Mariners make it official: Sonics just a memory

Mariners Schedule Depressing Promotion: The Mariners would like to help us say goodbye to the Sonics. July 29 will be Sonics Celebration Night. Are we sure this is a good idea? You can call it a “celebration,” but we all know what it really is. Heck, they called the Dave Niehaus event at Safeco in December a “Celebration of Life,” but that didn’t keep the whole crowd from exhausting their tissue supply. I don’t go to Mariners games to be depressed. Haven’t checked to see whether I have my season seats July 29, but if I do, those babies are going on StubHub.

Other Giveaways Are Fun: The promotions schedule isn’t all funereal, there’s also Franklin Gutierrez Fly Swatter night (ha!), Viva Las Vargas Night (get it?), a Turn Back the Clock Night when the the Padres and Mariners will wear their legendarily ugly 1983 uniforms (M’s, Pads), and Ichiro-designed t-shirt night.)

Signing Day Afterglow: The recruiting class rankings are out. Rivals has UW at #23 in the nation, Scout has UW at #19, ESPN (insider) has UW at #23. Check our roundups of Washington’s offensive recruits and Washington’s defensive recruits. If you want to hear what Coach Sark had to say from his own mouth, here’s video of the Signing Day press conference.

(By the way, did you see what Alabama did? They added a critical component to the fax cam: a hot chick in a mini-skirt retrieving the faxes! Amazing.)

Huskies Face Another Zone Tonight: Curious to see how the Dawgs (and specifically Isaiah Thomas) perform against Oregon State’s 1-3-1 zone tonight after crashing and burning against Wazzu’s 2-3 last Sunday.

What they’re saying…

“We really tried to emphasize a more athletic body type that could run.” — Steve Sarkisian

“I get that ‘Vargas’ and ‘Vegas’ sound somewhat alike, but one doesn’t remind you of the other, unless you take the bags under Vargas’ eyes to be indicative of heavy drug use.” — Lookout Landing

In other news…

Former M’s manager Lou Piniella will serve as a special assistant to the Giants this year. Presumably they’ll bring him in to scream at young relief pitchers.

The Storm signed inside/outside threat Camille Little to a multi-year contract.

ESPN’s Mike Sando bangs the drum for Cortez Kennedy’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

In Pac-10 Hoops, UCLA beat USC 64-50 to move to 7-3 in conference, 1/2 game behind UW and Arizona. (Check out the Pac-10 Hoops podcastI do with Jeff Nusser of CougCenter.)

Coach Sark eschews texts and Facebook for recruiting the old-fashioned way, writes Art Thiel.

Quarterbacks? Matt Hasselbeck is still a good answer, but Charlie Whitehurst isn’t, writes Doug Farrar.

The Sounders are trying striker Roger Levesque out at left back, writes Stanley Holmes.

Portland hoops is on the rise, writes Bob Sherwin.

Today’s action…

Pac-10 Hoops: Washington @ Oregon St., 6 p.m. (FSN)
Pac-10 Hoops: Washington St. @ Oregon, 6 p.m. (CSN)
WCC Hoops: Gonzaga @ Portland, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Pac-10 Hoops: Arizona St. @ Cal, 8 p.m. (FSN)