Northwest Sports: In the Morning

The Beavers introduce their new coach...
You can watch Craig Robinson's speech to fans at Gill here. Robinson will emphasize hard work, starting with 5:30am practices, writes Brooks Hatch. The players aren't too fond of the early practice idea, and are worried that Robinson's Princeton-style offense will be boring, but they liked what they saw of Robinson, writes Jeff Smith.

Oregon State fans like what they've heard, writes Michael Booth.

Robinson doesn't care that he wasn't OSU's first choice, writes Paul Buker. The new coach quit a career as an investment banker after discovering that money didn't bring fulfillment, and that lack of concern about money will help him as he recruits against the wealthy Oregon Ducks, writes Ryan White.

The ship be sinking...
Monday's M's loss was pretty much a repeat of Sunday's loss, writes John Hickey. The loss cost Eric O'Flaherty his bullpen role, writes Geoff Baker.

Brad Wilkerson admits that he's not right mentally to Baker. "I'm not swinging the bat worth a crap right now," he says.

John McLaren seems to have no interest in using his bench, writes Hickey.

Lookout Landing would like to know what's happened to Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Former Mariner Scott Spiezio got three years probation after pleading guilty to a DUI.

Bennett still being courted...
LSU officials talked to Tony Bennett about their vacant head coaching job, reports Bud Withers. They also spoke to Stanford's Trent Johnson, who hasn't yet been signed to a contract extension for reasons I don't understand. LSU's main target is thought to be Clemson coach Oliver Purnell.

Sonics...
The Steve Ballmer-led plan to save the Sonics is dead, writes Greg Johns. The city of Seattle is having a press conference about the Sonics situation this morning, writes Eric D. Williams.

Conventional wisdom on Jeff Green was that he couldn't shoot, but he's starting to prove doubters wrong, writes Gary Washburn.

Your 2008 Basketball Hall of Fame inductees: Former Sonic Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Adrian Dantley, Pat Riley, Dick Vitale (!?), and two people I've never heard of.

Blazers...
John Canzano shares his most vivid memories of the Jail Blazers years--including the time Rasheed Wallace threatened to punch him--in this interview with The Big Lead.

The Blazers miss Ime Udoka, who's getting ready for his first playoffs with the Spurs, writes Joe Freeman.

Other news...
The Seahawks signed former UW cornerback Omare Lowe.

The Storm will announce the signing of yet another former WNBA MVP today, center Yolanda Griffiths. So reports Jayda Evans.

T-Birds captain Thomas Hickey may miss tonight's playoff game three, writes Jim Riley. Hickey didn't play in game 2 after taking a knee to the head in game 1.

Rainier Beach product Terrence Williams will stay at Louisville for his senior season.