This was exactly what I needed for a laugh on Monday. Absolutely hilarious. Royals and Peanuts Baseball Eerily Similar. Enjoy!
Andrew
Game Recap – 4/18/2010
The thing about a 162 game season is that you can’t get too high or too low. Things started out bleak at 2-6 and everyone was freaking out. Then, the 4 game winning streak occurred and everyone was getting excited. Both of these reactions were justifiable and somewhat expected but maybe a little bit over done. The Mariners were not going to win the rest of their games and, while a sweep of the Tigers would have been nice, series wins are what this team needs to shoot for. They have achieved that the last two series and things look promising since we’re playing Baltimore next. All of that to say that today’s loss is not a big deal. It’s pretty close to what we should have expected really.
Ian Snell was decent today. Not bad, not good, but decent. He allowed quite a few hitters to reach base but escaped trouble most of the time. He made some really good pitches and showed the upside that people rave about. Unfortunately, he showed his downside to: too many walks, too many hard hit balls, and an inability to get lefties out. We can’t really make any conclusions on Snell because he was sick today and just returned from a death in the family. Although he struggled at times, Snell was one batter away from not giving up any runs today. That batter was Miguel Cabrera and there’s no shame in giving up a home run to him, he can really hit and proved it on that ball he launched into the upper deck. The next two weeks are big for Snell if he wants to stay in the rotation but today gave us both sides of Snell and that means we can’t decide anything today.
As for the hitting…. Well, the Mariners proved that they still have trouble with young right-handers that are talented. They hit some balls hard but couldn’t get anyone in. Casey Kotchman hits righties pretty hard and definitely did that today. There were some opportunities to score, the 8th inning was somewhat painful, but the same can be said for the Tigers offense. In truth, the Mariners probably should have lost by more today.
Our infield is really coming together. Jose Lopez looks better and better at third. He’s not Adrian Beltre but I think that he will have an above average UZR once the years done. Chone Figgins is really quick at second. The two double plays he turned on short hops today were very impressive. Kotchman had another diving play today and is showing why a defensive first baseman is a good thing to have.
The best part about this loss is that we didn’t lose any ground in the AL West. The schedule becomes pretty easy over the next few weeks while our rivals go up against some of the best teams in baseball. This was a good series win against a fairly good team.
A few more thoughts after the jump. Continue reading
Filed under M's Game Recaps, Mariners
Game Recap — 4/17/2010
It wasn’t as glamorous as Friday’s 11-3 win, but in many ways last night’s 4-2 win was equally impressive. After all, the M’s were facing Verlander, and our starter, RRS, was facing a tough task against an all right-handed hitting Tigers line-up. Seemed like a recipe for a loss. But Hyphen was up to the task, and except for a hanging curveball to Ordonez and a double to Rayburn in the 7th, that was all the damage.
As for the offense, well they banged 7 hits off Verlander. Seattle made him work especially hard in the 1st and I thought we might work him out of the game early, but Verlander hit his stride and got throught 7 strong innings. Guti went 2-4 again, with 2 RBI. Ichiro came up a homer away from the cycle, and if he was given a decent pitch to hit in his last AB, we might be celebrating his cycle today. We’ll settle for 3-3 and a walk I suppose.
Onto some notes and our hero/goat…
- Hero: Ichiro. It would be easy to give it to Guti for another solid night, but Ichiro flirted with the cycle and that is pretty special. RRS had a good outing as well, despite the no decision.
Goat: Ken Griffey Jr. I love you Jr, but 0-4 with 2 K’s won’t cut it. Griffey only saw 14 pitches in those AB’s also.
Today we go for the sweep! Snell is on the mound and if he wants to stay in this rotation, he had better pitch well, unlike his last start.
-Dan
Filed under M's Game Recaps, Mariners
Huskies Practice Report – 4/17/2010
The Huskies completed their 3rd week of practices this afternoon. There was a little rain as the practice began but then the sun poked through the clouds, Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix came through the speakers, and I became very thankful that I live in Seattle. There were about a thousand people at the practice including quite a few high school and junior college coaches who were attending the UW coaches clinic. I spotted Paul Wulff trying watching the coaches, trying to figure out how to coach his own players (that was a joke and completely false).
To tell you the truth, there wasn’t a lot to report today. During the team drills there was a lot of work on special teams. Most of the practice was pretty typical and then there was about a half an hour scrimmage at the end. The offense dominated early in the practice and then the defense had the upper hand in the scrimmage portion.
Nick Holt was even more animated than usual today. At one point he made the entire second string defense do up-downs after a 10 yard play by the offense. The coaching staff has to be in such great shape because they sprint everywhere. They really set the tone for this team.
The defense used a few different looks today. Alvin Logan rushed off the edge quite a bit in the scrimmage and was quite effective in doing so. He might be playing defensive end on 3rd downs this season. They rotated linebackers a lot more today than they usually do. I imagine they are just finding who is best where and when. They also went to a 3-4 at times today, it seemed to work pretty well.
At this point in spring everyone seems to be settling in on where they should be in the depth chart. Sure, every once in a while someone will bust out with a great practice but it’s usually the same suspects every practice now. It’s nice to see that consistency because I don’t know if there were players who would consistently have good practices on the Huskies a few years ago.
With that said here are my players of the day:
- Jermaine Kearse was great today. He scored 6 touchdowns in a row during drills. I think he ended up with about 10 on the day. The Huskies don’t have a corner who can defend him and I don’t know if anyone in the Pac-10 does.
- James Johnson also made some very good catches. He got called for two offensive pass interference penalties but one of them was extremely questionable. In the offenses only touchdown drive in the scrimmage, Johnson came up big several times. He is pretty physical and looks bigger than he did last Fall.
- Chris Robinson is a red-shirt defensive tackle who has played well all spring. He continued to do so today, getting into the backfield and making some tackles. I think him and Tyrone Duncan may have played themselves into the rotation for next season.
- Demetrius Bronson had a few very physical runs today. He may not carry the ball very often because he is switching between fullback and running back right now but, I think Bronson would be very good at the goal line as long as he takes care of his fumbling problems. With that being said, Polk and Cooper are/will be very good at the goal line also.
- The freshman running backs were good. I’m going to stop putting this in the practice reports and you can all assume that they were good. I can’t wait for my fellow good guys to see them in action and then say how excited they are about them. If they play like they’re capable of on April 30th people will be buzzing about Jesse Callier and Deontae Cooper through the whole summer.
Other guys were good too but you already knew that because their names are Jake Locker, Mason Foster, and Cort Dennison.
Two more weeks of practice to go. I like what I’ve seen overall but I’ll save that for another post. Now, it’s time to watch the Mariners and Justin Verlander (if the Mariners get shut down tonight, which is entirely possible, take a minute to enjoy how good Verlander is. He is the Tiger’s Felix. Should be fun to watch regardless of what happens). Thanks for reading!
Andrew
Andrew
Filed under Huskies Football
The Secret to Rob Johnson’s Success
Courtesy of Jeff Sullivan’s brilliant mind:
Rob Johnson continues to demonstrate a stunning inability to catch a baseball. Tonight he let a fastball hit him in the foot. Straight-up hit him in the foot. Didn’t touch glove or anything. Just foot. Everybody has to realize how often this happens, but I wonder if Mariner pitchers might not see it from the opposite viewpoint as us. Our understanding is that Johnson can’t catch. The pitchers’ understanding, however, may be that their pitches are moving so much that even a Major League backstop struggles to catch them. In that way, Johnson is less bastion of incompetence and more flattering mirror. It all depends on your perspective.
I never thought of it this way. It all makes sense now.
-Matthew
Filed under Mariners
Game Recap – 4/16/2010
This afternoon I was all set to write a post about hitting with runners in scoring position. I was going to say that, while hitting with runners in scoring position does take some skill, it’s mostly luck. A good hitter will hit no matter if there are runners on or not. I was going to break it down scientifically and with stats. All this to prove that the Mariners were going to break out at some point with a barrage of runs. I would have looked like a genius. Instead, I decided to play Mario Kart…Oh well.
So, in case you missed it the Mariners dominated tonight, winning 11-3. The bats came alive and the hits came in bunches. There was the 3 run 4th, the 2 run 5th, and the 6 run 6th and all of a sudden the Mariners had 11 runs. Think back a few days to the dismal home opener and 11 runs counts as a minor miracle. What’s more impressive is the Mariners did it without home runs; they had 11 singles, one triple, and took advantage of a terrible Detroit defense. (Seriously, if you don’t appreciate the Mariners defense watch the Tigers corner outfielders. Ordonez takes the worst routes to fly balls possible and Johnny Damon’s arm is worse than mine. One time tonight he tried to throw a foul ball into the stands except he didn’t make it there. It was hilarious.) Jeremy Bonderman, Detroit’s starter, wasn’t very good and gave up line drive after line drive. His defense threw in three errors that all led to unearned runs.
Felix was good as usual tonight. He had a little trouble spotting his secondary pitches but his fastball was more than enough to get by tonight. I couldn’t tell from my seat high up on the third baseline if he was getting squeezed by the umpire but it sure seemed like it. He had one bad inning in which he gave up his two earned runs. If it weren’t for that inning he would have had a shut out easy because the Tigers didn’t touch him after that.
The atmosphere tonight was great. It was close to a sell out and the crowd made a good deal of noise. Johnny Damon was heckled to no end, which is just fine by me. People are catching on to how great Felix is. He got the loudest cheer during introductions and then was given a loud standing ovation after leaving the game. The one bad thing about the Mariners blowing Detroit out was that the crowd lost a little bit of interest after the 9 run lead came. But that’s just fine. This city is ready to erupt with Mariner fever, the team just has to be in the pennant race for that to happen. I might add that I don’t usually like the wave but I saw the most successful Mariner game wave tonight. I was really impressed. There was a ton of energy in the stadium.
So for now, enjoy this victory. Enjoy this 3 game winning streak. Unfortunately, Justin Verlander pitches for the Tigers tomorrow but who knows, we could make it 4 in a row. Baseball is a funny sport and it’s been a funny start to this season but it seems like things are getting on the right track. So, maybe someday I’ll get to that post about hitting with runners in scoring position but as for now I’m just going to enjoy what the Mariners did tonight.
My goat/hero and a few other notes after the jump. Continue reading
Filed under M's Game Recaps, Mariners
2010-11 Husky Basketball
I was standing in the shower yesterday, thinking about where the Huskies were going to find another scholarship or two for next year’s team. All 13 scholarships were full and two of the better unsigned prospects out there, Terrances Jones and Ross, have the Huskies on their final lists. It’s possible neither signs with the Dawgs, but it’s looking increasingly likely that one or both will (knock on wood). And that would mean one or two current players would have to leave the team or vacate a scholarship in some other way.
In my mind, the top candidates were probably Clarence Trent, Scott Suggs, maybe Tyreese Breshers or somebody. A younger guy with some talent who hasn’t broken through yet, who might be nudged out gently or decide to try to find more playing time elsewhere. Elston Turner fits the description, but I figured that after his mini-breakout to end the year, he’d be expecting big things and stick around. Less than an hour later, I got in my car and the first thing I heard was a KJR update saying Turner had decided to transfer.
So, there’s one scholarship open. There might be another departure to come, depending both on those recruiting decisions and the feelings of current players as they get deeper into the offseason. For now, let’s take the opportunity to look at the roster as it currently stands. Continue reading
Filed under Huskies Basketball
NBA Playoffs Preview
Because this blog originates out of the greater Seattle area, I fully expect many of our home town readers to scoff at an NBA preview post in light of the fact our beloved Sonics no longer exist, and many folks have boycotted the NBA or simply don’t care. I understand, far be it from me to tell any Seattle sports fan how to feel about the NBA. If you are sideways about the whole situation, feel free to be mad, I won’t stop you. Myself, on the other hand, still love the NBA and follow it all year. I am a basketball junkie, so I naturally gravitate to the NBA. Even though the entire Sonics situation was a massive fail on all sides (except the fans, please, don’t even begin the blame the fans for them leaving. If you do, you lose all credibility with me…), I still think the NBA game is exciting and worth talking and writing about, hence, an NBA playoff preview!
Kobe and the Lakers will come out of the West.
Series by series picks:
Lakers vs. Zombie Sonics – Lakers in 5. I think the ZS will get maybe one at home in the dustbowl, but other than that the Lakers will win with ease…
Mavericks vs. Spurs – Mavericks in 7. Yeah, this one is going seven. The Spurs could make a run, but I just don’t think they have the depth the Mavs do, and ultimately Dallas with wear down the aging trio of Duncan/Ginobili/Parker.
Suns vs. Blazers – Suns in 5. Look, this is simple: Brandon Roy will not play in this series, the Blazers have no chance. I like the Suns anyway, so this one is easy. Too bad, I think Rip City could have been amazing this season if 4 of their 5 starters didn’t all suffer major injuries this season. Nate McMillian is COY.
Nuggets vs. Jazz – Jazz in 7. The absence of George Karl has been huge for Denver, they have not played well over the past month, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be back soon (maybe round 2). I like Jerry Sloan’s experience here and I really like what Utah brings. Deron Williams is a superstar, Boozer is solid down low, they have a solid roster of role players that get the job done. The Jazz struggle on the road, but if they can steal one in Denver, look for the Jazz to move on.
LeBron and the Cavs? Yeah, they'll be in the Finals
The picks in the East!!
Cavaliers vs. Bulls – Cavs in 4. Yes, a sweep. I think the Cavs come out focused and determined to make this a quick and painless series. Look for Shaq to struggle to start, but LeBron will dominate. I do think Derrick Rose will play above the rim, look for him to have some amazing highlights.
Magic vs. Bobcats – Magic in 6. Whaaaaat? The Bobcats in the playoffs? Yes folks, Larry Brown worked some series magic (no pun intended) in the Queen City this year. Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace have been beasts all year long, carrying a young team. All that said, I don’t think the Cats have an answer for Dwight Howard. Look for Howard to dominate, and Carter to light it up from outside. Plus, I like Orlando’s defense slightly better that Charlotte. I think this will be a great series.
Hawks vs. Bucks – Hawks in 5. This is similar to the Suns/Blazers in the west: If the Bucks had Andrew Bogut healthy, I would be tempted to take the Bucks in a shocker, but without the big Aussie, I don’t think Milwaukee can deal with the Hawks down low. I love the Hawks talent, I think Al Horford could blow up in this series. Too much pressure on a very talented Brandon Jennings to carry the Bucks. As much as I would love to see the amazingly epic “Fear the Deer” slogan ride into the 2nd round, no chance without Bogut.
Celtics vs. Heat – Heat in 7. This is my crazy, one man army pick. My mind says take Boston, they are clearly a better team, more experience, probably better coaching. But my heart is with Flash, Dwayne Wade. This is simple: Dwayne Wade will channel his amazing playoff ride from 2006 and drop roughly 35-40 each night, maybe a 50 pointer in there somewhere, and he’ll carry Miami to the 2nd round. I know it’s nuts, but I just like the juju on this one.
So in the Finals we’ll finally get the Kobe vs. LeBron match up we’ve all wanted. I like the Cavs here. This is the year for LeBron. He has a supporting cast capable of winning, I think they have a great draw in the east, and LA will be bruised and battered heading into the Finals. Look for LeBron to carry Cleveland to victory, along with Jamison and Williams, both of whom are great x-factors. I think Mo Williams has a great playoff run. He was terrible last season in the post season, so he’ll right the ship here.
Here’s to a great playoff season!
–Joe
Filed under Predictions
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