by | March 26, 2010 · 4:39 pm

Y2010M! Mike Sweeney

(Y2010M! stands for Your 2010 Mariners! and is a series of posts aiming to touch on every player possibly important to the Mariners’ season.)

Geoff Baker is claiming today that, barring some unexpected pitching moves to deal with the Lee injury (13 man staff?), Mike Sweeney has made the opening day roster.  This will likely come at the expense of Ryan Garko and has commentors throughout the blogosphere gnashing their teeth and proclaiming that this clearly shows the team has no intention of winning this season. Count me as one who really doesn’t get it.  Get the gnashing of teeth, that is.  Sweeney on the team makes total sense from my viewpoint.  Sure, Sweeney and Griffey at DH again is not what anyone wants, but barring a trade for someone clearly better, Sweeney sure seems like the best option we have.  This team is not going to hit that much.  I think they’ll hit better than some are expecting, but they still need every bat they can get. Continue reading →

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by | March 26, 2010 · 12:16 pm

A Husky Post-Mortem

Yesterday at game time, I sat at my desk, unable to get away from work quite yet, Bob Rondeau giving his usual pre-game chatter, and I had a feeling that I frequently get before Husky football games, but rarely before basketball games.  It’s hard to describe, a nervousness that everyone has surely experienced, and I think it comes from knowing that the next few hours will become memories and a part of life.  That sounds overly important, sports are just a game, so on and so forth, and ultimately, what happens on the court or field isn’t that important to my life.  For those playing or coaching, it might mean a lost job or change in career trajectory, but for me, there’ll just be some sadness or disappointment or joy and whatever memories I take away from it.

It’s those memories that are important, so much more important than the game or results itself.  They are just some memories among many others, but they are a part of life.  Any sports fan can rattle off his strongest memories of games the way a music lover remembers concerts or a parent remembers times with his child.  For me, it’s Edgar’s 1995 playoff grand slam at my friend Dustin’s house, me alone on the couch while everyone else was off doing something else.  Falling asleep as a kid on my birthday with an Apple Cup on TV and a new baseball glove on my hand.  Watching the two UConn losses, the first in a church and the second in a bar.  A thousand moments at Husky Stadium: Corey Dillon running wild in the pouring rain, Santana Moss losing the ball, high fives with my dad, walking on the field looking for Andrew and Rachel after the USC win in a sea of joy and astonishment.

A game like yesterday’s is hard because there was very little worth remembering.  After one of the most memorable seasons in their history, the Huskies just got beat.  They didn’t play well, they didn’t compete, they didn’t respond when challenged.  It was a tough way for Quincy, one of their all-time great players and people, to leave.  It was a tough way to end a season that was alternately frustrating and exhilarating.

So I’ll leave the game breakdown to a fellow Good Guy here or elsewhere.  I don’t have much to say.  Anyone who’s watched this team could tell you what went wrong.  This game wasn’t right for this season.  This season was fast breaks and the whole team on the floor for a loose ball, MBA hook shots and dunks, Justin Holliday’s long arms and Elston Turner’s late season threes.  It was Isaiah becoming a basketball player and the leader of the team, and Venoy hounding Derek Glasser one last time.  It was a talented group of guys becoming one of the most exciting teams to watch I’ve ever seen, even if it started too late and ended too soon.  And it was Quincy Pondexter doing everything, making every shot, and it was especially Quincy dropping the game winner against Marquette.  It was a season worth remembering.

-Matthew

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by | March 24, 2010 · 8:23 pm

Huskies Position Overviews – Offensive Line

I realized I needed to step up the pace on these if I was going to get all the positions done by the first practice next Tuesday.  The offensive line is a little harder to gage on what these players need to improve for a variety of reasons.  One of them being that these guys aren’t talked about near as much.  Secondly, I don’t know as much about the offensive line as I do the skill positions.  Because of this, my format on this position will be a little different. 

Expected starters:

  • Tackles: Cody Habben, Drew Shaeffer
  • Guards: Ryan Tolar, Senio Kelemente
  • Center: Mykena Ikehara

This is close to the lineup that had that dominating performance against Cal in the season finale.  Cody Habben is a senior who has been a steady player for the Dawgs.  He will be out of spring practice with an injury but should have no problem getting back in time for Fall camp.  Although no position is safe, Habben has his spot pretty much wrapped up.  Drew Shaeffer is a red-shirt sophomore who started the last half of the year at tackle.  He is also solid and comes into the spring as a favorite for the position.  Ryan Tolar, a senior, has played just about everywhere for the Huskies.  Last year he was at center and did a commendable job.  A move to guard will help him become a high level pac-10 offensive lineman.  Jr. Senio Kelemente and RS So. Mykena Ikehara have the most potential out of this group.  Senio started his career at UW on defense and then was moved to offense last year.  Coaches have talked about moving him to tackle but for now he’s a guard and a good one at that.  Mykena Ikehara could have been the starter last year but he became very sick in Fall camp and lost a good deal of weight.  Ikehara played the last couple games and did very well.  He will be a very good center for UW in the coming years.

Backups to watch out for:

  • Tackles: Skyler Fancher, Mark Armelin
  • Guards: Greg Christine, Nick Wood, Scott Shugert

Skyler Fancher, a junior, was in competition for a starting job last year but then broke his leg in camp.  He is a solid player who will challenge Habben and Shaeffer for playing time.  Hopefully his recovery from the leg injury is complete.  Greg Christine, a senior, was a walk-on last year that won the starting job out of camp.  He struggled at times on the line and then broke his leg in a game.  The coaches like the guy and he has shown that he can play on this level.  Jr Nick Wood is another guy who was moved over from the defensive side of the ball.  He adapted quickly and played quite  bit by the end of the year.  He was very solid in the Huskies win against Cal and could challenge for a starting job.  Mark Armelin and Scott Shugert round out depth and, unless something bad happens or they have a spectacular spring, probably won’t see the field. 

Overall Position Overview:  The Huskies will have more depth here than they have had in years.  With 7 freshman coming in the Fall, the Huskies have finally begun to realize how important depth on offensive line is.  Unfortunately, those guys won’t be here until the fall but the starters we have, along with a few solid backups, make me believe that this group will be solid by the time September rolls around.  They improved throughout last year and there’s no reason to think that the improvement will stop this spring.

Andrew

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by | March 24, 2010 · 2:27 pm

Huskies Position Overviews – Tight End

Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these.  Frankly, I can’t get my mind off of the UW basketball team so these have taken a backseat.  To try to avoid my growing nervousness (26 hours until game time!) I’ll cover tight ends today. 

Tight end is an interesting spot for the Huskies.  There is no doubting that the Dawgs’ have talent at this position.  Here’s how I see the depth chart at this position:

Kavario Middleton, 6-5, 253, JR. – When Sark came over from USC, people expected big things from Middleton.  A tall, athletic tight end fits the pro-style offense that we run perfectly.  Unfortunately, last year wasn’t a coming out party for Kavario.  He had a solid year but struggled with the same inconsistencies that he had since arriving on Montlake.  Middleton came in as a 5-star prospect with big expectations.  He has the ability to make plays that will conjure up memories of Jerramy Stevens (although Middleton isn’t crazy), but they don’t happen often enough.  If he ever puts it all together Middleton could be a first round NFL draft pick and a star for the Huskies.  For now, he’s just a solid player with a ton of upside.

What Middleton needs to improve on this spring:  Blocking, blocking, and more blocking.  The main gripe about Middleton is that he’s a liability when the Huskies are running the ball.  He has the size to be a good blocker but many reports say that he doesn’t put in the effort and would rather be catching passes.  There is no questioning Middleton’s pass catching ability, he might have the best hands on the team, but if he wants to be an NFL caliber tight end his blocking must improve.

Chris Izbicki, 6-3, 232, RS JR. – Izbicki, like Middleton, came to UW as a highly recruited rank.  A  few off the field issues landed Chris in Tyrone Willingham’s doghouse.  Thankfully, he got a fresh start last year and did some nice things.  He may not have the star potential that Middleton has but he is very capable of being a good pac-10 tight end.  Izbicki is a decent blocker and can turn into a good receiver.

What Izbicki needs to improve on this spring:  It seems like you know what you’re getting with Izbicki.  He will probably never fulfill the high expectations he had out of high school but he will be a solid contributor.  Through this spring Izbicki needs to continue to develop better hands so he won’t be considered a liability during passing downs.

Dorson Boyce, 6-2, 231, SR. – Boyce came into the program last year from junior college and contributed on special teams.  He is probably the best blocker out of this tight end group but his receiving skills are suspect.  Boyce was brought in to add depth to the position, he may struggle to see playing time at this position.

What Boyce needs to improve on this spring:  Boyce doesn’t have the skill set of the other guys but he works hard and is a solid blocker.  If he was to improve on his receiving dramatically then he may be in the conversation.  I don’t really think he has the ability to catch up to the guys in front of him regardless of what kind of spring he has.  But the great thing about this coaching staff is they love competition so if Boyce pushes the guys in front of him to be better than expect to hear Dorson’s name come up.

Marlion Barnett, 6-2, 220, RS FR. –  We’ve yet to see Barnett on the field because he red-shirted last year.  The coaches seem to like him judging from practice reports and I expect him to become a solid contributor in the years to come.  He is supposedly a very capable receiving tight end.

What Barnett needs to improve on this spring:  Barnett lacks size for a tight end and blocking pac-10 defensive ends may be a struggle for him.  Therefore, putting on weight and working on blocking this spring are essential.  If he does this I think he will see some time on the field next year, although it will probably in a limited role.

Overall position:  This is a position where the Huskies have a lot of talent but it is under achieving.  Unfair expectations may have been put on Izbicki but Middleton definitely has untapped potential.  At USC, Sark used his tight ends very effectively and I think Middleton has the capability to become a Fred Davis type player in this offense.  Obviously, this would be huge for an offense that already figures to put up quite a few points.

A few random thoughts and links after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | March 23, 2010 · 5:07 pm

Two More Weeks

The Mariners season opener is just two weeks from yesterday.  Luckily we have the NCAA tournament and the Huskies to watch those two weeks, because we have reached the official spring-training-is-incredibly-boring point.  This is also the point, though, where players start to round into shape and stop experimenting with swings and new pitches and such, so the results begin to mean a little more, but not really.  A look at some issues and questions still out there in Peoria after the jump! Continue reading →

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by | March 23, 2010 · 1:07 pm

Huskies In a “Sweet” Group

The Huskies are back in the Sweet 16, which unless you’ve been in a coma the past week, I’m sure you know by now. In the past, Washington has yet to get through this round and crack the Elite 8, despite some mighty close calls that I’d rather not get into. Maybe this is the year, but maybe not. Either way, it has been a special year at Montlake, and a trip to the round of 16 has been accomplished for the 3rd time since ’05. That’s pretty special, but it got me wondering, just how special? In other words, what schools have notched 3 sweet 16 appearances from 2005-2010? Here is a list of the 12 teams to do so.

North Carolina (4)
Michigan State (4)
Villanova (4)
West Virginia (4)
Washington
Tennessee
Kansas
UCLA
Memphis
Louisville
Xavier
Duke

That’s a pretty elite crowd to be in, and if not for a narrow 2 point loss to Purdue in last year’s 2nd round, Washington would be just the 5th team to have 4 trips since 2005. Nevertheless, 3 appearances from ’05-’10 is a feat that only 12 schools can brag about. This is a testament to Washington’s consistency to produce a winner, and specifically the recruiting and coaching job done by Romar. Looking at this group, it’s hard to deny that the Huskies are a top 15 program in college basketball today.

-Dan

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by | March 23, 2010 · 10:02 am

The Flying Dutchmen

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by | March 20, 2010 · 4:18 pm

YES!!!!

Go wild, go crazy, dance in the streets, listen to “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus and don’t feel guilty about it!  6 weeks ago our season was dead, now we’re in the sweet sixteen! Recap coming from one of us later but for now… Seth Davis, Jay Lunardi, and whatever other writers who thought that we were terrible….. Suck it!  Go Dawgs, that was beautiful!

Andrew

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