Northwest Sports: In the Morning

Required Reading...
Much love to Dr. D of Detect-O-Vision for this wonderful essay that reminds us why the worth of a baseball season isn't defined by championship banners: "There is no reason to define...joy exclusively in terms of a 21.42% chance of winning the American League West...Simply being in a full-throated 1995-style fight, come late summer, is what I crave...If the Mariners are within a few games of the Angels when they come in, September 11 (?), and Bedard and Felix are scheduled… well, I've seen a real pennant fight. If we win it, that intensifies the reward. But the reward was achieved earlier, as it was in 1995." Hear, hear!

Shaun Alexander's prayers are answered...
The Seahawks got much-needed help for the O-Line, signing Pro-Bowl left guard Mike Wahle.

Wahle's got strong Seattle ties, reports the Times' Jose Miguel Romero: "He was born in Portland, and his father attended Bellevue High School. Wahle's grandparents lived and worked in Bellevue for more than 50 years; grandfather Roy is a former Bellevue schools superintendent and Seattle University professor."

"Seattle was on the top of the very short list of teams I was interested in...As soon as I heard Seattle was interested, I closed off the six or seven other teams," Wahle said on Mitch in the Morning just now.

Wahle replaces Rob Sims, who'll now compete with Chris Gray for the RG spot.

At least they didn't trade Jeff Clement...
John McLaren tells the P-I's John Hickey that Jeff Clement must win a starting job in camp, or it's back to Tacoma for him (strong incentive, no?). "We won't carry Jeff Clement as an extra catcher. If we carry him, it's got to be as an everyday player. With his talent, there's too high a ceiling for him. With his bat, he could DH. We're very happy with (Jose) Vidro as our DH and with Kenji as our catcher. But we like surprises, too."

Clement reminds M's catching guru Roger Hansen of former M's farmhand Jason Varitek. Hansen tells TNT's Ryan Divish: "I see some similarities in them. Just in their attitude and willingness to work.” Clement has had a lot of work to do, according to Hansen: "The first time I saw him was when he was playing at USC and they were up playing the University of Washington. I think he ran a trail from home plate to the backstop chasing down all the balls that got by him."


Focus on the bullpen...
John Hickey points out that the 10 or 11 bullpen jobs would seem to be practically set, but McLaren reminds us: "And we are very open to being surprised. On this day a year ago, no one was thinking about Brandon Morrow making the team. But he pitched his way on, which was a surprise. We love surprises." Surprise would seem to be McLaren's word of the day.

Geoff Baker uncovers the real tragedy of the George Sherrill trade--Eric O'Flaherty's girlfriend lost her BFF: "O'Flaherty's girlfriend, Heather, had become fast friends with the girlfriend of now-traded Mariners reliever George Sherrill. The two couples lived in the same apartment complex in downtown Seattle during the season, and while the men were at the ballpark the women hung out together at home and in the stands." Baker goes on to point out the O'Flaherty is the top candidate to replace Sherrill, though Cesar Jimenez and Ryan Rowland-Smith are in the mix.

Other baseball news...
Ex-Jackson (Mill Creek) High star Travis Snyder is Baseball Prospectus's 7th-ranked prospect. I saw him play in a state playoff game in Everett, but never saw him bat. The opposing pitchers (of course) walked him every time.

I know you were wondering whether 2007 M's first base coach Johnny Moses would find a job in '08. Fear not, he's been hired as the hitting coach of the Las Vegas 51's.

Basketball, from preps to pros...
If you are insane like me, you will consider purchasing the "Washington Prep Basketball History, a compilation of all state boys and girls tournaments played in the Evergreen State" by Bob McKean of Buckley. It's $30, contact him at Mckean (at) TX3 (dot) net. (Via Seattle Times)

After all the talk about how their intensity won them the UCLA game, Romar thinks his team came out flat against Oregon, telling TNT's Don Ruiz: "We had nine turnovers (in the first half) and a majority of (those) were unforced...We had a lot of breakdowns on our defensive coverage, and Oregon is a team that will expose you every time. I don’t think that we played with that edge, that edge that is required to get a road win.” For whatever reason, Romar hasn't been able to keep his team motivated.

Justin Holiday doesn't have any ligament damage and should be able to play in a week or so.

Let the rumblings of "Kevin Durant doesn't deserved the ROY because the Sonics suck" begin: ESPN's LZ Granderson says Al Horford of the surprising Hawks ought to get the award.

Seattle lawyers are demanding access to emails from all six of the Sonics' owners in their attempt to prove that said owners intended to move the team to Oklahoma City all along.

The P-I's Howie Stalwick provides an anecdote that may just sum up 2007-08 Beavers basketball: "The two Oregon State students were standing in line at the concession stand, contemplating their next move after watching one of the most wretched halves of basketball imaginable. 'So,' the young man said to his female friend, 'should we watch the second half, or do you just want to go home and play some pingpong?'"

Ticket prices for Oregon basketball would more than double in the new arena.

John Canzano says Darius Miles, who hasn't recovered from microfracture surgery after 15 months, and is 25 pounds over his playing weight, ought to retire. It's not basketball Miles loves, says Canzano, it's the NBA lifestyle--a lifestyle which includes this:

The exotic dancers working the late shift at Dolphin II Gentlemen's Club in Beaverton on Saturday evening were delighted when Trail Blazers forward Darius Miles showed up, carrying banded stacks of 50 one-dollar bills.

Miles and the members of his entourage, which included former Oregon Ducks quarterback Dennis Dixon, spent the night moving between three stages, removing the bands and tossing the stacks in the air, sending a shower of loose bills fluttering down on the dancers.

"It's raining!" someone shouted.

At one point, a dancer had so many one-dollar bills on the stage around her, she asked a bouncer for a paper sack. Miles also had someone request a song from the DJ, according to a patron. Which is how the University of Oregon fight song ended up being played while women gyrated on stage and Miles threw dollar bills, laughed, pumped his fist and slapped backs with a former Heisman Trophy candidate before disappearing into the VIP room.

Tonight's action:

Rookies vs. Sophomore Challenge, 6pm, TNT (Durant and Green play for the Rookies).

Other than that, it's an evening for high school basketball. I'll spend seven hours at Juanita High at the 4A Sea-King district tournament, where there's going to be two loser-out games, two winner-to-state games. Here's the schedule for that:

Inglemoor vs. Redmond, 3 p.m. (loser out)
Juanita vs. Woodinville, 4:45 p.m. (loser out)
Garfield vs. Roosevelt, 6:30 p.m. (winner to state)
Bothell vs. Franklin, 8:15 p.m. (winner to state)

They are playing for league championships in 3A.
Metro championship, Rainier Beach vs. Seattle Prep, 6:30pm, Roosevelt High.

Kingco championship, Bellevue vs. Mercer Island, 6:30pm, B.C.C.

Here are the full playoff schedules for 3A and 4A.