Friday, December 24, 2004
EVEL
It's a light one today, understandably. Luckily there is something of note, as in someone finally breaking their silence.
BASEBALL
There isn't any news from the Mariners, but I think I'm at the point where I have to jam myself to solidly hit a baseball. I just know that the ball doesn't go as far if I get my arms extended. I don't know if this is crowding the plate gone awry or what. Then again, this judgment is made from tossing the ball up to myself and hitting it, and not from having taken any live arm or any hacks in the cage.
SEAHAWKS
Ray Rhodes speaks. Finally, we get to hear what is going on in the mind of the defensive coordinator of this team. He's hating every minute of this, which is easily discernable when he says he feels "like [he's] let this whole team down" and that "[y]ou don't go through a season like this without it just taking something out of you." He didn't use injuries as an excuse for the defensive ineptitude, but remained frustrated and took blame for brain farts (also called "breakdowns") by the players. I wish he would have said something about stopping the draw play, but I guess that's for another press conference. Steve Kelley in the latter link has a large amount of what Rhodes said to the media. Rhodes sometimes pulls 19-hour days in Kirkland and has begun taking some of his younger players in for early film sessions. Yes, Rhodes has definitely lost sleep over all of this.
Some think that one thing that could help the Seahawk defense would be a leader. Most of the veteran guys that would normally be considered leaders have been off the field for prolonged amounts of time this year. Early returns are suggesting that Ken Hamlin could be the leader, with several Holmgren and Rhodes (we know this because Rhodes actually talked to the media) being a couple who are mentioning the possibility. In a pure bit of comedy, Shawn Springs is lauded by Jose Miguel Romero as "an important on-field locker-room presence" during his time in Seattle. I'll leave the chance there for Jeremy to take that passage in the article out to the woodshed, but I'll just respond to it by bringing up a certain nugget from just last year: "PASS INTERFERENCE. DEFENSE, NUMBER 24. THE PENALTY WILL BE ENFORCED FROM THE SPOT OF THE FOUL. FIRST DOWN!"
BASKETBALL
Huskies
The deal was that if the Huskies got into the tournament last year, Coach Romar would let them grow some well-maintained facial hair. Also discussed were possibilities for headbands, high socks, and different colors of jerseys, all of which seem doomed by Romar.
Sonics
Robert Swift got his parents some new rides. It should be noted that their old rides were both newer than my car, a car I call the Grannymobile. Let's just say I'm not in the typical age demographic for people who drive the same make and model. Also, Antonio Daniels, Jerome James, Ray Allen, and Nick Collison all did not practice yesterday.In other news, Mateen Cleaves is the alternate player rep. I think Cleaves has seen the floor maybe twice this year and might get beaten out in minutes by Swifty.
I'm not sure if the Rick DuPree/Dick Fain (Rick and Dick) show on KJR's weekends exists anymore, but if it doesn't, it's probably because Rick is now the director of player resources for the Sonics. In a bit of trivia, Jerome Kersey was the first person hired to any such post in the NBA.
Upcoming...
Monday at Utah
Tuesday vs. Philadelphia
Thursday at Atlanta
HOCKEY
Nothing really of good news here. I've found the victim-impact statement which was written by Steve Moore and read on his behalf at Todd Bertuzzi's plea agreement hearing. From a formatting standpoint, the statement is in six scanned GIFs, so the viewing is slightly weird and some of the text is slanted.
Upcoming...
Monday: Lethbridge at Seattle, Manitoba at Cleveland
Tuesday: Lethbridge at Vancouver, Spokane at Everett, Portland at Prince George, Manitoba at Cleveland
Wednesday: Everett at Seattle, Portland at Prince George
New Year's Eve: Seattle at Portland, Chicago at Manitoba, Tri-City at Puget Sound
New Year's Day: Spokane at Vancouver, Seattle at Everett, Portland at Tri-City, Tri-City at Puget Sound
---
Here's to hoping that everyone's got their Christmas shopping done already. It's a good day to kick back. In other news, I haven't asked or expected anything for Christmas since the drums I got from the now defunct Drum Garage when I was 15. The Seattle Drum School later expanded and took up that whole building at 12510 15th NE. The building also used to have a cool cat that would come out to the parking lot to greet you at your car after you got out of it.
Have a jolly good Christmas Eve, dearest readers.
BASEBALL
There isn't any news from the Mariners, but I think I'm at the point where I have to jam myself to solidly hit a baseball. I just know that the ball doesn't go as far if I get my arms extended. I don't know if this is crowding the plate gone awry or what. Then again, this judgment is made from tossing the ball up to myself and hitting it, and not from having taken any live arm or any hacks in the cage.
SEAHAWKS
Ray Rhodes speaks. Finally, we get to hear what is going on in the mind of the defensive coordinator of this team. He's hating every minute of this, which is easily discernable when he says he feels "like [he's] let this whole team down" and that "[y]ou don't go through a season like this without it just taking something out of you." He didn't use injuries as an excuse for the defensive ineptitude, but remained frustrated and took blame for brain farts (also called "breakdowns") by the players. I wish he would have said something about stopping the draw play, but I guess that's for another press conference. Steve Kelley in the latter link has a large amount of what Rhodes said to the media. Rhodes sometimes pulls 19-hour days in Kirkland and has begun taking some of his younger players in for early film sessions. Yes, Rhodes has definitely lost sleep over all of this.
Some think that one thing that could help the Seahawk defense would be a leader. Most of the veteran guys that would normally be considered leaders have been off the field for prolonged amounts of time this year. Early returns are suggesting that Ken Hamlin could be the leader, with several Holmgren and Rhodes (we know this because Rhodes actually talked to the media) being a couple who are mentioning the possibility. In a pure bit of comedy, Shawn Springs is lauded by Jose Miguel Romero as "an important on-field locker-room presence" during his time in Seattle. I'll leave the chance there for Jeremy to take that passage in the article out to the woodshed, but I'll just respond to it by bringing up a certain nugget from just last year: "PASS INTERFERENCE. DEFENSE, NUMBER 24. THE PENALTY WILL BE ENFORCED FROM THE SPOT OF THE FOUL. FIRST DOWN!"
BASKETBALL
Huskies
The deal was that if the Huskies got into the tournament last year, Coach Romar would let them grow some well-maintained facial hair. Also discussed were possibilities for headbands, high socks, and different colors of jerseys, all of which seem doomed by Romar.
Sonics
Robert Swift got his parents some new rides. It should be noted that their old rides were both newer than my car, a car I call the Grannymobile. Let's just say I'm not in the typical age demographic for people who drive the same make and model. Also, Antonio Daniels, Jerome James, Ray Allen, and Nick Collison all did not practice yesterday.In other news, Mateen Cleaves is the alternate player rep. I think Cleaves has seen the floor maybe twice this year and might get beaten out in minutes by Swifty.
I'm not sure if the Rick DuPree/Dick Fain (Rick and Dick) show on KJR's weekends exists anymore, but if it doesn't, it's probably because Rick is now the director of player resources for the Sonics. In a bit of trivia, Jerome Kersey was the first person hired to any such post in the NBA.
Upcoming...
Monday at Utah
Tuesday vs. Philadelphia
Thursday at Atlanta
HOCKEY
Nothing really of good news here. I've found the victim-impact statement which was written by Steve Moore and read on his behalf at Todd Bertuzzi's plea agreement hearing. From a formatting standpoint, the statement is in six scanned GIFs, so the viewing is slightly weird and some of the text is slanted.
Upcoming...
Monday: Lethbridge at Seattle, Manitoba at Cleveland
Tuesday: Lethbridge at Vancouver, Spokane at Everett, Portland at Prince George, Manitoba at Cleveland
Wednesday: Everett at Seattle, Portland at Prince George
New Year's Eve: Seattle at Portland, Chicago at Manitoba, Tri-City at Puget Sound
New Year's Day: Spokane at Vancouver, Seattle at Everett, Portland at Tri-City, Tri-City at Puget Sound
---
Here's to hoping that everyone's got their Christmas shopping done already. It's a good day to kick back. In other news, I haven't asked or expected anything for Christmas since the drums I got from the now defunct Drum Garage when I was 15. The Seattle Drum School later expanded and took up that whole building at 12510 15th NE. The building also used to have a cool cat that would come out to the parking lot to greet you at your car after you got out of it.
Have a jolly good Christmas Eve, dearest readers.
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