NorthWest Sports Blog brings you daily features on Oregon, Washington State, and BC amateur and pro sports teams.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Seahawks blogger Brandon Choate brings us his 5 depth chart positions that will up for grab when the Seattle Seahawks hit camp this year. Will Malcolm Smith become the new starting ROLB? While Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin are set, they look to see who wins between Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin. Chris Harper and Jermaine Kearse will also battle. As will Tony McDaniel, Jesse Williams and Jordan Hill on the interior line.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Brandon Choate brings us his May 17th edition of Seattle Mariners Love em & Hate em. Brandon loves the fact that both Felix Hernandez AND Hisashi Iwakuma are at the top of the pitching class in the AL while he is really down on Brendan Ryan and Robert Andino. Can we see Nick Franklin in Seattle sooner than later? And yes, Brandon made a Chone Figgins reference. He apologizes.
NWSB Editor Bryant Knox breaks down who the Portland Trail Blazers are expected to draft according to the national media. ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated and Hoopsworld are just a few of the publications. Players on Portland’s radar are Shabazz Muhammad, Cody Zeller, Alex Len, Kantavious Caldwell-Pope and the Northwest’s own Kelly Olynyk. With money to spend, free agency will be a hot topic around PDX as well this offseason. Stay tuned.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Seahawks Blogger Brett Bivens recaps his thoughts on the four-game suspension of Bruce Irvin. After watching Winston Guy and Brandon Browner get suspended last season, as well as Richard Sherman fighting suspension for using Adderall, you’d think Bivens would have been smarter. The initial assumption in the minds of fans was probably that Irvin was taking steroids, but this just doesn’t make sense to the 12th man.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Bruce Irvin’s suspension of four games for using banned substances. Seattle’s somewhat surprise of a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, reports have come out that he was suspended for using Adderall, a medication that has become all too familiar with the Seahawks. Last year, Richard Sherman (accused) and Brandon Browner was suspended for four games for using the substance, though Sherman fought his suspension and ended up winning.
NWSB Editor Bryant Knox gives us all a Portlander’s perspective on the situation regarding the Seattle Supersonics and the Sacramento Kings. It’s easy to sympathize with the city of Seattle, as having a team and a player like Kevin Durant ripped away would be devastating. However, empathizing with the city of Sacramento can’t be ignored, as Portlanders would fight to the death to keep their team.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners’ blogger Jeff Budke talks about the Seattle Mariners win over the N.Y. Yankees today in game 3 of the three game series. Hector Noesi gave up one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings before Oliver Perez (1-0) followed with 1 1/3 innings for the win. Michael Morse homered, and Dustin Ackley and Brendan Ryan each drove in a run. Mariners manager Eric Wedge earned his first ejection of the season.
NWSB Insider Brett Bivens gives you some feedback from the recently concluded Seahawks mini-camps. He points out Jerrod Johnson isn’t your average rookie, trying to make it in Philadelphia and Pittsburg the last two seasons. Luke Willson. There was not a lot of video of him playing floating around the internet at the time he was drafted, he looks like a nice compliment to Zach Miller. Jesse Williams, The Monstar has a huge upper body.
NWSB Insider and Seattle Mariners blogger Clinton Bell brings us a piece that questions managements decision to keep the uber talented Nick Franklin down at AAA Tacoma while the starters are struggling. It’s not a secret that Brendan Ryan never brought his bat from St. Louis with him. And it seems that Robert Andino’s must have gotten lost in transport from Baltimore as well. But there is a kid that has been on the list of top prospects for a long time playing some good ball down in Tacoma. Nick Franklin.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Nate McMillan’s recent comments on Raymond Felton and his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. Noting that the Felton that has performed well for the New York Knicks in this year’s NBA Playoffs was the Felton Portland envisioned having, former head coach McMillan said that Felton’s weight likely played a big part in him not really succeeding with the Blazers.
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Raul Ibanez’s offensive onslaught in New York. He has recorded a hit in each of the last six games that he has appeared in and racked up 12 RBI in that time span as well. Aside from that short stretch of games, Ibanez also has a .421 batting average in the month of May after an April that saw him hit a lowly .158. He has launched four home runs in the month while hustling for one triple and one double as well. Are the Mariners putting something in his water?
NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Richard Sherman’s latest antics that saw him hire Lance Easley, a replacement ref infamous for the call he made that ended the Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks game, as an ump for his upcoming charity softball game. A call that would also help to bring back the replacement refs, what was a low scoring contest became the talk of the world when Russell Wilson heaved up a pass to the end zone with time expiring, hoping to give his Seahawks a crucial win.
