Exit 164: What Is The Erik Bedard Threat Level?

Erik Bedard threw a baseball yesterday. I have reviewed the video evidence and proclaim it to be genuine. As you’ll see, in the video, Nate Robertson is throwing just a few feet from Bedard. Robertson is a new Mariner, so the footage must be from 2011. I would’ve preferred if Bedard had held up today’s newspaper before throwing, but perhaps that can be arranged tomorrow.

Erik Bedard threw a baseball, and, as far as we know, his arm did not fall off. This is progress, people (see? The Griffey hiring is paying off already!). But what shall we make of this news?

I feel like we need some sort of Official Erik Bedard Threat (of doing something at all useful) Level. I propose this…

LOW: Planning flower shipment to Bedard’s hospital room
GUARDED: Encouraged, but keeping MRI machine warmed up.
ELEVATED: Considering late-round flyer on Bedard in fantasy draft.
HIGH: Actually planning to go to Mariner games on the days Felix won’t pitch.
SEVERE: At the Mariners team shop, buying a Bedard jersey.

Currently, I would put my confidence level at GUARDED. The fact that Bedard is throwing off of a mound is great. But facing live hitters, putting that stress on his delicate arm, is another matter. We’ll keep tracking it, though.

In other news…

Huskies play a “classic trap game” tonight, facing Arizona State, which has just one conference win, just two days before a showdown with first-place Arizona. The Dawgs beat ASU 88-75 at Hec Ed last month, but that game was much closer than the final score indicated. In the game, Matthew Bryan-Amaning had a career-high 30 points. No TV, but Fox Sports Arizona will be webcasting the game. (If the game gets ugly, you might switch to their Arizona State gymnastics meets.)

UW legend Nate Robinson says former Beach star Terrence Williams should be in the dunk contest.

If you are any kind of baseball history fan, this new iPad app is going to blow your mind. Seriously, make sure you are sitting down.

Former only decent Mariner hitter Russell Branyan signed a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks. Shows how little confidence teams have in Branyan’s ability to stay healthy that a guy with 56 homers over the past two years can only score a minor league deal.

Former Mariner Scott Podsednik signed with the Blue Jays.

Kentwood upset #8-ranked Kentridge, school of Gonzaga recruit Gary Bell, Jr., in the West Central 4A district playoffs. Here’s all the info about all the qualifying tournaments.

Sounders spring training moved back to Seattle for a day, but they leave today for Florida. Weird.

You may have seen that the Cavs beat the Lakers last night. ESPN ran a stat showing the teams with the lowest winning percentage to beat a team with a .650 or more winning percentage. The worst regular season upset, by those criteria? When the 1992-93 Sonics lost to the then-lowly Mavericks. Dallas came into the Seattle Center Coliseum 7-64, the Sonics were 49-23. But the Mavericks shot 57%, getting double-digit scoring from such hoops legends as Dexter Cambridge and Morton Wiley. George Karl was so disgusted he ripped not only his team after the game, but his entire sport after the game: “Pro basketball, in many ways, has become a blackmail system of multimillion-dollar players with minutes and shots and individual egos. It makes coaching difficult.” Jerry Sloan didn’t hear him.

Friend of the site Kevin Pelton, down in Portland for the Blazers game, had a brief chat with ex-Husky and current Hornets rookie Quincy Pondexter about his adjustment to pro ball, and how much he follows this year’s Dawgs.

Should Seattle go after a D-League team? The Seattle Weekly’s Keegan Hamilton considers a possible roster.

Longtime Snohomish football coach Keith Gilbertson, Sr. died at 83. Gilbertson, father of the former Husky coach, coached at Snohomish for 61 years.

Today’s action…
Pac 10 Hoops: Washington @ Arizona St., 5:30 p.m. (950-AM)
Pac 10 Hoops: Washington St. @ Arizona, 5:30 p.m. (FSN)
WCC Hoops: Santa Clara @ Gonzaga, 6 p.m. (CSN)
Pac 10 Hoops: UCLA @ Stanford, 7:30 p.m. (FSN)

Today’s hoops districts action…
3A
District 2
Seattle Prep vs. Chief Sealth @ Bellevue College, 3 p.m. Winner to District championship. Loser to 3rd/4th place game.
Bellevue vs. O’Dea @ Bellevue College, 6:30 p.m. Winner to District championship. Loser to 3rd/4th place game.

4A
District 2
Newport vs. Skyline @ Juanita, 8:15 p.m. Winner hosts Wesco #3 seed in winner to state game.