Mariners Share News: The Mariners had a media day yesterday. Here’s the news: The team will wear this commemorative patch to honor Dave Niehaus. They’ll have 84 home games this year, instead of the usual 81, because U2 is bouncing the Marlins out of their stadium for three days. And David Aardsma should be available in the season’s second week.
Mariners Share Tired Bromides: New manager Eric Wedge says the Mariners are going to “be a better team this year.” Why do you think that, Eric? “I hold people accountable,” he said. Sure, okay. Because that’s a brand new concept. Here’s Don Wakamatsu in April 2009: “Those are things that we established during spring training. The accountability, everybody pulling in same direction.” Seems to me that enforcing accountability, by benching Ken Griffey Jr., is what got Wakamatsu fired in the first place.
Antonio Cromartie Threatens Matt Hasselbeck: Hasselbeck tweeted (then took down), this comment: “Somebody ask Cromartie if he knows what CBA stands for.” Fair, given that Cromartie has trouble with his own childrens’ names. Cromartie tweeted back: “hey Matt if u have something to then say it be a man about it. Don’t erase it. I will smash ur face in.” So, yeah, good luck with that union solidarity, guys.
Once-mighty Gonzaga appears to be fading: Saint Mary’s beat the Zags in Spokane in a tense game, on a twisting last-second shot by Mickey McConnell. The Zags have lost their last 3 WCC games and are 3 games back of first-place St. Mary’s, which hadn’t won at the Zags since 1995. Wouldn’t count the Zags out yet though, there’s a lot of talent on that team.
Isaiah Thomas Has Fashion Advice for the Ladies: I found Thomas’ three-part Twitvisceration of UW campus fashion absolutely hilarious: “I swear EVERY girl on this campus wears UGGS… change it up sometimes lol…And yeah I can tell the difference from the real 1s and the fake UGGS. if urs is LEANING then throw them away please its not a good look lol. If yr UGGS r leaning u CAN’T #RTR lol. U cant be apart of the Movement. That goes for dudes who got FAKE Jordans too Im sorry but not coo.”
In other news…
Stanley Holmes assays the Sounders roster, asking who stays and who goes?
The Ravens fired Jim Zorn as QB coach after one season.
Seahawks LB Lofa Tatupu had successful arthroscopic surgery on both knees.
How thin is the free agent pitching market? Some think Freddy Garcia is the best guy left on the market. The White Sox may sign Garcia, who is related through marriage to Ozzie Guillen. Garcia is 3rd all-time in wins among Mariner pitchers.
New Mariner Adam Kennedy got hit with a DUI charge. TMZ has a mug shot! Boy, SoCal cops seem to have it in for our Mariners, don’t they?
In a battle of the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the Pac-10, Arizona beat UCLA in Tucson by 11. Derrick Williams, Isaiah Thomas’ main competition for Pac-10 Player of the Year, had 22 points on just 10 shots.
The Huskies heisted another recruit from a Pac-10 rival, with safety Travis Feeney switching his commitment from Arizona to UW.
Storm F and reigning WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson’s Achilles injury isn’t as serious as first thought, she should be ready for the start of WNBA season.
This weekend’s action…
Friday
Nada–call your mom.
Saturday
Pac-10 Hoops: UCLA @ Arizona St., 12:30 p.m. (FSN)
Pac-10 Hoops: Oregon @ Cal, 3 p.m. (CSN)
WCC Hoops: San Diego @ Gonzaga, 5 p.m. (FSN)
Pac-10 Hoops: Oregon St. @ Stanford, 7 p.m. (FSN)
Sunday
NHL All-Star Game, 1 p.m. (VERSUS)
Pro Bowl, 4 p.m. (FOX-13)
Pac-10 Hoops: Washington @ Washington St., 7 p.m. (FSN)
6 Comments
Type your comment here. I would lose my sense of fun and my sense of humor too!
I think the important thing to take away from last night’s game is that we have the pretend things down perfectly. We have the European announcer, the drums, the horns, the chants, etc. All we really need to do now is focus on actually playing at the level of the Europeans/South Americans, etc. and we will have something to be proud about. I was at the game and sat very close to the Sounders’ first half goal and it was a treat to watch soccer the way it should be played. It literally looked like men playing against boys. And I was gone from the game after it went 3-0 and so I did not even witness the final onslaught. I never even imagined that.
Soccer is doomed as a professional sport in America for 3 reasons:
1) Like hockey, it is not very good on television. The play is end to end with much of the action lost unless wide shots are used. This results in the players looking like ants scrambling about. It is great if you are in attendance, but it is not TV friendly. The lack of goals also detracts from the televised experience.
2) It is played during the summer where baseball has already staked out its turf. Okay, baseball has declined some, but it has an established tradition that has become part of the American culture. Soccer will always be looked upon as a European sport – I don’t care how many kids play it.
3) Finally, and most important – soccer does not really compete with baseball – its polar opposite. Soccer competes with football. Moving it to summer does not change this fact.
American rules football, with its strange use of helmets and padding and specialized players the size of smart cars, is the real reason soccer will never be any thing more then a 2nd tier sport in the USA. Football embodies every thing we hate and love about America and it is made for television.
The sounders have great fans – I hope the Man U reality check didn’t spoil their willingness to buy tickets..
@ whoever posted as ‘guest’–since the UW has only ever had one player taken #1 overall (Steve Emtman), yes, “NFL#1s” refers to 1st round picks.
If Jamora recovers nicely from his knee injury, I bet he and Sean Parker will make All Pac-12 at some point!
thanks. type your comment here.