Friday, February 16, 2007
NEW BEGINNINGS
Well, for completely single guys, the time of the year around Valentine's Day means something other than buying that gift for a special someone. It means pitchers and catchers report to spring training around that time as well.
Right now, though, I'm just riffing with the keyboard. It's been so long since I've done anything blog-related, as I'm sure you can see by the post date of the post below this one, which was the day of the Seahawks' last playoff game. I was working 12-hour shifts at the time, and I got that particular one off right before I had to go to work. Still, I really haven't posted here in a while and had it actually feel like I was posting vintage David material.
I'd always wanted to get back to this here blog, I just didn't know how. It's not like I ran away from sports or anything, because I'd never get by without sports.
For instance, I know the Sonics pounded a Steve Nash-less Phoenix team to send themselves into the break, and I know Nick Collison has had a string of double-doubles lately, something I'm glad to see out of him. I knew he was capable of that kind of play, and it just makes me want to buy a Collison jersey that much more since I've wanted one pretty much since the Sonics drafted him. Also, Ray Allen is incredibly good, so nothing's changed. I still maintain that the 2004-05 team beats the Spurs if Vladimir Radmanovic doesn't get injured in Game 1 of that second-round series. Other than that, Ray Allen's been on some crappy teams, and that's too bad.
As for the Seahawks, I hope the salary cap management doesn't go down the tubes now that cap guru Mike Reinfeldt left to take the Titans' GM post, but good for him. As for their playoff performance, it's kind of eerie that (based on what happened on the field) they won the game they probably should have lost and they lost the game they should have won. That's a bit frustrating. Losing to a Rex Grossman-quarterbacked team is brutal. It might not be as bad as losing to the Rams three times in the same season, but it's still bad. Rex Grossman.
I remember watching the Husky men's basketball team beating LSU, and I thought they might be bound for big things. Granted, the Spencer Hawes illness didn't help, but it turns out they couldn't defend. I won't go as far to say they took defensive lessons from the Sonics or anything, but sheesh... The disappointment is tempered somewhat by the fact that they're still a very young team, but I'd think they kind of want to make the most out of the single year they'll have Hawes. The odd thing about all this isn't necessarily how bad the Huskies have been, but how great the Cougars have been. I knew they were on the up-and-up, I just didn't think it'd happen this quickly. Derrick Low gets his local blurbs over here in Hawaii since he's from here.
Lastly, I'm fully aware that the Canucks are leading their division and have been 16-3-3 since Christmas. I still listen to all their games and pray like hell Roberto Luongo doesn't get injured. I also listen to these guys before I leave for work because it's not like KJR would ever talk Canucks unless they were forced to do so, i.e., if Vancouver won the Cup or something. Still, I remember Dave Grosby and Mike Gastineau talking hockey on the odd occasion, but they'd be the only ones to do it. Clay Bennett getting an arena built and attracting an NHL team to come to town would be the only remedy for that. Hockey's more on my radar than most in the Puget Sound region, but I just seek it out. Remember, I'm a guy that has goal horn sound files on my computer. Granted, those were mainly for when I did the arena in-game sound for these guys, but I've still got the files.
Speaking of the basketball/hockey coexistence, this Dan Wetzel article was the best piece I'd read in a while. I'd never put one and one together until I read this. It's a completely evil theory that Wetzel relays, but if it's true, then David Stern made a genius move.
Okay, that felt great. I usually have a prediction for Mariner regular-season wins for the upcoming season by this point, but I'm not really sure of one yet. I guess I'll say 81. I don't think it should be a stretch for this team to get to .500. I don't think it'll be playoffs because for the infinitieth year in a row, they'd have to have the whole team playing out of their minds for that to happen, but .500 shouldn't be out of the question. Of course, that more than likely will punch the tickets for Bill Bavasi and Mike Hargrove to leave town, but whatever. If team is below .500 or on their way there, then Bavasi and Hargrove won't last through to the season's end.
It's good to be back. Did I mention I hadn't checked the blog itself in weeks? If any of you had nasty comments, I haven't read them yet. Heehee. I'm thinking more about the weblog now, wondering what I'll do for the Mariner season. I say it every year, but I'm going to find some way to scale back the content of the game posts a bit because they're just insane and I don't know if I can put that much energy and time into them again. I don't think I'll compromise the posts more than I'll cut the fat.
Anyway, consider it a hiatus or a rest I just took. As for Jeremy, trust me, he's got something very good going for himself. I'm typing here for free, but he'll be legitimately cranking out articles for a career soon. He's got drive, that guy.
Labels: canucks, mariners, predictions, seahawks, sonics, valentine's day
/ Click for main page
Sunday, January 14, 2007
SEAHAWKS AT BEARS, NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF, 1/14/07
Seattle SEAHAWKS at Chicago BEARS, 10a (Fox)
What do they have to lose?
The 1-3 finish to the Seahawks' regular season greatly cut down on any expectations anyone might have had for this team when they were 8-4 after Week 13. They never got it into full gear or something close to it like we expected once Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander got a couple healthy weeks under their belts.
Unfortunately, we can't ignore that, yes, the Seahawks did indeed suck horribly the last month of the season.
Then the game against the Cowboys happened. Timely doses of unforeseen mojo were taken to enable the Seahawks to win a game they probably should have lost.
What now? The Chicago Bears. Make no bones about it, the Bears should win this game and in semi-convincing fashion.
But they do have a chance...
Too bad I have to be at work for this one. Fill the comment box, please...
Labels: seahawk game thread, seahawks
/ Click for main page
Saturday, January 06, 2007
COWBOYS AT SEAHAWKS, NFC WILD CARD PLAYOFF, 1/6/07
Dallas COWBOYS at Seattle SEAHAWKS, 5p (NBC)
This could be it. Or this could be a small step in something bigger. Who knows?
At first glance, though, it looks like today is the day the Seahawks throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. That's the case on defense, anyway. If ever there was a bad time to lose two starting cornerbacks, this was the time. As Seahawk fans, we've dealt with backfields that had a Terreal Bierria or an Etric Pruitt (the latter in the Super Bowl after Marquand Manuel got hurt), but how will it be with multiple guys they've signed off the street?
Either way, the Cowboys aren't going much better, and that's sort of the saving grace here with the Seahawks drawing them for this first-round game. The Seahawks lost three of the last four to end the season, sure, but so did the Cowboys. The Seahawks blew the game against the Chargers in the final minute of play, but the Cowboys lost to a team that finished 3-13 in the Detroit Lions. Other than the injuries, I'd think the Seahawks have more going for them, especially if they exhibit anywhere close to the kind of ball control they had in Tampa Bay. The time-of-possession numbers for the Seahawks were incredible for that second half.
I know what I want for the final result of this game, but I don't think I'm going to be too surprised either way. If the team that wins this game wins next week as well, then I'll be quite surprised.
To anyone going to the game, please dress in a bunch of layers and drive safely if you're taking an automobile. As for the ferry-takers, be civil, especially if you're on the boat from Bremerton and the ride's an hour long.
Labels: seahawk game thread, seahawks
/ Click for main page
Sunday, December 31, 2006
SEAHAWKS AT BUCCANEERS, 12/31/06
Seattle SEAHAWKS at Tampa Bay BUCCANEERS, 10a (Fox)
I hope the holidays have been kind to all of you out there.
I left my place last week during the time span when I would usually write a postgame piece. It's not that I was more bummed out than usual, I guess the motivation wasn't too high. I wasn't overly happy or overly miffed about anything, unlike the two weeks beforehand where I started crafting a game post right after the game or even during it.
Once I heard Mike Holmgren's postgame press conference, I had the feeling that he went about addressing his team the right way. Specifically, he didn't unleash a tirade that peeled paint off the walls of the home locker room at Qwest Field. Rather, he was upbeat, focusing on the fact that one of their goals at the beginning of the year was to win the division, and by gum, they did it.
It's not like Holmgren could have laid into his team again. He had two straight weeks to do that, and this loss was nowhere near as devastating as those two. He wouldn't get any more out of this team by laying into them; if they didn't get it by now, they never would. There were elements that made this Seahawk team seem more like themselves. More specifically, Shaun Alexander had a very good game. The defense was largely great except for the final touchdown play, but we can't expect all of the inconsistency to be wiped away in one week, can we? Ditto the inconsistency for the Nate Burleson return touchdown getting called back on a holding penalty. Also, it appeared to me that the leftover spirit of Koren Robinson must have squeezed the champion out of Deion Branch, or how else would a Super Bowl MVP drop four passes?
Still, even though Seattle is locked into the fourth seed in the NFC, I think the Seahawks should be going for the win here instead of pulling all the starters at a certain point in the game. Why? If they lose this game, they will be hosting a playoff game at Qwest Field next weekend having not won a football game in over a month (Denver on the road). I think the fact that the Seahawks don't have a first-round bye could really work in their favor if they get a win where they get some good momentum and manage to play more like everyone knows they're capable of playing.
Still, we do have to remember that right now the Seahawks are an 8-7 team that can't finish any better than 9-7. It's hard to imagine the team was 8-4 at one point, isn't it?
Labels: seahawk game thread, seahawks
/ Click for main page
