by | October 25, 2010 · 12:22 pm

Your 2011 Mariners- Third Base

I’m not finding much time to write and even less I feel like writing about, but I’ll try to get through the rest of this series before free agency starts.  Enjoy the World Series.  It should be a fun one!

Third Base

Under Contract

Chone Figgins- Figgins is as big a mystery as any player currently on the team.  Defensively, he played a serviceable but not great second base last season, but popular opinion is he will move back to third base for 2011.  The big caveat there is that he may not be with the team, as I imagine the Mariners would be willing to move him if someone would give a good return or take all of his salary.  If he is back and at third, he used to be very good defensively there, and the hope is that the move back will get his bat going.  Who knows if that will happen, but he did finish the year hitting fairly well.  A rebound to even his career averages in 2011 might be the biggest addition the Mariners could make this offseason.

Matt Tuiasosopo- My hope has about run out with Tui.  He still has some offensive potential, but has shown no ability to hit in the majors.  His defense is scary at every position.  It might click for him eventually and he could be an average starter or decent utility man, but for now he’s just okay depth if you have a major injury. Continue reading →

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by | October 21, 2010 · 10:45 pm

Scouting Arizona

The Dawgs play Arizona on Saturday night at 7 pm in Tuscon.  Here’s a look at what they’re up against.

Quarterback

If you haven’t heard by now, Arizona’s starting quarterback, Nick Foles, is out for this game with a knee injury.  This is good news for Dawg fans because Foles is one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-10.  Taking his spot for the game will be a very capable backup, Matt Scott.  Scott played a little bit last year and showed that he’s a solid quarterback.  He also played last week against Wazzu.  He was decent in that showing.  Scott is more athletic than Foles, meaning we could see him break the pocket a few more times than we’d like.  With that being said, I think people have been downplaying the loss of Foles.  He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the Pac-10 and their offense could struggle without him.  We’ll see.

Running Back

The Wildcats have a solid 2 back combination in Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin.  Neither are in the upper echelon of backs in the conference but both are solid in their own right.  Nic Grigsby has 340 and Antolin has 218 yards on the year.  The truth is, Arizona is a pass first team.  But, with Foles out, they may turn to the run more.  Both of these guys can catch pretty well out of the backfield.  Grigsby and Antolin are both capable of big days, but they aren’t on the same level as Jacquizz Rodgers, who was phenomenal last week (just thought I needed to throw that in there).

Wide Receivers

Arizona has one of the best receivers in the country in Juron Criner.  He’s extremely fast and is a big play waiting to happen.  Criner has 34 receptions for 562 yards on the year.  He was limited last game because of “soreness” but that is ready to go this week.  After Criner, no one has been a huge threat.  David Douglas has put up some decent numbers, 250 receiving yards.  William Wright and  David Roberts are also names to look out for.  The Wildcats really throw the ball around, so don’t be surprised if someone you’ve never heard of ends up with a big game. 

Offensive Line

To be honest, there’s not much information on Arizona’s offensive line.  They have over 700 rushing yards on the year, so that shows that they are pretty decent in that area.  Arizona runs a quick hitting, spread offense that doesn’t involve a lot of sitting in the pocket.  This makes it hard to  know how good the pass protection is.  I’ll get back to  you on this area after the game.

To the defense after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | October 21, 2010 · 12:50 pm

Pac-10 Picks: Week 8

Last Week: Andrew (3-0), Dan (3-0), Joe (2-1), Matthew (2-1)
Overall: Andrew (38-8), Dan (38-8), Joe (38-8), Matthew (38-8)
WE’RE ALL TIED UP!

Week 8:

    UCLA-Oregon

Oregon—The Good Guys

    Arizona St.-California

Arizona St.—Joe, Andrew; California—Matthew, Dan

    Washington St.-Stanford

Stanford—The Good Guys

    UW-Arizona Predictions Later!

-Dan

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by | October 20, 2010 · 11:45 pm

More Postgame thoughts on UW-OSU

This will be short and sweet, before we look ahead to this week and other Pac-10 teams.  Since bullet points are awesome, I’ll just write a few.

  • This team is frustrating.  To be honest, they remind me of the Husky basketball team last year.  They may not have as much potential to be great, like that team did, but they show flashes of greatness and then look like a different team.  This was the case with the offense on Saturday.  They jumped out to a 21-0 lead, scoring on the 3 of their first 4 possessions and then didn’t look near as good until overtime.  I have a few theories as to why this happened but none of them are proven.  Do the coaches over-think things and try to get too complicated rather than sticking with what works?  Do the players lose focus, causing the dumb penalties?  Is the line not good enough to sustain the success for long periods of time?  I don’t know.  But, if they ever put it completely together they could score 40 points a game.  It’s frustrating but, on the bright side, at least Casey Paus isn’t the quarterback.
  • Mason Foster is easily the first half MVP of this team.  He could make a run at Pac-10 defensive player of the year if the Huskies don’t fall completely out of contention.  That arm tackle he made on Katz in the 4th quarter was absolutely amazing.  If the Huskies go on a little run and make a bowl game, we can call that “The Tackle That Saved the Season.”  Mason is my favorite player on the team and is playing out of his mind right now.
  • The rest of the defense is growing up.  They are getting better, as we can see by the overall performance on Saturday, but they still suffer some growing pains, as we could see by the 21 straight points they gave up.  But, the defense, as a unit, won Saturday’s game for the Huskies.  When is the last time we can say that?
  • The crowd had a bigger impact on this game than any game in recent memory.  They caused a few false starts and a burnt time out.  But, bigger than that, they caused the Huskies defensive ends to get a head start.  Brock Huard pointed out on the broadcast that, with the crowd noise, the offensive tackles are very slow off the ball.  He said that it gives the defensive ends up to half of a second head start on the tackles.   This thought is both good and bad.  Good job on the crowd, they brought the noise even when things were a little bit frustrating.  The bad is on the thought that our defensive ends really have improved in the last week or two.  Yes, they have improved but, maybe it’s not quite as much as everyone has been pointing out since Saturday.  This week will be a better test of how far they have truly come.
  • The line changes were good.  Greg Christine got pushed around quite a bit, but he brings a great effort and gives leadership.  Ryan Tolar played his best game of the year, in my opinion.  He had some nice blocks while pulling.  Colin Porter is a big guy and played really well in his first collegiate start.  I’m looking forward to him playing more and more.  With Kohler practicing this week, it makes me wonder if we’ll see more changes.  I’d love to see Porter and Kohler out there together.  Two true freshmen are in our top five offensive lineman.  That may not be great news for the present, but it bodes well for the future.
  • Chris Polk is amazing.  I don’t know what else I can say about him.  I love that guy.
  • Locker and Kearse had bounce back games, which was pretty predictable.  Locker hung in the pocket and made some great throws.  This game really showed how far Jake has come in the last year and a half under Sark.  No, it wasn’t his most impressive game but the overtime session showed that he’s comfortable hanging in the pocket.  We couldn’t say that 2 years ago.  Some of the throws he made off his back foot last week were amazing.
  • Some penalties and calls were questionable.  I’ll leave it at that.
  • There is quite a bit of debate whether the last pass of the game was dropped or knocked away.  It may have been dropped but that was a really tough catch that people aren’t taking into account.  In any other situation, I feel that most people wouldn’t count on a player to make that catch.  Dennison got there right when the ball did and the throw was low and hard.  Yes, it was a catchable ball and a player needs to rise to the occasion in that moment, but don’t forget to credit Cort in making a great play.

That’s about it from me, thanks for reading.

Andrew

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by | October 19, 2010 · 7:30 pm

When a Football Game Takes a Bigger Role

I’m completely exhausted.  My shoulders hurt, my ears are plugged, and my voice is hoarse.  Still.  Last Saturday night was intense and I’m still paying the price for it.  If you’ve been hiding a rock since last Saturday, the Huskies won a thrilling double-overtime game against Oregon State, 35-34.

I can’t do the game justice by retelling it.  Thrilling really is the best adjective I can think of and I don’t want to write that word over and over again.  I’ll put up a post with some observations from the game later.  But, ever since the game a bigger question has been on my mind.  Do I put too much into these games?

Now, my body hurting isn’t all from the Huskies game on Saturday.  I did have an intramural game earlier in the day that beat me up a little bit.  Still, when I was sitting on the couch with my brother on Sunday we were both remarking how we were physically and mentally tired.  Also, Dan got a little bit sick at the game and Joe punched a hole in his wall.

Yes, this game was a little more intense than most but Husky games affect my mood quite a bit.  With a loss, the weekend feels like a waste and the next week seems long.  But, with a win, I’m happy.  I’m more talkative, more outgoing, and generally a better version of myself.

After the game on Saturday, I was reading the free forums at Dawgman.com.  This very subject was being addressed in one forum and an overall consensus was that the outcome of Husky games affected fans throughout the week.  Is this too far?  Is it sad?

My mother would say it’s sad and that I shouldn’t care so much.  So would most girls in the world.  But, I have a different view.  It’s good to be passionate about certain things and the Huskies are one of the things I’ve decided to be passionate about.  It makes me upset when they don’t play well but the reward is doubled when they win.  I’m emotionally tied to the Huskies and am still drained from Saturday.  But, it was worth it.  Maybe my shoulders wouldn’t hurt as bad if I hadn’t picked up my brother twice (before they called the pass interference  and when we actually won) and my roommate once.  Maybe my voice wouldn’t be hoarse if I hadn’t yelled to the point where I got light-headed in the 4th quarter.  Maybe I shouldn’t have been so invested in one game.  Or, maybe I did it right because, once that two point conversion was dropped, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Andrew Long

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by | October 16, 2010 · 12:42 pm

M’s Hire Branyan’s Big Brother

Eric Wedge, not Bobby Valentine, and not Joey Cora, will be the next manager for your Seattle Mariners. A lot of fan’s first reaction is probably that once again Chuck and Howard don’t want to pay what it takes to bring in a big name, thus we are stuck with a reincarnation of Bob Melvin or Don Wakamatsu. I’ll be honest, my first reaction was how similar this guy looks to Russell Branyan (see pic below). Fans can have whatever reaction they’d like, and no one is wrong. Seattle has seen 7 managers come and go since Lou left, so at this point, Joe Torre could have been hired and some fans would still react negatively. Personally, I think Wedge is an outstanding pick. Here’s why.

The Mariners made no secret about their desire to have an experienced manager this time around. No more rookies! In addition, it seemed safe to assume that a younger guy might be on their wish list, or at least someone who can relate well with young players, because the M’s will no doubt have a plethora of youth in 2011. Furthermore, following the Wak era, I’m sure Jack Z was looking for a manager that would not take crap from anyone (cough Figgy cough). Wedge meets all of these qualifiers, not to mention a nice track record of successfully taking over a rebuilding situation, as he did in Cleveland, eventually getting them to within 1 win of the World Series. At just age 42, Wedge has quite an impressive resume. In 2002, he was hired at age 35 by the Indians, and in 7 seasons he led the tribe to a .495 win%. Not bad for Cleveland.

Yesterday I listened to both Eduardo Perez (ex-player) and Tom Hamilton (Indians announcer), both give ringing endorsements of Wedge. The interesting point that both men made was that Wedge was fired following the ’09 season for the simple reason that Indians management wanted to turn the page, and enthuse the fan base with a managerial switch. It had little to do with Wedge, and in fact, GM Mark Shapiro fought to keep Wedge. Had Cleveland held onto Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Victor Martinez, Franklin Gutierrez, and Brandon Phillips, Hamilton noted that “we would not be talking about Wedge in Seattle, but rather, Wedge and the Indians in the ALCS.”

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by | October 16, 2010 · 8:28 am

UW and the Elusive 5-Star Recruit

Fans are throwing out a lot of reasons and blame for the Huskies’ losing ways, some justified, some ridiculous.  While there are certainly lots of factors, in my mind the only one that’s really significant is the talent level of the current players.  Coaching is a vital part of college sports, the ability to make players better as they spend time in your program.  The previous coaching staff failed miserably at that task.  It remains to be seen how this staff does in that regard.  Just as important, though, is recruiting.  It’s a lot easier to coach those players into impact players when they’re entering at an already high level.

Unfortunately for the Huskies, far too many potential impact players have turned UW down in recent years.  Even in bad years, UW gets their share of good players, probably always will.  But going back to the class of 2002 (as far back as Scout.com’s database shows) and excluding the 2011 class that has yet to sign, the Huskies have only gotten two high school recruits who were listed as 5-star prospects.  Jon Lyon was also a 5-star guy, but he was a junior college recruit and those rankings always seem a little fuzzy to me, so I’m only going to talk about high school here.

Recruiting stars aren’t always accurate, or predictors of success.  The Huskies best defender, Mason Foster, was a 2-star player.  Jake Locker was a 4-star.  People scout players differently, and the players are high schoolers, meaning they have a ton of growing left to do, both physically and mentally.  Again, college coaching plays a major role as well, which is what really killed the Huskies the past decade.  Regardless, the Huskies are struggling right now because of a lack of impact players, particularly on defense.  They don’t have a Vontaze Burfict or Akeem Ayers or Rahim Moore or Shayne Skov, a freak of nature of whom the offense is always aware.  Continue reading →

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by | October 15, 2010 · 10:40 pm

Husky Predictions

Big game for the Dawgs!  On to the predictions:

Dan

Desperation is a funny thing in sports. The good teams raise their level of play in the face of desperation, while bad teams wilt. Washington’s season is on the line when they take the field against OSU. I don’t mean to overstate the meaning of one game, but the Huskies must play desperate, fiery, and make a statement. I’m tired of the excuses, even the valid ones. It’s about time UW rises to the occasion, and plays lights out at home, under the lights. I trust both offenses will play well, despite the health concerns on both teams. I think it comes down to turnovers and defense in this one, and while I don’t feel good about the Husky D, I think they will do just enough to keep the game close. I’ll be at the game for the first time this season, and after going 3-0 last year (USC, Arizona, WSU), I’m hoping my luck continues. Oregon State is a proven road team, and have played in atmospheres just as, if not more hostile than Husky Stadium. But again, desperation being the theme, I think the Huskies find a way to get it done, and keep the bowl hopes alive. Win one for Jake!
OSU-30, UW-34

Matthew

I’ve been surprised at how many people are picking the Huskies this week. I hope they’re right. I have a hard time seeing UW winning this game. The Beavers have their number, are a better team, and are getting better every week. Maybe Locker will carry the Dawgs and the defense will play their best game of the season, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
OSU 35– UW 27

Andrew

I don’t think there’s a lot in favor of the Dawgs this week.  They don’t have much momentum.  They have several key players injured.  They’re breaking in a new offensive line that seems to have quite a few holes.  And, they’re playing a team that seems to beat them up every single year.  So, I see the Dawgs winning by double digits.  Yes, I know that contradicts everything I’ve said but I’m just trying to keep up with a frustrating, inconsistent team.  I don’t know why I think the Huskies will win.  But, throughout the week I’ve had the feeling that it might happen and this week I’m going with my gut over my head.  Hey, the Beavers are pretty beat up too.  Dawgs win on a cold night.  It’s not even going to be that close.  (This is the worst prediction I’ve made in a long time).
UW-42 OSU-21

Joe

I am too optimistic for my own good.  Maybe because I am a born and bred Seattle sports fan, I have adapted to handle losing by being positive and having fun with bad situations.  The situation the Huskies find themselves in is a bad one, yet I feel good about their prospects against Oregon State.  The way I feel about this game is the same way I felt about USC.  Coming off devastating loses, the Huskies have had an uncanny ability under Sark to bounce back and play well.  I expect this trend to continue.  Locker will play better despite his quad injury.  He won’t be puking on the sidelines.  I think Sark knows he needs to run the ball more, so look for Polk and Callier to get more carries, thus helping the Dawgs win the clock/ball control battle.  The Beavers are still very dangerous even without James Rodgers.  Jacquizz scares the crap out of me.  He’ll have a huge game.  Katz has played well of late too.  The Husky defense must not give up touchdowns.  Hold them in the redzone and give the offense a chance.  I think the Husky O will bounce back bigtime and carry the Dawgs to a win.  Yup.  Mr. Optimistic.
Dawgs 31 – Beavers 30

Go Huskies!

Andrew

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