Enjoy the Enjoyment

Seattle Sports: In the Morning

2010-04-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

#thankyouwalter:
Walter Jones was to the Seahawks what gravity is to the Universe. Not flashy, not one to provide many memorable moments. Just a steady and indispensable force that holds everything together.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"I tell people, the two greatest athletes I ever played with were Deion Sanders and Walter Jones." -- Robbie Tobeck, via Seahawks.com

"It was once said of Jim Brown that there are many superstars but only one Superman. It was my good fortune to watch Walter Jones ply his trade for over a decade -- and to understand, for a time, what Superman actually looked like." -- Doug Farrar, Yahoo Sports (full column on Jones.)

"I faced a number of other Hall of Famers who were fantastic players, and Walt was head and shoulders above them...It was like wrestling a bear for three hours." -- Patrick Kerney, via Seahawks.com.

"It will be a great honor to have our #12 hanging up next to Walter's #71." -- @JonAxell.

"It’s the feeling that you have when you have a left tackle that can play like he does, and you don’t have to monkey with your protections that much that way. You just can say, ‘OK, you’ve got that guy and we’ll help in other areas.’ Very few teams can say that.” -- Mike Holmgren, via TNT.

"'Invisible" was how Big Walt liked it. Wasn't invisible to the RE's who tried for years to get past him. Most overlooked runblkr." -- Jim Mora Jr., via Twitter.

"As much as we all love Steve Largent, he was never a DOMINANT player, and he was probably never the best player in the NFL at his position. Walter Jones is the indispensable man: He is the one player MOST responsible for the Seahawks golden age from 2003-2007." -- Johnny Peel, Dave Krieg's Strike Beard (full column on Jones for HOF.)

"Walter was probably a better athlete than everybody on the field other than the defensive backs," Bryce Fisher, via TNT.

"Walter will always be connected to us and will always be a huge part of the Seahawks family.” -- Pete Carroll, via Seahawks.com.

MORE JONES
This story, which Matt Hasselbeck told to the Times' Danny O'Neil, is awesome: "At Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter spent days leading up to the game working up a verbal lather. When the game started, Hasselbeck said he started talking back. That's when Jones told the man he'd be protecting not to worry. 'He just grabbed me,' Hasselbeck said. 'And it was maybe the loudest I'd heard him on the field. "Please don't. I got it. Don't worry. Don't say anything to this dude. I got this."'"

The Seahawks video tribute to Jones. Best part comes about three minutes in, from the 2005 NFC championship, of Jones blocking Panthers DE Mike Rucker about 15 yards downfield. Jones is like a truck with arms.

The team immediately retired Jones' #71.

The Seahawks asked fans to share thoughts on the Twitter hashtag #thankyouwalter. Pretty neat to read.

By declaration of Governor Gregoire today is Walter Jones Day in the State of Washington.

A photo of Jones' locker.

There will be no farewell press conference per Jones' request.

The stats: In 180 career starts, Jones was called for holding just 9 times. As Seahawks Addicts points out, Jones had as many Pro Bowls as holding calls. In 5,703 career pass plays, Jones allowed just 23 sacks.

IN OTHER NEWS
Seahawks
Pete Carroll and Bill Simmons got in another Twitter battle, it ended with Simmons accepting Carroll's invitation to visit Seattle this fall.

Patrick Kerney's post-football life will begin...at Columbia Business School? Apparently so, he was accepted this week.

Huskies
Two UW football players are under investigation for throwing beer bottles off of an apartment balcony.

The Huskies' new women's hoops assistant coach used to be Michelle Wie's agent. He's also the father of one of the best 8th graders in the country. Hmmmm....

Phil Steele ranked the % of offensive production each college football team has returning, and UW is 2nd with 99.13%. (via Bob Condotta)

Husky RB Brandon Yakaboski's career is over after he failed to recover from a knee injury, Coach Sark told Bob Condotta.

Mariners
CLIFF LEE STARTS TODAY WOOOOOO! I'll be there, Field Level sec. 143. Switched over to the third base side especially for this one.

Former M's catcher Miguel Olivo passed a kidney stone during a game Monday. Ew.

Sounders
The Sounders have reportedly traded MF Stephen King to DC United. King scored the game-winner in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal win over Houston last year.

Freddie Ljungberg told reporters he thinks the Sounders will do good things on offense against attacking Columbus on Saturday.

Other/National
Blazers are done for the year, losing Game 6 at home to Phoenix. Brandon Roy, playing less than a week after knee surgery, was just 4-16. "I couldn't imagine being in a suit, seeing these guys get knocked out of the playoffs. I just wanted to be out there with them," he told Blazers Edge after the game. Awesome.

The Mavs and Jason Terry are also done, after losing 3-2 to #7-seeded San Antonio.

San Antonio vs. Phoenix begins Monday night in Phoenix.

Jackson High kid Travis Snider had a homer and a double last night for Toronto, hopefully he'll start to pull out of a dreadful (8-64) early season slump.

TODAY'S ACTION
Terrence Ross and Terrence Jones announce their college choices, 3:30 p.m. (Live blog here.)

Atlanta @ Milwaukee, 4 p.m., ESPN (Milwaukee leads 3-2).

Lakers @ Zombie Sonics, 6:30 p.m., ESPN (Lakers lead 3-2).

Mariners vs. Texas, 7:10 p.m., Lee vs. Lewis.

Seattle Sports: In the Morning

2010-04-28T22:06:00.001-07:00

Dear reader: These morning roundup posts are an experiment; moving to a bigger platform soon. I'd love to hear what you think as I fiddle around with different formats and styles. Give me a shout at kolloen (at) gmail.

Sounders announce friendly opponents [team release]
They're no Barcelona and Chelsea, but Sounders' exhibition opponents Boca Juniors and Celtic are two of the most consistently successful clubs in the world. Boca has won 23 league championships in the Primera Division Argentina. Celtic's won 42 in the Scottish League. Boca comes to town May 26, Celtic on July 18.

Mariners 6, Royals 5 [box]
Ryan Rowland-Smith had a 5-1 lead with two outs in the sixth, and got Jason Kendall to pop up to short RF. Job well done, right? Nope. The pop up fell between Ichiro and Figgins, Mitch Maier followed with a game-tying triple, and Hyphen remains winless. Happily, the M's won the battle of the bullpens, getting a manufactured 8th inning run: Bradley double, Sweeney groundout, Rob Johnson sac fly. M's 11-11, 3rd place, 1 GB.

Quincy Pondexter and Danielle Lawrie are not dating [Jim Moore column]
Fans of eugenics will be disappointed to hear that future NBAer Pondexter and All-American pitcher Lawrie are just "good friends," in Lawrie's words. So much for what would be the best UW romantic combo since the glory days of Jon Brockman and Cristal Morrison. Lawrie tells Jim Moore that she and Pondexter might date, "if I wasn't so busy." Too busy? I don't remember college relationships being particularly time-intensive, but perhaps times have changed.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"If the Caps blow Game 7, DC vaults past Seattle for Most Depressed Sports City honors. At least Seattle has Pete Carroll for comedy's sake." -- Bill Simmons (@sportsguy33), via Twitter.

"@sportsguy33 seattle depressed? Come on! The m's are 1.5 gms out of 1st & its an exciting time for the 'hawks! And the weather's great now!" -- Pete Carroll, via Twitter.

"Clemons-Cole-Mebane-Jackson is perhaps the worst starting defensive line in the NFL." -- John Morgan, Field Gulls (full column on Aaron Curry as a DE option.)

"It's incredible to me how much agility and arm strength (Jack) Wilson packs into a body that looks like it was built by sewing together various bits and limbs from a group of dead seven year olds." -- Jeff Sullivan, Lookout Landing (full game recap.)

"I remember telling (mom), 'I'm going to just do school and get a 9-to-5,' I just said, 'I'd had enough. I don't want to do this anymore. It's not worth it.'" -- Steve Zakuani, on almost quitting soccer at 15 (full profile by Joshua Meyers.)

"If you have built castles in the sky, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." -- Walter Jones, via Twitter.

"Now my journey to Seattle starts!" -- Golden Tate, via Twitter.

"Here's something for ya. The next time the M's play a baseball game, their starting pitcher will be Cliff Freakin' Lee!" -- @HarveyRoad

"I like the fact that the #Mariners are trying to win a pennant with a 23 man roster, but it's time to cut Sweeney and Junior and get serious." -- @michaelcbarr

COLUMN OF THE DAY
Topic: Don Wakamatsu and his "belief systems."

Dave Cameron's take: Wak has confidence in his decisions and he sticks by them. When you don't agree with him, his stubborness can be annoying, but the benefits (stability) outweigh the costs.

My take: Completely agree, and am reminded of a quote I just read, from a legendary European soccer coach named Bela Guttman. Said Guttman: "A coach is like a lion tamer. He dominates the animals, in whose cage he performs his show, as long as he deals with them with self-confidence. But the moment he becomes unsure of his hypnotic energy, and the first hint of fear appears in his eyes, he is lost."

IN OTHER NEWS

Seahawks
The Hawks released two guys I've never heard of and signed two guys I've never heard of. Enlighten yourself.

Here's a list of all 24 Seahawks draftees/undrafted free agents who'll be at the minicamp that starts Friday.

Jeff Feagles, the Seahawks' punter from 1998-02 (between Tuten and Rouen), is retiring after 22 NFL seasons. Feagles also punted for Philly, and I always found it amusing to say "Jeff Feagles, late of the Eagles..." I'll miss saying that. Not sure anyone else will.

Huskies
The UW men's golf team won their second consecutive Pac-10 championship. UW was seven strokes down coming into Wednesday's final round, but stormed back to win by 3.

Husky DE Andre Pulu plead guilty to second-degree assault, reports Bob Condotta. Pulu could get nine months. The Huskies haven't announced what Pulu's status with the team/university is, and won't for a couple of days.

The Pac-10 announced the matchups for the Big XII challenge. The Huskies flip-flop last year's games, hosting Texas Tech 12/4 and visiting Texas A&M 12/11.

Husky baseball had 5 homers in a 12-4 win over Gonzaga.

Mariners
Jack Wilson made an unbelievable throw from deep short in the bottom of the 8th, watch it here.

Some of the M's top hitting prospects are really raking, writes Larry Stone.

Seriously, why the hell did some Kansas City fans boo Mike Sweeney? You know though, if I were a Royals fan, I think I'd boo everything up to and including the peanut guy.

Matthew Carruth of FanGraphs points out that Griffey/Sweeney's DH production so far would rank 9th among NL pitchers. Probably also 9th among NAIA 3rd basemen, adult fast-pitch catchers, and minor league groundskeepers. Still -- 1 game back!

Sounders
Apparently picking Celtic as a friendly opponent is controversial in soccer circles. This article in Prost Amerika Soccer goes into it a little bit, but I still don't understand exactly what the objection is. Something about how Celtic is known for "profiting from the sectarian, ethnic and racial divisions in Glasgow." Huh? How? Pardon my ignorance. Am confused.

Ivy League mighty mite Mike Fucito continues to struggle with "a really strange injury," as Sigi Schmid describes it. Fucito has got fluid under his knee that won't go away. Let's hope he gets back on the field soon, we don't want him being the soccer version of Moonlight Graham.

The Columbus Crew's leading scorer may not play when the Crew visit Qwest Saturday night.

National/Other
#8-seeded Montreal knocked #1-seed Washington out of the NHL playoffs. Could the #1-seed Lakers be next?

Denver stayed alive, beating Utah 116-102 to pull the series to 3-2. C'mon Nuggets! Win it for George!

Jamal Crawford's first playoff season is in deep trouble after the Hawks lost a home Game 5 to Milwaukee to fall behind 3-2 in the series. Crawford shot 4-18 in the game.

Ken Griffey Sr. is hitting coach for the Dayton Dragons this year. Players, including Cascade High's Brian Pearl, are in awe.

Inter advanced to the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on May 22.

Joe Posnanski's column on poor Zach Greinke includes a dig at Horacio Ramirez!

TODAY'S ACTION
Mariners off today.

The Seattle Times is holding an online chat with Seahawks GM John Schneider at 2 p.m.

Dallas @ San Antonio, 5 p.m., TNT (San Antonio leads 3-2).

Phoenix @ Portland, 7:30 p.m., TNT (Phoenix leads 3-2).

Seattle Sports: In the Morning

2010-04-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Top o' the Mornin': UW Prez Emmert leaves UW to head NCAA, Jamal Crawford wins NBA Sixth Man Award, Mariners win.

Your future rages against the inequities and iniquities of college athletics will be directed at a Fife kid and UW grad--Mark Emmert is the new executive director of the NCAA. Emmert always seemed to have a good grasp on how important college athletics is, but also the ability to keep it in perspective. Still, hard to say for sure what kind of NCAA president he'll be.

Rainier Beach grad Jamal Crawford is the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. Fellow Metro Leaguer Jason Terry finished second in the voting, but no hard feelings as Terry won the award last year. With Aaron Brooks having won Most Improved Player, that's two major postseason awards by 206ers. REPRESENT!

Mariners 3, Royals 2 [box]. It took perhaps the lamest extra base hit in team history, but the M's rallied past the Royals with three in the 8th. Jose Lopez' game-tying "double" was a comebacker that ricocheted off the pitcher's mitt into centerfield. Milton Bradley later walked to drive in the go-ahead run. Props to the bullpen, which pitched 3.2 scoreless innings. M's 10-11, 3rd place, 2 GB.

IN OTHER NEWS...

UW's Friday night spring game will be live on KJR and tape-delayed on UWTV and FSN. Here's how to watch, courtesy of Bob Condotta.

Milton Bradley had some more fun with the left-field line fans in Kansas City, pulling the old "fake toss the ball" trick at them. Good times. Via Lookout Landing, here's Bradley blowing a kiss to a heckler after the game.

Got a Jeep Wrangler? Jon Brockman would like to buy it.

Russell Okung will wear Steve Hutchinson's old number, reports Mike Sando.

Will Conroy and his Rio Grande Valley Vipers won the D-League Championship last night.

Neat story on Storm coach Brian Agler's hoops-playing daughter Taylor. "There are days I say, 'I don't want you to coach me!' but his dad coached him, so he gets it. He gives me time to cool off, then we're back at it."

The Moyer Foundation is offering a suite to Saturday's Sounders game for $1,500 obo. Proceeds to ~~The Duck Tour Fire Assistance Fund~~ The Moyer Foundation.

The SonicsGate guys will be featured on ESPN's Outside the Lines today, Sonics Central says.

The Cavs and Celtics both won, advancing to play each other in the second round. Dallas survived with a home win, pulling their series with San Antonio to 3-2.

The Zombie Sonics got stomped by the Lakers, 111-87 [box], to take a 3-2 series lead. Game 6 is Friday in OKC at 6:30 p.m.

He ended up without a win, but Zach Greinke has now pitched 29 consecutive scoreless innings against the Mariners.

UW baseball beat Gonzaga 11-1.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING...

"Best of luck to Mark Emmert, he will do great things for the NCAA." -- Steve Sarkisian (daily top 5).

"Congrats 2 UW president Mark Emmert for being named President of the NCAA. It was a honor to have a good friendship wit him hes a GREAT dude" -- Isaiah Thomas, via Twitter.

"President Emmert is one of the most impressive persons I've ever met. Obviously, you hate to see someone go that is that talented and so supportive. But at the same time, it is an unbelievable oppotunity for him. The NCAA will be better as a result of his leadership" -- Lorenzo Romar

"When it comes to support within reason for big-time college athletics, Mark Emmert is about as good as it gets for an athletic director and head football coach." -- Art Thiel (full column on Emmert's departure).

"(Snell) showed all the same problems he’s always had--can’t get lefties out, struggles to command his fastball--and will now have to try to salvage his season in relief." -- Dave Cameron, USS Mariner (full game recap).

"He is ... Ken Griffey Jr. You don't just dump him like Brad Wilkerson because he had a bad April." -- Larry Stone, Seattle Times (full blog post)

"You're supposed to get booed on the road. That's like a badge of honor." -- Milton Bradley (full Geoff Baker game recap).

"It's starting to look like so goes Milton Bradley, so go the Mariners." -- @pokano.

"Milton Bradley is awesome." -- @SeattleDawg18

"Milton Bradley is a douchebag." -- @darren_greene

"You couldn’t have scripted a better draft for us." -- Tod Leiweke (full comments, via Ben Malcolmson.)

"I take pride in being from Seattle. I pay attention to the Huskies. I pay attention to the Seahawks. I love to see what's going on up there. To have my first Senior Open at Sahalee will be a great, great week." -- Fred Couples (full story on Couples by the Times' Scott Hanson).

TODAY'S ACTION

M's @ Royals, 11:10 a.m., Rowland-Smith vs. Meche.

Inter @ Barcelona, Champions League Semi (2nd leg), 11:45 a.m., FSN. (Inter won 1st leg 3-1).

UW baseball vs. Gonzaga, 2 p.m., Husky Ballpark

Bucks @ Hawks, 5 p.m., TNT (Series tied 2-2).

Jazz @ Nuggets, 7:30 p.m., TNT (Utah leads 3-1).

Seattle Sports: In the Morning

2010-04-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Mariners lose, Dwight Howard ditches Aaron Goodwin, Kentridge phenom Gary Bell Jr. says he'll attend Gonzaga.

Kansas City 3, Mariners 1 [box]. Felix Hernandez pitched well enough to win...if he pitched for a different team. The anemic M's didn't manage a hit off Kyle Davies until the 6th, and didn't score until the 9th. Milton Bradley returned to LF, going 1-4 with a double. M's 9-11, 3rd place, 3 GB.

The state's B&O coffers just got a little smaller, as Dwight Howard has left Seattle-based agent Aaron Goodwin. Howard will have friends and family manage his career, just like LeBron James did after leaving Goodwin. Silver lining: It's an excuse for Goodwin to update his client list, which includes retirees Chris Webber, Gary Payton and ... Todd MacCullough? For what, his pinball career?

Kentridge shooting guard Gary Bell says he'll play college ball at Gonzaga. Bell, who'll be a senior next year, was also considering UCLA and Washington. Bell will join Stephen Gray as the only Zags from the Seattle/Tacoma metro area. The Zags' success has been achieved mostly without Puget Sound kids; the only 206 star during their run is Erroll Knight, who actually started his college career at UW.

IN OTHER NEWS

Just to recap: Ryan Howard, 30, 5 years, $125M. Felix Hernandez, 23, 5 years, $78M.

The Mariners are now 2-9 on the road.

Ichiro is hitting just .172 against LHP (he's hitting .385 against RHP). For his career, Ichiro actually hits LHP better than RHP.

Carlos Silva had another great start last night, going 7 and allowing 3 ER against the Nationals. Silva's ERA dropped to 1.73, and the Cubs won in extra innings.

When Cliff Lee comes back, Ian Snell will move to the bullpen and Jesus Colome will go to Tacoma, reports Larry LaRue.

The Blazers had an 18-4 lead, but collapsed to lose 107-88 [box] and fall behind the Suns 3-2. Brandon Roy was just 2-7 in 19 minutes off the bench. Game 6 is Thursday in Portland, time TBA.

Magic beat the Bobcats, they sweep the series. Bucks beat the Hawks, that series is tied 2-2.

Friday night's Husky spring game will be a regular game, except with no kickoffs or punts, Sark told Bob Condotta.

Of the undrafted Huskies, Paul Homer is most likely to get a tryout, tweets Condotta.

Stewart Mandel of SI with a long column on Jake Locker and his decision to stay at Washington.

Quincy Pondexter has hired an agent, Bob Myers of Wasserman Media Group. Percy Allen talked to Myers.

Seven-handicapper Kenny Evans of Tacoma is one of five finalists for the Golf Digest/U.S. Open Challenge in June, writes Todd Milles. If Evans wins an online vote, he'd golf with Drew Brees, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Wahlberg for one round at a Pebble Beach course set as if for U.S. Open play.

Everyone's lauding the Seahawks draft, but do post draft report cards mean anything at all? Check out how Mel Kiper's '05 draft report card turned out.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"I don't think now is the time to panic." -- Don Wakamatsu, via Geoff Baker.

"Can we bench Junior with all the promos coming up? #mariners #handcuffedbybobbleheads" -- @wbboyd.

"Mariners offense where are you? Echo..echo......echo.." -- @Rodeochihuahua.

"Where can you even buy the ugly ass hat that Dave sims has on? Is there some sort of old man hat store?" -- @SeattleDawg18.

"Just arrived back in Seattle. Officially the worst road trip of my career...thankfully tomorrow is the start of something new." Sounder D James Riley, via Twitter.

"I've had two nightmares in my life that I can remember. One was that I was getting chased around a department store by an invisible Predator. The other was that a then-current girlfriend called me to say she was pregnant. Yuniesky Betancourt striking out on a curve in the dirt but reaching base anyway on a Rob Johnson throwing error was like getting chased around a department store by an invisible Predator while my girlfriend calls to tell me she's pregnant." -- Jeff Sullivan, Lookout Landing (full M's game recap).

"Kam Chancellor should start in week one. Chancellor exhibits solid awareness, and Seattle is better served maximizing the sweet spot where his skills and tools align, and not awaiting incremental improvement to his skills while burning his youth." -- John Morgan, Field Gulls (full scouting report on Chancellor, the Hawks' 5th round pick).

"(Pete Carroll and John Schneider) were legit last week. They turned the draft into a declaration that change will be a good thing during this new regime. And though it's a tenuous emotion, they've acquired trust from a fan base that feared the worst just a few days ago." -- Jerry Brewer, Seattle Times (full column on Seahawks draft).

"Don’t be shocked in the next month or two to see future Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. join (Walter) Jones on the sidelines. Junior’s swan song with the Mariners has been wonderful in so many ways, but he’s not even average anymore, and one would hate to see Junior wait so long to pull the plug that management has to do it for him." -- Howie Stalwick, Kitsap Sun (full notes column.)

TODAY'S ACTION

Bayern Munich @ Lyon, UEFA Champions League Semi, 11:45 a.m., FSN (2nd leg, BM leads 1-0).

Miami @ Boston, 4 p.m., NBA-TV (BOS leads 3-1).

Chicago @ Cleveland, 5 p.m., TNT (CLE leads 3-1).

M's @ Kansas City, 5:10 p.m., Snell v. Greinke.

UW baseball vs. Gonzaga, 6 p.m. at Husky Ballpark.

Tacoma Rainiers vs. Salt Lake, Doubleheader!, 6 p.m. at Cheney Stadium

Detroit @ Phoenix, 6 p.m., VERSUS (Game 7 of NHL first round).

San Antonio @ Dallas, 6:30 p.m., NBA-TV (DAL leads 3-1).

Zombie Sonics @ Lakers, 7:30 p.m., TNT (Series tied 2-2).

Seattle Sports: In the Morning

2010-04-25T22:53:00.000-07:00

Dear reader: These morning roundup posts are an experiment; moving to a bigger platform soon. If you still have me on your RSS reader I'd love to hear what you think as I fiddle around with different formats and styles. Give me a shout at kolloen (at) gmail.

Sounders lose, Mariners swept out of Chicago, Cliff Lee's rehab start goes great, Oregon finally gets a hoops coach, Terrence Ross commits to UW...

Four Sounders made their first start of the season Sunday, but two regulars committed crucial mistakes that gave Toronto a 2-0 win [box]. In the 58th minute, Alonso lost the ball at the top of the penalty box. In the 76th, Marshall gave one away in midfield. Those two mistakes became Toronto's two goals.

Sounders played well on offense, getting 11 shots to TFC's 5. But they continue to have trouble finishing, as Evans, Ianni and Sturgis all flubbed likely goal-scoring changes. "Nfuko would've had those," tweets @AlexHennes. "We keep kicking it straight at the keeper. Hard to score goals when you do that," tweets @nickjacob_116.

Sounders stay at 8 points, and fall to third in the W.C. Next game is Saturday vs. Columbus at Qwest.

The Mariners lost their third of three in Chicago, all by one run. The bullpen gets the brunt of the blame for the sweep, they allowed four homers in 5.1 IP. Brandon League was the goat in Sunday's 3-2 loss [box], allowing an eighth-inning homer to Paul Konerko, your current AL home run leader (!?). Griffey struck out with the tying run on 2nd in the ninth, going down on three straight Bobby Jenks fastballs.

"This entire series just broke my heart! The Mariners bullpen needs to settle down and get it together," tweets @tasarin.

Mariners fall to 9-10, 3rd place, 2.5 GB of Oakland. Next up is Kansas City; series begins today with King Felix on the hill.

Cliff Lee's a go for Friday after a successful rehab start in Tacoma yesterday. "On Friday it's just go out there and have fun. Let it all hang out,” Lee told Mike Salk after the game. Lee's return means demotion for someone, and looks like that someone will be Ian Snell, writes Baker.

Oregon will introduce new hoops coach Dana Altman at a 1 p.m. press conference today. Altman took Creighton to 7 NCAA tourneys in 16 years; but he lasted only four years in his previous stint at Kansas State. Not exactly Tom Izzo, is he?

Altman begins his tenure with some bad news: PDX phenom Terrence Ross has reportedly decided to attend Washington, according to Bob Condotta. Ross is a 6'6" shooting guard with "NBA range," according to ESPN Insider. His more highly-touted teammate, Terrence Jones, will supposedly announce his decision Friday.

NEWS BITS...
Former M Chris Jakubauskas, struck in the face by a line drive in his season debut with the Pirates, is out of the hospital and onto the 15-day DL.

Walter Jones sent another tweet that hints at retirement.

UW's Danielle Lawrie threw her third perfect game of the season.

The UW/UCLA football game will be a Thursday night ESPN game, reports Bob Condotta.

Will Conroy had a triple-double in Game 1 of the best-of-three D-League finals.

THE COLUMNISTS...
Jim Moore grew to like Quincy Pondexter.

Art Thiel give the Seahawks draft a thumbs up.

Steve Kelley likes what he saw of Cliff Lee.

Kevin Pelton says OKC's boisterous sellout crowds show why local governments should fund sports arenas:.

RANDOM...
Jeff at Lookout Landing is not a fan of Matt Tuiasosopo's shortstop play: "Tui doesn't have a good first step, he doesn't have good range, he doesn't have good hands, and he doesn't have an accurate arm. A pessimist would say he pretty much doesn't possess any of the skills you need to play the infield. An optimist would say he's only four adjustments from fitting right in."

An interview with former Sonic Ricky Pierce.

Get pumped about Golden Tate with this video (HT: P-I's Greg Johns.)

2009 Mock Draft Jamboree

2009-06-25T09:47:00.001-07:00

Below, my annual presentation of what the mock drafters predict for the 4 p.m. NBA draft.

NOTES:

1) Apparently Michael Jordan isn't doing a very good job of shielding his hand (shocking, I know). Everyone thinks Terrence Williams is his guy.

2) Daye goes in the first round according to everyone.

3) All but one mock drafter has Heytvelt going ahead of Brockman.

4) Not looking good for Pargo, Downs, or Dentmon.

The Case for Mike Morse

2009-06-24T23:47:00.000-07:00

If Yuniesky Betancourt goes on the disabled list--as he likely will--the M's are going to need a starting shortstop.

Who plays shortstop isn't their biggest problem, though. When "Chad Gaudin" strikes you out 11 times, I mean come the f on. They need offense.

Mike Morse is the answer to both conundrums.

Let's take shortstop first. The current major league roster contains three potential shortstops -- Chris Woodward, Ronny Cedeno, Josh Wilson. Go ahead, look at their stats. I'll wait for you.

...

I hear you gagging, so you must have seen them. All three are atrocious hitters.

Morse's career OPS, which at .762 is no great shakes, is still more than 100 points higher than Cedeno or Wilson's, and nearly 100 points higher than Woodward's. (Note: Woodward has 33 career homers, 20 of which came in 2002 and 2003. Long time ago, and a "different era" if you will.)

Morse is hitting over .300 in Tacoma with an .828 OPS. Woodward, by contrast, was OPSing .766.

You've seen Morse enough to know that he has a little pop in his bat (very little, but more than the punchless trio mentioned above). At 27, he's entering peak hitting age. And he's versatile; he can play all four infield positions. (Though he should never, ever again be seen in the outfield).

The knock on Morse is his range. Fielding stats hate the guy, Baseball Reference concludes that Morse's 2005 defensive performance, stretched out over a whole year, would have cost the M's 27 runs.

Not to go all Joe Morgan, but I don't see it that way. Morse isn't fast, but he's tall and athletic and, to my eyes, covers a decent amount of ground. He's made 3 errors at short this year in 21 games, which isn't bad. Sure, he's not Omar Vizquel, but he's not Rich Aurilia either.

Also, I remain wary of fielding statistics. The latest ones depend on human biases, as someone has to chart hits and record how hard the ball was hit. Sorry, there's too much variation in how people can perceive batted balls for that to work. Last year, "Ultimate Zone Rating", which is supposedly the gold standard in defensive stats, told us that Ryan Sweeney, Austin Kearns, and Alex Rios were all considerably better right fielders than Ichiro. I'm not buying what you're selling, Ultimate Zone Rating.

Moving on, there's this: Morse pretty much always does well when I'm at the games, and I have season tickets this year.

The M's have been saddled with a crummy defensive SS all season, and their run prevention hasn't seemed to suffer. Run production is the issue. And Mike Morse is the only guy in the organization with even a modicum of pop in his bat who can legitimately play shortstop. (Although, if they want to give Mike Carp a try, I won't object too much.)

MORSE FORCE UNITE!

Why Don't Sportswriters Use Dialect Anymore?

2009-06-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be more fun if Chris Mortenson reported his recent cell phone communication with Brett Favre as: "Ah haven't made up mah mind 'bout the Vikin's yet."

If Mortenson were writing about Satchel Paige in the 1950's, he could!

The writer is Bob Broeg, profiling St. Louis Browns catcher Clint Courtney in the April 15, 1953 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Courtney was something of an oddity, a catcher who wore glasses. He, like Paige, apparently had an accent as well.

Courtney never did make a World Series, or become the best "ketcha" in baseball. Instead he became a part-timer for the Nationals and Orioles, then a minor league manager.

It truly was a different time -- how do you think this ad for Life magazine would go over now?

I've Had It With Adrian Beltre

2009-06-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted yesterday on Seattlest)

Until recently, the rabid M's fan blog Lookout Landing sported this tagline: "If You Think Adrian Beltre Is Bad And/Or Overrated, I Hate You And Find You Stupid."

Fair enough. Beltre isn't bad or overrated. A Gold Glover and above-average offensive player, he's the best third baseman in Mariner history.

He just stinks at the craft of hitting a baseball.

A child prodigy (he was signed--illegally--at age 15 by the Dodgers), Beltre retains the free-swinging approach of a young hitter. It's as if Bill Gates still used punchcards.

Despite possessing the best power and bat speed combo of any Mariner hitter this decade, Beltre's poor habits have consigned him to be just a mediocre offensive producer.

And after four-plus seasons of watching Beltre's haplessness at-plate, our frustration meter has climbed to "bitchy."

Come, live the pain of a Seattle Mariners fan.

Thursday afternoon, Beltre came to bat in the tenth inning with the go-ahead run on second base.

The previous hitter, rookie Mike Carp, had worked a walk, laying off some tempting offerings near the outside corner.

Beltre got the same careful approach--and struck out on three pitches.

Adrian Beltre: Fourteen years of major league experience, earns $13M/year, sculpted physique.

Mike Carp: Two days of major league experience, makes the league minimum, stomach flops above his belt when he runs.

And Carp has the better batting eye.

What kind of God allows this to happen?

Ted Williams, another preternaturally talented hitter of Latino descent (Williams' mother was Mexican), was baseball's greatest student of hitting. To illustrate his philosophy, Williams created a chart consisting of 77 colored baseballs. In the middle, .400--what you'll hit if you swing at perfect pitches. On the perimeter, .260--what you'll hit if you swing at crappy ones. The philosophy, as another hitter* once put it: "You wait for a strike, then you knock the shit out of it."

Ted Williams would vomit if he saw Adrian Beltre hit.

The pitches Beltre swings at don't even make Williams' chart, they're so far from home plate.

Which makes it all the more incredible that Beltre has consistently hit major league pitching--the most difficult task in all of pro sports--despite lacking the hitting knowledge of the rawest major league rookie. That's how talented Beltre is.

And that's why it's so frustrating. If Beltre would exhibit an iota of plate discipline, he'd put up All-Star numbers. If he exhibited Williams' discipline, he might match Teddy Ballgame and hit .400.

If only some old-school bastard had forced a young Beltre to learn the twin tasks of pitch recognition and plate discipline, he could've been legendary.

Instead, Beltre swings and swings. And when his "plan" puts him at a disadvantage, he swings more.

In Beltre's 12-year career, he's dug himself an 0-2 hole in 1,272 plate appearances. In those plate appearances, he's worked back to get a walk only 13 times. 13! In 12 years!

Russell Branyan--hardly a Ted Williams--has already worked four such walks just this season.

During those 12 years, despite his impatient approach, Beltre has put up some outstanding numbers. In 2004, Beltre hit 48 homers for Los Angeles. He was a free agent that winter, and the Mariners signed him to a 5-year/$64 million contract. As a Mariner, Beltre hasn't approached his '04 numbers, but he has averaged more than 20 homers over four seasons--the best sustained offensive performance by a third baseman in Mariner history.

But now, as Beltre inches into his thirties, his impatient approach isn't getting the job done. Plagued by a recurring shoulder injury, and perhaps slowed by age, Beltre's power has deserted him. He has just five home runs this year.

If Beltre's power loss is permanent, and he just keeps swinging away, he'll be just another no-bat, good-glove third baseman. And as a free-agent at the end of this season, he may find himself taking a multi-million dollar paycut--if he gets a job offer at all. If Beltre doesn't change his approach now, his career may be over.

And over at Lookout Landing, the Beltre line is gone. The site's tagline is now "The Official Website For People Who Dream Of Doing Naughty Naughty Things To Russell Branyan."

*Stan Musial

Kasey Keller Hates Goals

2009-06-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

Fredy Montero scored a tremendous goal in the Sounders' tie at New York on Saturday. He stole the ball from a Red Bulls defender in the corner, dribbled back toward the box, then unleashed a cannon of a shot. "I think it's got to be one of the candidates for Goal of the Week," said Sigi Schmid.

(In fact, it is, and Montero is leading the voting with 38%.)

Kasey Keller? Not impressed.

"It was a great goal but it was still a mistake...from the defender. I think sometimes we forget that the game is about results and I would love to have nice pretty football but sometimes the right thing to do is to kick it into the 10th row."

GOD DAMN STRAIGHT! Do you think the fans come out to see goals? NO! They want to see defenders cowardly hammering the ball deep into the stands! And then, more likely that not, collapsing as if they have suffered an Endy-Chavez-like knee injury.

Kasey Keller is such a defense-oriented hard-ass, he can't even enjoy his own teammate's goal.

Not that I'm surprised. There's a train of thought in soccer -- one which pervades hockey, football and basketball as well -- that any score by the other team is the fault of a defensive lapse.

More and more coaches in these sports are defensive-oriented; some don't have a clue about offense (see the Cavs' Mike Brown). Other coaches see the role of offense as mainly to not commit turnovers that could hurt the defense -- I hate to do it, but you have to lump Nate McMillan in with this group.

Fortunately for us, the Sounders are not afflicted with such a coach. If Sigi Schmid has a offense/defense bias, I suspect he tends more toward offense. Hence we get fast-paced games like last Wednesday's thrilling 3-3 draw with D.C. United.

If Keller were coach, we'd see just as many draws, except they'd be 0-0 ones.

The offense/defense dichotomy will be something to watch with this year's Seahawks. Going from an offensive-minded head coach in Holmgren to a defensive-minded head coach in Jim Mora will likely means less risks on offense. We've already seen some of the changes, as the new offensive staff is a run-first, pass-second one.

Meanwhile, we'd ask Keller to heed the wise words of Michael Cera's character in Superbad:

TwitWatch: Seattle Sports Folks on Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend brought a cavalcade of tweets from Seattle sports-types, letting us all know what they were up to this weekend. Read on for news of Craig Terrill's drug test, Nate Collison's Seattle bar outing, and why 46-year-old Detlef Schrempf's schedule puts yours to shame.

Matt Hasselbeck: Took the training wheels off his kids' bikes. Then, a few hours later, "Ran out of band-aids.... training wheels going back on."

Steve Sarkisian: Went to Sunday's M's game with his family.

Detlef Schrempf: Did a half-century on his bike, took his waverunner out on Lake Washington, played in a father/son golf tournament, and had dinner at the Waterfront Seafood Grill. Damn, Det!

Walter Jones: Supervised his annual youth football camp, then spent time "chillin with the fellas."

Nate Burleson: Finished his first week of workouts in Arizona. "Twice a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks... You do the math! For the slow folk..it equals 15 TD's." We can hope!

Nick Collison: Saw the Solstice Parade and, later that night, went to Pesos on Queen Anne.

Swin Cash: Dinner at Scottsdale Mall and "then relaxing w/my better half." (Then had 22 points in the Storm's big win over Phoenix).

Kevin Durant: Went to a rooftop party; watched Martin with his family, and saw his granddad "for the first time in a loooooong time..he's the reason why I'm so tall lol..."

Darryl Tapp: Went shopping for a dress with his ladyfriend. His comment: "Man I have come along way."

Craig Terrill: Got called for a random NFL drug test. "Have they ever actually seen me out there...not really the steroid type."

Ryan Moore, Golf's Emo-est

2009-06-20T12:08:00.001-07:00

Puyallup's own Ryan Moore is not only one of 12 golfers under par at this years U.S. Open, he's also sporting what's possibly the most emo look in golf history.

Seriously, when was the last time you saw a golfer sporting a beard like this?

Rounding out Moore's look: A pseudo Fidel army cap, a tight polo, low-rise khakis, and black shoes.

Moore, who'll be 27 in December, won a state title at Puyallup High and then attended UNLV, where he was named college's outstanding golfer in 2005. He's won more than $1 million each of the past three years, so he can certainly afford to keep up with the fashions.

Then again, so can Tiger Woods and...

As I write this, Moore's got a four-stroke lead over Tiger as well.

So strut, Ryan Moore! Strut!

Ichiro: Griffey's friendship is "close to a miracle."

2009-06-16T09:18:00.001-07:00

If you're looking for a reason why Ichiro has defied age and Nate Silver to post his best stats since 2004, Larry Stone sez try an afternoon in the M's clubhouse.

That's where you'll find Ken Griffey Jr. "messing with" Ichiro -- roughhousing with him, criticizing his emo-wear -- making him feel part of the team.

"This is the happiest I’ve seen Ichiro since 2001," trainer Rick Griffin tells Stone.

Ichiro sounds like he's about to give Junior a Nobel Peace Prize.

"It’s fun to come to the clubhouse every day and just watch him, listen to him. He’s like a different creature than the rest of us. It’s like he’s from a different planet. ... That’s what we’ve been missing here, that’s the hole he’s filled, that’s what he does. He brings a team together just by being himself."

As as for what Griffey has meant to him -- it seems incalculable.

"I always thought opening my heart would be close to impossible in baseball with so many differences between me and other players. It’s been close to a miracle with Junior. We have a special relationship – something I’ve never had before."

I guess we can't assess the meaning of the Griffey signing merely on his own meager contributions to the offense -- give him 15 of Ichiro's hits and suddenly it looks like a pretty good deal.

Four High School Hoops Revelations from the Quaker Summer Slam (And an Awesome Wroten Video)

2009-06-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Anrio Adams, sophomore-to-be, Franklin
Adams showed he's ready to take the torch from his predecessors as outstanding Franklin guards, Venoy Overton and McDonald's All-American Peyton Siva. I'd heard about Adams talent last year, but he didn't get much chance to display it on a senior-heavy Quakers team. Now, Adams is the showpiece. One Adams play stood out for me. Against Garfield, he blocked a shot, controlled the ball, went coast-to-coast, and, at the basket, through a behind-the-head pass to a cutting teammate for a lay-in. The play showed Adams' strengths. He's tall, he's quick, he can dribble, and he has tremendous court vision. He lacks Siva's hops, but, I mean, that's like saying a singer lacks Aretha Franklin's pipes.

Jalen Ward, sophomore-to-be, O'Dea
In Ward, the Irish have their best point guard since Jamelle "Son of Nate" McMillan. Ward is incredibly fast with the ball in his hands and absolutely fearless. His physical style of play sparked frustration from Rainier Beach and a retaliatory elbow in the game I saw.

Lonnie Pearson, senior-to-be, Rainier Beach
Pearson is another player who, despite his talent, was a minor contributor on last year's team -- three Vikings from the Class of '09 got scholarships from DI schools. He's a rangy swingman who's deadly inside and outside. Think Quincy Pondexter. Pearson hit a three-pointer at the end of the first half that put a dagger in O'Dea.

Will Dorsey Jr., freshman-to-be, Garfield
Dorsey is small, but he's also in eighth grade, so that can be excused. He is very, very fast with the basketball, and he has handles too--a vicious crossover left a Franklin defender stumbling. With Dorsey and Glenn Brooks Bulldogs would seem to have two point guards that would be starters for 95% of the teams in the state.

In other high school hoops news, the Rose City Showcase was this weekend in Portland. Here's a full recap of all the activities from the Oregonian.

Here's video of Tony Wroten at the event, including a ridiculous pass, and a short interview.

Anthony Wroten is in a class of his own

Stanley Cup Game 7 Bumped by KING-TV

2009-06-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Though NBC is televising tonight's Penguins/Red Wings showdown, don't look for it on KING-5.

In yet another painful indication of just how unpopular hockey's become in the U.S., the NBC affiliate here in Seattle--the nation's 13th-largest TV market--will be showing local news and "Inside Edition" instead of the game that decides the NHL champion.

Not that our few local hockey fans (read: "Detroit or Pittsburgh transplants") will be deprived of the option of seeing the game. KING's moved it to their whimsically-named sister station, KONG, which usually hosts paid programming and re-runs.

Yikes, NHL...yikes. Sure, Seattle doesn't have an NHL team, but we don't have an NBA team either, and I don't see KOMO bumping Lakers/Magic.

Seattle was once a thriving hockey town--the minor-league Seattle Totems regularly outdrew the nascent Sonics. But as hockey's minor leagues shrunk away, interest waned. Even though our hockey history includes the first-ever U.S.-based Stanley Cup champions, and we're just three hours from Canada, KING figures (probably correctly) that more people will watch Evening Magazine than the deciding game of the NHL season.

Jack Zduriencik, the Anti-Sund

2009-06-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

What did I love about Jack Zduriencik's first baseball draft with the M's?

He picked guys who are actually good at playing the sport!

This would seem obvious, but more than a few Seattle GMs haven't understood it. Drives me nuts, when GMs focus on "tools" or "potential" more than what should be obvious. Can the guy f***ing play?

Like Rick Sund. Oh, God. He drafted Johan Petro, who'd averaged 2.1 ppg in France. And Sene, who may never have touched a basketball before the draft...BUT THAT WINGSPAN!

Or Tom Flores. He picked Dan McGwire, obsessed with the notion that McGwire's height (6-8) would make him an unstoppable NFL quarterback.

As it turns out, quarterbacking in the NFL requires several other talents besides "least distance from the sun." Doug Flutie, a full foot further away (and playing actual winning football in Canada), would come to the U.S. seven years later, at age 37, and still throw 84 more career TD passes than McGwire.

The guys Zduriencik took with his four top-60 picks aren't projects, they aren't freakish athletes. They are just good at baseball.

Dustin Ackley -- the best hitter in the draft, hit over .400 playing for a major conference team.

Nick Franklin -- Sez MLB's draft report: "Nothing jumps out at you tools-wise, but he just goes out and does a good job and can do a little bit of everything." I LOVE that nothing jumps out at me tools-wise. Give me a guy who can do actual baseball things over a guy with a strong arm any day.

Stephen Baron -- A high-school catcher with, again, according to MLB, "outstanding catch and throw skills." See that? Skills! At baseball! What skills did Sene have at hoops? As we learned, none.

Rich Poythress -- This guy does have a tool: Power. Can't field, can't run. Luckily, there's this position called "designated hitter" he'd be perfect for. I feel like this is sort-of like drafting a kicker. Poythress does one thing, hit homers, and he does it well. He was fifth in the NCAA DI in home runs, with 25.

Should they sign soon, Ackley and Poythress will likely start relatively high in the minor league system, and we'll soon see what they can do. In Ackley's case, you can watch him in the College World Series this weekend. His UNC Tar Heels play Arizona St. Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN.

Tomorrow's Quaker Slam Semis

2009-06-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

The semifinals of tomorrow's Quaker Summer Slam will be pretty awesome:

Franklin vs. Kentwood, 4pm, Franklin High court #1.

Rainier Beach vs. Jefferson (back-to-back Oregon state champs), 4:15pm, Franklin High court #2.

Two of the top seniors-to-be in the nation will be in action: Josh Smith of Kentwood, rated #7 overall in the class of 2010 by Scout.com, and Terrence Jones of Jefferson, ranked #43. Both are being recruited by Washington.

Also playing, Anrio Adams of Franklin, who's been terrific in the tournament. He's ranked among MaxPreps' 2012 players to watch.

In a consolation game that should be fantastic, Garfield will play Bellevue at 5:25pm on court #2.

The final is at 6:20pm on court #1.

Tickets are $6, and reasonably-priced concessions are available.

NBC Sports Classic

2009-06-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

NBC, UR doing it wrong.

The New York Times tells me that the French Open men's semifinal between Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro is the fifth set.

However, when I tune to NBC, I get the first semifinal, which concluded several hours ago. With NBC only showing tennis until 1 p.m., safe to assume we won't be getting to see all five sets of the Federer semi, which evidently has the makings of a classic.

Apparently East Coasters aren't getting to see any of the Federer match, just a tape delayed, edited version of the first semi between Robin Soderling (who?) and Fernando Gonzalez (howzits?).

This is not the 1970s, NBC. If you aren't going to show sports live, why bother?

Let the Seahawk Stalking Commence!

2009-06-05T08:28:00.000-07:00

Ever feel the need to talk to your favorite Seahawk, but can't because of all those pesky Qwest Field security guards? Fear not, as your gridiron heroes will be appearing in a far more collegial atmosphere over the next couple of weekends.

For example, Friday night (6/5), Seahawks defensive lineman cum musician Craig Terrill will be performing his unique brand of countrified rock at The Triple Door. Tickets are $25.

Terrill will also be performing Saturday June 13 at the Lake Chelan Riverwalk Pavilion. That show is free. Here's the deets.

Also on Saturday the 13th, former Seahawk Bobby Engram is holding a celebrity softball game to benefit his foundation. Tickets are $10-45. Expected to attend, among others, are: Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, Nate Burleson, Deion Branch, Marcus Trufant, Deon Grant, Seneca Wallace, Aaron Curry and Leonard Weaver. Most surprising guest? Longtime Colts backup QB Jim Sorgi. For God's sake, I hope they let the poor guy start.

Why I'm Glad My Mom Doesn't Manage the Orioles

2009-06-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

So I'm watching tonight's M's/Orioles game with my mom, when Adrian Beltre comes up with the bases loaded in the ninth inning against O's flamethrower Jim Johnson.

We had this conversation...

Me: So this is interesting--most teams get Adrian Beltre out by throwing curveballs, but this pitcher is only going to throw fastballs.

Mom: Why won't he throw a curveball?

Me: Because his strongest pitch is a fastball, he doesn't have a good curve.

Mom: Well why don't the Orioles bring in a guy who does?

Me: [long pause] I...don't...know.

My mom, in case you don't know her, is not even remotely a baseball fan, I think she's been to about two M's games in the past ten years.

Yet, she's right! Why the hell would you let Adrian Beltre, a pure fastball hitter, decide the game against a guy who can't throw a breaking ball? Especially when Beltre was having no trouble getting around on Johnson's heat.

I'm really glad the Orioles hired Dave Trembley instead of my mom, because if she were in charge we might be lamenting another close Mariner loss.

UW Recruits at Quaker Summer Slam

2009-06-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

With temps in the eighties and the sun shining, it can mean only one thing: Time to duck inside a musty high school gym and watch some basketball!

On the for-real tip though, some fantastic players--including two Lorenzo Romar has his eyes on--should be playing in this weekend's Quaker Summer Slam. If you can duck out of work early on Friday, check out this doubleheader:

Garfield (with Tony Wroten, Scout.com's #1-rated SG among juniors-to-be) vs. Eastside Cath., 4:15 p.m.

Kentwood (with Josh Smith, Scout.com's #2-rated C among seniors-to-be) vs. Bainbridge, 6:20 p.m.

Both games are at the Franklin High gym.

UW is recruting Wroten and Smith; so is practically every major program in the country.

In between those games, Franklin itself will be playing. Check out the next in that long line of stellar Franklin guards, sophomore-to-be Anrio Adams -- who MaxPreps lists #1 on their national list of 2012 players to watch.

Also making that list, and appearing in this tourney -- Seattle Prep's Mitch Brewe, O'Dea's Jalen Ward, and Garfield's Pierre Wright.

The other player of note who'll be competing is Bellevue's Aaron Bright; Bright is a recruiting target for Cal, Arizona, Stanford and Wazzu, according to Scout.com.

If you can't make it on Friday, each team will play two games on Saturday and a game on Sunday. Can't tell you the matchups yet, it'll depend on who wins in the first round.

I went to the first round of this event last year, the games were very competitive. Tom Wyrwich of the Times attended the final day, and wrote that the intensity rivaled that of state tourney games.

Below is the full list of Friday's games, held at Franklin and at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club. Check my Twitter feed for updates about the tourney. Here's the full bracket.

Games at Franklin (map):
Jackson vs. Seattle Prep, 4:00 p.m., Court #1
Garfield vs. Eastside Cath., 4:15 p.m., Court #2
Franklin vs. Sammamish, 5:10, #1
Federal Way vs. Blanchet, 5:25, #2
Kentwood vs. Bainbridge, 6:20, #1
Kings vs. Lincoln, 6:35, #2
Jefferson vs. Wilson, 7:30, #1
Foss vs. Renton, 7:45, #2
Mead vs. Mark Morris, 8:40, #1
Bellevue vs. Eisenhower, 8:55, #2

Games at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club (map):
Rainier Beach vs. Ballard, 5:00 p.m., Court #1
Enumclaw vs. West Seattle, 5:00 p.m., Court #2
O'Dea vs. Curtis, 6:10, Court TBA
Mt. Si vs. Bethel, 6:10, Court TBA
Lakes vs. Eastlake, 7:20, #1
Puyallup vs. River Ridge, 7:20, #2

Zach Greinke vs. Carlos Silva: I Report, You Decide

2009-05-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

After Zach Greinke shut out the White Sox tonight, his ERA is 0.40 for the season.

For Carlos Silva to get his 2009 ERA down to 0.40, he would need to throw 447 consecutive scoreless innings.

The math of it: Silva's already allowed 21 earned runs, he'd need to have pitched the equivalent of 21 complete games just to get his ERA down to one -- 21 more to get it down to 0.50, and another 6 or so to get into Greinke territory.

Greinke becomes the 45th pitcher since 1954 to win his first six starts. One Mariner, surprisingly, is on that list. Even more surprisingly, it's a guy from the pre-Griffey era. Rick Honeycutt won his first six starts for the 1980 M's.

Today I Declare Independence Day

2008-07-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

Well, not really. But I am moving the blog over to the magazine. This was always the plan, but I've been so busy getting the print pub out, I really haven't had time to do it.

All the stuff you've gotten used to on this blog will be over there--NW Sports in the Morning, me blathering--but there will also be other writers, who you'll get to know and love.

Now the caveat: the layout will be a little different. Like on Deadspin, practically every story will have a jump, the better to get more stories above the fold.

Also, the way the stories jump is not quite the way I'd like it (the layout is jerry-rigged from another site), but I've got the web dudes working on it.

If you read EtheE over RSS, you can read Sports NW the same way--here's the RSS link (it's also on the site, in the upper left hand corner):

http://sportsnwmag.com/feed/

For a while I've been duplicating stuff in the mag and here on this blog, but it takes too much time away from actually writing and editing. This way is better for everyone.

So--EtheE goes dormant for now, though you could still search for stories if you wanted. Come and join me (and others) over at Sports NW.

--Seth

Protesting the OKC Sonics

2008-07-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a sweet idea from a Blazers fan:

"The first home game the Trailblazers have against the new OKC team, we need everyone to show up to the game in green and gold. Not to root for the Sonics but to show solidarity with our North West brothers."

What about you? Will you root against the OKC team? Against the players who would've preferred to stay?

Or ignore them? Or what?

Gettin' Dusty at EtheE HQ

2008-07-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this yet...get some Kleenex ready...