Northwest Sports: In the Morning

In the wake of Oklahoma City's overwhelming vote to fund upgrades to the Ford Center, David Stern once again discussed how dire it looks for the NBA in Seattle...calling the team we've lived and died with "Clay Bennett's asset." Blazers' Edge has video:


The Washington 3A Boys and Girls basketball tournaments begin today with eight first round games in each. Usually I'd go for the full day, but magazine duties will keep me away...still, I'm hoping to make it to the West Seattle/Squalicum game at 9pm to see if West Seattle can extend its dream season. Best game of the day will be Renton/Seattle Prep at 10:30am.

The Hawks signed 6-0, 254lb bowling ball running back T.J. Duckett to help out in short-yardage situations. He gets a five year contract. This isn't the end for Shaun Alexander, but I can't imagine he's going to like all his short-yardage carries near the goal line going to another back. Hawks also signed a backup tight end and added an offensive coaching assistant.

Jeremy Pargo is West Coast Conference player of the year.

Mexico and China will play an international friendly at Qwest Field April 16th.

Headline I find disturbing: Batista pitches through pain. Wha? In spring? Lord. Batista, you know you're 37, right?

Headline I find amusing: Mariners pitcher Ramirez trying to put 2007 in past. Yes, Horacio Ramirez is so ineffective he has trouble putting past years in the past.

Art Thiel reveals something I didn't know about Kenji Johjima's first year as a Mariner: "Some pitchers were plainly frustrated at having to throw to a catcher on training wheels. Among the factors that led Jamie Moyer to want out of the Mariners was his inability to click with Johjima." Thiel says Johjima didn't get the sequence of signs right--if a pitcher shook him off, he wasn't sure what to show next.

Kyle Weaver neatly encapsulates the difference between Dick and Tony Bennett in a neat Q&A with the P-I's Howie Stalwick: "Dick brought the bread and Tony brought the butter. ... The bread was still there, but he (Tony) may have toasted it a little bit different. He allows us to be creative and to be comfortable out on the floor."

Oregon's 5A Boys tournament started last night, here are the scores, and here is the bracket. The Boys 6A tourney starts tonight, here's the bracket for that one.