Thursday, January 06, 2005
PRICKLY PAIRS
Hey, all. Two treats before getting down to business here...
-- Sports-related: the article that ran about the better halves of Mike Hargrove, Mike Holmgren, and Nate McMillan. The Hargroves have beaten out some Navy brats by moving 93 times.
-- Not sports-related: this, found last night by Jeremy. My connection to this song is that a few 2000 Bremerton High classmates and I performed a lyrically-altered version of that song at our graduation (I played drums). So basically, it was about the times and tribulations of high school rather than what Tommy Tutone was singing about in the original song. As for the site itself...absolutely hilarious. The thought of hearing what happened for area code 915 is just side-splitting.
MARINERS
Yes, it's as we thought -- Mike Cameron sold Pokey Reese on Seattle. Well, that and the chance to play alongside Bret Boone again, as he did in Cincinnati. Aaaand the chance to play in the same infield with two big-time players in Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre. Imagine that...players coming here because they see the Mariners stepping up and signing big-name guys. That used to be an entirely foreign concept here.
You know, these are pretty good-sized columns that our friend Derek is cranking out every Thursday. This one's about the bullpen of the Mariners and how Mike Hargrove might manage it. The basic verdict is that signs are encouraging, based on how he worked the bullpen in Baltimore. The Mariners don't have the flamethrower in Jorge Julio, but rather an assortment of arms, ages, and talent levels. Also, who can forget Guardado coming in even with ridiculously huge leads? Good times. Who can forget Kevin Jarvis coming in with the Mariners down only two or so, but finally getting to the other team's arms on offense? I'm glad to see the Assenmacher/Myers comparison, since for me Assenmacher (my mom called him simply "Paul Ass" during the 1995 playoffs) is the first guy I knew of (at the tender age of 13) that was a stereotypical LOOGY. Derek's got Atchison as his righty long man, and I think Atch at least deserves a shot in spring training at the role.
He had an outtie. That's how Pokey says he got his nickname. Like the Miller commercial, I think Pokey might be penalized there for too much information. He turned down a starting job in Tampa Bay to come here? Why am I not surprised? Larry Stone puts in the laundry list of Pokey's injuries in 2001. We thought Rich Aurilia had some weird injuries, but I think Pokey's got him beat.
SEAHAWKS
Before the nitty-gritty here, there's an interesting article on the business perspective for those owning businesses around the Q, gearing up for a bigger windfall for the playoff game. Good stuff. Hooray for Mama Blue as well, who gets some ink later in the article.
Also, I'm kind of shocked that this is even a problem. Trent Dilfer calls it "embarrassing." He's right. A few more games like this and it'd be Atlanta bad. I'm left wondering who to blame...Koren Robinson or Ken Behring?
Dammit, Clare, did you have to rehash that? I didn't need to be reminded. Ugh. Read that if you want to either be sickened, or if you want another big reason why the Seahawks need to win on Saturday.
Dammit, Greg...it's the same thing here too. Though I'd have to say this about Ken Lucas' high school experience -- it sure seems like having three touchdowns called back by the refs is something that only happens in high school or anywhere before the age of 18, doesn't it?
The Seahawks had a running back saying some things, a wide receiver that's out of his mind, and a coach that stands a decent chance of getting the ax if the Seahawks lose on Saturday. The Rams? Well, they're a zoo.
Art Thiel would basically think I'm insane for thinking Mike Holmgren would possibly think about not wanting Shaun to get the rushing title, but I can tell you that was the first thing on my mind at the end of the game last Sunday, and it's not because I convinced myself of this. Holmgren would much rather pass than run, this is no secret to anyone, and it seems to me that on a couple occasions this season, I've seen the Seahawks lose, and the first thing I'm asking myself is "why didn't Shaun Alexander get more touches early in the game?" (early because if the Seahawks are down late, they're passing to save clock) All this while the receivers were dropping balls, and the defense was on the field too long, etc. That's two ways to keep Shaun off the field -- throw a bunch to take away touches, and have the defense suck to limit Seattle possessions (of course, I'm not saying Mike Holmgren has tried to sabotage the defense or anything, though you could hammer his drafting habits of years past if you really wanted to). But back to the article, Thiel blames Alexander for not pass blocking and pretty much questions his toughness and calls the apology press conference "mostly a crock."
We've said it here before, but it needs to be said again.
Mo Morris will not rush for 1696 yards in a season with the Seattle Seahawks.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
The Tar Heels have the work week off before ACC play starts in the Dean Dome against Maryland on Saturday.
Huskies
The Times isn't showing running an article about any Huskies today, but rather ex-Rainier Beach HS star and current USC Trojan Lodrick Stewart. His twin brother Rodrick fell out of favor with then-coach Henry Bibby at USC and eventually transferred out to Kansas. Lodrick basically admits that life is boring as hell without him, but that he thinks "it will be good for [him] and [Rodrick] to go [their] separate ways." Of course, the last two words of the last sentence inevitably bring up this.
In what is no surprise, the USC basketball program is second fiddle or worse than the football program on the same campus. Lodrick Stewart says Henry Bibby "was like a power tripper." The whole section in the article about Bibby is just weird. There's a reason why his own son (who scored 32 last night) can't stand him. Also, Henry Bibby had Robert Swift sign for him and then turn pro. Buuuurrrrrn! Furtherly also (I use also a lot; I need to take a trip to Conjunction Junction, or just a remedial English class), I can't imagine living through how long the promise of a Galen Center has been kept alive. George Raveling said he was trying to lure the O'Bannon brothers to USC and their new arena that would be on the horizon. Both brothers chose UCLA, and won a national title along the way.
The Huskies are at USC tonight and UCLA on Saturday.
Bulldogs
Gonzaga starts conference play tonight. The RPI ranks the West Coast Conference as eighth-best in the country. The article says the Bulldogs just might be quicker and might even be better in March. They're younger and they lost a lot from last year's team, but I'm surprised they're doing this well. I thought they'd do pretty well, but they're doing really well right now.
The Bulldogs are at Santa Clara tonight and at Saint Mary's on Saturday.
Sonics
For my take on the game, simply scroll down one post or if you're in the archive, click here.
Danny O'Neil's got the right headline here. That didn't look like the same team out there that's won 23 times, and it didn't even look like the same team that's lost 5 of their 6 losses this year (I think only one loss might compare to this one). This looked more like last year's team. It seemed like they did nothing like we've been used to seeing. Nothing clicked at all. Ray Allen says that the Sonics probably in hindsight should have put someone bigger on Steve Francis, because Luke Ridnour just wasn't cutting it. After the Sonics got within three, the Magic reeled off a huge run, and scored on nine straight trips down the floor. The Sonics couldn't stop them, and they didn't have another big run left in them. Bonus points to O'Neil for the Vlad stat at the end of the article. Radmanovic scores a full 1.5 points more per game on average when the Sonics end up wining than he does when they lose.
So the Sonics have to bounce back on national television tonight against the Wizards. I expect them to, although the Wizards aren't chop liver this year by any stretch of the imagination. Here's to hoping the Sonics have someone that can contain Gilbert Arenas. All in all, the Sonics still have a chance to be 4-1 on this five-game east coast swing. That's still not bad at all.
Not only do the Sonics still have a chance to go 4-1 on the trip, they have a chance to keep going without losing consecutive games. It still hasn't happened.
Did anything get done between Lon Babby (Ray Allen's agent) and Sonic GM Rick Sund? It doesn't look like too much happened beyond mere formalities (Babby called it a "weather report"), but they don't seem like they hate each other, so that's good.
By the way, that last Tribune link says that the February 16 home game against Golden State has been moved to a 6pm start to accommodate ESPN, who will now be televising the game. That and some thing where if the NBA players and owners don't have a new collective bargaining agreement by July 1, the owners could lock out the players, but really, with the Sonics how they are right now, shove this lockout thing back into the furthest corner of your mind.
Upcoming...
Tonight at Washington
Sunday vs. Miami
HOCKEY
Seattle beat Spokane 6-3. Like their KeyArena co-tenants, the Thunderbirds also have not lost consecutive games this season. The T-Birds fell behind early in this one but tied the game at 1-1 in the first period. After 30 minutes of play, Seattle suddenly found themselves down 3-1. T-Bird coach Rob Sumner called timeout. Seattle scored the next five goals to win the game. Ladislav Scurko, fresh off playing for Slovakia in the World Junior Championships, scored what held up as the winning goal for Seattle. More impressively, Nate Thompson scored the first, third (tying), and fifth goals for the Thunderbirds, good for a hat trick. Denis Tolpeko and Ryan Gibbons had the two other goals. The T-Birds had five plus-2 skaters in the game. Shots were 34 apiece, and Gavin McHale stopped 31 as Bryan Bridges rested.
Vancouver beat Prince George 6-3. Amazingly, Vancouver did the same exact thing as Seattle did, as they too scored five straight goals after being down 3-1. However, the Vancouver victory was in much more dramatic fashion -- four third-period goals. Incredible. There were three two-goal scorers in the game. Dustin Byfuglien scored the first two goals for the Cougars, and Brett Parker notched the third for the Cougars in the first period. Matt Robinson scored the first goal of the game, which gave Vancouver an early lead, but then Prince George came away with their aforementioned offense of the night. Conlan Seder cut the deficit for the Giants to 3-2 in the second period. Vancouver was down 3-2 heading into the third. I did mention that there were three two-goal scorers in the game. I've named one of the three, but here come the other two. Mitch Bartley scored the tying (on the power play) and winning goals for the Giants, and Gilbert Brule sealed the deal with the last two goals of the game. Adam Courchaine tallied three assists. Paul Albers and Cody Franson (one assist) were both plus-3 on the night. The Cougars put up 21 shots on backup backup Tyson Sexsmith, and he stopped 18. The WHL boxscore isn't showing any line right now for Real Cyr, so I can't give you much in terms of which team outshot which. Tyson Sexsmith, age 15, stopped 18 for the Giants.
Manitoba shut out Cleveland, 3-0 (video). Ryan Kesler and Lee Goren scored in the first period for the Moose, and Josh Green tallied with the empty net in the third period. Wade Flaherty did the rest in net. Jason King had three assists and was the only plus-2 skater on the night. Shots were 23 apiece and Flaherty stopped everything that got to him for his third shutout of the year.
Tomorrow: Kelowna at Seattle, Spokane at Everett, Portland at Saskatoon, Vancouver at Prince George, Puget Sound at River City
Saturday: Tri-City at Seattle, Kamloops at Everett, Portland at Prince Albert, Vancouver at Kelowna, Edmonton at Manitoba, Puget Sound at River City
Sunday: Edmonton at Manitoba
---
Have a great Thursday, everyone.
-- Sports-related: the article that ran about the better halves of Mike Hargrove, Mike Holmgren, and Nate McMillan. The Hargroves have beaten out some Navy brats by moving 93 times.
-- Not sports-related: this, found last night by Jeremy. My connection to this song is that a few 2000 Bremerton High classmates and I performed a lyrically-altered version of that song at our graduation (I played drums). So basically, it was about the times and tribulations of high school rather than what Tommy Tutone was singing about in the original song. As for the site itself...absolutely hilarious. The thought of hearing what happened for area code 915 is just side-splitting.
MARINERS
Yes, it's as we thought -- Mike Cameron sold Pokey Reese on Seattle. Well, that and the chance to play alongside Bret Boone again, as he did in Cincinnati. Aaaand the chance to play in the same infield with two big-time players in Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre. Imagine that...players coming here because they see the Mariners stepping up and signing big-name guys. That used to be an entirely foreign concept here.
You know, these are pretty good-sized columns that our friend Derek is cranking out every Thursday. This one's about the bullpen of the Mariners and how Mike Hargrove might manage it. The basic verdict is that signs are encouraging, based on how he worked the bullpen in Baltimore. The Mariners don't have the flamethrower in Jorge Julio, but rather an assortment of arms, ages, and talent levels. Also, who can forget Guardado coming in even with ridiculously huge leads? Good times. Who can forget Kevin Jarvis coming in with the Mariners down only two or so, but finally getting to the other team's arms on offense? I'm glad to see the Assenmacher/Myers comparison, since for me Assenmacher (my mom called him simply "Paul Ass" during the 1995 playoffs) is the first guy I knew of (at the tender age of 13) that was a stereotypical LOOGY. Derek's got Atchison as his righty long man, and I think Atch at least deserves a shot in spring training at the role.
He had an outtie. That's how Pokey says he got his nickname. Like the Miller commercial, I think Pokey might be penalized there for too much information. He turned down a starting job in Tampa Bay to come here? Why am I not surprised? Larry Stone puts in the laundry list of Pokey's injuries in 2001. We thought Rich Aurilia had some weird injuries, but I think Pokey's got him beat.
SEAHAWKS
Before the nitty-gritty here, there's an interesting article on the business perspective for those owning businesses around the Q, gearing up for a bigger windfall for the playoff game. Good stuff. Hooray for Mama Blue as well, who gets some ink later in the article.
Also, I'm kind of shocked that this is even a problem. Trent Dilfer calls it "embarrassing." He's right. A few more games like this and it'd be Atlanta bad. I'm left wondering who to blame...Koren Robinson or Ken Behring?
Dammit, Clare, did you have to rehash that? I didn't need to be reminded. Ugh. Read that if you want to either be sickened, or if you want another big reason why the Seahawks need to win on Saturday.
Dammit, Greg...it's the same thing here too. Though I'd have to say this about Ken Lucas' high school experience -- it sure seems like having three touchdowns called back by the refs is something that only happens in high school or anywhere before the age of 18, doesn't it?
The Seahawks had a running back saying some things, a wide receiver that's out of his mind, and a coach that stands a decent chance of getting the ax if the Seahawks lose on Saturday. The Rams? Well, they're a zoo.
Art Thiel would basically think I'm insane for thinking Mike Holmgren would possibly think about not wanting Shaun to get the rushing title, but I can tell you that was the first thing on my mind at the end of the game last Sunday, and it's not because I convinced myself of this. Holmgren would much rather pass than run, this is no secret to anyone, and it seems to me that on a couple occasions this season, I've seen the Seahawks lose, and the first thing I'm asking myself is "why didn't Shaun Alexander get more touches early in the game?" (early because if the Seahawks are down late, they're passing to save clock) All this while the receivers were dropping balls, and the defense was on the field too long, etc. That's two ways to keep Shaun off the field -- throw a bunch to take away touches, and have the defense suck to limit Seattle possessions (of course, I'm not saying Mike Holmgren has tried to sabotage the defense or anything, though you could hammer his drafting habits of years past if you really wanted to). But back to the article, Thiel blames Alexander for not pass blocking and pretty much questions his toughness and calls the apology press conference "mostly a crock."
We've said it here before, but it needs to be said again.
Mo Morris will not rush for 1696 yards in a season with the Seattle Seahawks.
BASKETBALL
The Marvin Williams Watch
The Tar Heels have the work week off before ACC play starts in the Dean Dome against Maryland on Saturday.
Huskies
The Times isn't showing running an article about any Huskies today, but rather ex-Rainier Beach HS star and current USC Trojan Lodrick Stewart. His twin brother Rodrick fell out of favor with then-coach Henry Bibby at USC and eventually transferred out to Kansas. Lodrick basically admits that life is boring as hell without him, but that he thinks "it will be good for [him] and [Rodrick] to go [their] separate ways." Of course, the last two words of the last sentence inevitably bring up this.
In what is no surprise, the USC basketball program is second fiddle or worse than the football program on the same campus. Lodrick Stewart says Henry Bibby "was like a power tripper." The whole section in the article about Bibby is just weird. There's a reason why his own son (who scored 32 last night) can't stand him. Also, Henry Bibby had Robert Swift sign for him and then turn pro. Buuuurrrrrn! Furtherly also (I use also a lot; I need to take a trip to Conjunction Junction, or just a remedial English class), I can't imagine living through how long the promise of a Galen Center has been kept alive. George Raveling said he was trying to lure the O'Bannon brothers to USC and their new arena that would be on the horizon. Both brothers chose UCLA, and won a national title along the way.
The Huskies are at USC tonight and UCLA on Saturday.
Bulldogs
Gonzaga starts conference play tonight. The RPI ranks the West Coast Conference as eighth-best in the country. The article says the Bulldogs just might be quicker and might even be better in March. They're younger and they lost a lot from last year's team, but I'm surprised they're doing this well. I thought they'd do pretty well, but they're doing really well right now.
The Bulldogs are at Santa Clara tonight and at Saint Mary's on Saturday.
Sonics
For my take on the game, simply scroll down one post or if you're in the archive, click here.
Danny O'Neil's got the right headline here. That didn't look like the same team out there that's won 23 times, and it didn't even look like the same team that's lost 5 of their 6 losses this year (I think only one loss might compare to this one). This looked more like last year's team. It seemed like they did nothing like we've been used to seeing. Nothing clicked at all. Ray Allen says that the Sonics probably in hindsight should have put someone bigger on Steve Francis, because Luke Ridnour just wasn't cutting it. After the Sonics got within three, the Magic reeled off a huge run, and scored on nine straight trips down the floor. The Sonics couldn't stop them, and they didn't have another big run left in them. Bonus points to O'Neil for the Vlad stat at the end of the article. Radmanovic scores a full 1.5 points more per game on average when the Sonics end up wining than he does when they lose.
So the Sonics have to bounce back on national television tonight against the Wizards. I expect them to, although the Wizards aren't chop liver this year by any stretch of the imagination. Here's to hoping the Sonics have someone that can contain Gilbert Arenas. All in all, the Sonics still have a chance to be 4-1 on this five-game east coast swing. That's still not bad at all.
Not only do the Sonics still have a chance to go 4-1 on the trip, they have a chance to keep going without losing consecutive games. It still hasn't happened.
Did anything get done between Lon Babby (Ray Allen's agent) and Sonic GM Rick Sund? It doesn't look like too much happened beyond mere formalities (Babby called it a "weather report"), but they don't seem like they hate each other, so that's good.
By the way, that last Tribune link says that the February 16 home game against Golden State has been moved to a 6pm start to accommodate ESPN, who will now be televising the game. That and some thing where if the NBA players and owners don't have a new collective bargaining agreement by July 1, the owners could lock out the players, but really, with the Sonics how they are right now, shove this lockout thing back into the furthest corner of your mind.
Upcoming...
Tonight at Washington
Sunday vs. Miami
HOCKEY
Seattle beat Spokane 6-3. Like their KeyArena co-tenants, the Thunderbirds also have not lost consecutive games this season. The T-Birds fell behind early in this one but tied the game at 1-1 in the first period. After 30 minutes of play, Seattle suddenly found themselves down 3-1. T-Bird coach Rob Sumner called timeout. Seattle scored the next five goals to win the game. Ladislav Scurko, fresh off playing for Slovakia in the World Junior Championships, scored what held up as the winning goal for Seattle. More impressively, Nate Thompson scored the first, third (tying), and fifth goals for the Thunderbirds, good for a hat trick. Denis Tolpeko and Ryan Gibbons had the two other goals. The T-Birds had five plus-2 skaters in the game. Shots were 34 apiece, and Gavin McHale stopped 31 as Bryan Bridges rested.
Vancouver beat Prince George 6-3. Amazingly, Vancouver did the same exact thing as Seattle did, as they too scored five straight goals after being down 3-1. However, the Vancouver victory was in much more dramatic fashion -- four third-period goals. Incredible. There were three two-goal scorers in the game. Dustin Byfuglien scored the first two goals for the Cougars, and Brett Parker notched the third for the Cougars in the first period. Matt Robinson scored the first goal of the game, which gave Vancouver an early lead, but then Prince George came away with their aforementioned offense of the night. Conlan Seder cut the deficit for the Giants to 3-2 in the second period. Vancouver was down 3-2 heading into the third. I did mention that there were three two-goal scorers in the game. I've named one of the three, but here come the other two. Mitch Bartley scored the tying (on the power play) and winning goals for the Giants, and Gilbert Brule sealed the deal with the last two goals of the game. Adam Courchaine tallied three assists. Paul Albers and Cody Franson (one assist) were both plus-3 on the night. The Cougars put up 21 shots on backup backup Tyson Sexsmith, and he stopped 18. The WHL boxscore isn't showing any line right now for Real Cyr, so I can't give you much in terms of which team outshot which. Tyson Sexsmith, age 15, stopped 18 for the Giants.
Manitoba shut out Cleveland, 3-0 (video). Ryan Kesler and Lee Goren scored in the first period for the Moose, and Josh Green tallied with the empty net in the third period. Wade Flaherty did the rest in net. Jason King had three assists and was the only plus-2 skater on the night. Shots were 23 apiece and Flaherty stopped everything that got to him for his third shutout of the year.
Tomorrow: Kelowna at Seattle, Spokane at Everett, Portland at Saskatoon, Vancouver at Prince George, Puget Sound at River City
Saturday: Tri-City at Seattle, Kamloops at Everett, Portland at Prince Albert, Vancouver at Kelowna, Edmonton at Manitoba, Puget Sound at River City
Sunday: Edmonton at Manitoba
---
Have a great Thursday, everyone.
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