A Sideline View

Season WrapUp - Air Force

2008-12-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

2008 record: 8-4 (5-3)
4th place finish in the Mountain West Conference.

Best Win: 31-28 over Houston, the Falcons went on the road and beat a Houston team that had two quality wins over a ranked East Carolina and a thumping of Tulsa.

Worst Loss: 44-10 at TCU, with a chance to end the season with a big win over a quality team and get to 9-wins you drop the ball. Big time.

2008 Schedule:

Southern Utah W 41-7
@Wyoming W 23-3
@Houston W 31-28
#20 Utah L 30-23
Navy L 33-27
@ San Diego State W 35-10
@UNLV W 29-28
New Mexico W 23-10
@Army W 16-7
Colorado State W 38-17
#17 BYU L 38-24
@#16 TCU L 44-10

Season WrapUp: All 119 Teams

2008-12-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

I am going to be running a season wrap-up for each of the 119 FBS teams.

Mostly this is for my records so if I ever want to check a team's record or see if they beat a particular team it is easy to find that information.

Enjoy.

Again, Kentucky Loses At Home To An Inferior Opponent

2008-11-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

Full disclosure: I am a huge Kentucky Wildcat fan. With family from Kentucky, you can't grow up without being a big Kentucky basketball fan. It's just something that you do. Living out here in the Northwest I have never been to a game at Rupp Arena, although I know a ticket is hard to come by. This year I ordered the ESPN FullCourt package which allows me to watch 24 of their 31 games. Tonight was my first opportunity to see the 2008-09 version and, damn it, I wasn't happy.

25 turnovers.

14 3-pointers made by the Keydets.

No extending of the defense when VMI was knocking down jumper-after-jumper.

The result: A 111-103 loss to the Virginia Military Institute.

Tuesday the 'Cats travel to North Carolina to take on the unanimous #1 team in the nation. If they play like they did tonight a 35-point loss is undoubtedly waiting.

Although the Keydets lead the nation in scoring the last two years, giving up a 111-points in ridiculous. During one sequence of the second half, VMI scored 4 points on two layups where there wasn't a Kentucky defender within 15 feet of the player.

They looked confused and disorganized. Maybe even a bit cocky when the game started. Now Billy Gillispie will have to answer questions two seasons in row after a home defeat that just five short years ago would have been unimaginable.

Mariners Trim It Down To Seven Finalists

2008-11-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

I don't know what's the bigger surprise: The fact that the Mariners released the names of their seven finalists or that said finalists have managed exactly ZERO major league games.

Thoughts on the list:

-No problem with the lack of experience. Every great manager had no experience at one point. Plus, I'm tired of the retread hires.

-The sentimental favorite among Mariner fans has to be Joey Cora. Not here. Look, 1995 was great but it's over. If he's the best fit for the job, fine. Don't hire him because of his appearance in "My Oh My."

-Brad Mills is an interesting candidate. He has spent a lot of time with Terry Francona, the two-time World Series Champion manager of the Boston Red Sox. As much as I hate Boston, stealing one of their coaches doesn't bother me if it means Seattle success.

-I don't think Randy Ready is ready for a major league manager's role. Let's get somebody who has been part of a big league ball club the last few years.

-There is no doubt Tony LaRussa is a Hall of Fame manager. Jose Oquendo has worked with him for the last nine years. Has he soaked up enough knowledge to lead this team to a championship?

-Whoever Jackie-Z decides to hire, they must be prepared and suited to rebuild. This team is not going to be competitive in the near feature. He needs be able to manage and develop young talent, then once they are ready, lead them deep into October.

The Passion Isn't There

2008-11-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

The MNF game tonight: San Fransisco at Arizona. That sucks. Yes, they are both division rivals of the Seahawks but, like all other Seattle sports in 2008, the Seahawks are finished. Therefore, I decided to watch the Portland - Orlando game.

It kept me interested, the Trail Blazers won 106-99 but my passion for NBA basketball was missing. Growing up a Sonics fan, I have absolutely zero connections with Portland. Hence, the disconnect. In fact, I grew up disliking the Trail Blazers and loved it when Damon Stoudamire and Rasheed Wallace were too busy smoking pot to be competitive.

With the Sonics gone, I decided to choose a team to somewhat follow closely this season. Not be a fan of, I don't believe you can simply "switch" allegiances, but watch so I have a foot in the NBA.

Let me tell you, there is a definite change in viewpoint when you aren't a fan of either team and don't have any team to follow. I knew this was going to happen once the Sonics left, but it's different when it actually happens.

I loved living in a city that had all three major American sports. Losing one of them makes me feel belittled, second-class. I truly hope the NBA returns to Seattle soon. I know that passion can return, I will feel emotionally invested again. Until then, I'll follow Portland with Seattle natives Brandon Roy and Martell Webster and former Sonics player and coach Nate McMillian.

I know exactly when the passion will return: The day the Oklahoma City Thunder come to Seattle.

Ryan Leaf's Career Still Causing Him Pain

2008-11-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Even six years after retiring from the NFL, Ryan Leaf still suffers from his four disastrous years in pro football. He has taken a leave from his position as Quarterbacks Coach at West Texas A&M because he asked a player for a pain pill. Allegedly, he needed the pill for pain in his wrist caused while playing football.

I'm not sure of the exact pill he asked for but if it was Viacaden, Percocet, or Oxycotton those are the same pills I took while painfully watching his NFL career. In fact, with the amount of Leaf jokes told by UW fans you practically need pain pills at the mere mention of his name.

Leaf is also the men's golf coach at West Texas. I can already picture practice: Take a couple pills, down three beers, then play golf all afternoon under the warm Texas sun. And to think he gets paid for that.

What Do You Do With Raul Ibanez?

2008-11-04T19:40:00.001-08:00

The Mariners had three players file for free agency: Miguel Cario, Willie Bloomquist, and Raul Ibanez. I know, I know, the thought of losing both Cario and Bloomquist might be too much for Mariner Nation to handle. (Yes, Mariner Nation. If the Red Sox can call themselves a nation, then so can every other MLB team.)

Coming off a 101-loss season, with a new general manager and probable field manager, this team is in no place to even think about contention in 2009. So, what do you do with your best offensive weapon from a team who's offense stinks? He is going to want a multi-year deal, worth more than a team rebuilding should spend on a 36 year old leftfielder. Add in the fact that you don't have a major-league ready prospect waiting in the wings.

The other part to this question is whether or not Ibanez even wants to resign with Seattle. He has never played on a playoff team and the desire to win a ring and go out on a winning team has to pull him toward leaving the Mariners. Losing 23 home runs and 110 RBI off a team that was offensively anemic in 2008 is not a desirable thing for M fans, but it does then give you an opportunity to plan for the future out in left.

So, I ask you: What do you do with Raul Ibanez?

Is Jake Locker Going To Play Baseball?

2008-11-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

Apparently there's a controversy brewing over at Montlake started by the voice of the Huskies' Bob Rondeau. According to USC play-by-play man Pete Arbogast, Rondeau told him that Jake Locker "may not be back" next year, instead choosing to play baseball professionally.

This is the same Locker who is currently out with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. For him to switch over to baseball at this time seems unlikely, if not ridiculous. The guy had an opportunity to sign a baseball contract right out of high school. Instead, he chose to go to Washington and play for a struggling football program.

The kid is all-world classy, always saying and doing the right thing. It is not in his character to turn his back on his teammates and commitment to UW for his own monetary gain. Don't expect Jake Locker to running around a baseball diamond this summer, unless of course, its for the Bellingham Bells once again.

Laying the Points in So Cal, Taking the Points in the Bay Area

2008-11-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

USC is a 46-point favorite over the University of Washington today. Stanford is a 30-point favorite over the Washington State Cougars. A combined spread of +76 has to be, or damn close to, the biggest combined point spread against the State of Washington teams. Ever.

I'm laying 46 to USC and taking the Cougars plus 30. While USC will hold the score down and the Huskies will put some points on the board, Carroll knows that the computers and voters are looking for style points. With Penn State winning last Saturday, more than likely one of the two National Championship slots is filled.

No matter what Texas and Alabama do, as long as Penn State goes undefeated they will be in the National Championship game. Now, I'm not saying that if Texas and Alabama both go undefeated Penn State would jump over them. What I am saying is that one of the slots is already filled because even if both Texas and Alabama lose, Penn State will fill that position. That means that USC needs to win out, and win out big, to have even a chance at the NC game. Oklahoma has the "better" one loss but they might not even play in their conference's championship game, therefore eliminating them from contention in most voters' eyes.

I expect USC to win big today, something like 66-10.

On the other hand, Stanford cannot throw the ball. Tavita Pritchard ranks 8th in the conference in passer rating and has thrown more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (7). Stanford is going to pound the ball with Toby Gerhart. This lends well to the Cougars covering for two reasons: One, running the ball will eat the clock, and two, the Cougars are sure to have 8 guys, maybe even 9 on first down in the box. Stanford is going to have to work hard to earn those yards on the ground.

Do I think the Cougars are going to win? No, but a score like 31-17 is what I expect to see.

The Next Coach at the University of Washington

2008-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Now that Ty Willingham has been relieved of his duties as head football coach, although he is still in charge for the next five weeks, the big question surrounding Montlake is who will be the next head coach?

Every columnist, beat reporter, and yay-hoo has offered up their lists and choices for who they want to get the job. So following in their footsteps, and doing the blogly thing (we just made up a word, blogly) I will name who I think will be the next coach.

I believe Dave Christensen, the offensive coordinator at Missouri will be the next head coach at the University of Washington.

Here's why:
-Gary Pinkel is not going to leave Missouri for the mess that is the Huskies. So what they he coached here under Don James, he has roots in the Midwest, his children and grandkids live nearby and he has great facilities.

-Pinkel will recommend Christenesen for the job and UW will listen. Christensen played at UW, was an assistant coach under James, and is from Everett. He has roots here in the NW, unlike his boss.

-Some of the other candidates being mentioned: Lane Kiffin, Will Muschamp, Jeff Tedford, Mike Riley already have or will have better jobs that UW. Either Kiffin or Muschamp will be heading to Tennessee. Auburn might have an opening, therefore creating another more appealing opportunity for someone.

-Pat Hill, Chris Petersen, and Todd Graham will probably get looked at but ultimately will not be what the Huskies are looking for. Frankly, Hill has only won the WAC one time, ONE TIME, in 12 seasons. Yes, he has been to bowls in eight of the last nine years, but with the ridiculous amount of bowls these days that isn't good enough for a Pac-10 program. Petersen knows that he is the big fish in a small pond. He rules the WAC every season and has his team primed to go to their second BCS bowl in four seasons. It's not like he's missing anything at Boise State. Todd Graham doesn't have any ties to the Northwest, making recruiting here difficult. He has only two seasons as a head coach at the FBS level. While he has been impressive, it doesn't give him the needed experience to make him a serious candidate.

So, I believe that Husky fans can look forward to a press conference where Dave Christensen is introduced as the next head football coach of your Washington program.

And.......We're Back!

2008-10-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

After a six-month sabbatical, longer than that if you count the sporadic, few posts the last few months of existence, we are back.

Blogging is hard. Actually, blogging isn't hard but creating a popular, well-commented-on blog is. After some long consideration, I have decided to start up the blog again. But, there will be a difference this time.

This go-around, building a readership is not a priority. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have lots of loyal readers that come here to talk sports. There's nothing better than arguing about something you love. My goal for this blog is to be a place where I can go to vent my thoughts, feelings, and ideas.

It will provide me with a record that will last, a place where I can check back on what I said to either pat myself on the back or cringe when I was way off-base.

So, A Sideline View is back. Be ready for some opinions.

The End is Here

2008-03-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

This officially marks the end of A Sideline View. It was a great start to blogging. We learned a lot and will take this experience with us in the future. Blogging is hard. You have to have good content, a solid voice, and get a break or two.

Till next time, so long.

Redskins Hire Jim Zorn As Head Coach

2008-02-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

Wow! Just 3 weeks ago he was hired as offensive coordinator, now he is named their head coach. I guess the Redskins are really desperate for a coach since they just hired a former quarterback coach who has no head coaching experience.

Redskins owner Dan Synder is turning the Redskins into a joke of an organization. Hiring both coordianotrs before his head coach, overpaying for free agents, and, now, striking out on finding a head coach so promoting his OC that has been on the job less then 3 weeks.

Jim Zorn is a great QB coach, a great guy, and great football mind. But is he ready to be an NFL head coach? We say no.

Ex-Seattle QB Zorn hired as head coach for Redskins [ESPN]

Bedard Deal: Good Move

2008-02-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

The Mariners finally completed the Bedard-for-Jones deal today. A lot of Mariner fans are upset over the deal, especially the boys over at U.S.S. Mariner. We love those guys' work and we read them weekly, but we have to disagree with them on this one.

The M's just acquired the top left-handed starter in the Amiercan League. Match that with Felix Hernandez and the Mariner's have the best lefty-righty combo in the league. Last season the M's starting pitching was bad, now it looks like the strongest part of the team. The bullpen broke down because the starters couldn't pitch deep into games. Gone now are the days of Jeff Weaver, Horacio Ramieriz, and Cha Seung Beak. The guys at U.S.S. Mariner found that in games started by those three (plus Ryan Feierabend) the M's went 32-36. We gotta believe that they will go 40-28 in those games this season. Add into that the fact that the bullpen should be better rested and the offense won't have to score as many runs, based on the improved pitching, and the Mariners are better off.

What's the most important thing in MLB? Starting Pitching! Did the Mariners pay a price to get it? Yes, they paid a hefty price. Adam Jones most likely will be a star in this league, but he isn't a start yet. Bedard is a proven commidity, someone that is a potential Cy Young canidate every season. The fact that the Mariners not only traded Jones but a quality lefty reliever and their top minor league pitcher in 2007 shows the worth of Bedard. They traded a lot but the Mariner's didn't trade away the farm.

Compare the Mariner's 1-2 guys with other teams in the American League. Other than Detriot's Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman, Bedard and Hernandez are tops. It might just be our personally perference, but we love the thought of having a solid 1-2 punch better than the good chance of a quality rightfielder.

M's acquire Erik Bedard from Baltimore [Seattle Times]

Looking For Roommate: Puts Rubbing Alcohol In Contact Lenses

2008-02-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

WSU football player Grady Maxwell has a hell of a roommate. Fellow Cougar teammate Xavier Hicks put rubbing alcohol in his contact lenses because he was upset over a bill. That seems like a pretty extreme step for not paying the cable bill.

Luckliy, Maxwell didn't put them in his eyes because he would have been in a lot of pain if he did. Hicks is suspened indefinitely, which along with his credit card fraud charge, is amazing he isn't kicked off the team.

How is this guy ever going to get a roommate again? He might steal your credit card, buy some rubbing alcohol, then put it in your contact lenses. Next time he might just want to steal his roommate's credit card and pay the cable bill with it.

WSU safety Xavier Hicks charged with contact-lens tampering [Seattle Times]

The Giants Beat Who?

2008-02-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

Has a team ever gone from the brink of greatness and history to meaningless so fast? All it took was an Eli Manning-to-Plaxico Burress TD pass and the Patriots were no more important than the Jacksonville Jaguars. Nobody remembers second place. Florida beat who to win the NCAA basketball championship last year? Who’d the Chicago Bears beat in Super Bowl XX? Yesterday, the New York Giants made the 18-0 Patriots meaningless. A team that dominated the NFL this season couldn’t close the deal.

Hello 1935 and 1942 Chicago Bears! We’re the 2007 New England Patriots and we’re here to join your exclusive club: Undefeated teams who couldn’t win the Big Game.

Think about this: A team coached by Tom Couglin and quarterbacked by Eli Manning beat a team coached by “mastermind” Bill Bellichick and quarterbacked by the Greatest QB Ever* Tom Brady. The Patriot offense was confused and frustrated all game, except their go-ahead drive in the 4th quarter. The offensive line that is sending 3 players to the Pro Bowl couldn’t stop the Giant’s front four. The Patriots didn't lose the game, the Giants won the game.

Wasn’t it great to watch Peyton Manning cheering on his brother and hating the Patriots? To see Bill Bellichick leave the field with 1 second left? To hear Rodney Harrision say the Giants made more plays than the Patriots and how if he could have taken some more HGH the Patriots would have won?

31 NFL teams, including the Patriots didn’t bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy this year. We here in Seattle know about being the best during the regular season but not bringing home the championship. Anyone remember the 2001 116-win Seattle Mariners? Unless your from Seattle you remember Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

So take your rightful place in history New England and tell George Halas hello.

Oh yeah, in Super Bowl XX the Bears beat the same team the Giants beat yesterday. Who was that again?

Wulff, Cougs Steal One From Dawgs

2008-01-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

Cougars new football coach Paul Wulff got a late start on recruiting, but stated in his opening press conference that he would be talking to players who have already committed to other schools to gage their interest. Well, he found one willing to change his mind.

Cory Mackay is trading his purple-and-gold for crimson-and-gray. Mackay is big, 6'4" 215 lbs., and wants to play TE for the Cougs. With the loss of Jed Collins, Mackay may have a chance to play as a freshman.

Now Wulff needs to get Prosser's Cody Bruns to change his mind and stay on that side of the mountains.

Huskies lose recruit to WSU [Seattle PI]

Bedard Looks Like A Mariner In Next 24 Hours

2008-01-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Times is reporting that the Mariners have traded Adam Jones to the Baltimore Orioles for pitcher Erik Bebard. Jones would not be the only Mariner in the trade, possibly George Sherril or Brandon Morrow could also be going to Baltimore.

We are very excited about this trade right now, but we don't know all the details. We could change our mind if the M's traded away the farm. We were never big Jones fans, he never seemed to perform in the majors, albeit in limited action.

Getting Bedard gives the M's a solid 1-2 punch with Felix Hernandez. That lefty-righty combo could help the Mariners compete with the Angels in the West. Right now it looks like the rotation would be Bedard, Hernandez, Batista, Silva, and Washburn.

The trade isn't final, so we'll have to wait and see.

Jones-Bedard trade in works [Seattle Times]

2000 Huskies: Criminal

2008-01-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Times ran this story about the 2000 UW football team that went 11-1 and won the Rose Bowl. It uncovered information that wasn't available at the time about the corruption and criminal activity involving Husky players.

We all knew that Jerramy Stevens has had his many run-ins with the law, including the alleged rape mentioned in the article. What we didn't know is that a safety had a warrant out for his arrest, yet he played and a linebacker got special treatment by not being charged till after the season.

These are very disturbing details about how much a group of people can get away with because of what they do. There is no way a normal, everyday 8-5'er would ever be allowed to go to work with an arrest warrant when the police knew where he'd be at. The fact that supposed responsible adults who were in charge of these young men allowed them to run wild is even more disgusting. If your a parent and Rick Neuheisel comes to your home, how can you respect him knowing he doesn't care if your kid beats his wife as long as he picks off passes on Saturday?

UW has been called Probation Nation by many, including PI columnist Jim Moore. It was always taken as a funny jab at the big school on the lake, now it may seem that it has a darker, deeper meaning. One that maybe even Rick Neuheisel may now be ashamed of.

The disturbing story behind the last great UW team - and how its legacy still casts a shadow on the Huskies [Seattle Times]

NBA Draft Net: Weaver, Low Get Drafted

2008-01-26T13:46:00.001-08:00

Looking at NBA Draft Net 2008 mock draft, they have both Kyle Weaver and Derrick Low getting drafted. Weaver goes #33 to, guess who?, the Seattle Sonics. Low goes #55 to the Lakers.

We are surprised by this. All season we've heard about how the Cougars are a team of role players, they play well together in the system, but not as individuals. Then we read that out of the Top 60 players, 2 of them are Cougars.

Question: Should UW PF Jon Brockman turn pro? He's averaging a double-double and is the only reason why UW is winning some games. A lot of people are dubbing the Huskies as a team built for 2009, but does Brockman hang around to find out. Right now, he's not on anyone's draft board so we think we stays. What if he goes to some draft camps, grades out well, and realizes that he can't improve anymore in his senior season?

What we do know is he's a hardworker who gives him all every night. The NBA could use some more players like this, in its individual, highlight reel dunk league.

Seahawks May Play in England

2008-01-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

The NFL's new tradition of playing one regular season game in England may include the Seahawks in 2008. The two opponents being discussed are the Jets and Patriots, both of which are a Seahawk's home game.

The Seahawks don't want to play in this game. Not only do they lose a home game, which as we know, is very valuable, but they also have to endure more travel. As the team that travels the most every season anyway, a trip across the big pond would tax this team even more. We don't know if a team can deny the NFL's request to play in the game, we assume they cannot, then the Seahawks may be playing a home game against the defending Super Bowl champions 4,800 miles from Qwest Field.

The league will announce the teams Friday, February 1.

Jets Could Possibly Play in England [Jets Central]

Why 16-0 Doesn't Matter

2007-12-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

The New England Patriots are 16-0, the first team in NFL history to win 16 regular season games. Tom Brady and Randy Moss are setting individual records faster then the Celtics are winning games (which if you haven’t been paying attention, is at a ridiculous rate). But in order to be remembered as a truly great team, perhaps the greatest team of all-time, the Patriots have to reach another number: 19.

19-0. That is the only way 16-0 matters. Every team’s goal is to win the Super Bowl. Every player would trade their individual statistics for a championship ring. New England’s won 16 games to put themselves in the best position to win #19. While the Patriots have to be the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl XLII, there are plenty of things standing in their way. Right now, 16-0 is great but not important. What is important?

-The 1934 and 1942 Chicago Bears. Both finished the regular season undefeated, both lost in the championship game. History shows that just because you dominate the regular season it doesn’t necessarily mean you win the championship. New England will forever be grouped with those teams if they don’t bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Foxboro.

-January in Foxboro: The Patriots rely on Brady throwing the ball. If they can’t throw it, their in trouble. The offensive line and running backs have shown nothing, other than the fact that you don’t want to rely on them to win you a game.

-The Indianapolis Colts: The defending Super Bowl champions are quietly waiting in the bushes. They have beaten New England before, Peyton Manning loves beating Belichick, and with all the focus on the Patriots, they have to feel disrespected. Yes, they are a dome team and the Patriots have beaten them in the playoffs before, but after last year that "mystic" may be over.

-19 games: The Patriots have to win 19 games IN A ROW!!!! That is incredible. As only the second team to win 16 games in a season, we know they can stay focused. But now they will be playing back-to-back games against quality opponents, knowing full well that history is on-the-line with every play. Every mistake will be overblown, every great play over celebrated. The desire to go undefeated will drive them, the chance to knock them off will fuel their opponents. Mentally, the Patriots are going to go through possibly the toughest month ever.

Right now, the 2007 New England Patriots and the 1972 Miami Dolphins are in the same category. If the Patriots lose this season, they get acquainted with the ‘34 and ‘42 Bears. If they go 19-0, they stand alone, atop the NFL mountain, the best football team this world has ever seen.

Would Somebody Please Call Warren Moon A Taxi?

2007-12-29T09:22:00.001-08:00

Seahawks radio color commentator and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon was arrested on suspicion of DUI early Friday morning. This is the second time this year that Moon has been suspected of a DUI.

Your a NFL Hall of Famer, legend at the University of Washington, and have a sweet gig as Seahawks radio analyst and FSN Northwest co-host. What in the hell are you doing driving around drunk, even buzzed? Call a taxi.

Maybe this is a sign that Moon has some deeper things to deal with then just being stupid and driving drunk. Let's hope not, but this is a dangerous path to be on.

Moon arrested on suspicion of DUI [Seattle Times]

Primed and Ready

2007-12-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

Head on back to Greensboro, Aggies! Get ready for Washington, Cougars! It was an easy win for the Cougs, 67-34, in a game they lead the entire way and rested their starters in the 2nd half. Washington State is 12-0 and ready for Pac-10 play.

The Cougar defense was at it again, limiting the Aggies to 27 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers. As a team, WSU had 13 steals and 3 blocks, frustrating and dominating the Aggies all night long.

Derrick Low lead the way with 19 points, shooting 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. Kyle Weaver chipped in with 9 pts. on 3 of 5 shooting and contributed 3 steals, moving him to #5 on the Cougar’s all-time steals list.

The bench got a lot of minutes, with Caleb Forrest and Nikola Koprivica leading the way with 23 and 22 minutes, respectively. It looks like Bennett is going to go with the 7 man rotation with Abercrombie mixed in until Harmeling can return from his injury. The lack of depth is going to huge with these first 3 conference games on the road against 3 good basketball teams.

This victory ended the non-conference part of the schedule and now we head into the loaded Pac-10. As the #4 team in the nation it is easy to think the Cougars can go 16-2 or 15-3 in conference play. Realistically, with the talent of the Pac-10, 14-4 or 13-5 is what we expect. If the team goes 8-1 at home, and 6-3 on the road then we think you have to be happy. No one is going to go through conference play undefeated, that you can bet on.

Something else you can bet on, the Cougars are primed and ready to go.

Game Day: North Carolina A&T

2007-12-28T09:17:00.001-08:00

North Carolina A&T Aggies at #4 Washington State Cougars, 7 p.m., No TV

Time for one last tuneup before Pac-10 play. One more chance to get the kinks worked out before facing the rival Huskies. A chance to match the best start since 1991-92, 12-0, with a win over the Aggies. With a win tonight, odds are the Cougars finish 2007 ranked in the Top 5. Who'd a thunk it?

The 5-7 Aggies will have played 3 of the remaining 9 undefeated Division 1 teams after tonight (Pittsburgh, Miami, WSU). They've also played Tennessee, so you can't expect them to be star-struck with the #4 team in the nation, unlike The Citadel last week. All in all, this game should be an easy 20-25 point victory for the Cougs, a great way to end the non-conference schedule, and give them 7 days to prepare for those guys in the purple jerseys. Cougar Nation wants 6 in-a-row!!!

Things to watch for tonight:
-Kyle Weaver seems to be going through the motions. Maybe it's because of the lack of competition, but we would like to see him step-up his game.

-How will Tony Bennett use his bench? With Daven Harmeling out at least 3 weeks, will he use this game to tinker with the rotation to see which guys work best with each other? If Low and Weaver are forced to play 30 minutes a game now, by February they will be wore out.

-Like to see Low continue his hot shooting the last few games. The team won't play another game till January 5, 7 days, so let's get the shooting stroke going tonight and keep it going into January.

North Carolina A&T Starters:

F Jason Wills - Best player on the team, Weaver should guard him

F Trahem Chaplin

C James Porter

G Steven Rush

G Austin Ewing

Levenseller Should Stay

2007-12-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

New Washington State football coach Paul Wulff is forming his staff. We're all for starting anew and bringing in guys who are "your" guys, but Wulff would be making a mistake to let Mike Lenvenseller go. Not only has he been an assistant with the team since 1992, but he played WR for WSU and held many WR records at the school. He is known as one of the best WR coaches in the country, evidenced by the strong group of receivers WSU perennially puts out there.

The only real question was if Levenseller would accept a "demotion" from OC to WR coach. That question was clearly answered by George Yarno in the PI article:

"He (Levenseller) wants to stay more than all of us," Yarno said. "He's the real Cougar of the group."

Wulff should do the smart thing, keep Levenseller and use the other 8 positions for "his" guys. What can it hurt, you have a WR coach who is loyal, hard-working, smart, and knows how to recruit kids to Pullman. That sounds like the kind of guy we'd want on our staff.

Wulff begins shaping coaching staff at WSU [Seattle PI]

Cooper High School Copyrighters

2007-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Cooper High School, located in Abilene, Texas, has been asked to change its logo since it is very similar to Washington State's. The Cougars are working with the school to help them change the logo so it doesn't break any copyright laws.

This is the second time in 3 years that the state of Washington has fought with the state of Texas. In 2005 Texas A&M claimed the Seahawks stole their 12th man theme. Eventually, they settled out of court, with Seattle maintaining the rights to the 12th man in the NFL and Texas A&M having them in college.

This time there will be no compromise. Cooper High School has to change their logo, which is going to very costly for them. Looking at the logos, they are very similar and chances are the person who designed the Copper logo used WSU's as a reference. Should they have to change it? We don't know, and frankly, we could care less. Its just interesting to see what people do for a living, hunt down bastard high schools who steal logos from prominent universities.

Legal challenge means CHS must redesign its logo [Reporter News]

So Which Mariners Will Be In The Mitchell Report?

2007-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

The countdown is on to the release of the Mitchell Report, something that can ruin the late 90s and early 2000s for many baseball fans. The question we have up here in the Northwest, a.k.a the end of the earth, is what, if any, Mariners will be named?

We have to believe that Bret Boone will be on the list. Jose Guillen for sure will make it, but what about Adrian Beltre? Beltre did have an abnormally great year in 2004, leading to the Mariners sinking millions of dollars into him. Was that year the product of a steroid-infused body?

The person's name we are most worried about seeing in that report: Edgar Martinez. He is the real Mr. Mariner and was part of our most unforgettable Mariner memories. If he is outed as a steroid abuser it will permanently scar our perception of him and the many great memories we have of him.

We will never forget Edgar's last game. We had the game on the TV, muted so we could listen to Dave Niehaus call his final at bat. It was the end of an era, the end of the career of the only major player who stuck around. Edgar will always be remembered for being a great teammate, community member, and loyal Mariner. Let's hope, after tomorrow, we aren't remembering him for anything else.

Breaking News: UW AD Todd Turner Resigns

2007-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

The University of Washington has announced that Athletic Director Todd Turner has resigned. A statement was released, saying that Turner and President Mark Emmert meet and decided it would be best to move in a different direction.

His resignation is effective at the end of January 2008.

We'll have more on this story as it becomes available.

*Update - This looks like it was a mutual decision, not one where Turner walked away or Emmert fired him. The big question this decision sparks: Will Tyrone Willingham still be kept as football coach? It was only a week ago that Turner and Emmert publicly said Willingham will be back, but was that only a public front? Did Turner and Emmert disagree about this decision behind closed doors, leading to Turner's resignation? Was it Turner's inability to get funding for the stadium renovation? These questions may never be answered, but we can always speculate.

Cougars Go With Wulff

2007-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Washington State found their coach and he wasn't very far away. Today the Cougars will announce that Paul Wulff is their next head football coach. Wulff comes from Eastern Washington where he was very successful with a limited budget.

Wulff's first order of business: Go to Prosser and steal WR Cody Burns from Tyrone Willingham and the University of Washington.

This is a popular hire among Cougar fans and alumni. We advocated for Mike Price, but we didn't know much about Wulff before this process started. After reading many articles about him, we like the move for a variety of reasons, including that he's a Cougar coaching the Cougars.

Now we look forward to seeing what, if any, assistants Wulff keeps and how many inroads he can make in recruiting to get this team more then 3 recruits.

Huskies Looking to Change Schedule

2007-12-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

12 games in 12 weeks is tough. That's why the Huskies are looking to move 3 games next season. Hoping to get three byes during the season, UW wants to move the Oregon game to Opening weekend. We have to ask: Is that the best way to start out Jake Locker's sophomore season? On the road against arguably your biggest rival. The Ducks won't have Dennis Dixon, but they still hate Washington and will see this as an opportunity to grab an early Pac-10 lead.

The other games they want to move: Oklahoma at home, up one week to Sept. 13 and the California game to Championship weekend on December 6. Either the Huskies really like playing another team after the Apple Cup or Ty Willingham thinks that playing in early December means your improving.

UW already has a break next year, all 3 of their nonconference games are at home. Add in 3 bye weeks and UW will be spending a lot of time in Seattle, hoping to be somewhere else in late December.

Clarifying Our Lute Olson Story

2007-12-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

We broke the story earlier in the season that Lute Olson's son was sick and that was why he had taken a leave of absence. Then last week we found out that he was divorcing his second wife. A number of sites and blogs are now saying that his oldest son has AIDS, therefore Olson will spend the rest of the season with him.

We are sticking with our source that said it is because of his son being sick, not his pending divorce. We still do not know for sure if his son does have AIDS so we do not want to report that it's the reason he is sick.

All we know is that Olson has to be going through a very tough patch in his life and we want to wish him the best. College basketball and the University of Arizona need you Lute, so stay strong and make it through this.

2007 NFC West Champions!!!

2007-12-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

They just blew a 12-point halftime lead, lost in OT on a field goal, and fell to 4-4 on the season. It looked like they were going to be in a fight for the division until Week 17. Then the offense opened up, the receivers stepped up, and Hasselbeck proved he has to be in the conversation with Tony Romo and Brett Favre for the best QB in the NFC. The Seahawks became dangerous again.

5 wins in a row, 4 straight division championships, 5 straight playoff appearances

Question: Which 3 NFL teams have made the playoffs the last 5 years?
Answer: Indianapolis, New England, Seattle

Critics will say that Seattle plays in the weakest division. Compare the NFC West with the AFC East this season. New England is clearly the best team in the NFL, but the rest of the division is weak. You don't hear any pundits talking about how facing the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins twice a season has helped the Patriots on their undefeated run. If you played 1vs.1, 2vs.2, etc., the NFC West would win 3 of 4 from the AFC East.

Michael Irvin, Sean Salisbury, Tiki Barber, and Dan Marino can say what they want about the Seahawks. Their opinions determine exactly zero games. The only words you need to pay attention to: 4 Straight Division Championships.

Hang up another banner.

Top 10 State of Washington Sports Moments of 2007

2007-12-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

People will remember the sports world of 2007 for its trials, judges, and indictments as much as they will remember it for its touchdowns, home runs, and 3-pointers. While the legal battles stayed mostly out of Washington, the battles on the court, field, diamond, and links make up the State of Washington’s Top 10 moments of 2007.

10. Ryan Moore finishes 2nd at Dublin, Ohio - Puyallup native Ryan Moore had the best finish of his young career when he came in second to K.J. Choi at The Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus. During the offseason Moore is said to be working hard to earn a cameo appearance in Tin Cup 2, as he’s a big Kevin Costner fan.

9. Apple Cup 2007 - The 100th Apple Cup, coincidently the 100th meeting between the best two college football teams in the state of Washington, although it recent years that distinction has started to mean less and less. Cougars won 42-35 and as of yesterday, the UW secondary was still trying to find Brandon Gibson.

8. UW fires Tyrone Willingham - After 3 seasons and a 11-25 record the University of Washington decided it was moving in a different direction.....wait, they didn’t fire Willingham? They decided to give him another year because they were encouraged by his recruiting? On a side note, Jake Locker has decided to give that baseball thing a try, not wanted to endure another 4-9 season, instead aiming for a 4-9 day in a June double-header.

7. Mariners still in playoff talk in August - On August 25 the Mariners were 73-54, 1 game back of the Angels and tied in the loss column. Then they played the Angels in a huge series at Safeco Field, got swept and finished 6 games back. We Mariner fans had to endure another October without playoff baseball, instead dealing with the side effects of listening to Dave Sims talk all summer.

6. #’s 3, 4, and 5 for Cougar Basketball - Let’s just say it: the University of Washington is a volleyball school. Not only did the Cougars take back the Apple Cup Trophy for the 3rd time in 4 years, but they beat the Husky basketball team for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th straight times. The presence of 10th overall pick Spencer Hawes could not scare the Cougar trio of Derrick Low, Kyle Weaver, and Robbie Cowgill. If you wanna be scared, see Derrick Low up close on HDTV.

5. Locker plays 1st game in Purple & Gold - Jake Locker, the savior of the floundering UW football program, made his debut against Syracuse on August 31. The Huskies won the game easily 42-12, but it turned out to be costly because Locker left his accuracy in Syracuse, NY. It is still M.I.A.

4. Skyline comes from Behind to be Champs - The 3A football championship game was the spread, passing attack against the in-your-race running attack. For most of 3 quarters it looked like O’Dea and RB Johri Ferguson were going to be bringing the title back to First Hill. Then a horrible fake FG, some beautiful throws, and a little luck and Skyline had won its 3rd state title. We are taking bets on how Skyline coach Steve Gervais is going to celebrate his 6th state title. Currently off the board, hunting trip to Northern Alaska.

3. Super Bowl Curse is Broken - Shaun Alexander suffered the Madden Curse, but the Seahawks broke the Super Bowl Loser Curse. Before last season, the last 5 Super Bowl losers failed to make the playoffs the following season. Not only did Seattle win the division, make the playoffs, and beat the Cowboys in the 1st round, they got a little good karma when Tony Romo fumbled the FG snap. After the season, Romo received his good karma when he dated Carrie Underwood, Sophia Bush, and Jessica Simpson.

2. Washington State Basketball - Bennett ball took on a whole new meaning last season. Before, it was known as a slow-it-down defense with an even slower run-the-set offense. In 2007 it still had the same basic principles but now it was leaving the Cougars on the winning side of the final score. The students of WSU caught Wazzu basketball fever, and January games that normally would have drawn 800 fans were now drawing 8,000. Half the crowd (the boys) were there to watch the game, the other half (the girls) were there to checkout Tony Bennett.

1. Sonics get #2 pick; select Kevin Durant - The lottery balls bounced Seattle’s way, allowing them to select a future superstar in Kevin Durant. With the future of the team in Seattle uncertain, it puts a lot of weight on Kevin Durant to bring the fans to the arena. Considering Durant can bench press 185 lbs. exactly zero times, Sonics fans may be in big trouble.

Ichiro Almost Wore Pinstripes

2007-11-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

This is an older story by apparently Ichiro was almost a Yankee. He had the teams narrowed down to the Mariners and Yankees, his wife then persuaded him to stay in Seattle.

The thought of Ichiro in pinstripes makes us sick, not as sick as if he was a Red Sox, but we digress. We aren't huge Ichiro fans, but we like him on the team. The Yankees and Red Sox are the worst so if we had to watch him slap singles for them it would have caused us to drink like Richie Sexson on his way to a Blazers game.

If the Mariners can pull off some sort of miracle, like trade for Johan Santana, then they have an opportunity to make a playoff push. Of course the Angels signing Torri Hunter doesn't help Seattle's cause.

If Not For His Wife, Ichiro Might be A Yankee [Enjoy the Enjoyment]
The Angels sign Hunter to a $90 million deal [NY Times]

High School Football - Championship Version

2007-11-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend is Championship Weekend in the state of Washington. The two big classifications, 4A and 3A, play Saturday and Friday night respectively. In the 3A game Skyline plays O'Dea and in 4A Bothell takes on Lewis & Clark from across the mountains.

Skyline is coached by Steve Gervais, maybe the best high school coach is Washington state history. He has won 3 1A titles with Eatonville, took Gig Harbor to the championship game, and won the 3A title in 2000 and the 4A title in 2005, both with Skyline. He has the Spartans in position to win their 3rd title in 8 years. It will be very interesting to see what happens to Skyline when Gervais leaves, something that will most likely happen in 2 years when sophomore QB Jake Heaps graduates.

In the 4A game, Bothell makes it second straight appearance in the championship game. They have been the best team in 4A this season and if a team ever deserved to win they would be it. The Tigers from Lewis & Clark are making their first appearance in the title game. They are a big underdog to Bothell, but they have surprised a lot of teams in the playoffs so we wouldn't be shocked if they somehow pulled out the win.

Both games should be very entertaining and will display the quality of high school football that Washington state offers year-in and year-out.

Photo Courtesy of The Seattle Times

Potential Cougar Football Coaches

2007-11-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

Now that the Cougars have to hire a new football coach we though we'd look at the possible hires who would take over at Wazzu.

-Mike Price: The choice everyone and the mom has been talking about. He hasn't done well at UTEP the last two years, 5-7 and 4-8. He would have considerably better talent at WSU and has proven he can recruit and win in Pullman. He is 61 years old, something that could hurt in recruiting.

-Paul Wulff: The head coach at Eastern Washington University. Wulff is a former Coug who is familiar with recruiting in Washington. He would probably keep some of the staff the same. Negative, he's never been a Division 1 coach, something that AD Jim Sterk said was something they were looking for.

-Bob Gregory: He is a former Coug as well, now the D-coordinator at California. He has coached Division 1 football before albeit as an assistant. He could keep Levenseller around to work with the offense and concentrate on the defense.

-Under no circumstance should WSU hire or even interview UW offense coordinator Tim Lappano. That would be a lateral, if not backwards, move. He has never been a HC and frankly we are not to impressed with his offense at UW.

Those seem to be the most logical choices. Washington State needs a Cougar to coach the Cougars. All three of the above guys are Cougars and understand what it takes to play in a town like Pullman.

Cougar News

2007-11-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

Lots of Cougar news today.

Football coach Bill Doba was fired. Just two days after winning the Apple Cup he is let go. The Mike-Price-back-to-Washington-State stories are already out, including this one by the El Paso Times. We have been on the Bring Back Mike Price Bandwagon for a long time. We like Doba as a guy, so much so that we feel for him today, but football wise this was the right move. The best part of Price coming back would be he would most likely keep some of the staff. We like that fact that the Cougars are coached by Cougars. Levenseller, Yarno, Broussard, Rypien; those guys care about Washington State.

In other WSU news, the basketball team moved up to #6 in the nation. This is the new highest ranking for the Cougars. They won the inaugural Hispanic College Fund Tournament this past weekend in Spokane. They play at Baylor on Friday then travel to the Kennel for a big game with Gonzaga on December 5th. Unfortunetly, both of those games are televised on ESPNU, a channel that we don't get.

Doba fired as WSU football coach [Tacoma News Tribune]
Washington St., coach part ways; Price could return [El Paso Times]

What's Up With...

2007-11-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

Bryce Fisher!!!

The former Seahawks starting DE was traded to the Titans on Sept. 11th this season for an undisclosed draft pick. We haven't read or heard anything about Fisher lately so we wanted to see how he's been performing this season.

Fisher has played in 6 games this season recording 0 sacks and 5 tackles. It doesn't look like Fisher is getting the playing time he needs to be really effective but he wouldn't have got that here in Seattle either.

Fisher was a great off-the-field guy who was mildly entertaining on his weekly-radio spot with Softy on KJR. The Seahawks made the right decision trading him and allowing Darryl Tapp to start. Tapp has been great this season, 6.5 sacks, 1 INT, and 2 FF. Not to mention he recovered the fumble Sunday that allowed the Seahawks to hold off the Bears.

Photo Courtesy of The Seattle Times

Catching Up!

2007-11-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

We have had a very busy week so there has been no posting since Thursday, which is not what we want but it had to happen.

It's Apple Cup week and the birds are already chirping. Jordan Reffett, the Husky DT, had a lot to say about the Cougs. We hope the Cougs shove it to the dawgs, but it isn't looking good.

*Update: Locker is going to start for UW, meaning the Cougar defense needs to play its ass off.

The Seahawks beat a mediocre Bears team on Sunday. They have the Rams this week, which should be a win. That would put them at 7-4 with probably still a 1-game division lead.

The state football playoffs semifinal round is this weekend. In the 4A game across the mountain, Bothell visits Ferris with the winner being the favorite to win the whole thing. In the other game, Lewis & Clark plays Edmonds-Woodway at the Tacoma Dome.

In 3A Skyline and Bellevue both play but in opposite sides of the bracket. This could potentially be a huge championship game if they both win.

Dawg has plenty of yap in him [Seattle PI]

What Happened Last Night...

2007-11-15T06:51:00.000-08:00

The Huskies are headed to NYC, the Sonics get off the crapper, and Tony Bennett signs a solid class for the Cougs.

UW beat Utah 83-77 to advance to the NIT semifinals in Madison Square Garden. Johnny Brockman had a monster game: 31 points and 18 rebounds and the other cast of characters contributed when needed. Now the dawgs get set to play Texas A&M next week.

Kiss that 0-82 season good-bye because the Sonics winners. They beat the Dwyane Wade-led Heat 104-95, notching the first victory on Kevin Durant's belt. Durant had 18 points on 6 for 16 shooting. Good thing Pat Riley didn't suit up for the game or we may be talking about a different outcome this morning.

Washington State signed five new basketball players yesterday. The class included 3 guards and 2 forwards. The first player listed, Marcus Capers, is the one that Tayler Rochestie gave up his scholarship for. The class received an "honorable mention" from Scout.com, whatever that means. Tony Bennett knows that he must get players that want to be part of a team, can live in a smalltown atmosphere, and are willing to give up things for the benefit of the team and the program.

Brockman has career game against Utah [Seattle Times]
Sonics finally break through [Seattle PI]
Cougars reloading at guard [Seattle Times]

Is Harrington Better Than Vick?

2007-11-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

Michael David Smith of Fanhouse thinks so. He compares Harrington to the other QBs he has split time with: Byron Leftwich, Daunte Culpepper, and Jeff Garcia. It looks like Smith handpicked the stats he used in the argument, but the stats don't lie.

As life-long Vick haters we don't have any arguments that someone plays the QB position better than him. The only bad thing about Vick not playing this season is we don't get to watch him humiliate himself every Sunday. The guy is a joke, was always a joke, and will always be a joke.

Is Joey Harrington a better QB than Michael Vick? That is a debatable question. Is Joey Harrington a better person, teammate, and leader than Micheal Vick? That's like asking if Tony Dungy is a better person than Bill Belichick. It's no contest.

Joey Harrington Is Better Than Michael Vick [FanHouse]

Photo from The Onion

What Happened Last Night...

2007-11-14T07:02:00.001-08:00

A whole lot of basketball, that's what happened.

0-82 here Seattle comes!!! Not really, but the Sonics did lose again last night. This time to the Orlando Magic and our good friend Rashard Lewis. Lewis went for 22 pts. against his former team while Durant was 4 for 13 with 10 points. The Sonics play the Heat tonight in Miami, getting another chance to pick up that elusive first victory.

The #9 team in the nation, the Washington State Cougars (we love typing that), went on the road into the smurf-court and beat the Boise State Broncos 86-74. Kyle Weaver played a much better game then he did in the opener and Derrick Low brought the Cougs back from a halftime deficit. Also, Daven Harmeling chipped in with 18 points, shooting 8 0f 12 from the field.

We don't know about you but when we think of basketball we think of the New Jersey Institution of Technology. And that's why the Huskies' blowout win last night was so surprising. UW is now one victory away from Madison Square Garden, where they can play the likes of Texas A&M, Syracuse, and Ohio State. Two guys who didn't play last year, Tim Morris and Joel Smith, went for 16 and 12 points respectfully. The rock in the middle, Jon Brockman threw in 12 pts. and grabbed 9 rebounds in the winning effort.

Magic extend Sonics' franchise-worst start to eight games [ESPN]
Cougars catch up, then coast [Seattle Times]
Huskies open season with runaway victory [Seattle PI]

Love the Forward Pass: Watch the Cougs on Saturday

2007-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Alex Brink already holds just about every WSU passing and QB record there is. Expect him to pad those numbers against Oregon State Saturday because 3 OSU defensive backs must sit out the 1st half.

Starting CB Brandon Hughes and reserves Bryan Payton and James Dockery were suspended for the 1st half by the NCAA for fighting with Washington players last week. Now, there's nothing wrong with kicking a little Husky ass, but you just might want to do it behind the stadium, not on the field.

With starting tailback Dwight Tardy out for the season expect Brink to be hitting Gibson, Bumpus, and hopefully Jed Collins all 1st half Saturday afternoon. This is a huge opportunity for Wazzu, added with OSU's starting QB not being able to play, for them to setup an important Apple Cup next week. If the Cougs pull off the upset, then a win in the AC means 6 wins and a chance for a bowl game. It's even bigger for Bill Doba because a bowl game is the only way he saves his job.

Cougars catch a break [Seattle PI]

M's Should Sign This Guy

2007-11-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

There has been talk of the Mariners pursuing Hiroki Kuroda, a RHP out of Japan. He is a free agent so there is no posting fee and could come at a bargain compared to some other pitchers out there.

The Mariners could have an upperhand in signing Kuroda. He has a 103-89 career record in 11 seasons pitching in Japan. He has a career 3.69 ERA and has thrown 74 complete games. Kuroda has a 90-92 mph fastball, he throws a slider similar to Dice-K's, but he doesn't throw a curveball. His best pitch is a fork-split, which is his strikeout pitch.

Kuroda projects as a #3 starter in MLB and the Mariners have 2 openings in their rotation. Since he will come cheaper then some no-good, garbage free agent pitchers out there we think the Marines have to make a serious offer to him.

A Hernandez, Batista, Kuroda, Washburn, Rowland-Smith rotation doesn't get us jacked up over the roof, it does look better then if it had some of the other free agent pitchers out there in it. We discussed U.S.S. Mariner's offseason plan earlier, where they had the M's adding Bartolo Colon. If Seattle adds Kuroda and Colon, then it shows they are making a serious effort to improve the team, realizing that they cannot just sit on their hands because this team won 88 games last season.

Mariners in hunt for Japanese ace? [Tacoma News Tribune]
The Japanese Scouting Report [Prospect Insider]

What Happened Last Night...

2007-11-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

The Seahawks beat a very bad 49ers team and the Cougars B-Ball team wins one game and moves up one spot.

The Seahawks threw it accurately and often in their 24-0 shutout over the 49ers. Hasselbeck threw it 40 times, completing 27 for 2 TD and 1 INT. We wonder what Shaun Alexander was thinking over on the sideline. Did he realize that Holmgren has lost his patience and he may never again get the amount of carries he wants. After losing both games to SF last season the Seahawks took it to them in both games this season.

The Cougars have matched their highest ranking ever, #9 in the AP Poll. Wazzu beat Eastern Washington and Michigan State didn't play so the Cougars moved up. They play tonight against Boise State in Boise. Since Ian Johnson doesn't play basketball and Chris Petersen isn't coaching I like the Cougars in this one.

Win comes to pass [Seattle PI]
AP Top-25 Men's College Basketball Poll [Seattle Times]

Explanation of Lute Olson's Absence

2007-11-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

Lute Olson took a personal leave of absence on November 4th for undisclosed reasons. A source who has spoken to Olson has took us that it is because his son is sick. He also told the source that he is not leaving the team permanently and he will return this season.

Olson has two sons, we are not sure which one is sick or with what illness. Clearly this illness is very serious and Olson should be with his family. We wish the Olson family the best and hope that he makes a full recovery.

Lute Olson taking leave of absence from Arizona [Arizona Sports Hub]

Mr. Playoffs - High School Version

2007-11-08T16:12:00.001-08:00

The "1st Round" of the state playoffs kicks off tomorrow night and there are going to be some interesting matchups this weekend. Here is a link to the 4A bracket.Defending state champion Oak Harbor has to travel to Olympia on Saturday night, eliminating their unique home field advantage.

#1 ranked Bothell has to be the favorite, with Ferris barely squeaking by last week. Graham-Kapowsin is the only remaining SPSL team and they get a home game against South Kitsap. Other matchups include Woodinville traveling across the mountains to play Lewis & Clark at Joe Albi Stadium and 10-0 Edmonds-Woodway hosting Snohomish.

The best game of the weekend happens in 3A when #2 Skyline hosts #1 Lakes. This game could be a very high-scoring affair, although both teams have decent defenses. The winner of this game 9 out of 10 times goes on to win the 3A state title.

Lakes and Skyline get no favors from draw [Seattle PI]
Photo Courtesy of Crimson Photography

You Don't Want To Be Billy Gillispie Right Now!

2007-11-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

We sure hope Billy Gillispie doesn't have a public listing in the Lexington phone book. His Wildcats got whipped by Gardner-Webb at Rupp Arena tonight. Now, they don't get to play in New York against the likes of #3 Memphis, Oklahoma, and Connecticut. Instead they get to stay at home and think about losing to a mid-major program by 14 at home.

The good news: daiper dandies Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion played well. We posted about the upside of Patterson earlier in the week and its good to see him playing well in only his second collegiate game.

There better be some intensity in practice the next few weeks. The schedule gets brutal toward the end of November with games against Liberty, Texas Southern, and Stony Brook. If you want to reach Tubby Smith, he's in Minnesota.

Gardner-Webb rolls to New York with rout at Kentucky [ESPN]
Photo Courtesy of ESPN

Some Love For The Cougs!!!

2007-11-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Andy Katz, who we love reading, wrote this article about the Cougar basketball resurgence. He hit it right on, who would have thought that the Cougars would be a Top 10 team. But they have to prove they are that good.

The senior leaders on this team will not allow this season to be a waste. Weaver is going to have a monster year and Low will be the rock this team needs. The Pac-10 is going to be horribly tough this year, but along with UCLA, the Cougs have to be the favorites.

Remember a few years ago when the university tried to do away with referring to Washington State as Wazzu because it was deemed "inappropriate." So ESPN titles their article with Wazzu, gotta love it.

We look forward to watching a lot of Wazzu Cougar victories this season and a possible trip to the Final Four. Wow, did we really just say the Cougs could be in the Final Four?

Wazzu must prove it is no one-hit wonder [ESPN]

Wishing Seattle's RB Ran Like This

2007-11-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

We got the priviledge yesterday to watch the Chargers-Vikings game before Seahawks started. Little did we know that we would be watching history be made right before our eyes. If you missed Adrian Peterson setting the NFL single-game rushing mark, you can see a highlight reel here.

What was even more impressive was his style of running. It's something we haven't seen all season up here in Seattle. Don't you just wish sometimes Alexander would burst through the hole and takeoff down the sideline like that.

Watching Peterson's performance reminded us of 2005 when Alexander and that offense line carved up defenses. Wishful thinking says Shaun will improve when he gets that cast off. If not, Maurice Morris looked pretty good yesterday in limited action. (If you throw out that 4-1 play in OT, which was horrific)

What Happened Last Night...

2007-11-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

The "regular season game-of-the-century" was played and the bad guys came out on top, the new BCS rankings came out and we are headed straight for a huge controversy, and the Sonics start the season 0-3 for the first time since 1985-86.

The game wasn't the high scoring affair many thought it would be, but did hold up to the hype in the drama department. How often is it that a losing headline for the Colts starts off with Manning did something to lose the game?

The great BCS has given us its newest rankings. LSU is #2, for now, and Oregon and Kansas are right behind. Here's a question: What happens if Kansas goes undefeated and wins the Big 12 Championship game? Can they jump over two teams if they both win out as well? We've got a feeling the BCS people are going to be big Missouri fans in a couple weeks.

Kevin Durant had another solid game, 24 pts., 8 rebounds, and 5 assists but the Sonics lost again. The Clippers, with their powerful duo of Corey Maggette and Tim Thomas, pulled away in the 4th. That makes it 3 for 3 for the Sonics in the "keep-it-close-till-the-4th-then-fall-apart-and-lose" category.

Manning's late fumble seals deal for undefeated Patriots [ESPN]
LSU takes over second place in BCS [CBS Sportsline]
Durant scores 24, but Sonics fall to 0-3 [Seattle Times]

Seahawks-Browns Notes

2007-11-04T17:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, what the hell happened today. The 1st half was going so well, the offense was looking good and the defense was holding Cleveland. This is one of those rare, ultimate-loss weekends that happen about once every two years: where Puyallup, Washington State, and the Seahawks all lose on the same weekend. We have to vent, so here are some notes we took while watching the game, these are in no particular order since we don't want to think right now.

-Why the hell can't Seattle convert 3rd and 4th and short. We've been harping on that for 3 seasons now and it has cost them at least 2 games. Today and the Chicago playoff game last season. It is absolutely embarrassing and frankly, its pissing everyone off.

-Hasselbeck's INT was thrown into double-coverage, he tried to force it.

-The 1st quarter Engram TD pass was on a great design. The play was a different wrinkle then we have seen and we love that.

-Spencer missed bad on the 1st and goal run from the 3 when Alexander lost 2 yards, that one's on him not Shaun.

-The blitzes were very ineffective today. The one play we especially picked out was when Winslow almost scored in the 4th. Russell blitzed from the left-side of the line and didn't get past the line of scrimmage. This had been happening all game, in that situation you gotta drop back, only rush 4 and concentrate on covering the receivers.

-Anderson was killing the defense with those dump-offs to the RBs and FB. Those were going for 5-8 yards a piece.

-Where the hell was Julian Peterson?

-Kellen Winslow is a baby. Every time he didn't catch a pass thrown to him he bitched to the officials about PI.

-The Burleson celebration after his punt return TD - the Lebron James chalk clap - was great.

-Did any else notice that Ben Obomanu was on the field a lot on critical plays?

-You can't blame this loss on Hasselbeck, Engram or Burleson. They were the Seahawks players of the game.

Kentucky Freshman Patterson Off To Good Start

2007-11-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

Kentucky's highly-touted freshman forward Patrick Patterson has started the exhibition season strong. He scored 17 pts., going 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 from the free throw line. He also pulled in 7 rebounds, got 4 assists, and blocked 3 shots against Seattle University Saturday night.

The fans of Lexington are really excited for Patterson and new coach Billy Gillispie to take the Cats back to the Final Four. It will be interesting to see how they both handle the pressure of Kentucky basketball and the SEC. Mark Story wrote an article describing how Patterson is embracing being the cornerstone of this team. He seems like a kid who is very grounded and prepared for the rigorous of college basketball. He is the kind of player that Gillispie can recruit around, bringing in players knowing they have a legitimate shot at a Final Four appearance and a National Title shot.

Kentucky opens the regular season in the 2k Sports College Hoops Classic, then they have a light non-conference schedule. Their toughest non-conference games start the month of December with North Carolina at home and a visit to Indiana. This schedule allows Patterson and Gillispie to ease into their new roles as the leaders of the Kentucky program and give them a strong base to launch into the SEC schedule.

Kentucky overpowers SU [Seattle Times]
Patterson embraces hope, hype [Lexington Herald-Leader]

What Happened Last Night...

2007-11-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

The dreaded #2 ranking lost again, Oregon showed its king of the West Coast, and Puyallup disappoints again in the postseason.

Who the hell wants to be #2 this season? Boston College had to know this was coming. This is great for college football because BC wasn't the 2nd-best team in the country. Plus this is really going to screw the BCS up and there are going to be a lot of pissed off people either in Eugene or Baton Rouge.

The Ducks proved that they are legitimate National Title Contenders as they beat up on the weasel and his Sun Devils. Dixon's injury isn't expected to be serious, but you never know until the MRI is performed. The most disappointing thing about this is that if they beat Cal they are clearly #2, if not #1, and all those LSU fans have to shut the hell up about deserving to be in the title game.

Another prelimenary round exit, another disappointing season for Puyallup. The Vikings got blitzed and ran out of Silverdale and the playoffs last night. For a team that said they had state championship goals, this was a huge dose of reality. It is very hard to blame 16, 17, and 18 year olds for loses and in this case that isn't appropriate. The disappointment of this season falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff, who did not have the team prepared and failed to adjust during the game when it was clear their plan wasn't working.

FSU upsets Boston College [Fox Sports]
Dixon hurt but lifts #5 Oregon with 4 TD passes [ESPN]
South Kitsap survives on a tough night for locals [Tacoma News Tribune]

Mariners Offseason Plan: Dave Cameron's Version

2007-11-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Dave Cameron, from U.S.S. Mariner came out with his 2007 offseason plan. After reading it, it seems very reasonable. The Mariners have to add pitching if they want to have any chance next year and his plan has them adding an expensive, but necessary starter in Bartolo Colon.

The idea of getting rid of Richie Sexson is a great idea. We have wanted Ibanez moved to 1st base since May of last season. Like Dave states the defense will improve with a younger, quicker OF that will help the pitchers. Adam Jones has to have an opportunity to play everyday or why else do the Mariners still have him? If you aren't going to trade him then let him play, don't waste his talent in Tacoma. We don't know much about Geoff Jenkins so we'll gonna trust him on that one.

The starting pitching market is weak this season, but we don't like the idea of Ryan Rowland-Smith getting the ball every 5th day. We can't give any better suggestions cause we haven't done the research, but we can't imagine that is who is going to be the opening 5th starter.

Dave's Offseason Plan, v.2007 [U.S.S. Mariner]

True Hoop Article on Sonics

2007-11-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

Came across this article that interviews Steven Pyeatt, one of the founders of Save Our Sonics. The article contains a lot of good information about the differences between Seattle and Oklahoma City.

While you can't be completely confident until an arena deal is reached, the facts are very encouraging. Clearly the plan has to be to keep this in the court system, cost Bennett tons of money, and get the legislation to develop a reasonabe financial plan. If this stays in the courts and costs Bennett and his group lots of money, hopefully they will become frustrated and sell the team to the local buyer group.

Also, on College GameDay this morning there was a sign being held up in the background that said: Save Our Sonics, along with something else but I couldn't quite read what it said. Any little bit of publicity we can get to show our support for our NBA team is awesome.

*We were checking out Ballhype and found this link. It is from SuperSonicSoul where they suggest everyone write a letter to David Stern, telling him how much we want the team to stay in Seattle. We full-heartly agree with this idea and will be sending one to the commish. It is time to get serious in this fight, the guys at SuperSonicSoul are starting it.

Save Our Sonics: This Game is Far from Over [True Hoop]

A Letter [Supersonicsoul]

What Happened Last Night...

2007-11-03T08:36:00.001-07:00

We got our first 5 participates in the state tournament, Mariners decline option on Guillen, and our favorite 3B is out of his mind.

There was only 5 games last night and the SPSL didn't do so hot. Graham-Kapowsin was the only SPSL team to win, knocking off Evergreen of Vancouver 33-28. The other three: Bethel, Kentwood, and Kentridge lost.

The Mariners took the first step toward making Adam Jones a starting OF when they declined their option on OF Jose Guillen. Now Guillen has 5 days to pickup his player option for $5 million or he can go to free agency, the option he will most likely take.

Apparently A-Rod decided he was worth $350 million just to talk to him. I can't believe that this guy is going to get that kind of money. He is a proven loser, someone who can't perform under pressure. Why would you want to pay a guy that ridiculous amount of money who isn't going to help you extend your season past the 1st week of October?

Score-It: November 2 [Seattle Times]
M's refuse option on Guillen [Seattle PI]
A-Rod was seeking $350 million from Yanks [Fox Sports]

Sonics News and Notes

2007-11-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

We haven't posted about the Sonics in the last couple days even though their season started. It was because of problems with our internet connections, not that we didn't watch.

If you look at it from a distance it could look like the one of the worst opening weeks in franchise history. The team starts 0-2 and the owner filed for relocation to another city. But everyone knew that this season was going to be a struggle on and off the court.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points in his Seattle debut, following up his 18-point NBA debut at Denver on Halloween night. Chris Wilcox had his first double-double of the season with 23 and 11 last night. It's only 2 games, but Nick Collison has been solid.

The problem this team is going to face the entire season has cost it in its first two games: what happens when their jump shooting goes cold? They have been close through 3 quarters, then they get tired and the shots don't fall in the 4th. With the lack of defense we've seen so far, if the shots aren't falling this team could be blown out of a lot of games this season.

Forget the record, forget the offcourt crap, this season will be a fun one to watch for Sonics fans. Appreciate the fact that we have a front row seat to one of future's biggest stars.

Bennett says he's moving Sonics to Oklahoma [Seattle PI]

Injuries Aplenty in the State of Washington

2007-11-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the day to get injured if you are a collegiate athlete in the state of Washington. First, Cougar starting RB Dwight Tardy tore his ACL and is out for the season. This is a huge blow to the team espeically coming off their most impressive victory of the season. With 2nd stringer Chris Ivory out with a concussion, 3rd RB Kevin McCall gets the start in Berkley Saturday night.

The rival Huskies took a blow today, albeit to their basketball team. Starting guard Ryan Appleby broke his thumb in an offcourt incident. The article says that Appleby is the Huskies' best offensive player, I would disagree with that. He is only out six weeks so he won't miss any major part of the season, but his lack of preseason play may hurt him, especially since Appleby is a jump-shooter.

WSU RB Tardy out for season with torn ACL [Seattle Times]
UW's Appleby injured, off the court for 6 weeks [Seattle PI]

Former M's Fan Favorite Fails Drug Test

2007-10-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

Former Mariner center fielder Mike Cameron failed a 2nd drug test, causing him to be suspended for 25 games. It is clear that he did not take steroids, just another banned substance.

I don't know if I believe that he did not know he was taking anything illegal. These guys' whole lifestyle is based on his body, so would he willingly put something in it that he didn't know exactly what it was?

Cameron was always a good clubhouse guy and a fan favorite. I hope he learns from his mistake and is able to continue his career in MLB.

Cameron fails stimulant test; suspended 25 games [ESPN]

High School Playoffs

2007-10-30T21:49:00.001-07:00

The High School playoffs are set (almost) and we know when the games are and where they will be played. After a disappointing loss Friday night to Rogers, Puyallup travels to Central Kitsap to try and extend their season on the road. Here are all the 4A matchups:

Snohomish at Kentwood
Graham-Kapowsin at Evergreen
Kentridge at Mariner
Ballard at Edmonds-Woodway
Bethel at Eastlake
Cascade at Federal Way
Bellarmine at Oak Harbor
Gig Harbor at Bothell
Skyview at Olympia
Inglemoor at Rogers
Lewis & Clark at Richland
GLS #3 at Wenatchee
Moses Lake at Ferris
Puyallup at Central Kitsap
Kamiak at South Kitsap
Woodinville at Heritage

This is the week the weak teams are weeded out and the best 16 go on to state. I would expect a lot of favorites to win which could setup some exciting "1st round" matchups next week.

Also of note: In the 3A bracket, if Skyline and Lakes both win, which is expected, they would face off in that "1st round." Clearly, these are the two best teams in 3A and its a shame they have to play so early.

City of Seattle beats Sonics

2007-10-29T17:29:00.001-07:00

Seattle won a battle today against the Sonics when a judge ruled that the case cannot go to arbitration. This is great for the city since it strikes a blow to the Sonics ownership group and possibly delays the team moving to Oklahoma City.

Although this is good, it is only the first step in a long process. Our elected officals need to be working on an areana deal. And what the hell happened to the Muckleshoot site? Clearly, Clay Bennett is sitting on his hands while trying to drive the fan base away.

City wins court ruling in Sonics case [Seattle Times]

What Happened Last Night...

2007-10-29T07:07:00.001-07:00

We have a new champion of the baseball world, the #10 Cougs lose a player, and the Top 3 of the BCS change nada.

The Red Sox swept the Rockies outta the World Series, giving all those 3-yr. old Red Sox fans their long awaited championship. I expected a better showing from Colorado, now I can't watch ESPN for 2 days.

The Cougar basketball team took a hit this week when freshman forward Fabian Boeke was banned from playing this season. I don't know what he was expected to contribute this season, but it was better that this was found out now, before the season started. I don't know what repercussions would have happened to the team, but its best they just not go there.

No big upsets this week, no changes with the Top 3 of the BCS. The biggest matchup of the week has to be #4 Arizona State going to #5 Oregon, the winner being in the national championship picture for the long haul.

Powerhouse Red Sox make their mark [ESPN]
WSU's German frosh banned [Seattle PI]
Ohio State, BC, LSU remain atop BCS [Fox Sports]

Weekend Notes

2007-10-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some notes and thoughts from the past weekend in sports:

-Good to see the Cougars get their first Pac-10 win. The offense and defense played a great game, special teams not so much. Obviously, the running game was outstanding and Brink had an ok day going 28 for 46 for 271 yds. 1 TD and 1 INT. Hopefully this can carry over to next week against a struggling Cal team.

-That sucks for the Huskies. They can't play defense and Jake Locker is the only offense the team has. They are 2.5 pt. favorites at home against Stanford this week and right now I'm think I'm laying the points.

-The damn Patriots won again. I don't want to believe it, but they might go undefeated this season. While I didn't get to see all of today's game, I saw enough to know it was a absolute domination.

-Looks like the World Series is gonna be over tonight, Boston is up 2-0 in the 5th. Even if Colorado pulls it out tonight, there is no way that they will win 4 in a row.

-This weekend showed the Pac-10 is the best conference in the country. South Carolina loses to Tennessee and Mississippi State beats Kentucky. Not to mention Florida's 3rd lose of the season. The Oregon and Arizona State winner should play for the NC if the win out. They will have a better resume then LSU if they both finish with 1-loss.

Cougars Start Season #10 in Coaches Poll

2007-10-26T15:17:00.001-07:00

The Washington State Cougars open the season at #10 in the preseason Coaches Poll. This is the highest a WSU team has ever started the season.

North Carolina starts #1 followed by UCLA and Memphis. UCLA and WSU give the Pac-10 two Top 10 teams with Oregon at #13, Arizona #17, USC #18 and Stanford #21. That is a great showing for the Pac-10 and shows this conference is going to be awfully tough this season.

Two other notes: Gonzaga opens tied with Texas A&M at #14 and Kentucky starts at #22.

UNC, UCLA, Memphis separated by 8 votes in preseason poll [ESPN]

Week 9 College Picks

2007-10-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Mississippi at Auburn
South Florida at Connecticut
Duke at Florida State
Florida at Georgia
Mississippi State at Kentucky
Pittsburgh at Louisville
Clemson at Maryland
Minnesota at Michigan
Iowa State at Missouri
Virginia at North Carolina State
North Carolina at Wake Forest
West Virginia at Rutgers
Miami, OH at Vanderbilt
Kansas at Texas A&M - Upset Special!!!
Nebraska at Texas
Arizona at Washington
Indiana at Wisconsin
Ball State at Illinois
Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic
Michigan State at Iowa
Baylor at Kansas State
Central Michigan at Kent State
Northwestern at Purdue
South Carolina at Tennessee
Colorado at Texas Tech
Akron at Buffalo
Deleware at Navy
Florida International at Arkansas
UNLV at Wyoming
UAB at East Carolina
Southern Methodist at Tulsa
Louisiana Tech at Utah State
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
USC at Oregon
Memphis at Tulane
Idaho at Nevada
Rice at Marshall
Utah at Colorado State
Ohio at Bowling Green
Stanford at Oregon State
UCLA at Washington State - Upset Special!!!
Middle Tennessee State at North Texas
Troy at Arkansas State
Northern Illinois at Toledo
Ohio State at Penn State
Houston at UTEP
California at Arizona State - Upset Special
New Mexico State at Hawaii
UCF at Southern Miss

Week 9 - Thursday and Friday Picks

2007-10-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

This will be quick since I forgot to do it earlier.

Virginia Tech over Boston College
Air Force over New Mexico

Boise State over Fresno State

World Series Prediction

2007-10-24T15:12:00.001-07:00

Everyone knows that the World Series kicks off tonight in the glorified landfill known as Fenway Park. The Red Sox come off a drilling of the Indians 3 days ago to win Game 7. The Rockies have been off for 9 days, possibly killing any momentum or luck they had.

I really want the Rockies to win the Series. They have never won it and I believe my dislike for anything Boston is quite apparent. Unfortunately, I have the ability to pick with my head instead of my heart. It really pains me to say this but I like the Red Sox in 5.

They have Beckett, momentum which I believe is important in baseball, and the Rockies have been off for way to long. I can already see stories chronicling how the Rockies dominance of the NLCS cost them the World Series. I hope I'm wrong, but I had this same feeling after Game 5 of the ALCS when Cleveland couldn't finish the sawx off at home and we all know how that ended.

Sports Pickle Study

2007-10-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

If you enjoy reading satire sports humor, then the Sports Pickle is for you. I was reading it today and came across this article. It is older, but the concept still very much applies today. Here is a exert from the article:

“The media has only contributed to this problem,” said Dr. Kreager. “By harping on the years and years the Red Sox went without a championship as though it was some sort of national tragedy, Boston fans actually started to believe they were more important than fans from other cities and therefore deserved to win more. When in fact, all they were was fans of a crappy franchise.”

The rest of the aritcle is very entertaining as well.

Study: 96-Percent of Boston sports fans have no idea how annoying they are [Sports Pickle]

Damon Huard

2007-10-23T10:19:00.001-07:00

It's Week 8 of the NFL schedule and guess who's in 1st place in the AFC West? That's right, the Kansas City Chiefs. They are 4-3 with a 1 game lead on the division going into their bye week. Does this mean they are headed to the playoffs? No. But who would have thought they would be in position to, near the halfway point of the season.

Damon Huard has not put up big numbers this season. He has more interceptions (7) then touchdowns (6), but his team is still in 1st place. The former Puyallup Viking and Washington Husky is doing the things that need to be done in order for his team to win. This past Sunday he lead the Chiefs to a come-from-behind victory over the Raiders, completing a 58-yard pass to Dwayne Bowe to setup the winning score. This is the second time this season he has won a game in the 4th quarter, as the Cheifs upset the Vikings in Week 3.

Last year Huard came in and had Kansas City in position to make the playoffs until head coach Herm Edwards pulled him, put Trent Green back as the starter, and the Chiefs lost 2 games in a row to fall out of the race. Through 7 weeks this season Huard has them in place to make a 2nd half push. His play needs to improve if they are serious about making the postseason, but the play of his offensive line and RB Larry Johnson needs to improve as well.

Kansas City faces a huge test out of the bye week with Green Bay and Denver at home followed by a trip to Indianapolis. They probably need to win 2 of those 3 games to stay in the hunt. In order to do that Huard needs to pick up his play. Clearly, he is not the QB of the future, but if he can lead his team to an unexpected playoff berth he can maybe postpone the future in KC a little bit longer. Right now he is a starting QB in the NFL and only 31 other guys in the entire world can say that.

What Happened Last Night...

2007-10-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

The Colts keep pace with the Patriots, the U.S. rid themselves of soccer coach who doesn't know how to coach soccer, and my fantasy team took a bit hit.

-MNF showcased the Colts moving to 6-0 for the third straight season, beating Jacksonville 29-7. To be fair, the Jaguars played most of the game with their backup QB Quinn Gray who would be a good NFL QB if his receivers were 10 ft. tall.

-Hope Solo must be a happy girl this morning since U.S. women's coach Greg Ryan is out. He is the famous coach benched Solo, the starting goalie, instead playing Briana Scurry because she had beaten Brazil before. The U.S.'s 4-0 lose to Brazil knocked them out of the championship game, instead settling for 3rd place.

- One of the surprise players on my 1st-place fantasy football team has been Miami RB Ronnie Brown. While I expected him to be a solid contributor, he has single-handily led my team to victory twice this season. That's why yesterday's news that he was done for the season with a torn ACL really hurts. I'll be swifting through the wavier wire this week to find a replacement.

Colts take solid lead in AFC South after breezing past Jags [ESPN]
Greg Ryan out as U.S. women's coach [Fox Sports]
Hurting, winless Dolphins lose top back Brown, S Hill for season [CBS Sportsline]

Monday News

2007-10-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

My internet has been down all day, so I couldn't post these links earlier.

Seahawk injury news: TE Marcus Pollard is having knee surgery and hopefully will only miss the one week like the article says. Yesterday's defensive star Darryl Tapp broke a bone in his hand, but he shouldn't miss any games which is a great thing.

The Mariners have confirmed 4 of their coaching hires. No real surprises here. I am most excited about the new pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre. He won multiple rings with the Yankees and has worked with a lot of great pitchers over the years. I also would be excited if Larry Bowa fills out the staff just because he gets so fired up.

That's all for now.

Pollard faces surgery; Tapp broke bone in hand [Seattle Times]
Mariners name four new coaches [Seattle PI]

SEC vs. Pac-10: The Final Count

2007-10-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

*Thanks again to The Big Lead for picking up this post, we sure got those SEC fans agitated.

The Pac-10 vs. SEC debate has been going on all season. It started before the season, actually, when LSU coach Les Miles verbally slapped the Pac-10 on SEC media day. I’m here to finally put that debate to rest by staging games between the equal teams of each conference. Since there are 2 more teams in the SEC, two games have multiple SEC teams. The outcome of these games is who I think would win if the game was played on a neutral field in Nebraska.

LSU vs. Oregon
This could very well be the real National Championship game if both teams win out and get a little help. Both teams have lost 1 game and could be undefeated. Oregon’s only lose came when they fumbled the ball out of the back of the endzone in the last few seconds. LSU lost on the road at Kentucky and snuck out a win last night over Auburn on a gutsy call. Oregon has a ton of speed and I don’t think LSU can defend the spread.
Winner: Oregon

Florida vs. Arizona State
Arizona State has been a surprise this year under the weasel Dennis Erikson. Florida has lost twice, but both were close, hard-fought games. Tim Tebow is a Heisman favorite and, like Oregon, they have a ton of speed. Arizona State has yet to be tested, their closed game a 3-pt. win at Washington State.
Winner: Florida

Alabama vs. USC
I still can’t believe that USC lost to Stanford. That has to be the upset of the year so far. The devil Nick Saban has Alabama over-performing. They lost to a bad Florida State team and a heartbreaker to Georgia. USC has not been its dominating self of the last 3 years, but they are still good enough to beat Alabama.
Winner: USC

South Carolina, Georgia vs. UCLA
This is the matchup of teams we can’t figure out and they can’t figure out themselves. UCLA loses to Utah by 30 but beats a underachieving California team. South Carolina beats Kentucky but loses to Vanderbilt. Georgia clips Alabama in OT, but loses to a Tennessee team that Alabama destroyed this weekend. I believe that South Carolina is still a year away and Georgia hasn’t proven itself yet. UCLA’s lose to Utah was the exception, not the rule.
Winner: UCLA

Auburn, Kentucky vs. California
As I mentioned earlier I think Cal has underachieved. They should have won at Oregon State two weeks ago and that hangover cost them against UCLA. Kentucky has been a huge surprise, but I still don’t think there a Top 15 caliber team, maybe its just because its Kentucky. Auburn almost beat LSU and South Florida. There lose to Mississippi State was slightly worse than Cal’s to Oregon State. Auburn has played some teams tough and Kentucky beat LSU, so I give them the nod.
Winner: Auburn, Kentucky

Tennessee vs. Oregon State
Oregon State beat Cal, although that may have had more to do with Cal then the Beavers. Tennessee got destroyed by Alabama and are perennial underachievers. I’m gonna use the old logic of Oregon State beat Cal, Cal beat Tennessee, so Oregon State will beat Tennessee.
Winner: Oregon State

Arkansas vs. Arizona
This is another interesting matchup. Arkansas is not any where near the team they were last year although they have two great running backs. Arizona almost beat USC and then lost to Stanford. This may be a tossup game, but Stoops is gonna get fired and Arizona can’t stop McFadden.
Winner: Arkansas

Vanderbilt vs. Stanford
This is the matchup of the spoilers. Stanford pulled off the biggest upset of the season, knocking off USC in the Coliseum. Vanderbilt beat South Carolina on Saturday to knock the Game Cocks out of the NC hunt. Stanford’s win over USC and Jim Harbaugh’s coaching give the Cardinal the edge.
Winner: Stanford

Mississippi vs. Washington, Mississippi State vs. Washington State
The Mississippi’s vs. the Washington’s. The bottom-feeders of their respective conferences. The two biggest wins for these 4 teams are Mississippi State over Auburn and Washington over Boise State. I’m gonna call for a split on these two games.
Winner: Mississippi, Washington State

After tallying up the score it’s the Pac-10 6-4. As you can see it’s a close race, but the Pac-10 is the better conference this season. Don’t be surprised if the National Championship winner comes from the Pac-10.

Rams at Seahawks - Game Notes

2007-10-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is what should be expected from the Seahawks when they play an 0-6 team at home. This is a good division win, leaves them alone in 1st place going into the bye, and we saw what this defense is capable of.

-The defense played a hell of a game. Darryl Tapp is today's MVP. Let's hope his hand isn't injured badly. Peterson had another strong game, proving he is the best player on this defense, maybe the team.

-Shaun Alexander. Clearly, he is not running as well as he can. Toward the end of the game when he and Holmgren were having an animated conversation, I was glad to see it. It showed Alexander's got some pride and frustration. The thing that will make this bad is if he comes to the media and complains and whines.

-Understanding that Alexander is playing badly, do we really need the booing. I like the passion from the Seahawks fans, but I'm tired of hearing it. These are the same fans that root for the Mariners when a guy advances the runner to third, but makes the third out. The perfect example of this is when Alexander couldn't catch the high pass from Hasselbeck with his cast the fans started booing, why? Booing should be used when a guy isn't putting forth 100%. Alexander is running hard, he has a broken wrist with a cast. As long as he's running hard, the booing isn't necessary.

-Hasselbeck wasn't himself after pulling that muscle. He was very inaccurate, but hopefully the bye week will allow him to get healthy.

-I fully expect this offense to come out swinging after the bye. Branch, Hackett, and Pollard should be back. Hasselbeck and Alexander should be healthier. Its go time in Week 9.

-The team still cannot convert 3rd, 4th and short. This has been a problem for two years now. I've voiced my idea, but they don't seem to want to do it.

-In the end, good win and let's get healthy in the bye week.

What Happened Last Night...

2007-10-21T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Red Sox won't let us start the World Series yet, the Ducks put on an offensive display at the Huskies' football and track and field stadium, another thriller in the SEC, and Central showed Western how to play ball.

J.D. Drew has drawn the ire of Boston fans all season, they were loving him last night when he single-handily beat Fausto Car-sucks.

Oregon had 661 total yards of offense, Johnatan Stewart rushed for 251 yards, and the Ducks pushed toward a NC game berth. The Husky defense looked completely lost and embarrassed themselves because of it.

I had the privilege of watching this exciting game last night. Matt Flynn's TD pass with 1 second left gave LSU the 30-24 victory. It was a very gutsy call considering they were in FG range with a reliable kicker that could have won the game. If that ball is picked or bobbled, the game is over and LSU loses without even attempting the game-winning kick.

Another Central Wildcat victory, another big day for Johnny Spevak. The Puyallup High product showed off his old QB arm, throwing for a TD and catching another to lead the good guys over the bad.

Drew delivers Sox to within one win of Series [ESPN]
Oregon rushes past the Huskies [Seattle PI]
No. 5 LSU edges No. 18 Auburn [Fox Sports]
Battle in Seattle: CWU smothers Western [Seattle Times]

The Day in College Football

2007-10-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday, another round of upsets. This season has been full of them and there are still opportunities for that to continue tonight.

Steve Spurrier had never lost to Vanderbilt, I stress the word had.

My Michigan State upset prediction fell just short as #1 Ohio State remains undefeated.

Its the 3rd Saturday of October, that means Tennessee and Alabama play. Who would have thought that this would be the result: An Alabama 41-17 beatdown of the Volunteers.

Missouri absolutely destroyed Texas Tech, 41-10.

Kentucky couldn't recover fast enough from their emotional win over #1 LSU last week, losing to Florida 45-37.

The Pac-10 continues to beatup on each other with UCLA upsetting Califronia, 30-21.

McLearn, Mariners Shape Coaching Staff

2007-10-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

John McLearn made his first coaching staff hire, choosing Jim Rigglemen as his bench coach. The article also states that they have offered the 3rd base coaches job to Larry Bowa. I like Larry Bowa, he's a fiery guy that is aggressive on the base paths.

I am waiting for the Mariners to hire a pitching coach. This guy is going to be in charge of turning Brandon Morrow into a starter and teaching King Felix to stay calm on the mound. He will be the most important hire for McLearn and the M's can't afford to screw that one up. I have heard that Mel Stottlemyer, the former Yankee pitching coach, is a candidate. That would be a very exciting hire if they can pull it off.

M's staff begins to take shape [Seattle Times]
Photo Courtesy of The Seattle Times

NFL Picks Week 7

2007-10-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

My buddy finally got me last weekend. He won the week, narrowing my lead to 2 weeks. I've got to rebound this week and I'll have an opportunity to with 6 different picks.

I like the Redskins over the Cardinals, New Orleans over Atlanta, Tampa Bay over Detroit, Houston over Tennessee, the Raiders over Kansas City, and the Eagles over the Bears. My buddy has the opposite of all those games.

We both agree that the Colts, Patroits, Seahawks, Steelers, Bengals, Giants, Cowboys, and Ravens will win.

Mr. Playoffs - High School Version

2007-10-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

After last nights action the playoff picture is a lot clearer. Curtis is out; Puyallup, Rogers, and Bethel are in. The winner of next week's Graham-Kapowsin - Emerald Ridge game will also be playoff bound. Now to figure out where each team is gonna be seeded and who they'll play.

Rogers and Puyallup play this week, the winner will be the #1 seed out of the SPSL South. The winner will host KingCo #4, right now its Woodinville in the 1st week of the playoffs. Also the #1 seed gets all home games until the Tacoma Dome, if they make it that far.

The rest of the picture is very confusing. Bethel will beat Spanaway Lake, so we are giving them that victory for these purposes. If ER wins then they'll be #4, Bethel #3, and the loser of PHS-RHS #2. If GK wins and Puyallup wins, then it would be PHS #1, RHS #2, Bethel #3, and GK #4. But if Rogers beats Puyallup and GK beats ER, then it goes to tiebreakers.

That would mean that PHS, Bethel, and GK would all be tied for 2nd with the exact same record. The 1st tiebreaker is head-to-head. Puyallup beat Bethel, Bethel beat GK, and GK beat Puyallup therefore cancelling each other out. The next tiebreaker is called Power Points, using where the teams finish and who beat who. Each team is given an inverse number to their final standing and its totalled up. For example, 1st place gets 8 points, 2nd place 7 points, etc. If you add up all the wins by the 3 teams, all of them equal 17 so that tiebreaker is out too.

The 3rd-tiebreaker is called Point Differential System where the scores of the games against each other are used. The points given up are subtracted from the points scored in those 2 games. There is a limit of a 14 point deferantial per game. I did the math, Puyallup +6, Bethel +1, and GK -7. So Puyallup would be #2, Bethel #3, and GK #4.

That is really confusing, but I think I got it.

Here are the first round matchups for the SPSL and their potential opponents.

KingCo #4 (Woodinville) at SPSL South #1
SPSL South #2 at Narrows #3 (Gig Harbor or Central Kitsap)
SPSL South #3 at KingCo #2 (Eastlake)
SPSL South #4 at Greater St. Helens #1 (Evergreen)

What Happened Last Night...

2007-10-20T08:15:00.001-07:00

Two SPSL teams locked up playoff spots, Connecticut! wins to stay atop the Big East standings, and Ryan Morre takes the lead in the Fry's Electronic Open.

The SPSL South gets 4 playoff spots this year, and two of them were filled last night. Puyallup beat Curtis, 26-14 and Bethel destroyed Emerald Ridge, 46-11. The league championship will be determined Friday when Rogers visits Puyallup, where the Vikings have won 7 in a row against the Rams.

In this crazy season of college football I guess its expected that Connecticut would be leading the Big East in Week 8. You have to feel bad for Brian Brohm of Louisville, he came back to school and passed on the NFL draft to win a national championship. Now they are 4-4, 1-2 in the Big East and they aren't even going to make a bowl unless they pull off some upsets.

Puyallup native Ryan Moore is the leader at the Fry Electronic Open. Morre has a 3-shot lead, which he hopes he can turn into his first career professional win on the PGA tour.

SPSL 4A Wrapup [Seattle Times]
Late moxy helps Dixon, Huskies down Cardinals [ESPN]
Puyallup's Moore shoots 63 to take lead at PGA event [Tacoma News Tribune]

College Picks - Week 8

2007-10-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that its already Week 8 of the college football season? It seems like it was just yesterday when Appalichan State looked like a cupcake opener.

Its a light weekend of Pac-10 football for us on the left coast. The marquee game would have to be California at UCLA (not very marquee is it). I like the Bears over the Bruins and the Trojans over the Limpin' Irish. Oregon and Washington hate each other which is good for Oregon this year since they are better. The Trojan-slayer Cardinal are in Tuscon on Saturday to play the Wildcats.

What should you be watching on Saturday? College Gameday is in Lexington and the state of Kentucky is gonna be chuggin Jim Beam before 9 a.m. I like Kentucky to hand the defending champs their 3rd SEC loss of the season. LSU could make a strong case to be the new #2 if they beat Auburn handily. Missouri hosts Texas Tech as a matchup of Top 25 teams. Missouri has been a surprise this season and I look for them to continue winning. The state of Michigan is gonna be in a frenzy Saturday night after the Wolverines beat Illinois, Western Michigan beats Ball State, and Michigan State upsets the #1 team in the nation Ohio State. Thats right, the upsets continue.

Some other winners I like are: Minnesota over North Dakota State, New Mexico State over Idaho, Syracuse over Buffalo, Miami, OH over Temple, Arkansas State over Middle Tennessee State, Wyoming over Air Force, Memphis over Rice, Nevada over Utah State, Tulane over Southern Methodist, Troy over North Texas, UCF over Tulsa, Freson State over San Jose State, Louisana-Lafayette over Florida Atlantic, Brigham Young over Eastern Washington, Kent State over Bowling Green, Houston over UAB, Louisana-Monroe over Florida International, UNLV over Colorado State, Boise State over Louisana Tech, Ohio over Toledo, and New Mexico over San Diego State. You can finish your college football weekend by watching Southern Miss beat Marshall on Sunday night.

Some other games of note this weekend involving BCS conference teams. Undefeated Kansas isn't gonna stay that way all season, but they will win this week. The heated rivarly between Miami, FL and Florida State is very even this year. Bowden's gotta stay ahead of Joe Pa so I'll take the Seminoles. Speaking of Joe Pa, Penn State visits Indiana for a blowout victory. Tennessee and Alabama hook up in Tuscaloosa where the Vols escape with a win.

The Big 10 has Wisconsin beating Northern Illinois and Purdue over Iowa. The Big 12 features Oklahoma over Iowa State, Texas A&M beats Nebraska, Oklahoma State over Kansas State, and Texas over Baylor. In the BCS's weakest conference, the ACC, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State play juggarnauts Army, Central Michigan, Navy, and East Carolina respectifully. While Virginia and Maryland do battle in College Park. The SEC and Big East hookup with Mississippi State visiting West Virginia. Other games are Arkansas at Mississippi, Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt at South Carolina.

What Happened Last Night...

2007-10-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

A lot. It was a sports fans night with college football upsets, baseball playoffs, NBA preseason, and a little high school football that could prove very important in 8 days.

Another weekend, another Top 5 team loses in college football. This time it was #2 USF losing on the road at Rutgers, 30-27. Because they are an upstart program and play in the Big East USF won't get an opportunity to play for NC even if they only have one lose. Now they can focus on winning the Big East title, therefore playing in a BCS bowl for the first time.

Cleveland couldn't close out Boston at home. After a 7-1 Boston victory, the series swifts back to the Northeast. This will inevitable make it harder for Cleveland, but they have Fausto Carmona pitching in Game 6 against the sock-painter himself Curt Schilling.

I got my first opportunity to see Kevin Durant in a Sonics uniform last night. I didn't see much of the game, but from what I did see it looked like he was nervous and uncomfortable out there. That should change with experience, hopefully. By the way, the what the hell happened to Robert Swift, he looks like a bum.

In the SPSL South, Rogers beat Graham-Kapowsin, 30-12. That puts Rogers in the playoffs and potentially sets up a league championship game next Friday if Puyallup takes care of business tonight against Curtis.

Added to all of these great sporting events was a hilarious episode of The Office. It was a TV watchers dream night.

USF won't get second chance to crash party [ESPN]
Beckett carries Red Sox back to Fenway [Fox Sports]
Sonics' flaws exposed in loss to Lakers [Seattle PI]
A day for Van Sligtenhorst, defense [Tacoma News Tribune]

Week 8 College Thursday and Friday Picks

2007-10-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

Big game on the schedule tonight when South Florida (or USF, as they like to be called) visits Rutgers. Phil Steele has South Florida winning by a FG, but in this year of upsets I'm gonna take Rutgers. This year has been the wildest season for college football elite and I just gotta bet that the upsets are going to continue.

South Florida at Rutgers
Utah at TCU

Northwestern at Eastern Michigan
Louisville at Connecticut

Rest of the picks will be up tomorrow.

Puyallup Duo Leading the Way for UW

2007-10-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Tacoma News Tribune ran a story today about Christal Morrison and Stevie Mussie, both from Puyallup High School who are now teammates on the UW volleyball team. Both are making huge contributions for the Huskies, leading them to 17-1 record and a #5 national ranking.

This is just another example of the athletic tradition that comes from Puyallup. Whether its volleyball players leading their university toward another National Championship, football players competing in the Pac-10, or a 2-sport athlete starring at a smaller state university, Puyallup has demonstrated a long tradition of producing strong students and athletes.

One of the main reasons that former PHS students are so successful at the next level is the attitude they learn while at Puyallup. Winning is a way of life there. From the football team perennially playing into late November, the basketball team making state every season, or the volleyball team playing for state championships, winning is valued. Winning is something that is expected, it is not seen as surprise. That is not something that can be said about a lot of high schools in this state. Sure there are the private schools and open enrollment high schools, but they are designed for achieving success. Puyallup is a public high school that has closed enrollment, they win with is there.

Breeding a winning attitude young can influence an athlete forever. Look at former UW QB Isaiah Stanback. He played his high school ball at Garfield. There, losing was the way of life so when he got to UW and the loses piled up it was no big deal. For someone that is used to winning, losing is so unacceptable that it makes them sick. That winning attitude makes someone a better player then the person who has comparable talent, but lacks the desire to win.

You can see the results of that attitude all over the state in the form of Puyallup High School graduates.

Washington's Lost is Central's Gain

2007-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Three of the seniors UW coach Ty Willingham "released" last November are leading the Central Washington Wildcats to a national ranking. Chris Hemphill, Durrell Moss, and Charles Smith, deemed not worthy to play another season for the mighty Huskies, are enjoying their time in the small-town atmosphere of Ellensburg.

Central is currently ranked #17 and #19 in the 2 major Division II polls. Puyallup product Johnny Spevak is leading the team in receiving with 9 TD and 600 yards as of October 13. Spevak and the former Huskies will be on display this Saturday at Qwest Field for the annual "Battle in Seattle" between rivals Central and Western Washington. The winner takes home the Cascade Cup. If you enjoy small-college football I suggest you go out to the game and support the national-ranked Central Wildcats.

Ex-Huskies are playing key roles with Central [Seattle Times]

Mr. Playoffs - High School Version

2007-10-17T11:47:00.001-07:00

We are already down to only 2 weeks of regular season high school left. The playoff push has definitely started and the 4A SPSL South is going to be a sprint to the finish. I am going to try and clear up the playoff picture and tell you how each team can make the postseason. First, here are the current standings.

Team League Overall
Puyallup 4-1 6-1
Graham-Kapowsin 4-1 5-2
Rogers 4-1 5-2
Bethel 3-2 5-2
Emerald Ridge 3-2 5-2
Curtis 2-3 3-4
Beamer 0-5 2-5
Spanaway Lake 0-5 1-6

Beamer and Spanaway Lake are out, so see ya guys next year. That leaves 6 teams fighting for 4 spots. The only record that matters for playoff seeding is the league record, so the overall record is useless so forgot about it. Let's outline how each team can get into the playoffs (this will be a lot less confusing next week)

Puyallup plays Curtis, a PHS victory guarentees them the playoffs since they will have beaten every team with a worse record, wining the tiebreaker against all of them.
A Curtis loss means they are out, a victory throws everything for a loop and puts PHS is a very bad spot.

Bethel and Emerald Ridge play this week, the winner is #4, the loser is out as of this week.

GK and Rogers play each other. If GK wins they are in 1st place all alone based on the head-to-head tiebreaker (they will have beaten both Puyallup and Rogers). A Rogers win puts them in 1st and guartenees that GK can't get 1st unless there is a 3-way tie between GK, PHS, and Rogers for 1st.

All of the 6 potentional playoff teams play each other this week, so this will clear up a lot of the tiebreakers and setup a very important final weekend.

E:60

2007-10-16T18:54:00.001-07:00

I watched the premiere episode of E:60 tonight. I came away impressed with the show. It was good to see ESPN doing a news show rather than a bunch of opinion from ex-athletes and coaches. The stories on tonight's show were interesting and engaging.

They had stories on the Miami Northwestern High School football team whose star RB committed statutory rape, the estranged relationship between Cecil and Prince Fielder, Dr. Bob who single-handily changes point spreads in Vegas, and the story of Jason Ray who was the North Carolina mascot who was killed in an accident but saved 4 lives by donating his organs. It was interesting to see how one guy can affect the point spread in Vegas. The story of Cecil and Prince Fielder was sad. Bill Simmons becoming a video game star at the end was mildly funny, mildly annoying. The guy looked like a total geek out there with the Celtics, telling Paul Pierce to pretend its the 2008 Finals and the Celtics are about to win the championship. Plus, the guy has no basketball ability what so ever.

The only part of the show I disliked was in-between stories when the correspondents and produces staged a production meeting. The questions seemed staged and the answers written out before. The show will do fine on the stories, it doesn't need the acting.

Holmgren's Play Sheet

2007-10-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

NBC's cameras picked up Mike Holmgren's offensive playsheet during the game Sunday night. Holmgren was able to joke about it and didn't see too much harm in it saying:

"The guys that have worked with me and for me over the years, have a very similar type of set-up. The plays change weekly. That whole sheet is different now."

Although he did also say: "There are not a lot of secrets, but I think those things probably, they should probably tell you if they're going to try and do that," Holmgren said. "Or ask you, and if you say no, they should honor that request. I would rather they didn't do that."

I like to see that he has a separate section called "Seneca Plays", plays just for when Seneca Wallace is in the game. Hopefully in the next few weeks that section will expand and allow Wallace to be a more integral part of the offense.

Danny O'Neil's Seahawks Blog [Seattle Times]
Photo Courtesy of Enjoy the Enjoyment

Price Returning to the Palouse

2007-10-16T10:23:00.001-07:00

I have been saying this for months now. Washington State should hire Mike Price back from UTEP, Doba can return to his defensive coordinator role, and the victories will start to return to Pullman. John McGrath wrote exactly my idea in his column on Friday. This hire makes sense for all involved.

Price would jump at the opportunity to return to the place where he should have never left. He would return to a Pac-10 school where he was adored before he made a selfish and stupid mistake to take the Alabama job. He would be more committed then ever because he would feel like he has something to prove, that he can still coach in a major conference. If he came back I believe he would feel like he owes something to the fans of the Cougars for his abrupt departure. Price has proven he can recruit players who are talented and prepared for life just a little outside of the spotlight. This team needs a coach who knows the area, knows what kinds of players can play at Washington State, and has a knack for finding the hidden gem. All of those things Mike Price possess.

The biggest problem with Price returning, according to many Cougar fans, is his actions upon leaving. He shouldn't have coached the Rose Bowl, many have said. Since he was leaving he should have turned the team over to Doba and been gone. I agree that he should not have coached that game, but is that really a reason to not bring him back if he is capable of producing a winner? People learn from mistakes. Price made a mistake that embarrassed him in front of the entire country. I believe he has learned from that mistake and there is no reason not to give him a second chance.

The best part of the story is that Bill Doba would be able to stay on with the team. He is a great guy who unfortunately is not cut to be a head coach. He is a great defensive coordinator and if he can commit all of his energy and time to that you may well see another Palouse Posse very soon.

Some fans want AD Jim Sterk to find a younger, hipper coach. One similar to Tony Bennett. But there is only one Tony Bennett. If I had to throw a name out there I would say Steve Sarkisian, the offensive coordinator at USC. But the chances of an up-and-coming coach staying in Pullman for a long time is not likely. He would use Pullman as a stepping stone to a higher profile job. If Price is hired, WSU will be higher profile job he was looking for. It would be the place he would retire from after leading the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl victory since 1916.

Price back to WSU? Never. Won't happen. Can't happen. Can it? [Tacoma News Tribune]

So Far, Is Dice-K Worth the Salary?

2007-10-15T20:09:00.000-07:00

*This was linked on The Big Lead so thanks to them for grabbing the post.

When the Red Sox paid $51 million just for the right to talk to Daisuke Matsuzaka you had to scratch your head. Who the hell was this guy that had a secret, magical pitch? Maybe when it came down to the wire and no contract was worked out that should have been a clue. When the deal finally got done at the last minute the total cost to the Red Sox was $103 million, with the $62 contract added to the posting fee. The big question is, through his first season, which isn't over yet, was he worth the money?

Looking strictly at the numbers he was no where close to the savior and ace that many Red Sox fans thought he would be. He finished the regular season 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA. He did break the 200 inning mark with 204 2/3 innings and had a WHIP of 1.32. What I find interesting is his ERA against the other 3 AL playoff teams. Against the Yankees it was 6.12, the Indians 4.26, and he never faced the Angels in the regular season. He also had a 4.86 ERA at Fenway Park, which I believe is quite high for your homefield. During his first Fenway start when everyone was juiced to see him, he was outpitched quite handily by Felix Hernandez, who threw a 1-hitter and shutout the Red Sox.

Tonight in a pivotal game for the Red Sox because of tomorrow's starter Tim Wakefield and the game being on the road Dice-K couldn't make it out of the 5th inning. He gave up 4 runs and 6 hits in 4 2/3 innings. He didn't have his best stuff and got out of a jam in the 3rd that could have extended the Indian lead. It was not the performance the Red Sox or their fans were looking for at the price their paying.

So back to the original question: Is Dice-K worth the money? I realize that this season isn't over and this is only the 1st year of his 6 year contract. But with all the preseason hype and the ridiculous posting fee I think it's a fair question. Based on his 1st year numbers I do not think the Red Sox got what they paid for. He has been a solid middle of the rotation starter, but that's not what they were looking for. They thought they were signing a pitcher that you could throw out in a Game 7 and have no doubt about the performance you were going to get. Right now, I don't think they want him anywhere near a Game 7.

Angels Stoneman Stepping Down

2007-10-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

Angels GM Bill Stoneman is stepping down from his position as team architect. He was the GM when the Angels won the World Series in 2002. He is the 4th GM to step down this offseason and the first from a playoff team in 2007. We don't know the details of why he is stepping down, but he will remain with the team in as a consultant.

Do you think the Mariners are regretting keeping Bill Bavsi? After they announced that he will return as GM for 2008 two successful GMs have stepped down. Do you think they would be more confident with Stoneman or Walt Jocketty as their main guy? I know that the majority of fans would be much happy with one of those two guys.

Stoneman to announce decision Tuesday [Fox Sports]

Cardinals Got Tricked

2007-10-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

I love the title of this story: No GM? No Problem: Cardinals resign Pineiro. Yeah, I think there is a problem: they just gave Joel Pineiro $13 million for 2 years. After watching that guy pitch in Seattle for many years I wouldn't give him $13 dollars for 2 years.

He pitched well at the end of the season, which facilitated the deal. By the middle of June next season fans will calling for him to go to the bullpen. He'll be 3-6 with a 5.50 ERA and everyone will be wondering what the hell they gave him that money for.

Trust me, we've been tricked before.

No GM? No Problem: Cardinals resign Pineiro [Fox Sports]

Ray of Hope Story Refreshing

2007-10-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Jason Ray, the mascot for North Carolina who was killed after being struck by a car earlier this year. After reading it I don't see how you can't feel sadness for his family and joy for the families of the people he saved. The young man clearly had a passion for life and the people in it. It is so tragic that this is the way he had to go. Though if you can ever beat death, he clearly has done it.

His death saved the lives of 4 other people. He bettered the lives not only of these people, but of their families and friends as well. The way those peoples' lives are affected is a direct result of Jason deciding to donate his organs. It should inspire anyone who isn't a donor or cannot decide if they want to be one. Like he says, what good is my heart if its buried in the ground.

These are the kind of stories that should be reported on. These are the acts that make you proud to be involved in sports and be a fan of sports. While this act is great no matter who did it, the fact that it has a tie in with college athletics only makes it more important that the story be told.

Ray of Hope [ESPN]

Seahawks, Saints Random Thoughts

2007-10-15T07:28:00.000-07:00

That isn't what I was expecting last night. That was an overall bad performance by every aspect of the Seahawks team. That should have been a win, at home, on Sunday night, against an 0-4 team, but now the Seahawks find themselves slipping and questioning their game plans.

-Special Teams was horrible. A bad snap for a TD, a blocked FG, little yardage on any returns.

-Alexander 14 carries for 35 yards? What the hell is that? The O-line didn't help him out but Shaun continues to go down to early.

-Hasselbeck was not accurate. He continues to miss on the deeper patterns. It seemed like he was either not seeing the open receivers or holding the ball too long. The last interception he threw was a horrible decision.

-The Seahawks should have kicked the FG at the end. That would have made it an 8 point game with the Seahawks needed to get an onside kick. Either way the Seahawks were going to have to get a 3 and a 8. Take the 3 instead of going for it on 4th and long.

-The defense was playing off the receivers too much. On 3rd and longs they were given them 8-10 yards and allowing them to run to the sticks and catch the ball.

-With Branch and Hackett out the receivers were in trouble. They were keying on them single coverage and sending everyone else at Hasslebeck and Alexander. But Wallace did have a nice grab at the end.

NFL Picks - Week 6

2007-10-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

So I'm up on buddy by 3 weeks. He better start to bring it or I'm gonna run away with this thing.

My Picks:
Cincinnati over Kansas City
Houston over Jacksonville
Cleveland over Miami
Minnesota over Chicago
Philadelphia over Jets
Baltimore over St. Louis
Tennessee over Tampa Bay
Washington over Green Bay
Arizona over Carolina
New England over Dallas
San Diego over Oakland
Seattle over New Orleans
Giants over Atlanta

My Buddies' Picks:
Cincinnati over Kansas City
Jacksonville over Houston
Cleveland over Miami
Chicago over Minnesota
Philadelphia over Jets
Baltimore over St. Louis
Tampa Bay over Tennessee
Green Bay over Washington
Arizona over Carolina
New England over Dallas
San Diego over Oakland
Seattle over New Orleans
Giants over Atlanta

Wanna Win Some Money, Here's Some Picks:

2007-10-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here are some sure-winners from the upcoming weekend of college and pro football:
As always the winners are in red

Purdue at Michigan (-5.5)
Indiana at Michigan State (-3.5)
East Carolina (+3) at UTEP
Virginia Tech (-14) at Duke

NFL:
New Orleans at Seattle (-6.5)
Tennessee (+3) at Tampa Bay
New England (-5.5) at Dallas

Sonics Preview

2007-10-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Tony Mejia of CBS Sportsline has done his preseason Sonics preview. He has the Sonics listed as the 28th best team in the league, which I believe is about right. They will not compete for the playoffs but hopefully they can use this season to gain some experience and prepare to make a serious postseason run in the next few seasons.

A lot of the points Mejia makes in the article are spot-on. Obviously the arena situation is the biggest thing involving the Sonics right now. With all the legal battles happening it really takes away from the upcoming season. Its good to see that Durant and Green are working hard to improve and prepare themselves for the rigors of a NBA season.

Originally I was not a fan of the Ray Allen trade. I thought that this team needed to win now in order to keep the fans interested and get a new arena built. After having some time to reflect I am glad that they decided to gamble on the future and trade Allen. This team is setting itself up for a big run in 2 or 3 years. If they struggle this year like expected they will likely have another high draft pick to add to the nucleus. With expiring contracts they also will be able to sign a couple quality role players.

This season should provide some excitement with Durant and Green, and also some stress with the young team and the arena situation.

Sonics Preview [CBS Sportsline]

College Picks - Week 7

2007-10-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here are my Week 7 picks:

Navy at Pittsburgh
Florida State at Wake Forest
Hawaii at San Jose State
Washington at Arizona State
Oregon State at California
Arizona at USC
Texas at Iowa State
Minnesota at Northwestern
LSU at Kentucky - Upset Special!!!
Purdue at Michigan
Alabama at Mississippi
Virginia Tech at Duke
South Carolina at North Carolina
Oklahoma State at Nebraska
Rutgers at Syracuse
Bowling Green at Miami, OH
Kent State at Ohio State
Eastern Michigan at Ohio
Missouri at Oklahoma
Georgia at Vanderbilt
Connecticut at Virginia
Tennessee at Mississippi State
Temple at Akron
Western Kentucky at Ball State
Army at Central Michigan
Louisville at Cincinnati
Illinois at Iowa
Baylor at Kansas
Colorado at Kansas State
Georgia Tech at Miami, FL
Texas A&M at Texas Tech
Toledo at Buffalo
New Mexico at Wyoming
San Diego State at Utah
Western Michigan at Northern Illinois
Boston College at Notre Dame
Wisconsin at Penn State
Rice at Houston
Washington State at Oregon
TCU at Stanford
Fresno State at Idaho
Air Force at Colorado State
Tulane at UAB
Auburn at Arkansas
UCF at South Florida
Indiana at Michigan State
Marshall at Tulsa
Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas
Louisiana-Lafayette at Arkansas State
New Mexico State at Louisiana Tech
Southern Methodist at Southern Miss
Middle Tennessee State at Memphis
East Carolina at UTEP
BYU at UNLV
Nevada at Boise State

Reggie Bush Story

2007-10-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

The Reggie Bush got illegal benefits while at USC story is back on again. Yahoo! Sports is reporting that financial records totally $280,000 while be turned over to the NCAA.

I don't want to comment on this story because we've heard this claim before and nothing was ever determined. I will say that this sounds a lot more serious then the initial claims. If Bush and his family did receive these things then they will have a lot of explaining to do.

Pete Carrol better hope that the NCAA doesn't find that he had anything to do with this or his week is going to get a lot worse. Worse then a home loss to Stanford when you were 41 point favorites.

Report: NCAA to get evidence on Bush [Yahoo! Sports]