Saturday, December 25, 2004
MYRRHY CHRISTMAS
From both of us to all of you, Merry Christmas.
MARINERS
Christmas came earlier in the month for Mariner fans. The Mariners are hoping today that more than a few people gave the gift of the 16-Game Plan for Christmas.
SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks would like a win over the Cardinals for their belated Christmas present. So would the fans.
Run Shaun Run. That's what the game plan should be for Sunday's game, as the Cardinals have the NFL's 27th-ranked run defense. In the Seahawks' debacle earlier this year in Tempe, Shaun Alexander got only 12 carries, a season low. But it should be a good game plan, unless the Cardinals decide to go Miami Dolphins on us all. Still, the Cards have allowed hundred-yard days to luminaries such as Kevin Jones and Skip Hicks. Also, Matt Hasselbeck didn't throw in yesterday's practice, but will start Sunday. Darrell Jackson, Jerry Rice, Chad Brown, and Niko Koutouvides will start. Koren Robinson will split time with Rice.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
Marvin and the Heels have home games on Tuesday against UNC-Wilmington and Thursday against Cleveland State.
Huskies
You know, when Tom Penders was coaching the Longhorns in Austin, someone would have been more likely to be sympathetic to his cause. Yesterday, however, he was just the coach of the one-mighty Houston Cougars, railing against the officials when his team lost by only 47 points (110-63). While the officiating may have been quite horrible, I can't imagine that it would make up for a 47-point difference. Even Penders' wife was in the stands giving the refs some guff. Bobby Jones had 22 in the game, Jamaal Williams had 19, and Brandon Roy had 16, with an absolutely ridiculous tip jam which I managed to see on the local highlight reels.
The Huskies are off until New Year's Eve, when they open up Pac-10 play at home against the Cal Bears.
Bulldogs
The West Coast Conference is looking better and better. While Gonzaga does seem like the favorite, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's, and the USF are looking to give Gonzaga more of a run. I'll go out on a limb and say that Gonzaga will fail to go unbeaten in conference play this year. The fact that it happened last year is nuts in itself.
The Gonzaga nonconference schedule doesn't let up, as they have 3rd-ranked Oklahoma State in OKC Tuesday, and they go to Missouri on Thursday. Watch it there, Coach Few, it looks like you're trying to John Chaney your guys with that schedule...sheesh.
Sonics
It's Rashard Lewis buying toys for the kids staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Smiles are had for all, as well as the occasional spraying of "cans of goo." It's a feel-good story, and other Sonics' deeds in the community are mentioned as well. Such deeds are also highly encouraged by Coach McMillan.
Upcoming...
Monday at Utah
Tuesday vs. Philadelphia
Thursday at Atlanta
HOCKEY
If there had been no NHL work stoppage, the Canucks would have played in Edmonton tomorrow night. It was to be their 35th game of the season. The Canucks' 35th game last season was a 2-0 win at Calgary, taking the Canucks to a 19-8-6-2 record. The 31-save shutout was Dan Cloutier's second in three games. Mattias Ohlund and Brendan Morrison scored the goals. The Canucks were on a 5-1-3 hot streak, while the Flames were more than their namesake, rattling off an absolutely torrid 12-2-2-2 span. They had lost in regulation only twice in that span.
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
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Again, have a merry jolly Christmas. Enjoy your day.
MARINERS
Christmas came earlier in the month for Mariner fans. The Mariners are hoping today that more than a few people gave the gift of the 16-Game Plan for Christmas.
SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks would like a win over the Cardinals for their belated Christmas present. So would the fans.
Run Shaun Run. That's what the game plan should be for Sunday's game, as the Cardinals have the NFL's 27th-ranked run defense. In the Seahawks' debacle earlier this year in Tempe, Shaun Alexander got only 12 carries, a season low. But it should be a good game plan, unless the Cardinals decide to go Miami Dolphins on us all. Still, the Cards have allowed hundred-yard days to luminaries such as Kevin Jones and Skip Hicks. Also, Matt Hasselbeck didn't throw in yesterday's practice, but will start Sunday. Darrell Jackson, Jerry Rice, Chad Brown, and Niko Koutouvides will start. Koren Robinson will split time with Rice.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
Marvin and the Heels have home games on Tuesday against UNC-Wilmington and Thursday against Cleveland State.
Huskies
You know, when Tom Penders was coaching the Longhorns in Austin, someone would have been more likely to be sympathetic to his cause. Yesterday, however, he was just the coach of the one-mighty Houston Cougars, railing against the officials when his team lost by only 47 points (110-63). While the officiating may have been quite horrible, I can't imagine that it would make up for a 47-point difference. Even Penders' wife was in the stands giving the refs some guff. Bobby Jones had 22 in the game, Jamaal Williams had 19, and Brandon Roy had 16, with an absolutely ridiculous tip jam which I managed to see on the local highlight reels.
The Huskies are off until New Year's Eve, when they open up Pac-10 play at home against the Cal Bears.
Bulldogs
The West Coast Conference is looking better and better. While Gonzaga does seem like the favorite, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Saint Mary's, and the USF are looking to give Gonzaga more of a run. I'll go out on a limb and say that Gonzaga will fail to go unbeaten in conference play this year. The fact that it happened last year is nuts in itself.
The Gonzaga nonconference schedule doesn't let up, as they have 3rd-ranked Oklahoma State in OKC Tuesday, and they go to Missouri on Thursday. Watch it there, Coach Few, it looks like you're trying to John Chaney your guys with that schedule...sheesh.
Sonics
It's Rashard Lewis buying toys for the kids staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Smiles are had for all, as well as the occasional spraying of "cans of goo." It's a feel-good story, and other Sonics' deeds in the community are mentioned as well. Such deeds are also highly encouraged by Coach McMillan.
Upcoming...
Monday at Utah
Tuesday vs. Philadelphia
Thursday at Atlanta
HOCKEY
If there had been no NHL work stoppage, the Canucks would have played in Edmonton tomorrow night. It was to be their 35th game of the season. The Canucks' 35th game last season was a 2-0 win at Calgary, taking the Canucks to a 19-8-6-2 record. The 31-save shutout was Dan Cloutier's second in three games. Mattias Ohlund and Brendan Morrison scored the goals. The Canucks were on a 5-1-3 hot streak, while the Flames were more than their namesake, rattling off an absolutely torrid 12-2-2-2 span. They had lost in regulation only twice in that span.
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
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Again, have a merry jolly Christmas. Enjoy your day.
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Friday, December 24, 2004
JOHNNY OATES
Former Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles manager Johnny Oates died earlier today at the age of 58. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2001, just 6 months after resigning as manager of the Rangers.
Oates won three A.L. West titles (1996, 1998, 1999) during his six-year stint in Arlington (1995-2001). To this day, he is the only man to guide the Rangers to the playoffs. He also managed the Orioles from 1991-1994.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Oates family at this time.
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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
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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
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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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Thursday, December 23, 2004
WEEK 16 PICK ME UP
It's Week 16 in the National...Football League!
Week 15 wasn't too bad for me, as I went 10-6. But boy, did I miss on a few. Way to blow that one, New England. Same goes for you, Tampa Bay.
But hey, it's a new week. And it's a special edition of the Pick Me Up, since I'm posting this on Thursday instead of Friday. Packers-Vikings is on Christmas Eve, which is tomorrow. Hooray for an awesome football game on Christmas Eve!
WEEK 16
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24 (CHRISTMAS EVE)
Green Bay at Minnesota (FOX, 12 p.m. Pacific)
(The winner of this game takes the NFC North. Seahawks fans, this is one game you should watch with much anticipation.)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25 (CHRISTMAS DAY)
Oakland at Kansas City (CBS, 2 p.m. Pacific)
(Take the Chiefs at Arrowhead)
Denver at Tennessee (ESPN, 5:30 p.m. Pacific)
(UPSET OF THE WEEK. The Broncos are done)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26
EARLY GAMES
New York Giants at Cincinnati
(Carson Palmer may not play, but I'll still take the Bengals)
Chicago at Detroit
(Somehow I don't think the Lions will botch another snap this week)
San Diego at Indianapolis (CBS, televised in Arkansas)
(The winner of this game will earn the 3rd seed in the AFC)
Houston at Jacksonville
(What do Michael Vick and Byron Leftwich have in common? They are the only two quarterbacks to beat Brett Favre at Lambeau Field when the temperatures are below freezing.)
Atlanta at New Orleans (FOX, televised in Arkansas)
(Vick may not play in New Orleans, but it won't matter this week)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
(Win, and the Steelers clinch homefield advantage in the AFC)
LATE GAMES
Arizona at Seattle
(I want the Seahawks to finish 9-7. None of this 8-8 or, gasp, 7-9 garbage.)
New England at New York Jets
(Chad, it's a privilege to get your ass kicked by the Patriots)
Buffalo at San Francisco
(The Bills could bring back Alex Van Pelt to play quarterback and they would still beat the 49ers. This game is also known as the Chris Berman Classic.)
Carolina at Tampa Bay
(The Panthers deserve to finish 8-8)
Washington at Dallas (FOX, televised in Arkansas)
(Gibbs vs Parcells for the final time? We'll see in a few weeks.)
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Cleveland at Miami (ESPN)
(This is a game I don't plan on watching. I'll probably watch a movie or play a video game during the 7:30-10:30 period)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 27
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Philadelphia at St. Louis (ABC)
(LOCK OF THE WEEK. The Eagles minus Terrell Owens should be able to win this game in the Edward Jones Dome.)
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It is a four-day slate in the NFL this week, with the Packers-Vikings on Christmas Eve and the last Monday Night Football game of the season, Eagles-Rams.
You'll get to watch 8 NFL games this week. That's half of the 16 games that are scheduled. It's too bad for my sake that the Cardinals-Seahawks won't be one of the televised games here. But at least I have the internet so I can follow the game to the best of my abilities.
Check that, there's 7 games that I'll watch this weekend, since I said that I wouldn't watch the Browns-Dolphins. This is another reason why I'd be in favor of the NFL changing the TV schedule late in the season.
Anyways, enjoy the games and the presents that you'll receive.
Week 15 wasn't too bad for me, as I went 10-6. But boy, did I miss on a few. Way to blow that one, New England. Same goes for you, Tampa Bay.
But hey, it's a new week. And it's a special edition of the Pick Me Up, since I'm posting this on Thursday instead of Friday. Packers-Vikings is on Christmas Eve, which is tomorrow. Hooray for an awesome football game on Christmas Eve!
WEEK 16
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24 (CHRISTMAS EVE)
Green Bay at Minnesota (FOX, 12 p.m. Pacific)
(The winner of this game takes the NFC North. Seahawks fans, this is one game you should watch with much anticipation.)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25 (CHRISTMAS DAY)
Oakland at Kansas City (CBS, 2 p.m. Pacific)
(Take the Chiefs at Arrowhead)
Denver at Tennessee (ESPN, 5:30 p.m. Pacific)
(UPSET OF THE WEEK. The Broncos are done)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26
EARLY GAMES
New York Giants at Cincinnati
(Carson Palmer may not play, but I'll still take the Bengals)
Chicago at Detroit
(Somehow I don't think the Lions will botch another snap this week)
San Diego at Indianapolis (CBS, televised in Arkansas)
(The winner of this game will earn the 3rd seed in the AFC)
Houston at Jacksonville
(What do Michael Vick and Byron Leftwich have in common? They are the only two quarterbacks to beat Brett Favre at Lambeau Field when the temperatures are below freezing.)
Atlanta at New Orleans (FOX, televised in Arkansas)
(Vick may not play in New Orleans, but it won't matter this week)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
(Win, and the Steelers clinch homefield advantage in the AFC)
LATE GAMES
Arizona at Seattle
(I want the Seahawks to finish 9-7. None of this 8-8 or, gasp, 7-9 garbage.)
New England at New York Jets
(Chad, it's a privilege to get your ass kicked by the Patriots)
Buffalo at San Francisco
(The Bills could bring back Alex Van Pelt to play quarterback and they would still beat the 49ers. This game is also known as the Chris Berman Classic.)
Carolina at Tampa Bay
(The Panthers deserve to finish 8-8)
Washington at Dallas (FOX, televised in Arkansas)
(Gibbs vs Parcells for the final time? We'll see in a few weeks.)
SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Cleveland at Miami (ESPN)
(This is a game I don't plan on watching. I'll probably watch a movie or play a video game during the 7:30-10:30 period)
MONDAY, DECEMBER 27
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Philadelphia at St. Louis (ABC)
(LOCK OF THE WEEK. The Eagles minus Terrell Owens should be able to win this game in the Edward Jones Dome.)
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It is a four-day slate in the NFL this week, with the Packers-Vikings on Christmas Eve and the last Monday Night Football game of the season, Eagles-Rams.
You'll get to watch 8 NFL games this week. That's half of the 16 games that are scheduled. It's too bad for my sake that the Cardinals-Seahawks won't be one of the televised games here. But at least I have the internet so I can follow the game to the best of my abilities.
Check that, there's 7 games that I'll watch this weekend, since I said that I wouldn't watch the Browns-Dolphins. This is another reason why I'd be in favor of the NFL changing the TV schedule late in the season.
Anyways, enjoy the games and the presents that you'll receive.
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BACKLOGG
I just went through and put in the cumulative records into last year's Canuck archive, last year's Mariner archive, and the current Sonic archive. The result? You get to know what the teams' records were after each game, and I figure that's always a good thing.
I discovered one discrepancy where in the Mariners' April 11th game, I had listed it as a 10-5 defeat in Anaheim, when in fact it was a 9-4 win at Oakland. Also, the game on the 14th was actually a 6-5 loss at Anaheim, not a 7-5 loss at Oakland.
I hope nobody had bets riding on either what I had posted being correct or if I would ever correct these mistakes at all.
Either way, dig through our archives, because it's good clean fun.
[Edit ~6:34a -- Imagine my reaction when I'd gone through and added up all the Mariners' wins and losses via that archive, and then come out with 62-100. Then imagine how I felt when I realized I'd messed up on an April game. Yeah, it took a while to fix. Basically, my original error had the Mariners starting out 0-8 as opposed to just losing the first five games of the season.]
I discovered one discrepancy where in the Mariners' April 11th game, I had listed it as a 10-5 defeat in Anaheim, when in fact it was a 9-4 win at Oakland. Also, the game on the 14th was actually a 6-5 loss at Anaheim, not a 7-5 loss at Oakland.
I hope nobody had bets riding on either what I had posted being correct or if I would ever correct these mistakes at all.
Either way, dig through our archives, because it's good clean fun.
[Edit ~6:34a -- Imagine my reaction when I'd gone through and added up all the Mariners' wins and losses via that archive, and then come out with 62-100. Then imagine how I felt when I realized I'd messed up on an April game. Yeah, it took a while to fix. Basically, my original error had the Mariners starting out 0-8 as opposed to just losing the first five games of the season.]
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SEMI-EVEL
It's Christmas Eve Eve. I don't think there's much chance for a white Christmas in Puget Sound, but get this, apparently Jeremy has a really good chance at a white Christmas in Arkansas. I'll be damned.
All told, here is the stuff...
MARINERS
Derek Zumsteg of the USS Mariner is now officially Off the Wall at the P-I. Congrats to Derek -- the maiden voyage touches on the signings of Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, as well as a little bit of the myth of the no-superstar 2001 Mariners. It's all good news anyway, because the USS Mariner will get more pub, then the Mariner blogosphere will get pub, and somewhere along the way, we might even get a tiny spike in incoming activity (perish the thought) out of this. Yay for a weekly column out of someone in the blogosphere, huh? The only logical next move is to get Peter White to write columns for the Times.
SEAHAWKS
As Jeremy posted, the Seahawks are sending at least three players to the Pro Bowl. Three cheers for the best left side in football and the guy who runs through their holes.
Something of slight note is that Shaun Alexander and Isaiah Kacyvenski had a little tension yesterday. More of note is that Matt Hasselbeck didn't throw in practice. Also, Niko Koutouvides may have his first NFL start on Sunday. Curtis Randall is the third linebacker to be lost for the season, along with DD Lewis and Anthony Simmons. Tracy White aggravated his hamstring injury.
Lastly, Koren Robinson is back from serving the suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, and quickly delivers some unintentionally hilarious quotes. I'm glad that Greg Bishop clarified that Koren missed being in the huddle and with his teammates, because without that clarification after the sentence, "[t]hat's what he missed the most these last five weeks," the thought of Koren being with his teammates might not be the first thing that comes to mind (trust me, read the article). I'm just hoping Koren doesn't take a sledgehammer to this offense did like Joey Galloway did after coming back from his contract holdout during the 1999 season. You might remember that one...Jon Kitna was involved, the team started 8-2, backed into the playoffs with a 9-7 record, and got beat by the Dolphins in the first round (who in turn got blasted by the Jags 62-7 in the second round). One thing hasn't changed when you compare the two teams...those 1999 Seahawks dropped a lot of passes too, specifically Sean Dawkins.
BASKETBALL
Huskies
Brandon Roy sat this one out, but like I suspected, it didn't matter as the Huskies took Sacred Heart out to the woodshed with a 114-53 beating. Eight Huskies in double figures? Yikes, I say. Bob Sherwin rubs it in by documenting the ill-fated dunk attempt of Sacred Heart forward and Kentridge grad Joey Henley. In Dan Raley's words, Sacred Heart entered, Broken Heart left. The game was apparently scheduled to give Henley and Brice Brooks of Central Kitsap a chance to play in front of friends and family. I'll let you know if Brooks gets a huge write-up in the Sun tomorrow, but I probably won't link it since the Sun has gone the route of registration and wants mailing addresses. [Edit ~1:49p -- Brooks got one-third of the front page in today's Sun sports section.]
Also, Blaine Newnham says the Huskies' future looks bright, and that Lorenzo Romar has to be prepared for any possible defections when it comes to the lineup, and he's got to keep the recruiting at a high-calibre level just in case.
Sonics
For my take on the game last night, scroll down one post or click here if archived.
It's kind of amazing in a way that Ray Allen can be "two steps slower than everybody else" and still put up 20 points. Granted, he did miss 13 of his 20 shots, but I can't say I've ever scored 20 points while battling an upper respiratory infection. The peak of playing sick for me was trying out for the baseball team my sophomore year in high school and having an incredibly phlegmy throat that week. I did see Kenyon Martin's putback slam on NBA Fastbreak and I was finally able to put a picture to what Kevin Calabro described, saying that it seemed Martin was in the air forever before he got the ball with one hand, got the second hand on it, and then packed it. The Ron Murray play that's making it into some of the highlight reels has him seeing a small gap and then driving through it to the basket, and the layup to me looked very Payton-esque. The Sonics have yet to lose consecutive games this season. Also, Ron Murray was largely filling in for Antonio Daniels (acute tonsillitis), so I don't think we can make any judgments regarding Nate McMillan's goal to get Ray Allen down to 38 minutes a game to keep him fresh for the later months in the season. Murray played 27 minutes last night, and Allen played 41.
The notebook is largely a look at Daniels' tonsillitis situation and Ray Allen's situation and not having his legs under him, as a couple of his shots fell short. Also, Ibrahim Kutluay made his NBA debut in garbage time last night. The Turk is wearing number 11. Detlef Schrempf could not be reached for comment.
Danny O'Neil talks about the game that included a sick Ray Allen, no Carmelo Anthony, and apparently not much of a game if the fans' reaction was any indication. O'Neil spends the last few lines talking about the runs in the game.
Upcoming...
Monday at Utah
Tuesday vs. Philadelphia
Thursday at Atlanta
HOCKEY
The WHL is off until Tuesday, but Thunderbirds coach Rob Sumner still emailed every one of his players saying that they've still got some work to do, and especially so on the power play, which is 18th in the 20-team WHL. Even so, the T-Birds are leading the league in fewest goals against by 14. They also have been voted second-best team in the Canadian Hockey League by writers. The number one team is the London Knights of Ontario, who set a record by starting the season with a record 31-game unbeaten streak. The Knights are now 30-1-2-0, but the T-Birds can be proud of their own sparkling 23-8-0-1 record.
If the NHL had no work stoppage and the season went on as scheduled, the Canucks would be at GM Place tonight hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. It would be the 34th game of the season for Vancouver. The Canucks' 34th game last year was a 4-4 tie at home against the Los Angeles Kings. Their record after 34 games last year was 18-8-6-2.
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
---
Have a joyous Thursday, and if you're shopping, be careful when driving in parking lots. Remember, a collision at 10mph is still a collision.
All told, here is the stuff...
MARINERS
Derek Zumsteg of the USS Mariner is now officially Off the Wall at the P-I. Congrats to Derek -- the maiden voyage touches on the signings of Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, as well as a little bit of the myth of the no-superstar 2001 Mariners. It's all good news anyway, because the USS Mariner will get more pub, then the Mariner blogosphere will get pub, and somewhere along the way, we might even get a tiny spike in incoming activity (perish the thought) out of this. Yay for a weekly column out of someone in the blogosphere, huh? The only logical next move is to get Peter White to write columns for the Times.
SEAHAWKS
As Jeremy posted, the Seahawks are sending at least three players to the Pro Bowl. Three cheers for the best left side in football and the guy who runs through their holes.
Something of slight note is that Shaun Alexander and Isaiah Kacyvenski had a little tension yesterday. More of note is that Matt Hasselbeck didn't throw in practice. Also, Niko Koutouvides may have his first NFL start on Sunday. Curtis Randall is the third linebacker to be lost for the season, along with DD Lewis and Anthony Simmons. Tracy White aggravated his hamstring injury.
Lastly, Koren Robinson is back from serving the suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, and quickly delivers some unintentionally hilarious quotes. I'm glad that Greg Bishop clarified that Koren missed being in the huddle and with his teammates, because without that clarification after the sentence, "[t]hat's what he missed the most these last five weeks," the thought of Koren being with his teammates might not be the first thing that comes to mind (trust me, read the article). I'm just hoping Koren doesn't take a sledgehammer to this offense did like Joey Galloway did after coming back from his contract holdout during the 1999 season. You might remember that one...Jon Kitna was involved, the team started 8-2, backed into the playoffs with a 9-7 record, and got beat by the Dolphins in the first round (who in turn got blasted by the Jags 62-7 in the second round). One thing hasn't changed when you compare the two teams...those 1999 Seahawks dropped a lot of passes too, specifically Sean Dawkins.
BASKETBALL
Huskies
Brandon Roy sat this one out, but like I suspected, it didn't matter as the Huskies took Sacred Heart out to the woodshed with a 114-53 beating. Eight Huskies in double figures? Yikes, I say. Bob Sherwin rubs it in by documenting the ill-fated dunk attempt of Sacred Heart forward and Kentridge grad Joey Henley. In Dan Raley's words, Sacred Heart entered, Broken Heart left. The game was apparently scheduled to give Henley and Brice Brooks of Central Kitsap a chance to play in front of friends and family. I'll let you know if Brooks gets a huge write-up in the Sun tomorrow, but I probably won't link it since the Sun has gone the route of registration and wants mailing addresses. [Edit ~1:49p -- Brooks got one-third of the front page in today's Sun sports section.]
Also, Blaine Newnham says the Huskies' future looks bright, and that Lorenzo Romar has to be prepared for any possible defections when it comes to the lineup, and he's got to keep the recruiting at a high-calibre level just in case.
Sonics
For my take on the game last night, scroll down one post or click here if archived.
It's kind of amazing in a way that Ray Allen can be "two steps slower than everybody else" and still put up 20 points. Granted, he did miss 13 of his 20 shots, but I can't say I've ever scored 20 points while battling an upper respiratory infection. The peak of playing sick for me was trying out for the baseball team my sophomore year in high school and having an incredibly phlegmy throat that week. I did see Kenyon Martin's putback slam on NBA Fastbreak and I was finally able to put a picture to what Kevin Calabro described, saying that it seemed Martin was in the air forever before he got the ball with one hand, got the second hand on it, and then packed it. The Ron Murray play that's making it into some of the highlight reels has him seeing a small gap and then driving through it to the basket, and the layup to me looked very Payton-esque. The Sonics have yet to lose consecutive games this season. Also, Ron Murray was largely filling in for Antonio Daniels (acute tonsillitis), so I don't think we can make any judgments regarding Nate McMillan's goal to get Ray Allen down to 38 minutes a game to keep him fresh for the later months in the season. Murray played 27 minutes last night, and Allen played 41.
The notebook is largely a look at Daniels' tonsillitis situation and Ray Allen's situation and not having his legs under him, as a couple of his shots fell short. Also, Ibrahim Kutluay made his NBA debut in garbage time last night. The Turk is wearing number 11. Detlef Schrempf could not be reached for comment.
Danny O'Neil talks about the game that included a sick Ray Allen, no Carmelo Anthony, and apparently not much of a game if the fans' reaction was any indication. O'Neil spends the last few lines talking about the runs in the game.
Upcoming...
Monday at Utah
Tuesday vs. Philadelphia
Thursday at Atlanta
HOCKEY
The WHL is off until Tuesday, but Thunderbirds coach Rob Sumner still emailed every one of his players saying that they've still got some work to do, and especially so on the power play, which is 18th in the 20-team WHL. Even so, the T-Birds are leading the league in fewest goals against by 14. They also have been voted second-best team in the Canadian Hockey League by writers. The number one team is the London Knights of Ontario, who set a record by starting the season with a record 31-game unbeaten streak. The Knights are now 30-1-2-0, but the T-Birds can be proud of their own sparkling 23-8-0-1 record.
If the NHL had no work stoppage and the season went on as scheduled, the Canucks would be at GM Place tonight hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. It would be the 34th game of the season for Vancouver. The Canucks' 34th game last year was a 4-4 tie at home against the Los Angeles Kings. Their record after 34 games last year was 18-8-6-2.
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
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Have a joyous Thursday, and if you're shopping, be careful when driving in parking lots. Remember, a collision at 10mph is still a collision.
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Wednesday, December 22, 2004
GAME 24: SUPERSONICS 98, NUGGETS 83
SuperSonics 98, Nuggets 83
Basically the story tonight other than Ray Allen playing with bronchitis/flu/upper respiratory infection (wasn't he sick on the east coast swing too?) was the bench scoring, namely that of Vlad Radmanovic and the full-on return of Ron Murray as a bonafide offensive threat. Murray stepped in nicely for Antonio Daniels, who was out with tonsillitis.
I don't have much for game notes tonight, on account of a sprinkle of Christmas shopping. However, I did see most of the first quarter and a good portion of the fourth quarter.
---
Ridiculous half-court play in the beginning minutes...ball saved from backcourt violation and out of bounds on the same possession. Offensive boards looking good in the early going. Sonics let Nuggets get back in it after building 10-2 lead.
Fortson fouls out at 10:12 of 4th quarter.
---
Yeah, I didn't take much for notes, but I do know that the Sonics shook the cobwebs after the first half.
This next part, well, it's thanks to some play-by-play.
The Sonics jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game thanks in part to two offensive boards and a basket from Reggie Evans. The Nuggets got to within four at 14-10 before the Sonics reeled off the next seven points thanks to a three by Allen and free throws by Rashard Lewis and Radmanovic.
The Nuggets were within six at 34-28 after the Sonics had given up ten points in the first 2:08 of the second quarter after giving up 15 points in all of the first quarter. The Sonics dealt with this by going on a 12-0 tear. The Sonics led 53-38 at half.
[Add-on from Danny O'Neil's piece -- the Nuggets got within three at 28-25 before the last paragraph.]
Denver reeled off a 10-2 run which included a Kenyon Martin high-flying dunk (I really need to catch the replay of this) to bring themselves within six once again (64-58) in the third quarter before Vlad Radmanovic stuck a basket on the next possession. Andre Miller laid one in on the other end of the floor, but Vlad drained a three on the ensuing possession. The Nuggets never got closer after that run.
PEEK AT THE BOXSCORE
starters: Rashard Lewis 21 pts/4 reb (7-15 FG, 5-5 free throws), Ray Allen 20 pts/5 reb (7-20 FG, 4-4 free throws), Luke Ridnour 4 pts/5 ast (2-11 FG), Reggie Evans 6 pts/12 reb/3 ast/3 stl
bench: Vlad Radmanovic 19 pts/9 reb (7-14 FG, 3-6 3pt), Ron Murray 15 pts/5 reb/4 ast (6-13 FG, 27 mins), Nick Collison 6 pts/8 reb, Danny Fortson 3 pts/3 reb (10 mins, fouled out)
Jerome James Watch: 4 pts/2 stl (17 mins)
team: shot 37-for-85 from field (43.5%), shot 7-for-21 from downtown, outrebounded Denver 48-35, bench outscored Denver's bench 43-34
Reggie Evans did his best impression of Andrei Kirilenko Lite, filling up everything on the stat sheet, though without any blocks. Murray and Ridnour combined for 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and zero turnovers. What a great line put in by Collison to pick up for Fortson, and Jerome James isn't a defensive slouch this year. He's using his height and width here and there and is chipping in a basket or two here and there. Amazingly, he didn't get a rebound in this game. I saw him almost get one early in the game, but Evans wrestled it away from him.
The only unfortunate notes are that Danny Fortson got fouls left and right for locking horns with Nene (Hilario) and the rest of the Nuggets' frontcourt, and that Luke Ridnour is now 6-for-37 (16.2%) over the last four games.
Basically the story tonight other than Ray Allen playing with bronchitis/flu/upper respiratory infection (wasn't he sick on the east coast swing too?) was the bench scoring, namely that of Vlad Radmanovic and the full-on return of Ron Murray as a bonafide offensive threat. Murray stepped in nicely for Antonio Daniels, who was out with tonsillitis.
I don't have much for game notes tonight, on account of a sprinkle of Christmas shopping. However, I did see most of the first quarter and a good portion of the fourth quarter.
---
Ridiculous half-court play in the beginning minutes...ball saved from backcourt violation and out of bounds on the same possession. Offensive boards looking good in the early going. Sonics let Nuggets get back in it after building 10-2 lead.
Fortson fouls out at 10:12 of 4th quarter.
---
Yeah, I didn't take much for notes, but I do know that the Sonics shook the cobwebs after the first half.
This next part, well, it's thanks to some play-by-play.
The Sonics jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game thanks in part to two offensive boards and a basket from Reggie Evans. The Nuggets got to within four at 14-10 before the Sonics reeled off the next seven points thanks to a three by Allen and free throws by Rashard Lewis and Radmanovic.
The Nuggets were within six at 34-28 after the Sonics had given up ten points in the first 2:08 of the second quarter after giving up 15 points in all of the first quarter. The Sonics dealt with this by going on a 12-0 tear. The Sonics led 53-38 at half.
[Add-on from Danny O'Neil's piece -- the Nuggets got within three at 28-25 before the last paragraph.]
Denver reeled off a 10-2 run which included a Kenyon Martin high-flying dunk (I really need to catch the replay of this) to bring themselves within six once again (64-58) in the third quarter before Vlad Radmanovic stuck a basket on the next possession. Andre Miller laid one in on the other end of the floor, but Vlad drained a three on the ensuing possession. The Nuggets never got closer after that run.
PEEK AT THE BOXSCORE
starters: Rashard Lewis 21 pts/4 reb (7-15 FG, 5-5 free throws), Ray Allen 20 pts/5 reb (7-20 FG, 4-4 free throws), Luke Ridnour 4 pts/5 ast (2-11 FG), Reggie Evans 6 pts/12 reb/3 ast/3 stl
bench: Vlad Radmanovic 19 pts/9 reb (7-14 FG, 3-6 3pt), Ron Murray 15 pts/5 reb/4 ast (6-13 FG, 27 mins), Nick Collison 6 pts/8 reb, Danny Fortson 3 pts/3 reb (10 mins, fouled out)
Jerome James Watch: 4 pts/2 stl (17 mins)
team: shot 37-for-85 from field (43.5%), shot 7-for-21 from downtown, outrebounded Denver 48-35, bench outscored Denver's bench 43-34
Reggie Evans did his best impression of Andrei Kirilenko Lite, filling up everything on the stat sheet, though without any blocks. Murray and Ridnour combined for 25 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and zero turnovers. What a great line put in by Collison to pick up for Fortson, and Jerome James isn't a defensive slouch this year. He's using his height and width here and there and is chipping in a basket or two here and there. Amazingly, he didn't get a rebound in this game. I saw him almost get one early in the game, but Evans wrestled it away from him.
The only unfortunate notes are that Danny Fortson got fouls left and right for locking horns with Nene (Hilario) and the rest of the Nuggets' frontcourt, and that Luke Ridnour is now 6-for-37 (16.2%) over the last four games.
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3 SEAHAWKS IN THE PRO BOWL
Seahawks.com
There will be 3 Seahawks in the Pro Bowl, to be played Feb. 13 in Hawaii.
---RB Shaun Alexander
Alexander leads the NFC in rushing with 1,462 yards, a career high. He also leads the NFC in rushing touchdowns (12), total touchdowns (16), and points scored (96). The Seahawks have to do whatever they can to re-sign Alexander. Who is going to replace him? Maurice Morris? I don't buy it.
---LT Walter Jones
This is Jones' 5th appearance in the Pro Bowl, 4th consecutive (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004). At this point, I could care less if he skips training camp. The man just gets it done.
---LG Steve Hutchinson
Hutchinson will join Jones in Hawaii for the 2nd consecutive season.
Alexander averages 6.1 yards running behind Jones and Hutchinson. There isn't another left side in football that is more productive.
QB Matt Hasselbeck, FB Mack Strong, CB Ken Lucas, and K Josh Brown are alternates and will be selected if another player decides not to go or is injured, which is very likely. I expect Lucas to go to Hawaii. Brown is a possibility as well.
Congrats to the Seahawks Pro Bowlers.
There will be 3 Seahawks in the Pro Bowl, to be played Feb. 13 in Hawaii.
---RB Shaun Alexander
Alexander leads the NFC in rushing with 1,462 yards, a career high. He also leads the NFC in rushing touchdowns (12), total touchdowns (16), and points scored (96). The Seahawks have to do whatever they can to re-sign Alexander. Who is going to replace him? Maurice Morris? I don't buy it.
---LT Walter Jones
This is Jones' 5th appearance in the Pro Bowl, 4th consecutive (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004). At this point, I could care less if he skips training camp. The man just gets it done.
---LG Steve Hutchinson
Hutchinson will join Jones in Hawaii for the 2nd consecutive season.
Alexander averages 6.1 yards running behind Jones and Hutchinson. There isn't another left side in football that is more productive.
QB Matt Hasselbeck, FB Mack Strong, CB Ken Lucas, and K Josh Brown are alternates and will be selected if another player decides not to go or is injured, which is very likely. I expect Lucas to go to Hawaii. Brown is a possibility as well.
Congrats to the Seahawks Pro Bowlers.
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THE CLOWNING
Before I get started here in the usual fashion, I want to bring up two things.
One, there's going to be cuts at the Seattle Times. I originally saw a report on KOMO about this, and Connie Thompson (midday newscast) was at the desk reporting that there would be cuts, and the number 18% was given, as well as the word "sports." I think the last time I heard about sports getting curtailed in the Seattle media, it was KIRO cutting the sports segments on the evening newscasts to one minute in length. I think that happened somewhere in the weird transition phase between Tony Ventrella going to Q13 and Gaard Swanson being hired onto the KIRO payroll.
The second thing I wanted to bring up: maybe the Times should hike their ad price way up so they don't have to pink-slip anyone, or at least raise the ad prices for the Mariners. Have you read any of the sports stories at their page yet? These ads for the 16-game plans are at the top of EVERY article. Seriously, I've got nine browsers' worth of Seattle Times sports stories open right now and every one of them has the ad.
Technically I'm out of "things," but the Times also is running an article today where Ron Judd follows up on all the local Olympians he covered last summer. This of course includes Bremerton swimmer Tara Kirk. After getting two bronze medals at the Short Course Worlds in Indianapolis last October, Tara, in her words, "didn't do anything." Of course, that just refers to the pool. Taking classes at Stanford -- and if it's Tara, they definitely aren't easy -- definitely is far from doing nothing. Upon receiving her Olympic silver medal, she stored it in a sock, which isn't the most odd story I've heard of or seen involving a medal. I saw that a Canadian medalist had his medal somewhere in his car, hidden either in the glove compartment or beneath the seatcushions.
Now, the usual.
MARINERS
No new articles concerning the Mariners today out of the Seattle dailies. I guess I could wait a couple hours (it's 1:10am as I write this) and wait for the News Tribune to get their new stuff up. Maybe not. Maybe we should just pretend we're the ad wizards behind the Mariners' next ad campaign and toss out a bunch of ideas.
This isn't one of the commercial ideas, but Richie Sexson and/or Eddie Guardado absolutely MUST plant a clown inside Bob Melvin's office before they play the Diamondbacks. Then have one waiting at his car. Then his house. THIS HAS TO HAPPEN. Who's with me? They've got to think of something clown-related. In a related note, the caller on KJR's Groz With Gas Mails that played Bob Melvin being freaked out by clowns was priceless.
SEAHAWKS
Matt Hasselbeck has been playing hurt. He's battered and bruised, but as Trent Dilfer says, it's "no different than what any other quarterback is going through." In other words, tough. At least Hasselbeck's not whining about it. He's actually done quite well since the initial multi-week hangover from the Mother of All Charley Horses. Hasselbeck's playing hurt, but I think he may have learned a thing or two after being the understudy of Brett Favre, who in my mind is the most durable quarterback of our generation.
Jose Miguel Romero sits down with Maurice Morris. Romero grills him on the kickoff and punt return game, but then lets him off easy in the second half of the interview. What did I get out of the first half? The Seahawks' return game is utterly predictable.
Mike Holmgren says that no matter what, getting into the playoffs in itself is an accomplishment. Ken Hamlin suggests that it's an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. But even a playoff berth is far from sealed at this point. Jeremy posted the playoff scenarios yesterday if the Seahawks win the NFC West, which in the very least would be great because we all could get bittersweet 2004 NFC West Division Champions shirts out of it. Amidst all this playoff speculation there still exists a doomsday scenario in which the Seahawks lay down for their two remaining games and Arizona runs the table. Both teams would be 7-9 and Arizona would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks by virtue of beating them twice. Of course, this may or may not depend on Saint Louis losing one of their remaining games, and I didn't want to think much beyond the second tiebreaker in the "three-way tie" scenario if they all ended up 7-9. I'll probably leave that to Jeremy. If you want to do all of this for yourself, do it here. You might want to pop up a couple of other browser windows too with a few teams' schedules and scores. Common opponents isn't the easiest tiebreaker to discern without the use of a pencil and paper or a mind that doesn't get cluttered easily.
But the real neat thing about the tiebreaker link is learning that the 12th tiebreaker in a tie for a wild card playoff spot involving three or more teams is a coin toss. I bet if the Seahawks got into that scenario, they'd be duped by a two-headed coin, something that would mysteriously fail to be ratted out, unlike on Friday Night Lights.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
The Tar Heels beat Vermont last night by a score of 93-65. North Carolina is off until Tuesday, when they host UNC-Wilmington. Through ten games, Bremerton grad Marvin Williams is averaging 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 21.8 minutes a game and leads Roy Williams' bench in minutes.
Huskies
There's a chance that Brandon Roy won't play against Sacred Heart tonight, not that it should matter. Roy wouldn't have played if the Huskies had built up a substantial lead against NC State on Sunday, but that game was a tight one. As a result, the Huskies are left with Tre Simmons, who is averaging 16.4 points a game and pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game, the latter of which leads the team. Also, don't forget to see the map in Bob Sherwin's article which will answer the long-standing question, "Where is Sacred Heart University?"
Bulldogs
Jeremy covered the Gonzaga game, an 83-70 win by the Bulldogs over the Eagles from Eastern Washington.
Sonics
Meet former Husky and Kentucky Wildcat Mark Pope -- twelfth man and loving it. He's on the injured list for the Nuggets with one of those BS injuries, in this case, patellar tendinitis. Why does he like it? He's played 20 minutes over the past two seasons, he's made $1.3M, and the meter is still ticking. Absolutely insane. He's planning for med school whenever this whole basketball thing goes away. He's a well-learned man, this Mark Pope guy. He's also a well-behaved guy, well-liked among teams for which he's played and in the locker rooms he's inhabited. Such cannot be said for former UNC player and former Sonic training camper Joe Forte (a vestige of the Vin Baker trade), who has basically been blacklisted from the NBA since his ruckus with the Sonics (details were withheld as far as I knew), and justifiably so. I haven't heard of anyone liking Forte's locker room presence.
Here's to hoping the Sonics don't come out flat in the first quarter. They haven't played since Friday. I'm just hoping Ron Murray has learned the flow of the offense a little better in practice, because I think more and more that this team needs him to fill some of Ray Allen's minutes.
As said in both of the two articles, Carmelo Anthony will not play tonight. Danny Fortson (second link) suggests that the Nuggets play better and have better ball movement without Carmelo. In a peculiar note, Ray Allen, Antonio Daniels, and Jerome James all had the flu or flu-like symptoms. They are expected to play. Also, Rashard Lewis practiced yesterday.
Steve Kelley on the Vince Carter play-tipping story: big deal. In the NBA, chances are that every team knows what plays the other team is running. However, it's all in the matter of how those plays are executed that determines who gets the competitive edge or emerges victorious (insert cliche here). In somewhat of a personal story, my junior legion coach used to tell us that even if we told everyone and their mother at the field and in the stands that we were going to lay down a sacrifice bunt, it should still work if we execute it correctly. Hey, I thought it was a decent analogy. I'm trying here. In another note, someone forgot to spell-check Kelley's article, because the correct spelling of the Denver's head coach's surname is Bzdelik, as opposed to "Bzedlik." I know it's hard to spell, but it kinda rubs it in when it's repeated a bunch of times in the article.
Upcoming...
Tonight vs. Denver
Monday at Utah
HOCKEY
The more joyful news is that the World Junior Championships start on Christmas Day, with four games being played. Canada (composed mostly of WHL players) will play Slovakia and the USA (composed mostly of college players) will play Russia. Surprisingly, ESPN actually cares about this tournament, and will televise three of the preliminary games involving Team USA, and all elimination round games involving Team USA. Unfortunately, the CBC isn't televising the tournament, or else I'd be able to give you something similar to the World Cup coverage.
Todd Bertuzzi is taking the plea agreement for his assault charge, thereby avoiding trial and a jail sentence. Though he definitely still has the fans in Vancouver on his side, I can't help but think, as a Canuck fan outside of Vancouver, that perhaps they might be jaded in the same way that a lot of the fans of the Lakers still haven't soured on Kobe Bryant.
As somewhat of a dark commemoration, the Clip of the Night on Dan Russell's Sportstalk show out of Vancouver last night was the replay of John Shorthouse and Tom Larscheid doing the Canuck broadcast of the Bertuzzi incident. Quotes from Larscheid: "God, it makes me so mad when you see stuff like that" and "Everyone knows I love the game of hockey, but I hated this game here tonight." Something that will forever be completely overshadowed by the suckerpunch will be that Trevor Linden became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Vancouver Canucks in that 9-2 defeat at GM Place against Colorado. I hope you like the way I set up that recap. Think "brick wall." The press conference the next morning was to announce deadline deals that the Canucks had done.
As for more immediate reaction from the Bertuzzi incident, here's Jeremy twice, along with columnists and bloggers. All the hoopla and the feelings surrounding all of this came back to me as I read through those posts after digging them out of the archive, and it was quite harrowing.
Upcoming...
no WHL or AHL games from the 19th to the 26th, NorPac is off the weekend of the 24th and 25th as well
---
Have a happy safe Wednesday, each and every one of you, the devil inside (cue the INXS riff).
One, there's going to be cuts at the Seattle Times. I originally saw a report on KOMO about this, and Connie Thompson (midday newscast) was at the desk reporting that there would be cuts, and the number 18% was given, as well as the word "sports." I think the last time I heard about sports getting curtailed in the Seattle media, it was KIRO cutting the sports segments on the evening newscasts to one minute in length. I think that happened somewhere in the weird transition phase between Tony Ventrella going to Q13 and Gaard Swanson being hired onto the KIRO payroll.
The second thing I wanted to bring up: maybe the Times should hike their ad price way up so they don't have to pink-slip anyone, or at least raise the ad prices for the Mariners. Have you read any of the sports stories at their page yet? These ads for the 16-game plans are at the top of EVERY article. Seriously, I've got nine browsers' worth of Seattle Times sports stories open right now and every one of them has the ad.
Technically I'm out of "things," but the Times also is running an article today where Ron Judd follows up on all the local Olympians he covered last summer. This of course includes Bremerton swimmer Tara Kirk. After getting two bronze medals at the Short Course Worlds in Indianapolis last October, Tara, in her words, "didn't do anything." Of course, that just refers to the pool. Taking classes at Stanford -- and if it's Tara, they definitely aren't easy -- definitely is far from doing nothing. Upon receiving her Olympic silver medal, she stored it in a sock, which isn't the most odd story I've heard of or seen involving a medal. I saw that a Canadian medalist had his medal somewhere in his car, hidden either in the glove compartment or beneath the seatcushions.
Now, the usual.
MARINERS
No new articles concerning the Mariners today out of the Seattle dailies. I guess I could wait a couple hours (it's 1:10am as I write this) and wait for the News Tribune to get their new stuff up. Maybe not. Maybe we should just pretend we're the ad wizards behind the Mariners' next ad campaign and toss out a bunch of ideas.
This isn't one of the commercial ideas, but Richie Sexson and/or Eddie Guardado absolutely MUST plant a clown inside Bob Melvin's office before they play the Diamondbacks. Then have one waiting at his car. Then his house. THIS HAS TO HAPPEN. Who's with me? They've got to think of something clown-related. In a related note, the caller on KJR's Groz With Gas Mails that played Bob Melvin being freaked out by clowns was priceless.
SEAHAWKS
Matt Hasselbeck has been playing hurt. He's battered and bruised, but as Trent Dilfer says, it's "no different than what any other quarterback is going through." In other words, tough. At least Hasselbeck's not whining about it. He's actually done quite well since the initial multi-week hangover from the Mother of All Charley Horses. Hasselbeck's playing hurt, but I think he may have learned a thing or two after being the understudy of Brett Favre, who in my mind is the most durable quarterback of our generation.
Jose Miguel Romero sits down with Maurice Morris. Romero grills him on the kickoff and punt return game, but then lets him off easy in the second half of the interview. What did I get out of the first half? The Seahawks' return game is utterly predictable.
Mike Holmgren says that no matter what, getting into the playoffs in itself is an accomplishment. Ken Hamlin suggests that it's an opportunity to wipe the slate clean. But even a playoff berth is far from sealed at this point. Jeremy posted the playoff scenarios yesterday if the Seahawks win the NFC West, which in the very least would be great because we all could get bittersweet 2004 NFC West Division Champions shirts out of it. Amidst all this playoff speculation there still exists a doomsday scenario in which the Seahawks lay down for their two remaining games and Arizona runs the table. Both teams would be 7-9 and Arizona would have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks by virtue of beating them twice. Of course, this may or may not depend on Saint Louis losing one of their remaining games, and I didn't want to think much beyond the second tiebreaker in the "three-way tie" scenario if they all ended up 7-9. I'll probably leave that to Jeremy. If you want to do all of this for yourself, do it here. You might want to pop up a couple of other browser windows too with a few teams' schedules and scores. Common opponents isn't the easiest tiebreaker to discern without the use of a pencil and paper or a mind that doesn't get cluttered easily.
But the real neat thing about the tiebreaker link is learning that the 12th tiebreaker in a tie for a wild card playoff spot involving three or more teams is a coin toss. I bet if the Seahawks got into that scenario, they'd be duped by a two-headed coin, something that would mysteriously fail to be ratted out, unlike on Friday Night Lights.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
The Tar Heels beat Vermont last night by a score of 93-65. North Carolina is off until Tuesday, when they host UNC-Wilmington. Through ten games, Bremerton grad Marvin Williams is averaging 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds in 21.8 minutes a game and leads Roy Williams' bench in minutes.
Huskies
There's a chance that Brandon Roy won't play against Sacred Heart tonight, not that it should matter. Roy wouldn't have played if the Huskies had built up a substantial lead against NC State on Sunday, but that game was a tight one. As a result, the Huskies are left with Tre Simmons, who is averaging 16.4 points a game and pulling down 5.6 rebounds a game, the latter of which leads the team. Also, don't forget to see the map in Bob Sherwin's article which will answer the long-standing question, "Where is Sacred Heart University?"
Bulldogs
Jeremy covered the Gonzaga game, an 83-70 win by the Bulldogs over the Eagles from Eastern Washington.
Sonics
Meet former Husky and Kentucky Wildcat Mark Pope -- twelfth man and loving it. He's on the injured list for the Nuggets with one of those BS injuries, in this case, patellar tendinitis. Why does he like it? He's played 20 minutes over the past two seasons, he's made $1.3M, and the meter is still ticking. Absolutely insane. He's planning for med school whenever this whole basketball thing goes away. He's a well-learned man, this Mark Pope guy. He's also a well-behaved guy, well-liked among teams for which he's played and in the locker rooms he's inhabited. Such cannot be said for former UNC player and former Sonic training camper Joe Forte (a vestige of the Vin Baker trade), who has basically been blacklisted from the NBA since his ruckus with the Sonics (details were withheld as far as I knew), and justifiably so. I haven't heard of anyone liking Forte's locker room presence.
Here's to hoping the Sonics don't come out flat in the first quarter. They haven't played since Friday. I'm just hoping Ron Murray has learned the flow of the offense a little better in practice, because I think more and more that this team needs him to fill some of Ray Allen's minutes.
As said in both of the two articles, Carmelo Anthony will not play tonight. Danny Fortson (second link) suggests that the Nuggets play better and have better ball movement without Carmelo. In a peculiar note, Ray Allen, Antonio Daniels, and Jerome James all had the flu or flu-like symptoms. They are expected to play. Also, Rashard Lewis practiced yesterday.
Steve Kelley on the Vince Carter play-tipping story: big deal. In the NBA, chances are that every team knows what plays the other team is running. However, it's all in the matter of how those plays are executed that determines who gets the competitive edge or emerges victorious (insert cliche here). In somewhat of a personal story, my junior legion coach used to tell us that even if we told everyone and their mother at the field and in the stands that we were going to lay down a sacrifice bunt, it should still work if we execute it correctly. Hey, I thought it was a decent analogy. I'm trying here. In another note, someone forgot to spell-check Kelley's article, because the correct spelling of the Denver's head coach's surname is Bzdelik, as opposed to "Bzedlik." I know it's hard to spell, but it kinda rubs it in when it's repeated a bunch of times in the article.
Upcoming...
Tonight vs. Denver
Monday at Utah
HOCKEY
The more joyful news is that the World Junior Championships start on Christmas Day, with four games being played. Canada (composed mostly of WHL players) will play Slovakia and the USA (composed mostly of college players) will play Russia. Surprisingly, ESPN actually cares about this tournament, and will televise three of the preliminary games involving Team USA, and all elimination round games involving Team USA. Unfortunately, the CBC isn't televising the tournament, or else I'd be able to give you something similar to the World Cup coverage.
Todd Bertuzzi is taking the plea agreement for his assault charge, thereby avoiding trial and a jail sentence. Though he definitely still has the fans in Vancouver on his side, I can't help but think, as a Canuck fan outside of Vancouver, that perhaps they might be jaded in the same way that a lot of the fans of the Lakers still haven't soured on Kobe Bryant.
As somewhat of a dark commemoration, the Clip of the Night on Dan Russell's Sportstalk show out of Vancouver last night was the replay of John Shorthouse and Tom Larscheid doing the Canuck broadcast of the Bertuzzi incident. Quotes from Larscheid: "God, it makes me so mad when you see stuff like that" and "Everyone knows I love the game of hockey, but I hated this game here tonight." Something that will forever be completely overshadowed by the suckerpunch will be that Trevor Linden became the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Vancouver Canucks in that 9-2 defeat at GM Place against Colorado. I hope you like the way I set up that recap. Think "brick wall." The press conference the next morning was to announce deadline deals that the Canucks had done.
As for more immediate reaction from the Bertuzzi incident, here's Jeremy twice, along with columnists and bloggers. All the hoopla and the feelings surrounding all of this came back to me as I read through those posts after digging them out of the archive, and it was quite harrowing.
Upcoming...
no WHL or AHL games from the 19th to the 26th, NorPac is off the weekend of the 24th and 25th as well
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Have a happy safe Wednesday, each and every one of you, the devil inside (cue the INXS riff).
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
THE AXTON (ALMOST) FELL ON GONZAGA
GONZAGA 83, EASTERN WASHINGTON 70
Marc Axton led all scorers with 33 points, but the Eastern Washington senior couldn't quite lead the Eagles to the upset over Gonzaga, as the Zags win 83-70 in Spokane. The game was played at the Spokane Arena, just a few minutes from Gonzaga's campus.
Eastern played with pride and intensity from the start. This is their most important non-conference game of the season. You don't think the Eastern players wouldn't love to go to the malls in Spokane and claim bragging rights? Eastern has not defeated Gonzaga since 1990, so it has been a while.
Gonzaga was in foul trouble for most of the night. Starters Sean Mallon and Derek Raivio each picked up 4 fouls along with reserve Erroll Knight. Fortunately for the Zags, Adam Morrison picked them up.
Morrison has needed to be the go-to guy for Gonzaga, because of their lack of depth right now. And tonight, he scored 25 points, going a solid 8-of-13 from the field. Ronny Turiaf had 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Eastern didn't have an answer inside for Turiaf at all. Then again, most teams don't.
For the Kitsap County angle to this post, South Kitsap grad Jacob Beitenger started for Eastern, but couldn't stay out of foul trouble, only playing 9 minutes. He fouled out and scored just 4 points. As a matter of fact, Beitenger's 4 points were the first 4 points of the game. Beitenger is a freshman, so he will have nights like this. He's only starting right now because sophomore Matt Nelson is hurt. Nelson was the Big Sky Conference's Freshman of the Year last season.
Where do the Zags and Eagles go from here?
Gonzaga is headed to Oklahoma City next Tuesday to play the #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys. The last two times the Zags have played a #3 seed, they have won. This past Saturday's win over previous #3 Georgia Tech in Las Vegas and last year's Battle In Seattle win over then #3 Missouri. But Oklahoma State is a damn good ballclub, a veteran ballclub at that. Gonzaga is very young, and it will be very interesting to see how they hold up against an Eddie Sutton-coached team. As long as they don't play "like a JV team" like they did against Illinois, Mark Few won't have too much to complain about.
Eastern will travel to Tucson next Tuesday to take on Arizona. If they play the way they did tonight against Gonzaga, I think the Eagles have a chance. Of course, they need other guys to step it up besides Axton.
Speaking of Axton, I find it amazing that he's at Eastern. This just brings up the fact that Paul Graham did a horrible job in Pullman recruiting. Axton was the Washington 4A Player of the Year at Foss in 2001, yet he wasn't good enough to play on the Palouse? I can understand Washington not signing Axton to a point, but if the Cougars had Dick Bennett in charge of the program 3 years ago, there's no doubt in my mind that Axton would have been playing in Pullman, not Cheney. But it is what it is, and I think the Eastern basketball program is very happy with Axton. He's only brought them their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Way to go, Inland Northwest basketball fans. Spokane Arena was sold out three weeks in advance for this game. It just goes to show that college basketball in the Inland Northwest is alive and kicking. We all know about Gonzaga's success over the past 6 years, But you can't forget about Eastern's success. They went to their first NCAA Tournament in their history last year and have played in the Big Sky Championship Game every year since 2001.
Current Loyola-Marymount head coach Steve Aggers started the foundation in Cheney, Ray Giacoletti picked up on it in 2000 and now it's Mike Burns' turn to keep the program going in its current state. Burns was an assistant at Eastern under Giacoletti for 3 seasons before going down the road to Pullman last season to be on Bennett's staff. Giacoletti is now in Utah and Burns is back in Cheney. Watching the game tonight, I could tell that Burns has learned a few things from Bennett. Bennett is one of the best defensive coaches in America and for the most part, Eastern played solid defense but just couldn't get anybody into the action besides Axton on the offensive side of things.
To Pat, a loyal reader: We'll do our best covering the Zags here. I've looked at the remaining schedule for Gonzaga and I will have an opportunity to watch most of the games (thanks, Fox Sports Pacific). I know that the Oklahoma State and Missouri games next week are on ESPN 2.
Gonzaga. Oklahoma State. Next Tuesday. Should be a lot of fun. ESPN 2.
Marc Axton led all scorers with 33 points, but the Eastern Washington senior couldn't quite lead the Eagles to the upset over Gonzaga, as the Zags win 83-70 in Spokane. The game was played at the Spokane Arena, just a few minutes from Gonzaga's campus.
Eastern played with pride and intensity from the start. This is their most important non-conference game of the season. You don't think the Eastern players wouldn't love to go to the malls in Spokane and claim bragging rights? Eastern has not defeated Gonzaga since 1990, so it has been a while.
Gonzaga was in foul trouble for most of the night. Starters Sean Mallon and Derek Raivio each picked up 4 fouls along with reserve Erroll Knight. Fortunately for the Zags, Adam Morrison picked them up.
Morrison has needed to be the go-to guy for Gonzaga, because of their lack of depth right now. And tonight, he scored 25 points, going a solid 8-of-13 from the field. Ronny Turiaf had 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds. Eastern didn't have an answer inside for Turiaf at all. Then again, most teams don't.
For the Kitsap County angle to this post, South Kitsap grad Jacob Beitenger started for Eastern, but couldn't stay out of foul trouble, only playing 9 minutes. He fouled out and scored just 4 points. As a matter of fact, Beitenger's 4 points were the first 4 points of the game. Beitenger is a freshman, so he will have nights like this. He's only starting right now because sophomore Matt Nelson is hurt. Nelson was the Big Sky Conference's Freshman of the Year last season.
Where do the Zags and Eagles go from here?
Gonzaga is headed to Oklahoma City next Tuesday to play the #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys. The last two times the Zags have played a #3 seed, they have won. This past Saturday's win over previous #3 Georgia Tech in Las Vegas and last year's Battle In Seattle win over then #3 Missouri. But Oklahoma State is a damn good ballclub, a veteran ballclub at that. Gonzaga is very young, and it will be very interesting to see how they hold up against an Eddie Sutton-coached team. As long as they don't play "like a JV team" like they did against Illinois, Mark Few won't have too much to complain about.
Eastern will travel to Tucson next Tuesday to take on Arizona. If they play the way they did tonight against Gonzaga, I think the Eagles have a chance. Of course, they need other guys to step it up besides Axton.
Speaking of Axton, I find it amazing that he's at Eastern. This just brings up the fact that Paul Graham did a horrible job in Pullman recruiting. Axton was the Washington 4A Player of the Year at Foss in 2001, yet he wasn't good enough to play on the Palouse? I can understand Washington not signing Axton to a point, but if the Cougars had Dick Bennett in charge of the program 3 years ago, there's no doubt in my mind that Axton would have been playing in Pullman, not Cheney. But it is what it is, and I think the Eastern basketball program is very happy with Axton. He's only brought them their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
Way to go, Inland Northwest basketball fans. Spokane Arena was sold out three weeks in advance for this game. It just goes to show that college basketball in the Inland Northwest is alive and kicking. We all know about Gonzaga's success over the past 6 years, But you can't forget about Eastern's success. They went to their first NCAA Tournament in their history last year and have played in the Big Sky Championship Game every year since 2001.
Current Loyola-Marymount head coach Steve Aggers started the foundation in Cheney, Ray Giacoletti picked up on it in 2000 and now it's Mike Burns' turn to keep the program going in its current state. Burns was an assistant at Eastern under Giacoletti for 3 seasons before going down the road to Pullman last season to be on Bennett's staff. Giacoletti is now in Utah and Burns is back in Cheney. Watching the game tonight, I could tell that Burns has learned a few things from Bennett. Bennett is one of the best defensive coaches in America and for the most part, Eastern played solid defense but just couldn't get anybody into the action besides Axton on the offensive side of things.
To Pat, a loyal reader: We'll do our best covering the Zags here. I've looked at the remaining schedule for Gonzaga and I will have an opportunity to watch most of the games (thanks, Fox Sports Pacific). I know that the Oklahoma State and Missouri games next week are on ESPN 2.
Gonzaga. Oklahoma State. Next Tuesday. Should be a lot of fun. ESPN 2.
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GOOD KNIGHT
Offense.
Defense.
Marvin Williams scored 7 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 2 assists, and stole the ball twice in 24 minutes off the bench. North Carolina beat Vermont 93-65 and had four players score in double figures.
The second picture may or may not be a steal, but I'm pretty sure the first one is the only shot he made from the floor in the game. He was 1-for-3 (only three shots) from the field, but made 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.
On second look, the second picture is definitely not from tonight's game. I was maneuvering through the Yahoo photo database with reckless abandon.
Defense.
Marvin Williams scored 7 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, dished out 2 assists, and stole the ball twice in 24 minutes off the bench. North Carolina beat Vermont 93-65 and had four players score in double figures.
The second picture may or may not be a steal, but I'm pretty sure the first one is the only shot he made from the floor in the game. He was 1-for-3 (only three shots) from the field, but made 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.
On second look, the second picture is definitely not from tonight's game. I was maneuvering through the Yahoo photo database with reckless abandon.
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PENNILEGE
To be honest with you, I don't know about the criticism. But when I get an e-mail that comes into my mailbox on Friday and says, 'Well, I've been reading the other blogs, and it seems like you guys haven't written anything worthwhile this year,' okay, you know, that kind of says a lot about what's being written. We have two guys here that get hundreds of hits everyday and are looking for more. Because of one bad post, it all hits the fan, you know, so that's just kind of how I base it. I don't know what was been written, and that's being honest. I'm totally being honest about that.
It is a privilege. You get to read Sports and Bremertonians. You have an opportunity to be around some of the greatest bloggers in the world. That's an opportunity. It's not your right. It is a privilege. And it is your job.
It's a privilege for you to be able to read about our ramblings on one of the most mediocre football teams in the world, to be around a bunch of professional bloggers every day and do your job. But when it crosses the line sometimes, that's where I have a problem, because whether it’s your job or not, it's about character and it's about integrity and it's about honesty.
It's like you have the power of the keyboard. I have the power of not just the keyboard, but my mind as well.
Thank you very much and God bless America.
Chad Pennington talks down to the New York media
We just to like have fun here. Enjoy yourself. And have yourself a Merry Christmas.
It is a privilege. You get to read Sports and Bremertonians. You have an opportunity to be around some of the greatest bloggers in the world. That's an opportunity. It's not your right. It is a privilege. And it is your job.
It's a privilege for you to be able to read about our ramblings on one of the most mediocre football teams in the world, to be around a bunch of professional bloggers every day and do your job. But when it crosses the line sometimes, that's where I have a problem, because whether it’s your job or not, it's about character and it's about integrity and it's about honesty.
It's like you have the power of the keyboard. I have the power of not just the keyboard, but my mind as well.
Thank you very much and God bless America.
Chad Pennington talks down to the New York media
We just to like have fun here. Enjoy yourself. And have yourself a Merry Christmas.
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F**KING ESPN INSIDER
I've bashed a lot of things that have come from the Family of Networks (ESPN) over the past few years.
But this may be the worst sin ESPN has committed yet.
Bill Simmons' archives are now part of ESPN Insider.
Look, it's bad enough that I can't find his old Boston Sports Guy columns anywhere on the internet. But now if I want to read Simmons' ESPN columns from 2001 up to last month, I have to become an ESPN Insider member?
Way to go, Bristol.
However, today's Simmons column touches on last night's Dolphins upset victory over the Patriots (don't worry, it's free). Again, the Seahawks get bashed, but it's oh so true:
The amazing thing about the Patriots' recent 27-for-28 run? That this type of game didn't happen more often. Good teams lose plenty of games because they squandered an 11-point lead with four minutes to play, or because someone completed a pseudo-Hail Mary on them, or because their star QB inexplicably crapped the bed for no reason ... these things happen all the time in football, and at least three times a month to the Seahawks. To Belichick and the Patriots? Never. They were due. Overdue, even.
F**k ESPN Insider. In the mouth. Threeve times.
But this may be the worst sin ESPN has committed yet.
Bill Simmons' archives are now part of ESPN Insider.
Look, it's bad enough that I can't find his old Boston Sports Guy columns anywhere on the internet. But now if I want to read Simmons' ESPN columns from 2001 up to last month, I have to become an ESPN Insider member?
Way to go, Bristol.
However, today's Simmons column touches on last night's Dolphins upset victory over the Patriots (don't worry, it's free). Again, the Seahawks get bashed, but it's oh so true:
The amazing thing about the Patriots' recent 27-for-28 run? That this type of game didn't happen more often. Good teams lose plenty of games because they squandered an 11-point lead with four minutes to play, or because someone completed a pseudo-Hail Mary on them, or because their star QB inexplicably crapped the bed for no reason ... these things happen all the time in football, and at least three times a month to the Seahawks. To Belichick and the Patriots? Never. They were due. Overdue, even.
F**k ESPN Insider. In the mouth. Threeve times.
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IF THE SEAHAWKS WIN THE NFC WEST.....
Who the hell would they play at Qwest Field on Wild Card Weekend (either Saturday, January 8 or Sunday, January 9)?
The winner of the NFC North will be decided Friday on Christmas Eve when the Packers travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings. Brett Favre is 3-9 all-time in the Metrodome. But he did win last year, so don't automatically assume that his suckass factor in domes will come into play again.
So here we go. Hold on, it's a bumpy ride:
IF Seattle AND Minnesota finish 9-7 (both division champs), the Seahawks would earn the #3 seed. This is the only scenario where this would be possible. Seahawks own the tiebreaker over the Vikings (Dec. 12 Seahawks 27-23)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#5 Green Bay (Wild Card) at #4 Minnesota (NFC North champs)
IF Seattle AND Green Bay finish 9-7 (both division champs), the Seahawks would earn the #4 seed. Green Bay owns the tiebreaker over Seattle (common opponents).
#5 Minnesota (Wild Card) at #4 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Green Bay (NFC North champs)
IF Minnesota wins the NFC North AND finishes ONE GAME AHEAD of Seattle, the Seahawks would earn the #4 seed.
#5 Green Bay (Wild Card) at #4 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Minnesota (NFC North champs)
IF Green Bay wins the NFC North AND finishes ONE GAME AHEAD of Seattle, the Seahawks would earn the #4 seed.
#5 Minnesota (Wild Card) at #4 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Green Bay (NFC North champs)
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There are just the scenarios IF the Seahawks win the NFC West.
I don't want to think about any scenarios with the Seahawks as a wild card team.
Believe.
The winner of the NFC North will be decided Friday on Christmas Eve when the Packers travel to Minnesota to play the Vikings. Brett Favre is 3-9 all-time in the Metrodome. But he did win last year, so don't automatically assume that his suckass factor in domes will come into play again.
So here we go. Hold on, it's a bumpy ride:
IF Seattle AND Minnesota finish 9-7 (both division champs), the Seahawks would earn the #3 seed. This is the only scenario where this would be possible. Seahawks own the tiebreaker over the Vikings (Dec. 12 Seahawks 27-23)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#5 Green Bay (Wild Card) at #4 Minnesota (NFC North champs)
IF Seattle AND Green Bay finish 9-7 (both division champs), the Seahawks would earn the #4 seed. Green Bay owns the tiebreaker over Seattle (common opponents).
#5 Minnesota (Wild Card) at #4 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Green Bay (NFC North champs)
IF Minnesota wins the NFC North AND finishes ONE GAME AHEAD of Seattle, the Seahawks would earn the #4 seed.
#5 Green Bay (Wild Card) at #4 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Minnesota (NFC North champs)
IF Green Bay wins the NFC North AND finishes ONE GAME AHEAD of Seattle, the Seahawks would earn the #4 seed.
#5 Minnesota (Wild Card) at #4 Seattle (NFC West champs)
#6 NFC Wild Card (probably Carolina) at #3 Green Bay (NFC North champs)
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There are just the scenarios IF the Seahawks win the NFC West.
I don't want to think about any scenarios with the Seahawks as a wild card team.
Believe.
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TENDERIZER
It's a pretty light day, although there was a pulse coming out of the Mariner camp. The Seahawks dealt with the day after yet another loss, and the Sonics don't play until tomorrow. Hockey doesn't come back until the 27th, unless you count the World Junior Championships.
Dive in...
MARINERS
The good news is that there's some rumblings that Odalis Perez and the Mariners have one another on their lists. Even if they need to move Randy Winn and Ryan Franklin to do it, I say get him. Sheesh, the Mariners could have three lefties in their rotation come next season with Jamie Moyer, Bobby Madritsch, and possibly Odalis Perez. Sandwich Joel Pineiro and Gil Meche in there, and you've got a lefty-righty club sandwich, or something like that. If Adrian Beltre can convince him to come up, all the better too. The only bad news in the article? Willie Bloomquist was tendered, as opposed to non-tendered.
He's a former Mariner, but it's never good when Mike Cameron has to get wrist surgery and will miss the start of the season. Boo. It's more cause for Pedro to strike everyone out, or just make sure all the fly balls get pulled down the lines.
SEAHAWKS
The X-ray was negative. The MRI showed no ligament damage. The verdict is that Matt Hasselbeck is expected to start on Sunday even after the hit that Sammy Ellis delivered to his elbow. Hasselbeck said that the elbow "feels like something's not right." Though not with his exact injury, I know I've felt like that before. It'd feel like one muscle is in the wrong place or something, though it wouldn't be painful. It'd be incredibly uncomfortable, and I knew something wasn't right, but it wasn't painful. I think I might have had some type of injury like this in my left foot (I think it was an arch or something) when I was 15 and playing Babe Ruth ball. Basically, my mobility wasn't quite suitable for the outfield, so I was limited to pitching, catching, and playing first base, which I really didn't mind doing. When I got back to full strength, though, it was right back to left and center.
John Levesque hates replay. I don't hate replay, but I do hate that the Ken Hamlin fumble recovery wasn't open to challenge because an official (40 yards away) decided the ball was down. This was discussed on the Fox broadcast, but why couldn't they just put away the whistles for a second and let that go? The touchdown could have been challenged and overturned as necessary. I'm not sure if it comes to whether the whistling down of the ball (and whether it was indeed down) is what should be reviewable, or if it's just down to the officials being able to know better as to when to put away the whistle. Now I'm just rambling.
Here's the column I've been waiting for. Steve Kelley unloads on Ray Rhodes. Rhodes has not talked to the media this season, as per usual. There's tons of questions that go unanswered, both this year and last. Kelley suggests that Rhodes isn't accountable for the bad happenings regarding this year's defense. Kelley says that the fans deserve an explanation because they're investing their time and hard-earned money in watching this so-called defense. Yeah, they've been riddled with injuries, but why isn't anyone sans Boulware stepping up? Also, can anyone out there remember the last point this year where you might have been somewhat convinced that the pass rush may have improved upon last year? I think I can remember some point in those first three games earlier in the year, but it's such a distant memory now. I think it involved Grant Wistrom. The point is, they're fourteen games into the season and have no semblance of a pass rush. The late Fritz Shurmer's name is mentioned in the article, and it's so true; it hasn't been the same for Holmgren since Shurmur left the earth, and Holmgren hasn't been able to get anyone even close to Shurmur in his place.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
The 8-1 Tar Heels host the Catamounts of Vermont at 4pm today. Marvin Williams is averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 21.6 minutes a game off the bench. After the Vermont game, the Tar Heels get a week off before hosting UNC-Wilmington next Tuesday and Cleveland State next Thursday.
Huskies
Washington hosts Sacred Heart at Montlake on Wednesday night. I might be going on a limb here, but I'm thinking the Huskies win that game. The Huskies also face the Cougars on Christmas Eve at 1pm. That's the Houston Cougars. Pac-10 play doesn't start for the Huskies until New Year's Eve, when they'll host the Cal Bears.
Sonics
"It's a flare." That's allegedly what Vince Carter yelled out as his team was inbounding the ball down seven points late in the fourth quarter of the Sonics' win over the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Sonics aren't saying much about it, and really it doesn't matter. Vince Carter isn't in Toronto anymore, and regarding the play itself, Vlad Radmanovic had the best quote: "[b]ut they scored." Carter went off a Matt Bonner screen, flared into the corner, caught Bonner's pass and fed it back to him, and Bonner sank a jumper. Well said, Vlad Rad. It's Vince Carter, and he plays for the Nets, who play in the Eastern Conference. None of this matters. The Heat are the class of that conference right now.
Ron Murray is taking Nick Collison's minutes. Murray has played in two games since returning from the quad injury. In those two games, he has done barely anything, and worse yet, the offense has a whole hasn't done anything with him out there. Though it seems hard to put him in now, he's got to at least be serviceable for 15 or so minutes (as asserted in the article) so that Ray Allen's legs don't collapse under him in April and May because he's been playing 43 minutes a night. If the Sonics can get optimal minutes out of Murray like they get out of Danny Fortson, then it'll be lethal.
Nobody caught that I'd copied and pasted the incorrect "upcoming" thing yesterday. I had the Phoenix game happening last night.
Upcoming...
Tomorrow vs. Denver
Monday (27th) at Utah
HOCKEY
I think these articles will get to you without having to register, but if not, you know what to do.
They're both articles by David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury-News. One is a reprint, and one is actually from the SJ Merc-News site.
The NHL owners want some sort of salary cap. One reporter asked Gary Bettman about a hypothetical counterpart -- a cap on ticket prices. I don't think I have to tell you how Bettman reacted to this. His reponse isn't totally baseless, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Bettman also says that whoever leaked the news that the NHL was rejecting the NHLPA's latest proposal would be fired immediately. I was listening to Dan Russell on Sportstalk (Vancouver) last night, and he and his producer once talked with Brian Burke, who said he'd leak stuff all the time. In completely unrelated news, I thought Brian Burke and Sean Burke brought a lot to the World Cup of Hockey telecasts a few months ago.
The other Pollak article has him in Vancouver, seeing how Canadians are dealing without the NHL. The Vancouver Province ran an online poll which found 77% of the voters said it didn't matter if the NHL salvages the rest of its season. So why is there not as much hockey withdrawal as one might think? Junior hockey teams and games, left and right. The Vancouver Giants' season-ticket base went from 2600 to 4500, and they're getting a 68% increase in per-game attendance. Joe Whitman says it best. "It might be difficult in the United States to get the fans back. But at the end of the day, although there will be a pox on both houses, the Canadian fans will come back to the game."
Upcoming...
no WHL or AHL games from the 19th to the 26th, NorPac is off the weekend of the 24th and 25th as well
---
Enjoy your Tuesday, everyone. Enjoy it despite the fact that, as Jeremy let me know last night, the DVDs for the second season as well as the new episodes of the third season of Chappelle's Show will be pushed back two to three months. Sad.
Dive in...
MARINERS
The good news is that there's some rumblings that Odalis Perez and the Mariners have one another on their lists. Even if they need to move Randy Winn and Ryan Franklin to do it, I say get him. Sheesh, the Mariners could have three lefties in their rotation come next season with Jamie Moyer, Bobby Madritsch, and possibly Odalis Perez. Sandwich Joel Pineiro and Gil Meche in there, and you've got a lefty-righty club sandwich, or something like that. If Adrian Beltre can convince him to come up, all the better too. The only bad news in the article? Willie Bloomquist was tendered, as opposed to non-tendered.
He's a former Mariner, but it's never good when Mike Cameron has to get wrist surgery and will miss the start of the season. Boo. It's more cause for Pedro to strike everyone out, or just make sure all the fly balls get pulled down the lines.
SEAHAWKS
The X-ray was negative. The MRI showed no ligament damage. The verdict is that Matt Hasselbeck is expected to start on Sunday even after the hit that Sammy Ellis delivered to his elbow. Hasselbeck said that the elbow "feels like something's not right." Though not with his exact injury, I know I've felt like that before. It'd feel like one muscle is in the wrong place or something, though it wouldn't be painful. It'd be incredibly uncomfortable, and I knew something wasn't right, but it wasn't painful. I think I might have had some type of injury like this in my left foot (I think it was an arch or something) when I was 15 and playing Babe Ruth ball. Basically, my mobility wasn't quite suitable for the outfield, so I was limited to pitching, catching, and playing first base, which I really didn't mind doing. When I got back to full strength, though, it was right back to left and center.
John Levesque hates replay. I don't hate replay, but I do hate that the Ken Hamlin fumble recovery wasn't open to challenge because an official (40 yards away) decided the ball was down. This was discussed on the Fox broadcast, but why couldn't they just put away the whistles for a second and let that go? The touchdown could have been challenged and overturned as necessary. I'm not sure if it comes to whether the whistling down of the ball (and whether it was indeed down) is what should be reviewable, or if it's just down to the officials being able to know better as to when to put away the whistle. Now I'm just rambling.
Here's the column I've been waiting for. Steve Kelley unloads on Ray Rhodes. Rhodes has not talked to the media this season, as per usual. There's tons of questions that go unanswered, both this year and last. Kelley suggests that Rhodes isn't accountable for the bad happenings regarding this year's defense. Kelley says that the fans deserve an explanation because they're investing their time and hard-earned money in watching this so-called defense. Yeah, they've been riddled with injuries, but why isn't anyone sans Boulware stepping up? Also, can anyone out there remember the last point this year where you might have been somewhat convinced that the pass rush may have improved upon last year? I think I can remember some point in those first three games earlier in the year, but it's such a distant memory now. I think it involved Grant Wistrom. The point is, they're fourteen games into the season and have no semblance of a pass rush. The late Fritz Shurmer's name is mentioned in the article, and it's so true; it hasn't been the same for Holmgren since Shurmur left the earth, and Holmgren hasn't been able to get anyone even close to Shurmur in his place.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
The 8-1 Tar Heels host the Catamounts of Vermont at 4pm today. Marvin Williams is averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in 21.6 minutes a game off the bench. After the Vermont game, the Tar Heels get a week off before hosting UNC-Wilmington next Tuesday and Cleveland State next Thursday.
Huskies
Washington hosts Sacred Heart at Montlake on Wednesday night. I might be going on a limb here, but I'm thinking the Huskies win that game. The Huskies also face the Cougars on Christmas Eve at 1pm. That's the Houston Cougars. Pac-10 play doesn't start for the Huskies until New Year's Eve, when they'll host the Cal Bears.
Sonics
"It's a flare." That's allegedly what Vince Carter yelled out as his team was inbounding the ball down seven points late in the fourth quarter of the Sonics' win over the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The Sonics aren't saying much about it, and really it doesn't matter. Vince Carter isn't in Toronto anymore, and regarding the play itself, Vlad Radmanovic had the best quote: "[b]ut they scored." Carter went off a Matt Bonner screen, flared into the corner, caught Bonner's pass and fed it back to him, and Bonner sank a jumper. Well said, Vlad Rad. It's Vince Carter, and he plays for the Nets, who play in the Eastern Conference. None of this matters. The Heat are the class of that conference right now.
Ron Murray is taking Nick Collison's minutes. Murray has played in two games since returning from the quad injury. In those two games, he has done barely anything, and worse yet, the offense has a whole hasn't done anything with him out there. Though it seems hard to put him in now, he's got to at least be serviceable for 15 or so minutes (as asserted in the article) so that Ray Allen's legs don't collapse under him in April and May because he's been playing 43 minutes a night. If the Sonics can get optimal minutes out of Murray like they get out of Danny Fortson, then it'll be lethal.
Nobody caught that I'd copied and pasted the incorrect "upcoming" thing yesterday. I had the Phoenix game happening last night.
Upcoming...
Tomorrow vs. Denver
Monday (27th) at Utah
HOCKEY
I think these articles will get to you without having to register, but if not, you know what to do.
They're both articles by David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury-News. One is a reprint, and one is actually from the SJ Merc-News site.
The NHL owners want some sort of salary cap. One reporter asked Gary Bettman about a hypothetical counterpart -- a cap on ticket prices. I don't think I have to tell you how Bettman reacted to this. His reponse isn't totally baseless, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. Bettman also says that whoever leaked the news that the NHL was rejecting the NHLPA's latest proposal would be fired immediately. I was listening to Dan Russell on Sportstalk (Vancouver) last night, and he and his producer once talked with Brian Burke, who said he'd leak stuff all the time. In completely unrelated news, I thought Brian Burke and Sean Burke brought a lot to the World Cup of Hockey telecasts a few months ago.
The other Pollak article has him in Vancouver, seeing how Canadians are dealing without the NHL. The Vancouver Province ran an online poll which found 77% of the voters said it didn't matter if the NHL salvages the rest of its season. So why is there not as much hockey withdrawal as one might think? Junior hockey teams and games, left and right. The Vancouver Giants' season-ticket base went from 2600 to 4500, and they're getting a 68% increase in per-game attendance. Joe Whitman says it best. "It might be difficult in the United States to get the fans back. But at the end of the day, although there will be a pox on both houses, the Canadian fans will come back to the game."
Upcoming...
no WHL or AHL games from the 19th to the 26th, NorPac is off the weekend of the 24th and 25th as well
---
Enjoy your Tuesday, everyone. Enjoy it despite the fact that, as Jeremy let me know last night, the DVDs for the second season as well as the new episodes of the third season of Chappelle's Show will be pushed back two to three months. Sad.
/ Click for main page
Monday, December 20, 2004
NELSON, FREE AGENT
So much for Nelson having a chance with Anna Benson.
New York Daily News
Who's your dwarf?
Pedro's humble hombre opts
for free agency after snub
BY JOSE MARTINEZ
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Pedro Martinez has got a wee bit of explaining to do.
A big snub by the Mets' new ace toward his little sidekick has left 28-inch-tall Nelson de la Rosa steaming-mad - and vowing to stick with the Boston Red Sox rather than turn into a Mini-Met.
"He broke my heart," de la Rosa told the Daily News yesterday. "That's not right what he said about me."
At his introductory press conference last week, Martinez laughed off the Dominican dwarf's role as a good-luck charm during Boston's curse-breaking World Series run, saying, "That was just a trick."
Then he really set off his little buddy by scooping up a midget who showed up to blast de la Rosa as a "palm-sized pipsqueak."
"That little guy just wants to be famous," said de la Rosa, 37, who once starred in a movie alongside Hollywood heavyweight Marlon Brando. "Well, I'm already famous."
Martinez and de la Rosa have not spoken since they rode on a float together during the Red Sox victory parade.
Screw you, Pedro.
Nelson is the man.
This will not be debated.
/ Click for main page
MAIL STREETS
I always have a good laugh or two when reading Jim Street's mailbag at the Mariners official site.
Mariners mailbag: Can a DH pitch?
I was wondering if the rules in the American League allow a designated hitter to pitch. Hypothetical: You have a guy that bats DH for you all game and you come to the ninth with a lead, could that DH pitch in the closer's role if he wanted? Also, has there ever been an ambidextrous pitcher in the Majors? I think that would be the coolest thing ever: having a DH that could close and a pitcher that could negate a switch-hitter. -- Drew M., Kirkland, Wash.
There is nothing in the rules that would prevent a designated hitter from appearing in a game as a pitcher. He would be listed as a DH-P in the box score. As far as we can tell, there never has been an ambidextrous pitcher to reach the Major Leagues, but wouldn't it be something if one does some day and he's a switch-hitter?
"Your wisdom is surpassed only by your ignorance."
Mariners mailbag: Can a DH pitch?
I was wondering if the rules in the American League allow a designated hitter to pitch. Hypothetical: You have a guy that bats DH for you all game and you come to the ninth with a lead, could that DH pitch in the closer's role if he wanted? Also, has there ever been an ambidextrous pitcher in the Majors? I think that would be the coolest thing ever: having a DH that could close and a pitcher that could negate a switch-hitter. -- Drew M., Kirkland, Wash.
There is nothing in the rules that would prevent a designated hitter from appearing in a game as a pitcher. He would be listed as a DH-P in the box score. As far as we can tell, there never has been an ambidextrous pitcher to reach the Major Leagues, but wouldn't it be something if one does some day and he's a switch-hitter?
"Your wisdom is surpassed only by your ignorance."
/ Click for main page
KARMA IS A BITCH, TERRELL!!!
Terrell Owens to miss the rest of the regular season, playoffs
Philadelphia Eagles star receiver Terrell Owens will miss the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs and Super Bowl with torn ligaments in his right ankle and a broken leg bone.
Owens needs surgery and stands only an outside chance of being able to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6 if the Eagles make it that far, head trainer Rick Burkholder said.
The NFC is wide-open, folks. I said this before the season and nothing has changed my view on this. Philadelphia may have the best record in the NFC at 13-1, but without Terrell Owens, they are a different football team.
Every team who makes the playoffs in the NFC has a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Yes, even the Seahawks. The loss of T.O. just made things more interesting.
Karma is a bitch, Terrell. Too bad, so sad. I know I'm not crying any tears about T.O. getting hurt.
Philadelphia Eagles star receiver Terrell Owens will miss the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs and Super Bowl with torn ligaments in his right ankle and a broken leg bone.
Owens needs surgery and stands only an outside chance of being able to play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6 if the Eagles make it that far, head trainer Rick Burkholder said.
The NFC is wide-open, folks. I said this before the season and nothing has changed my view on this. Philadelphia may have the best record in the NFC at 13-1, but without Terrell Owens, they are a different football team.
Every team who makes the playoffs in the NFC has a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Yes, even the Seahawks. The loss of T.O. just made things more interesting.
Karma is a bitch, Terrell. Too bad, so sad. I know I'm not crying any tears about T.O. getting hurt.
/ Click for main page
STATE OF THE BREMERTONIANS
Here at Sports and Bremertonians, we are what we are:
A Seattle sports blog that strives to entertain the masses.
We don't use fancy graphs, tables, nor do we use too many stats. Our takes here are the real deal. This is how we talk about sports on a daily basis. It may be off-the-wall at times, as David's Seahawks in-game posts can attest to. But that's just how we do things here.
We may just be the most underrated blog in the Seattle sports community. I think it's because the title says "Bremertonians". We're used to it. Being a former Bremertonian, I always have a chip on my shoulder. It's just how I roll. Nothing wrong with that at all.
In case some of you haven't noticed, our new address is
bremertonians.blogspot.com
"Bremsportfolk" just wasn't cutting it anymore. So it's Bremertonians from here on out. Besides, we have a monopoly on the term "Bremertonians".
Address issues said, back to the state of the Bremertonians:
You probably have noticed that I haven't posted as much as David has. It's because I've been busy as hell this fall with school. I have the next 3 weeks off, so I'll try to make up for the lack of posting the best that I can. Just don't expect me to post on Christmas Day, however.
Yes, we're still at Blogger. And we're just fine with that. It's free and we simply don't have the cash to fund our own webspace. Blogger may have technical issues at times, but other than that, we're fine with Blogger.
As far as commenting goes, the comments boxes are always open. We don't want to shy anybody away from using them. I'm not a history teacher that needs to see a clear and concise analysis of your views. Just post your comments and that's that. You want to go ahead and say that Terreal Bierria sucks? Go right ahead. I just did.
Will Sports and Bremertonians have a USS Mariner-style feed anytime soon? Probably not. But I can say that there's a chance I'll be up in Washington next summer. And if I do go up to Washington, chances are that I will go to a game at Safeco Field. We'll see what happens.
So don't worry, we're going to keep on going here at Sports and Bremertonians. The insanity will continue. It's just how we roll.
A Seattle sports blog that strives to entertain the masses.
We don't use fancy graphs, tables, nor do we use too many stats. Our takes here are the real deal. This is how we talk about sports on a daily basis. It may be off-the-wall at times, as David's Seahawks in-game posts can attest to. But that's just how we do things here.
We may just be the most underrated blog in the Seattle sports community. I think it's because the title says "Bremertonians". We're used to it. Being a former Bremertonian, I always have a chip on my shoulder. It's just how I roll. Nothing wrong with that at all.
In case some of you haven't noticed, our new address is
bremertonians.blogspot.com
"Bremsportfolk" just wasn't cutting it anymore. So it's Bremertonians from here on out. Besides, we have a monopoly on the term "Bremertonians".
Address issues said, back to the state of the Bremertonians:
You probably have noticed that I haven't posted as much as David has. It's because I've been busy as hell this fall with school. I have the next 3 weeks off, so I'll try to make up for the lack of posting the best that I can. Just don't expect me to post on Christmas Day, however.
Yes, we're still at Blogger. And we're just fine with that. It's free and we simply don't have the cash to fund our own webspace. Blogger may have technical issues at times, but other than that, we're fine with Blogger.
As far as commenting goes, the comments boxes are always open. We don't want to shy anybody away from using them. I'm not a history teacher that needs to see a clear and concise analysis of your views. Just post your comments and that's that. You want to go ahead and say that Terreal Bierria sucks? Go right ahead. I just did.
Will Sports and Bremertonians have a USS Mariner-style feed anytime soon? Probably not. But I can say that there's a chance I'll be up in Washington next summer. And if I do go up to Washington, chances are that I will go to a game at Safeco Field. We'll see what happens.
So don't worry, we're going to keep on going here at Sports and Bremertonians. The insanity will continue. It's just how we roll.
/ Click for main page
BLOW UP THE MEADOWLANDS, PART TWO
I respect the Seattle P-I's Clare Farnsworth tremendously. He's one of the best beat writers in the NFL, no question. But I have to take him to task here.
Seahawks routed by Jets but still lead NFC West
BURIED AT THE MEADOWLANDS
The Seahawks fell to 6-10 at the Meadowlands after the 37-14 loss yesterday to the New York Jets. After winning six consecutive games in East Rutherford, N.J., from 1977 to 1983, the Seahawks have lost nine consecutive games on the road to the Giants and Jets.
This was my Meadowlands post from yesterday:
The Seattle Seahawks are 1-10 all-time at Giants Stadium
SEAHAWKS VS GIANTS @ Giants Stadium (1-5)
11/28/76 L, 28-16
12/11/83 W, 17-12
11/19/89 L, 15-3
12/23/01 L, 27-24
10/25/92 L, 23-10
9/22/02 L, 9-6
SEAHAWKS VS JETS @ Giants Stadium (0-5)
10/27/85 L, 17-14
11/9/87 L, 30-14
12/6/98 L, 32-31
1/2/00 L, 19-9
12/19/04 L, 37-14
In case you were wondering, the Seahawks were 5-0 against the Jets at Shea Stadium.
(Thanks to the NFL Record and Fact Book for the above facts)
Farnsworth was incorrect. In the 5 games that the Seahawks played the Jets on the road, those games were played at Shea Stadium. The Jets did not play their home games at Giants Stadium until 1984.
SEAHAWKS VS JETS @ SHEA STADIUM (5-0)
11/13/77 W, 17-0
9/17/78 W, 24-17
10/19/80 W, 27-17
10/25/81 W, 19-3
9/11/83 W, 17-10
(Thanks to the NFL Record and Fact Book and the 2002 Seahawks Media Guide)
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Again, blow up the Meadowlands. Or at the very least, let's get a new stadium built for the Jets in New York!
Seahawks routed by Jets but still lead NFC West
BURIED AT THE MEADOWLANDS
The Seahawks fell to 6-10 at the Meadowlands after the 37-14 loss yesterday to the New York Jets. After winning six consecutive games in East Rutherford, N.J., from 1977 to 1983, the Seahawks have lost nine consecutive games on the road to the Giants and Jets.
This was my Meadowlands post from yesterday:
The Seattle Seahawks are 1-10 all-time at Giants Stadium
SEAHAWKS VS GIANTS @ Giants Stadium (1-5)
11/28/76 L, 28-16
12/11/83 W, 17-12
11/19/89 L, 15-3
12/23/01 L, 27-24
10/25/92 L, 23-10
9/22/02 L, 9-6
SEAHAWKS VS JETS @ Giants Stadium (0-5)
10/27/85 L, 17-14
11/9/87 L, 30-14
12/6/98 L, 32-31
1/2/00 L, 19-9
12/19/04 L, 37-14
In case you were wondering, the Seahawks were 5-0 against the Jets at Shea Stadium.
(Thanks to the NFL Record and Fact Book for the above facts)
Farnsworth was incorrect. In the 5 games that the Seahawks played the Jets on the road, those games were played at Shea Stadium. The Jets did not play their home games at Giants Stadium until 1984.
SEAHAWKS VS JETS @ SHEA STADIUM (5-0)
11/13/77 W, 17-0
9/17/78 W, 24-17
10/19/80 W, 27-17
10/25/81 W, 19-3
9/11/83 W, 17-10
(Thanks to the NFL Record and Fact Book and the 2002 Seahawks Media Guide)
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Again, blow up the Meadowlands. Or at the very least, let's get a new stadium built for the Jets in New York!
/ Click for main page
HALF-HEARTED
Basically, Sunday was a great day to be a college basketball fan in the state thanks to wins by the Huskies and the afterglow of the late-night upset of Georgia Tech at the hands of Gonzaga on Saturday night. If you're following Marvin Williams, it was a fairly good day there too. However, it was not a good day to be a Seahawk fan. Again.
MARINERS
After the big signings of last week, we've got a reminder of the dumb moves of the front office's past. Ron Villone has accepted arbitration. Yuck. Also, the nontender deadline is tonight at midnight. Here's to hoping for an outside chance of a Willie Bloomquist nontender. Hey, I need something to soften the blow from the Seahawk loss, and the Sonics don't play until Wednesday. Come on, nontender!
SEAHAWKS
For my thoughts on the game, scroll down four posts or scroll toward the bottom of this post.
Looking through the Farnsworth article here. I'd known and posted about the defense's ineptitude on third downs, but I failed to mention that the Jets converted on one of their three fourth downs. Farnsworth gives the statistic that the defense gave up 133 of the Jets' 482 total yards on third down. Yet this team still leads the NFC West. What an abomination.
Says Alexander about the Seahawks' perilous playoff hopes: "We lay eggs consistently. As sickening as it is, we'll still be in first place. It's like throwing salt in a wound. It's like a rock in a shoe. You know what I mean? It's terrible the way we do it."
Says Les Carpenter: "Hawks don't look like playoff team." No s%*#. It's a good read. That was just my reaction to the headline, that's all.
It appears for now that Matt Hasselbeck is okay after the hit on his elbow, which went numb. Also, Mike Holmgren's challenge on the Curtis Martin touchdown was thwarted because "Martin's right elbow had cracked the plane of the goal line." Sound familiar? Substitute "Testaverde's helmet" for "Martin's right elbow" and you should see where I'm going with this. It's the freakin' BALL that has to cross the damn goal line. I won't make excuses for the Seattle defense, they were pathetic. But when you consider it could have been a three-touchdown swing if the Martin "touchdown" went the other way, if the Alexander touchdown was accurately called, and if the ball isn't ruled down before Ken Hamlin runs it all the way back, the whole dynamic of the game could have changed. We'd all be reacting a lot differently to this loss if it were a 30-28 loss, which it well could have been. As for not challenging the Alexander play, Holmgren didn't even try because he basically knew he was just going to get screwed anyway, and that's what the head ref says in the article. Aw man, the reason Hasselbeck was late getting out of the locker room for the second half is because he was on the john. Too much information. I'm okay with them making up something in this case.
Right now the team is crappy to the point where Koren Robinson's return can't possibly mess up the on-field chemistry the way Joey Galloway's did after his long holdout.
Great line by Thiel: "The field here still is 101 yards long for the Seahawks and 99 for the home team." BRILLIANT!
Kudos to the few articles that openly wished for answers from Ray Rhodes today, which of course nobody's going to get.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
In the North Carolina Tar Heels' 85-51 beatdown of the Hokies at Virginia Tech, Bremerton High grad Marvin Williams scored 12 points (5 of 6 shooting), grabbed 6 rebounds, and threw in a steal and a block in 20 minutes of play off the bench. Unfortunately, he did also turn the ball over four times (he's a freshman, remember). By comparison, Raymond Felton turned the ball over 7 times.
North Carolina put the game away with a big run at the end of the first half. There seemed to be an unusual amount of blown layups and blown dunks at this game. I did see Marvin throw a couple down, though.
Huskies
What a great win that was last night by the Huskies, a 68-64 verdict over NC State. NC State didn't think they were going to see Brandon Roy, but he came back in his first action since having his knee scoped. Also astounding was seeing the Huskies operate despite Nate Robinson being a complete nonfactor. Nate should bounce back, but hey, his team still beat an 8-0 team from the ACC. That's cause for some mild celebration at least.
Sonics
If I was a betting man or an oddsmaker, I'd totally have action on the next dates in which Ibo Kutluay or Robert Swift are playing.
Upcoming...
Wednesday vs. Denver
Monday (27th) at Utah
HOCKEY
Oh, how I miss it so. More so the NHL than the younger stuff, but now everything's off for the holidays.
Upcoming...
no WHL or AHL games from the 19th to the 26th, NorPac is off the weekend of the 24th and 25th as well
---
Combine the Water Cooler Challenge with the Bacon Number More Than Two Challenge. The WCC? Get someone else to collaborate with you on a chant which celebrates the Seahawks' horrible play yesterday. C-R-A-P, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!!
MARINERS
After the big signings of last week, we've got a reminder of the dumb moves of the front office's past. Ron Villone has accepted arbitration. Yuck. Also, the nontender deadline is tonight at midnight. Here's to hoping for an outside chance of a Willie Bloomquist nontender. Hey, I need something to soften the blow from the Seahawk loss, and the Sonics don't play until Wednesday. Come on, nontender!
SEAHAWKS
For my thoughts on the game, scroll down four posts or scroll toward the bottom of this post.
Looking through the Farnsworth article here. I'd known and posted about the defense's ineptitude on third downs, but I failed to mention that the Jets converted on one of their three fourth downs. Farnsworth gives the statistic that the defense gave up 133 of the Jets' 482 total yards on third down. Yet this team still leads the NFC West. What an abomination.
Says Alexander about the Seahawks' perilous playoff hopes: "We lay eggs consistently. As sickening as it is, we'll still be in first place. It's like throwing salt in a wound. It's like a rock in a shoe. You know what I mean? It's terrible the way we do it."
Says Les Carpenter: "Hawks don't look like playoff team." No s%*#. It's a good read. That was just my reaction to the headline, that's all.
It appears for now that Matt Hasselbeck is okay after the hit on his elbow, which went numb. Also, Mike Holmgren's challenge on the Curtis Martin touchdown was thwarted because "Martin's right elbow had cracked the plane of the goal line." Sound familiar? Substitute "Testaverde's helmet" for "Martin's right elbow" and you should see where I'm going with this. It's the freakin' BALL that has to cross the damn goal line. I won't make excuses for the Seattle defense, they were pathetic. But when you consider it could have been a three-touchdown swing if the Martin "touchdown" went the other way, if the Alexander touchdown was accurately called, and if the ball isn't ruled down before Ken Hamlin runs it all the way back, the whole dynamic of the game could have changed. We'd all be reacting a lot differently to this loss if it were a 30-28 loss, which it well could have been. As for not challenging the Alexander play, Holmgren didn't even try because he basically knew he was just going to get screwed anyway, and that's what the head ref says in the article. Aw man, the reason Hasselbeck was late getting out of the locker room for the second half is because he was on the john. Too much information. I'm okay with them making up something in this case.
Right now the team is crappy to the point where Koren Robinson's return can't possibly mess up the on-field chemistry the way Joey Galloway's did after his long holdout.
Great line by Thiel: "The field here still is 101 yards long for the Seahawks and 99 for the home team." BRILLIANT!
Kudos to the few articles that openly wished for answers from Ray Rhodes today, which of course nobody's going to get.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
In the North Carolina Tar Heels' 85-51 beatdown of the Hokies at Virginia Tech, Bremerton High grad Marvin Williams scored 12 points (5 of 6 shooting), grabbed 6 rebounds, and threw in a steal and a block in 20 minutes of play off the bench. Unfortunately, he did also turn the ball over four times (he's a freshman, remember). By comparison, Raymond Felton turned the ball over 7 times.
North Carolina put the game away with a big run at the end of the first half. There seemed to be an unusual amount of blown layups and blown dunks at this game. I did see Marvin throw a couple down, though.
Huskies
What a great win that was last night by the Huskies, a 68-64 verdict over NC State. NC State didn't think they were going to see Brandon Roy, but he came back in his first action since having his knee scoped. Also astounding was seeing the Huskies operate despite Nate Robinson being a complete nonfactor. Nate should bounce back, but hey, his team still beat an 8-0 team from the ACC. That's cause for some mild celebration at least.
Sonics
If I was a betting man or an oddsmaker, I'd totally have action on the next dates in which Ibo Kutluay or Robert Swift are playing.
Upcoming...
Wednesday vs. Denver
Monday (27th) at Utah
HOCKEY
Oh, how I miss it so. More so the NHL than the younger stuff, but now everything's off for the holidays.
Upcoming...
no WHL or AHL games from the 19th to the 26th, NorPac is off the weekend of the 24th and 25th as well
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Combine the Water Cooler Challenge with the Bacon Number More Than Two Challenge. The WCC? Get someone else to collaborate with you on a chant which celebrates the Seahawks' horrible play yesterday. C-R-A-P, CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!!!!
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Sunday, December 19, 2004
THIS DIVISION SUCKS
The Seahawks absolutely bite it today...
...but the Cardinals lay a 31-7 beating on the Rams.
Which goes to show you, if you realign divisions too much, sometimes this is what you're going to get.
The sick thing is, Dallas, Detroit, and Chicago all lost today. A Seahawk win today would have put them in the playoffs. Ugh.
The Seahawks didn't hold up their end of the bargain, but what's new?
...but the Cardinals lay a 31-7 beating on the Rams.
Which goes to show you, if you realign divisions too much, sometimes this is what you're going to get.
The sick thing is, Dallas, Detroit, and Chicago all lost today. A Seahawk win today would have put them in the playoffs. Ugh.
The Seahawks didn't hold up their end of the bargain, but what's new?
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BLOW UP THE MEADOWLANDS!
Giants Stadium is the home of the New York Giants as well as the New York Jets. The Giants have played in the stadium since it opened in 1976. But the Jets have only played at Giants Stadium since 1984. They had played at Shea Stadium before moving to New Jersey.
The Continental Airlines Arena opened in 1981 as the Brendan Byrne Arena. The arena is home to the the New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils. The Nets feature Mr. Wifebeater Jason Kidd and the Devils are the team that almost ruined hockey. Screw you, Jacques Lemaire!
The Seattle Seahawks are 1-10 all-time at Giants Stadium
SEAHAWKS VS GIANTS @ Giants Stadium (1-5)
11/28/76 L, 28-16
12/11/83 W, 17-12
11/19/89 L, 15-3
12/23/01 L, 27-24
10/25/92 L, 23-10
9/22/02 L, 9-6
SEAHAWKS VS JETS @ Giants Stadium (0-5)
10/27/85 L, 17-14
11/9/87 L, 30-14
12/6/98 L, 32-31
1/2/00 L, 19-9
12/19/04 L, 37-14
In case you were wondering, the Seahawks were 5-0 against the Jets at Shea Stadium.
(Thanks to the NFL Record and Fact Book for the above facts)
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is a dump, plain and simple. I know the Jets are trying to campaign for a new stadium, so I wish them all the luck in the world with that. I'm sick and tired of seeing the Seahawks get screwed in the Meadowlands. Did the Seahawks play well enough to win today? Absolutely not. But you cannot deny the fact that they absolutely got screwed on a few calls (see David's post below mine for all the game notes).
It's almost a given that the NFL will apologize to the Seahawks for the second Curtis Martin touchdown. The Seahawks could hang up banners in Qwest Field for every time they have received an apology from the NFL. I mean, it would go along great with the two AFC West title banners.
---Sorry for 12/6/98
---Sorry for 11/23/03
---Sorry for 12/14/03
---Sorry for 12/6/04
---Sorry for 12/19/04
The NFL can even fly Ruben Studdard's 205-self to Seattle to personally deliver the apologies. While we're at it, we can put Studdard's CDs and 205 gear inside Giants Stadium when the damn thing implodes.
I'm serious, blow up the Meadowlands. Today was the final straw.
I do have some good news to pass along...
The Seahawks aren't scheduled to play at Giants Stadium until 2008 against the Giants. However it may be 2007 if the Seahawks finish in the same position as the Giants in the NFC East in the 2006 season. So as far as I'm concerned, I hope they don't have to go back to the Meadowlands until 2008.
Hell, I hope the stadium is deemed unsafe due to safety violations. Did I mention how much I hate the Meadowlands?
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STORY OF THE FIRST HALF
SEAHAWKS/JETS
(last update 1:12p)
Here's what I got for game notes for today's game. I managed to wake up, with no alarm, at 10am exactly, after a late Saturday night and little sleep. I very well could have missed the opening kickoff or quarter.
1ST QUARTER
>> 1st New York possession (NYJ 25, fumble on return whistled down by contact)
14:45 Pennington to McCareins overthrown sideline left (Boulware blitz)
14:38 Martin runs right for 9
14:00 Jordan stood up at line...crappy spot anyone? Chains brought...yeah, it's a first down
13:30 Pennington to McCareins over the middle to midfield for a first down
12:54 Pennington play-action catch to Moss for 8, runs out of bounds
12:26 Reverse outside left Moss runs for 8 (SEA 31)
11:59 Martin outside right for 11 and a first down
11:17 Martin right side for 5
10:37 Pennington to McCareins loft pass left end zone broken up by Lucas
10:33 Martin up the middle stuffed by Boulware at the 3
***9:56 Brien from 21 (NYJ 3-0)
POROUS!!! Yet somehow I'm astounded that the Jets didn't get into the end zone there. Once the Seahawk defense didn't get the spot on that 3rd down play early in the drive, it was all downhill from there. Until the Jets somehow didn't punch it in. I wish this team knew how to stop the draw play a lot earlier, because the commentators are already saying that there's so much emphasis on it that they're getting burned everywhere else. Quite a balance on that drive for the Jets. It seemed like there were a bunch of passes in the beginning, more of Martin in the middle, and then a couple passes at the end and getting stuffed in the red zone.
>> 1st Seattle possession (SEA 29)
9:43 Hasselbeck left quick pass Rice for 8
9:08 Hasselbeck to Strong quick pass right side wide open for 7 and a first down
8:57 Alexander through middle for 6
8:26 Hasselbeck pass over middle to Engram for 13 and a first down (NYJ 37)
7:52 Alexander right side for 2
7:16 Alexander right side keeps legs moving, pounds past the chains for 10 and a first down (NYJ 25)
6:41 Alexander through the middle for 9
6:12 Strong through the middle for 4 and a first down (SEA 8)
***5:28 Hasselbeck changes play, lofts to Rice sideline right end zone one-handed catch TOUCHDOWN (SEA 7-3)
Wow. Beautiful drive. Well-executed, well-timed. I haven't felt this good about the Seahawks' first drive in quite a while. It was pretty nicely balanced too.
>> 2nd New York possession (NYJ 25)
5:11 Pennington play-action to Moss wide open over middle for 17 and a first down (NYJ 42)
4:37 Martin right side for 2
3:58 Pennington right side to Sowell for 7
3:17 Jordan run right, fumbled but Jets recovered...I think it's a first down...same damn thing as last time. Let's hope the defense doesn't cave this time for the next 5 plays (SEA 48)
2:49 Martin right gets 3
2:09 Martin right for 5 (3rd/2)
1:27 Pennington to Sowell right sideline hauls it down over Chad Brown's hands for 34 yards to the SEA 6, first down
0:58 Martin left side to the 2 (4 yd)
0:18 Pennington to Askew runs outside left, stuffed by Boulware out of bounds (1 yd) to the SEA 1
That sucks. March down all the way to the other end of the field, folks! It sucks that Chad Brown's gimp self was the one covering Jerald Sowell on that play. Hopefully the Jets do like they did last time and somehow don't get that last yard. It'd be hilarious, but I'm not putting money on the Seattle defense coming through on a 3rd-and-goal twice. And they did cave after not getting the stuff near the chains, again.
2ND QUARTER
***14:57 Martin untouched into the end zone left side (NYJ 10-7)
Come on, did you really expect the Seahawks to stuff the Jets on two straight possessions in the red zone? With Curtis Martin? No way. I'd have been surprised.
No three-and-out, offense. The defense will get tired...
>> 2nd Seattle possession (SEA 23)
14:46 Hasselbeck right side Alexander for 5, Hasselbeck plowed
14:27 There's the obligatory Hasselbeck pass getting batted down (3rd/5)
14:20 Hasselbeck nearly sacked, gets Mili down the right sideline for 9 and a first down (SEA 36); nice play on the bailout
14:00 Alexander right side for loss of 1...seems like that happens to Shaun every 9 or 10 carries or so
13:19 Hasselbeck sacked...no one's blocking...NICE BLOCK, REF!! Jackson obstructed (3rd/17)
12:45 No way in hell Alexander's getting 17 yards on a run, and definitely not on third down...7 yards outside left
It was damn near a three-and-out. That doesn't make it that much better. Here's to hoping the defense isn't tired too quickly. It would have been nice to have a punt inside the 20 there as well. Thirty-three yard punt. Why did we even sign Walter? Has he brought a lot to this team?
>> 3rd New York possession (NYJ 31)
11:53 Pennington to Jordan over the middle, breaks tackle, gets 8
11:10 screen pass Pennington to Sowell left side, with blockers...gets past way too many people, gets 21 yards and a first down (SEA 40)
10:27 Martin through left side for 12 and a first down (SEA 28)
9:47 play fake, pass to Sowell outside right for 7
9:10 Martin through the right side to SEA 6, first down (15 yd)
8:32 handoff Jordan left side to the 3
7:49 Pennington rollout, pass to end zone left nearly picked off by Orlando Huff
***7:44 CHALLENGE THAT, HOLMGREN!! DAMMIT!! Three yards. I know this probably won't matter, but it's worth a shot. It's not like this hasn't happened IN THE SAME DAMN STADIUM before. Martin tries to punch it in through the line and is (awaiting call) IN. Why did I even think that had a chance? At least it's just a timeout in the first half though. At least that one was closer than Testaverde's touchdown, but THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT MUCH BETTER (NYJ 17-7)
Seattle offense gets nowhere on six plays, punter kicks short, Jets rumble down the field and get that big 21-yard play in the process. Stop the draw, and stop the big play, people.
>> 3rd Seattle possession (SEA 20)
7:30 Hasselbeck right side Mili for 20 yards and a first down, bowling over three guys (SEA 40)
6:58 Alexander right side for nowhere again
6:23 quick pass right side Mili for 9, Hasselbeck plowed (3rd/1)
5:51 toss right side Alexander for first down (3 yd, NYJ 48)
5:13 play-action Hasselbeck to Engram left side for 7
4:37 Alexander up middle for not much (2 yd, 3rd/1)
4:01 Strong up the middle for 2 and a first down (NYJ 38)
3:19 I bet it's a penalty on Jackson too...BIG FREAKIN' SURPRISE. Jackson pushes off down right sideline near the end zone
###3:10 Hasselbeck over middle PICKED OFF by Barton (NYJ 39)
EXACTLY what the Seahawks DID NOT NEED right there. I'm disgusted. Absolutely disgusted.
>> 4th New York possession (NYJ 39)
3:04 Martin left side for 2
2:30 Martin outside left for 5
1:55 Pennington to Moss wide freakin' open left side to the 33...the Seahawks could be going into halftime down 24-7. Total crap. I've been holding on to the hope of the opening drive for too long. They're going nowhere today. I'm not sure why the defense is even on the field today. WAKE THE F$&% UP!! 19 of 31 plays in Seahawk territory? Yeah, I noticed.
***1:49 Pennington wide freakin' open to Moss AGAIN, right side this time for a 32-yd touchdown pass (NYJ 24-7)
It doesn't matter if the Seahawks score on the two-minute drill. The first half is a total failure on Seattle's part. Absolutely inept. I wish the Sonics played tonight so I had the chance of at least some happiness in my day. Damn Seahawks.
You know, the crappy thing about having nonexistent special teams is that you don't even think about the Seahawks running one back. I haven't thought even once this year that running back a kickoff or punt for a touchdown was even remotely possible.
>> 4th Seattle possession (SEA 24)
1:35 Hasselbeck no one to throw to, screen pass right to Alexander for one-yard loss
1:34 Jets timeout
1:27 Alexander right side for first down
1:07 home-run ball down right sideline to Jackson off his helmet...hey, it stops the clock and wasn't picked
1:02 Barton tips the pass away, through Mili's hands downfield middle (3rd/10)
0:55 Bobby Engram rules. Hasselbeck to Engram left side for 13 and first down, runs out of bounds (NYJ 48)
0:51 Hasselbeck throws out of bounds left, flags...OFFSIDE JETS, 5 yards (NYJ 43)
0:49 Good God. Donnie Abraham almost picks off a pass that was right to him. Pass intended for Rice, left sideline.
0:43 Hasselbeck to Jackson left side for his first catch of the day, 18 yards and a first down (NYJ 25)...they need a touchdown here...
0:41 Seattle timeout
0:37 no one to throw to, so Hasselbeck overthrows Alexander right side on the bailout
0:28 screen pass right Alexander for 11 and a first down (11 yd, NYJ 14)
0:17 spike
0:09 pass right side Hasselbeck to Jackson for 8 yards...he should have ran straight out of bounds
0:07 Seattle timeout
***0:03 Hasselbeck to Stevens right side TOUCHDOWN!! Jerramy Stevens, where the hell have you been?!!?! (NYJ 24-14)
The Jets did some trickery and a lateral on the ensuing kickoff (squib) and were stuffed at their own 38. They didn't run a play from scrimmage, seeing as to how there were only three seconds on the clock to begin with.
So, halftime thoughts? I'll quote the movie This Is Spinal Tap right now and say that the Seahawks' first half play was a s*@# sandwich (and yes, I can print that) -- two great touchdown drives as the bread, and a total mess of ineptitude and overwhelming defensive porosity as the meat.
I've got the NFL.com pulled up, so here's some halftime stats. Hasselbeck is 15 of 22 for 144 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. Shaun Alexander has 54 yards on 10 carries. Itula Mili (38 yd), Bobby Engram (34 yd), and Shaun Alexander (13 yd) have three catches each. Jerry Rice has 2 catches for 20 yards and a score, and Jerramy Stevens had the one touchdown catch for 6 yards. Chad Pennington on the other side is 11 of 14 for 164 yards and a touchdown. Curtis Martin has 14 carries for 88 yards and two scores.
For the second half? Less stupid passes and some better reads by Matt Hasselbeck would be nice, but most of all, how about the defense actually shows up and makes a stop? The Jets have scored on all four trips down the field.
3RD QUARTER
>> 5th Seattle possession (SEA 29, flags...Dilfer on the field?? Holding on Seattle, SEA 19)
14:49 Alexander through the pile for four, Hasselbeck out only one play
14:17 Hasselbeck quick pass left sideline for 5 (3rd/1)
13:38 Hasselbeck nearly sacked, ball nearly picked, Jackson doesn't come down with it over middle
BRILLIANT!! Three-and-freakin' out on the first series of the second half, when you had momentum carried over from the touchdown on the two-minute drill to end the first half? BRILLIANT!!!
>> 5th New York possession (NYJ 28...big break on a holding call on the Jets, NYJ 18)
13:25 Martin left side for 2
12:40 Martin up middle for 2 (3rd/6)
12:00 Pennington hurried, but screen play right side to Sowell down sideline is money...14 damn yards for a first down
11:15 pass over middle McCareins to the SEA 43, flags...NO FACE MASK, but on who? First down
10:50 direct snap Jordan right side for a ton of yards...33 yd to the SEA 10
10:06 Martin left side for 3
9:27 Pennington to Becht at goal line dropped
***9:22 Moss wide freakin' open in the end zone TOUCHDOWN (NYJ 30-14...Brien misses extra point)
The missed extra point is curious, but right now, even I could have 75 yards of receiving and 60 yards of rushing with the Seahawk defense out there. Do we have a reporter back at the team hotel to see if the Seahawks even left for the game? Did they ever make it to the bus? I can't really tell at this point.
>> 6th Seattle possession (SEA 30)
9:10 Hasselbeck to Jackson over middle for 10 and a first down
8:40 Hasselbeck to Mili right side for 5
8:16 Alexander for 4 yards (3rd/1)
7:30 Alexander through right side for first down (NYJ 48)
6:57 Hasselbeck to Jackson right side for 9
6:30 Alexander through right side for 4 and a first down
5:54 Morris outside left for 6 (NYJ 29)
5:35 Hasselbeck to Engram right side for 5 and a first down (NYJ 24)
5:12 Alexander left side for 4
4:33 Hasselbeck to Hannam right side to the NYJ 3 (17 yards, first down)
3:57 Alexander through right side to the NYJ 1
3:24 Hasselbeck has nowhere to throw, nearly sneaks it into the end zone...that would have been a touchdown with Phil Luckett as head ref
2:42 Alexander through middle...for nothing. Bullcrap.
###2:13 Alexander FUMBLES IN END ZONE...CHALLENGE THIS!!! Initial ruling is a touchback...
MY FREAKIN' LIFE AS A SEATTLE SPORTS FAN.
>> 6th New York possession (NYJ 20)
2:07 Martin outside to the 25
1:43 Martin through the left side for a first down (6 yd, NYJ 32)
1:02 Pennington to Baker over middle to the NYJ 49, first down
0:16 Pennington to Jordan for a first down
The Seahawks scored exactly...let me see here...ZERO TIMES in the third quarter!! BRILLIANT!! This game is over. I don't even know why I'm going to put myself through watching the fourth quarter, but that's what I'm going to do. After all, I watched the Mariners through 2004 and did a bunch of recaps, so this self-punishment is nothing new here at all.
4TH QUARTER
14:56 Pennington overthrows receiver down right sideline, who stopped on the route
14:49 Martin through left side for 6 (3rd/4)
14:09 Martin for SEVENTEEN DAMN YARDS and a first down...not that I expected the Seahawks to actually make a third-down stop there
13:33 BULLCRAP!!! ABSOLUTE BULLCRAP!!! Ken Hamlin's fumble recovery for a touchdown and called back because the ball is whistled down is ABSOLUTE BULLCRAP. I can't freakin' believe this. Total bull. I'm with Jeremy. NUKE THE MEADOWLANDS. Thank you.
13:05 Brandon Mitchell bats ball, has it in his breadbasket...he could have run that one back... (3rd/12)
13:00 Jordan right side for 7...the Seahawks actually don't allow a touchdown
###12:20 Brien from 30 NO GOOD
The Seahawks make a defensive stop thanks to Doug Brien's leg being off. But I think Jeremy and I might start our "BLOW UP THE MEADOWLANDS" campaign. Nothing good ever happens there. Ever. I'm not trying to be partial, but I don't think I've ever seen this many boneheaded calls go against a single team in any sport in any season. It's freakin' ridiculous.
Can we place bets on whether the Jets' punter will actually make an appearance today?
>> 7th Seattle possession (SEA 20)
12:15 Hasselbeck sacked, loss of 5. Nice blocking.
11:46 Alexander nowhere to throw, gets Alexander on the bailout for 5
###11:18 Hasselbeck sacked, fumbles, Seahawks recover, fumble, Jets recover, flags...WHICH ARE PULLED BACK. As usual. And as usual, it would have been against Seattle anyway
Did I mention this game was freakin' over?
>> 7th New York possession (SEA 23)
11:12 Martin to right stuffed by Brown for a loss of 3
10:31 Martin left side for 2, nice open-field tackle by Lucas (3rd/11)
9:44 pass to Cotchery over middle, he breaks tackles, and at that point I knew he would get the first down (SEA 9). Make the tackle right there, and you hold them to a field goal. My reaction: "of f*&%ing course!"
8:58 Martin right side for 4
***8:15 Pennington wide open to McCareins at the goal line TOUCHDOWN (NYJ 37-14)
It's conceivable the Seahawks have been screwed out of two, maybe three touchdowns. Though the defense can't stop crap, keep that in mind whenever you end up looking at the final score in this game.
Hasselbeck's elbow is jacked? Sit him down. This game's over. The defense sucks.
>> 8th Seattle possession (SEA 24)
8:02 Dilfer overthrows Strong left side
7:58 Alexander left side for 3 (3rd/7)
7:16 Dilfer overthrows well-covered Engram downfield left
Can you say "coronation"? I knew you could.
By the way, I'll be going straight to the UNC/Va Tech game after this one's over. No viewing of outside postgame analysis for me. Not much to say.
>> 8th New York possession (50)
7:00 Jordan outside right for 5
6:16 Jordan left side for nothing
5:32 Jordan through for a first down
4:46 Jordan outside left for 5
4:02 Jordan left side for first down, 11 yards (SEA 20)
3:17 Jordan for three, right side
2:37 Jordan left side tripped up by Koutouvides for no gain (3rd/7)
1:54 Jordan right side for 6
1:11 Jordan over the middle for the fourth-down conversion
0:33 knee
JETS 37, SEAHAWKS 14
If Mike Holmgren gets fired, it won't be for today. If he's fired, he's had his fate sealed long before this. However, this game could be a great reason to fire Ray Rhodes. Sure, the defense has been decimated by injuries, but THE JETS' PUNTER DIDN'T EVEN GET ONTO THE FIELD TODAY!!! The only drives by the Jets that didn't end in points ended instead in a Doug Brien missed field goal and the ending drive that ran out the rest (SEVEN MINUTES) of the clock to end the game.
Now, to the refs.
-- on the Seahawks' second series in the first quarter, one of the officials put a nice block on Darrell Jackson trying to run a route over the middle.
-- Curtis Martin's touchdown to put the Jets up 17-7 was almost Testaverde-esque...I didn't think he was in
-- pass interference on Darrell Jackson in the end zone, but that's most likely Jackson's fault. He did look like he had a hand on the defender. Still, it's an official's call.
-- I thought Shaun Alexander had control of the ball and broke the plane before the ball came loose. I wish Holmgren would have challenged it.
-- the killer: the Seahawks force a fumble and Ken Hamlin recovers the ball and runs it back for a touchdown. If the ref doesn't whistle it down, the touchdown can be called and it can be challenged on replay, but NOOOOOO. The official blows it down and you can't challenge that. HOGWASH!!
There was a lot of blame to go around though. It's not like the offense didn't fumble twice, and clearly once (I still think Alexander had the ball across the goal line). However, I'm only willing to allow the Jets' defense so much credit. Did they feed Alexander enough? He got the ball 19 times for 77 yards (I'll pencil him in for a touchdown, even though the refs and the Fox people didn't think so). Shaun averaged a tad over 4 yards a carry. Darrell Jackson was the team's leading receiver with (drum roll...) 45 yards on 4 catches. Yippee. The sick thing is, they had way more success throwing the ball than running it.
But to rub it in on the Seattle defense even more, they allowed plays of over ten yards on every one of the Jets' possessions. They allowed 229 ground yards and 253 yards through the air for 482 total yards of offense for the Jets. They failed to make stops on 11 out of 14 on third downs. As usual, Ray Rhodes will not face the media and will not answer any questions about his defense, or lack thereof.
Go Cardinals! Beat the Rams!
And for my viewing for the rest of the day, go Tar Heels and come on, Huskies.
North Carolina is actually on right now as I type this.
Cardinals. Seahawks. Next Sunday.
Here's what I got for game notes for today's game. I managed to wake up, with no alarm, at 10am exactly, after a late Saturday night and little sleep. I very well could have missed the opening kickoff or quarter.
1ST QUARTER
>> 1st New York possession (NYJ 25, fumble on return whistled down by contact)
14:45 Pennington to McCareins overthrown sideline left (Boulware blitz)
14:38 Martin runs right for 9
14:00 Jordan stood up at line...crappy spot anyone? Chains brought...yeah, it's a first down
13:30 Pennington to McCareins over the middle to midfield for a first down
12:54 Pennington play-action catch to Moss for 8, runs out of bounds
12:26 Reverse outside left Moss runs for 8 (SEA 31)
11:59 Martin outside right for 11 and a first down
11:17 Martin right side for 5
10:37 Pennington to McCareins loft pass left end zone broken up by Lucas
10:33 Martin up the middle stuffed by Boulware at the 3
***9:56 Brien from 21 (NYJ 3-0)
POROUS!!! Yet somehow I'm astounded that the Jets didn't get into the end zone there. Once the Seahawk defense didn't get the spot on that 3rd down play early in the drive, it was all downhill from there. Until the Jets somehow didn't punch it in. I wish this team knew how to stop the draw play a lot earlier, because the commentators are already saying that there's so much emphasis on it that they're getting burned everywhere else. Quite a balance on that drive for the Jets. It seemed like there were a bunch of passes in the beginning, more of Martin in the middle, and then a couple passes at the end and getting stuffed in the red zone.
>> 1st Seattle possession (SEA 29)
9:43 Hasselbeck left quick pass Rice for 8
9:08 Hasselbeck to Strong quick pass right side wide open for 7 and a first down
8:57 Alexander through middle for 6
8:26 Hasselbeck pass over middle to Engram for 13 and a first down (NYJ 37)
7:52 Alexander right side for 2
7:16 Alexander right side keeps legs moving, pounds past the chains for 10 and a first down (NYJ 25)
6:41 Alexander through the middle for 9
6:12 Strong through the middle for 4 and a first down (SEA 8)
***5:28 Hasselbeck changes play, lofts to Rice sideline right end zone one-handed catch TOUCHDOWN (SEA 7-3)
Wow. Beautiful drive. Well-executed, well-timed. I haven't felt this good about the Seahawks' first drive in quite a while. It was pretty nicely balanced too.
>> 2nd New York possession (NYJ 25)
5:11 Pennington play-action to Moss wide open over middle for 17 and a first down (NYJ 42)
4:37 Martin right side for 2
3:58 Pennington right side to Sowell for 7
3:17 Jordan run right, fumbled but Jets recovered...I think it's a first down...same damn thing as last time. Let's hope the defense doesn't cave this time for the next 5 plays (SEA 48)
2:49 Martin right gets 3
2:09 Martin right for 5 (3rd/2)
1:27 Pennington to Sowell right sideline hauls it down over Chad Brown's hands for 34 yards to the SEA 6, first down
0:58 Martin left side to the 2 (4 yd)
0:18 Pennington to Askew runs outside left, stuffed by Boulware out of bounds (1 yd) to the SEA 1
That sucks. March down all the way to the other end of the field, folks! It sucks that Chad Brown's gimp self was the one covering Jerald Sowell on that play. Hopefully the Jets do like they did last time and somehow don't get that last yard. It'd be hilarious, but I'm not putting money on the Seattle defense coming through on a 3rd-and-goal twice. And they did cave after not getting the stuff near the chains, again.
2ND QUARTER
***14:57 Martin untouched into the end zone left side (NYJ 10-7)
Come on, did you really expect the Seahawks to stuff the Jets on two straight possessions in the red zone? With Curtis Martin? No way. I'd have been surprised.
No three-and-out, offense. The defense will get tired...
>> 2nd Seattle possession (SEA 23)
14:46 Hasselbeck right side Alexander for 5, Hasselbeck plowed
14:27 There's the obligatory Hasselbeck pass getting batted down (3rd/5)
14:20 Hasselbeck nearly sacked, gets Mili down the right sideline for 9 and a first down (SEA 36); nice play on the bailout
14:00 Alexander right side for loss of 1...seems like that happens to Shaun every 9 or 10 carries or so
13:19 Hasselbeck sacked...no one's blocking...NICE BLOCK, REF!! Jackson obstructed (3rd/17)
12:45 No way in hell Alexander's getting 17 yards on a run, and definitely not on third down...7 yards outside left
It was damn near a three-and-out. That doesn't make it that much better. Here's to hoping the defense isn't tired too quickly. It would have been nice to have a punt inside the 20 there as well. Thirty-three yard punt. Why did we even sign Walter? Has he brought a lot to this team?
>> 3rd New York possession (NYJ 31)
11:53 Pennington to Jordan over the middle, breaks tackle, gets 8
11:10 screen pass Pennington to Sowell left side, with blockers...gets past way too many people, gets 21 yards and a first down (SEA 40)
10:27 Martin through left side for 12 and a first down (SEA 28)
9:47 play fake, pass to Sowell outside right for 7
9:10 Martin through the right side to SEA 6, first down (15 yd)
8:32 handoff Jordan left side to the 3
7:49 Pennington rollout, pass to end zone left nearly picked off by Orlando Huff
***7:44 CHALLENGE THAT, HOLMGREN!! DAMMIT!! Three yards. I know this probably won't matter, but it's worth a shot. It's not like this hasn't happened IN THE SAME DAMN STADIUM before. Martin tries to punch it in through the line and is (awaiting call) IN. Why did I even think that had a chance? At least it's just a timeout in the first half though. At least that one was closer than Testaverde's touchdown, but THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT MUCH BETTER (NYJ 17-7)
Seattle offense gets nowhere on six plays, punter kicks short, Jets rumble down the field and get that big 21-yard play in the process. Stop the draw, and stop the big play, people.
>> 3rd Seattle possession (SEA 20)
7:30 Hasselbeck right side Mili for 20 yards and a first down, bowling over three guys (SEA 40)
6:58 Alexander right side for nowhere again
6:23 quick pass right side Mili for 9, Hasselbeck plowed (3rd/1)
5:51 toss right side Alexander for first down (3 yd, NYJ 48)
5:13 play-action Hasselbeck to Engram left side for 7
4:37 Alexander up middle for not much (2 yd, 3rd/1)
4:01 Strong up the middle for 2 and a first down (NYJ 38)
3:19 I bet it's a penalty on Jackson too...BIG FREAKIN' SURPRISE. Jackson pushes off down right sideline near the end zone
###3:10 Hasselbeck over middle PICKED OFF by Barton (NYJ 39)
EXACTLY what the Seahawks DID NOT NEED right there. I'm disgusted. Absolutely disgusted.
>> 4th New York possession (NYJ 39)
3:04 Martin left side for 2
2:30 Martin outside left for 5
1:55 Pennington to Moss wide freakin' open left side to the 33...the Seahawks could be going into halftime down 24-7. Total crap. I've been holding on to the hope of the opening drive for too long. They're going nowhere today. I'm not sure why the defense is even on the field today. WAKE THE F$&% UP!! 19 of 31 plays in Seahawk territory? Yeah, I noticed.
***1:49 Pennington wide freakin' open to Moss AGAIN, right side this time for a 32-yd touchdown pass (NYJ 24-7)
It doesn't matter if the Seahawks score on the two-minute drill. The first half is a total failure on Seattle's part. Absolutely inept. I wish the Sonics played tonight so I had the chance of at least some happiness in my day. Damn Seahawks.
You know, the crappy thing about having nonexistent special teams is that you don't even think about the Seahawks running one back. I haven't thought even once this year that running back a kickoff or punt for a touchdown was even remotely possible.
>> 4th Seattle possession (SEA 24)
1:35 Hasselbeck no one to throw to, screen pass right to Alexander for one-yard loss
1:34 Jets timeout
1:27 Alexander right side for first down
1:07 home-run ball down right sideline to Jackson off his helmet...hey, it stops the clock and wasn't picked
1:02 Barton tips the pass away, through Mili's hands downfield middle (3rd/10)
0:55 Bobby Engram rules. Hasselbeck to Engram left side for 13 and first down, runs out of bounds (NYJ 48)
0:51 Hasselbeck throws out of bounds left, flags...OFFSIDE JETS, 5 yards (NYJ 43)
0:49 Good God. Donnie Abraham almost picks off a pass that was right to him. Pass intended for Rice, left sideline.
0:43 Hasselbeck to Jackson left side for his first catch of the day, 18 yards and a first down (NYJ 25)...they need a touchdown here...
0:41 Seattle timeout
0:37 no one to throw to, so Hasselbeck overthrows Alexander right side on the bailout
0:28 screen pass right Alexander for 11 and a first down (11 yd, NYJ 14)
0:17 spike
0:09 pass right side Hasselbeck to Jackson for 8 yards...he should have ran straight out of bounds
0:07 Seattle timeout
***0:03 Hasselbeck to Stevens right side TOUCHDOWN!! Jerramy Stevens, where the hell have you been?!!?! (NYJ 24-14)
The Jets did some trickery and a lateral on the ensuing kickoff (squib) and were stuffed at their own 38. They didn't run a play from scrimmage, seeing as to how there were only three seconds on the clock to begin with.
So, halftime thoughts? I'll quote the movie This Is Spinal Tap right now and say that the Seahawks' first half play was a s*@# sandwich (and yes, I can print that) -- two great touchdown drives as the bread, and a total mess of ineptitude and overwhelming defensive porosity as the meat.
I've got the NFL.com pulled up, so here's some halftime stats. Hasselbeck is 15 of 22 for 144 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. Shaun Alexander has 54 yards on 10 carries. Itula Mili (38 yd), Bobby Engram (34 yd), and Shaun Alexander (13 yd) have three catches each. Jerry Rice has 2 catches for 20 yards and a score, and Jerramy Stevens had the one touchdown catch for 6 yards. Chad Pennington on the other side is 11 of 14 for 164 yards and a touchdown. Curtis Martin has 14 carries for 88 yards and two scores.
For the second half? Less stupid passes and some better reads by Matt Hasselbeck would be nice, but most of all, how about the defense actually shows up and makes a stop? The Jets have scored on all four trips down the field.
3RD QUARTER
>> 5th Seattle possession (SEA 29, flags...Dilfer on the field?? Holding on Seattle, SEA 19)
14:49 Alexander through the pile for four, Hasselbeck out only one play
14:17 Hasselbeck quick pass left sideline for 5 (3rd/1)
13:38 Hasselbeck nearly sacked, ball nearly picked, Jackson doesn't come down with it over middle
BRILLIANT!! Three-and-freakin' out on the first series of the second half, when you had momentum carried over from the touchdown on the two-minute drill to end the first half? BRILLIANT!!!
>> 5th New York possession (NYJ 28...big break on a holding call on the Jets, NYJ 18)
13:25 Martin left side for 2
12:40 Martin up middle for 2 (3rd/6)
12:00 Pennington hurried, but screen play right side to Sowell down sideline is money...14 damn yards for a first down
11:15 pass over middle McCareins to the SEA 43, flags...NO FACE MASK, but on who? First down
10:50 direct snap Jordan right side for a ton of yards...33 yd to the SEA 10
10:06 Martin left side for 3
9:27 Pennington to Becht at goal line dropped
***9:22 Moss wide freakin' open in the end zone TOUCHDOWN (NYJ 30-14...Brien misses extra point)
The missed extra point is curious, but right now, even I could have 75 yards of receiving and 60 yards of rushing with the Seahawk defense out there. Do we have a reporter back at the team hotel to see if the Seahawks even left for the game? Did they ever make it to the bus? I can't really tell at this point.
>> 6th Seattle possession (SEA 30)
9:10 Hasselbeck to Jackson over middle for 10 and a first down
8:40 Hasselbeck to Mili right side for 5
8:16 Alexander for 4 yards (3rd/1)
7:30 Alexander through right side for first down (NYJ 48)
6:57 Hasselbeck to Jackson right side for 9
6:30 Alexander through right side for 4 and a first down
5:54 Morris outside left for 6 (NYJ 29)
5:35 Hasselbeck to Engram right side for 5 and a first down (NYJ 24)
5:12 Alexander left side for 4
4:33 Hasselbeck to Hannam right side to the NYJ 3 (17 yards, first down)
3:57 Alexander through right side to the NYJ 1
3:24 Hasselbeck has nowhere to throw, nearly sneaks it into the end zone...that would have been a touchdown with Phil Luckett as head ref
2:42 Alexander through middle...for nothing. Bullcrap.
###2:13 Alexander FUMBLES IN END ZONE...CHALLENGE THIS!!! Initial ruling is a touchback...
MY FREAKIN' LIFE AS A SEATTLE SPORTS FAN.
>> 6th New York possession (NYJ 20)
2:07 Martin outside to the 25
1:43 Martin through the left side for a first down (6 yd, NYJ 32)
1:02 Pennington to Baker over middle to the NYJ 49, first down
0:16 Pennington to Jordan for a first down
The Seahawks scored exactly...let me see here...ZERO TIMES in the third quarter!! BRILLIANT!! This game is over. I don't even know why I'm going to put myself through watching the fourth quarter, but that's what I'm going to do. After all, I watched the Mariners through 2004 and did a bunch of recaps, so this self-punishment is nothing new here at all.
4TH QUARTER
14:56 Pennington overthrows receiver down right sideline, who stopped on the route
14:49 Martin through left side for 6 (3rd/4)
14:09 Martin for SEVENTEEN DAMN YARDS and a first down...not that I expected the Seahawks to actually make a third-down stop there
13:33 BULLCRAP!!! ABSOLUTE BULLCRAP!!! Ken Hamlin's fumble recovery for a touchdown and called back because the ball is whistled down is ABSOLUTE BULLCRAP. I can't freakin' believe this. Total bull. I'm with Jeremy. NUKE THE MEADOWLANDS. Thank you.
13:05 Brandon Mitchell bats ball, has it in his breadbasket...he could have run that one back... (3rd/12)
13:00 Jordan right side for 7...the Seahawks actually don't allow a touchdown
###12:20 Brien from 30 NO GOOD
The Seahawks make a defensive stop thanks to Doug Brien's leg being off. But I think Jeremy and I might start our "BLOW UP THE MEADOWLANDS" campaign. Nothing good ever happens there. Ever. I'm not trying to be partial, but I don't think I've ever seen this many boneheaded calls go against a single team in any sport in any season. It's freakin' ridiculous.
Can we place bets on whether the Jets' punter will actually make an appearance today?
>> 7th Seattle possession (SEA 20)
12:15 Hasselbeck sacked, loss of 5. Nice blocking.
11:46 Alexander nowhere to throw, gets Alexander on the bailout for 5
###11:18 Hasselbeck sacked, fumbles, Seahawks recover, fumble, Jets recover, flags...WHICH ARE PULLED BACK. As usual. And as usual, it would have been against Seattle anyway
Did I mention this game was freakin' over?
>> 7th New York possession (SEA 23)
11:12 Martin to right stuffed by Brown for a loss of 3
10:31 Martin left side for 2, nice open-field tackle by Lucas (3rd/11)
9:44 pass to Cotchery over middle, he breaks tackles, and at that point I knew he would get the first down (SEA 9). Make the tackle right there, and you hold them to a field goal. My reaction: "of f*&%ing course!"
8:58 Martin right side for 4
***8:15 Pennington wide open to McCareins at the goal line TOUCHDOWN (NYJ 37-14)
It's conceivable the Seahawks have been screwed out of two, maybe three touchdowns. Though the defense can't stop crap, keep that in mind whenever you end up looking at the final score in this game.
Hasselbeck's elbow is jacked? Sit him down. This game's over. The defense sucks.
>> 8th Seattle possession (SEA 24)
8:02 Dilfer overthrows Strong left side
7:58 Alexander left side for 3 (3rd/7)
7:16 Dilfer overthrows well-covered Engram downfield left
Can you say "coronation"? I knew you could.
By the way, I'll be going straight to the UNC/Va Tech game after this one's over. No viewing of outside postgame analysis for me. Not much to say.
>> 8th New York possession (50)
7:00 Jordan outside right for 5
6:16 Jordan left side for nothing
5:32 Jordan through for a first down
4:46 Jordan outside left for 5
4:02 Jordan left side for first down, 11 yards (SEA 20)
3:17 Jordan for three, right side
2:37 Jordan left side tripped up by Koutouvides for no gain (3rd/7)
1:54 Jordan right side for 6
1:11 Jordan over the middle for the fourth-down conversion
0:33 knee
JETS 37, SEAHAWKS 14
If Mike Holmgren gets fired, it won't be for today. If he's fired, he's had his fate sealed long before this. However, this game could be a great reason to fire Ray Rhodes. Sure, the defense has been decimated by injuries, but THE JETS' PUNTER DIDN'T EVEN GET ONTO THE FIELD TODAY!!! The only drives by the Jets that didn't end in points ended instead in a Doug Brien missed field goal and the ending drive that ran out the rest (SEVEN MINUTES) of the clock to end the game.
Now, to the refs.
-- on the Seahawks' second series in the first quarter, one of the officials put a nice block on Darrell Jackson trying to run a route over the middle.
-- Curtis Martin's touchdown to put the Jets up 17-7 was almost Testaverde-esque...I didn't think he was in
-- pass interference on Darrell Jackson in the end zone, but that's most likely Jackson's fault. He did look like he had a hand on the defender. Still, it's an official's call.
-- I thought Shaun Alexander had control of the ball and broke the plane before the ball came loose. I wish Holmgren would have challenged it.
-- the killer: the Seahawks force a fumble and Ken Hamlin recovers the ball and runs it back for a touchdown. If the ref doesn't whistle it down, the touchdown can be called and it can be challenged on replay, but NOOOOOO. The official blows it down and you can't challenge that. HOGWASH!!
There was a lot of blame to go around though. It's not like the offense didn't fumble twice, and clearly once (I still think Alexander had the ball across the goal line). However, I'm only willing to allow the Jets' defense so much credit. Did they feed Alexander enough? He got the ball 19 times for 77 yards (I'll pencil him in for a touchdown, even though the refs and the Fox people didn't think so). Shaun averaged a tad over 4 yards a carry. Darrell Jackson was the team's leading receiver with (drum roll...) 45 yards on 4 catches. Yippee. The sick thing is, they had way more success throwing the ball than running it.
But to rub it in on the Seattle defense even more, they allowed plays of over ten yards on every one of the Jets' possessions. They allowed 229 ground yards and 253 yards through the air for 482 total yards of offense for the Jets. They failed to make stops on 11 out of 14 on third downs. As usual, Ray Rhodes will not face the media and will not answer any questions about his defense, or lack thereof.
Go Cardinals! Beat the Rams!
And for my viewing for the rest of the day, go Tar Heels and come on, Huskies.
North Carolina is actually on right now as I type this.
Cardinals. Seahawks. Next Sunday.
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