Seattle Sports: In the Morning

It being the first Sunday in four-and-a-half months where there wasn't a football game worth watching, you thought it might end up being a slow sports day. Instead, the action came fast and furious in the evening.

After the Blazers fell behind 19 points to the Hawks at home, Sergio Rodriguez and Channing Frye started to bring them back, Travis Outlaw got them close, and Brandon Roy pushed them over the top--scoring 8 points in the final three minutes and playing lockdown defense on the Hawks' Joe Johnson. All while battling a stomach virus. A legendary performance by Roy; check out the highlights on NBA.com.

Then, the Times' Geoff Baker reported that Adam Jones is on his way to Baltimore to take a physical. Neither team is saying that a deal is done, and Baltimore's owner Peter Angelos has been known to cancel deals at the last minute--but, usually, once the physical is ordered, the deal is on.

There are generally two types of blockbuster trades: veterans for prospects or prospects for veterans. The M's have done many memorable trades of the former variety (Langston for Johnson et al, Johnson for Garcia et al, Griffey for Cameron et al) but not so many of the latter. This is the biggest prospect for veterans trade since the 1992 Kevin Mitchell deal, and maybe the biggest in team history.

Then, the Sonics mounted a Blazers-esque comeback against the Kings, tying the game on a Damien Wilkins three pointer. But Kevin Martin raced down the floor and hit a leaner as time expired, and the Sonics had their 14th loss in a row. Here are the NBA.com highlights.

The game was Spencer Hawes' NBA debut in Seattle; he banked in a wild shot on his first touch. He ended up playing only five minutes, and shot 2-3. Jon Brockman and Ryan Appleby were both watching from courtside seats.

In other news...

The Seattle Times special report on the 2000 Huskies, which started yesterday with the stomach-turning tale of the rape allegations against Jerramy Stevens, continues today with the focus on linebacker Jeremiah Pharms. The headline says it all: Key UW linebacker played entire season after his bloody print was tied to shooting.

Here's one priceless detail from the story: "[Pharms] bench-pressed more than 400 pounds, sported a pit-bull tattoo, and sometimes, during games, locked eyes with an opposing player and proceeded to urinate, the stream darkening his pants."

Art Thiel suggests that the struggling New Orleans franchise could be the key to keeping the Sonics here, with either Hornets straight up moving to Seattle, or Bennett buying out George Shinn and taking the Hornets to OKC.

Nate Robinson, who's Knicks play here Saturday night, led his team with 22 points last night. He also had 8 assists. Alas, they lost to the Warriors 106-104.

Jim Zorn, who took the Redskins' OC job after he didn't get assurances that he'd be the Hawks' OC when Holmgren leaves, sounds heartbroken to leave Seattle, telling the P-I's Clare Farnsworth: "I'm aching for many reasons. We're not selling our house here."

Steve Blake gives an example of what makes the Blazers' chemistry different: "Some teams will have a group of guys over here playing cards, a group over there watching a movie. We all get together as one and talk and enjoy each other." The Oregonian's Jason Quick has this quote and many others in a story describing how the Blazers got so tight as a team.

The Raptors' Jose Calderon tells The Star's Dave Feschuk about his first encounter with trash-talking Gary Payton: "After three quarters or in the fourth quarter, I'm saying to (Payton), `Look, the only thing I can say in English is, `I don't understand what you're saying.'"

It's really easy for kids to transfer schools in Seattle, and high school basketball players are taking advantage of it to find schools that suit their athletic goals, reports the P-I's Derek Belt. Garfield coach Dan Finkley is annoyed that potential D-1er Aaron Dotson transfered to Rainier Beach. I'm not sure what the problem is--if a kid transfers to a school with a better orchestra program or drama program no one cares. Why should it be different for basketball?