Recent Stories in Sports

Overton will check "traffic on the ones" next time

You know the feeling: You're driving to some important event, via the quickest and most obvious route, during a time when traffic shouldn't be an issue, when suddenly you're in a bumper-to-bumper disaster. Last time it happened to me, it was during bike dropoff the day before the Danskin Triathon. Fit ladies, I demand 30 minutes of my life back!

In the case of Washington guard Venoy Overton on Sunday, it was the Seattle Marathon that made him 30 minutes late for shootaround before Washington's basketball game against Montana. As a result, Overton was on the bench at tip-off for the first time this year.

"I knew I probably wasn't going to start," Overton told the Seattle Times' Percy Allen after the game. "If I was like five minutes late then I thought I would be good, but I knew I wasn't going to start tonight."

Overton was one of the first subs off the bench, and deployed his typical mix of aggression and risk-taking. A steal and lay-in early in the first half was nice. An attempted alleyoop to Darnell Gant, not so much.

At game's end, with Washington up three points, Overton found himself guarding Montana's Anthony Johnson, the leading scorer in the Big Sky conference. The 6'3" Johnson elevated for a three-point attempt above the 5'11" Overton. But Overton timed his leap perfectly and blocked Johnson's attempt. 

It's tremendously rare to block a jump shot, let alone the jump shot of a league-leading scorer, let alone a jump shot by a guy who's four inches taller than you. But Overton managed the feat; not only that, he secured the ball, took a foul, and hit the game-clinching free throws.

Overton's block gives him an early highlight for his Pac 10 defensive player of the year reel. And it secures a win on a night when the Huskies shooting hands were ice cold. Now at 5-0 one of only two undefeated Pac 10 teams (Wazzu is the other), UW moved up in both national basketball polls. Coaches say the Dawgs are the #10 best team in the nation, the media puts them at #12.

UW's next game is their first on the road--they'll play at Texas Tech on Thursday as part of the Pac 10/Big XII Challenge.

Busy weekend for Husky athletics. Three important games, all on campus. Let's get to it.

Friday the #4-ranked Washington volleyball team can assure a share of the Pac-10 title by beating #18 Oregon. The Dawgs are tied with Stanford, who hosts Cal Friday. The game, at 7 p.m., is also Senior Night. A victory would likely assure the Dawgs a coveted #1-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Selection Show is Sunday at noon on ESPN News.

Saturday it's the Apple Cup at Husky Stadium. Washington is a 25-point favorite over the hapless Cougars, who once again come into the game winless in Pac-10 play. Of course, the Huskies were favored over the winless Cougars last year in Pullman and somehow pulled out a defeat. You know the line -- in rivalry games, "you can just throw out the records, because these two teams flat-out do not like each other." The game is at 3:30 p.m. on FSN. Tickets are still available. UW is asking $70 for them, but I suspect you could head to the stadium and get a better deal from a scalper.

Sunday... (more)

It'll be three seasons until Seattle University's basketball team is eligible to make the NCAA Tournament, so coach Cameron Dollar set the loftiest goal he could before the season, telling players: "Our goal is to play for a championship in New York, play in the NIT."

When I read this, I thought coach Dollar was blowing smoke. The NIT, the consolation tournament for teams that don't make the NCAA Tourney, seemed to me to be way out of reach for a school in just its second year of D1 ball.

But, last night, after SU went to Salt Lake City and upset the University of Utah--which won 24 games and was a #5-seed in the NCAA tourney last year--I'm taking Dollar seriously.

The NIT Is Coach Dollar's Goal

First, a little bit about yesterday's game. The Redhawks trailed 50-39 with 16 minutes left, but fought back with an 18-6 run, during which six different SU players scored. They held Utah to just one field goal in the final six minutes, and came away with a 77-74 win. Charles Garcia led SU in scoring again, tallying 24 points on 13 shots against a Utah front line with two seven-footers.

Now, let's talk NIT. The tournament has 32 teams. Automatic bids go to teams that win their conference's regular season title but not their conference tournament, and don't receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tourney. There were 5 such teams in last year's tourney field, giving the tourney committee 27 at-large bids.

How many wins do you need? Major conference teams can sneak it with as few as 17, like Wazzu did last year. But Seattle U, with its schedule primarily consisting of Big Sky, Big West, and Independent teams, will need to do better than that.

More likely, they'll be treated like lesser conference at-large teams such as Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Conference, which made last year's field with a 24-9 record. Or Saint Mary's of the WCC, which got in with a 26-6 record.

Seattle U plays 31 games this year. I think that to make the NIT, they'll need to finish 24-7 at a minimum. Considering that they've already lost twice (Oklahoma St., Portland), they face the tough task of going 21-5 the rest of the way. Could they do it?

Almost certainly, they'd need to win all 11 of their remaining home games. (You can help there, buy tickets today, get out to KeyArena and cheer). SU's toughest home test will likely be Idaho on January 30th.

SU also plays at Idaho. The Vandals are one of seven schools that the Redhawks will play both home and away. The others are UC Davis, Eastern Washington, Sacramento State, Cal State Northridge, Portland State, Utah Valley.

The Redhawks also have road games against Pac-10 opponents Oregon St. and Washington. Mark those down as likely losses.

So, assuming that SU wins out at home, they would have to go 10-3 in their other road games to get to 24-7. It's a tall order. But after going into SLC and beating Utah, I think they at least stand a chance.

Oh, the statistics are ugly.

--The Seahawks are 7-19 over the past two seasons.

--Their defense, supposedly the cornerstone of GM Tim Ruskell's winning formula, allowed Brett Favre to complete a career-best 88 percent of his passes Sunday. It even allowed a TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson.

--The Seahawks rushing attack, supposedly bound for improvement under new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, is the worst in the NFL.

Get out your pointing fingers! It's time to play the blame game!

Ruskell: Whipping Boy

The Times' Steve Kelley fixes on GM Tim Ruskell: "The Seahawks are in a death spiral and the defense that Ruskell has put together has allowed 56 points and 746 total yards in the past six quarters. ... They need a shake-up at the top."

Kelley's already touting a candidate for Ruskell's job: Former coach and GM Mike Holmgren, who left the team after last season.

Yeah, things are getting a little silly.

If you must place blame for this season, point the finger at Lady Luck, who has struck the Seahawks where they are most vulnerable.

The Seahawks have five Pro Bowlers on their roster: Walter Jones, Matt Hasselbeck, Lofa Tatupu, Patrick Kerney, and Marcus Trufant. Through eleven games, these players could have played a total of 55 combined games.

They've played in just 26. Jones, the best player in franchise history, hasn't played at all. Tatupu is also out for the season.

Even those who are playing aren't doing so at full strength--Hasselbeck is playing with a broken rib, and Kerney has a variety of injuries. Trufant missed the first two months of the season and has looked rusty on his return.

Jones' absence, already a huge blow for the team, was exacerbated when his backup went down. And then that backup went down. Another former Pro Bowler, Mike Wahle, was supposed to line up beside Jones, but Wahle was released before training camp after failing his physical. Instead of having a left side of their line with two Pro Bowlers, the Seahawks have rookies and backups.... (more)

Continuing our sporadic tour of 206 hoopsters around world, we land in Europe, home to several ballers with local ties.

Bobby Jones

The 206 star: Former Husky Bobby Jones, who's leading Banca Tercas Teramo of the Italian Serie A in scoring, with 12.6 ppg. One of Jones' teammates is Drake Diener, one of the famed shooting Deiner brothers. Jones' team, sadly, is just 2-5 on the year.

Teramo is a town of about 55,000, about two hours from Rome near the Adriatic Sea. Here's a picture of city hall at night. Nice!

Garfield High and University of Nevada star Marcelus Kemp is playing in Italy's second-division league, in Sassari. Kemp averages 17.3 ppg for the third-place Banco di Sardinia Sassari squad.

Sassari is 120 miles from the Italian mainland on the island of Sardinia. It is Sardinia's second-largest city, with a metro population of 300,000. Learning Italian won't necessarily get Kemp by, as many people in the area speak Sassarese.

Franklin High grad Lyndale Burleson also attended Nevada--in fact, he and Kemp are members of the Wolfpack all-decade team. Now Burleson plays for USC Heidelberg in Germany's second division. Burleson's averaging 18.3 ppg, which puts him third on the high-scoring Heidelbergers.... (more)

Where does David Beckham, in town to play in Sunday's MLS Cup, ranks on the list of world celebrities? Top 20, at least, right? Maybe top 10? I mean, I'm talking about people who are household names all over the world, not just on one continent. It's not a big list. (Off the top of my head: Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Madonna, Michael Jordan, Bono). But Beckham's definitely on it. And he's here, in our crappy little port! Above, it's Becks at the Metropolitan Grill, where sources tell the Times' Jose Miguel Romero he ate "onion soup (without cheese), a petit filet and scampi, asparagus (sauce on the side) and cranberry juice."

I was all set to sell my Cup tickets, until a friend reminded me that Beckham was playing. He came here once before, in an 2006 exhibition while a member of Real Madrid. But this is a championship game, I'll get to see Becks at his most competitive. Fun!

The MLS Cup is Beckham's L.A. Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake. It's at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday at Qwest Field. You can watch on ESPN or head... (more)

Storm mascot Doppler hands Simmons swag

ESPN.com's Bill Simmons, a.k.a. "The Sports Guy," was in Seattle on Tuesday to sign copes of his new bestseller, The Book of Basketball.

Kevin Pelton, who writes for the Seattle Storm (where he explained Doppler's appearance at the signing) and Basketball Prospectus (where he reviewed TBOB last week) was in attendance and shares this report.

Sport Restaurant was a great venue for Bill Simmons' book signing in all respects but one: It turned out to be far too small to hold the masses of Simmons' faithful readers who descended on Sport to get an autograph and share a brief moment with their favorite writer. By the time I arrived, at 5:30 p.m., a line was already forming an hour and a half before Simmons was scheduled to begin. By the time he arrived, people snaked through the lobby of the Fisher Pavilion and the line continued out the door and outside around Sport despite the persistent rain.

Of course, short of KeyArena, I'm not sure where that many people could comfortably fit. By the time I left, around 10, the line was still going strong, though no longer outdoors. I'm told by others who lingered longer that it took nearly four hours before the last book was signed.

The response was fueled in part by the fact that Simmons, as Steve Kelley wrote about for The Seattle Times, has been the major media figure most supportive of Seattle in the wake of the Sonics' departure. In his brief remarks to the lucky handful of people who got spots inside Sport before the signing, Simmons declared that Seattle was a natural stop for his tour because he still considers it an NBA town. Fans demonstrated that by pulling their Sonics jerseys and other memorabilia out of their closets, and Simmons happily took shots at the former ownership group in the books he signed.

With any tour, there's a natural tendency for each stop to become "the favorite one," but Simmons' fondness for Seattle and empathy for Sonics fans is legit. He even talked up Seattle during a video interview he taped at last night's Portland appearance with The Oregonian. (http://bit.ly/1I0SxF) Now, if only Simmons would have ranked Gary Payton a little higher in his Hall of Fame pyramid ...

[ED NOTE: Simmons may be thinking a little less fondly of Seattle after being pulled over for speeding on his way to Portland.]

I have two new rules in the wake of Seattle U's high-five-inducing upset win over Fresno State at KeyArena last night.

1) Never Doubt Elgin Baylor
Before the game, NBA Hall-of-Famer and Seattle Uer Baylor, standing next to his stunning wife on the court now named for him, addressed the crowd. He urged the fans to cheer boisterously for the Redhawks. Baylor said that players perform better when they hear the fans' support.

Baylor was right, because I'm at a loss to explain how a short SU backcourt rotation could've kept up a full-court trap for the final eight minutes of the game, hassling Fresno State into just enough turnovers to give the Redhawks a chance for the winning basket.

2) Never Doubt Cameron Dollar
Fresno State is stronger, faster, taller, and more athletic than Seattle U. So you'd think the last thing you'd do is try to run with them. Last year's Seattle U team, under departed coach Joe Callero, would've tried to slow down the game with deliberate possessions, and attempted to confuse Fresno State with trick defenses.

But under new coach Dollar, a former assistant to UW's Lorenzo Romar, the Redhawks were the aggressors. On SU's second possession of the game, Dollar was barking at his point guard to bring the ball up faster. The Redhawks trapped early and often, and played aggressive man-to-man defense against FSU's NBA-quality athletes.

And when Dollar's players got in foul trouble, got tired, and squandered a double-digit lead? Dollar responded by being more aggressive.

For the final 8:30 of the game, Dollar had the Redhawks run a trapping full-court press. And, to me, the outcome seemed preordained. The short-handed Redhawks would tire, Fresno State would score easy buckets in bunches, foul out SU's best players, and coast to a double-digit win.

Instead, the press paid off right away. Mike Boxley and Cervante Burrell trapped a FSU dribbler and caused a steal that led to an Aaron Broussard three-point play. Then, off a bad pass by the Bulldogs, Boxley hit a three-pointer.

The Redhawks stayed within striking distance from that point on, helped by some extremely generous officiating. And with 1:21 left, the Redhawks struck.... (more)

George

In Year 2 A.S. (After Sonics), Key Arena has a new hoops tenant: Seattle University. The school's athletic program is transitioning into Division One, the top level of U.S. college sports. And they've scheduled a team that brings NBA-level talent back to the Key for the first time since the Sonics left.

Fresno State comes to town Thursday, along with their star sophomore forward Paul George. At 6'7", 210 lbs., George has an NBA body. And he for sure has NBA athleticism. Check out these dunks:

 

 

George will be the #7 pick in next year's draft, according to NBADraft.net,. After that if you want to see George dunking on people, you'll have to drive to Portland (or, as I now call it after coining this phrase last night, "Disneyland for guys with beards"), the nearest town with an NBA team.... (more)

Allen

Could Washington morph from a football-crazy school into a basketball mecca? Certainly there's no contest performance-wise. Now, media coverage is beginning to turn basketball's way.

For the first time, the Seattle Times has a reporter dedicated solely to Washington basketball: Percy Allen, who formerly was the Sonics' beat writer. Previously Bob Condotta covered both basketball and football, meaning that hoops coverage suffered in the early months of the season, while football was a going concern.

Allen has followed the Dawgs from practice one, is filing a story most every day, and has created a must-read blog.

Husky basketball also finally has a dedicated fan blog, Montlake Madness. Founder Josh Anderson is covering every game, doing interviews with players and opposing coaches, basically owning it. Like every good fan blog, it covers the team in-depth and is recommended for diehards.

If you're looking for a smart, Hoops 201 perspective on Husky hoops, check out Todd Dybas' writing in the Seattlepi.com. Dybas brings more advanced strategic insight than the average beat writer, going in-depth about offensive sets, defensive styles, and players' specific moves. Good stuff.

Moving more toward the advanced hoops end of the spectrum, Kevin Pelton of BasketballProspectus.com will be sharing his thoughts about Husky hoops from time to time. Here's his "Five Thoughts: Washington-Portland State" from Sunday. Good stuff. (The College Basketball Prospectus came out last week, if you want a bookful of advanced college hoops talk.)

Football still seems to dominate conversation here. At the Times, Allen's assumption of hoops duties frees up Condotta to write full-time about football. And paid sites like Dawgman, UDubSports.com, and RealDawg all focus primarily on the gridiron. Mainly because most media consumers grew up in the football glory days. As football flounders, and basketball...uh...blasts off (?), the landscape is changing.

Five committed Seahawks rooters gathered in a friend's new "man cave" and watched the last, gasping breaths of the 2009 'Hawks.

We saw a familiar sight--the undersized Seahawks' utter inability to stop Arizona's big, talented receivers. Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston combined for 19 catches, 257 yards, and two touchdowns. The Cardinals scored 31 points in the last 36 minutes of the game after the Seahawks had jumped to a 14-point lead.

The Seahawks have now lost four consecutive times to Arizona, by a combined 118-64 score. We knew in the offseason that the 'Hawks secondary couldn't cover the Cards receivers, and yet the front office's only move was to bring in free agent Ken Lucas. Fitzgerald beat Lucas badly on the Cardinals' final touchdown.

The 2009-10 offseason, which, with the Hawks at 3-6, essentially begins today, must focus on answering a single question: HOW DO WE BEAT ARIZONA?

Until the Seahawks figure out a solution, they're likely doomed to also-ran status in the NFC West.

One... (more)

I walk into The Dutchess, for 80 years a Husky bar, and crane my head toward the screen to see the score.

"You sure you want to come in?" says the buzzed middle-aged man drunk at the door.

"Oh God, what's the score now," I ask.

He shakes his head. "Not good. It's not good."

And it wasn't. The Huskies had allowed a touchdown right before halftime, and a long kickoff return to open half 2. I'd been spared hearing this misery by my car radio's sudden decision to inexplicably conk out. The score, then, was 34-7. The Huskies didn't even compete.

Washington, now mathematically unable to reach the six wins they'd need to be eligible for a bowl game, get a week of rest before the Apple Cup on the 28th.

Someday, you will do it. You won't have a co-worker's birthday party, a seasonal gutter cleaning, or brunch with an ex. Someday, you will watch sports all weekend. If, perchance, this is the weekend, here's how it should go:

FRIDAY
5 p.m.: Leave work, drive towards Hec Ed for the Athletes in Action Classic. Stop at Bartells and buy some socks on the way.

Melvin Jones

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Watch the second half of Belmont/Portland St. Cheer on PSU's Melvin Jones, a Chief Sealth grad who got his life on track after a rough start to high school.

6:30 p.m.: Dinner at Hec Ed. Recommended--Porters Place BBQ. Not recommended--Everything else.

7-9 p.m.: Watch the Huskies avoid a letdown like in last year's opening-game loss to Portland, and lay an ass-whooping on outmanned Wright St. The Raiders may stay in this game early if their shooters are hot, but UW's depth will mean WSU will be run ragged by the second half.

9-10 p.m.: Sit in the traffic lineup to get out of the Hec Ed parking lot. While you're at it, check ESPN 710 to see how Seattle U did in their opening game, at Oklahoma State. 

10 p.m.: Drive home--you've got a big day tomorrow!

SATURDAY
7:30 a.m.: Drag yourself out of bed and drive to the George and Dragon for World Cup Qualifying soccer.

8 a.m.: Russia v. Slovenia begins. Here's the deal--eight European countries are getting their last shot at qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. They are paired into four groups of two, each pair plays a home-and-home with the winner going through to the Cup.

9 a.m.: England v. Brazil begins. This is just a friendly, with no World Cup qualifying implications, but c'mon. It's England/Brazil!

10 a.m.: Greece v. Ukraine! Ouzo v. Vodka! Who wins? Everyone!

Noon: Ireland v. France. Even more testy after an Irish diplomat gravely insulted French PM Sarkosky this week.

2 p.m.: Drive to The Dutchess and catch the second half of the Washington/Oregon St. football game. Will the Beavers knock Jake Locker senseless again?

2:30-3:30 p.m.: Probably some sort of silly play by the Husky special teams that costs us the game late, ending slight hopes of a Husky bowl appearance.

3:30-4:00 p.m.: Enjoy a chicken sandwich so you don't have to consume any Hec Ed food.

4 p.m.: Walk down to Hec Ed. Yeah, it's a trek, but do you really want to sit in that post-game parking lot traffic again? Not worth it. Plus, those fries you just ate have a ton of calories.

4:30-6:30 p.m.: Wright St. vs. Portland St. This will probably be the most competitive of the six games to be played this weekend.

6:30-7 p.m.: Check Facebook on your phone. Note how many "status updates" are actually just people whining about pointless shit.

7-9 p.m.: UW vs. Belmont, which I'm hoping will be very entertaining. Both the Huskies and Belmont were among the 50 fastest-tempo teams in the NCAA last year. If Belmont plays their style instead of trying to slow the game down, the Dawgs could hit 100.

9-9:30 p.m.: Healthful walk back up to The Dutchess.

9:30-Midnight: Buy repeated rounds for everyone at the bar (or just me).... (more)

Jamelle McMillan

The 1996 Sonics have spawned a new generation of college basketball players who are selfishly making me feel old.

We already knew about Jamelle "Son of Nate" McMillan, who is a junior guard at Arizona State. Joining McMillan at ASU next year will be the son of dad's former teammate on the '96 Sonics: Corey "Son of Hersey" Hawkins signed a letter of intent to play for the Sun Devils yesterday. Also in the Pac-10: Alex "Son of Detlef" Schrempf, a walk-on at UCLA.

And another '96 Sonics' son--perhaps the best of this bunch--will play down south next season. Shawn Kemp, Jr., ranked the 35th-best center in his high school class, has signed to play with Auburn. Shawn Sr. was the best of the '96 Sonics, stands to reason that Junior would be the best of the sons. Mendel was right!

Alex Schrempf

Looking to the future, Eric Snow's three sons haven't yet reached teenagehood yet (which you'd know if you watched Real Housewives of Atlanta, in which the Snow family was featured).

Frank Brickowski's son Jack--who I'm sure will someday enjoy reading that he was conceived on a one-night-stand after his parents were separated--has yet to reach double-digits in age.

Gary Payton's son Gary Jr. was playing at Spring Valley High in Las Vegas in 2008, but I can't find any information about him.... (more)

While the music of one Franklin grad only inspires the need for more Valium, another has inspired a dance song. Dallas rapper Trilli Trill invites you to do the Jason Terry:

Terry, who led Franklin to back-to-back state hoops championships in 1994 and '95, was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year winner last year as a Dallas Maverick.

This weekend's Athletes in Action Classic at Hec Edmundson Pavilion would be worth checking out even if the #14-ranked Huskies weren't playing.

All four teams competing won 20 games last year. Washington, Portland State and Belmont all made postseason tournaments. Each team will play each other team in a round-robin format, with two games each night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The three non-Husky teams in Tweet-sized bits:

Wright State's Todd Brown

Wright St. Raiders (Dayton, OH): Slow-tempo WSU return four starters from team that took Horizon League winners Butler down to the wire in league championship game. 6'5" G Todd Brown shot 40% from three. Play Huskies Friday.

Belmont Bruins (Nashville, TN): Fast-tempo team missed NCAA tourney last season for first time in five years. Now they graduate four starters and look to be rebuilding. Young team with 11 frosh or sophomores. Play Huskies Saturday.

Portland St. Vikings (Portland, OR): New coach is Tyler Geving after Ken Bone left for Wazzu. Also gone:...

(more)

Bobby Galer (UW Special Collections)

What with it being Veterans' Day and all (thanks, Dad and Grandpa!) I thought I'd search about for a local sports star who was also a veteran. I'd never heard of Robert "Bobby" Galer until this morning, though I should have: He's a member of the Washington Sports Hall of Fame.

Galer, known as "Goose" in his player days, was a forward on the Washington basketball team from 1933-1935. He was the top offensive threat for a fast-paced team (by that day's standards) which sportswriters dubbed "The Greyhounds." 

In Galer's junior year, the 1934 Dawgs won the Pacific Coast Conference Championship. Galer made All-America as a senior 1935, he's one of only 16 Huskies to do so.

But his more valuable distinction is this: Galer won the Congressional Medal of Honor, this nation's highest military award, for his service as a pilot in World War II.

Galer is one of eight University of Washington alums to have won the Medal of Honor; a on-campus memorial to them was dedicated this morning.

Here is the citation for the award Galer received in 1943 from President Roosevelt:

 

For conspicuous heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty as leader of a marine fighter squadron in aerial combat with enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands area. Leading his squadron repeatedly in daring and aggressive raids against Japanese aerial forces, vastly superior in numbers, Maj. Galer availed himself of every favorable attack opportunity, individually shooting down 11 enemy bomber and fighter aircraft over a period of 29 days. Though suffering the extreme physical strain attendant upon protracted fighter operations at an altitude above 25,000 feet, the squadron under his zealous and inspiring leadership shot down a total of 27 Japanese planes. His superb airmanship, his outstanding skill and personal valor reflect great credit upon Maj. Galer's gallant fighting spirit and upon the U.S. Naval Service.

Bobby Galer flew in both WWII and the Korean War. In World War II he was shot down three times, once having to swim for 90 minutes to reach shore. In Korea, he was shot down again and barely survived after his foot caught in a cockpit strap and he couldn't parachute out until he was 150 feet off the ground.

Galer retired from the Marines in 1959, working in real estate and engineering. He died in 2005; here's an excellent obituary in the Seattle Times. 

When last I heard of Will Conroy, he was trying to win a job with the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, Conroy was the Rockets' final cut. The ever-steady former UW walk-on told a reporter: "At least I’ll get some rest. I haven’t slept the last three days. It’s frustrating, but it’s a done deal, so turn the page."

Will Conroy

The next page in Conroy's career reads right-to-left, as he's signed with the DongGuan New Century Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association.

The article announcing Conroy's signing on the DongGuan website says this about him (according to Google Translate): "Conroy is a speed type of shooting guard, has a very strong penetration capabilities."

"Strong penetration capabilities." Who's going to argue with that?

Conroy led the NBA's Development League in scoring last year, having turned down more lucrative overseas offers for a chance at an NBA callup. He likely passed up yet more offers this year in his attempt to make Houston's roster. Hopefully he's getting... (more)

Ken Griffey, Jr., 13-time All-Star, slugger of 630 home runs, former guest star on the Harry and the Hendersons TV show, will return for his 13th season as a Mariner, the Seattle Times' Larry Stone is reporting.

Griffey's return to Seattle last season caused much rejoicing: my own reaction was to cancel evening plans and enjoy celebratory drinks with a longtime friend and Mariners rooter. The Mariners sold 23,000 tickets in two days.

The joy will be more muted this time--I'm not canceling any plans, and I doubt the Mariners will see much of a spike in ticket sales.

But I still have a smile on my face. If a different regime had brought Griffey back, I might worry that they planned to use him in a role greater than he could handle at this stage in his career.

But I trust Jack Zduriencik and Don Wakamatsu to utilize Griffey appropriately--giving him the odd start as a sometime DH, rolling the dice with him as a pinch hitter when they need a home run (à la Matt Stairs of the Phillies), and letting him play the role of leader, elder statesman, and Ichiro-tickler he filled so well last season.

The Mariners' 2010 season begins on April 5, 144 days from now, in Oakland.

Griffey's Return Would Spike Program Sales

We'll likely know this week if Ken Griffey, Jr., and the Mariners will strike a deal to bring Junior back for his 22nd MLB season, 12th as a Mariner.

Last year, Griffey demanded a multimillion-dollar salary and attendance-based performance incentives to return to Seattle. This year, as if in tune with the rest of us poor saps in this disaster of an economy, Griffey has readjusted his expectations.

In negotiations that will take place over the next few days, Griffey's agent has telegraphed his "bargaining" strategy.

"Whether Junior comes back or not, he certainly has no demands as far as dollars or playing time," Brian Goldberg told the Times' Larry Stone.

In other words, Griffey will show up at M's HQ bearing a "Will work for food" sign.

Not that he needs the money. Griffey's earned nearly $150 million in his baseball career, and that doesn't count endorsement dollars. He apparently just wants to keep playing for the love of the game.

But do the Mariners want him? For all his clubhouse leadership, and for as much as I personally loved seeing him play, Griffey was one of the worst DHs in the American League.

Far better options exist on the free agent market: Carlos Delgado, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guererro, and Hideki Matsui, all of whom far outperformed Griffey at bat last season.

Or the Mariners may choose to bring back Russell Branyan as their designated hitter and hand first base to young Mike Carp.

Griffey could serve as a pinch-hitter, but most managers like versatility and speed off their bench; Griffey doesn't have either.

Mariner watchers are weighing in on the issue:

MLB.com's Jim Street: "(Griffey) was an absolute joy to be around the entire '09 season and it rubbed off on everyone. That reason alone seems to make it worthwhile bringing him back for at least one more season."

The Times' Larry Stone: "I believe Griffey still has something to offer. He can tickle Ichiro, bring laughter to the clubhouse, hit an occasional bomb and take one more crack at October. Sounds great to me."

USS Mariner's Derek Zumsteg: "The 2010 Mariners need to improve their offense, and they need better hitting from their designated hitters. Griffey doesn’t offer that. And as much as Seattle loves him, well, we love Edgar too, but we wouldn’t bring him back to DH next year."

My take is this: Do it for Ichiro. Griffey's presence took the pressure of being the team's superstar off Ichiro's shoulders, and gave Ichiro a friend in a clubhouse that had turned against him. The hit king responded with his best season since '04.

If Griffey doesn't mind coming back as the 25th man on the roster, and getting only a few at bats a week on the rare occasions that American League teams need a pinch-hitter, the M's won't really lose anything from a strictly statistical perspective. And they certainly gain if Ichiro hits .350 again.

Didn't start out so well--the Seahawks began yesterday's game down 17 points after a fumble, interception, and failed fourth down conversion gave the Lions' three chances in Seahawks' territory.

Then Matt Hasselbeck brought the Hawks back, delivering one of the finest performances ever by a Seahawks quarterback.

Hasselbeck completed 39 passes, breaking his own franchise record. He had a string of 15 completions in a row. He threw balls that led receivers into space. He dumped balls at their feet when they weren't open. It was a masterful, intelligent Sunday of work, made all the more impressive because Hasselbeck is playing with a broken rib.

Said coach Jim Mora of Hasselbeck: "He showed his true leadership to me. He showed everything that he is. I don't know if I have any more respect for any player that I've ever coached than I have for Matt Hasselbeck."

Video!

 

 

After Detroit got their 17-0 lead, Hasselbeck lead the Hawks to scores on six of their next seven drives. The defense... (more)

Enjoys soft favorites

Monster volleyball game tonight at Hec Ed, as the 19-2 Huskies take on 15-6 Stanford in what's traditionally been the best-attended and most exciting game on the UW home schedule.

Added intensity this year, as the Huskies lead the Cardinal in the Pac-10 standings by just one game.

Stanford beat the Huskies in Palo Alto on October 10, it was UW's first loss of the year.

The Cardinals top player is 6'5" outside hitter Alix Klineman. A two-time All-American raised in Manhattan Beach, CA, Klineman says one of her favorite songs is "Rainbows” by Jack Johnson and G. Love.

Tickets for tonight's game are $9 if you are fancy and want to sit all close, but you can get general admission tickets for $6. ($4 for kids and seniors).

"Rainbows"

Well i woke up this morning, rainbow filled the sky
Yes I woke up this morning, rainbow filled the sky
That was God tellin' me, Everything's gonna be alright

Well so long, good friends, When will we meet again?
I said so long good friends, When will we meet again?
Well i don't know, i don't know, But I guess I'll see you then...

Well I'm gonna pack my old guitar, Move on down the road,
I'm gonna pack my old guitar, and move on down the road (where you gonna go?)
Where I'll go, I don't know, But I guess I's gots to go

When I woke up this morning, a rainbow filled the sky
When I woke up this morning, a rainbow filled the sky,
Well that was God tellin me, Everything...Everything is gonna be alright....

The Huskies' exhibition win over Central Washington wasn't televised, so all I'd heard was rumors of some amazing Clarence Trent dunk. Turns out UW's video crew captured it. Here it is. Yowza.

Trent, a freshman who started his high school career at Gig Harbor and finished at Nevada basketball farm Findlay Prep, may not even see much playing time for the Huskies this year. Lorenzo Romar has compiled a wealth of talent.

 

 

H/T: Percy Allen's indispensable Husky Men's Basketball Blog.

Garrison Carr, the sweet-shooting Issaquah grad who engineered perhaps the greatest upset in state hoops history, will get a longshot chance at playing professionally in the U.S. He was a seventh-round pick in yesterday's NBA D (for "Development")-League draft.

As a senior at Issaquah, Carr helmed his Eagles to a win over a high school team with two future NBA lottery picks, Spencer Hawes and Martell Webster.

You'd think that would be enough to get Carr a scholarship from a West Coast school, but it wasn't. Carr went to American University in Washington D.C., where they underestimated his talents by barely playing him his first two seasons. His junior and senior years, Carr led American to the school's first two NCAA tourney berths. He became the Patriot League's all-time three-point shooter, and had #15-seed American tied with #2-seed Tennessee in the second half of an NCAA tourney game.

Carr has been underestimated his whole career, a theme his high school coach Jeff Patrick struck time and again when I... (more)

Peyton Siva

Franklin grad Peyton Siva didn't take long to make an impression at his new school, Louisville. Last night, in the Cardinals' exhibition win over Bellarmine, Siva displayed the otherworldly hops we Metro League fans enjoyed these last four years, claiming two of ESPN's top ten plays. Watch here.

The first, #6, comes when the 6'-0" Siva flies above the rim to block a shot attempt. He also claims #2 with a putback reverse dunk.

"Those were two of the more spectacular plays I've seen," said coach Rick Pitino. "Not too many six-foot guys do that," he said, adding (to laughter), "I did it a few times...."

Another stellar member of Washington's hoops Class of '09 made his debut last night: Former Bellarmine Prep guard Abdul Gaddy came off the bench in  Washington's exhibition win over Central Washington.

Gaddy's debut was not as explosive. On the bright side, he displayed his playmaking skills by contributing six assists in just 24 minutes. But he also committed 4 fouls, turned the ball over three times, and missed all three of his shots.

Gaddy told the Times' Percy Allen afterward that he had a little trouble adjusting to the speed of the college game.... (more)