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September 2009
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| August 2009The Everett Silvertips just added another goaltender to their roster. The team traded a conditional draft pick to the Chilliwack Bruins for 17 year old Luke Siemens. Siemens played last season for the Summerland Sting of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) in BC. ...The official Seahawks news release is below:
The second Seattle sports star goes down to a bad back. The Mariners put Russell Branyan on the 15-day disabled with a herniated disc in his back. The M's recall pitcher Chris Jakubauskas to replace Branyan on the team. The M's official news release is after the jump. ...The Storm lose the services of Lauren Jackson indefinitely. Further tests on her back revealed a stress fracture in her lower back. She'll miss tonight's game for sure. Who knows when she'll be back. The Storm's official news release is after the jump. ...Saturday, August 29th from 1:00- 5:00 pm, the first annual Ring Around the Neddle Pub Crawl will take place in the Lower Queen Anne Area of Seattle. The big event is being held to raise funds for former UW basketball player Melissa Erickson, who has recently been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. Saturday, August 29th from 1:00- 5:00 pm, the first annual Ring Around the Neddle Pub Crawl will take place in the Lower Queen Anne Area of Seattle. The big event is being held to raise funds for former UW basketball player Melissa Erickson, who has recently been diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease. It's official. The Seahawks have signed running back Edgerrin James to a 1-year contract believed to worth about $2 million. Edgerrin's agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the signing on his Twitter page. A Seahawks spokesman also confirmed the signing to KING 5 Sports.
The Seattle Thunderbirds are hard at work preparing for the new season. Training camp got underway over the weekend at Kent Valley Ice Arena, where rookies tried their best to impress head coach Rob Sumner and his crew during a series of sessions and scrimmages on Saturday and Sunday. ...
The hockey season is almost upon us and there's a lot of activity up in Everett. Training camp is under way and new Silvertips head coach Craig Hartsburg is getting a good look at the players who are returning for their second, third, fourth seasons, as well as the rookies vying for valuable spots on the team. ...Chris Egan ran into Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Edgerrin James, in the lobby of Seahawks Headquarters. Rosenhaus had no comment regarding The Edge being a Seahawk. Profootballtalk.com reports the Hawks will say goodbye to T.J. Duckett. The move will make room for Edgerrin James. Profootballtalk.com broke that story earlier today. The Hawks have not confirmed either one. Instead, they say they'll clear up the Edge situation on Tuesday. Too bad for Duckett. For what I've heard, he's a really decent and stand-up kind of guy. But I guess business is business. ...The Seahawks are reportedly getting a new running back. Pro Football Talk.com and NBC Sports are reporting the Seahawks have agreed to terms with running back Edgerrin James on a one-year, two-million dollar contract. Seahawks Head Coach Jim Mora wouldn't confirm the story today, but the Hawks will allegedly talk about it after tomorrow's practice. The Spokane Shock announced that they will host a Championship rally Tuesday August 25th from 5:30 - 6:30 PM at the Shock Center, 3212 North Eden Road. The Shock captured their second ArenaCup Championship after defeating the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pioneers last weekend, 74-27. Spokane, who also won an ArenaCup in 2006, is one of only three franchises to capture multiple ArenaCup Championships in the af2's ten-year history. Members of the 2009 Championship team will be in attendance along with Coaches and members of the front office. The ArenaCup Championship trophy will also be on display for fans to take pictures. "It's been an incredible season," Shock Owner/CEO Brady Nelson said. "This rally will give our players and our organization one more opportunity to thank our fans for their faithful support." The Championship Rally is free and open to Shock fans of all ages. ...I know the final tally isn't in, but Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels may not make it out of the primary. So far, the two-term incumbant is only receiving 25.2% of the vote. He's 1.3% behind the candidate in second place.
Ok, that might be some hyperbole. But it's gotta be a question in the mind of the Hawks' brass. Seahawks left tackle Walter Jones is going under exploratory arthroscopic surgery on his left knee tomorrow. It's the same knee he had microfracture surgery on about 8 months ago. At age 35, you gotta wonder if this is it for Big Walt.
Is there any surprise that the M's traded for Bill Hall today? The ex-Brewer was designated for assignment a few days ago. Of course M's GM Jack Zduriencik knew of Hall. It's Jack's old team. I'm wondering if this is bad news for the future of Adrian Beltre. AB is headed for free agency. Could Hall be a cheap replacement for Beltre? Or should the M's still sign the gold glove Beltre this off-season? This definitely makes it interesting. The M's official news release is after the jump. ...The Seahawks practiced at Husky Stadium tonight. Matt Hasselbeck returned to practice after head coach Jim Mora gave him the morning session off. Just like Matt, WR Deion Branch, T Ray Willis, DE Cory Redding, & LB D.D. Lewis hit he field tonight, too.
Former Husky Nate Robinson was arrested Tuesday. He was pulled over in the Bronx and busted for driving with a suspended license. Nate tweeted "Cops pulled me over cuz my windows were 2 dark (but my windows were down) lol how funny is that." Also in the article, Rainier Beach's Terrence Williams was in the car with Krypto-Nate. Hopefully, this doesn't hurt his chances to resign with the Knicks. ...The Seahawks held an early practice from the VMAC on Tuesday. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was in attendance, but did not practice. The hawks starting QB sits out of his first workout of training camp. He spent the entire time on the field, and appeared to be just giving his arm a break, nothing to concern Seahawk fans about. Left tackle Walter Jones was not on the field after leaving practice on Monday after it appeared his back was bothering him. No injury report has been provided. Safety Brian Russell turned in the play of the day when he picked off Seneca Wallace. We'll go indepth with Russell and fellow safety Deon Grant on King 5 News at 5:00 and again on Northwest Sports Tonnight. (9:30 on NWCN, 11:00 on KONG 6/16) ...According MLB Network, the Mariners have signed first round pick (2nd overall) Dustin Ackley to a deal. He reportedly will receive a $9.5 million dollar signing bonus. MLB Network also reports Stephen Strasburg was offered $15 million and turned it down. But ESPN reports that Strasburg signed for just over $15 mil. We'll have reaction from the M's GM Jack Zduriencik on Northwest Sports Tonight and KING 5 Sports. M's news release after the jump. ...
Many kids spend the summer camping, hanging with friends or traveling. Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard did all three, in a manner of speaking. He attended camp (Team Canada's Under-18 team camp and tryout). He hung out with "friends" (Team Canada teammates, including fellow goaltender Louis Domingue (Moncton/QMJHL), and WHL players Alexander Petrovic from Red Deer, Brad Ross from Portland, Quinton Howden from Moose Jaw, Jordan Weal from Regina). He travelled, with Team Canada, to the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Hockey Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where this group of young players proved their mettle on the ice. ...KING 5's Chris Egan was at Seahawks headquarters today. He filled in for Brock & Salk on 710 ESPN radio. He says he saw Marcus Trufant working out inside. He was working on his cardio, not on football related drills. Trufant still hasn't appeared at practice. He's on the physically unable to perform list with a bad back. ...We are T-Minus five hours and counting from the Mariners deadline to sign 1st round pick Dustin Ackley. The M's have until 9pm to sign the second overall pick.
Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today the following medical updates on LHP Erik Bedard and 3B Adrian Beltre: Erik Bedard underwent successful surgery today performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles. The surgery revealed an inflamed bursa and a torn labrum. Dr. Yocum debrided the bursa and repaired the labrum. He will be in a sling for 2-3 weeks and will be able to begin baseball-related activity in approximately 4-6 months. Northwest Sports fans will have a tough decision to make this Saturday night. What will you watch on TV? The Mariners and Yankees game which begins at 7:00, the Seahawks pre-season game against San Diego (On King 5 TV) or the Sounders FC- LA Galaxy match (On Kong TV). Would love to hear your thoughts and find out how sports fans will be approaching the night. Former Seahawks Quarterback Brock Huard told me on Northwest Sports Tonight that he will watch the Seahawks, DVR the Mariners and watch Sounders FC Weekly. ...The Seattle Mariners get some bad news today and this is no joke. M's third baseman Adrian Beltre injured his testicle last night after a groundball took a bad hop and hit him in the groin area. Beltre does not wear a protective cup. According to the Mariners, there was some tearing of the testicle and apparently there is also some internal bleeding. The team is going to wait to see if the injury requires surgery. The Erik Bedard trade to Seattle was a mess to begin with. Orioles owner Peter Angelos had to clear the deal and it was up in the air for about 3 weeks and former Mariners GM Bill Bavasi forgot what a Farm System was for. ...Seahawks training camp moved indoors today, and while many of the guys battled hard on the practice field, it was also obvious that many were getting the day off. Deon Grant, Josh Wilson, Patrick Kerney,Cory Redding, Lawrence Jackson, Deion Branch, Marcus Trufant, D.D. Lewis, Ray Willis, Chris Spencer, Will Herring, Walter Jones and Lofa Tatupu all did not practice this morning. I asked Coach Jim Mora if any of the players had injuries that concered him and he said that none of the new injuries appear serious enough to keep the players out more than a couple of days. Mora said Monday's practice outdoors had alot to do with players missing practice today, "It was a little slippery and we got some strains, but nothing significant. I think all of our players are smart enough when they feel something coming on, rather than push through it , they tell me, and we back off a little bit on that individual player." Lofa Tatupu has missed two of the last three days, but Mora did not seem too concerned. "Just general camp soreness, camp legs,nothing to be concerned about. The guy has had a really good camp, very focused." During the Huskies first practiced I noticed a familiar face hanging out on the field, it was Marques Tuiasosopo. Tui is working as an assistant strength coach, which is a full-time job working specifically with the football program. The former Husky quarterback made it clear that he is still pursuing playing opportunities and if one comes up he will leave. Tui can't work on field with the players other than the strength and condioning stuff because he is not a coach. ...If you've always wanted to ask a pro athlete a question, but never could? Well now is your chance to do it. We call it "Ask the Sounders." It's your opportunity to ask the coaches or players a question about the game or anything else. We will take the top 3 questions. So put your questions in the "Comments" section.
As I write this, I'm sitting poolside on vacation in Las Vegas. It's about 101 degrees outside and the only ice anyone is thinking about is the rapidly melting ice in their drinks. But when I saw this email pop up in my inbox, I was immediately transported to ShoWare Center, where icy air combines with hot anticipation before every Seattle Thunderbirds game. I cannot lie. For about 5 minutes, I was ready to pack up, move home and head straight to Kent. ...
Congratulations go out to former Seattle Thunderbird Chris Cloud, who's just been signed by the Wheeling Nailers, the Pittsburgh Penguins' ECHL team. Chris made quite a name for himself in the T-Birds lineup, both for the aggressive way he chased the puck, to his refusal to back down from a fight, especially when he felt that the other guy was in the wrong! ...The Seattle Seahawks have signed linebacker Aaron Curry to a six-year contract, the team announced this afternoon. Curry, 23, was selected with the fourth overall pick in April's draft. The Wake Forest product closed out his college career as the 2008 Butkus Award winner, given to the nation's top linebacker. Curry started 49 of the 51 games he appeared in, recording 332 career tackles and ranks third in school history with 45.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. All seven 2009 draft choices have now signed. To make room on the roster, the Seahawks released wide receiver Billy McMullen. McMullen originally signed with Seattle as a free agent on September 10, 2008. He played in four games for the Seahawks last year, registering seven catches for 124 yards before being waived on October 10. McMullen re-signed with Seattle via a future contract on January 8, 2009. ...One to three days of missed practice can be made up eventually, but once you get past a week, a holdout player is behind the curve. Aaron Curry was drafted to be a starter at outside linebacker but the longer he is absent, the longer the chances become of being an opening day starter. Seahawks fans cheered when Kansas City blew the 3rd overall pick by passing over Curry, but as Curry and the Seahawks front office will find out soon, cheers will turn to anger or frustration (if it hasn't already) the longer this drags out. Sound off... is Curry's holdout beginning to bother you as a fan? ...The Everett Silvertips have decided that when it comes to coaching, two Hartsburgs are better than one. They've hired Chris Hartsburg as Assistant Coach. Chris is the 29 year old son of Head Coach Craig Hartsburg and will take the place of Mark LeRose, who left last week to join former Silvertips coach Kevin Constantine behind the bench for the Houston Aeros, the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate. ...
Congratulations go out to Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard, who's been named to Hockey Canada's National Men's Summer Under-18 Team. He will split netminding duties with 17-year-old Louis Dominique of the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) at the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia next week. (August 11 to August 15)
It was the big announcement teased all day on the Seattle Thunderbirds' Facebook page, through Twitter updates and right here on the KING 5 Hockey page. And judging by the number of hits my article received, many T-Birds fans were tuned in to "NorthWest Sports Tonight with Paul Silvi" on NWCN at 9:30 last night. ...Here's a sign that the Sounders are rather popular. Fathead has made a life-size wall graphic of Freddie Ljungberg. It's going for $99.99. A Sounders logo is listed at $89.99.
Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced that Adrian Beltre has been activated from the 15-day disabled list and Chris Woodward will be designated for assignment. Seattle now has 10 days to trade, release or outright Woodward to the minor leagues. Beltre, was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 30 after undergoing successful surgery to remove bone spurs in his left shoulder. Before the surgery, Beltre hit .259, with 5 home runs and 31 RBI in 73 games ...
The Seattle Thunderbirds are set to make a major announcement affecting the operations of the team, and they've chosen to do it TONIGHT, on NorthWest Sports Tonight with KING 5'S own Paul Silvi. ...
This has been a good year for Kellan Tochkin. Strike that. It's been a very good year for Kellan Tochkin. The Everett Silvertips forward wrapped up a stellar rookie season in which he played all 72 regular season games, racked up20 goals and 54 assists for 74 points, to lead all WHL rookies in scoring. The Silvertips also presented him with their Iron Man and Rookie of the Year awards. Many players would be happy to have a rookie season half as good as this. ...Over a thousand fans showed up Monday morning at the VMAC in Renton to watch Day 4 of Seahawks training camp, but verteran Walter Jones was not on the field. Walter Jones missed the first practice of the day because head coach Jim Mora said he was suffering from back spasms. "Walt was slated Sunday afternoon to go out and practice at a pretty high level," coach Jim Mora said. "He was going to get team work. He was going to do a good bit, and he just took a wrong step like all of us have done, and he locked up a little." Jones had a MRI taken of his back, but it's nothing more serious than spasms. "Any time I say the word 'back,' I get a little tense," Mora said. "I'm sure I make everybody nervous, but he'll be out here as quick as he can. Marcus Trufant is also not practicing right now due to a sire back. ...The Seahawks sign a defensive player today. Unfortunately for Aaron Curry, it's not him. They signed Travis Fisher to a free agent deal. He played cornerback for Detroit last season. The Hawks official news release is after the jump. ...
The Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds have released their tentative schedules for the 2009-2010 Season. The T-Birds will host their home opener on Friday, September 18th against their cross-town rivals. The very next night, they'll welcome their other I-5 rival, the Portland Winter Hawks, to ShoWare Center. The Silvertips' home opener is set to take place Saturday, September 26th at Comcast Arenaagainst the Vancouver Giants.
Everett Silvertips' Assistant Coach Mark LeRose is headed to the AHL. He's been hired as an Assistant Coach for the Houston Aeros, the Minnesota Wild's AHL affiliate. The Aeros are no strangers to Silvertips fans, who followed Houston's amazing season through the words of former 'Tip captain Mitch Love, who, along with former Everett teammate John Lammers, helped the Aeros advance to the third round of the Calder Cup playoffs.
It sounds like the Green Bay Packers are the first team to publicly come out with a Twitter-ing policy. The Packers do not want players to Twitter while at work. If they do, they'll receive a $1701 fine. $1701 seems kind of arbitrary, but all those one dollars add up. I can see where a job may not want you to Twitter on the job about personal stuff, but I'm guessing a football player will Tweet football stuff. And isn't that what everyone would interested in? ...The Mariners add pitcher Luke French to their roster today. Seattle received French in the Jarrod Washburn trade. To make room for French, Seattle designates Chris Shelton for assignment. The M's official news release is after the jump. ...I learned a lot about the AHL while following several teams this past season, but I learned the most by following former Everett Silvertip Mitch Love's weekly blog as part of the Houston Aeros. Mitch had a lot to write about, as the Aeros made a spectacular run for the Calder Cup, making it to the third round of the playoffs before falling to the Manitoba Moose in 6 games. Mitch's blog featured many players who stepped up to help the team go that much further. A few names jumped out, including former Silvertips teammate John Lammers, Benoit Pouliot (who I featured in a blog about 3 players drafted in 2005) and Tony Hrkac. ...So far, no Aaron Curry at Seahawks training camp. The Hawks go to pads tonight and Curry is missing out of some quality time with the team. Tell us what you think. Should Curry hold out and get the most bang for his buck from such a violent sport? Or should Curry get a deal done quickly and start learning the new system as fast as possible? ...KING 5's parent company had some computer issues. So we haven't been able to update the sports section of the site for the past 24-36 hours. Tough time for that to happen with Friday being the first day of Seahawks camp, oh well, it happens. But we're back. ... |