College Football Opening Night

Over at Awful Announcing they will be live blogging the two televised games tonight.

The two games are:
Tulsa at Louisana-Monroe on ESPN2 at 4 PT Tulsa is favored by 3
LSU at Mississippi State on ESPN at 5 PT LSU is favored by 17.5

To check it out, you can click here.

Cougar, Huksy First Week Opponents

The Cougars open their 2007 campaign on the road this week against the 7th ranked Badgers of Wisconsin. This marks the second year in the row the Cougs are opening on the road against a Top 10 team.

A Wisconsin preview of the Cougars and how they expect the Badgers to try and stop them. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Last year's Badger's defense was #1 in the nation for pass-efficiency, they hope to repeat that feat this year, starting against the Cougars potent passing attack. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

The Cougars are going to harass 1st year stater Tyler Donovan if they have any hope of winning at Camp Randall Stadium. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Bill Doba could be on his way out of Pullman if WSU doesn't turn it around this season. (Seattle PI)

The Huskies also open their season on the road, although against a much easier opponent.

Syracuse is still trying to turn the program around using defense as its base. (The Post-Standard)

Tomorrow night marks the beginning of the Jake Locker ear at Washington, the kid has got a ton of pressure on him to succeed.

Seattle Times writer Bob Condotta takes a look at huskies roster and breaks it down for improvement. (Seattle Times)

College Football Week 1 Picks

This year I will be picking every Division I or Football Bowl Subdivision game. I debated on whether or not to pick the games straight-up or using the point spread. I decided to pick the games straight-up, though at the end of the post I may pick some games using the point spread as well. The winning team will be in red.

Here we go:

Pac-10 games:
The teams and games in my neck of the woods. Should be my strong point, should be.

Utah at Oregon State - Not a big fan of the Thursday night openers, but Beavers are gonna have an early Pac-10 1st place start by virtue of their victory tomorrow night.

Washington at Syracuse - Huskies' easiest game till November, gotta win it. Locker makes his debut.

UCLA at Stanford - I find it weird that there is a conference game on opening weekend. I don't like it, especially this matchup.

Washington State at Wisconsin - Cougs are starting the year off tough again, I don't see it being any better then last year though.

Houston at Oregon - The Ducks may be the surprise team of the conference this year. But they cannot overlook a quality Houston team.

Arizona at Brigham Young - Stoops is getting canned at the end of the season, BYU will start his final season off on the wrong foot.

Tennessee at California - Definitely the game of the weekend. Cal wants to return the favor from last year and expect them to win.

San Jose State at Arizona State - The Dennis Erikson era is off and running in Tempe.

Idaho at USC - You gotta feel for the Vandals

Non Pac-10 games of the week:

East Carolina at Virginia Tech
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
Oklahoma State at Georgia
Wake Forest at Boston College
Florida State at Clemson

Other FBS games:

Buffalo at Rutgers
Miami (OH) at Ball State
Tulsa at Louisiana-Monroe
Kent State at Iowa State
UNLV at Utah State
LSU at Mississippi State
Navy at Temple
Colorado State at Colorado
UAB at Michigan State
Florida International at Penn State
Arkansas State at Texas
Western Michigan at West Virginia
Middle Tennessee State at Florida Atlantic
Central Michigan at Kansas
Marshall at Miami (FL)
Louisiana-Lafayette at South Carolina
Connecticut at Duke
Virginia at Wyoming
Nevada at Nebraska
Mississippi at Memphis - Upset Special!
Missouri at Illinois
Iowa at Northern Illinois
UCF at North Carolina State
Eastern Michigan at Pittsburgh
Army at Akron
Baylor at TCU
Troy at Arkansas
North Texas at Oklahoma
Purdue at Toledo
Kansas State at Auburn
Bowling Green at Minnesota
New Mexico at UTEP
Texas Tech at Southern Methodist

Easy to Pick:
These games involve a FBS team playing a Division II team (or Football Championship Subdivision team).

Southeast Missouri State at Cincinnati
Murray State at Louisville
Southeast Louisiana at New Mexico State
Weber State at Boise State
Elon at South Florida
Northeastern at Northwestern
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky
Appalachian State at Michigan
Youngstown State at Ohio State
Gardner-Webb at Ohio
Western Carolina at Alabama
South Carolina State at Air Force
Western Kentucky at Florida
Villanova at Maryland
James Madison at North Carolina
Richmond at Vanderbilt
Montana State at Texas A&M
Central Arkansas at Louisiana Tech
Tennessee-Martin at Southern Miss
Indiana State at Indiana
Nicholls State at Rice
Sacramento State at Fresno State
Northern Colorado at Hawaii

Point Spread Games:

LSU (-16.5) at Mississippi State
Mississippi at Memphis (+3)
North Carolina State at UCF (+9.5)
Oregon State (-6.5) at Utah

NFC West Update - August 23

The NFL season is right around the corner, here is what's happening out west.

Dominique Byrd is trying to make the Rams team. We know he fits right in with Leonard Little.
Byrd draws Linehan's attention [St. Louis Post Dispatch]

Old-timer Bryant Young has found his second passion. This one, off the field, is helping him through some awful 49er seasons.
Young relishes his new groove [San Francisco Chronicle]

JJ Arrington hopes to work his way up the depth chart by doing whatever it takes.
Cards' Arrington hones specialist skills [Arizona Republic]

Washington St. Most Underrated Team In The Last Decade

According to Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com.

Here's the link to the story.

It is an interesting way of calculating who was most underrated and overrated.

Washington made the list as the most overrated Pac-10 team and #3 in the nation. This fuels the fact that the Huskies are better in their own minds then in reality.

Notre Dame did not make the list of overrated teams, which is surprising.

It's good to see that the Pac-10 was the most underrated conference. They are perennial ranked lower then their "superior" Big 10 and SEC counterparts. Pac-10 football is just as good, if not better, then the overrated football played in the Midwest and South.

Eliminate Preseason Football Polls

I love college football. There’s nothing better then sitting down on a September Saturday morning for College GameDay at 7 a.m. and not turning the TV off till 10:30 at night when the late Pac-10 game is over. But I have a huge problem with the insistence of the preseason polls. Every year teams are ranked based solely on projections and tradition. The poll I have the most problem with is the USA Today Coaches Poll. The coaches that vote every week do not have time to watch and research every team. They spend all their time assessing and watching their own teams, rightfully so. More often then not, some graduate assistant or other team subordinate a.k.a equipment manager fills out the form and sends it in. I know the polls are not going away, not should they, but I believe that no poll should be conducted until after the 3rd week of the season.

By ranking teams before they even play a game it creates an unfair playing surface for all teams. This is where the saying, “If your gonna lose a game, lose it early,” comes from. A team that is ranked in the preseason Top 10 can afford to lose that 1st conference game and not drop off the rankings. While a team that was not ranked can start the year 5-0, just break the Top 25, say at #23, then lose a game and never be heard of again. Take for example, the 2006 Boise State team, they were not ranked until after the 3rd week at #25. If the rankings did not come out until the 3rd week it is not hard to imagine that they would have been somewhere in the 17-19 range with their demolishing of Oregon State 42-14 and road win at Wyoming. By allowing teams to start the season ahead of BSU it did not allow them a fair chance at playing for the National Championship. USC started the year at #6 and had worked their way to #3 in the country when they lost to the same Oregon State team that Boise St. beat earlier in the year. USC fell to #9 after the loss while BSU was back at #18, the place they should have been after week 3, not week 8.

Another prime example of the faulty preseason poll is in 2004 when Auburn started the year at #17, went undefeated through the entire schedule including the tough SEC, but did not get to play for the National Championship. Why did they not get to play in the title game? Because Okalahoma started the year #2 and USC #1. If the poll had not come out until after the 3rd week then it’s possible that Auburn would have been ranked ahead of either Oklahoma or USC based on their victory over LSU, which was much more impressive then any of the first 3 victories by OU or USC.

Another benefit to not voting on the Top 25 until after week 3 is that it will create much more interesting matchups for the first 3 weeks of the season. If coaches knew they weren’t going to be ranked until after 3 games do you think Ohio St. would schedule Youngstown St. and Akron as their first two opponents or Florida would play Western Kentucky and Troy to begin the season. Knowing that a high-profile win in the first 3 weeks could put you in the driver’s seat for a BCS Title game berth would spur better non-conference games and less cupcakes. Miami is sure as hell not going to open up against Marshall and Florida International if they know that USC is playing Arkansas and Nebraska.

Eliminate the preseason polls. Let the teams play the games before they are anointed the best in the land. The polls are what bring in viewers and get people talking. I have no problem with using the polls to decide who should play for the National Championship. I think to be fair to all teams, though, they do not need to come out until after every team has been given an equal opportunity to prove themselves.

2007 USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll

2007 AP Preseason Poll

USC RB Moody Transferring, How 'Bout Washington State?

USC is so loaded at RB that one of their studs, Emmanuel Moody, is transferring. Here is the story courtesy of Fox Sports. He was a 2005 Parade All-American out of Coppell High School in Texas.

If he wants to stay in the Pac-10 and have an opportunity to run against his former team then I say Bill Doba and Washington State need to get on the phone as soon as NCAA rules allow. He would have to sit out a year, but that's a good price for a running back of his caliber.

Moody is from Texas, where the Cougars do a decent amount of recruiting. The WSU roster is littered with other players from Texas so he would have many fellow Texans to hangout with. The Cougars need a RB next year, it seems like a perfect fit. I know that LA and Pullman are complete opposites, but the opportunity to score TD's against his former team has to be appealing.

Here is his high school bio from Scout.com

And here is his USC page from USC's offical athletic website.

Analyzing Bill Bavasi's Moves

There has been much talk about Bill Bavasi and whether he should get a contract extension. It has been discussed on many blogs and websites including Locked on Sports and USS Mariner. I want to give my take and break down Bavasi’s major moves since he took over as GM on November 7, 2003. Only free agent signings and trades will be discussed. Promotions from within the organization and free-agents allowed to leave will be left out of the discussion because both are influenced heavily by outside elements.

2004 Season –
Signed: Scott Spiezio, Rich Aurilia, Raul Ibanez, Eddie Guardado

Traded:
At Trading Deadline (TD), traded Freddy Garcia and Ben Davis to White Sox for Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Mike Morse.

The Speizio and Aurilia moves were horrible. They were suspect from the beginning with Aurilia coming over from the National League and Speizio not the consistent bat and glove you would like at 3rd base. Both were eventually cut, Aurilia in 2004 and Speizio after an injury-plagued start to 2005.

Raul Ibanez was a nice addition. At the time of the deal I was not sold on the move. He had had success in KC, but I viewed him as a 1-year wonder that wasn’t ever going to put the numbers he did in 2003 again. Thankfully I was wrong and he has been a solid contributor since his arrival. Guardado was supposed to be the setup guy for Kazuhiro Sasaki until Sasaki abruptly retired before the season. Eddie was a good closer until his injury and demise in 2006.

Again, at the time I did not like the Garcia trade. I believed the Mariners could have resigned him (he signed a 3-yr. extension with Chicago within 2 weeks of being traded) but decided that he was not a part of their future. The deal looked decent at the time as Reed was believed to be the centerfielder of the future and Olivo a solid catching prospect. Unfortunately, both never materialized as Olivo was traded and Reed is currently rotting away in Tacoma.

Overall, 2004 was not a good start to the Bill Bavasi era. He traded away the team’s #1 starter for essentially nothing and signed two position players that were never comfortable hitting at Safeco Field. Ibanez was a nice addition and prevented this offseason from being a total waste.

2005 Season –
Signed: Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexson

These two signing were a huge move by Bavasi and the Mariners. They realized that the fans would not be happy with another losing season and that in order to get back to the top they would have to make a big free agent splash. The thought was right and I was glad to see them spending money, but the two moves haven’t lead to any playoff berths for the M’s. I liked both moves at the time and, in fact, I still like them. This may not be the view of most Mariner fans but I think they have been good additions.

Beltre’s defense is phenomenal and his bat is starting to heat up. Sexson has produced solid hitting numbers the first two years, 2005: .263 average, 39 HR, 121 RBI; 2006: .264 average, 34 HR, 107 RBI. Baseball Reference: Richie Sexson 2007 has been a struggle, but you can only hope that his hot bat of the last week will stay hot the rest of the season.

Overall, I think two solid moves by Bavasi. He has turned the corner from his horrible start in 2004.

2006 Season –
Signed: Kenji Johjima, Jarrod Washburn, Carl Everett, Matt Lawton

Traded: TD trade of Shin-Soo Choo for Ben Broussard
August trade of Jamie Moyer to Philadelphia for 2 minor leaguers.

2006 was a split decision for Bavasi in free agent signings. Everett and Lawton were so bad and desperate that I don’t even want to talk about them. All I will say is that the moves looked like the moves of someone doing anything to save his job. Signing Johjima and Washburn were nice additions. I think he over paid for Washburn, but he is a solid #3 and think about where the M’s would be without him this year. Johjima is a great signing. After a 2005 season that saw 6 catchers behind the plate, Kenji has been a rock back there ever since. I believe that he may also be the DH of the future because he is a decent hitter and the M’s have a couple young catching prospects in the minor leagues.

Getting Ben Broussard was a great deal. Choo had no position with the team and Broussard is a great bat off the bench and can play 1st or the outfield. Moyer was not part of the team’s future and deserved the chance to play with a contender. The M’s gave him that opportunity although they didn’t really get anything in return.

Overall, I would say that 2006 was another building block for 2007. The bad moves of Everett and Lawton did not cost the team too much as both were gone by the end of the season. Washburn, Johjima, and Broussard are all contributing members to the 2007 team that is competing for a playoff spot.

2007 Season –
Signed: Jose Guillen, Miguel Batista, Jeff Weaver

Traded: Rafael Soriano to Atlanta for Horacio Ramirez
Emilo Fruto and Chris Snelling to Washington for Jose Vidro

2007 was where Bavasi made his best moves. I was very suspect of Jose Guillen when the M’s signed him. I knew his past clubhouse and managerial problems and didn’t think that’s what the team needed. I was wrong and he has been the most consistent bat in the middle of the lineup. I was actually more excited about the Jose Vidro trade. I was not a big fan of Snelling simply for the fact that he was always injured. Vidro had been an All-Star 2nd baseman and I believed he would have a high OBP. Vidro has had an up-and-down year, but he’s hitting an upswing at the right time. With Ibanez, Ichiro, Gullien, and Jones there was not a spot for Snelling in the OF anyway.

Batista and Weaver looked like quality major league starters that weren’t going to blow you away, but also weren’t going to cost you games either. Other then Weaver’s start to the year both have been just that. Allowing Pinero and Meche to leave via free agency, a smart move, Bavasi needed to find 2 starters to replace them. He did a good job getting these two. The problem with the starting five is Ramirez. The guy is a joke who can’t win on the road. I know Soriano isn’t having an outstanding year, Baseball Reference: Rafael Soriano but Ramirez is just plain bad. He may be the worst move Bavasi has made and he could cost the M’s a playoff berth.

Overall for 2007 I give Bavasi a B+. He picked up 2 quality starters and 2 bats that are contributing in the everyday lineup. The only things holding him back from getting an A is the Ramirez deal and not making a deadline deal to get a 5th starter.

As a sidenote: Another thing Bavasi did this year that was crucial was locking up Ichiro, Lopez, and Betancourt to long-term deals. Obviously, Ichiro’s is the biggest but getting the middle of your infield taken care shows you are committed to your players.

Would I give Bill Bavasi a contract extension? Yes, I would. He has proven that he can effectively take an aging, declining club, add a few free agents, develop the farm system and make key trades to get this team back in the playoff talk. There is no reason to abandon ship now. Give him an opportunity to see this thing out, make some more additions this offseason and I fully expect the M’s to be tied or in 1st place for all of 2008.

Losing 2 of 3 to Minnesota at Home Hurts Bad!

The Mariners just blew a golden opportunity to pick up games on the Angels and separate themselves from the Yankees. If they have any chance of making the playoffs, they cannot afford to throw games away at home against inferior teams.

-The Yankees and Angels are not going to get swept. With the M's off today, chances are they are going to lose 1/2 game to both.

-Schedule wise this is the time to pounce. After the next 3 series (Chicago, Minnesota, Texas) the Mariners play 10 of 16 games on the road against Cleveland, New York, Detroit, and Toronto. That is brutal, so now is the time to distance themselves as much as they can. Here is a link to a previous post about the contenders schedules.

-Ho-Ram is costing you a game every 5 days. Until he gets that turned around, and I have no reason to believe that he will, you are basically giving up a game in the standings every 5th start.

-It's the middle of August and the season is getting short. 3 games may not seem like a lot, but the Mariners need to get it down to at least 2 by the end of August. That is only one game, but it's no small feat with that schedule and Ramirez pitching every 5 days.

NFC West Update - August 16th

Some links from the teams that are going to challenge the Seahawks for the NFC West crown.

In St. Louis, Corey Chavous is helping the younger Ram's players both on and off the field. He may be the best defensive player the Ram's have. [St. Louis Post Dispatch]

In Arizona, they have found their version of Mack Strong. [Arizona Republic]

In San Francisco, Frank Gore's right hand is still hurting, but he plans on being ready for the regular season opener. [San Francisco Chronicle]

For Seahawks information checkout the Seahawks Insider from the Tacoma News Tribune.

Letter to Boston Fans

Dear Boston Sports Fans:

Relax, have a drink of water. You guys have been talking and going 100 mph ever since the end of July. Yes, you got Eric Gagne, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Randy Moss. That’s a hell of a list. But it’s a hell of a list that has won absolutely nothing. These additions may look good on paper, but I’m going tell you why they will not lead to ANY championships for Boston.

First off, let’s address the Red Sox, Eric Gagne deal. He’s a washed-up closer who isn’t even closing for you. 7 runs in 4 innings is a heck of start. You had a solid 8th inning guy but now Francona has forgot how to use him. Your lead in the East has been shrunk to 5 games and everyone knows the Red Sox always choke away the lead. The team and you guys are scared of the Yankees. Admit it. You all know that the series at the end of the month with the Yanks in NY is where they will take over the AL East lead after they sweep you under the rug. Maybe if Schilling paints another blood stain on his sock it will motivate the team like it did the last time the douche bag tricking “Red Sox Nation.”

(By the way, who invented “Red Sox Nation?” Come on, Boston. It’s a joke. Your dumb chants in the stands about “Lets Go Red Sox” is from 12 and under and no one wants to hear you kiss Ortiz’s ass anymore then you already do. I hope you filed as a 3rd-world nation with NATO, cause that’s what you are.)

Secondly, I hope you don’t like team chemistry too much. Cause all that hard work the Patriots did in the early 2000’s to be known as a group of players that cares more about the team than the individual is out the door with Randy Moss. Sure he says and does the right things in training camp, but what’s going happen when in Week 7 the Dolphins are handing them their asses and Moss has zero catches in the 4th quarter. You can kiss that good nature good-bye and expect him to start fake-mooning Belichick, at which time he will pull his hoody down over his eyes and pretend not see him.

Finally, we need to talk about the Celtics. I’ve never heard of a basketball team winning the championship with only 3 players on the roster. The supporting cast for the trio is laughable. How are they even going to get the ball up the court? Allen is injury-plagued and weak. Garnett has no leadership abilities and doesn’t want to take the big shot. Pierce will still want to take his 30 shots a game, therefore never passing the ball. The icing on the cake is the fact that Doc Rivers couldn’t coach his way out of a paper sack and Danny Ainge might trade away the Celtic’s next four 1st round picks in order to get Stephon Marbury to play point. If the Eastern Conference wasn’t so weak the Celtics wouldn’t even be in the discussion for the Finals. It’s too bad Cleveland is the best the East has to offer, talk about pathetic.

So as you can see, championships aren’t won on paper. Which I guess you guys already know. They are won by invoking little-known tuck rules and the biggest choke job in the history of the MLB playoffs. Too bad Tim Donaghy got caught or he might have laid $5,000 on the Celtics to win the championship. He was the best chance you had.

Pac-10 Football Update

This is a very interesting and inspiring story even if its about a Husky. This kid has had a tough go of it and hopefully he can right the ship at the U.

Huskies cornerback Byron Davenport finally breaks free [Seattle PI]

A 2007 season outlook preview for the Cougars

2007 Season Preview [WSU Offical Athletic Site]

Big praise for the Beavers new strong safety.

Beavers' Stronger Safety [The Oregonian]

Backup USC QB has a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, Booty has got to get hurt for this to have any impact on their season.

Sanchez Injures Right Thumb [LA Times]

Got this story from Ted Miller's Sports Rant. It's about how Cal QB Nate Longshore is looking forward to redeming himself, Cal, and the whole Pac-10 with the game against Tennessee this year.

Longshore can't wait to face Tennessee again [Inside Bay Area]

Morrow vs. Lincecum

There is much debate between Mariner fans about whether they missed a huge opportunity by passing on Tim Lincecum in the 2006 draft, instead selecting Brandon Morrow.

Here are the numbers:
Morrow 3-2, 2.91 ERA, 46.1 IP, 15 ER, 41 BB, 53 SO, 1.62 WHIP
Lincecum 6-3, 3.88 ERA, 111.1 IP, 48 ER, 51 BB, 121 SO, 1.23 WHIP

Looking at these numbers so far through the season, you can see that Morrow’s WHIP is way too high. He has walked 1 batter for every 1.12 innings pitched. Compare that to Lincecum’s 2.18 and you see a significant difference.

Lincecum is a starting pitcher while Morrow’s role has gone from 8th inning setup man to middle relief. The Mariners need a 5th starter because Ho-Ram is not getting the job done. Clearly Lincecum would be a major upgrade over Ramirez. Morrow has been solid for most of the season out of the bullpen, but needs to develop another pitch to become an effective starter.

You have to weigh what is more important for the Mariners:

Starting pitching OR
Right-handed bullpen help

Sean Green can fill the role of right-handed setup man just fine. If Mark Lowe can buildup his arm strength the Mariners have another guy that can easily fill that role who already has experience doing it last year.

This argument is fueled even more by that fact that the M’s are 1 starter away from having a solid starting 5. Batista has pitched valiantly and Weaver has turned it around 180 degrees since going on the DL. Washburn has been consistent all year. Felix is the pitcher that needs to step up. I realize that he is only 21 years old, but he is the staff ace and needs to start pitching like it.

I didn’t buy and still don’t buy the argument that Lincecum’s arm angle and size will cost him as a major league pitcher. He is from the University of Washington and would have been a local product that would have brought fans to the park. I still think that Morrow will be a quality pitcher for the Mariners, but I think management dropped the ball by passing on Lincecum.

Seahawks vs. Chargers, Game Notes

Here are a few notes and observations I took from the game:

-The OL protection was good on the first series. Hasselbeck had plenty of time to find a receiver, including the TD pass to Branch where he looked to his left then came back across the field to Branch.

-Wallace had a rough start, but finished the game strong. I thought it was interesting that Green didn't get any snaps.

-Darryl Tapp looked great. He sacked the QB twice and forced a fumble. Him and Fisher is going to go down to the last practice for the starting job if Tapp continues to play like this. Tapp seems like he may be too small, but his quickness may give him the edge.

-Ben Obomanu took a huge lead in the competition for the 5th WR spot.

-I was not impressed with the play of the 2 new safeties, Grant and Russell. While it was only the first pre-season game I was hoping to see them more effective on run support when the LB's missed.

-Weaver did nothing this game. 4 rushes for 6 yards is not getting the job done.

-Plackemeier had some solid punts that allowed the coverage team to get back and not give up huge returns.

Kent Little League Loses

The Kent little league team lost last night in the Northwest Regional final to Lake Oswego, Oregon, 6-2.

Kent had beat Oregon perviously 14-7 in pool play. They were 4-0 going into the regional final.

Here's a story about the game from The Oregonian.

PGA Championship Goes to Woods

Tiger Wood's has won his 13th major and 4th PGA Championship.

He finished the day with a 69, 1-under for a winning score of -8 for the tournament. He held off a late charge from Ernie Ells and Woody Austin.

He is now only 5 majors behing all-time leader Jack Nicklaus.

Huskies Love Them Some Milk

The UW football team is now drinking chocolate milk after every practice.

Willingham is counting on that calcium to help his team survive the brutal schedule this year.

Important 2-Week Stretch for Mariners

Looking at the schedule for the next 2 weeks, the Mariners have a huge opportunity to gain ground on the Angels and extend their Wildcard lead.

Over the next 2 weeks the Mariners play 6 games against Chicago, 6 games against Minnesota and 1 against Baltimore.

The Yankees play Cleveland 3 times, Detroit 4 times, and Anaheim 3 times. They have a series against Baltimore in the middle of that stretch.

Anaheim (I refuse to call them LA), they play the Yankees 3 times and Boston 4 times including a double-header on the 17th.

Detroit and Cleveland play each other 5 times. The Indians play NY 3 times and Detroit plays them 4 times.

All of those teams are relatively even, it is not crazy to think that most of the series will be split down the middle with all the teams not moving up or down too much in the standings. The Mariners play teams with a combined record of 274-290 14 games under .500 (Chicago and Minnesota’s records were added twice because they play them twice).

Let’s take a look at the records of the teams the other contenders have to play:
Anaheim: 247-207 (40 games over)
New York: 245-207 (38 games over)
Cleveland: 285-281 (4 games over)
Detroit: 289-231 (58 games over)

Clearly, the Mariners play the easiest schedule and cannot afford to let this golden opportunity slip away from them. With Ibanez and Sexson warming up I would expect the Mariners to turn it up and extend the Wildcard lead.

Here are the 5 team’s schedules from August 9 through August 22-23
Seattle –
8/9 @ Baltimore
8/10-12 @ Chicago
8/13-15 Minnesota
8/16 OFF DAY
8/17-19 Chicago
8/20-22 @Minnesota

Anaheim –
8/9 OFF DAY
8/10-12 Minnesota
8/13 OFF DAY
8/14-16 @ Toronto
8/17-19 @ Boston (Double-header on 8/17)
8/20-22 New York

New York -
8/9 OFF DAY
8/10-12 @ Cleveland
8/13-15 Baltimore
8/16-19 Detroit
8/20-22 @ Anaheim

Cleveland -
8/9 @ Chicago
8/10-12 New York
8/13 OFF DAY
8/14-15 Detroit
8/16 OFF DAY
8/17-19 @ Tampa Bay
8/20 OFF DAY
8/21-23 @ Detroit

Detroit -
8/9 Tampa Bay
8/10-13 Oakland
8/14-15 @ Cleveland
8/16-19 @ New York
8/20 OFF DAY
8/21-23 Cleveland

NFC West Update - August 9th, 2007

Here's a weekely update on the Seahawks competition for a 4th consecutive division title.

In St. Louis:
The star running back is getting beat up by his own teammates in training camp.

In Arizona:
The Cinderalla pick by all the "experts" is going to the movies instead of practicing.

In San Francisco:
Nolan is complaining about the schedule. Plus, at the bottom of the page, a former Husky takes out a former Cougar. Your teammates now Dashon.

Bonds hits 756!

Barry Bonds is the new home run king!

He hit 756 tonight and passed Hank Aaron for 1st place all time.

It is a sad day for baseball, that a steroid user holds the most sacred record of all.

It was quite surprising to see that Aaron recorded a video message for Bonds.

Only 257 more homers for A-Rod to be the all-time champ.

2007 Roster vs. 2006 Roster

I caught part of this discussion on the Mitch in the Morning show today where Mitch Levy and Steve Sandmeyer were figuring out if the 2007 Seahawks roster is better on paper then the 2006 roster. I figured I would give my take on it.

Coming off the Super Bowl run of 2005 many people believed the Seahawks had the talent to return to the SB and win it all this time. While they made some good offseason acquisitions they also lost some key components of that 2005 team. Injuries decimated this team all season resulting it them having to sign CB’s off the street to play in the playoffs. This roster analysis is strictly based off of the current roster vs. the opening day 2006 roster.

Each unit will be given a score of either:
Significant Downgrade
Slight Downgrade
Same
Slight Upgrade
Significant Upgrade

QB -
2006: Hasselbeck, Wallace, Greene
2007: Hasselbeck, Wallace, Greene

Outlook: The QB position is the same as last year. While Hasselbeck is a year older and suffered some injuries last year, I expect that he will return to his pre-injury form. The Seahawks decided again to not sign a veteran backup, leaving Wallace as strictly a backup QB with no option to use him as a WR or punt returner.

Score: Same

RB –
2006: Alexander, Strong, Morris, Parry
2007: Alexander, Strong, Morris, Weaver

Outlook: Alexander, too, is returning from injury and should be back to putting up 1,500 yds and 16 TD this season. The biggest addition to this unit will be a healthy Leonard Weaver. This guy can be used as a big, short-yardage back that hopefully will help the Seahawks convert the 3rd and 1’s that plagued this team last year.

Score: Slight Upgrade

WR –
2006: Jackson, Branch, Engram, Burleson, Hackett
2007: Branch, Engram, Hackett, Burleson

Outlook: The most proven and reliable WR is gone, but I believe this unit is better then last years. No one expected Hackett to perform like he did and he looks to be an adequate replacement for Jackson. Burleson has had a year in Holmgren’s system and has performed well in training camp so far. Branch has the 13 games last year plus training camp to get on the same page with Hasselbeck and Bobby Engram is about as consistent as they come. Even with Jackson in SF I expect this WR corps to outperform last years.

Score: Slight Upgrade

TE –
2006: Stevens, Heller
2007: Pollard, Heller

Outlook: Pollard has seen his catches drop the last few years through no fault of his own. He has admitted that he is still learning the Seahawks offense, but once he gets it down he should be expected to catch 40-50 balls this year. If he is injured, then it gets scary. Will Heller is not a starting TE in the NFL, but is a good blocking TE for short-yardage and special teams plays.

Score: Same

OL –
2006: Jones, Womack, Tobeck, Gray, Locklear
2007: Jones, Simms, Spencer, Gray, Locklear

Outlook: OL was a disaster for the ‘Hawks last year. The Hutchinson thing was completely mishandled by the front office and the line never seemed to recover. This year Spencer steps in as the full time center and Rob Simms replaces the oft-injured Pork Chop Womack. One of the closest competitions in camp is for RG with Chris Gray and Ray Willis competing for the spot. Big Walt is one year older and has recently been sitting out of practice to rest a sore shoulder. This line is very young up the middle with Spencer and Simms starting, but I expect it to improve throughout the season. While last year was a disaster I want to put this line as improved, but I feel like it will probably have a similar season as 2006.

Score: Same

DL –
2006: Bernard, Davis, Darby, Tubbs, Wistrom, Fisher, Tapp
2007: Bernard, Davis, Darby, Tubbs, Mebane, Kerney, Fisher, Tapp

Outlook:
Marcus Tubbs is the big question mark. If he can get healthy this line should be much improved. If not, then rookie Brandon Mebane is the run-stopper. Kerney for Wistrom is an upgrade and a year of experience for Tapp is as well. Bernard needs to have numbers closer to his 2005 totals and Davis needs to improve on his run-stopping ability. This score reflects the fact that Tubbs is injured.

Score: Slight Upgrade

LB –
2006: Peterson, Tatupu, Hill
2007: Peterson, Tatupu, Hill

Outlook: Exactly the same as last year. 2 Pro Bowlers ain’t bad at all. Reports out of camp are that Peterson could have an even better year this year. That is scary because he had a monster year last year. Tatupu and Hill are steady. Bentley is the 4th LB again this year and a solid special teams player.

Score: Same

DB –
2006: Trufant, Herndon, Jennings, Babineaux, Hamlin, Boulware, Oliver
2007: Trufant, Jennings, Wilson, Babineaux, Grant, Russell, Green, Boulware

Outlook: This is the most improved area of the team. Grant and Russell are night and day compared to Hamlin and Boulware. The ‘Hawks will be much better in deep coverage and the safeties will be able to help out the young corners, Jennings and Wilson. This might also be the deepest area on the team with Green and Boulware as former starters. The scariest part of this unit is the inexperience at corner. Jennings has a year as a nickel back and Wilson none, so this will be baptism by fire for those guys.

Score: Significant Upgarde

ST –
2006: Brown, Plackemeier, Rackley
2007: Brown, Plackemeier, Rackley

Outlook: Exact same trio again this year. Plackemeier could improve on his hangtime, but other then that he is solid. Can’t say a bad word about Josh Brown. Hopefully this year he will not be needed to win so many close games.

Score: Same

As you can see the offense looks to have minor improvements. Holmgren’s offense can be confusing to new players so the experience that was gained last year will show this year. The defense has made major strides and very well could be one of the best in the NFC. The upgrades in the secondary are exciting and should help the front seven to collect more sacks and TFL. The special teams need to be solid and they appear headed that way under new coach Bruce DeHaven.

Charlie Weis as 007

Apparently Charlie Weis is going top-secret on us by not revealing who his starting QB is going to be this year. You can read the story here.

Here is a picture of highly-touted freshman Jimmy Clausen. I have only 2 words to describe this guy and the second one is bag. I hope all of his buddies look at this picture and think how proud they are of him.

Georgia Tech must be shaking in their pads knowing that this guy could be throwing TD passes against them in 3 weeks.

Oklahoma City Getting Cocky

Apparently the people of Oklahoma City believe that the Sonics are coming and soon.

This article by Berry Tramel who looks like he had about 15 beers before taking his picture says the Sonics will be playoff-ready when they arrive in OC. You can read the story here.

The fact of the matter is that the Sonics will not play in Oklahoma before 2010, if ever. There is no way the city of Seattle will let them out of the lease. Mayor Nickels said as much last week when he said in a statement,

"However, if Mr. Bennett wants to limit the conversation to an early buyout of the team's lease at KeyArena, then I agree -- a trip to Seattle isn't worth the price of the plane ticket."

The city isn't going to let the team walk away without a fight, in fact, it may be legally impossible for the lease to be broken if the A Deal is A Deal initiative gets passed. This would cement the Sonics in Seattle till 2010. With another 2-1/2 years to work on an arena situation it would more then likely get done. Even if it doesn't, Bennett will probably be to feed up with Seattle and sell the team to a local ownership group who will accept the $100 million plus add in their own $100 million and upgrade Key Arena, making it a modern NBA arena.

David Stern and the NBA, along with Clay Bennett, know that taking the Sonics from the 14th biggest market to the 43rd is not a smart business decision. Add into that the fact that the Ford Center is going to need to be renovated in order for it to be a permanent home to a NBA team and I like the Sonics' chances of staying in Seattle.

Be ready Oklahoma, the NBA Championship may be coming to the Sonics in 2010, you'll just have to come up to Seattle to visit it.

Red Sox vs. Mariners August 3, 2007 Game 1

The hated Boston Red Sox are in town for the weekend. Last time they were here the Mariners swept’em out of town.

Tonight it’s Puyallup’s own Jonathan Lester (1-0, 4.26) against Horiaco Ramirez (6-3, 6.52). Lester is a great story. He battled and beat cancer. It must have took incredible strength to not get down and ask “Why me?” In your early twenties to get diagnosed with cancer had to be devastating. Congratulations John, you beat it!

Hopefully Ramirez can continue to pitch well at home where he’s 6-0 with a 2.63 ERA. On the road this year he’s 0-3 with a 13.72 ERA, quite a difference. The Mariners need to take 2 of 3 again this series. The Indians are faltering, but the Yankees are getting hot. The Angels beat Oakland last night to extend their division lead to 3-1/2 games. This looks like the easiest game to win of the series so the Mariners need to take advantage.

August 3rd Linkage

Links for this August Friday.


Darrell Jackson is getting comfortbale in San Francisco. [San Jose Mercury News]


Johhny Damon upset with the Yankees. Is he gone at the end of the year? [NY Post]


Bobby Bowden isn' ready to retire. Gotta stay ahead of Joe Pa. [Seattle PI]


Hargrove feeling alright with his early retirement [Everything Cleveland]

ESPN's Next 50 NFL Hall of Famers

ESPN’s Page 2 released a list of the 50 active players that they believe will make it to Canton. Now ESPN has a habit of creating these ridiculous lists that provide people with something to argue about. I am going to bite on this one.

The premise of this list is crazy because players are included on it that have never taken a snap in the NFL. How can you create a serious list when you have no basis for some of the players on it. If you want to create a real list ESPN should find the players already retired whose numbers are on the edge of Hall Fame numbers, then weigh Super Bowl rings, value of players around them, etc. to see which ones deserve the Hall.

On to the list:

First, here’s a breakdown position-by-position of the 50 entries:
6 QB
7 RB
8 WR
2 TE
3 OT
3 OG
0 C
6 DL
8 LB
2 CB
4 S
1 K

I completely agree with the 1st 3 entries. Favre, Brady, and Manning are absolute show-ins. The problem I have the list is order of the offensive lineman. The fact of the matter is that Walter Jones is the best offensive lineman of the decade. He might be the most dominant LT in the history of the NFL. There is no way that Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace, and Steve Hutchinson should be ahead of him.

The only reason why Ogden and Pace are ahead of him is because they have Super Bowl rings. While ring is always nice, it should not weigh as much as it does. The LT can not single-handily take a team to a championship. Last year in Minnesota Hutchinson was nearly as effective with Jones next to him. He got beat and blown up on many occasions. Jones not only held his position down, but was consistently helping the LG out who was missing his assignments.

I also have a problem with Shawne Merriman at #21. He is a cheater. He got caught last year using steroids. If you get caught cheating you can’t be considered ahead of people who have played the game honorably.

Wild Game Last Night

Thank You Yuni Betancourt!!!

After Putz gave up the lead in the 9th I figured we were done for. 5 games back with 2 months to play! The best closer in the game giving up a 3 run lead in the most important game of the season.

But then along came Betancourt and all is good in Mariner land. Only 3 games back in the division, 1/2 game in the Wildcard with Cleveland going down the tube, and the hated Boston Red Soxs in town for 3 games this weekend.

Two managerial moves by McLearn last night I took note of. One I liked, one I didn't and it had nothing to do with the outcome. I loved the fact that he let Green pitch to Guerrero in the 10th. I know 2nd base was open, but I don't agree with walking the bases loaded especially with Anderson up next. The move I did not like is Jose Lopez's squeeze bunt in extra innings. There was 5 infielders, centerfield was wide open, and all you need is a deep fly ball to score the speedy Bloomquist. I wish Lopez would have got a chance to try and put one into the outfield.

The M's need to enjoy the day off today and get ready to take 2 of 3 from Boston this weekend cause they cannot afford to relax now.

Angels vs. Mariners August 1, 2007 Game 3

Jared Weaver (7-5, 3.68) vs. Felix Hernandez (7-6, 3.85)

Very, very important game for the Mariners tonight. They cannot afford to fall 5 games back with only 2 months to play. Especially with a tough weekend series against the Boston Red Soxs coming up. With a win the M's are 3 back of the division lead, staying within striking distance.

This is the kind of game where Felix can prove himself. He cannot lose his cool and let the umpire or environment affect his performance. If he goes out and has a quality start he can establish himself as this team's ace and a big-game pitcher. So far this year he has not shown to be the team's Number 1 starter. Once he was injured he has been more like the number 2 or even 3 starter on occasion.

The Angels bullpen is fresh. Their starters have thrown back-to-back CGs. The Mariners bullpen has been used quite a bit this series, but at least Putz got the night off yesterday. Felix is going to need to get into the 7th tonight for the M's to have a chance to win.

Wildcard-leading Cleveland hosts Texas tonight. John Rheinecker vs. Paul Byrd. Rheinecker is the pitcher the M's faced last week who went 7 innings giving up 6 hits and 1 run, picking up the win. Rangers' hitters Sammy Sosa (5-13, 3 HR) and Jerry Hairston (4-9, 1 HR) have had success against Byrd. A Texas win would assure the M's of only being 1-1/2 back in the wildcard, where they could get to 1/2 if the beat the Angels.

New Seahawks Safeties

I didn't realize that Grant and Russell were such close friends until I read this story by Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports.

I am a big Deon Grant fan, but don't know too much about Brian Russell. What I do know is that these two will be a big improvement over Hamlin and Boulware. Grant was on with Mitch Levy this morning on KJR and he said that he NEVER gets beat deep.

Here is a story about Brian Russell written by Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune.

Hamlin was one of the most overrated players by Seahawks fans. He always went for the big hit so he could be on Jacked Up Monday night. While his occasionally big hit was fun to watch, he cost this team games because he missed too many tackles. He had no deep coverage skills and was always getting brunt. The Cowboys secondary is in for a long season with Hamlin and Roy Williams back there.

Another interesting part to Cole's piece was how the Holmgren is added more movement pre-snap to the offense. I like this wrinkle. It will keep the defense thinking, plus it will get Branch and Buerlson moving around the field. The only major movement the Hawks used last year was Alexander splitting out into a reciever position from the backfield. At times the offense was predictable and with the improvment of the other teams in the division, minus St. Louis, the Seahawks need to have a little different look this season.