Author Archives: Andrew Long

by | June 3, 2010 · 3:35 pm

A Pac-16?

Stories have surfaced that the Pac-10 has invited 6 teams from the Big-12 to join their conference.  While the conference has talked about possible expansion for a few months now this news kind of came out of nowhere.  This may be a ploy to take away from the attention that USC will get when it receives it’s sanctions tomorrow.  If the teams did move over the conference would be broken up into two different divisions like this:

  • Pac-10 Coastal:  Washington, WSU, Oregon, OSU, Cal, Stanford, USC and UCLA.
  • Pac-10 Mountain (or whatever you want to call it):  Arizona, ASU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Colorado.

Needless to say, this would make the quality of the concert much higher.  It would rival the SEC in all athletics and would probably become the best academic major conference.  There would also be a lot more money to go around.  It’s for these reasons that I’m all for this.  The higher the quality of the conference the more fun it is, in my opinion. 

Do I think it will happen?  No, not really.  I want it to happen but this rumor seems a little out there and would throw college athletics into a whirlwind.  Maybe it’ll happen, maybe not, but either way it’s a fun and smart idea by the Pac-10.  Definitely worth a try.

In other news, the Husky football team picked up their 12th verbal commit for the 2011 class.  Yes, this number is crazy high for it only being June.  Todays commit was Josh Perkins, a receiver from California.  Look for a post about the 12 commits within the next week.  Things are off to a great start for this recruiting class.  It’s a good time to be a Dawg!

Andrew

Edit:  I also forgot to mention the exciting night we have ahead of ourselves.  Hooch, Danielle and the rest of the Husky softball team plays tonight along with Felix Day and the start of the NBA Finals (Go Kobe!).  Should be a fun night. 

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by | June 3, 2010 · 10:53 am

Best Griffey Story Yet

Leave it to Jeff Sullivan to write the best Griffey piece, enjoy.

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by | June 3, 2010 · 12:10 am

Wrapping up the Day

I’m exhausted.  At 4 o’clock today I was headed back from a movie with my brother and it was just a normal day.  Now, it’s close to midnight and one of the most mentally draining baseball days I can remember.  I know, getting wrapped up in sports to the point where it makes you tired could be considered dumb.  I’m sure that’s what my mother, and countless other humans, would say but sports do that to me.  The day Locker decided to stay and Lee rumors started to fly was tiring.  The Huskies basketball team was exhausting for many reasons all year.  And it’s hard for me to come away from a home Husky football game without being a little drained.  This day may have trumped all of those experiences though.  Lets take a look at what all happened:

  • At 4:22 UW recruit, Cody Kessler, committed to USC.  He is a highly rated quarterback and it wasn’t very surprising to see him pick the Trojans.  He was a USC guy all the way and it’s nice to see kids go with the school they’ve always dreamed of going to.  It would have been nice to have him but, oh well.
  • At 4:36 I received a text from Joe that read, “Just read that Griffey is retiring today.”  Confirmation came a few minutes later. 
  • Around 5:30 I watched Armando Galarraga get screwed.
  • At 6 I watched the Top 10 Griffey Moments on FSN.  I’d seen this several times but, needless to say, this time was different.  This time I knew there wouldn’t be any moments to add to this list.
  • At 6:30 I watched That 70’s Show.  It’s the greatest show ever and was needed to take the edge off.
  • At 7:00 I turned on the Mariners and watched them win their first extra-inning game of the season. 

That’s a busy schedule and I think a justifiable reason for the exhaustion (along with still being tired from Sasquatch! Music Festival). 

Thoughts on these events after the jump. Continue reading →

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by | June 2, 2010 · 4:10 pm

Ken Griffey Jr. Retires

Well… I was working on another post but then this came up.  Maybe I’ll get back to that post sometime but this seems a little more important. 

I’m not going to write a lot, there’s not much to say.  I know this makes the team better but I can’t help but feel a little sad right now.  Griffey is my favorite baseball player of all time.  He was the player I tried to mirror while growing up.  It’s not a stretch for me to say that he was the reason I became a baseball fan. 

He left quietly and without all the fanfare.  He didn’t want to take away from what his teammates are doing.  He is a class act and will be viewed as that despite the stupid Sleepgate story that wasn’t true.  We can discuss how this makes the team better another day but for now there’s not much else to say but this.

Thank you Griffey.  Thank you for saving the franchise.  Thank you for being one of the biggest reasons why Safeco was built.  Thank you for that smile and showing all baseball fans that this is just a game.  So long Griff, and thank you.

Andrew

We might have some more thoughts on this later.  Just wanted to get a quick post up.

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by | May 27, 2010 · 10:54 pm

First Quarter Report Cards: Starting Rotation

As Matthew looks ahead to next year in his series, I’m going to look back at the first quarter of the season.  We’re a few games past the quarter point but this seems to be an appropriate time to look back on who has done what.  We’ll start with the starting rotation because that’s the least depressing thing.  Grades after the jump!

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by | May 25, 2010 · 6:23 pm

The Lost Mariners

A couple of nights ago one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Lost, ended.  Over the past 6 years, I’ve spent countless hours trying to decifer plots and come up with theories to crack this ridiculously confusing show.  Last week, a friend asked me how many hours a week I spend watching sports.  I came up with the estimate of 25 hours a week.  I then went on to question my life but that’s not relevant to this post.  When combining the hours I’ve spent on Lost and sports, it’s safe to say that I’ve done little else. 

But now Lost is over and in honor of the series finale (and in honor of the Sports Guy, who is also a Lost lover) I’m playing the match the “Mariner With the Lost Character” game.  If you don’t know what this game is then read the title again and it should explain it.  If you’re still lost (no pun intended) the game simply goes as this:  I pick a character from Lost and then find the Seattle Mariner who fits the bill of that character.  Here we go!

Jack Shepard – Franklin Gutierrez

When Oceanic flight 815 crashed on the mysterious island, Jack became the leader of the survivors.  He didn’t do this by choice, he did this because it was the role assigned to him.  He was younger than a good share of the survivors and probably wasn’t as wise as some, but when he did things people followed.  We find that Jack is a lost man before and after he’s on the island; he feels empty, worthless as a spinal surgeon, and can never truly find peace.  I disliked Jack because he was annoying a good share of the time and sometimes jumped the gun on decisions but in the end he did what was best for his friends on the island and was a good leader. 

This one is difficult because the Mariners’ don’t have a clear cut leader that fits the demeanor of Jack Shepard.  With that being said Franklin makes sense.  Before Guti came to the Mariners’ he was a no-name right fielder who couldn’t really hit.  He wasn’t given a starting position in Cleveland and was a fantastic defensive outfielder before defense became cool.  Then he came here.  He was given a chance and found himself to be one of the best players on the team.  What we don’t realize is how much of a leader Franklin is.  Sure, he’s not one of the outspoken guys in the clubhouse but on the field the team goes as he goes.  When Guti was on his hot-streak early in the season the team was playing a ton better than they are right now (they were actually winning).  Franklin is in the middle of the order because that’s where the team needs him to be.  Like Jack, he’s young, still learning and makes mistakes from time to time but we’re sure glad he’s on our side.  Guti is a lot less annoying than Jack.  He’s the leader of the team on the field, and it wasn’t his choice to take that role.  It just kind of happened much like a certain doctor became leader of the Lost cast.

Hurley (Hugo Reyes) – Mike Sweeney

This one is close to perfect.  Off the island, Hurley won the lottery and then became cursed by a set of numbers.  He had more bad luck than the bird I just watched my dog kill.  But once he crashes on the island we find that Hugo is the most caring survivor of them all.  He would do anything for any of his friends and he fills the role of caretaker of the island in the season finale.  Hurley is just the all around nice guy that it’s hard to root against.

Mike Sweeney is the epitome of a nice guy.  He cares more about his teammates than any other guy on the Mariners and would do just about anything for them.  Sweeney isn’t without his bad luck though.  His career was disrupted by never-ending injuries and he played for the Royals.  Playing for the Royals is about as unlucky as you can get.  Hurley and Sweeney are the type of guys who would smile and say hello to you as you walked by on the street.  They care about their friends/teammates above everything else.  Thankfully, the one that is real is hitting the ball really well right now.

To the jump and more comparisons!

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by | May 22, 2010 · 12:40 pm

A Cliff Lee-Jack Z Conversation

Jack Zduriencik:  Hey Cliff, want to know something neat?

Cliff Lee:  Yeah, sure.

Z:  The first letter of my last name and your full last name rhyme.

Lee:  Umm…. Yeah, that’s pretty cool.

Z:  That’s just one of the reasons you should sign an extension with us.

Lee:  How about a few more reasons?

Z:  If you insist.  You could be a part of the best 1-2 punch in baseball with King Felix for the next few years.  We could even get you a sweet nickname if you stick around.  How’s ‘Prime Minister Lee’ sound?  Or ‘Cliff the Dictator’?  I’ve got a whole list of ideas in my office.

Lee:  Sounds enticing.

Z:  You could also have one of the best defenses in baseball at your back every time you take the mound.  Don’t forget about one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball!  Your ERA could be under 2.50 for the next 4 years!

Lee:  Cool, not as cool as the nicknames but still cool.

Z:  We also have some people who you don’t want to leave here.  Cliff, you’ll never be able to get as many hugs as you do in this clubhouse.  And if you ever need someone to fight for you we’ve got this guy named Milton who’s been trying to find more constructive ways to unleash his frustrations.

Lee:  Interesting….

Z:  Seattle will grow to love you and you can become the hero that finally brings this city a world championship.

Lee:  That’s important to everyone, including me.

Z:  4 years for 75 million sound about right?

Lee:  I’ll think about it.

Z:  That’s all I ask.  Did I mention that our offense scores you 15 runs a game here?

Lee:  Umm…. In my first 4 starts they only scored a combined 10 runs Jack.

Z:  We’re pretending like we started the season two days ago.  It makes me feel much better.  Plus, you know the guy who hit 3 doubles off of you last night?  That Gonzalez fellow?  He’ll be a Mariner soon.

Lee:  Oh, sounds good.  Let the good times roll!

Andrew

(I could never be as cool as Cliff Lee, or Jack for that matter.  Cliff would never say “let the good times roll” he would say something much cooler that I can’t even dream of right now.  He is that far superior to me and everyone else.)

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by | May 21, 2010 · 1:00 pm

A Spark or Just False Hope?

This last week has been one of the most frustrating weeks I can remember as a sports fan.  Since last Friday’s win at Tampa Bay, the Mariners’ had gone on a 5-game losing streak in which they lost 4 of those games by one run.  Two of those games were walk-off wins and this 5-game skid doesn’t even count the 8th inning collapse in Baltimore last week.  We could see that the M’s were playing better than they had during their 8-game losing streak but the results weren’t there to prove it.  Unfortunately for this team, results are all that matters.

On top of this, 5-star recruit Terrance Jones ended his recruiting roller coaster by signing with Kentucky Wednesday.  I’ve watched a Husky football team go 0-12, I watched the ’08 Mariners and I’ve watched so many other Seattle sports teams collapse but this was my mountain top of frustration.  These were my teams.  The 2010 Mariners were supposed to remind Seattle that it was truly a baseball city.  The 2010-11 Husky basketball team was going to be the one who finally made it to the elite eight, led by a mix of experience and great young talent.  But on Wednesday night, the lights were shut off on these hopes.

Then came Thursday.  I don’t watch the Mariners because I think they’ll make the playoffs.  Sure, I hope they’ll make the playoffs but I watch the M’s because they’re my team.  Same goes for the Huskies.  Because of this, I faithfully took my place on the couch and turned on yesterdays afternoon game.  I didn’t expect to win but I watched anyway, again because they’re my team. 

The game went like so many had before.  The Mariners’ kept it close but looked as if they’d come up just short.  But, this time they had a rally that didn’t end in disappointment.  With one swing of the bat by the most respected man on the team (yes, Griffey is the most respected player on that team) Mariner fans were allowed to do something they hadn’t done in a while.  Smile. 

The question is whether this was a spark or just a good moment in a disappointing season.  The frustration of this week is still lingering even with the relief that yesterday brought.  Terrance Jones is still a Wildcat and the Mariners are still 8.5 back in the West.  But instead of the room being pitch black Griffey stumbled around to plug a night-light in.  Yesterday, he was the hero and I couldn’t think of a better way for this team to win than to mob the teammate they look up to the most.  But now, it’s a brand new day.  This team needs a winning streak and needs it to happen soon or this season will be all but over by July.  Today is not a must-win but it’s pretty dang close.  It’s time to see if this was a spark or if the room is still black. 

Andrew

A few random notes after the jump Continue reading →

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