Author Archives: Andrew Long

by Andrew Long | February 9, 2010 · 3:13 pm

My Obligatory Griffey Post

Let me take you back a ways. Imagine 5 or 6 year old Andrew, with his mushroom haircut, sitting in church. I’m getting a little squirmy because the worship music has stopped and, like any 5 year old, I couldn’t sit through an entire church service. As the pastor spoke, my excitement would grow for the weekly after-church baseball game. Another 5 minutes passed and I just couldn’t sit there anymore. At this point, I had no idea what the speaker was talking about but I was thanking God that my mom had brought some paper and a pencil with her to keep me entertained. Once she handed the paper over, the most important decision of my week would take over my young mind, “What should I draw?” Although it was a weekly decision I always came up with the same answer… Ken Griffey Jr.

Like everyone else who was halfway interested in baseball, Griffey had captured my imagination. It was the robbing of home runs, his majestic swing, and a smile that made me think, “Someone actually has as much fun as me playing baseball.” Because of this, and a good share of success on my T-ball team, I decided that I’d become the next Ken Griffey Jr. I was well on my way, we were both left-handed, his baseball glove was black and so was mine (I only choose a black glove because I knew he had one), and we both just happened to have the same favorite number, 24.

Then time moved on. Griffey left, I became a fan of baseball more than a player of baseball and I knew I wasn’t destined to be the next Griffey. But he was still my favortie player. I got excited anytime the Reds were on TV because I missed seeing that swing and I was highly disappointed whenever he got hurt.

Seeing how I hadn’t hit double digits in age when Griffey left, I couldn’t remember the last time I saw him play live. With each passing year, the chance of seeing him grew slimmer. Then, the Reds came to Seattle. I somehow managed to get to go see 2 of the 3 games in that series. The Sunday game of that series was one I’ll never forget. Jr. hit two home runs and as he left the field after the 8th inning to a standing ovation, I know I wasn’t the only one in that stadium with watery eyes.

And then we had last year. Griffey came back. I know how fortunate I was to have my favorite player come back to my favorite team. Even though he didn’t fill the stat sheet, Griffey gave me and many fans some more memories. Not only that but he made the Mariners fun again. That smile was back on his face and it was contagious. The team smiled it’s way to one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history and everyone in Seattle loved the team (that’s no small accomplishment when you had Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista on the team).

Now it’s 2010, 22 years after Griffey debuted on that kingdome turf, and he’s back for one more go around. I know from a statistical viewpoint that I shouldn’t love this move. Griffey’s swing is slower than it used. If he plays left field we’d have “Death to flying things” in center and “Death by flying things” in left. His knees are landmines, one wrong twist away from exploding. But dang it, I love that he’s back. That 6 or 7 year old in me pictures Jr. hitting 30 home runs while leading the team to the World Series. While this could happen, it’s highly unlikely. I don’t think he’ll play that much (probably DH at home against right-handed pitching) but his smile will be there.

Without Jr. I don’t know if I would’ve ever fallen in love with baseball like I did. Now he’s back for one more year to tickle Ichiro, shove pies in peoples’ faces, and maybe hit a few home runs along the way. That’s more than enough for me. Thanks Griffey.

Andrew

6 Comments

Filed under Mariners

by Andrew Long | February 8, 2010 · 2:55 pm

WSU’s Next Head Coach

After delving into the Dawgs recruiting this weekend, I thought it was time to write a light-hearted, funny post. Naturally, I landed on the topic of Cougar football. Sorry WSU friends, that’ll be my only Cougar joke in this post. Truth to be told, the Huskies were just as much of a joke as WSU was before this year. Luckily, we got rid of the man who might be my least favorite person on the planet (I’m not kidding) and replaced him with someone who has put excitement back into our program.

All of this to say that it’s obvious Paul Wulff has absolutely no idea what he’s doing. His teams come in to games not prepared, only scoring 3 points in the first quarter this entire year, and they come out of games beaten badly. Unless something dramatic happens Wulff will leave Wazzu with the worst Pac-10 winning percantage of any coach in history. His current Pac-10 winning percantage currently sits at a whopping .055.

Although he seems to be a good guy (which is more than we could say about Willingham) Wulff just doesn’t seem very smart. On signing day, Good ‘ol Paul complained about kids switching schools they’re committed to, basically blaming parents for not raising kids to stick with their word. Welcome to the real world buddy, this is how division 1 football works. Yeah, it sucks but that’s the way it goes. These are 17 and 18 year old kids making one of the biggest decisions of their lives, I can understand why they would change their minds. This is just another drop of water in a pool of reasons that Paul Wulff doesn’t have what it takes to be a division 1 football coach. I have friends who go to Wazzu who I honestly think could do a better job than he is.

So where does that leave the Cougars? Well, I’d be shocked if Wulff isn’t fired after this year. Ideally, WSU fires Paul Wulff, Oregon gives him a lifetime contract and then the Cougars hire Tyrone Willingham. Unfortunately my dream world won’t even touch reality here. So, here are a few coaches that I think should be high on WSU’s list next year.

Robb Akey (current Idaho headcoach)- If I were a Cougar fan, I would be up in arms that Wulff wasn’t fired this year and the Cougs didn’t pursue Akey. Akey hasn’t taken one of the worst college football programs ever and has turned into a bowl game winner. Sure, he coaches in a conference that is just plain bad but Idaho used to be like a high school team. Now they’re winning exciting football games (their bowl game was my favorite one that I watched) and stealing recruits from Wazzu. Akey was defensive coordinator for the Cougars and may have left on bad terms. I believe that if the Cougars had pursued him this year, they wouldn’t have run into many problems in getting him. But if Akey continues his Vandal’s success into next year then their may be a little more competition for his sevices. I think Akey would be a great fit for the Cougs and should be the top target on their list.

Mike (the pirate) Leach

Mike Leach (former Texas Tech head coach)- This is where things start to get interesting. By now, I imagine all of you have heard how Leach was fired from Texas Tech. Yeah, he’s crazy and quirky but you can’t argue with the success he had. Also, it’s hard to ignore the similarities between Texas Tech and Washington State. Lubbock and Pullman aren’t the perfect places to recruit players to. Both schools have smaller but very loyal fan bases. Both have schools in their conference that are much bigger, wealthier and have better facilities than they do. They have these things going against them but both have proven that they can have success. Leach’s offensive system is a lot like Wulff’s system, only Leach knows how to run it. I don’t know if Wazzu’s administration will seriously look into Leach, like I said he’s crazy and no one really knows what goes on inside his head, but if he became coach of the Cougars, speaking as a Husky fan, I would be very concerned.

Mike Price (Former WSU coach; current UTEP coach)- I know this has come up before and the Cougars have said they won’t hire him. But why not? He’s the best coach in Cougar history. He took them to had 3 consecutive 10 win seasons. Price took Wazzu to two Rose Bowls. He knows the school and knows how to coach there. Some could argue that he’s lost his knack for coaching since he hasn’t had much success at UTEP. I think those people need to realize he’s coaching at UTEP. The Beatles were great musicians but they wouldn’t have been a good band if they didn’t have instruments. My point, I don’t think anyone could turn UTEP into much of a winner. I think WSU should swallow their pride and give Price another chance. Let the reunion begin and let Husky fans, like me, have nightmares about the Cougars returning to halfway relevance.

These are 3 guys who I think are plausible candidates for the Cougars and who would have me a little bit frightened. But hopefully they’ll just choose some alum who has no division 1 experience, has no idea how to prepare his team, and has the IQ of a seven year old (that might’ve been a little too harsh).

Andrew

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

by Andrew Long | February 7, 2010 · 2:41 pm

Huskies 2010 Recruits (Defensive Skill Positions)

Here’ the last of our new guys. Congrats if you’ve made it this far with me! Here we go:

Linebacker (7)

Victor Burnett, 5-11, 213- Burnett, along with Callier, Cooper, and Montana, will be enrolled in time for spring ball. This is great because with the loss of Donald Butler (and possibly E.J. Savannah), Burnett could be in line to play right away. Victor had offers from the likes of Oklahoma, Nebraska and most Pac-10 schools. Scouting reports say Burnett is always around the ball which would make him a good middle linebacker. To play that position he will need to get bigger.

Princeton Fuimaono, 6-0, 196- I proudly gave this guy the terrible nicname “Prince Fui” this week while talking to Megan about him on facebook. It won’t catch on but because of this “Prince Fui” will be my favorite Husky that no one’s heard of. He is listed as a middle linebacker on www.scout.com but becaue of his size he will probably play weakside. He played just about every offensive position possible in high school. You never know with the lack of quality depth at linebacker but I expect Fuimaono to redshirt. Long live Prince Fui!

Garret Gilliland, 6-0, 214- Gilliland flew under the radar a little bit because he was hurt much of this year. Despite this, there’s reason to think Gilliland could be something very special. This guy was named co-conference player of the year with a certain USC quarterback named Matt Barkley when he was just a junior. Garrett is said to be a very smart player with good instincts.

Cooper Pelleur, 6-3, 220- Cooper was a late addition to this class, as it became apparent that the Huskies wouldn’t sign some other linebackers. Pelleur will alternate between linebacker and defensive end. The staff seems to like his versatility in that he is able to rush the passer but can also be used in coverage. Pelleur went to school at Skyline and was originally committed Hawaii. I would expect Pelleur to redshirt.

Darius Waters, 6-1, 227- Waters committed to U-Dub last March and never thought about going anywhere else, even with some quality schools showing interest. Waters played defensive line in high school but will play linebacker here. He already has some size and may be capable of playing next year. He too could play a hybrid role in which he rushes the passer and plays linebacker.

Brent Williams, 6-2, 186- Williams is listed as a defensive end/outside linebacker. Because of his lack of size I decided to put him in with the linebackers. Sark said on signing day that Williams is up to around 200 lbs. now and will get closer to where he needs to be. A year in the weight room will really help Williams.

Chris Young, 6-1, 215- Young was an excellent running back in high school but he prefers defense and I think that’s where the coaches should and will put him. Young needs to take care of some academic issues but if he gets into school he will be a really solid contributor. Chris is the hardest hitter I’ve ever seen in high school football. Of all the highlight films I watched, his is my favorite. He could be an extremely good player for the Dawgs for the next 4 years. Please get into school Chris!

Cornerback (1)

Greg Ducre, 5-10, 165- Unfortunately the Huskies lost out on some of the top cornerback recruits but this guy should is a nice addition. He is a good guy in coverage. The Huskies need cornerbacks who are good with one-on-one coverage so that they’ll able to pressure the quarterback instead of sitting back in a zone. This is what they did against Cal and, with guys like Ducre on the team, I think we’ll see more of that same attacking defense. At least I hope see.

Safeties (4)

Jamaal Kearse, 6-2, 209- Jamaal is the brother of current UW receiver, Jermaine. Like his brother, Kearse could end up at receiver but I think the coaches plan on starting him out at safety. He’s a tall kid, who has a good frame and is athletic. When you look at a safety you want him to be about this size. I don’t know where for sure but Kearse will be a good player on the field for UW in the future.

SEAN PARKER, 5-10, 204- I know what you’re thinking, “Silly Andrew, you left his name in all caps.” This was no accident my friends, I’m just excited! Parker is probably the most decorated player in this class and highly ranked by all recruiting sources. The only downside on Parker is he’s a little shorter than most safeties, but Eric Berry (an all-american safety for Tennessee) is the same height. Parker can do everything you want a safety to do. He could very well be starting alongside Nate Williams next September in Provo (209 more days until the first game!)

Taz Stevenson, 6-3, 205- Taz is another guy with endless nickname possibilities. He’s got the size to be a very good safety. On signing day Sark compared him to…. Sean Parker. The staff likes that Stevenson can do all the things a safety needs to do. Taz may switch positions (he’s listed as an athlete by the Huskies) but he will start at safety and has the capability to be a very good one.

John Timu, 6-1, 195- Timu will be the only member of this class to greyshirt. This means he won’t enroll in school until next January and will train on his own this fall. He won’t lose a year of eligibily this year even though he counts against this recruiting class. The reason Timu is doing this is because he tore his ACL in the football season and will still be recovering through the summer and fall. That Timu did enough through his junior year to get recruited by Pac-10 schools should show you the kind of talent he has.

That covers everyone. Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep my posts shorter from now on. Thanks for reading and have a great Super Bowl Sunday (go Saints)! And make sure to check out Joe’s first post below!

Andrew

1 Comment

Filed under Huskies Football

by Andrew Long | February 6, 2010 · 3:12 pm

Huskies 2010 Recruits (Offensive/Defensive lines)

Offensive Line (7)

James Atoe, OT, 6-6, 339– James Atoe was a late addition to this class. The coaches didn’t offer him until the last week of recruiting and it was thought that Atoe was mostly offered because some other guys didn’t commit to come here. But after hearing the coaches talk about him I think that they wanted to keep him a secret so that other schools wouldn’t find out about him. This guy is 6-6, 339 lbs. and still runs a 4.9 40. Think about that running at you, frightening to say the least. Sark said Atoe is a potential top 5 pick in the NFL draft. Honestly, I don’t believe him but if he’s anywhere near that kind of a player this is a great under the radar pickup.

Mike Criste, OL, 6-5, 279– Criste is only rated a 2 star by Scout.com but he pulled in scholarship offers from good programs like Notre Dame, Oregon State, and Arizona State. His weight is a little small at the moment but his high school coach told the Seattle Times that he could easily get to 315 because of his frame. Like Atoe, Criste is likely headed to a red-shirt year in which he’ll develop but after that he could become a real contributor.

Micah Hatchie, OT, 6-5, 265– Hatchie is generally considered the best offensive lineman out of Hawaii this year. He had scholarship offers from most of the Pac-10 schools, including Oregon and California. He’s considered a good basketball player which means he has good feet for an offensive lineman. Another guy who is most likely headed to a red-shirt year but I think he’ll be on the field before too long.

Erik Kohler, OT, 6-5, 304– He’s considered by many the best lineman on the west coast this year. He was Nick Montana’s teammate this year and will probably be protecting Montana’s blind side for years to come at left tackle. Before Sean Parker committed, many thought Kohler was the best guy in this class. He’s one of two offensive lineman who has a real shot at playing next year.

Colin Porter, OL, 6-4, 314– This is the other guy who could play next year on the line. Another guy who played for Bothell, this guy is already 314 lbs. and is still very quick. From watching his highlight films, Porter seems more polished than any of the other lineman who committed (outside of Kohler). I think he will probably end up playing guard for the Dawgs within the next few years.

Colin Tanigawa, G, 6-3, 291– The only lineman who isn’t listed as a tackle. Rivals.com has him ranked as the #28 guard in the country. His quarterback this year was Jerry Neuheisel, son of Rick Neuheisel. He is the shortest of all the lineman, which is typical in guards.

Ben Riva, OT, 6-6, 276– Rounding out this great class of lineman is Riva. He was Zach Fogerson’s teammate at O’Dea this year. Like Porter, I think Riva will end up as a guard for UW. He is another guy who will benefit from a year in the weight room. You can never be sure but I think he’s headed to a red-shirt year as well.

Defensive Line (4)

Andrew Hudson, DE, 6-3, 222– Hudson is from the same high school that brought UW Ronnie Fouch, Chris Polk, and Marquis Persley. Scouting reports say that Hudson is very quick off the ball but that he needs to put some weight on. Ideally, a defensive end would be over 240-250 lbs. With the lack of depth at this position, I expect to see Hudson on the field this year. In an interview on signing day, Hudson said that he thought he’ll be playing this year.

Hau’oli Jamora, DE, 6-3, 250– Jamora was named Hawaii’s defensive player of the year, which is no small feat (he actually has quite large feet). Like Hudson, I think Jamora will get some playing time this year as a true freshman. He’s also quick off the ball and has already gained weight this year. I’m very excited to see this kid play.

Lawrence Lagafuaina, DT, 6-0, 336– Are you ready for LagaMANIA?! Alright, I’m done with the bad jokes. Obviously, Lawrence is a big boy. Despite his size, Sark says he has good quickness. Lagafuaina is a basketball player which can be an indicator of good footwork. He’s another player from Hawaii.

Sione Potoa’e, DT, 6-2, 266– Potoa’e is considered the best recruit in Washington who’s not named Jake Heaps. USC came after him hard but, thankfully, Potoa’e chose to stay home. Very few college freshman can come in and made an impact at the the defensive tackle position but that’s exactly what is expected of Potoa’e. Although he’s listed at 266 pounds, I’ve heard Sione is closer to 290 which is about where he needs to be for this coming season. The best thing I can think to say about Potoa’e coming to UW is, “WHOOOO!”

I’ll be back with the rest of the defensive guys tomorrow. Thanks for reading! (Make sure to check out Dan’s post on I.T. below, good stuff).

-Andrew

1 Comment

Filed under Huskies Football

by Andrew Long | February 5, 2010 · 10:34 pm

Huskies 2010 Recruits(Offensive Skill Positions)

With signing day just happening this last Wednesday, I decided it was time to get to know the Huskies new players. Tonight I’ll go over the Huskies offensive skill positions, tomorrow the offensive and defensive lines, and on Sunday I’ll write about the defensive skill positions. I’m sure you could find better information from the Seattle Times or any recruiting website but hopefully you all find this interesting!

This class is extremely large, with 30 players coming in. This makes up for the lack of depth Tyrone Willingham (also known as the anti-christ) left UW with. This class was ranked #11 by www.scout.com, #20 by www.espn.com, and #28 by www.rivals.com. The reason for such a big difference in the recruiting rankings will take on a post of its own, that I will hopefully get to soon. So on to the players!

Quarterback (1)

Nick Montana, 6-3, 191– As Nick Holt would say, this is awesome! Montana will be enrolled in time for spring practices, which will help in his development. After Jake graduates, Montana and Keith Price will battle it out for the 2011 starting job and these extra practices may really help Nick. He needs to add a little weight to become a starting Pac-10 quarterback. Most scouting reports say he needs a little time to develop under good coaching. Thankfully, he has time, with Jake sticking around, and two of the best quarterback coaches in the country in Sark and Nussmeier. Also, his dad was an alright quarterback so it’ll be nice to have him around.

Running Back (2)

Jesse Callier, 5-11, 186– Callier led the state of California with 3,010 rushing yards this year. No, that’s not a typo. 3,010 yards! In one game last year he rushed for 447 yards! Callier seems durable since he had 300 carries this year, which is a ton for a high school kid. Scouting reports have him more as a speed back than a power back. He will be enrolling in time for spring practices.

Deontae Cooper, 6-0, 191– Cooper was second in the state of California with 2,863 rushing yards this year. It’s pretty impressive that Sark went into California and got the two top rushers. In comparison to Callier, Cooper is more of a power back. Like Chris Polk, he is a straight ahead runner. Cooper is already enrolled at UW, he got here in January.

Fullback (1)

Zach Fogerson, 6-0, 231– Zach, who is the younger brother of UW’s backup running back, Johri, was ranked as the #3 fullback in the country by Scout. He committed to the Huskies way back when Willingham was coach in 2008. He wavered a bit in his committment after Michigan offered him a scholarship, but he ultimately stuck with the Dawgs. He brings a little more athleticism to the fullback position, which the coaches want to utilize.

Wide Receiver (2)

DiAndre Campbell, 6-1, 186– There’s not a lot being said about this guy. He cane from a school in Oakland. Our coaches want tall receivers who can jump and catch the ball, much like USC receivers and Jermaine Kearse. This guy fits that bill as he is said to be very athletic. He’s averaging 20 points on his high school basketball team, which shows some of his athleticism. Sark said in his press conference on Wednesday that they like to recruit basketball players because they have good hand-eye coordination.

Kevin Smith, 6-0, 194– Many people seem to be excited about Kevin Smith. He didn’t start playing football until a couple of years ago and a lot of scouts think that if he had one more year in football he would’ve been a 5 star recruit. As is he’s rated a 4 star by Scout. At the press conference Sark compared him to Terrell Owens. He will also be able to get up and catch the ball with his 40-inch vertical leap.

Tight End (1)

Michael Hartvigson, 6-6, 235– From Danny’s alma mater, Bothell, Hartvigson is a hometown kid who is ranked as one of the best tight ends in Washington. He can also play Defensive End but will most likely stick here for the Huskies. He’s got the length that you want for a tight end. With Middleton, Izbicki, and Boyce in the fold, I believe Hartvigson is headed to a red-shirt year but he will be a solid contributor in time.

I’ll be back with the offensive and defensive lines tomorrow! Hope you enjoyed this, thanks for reading!

-Andrew

1 Comment

Filed under Huskies Football

by Andrew Long | February 4, 2010 · 6:56 pm

The Beginning!

Welcome friends! Over the past few weeks I’ve been thinking about how much fun it would be to start a sports blog. This idea started out as the simple thought, “I text and talk about sports enough that maybe I should start writing about it.” But, like many ideas before it, this thought was pushed to the back of my mind. The thought kept coming back though.

One day last week I mentioned this to my brother, Matthew Long, and good friend, Danny Scansen, and they also thought this would be fun. Between the three of us, we will be bringing you posts about Seattle sports, the Pac-10 and basically anything else we want to write about. It’s an honor to write with these two people that I respect and aspire to be like.

Needless to say, I’m extremely excited about this. It doesn’t really matter to me who or how many people read this, I selfishly admit that I’m writing for myself more than anything. This is because sports fascinate me. How do we come to this deep connection, that can lead to tears of joy or months of frustration, with a team full of players that we’ve never met? After 19 years of fandom, the strongest conclusion I can come to is that sports are our escape from reality. And no matter how harsh reality can be sometimes, I can turn on a football game (or almost any game) and that brings the potential to forget troubles. Does this always work? Of course not. And I’m not saying that sports provide a way to run from problems, when the games over it’s right back to the grind, but sports act as a break from a fast paced and frantic life. Because they do this for us, we become attached. Just like a good friend who’s always there to hear your problems or cheer you up, sports are usually there to get us out of the funk a bad day brings.

I’ve been going to Husky football games for as long as I can remember, and haven’t missed a home game in over 6 years. Recently, I was asked if the Huskies running out of the tunnel before the game ever loses it’s excitement. That got me thinking, I can’t remember a time when the team came out of the tunnel and I didn’t have my arms raised above my head, yelling. Even in the midst of irrelevancy and a winless season, when the team came out of the tunnel I still felt like a 6 year old on Christmas morning. This is because I owe the Huskies something. No matter how bad my week has been the Dawgs are there in the fall. And no matter how awful the team has played, at least they’re there to give me time to spend with my family, some excitement and memories that I hope to share with my own kids someday. They’re there to give me an escape.

So this blog will be here to talk about those escapes. To talk about how the Mariners could plausibly make a World Series run or how the Huskies could be back sooner than any of us had dreamed. We hope you enjoy it, I know I will.

(Feel free to comment on any of the posts!)

-Andrew

6 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized