Wednesday, November 03, 2004
ELECTION-FREE BLOGSPACE
Because I know you're sick, tired of, and bored with last night's (or the past ten months') events by now, here's the daily dose...
MARINERS
Eddie Guardado -- still a Mariner. Eddie picked up his option, which will net him $4M in 2005. Needless to say, he wouldn't have had other teams willing to throw a ton of money at him on the open market given his injury last year.
Bret Boone and Ichiro won Gold Gloves. It's no surprise for Ichiro, and maybe a tiny surprise for Boone, if you remember that stretch of a couple games where he was throwing balls off bats and not blocking the ball on a steal attempt. Another way to take this is that maybe the Gold Glove truly is being awarded to the best defensive player, what with Boone batting a brutal .251 last year. That kind of thinking would have gotten Jeff Cirillo the Gold Glove over Eric Chavez in 2002.
Also in the P-I article: the Royals granted the Mariners permission to talk to Frank White about the vacant third-base coaching position, and the Mariners named a player and pitcher of the year for every level on the farm. Randy Williams was the pitcher of the year for Tacoma. Yikes.
SEAHAWKS
The love in the press today is all directed at Jerry Wunsch. The twice-released lineman made the most of his chance after Steve Hutchinson sprained his ankle on Sunday, and the Times holds a Q&A with him. Of course, with all the yards that Shaun Alexander piled up when running to the left side last Sunday, I'm hoping Hutchinson is back as soon and as healthy as possible.
That P-I link elaborates that the Seahawks are so banged up in the receiving corps that one of Jerheme Urban, Taco Wallace, or Jason Willis will have to be signed off the practice squad to take the place of the broken collarboned Pro Bowl special teamer Alex Bannister. The special teams crew will dearly miss Bannister. As for Wallace, I do not believe he has divulged to reporters why he goes by Taco as a first name.
SONICS
Well, the season starts tonight for the 2004-05 version of the Sonics. Hence, a slew of articles accompany the team and the new NBA season.
Steve Kelley sums it up. I've said that I think .500 will be a miracle for this team, whereas Kelley is thinking along the lines of 37 wins for this team. Kelley also makes points about hearing the same ol' crap about salary cap room and then seeing no key free agents come to Seattle. The post-Jordan Bulls have that same problem. That's not good company to be associated with.
Ray Allen is good, but he's got to be all-world for this team to go places. Half the Sonic roster is due for free agency after the end of the season, including Allen. Of course, it must be good to have this many players (presumably more motivated) having their contracts years all at the same time, right? Consider the 2001-02 Clippers and then reexamine your initial answer to that last question.
For a more rosy picture on the Sonics' situation, read the latter part of this article. There's quotes from GM Rick Sund, and Sund denies that the team has no direction. I've got to say I'm leaning more toward the Kelley outlook on this team than I am with any scenario that Rick Sund could dream up.
David Locke also acknowledges the multi-free-agents-playing story, saying the Sonics could bond together and be really good, but the worst-case scenario could turn out to be the post-Darrell Armstrong Orlando Magic of last season (this would entail the Sonics imploding without Brent Barry).
HOCKEY
Add Vancouver Canuck and current Manitoba Moose Nolan Baumgartner to the list of players that would take a salary cap if it meant NHL hockey could resume. Of course, the NHLPA would have you believe that most players don't share Baumgartner's opinion.
The Times has given props to James Stucky, the Everett Silvertips' equipment manager, who also functions as something of a traveling logistics guy. His job is being put to the test thanks to a two-week, 3000-mile road trip. Apparently he handles laundry, and making sure the kids don't end up eating pizza every single day. If you ask me, I can eat pizza every day if you switch up the toppings with every new pizza. Oh yeah, there was a game tonight...
Prince George shut out Everett, 3-0. The 'Tips went a sickening 0-for-10 on the power play. Ouch. The Cougars are now riding a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2). Prince George scored on their second shot of the game and got a 2-0 lead just 7:11 into the game. Everett goalie Mike Wall fended off 21 of 23 shots.
Medicine Hat skunked Vancouver, 5-1. The Giants managed to score a goal against the Tigers on the road, but it was probably little consolation. Vancouver gave up four goals on the power play, with some of the goals surely coming after the many fights that took place. Mitch Bartley opened up the scoring in the game and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead before the Tigers reeled off the last five goals of the game. Vancouver goalie Marek Schwarz was pulled nine minutes into the final period, having given four goals on 34 shots (three power play goals). The recap on the Giants' website openly laments the fact that Triston Grant's major fighting penalty didn't draw the same penalty from the Tiger he had fought with. Also, JD Watt got into two fights.
Upcoming...
Wednesday: Seattle at Tri-City, Prince George at Portland, Vancouver at Swift Current
Thursday: Utah at Manitoba
Friday: Everett at Prince Albert, Portland at Tri-City, Vancouver at Red Deer, Puget Sound at Tri-City
Saturday: Everett at Saskatoon, Seattle at Portland, Vancouver at Lethbridge, Utah at Manitoba (final game at Winnipeg Arena), Puget Sound at Tri-City
Sunday: Vancouver at Calgary
---
Enjoy your opening day for the Sonics and keep in mind that the Seahawks are a mere four days from gameday in San Francisco.
MARINERS
Eddie Guardado -- still a Mariner. Eddie picked up his option, which will net him $4M in 2005. Needless to say, he wouldn't have had other teams willing to throw a ton of money at him on the open market given his injury last year.
Bret Boone and Ichiro won Gold Gloves. It's no surprise for Ichiro, and maybe a tiny surprise for Boone, if you remember that stretch of a couple games where he was throwing balls off bats and not blocking the ball on a steal attempt. Another way to take this is that maybe the Gold Glove truly is being awarded to the best defensive player, what with Boone batting a brutal .251 last year. That kind of thinking would have gotten Jeff Cirillo the Gold Glove over Eric Chavez in 2002.
Also in the P-I article: the Royals granted the Mariners permission to talk to Frank White about the vacant third-base coaching position, and the Mariners named a player and pitcher of the year for every level on the farm. Randy Williams was the pitcher of the year for Tacoma. Yikes.
SEAHAWKS
The love in the press today is all directed at Jerry Wunsch. The twice-released lineman made the most of his chance after Steve Hutchinson sprained his ankle on Sunday, and the Times holds a Q&A with him. Of course, with all the yards that Shaun Alexander piled up when running to the left side last Sunday, I'm hoping Hutchinson is back as soon and as healthy as possible.
That P-I link elaborates that the Seahawks are so banged up in the receiving corps that one of Jerheme Urban, Taco Wallace, or Jason Willis will have to be signed off the practice squad to take the place of the broken collarboned Pro Bowl special teamer Alex Bannister. The special teams crew will dearly miss Bannister. As for Wallace, I do not believe he has divulged to reporters why he goes by Taco as a first name.
SONICS
Well, the season starts tonight for the 2004-05 version of the Sonics. Hence, a slew of articles accompany the team and the new NBA season.
Steve Kelley sums it up. I've said that I think .500 will be a miracle for this team, whereas Kelley is thinking along the lines of 37 wins for this team. Kelley also makes points about hearing the same ol' crap about salary cap room and then seeing no key free agents come to Seattle. The post-Jordan Bulls have that same problem. That's not good company to be associated with.
Ray Allen is good, but he's got to be all-world for this team to go places. Half the Sonic roster is due for free agency after the end of the season, including Allen. Of course, it must be good to have this many players (presumably more motivated) having their contracts years all at the same time, right? Consider the 2001-02 Clippers and then reexamine your initial answer to that last question.
For a more rosy picture on the Sonics' situation, read the latter part of this article. There's quotes from GM Rick Sund, and Sund denies that the team has no direction. I've got to say I'm leaning more toward the Kelley outlook on this team than I am with any scenario that Rick Sund could dream up.
David Locke also acknowledges the multi-free-agents-playing story, saying the Sonics could bond together and be really good, but the worst-case scenario could turn out to be the post-Darrell Armstrong Orlando Magic of last season (this would entail the Sonics imploding without Brent Barry).
HOCKEY
Add Vancouver Canuck and current Manitoba Moose Nolan Baumgartner to the list of players that would take a salary cap if it meant NHL hockey could resume. Of course, the NHLPA would have you believe that most players don't share Baumgartner's opinion.
The Times has given props to James Stucky, the Everett Silvertips' equipment manager, who also functions as something of a traveling logistics guy. His job is being put to the test thanks to a two-week, 3000-mile road trip. Apparently he handles laundry, and making sure the kids don't end up eating pizza every single day. If you ask me, I can eat pizza every day if you switch up the toppings with every new pizza. Oh yeah, there was a game tonight...
Prince George shut out Everett, 3-0. The 'Tips went a sickening 0-for-10 on the power play. Ouch. The Cougars are now riding a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2). Prince George scored on their second shot of the game and got a 2-0 lead just 7:11 into the game. Everett goalie Mike Wall fended off 21 of 23 shots.
Medicine Hat skunked Vancouver, 5-1. The Giants managed to score a goal against the Tigers on the road, but it was probably little consolation. Vancouver gave up four goals on the power play, with some of the goals surely coming after the many fights that took place. Mitch Bartley opened up the scoring in the game and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead before the Tigers reeled off the last five goals of the game. Vancouver goalie Marek Schwarz was pulled nine minutes into the final period, having given four goals on 34 shots (three power play goals). The recap on the Giants' website openly laments the fact that Triston Grant's major fighting penalty didn't draw the same penalty from the Tiger he had fought with. Also, JD Watt got into two fights.
Upcoming...
Wednesday: Seattle at Tri-City, Prince George at Portland, Vancouver at Swift Current
Thursday: Utah at Manitoba
Friday: Everett at Prince Albert, Portland at Tri-City, Vancouver at Red Deer, Puget Sound at Tri-City
Saturday: Everett at Saskatoon, Seattle at Portland, Vancouver at Lethbridge, Utah at Manitoba (final game at Winnipeg Arena), Puget Sound at Tri-City
Sunday: Vancouver at Calgary
---
Enjoy your opening day for the Sonics and keep in mind that the Seahawks are a mere four days from gameday in San Francisco.
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