End of the Year Awards

I have never given any awards before but decided to do so this year with a day remaining for Washington teams.

Sportsman of the year- Russell Wilson Seahawks.

Sportswoman of the year: University of Washington Volleyball team.

Sports team of the year:  Seattle Sounders

Looking forward to seeing how the teams in Washington fare in 2020. How far the Seahawks go in the playoffs. The Mariners do with the youngsters. Seattle Sounders can they repeat. The Washington men's basketball team make it to the NCAA tournament again. How far will Gonzaga go in the tournament; can they win a championship in 2020.

Who will go to the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and how will they do.

Seahawks Lose By Inches And Time

The Seahawks again were in a close game, unfortunately, this time they lost. The final score San Francisco 26 Seattle 21.

The first half was all SF leading 13-0 at half-time. The only thing that didn't change the Seahawks had a hard time stopping the 49ers. I was hoping for a turnover at some point but that didn't happen. 

The Seahawks were able to score three touchdowns in the second half but were not able to make it four with little time left. The Seahawks actually had the ball on the one year line with less than a minute to go in the game. Marshawn Lynch came in the game for beast mode but for some reason, the Seahawks coaching staff allowed the clock to lapse so delay of game penalty moved it back to the six-yard line Marshawn than went back to the sideline.

The Seahawks had three times to score but couldn't find a way in. On the fourth down tight end, Hollister caught the ball but was stopped inches from the goal line. It looked like he was held on the play as well, The officials didn't look at the replay on it which was wrong. Being inside two minutes the Seahawks couldn't ask to look at the replay. I hope they change the rule when it comes to replay for next season. An important game like this should have been reviewed whether it would have changed the outcome or not.  

I was impressed by running Travis Homer. He had a good game running the ball. In fact, he was the leading rusher on the day or night in this case in the game with 62 yards on ten carries. I have to say he deserves to seeing playing time next year. He certainly will see it next week when the Seahawks go to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in the first game of the playoffs. The defense will certainly have to play better along with the offense getting off to a better start. Go Hawks. 

Coming Up Starting This Week

The Washington State Cougars play Arkansas Pine Bluff later today. The game is on the Pac-12 network; however, I am not sure how many will actually watch it since the game is on at the same time as the Seahawks play the 49ers. If you like Cougar basketball record the game or you could record the Seahawks. LOL.

This will be the last non-league game for the Cougars as they start the Pac-12 schedule on Thursday, January 2 against USC Trojans. This will be a hard game for the Cougars to win though it is at home. There are a lot of good teams this year in the Pac-12 so it may be hard for the Cougars to win a lot of games this year. We do hope they can end up having a decent season.

The Washington Huskies play UCLA on Thursday and then switch opponents with the Cougars having USC on Saturday while the Cougars play UCLA. It would be nice to send UCLA back home 0-2 with USC at 1-1. We have to be realistic don't think USC will go home without a win. 

The Seahawks, on the other hand, we hope for a victory to go into the playoffs. Depending on how the other teams going into the playoffs the Seahawks could have the number two seed behind New Orleans. Whatever happens, we will be able to talk about the playoffs. Go Hawks!

WSU Cheez It

The Washington State Cougars lost to Air Force Friday night in the Cheez-It Bowl. I guess you could use a lot of puns here if you wanted to. 

The final was Air Force 31 WSU 21. I thought it would be a lot higher score game than it turned out.

Neither team scored in the first quarter. Air Force led 17-14 at half-time. The Cougars were shut out in the 3rd quarter as well where Air Force scored one touchdown. In the 4th quarter, each team had a touchdown.

Washington State did primarily passed the ball quarterback Anthony Gordon threw the ball 42 times with 28 completions for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Not bad depending on who you are playing. The Cougars, unfortunately, ran the ball six times for 27 yards.

Air Force was able to keep the ball out of the hands of the Cougars by running the ball a lot and successful. They had two running backs get over 100 yards. Kadin Remsburg ran the ball 26 times for 178 yards and Taven Birdow had 108 yards on 20 carries. Both players had a touchdown each.

Air Force quarterback Donald Hammond threw the ball only 12 times however he ran 15 times for 62 yards and scored two touchdowns.  

This was Cougar's quarterback Anthony Gordon last game as he is a senior. We will see who competes for quarterback next season in the spring. 

Washington State Cougars Bowl Bound

The Washington State Cougars play Friday night in the Cheez-It Bowl against Air Force. What a name for a bowl game.

I am not sure who is going to win the game; however, I do know if you love offense and scoring there will be a lot for both teams. Over 100 points could easily be scored in the game.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Cougars throw the ball over 70 times in the game and Air Force runs the ball a lot. If the Cougars can't stop the run it will be important for them to pass it that often.

In many ways, the Cougars passing game is like running the ball. They will run the ball on occasion but not too many times like Air Force. Best of luck to the Cougars; enjoy the game very much so.

Jacob Eason To The NFL

Washington Huskies junior quarterback Jacob Eason stopped the speculation deciding to go into the NFL draft this year. Whether it is a mistake on his part or not we will find out. 

Unless you are the top quarterback in the draft being an underclassman isn't a good idea in my mind to go into the NFL; however, I can't blame the guy because of the money involved. 

The NFL should have a way to give quarterbacks like Eason a chance to play but not as the starting quarterback. He could watch and see on Sundays while getting action during the week. The problem is the NFL doesn't have backups get into much practice during the week. The starter gets almost all the reps. A reason most teams have a veteran quarterback as the backup so he feels ready to go if the starter gets hurt. 

We wish Eason the best for his NFL career. We hope he can go somewhere where he can learn from a veteran quarterback for a year before taking over. 

Gonzaga Ranked #1

The Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team is ranked #1 in College basketball right now. The Bulldogs have a record 13-1 in non-league action going into their last game of 2019 when they play at home against Detriot on this coming Monday. Detroit isn't much of a threat since they are 2-10. 

The Bulldogs start their regular season in the WCC on January 2 on the road at the Portland Pilots. The Pilots are 8-7, on a four-game losing steak. The first serious game will be against Santa Clara who is 12-2  at home on January 16.  After playing BYU at home, they play Pacific, Santa Clara again and San Francisco. Gonzaga will have to play their A-game since any of those teams could beat them. Pacific has a record right now of 12-3 and San Francisco 11-3. We will have to how those three do against the Bulldogs.

The Washington Huskies men's team lost to Houston in the championship final of the Diamond Head Classic on Christmas night 75-71. As the score indicates it was a close game though the Huskies did have a large lead being 14 points up on Houston but a 10-2 at the end of the first have put them in reach with the Huskies leading by five. The Huskies held onto the lead unto 11:15 period of the second half when Houston took the lead. The largest lead Houston had was six points. The Huskies were led in scoring once again by Isaiah Stewart with 25. Jaden McDaniels had a good start having scored ten points early but Houston shut him out the rest of the night. A major reason the Huskies lost along with turnovers and letting Houston outrebound them especially on the offensive side.

Houston is a very similar team offensively as the Huskies so this was a good test for them going into the Pac-12 conference schedule. They don't play again until Thursday, January 2 when they start conference play against the UCLA Bruins. The Bruins are 7-5 on the season with one non-league game remaining on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton. UCLA recently lost to Notre Dame and North Carolina in double digits. Both of the games were on the road. 

The Huskies will see if they can defend as Pac-12 champions. The Huskies were picked preseason to finish third in the conference behind Oregon and Colorado. Both teams have a non-league record of 10-2. The Huskies don't play Oregon until the third week of the season at home while they play Colorada on the road near the end of January. At that point, we should know how good the Huskies will be. Go Dawgs! 

Merry Christmas

I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas.  The Washington Huskies men's basketball team play tonight against the Houston Cougars in the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu Hawaii. 

The Seahawks have Marshawn Lynch back for the game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night football. I am sure the fans are excited. We will see how he does. Hopefully, he will help give us a late Christmas present. We hope all the Seahawks who can play will be healthy.

Nothing new on the front of the Seattle Mariners when it comes to new players. We hope to hear something soon. We know they won't be going after any high priced players but it would be nice to acquire another starting pitcher along with a reliever. 

Until next time enjoy the day with your family and friends. 

Two Former Seahawks Return

The Seahawks lost more than the game last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Both Chrison Carson and CJ Prosise were injured out for the rest of the season including the playoffs. The Seahawks need to stop playing their top players against the Cardinals. It seems every game against them they lose at least one player if not more.

The loss of Carson and Prosise the Seahawks have now turned to two former players to fill the spots. They have signed Robert Turpin and Marshawn Lynch. Yes, the beast mode is returning to Seattle. 

The Seahawks beat the 49ers on Sunday night football they will win the NFC West Go Hawks!

Seahawks Lose Husky Basketball Wins

The Seattle Seahawks had a bad game at home against who other than the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks seem to do poorly against the Cardinals no matter how good or bad the team is. This time they lost 27-13.

The loss came more than how the players played or the score. The Seahawks lost both running backs Chris Carson and CJ Prosise for the season. Now they have to bring in a running back or two.  

Along with other injuries, the postseason doesn't look too promising for the Seahawks. We will have to see how things work out next week and the weeks following. The record looks really well at 11-4; however, with the injuries, the Seahawks have the rest of the guys will have to step up better than ever.

The Huskies men's basketball team Ball State at the Diamond Head Classic late Sunday afternoon. The game started slow once again for the Huskies but when they did get going they ended up winning like a landslide with the final score being 85-64. 

The Huskies now go to the second round Monday night to take on home town favorite Hawaii. The Huskies should be favored to win and go to the championship game of the Diamond Head Classic but things can turn out differently. We will see. 

Washington Huskies Dominate Boise State

I am sure many thought the Las Vegas Bowl game Saturday would be a close game between the Washington Huskies and the Boise State Broncos. It didn't turn out that way. 

The Huskies scored first after a turnover on an interception. The game was very much like the Apple Cup where the Huskies dominated both sides of the ball.

The first half neither team could run the ball; however, the Huskies passing game behind quarterback Jacob Eason did a good job. In the second half, the Huskies running game improved while the Broncos defense became tired. The Huskies led the game at half-time 17-0. The Broncos did score once in the third quarter but the defense turned them away after that. The final score was Washington 38 Boise State 7.

I am sure Chris Petersen didn't think his final game as the Huskies Head Coach would turn out this way but I am sure Husky fans certainly glad it did. 

Now the reigns of the Huskies will turn over to Jimmy Lake as head coach. We wish the best to Coach Petersen as well as the new Coach Lake. The Huskies football program is in good hands. Go Dawgs!

Washington State Cougars BB Wins

The Washington State Cougars Thursday night beat Florida A&M 87-73. The Cougars now have won four straight games. The Cougars won because they had a good first half leading 41-24. 

The Cougars were led again by CJ Elleby with 25 points and 11 rebounds. The guy is having a good season so far for WSU. Usually how he does is how the Cougars go. 

The Cougars play next tomorrow at 4 pm against Incarnate Word. I expect they are a small school which WSU should beat.

The Cougars football team will be playing Air Force in a week in the Cheese-It Bowl. It should be an exciting game to watch with both offenses going.

The Washington Huskies play Boise State Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl. We hope to see an exciting game out of the Huskies in Chris Petersen's last game as head coach. Wednesday was the first-day signing recruits early. The Huskies were able to sign 23 players so a good sign though Petersen stepped down. A very good sign for the program. 

The Seattle Seahawks signed veteran linebacker Dekoda  Watson to replace receiver  Josh Gordon who was suspended. It is ironic because Watson was released earlier on when Gordon signed with the Seahawks. Pete Carroll says Watson will be used for the pass rush and on special teams.

Nothing new as far as signings at this point for the Seattle Mariners. Right now all we hear is trade rumors we will see if anything happens before Christmas and the New Year's.

That's all folks for now. 

Washington Schools Win

The Washington State Cougars men's basketball team now are 6-4 after beating UC Riverside Sunday night at home 70-56. The Cougars were led by sophomore sensation forward CJ Elleby with 20 points. Four of the Cougar's five starters scored in double figures. Odd though the fifth starter Jervae Robinson had no points. The Cougars take on Florida A&M Thursday night at home. 

Tuesday night the Washington Huskies played city rival Seattle University Redhawks. The Redhawks gave the Huskies a tight game most of the way. The Redhawks led 33-32 at halftime; however, the Huskies led most of the second half. They pulled away under four minutes to go with a run of 16-2 to close out the game. The final score was Washington 81 Seattle 59. The Huskies were led in scoring by Isaiah Stewart with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Quade Green had an outstanding game too for the Huskies scoring 20 points.

Wednesday night the Gonzaga Bulldogs played North Carolina at home winning 94-81. Gonzaga was led in scoring by Corey Kispert with 26 points. Also, Filip Petrusev had 20. The Bulldogs take on Eastern Washington at home on Saturday night. Gonzaga is ranked #2 in the nation right now with a 12-1 record. They have two games including Eastern Washington before opening West Coast Conference play on the road against Portland Pilots on January 2, 2020. 

Josh Gordon Out For Seahawks

I have to admit that I don't know much about Josh Gordon. I do understand that he played for the Cleveland Browns before going to New England this year before they released him and the Seahawks picked him up. He is a talented wide receiver, however, an announcement came out on Monday that he was suspended indefinitely for failing the NFL Drug Policy. 

At his press conference on Monday, Head Coach Pete Carroll talked briefly about the Gordon suspension. He is hoping that Josh Gordon will get the help he needs. Pete Carroll found him to be a good player and teammate in his time with the Seahawks.  Whatever the future lies for Gordon it sounds like the end of his time in Seattle. I am sure the Seahawks agree they hope he can get his life in order.

In other local sports, the Washington men's basketball team takes on city rival Seattle University Tuesday night on their home court. This should be a competitive game with an experienced Seattle U team against the talented Washington team. After this game, the Huskies men's team will be going to Hawaii to play Ball State in the Rainbow Classic on Sunday, December 22. They may play up to three games if they make the final of the tournament. 

The Huskies conference play in the Pac-12 will begin on January 2, at home against UCLA. The Huskies are hoping to be able to play all four of these next games so they will be ready for the Bruins. Go Dawgs.

Washington State Cougars will be taking on Florida A&M on Thursday night at home in Pullman. They have three remaining non-conference games at home before taking on USC Trojans at home on January 2.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs will be home on Wednesday night taking on North Carolina. It should be an exciting game to see. They take on Eastern Washington on Saturday at home. They finish 2019 against the University of Detroit on Monday, December 30. 

Seattle Seahawks Win At Carolina

The Seattle Seahawks won on the road again beating the Carolin Panthers Sunday afternoon 30-24. This gives the Seahawks a final road record of 7-1 only losing last week to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Seahawks got off to a good start scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter ending the period 13-0. Chris Carson scored the first of his two touchdowns and DK Metcalf caught a pass for a touchdown to.

Both teams scored a touchdown in the second quarter. Tyler Lockett who had the flu caught the Seahawk's touchdown pass for 19 yards. Lockett caught eight passes for 120 yards. Chris Carson ended rushing 24 times for 133 yards for an average of 5.5 per carry. He made some important carries late in the game when the Seahawks were hoping to hold off the Panthers.

The Seahawk led at half time 20-7. In the 3rd quarter, not much scoring happened as each team kicked a field goal. Scoring wise Carolina had two touchdowns to the Seahawks one to make it a game. Chris Carson had his second touchdown on the day in the 4th quarter.

Bobby Wagner and rookie Cody Barton led the Seahawk in tackles. The Seahawks lost Wagner as he got a sprained ankle in the game. Not sure whether he will play next week when the Seahawks take on Arizona at home. The Seahawks lost safety Quanre Diggs in the game as well with a sprained ankle as well. He is questionable for next week's game.

Later in the day, good news came out as the San Francisco 49ers lost to the Atlanta Falcons 29-22. So both teams are tied for first place in the NFC West Division. The Seahawks have clinched a spot in the playoffs; however, if they win the final two games against Arizona and San Francisco they will win the game. Both of those games are at home. We hope the Seahawks can get healthy again going into the playoffs go Hawks.

The Seattle Defense This Sunday

The question mark this week will be how the Seattle Seahawks will play defensively against the Carolina Panthers along with seeing their depth on the defensive side. 

The Seahawks have defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney ruled out for the game. Also, cornerback Shaquill Griffin and defensive end Ziggy Ansah are not expected to play either. So that is three important players not going on Sunday.

Rashaad Penny will be missing the rest of the season as I mentioned already before. So CJ Prosise is expected to backup Chris Carson at running. Prosise hasn't played a lot this season so it will be interesting to see how much he has. He has had moderate success when playing but not playing a significant amount of time puts it in question, on the other hand, he is healthy for a change. Likely he will be used on some third-down situations to catch the ball out of the backfield. I wouldn't be surprised that Carson goes a couple series before Prosise enters into the game. This will depend on how successful the Seahawks running game is today too. It is important the Seahawks keep the ball out of the hands of the Panthers to rest the defense. 

We will see how the Seahawks bounce back from a terrible game against the Rams next week. We wish you, Russell Wilson, a good and healthy game. Go Hawks. 

Trade Rumors

As the Winter Meeting was coming to close trade rumors were coming out. For the Mariners, the two biggest ones were for Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager.

I am not sure the Mariners will trade Haniger unless some high prospects are included in the return. If the Mariners do trade Haniger it will likely be at the trading deadline at the end of July 2020 or next off-season. Haniger missing most of last season won't command a lot right now. The team mentioned most was the Arizona Diamondbacks who the Mariners had acquired Haniger in the first place.

There is thought that Kyle Seager might go to several teams because of the need for third basemen. He does have option year where he was traded it would become a player option instead. There is thought that Seager might waive the option if the right circumstances happened. We will see, won't we?

Scott Servais said at the Winter Meetings that Shed Long likely will be the Mariners second baseman So what do the Mariners do about Dee Gordon? Servais figured the Mariners wouldn't be able to trade Gordon so he will get some playing time but most of the time would go to Long. Gordon will have one year remaining on his contract after this coming season but it is an option where the Mariners likely will buy out if he does stay. We will see where that goes as well. 

Gordon not only can play second base he has experience at shortstop so he could play there giving JP Crawford a day off once in a while. Gordon would be an expensive utility player though. I expect they will be able to move him along by the trading deadline or release him. 

We will see what Jerry Dipoto will do this coming week in regards to trades or acquiring free agents. I don't expect free agents to be big names either. The Mariners will look to acquire another starting pitcher along with some more relief help. They may go after a catcher to add depth and a utility player though they do have Austin Nola and Dylan Moore besides Gordon. Go M's. 

Seahawks Off To Carolina

The Seattle Seahawks play in Carolina against the Panthers on Sunday. The Panthers are not having a good season this year. They fired their head coach a couple weeks ago and they are third place in the NFC South with a record of 5-8. Also, they are without starting quarterback Cam Newton.

Going into this game it looks as though the Seahawks should win this game easily but when a team like the Panthers are struggling anything can happen. They may show the Seahawks that they still can play. The Seahawks will have to get off to an early lead to win this game. If they give the Panthers any chance an upset could happen.

The Seahawks will be without running back Rashaad Penny the rest of the season because of injury.

It looks as though Chris Carson will have the bulk of the running. He has had another good season except for fumbles which he is trying to get over with.

CJ Prosise who hasn't had much playing time recently will see some action as the backup running back. He likely will be in on passing downs but the Seahawks will probably use him on running plays as well depending on how much the Seahawks have the ball and how often they are running.

After the terrible game against the LA Rams, this is a game the Seahawks have to rebound in. It is important to keep up with the SF 49ers. The Seahawks still control their destiny in winning the NFC West division. They win the final three games then they win the division. We can't count on the 49ers to lose besides the final game against the Seahawks.

The Washington Huskies football team is preparing for their bowl game in Las Vegas against Boise State. It is ironic the Huskies play Boise State in Chris Petersen's final game as Huskies coach as he came to Seattle from Boise. We are hoping the Huskies will win for Coach Petersen. Go Dawgs!

The Rule 5 Draft

The Seattle Mariners picked up one player in the Rule 5 draft picking right-handed starting pitcher Yohan Ramirez from the Houston Astros. He is 24 years old, he pitched last season in Double-A and Triple-A for the Astros with an era of 3.99 in 27 games starting 15 of them. He is known for lack of control which the Mariners are hoping to fix up. The Mariners acquired three players in the minor-league portion of the draft as well C Brian O'Keefe from Cardinals, OF Jhonny Santos from Marlins and 1B Dariel Gomez from Cardinals. The Mariners didn't lose either of their players in the major league portion of the draft.

Winter Meeting Conclude On Thursday

There have been signings of several free agents for a lot of money none by the Mariners. In fact, the Mariners haven't announced acquisitions during the meetings this week. It doesn't mean the Mariners won't acquire anyone this week or over the next few weeks. I am sure Jerry Dipoto and his staff have talked to numerous players and or their agents.

Thursday The Rule 5 draft takes place. The Mariners have the number six spot so they could get a good player. They have two players that are eligible for the draft they could lose. They are outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams who they acquired last year in the James Paxton trade, and Ljay Newsome right-handed pitcher. Williams has potential but didn't have a good year in the Mariner minor leagues. The Mariners have several outfielders including number one prospect Jarred Kelenic and number two prospect Julio Rodriguez ahead of him. Williams's poor season he may not be drafted at all. 

Newsome, on the other hand, was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round in 2015. He started out on the Mariner's rookie team in Arizona in 2015. In 2016 he spent in Everett before going to low single-A in 2017. His stats don't look too impressive until 2019. He began last season at High Level-A Modesto where he started 18 games with an era of 3.75. On July 15, the Mariners promoted him to Double-A Arkansas where he started nine games with an era of 2.77. If the Mariners would have added Newsome to the 40-man roster he likely would have started the season at Double-A Arkansas or moved up to Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners decided to game about possibly losing Newsome by not adding him to the 40-man roster. There is more of a chance the Mariners will lose Newsome than Williams. Whatever teams they would be picked by they would have to be on the opening day roster spending the season on the whole season or be offered back to Seattle.

So we will see where Williams and Newsome might land and who the Mariners may pick. They are hoping the player they acquire will be another find like Brandon Brennan was for them last year. I will let you know the Mariners choose and what other players they may sign or trade for on Thursday. Go M's. 

Major League Baseball Winter Meetings

Jerry Dipoto of the Seattle Mariners and his staff are at the Winter Meeting in San Diego this week. They arrived on Sunday with meetings happening on Monday. Much of the meetings is to talk with other general managers along with agents.

The news came out Wednesday the Gerrit Cole formerly of the Houston Astros signed a nine-year contract with the New York Yankees at $35 per year. I am sure we all know that is a lot of money. Cole being a pitcher though 29 years old nine years seems too long of a contract to pay someone. We know the Yankees like doing something like that though.

Jerry Dipoto has been talking with different general managers and agents but nothing has been announced as far as picking up a player most likely a pitcher the Mariners would want. The pitchers will probably be marginal who may be coming off of injury or they non-tendered by their previous team last week.  They will be similar to the pitchers they acquired last week.

The Mariners will probably want to sign at least one more starter and at least one reliever.  On Thursday which is the last day of the Winter Meetings is the Rule 5 draft. They are players who played in the minor leagues for several years without making it to the majors.  Last year the Mariners picked up Brandon Brennan who had a good season coming out of the bullpen when he was healthy. He was on the injured list for a couple months. 

This year the Mariners will probably get another pitcher like Brennan in Rule 5 draft. Like Brennan, he will probably be a reliever though they could take a starter who could be the fifth starter. The rules of the Rule 5 draft the player must be on the major league roster all year long or be returned back to the team he played for before the draft. 

Next year the Winter Meeting might be quite interesting for the Mariners because they will probably be more active than this year. The reason is the Mariners figure they will be competing for a playoff spot. This will depend a lot on how the youngsters play this season. We will see, won't we? Go M's. 

Seahawks and Huskies Lose

The Seattle Seahawks lost in LA on Sunday night against the Rams 28-12. It was the Seahawk's first loss on the road.  With all the close games they had, it shouldn't be a surprise they would lose by a good margin. 

The 49ers won a close game against the Saints so they take over possession of first place. The Seahawks will still win the NFC West division if they win their three remaining games. This loss may keep them from having the number one seed though. Next week the Seahawks take on the Carolina Panthers. The game is on the road as well.

It was a tough game on Russell Wilson as the Rams defense rushed him a lot and he had to hurry a lot of passes. The Seahawks running game was such it was hard for them to have a good offensive night. The Seahawks now have a record of 10-3 which is better than most of us expected. Go Hawks!

The Washington Huskies men's basketball team lost at home to the Gonzaga Bulldogs 83-76. The Huskies were in the game all night though they were out of control while turning the ball over 18 times. They did, however, were able to shoot the ball well 50.9% from the floor. The Huskies have over a week off until they play again on December 17. Go Dawgs!

Washington State Men's Basketball Wins Saturday

The Washington State Cougars beat New Mexico State at home Saturday afternoon 63-54. The difference in the game was the first half where the Cougars were leading 30-21. The second half both teams score 33 points.

The Cougars this year are looking at the defense as the difference. They want to build a program where they can match up with Gonzaga and Washington making it the mighty three in Washington. We hope the best for them so it can become a reality.

WSU has a 5-4 record with four games remaining in their non-league schedule. Their next game will be next Sunday against UC Riverside at home in the afternoon. Those who are in the area should look to get in to seem them live. All four games are at home. The Pac-12 schedule begins on January 2 when the Cougars take on USC Trojans at home than face UCLA on January 4. 

WSU women's team is 5-3 so far in non-league action. They take on Gonzaga Sunday afternoon in Pullman. They have three more non-league games before starting their Pac-12 schedule beginning with the Washington Huskies on December 29 in Pullman.

WSU football coach Mike Leach signed this week an extension so he will be around for a bit longer.

The big men's game today locally is between Gonzaga and Washington in Seattle this afternoon. This will be just over an hour before the Seattle Seahawks are on Sunday night football against the Los Angeles Rams.  

In major league baseball, the Winter Meetings begin today going through Thursday in San Diego. We will have to see whether Mariners will add any more players to the roster. If they do it will likely be more pitching. They add or remove a position player as well but most likely not unless they trade Dee Gordon or Mitch Haniger. State tuned right here.

Mariners Trade Narvaez To Brewers

Thursday the Seattle Mariners traded starting catcher Omar Narvaez to the Milwaukee Brewers for a #24 prospect who is a starting pitcher in Single-A right now and an additional pick in next year's draft.

We had heard rumors of Narvaez being traded; however, I was disappointed in the trade. I thought the Mariners could have gotten a lot more for Narvaez. He was the best hitter on last year's team and had a career-high in home runs with 22. His defense was the biggest concern. I am sure the Mariners felt his defense wouldn't get better but he is only 27 years old so his best years may be ahead of him. Not sure because Kyle Seager hasn't done as well in the years that are considered his prime.

We can't cry over spilled milk so we have to see whatever else may come way for the Mariners during this off-season. This could be the beginning of several other trades where this one might make more sense. I least I hope so anyway. Dipoto doesn't expect a lot of trades this off-season like in the past but I am hoping for a few more anyway. This doesn't make so much sense if it stands on its own. We will really not know for a few years whether the trade is a success or not. The importance is the Mariners make the playoffs on a regular basis and find themselves in the World Series in the next few years. Go M's. 

Washington and Gonzaga Both Win

Wednesday night the Washington Huskies and the Gonzaga Bulldog both won getting ready for there showdown at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle this coming Sunday.

The Huskies got off to a terrible start having to come back to beat Eastern Washington 90-80. EWU began opening with a 10-1 before the Huskies were able to get going. The game was tied at 33-33 with 4:50 mark when the Huskies went on a good 14-2 run. The Eagles were never able to get back into the game. 

Gonzaga Bulldogs ended up beating Texas Southern at home 101-62. The game was over at half-time with the Bulldogs leading 53-20. All seven of their players who play many minutes scored in double figures. They were led by Cory Kispert with 17 points.

The Huskies will have to get off to a better start on Sunday if they have any chance to beat Gonzaga. Both teams have only one loss so far on the season. This game will show good the Huskies will be going into Pac-12 play in January. 

Gonzaga again should make the NCAA tournament while the young Huskies are hoping to. 

Seahawks Win 10th Game

Monday night the Seattle Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 37-30. This time the Seahawks had a large lead; however, they settled winning by a touchdown. It is getting quite familiar, to say the least.

The important thing is they are winning; by how much isn't so important. It was an odd game with turnovers in a weird fashion.  Like the ball, Russell Wilson tried to bat away instead turned into a touchdown. I am sure he wouldn't try that one again.

The Seahawks were down 17-10 at half-time; however, they scored 24 unanswered points before the Vikings came back to make it interesting. 

In the third quarter, running back Rashaad Penny scored a touchdown then with the extra point tied it at 17-17. Myers kicked a field goal,  a beautiful pass from Wilson to David Morse plus extra point made it 27-17. In the 4th quarter, Penny scored a second touchdown for 13 yards from Wilson. The Vikings weren't dead yet with QB Cousins throwing a 58-yard touchdown pass. Little more than five minutes later Cousins threw another touchdown pass for 3 yards. The Vikings missed the extra point making it 34-30. With 21 secs remaining in the game the Seahawks kicked a 36-yard field goal making it 37-30. The Viking fumbled the kick-off the Seahawks recovered ending the game. 

The Seahawks had a good day on the ground with Chris Carson running for 102 yards while Penny had 74. DK Metcalf led the Seahawks in catches and yards with six and 75 while David Moore had 2 for 65 yards including the touchdown. 

The Seahawks are tied for first place with the San Francisco 49ers each with a record of 10-2. If the Seahawks win all their remaining games they will win the division. This coming Sunday they take on the Los Angeles Rams in LA. Go Hawks!

Chris Petersen Resigns as Huskies Head Coach

It became a shock for everyone related to the Washington Huskies athletic department Chris Petersen stepped down as head coach on Monday. He isn't going anywhere right now. He will still work in the athletic department. 

So you may ask who is going to replace Petersen as head coach. The Huskies have already named his successor in defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake the next head coach. Petersen will coach the bowl game the Huskies will play in before turning the reigns over to Lake. 

Petersen gave no reason why he stepped down, however, will stay on in the Huskies athletic department. Lake says the head coach job at Washington is his dream job but was surprised he would become the head coach any time soon. Now a new era begins. Go Huskies!

There Is More For Seahawks On Monday Night

As the Seattle Seahawks were waiting on Sunday to play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night the San Francisco 49ers lost in Baltimore to the Ravens 20-17 on a last-second field goal. 

It is only fair the Ravens beat the 49ers or the 49ers lost to the Ravens depending on how you look at it since one of the Seahawks' two losses was to the Ravens in Seattle. 

Seahawks fans already had something to root for already but this adds more fire to Monday night's game. The Seahawks win they are in first place in the NFC West. Now the Seahawks have to do is win the remaining four games and they have the NFC West title. The Seahawks have done better in the playoffs when winning the division. 

The Vikings are looking to win this game as well since they are a half-game behind the Green Bay Packers. They win the game they are even with the Packers while losing a game behind. Sort of the same scenario as the Seahawks. The Seahawks win they are tied with the 49ers except they beat them so have the upper hand. The Seahawks lose then they are a game behind.

The Seahawks are undefeated on the road while the two losses are both at home. We want that trend to end. It doesn't matter how they win; however, it would be nice if they win by at least ten points. So enjoy the game with the Seahawks winning in the end. Go Hawks!

Ducks Beat The Beavers

Since this blog is supposed to be about northwest sports I figure to mention the Oregon Ducks Saturday night beat the Oregon State Beavers for the final game of the regular season 24-10.

The Ducks scored ten points in the first quarter while the Beavers kicked a field goal for three. The Ducks scored a touchdown in the second quarter making it 17-3 at half time. Both teams were silent in the third quarter not scoring a point then both had touchdowns in the fourth.

Oregon ended the regular season at 10-2 while Oregon State at 5-7. The Ducks won the Pac-12 North Division so they will take on the South Division champions Utah this coming Friday for the Pac-12  Championship. The Beavers tied Washington and California for second place with 4-5 record in the division; however, they are not eligible to play in a bowl game without enough wins overall. Stanford in the cellar of the North Divison and are not eligible for a bowl game either. In the South Division UCLA, Colorado and Arizona are not eligible either. 

The winner between Oregon and Utah could go to the National Championship Series. Utah has an overall record of 11-1 so they would have a better chance over the 10-2 Ducks. We wish both teams the best in the championship game leading to the National Championship Series.

The Seattle Seahawks have Sunday off however they take on the Minnesota Vikings at home on Monday night. Jadeveon Clowney who missed the game against the Eagles is expected to play against the Vikings. Also, fellow defensive end Jarran Reed Reed had limited practice time this last week is expected to play as well. We are hoping for the Seahawks 10th win with four games remaining after this one. Go Hawks!