Northwest Sports: In the Morning

Complete game shutout win by King Felix...
Felix' biggest improvement has been mental, writes Geoff Baker. John Hickey writes that Felix knew someone had to step up, and decided he'd be the one. Hernandez is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA, and leads the league in strikeouts with 24.

Brandon Morrow returns from the minors, taking Erik Bedard's spot. Morrow was working on refining his change, writes Baker.

And across a walkway from the M's game, the Sonics' season ended...
Despite all the losing and uncertainty, P.J. Carlesimo was sad to see the season end, writes Percy Allen.

Durant finished a scorching last few months of the season with probably his best performance of the year, a 42-point, 13-board night that made him the third teenager to average 20 ppg, writes Gary Washburn. "Hopefully the team stays in Seattle," Durant told him. "It's a great place to live and to play."

The season doesn't really end, it just moves to the courtroom, writes Allen.

Save our Sonics chants broke out at the Kanye West concert last night, according to a TrueHoop reader. Henry Abbott has the most up-to-date info on this issue, including David Stern's latest comment, which amounts to "show me the money"--something the state hasn't done.

Neither, though, has the state of Oklahoma, though Bennett is bullying them to do so, writes Constable Echelon of Hot Dog & Friends.

One thing Abbott seems to have missed--Bennett's lawyers claim to have uncovered emails that prove the city's lawsuit is simply an attempt to pressure Bennett to sell.

More than 56,000 come to see Mexico, and about 14 for China...
I was at this game last night, and it was a blast. This Times photo gallery gives you the sights, but the great thing was the sounds--a never-ending cacophony of those blaring plastic trumpets, "Me-hee-ko" chants, and "Si se puede" chants. Less fun--the guy sitting behind me who felt the need to scream "SHOOT" in my ear whenever Mexico had the ball within 100 yards of the goal.

Brazil's national team could be coming in June, writes Jose Miguel Romero.

Blazers finish at .500...
Not getting a winning record left a sour taste for some Blazers, writes Joe Freeman.

The Blazers think this season was the start of something big, writes Jason Quick.

Blazer fans deserve to pat themselves on the back for sticking with this franchise, writes John Canzano.

Other stuff...
New Portland Timbers import and 2002 World Cup participant Takayuki Suzuki: USL star or aging retread? We'll find out tonight during the Timbers' opener, writes Boaz Herzog.

Kevin Love is going pro, write Mike Tokito and Joe Freeman.

Darrell Jackson signed with the Broncos.

The Garfield High softball team's bus was a couple of feet too high to get under that bridge in the Arboretum. Nobody was hurt too badly. My school bus used to go under that bridge everyday on the way from Green Lake to Madrona Elementary, I always thought we were going to scrape it, but never did.