Well friends, as the MLB All Star Game approached, it seemed the only thing the local media was willing to talk about in regards to this Mariners team was how terrible they had been at home.

They were on pace for a historically futile season in the confines of Safeco Field, the power numbers were terrible, the team batting average was 20+ points below the worst in the history of the game and the Mariners couldn’t get out of their own way in Seattle.

The Fences at Safeco

Strangely, I don’t hear any talk of the fences being moved in as September approaches, regardless of whether I think that it will happen in the offseason, because I genuinely do. Fact of the matter is, there’s no room for foolish talk like that.

The Mariners are officially rolling and Mariners fans should just sit back and enjoy the ride, wherever it takes us.

One way or another, somebody is stepping up every night. And by every night, I mean every night, not just figuratively. Seattle has won 8 straight games, they finished this current home stand 8-1 and have won 15 of the last 16 games at Safeco.

A feat that quite literally seemed impossible a few short months ago.

The Mariners are the hottest team in the American League, in fact, at 25-13 they have the best record in the AL since the All Star break.

Gut feelings

I almost don’t know how to feel. It’s been that long since I’ve truly felt like my favorite team had a much better than 50/50 shot to win every time they take the field but I feel that way, big time.

During yesterday’s game I was sitting at my 85 year old grandma’s house watching the end of the Mariners game with her, she never misses a game on TV.

In the top of the 8th inning the Indians had runners at first and second with one out, the score tied 1-1. Grandma looked at me and said “this isn’t looking too good Jared”. To which I replied, “Don’t sweat it grandma, they’re gonna win this game some how, some way”.

The rest is history, they got out of the inning with some Stephen Pryor gas, then Eric Thames did the rest in the bottom of the 8th inning with a two out double down the right field line to score Kyle Seager and John Jasoand the Mariners pulled off their 4th sweep since the break.

I knew on the drive down to the stadium that we were going to win that night

Same goes for the night before, but that night I was at the game with nearly 40,000 of my closest friends in the sea of yellow that was Felix Hernandez‘s “Supreme Court” in honor of the first perfect game in club history that he tossed the week before.

I knew on the drive down to the stadium that we were going to win that night, there was no doubt in my mind and I assure you, there was no doubt in the players or the coaches minds that they were going to win that game.

This feeling is incredible, why would I block it out because the talking heads think we don’t have a shot? The answer is, I won’t, I’ll enjoy every second of it because you never know when your favorite team will find a groove like this again.

The unpredictability of baseball

Look, I don’t have delusions that we somehow have Ken Griffey Jr. in his prime, Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner and the gang in ’95 or even close to that level of talent.

What I do know is that baseball is the most unpredictable game on the planet. You hear baseball people all the time telling you that the game is more than 90% mental, yet they don’t believe what is coming out of their own mouths.

You can turn on ESPN and not see a Mariners game highlight for an entire week outside of top plays as we tend to be on the top 10 for a defensive play every night of the week.

My point here is that nobody nationally is talking about the best team the AL has to offer since the break because they somehow still think baseball is all about the names on the back of the jerseys, and outside of Felix Hernandez, we don’t have many recognizable names, yet.

I don’t have delusions that we somehow have Ken Griffey Jr in his prime…

Baseball is about confidence, about knowing you can win and knowing that the guy next to you will pick you up when you fail, because you will fail. Winning at the clip the Mariners are currently certainly builds confidence and confidence is what turns average ball players in to stars, even if it’s for a short amount of time.

 Take this show on the road

The Mariners have an off day today where they’ll catch a plane headed for Chicago to face a White Sox team that finds themselves in first place, 2 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers.

Chris Sale, the White Sox ace who is in the discussion with Felix and a few others for Cy Young honors pitched against the Yankees on Wednesday, so we’ll miss him.

While the Sox just swept the Yankees in Chicago, they were playing .500 ball in the month of August before that against less than impressive teams and are certainly beatable when Sale isn’t on the mound.

After Chicago the M’s head to Minnesota to play a Twins team that they just swept at home and they’re 21 games under .500. The same team, that has some of the worst pitching in the game.

The Mariners can absolutely take this show on the road before they come back home to an Angels team that has been seriously reeling over the past several weeks.

 Where we stand

The Seattle Mariners are 61-64 and sit 7 games behind the Oakland A’s for 2nd AL Wild Card spot. The same Oakland A’s that just lost one of their best pitchers on the season to a 50 game suspension.

To give a little perspective on that last sentence, last year’s World Series champions were 7.5 games out on this same date last year, so don’t tell me I can’t believe, because I can, and I will.

This is the best defensive team in baseball, for the entire first half the offense was the problem but now it’s summer and the ball will actually fly out of the ballpark, just ask the Eric Thames and Michael Saunders who’ve hit 6 HR’s between the two of them in the past 4 games.

They also have some of the best pitching the game has to offer with huge credit to Felix Hernandez and Jason Vargas who’ve been the best 1-2 punch in baseball which certainly helps those defensive numbers.

 Saunders and his Buhner impersonation

Michael Saunders was on with Dave “Softy” Mahler earlier this week after his two HR performance and had a few of those things to say that will get any fan of the Mariners fired up, I know I got butterflies during the interview.

Saunders said it, “We’re looking to get to the playoffs, looking for that wild card.”

Saunders mentioned that a media member to remain nameless asked him not too long ago, “Wouldn’t it be something if you guys finished at .500?” Saunders took a bit of offense to that question. His response, “Look man, are you kidding me?

We’re not playing for a .500 record here, we’re trying to win”. He later added, “We’re looking to get to the playoffs, looking for that wild card” and then said, “we’re looking to change this franchise, for good”.

You can catch that interview here…

I couldn’t help but think of Jay Buhner back in 1995 when “Refuse To Lose” was about to kick in to full affect.

When Jay was asked if he thought that the Mariners could find themselves winning the AL wild card when they were quite a ways out of the race, he acted totally offended and said, “Wild card? No, we’re going to win the division.”

You all know the rest of that story as that season created some of the best memories M’s fans have ever had.

 Laugh if you want to

Look, I know things will really have to fall in to place for this team to make the postseason but being a sports fan is filled with hopes, dreams and sometimes some serious irrationality. I also know that there’s something special brewing with the Seattle Mariners as they’re learning how to win, one night at a time.

Believe what you want to believe, but this Mariners fan is rooting hard every night, looking at the standings every night and watching that “games back” number shrink, every night.

It’s been over a decade since we made the playoffs, and I’ll root for it to happen every opportunity I get!

Let’s hope these boys can keep this thing rolling, because it sure feels like they can to me…

CLICK HERE CHECK OUT THE SEATTLE MARINERS CLUBHOUSE AT NWSB!

The Seattle Supersonics fan base is alive, if you didn’t believe it before the June 14th rally at Occidental Park in Seattle, then you do now.

Fans came out in droves, I’ve seen reports of the number of fans in attendance between 4,000-6,000 and I’m here to tell you that the high end of that has got to be more accurate.

It was an amazing scene, I had goosebumps for most of the two hour event. I felt as if the NBA had never left, and as if it will never leave again once we have it back which I now firmly believe will be soon.

Setting the stage

I parked about four blocks from Occidental Park where the rally was held right at 4 o’clock when the rally was set to start. Through the traffic, the hustle and bustle that is downtown Seattle late in the afternoon I could already hear the roaring crowd being prompted by somebody on stage with a resounding “SUPER!!!……SONICS!!!”, yes friends, the chills started there.

I scurried through the streets in an effort to not miss one second of the rally, I knew this was going to be special.

As I got close I could tell the police heard the rumor that the “Occupy Seattle” people were planning on protesting the rally as the Seattle P.D. made sure their presence was felt on the outskirts of the rally and were there to make sure it was peaceful.

Fortunately for all, these occupiers never came and the rally couldn’t have been more peaceful.

As I moved past the wall of police, I could see that getting there a few hours early was the only way to find yourself near the stage, the park was packed with chanting fans all sporting the green and gold that we all miss so much.

Inspiration & Passion from Supersonics fans & KJR’s Gasman, who leaves a signature.

The stars were shining

It didn’t take but a second to see that the stars had come out.

As I was approaching the side of the stage through the overflowing crowd, I looked back stage and could see Gary Payton back there talking to Eric Powers of KUBE 93 FM doing an interview.

Behind them was Nate Robinson, Aaron Brooks and Spencer Hawes.

Those were just the few that I spotted before I realized I was walking swiftly up to the event right next to Kenny Mayne of ESPN and that Detlef Schrempf and Slick Watts were already on stage with Chris Hansen and Kevin Calabro kicking the rally off in style.

Needless to say, the local stars had come out and knew how important this event was for our city, and for Sonics fans everywhere, if we were to gain even more steam in this push for a new arena to house our beloved NBA team.

And so it began

Like I said, Kevin Calabro, Chris Hansen, Detlef Schrempf and Slick Watts were all on stage to get this thing going, tossing Sonics Arena shirts in to the crowd and getting everyone fired up.

Kevin Calabro led off by reading a statement from Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn declaring that on this day, Occidental Square would be renamed Seattle Supersonics Park, the thousands in attendance went nuts.

Chris Hansen wanted us all to close our eyes and envision the day of that first game back, the new Seattle Supersonics in a brand new arena down in the SODO district, I’m pretty sure the entire crowd was with me in la-la-land thinking about that day, that glorious day when our Sonics come back as we listened to our new found hero, Chris Hansen tell us that it was going to happen as long as we the fans are willing to make it happen.

Festivities

The music in between each of the speakers kept the crowd pumped, Common Market, The Presidents of The United States, Macklemore and Blue Scholars were all awesome and all showed love for the Sonics.

Gary, Nate, and Shawn all pump up the crowd at the rally

But I was there to hear our leaders speak, to hear the biggest pro-Sonics voices in our community and digest everything they had to tell us on this amazing day.

When Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp and Nate Robinson took the stage I’m not sure I can describe how I felt, it was incredible seeing some of my childhood heroes at the forefront of an effort to get my favorite basketball team back.

Gary led off talking about how he knew we were all mad that the team formerly known as the Sonics was in the NBA finals, he assured us that he was too.

A huge roar of boo’s came over the crowd, then The Glove says, “yeah, you should be mad, that’s exactly what I said when they asked me to retire my jersey back in Oklahoma City!!”, there’s no doubt why this town loves you GP!!!

Nate Robinson talked about how he’s one of us, how in his 28 years of existence he’s been a Sonics fan just like us.

He grew up watching Gary to Shawn alley-oops dreaming of the day he could make it to the NBA and how he didn’t think it would have been possible if not for the inspiration that those great Sonics teams of the 90′s had given him and the rest of our community.

Best of show

While I loved listening to Gary, Shawn, Nate, Detlef, Slick, Chris Hansen, Calabro, Eric Powers and more, Mike Gastineau and Duff McKagan certainly win the most inspirational award for the evening.

They were telling all of us to tweet to the Seattle and the King County Councils (@SeattleCouncil @KCCouncil) and tell them we support this arena project with passion, pride and with respect for the job at hand for each member of the councils.

I’m pretty sure everyone in the crowd did just that, those in attendance and many at home following on Twitter made the hash tag “#SonicsRally” the #1 trending topic in America just moments before game 2 of the NBA Finals.

For those readers that don’t use twitter, this is not even close to an easy thing to accomplish and I’m proud to have been a part of it.

But that’s only the start of the inspiration and the passion that the Gas-Man from Seattle’s own Sports Radio KJR (former long time radio home of the Sonics) had for the crowd.

A few quotes from Gas himself , “YOU can make this happen, but you can’t wait for the guy next to you to do it, you’ve got to keep pushing! There will be problems, there will be tough days but the will of the people was not denied in 1995 and it will not be denied this year!! No way!!! No, way!!!”.

Powerful words from a long time Seattle voice in sports, he’s been there, he’s been on our side of many arena and stadium battles through the years and is definitely on our side of this one.

The entire crowd was even more invigorated, there was electricity in the air as good ol’ Gas-Man knew exactly what we all needed to hear. Have a listen to Gas and Duff right here, trust me, it’s worth 5 minutes of your time.

http://www.sportsradiokjr.com/player/?station=KJR-AM&program_name=podcast&program_id=gas.xml&mid=22182050

The home stretch

As Chris Hansen himself said at the rally, we are now in the home stretch of this arena becoming a reality. 18 people voted into two separate councils are all that stand in our way of getting this proposal to the next level and making a tangible first step towards getting our Sonics back.

A crowd of nearly 6,000 comes out to show support for the cause

This week has been huge, it’s been designed beautifully by Chris Hansen and his team who have portrayed nothing but pure class throughout this entire process thus far.

First, earlier in the week Mr.Hansen announced that Steve Ballmer, Pete Nordstrom and Erik Nordstrom will all be a part of the investment team providing as much financial wherewithal as any of us could possibly hope for and followed that by organizing this magical event that thousands of us were able to attend.

We must continue to do our part, Sonics fans, we have to as the ball is in our court.

If there’s one thing that we all know, regardless of your political beliefs it’s that those elected officials want to be re-elected. If the vast vocal majority is in favor of something, they’re much more likely to vote in that direction.

You MUST go to SonicsArena.com, sign the petition and write a letter to each of the councils in a respectful manner making sure they know your position and that you want our Sonics back safely in Seattle.

A huge thanks again from myself, my friends and family that were able to attend this rally. But the biggest thanks goes out to Chris Hansen.

Without you sir, none of this would be possible and we know you don’t want to be called a hero, but again, you are just that to so many of us.

LET’S BRING BACK OUR SONICS!!!! WE’RE ALMOST THERE!!!!!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR SEATTLE SUPERSONICS CLUBHOUSE AT NWSB!

Heading in to Seattle Mariners spring training there was word that Franklin Gutierrez had completely worked through his stomach issues, added nearly 20 lbs. of muscle and kept his speed.

By all accounts from Peoria he’d shown up to camp looking like an absolute stud of a major league center fielder.

Michael Saunders on the other hand was a bit of an afterthought heading in to the spring.

While there was certainly talk of his new and improved approach at the plate, Mariners fans have been watching this kid struggle mightily in his first 3 big league seasons and we’d all but made up our minds that he wasn’t going to work out, at least not as an everyday player.

The open door

As we all know by now, Franklin Gutierrez suffered a partially torn pectoral muscle in late February and has yet to have seen the field in a Mariners uniform, and thus, leaving the door open for Michael Saunders to have a clear path towards another chance at a starting spot in center.

The 25 year old Saunders has taken this chance seriously. The talk in the offseason about his change of approach was with the shortening of his swing and the ability to finally hit the ball hard the other way. I’m here to tell you that it’s worked.

Last year, during the 2011 season I was making fun of him a bit with my buddies while watching the games.

You could literally draw a straight line on the TV, from home, straight over the second base bag and in to dead center field and Saunders would never hit the ball on the third base side of that line without it being a dribbler to the third baseman.

The 25 year old Saunders has taken this chance seriously

A new leaf turned?

Saunders is now driving the ball to all fields, he’s second on the team behind an emerging stud, Kyle Seager in doubles, batting average and OPS.

While none of his numbers are staggering on the season, they certainly have been of late. He’s showing that he may be able to develop in to more than just an everyday player, he’s got the tools to be a star with size (6’4″-215 lbs.), speed, a good arm, power and the ability to get on base at a high rate.

The biggest thing that has helped Saunders this year has been his aggressiveness.

Mike Blowers says it quite often on the broadcasts, he’s finding the first fastball anywhere near the zone and putting a good swing on it, spraying the ball to all fields in the process.

After a slow start, Saunders batting average is .330 with an OPS of .885, 8 doubles and 5 stolen bases in his last 104 plate appearances over a span of 25 games.

Furthermore, outside of trying to catch a ball with his cheek bone and essentially costing the Mariners a game in Chicago a few weeks back, Saunders has been a solid defensive center fielder with good range and a plus arm.

Needless to say, the Victoria, BC native is making the most of the opportunity he’s been given.

The incumbent

What Franklin Gutierrez provides defensively in center field is undeniable. He reads the ball off of the bat as well as any center fielder who’s ever played the game. His closing speed on balls over his head or in the gaps is breathtaking and he glides across the outfield making impossible catches for most seem effortless.

Gutierrez’ shortcomings are most certainly not on the defensive side of his game.

People seem to point to the 2009 season when they talk about his potential at the plate though. Unfortunately, that season where he hit 18 home runs, had a .283 batting average and a .764 OPS is the statistical outlier in Gutierrez’ career.

Fact of the matter is, Gutierrez, when looking at his batting statistics alone is nothing more than a decent 4th outfielder. In his 2,262 career at-bat’s, he’s hitting .256 with a .690 OPS, hardly numbers to justify starting in center field everyday, regardless of his defensive prowess.

Has he changed?

As noted above in regards to Michael Saunders, hitters can change from year to year and adding nearly 20 lbs. in muscle during an offseason is certainly one way to attempt this necessary change to solidify a starting spot in the coming years for the Mariners.

Gutierrez is now 9 games in to his rehab assignment with the Tacoma Rainiers after not having any live action in spring training, he’s hitting .235 with no home runs and has yet to hit his stride.

Time will certainly tell if his new body will bring him more success at the plate, I tend to think it’s his swing that is the issue, not his power.

The real question here is, has Michael Saunders earned the starting center field spot in Guti’s absence?

Gutierrez is now 9 games in to his rehab assignment

Where they stand

While Michael Saunders can be kept via salary arbitration at a reasonable rate through the 2016 season, Gutierrez is in the 3rd year of a 4 year, 20.25 million dollar deal with a team option for the 2014 season.

In the short term, I don’t see any way possible that Guti’s not given a shot at his job back when you consider the investment the Mariners have made in him and what they’ve done in similar contract situations.

However, he’ll turn 30 this offseason and I have major questions as to whether he’ll be back after the 2013 season.

So what happens now?

Regardless of how well Saunders is playing, like I stated above, I think the organization will put Gutierrez in the everyday lineup in center field once he proves ready in Tacoma and move Saunders over to left for the time being as it appears that nobody is ready to run away with the starting left field job.

With Mike Carp looking atrocious at the plate seemingly since spring training started, Alex Liddi looking lost trying to play left, Casper Wells being sent to Tacoma and Chone Figgins looking like, well, Chone Figgins, I think the decision for now is an easy one.

Moving forward

The real decision comes after this season, if the Mariners are serious about contention in the near future this is certainly one of the biggest position battles on the team.

Jack Zduriencik must devote time and energy in to figuring out who his every day center fielder will be as the franchise moves forward.

My guess? Outside of a surprise return by Gutierrez to his 2009 form, I believe Saunders and his newly discovered confidence will win the job and Gutierrez will be sent packing after a year in 2013 of being relegated to the 4th outfielder position as his bat calls for.

CLICK HERE CHECK OUT THE SEATTLE MARINERS CLUBHOUSE AT NWSB!

Heading in to the 2012 Seahawks NFL draft there were three big questions for me. First, where are we going to find more pass rush? Second and third in no particular order had to do with the linebacker position and then the 3rd and 4th option at wide receiver.

Well, I quickly found out that John Schneider and Pete Carroll shared the fans concern with regards to the pass rush as they drafted Bruce Irvin 15th overall in the first round of the NFL draft.

In the second round the Seahawks took Bobby Wagner, a linebacker out of Utah State who was another “surprise pick” if you listened to the talking heads at ESPN and on the NFL Network.

Just like that, after the first two rounds I was all over the draft boards, who could the Seahawks be looking at for the wide receiver position?

They have to know that they need help at the position, the production outside of Doug Baldwin in 2011 was putrid and it didn’t appear that they were close to knowing who the starters were going to be heading in to 2012 outside of Baldwin and Sidney Rice.

It never came

The Seahawks didn’t draft a wide receiver, later John Schneider stated that he didn’t see the draft like any of the national “experts” did in that he didn’t think there was much talent drafted outside of the first round at the position.

Sidney Rice is the linchpin for this season if the Hawks are going to accomplish what they want to.

Time will tell on that note, but one thing is for sure,  the Seahawks really like some of the guys that didn’t play much last year or that weren’t productive more than I thought they did.

Let’s take a look at the wide receivers and I’ll give you my opinion on how it will play out.

What we know

Sidney Rice, if, yes it’s a big if, but if he can stay healthy and on the field is the team’s #1 option with little or no doubt. They paid him big money and believe he’s a game changer when healthy, as do I.

Sidney is the linchpin for this season if the Hawks are going to accomplish what they want to.

The Seahawks will play good if not great defense and I think they’ll run the ball with effectiveness much like at the end of last season, if Rice can have a dynamic year, then the sky is the limit for this Seahawks team in 2012.

Doug Baldwin is an excellent slot receiver. To be great at this position you must be a great student of the game, Doug Baldwin is a great student of the game. While many NFL players were on vacation in the off-season or headed back to wherever they call home, Doug had work to take care of, film to watch and plenty of it.

Any of you reading who follow Doug on twitter know just what I’m talking about, the Stanford product is relentless in his studies. The un-drafted rookie had 51 catches for 788 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2011, leading the team in all 3 categories.

Quick side note, if you don’t find that last line just a little sad, well, then you must be a Tarvaris Jackson apologist and there’s not much hope for you.

He’s already acknowledged that he’s focused on avoiding a sophomore slump and looks to build on a promising year, I believe he will.

A huge hole

The split end spot, occupied by Mike Williams in 2011 was among the least productive wide receiver spots in all of the NFL last season. The veteran managed just 18 catches, 236 yards and a single touchdown in the 12 games he was able to stay on the field.

On top of not being productive, he’s mentally weak.

For me it all starts with the fact that he wasn’t mentally tough enough to stay in shape to play football while being paid millions of dollars by the Detroit Lions. As a fan, I can’t even imagine what kind of a mental state I’d have to be in to blow a shot like that, and there’s rumors all over the internet that he’s got conditioning problems again this offseason.

Yes, this may have been planted in my head from day one but I know what I saw in 2010 when the Seahawks were busy getting trounced by the lowly Oakland Raiders, Williams checked out, he gave up.

This has been glossed over by too many of us fans, we all want to see good in a player, good in a person but sometimes it’s just not there.

The picture of Mike Williams sitting at the end of the bench, not saying anything to anybody with a towel on his head while his quarterback was still out there taking hit after hit will never leave the back of my mind.

Overrated

Sometimes a player just doesn’t have the capacity to be great like we all want them to be. I believe this to be the case with Mike Williams.

Surely Tarvaris Jackson had something to do with the lack of production from Williams in 2011, but what does a good wide receiver do when they’re not getting the ball?

They try harder, they get in the face of the quarterback to let them know they’ve got their back and they demand the ball. Especially after the team’s top weapon in the passing game, Sidney Rice was out for the season.

Mike Williams will never be that type of player. Instead he pouted openly on the field and checked out of games mentally.

it’s what you show on the field that matters Mike Williams!

I’ve heard many of the beat writers that are in camp on a daily basis with the team say that Mike Williams is a leader as he’s always talking to the guys behind the scenes, always pumping them up when the cameras are off.

Well, frankly I don’t care about that, Williams doesn’t have what it takes on the field to pick himself up when the chips are down like they tend to get on an NFL field and persevere through it to make something happen.

What you say off the field doesn’t make any difference to me, it’s what you show on the field that matters.

The NFL is a results based business and there are many wide receivers that have tallied more stats in a single season than Williams has in a 5 year NFL career.

Needless to say, if  BMW miraculously avoids the PUP list, heals from a broken leg and is starting opposite Sidney Rice this season then it’s because some of these other guys didn’t pan out like we hoped and I’ll be pretty upset.

I mean seriously, who calls themselves “The Fundraiser”? This wreaks of being in it for the wrong reasons to me.

The Seahawks should rid themselves of the 3 million dollar contract Williams is due this year before the season even starts.

Moving forward

The most intriguing name to me is Ricardo Lockette. He’s got good size, absolutely dynamic speed and the Seahawks need a consistent downfield threat in a bad way. Lockette has just two catches in his young NFL career in the two games he’s played, but both were game breaking deep routes.

One for 61 yards and the other for 44.

This kind of speed and play making ability is exactly what Marshawn Lynch and the running game need to spread a defense out and keep them from stacking the box.

At worst, Ricardo Lockette will be a situational guy to come in and get defenses off balance at the beginning of the season and could develop in his route running to become much more as the season progresses.

If there’s one thing I know from watching Pete Carroll at USC beating up on my Huskies all those years is that he loves running the ball, but he loves speedy receivers to get behind defenses and break games open just as much.

If Sidney Rice, eh hem, cough, cough, goes down like he has in the past, Lockette is my break out pick of the year.

The Nittany Lion

Deon Butler in my opinion will be hurt by the emergence of Lockette. The Seahawks already have undersized receivers and now they have a speed threat with NFL size. I just don’t see it working out for Deon in Seattle this year.

Top Pot Himself

Golden Tate has been a bit of a disappointment thus far in his young career. The second round pick of the 2010 NFL draft has had trouble adjusting to the precision routes it takes to be successful at his size in the NFL.

Tate did show some promise in the second half of the season in 2011 and for this, the fact that he’s acknowledged what his game is lacking and that he’s continually working hard to fix it, Tatewill have plenty of opportunities to be on the field in week one and make some plays in certain situations.

Durham has that rare combination of elite size and good speed

Will he make the most of them? Your guess is as good as mine, but I certainly hope so.

Tall & Fast & Raw

Kris Durham is next on the list. Kris had what appeared to be a bit of a mystery injury last season at the time, in fact some thought that the Seahawks were just clearing up roster room by putting him on IR last year.

Well, it turned out he was hurt and had surgery late last season to fix a torn labrum. Durham will be healthy and ready to rock come training camp.

Durham has that rare combination of elite size and good speed at the wide receiver position. Listed on the Seahawks roster at 6’6″ tall and 217 pounds, he also possesses 4.4 speed.

If we’re all to believe the “compete” mantra coming from Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, I believe Kris Durham will start opposite Sidney Rice in week 1 of the NFL season.

With good hands and the dynamic size/speed combo, in the end I don’t think Pete Carroll will be able to pass up putting him on the field.

Whats his name?

Ben Obomanu, now entering his 8th NFL season is what he is, an average NFL wide receiver at best. He’ll be on the team as depth, but will only see the field this season if there are injuries to other guys.

The two guys possibly fighting Obomanu for the last game day roster spot we should all know very well in the northwest. Jermaine Kearse, un-drafted free agent out of UW and Lavasier Tuinei out of Oregon.

Obamanu will be on as depth, and to throw off the FOX broadcast crew.

Tuinei is a younger, tougher version of Mike Williams as he’s got size, not much speed and some pretty good hands. He’s also regarded as a good route runner with above average ball skills.

If the Seahawks are looking solely for depth at the WR position, Tuinei will make the team as he’s impressed at OTA’s thus far and we all know Pete Carroll likes size at this position.

On the flip side, Jermaine Kearse in my opinion will be the selection if the Seahawks are looking for additional help on special teams and situational play making ability.

Kearse is 6’1″ tall, 210 pounds and could be a play maker if there are injuries to the starters and he also has ideal size to contribute in many ways on special teams.

Seahawks WR Prediction

Like I said earlier, I believe Kris Durham is going to get the first shot when the preseason finishes to start opposite Sidney Rice with Doug Baldwin in the slot.

Golden Tate and Ricardo Lockette will certainly see plenty of action situationally and on the limited number of 4 and 5 wide receiver sets.

Rounding out my top 6 would be Obamanu, he’s the safe bet to be decent if needing to be called upon if and when injuries occur.

I truly believe this will be a year that a couple of these wide-outs have breakout seasons. We have an accurate quarterback in Matt Flynn, poised to make decisions quickly and create openings with his vision and his arm.

These are your weapons Mr.Flynn, let’s see what you can do with them…

CLICK HERE CHECK OUT THE SEAHAWKS BLOG IN OUR CLUBHOUSE AT NWSB!

Nobody around the Seattle sports scene knew who Chris Hansen was just a few short months ago and I think he preferred it that way.

For those who still don’t know, Chris Hansen is the man behind the plan to build an arena to bring the Sonics and the NBA back to Seattle, for good.

He’s stated that the idea of being anointed as anyone’s “hero” literally makes him physically ill in a live chat put on by The Seattle Times.

Well, unfortunately Mr. Hansen, you’re quickly becoming a hero to many of us, here are a few reasons why.

One of us…

Chris Hansen is one of us, literally.

He’s from the northwest, he grew up rooting for all things Seattle sports and that hasn’t changed. He’s as knowledgeable about the Sonics history as anyone and was in the seats at Key Arena until the end.

He wants this to happen more than any of us; the proof comes from his mouth and his checkbook every day.

Chris Hansen is one of us. (Photo Kiro TV)

Patience

Anybody who’s followed the Seattle political scene as it pertains to sports facilities even remotely knows what you’re up against. There’s going to be opposition to a stadium or an arena being built even if it costs the public nothing.

Hansen has faced every bit of opposition carefully, methodically and with patience for even the most ignorant and uninformed opposing arguments against this arena plan.

He continues to do so each day and is even willing to spend more money on research to appease the harshest opposition, even if they keep complaining…

Conviction and optimism

This is a carefully thought out plan, one that Chris Hansen along with many impartial observers believe is the best plan the city of Seattle will ever see and Chris believes without a doubt that it will pass through the city and county councils.

He truly and genuinely feels that the Sonics are indeed coming back to Seattle. You can hear the calming conviction in his voice that tells me this is going to happen, that if he believes this much in the council’s decision having already been made for them with a flawless plan then I should too.

Furthermore, when asked by Dave “Softy” Mahler if he thought the chances were good that we would get an NBA team back in Seattle if the arena deal is approved he used the words, “yes, I think it’s inevitable that the NBA will return to Seattle”.

https://twitter.com/NWSportsBeat/statuses/207535064836345857

This statement tells me there’s much more going on behind the scenes to obtain a team to bring back as the Sonics, but we’ll talk about that at a later date.

For now, Chris Hansen believes in this plan, who are we to doubt him?

Comfortably outside of his comfort zone

Hansen, self admittedly has spent most of his adult life avoiding the spotlight. He’s not the type of guy that likes to be the focus of anything or anyone in the public eye. Well, if this arena plan has a chance, it needs a face.

Chris Hansen is that face.

He’s been on live chats with fans, he toured in studio with all of the radio stations around town and is always available to answer any questions that us fans, or any opposition to the deal have for him.

I was lied to by Clay and Howard. NOT again!

So far he’s approached all questions and comments with a sense of class that seems to be lost in this world today. If he’s uncomfortable being in the public eye like he says, then it sure doesn’t show.

Ethical

Some talk about how the team (Sonics) will make their way back to Seattle, I try to vacate that thought from my mind.

The reason behind this is I remember how the Sonics left, I remember being lied to by Howard Schultz, Clay Bennett and our own local government.

We’re told expansion of the NBA isn’t a possibility in the timeframe that Chris Hansen and his investors are looking at, so on the surface it looks as if we in Seattle will be doing what Clay Bennett and Oklahoma City did to us.

I’m here to tell you that I just don’t see that as being the case.

Chris Hansen isn’t going to lie to anyone, his intentions are clearly laid out and I trust that whichever team moves here, the term “stolen” that I like to use in reference to the Sonics leaving will not be in anyone’s vocabulary at the time they arrive.

So, make your own conclusion on Chris Hansen, but I think he’s a hero, a saint and a visionary who is taking bringing our Sonics back very seriously and won’t sleep until his goal is accomplished.

Know that he won’t be able to do it by himself, he needs our help.

To figure out what you can do go to http://www.sonicsarena.com and follow Chris Hansen’s group on Twitter, @SonicsArena.

The question that is ferociously discussed by University of Washington fans every year. Is Coach Steve Sarkisian the man to return UW to the promise land?

Hardened critics will tell you that he’s the next Rick Neuheisel, that he can recruit the talent positions but the lack of top tier talent on the offensive and defensive lines is going to continue to keep UW’s success modest at best, much like the past two seasons.

On the other side of the argument you have those who relentlessly defend Coach Sark by citing the fact that he took over an 0-12 team and took UW to two straight bowl appearances in years two and three of his tenure.

I tend to be the latter, sort of a Sark apologist if you will and here’s why…

Quarterback guru

The most important position in football is the quarterback; I think all football fans have come to this conclusion as it’s apparent on the field and pounded in to our heads via analysts everywhere. With that in mind, what Steve Sarkisian has done with Keith Price is nothing shy of a miracle in my opinion.

Steve Sarkisian is a proven commodity on the offensive side of the ball

Those of us fans who watched this kid practice even a little during his freshman year barely noticed him.

Not just because of Jake Locker and the hype that accompanied him was the biggest story on campus, not just because everyone was focused on Steve Sarkisian, Nick Holt and the rest of the new staff but in all reality it was because he wasn’t very good.

To put it simply, Price was a smallish QB prospect with quick feet but an ugly release. 

Keith Price, by all accounts was as raw as raw gets to the trained eye.

Fast forward three years, heading in to the 2011 season all of the talk surrounding the offense was Chris Polk, for good reason.

The running back was coming off of a stellar season and with the star QB of the past on his way to Tennessee to play in the NFL, whenever Keith Price’s name was discussed the overwhelming thought was that he needed to be serviceable, hand the ball off to Chris Polk 30 times per game and limit mistakes in the passing game.

Instead, his accuracy had us in awe; his ability to keep the play alive, keep his eyes down-field and make accurate throws was nothing shy of incredible. He set school single season records for touchdowns, completion percentage and overall efficiency ratings.

While I don’t want to take any credit from Keith himself, all of this was due to the fact that Steve Sarkisian and Doug Nussmeier molded this raw talent in to the Heisman hopeful that he is.

Tough decisions

The Huskies finished the season 7-6 after a loss to Robert Griffin lll and his Baylor squad that torched the Huskies defense for 777 yards and 67 points. This leads to my next point.

The UW defense has been bad, really, really bad since the Sarkisian regime has taken over.

While I feel there are some legitimate claims to be made in regards to the talent or lack thereof on the defensive side of the ball, I certainly don’t believe this is the only factor in the equation.

Lack of talent doesn’t explain missed assignments; it doesn’t explain what appeared to be a lack of effort on some accounts and the look of defeat in the eyes of the defensive players on many occasions during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

There were also legitimate concerns about Holt’s defensive staff and their ability to recruit the talent necessary to compete in the PAC-12.

These are coaching problems, defensive coaching problems. While Nick Holt may have been a good coach with the top talent in the country at USC, I think the evidence is fairly obvious that his defensive schemes do not work unless he’s got that kind of talent and speed at his disposal.

It was very clear by seasons end in 2011 that Nick Holt and his defensive staff had to go.

Best of friends

The problem with this is that Sarkisian and Holt were close friends, very close friends who were the first two to arrive at Husky Stadium every day and the last two to leave, every single day. The question in my eyes was not whether Holt had to go, but whether Sarkisian could come to that conclusion and make it happen.

What Steve Sarkisian has done with Keith Price is nothing shy of a miracle

Steve Sarkisan fired Nick Holt. By the Coach’s own admission it was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do, but in the end, he did it.

Coach Sarkisian then proceeded to hire some of the hottest and most sought after defensive coaches and recruiters in the country. (Yes Mike Silver, Tosh is now on a boat!)

Recreating a winning culture

Steve Sarkisian in my eyes is a proven commodity on the offensive side of the ball.

Not only did he turn Keith Price into the most efficient QB in school history, but he also just recruited the best QB tandem in the country according to many of the top scouting and recruiting experts for the 2012 class in Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles.

I’m an absolute buyer when it comes to what coach Sarkisian says about the top in state talent in that the kids heading to college right now didn’t grow up with a burning desire to attend the University of Washington.

The last time UW was competing on a national level, most of these kids were no more than 10 years old.

The quickest way to change this culture is by doing what Sarkisian is best at, making sure he’s absolutely set at the most important position in football and also having the stones to make the toughest of decisions, like firing his best friend when it needed to be done.

This culture change mixed with a shiny new facility to begin the 2013 season is the reason UW is headed back to the top, sooner rather than later.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE HUSKIES FOOTBALL CLUBHOUSE TODAY AT NWSPORTSBEAT!

The closer role is the ultimate reminder that the game of baseball is a mental game unlike any other.

When things are going right, there’s nothing quite like the look of confidence and pure focus on the face of your team’s closer.

Even the fans in the stadium have a confidence about them, singing along and dancing to his song of choice almost knowing that their team has won the game during that faithful trot to the mound.

This mentality, this knowing that you’re going to come in and get the three toughest outs in the game is as important as being able to throw a ball 99 MPH, or having a splitter that drops more than two feet while also traveling upwards of 90 MPH if you’re going to have consistent success as a closer in the MLB.

There’s no doubt why Mariano Rivera is the greatest closer the game’s ever seen.

Rivera has a job to do and it will be done...

The man’s mentality does not change, he has a job to do and it will be done, every night and whenever his team needs him.

Slipknot

So there we were, heading to the top of the 9th, the Mariners up 4-3 after a good game from Justin Smoak who’d driven all 4 Mariner runs in and a quality start from Blake Beavan.

“Duality” by Slipknot comes over the speakers, blue flames and a flashing “Brandon League” lights up every screen around Safeco to set the stage for the closer.

But on this night there was a tension in the crowd, more of a sense of hope that Brandon League could close it out rather than knowing our guy was going to do the job at hand.

Mark Trumbo quickly affirmed our shakiness as he hit a sharp line drive to center field for a base hit, Alberto Callaspo followed him and earned himself a walk after League had him 1-2 and unfortunately, that was only the beginning.

Erick Aybar laid down a bunt, League quickly picked it up and tried his best to throw it to a fan in the stands rather than Alex Liddi who was playing 3rd base that night and Peter Bourjos who had come on to run for Trumbo came around to score and tied the game at 4-4.

Two batters later after an intentional walk, Howie Kendrick had a pinch hit single to put the Angels up for good 6-4.

Confidence is officially rattled

For the time being, Brandon League has lost that edge, that confidence, whatever it was in his brain that had him convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that he could get these final three outs of a Major League Baseball game.

In his last 4 appearances League has given up 6 earned runs in 3.1 innings while raising his season ERA from 2.12 to 4.43.

He’s lost confidence in his fastball which by his own admission leads to nothing but problems in his head as it affects every other pitch in his arsenal and the ability to throw them for strikes.

I’m worried about Brandon League's long term success on the Seattle Mariners

Remember last May?

League also had a rough stretch in Cleveland and Baltimore that looked much like this stretch.

Eric Wedge took him out of the closer roll briefly to get his mind right and it appears that this is Wedge’s plan to get him on track again this season.

Wedge tells us the closer role will be matchup orientated and won’t be given to a certain person as I’m sure his plan will be to get League’s release and his fastball back on track to get him out there again as early as possible.

Brandon came back as strong as ever last year and stayed steady through the end of the season even though his save chances went down along with the Mariners win-loss record.

We’ll hope for the same result this season.

Now what I’m worried about with regards to Brandon League is his long term success of the Seattle Mariners.

2012 Needs

We need him to be good, we need him to be a closer and we don’t need to watch him blow saves. Brandon League headed in to this year was the main piece that the Mariners had that they may be able to get some value back for at the trade deadline.

Pair that with the fact that we have a rising star in Stephen Pryor set to take over the closer roll with the big club tearing apart double-A and triple-A hitters and I’ve been the biggest Brandon League fan on the planet.

I think Wedge pulled the plug here when he needed to, we need to get Brandon League’s mind clear, get his fastball going and make sure his nerves are under control enough that he can throw a ball to third without air mailing it.

At this point I believe his value can be saved if he gets right like last year when you couple that with the fact that there will be playoff contending teams needing help in the bullpen when the trade deadline arrives.

We’ll see soon if it works…

CLICK HERE CHECK OUT THE SEATTLE MARINERS CLUBHOUSE AT NWSB!