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July 2009
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| May 2008One of the top basketball recruits decomitted to Arizona. Bellarmine Prep's guard Abdul Gaddy rescinded his commitment to the Wildcats. The senior-to-be says he'll keep Arizona on his short list. They'll join the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies on that list. Sounds like Gaddy wasn't happy with what happened with the Lute Olson mess. Still, Gaddy felt most comfortable with the previous coaching staff, including interim head coach Kevin O'Neill. Former assistant Josh Pastner is now at Memphis and Miles Simon's contract for next season was not renewed. - Tucsoncitizen.com Here's the whole article. By the way, Rivals.com has Gaddy as the 14th best player in the 2009 class. His Bell Prep teammate, Avery Bradley is ranked 17th. Gaddy and Bradley would look good in UW's Lorenzo Romar's uptempo style of play. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out. ...Believe it or not, Jerramy Stevens still has a job in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed the former Husky to a new deal. To make room for the troubled tight end, the Bucs cut QB Bruce Gradkowski. It's kind of a surprising move. Gradkowski started 11 games for Tampa just two seasons ago. ...ESPN.com reports the NBA will fine players next season for flopping. Hallejuah! Finally, the NBA is doing something to stop all the flopping. Manu Ginobili may need to find another way to make a living in the NBA. Who here remembers Manu flopping all over the place in the 2005 playoffs against Sonics? Whether it was on defense or driving through the lane and throwing up his arms like he was being robbed, Ginobili flops more than a M. Night Shyamalan movie. Here's a current example of the Manu Flop. And yet more Ginobili flop. But all of the Spurs love flopping, too. Here's video proof. According this youtube clip, here's the Flop of all Flops. It's by Robert Horry. ESPN.com also reports the league will look at the Hack-a-Shaq issue. ...
The Atlanta Hawks hired former Sonics general manager Rick Sund today. He'll take over as GM for Billy Knight. Sund had been the Sonics GM for a few years, until Clay Bennett and friends bought the team. Then he became a consultant to the Sonics. For what it's worth, Sund is a good guy who was always open with press. He would always stick around after press conferences and talk with reporters (or sports producers in my case) and tell you more than you already knew. I personally remember talking to him after Brent Barry left the team. Rick went into the details over why the team didn't keep Barry. I left the conversation saying to myself that it made sense to let "Bones" go (even though, at the time, Barry was a crowd favorite). It's very rare that a GM will take the time to do something like that. In fact, I remember the last conversation I had with him after Bennett bought the Sonics. He said his biggest piece of advice he could give new ownership was to be honest, open and forthcoming. Hmmm...anyway, here's the Atlanta Journal Constitution article on Sund's hiring. ...Former Mariners second baseman Bret Boone has retired, again...and maybe for the final time. ESPN.com has it on its website. Boone played 14 seasons in the majors...a good chunk with the M's. His best season came in 2001 when he hit .331, 37 HR's, and 141 RBI with Seattle. Boone was trying to make a comeback with the Washington Nationals. He was with their AAA club. Here's a quote from ESPN.com: "I had no idea how hard it is when you get to be a certain age. My whole life, when the older guys would tell me, I would laugh at them -- like, 'That would never happen to me.' Now I know what 39-year-old middle infielders feel like playing every day. Wow -- it's very hard." Bret Boone to ESPN.com If you want to see the whole story, click here. I wonder if he had a tearful statement like what happened in 2005 with the M's. ...The Mariners just sent out a press release. They've traded Cha Seung Baek to San Diego for pitcher Jared Wells. The M's sent Wells to AAA. He's a reliever with decent stats. Wells has 9 saves, giving up 19 hits over 20 innings. Doesn't it seem weird that we always trade with San Diego? Oh well, you can read the whole press release after the jump. ...Seattle city councilman Nick Licata is backing away from his statement that the Sonics have "close to zero" cultural value, according to deposition papers obtained by the PI. In the papers, Licata told Sonics lawyer Paul Taylor, he's come to believe the NBA supplies cultural value for many residents. You can read the entire PI article here.
Well, at least he's man enough to admit his mistake. However, Licata told the PI he still believes the Sonics bring little economic value to the region -- an argument even economists cannot agree on. ...The Cougars just sent over a press release concerning Lakes QB and Wazzu recruit Calvin Schmidtke. The school will release Schmidtke from his scholarship after recent events have been uncovered. Schmidtke is due in court Wednesday to face multiple charges including DUI, possession of marijuana, and minor in possession of alcohol. Here's a quote on Schmidtke by Cougars head coach Paul Wulff: "We feel this is in the best interest of both Washington State University and Calvin. We wish him well with his future endeavors." - Cougars coach Paul Wulff
Former Lakes high school quarterback and future Cougars QB Calvin Schmidtke is going to court tomorrow (Wednesday). KING 5 has learned that Schmidtke faces charges of DUI and reckless driving, minor in possession of alcohol, misdemeanor marijuana possession, public disturbance, and failure to wear a seatbelt. The charges come from two separate incidents. A spokesman for the Cougars says the team is aware of the situation. But the school doesn't have a statement at this moment. I'm sure we'll hear from WSU later tonight. We'll update the blog when it happens. By the way, Schmidtke was the Tacoma News-Tribune's All-Area Player of the Year, the Times 1st team All-State. He completed 76 percent of his passer during his senior year. If Schmidtke gets a second chance at WSU (assuming that new head coach Paul Wulff considers this a 1st strike), he would probably excel in Wulff's pass happy offense.
Most NBA players are millionaires who don't complain about where they work. Yet when asked about grumblings from some Sonics players about the proposed move to OK, Bennett replied in another e-mail:
Eh? Ok, back to point: While most NBA players certainly don't have much say about where they play, important enough players can sure cause a stink when they don't want to play on your team. And that, (Kevin Durant) is one "Boo-hoo" I'd love to watch. ...The Mariners return from their last road trip with their heads down, going 0-6. Now the dreaded 31-22 Red Sox are in town. Most seasons, what would be better than spending an overcast Memorial Day evening watching Seattle take on Boston at the Safe. Except 18-33 hardly inspires. 19 losses in 24 games. And 6-3 Colon starting for the Sox. 54,269 watched the Yanks send the M's winless on the road trip, 6-5. How many will show at Safeco? Here's what JJ Putz told the Seattle Times about yesterday's loss: "They're all tough right now. Wash threw a great game, we got some big hits and just couldn't finish it off. We've got to go back to what (Mclaren) was talking about. Play a good, clean game. And we just couldn't do it."There were around 12,000 seats left when the weekend started, according to the PI. How many walk-ups can the M's expect? Fans arriving in force could mean some are still willing to give this team a chance. But are they willing to do so for the players, Bavasi, or McLaren? Or it could simply mean M's fans have nothing better to do on this cloudy Monday. ...Despite losing a 5th straight game and watching his team give up 55 runs in 5 games, Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi says John McLaren is staying put as the Seattle Mariner's manager. In a conference call with reporters Bavasi placed the blame on his players and not McLaren. Bavasi is upset with his players for a lack of clubhouse leadership. Bavasi says, "It's beyond frustrating." With a 18-32 record the Mariners now have the worst record in baseball, along with the San Diego Padres. Who do you think should get the boot? Sorry Soccer fans, Brazil star Kaka had knee surgery today (Friday) and is expected to miss the Brazil's exhibition tour this summer. That includes the May 31st matchup with Canada in Seattle. Kaka had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for damage to his meniscus. ...If you're not following KING5.com or KING 5 news, Sonics minority owner Aubrey McClendon's depositions are being made public...475 pages worth. Here's KING5.com's early story on the depositions. Meanwhile, newsok.com reports on the case from their side of the world. Here's their article on McClendon's depo. The Oklahoma City newspaper also talks to OKC's city manager about McClendon. He says he doesn't think the Sonics ownership had a secret plan to move the team from the get go. Watch KING 5 news at 5pm for the latest. Plus, we'll have more on Northwest Sports Tonight at 9:30 on NWCN & 10:30 on KONG. The UW football porgram has only met the LSU tigers only once in 119 years. Now, they'll meet twice in three years as the Huskies announced the teams will meet at home and away in 2009 and 2012. In fact, the Dawgs will kick of their '09 season at Husky Stadium against LSU. The press release is here. This is what UW's director of athletics, Scott Woodward, had to say about the schedule:
The Huskies will travel to Baton Rouge, La. to play at Tiger Starium on Sept. 29th, 2012. Washington also hosts Idaho and visits Notre Dame in '09. The Dawgs open the '08 season on August 30th at the Univerity of Oregon. I know this is about a month old, but I just noticed this...Why are high school freshmen getting D1 scholarship offers. First, Cougars basketball coach Tony Bennett offered an Ephrata freshman a scholarship. Now, Huskies football coach Tyrone Willingham admits to offering a Skyline high school freshman a scholarship.
The player is Kasen Williams, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver who starred as a 14-year-old freshman at Skyline High School in Sammamish, Wash. He's good but probably not as good as teammate Jake Heaps, a sophomore quarterback who also has been offered by Washington. Both players were coached, until recently, by Steve Gervais, who was hired by Willingham as Washington's running backs coach.
The Canadian National Team today announced the roster that will take on Brazil on Saturday, May 31 at Qwest Stadium. The team said they plan to arrive in Seattle on May 25, to get ready for the match. Canada's roster includes 15 players currently in Europe, led by midfielder Julian de Guzman of Deportivo. Also, six of the players are in the MLS, including Houston Dynamo star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario. Here's a clip of Julian de Guzman:
For those who watched the Sonics play last season, you noticed three things about the center position: Swift is likely done, physically. Johan Petro got better as the season went on but was still inconsistent. And while Nick Collision did a good job filling in, he simply isn't tall enough to hang with the bigs.
Thanks for the effort, but the M's designated pitcher Cha Seung Baek for assignment after Wednesday's game. So just like Brad Wilkerson and Greg Norton, the Mariners have ten days to trade Baek and/or put him through waivers and hope he returns to Tacoma. The Seattle P-I's blog insinuates that the M's would like Baek back if he goes unclaimed. Oh, by the way, U.S.S. Mariner makes a funny, but sarcastic remark about starting Jamie Burke today. The M's official Baek press release is after the jump. ...Since my coffee cup is still half-full, I'm going to throw out the idea that the Sonics still have the chance to draft a complete player in the fourth spot. A game changer. Michael Jordon was taken third. Dwayne Wayde was taken fifth. In 2005, Chris Paul was taken fourth. With the conjecture being that Presti will select 6'3" G Jerryd Bayless for the Sonics, I've picked out a YouTube clip of his play:
The Sonics get the 4th pick in the NBA draft. The league just held its lottery. Seattle had the 2nd best chance to win the top pick. But they were jumped over by Minnesota and Chicago. The Bulls even got the top pick. Here's the order: 1. Bulls 2. Heat 3. T'Wolves 4. Sonics Can you believe it? They had a 1.7% chance to win it. Seattle had a 19.9% chance. Hmmm...I guess the ball didn't bounce the Sonics way. So forget Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose (of course, barring a trade) and start focusing on O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, or a dark horse PF Anthony Randolph (he averaged 15.6 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.3 BPG at LSU). Draft Express already has a mock draft up. They've got the Sonics taking PG Jerryd Bayless. ESPN.com just put their mock draft up, too. They've got Bayless going to the Sonics, as well. The Sonics sent over an official press release. You can read it after the jump.
Following the Sonics worst season ever (second-worst in the NBA), the team is gearing up for today's lottery. It's a 5 p.m., on ESPN. Here are how the Sonics 199 ping-pongs may bounce for Seattle: No. 1, 18.8%. No. 2, 17.1%. No. 3, 31.9%. That's about a 39% chance for the Sonics to land No.s 1 or 2.
Like it's not strange enough that $120 million Yankee Jason Giambi admitted to Portfolio.com that he wears a gold lamé thong when he's in a batting slump -- now it comes out that other Yankees borrowed the thong with the flame-lined waitband, when they need a little "boost."
The Seahawks' new HQ -- the Virgina Mason Athletic Center -- is on time and set to be done by August, according to the Bellevue Reporter. While the team will still hold training camp in Kirkland (because of contractural reasons with Northwest College), Seahawks VP Lance Lopes told the Reporter that the Seahawks plan to open the facility to fans this summer.
Like promised, Sounders FC season ticket holders will have say on some team decisions. How the Members Association works was detailed today by the club. Part owner Drew Carey will serve as the association's chairman. "I'm very excited about what we're doing here in Seattle," said Carey. "Where else can the fans fire the general manager? I hope this becomes a model for every professional sports organization in America."Fans will have a say about the general manager every four years. The first general manager vote will take place in November, 2012, immediately following the MLS season. Also, members will be invited to an annual meeting hosted by Carey -- the first to be scheduled for later this year.
Brazil's national team has announced the European-based 25-man roster for the international soccer match played at Qwest Field against Canada on Saturday, May 31. Five-time world champions Brazil bring a full roster, led by A.C. Milan midfielder Kaká, and forward Robinho from Real Madrid. Don't know Robinho? Just watch:
ROSTER - BRAZIL GOALKEEPERS: Julio César (Internazionale/ITA), Diego Alves (UD Almería/SPA) y Doni (Roma/ITA) DEFENDERS: Daniel Alves (Sevilla/SPA), Gilberto (Tottenham/ENG), Kleber (Santos/BRA), Maicon (Internazionale/ITA), Alex Costa (Chelsea/ENG), Alex Silva (Sao Paulo/BRA), Juan (Roma/ITA), Lucio (Bayern Munich/GER), Luisão (Benfica/POR), Marcelo (Real Madrid/SPA) MIDFIELDERS: Gilberto Silva (Arsenal/ENG), Josué (Wolfsburg/GER), Diego (Werder Bremen/GER), Kaká (Milán/ITA) y Julio Baptista (Real Madrid/SPA), Mineiro (Hertha Berlín/GER), Elano (Manchester City/ENG), Anderson (Manchester United/ENG) FORWARDS: Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/SPA), Alexandre Pato (Milan/ITA), Robinho (Real Madrid/SPA), Adriano (Sao Paulo/BRA) y Rafael Sobis (Real Betis/SPA). Head coach: Dunga Good seats are still available and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 206-628-0888, visiting www.soundersfc.com or www.ticketmaster.com, and in person at all Ticketmaster outlets or the Qwest Field Box Office. ...Ken Griffey Junior paid off a $1,500 bet to a teammate in pennies. That's sixty boxes of pennies in pitcher Josh Fogg's locker. Here's Fogg's reaction: "I'm going to take them out to the bullpen and count them. I have a lot of time on my hands out there. I'm sure these were delivered by Brinks truck and Griffey had his paycheck in there, too." Griffey told Fogg he was going to do it. He wanted Fogg to know he's a man of his word. Too bad ARod wasn't a man of his word and according to Junior, it helped force Griffey's departure from Seattle.
Check this out, from the TNT. It's an interesting take on Lofa Tatupu's arrest this weekend for allegedly driving while intoxicated. If you hadn't heard this, the arresting officer forgot to read Lofa his Miranda Rights. The officer realized this while driving Lofa to the station, pulled over and then read the Seahawk his rights.
You may have seen the Seattle Times story that Sonics lawyers tried to get Mayor Nickels to admit in a deposition that the team leaving the city would have little impact on the city. Seems the Sonics strategy is to try and prove the city won't miss the Sonics.
From the press release:
The Storm sent over an official press release adding a center from the Italian League. Her name is Florina Pascalau. She's 6'4". Pascalau averaged 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during the past season in Italy. The official release is after the jump. Tough times ahead for Lofu, who certainly stepped up and immediately apologized. So what's next for the contrite Seahawk who GM Ruskell said two weeks ago, "epitomizes for us what a Seahawk should be"?
"Lofa intends to handle this situation in a manner consistent with his reputation for integrity and leadership. We understand that Lofa fully cooperated with the police investigation and conducted himself as a gentleman throughout the incident. We will issue a further statement once our investigation is complete." Will the Seahawks act? Should they? Usually the team waits for the courts to decide. And people make mistakes. But the case will certainly draw attention as training camp nears. So will Warren Moon's. In the end, two Seahawks are accused of driving while drunk. Not so long ago, so were Koren Robinson and Jerramy Stevens. ...STATEMENT FROM SEAHAWKS LB LOFA TATUPU REGARDING ARREST
"I want to apologize to my family, teammates, the Seahawks ownership and organization, and the fans for making a poor decision and putting myself in a bad situation. I take seriously my role as a leader on this team, and in the community, and because of that I'm disappointed and embarrassed by the level of poor judgment I used last weekend. Thankfully, nobody was hurt. This will never happen again, and I hope through hard work on and off the field to begin earning your respect and trust again." Believe it or not, the NBA Rookie of the Year is not a unanimous 1st team All-Rookie pick. Kevin Durant received 28 of 29 first team votes and one 2nd team vote. Atlanta's Al Horford was a unanimous 1st team selection. Sonics forward Jeff Green makes the 1st team, as well. Green received 15-1st team votes. Kentwood's Rodney Stuckey made the 2nd team All-Rookie squad. Franklin's Aaron Brooks was one of those guys "receiving votes". The official press release is after the jump. ...Tatupu's Kirkland DUI arrest report is available for reading here as a pdf file. Lofa was allegedly driving his car over 50 miles/hour in a 35 mph zone. He was then followed by the police officer and pulled over for driving erratically. In the report, Tatupu's final breath samples were .155 and .158.
I don't have much information on this. But KJR 950 radio has a copy of the police report from this weekend's arrest of Lofa Tatupu on suspicion of DUI. KJR's Dave Mahler made the announcement. The TNT has his blood alcholol level at .15. Stay tuned. We'll try and get a copy of the report and make it available as soon as we can. ...Did you see this? Only the 14th unassisted triple play in MLB history. Last night, Cleveland Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera flipped this rare unassisted triple play. Cabrera records all three outs in the fifth inning of a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays. The last time this happened was 2007.
On Sunday, the Mariners sent exec Duane Shaffer to New York check out Ken Griffey Jr. in Shea Stadium. Seems there is more interest for the aging outfielder than the team is letting on. Sure, it would bring excitement back to Safeco Field and sell some seats -- but is bringing Junior back a wise move? Conjecture is that Junior would likely be the designated hitter. But Griffey Jr. has let it be known he wants a World Series ring before retiring. The veteran also has the right to veto any trade. ...The University of Washington is offering $1,000 for someone to write the lyrics to a new school anthem. Why? The current one is a little-known song that school officials say is out of date. Hold the phone, Huskies: the UW is keeping "Bow Down to Washington" as the fight song.
The city of Oklahoma City has told Howard Schultz and his former co-owners that the Sonics will have to play in OKC or they'll sue them. You can see the article in newsok.com right here. In a nine-page letter sent Thursday, an assistant municipal counselor for Oklahoma City wrote "there is an expectation by City leadership and citizens that the owners of the Team, whomever they may be, will honor all of the Team's contractual obligations with the City -- including the contractual obligation to relocate to Oklahoma City and to play home games at the Ford Center for the duration of the term of the lease." 5/9/08 newsok.com I guess OKC's hypocrisy knows no bound. They want the Sonics to break their Seattle lease to play in OKC. But on the other hand, they want to enforce a lease where maybe a former owner make takeover the team and didn't agree to the OKC lease. Remember, when Clay Bennett and company bought the Sonics, they agreed to take on the lease. Hmmm...this case keeps on getting interesting by the minute. ...The Sonics lose again, as U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman yesterday denied the motion to remove "Attorney's Eyes Only" redactions from documents from ex-Sonics owner Matt Griffin. The request was part of the team's argument to try and show that the city and Griffin teamed up to financially damage the Sonics by forcing the team to stick to the KeyArena lease.
The Mariners lose to the Rangers, 5-0 on Thursday. But that's not the real story. The M's haven't scored in the last 22 innings...and only have one run in the last 32 innings. You figured or hoped Richie Sexson quasi-brawl would have sparked them, but it didn't. You can watch manager John McLaren's post game comments here. ...If you're like me, you've been watching the NBA playoffs and yawning through most of it. Then Chris Paul comes along. If Seattle could be so lucky to get the Hornets, boy -- talk about a smoking hot point guard. I know, Kobe got MVP. But have you seen this kid play? Paul makes Duncan look old and slow, and we're talking about a former defensive player of the year.
The Storm just announced they've waived two players. 2008 second round pick Allie Quigley and free agent Natalie Doma were give their walking papers. The Storm's roster is at 15...a few more cuts to go. By the way the Storm's last pre-season game is on Saturday. Former WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes was on Northwest Sports Tonight Wednesday night. Click here for the uncut uncensored version. ...The Seahawks wrapped up their May mini-camp this afternoon and after practice hawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck addressed the media for the first time. After talking about all the new additions on offense, Hasselbeck was asked what he thought about Bobby Engram not showing up for the veterans portion of mini-camp.
Utah Jazz head scout Troy Weaver will be named the new Sonics assistant GM. Weaver replaces Scott Perry, who returned to the Detroit Pistons as vice president of basketball operations after one year with the Sonics. Weaver spent four years with the Jazz. He also has ties to Durant and Jeff Green. He recruited Green when he was an assistant at Syracuse. Before that, he coached AAU basketball in the Washington D.C. area, where Durant played. ...U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman has rejected Bennett and Co's motion to let the current case determine the team's financial obligations to KeyArena and the city should the Sonics win. Anyone else have a hard time calling these guys the Sonics? The judge also said granting the request would delay the trial.
If Mariners fans need another reason to dislike Alex Rodriguez, here it is. USA Today did a story on Ken Griffey Junior Tuesday. The article talks about Junior's future or lack there of in Cincy. He talks about his departure from Seattle in 2000. He says he had to leave and they (the Mariners) know the real reason why he left. When it became clear the Mariners were going to have difficulty re-signing both Griffey and Alex Rodriguez, a team official approached Griffey and asked, "Who should we trade?" "I refused to answer," says Griffey, who declined to name the official. "That was not my job. So they went and asked the next person. I got traded. He stayed one year. Then he left too." Hmmmm...One can only assume he was talking about A-Rod. He stayed a year then left for Texas. Griffey says it was never about money for him. He actually re-signed for less in Cincinnati. Of course, there's been a lot of speculation that Junior could return to Seattle. The Reds just hired a new GM. They want to cut salary and get younger. Junior doesn't fit the bill. The M's set a record Tuesday night for the smallest crowd ever at Safeco Field. Maybe Junior could draw a few fans. He says he'd like to return to finish out as a Mariner. Just a thought. ...Talk about a surprise. Dave Grosby announced this afternoon that he is taking a big pay cut and will no longer be hosting his show from 1-3 p.m. on KJR radio, 950 am. I listened to the news and even then it barely sank in. The Groz has been on KJR for 17-years. The station is making brudget cuts and Groz got the partial-axe. Grosby will still remain with the station, filling-in, doing on-line work and co-hosting "The Groz with Gas" (Mike Gastineau), from 3-5 p.m. Ian Furness will take over the 1-3 p.m. slot. Grosby said ratings had nothing to do with the move. A KJR spokesperson told the TNT that the station's winter ratings was third-best ever. ...The Olympian.com has an article about the Bobby Engram Celebrity Softball game. Here's the article. It's June 7th in Lacey. At least 10 Seahawks are suppose to be there. Among the Seahawks scheduled to play are: Engram, Deion Branch, Marcus Trufaunt, Lofa Tatupu, Julian Peterson, Seneca Wallace, Jordan Babineaux, Kelly Jennings, Nate Burleson, Darryl Tapp, Logan Payne, Jordan Kent, Courtney Taylor and Ben Obomanu. Seats are limited(1,000 tickets). The tickets are going for 20 bucks. You can buy them online at athletesunlimitednw.com or call 1-800-838-3006. Proceeds benefit the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic. The Storm officially announce center Janell Burse will miss the 2008 season due to injuries. According to a Seattle Times article, Burse has a bum shoulder and a stress fracture in her foot. Burse has battled injuries over the past few seasons. She probably figured it was time to fix them. Here's a Jayda Evans blog with a letter from JB. The Storm's official press release is after the jump. ...Profootballtalk.com reports via NFL.com that former Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander will visit New Orleans soon. The interest in Alexander should be regarded as a bad sign for running back Deuce McAllister, who is recovering from his second torn ACL in three seasons. If Alexander signs, McAllister could be scuttled. I've gotta believe this won't be the last team who'll talk to Alexander. Apparently, the Broncos are interested, too. Also on NFL.com's website, Adam Schefter talks about possibly Koren Robinson's final days in Green Bay. ...If you want to hear Seahawks defensive tackle Craig Terrill play his style of music, go to The Triple Door on Monday at 7:30pm. Here's the link to the website. Tickets are $20. He sings country/folk rock (according to The Triple Door website). I've heard a couple of his songs. If that's the kind of music you like, go see his gig. He's pretty good. Who knows, you might even see some Seahawks out there to support him. ...Bobby Engram was not at mini-camp yesterday, and multiple sources say the Seahawks wide-receiver is unhappy with his contract. According to the PI, Engram's base salary is $1.7 million this season. The TNT is reporting that Deion Branch is earning $3.5 million and Burleson $3.25 million (Branch made close to $10 million last season). Engram's 94 receptions last season set the franchise record. Bobby's at the end of a two-year deal he signed in 2007. He'll be a free agent next year. No word yet if Bobby is in Kirkland today. If it's true, Bobby has a beef. He certainly stepped up big-time last season, after bouncing back from a thyroid condition. ...The Seahawks announced today that offensive guard Rob Sims will have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee tomorrow. The surgery will happen at the Seattle Surgery Center. Sims, who started at left guard last season, is expected to start at right guard for the Hawks. Mike Wahle will start next to Walter Jones. Sims should be healed up and ready for the next minicamp, in June. ...You may have heard about the Kentucky Derby racehorse, Eight Belles, that had to be euthanized on the track this weekend after breaking both front ankles. It happened right after the horse finished second. Now the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are asking for the jockey to be suspended during the investigation. Here is what PETA's fax to Kentucky's racing authority said, claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish": "What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way? If he didn't, then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly." Eight Belles trainer, Larry Jones, told the AP the filly was happy when she crossed the finish line. "I don't know how in the heck they can even come close to saying that. She has her ears up, clearly galloping out."
The rookies are done with their first mini-camp at Kirkland. The veterans will practice until Thursday. Here's a quick update on how the camp has gone so far:
The Seahawks were back to work this morning at their practice facility in Kirkland for their May mini-camp. During day one, it's all about the rookies and the new running backs. Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett who were flying all over the field, both told me they are very excited to be in Seattle. Jones, says he's not quite sure what his role will be on this team, but he's ready for whatever Mike Holmgren hands him. He's also excited to get the chance to play at least 8 games at Qwest Field, Jones says he's always played well at Qwest and can't wait to have the 12th Man on his side for once. T. J. Duckett tells me he brings an explosive, powerful running game style to the hawks. Duckett says, we had some good and bad plays during day one, but thats why we have these mini-camps, to get the rust off. By the way, Justin Forsett is one of the fastest football players I've ever seen. The former Cal Bear was moving during day one of the mini-camp.
The Seahawks announced this morning that the team has resigned offensive lineman Floyd Womack to a one-year deal. The versatile player has filled different positions on the Seahawks O-line since he was drafted by the Seahawks back in 2001. To make room for Womack, the team released defensive tackle Jonathan Lewis. ...A quick double-shot of Seahawks to get this fine TGIF morning going. First, a look at the Seahawks featured running back, Julius Jones. Both the Times and the PI have articles about the ex-Cowboy, from how he looks forward to playing in front of the 12th Man, to how he fits into the Hawks scheme. Here's a quote about the Qwest: "I love playing here. The atmosphere, it's 10 times better than Dallas....It's intimidating. Before the game, raising the 12th Man flag, and then the 12th Man. It's a lot. It gives you the chills." Well, Jones'll be in the mix this morning. The Seahawks begin a three-day mini-camp at Kirkland HQ, starting today.
For some reason I thought Kevin Durant as NBA Rookie of the Year was a no brainer. Not so. KD received 90 of the 125 1st place votes (not even 75% of the vote). 30 went to Atlanta's Al Horford. His coach was livid that Horford wasn't the co-winner or "the" winner. "It's a travesty and it's not right," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said Wednesday night before Atlanta's Game 5 loss to Boston, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He should have shared it, if not gotten it outright. And I don't want to hear about us not being on TV or anything like that. It doesn't matter. It's what this kid has done for this team." Wow! Maybe Woodson has joined Dallas small forward Josh Howard for some of that wacky tobacky (tobacco). Houston's Luis Scola received 5 first place votes. Yeah, 10 ppg and 6 rebounds per game...that screams Rookie of the Year. But I think the craziest thing is Durant actually received 5 third place votes. KD the 3rd best rookie? Of course Durant was gracious and willing to trade the trophy for wins, but 3rd place? He improved his scoring and shooting as the year went on (21.8 points and shot nearly 53% in March). He saved some of his best games for wins over Denver, Dallas and Golden State in the final weeks of the season. All 3 were playoff teams. You can check out the voting after the jump. Plus, let me know if you think KD should have been unanimous.
The Mariners just got a shot in the team's offensive arm when they called up catcher Jeff Clement and RF Wladimir Balentien. But the M's the bullpen needs regain its 2007 form. J.J. Putz blew his second save of the season on Thursday night. Putz didn't blow his 2nd save of 2007 until August 1st. Only three relievers have ERA's below 4.00. Half of Seattle's losses are by one run. I guess on a positive note, if the bullpen does regain its 2007 form and the starters keep throwing well (3 starters have sub 3.00 ERA), then good things are ahead for the M's. ...The Sonics are trying to stop the city of Seattle from getting a delay in the KeyArena lease trial, as reported this morning on the PI and the TNT. City lawyers are asking for the case to be delayed six months...if the judge agrees to a motion filed last week by the Sonics to include monetary damages--a request that came only six days before the end of discovery. Confused? Here is the explanation from the PI's Greg Johns: The Sonics' lawyers filed a motion with Judge Marsha Pechman last week asking that she speed up the process by including a decision during the June trial on how much money Clay Bennett's group would owe the city in rent should the team win the case and be allowed to immediately move to Oklahoma City. The city responded on Wednesday by asking the judge to delay the trial, saying the Sonics request would "dramatically expanded the scope of this litigation." If moved, the trial would skip the NBA playoffs altogether and likely be in October. ... |
