas City Royals, but I don’t think anybody associated with the club expected it to be 30-61 at the All-Star break.

The Royals are steaming toward a 100-loss season and their record belies their talent. You look at this roster and scratch your head as to how it has lost so many games.

There are some very good players here. Whit Merrifield leads all of baseball in hits and is an All-Star. Aldaberto Mondesi is one of the best young shortstops in the game. Hunter Dozier is finally starting to live up to his long-anticipated promise. Alex Gordon and Jorge Soler are on pace to drive in 100 runs apiece.

The offensive problem is the shortness of the lineup. The Royals' 7-8-9 hitters have been black holes and produce very little offense. Speedy Billy Hamilton was considered the Royals' big get in the offseason, as it was thought among him, Merrifield and Mondesi they'd probably steal 150 bases.

But you can't steal second if you don't get to first. Hamilton has been a terrible disappointment as he's been a virtual automatic out.

Catcher Martin Maldonado was signed late and needed two months to find himself offensively. He's been better recently, but he's probably a guy the Royals will be moving at the end of the month to a contender who needs a veteran presence. KC can probably get by the final two months with Cam Gallagher as it awaits for the return of All-Star catcher Salvador Perez next season.

Another huge disappointment was Ryan O'Hearn, who powdered 12 home runs in 44 games to end last season. But MLB pitchers make adjustments and they found the holes in his swing. He's back on Omaha after it was thought he could hit 20 to 25 home runs.

Cheslor Cuthbert was brought back and he's been steady, but doesn't provide a lot of pop. Veteran Lucas Duda isn't hitting his weight, which means he won't be back with the team next year.

 It's on the mound where it really starts to break down for the Royals.

The starting pitching is among the worst in baseball and the bullpen is a disaster. If the Royals had the bullpen of their World Series glory, they’d probably have at least 15 more wins, which would put them about .500 for the season.

Danny Duffy actually has pitched much better than his record, but even after a long time in the majors he still struggles with inconsistency. Brad Keller is going throughout the Sophomore Jinx, Jakob Junis can't keep the ball in the park, Homer Bailey has been up-and-down while Glenn Sparkman is only in the rotation because there are no other options. There hasn't been one reliable reliever, with Ian Kennedy the best of the bunch.

I just wonder how much longer Ned Yost wants to go through a rebuild. The Royals are years away from being a playoff contender and he’s already been around a long time. Given all that, it wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t step down at some point or retire at the end of the season. Maybe a new voice in the dugout might not be all that bad anyway.

Sizing up MLB playoffs at the 4th

Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Labor Day are regarded as the milepost days for Major League Baseball.

It’s often said the teams leading the pennant races on those days will most likely be the teams in the playoffs, though it's a stretch to include Memorial Day.

That being said, the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros appear well on their way to winning their AL divisions as all have comfortable leads. Two wild-card spots are open, with Tampa Bay clearly one of the teams to beat, while Cleveland and Oakland currently are tied for the final spot. If the season ended today, they would have a one-game play-in game.

Noticeably absent is defending champion Boston, which has failed to gain any traction this year as it's far in the Yankees' rear-view mirror. The only way the Red Sox make it is through the wild-card and they'll need a big push for that to happen.

But at this point, the Yankees clearly are the team that will represent the American League in the World Series. They are hitting home runs at record pace, their bullpen is the deepest and most talented in the game and the starting staff is adequate enough.

And remember, these are the Yankees. They have a reservoir of talent in the minors and could put together a package for, say, Madison Bumgarner of San Francisco. The Yankees have bottomless pockets and can simply outspend teams.

Minnesota is a nice, little story, but I don’t think anybody really believes the Twins have what it takes to topple the Yankees.

Houston is most viable challenger. The Astros have been besieged by injuries and their pitching isn’t what it was when they won the World Series a couple of years ago. But they certainly can give the Yankees a spirited run.

In the NL, Atlanta and Los Angeles appear to be playoff locks, but the Central is wide open as any of the five teams could win it. Even Cincinnati isn’t out of it as teams in this division seem to be spinning their wheels. I keep waiting for the Chicago Cubs to get rolling, but some of their stars are struggling.

Milwaukee and Washington are the others in the field right now, but I have a feeling Colorado might slip in the playoffs.

Los Angeles could have the NL West clinched by Labor Day. The Dodgers show no signs of slowing down and have an offense than can at least challenge the Yankees should the teams meet in the Series.

I still think the Cubs have a big run in them and they’ll probably go out and add reinforcements. Atlanta is the NL’s version of Minnesota as it doesn’t have enough starting pitching to last the long haul. 

It will be interesting to see how much things change between now and Labor Day, the final measuring stick.

Dynasty days over for Golden State

The Golden State Warriors appeared to be built to last.

But after a magnificent stretch of three NBA titles in the last five years — and a strange set of circumstances probably denied them five in a row — it’s all going to come crumbling down.

The Warriors first won the NBA title in 2015, then lost in The Finals in 2016 after Draymond Green went all-lunatic and got himself suspended for Game 6. If not for that, the Warriors probably would have won the title.

After missing out that year, they shocked the NBA world by adding Kevin Durant, one of the best five players on the planet, to form perhaps the most talented team in history. He was The Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 as the Warriors stormed to championships against LeBron James and his far-less-talented Cleveland Cavaliers.

There were signs during this season that Durant, though, was not feeling comfortable with his situation. There were reports indicating he didn’t get along with Green and was feeling isolated from some of his other teammates.

Still, the Warriors were well on their way to their third straight title despite all the distractions and feeling a sense of boredom.

But Durant went down with an injury in the epic semifinal round with Houston. He would not play in the walk-in-the-park against Portland and then did not play the first five games of The Finals against Toronto.

When he finally returned, he played less than a half before suffering a blown-out torn Achilles, which not only ended his season, but puts him out for next season as well. 

In a double-whammy, the Warriors also lost Klay Thompson to a torn ACL in the final game, meaning two of the top players in the NBA won’t play next year.

Durant, though, is not sticking around to see how it all ends. He’s decided to head to Brooklyn, where he’ll spectate next year and hope to be back for the 2020-2021 season.

Thompson did re-sign, but he’s also expected to be out for most, if not all, the year. To have the money to retain Thompson, the Warriors had to trade valuable Andre Igudola, who did all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. His presence could not be overstated enough as he made so many big plays.

Also, don’t expect Boogie Cousins to be back, even though he’s now healthy. And expect valuable reserve Shaun Livingston to retire or not be brought back.

The Warriors have added some pieces, but they don’t have the championship pedigree. I don’t think the additions of Willie Cauley-Stein, Glenn Robinson and DeAngelo Russell are going to move the needle.

Golden State will still have Green and the remarkable Steph Curry. But you could see in the playoffs it’s a team that was running on fumes after five straight Finals appearances. It takes a toll not only physically, but mentally. Golden State will probably win 50 games, but will be looking up at other teams.

The Celtics, Lakers and Bulls all have had great dynasties, but at some point they ended. I just thought the Warriors might be a team that could make a run for a few more years, but the departures are too much to overcome.

MHS boys basketball team will be just fine

When I think of McPherson High boys basketball, I often draw parallels between the Bullpups and the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks are college basketball royalty, one of the recognized “blue bloods.”

McPherson High, of course, is one of the Top 5 gold standard programs in Kansas high school history.

Kurt Kinnamon has been a staple as Bullpup head coach and is a probable future KSHSAA Hall of Fame member. Bill Self has been a fixture for the Jayhawks for 15 years and already is in the Hall of Fame.

Kinnamon has worked summer camps for nearly 30 years under Self and former KU coach Roy Williams, for whom he has great fondness. Williams, in fact, had Kinnamon out one summer to work his North Carolina camp and you can see a lot of his philosophies passed down to Kinnamon and the Bullpups.

When Self’s team appeared to be taking major hits this offseason, Jayhawk Nation was all a flutter. Some of the fans were wondering if the Jayhawks were perhaps headed for the NIT, which is preposterous to think no matter how bleak things look.

But then Udoka Azubuike announced he was coming back. The second domino fell when Devon Dotson pulled out of the NBA draft. Of course the team will feel the losses of Dedric Lawson, KJ Lawson, Quentin Grimes and Charlie Moore, but Self methodically filled those holes and Kansas is being talked about again as a Top 5 team nationally, especially with the late addition of a couple of 6-8 athletic recruits and a graduate transfer who can shoot the 3, the team’s Achilles Heel last year.

When KU fans were at the pinnacle of their premature panic, Self tried to reassure those who live vicariously through the Jayhawks. “We’ll get some guys,” he said at the time, apparently confident things would work out.

I’m sure McPherson fans have been in the KU boat. Kinnamon, who has more than 500 career coaching wins, must replace four starters off a team that came one victory short of making the state tournament in its return to Class 5A. 

But Bullpup fans who have followed the team this summer should feel more at ease. While Cody Stufflebean, the Kansas State football commit, is the only returning starter, from what I saw of the team is that it’s going to be one fans really enjoy. I think it’s going to play with a chip on its shoulder as it’s going to be under-estimated around the state.

Stufflebean is the pinwheel. While he has one eye on being a Wildcat, he enjoys basketball and is a beast. He’s a double-double waiting to happen as he plays with a high motor. He spent most of last season shooting nearly 75 percent from the field as he’s difficult to stop down low.

He’ll be aided inside by Cooper Courtney and Sam Pyle, a couple of long 6-4 seniors who have patiently waited their turn. Courtney is a defensive menace, as he’s long and springy. Pyle works hard inside and gives you everything he’s got. He's improved his offensive production as he's gaining confidence.

The potential breakout player is Seth Madron, the team’s sixth man as a freshman. He’s explosive and creative, with the ability to get to the rim. He’s working on his outside shooting, about the only weakness in his game.

Hayes Schmid has played with the team this summer as he continues his treatments for cancer. His teammates draw inspiration from him and he’s a deadly outside shooter.

The junior combo of Jayton Alexander and Eli Pyle are going to be the players who make the biggest jump. Alexander is hard-nosed and gets on the floor for every loose ball, while Pyle is the best shooter on the team. Kinnamon certainly will be running plays to get him open looks. Another junior, Adam Elliott, is certainly going to be in the mix.

A wild-card is senior Kaleb Hoppes, who has not played for a couple of years but has shown up this summer to lend support. But he’s an athlete and has good strength. If nothing else, he’ll provide some muscle and physicality.

There are some other players who will make a varsity bid and give Kinnamon the depth he needs to play his brand of basketball.

MHS rolled through the McPherson College Summer League undefeated, routing Berean in the finals. So Bullpup fans, relax. Everything is going to be just fine.

NBA free agency is jaw dropping

After following the first day of NBA free agency, my head hurt.

That’s because it was on the verge of exploding after every pending deal that was being announced.

With Major League Baseball nearing its All-Star Game and NFL training camps soon to be chockfull of happenings, it’s the NBA that’s stealing the spotlight and on the tip of everyone’s tongue. While the Finals ended a few weeks ago, we’re being kept on the edge of our seats by the money-driven musical chairs as players are going from team to team with loyalty a lost art.

The numbers were beyond mind-boggling. About every 10 or 15 minutes there would be a report of a player agreeing to a max contract or pedestrian players being paid what used to be considered elite-superstar money.

Kevin Durant, who normally tries to remain low-key, started it all off by stunning the NBA world that he would be leaving Golden State for the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets? I didn’t even know they were still in the league.

And he’s bringing along Kyrie Irving, who earlier in the season professed that he would be back with Boston, which is losing players left and right, but did gain top guard Kemba Walker from Charlotte.

The Nets have been irrelevant for years. Never mind that Durant most likely will miss next season with a ruptured Achilles and that his return to form is questionable at best. They made a big splash and turned the NBA on its ear.

The hits just kept on coming. The Knicks, who struck out in their attempt to land Durant and will now be second fiddle in the Big City, signed the serviceable Julius Randle to a $63 million contract for 3 years. Apparently $21 million a year is the going rate for a player who has never been an All-Star. Even though it seems like he’s been around forever because he left Kentucky after just one year, he’s only 24 and maybe will be an All-Star in the future for what will be a very bad Knicks team.

Among the contracts that caught my eye was the 4-year, id="mce_marker"96 million being lavished on Damian Lillard of Portland, a very good player, some might call him on the cusp of being a superstar. But he’s never been an MVP, never led the Blazers to the NBA Finals and is being given a deal for nearly $50 million a year.

NBA players must feel like they have hit the Mother Lode. The owners (now to be called governors) are throwing around money like they’re playing Monopoly. This has gotten crazy and spiraled out of control. I can only imagine ticket prices at NBA venues for the upcoming season, as only the super-rich will be able to attend games.

This money grab has me worried for the NFL. What must pro football players be thinking, they brutalize their bodies for half the pay and their careers have a short shelf life. Of course, NFL rosters number 53 and NBA teams carry only 12 players, but still I have a feeling NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could soon have a powder keg on his hands. While football players are happy for their basketball brethren, they want their slice of the pie.

While I enjoy the NBA, I love the NFL. I don’t want to see greed destroy the sport, which is the way we could someday be heading.