Linebackers.

A position steeped in tradition where some of the most iconic men in all of football have ruled. Calling the shots and bravely patrolling the maelstrom like generals in a war torn region.

Being routinely called upon to cover the errors of those around him, the linebacker must be athletic enough to cover the elegant receiver yet bullish enough to take on a hulking lineman head-on.

A position of strength for the BC Lions heading into the 2013 season, Adam Bighill, Solomon Elimimian and Anton McKenzie lead a group of formidable LB’s for our beloved orange squad but maybe the best ‘Backer the Leo’s ever had was also the first one they ever had: Norm Fieldgate.

His number 75 adorns the distinctive Ring of Honour at BC Place. His name is synonymous with the franchise itself, having been both a former player and a former president. An original roster member from the 1954 squad, Fieldgate spent 14 seasons on the gridiron for BC. 14 years and was out of the lineup one game.

Fieldgate helped guide the Lions to their first ever Grey Cup in 1964. (Photo: BC Lions)

He could be honoured just for that feat alone, but Fieldgate contributed so much more than a warm body in a jersey. The ultra-talented young man from the Regina Rams Junior football program played Tight-End, Defensive End and Safety but he truly excelled at the Linebacker position.

The stalwart defender could range from sideline to sideline while doling out some of the most severe punishment in the league.

Widely known for his tenacity, Fieldgate became a CFL Western Division All-Star 3 times. In 1963 he was voted to the CFL All-Star team.

A year later he earned an even bigger award.

A constant on the defensive front, Fieldgate helped guide the Lions to their first ever Grey Cup in 1964.

He finished his career with 62 turnovers; 37 interceptions, 2 returned for TD’s and 25 fumble returns. 37 picks in an era where throwing the ball was the second option.

He also had a knack for blocking kicks. 6 blocks with 2 recoveries for TD’s.

When his playing days ended, Fieldgate continued to be associated with the club, first by sitting on the Board of Directors and eventually heading the organization as the team president until 1989.

Although no longer on the board, he is still very visible with the Lions making appearances at club functions and alumni recognitions.

Upon retiring he was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1970, the CFL Hall of Fame in 1979 and voted onto TSN’s list of top 50 CFL players.

Fieldgate definitely set the standard for all those have come after him. An inspiration to fans and players alike, he was the prime example for doing whatever it takes for the betterment of the organization.

Truly deserving of his place in the Ring of Honour.

Cheers, The Bartender

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Just two days after the sports world was buzzing about Michael Crabtree‘s torn Achilles and how it affected the San Francisco 49er’s shot at another Super Bowl berth this year, the Seattle Seahawks have suffered their own Achilles tear, coming in the form of tight end Anthony McCoy. 

As was first tweeted by Mike Garafolo of USA Today, McCoy tore his Achilles this week and underwent surgery yesterday. Here’s his tweet:

Seahawks TE Anthony McCoy tore his Achilles this week, had surgery yesterday: usatoday.com/story/sports/n…

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 24, 2013

With 2013 being a year that could see the Seahawks chase one of their best seasons in team history, any injury, especially to a guy who saw a significant amount of snaps last year, is important to look at.

Here’s what to make of the injury to McCoy.

Impact

It has now been confirmed by the Seahawks and looks like McCoy hurt himself during OTA’s. Coming off the field on Monday due to an ankle injury, it’s safe to say that it was this incident that caused his Achilles tear.

Anthony McCoy (Elaine Thompson/AP Photo)

McCoy was fairly reliable for the Seahawks when called upon last year, playing in 45.5 percent of the offensive snaps for Seattle last season (as noted by ESPN). In total he hauled in 18 passes for 291 yards (16.2 yards per catch) and three touchdowns. Of his 18 catches, 13 were for first downs.

He was targeted just 27 times last year but clearly made the most of the times he was given the ball.

Heading into his fourth season in the NFL, McCoy wasn’t the starter but figured to play an important role once again for the Seahawks in 2013.

In fact, last year the Seahawks’ best plays on first and second down came from a two tight end set. While they ran more plays (470) with one tight end than with two (316), Seattle managed 6.2 yards per play with two tight ends and 6.1 yards per play with one tight end.

Not the biggest difference, it’s still relatively important to factor McCoy’s injury into this formula.

But as well as he has played for Seattle, McCoy’s injury isn’t devastating. As mentioned previously, he wasn’t the starter and was targeted just 27 times last year. He was reliable but never the big impact guy who could make a huge difference if he was on the field.

Seattle still has Zach Miller healthy and ready to further the offense as well as a slough of backups (Darren Fells, Cooper Helfet, Victor Marshall, Sean McGrath, Luke Willson, and Matt Austin) who are ready to see NFL action.

The injury to McCoy isn’t as significant in the grand scheme because, when you look at who Seattle has brought in this offseason, most experts are suggesting we’ll see a whole lot more one tight ends set instead of two.

The addition of Percy Harvin made this pretty obvious, as Seattle will now look to put three receivers on the field and really spread opposing defenses out. McCoy’s blocking will of course be missed, and hard to make up for.

Replacement

Seattle will now look to another player to fill the shoes of McCoy for the time being, and while there are players on the roster with multiple years of experience at tight end, we’ll pencil in rookie Luke Willson to McCoy’s spot for now.

Drafted in the fifth round, Willson comes from Rice and was relatively unheard of before Seattle picked him up. But it’s clear that this guy can play. 

He still obviously has a lot of work to do before the season starts, but Willson looks the part of a tight end who can really open up the field and give the Seahawks some speed at the position, complimenting their offense that will look to be one of the fastest in the league.

So while the loss of McCoy is rough, he should be able to come back sometime in 2013 and Willson will be a viable alternative who can give Seattle some of the same looks as McCoy while bringing a new kind of dynamic to an already potent offense.

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In the future, NWSportsBeat will be doing these articles within a day or so of the actual press conference. However, since this is a new, regular series for NWSB, and the Seattle Seahawks made the national news again for all the wrong reasons, I felt it was a great presser to start off the inaugural edition of Coach Speak.

Watch the press conference here!

Not only was the May 20, 2013 presser about the first OTA (Organized Team Activities), it was also the first time Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talked about the four-game suspension earned by second year defensive end, Bruce Irvin, for violating the league’s PED (performance enhancing drug) policy.

Here is the breakdown.

The First 4 Minutes and 54 Seconds

The first 4:54 focused on the opening of the press conference, and Carroll jumping right into the Bruce Irvin news. Interestingly enough, he never acknowledges the violation specifically, and doesn’t even mention ‘Bruce’ until 3:33.

Pete Carroll spoke about the suspension to Bruce Irvin for the first time at the May 20 presser.

To start the presser, Carroll leads with a joke to break the ice and then adds in some generic banter about the guys ‘flip-flopping’. The wry smile is indicative of Carroll trying to lighten the mood.

1:03

Just following the first minute, Carroll shifts gears and begins talking about the Irvin suspension without directly mentioning it. He rationalizes away the news, minimizing it by talking about the difficulties of being an NFL superstar.

2:18

At 2:18, he begins defending the action of the team and the steps it takes to control the locker room. He gets defensive in his tone, but still never gets into any specifics.

The truth is in the details, and Carroll is avoiding particulars at this point as much as he is avoiding eye contact.

3:58

Just before the clock strikes four minutes, Carroll brings it home, equating Irvin’s suspension to a misbehaving child, rather than confronting the fact that it was the team’s sixth different player suspended for PEDs since 2010. His opening soliloquy finally ends at 4:54, when he begins taking questions.

The rest of the presser video goes on for a bit more, and there is definitely some interesting comments worth listening to if you have the time; but is a little too much to go into for this article.

I’ll be honest, I’m a huge Pete Carroll fan. He is one of my top 5 favorite coaches in the league. However, part of what makes Carroll great is also a root cause to one of the main problems with the Seahawks.

Whether proven or not, Carroll’s time with the Seahawks and his tenure at USC have been plagued with indents that could be considered more a ‘concerning trend’ and less an ‘unfortunate coincidence’.

Either way, it is going to be a long season if Carroll doesn’t tighten his grip on this team.

What are your thoughts on Carroll and the rest of the presser?

Leave your comments below.

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No surprises on Tuesday. As expected, the Portland Trail Blazers landed the 10th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

A top-3 pick would have been a miracle for Portland. Not getting a top-3 pick isn’t the end of the world for the Blazers, though. Looking at the recent history of picks at number 10 can give fans hope.

Here is a look at who has been drafted with the 10th pick since the year 2005:

• 2005 – Andrew Bynum
• 2006 – Saer Sene
• 2007 – Spencer Hawes
• 2008 – Brook Lopez
• 2009 – Brandon Jennings
• 2010 – Paul George
• 2011 – Jimmer Fredette
• 2012 – Austin Rivers

I would label the last two draft picks as ‘yet to be determined’ – they both have potential to become good scorers in this league as long as they get the right opportunity.

Of the other draft picks, there has been five stars (Joe Johnson, Andrew Bynum, Brook Lopez, Brandon Jennings, and Paul George), 3 role players (Caron Butler, Spencer Hawes, and at times Keyon Dooling), and then there have been a few busts (Jarvis Hayes, Luke Jackson, and Saer Sene).

There is a mixed bunch drafted at number 10, but judging by history, the odds of drafting at least a role player is pretty high. All the Blazers need is a role player. They need someone to come off the bench and score some points. We all know how bad their bench was last year, there’s no use in going over the stats again.

So, who in this draft can become a role player with Portland? This is a question Portland will have to ask their selves as they go through the draft process. I will give you five guys that I like so far. Keep in mind that draft orders change once players start getting their individual workouts and interviews.

The 5 I Like

Shabazz Muhammad

Shabazz Muhammad should both scare and excite fans in Portland.

There have been concerns about his character issues and not living up to potential. For these reasons, he has dropped in many mock drafts. I still like him.

Getting Shabazz Muhammad at number 10 can do wonders for the Blazers. For me, his draft combine interview cleared up character issues – supposedly he had an age issue. In the interview Shabazz said, “I’m 20″. There is no hiding his age. For some reason at UCLA there was that problem. Now, he says that he will be talking for himself instead of letting others talk for him. Hopefully, this will prevent any further miscommunication between the media and himself.

He is a talented player. He can score from a number of areas on the court. He has an NBA body with his strength and athleticism. He can play either the small forward or shooting guard, which he could serve as a great sixth man for Portland under either position. He can definitely bring a spark to the Blazers bench for next season. If he is there, he is my first choice.

Cody Zeller

Cody Zeller is by far my favorite Zeller. He runs the court better than any big man I’ve seen. For Portland, he can serve as a great back-up to LaMarcus Aldridge. He can also play alongside LaMarcus with their ability to play the 5 spot if needed, but both are probably best used at power forward.

With Damian Lillard, this has become a faster team. That fits Zeller’s abilities and can make for an easy transition for him.

Zeller makes sense for the Blazers with his ability to play the 4 or 5. They need help at every position off the bench and he would be a great addition. Zeller can come in provide solid contributions off the bench.

If Portland went with Zeller, it would not be a replacement for Meyers Leonard. Portland should be looking elsewhere for a center this off-season, as to say via free-agency or trade. Leonard’s potential is worth his continued development. I think the Blazers should continue to stick with that while finding a center that they can fill in for now, someone like Samuel Dalembert or Jermaine O’Neal.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Kentavius Caldwell-Pope is as good as his name sounds (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is a good shooter and a great defender. He’s the third best option for Portland with the 10th pick. He can fill a much needed role coming off the bench. He can score and come in and lock up other guards. He is a type of player that thrives off playing defense, which is an immediate upgrade over anyone on the current roster.

He must impress Portland in workouts and interviews for them to reach for him. 10 is a bit of a stretch for him. Sometimes all it takes is the right guy in the right system to become a good player in this league. I feel that Caldwell-Pope can be a Paul George type. I think Portland can give him that same opportunity that George had with Indana.

Michael Carter-Williams

He is a point guard and we do still have Lillard. That doesn’t matter, I still like him.

Michael Carter-Williams reminds me of Kendall Marshall with his court vision – Marshall ended up going 13th last year to Phoenix.

He does bring a little more to the table than Marshall. He has great length for his position. This allows him to defend multiple positions. He also says that he is comfortable playing off the ball, although he didn’t do too much of that at Syracuse.

Portland liked playing Lillard off the ball last year and would hope to do that with Carter-Williams. If Carter-Williams can prove to play off the ball as well then Portland will take a hard look at him.

Portland would like to have two guys that can either play off ball or with the ball in their hands – it can make for a nice combination.

Kelly Olynyk

I’m too much of a fan, but his hair and band reminds me of Bill Walton and I can see Portland fans eating that up. He plays with energy and emotion. Playing behind a crowd that can quickly get behind him may boost his talents.

Kelly Olynyk is another one of those guys that can become a good player under the right the circumstance. He is sort of a local favorite and I think he fits in Portland. There are teams that he could go to and quickly vanish.. kind of like Adam Morrison did. Morrison didn’t have star potential, but he could have become a good role player for the right team.

However, Morrison was drafted high and had to live up to those high expectations with no players around him. It wasn’t the right situation.

Olynyk, if he joins the Blazers, could fit in nicely and quickly become a role player.

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One week ago, had you asked me whether or not I would like to see the Seattle Mariners make any changes, I would likely be part of the fan base that didn’t really see a need for them to do anything, even with Brendan Ryan stinking it up still.

And it would be hard to argue with me for thinking so. The Mariners were streaking. They were on fire. Quietly moving up the AL West rankings, Seattle started their arduous road trip by taking 2-of-3 from the New York Yankees in stunning fashion to put themselves in second in the west and one game under .500.

Then Cleveland happened.

When we look back at the end of the year at what changed and influenced this Seattle team, I really believe we’ll point to the gut-wrenching four-game series in Cleveland that saw the Mariners swept. 

Still, even after they dropped those four games in a row, I still had hope. We were heading to Los Angeles and could turn things around immediately and bounce right back. That did not happen. We were crushed.

Jesus Montero is being sent down to Tacoma and being replaced with Sucre.

As such, the Mariners are now 20-27, 10 games behind the Texas Rangers, and in need of some changes. And it looks like we’ll get some very soon, as moves have been rumored in the past day that could really shuffle the big league lineup.

Here’s what we’ve come to find out as well as additional moves I believe Seattle should make.

Jesus Montero to be Sent Down

Jesus Montero as we now know is the first man to go down. As was first rumored in an article on thenewstribune.com by Ryan Divish, Montero will be sent down to Triple-A Tacoma and will be replaced by Jesus Sucre.

This is pretty depressing when you really look at it. Montero came to Seattle as one of the top hitting prospects in the league. Trading away Michael Pineda to get the star catcher (Pineda has had a tough go-of-it as well), Montero has not yet lived up to his hype, something Seattle fans have become way too used to in the past 5-10 years.

He currently has an appalling .208 batting average and has looked like a shade of the player he could have been. Just three home runs this season, Montero was not getting it done at the plate.

Sucre, meanwhile, will finally be able to attempt to make a statement at the big league level. At 25 years of age he’s still young, has a lot of potential, and has been swinging a good bat at the  AAA level.

Playing in just 14 games this year so far, Sucre has a .302 batting average, .373 on-base percentage, and .321 slugging percentage.

Though he doesn’t have any home runs, we’ll give him a pass in that category as he will mainly play backup duties to Kelly Shoppach. 

I’m actually pretty excited to see this guy come up. While others have called for Mike Zunino to be brought up already, that is illogical and irresponsible. He’s a great prospect, yes, but he’s not ready for the bigs. Sucre will give the Mariners a viable backup option in the majors and will hopefully send a huge wake-up call to Montero.

Other Moves the Mariners Could Make

Brendan Ryan, I was after your head about a week ago. Now, however, you’ve actually turned it around and are playing well. You just survive.

Dustin Ackley, as much as I love the player that you will be, it’s time to refine your skills at AAA. We’ll move you down to Tacoma and bring up Nick Franklin to play some second. After all, Seattle has been grooming him as more of a second baseman.

Kyle Seager….just kidding. Seager is awesome. Keep doing what you do.

Aaron Harang, adios. Get out of our city and find a team that wants an unmotivated pitcher. Let’s give Hector Noesi a shot at the rotation and call him up to fill Harang’s spot.

I’d be tempted to send Brandon Maurer down, but I really believe this is great experience for the young guy. He’s gaining valuable knowledge at the big league level and will turn things around…I hope.

Most of these moves won’t happen, but here’s to hoping they do.

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For the Washington Huskies, the season is long in the books, recruiting is finished and the spring game has come and gone. All that’s left before the 2013 college football season is a whole lot of waiting.

The spring game matters because it’s the first live football fans of a team have seen for months, and will see for quite a while.

Despite the small sample size and unrealistic conditions of a spring game, Husky Nation likely came out cautiously excited. Here are a few quick takeaways to keep in mind:

Defense Looked Good…But Not Great

Washington started a great deal of inexperienced players on defense last season, which led to rough patches. But most of last year’s starters are returning, with linebacker looking like the best position group of the defense overall.

Shaq Thompson, John Timu and Travis Feeney all proved themselves last year. Cornerback, however, is still a question mark, with the Huskies severely missing Desmond Trufant and having few proven players at the position.

The Offense Can Be Really, Really Good

Will Sark’s choice to start Keith Price pay off in 2013?

Austin Seferian-Jenkins is the best tight end in America, Bishop Sankey is a proven playmaker and Kasen Williams should finally have some help at wide receiver. That said, it all hinges on Keith Price.

Will we see the 2011 Keith Price or 2012 Price? He played surprisingly well in the spring; well enough for Steve Sarkisian to name him the starter. Washington’s season will hinge on this being the right call.

The Huskies Really Do Have A New Offense. No, I swear

Although the offense played unexceptionally in the spring game, they ran a relatively limited version of the new up-tempo offense. This hurry-up, no-huddle scheme should maximize the team’s athleticism and is a perfect fit for Price, if he plays to his potential.

It just wasn’t really shown much in the spring game.

Sark Is Playing It Safe

Sankey, ASJ, Price, Kasen, and a number of other offensive starters sat out large portions, or all of the spring game and drills (although ASJ is still in hot water from his DUI incident). It was a smart decision for those players who have nothing to prove.

The Huskies Are Healthy For Now

According to the spring game and various comments from the coaching staff, Huskies sidelined last season by injuries (and there were many) are all on track to make full recoveries. Last season, the Huskies lost key defensive linemen, offensive linemen, running backs and linebackers, to point to a few position groups.

Here’s hoping they can keep healthier this year. For now, all signs are good.

It’s dangerous to extrapolate too much from spring football one way or the other, but for now, at least Washington fans have to feel good about this team on both sides of the ball.

Woof Woof.

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Amongst a treacherous slide for the once-hot Seattle Mariners, a positive thought crossed my mind.

Once a week we get to see one of the greatest pitchers of all time go out there and throw the ball.

I’m talking about Aaron Harang, of course. Haha! What a joke.

But seriously, the generation of baseball fans that have come to truly appreciate the M’s in the late 90′s and 2000′s have been very spoiled with their pitching staff’s talent.

We got to see the great Randy Johnson throw Mr. Snappy right past batters on a regular basis – as well as Felix Hernandez hold court every start out on the mound.

Both players are almost guaranteed spots in the Hall of Fame. Both have sweet nicknames – The Big Unit and The King – and both had/have excellent careers in Seattle.

But which was the more impressive Mariner? Many are quick to say Johnson. But should they? Let’s dig a little deeper…

Early Years – The Big Unit

Coming out of USC – where he also played 2 years of basketball, mind you – Randy was selected by the Montreal Expos in 1985 at the age of 22. He made his major league debut in 1988 and pitched 11 games for the Expos – going 4-4.

Upon the trade to Seattle in ’89, Johnson was well-feared around the league – on account of his tall frame, energetic presence on the mound, crucial mullet/stache combo and the fact that he threw 100 mph without a clue of where it would wind up.

As a result of this inaccuracy, Johnson led the AL in walks from 1990-92, as well as hit-batters from ’92-93.

Randy Johnson “The Big Unit.” (Photo: seattlepi.com)

Against the Brewers in 1991, Johnson allowed 4 runs on 1 hit – thanks to 10 walked batters in 4 innings. A feat he would repeat in ’92.

He showed glimpses of his potential, but couldn’t find the strike zone and reach that elite level. Until Nolan Ryan stepped in.

Late in the 1992 season, Ryan held a private session with Randy to go over his delivery. He was quoted saying that he appreciated Randy’s talent and he didn’t want to see him take as long to figure certain things out as he had.

A simple adjustment of footwork – landing on the ball of his foot rather than heel upon delivery – and Randy’s accuracy drastically improved.

From then on, Randy became the elite ace Seattle had never seen before.

Early Years – King Felix

The story of Felix’s discovery is incredible. He was noticed by Mariners‘ scout Luis Fuenmayor at age 14 in a tournament near Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Luis recommended Felix to fellow scouts on account that the 14-year-old Felix was already throwing 90 MPH!

Simple to say that once Felix reached the age of 16, he was offered a contract by the Mariners organization. After graduating high school, he signed his first professional contract on July 4, 2002.

Although other teams offered more money – such as the Braves and Yankees – Felix chose Seattle to follow in the footsteps of his favorite player, Freddy Garcia.

Since then Felix has been sensational.

Whether he was shredding the minor leagues at age 19, or averaging the fastest fastball of all major league starters in 2006 at 95.2 mph – Felix has been a dominant righty from the get-go and has established his name in the major leagues for years now.

Breaking Down the Stats

The stats are a rather rough comparison when you consider that Felix had his first full season at the age of 20 and Randy had his at 26. But we will use major league experience as the indicator, as that is the only true way to analyze production.

Randy Johnson in his first 8 seasons:

• Innings: 1,492.9
• K’s: 1,684
• Walks: 773
• ERA: 3.60
• 4x All-Star (’90, ’93, ’94, ’95), 1 No-Hitter (June 2, 1990) and 1 Cy Young Award (1995)

Felix Hernandez in his first 8 seasons:

• Innings: 1,618
• K’s: 1,487
• Walks: 480
• ERA: 3.23
• 3x All-Star (2009, 2011, 2012), Immaculate Inning (June 17, 2008), 1 Perfect Game (August 15, 2012) and 1 Cy Young Award (2010)

A few things jump off the page at your first glance.

First off, I refrained from using the W-L stat. Why? Because it is the most overrated statistic in sports.

Wins and losses are completely out of the pitcher’s hands, and do not by any means give an idea of the pitcher’s ability. Look at Felix’s lineup compared to Randy’s. LITTLE bit of a difference.

“The King” Felix Hernandez

Second, the K’s for Randy and the ERA for Felix. Both stats truly show each player’s best attributes.

Final Analysis

When thinking back on Randy Johnson, I just remember him being so fun to watch.

Every batter was afraid to face him, every time he took the mound in the Kingdome you just knew the electricity was going to be wild – but some of this entertainment was due to the knowledge that at any point in time a high fastball could fly out of the strike zone and decapitate the opposing batter.

Thinking back on Felix and watching him now, the transition in style this young man has made in his pitching style is like no other I have seen.

He came into the league throwing HEAT. He now dominates in the league with a low-90′s fastball that opponents claim is “invisible.”

He also generated the nastiest change up in the game. His style isn’t as flashy as it once was, but has adapted to be more efficient and gives his arm the durability to complete games.

Conclusion

Drum roll please…

I’m going with The King!

I know Randy was a piece of the Mariners’ golden age, was arguably the best strike-out pitcher of all time, AND has 5 Cy Young’s to his name. I KNOW.

But I am speaking strictly of their tenures in Seattle. At that 8-year mark, Felix has shown more than Randy. All the while being 6 years younger.

This is just something that has been brewing in my head for years now, and I figured the Mariner fan base needs something to cheer them up during a stretch such as this one.

So hey, keep that chin up. You have the greatest Mariner pitcher of ALL TIME to watch every week. Consider yourselves fortunate!!!

Go Mariners!!!

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Hmmm, where to even start. The Mariners have had their fair share of great draft picks for sure, too bad most of them play, or even became stars, for other teams.

But if you were to wonder why the Mariners futile losing just keeps coming, all you have to do is take a look at this list of players who were deemed the next big thing, only to come up as duds in the MLB game.

But, this wouldn’t tell the entire story if I just stuck to draft picks. Of course I have to add at least one bomb free agent signee, and of course a trade or two.

If there is anything the Mariners have been good at over the past 36 years its their inability to choose talent.

It is being said that today’s organization has one of the best farm systems in the league. Only time will tell if those players ever amount to anything other than their pre-draft stock rankings.

But one thing is for sure: Up to this point in time this team has failed more times than not when it comes to filling out the roster in the offseason.

Ryan Anderson

Long before the “big 3″ burst onto the scene and into our dreams there was another catch phrase the M’s were using for one of their touted prospects.

Ryan “The Little Unit” Anderson was going to be the two in the one-two punch that was to be the top of the rotation alongside Randy Johnson.

The Little Unit did little right for the Mariners. (Photo: angelfire.com)

Not that the pair would have really pitched together anyways, Johnson was dealt the following year, but it sure had the fans in Seattle hyped about it.

As usual with Mariners prospects, Anderson suffered injury setbacks that would make Franklin Gutierrez jealous.

Anderson was drafted in 1997, and went on, somehow, to play in professional baseball until the 2005 season. Thankfully the Milwaukee Brewers took him off of our hands.

Jose Cruz Jr.

Another player who was supposed to team up with one of our superstars, Jose Cruz Jr. was taken 3rd overall in the 1995 draft.

Although he came from baseball royalty, he never amounted to the high expectations the Mariners and the baseball world laid on him.

Normally high draft picks like Cruz stick around once they make it to the show, but he was dealt away one month after making his Major League debut in 1997.

The M’s maybe jumped the gun on the trade as Cruz was a member of the 30-30 club for the Toronto Blue Jays, while we ended up with Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric in return.

Who is Paul Spoljaric you ask? Exactly my point.

Chone Figgins

Nothing like signing away a top free agent from your fiercest rival, right?

Well when it comes to the Mariners, those sorts of deals seem to backfire. And badly.

Figgins was going to be a top of the order guy who would hit behind Ichiro and produce the fastest one and two to start a lineup in the entire league.

They did end up with the speed, but the problem was, Figgins forgot that it was actually okay to strike the ball with his baseball bat.

And his fielding wasn’t that great either. Whether he was at third, short, second, or in the outfield, there was always a more reliable glove (and bat) sitting on the bench ready to spell the high dollar man.

As Florida or Arizona have been called the places where old people come to die, Seattle has that same exact affect on free agents.

It was a celebration the day that Figgins was no longer a member of the Mariners. And that isn’t even close to being an understatement.

Richie Sexson

Richie Sexson was supposed to be the big Pual Bunyan type player for the Mariners. Returning to his home state (Sexson lived in Battle Ground) to bring the M’s some pop.

Richie Sexson’s huge contract brought huge headaches. (Photo: Google)

Sexson was signed to a rather large deal, $50 million over four years, and started his career with the M’s on the right path. He hit 39 HR and drove in 121 RBI’s on the year.

But then it started happening. He started swinging at every pitch, all the while trying to put it over the fence.

His HR numbers declined, and by the time his last season rolled around, he was hitting around the Brendan Ryan mark.

Homeruns are nice and all, but for $50 million you had better be able to put the ball in play during the 25 at bats in between blasts.

So long and thanks for all the K’s Dick.

Eric Bedard

This one still stings for Mariners fans.

Eric Bedard was the feel good story of the year when the M’s dealt our entire farm system to the Orioles for him.

Once again the injury bug came to bite the Marines where the sun don’t shine.

But I think the biggest reason why this still smarts for us, well at least for me, is the fact that the star player in that deal is now an All-Star for Baltimore.

Adam Jones was the next player who was named “the next Ken Griffey Jr.” for the M’s. He had the speed, the glove and the bat to actually make that name stick for him too.

But instead he is now known as the next Paul Blair in Charm City.

Oh well, we got burned, we get over it right?

Rest easy M’s fans. If all the experts are indeed right, the future will be bright in Seattle. We have seen flashes of this this season. The wait will be worth the payoff I think.

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Alain Vigneault didn’t die Wednesday but a part of Vancouver Canucks franchise history did when AV was handed his walking papers by Michael D. Gillis.

As much scrutiny as I’ve given him to go with the heaps he’s received from the mainstream media, not to mention that from arm-chair Coaches and GM’s on social media, Mr. Vee deserves a lot of credit and respect for what he did here in Van-City.

He will, very possibly, go down forever as the winningest Coach this franchise has seen and one that did equal the efforts of Pat Quinn and Roger Nielson in taking his team to the Stanley Cup Final.

An all-time regular season record with the Canucks of 313-170-57 is nothing to balk at.

However, Alain Vigneault just got voted off the proverbial island and the question which may rage on for generations of Canucks fans is: Will he be remembered as a hero or a villain?

An all-time regular season record with the Canucks of 313-170-57

He should be remembered as a villain, largely counter-productive to the goal of winning a Stanley Cup for this city and the province which it belongs to.

At times, Alain Vigneault was the most consistent coach in the NHL with the only problem being that he was extremely consistent at being inconsistent.

The fact remains that AV stuck it out here with a group that remained the same for the most part and that was due to the incompetence and desire of the GM at the trade deadline to improve.

Viggy did have some shining moments such as the often referenced Bieksa-Fiddler-Gate.  It was a February 26^th, 2012  game against Dallas when Vern Fiddler, a member of the NHL all-name team imitated Kevin Bieksa’s, “angry face,” and sent AV into hysterics.

You can see for yourself here.

There’s also of course the 2011 Stanley Cup run which includes one particular moment Canucks fans know as, “Slaying the Dragon.” The jubilation in all the Coaching Staff’s faces and hugs is infectious as you can see in the video below.

It’s important to note though in the clip that while Newell and Ricky B. are celebrating, AV transforms into business mode slipping his papers into the inside pocket of his suit once again; the sign of a man ready to get back to work, which he did admirably the rest of that run.

The stars and planets may never align quite like that again for the Vancouver Canucks or Alain Vigneault but looking back on that moment 50 years from now will be special because at least for one fleeting pinch of time, AV was successful with what he decided to put on the ice. He had other moments in the seven years on the west coast, but one could argue the players succeeded during that time despite him.

There’s certainly no arguing the insane level of talent we’ve been privileged to watch here year in and year out and there may not be much arguing that they’ve under-achieved under AV.

The final thing Alain should be remembered for is not one singular moment though. It’s a compilation of pressers, scrums, year-end state of the union addresses that earn Alain my respect.

Time after time, Alain Vigneault told it how it was.

Maybe it wasn’t in a brash John Tortorella style and maybe he played the waiting game too many times on revealing who would start in net, but he did own up to the losses and the failures.

That’s something that up to this point Mike Gillis is yet to do, at least to the liking I believe most of us want. Media and fans may not like the clichés all the time but often they made sense with AV.

Sure it would have been nice to hear more than Cory Schneider has a, “body injury,” but that one we can let slide because at least he was playing the mind games everyone does during the playoffs.

Additionally and as much as some fans may have hated the decision, it took some really huge, how do you say it, BALLS, to insert Schneider between the pipes in Game 3 against LA in 2012.

Sure it’s led to a massive soap opera this past season that was really disrespectful to Roberto Luongo but much of that blame also lands on Gillis.

In the end, Alain Vigneault may not be as fondly remembered as Roger Nielson or Pat Quinn, but maybe Mike Gillis could put a good word in to future management to reserve a spot for him in the Ring of Honour one day.

Want to weigh in? Comment below with your favourite Alain Vigneault memories.

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The Vancouver Canucks fired head coach Alain Vigneault and assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown on Wednesday afternoon just 15 days after the Canucks were swept by the San Jose Sharks, marking the end of an era for Vancouver Canucks hockey.

After a second-straight first round playoff upset the Vancouver Canucks were desperate for a scapegoat, and as head coach the accountability ultimately fell on Alain Vigneault to win hockey games.

The Canucks endured a tumultuous season which saw its fair share of untimely injuries, unfamiliar tactics, and bad luck, however this team desperately needed a new direction after two unsuccessful seasons.

Alain Vigneault was relieved of his duties by the Canucks on Wednesday.

It seems unfortunate for the Canucks to lose AV under these circumstances, yet the decision had to be made, and it didn’t even involve a coin.

Despite recent shortcomings Alain Vigneault was an effective and successful head coach during his time in Vancouver.

The Canucks missed the playoffs only once under Vigneault’s watch, and it should not be overlooked that Vigneault helped lead the team to within one game of the Stanley Cup.

In addition to the team’s success under his watch, the Sedins twins have greatly benefited from the tactics of Alain Vigneault. As scorers their most efficient use was during the 2011-12 season when both Henrik and Daniel Sedin were starting around 80% of their shifts in the offensive zone.

A cynical Canucks fan could say the twins were sheltered under Vigneault and suffered the consequences in the playoffs, but back-to-back Presidents’ Trophies are hard to argue with.

Despite Alain Vigneault’s accomplishments above a lack of recent playoff success was enough to justify a coaching change.

He didn’t “lose the room” and he didn’t lose his ability to coach hockey, but he lost two first round playoffs matchups he probably should have won, and now he has paid the price.

Alain Vigneault shouldn’t struggle to find employment coaching in the NHL next season, but the Canucks do face a considerable challenge in finding another coach likely to be as successful as his predecessor.

Names likes Lindy Ruff, Dave Tippett, Dallas Eakins, and others have been floated around the last two weeks, but if anything was clear from Mike Gillis’ press conference today it was that he is still grumpy, and will need to take time in evaluating the franchise thoroughly before making any serious decisions regarding a new head coach.

And so ends the Alain Vigneault era, will his successor have what it takes to win that extra game necessary to achieve what he couldn’t?

It could be a long summer for Canucks fans.

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