This is going to be a fun game to watch this weekend, mark my words. Cleveland has an explosive offense right now and Cormiell is a savvy defensive head coach.
Here are Seattle Sports Blogs Keys to the game:
1. Contain Edwards, Winslow: They are two of the hottest WR/TE's in the league right now and can tear our smaller CB's apart with length and speed. We need a lot out of Russell and Grant this game to lay a helmet on them early and often.
2. Running game: Seattle cannot expect to win games with Alexander running for 2.5 yards a carry. Get the ball into the speedier Morris and Weavers hands.
3. This is going to be a high scoring game, so it's key that we have the ball and lead late in the game. Matt Hasselbeck has not been able to prove himself on the road in clutch situations, so we'll need to control the game late with a lead....hopefully.
4. Mix up the play calling: Holmgren and Marshall need to do a better job of play calling and clock management. Marshall continues to not figure out what the rest of the league is doing by crowding the LOS and Holmgren continues to struggle with running the 2 minute offense.
I see Seattle in a sqeaker, 27-24.
Washington Huskies Football Blog:
It has become VERY apparent that the non-conference schedule that Ty Willingham put together has done little to boost the UW confidence level this year. The Pac 10 is STACKED like never before, so it's key to recruit locally and get some studs from the surrounding areas like Don James used to do. Let's make our non-conference schedule a bit easier next year so we can have more confidence going into these games vs. USC and Oregon.
Seattle Supersonics Blog:
Good to see that we at least stayed competitive against Denver last night. Where was Swift and Ridnour last night? We are in trouble if Delonte West is our top offensive player. Watson needs to step up in a game like last night and did not perform. Durrant is the real deal, but it's going to take time for him to adjust.
It's all a little too late for these guys I'm afraid for 2007. They gave us a good run, made things interesting for a while, but Bavasi's dumb moves eventually caught up to him. Whether it's whom he chooses for our SP rotation or through trades, this guy is a cancer. I'm hoping that Ninento wises up, clears out the front office of Chuckie Armstrong and Howard Lincoln AND Bill Bavasi and starts new. McLaren? Too early to tell still, but a sub .500% winning percentage as manager sure doesn't look too hot. The few moves that Bavasi made this last off-season he got lucky with, especially Guillen and Vidro. The rest? Mistake, after mistake, after mistake. Onto the Seahawks, our one shining star in Seattle...
Keys to the game this weekend for Seattle to beat Arizona:
1. Similar to last week, control the ball and don't make turnovers. Arizona is going to come out guns a blarin' so we need to be prepared to weather the storm.
2. Get the ball to Deon: He is a fricking stud, get him on a few reverses, screens, whatever, get the guy the damn ball! (No reference to Keyshawn of course :))
3. Run, run, run. AZ has a paper mache defense and can be exploited early and often. Go for the throat early, get up, and don't look back.
4. Blitz the HELL out of Leinhart. He is young and their offensive line is weak. Blitz, blitz, and more blitz and disguise them well.
They just keep winning, unfortunately for them, the Yankees and Angels keep winning as well. Seattle needs Los Angeles to go on a four game losing streak or face a tough team on the road such as Boston or New York. Kudos to the Mariners and especially Jeff Weaver. After a deplorable start, the guy is starting to play like the $$$ we paid him. Keep it up Seattle, the other teams will eventually start to lose...hopefully.
Seattle Seahawks Blog:
The first units looked great, especially the offense. Expect to see a good number of 3 WR sets for Seattle this year with Pollard being used in first and second down situations. Hass, Shaun, pass protection, Engram and Branch all looked great. Seneca on the other hand....man, he struggled early and often. A horrible interception, a stupid fumble, a poor decision on a fourth down...he looked like crap, basically. Smart decision for Holmgren to leave him in and pick things up in the second half. Other game balls go to Weeks, Obomanu, and Tapp. Especially Tapp, who should be getting some serious game time this year and make a case for himself starting over Fisher. He's not there yet, but very, very close. For teh defense, we gave up a few 3rd and longs to a 5 4' inch 4.1 running Sproles, however, we looked fairly solid. That's all we need to get some w's.
Boy oh boy, did we get our asses handed to us by the much better team this weekend. Seattle was exploited where it hurts most and what separates good teams from moderate teams: starting pitching. The Washburn's and Batisa's of the pitching world CANNOT compete with the Beckett's and Dice K's of the world, bottom line. If our offense is not able to get to these types of pitchers, consider the M's a one and done canidate in the playoffs (even if they can get there).
On the flip side (no pun intended), congrads to the Miss Oh Boy OBerto hydroplane this weekend. Even without the dramatic final heat minus the Miss Beacon Plumbing and with The Elam being washed out, Steven David deserves this win. Moreover, for Art OBerto to finally get a win in his home town on his 80th birthday, the stage was set for a perfect day for the beef jerkey boat. We are also very interested to see how the new Red Dot boat competes in San Diego with a new driver. Cool looking boat and it obviously showed that his has the boat speed to compete.
So much going on right now we can hardly contain ourselves!
First and foremost, congrats to the Miss Elam team for their fourth straight win this year. Funny how we used to root for them vs. the Bud, but now they have basically replaced the Bud as the "evil empire." Dave Villwock seems like a man possesed this year and it's going to take a lot to de-throne this team this year.
Seattle Mariners Blog:
Nice recovery after heading to what seemed like a toilet ending to a good season. The problem? The Angels keep winning. Seattle has a 3 game series with them coming up. Is it mission critial that they sweep? No, but they should try and at least take 2 out of 3 and prove their worth. Seattle is a different team at home and should be able to ride the momentum of winning 3 out of four from Oakland. These games will be closely watched by the national eye to see if Seattle is indeed playing for keeps.
Seattle Seahawks Blog:
Man oh man, are we pumped for the Hawks this year. Training camp is here, the hitting begins, and we think this is the best chance Seattle has to getting back to the Superbowl....especially with the game being played on the Left Coast finally! This is the year of the Hawk, according to Chinese culture (ok, just kidding, but come on, it has a nice ring to it :) )
Seafair is HERE this week...does it get any better???!!!!?????
Something seems all too fishy on this one, and I smell a rift between Bavasi and Hargrove. I'm sorry, but you just don't go and quit on a team that you've built for 3 years when they are winning. I suspect that it boiled down to a contract situation and Bavasi, Howard the dumb ass Lincoln, and Chuckie I'm equally as much of a dumb ass Armstrong couldn't reach an agreement. So, now we have a bench coach as our manager. Hmmmmmm, fishie. Who's available? I'd hope that we could find a somewhat veteran coach to lead a team that is 5 games out of first place and 100% in the hunt for a wild-card shot.
Sonics:
As much as I like what Presti has done so far with the draft (the Allen/Green deal was brilliant), I'm not a big fan of his narrowing down to PJ and Casey. Actually, I like Casey over PJ, bottom line. PJ to me is just another Bob Wiess or Bob Hill....an older guy that doesn't do well in the spot light...a better assistant coach than a head coach. Casey has little head coaching experience, but he got a bad wrap in Minnesota during a brief tenure. He get's our vote at Seattle Sports Blog.
Can you believe that the Seattle Mariners are playing as well as they are? Ok, we still think Bavasi has done some stupid moves in the past, but heh, the team is actually winning this year. Our starting pitching is still deplorable right now, so that is the one gap that needs to improve. J.J. Putz MVP? The guy is nails for save opportunities (18/18) and seems unhittable at times. The top of our line-up has been solid as well: Ichiro off to his crazy hitting antics and Vidro and Guillen have been consistantly strong contributors. Bottom line, the team is just getting it done right now and winning games. They will need to make some big changes to the starting rotation, however, if they want to get into the post season.
Seattle Supersonics blog:
2 things that we hope and pray that the Sonics do NOT do this offseason: hire P.J Carlisimo or not draft Kevin Durrant. P.J to me reminds me too much of another Bob Wiess or Bob Hill....old guys that had maybe a good year or two in the NBA, but lack solid coaching capabilities. On the Durrant subject, I could see it now: "Sonics trade #2 pick to Orlando for Grant Hill" or something stupid like that. Believe us, as much college basketball watching we do at Seattle Sports Blog, Durrant is the REAL DEAL. He is the type of guy that can come in and dominate from the get-go. It would be almost as stupid as the Scottie Pippen/Olden Polynice trade if we did not select Durrant.
Seahawks Blog:
No real updates here....we cannot wait till Feb 2008 when the Hawks win the Superbowl in Arizona!!!
Seahawks: Is it August yet? Looks like Shaun Alexander has lost some much needed weight....the thinner he is, the quicker he is. Let's hope we can get one more 1,800 yard 20+ TD year out of him and we're headed to the Superbowl. Does Hasselbeck have enough left in the tank? Let's also hope for that as well.
Mariners: They still need some starting pitching, but the hitting has been coming around. Richie Sexson is even getting hits if you can believe it. Washburn has been very effective lately and has been a solid #2 starter. The rest? Time will tell. We need someone to step in in that rotation if we are going to be serious contenders
Sonics: All but gone given how fricking slow the Olympia lawmakers are.....Frank Chopp and the rest of the middle aged 40 year old white boy network down there needs to get re-shuffled. They are a joke. Too bad too.....Durrant could be the type of player to lead this whole organization to the promised land.
Ok, so the way we see it here at Seattle Sports Blog, Seattle has done step one of two to make this team more competitive: DEMOTE Weaver. Great move, claps all around. Second move? Move Richie the dumb ass Sexson hitting .171 batting average out of the #4 slot in the line-up. He is killing us, absolutely killing us. Can we not move this 6-8 free swinging Small Forward to the #7 spot in the line-up? Please, pretty please? If he can't perform there, then move his ass down to AAA. We're .500, but could get better with this move.
Seattle Sports Blog: Seahawks
Oh, gotta love those East Coast biased idiots over at ESPN. They currently have us ranked #11 in their power rankings. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2007&week=0 . Did we not pick up Deon Grant, dump drop happy Darrell Jackson, and improve the offensive line? Moreover, speaking of "More", Jim Mora was a great, great pick-up as well. Think we could ever get some respect around here? Guess we'll have to just go out and prove that we are indeed the #1 team in the NFC AGAIN.....
Ok, so the way we see it here at Seattle Sports Blog, Seattle has done step one of two to make this team more competitive: DEMOTE Weaver. Great move, claps all around. Second move? Move Richie the dumb ass Sexson hitting .171 batting average out of the #4 slot in the line-up. He is killing us, absolutely killing us. Can we not move this 6-8 free swinging Small Forward to the #7 spot in the line-up? Please, pretty please? If he can't perform there, then move his ass down to AAA. We're .500, but could get better with this move.
Seattle Sports Blog: Seahawks
Oh, gotta love those East Coast biased idiots over at ESPN. They currently have us ranked #11 in their power rankings. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2007&week=0 . Did we not pick up Deon Grant, dump drop happy Darrell Jackson, and improve the offensive line? Moreover, speaking of "More", Jim Mora was a great, great pick-up as well. Think we could ever get some respect around here? Guess we'll have to just go out and prove that we are indeed the #1 team in the NFC AGAIN.....
Beating up on some pathetic teams such as KC and Texas still isn't gaining much respect from us here at SSB, however, they are least playing .500 ball. Defensively, they have been a very sound team that has allowed them to win these 5-2 score type games. Starting pitching has improved, however, Weaver is now officially known as the Great $8M mistake of 2007! Our favorite Mariner? Good old Richie Sexton batting a whopping .152 today....can he break the mendoza line? Should he be the 12th best player in MLB? Think NOT........We continue to pray here at Seattle Sports Blog that both of the Richies will leave this organization once and for all....yeah, that's you Rick Rizz....you and your boring play calling need to head back to the minors.
Seattle Seahawks 2007 Blog:
Can't say anything really happened on draft day for us with the picks we made, but the biggest news to come out of Seattle was the trade of D-Jax. We really liked D-Jax here at Seattle Sports Blog and wish him the best. He was Hasselbeck's #1 target for the last 4-5 years, so what does that say? I guess this means that it's time for D.J. Hackett to step up and be that go to #2 WR with Deon being #1. Let's be honest, though, someone else is going to have to step up now. Is it Burleson? I don't think Bobby Engram's got enough left in the tank to have another solid season, honestly. So, expect heavy doses of Shaun Alexander next year and let's hope he's slimming down vs. bulking up. We all know the older you get, the more weight you put on, the slower you become. Stay slim Shaun, stay slim. Time will tell if the Jackson decision will come back to haunt us, but I still have 100% faith in Mr. Ruskell....Tapp and Peterson alone last year proved he's a damn good GM.
Uh, what the hell kind of a performance was that? What it all boils down to people, is that Seattle has a horrible, horrible defense and they made a big mistake handing over the keys to Mr. Marshall to lead this team. Sorry, but this guy doesn't know how to distguise blitzes, doesn't know coverage schemes, doesn't know shit to be honest with you. If Holmgren comes back next year, we better hope that Marshall is LONG gone...he sucks. The offense? Well, some good, some bad. Was Shaun focused to play? Didn't look like it. Strong's fumble also killed us, but it's hard to be mad at a guy that is such a true Hawk. How about TE production? Jeremey Stevens, 1 catch for 7 yards....think Matt has lost confidence in that guy? We would.
UW Hoops Blog:
The UW Gonzaga game? We knew going into that game that UW was overrated, but OUCH, a 20 point loss? Dentmon....how do you go from playing like an all American last year in some instances (Illinois game for example) to sucking like a dog and shooting 2-14. 2-14? That is HORRIBLE, absolutely horrible. My mom could shoot better than that, and Ravio isn't even that good of a defender. Let's hope we didn't make a mistake in letting Harvey Perry go.......
Seattle Mariners Blog:
The M's? The M's suck more than anything in the sports world right now, bottom line. Can you say "Jim Beattie" 1985 Mariners all over again? Don't know if we'll make it to any games this year....no reason
Wow, what a game last night. Give credit to Seattle's secondary for pulling that game out (despite the lackluster tackling effort on that one play) as well as kicker Josh Brown.....the guy is a fricking stud and IS the Seattle Seahawks 2006 MVP this year, no doubt about it. To be able to kick 4 LONG game winning field goals is simply remarkable...reminds us of the 1981 Cleveland Brown Kardiac kids teams. Let's hope this team does better than that one in the playoffs.
Positives:
The defense did exactly what we at Seattle Sports Blog thought they should do....disguise the blitzes. Although Seattle was only able to muster 2 sacks, they constantly harassed the rookie QB into fumbles, bad passes, and most importantly, dumb decisions.
The O line also did a great job of protecting Hasselbeck all night. He was cool and calm during that much needed drive with 2:00 left, and the rush of Denver's D was no where to be found.
Negatives:
Oh, where oh where is Lofa Tatupu, or where or where can he be? He and Hill are continously getting shoved around as our MLB's, and Denver continued to run right at us all night. It doesn't help that they aren't getting much help from our interior lineman, who rarely get a RB tackle. Moreover, Lofa got burnt pretty bad on that first touchdown.....and he's supposed to be our team leader on D.
Mike Holmgren's play calling has got to be spiced up a bit, bottom line. Defenses continue to tee off on our conservative offense, which didn't do much until the fourth quarter. We LOVED the reverse call to Branch on the 3...that play almost worked....and the fake FG punt was even a nice play. MORE of those calls need to be made at the right time....and earlier in the game.
Finally, it's the little things that make a big difference in that game.....DJ Hackett continues to nothing but impress....big catch for 13 yards on that critical drive.....Trufant with a big hit on Rod Smith to force the fumble...without that, Denver's got a first down on our 45 and moving.......
UW Hoops: not sure if anyone has seen this today, but UW Hoops is ranked #8....anyone else think they are overated? We do, for now.....
What's everyone's opinion on UW hoops so far? Pondexter and Hawes seem legit, but where is the consistent guard play? This team is young and I think it's about time they get challenged instead of playing the Idaho's of the world. Gonzaga and LSU await....we ready for this? Gonzaga will be a tough one in the Kennel with their crazy fans, but can they stop us? You can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be watching this game intently.
Hawks? They have a tough, tough game coming up in Denver. The Seattle Seahawks have never played well in Denver, let's be honest. Tatum Bell is back and they are starting their QB of the future in Jay Cutler, who we think highly of. We still think there is a future out there for David Greene, but will he ever get the chance to play? Seneca seems like our next QB, but we like Greene more to be honest with you.....he's a taller, more traditional QB....like a Cutler, or a Tom Brady. Time will tell....let's hope that he doesn't leave this team and then turn into a Brett Farve!
A busy weekend for any Seattle Sports Blog enthusiast. Congrats to UW stealing one from Frenso State....wait, did we really pull out a sqeeker from FS? UW Football still has a long, long way to go.
Hydroplanes: A wild run of events down in San Diego this weekend. National High points team? Formula Boats II...that purchase of those old Budwieser boats sure paid off. Our favorite hydroplane team? U-37 Beacon Plumbing....way to take it to the Elam team and beat them up all season long. Villwock has his work cut out for him to get to Muncy. We feel for the Oberto team and Steve David....probably the closest this team has ever come to winning the national championship. At least he was able to pull in the driver championship again this year. Another great year overall for Hydroplanes and we look forward to 2007!!!!
Seahawks: Another ugly, gritty win for this team. Give AZ credit, they mixed things up defensively and have Hasselbeck headaches all day. Speaking of D? How about that Hawks Defense!!!! Seattle Seahawks defense has allowed 1 TD all year long. That's impressive and as they say, defense wins championships.
The offensive line still needs to patch up some holes. Jones is hurt and Womack continues to get beat. Drop passes and the kicking game still need work as wel.....but a W is a W in the NFL, and 2-0 is mighty nice if you ask us.
Finally, we went 13-2 this week in our week #2 NFL predictions.....think we know football at Seattle Sports Blog? Just call us "Vega$" baby
There is little loyalty for cities in the NBA for franchises with [David] Stern as the commish. Look at the San Diego Clippers, New Orleans Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Vancouver Grizzlies. Unlike the NFL, which put the kibosh on the Hawks moving, I don't see the same happening with the Sonics. The NBA figures that Seattle fans will just latch onto the Blazers and we'll become the Northwest NBA franchise, similar to how Idaho, Montana and Oregon have a good deal of Hawks fans.
The writing is on the wall...even if the city council comes up with a master plan, the team is gone and has 100 percent affirmation from Stern to do so.
The only other point we'd like to make is that the U.S. could also use additional time playing together. There were reports that McBride and Donovan had played a total of 30 minutes on the same team before the world cup. How are you supposed to know how your team players play if you don't even know them??????
What an absolute tragic ending to the racing in Madison this weekend. Our Seattle Sports Blog reporter was just 10 feet away from the accident that ruined the racing on Sunday. It has yet to be determined whether drinking or drugs were involved in the accident. We here at SBB pray for those families affected by this incident.
The overall weekend was a real bummer for racing fans as debribs in the water didn't allow for ideal racing conditions. Numerous boats were hit by various objects in the water, nearly sending Steve David into a patrol boat in the middle of the course. Our SBB reporter had breakfast with Steve that day and he indicated he was looking forward to the race. Unfortunately for Steve and the rest of the fleet, the racing this weekend was difficult due to the conditions. We hope for better results as we head to Canada!
Oh, yes, those Mariners......just when they get a game out of first, disaster strikes again. 7-1 and 14-6 losses to the Angels isn't exactly showing the division that the team is ready to take over first place.
Oh those M's, my oh my? Lose 2-0 to a guy that was pitching for the second time ever in MLB? A guy that was traded from Oakland for John Koronka? I mean, can't this team lose to a #1 pick who's been coveted as a prime time starter, etc, etc.? No, this team continues to struggle and has a toilet bowl for a line-up. Sexson? Please bring back the Dave Valle drink special....Sexson's hitting .206, which is about the price of a PBR in a can. .206 people. Henry Cotto hit better than that and he was paid $85,000 a year in 1993! Something has got to change...I'm sure the management (whom you all know I love) continues to say "We're only 6 games back." Soon to be 20 games my friends out there in Seattleland.
Also, anyone else check out Peter King's prediction for Superbowl XLI? Cowboys and Pitts? Well, if Pitt can get the same type of ref love they got last year, I'm sure they can get to as many SB's as they want to! Cowboys though? Unless otherwise proven, I still think the NFC championship comes through Seattle. Who does Dallas have at RB? And Bledsoe? He's done, done, done.....
Let's give it up for Mr. Lopez of the Mariners 2006, my 1/8th of a season MVP for this team. Solid 2nd baseman who has filled in nicely at that #2 spot. He reminds me a little of Stan Javier w/ a little more pop in his bat. A solid season w/ a .280 batting average, 5 HR's, and a league leading 28 RBI's for a second baseman....not bad. My 2006 Goat so far? Mr. Richie "I'm not that sexy hitting .190" Sexson. .190? I mean, Dave Valle put up better numbers than him. Hit the cages, spend some extra time in BP, do something!!!!
Pitching? Where is Freddy Garcia is all I can ask. He's now 6-1 and DOMINATING! As I mentioned, Washburn is heading towards that 12-12 season I predicted, along w/ Pinero and Meche. .500 pitching=guess what? A .500 ballclub!
Sports Illustrated recently ran an article on the all-time top sports #'s in history.......so, we thought why not do the same for Seattle. Here are some #'s that I think will be etched in Seattle fans memories forever.......
28: No, not Mr. Curt Warner, but 28 TD's that Shaun Alexander scored in 2005. I think it will take time for this record to set in, but I don't see anyone beating it anytime soon.
12: Total Gold Cups for Chip Hanauer, 7 of them in a row. Muncey finished w/ 8, Villwock has 4 currently...will there ever be another Chip?
1 Total # of Seattle Men's championships in over 30 years of participation....one that hurts most of these #'s
267: Ray Allen breaks the single season record for 3's by one player
14: Number of years it took the Mariners to post a winning record of .500 or better since the team started in 1977.
300: Gaylord Perry notches #300 while in an M's uniform
20: years in between Seahawks playoff wins....and they SHOULD have won the Superbowl had it not been for the refs
3-2: #1 seed Seattle loses playoff series to #8 Denver, who some consider the greatest upset in playoff history.
262: Ichiro breaks 84 year-old single season hits record....something I don't see anyone breaking for a while
1995: not so much a #, but a year, a year that saved Seattle baseball, that helped build Safeco, and that had the craziest baseball fans in a long, long time
Anyone else sick of seeing every square inch of outfield wall used for advertising in baseball?
Go back to even 1995 when the M's were in the playoffs.....I've watched that game so many times, and it's amazing...nothing on the outfield walls. I know, I know, it's how the organizations make money...or is it? Let's be honest folks, these clubs are raking in the big bucks from TV deals, merchandise, and tickets...not advertising at the game. We, as fans, ultimately control what happens because w/out fans, there is no sports. So, I urge you to write a letter to your organization to voice your displeasure over seeing so many advertisements at Major League baseball games. Or better yet, boycott the games until something is changed. It's sick, and it needs to stop. That's why the NFL is so great....no ads on the field....yet. NBA? Does anyone actually watch the NBA anymore? I got tired when I noticed the Fedex sign on the court was bigger than the Miami Heat logo. The NBA is a joke when it comes to advertising.
Given that Seattle had the 31st pick in the draft, I'd say they made a good choice w/ what they had. Miami CB's are usally extremely quick and possess good cover skills. He didn't exactly light up it up stats wise (32 tackles, 3 INT's), but that could be in part to the fact that they didn't throw his way. I'm not all that familiar w/ Tapp or Sims, but word on the street (blogs, etc) indicate that they are good picks as well. Needless to say, given Ruskell's track record from last year's draft, I'm confident w/ his selections.
Onto the M's.....well, well, well. Like the stock market, they are up +2 points this week w/ heavy trading. Ok, enough stock talk, but they DID pull 2 out of 3 from Baltimore, which to me is impressive. Eddie's not quite back to being "Steady Eddie" just yet, but 2 for 2 in save opportunities are fine by me. Even though Beltre's hitting .150, his glove still showed some serious skills w/ that 9th inning stab to save the game. Let's hope the M's can keep the stock rising and hit .500!
I was 10-4 in my picks last week! I need to start looking into Vega$
NFL Week 11 Games:
AZ @ St. Louis: This is a must win for St.Louis, who plays well at home. St. Louis 27-13 Carolina @ Chicago: I hate to say it Chi fans, but you're team is the #1 most overated team in the NFL at 6-3. Powder-puff schedule so far. Meet Carolina. Car 24-10 Det @ Dallas: No brainer here for me, 30-10 Dallas Jax @ Ten: Jax has been playing well of late and they have a tough D. This will be a low scoring affair, but I see Jax taking it. 13-10 Miami @ Cleveland: Battle of the uglies I tell ya. Cleveland has been playing better of late, however, I still think Miami is a better team offensively. Miami in the toilet bowl, 17-13 NO @ NE: no brainer, NE 42-13 Oak @ WA: must win for the Skins.....WA 27-20. This should be a good game to watch Philly @ NYG: another toughie to pick given both team are in dire need of a win. NYG at home are tough, however, so I see them pulling this out....especially w/ McNabb out of the picture this week 35-24 Pitt @ Balt: Balt is going no where this year...Pitt 24-10 TB @ Atlanta: game of the week! Atlanta coming off a home loss to GB faces a TB team coming off a huge win over WA (although contraversial). I'm giving the nod to Atlanta, 23-20. Hawks at SF: Let's hope this is a no-brainer and Hasselbeck has a good game. Seattle 30-17 Buff @ SD: not much of a game here, SD all the way: 35-12 Indy @ Cinn: also a great game this weekend. Indy's offense is too good for a good, but inexperienced, Cin D. Indy 35-27 NY @ DNV: Denver is just too good at home, 28-7 KC @ Houston: this has upset written all over it...I'm going out on a limb, Houston 21-17! Monday Night: Minn @ GB: another battle of the uglies..I'm a Farve fan, so it's GB 24-19.
As mentioned, I'll begin offering insights into weekly NFL games:
AZ @ Detroit: battle of the uglies, but I see Det prevailing in a 17-13 game Balt @ Jax: Balt still has no offense and Jax has been playing well of late. 24-10 Jax Hous @ Indy: no brainer, Indy 50-7 KC @ Buff: hmmm, this is a toughie...Buff plays well at home, but KC is coming off a huge win...which might make this a let down game. I'm going w/ Buff in an upset, 23-20 Minn @ Giants: Similar to Hous/Indy, Minn's not going anywhere this season. Giants 34-10 NE @ Miami: another interesting game here. NE is a hard to believe 4-4, while Miami is up and down. NE should still take it, 21-9 SF @ Chicago: another battle of the uglies, although Chicago has been playing well of late. Ex-dawg Pickett is going to have a tough game against a good Chi def: Chi 19-7 Denv @ Oak: ah yes, the best type of game out there: Rivarly! Denver has owned Oak lately, so I don't see that changing: Denver 27-20 NYJ @ Carolina: NYJ have no QB...Carolina 33-14 GB @ Atlanta: as much as I love Farve, GB is in trouble: At 28-10 ST. Louis @ Seattle: I'll comment more on this game in a different blog: I see Seattle taking this 27-20 WA @ TB: this is probably the game of the week besides the Seattle game. TB is tough at home and has a great D....however, no QB: I'm taking WA 17-12 Clev @ Pitt: Pitt is just too good at home.....24-3 Dallas @ Philly: the Philly fans will welcome home their team minus T.O....however, it won't be enough to stop Dallas: Dallas 27-20
Ok, I want to poll the visitors on which team do you think will end Seattle's drought to enter a major sporting event championship.
Hawks: no Superbowl visit in 28 year franchise history
Soups: no NBA championship since 96'
Mariners: no World Series visit in 29 year franchise history
W/ the Astros/Chisox going to the WS this year, the Mariners are one of only 5 teams that have a longer drought: TX, Cubs, Colorado, D-Rays, and WA/Montreal.
Had to take care of a few things (like getting married and a honeymoon), but SSB is back in full effect. A few things since the last entry:
Congrads to Jean Theoret and team for the Seafair victory. I can't believe 80 year old Bill Wurster jumped into Lake Washingon!
The M's? Well, Hernandez looks like a great prospect for now. The rest of the team? I think it's officially time to call Beltre the largest bust in team history...more than Jeffrey Lenord, Mitchell, or anyone else...he's hitting .250 w/ 17 homers. Pressley put up better numbers than that!
Hawks? There are 2 things that this team needs to do immediately in order to not be a 7-9/8-8 team: Get rid of Ray Rhodes and his conservative defenses. He does NOT know how or when to call blitzes, bottom line. He's got the talent this year, but his inability to call a good defensive game will shine through. The other aspect? Holgrem needs to call a few trick plays and open the offense up to the Shotgun. Of course in the 80's when he was w/ the niners, the shotgun wasn't needed because teams didn't blitz as much. Now, on a 3rd and 10+ yards, teams will blitz the hell out of this team since it will take at least a 5 step drop for Hassleback's receivers to get down field. Also, can anyone out there name the last time Seattle ran a trick play? A fake FG? A fake punt? A reverse? The reason New England is so good is that they mix a few of these into the course of the game at the RIGHT time. Mike H. has no idea what time it is anyways.....
Glad to be back and as always....post your thoughts!
Ah yes, best time of the year in Seattle. The Sun has emerged from the grey overcast, Safeco is a buzz w/ the winning M's, and the hydro's are heading to Tri-cities...wait, did I say the WINNING M's? Almost forgot there....this team now needs SP more than anything. The should really go after a strong #1-#3 starter for next year and get rid of this yutz's Franklin, Pinero, etc. They are 10-10 pitchers at best and will rocked playing away from Safeco.
The Sonics? Yeah, they got some issues as well. Not sure if Murray is the answer to a back up point guard. Where as I was happy to see James go, losing Daniels hurt. I agree w/ Paul (regular sports blog contributor I might add), that this is going to be another 42-40 Seattle Sonics team this year.
The Hawks? Another year w/ Holgrem/Stadler and Hasslejoke? 8-8 at best. They'll show promise again, but Holgrem is just TOO conservative of a coach to win again in this league.
So, that leaves me w/ the Hydros....as I've mentioned over and over, they have turned a new leaf w/ this sport and have really turned things around. I HIGHLY suggest you get out and root these great teams and this sport this year in Seattle...wish I could be there, but I gotta get married.
My bachelor party weekend no less, I ran into one of my idols this weekend (see pic). Needless to say, this made my weekend. A fricking basketball hoop legend, we ran into him at a bar in Carmel about 1:58AM. He's a funny, funny guy who I wish I had about 10 days w/ to just talk hoops. He gave us plenty of "W/ the Kiss" and "Man to Man's" that we absolutely right on cue. Dom, thanks man, for finding this guys....cause I was too drunk to tell him from the wall.
This blog is dedicated to all the Seattle sports fan out there that love their M's, Hawks, Soups, and any and all sports fans in general. For those that have rejoiced during the M's run in 1995, for those who were alive the last time the Hawks won a playoff game, for those that debate that Williams and Johnson were a better backcourt than Payton and Hawkins, for those who have suffered through years of frustration w/out a championship, the Varitek/Spike Owen/Bill Swift/Omar V on and on gaffs of the M's front office, the eternal Muncy vs. Chip H. debates of who will go down in history as the best Hydroplane driver, and MUCH, MUCH, more..... this blog is for you. As w/ any major Seattle sporting event (past and present), I'll be updating this blog daily to provide fellow Seattle fans insights and commentary on just about everything. Feel free to speak your mind on topics or survey's posted.
Whether it's Krieg to Largent or Payton to Kemp, all comments are welcome. I'll also be adding blogs on National Sports events (Yank Haters, LA sports fans, Alabama lawn dart champions).
All the best and pass on this blog to any friends or colleagues!
