Recent Stories in Sports

Seahawks head coach Jim Mora threatened his players' jobs after Sunday's loss to Dallas. Hoo boy, accountability was going to be a bitch for many underperforming Seahawks.

I wondered which players GM Tim Ruskell would deem responsible for this season's 2-5 start: Deion Branch, the multimillion-dollar receiver with just fifteen catches? Darryl Tapp, the pass-rush specialist who's recorded just one sack? Lofa Tatupu, the supposed team leader whose been outshone by his backup?

Yesterday the axe fell, and the following heads were pulled out of baskets: Two backups and a special teamer.

Um. I feel a rant coming on...

Here's the thing -- if you preach accountability, you need to hold the correct people accountable. Not just a random selection of guys who barely play. On a list of people responsible for the Seahawks' dismal start, the three guys they cut today would be somewhere beneath Ken Behring and Sea Gal Lindsay.

If team management doesn't want to hold anyone accountable for the team's performance, they themselves... (more)

Tomorrow night's your first chance to see the University of Washington basketball team play against another team. The game is an exhibition (and, thus, viewable for the bargain price of $10) against Central Washington University, a team of predominately Puget Sound area kids. If you are any kind of high school hoops fan (and if you aren't, what's stopping you?) you will recognize some of the names on the CWU roster.

But let us discuss the Huskies. When we last left them, they had suffered a close loss to Purdue in the NCAA tournament's second round. But I prefer to remember the home win vs. Washington State which clinched the school's first Pac-10 title since the Eisenhower Administration, and watching an exultant Lorenzo Romar cut down the nets. One of my favorite Seattle sports memories.

This year, the Huskies confront life without four-year starter and team captain Jon Brockman. The school's all-time leading rebounder, now playing in the NBA (here he is dunking against the Zombie Sonics!), averaged a double-... (more)

I remember being shocked to find out that O'Dea coach Phil Lumpkin played point guard in the NBA. He didn't cut a very athletic figure: His potbelly barely contained by his maroon O'Dea polo, jutting out over his jeans.

But Lumpkin did play two seasons in the League, and a key role in what's widely regarded as the greatest NBA game ever--Game 5 of the 1976 Finals. Lumpkin took over at the point when the starter went down with injury and the Suns down 22 points. 

Said Phoenix coach John MacLeod: "(Lumpkin) was a very deliberate guard, and when we put him in, he slowed everything down. It calmed everybody down, and we made a heck of a run. I think we'd have been blown out if not for Phil Lumpkin."

Lumpkin brought that deliberate style to O'Dea, winning five state basketball titles with it. Lumpkin's teams weren't flashy, and didn't often blow opponents out; instead they'd slowly strangle them with stifling defense and deliberate, careful halfcourt offense.

When Lumpkin's players played poor defense, or sloppy offense, his verbal eruptions were a sight to behold. I once saw him make a player cry on the court.

But from what his players have told the Seattle Times' Mason Kelley, they appreciated his tough love approach. (Casey McNerthney of Seattlepi.com has also written an excellent obituary of Lumpkin).

Perhaps the best compliment to Lumpkin as a coach is this: He's the guy then-Sonics coach Nate McMillan entrusted his own son to. Jamelle McMillan played on three state title teams playing point guard, his dad's old position.

Lumpkin had been O'Dea's hoops coach since 1991; taking over the same year legendary Garfield coach Al Hairston left the Metro League for Seattle U. Hairston had won five titles at Garfield--Lumpkin matched that feat.

O'Dea hasn't announced when or if any memorial for Lumpkin will be held. Watch their website if you're interested.

There seemed some reason for optimism yesterday as the Seahawks got one of their top players back from injury. Cornerback Marcus Trufant's back was healed enough for him to play against Dallas. He probably wishes he'd taken another week. Trufant picked up three pass interference penalties trying to defend Dallas' receiver Miles "Always Smilin'" Austin, who still ended up with a touchdown catch. The Seahawks lost 38-17.

The only trouble Austin encountered all day was on his attempted "dunk" attempt of the football over the ten-foot-high crossbar after his touchdown catch--Austin didn't quite have the ups to make it and flipped the ball over the bar at the last second.

By the end of the game, Trufant was getting inside help on Austin, which is not the scenario you envision for a guy with a six-year, $50 million contract.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks offense was fighting itself. T.J. Houshmandzadeh's frustrations at not being more of a focal point in the offense have reached the "openly-second-guessing-his-quarterback" point. At this point, Hasselbeck apparently has to explain after every play why he didn't throw to Housh.

"He needs to get in line," Jim Mora said of Houshmandzadeh.

The bright spot for the Seahawks was the play of middle linebacker David "The Heater" Hawthorne. Taking over for the injured Lofa Tatupu, Hawthorne played like the Tatupu of old, recording five tackles, two sacks, and forcing a fumble. At this rate Tatupu may end up getting Wally Pipped.... (more)

I have nothing else to say, really--walked out this morning, it's a little windy but not too cold, leaves coating the ground--just feels like a touch football day.

Tonight the Houston Dynamo travel to Seattle as the Sounders' first-ever MLS playoff opponent. This battle will stretch out over the next two weeks, for the MLS quarterfinals are a home-and-home affair. The Sounders face Houston again one week from Sunday. Will this battle be as epic as the three Houston/Seattle postseason matchups that have preceded it?

To wit:

--The 1988 Wild Card Playoff, a.k.a. the Fredd Young phantom interception game.

--The 1993 NBA Western Conference semifinals, which stretched to seven games.

--The 1996 "Houston You Have a Problem" Western Conference semifinals sweep.

Let's take each in turn, shall we? Today's edition...

Houston 23, Seattle 20 (OT), January 3, 1988. [box]

The 9-7 Seahawks finished 2nd in the AFC West, and had to travel to Houston's Astrodome for this Wild Card game. Husky legend Warren Moon led the Oilers' run-and-shoot attack, predicated on short passing. But he heaved a deep one early that the Seahawks' Melvin Jenkins intercepted. Dave Krieg hit Steve Largent... (more)

Hoops fans, we bring you live to Seattle Center on this, the first night of the NBA season. Let's take a walk around the grounds and get a sense of the excitement.

Here, at Memorial Stadium, we have...a rec league soccer game. How about the EMP? Hmm...two teenage girls sitting on a heating grate. And at Key Arena? Nothing.

Well, maybe Seattle's premier sports bar, the Sport Restaurant and Lounge, at Fisher Plaza, will be packed with hoops aficionados. Let's see.

Okay, walking past the Jamal Crawford, Nate McMillan, and Todd McCullough jerseys to the bar, and here, for tip off of Cavs/Celtics, the first game of the season, we have...me. And my friend Nathaniel, who has to file a story about the game for The Sporting Blog.

(Nathaniel, who under the pen name Bethlehem Shoals is co-author of the mind-alteringly awesome Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac, is one of two nationally-respected NBA writers who, oddly, live in this the largest American metro area without an NBA team. The other, stats whiz Kevin Pelton, has chosen to travel to Portland for opening night (here's his story).)

This can still be a basketball event! First, though, perhaps management wouldn't mind turning up the game audio, and down the Crosby, Stills and Nash song? Thanks.

Midway through the game, we have expanded our numbers almost to double-digits! Four other NBA fans have shown up at Nathaniel's Twitter invitation. Down the bar, a Cavs fan arrives with his (clearly bored) girlfriend just in time to watch his team collapse against the Celtics.... (more)

I'm reposting this one because it's Thursday and extremely topical. If you saw Game 1 of the World Series last night, you'll know what a freaking dilemma tonight's offerings create.--MvB

Thursday is shaping up to be one of those nights that I wish there were three of me. To wit:

At 5 p.m., Game 2 of the World Series will be extra special as the Phillies have chosen 38-year-old future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to start at Yankee Stadium against his longtime rivals. Martinez was 8-4 in his career at Old Yankee Stadium, including the finest game I have ever seen pitched, a 17-K performance against the Yanks in September 1999. (Wow! I'm getting old!) Game's on FOX.

At 7 p.m., the Sounders play the franchise's first MLS playoff game, against the Houston Dynamo at Qwest Field. The game is the first leg of a home-and-home series, the teams will play again on Sunday the 8th in Houston and whoever's ahead in the combined score of the two games advances. If you don't have tickets, buy some (there are scads on StubHub<... (more)

Quantum physicists need not continue to pester me with tales of parallel universes existing in an infinite number of dimensions, for here in the Seattle sports world their theories have taken life.

In one universe, Washington quarterback Jake Locker is the team's best player, a semi-finalist for a national award given to the nation's best college QB, and a possible top five pick in next year's NFL draft.

In another universe, Locker isn't that good.

How else to explain the wildly different conclusions evident to our area's sports fans? Thousands of Washingtonians buy Jake Locker's #10 jersey. Locker gets the biggest cheers in pre-game introductions. And Seahawk fans (many of whom double as Husky adherents) want our NFL team to make Locker their quarterback after he leaves Washington.

And then there are other fans. Who note that the Huskies have lost 18 of Locker's 24 starts. That Locker throws crippling interceptions. That he makes poor reads. That three freshman Pac-10 QBs have amassed better completion percentages and quarterback ratings than Locker.

Spurred by Locker-crazy visitors to his blog, astute Seahawks blogger John Morgan of the site Field Gulls scouted the Husky quarterback in Washington's game against Oregon this weekend. He did not like what he saw.

(Locker) makes some curious reads and does not show consistent accuracy. Locker has a nice mix of touch and arm-strength, but those are secondary abilities, of little worth before a quarterback has mastered pocket-presence, read and accuracy. ... He exhibits major red flags: pocket presence, decision making and consistent accuracy. ... Locker must first prove he can be a great college quarterback before Seattle fans envision him a great Seahawks quarterback.

To be fair, Locker was struggling with a bruised quadriceps suffered early in the game. Still, a great college quarterback should be able to succeed without much mobility. Marshall University's Byron Leftwich, a future NFLer, once led a 17-point comeback playing on a broken leg.... (more)

Rodriguez was the Seattle Mariners #1 overall pick in the 1993 draft; he was at the apex of baseball prospects.

In 1994, Rodriguez made his major league debut.

In 1995, he played in his first postseason game.

In 1996, he made his first All-Star team.

But not until 2009, after a dominating post-season performance, will Alex Rodriguez get his at-bats at the pinnacle of baseball competition: the World Series.

Partially, this is A-Rod's own fault for being hilariously incompetent in postseason baseball as a Yankee.

My childhood friend David and I, confirmed A-Rod haters after he left the Mariners claiming he had a better chance to win in Texas (har!), enjoyed Rodriguez's well-documented postseason struggles. We were remembering them last night, while the Angels pitched around a suddenly clutch Rodriguez for the umpteenth time in the ALCS.

There was 2004, when A-Rod slapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's mitt on his way to first base, inspiring the brilliant "A-Rod purse" Photoshop.

There was the time in 2005 when... (more)

Soon-to-be Division I basketballers Seattle U showed off a sharp-looking new court last night at KeyArena, part of a ticket-sales-event cum media-event cum scrimmage. One benefit of KeyArena for the Redhawks: the seats are already red. All that was left was to create a Seattle U court, which was painted over the summer and laid down for the first time just in the past few days.

Pretty sweet, huh? Up in the media room, they had sandwiches and beer, and also longtime sports radio host Dave Grosby, who'll be doing the play-by-play of every Redhawks game, home and away, on 710 ESPN.

This won't be Grosby's first time with nascent DI program; as a teenager, his radio-executive Dad got him a gig as play-by-play man for Iona University. Iona was coached by a young, unknown go-getter named Jim Valvano, Valvano took the Gaels from DI upstarts to nationally-ranked in just a few seasons.

Charles Garcia, Seattle U's top player

"He was a master recruiter," Grosby told me. "He got (future NBA star Jeff) Ruland when top schools wanted him."

Recruiting is the key, in Grosby's view, and because Seattle U has hired one of the best recruiters in college hoops as their coach in former UW assistant Cameron Dollar, he thinks they could be winning sooner than people think.

One benefit of Dollar's recruiting prowess was on display down on the new court: forward Charles Garcia. The JC transfer, originally scheduled to attend Washington, went to Seattle U instead and will clearly be the focal point of this team. Garcia is 6-10, but fast and athletic. He can guard in the perimeter and in the post, and can score inside and out. He will be the most talented player on the floor in many of SU's games this year (especially against Harvard) -- a benefit the school rarely had last year.

Garcia is fun to watch--as tall and athletic as he is, he can play above the rim to an extent not seen in Seattle U basketball this century.

The ticket sales part of the event seemed to be going well. At halftime of the scrimmage, Seattle U AD Bill Hogan announced that they'd sold 100 season seats at the event. My Seattle U alum friend is getting on the phone today to buy seats, he wants "to get in on the ground floor of this, then in 20 years, once SU is the new Gonzaga, I will be sitting pretty." (Literally!)

There are scads of sweet seats available, and at a very, very reasonable price--$40 gets you a season ticket in one of the first few rows behind the basket. With 13 home games on the schedule, that's barely $3/ticket. Or be a "high-roller" and get two seats at center court for just $225. Here's the link to their ticket page if you're interested.

And who knows, you could find yourself sitting next to Seattle U legend and former NBAer Tom Workman!

The Mariners' accountants are staggering into work late yesterday morning after a night of wild celebration--the team announced Monday that veteran catcher Kenji Johjima, who lost his starting job this season, has decided to opt out of the next two years of his contract, which would've paid him a total of $16 million.

"He walks completely on his contract here, and we start fresh," Johjima's agent told the Times. The Mariners now owe Johjima nothing, not even COBRA coverage.

Why would Johjima do it? This was my question to childhood friend David as we watched the two amazing baseball playoff games Monday night at the Roanoke.

"Well, he's already made a ton of money," David said.

True. Johjima played 11 years in the Japanese league, and made more than $25 million in his four seasons as a Mariner. But. Still. $16 million! How can you walk away from that?

Mariner GM Jack Zduriencik repeatedly characterized Johjima's choice as a "personal decision"--as if there is any other kind. The real question is, why make it?... (more)

Hasselbeck's already worn the Redskins' colors

The NFL trading deadline is today, and with even Seahawks' coach Jim Mora admitting the playoffs are out of reach, it's time to build for the future.

That future probably won't include aging QB Matt Hasselbeck: Maybe the Hawks should unload him? That's what childhood friend Jason suggested yesterday, sparking off a spirited Seahawks roundtable.

Jason: Would it be crazy to try to trade Hasselbeck to the Redskins for a couple of picks right now? They need a QB and we're not going to be good until his back is done.

Me: I like it! Except they have the same problem we do--no offensive line.

David: This would be insane for Washington to do. They are going to have high draft picks, why would they trade those for an old quarterback who they can't protect? Bad teams should not try and get older, see the mid 2000s Mariners. So Matthew and Zorn can be reunited for ten weeks?

Jason: Remember that they are owned by Dan Snyder. He's Al Davis for our generation.

David: The phrase "owned by Dan Snyder" trumps any rational argument.

Seth: What would you take for Hasselbeck? I'd take a first round and a three.

Jason: A first plus any other round.

David: I agree with Jason, a first and anything. We have two first rounders (f*** you Denver), another second rounder would give us a nice draft.

Jason: I'm fine with that. Dan Snyder makes 2-3 horrible moves every offseason, why can't he make one more during the season--we can use the "Bringing Zorn and Hasselbeck together again will be magical" sales job.

So, there you have it--Hasselbeck to the 'Skins for a first-rounder and anything else is approved by the roundtable. Your move, Tim Ruskell.

You may have seen that the only decent play of the Seahawks game was a fake punt and pass by Hawks' punter Jon Ryan, the NFL's best Canadian. 

My Denver Broncos fan friend Cody sent this via email:

New QB? Stats do not lie...

You, sir, are no Rusty Tillman

I already wrote about the Huskies' unconscionable last-second blunder against Arizona State, which I assumed would be the only completely incompetent play one of my teams would make this weekend.

Instead, the Seahawks treated me to another one. After Arizona opened the game with a long touchdown drive, they blooped their kickoff short. Seahawks backup tight end John Owens, instead of catching the live ball, ran forward to block as the ball fell behind him. The Cardinals recovered and scored another touchdown, putting the Hawks in a 14-0 hole before Hasselbeck and the offense had run a single play.

You can see video of that blunder here in the NFL Network's highlight package from the game. (Where you can hear the NFL Network commentator wonder out loud: "What were these guys thinking?")

The shame of it all is that this blunder occurred on the day that legendary Seahawks special teams coach Rusty Tillman raised the 12th Man flag. Tillman, the first person I ever heard say "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog," supervised a crack Hawks special teams unit in the 1980s, grooming Seahawks legends like Fredd Young and Rufus Porter. Can we make Tillman's appearance more than a one-day thing, maybe?

Coach Sark's approval ratings are down this week

We knew what Husky football coach Steve Sarkisan and his staff's strengths were: Motivating players. Game planning. Firing up fans.

Now, after Washington's dreadful performance against Arizona State, a game lost on the most incompetent football play I have ever seen, we are beginning to see what Sark and his staff aren't so good at: Details. Flexibility. Keeping players under control.

Let's start with that incompetent football play. Arizona State has the ball at midfield with 13 seconds left in a tie game. I'm watching the game on FSN with childhood friend Jason. We see ASU QB Danny Sullivan loft a ball deep toward the goal line. As the camera tracks the ball, we expect to see a phalanx of Washington defensive backs there to knock away the Hail Mary attempt. Instead, we see two Arizona State players alone in the end zone. One, Chris McGaha, catches the ball in stride and scores the winning touchdown. No Huskies are in sight. (Watch it yourself on YouTube.)

The funny thing is, neither Jason or I really reacted. It was too shocking. If this had happened in a sixth-grade flag football game, you'd be a little annoyed at the kids for failing to be cognizant of the situation. But in Division I college football? Not credible. When one of us did speak it was Jason, appropriating a line from Anchorman: "Heck, I'm not even mad. That's amazing! Nick Holt just pooped a whole wheel of cheese all over the field."

Other reactions I read later on Twitter:

"Pardon me while I go put a fork in my eye."--The Times' Danny O'Neil

"That might have been the worst 1:30 I've ever seen."--KJR's ESPN 710's Mike Salk

And my favorite, from Husky hoopster Isaiah Thomas: "Daaaaaaaaaaaang."

Yup. That about captures it.

Defensive coordinator Nick Holt makes $600K/year

Holt, the assistant coach in charge of the defense, who earns a higher salary than Washington State's head coach, is most at fault for the play. His players should've had clear instructions not to let anyone behind them. Instead, two Sun Devil receivers were wide-open in the end zone. This lapse has caused message board denizens to call for his firing. (Jason emailed me last night: "Why is firenickholt.com still available? Just askin'.")

The excitable Holt is surely a master motivator, but he may be in need of adult supervision during game situations--as he was at USC, where Holt did the hands-on coaching but Pete Carroll called the defensive plays. After ASU's game-winning TD, FSN cameras caught Holt lighting into Husky linebacker E.J. Savannah. Holt screamed at the camera-person to back away. Holt also may have picked up his second 15-yard sideline interference penalty of the season--the Huskies were charged with one, but the refs didn't say who caused it. ESPN's Ted Miller has called Holt out for failing to appear at a post-game press conference, though it's unclear whether reporters requested him.

Sarkisian's weaknesses showed through as well. The fateful play shouldn't even have happened, as UW probably could've run the clock out when they had the ball seconds earlier on their own ten. Or, since they had more than a minute left, they could've tried to drive for the winning score. Instead, Sarkisian tried two running plays, then a long pass that fell incomplete, giving the Sun Devils one more chance on offense. Either run out the clock or don't.

Sark's play-calling lacked flexibility. Arizona State's fast, over-pursuing defense was ripe for some misdirection plays. Dennis Erickson called three reverses, one of which, a reverse pass, went for a touchdown. Sarkisian instead tried to exploit ASU's over pursuit with screen passes, none of which were effective despite repeated attempts.

And, perhaps most egregious, the Huskies played out of control. They committed 12 penalties, totaling 124 yards. Jake Locker threw two interceptions on the same drive, deep in ASU territory. The first was called back due to an ASU penalty. The second came at the goal line on a Tebow-esque run-forward-then-pass that went directly into the hands of a Sun Devils defender.

Next up: Oregon, a team Husky rooters desperately want to beat, a program the Huskies once dominated but haven't defeated (in fact, haven't come within 20 points of) for five years. Sarkisan and co. will earn an avalanche of brownie points with a win over the Ducks. But against Oregon's potent spread option attack, discipline is critical. If the Huskies don't have it again, another Willingham-era beatdown is inevitable. And the Willingham-era discontent will begin to bubble up once again.

By per-hour sports entertainment spending, you'll have a tough time topping tonight's Hec Ed double feature.

At 6 p.m., the #4-ranked Husky volleyballers play the sun-kissed ladies of #12 UCLA. (Why is volleyball awesome? It is the only sport in which your opponent will have a player from Laguna Niguel named "Dicey McGraw".)

The Dawgs are coming off their first loss of the season, a five-set defeat last Sunday at then-#7 Stanford.

Tickets for the volleyball match are $9 for reserved seats and $6 for general admission, which ensures you a good seat to the main event, the nationally-televised "Midnight Madness" public Husky hoops practice.

The "Midnight Madness," which you can also watch on ESPNU, will feature a dunk contest, three-point shooting contest, and a scrimmage. (Also, and I'm less excited about this, a "team skit" (?) and "student contests.") 

The hoops event is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., but that depends on how long the volleyball game goes tonight. At 7:15, the gates of Hec... (more)

We've reached the League Championship Series stage of the baseball playoffs, which will hopefully be more entertaining than the yawner that was the Divisional Series. Three of the four DSs were sweeps, the other only went four games.

The Phillies and Dodgers start their series tonight (5:07 pm, TBS) and ex-Mariner George Sherrill may end up as the key in the series.

The Phillies' three best hitters--Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and another ex-M, Raul Ibanez--all bat left-handed.

You're almost sure to see a late-inning confrontation between one of these three and the lefty Sherrill, who's holding lefty hitters to a .128 average this season.

You also might see Sherrill against the Phils' top pinch-hitter, Matt Stairs.

Other ex-Mariners still playing this postseason: Yankees SS Alex Rodriguez, Angels closer Brian Fuentes, Phillies' utility men Miguel Cairo and Greg Dobbs, and Dodgers reliever Jeff Weaver.

Owen Schmitt, the 24-year-old starting fullback for the Seattle Seahawks, opened a gushing wound on his forehead during Sunday's pre-game introductions when he decided to repeatedly whack himself with his helmet as he ran onto the field. Video!

This is pretty awesome in a tribal way, and apparently psyched up Schmitt's teammates. "That got us going," linebacker Lofa Tatupu told the P-I's Greg Johns. "A man willing to bloody his own face, you know how much he's willing to put on the line."

Then again, as childhood friend David pointed out later that night, it also shows why football players struggle to adjust to the working world once their playing careers are over. A pre-event self-bloodying may inspire football teammates, but see how well it works before your next company-wide health coverage informational. 

Ex-Husky Bobby Jones: NCAA hoops "like slavery"

Halfway around the world, a 25-year-old former Husky is giving serious thought to how athletes fit into society. Bobby Jones, a defensive whiz for the... (more)

The main reason why you never leave a college football game early: College football is played by college students.

And college students, are, for the most part, idiots. (Moments from my freshman year: drinking a 40 oz. Budweiser and then singing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story while pirouetting around my dorm room. This led to vomiting and enforced celibacy.)

So you'll get moments like we had Saturday night at Husky Stadium: Arizona QB Nick Foles, who should've been handing the ball off to run down the clock, winging an ill-advised pass to a covered receiver, and having it bounce off the receiver's foot into the waiting arms of UW linebacker Mason Foster -- himself in the area because he'd decided to ignore his coaches' orders and blitz on the play--who grabs the ball and runs it into the end zone for a go-ahead score. (Here's a great breakdown of the play by the P-I's Greg Johns.)

They're calling it "The Immaculate Interception." Here's incredible video from the field-level: Foster comes right at you.

(more)

We await this weekend's football games like we would a root canal. Anxious, terrified, and just wanting it to be over.

Boy-band 'do or no, Nick Foles scares me

Realpolitik talk: Both the Huskies and Seahawks must win this weekend if they have any hope of postseason play. I'm not going to get into the numbers, just accept this as fact and keep reading.

On Saturday night, the Huskies host the the Arizona Wildcats and their frightening passing attack. Given the Huskies' secondary issues, this would be awful enough, but it's even worse because the Dawgs won't have either of their starting safeties. Free safety Justin Glenn is out for the season after breaking his leg against Notre Dame, and strong safety Nate Williams won't play after suffering a concussion in the same game. Two backups and even a true frosh will mix in at safety.

This just as Arizona seems to have found a quarterback: Soph. Nick Foles, who was 25/34 with 3 TDs and 0 interceptions in the 'Cats win at OSU last weekend. That's a 165 quarterback rating. Yipes.

Meanwhile the Seahawks are responding to their must-win status by rushing injured QB Matt Hasselbeck into action. Hasselbeck says he can throw despite his broken rib, which would be fine if he were a baseball player. Unfortunately, football is a contact sport, and the man protecting Hass's blind side is a third-stringer who is also playing hurt.

The Jaguars, the Hawks' opponent on Sunday, will overwhelm the left side of the Seahawks line, they will hit Hasselbeck, and only then will we really see how well that rib is healed.... (more)

Along with the ever-exciting baseball playoffs and must-win games for our top two local football teams, sports fans can enjoy a couple of non-sports events this weekend.

Sonics Movie

Well "enjoy" may be the wrong word for the emotions you'll feel at the premiere of Sonicsgate. The film about the Sonics' departure from Seattle, featuring interviews with major players like Slade Gorton, Kevin Calabro and Sleepy Sam Perkins, debuts tonight at SIFF, with an encore presentation Saturday at Pacific Place. Friday's screening is sold out, but you can get tickets for Saturday's here.

Tonight the film's producers are hosting an after-party at Spitfire, here are the details on that.

Seahawks Book

Mark Tye Turner, author of the Seahawks "fan-oir" Notes from a Twelfth Man, will be reading from and hosting a trivia contest surrounding his book tonight at F.X. McRory's. The trivia is free; first prize is a round of drinks and a $25 F.X. McRory's gift certificate. Should be a fun time and a moment to send happy thoughts to Matt Hasselbeck's ribs.

Little O helped lead the stellar '90 M's defense

The M's scored only 640 runs this season, their lowest non-strike-year total since 1990, but were a joy to watch for a baseball purist like me. I loved to watch that 1990 team too, for the same reason I loved these M's: Great defense.

The 1990 M's fielded a dazzling up-the-middle trio of Harold Reynolds, Ken Griffey Jr. and Omar Vizquel, who'd end up with 24 Gold Gloves between them. Reynolds and Griffey both won gilded mitts that year. Pete O'Brien, an above-average defender, held down first base, and a still-spry Edgar Martinez played third. 

The '90 M's finished 77-85, with ten fewer wins than this year's M's. But by one metric, they were actually a better team.

1990 Mariners--Fewer Wins, Better Team?

Both the 1990 and 2009 Mariners scored 640 runs. But while the 1990 M's allowed just 680 runs, the '09 M's gave up 692.

The critical difference came in one-run games. The '90 M's went 20-28 in such games, the '09 M's 35-20.

So I ask you: What made the '09 Mariners so much better in one-run games? Your answer--well, Jack Zduriencik's answer--will shape the future of the franchise.

Was it the bullpens? This year's M's had a stellar one, with David Aardsma recording 38 saves. The '90 M's also had a good bullpen, with Bill Swift, Mike Jackson, and screwballer Keith Comstock setting up for the M's first 30-save closer, Mike Schooler. But while the '90 M's bullpen ERA was about league-average (3.87 ERA; lg. avg., 3.92), the '09 M's 'pen was considerably better--compiling a 3.83 ERA when the league average was 4.46.... (more)

When I tell you that the highlight of the Seattle sports weekend was giving a standing ovation to a third-place team, you may think it wasn't much of a weekend. But it was epic, notably for our sports teams getting the worst Indiana lambasting since the Kerry campaign.

Notre Dame 37, Washington 30 (OT)

As I headed to Teddy's to watch Washington vs. Notre Dame (live from South Bend, Indiana), I wondered exactly how empty the bandwagon would be. Coming off the USC win, the bar was packed for Stanford. But after losing that game, how would it look? Let's let pictures tell the story:

Crowd at Teddy's for UW/Stanford

Crowd at Teddy's for UW/Notre Dame

So--yeah, Seattle sports fans, you are some fairweather sons of bitches. And you missed an amazing game, one that will always be remembered for the stunning inability of the Huskies to score one touchdown from twelve tries inside the one-yard-line. If you have a Husky fan at your office, I recommend putting his morning coffee three feet behind a white line and see... (more)

Somehow this music video featuring Eastside Catholic High School's football team got all the way to national sports site Deadspin before we saw it. Once again, we taste the sharp sting of blogger failure. On the bright side, the video is amazing. Put on your eye-black and get ready to rock.