Mariners Add Pitching Depth

The Seattle Mariners signed this week two more pitchers. They signed Yoshihisa Hirano to a one-year major league contract. He is expected to be used late out of the bullpen. He spent the last two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks after 11 seasons in his native Japan.  He is expected to be in the mix to be the closer. Right now they have Matt Magill as the closer. 

The Mariners signed left-handed pitcher Wei-Yin Chen to a minor league deal. He could be competing for the fifth spot in the rotation as he has been a starter most of his career though last year he pitched in relief for the Miami Marlins who released him last November. 

Chen's best season was 2014 when he had a record of 16-6 with an ERA of 3.54 for the Baltimore Orioles. I don't think the Mariners are expecting anything like that from Chen; however, he can be a good asset for the Mariners as the fifth starter or out of the bullpen.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Mariners sign any more players. It would be nice to see if a veteran catcher could come into camp for the Mariners.  

College Basketball Thursday

The Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars play Arizona and Arizona State Thursday night and then reverse for Saturday.

Both teams need victories as they lost two games on the road at Utah and Colorado. The Huskies should have beaten Utah last Thursday but poor referring and lack of making shots down the stretch along with Utah making 12 straight free throws cost the Huskies the game by one point. Both teams lost badly to Colorado.

The Huskies are dead last in the Pac-12 with a record of 2-6 with the Cougars not far behind. We hope that home cooking will help both teams out. 

Both teams have ten games remaining on the season before the Pac-12 conference championship tournament. The Huskies to make it back to the NCAA tournament they must turn things around. They have to do well in the Pac-12 tournament as well. 

Everything looked bright going into conference play but not since. We root for both teams to do well the rest of the way. They will play each other twice coming up soon. I will be rooting for the Huskies.

Gonzaga plays Thursday night as well. They are on the road to Santa Clara. They beat them at home two weeks ago blowing them out 104-54. I hope for the Santa Clara fans it will be a closer game.

Crack Of The Bat

It will be so nice when we can see and hear the crack of the bat from the Mariner players. It is nice that we will see some young players in training camp that will be up this season or the next couple of years. 

The Mariners are expected to sign another potential starting pitcher or two before heading to Peoria. It seems they have a lot of utility players on the roster. Actually, they have five that will fight for two spots depending on whether they go with an extra outfielder or not. With Mitch Haniger out four to six weeks at the beginning of the season they could go with three outfielders and three utility players. 

Austin Nola who played a lot of first base last year along with a little at second base will be the Mariners backup catcher to Tom Murphy. He may play some first base as well along with an occasion at second base. It may depend on whether Dee Gordon sticks around. Gordon would be considered one of the utility players since he is not expected to start at second base. Right now the Mariners are planning to have Shed Long at second. Gordon will be the backup at second base well as shortstop. We could call him an extra infielder as well.

The four candidates for the Mariners outfield for now are Mallex Smith, Kyle Lewis, Jake Fraley, and Braden Bishop. The Mariners will have other guys trying to make it for the outfield too. Lewis, Fraley, and Bishop are no sure thing to make the opening day roster. At least two of the three should be on the roster though. Who doesn't make it likely will be one not hitting well in training camp then will be sent to Tacoma. Even if one of them doesn't start the season we will probably see them at some point in the season. We wish Haniger as a quick healer.  Go M's. 

Counting The Days

The Seattle Mariners report to spring training in 16 days. It looks like they will have at least 61 players in camp. According to general manager Jerry Dipoto, every player in the minor leagues will be seen in the major league camp at some time or another except those drafted last year.

Mitch Haniger is going to miss at least the first month of the season so we will see the action of some outfielders in spring training that we may have not otherwise. Also, someone will start the season in his roster spot as well. I am sure there are still some think the Mariners should have traded him already. We never know about injuries, it is part of the game. 

Position players are set for the most part. The main competition is for the utility player or two and the outfield sport in place for Haniger. For those who may not know the roster is going from 25 to 26 so an additional utility player or catcher, or outfielder will be on the team. 

The starting pitching rotation is pretty set as well. There could be change at the bottom of the rotation along with injuries that could happen. The bullpen is where the competition will be. We will be seeing at least 16 pitchers going for eight spots. Four or five of the spots are almost a lock.

We look toward a season to see players making a step forward even if we don't see the victories going forward. Go M's. 

Tough Times For Huskies and Cougars

The Washington Huskies continue to struggle without the presence of Quade Green their point guard who became academically ineligible before the Stanford game.  They have gone 1-5 in those games losing Saturday night to Colorado on the road 76-62.  Isaiah Stewart led the Huskies with 23 points.

The Huskies have ten games remaining on their schedule so they still have time to turn things around; however another loss or two they will need to play the guys who will be important for next season. 

The Washington State Cougars played Utah who was the Huskies opponent on Thursday night. Utah won the game 76-64. The Cougars were led by guard Isaac Bonton with 21 points. 

The Cougars are rebuilding this year. The Huskies are to in a way but most figured they would contend for the title with freshman Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels. Stewart has been the real thing being the Huskies leading scorer, however, McDaniels has had trouble since injuring his ankle against California. He missed the Oregon State game which has been the game the Huskies won but last night only played nine minutes against Colorado.

We hope for a turnaround for the Huskies and the Cougars to do well on their rebuilding.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs continue playing well getting ready for the NCAA tournament beating Pacific easily at home 92-59. They play Santa Clara this coming Thursday on the road. They beat Santa Clara easily ten days ago. Next Saturday they will be at San Francisco. 

Add To Mariner Rotation

The Mariners picked up a starting pitcher from the San Diego Padres Nick Margevicius a lefty. I wouldn't jump hoops for this pitcher for one he was picked up on waivers. At least it didn't cost the Mariners anything except Reggie McClain was designated for assignment. 

Nick had a high ERA over six last year in limited pitching appearances mostly starts. Though more depth for the rotation I would like to find someone with more success. Oh well, I guess we shouldn't have expected more.

Other news came out that Mitch Haniger will be out for about the first month of the season. On the bright side, it will allow the young outfielders to have more experience to see how they do. We hope Mitch will be able to bounce back when he is healthy. I just hope no other injuries on the frontline players. Go M's. 

Huskies and Cougars Both Lose On the Road

The Washington Huskies basketball team lost on the road at Utah on Thursday night 67-66. They have lost four of their last five games by a total of 13 points. All four of the losses they could have or should have won the games.

This game again the Huskies were leading most of the way until the last five minutes. The referring was terrible not helping the Huskies out at all. They called fouls on the Huskies that should have gone the other way. It didn't help Washington was charged for a technical foul and Utah was able to convert their free throws.

The Huskies were led by Jaden McDaniels with 14 points, however, he fouled out late in the game not helping matters along with Hameir Wright who had a good offensive night with 13 points. Isaiah Stewart the Huskies leading scorer on the season had 13 points too.

The Huskies now will face Colorado on Saturday who beat Washington State Cougars Thursday night. It won't be an easy game for the Huskies to win though it is a must-win for the Huskies to have any chance to win the Pac-12 title.

Colorado blew out the Cougars winning 78-56. Colorado beat the Huskies despite missing forward Tyler Bey the leading rebounder in the Pac-12. He is the cousin of Washington's Jamel Bey. He sat the night on the bench with a bandage on his hand.  Colorado is hoping to have Bey back on Saturday against the Huskies.

Spring Training Invitees

The Seattle Mariners announced on Wednesday that 21 players in their minor league system will be invited to the big club spring training. These are players that are not on their 40-man roster.

Included in this list are several of their top prospects outfielders Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodrigues, catcher Cal Raleigh, and pitcher Logan Gilbert. If you have been following the Mariners they are names you are familiar with. 

Of the 21 invitees four of them are catchers including Raleigh. Two of the catchers Joe Odom and Joe Hudson are expected to be at triple-A Tacoma. Raleigh is expected to be with double-A Arkansas to start the season anyway. The fourth catcher Brian O'Keefe will probably join Raleigh in Arkansas. One of the four though if the do a good job could end up in Seattle since they have Tom Murphy and Austin Nola as the catchers. Nola spent last year playing a lot of first base and he can play around the infield. Depending on how well he hits the Mariners will probably have him in the lineup almost every day so that might leave room to have another catcher on the roster.

Eleven of the invitees are pitchers including Gilbert. The ones who are relievers have the best chance of making the opening roster though they will have to earn it since a lot of pitchers competing for the bullpen. The Mariners will have eight relievers; however, five of the spots are close to being locks so would leave quite a few pitchers competing for three spots. 

They have invited three infielders. None of the names I am familiar with so I could see them all starting the season in Tacoma. The only spot to make the roster is the utility position and the Mariners have several competing for the spot who spent last season in Seattle including Dylan Moore who was the primary utility player last year. The Mariners may go with two utility players since the roster has expanded to 26 up from 25. 

Luis Liberto is the third member of the outfield to be invited to spring training. He likely will start the season at double-A or triple-A. Kelenic will probably be in double-A ball as well though he does have an outside chance of making the Mariners out of spring training. Rodrigues will probably start in high-A or double-A to start the season. He probably is a year behind Kelenic far as making the roster as a regular. They could both make the roster at the same time to but likely won't happen until 2021.

In other local sports, the Washington Huskies men's basketball team will be in Utah taking on the Utes Thursday night while the Washington State Cougars play at Colorado. They reverse opponents on Saturday. It is very important the Huskies sweep the two teams if they expect to still win the Pac-12 championship and as important go back to the NCAA tournament in March.

Felix Hernandez Moves On

Monday something did happen in local sports in a way that is. 

King Felix Hernandez number one starter for quite a few years for the Seattle Mariners 

before injuries and the loss of his fastball was signed by the Atlanta Braves to a minor league deal.

Felix has been invited to the Braves major league spring training to see if he can make the team as the fifth starter. 

It is hard to know what his chances are to make the Braves team. A lot depends on whether he is healthy along with willing to do whatever it takes to pitch in the major leagues.

Although his fastball isn't what it used to be his other pitches still make the major league standards so the question is can Felix look at using those other pitches and use the fastball only when necessary. His problem was he wanted to use the fastball no matter what. 

We hope he learned something and not let his pride get the best of him. We wish Felix the best in Atlanta.

This coming season Atlanta will be coming to Seattle in May. It would be nice if he makes the Braves roster and pitches against the Mariners. It would be nice to see a lot of people at the game. 

Count Down Continues

At least in local sports not much happened on Sunday. The Washington Huskies women's basketball team lost. They have the same record as the guys. Stanford is at the top of the Pac-12 for the women too. Not a big surprise for sure.

After the conference championship games, we now know the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers are playing in the Super Bowl on February 2 which happens to be my dad's birthday. I miss you Dad! 

Now we are counting down until the Seattle Mariners report to spring training. Make it easy the pitchers and catchers report ten days after the Super Bowl on February 12 so if my math is right we are talking 23 days. 

No news about the Mariners either. You would think Jerry Dipoto would announce something is going on. He is being so quiet. 

I hope he announces the Mariners have acquired a starting pitcher this week. This will allow us to write about and talk about someone. I have mentioned before the Mariners don't have depth in starting pitching.

 If something happens to a starter or can you imagine two the Mariners will have trouble finding a fifth or even a fourth starter with two injuries. Always someone has issues when spring training begins. The Mariners do have minor league pitchers but do we want to go there right now.

Anyway, I hope something is cooking. Nothing happening until Thursday when the Huskies and Cougars play Utah and Colorado on the road. 

Until tomorrow when I hope there is something to say here. Have a good day. 

Washington Loses To Oregon In Overtime

The Washington Huskies men's basketball team looked like they were going to beat Oregon; however, the Ducks put on a full-court press in the second half the Huskies couldn't handle.

The Huskies had a sixteen point lead with 13:42 remaining in the game. It looked like Washington finally was going to beat Oregon after losing to them at home last year and then in the championship game in the conference tournament. 

Payton Pritchard senior guard the Ducks leading scorer had 22 points. He won the game in overtime with a 3-point shot that was at least ten feet behind the arc. Pritchard looks like he can shoot from anywhere on the field. He made six out of 12 from behind the arc. Most of them were way out like the final one. It is hard to guard a player like that because you don't naturally do so that far out. The Huskies though did have someone guard him on the final shot but he still sunk the ball. Pritchard had to take the shot as well because there was little time left on the clock. 

The Huskies still had three seconds to tie the game; however, they had to go full-court so just didn't have the time. The Huskies go to Utah and Colorado this coming Thursday and Saturday. For them to stay in the race they are both must-wins or at least as close as it comes. The Huskies are 2-4 in Pac-12 play and tied with Oregon State for eighth place.

WSU Cougars who upset Oregon on Thursday night ended up beating Oregon State on Saturday 89-76. They showed it isn't easy for the opposition to win on the road in the Pac-12. Last week the Cougars lost to both California and Stanford. 

A major reason the Cougars won guard Isaac Bonton a junior guard and a transfer from Montana State had a career-high 34 points including making 14-14 from the foul line. The Cougars had four players in double figures who scored all their points except six done by DJ Rodman son of Dennis Rodman coming off the bench.

Number one ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs beat BYU Saturday 92-69. The Bulldogs are 20-1 overall on the season while being 6-0 in conference play. Gonzaga was led in scoring by forward Killian Tillie with 22 points and 10 rebounds. In all the Bulldogs had five of their seven-man rotation score in double digits. 

Another Rebuilding Year

I am sure most of us are hoping this is the last year for rebuilding since the Mariners haven't been to the playoffs in many years.

My idea is for us to keep an eye on one or two players for the season. In other words, root for our favorite players. 

If you want to root for a pitcher I would look at least a couple of them since they don't pitch every day. You could root for a position player along with a pitcher.

Now that he is the veteran player on the team root for Kyle Seager that he has a good season. It would be nice to see him get off to a good start. Being on a team that is rebuilding he shouldn't have any pressure to succeed. If he wants to go to a contender or sign another contract in another couple of years it is important for him to have a few good seasons.

We have Evan White at first base. We can root that he can hit as well as watching his good defense. He is already among the best defensively. See what balls he gets to and runs he saves.

At second base we have Shed Long. We can root for him to have a good first full season in the major leagues and he can live up to being the second baseman on a good team on a playoff run in a couple years. 

Shortstop, we have JP Crawford. Look to added improvement from him at the plate well as in the field. He has shown the talent let it be realized.

In left field let's see Kyle Lewis have an exciting season taking off what he did when he came up in September.

We have Jake Fraley who can play any of the outfield spots. He looks like an exciting player so we hope he can hit and run the bases.

Braden Bishop one of the nice guys in baseball. We root this coming season he will stay healthy and can hit major league pitchers. He is the Mariner's best defensive outfielder.

Mallex Smith shows improvement in the field and at the plate. He did show he is a hard worker though he didn't have a good season last year except leading the league in stolen bases.

Mitch Haniger we see the player from two years ago. He is healthy and can hit for average wherever he is in the lineup.

Tom Murphy can hit the same as a regular catcher and play good defense behind the plate.

Austin Nola will have another good season whether he is playing behind the plate or in the field or dh.

Daniel Vogelbach has a good full-season as he had the first half. He is good in the clubhouse so showing on the field too. He can figure out how to hit lefties.

Marco Gonzales has another solid season. We will see the Yusei Kikuchi who pitched in Japan. The whole starting rotation has a solid season and no injuries to the staff.

We hope there is a reliever out of the bullpen we can root for every time he comes into the game.

It sounds like a good list for those to root for. Go M's. 

Washington Schools Win Thursday Night

The Washington State Cougars men's basketball team started the night upsetting the nationally ranked Oregon Ducks Thursday night. The game was close most of the night then the Cougars went on a good run to close out the game-winning 72-61. The Cougars won primarily because of their outstanding defense.

The Washington Huskies won to at home against the Oregon State Beavers 64-56. This was without freshman standout Jaden McDaniels out with an ankle injury. RaeQuan Battle another freshman started in his place scoring 11 points all in the first half. He didn't play very much in the second half because of cramps.  

The Huskies duo at guards Marcus Tsohonis and Jamel Bey had an outstanding night each scoring 11 points. Tsohonis handled the ball well without being raddled at all.

Number one ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs demolished Santa Clara at home 104-54. There isn't much more you can say in such a lopsided win. Gonzaga will take on BYU on Saturday.

The Huskies will take on Oregon Saturday afternoon while the Cougars will play the OSU Beavers. They both hope to take the series against the two Oregon schools.

A Look At Seahawks Unrestricted Free Agents

Now that NFL season is over the Seattle Seahawks we will look at the 19 unrestricted free agents. The Seahawks will have some restricted free agents as well but we will look at them at another time.

I will give out info on the Seahawks once a week during the off-season. When baseball season starts at the end of March I will probably do so when the Mariners have a day off.

Jadeveon Clowney defensive end the Seahawks acquired from the Houston Texans is probably the unrestricted free agent the Seahawks will want to retain; however, it will probably cost them the most money as well. The Seahawks showed during the season especially at the end when he missed some time how valuable he is. If the Seahawks are not able to sign him they will need to go and sign another defensive end. They will likely look to draft a defensive end as well. They do have last year's first-round pick, LJ Collier but he doesn't look ready to take over for Clowney.

During the last off-season, Seattle signed defensive end Ziggy Ansah was signed as a free agent for one season for $9 million. He ended up, for the most part, being a disappointment being injuring for the most part so I am sure the Seahawks will look to sign someone else in his spot. 

Wide receiver Jaron Brown spent the season in a Seahawk uniform but they likely won't resign him going with the younger crowd of receivers. With DK Metcalf stepping forward in his rookie season the Seahawks will look to either bring in another receiver or draft one in his spot.

Offensive tackle George Fant who came to the Seahawks only playing a year of college football spent some time at left tackle along with being a sixth offensive lineman as an extra tight end they would like to retain his services but it would depend on how much it may cost. If another team offers higher than the Seahawks want to pay him he will be gone.

Wide receiver Josh Gordon is listed as one of the unrestricted free agents but he was suspended by the NFL so he won't be back for the Seahawks.

Right tackle Germain Ifedi who has started for the Seahawks since being a rookie was not given a fifth-year option so the reason he is an unrestricted free agent. His biggest issue is being called for holding on many occasions. So Seattle may decide it will be time to let him loose. This will depend on what offers he gets out on the open market as well. Most fans will say see you later Ifedi.

Left guard Mike Iupati an older veteran might not be signed by the Seahawks. It will depend on how much of the starting offensive line they want to keep and how much it will be. The Seahawks have some younger offensive lineman like Jarmaco Jones who has shown promise.

Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson will likely return. This could depend on how much money another team may offer him. If the price is right he will continue to be a Seahawk.

Linebacker Mychal Kendricks had a fine season before a torn ACL. The Seahawks would like him back though he may not be ready for the start of next season. Rookie linebacker Cody Barton did a fine job in his place but whether the Seahawks feel he is capable to start full-time will decide whether Kendricks will return.

Defensive back Akeem King did a fine job on special teams but when pressed into action at cornerback he didn't so well. When it comes to career defensive backs are a turnover over and over again. There is a good chance the Seahawks won't re-sign King and go with a free agent or a draft pick. 

Marshawn Lynch the beast mode came back coming out of retirement at the end of the season because of injuries to Chris Carson, CJ Prosise, and Rashaad Penny. There is talk that coach Pete Carroll would like to see Lynch back again in a limited role. He would be good when the Seahawks are on a goal stand and they want to give Carson a breather. 

Speaking of CJ Prosise he is an unrestricted free agent himself. There is no doubt about his talent but he has never lived up to it because of injuries. The likelihood the Seahawks will have him try continuing his career elsewhere.

Defensive end Jarran Reed was suspended for the first six games of the season for the Seahawks. He played well but whether they can retain both he and Clowney will be in question. His suspension could keep another team from signing him. If that is the case he could return to Seattle.

Quarterback Geno Smith was Wilson's backup but never needed so there is a good chance he will look elsewhere to play quarterback. The Seahawks may look at acquiring a younger quarterback as well.

Defensive back Neiko Thorpe was captain of the special teams where he has excelled with the Seahawks. Now a veteran being around for some time along with injuries the Seahawks could look at replacing him in the coming NFL draft.

Running back Robert Turpin returned at the same time as Lynch. He didn't play very much at all. Most likely he won't return next season. 

Defensive end Dakota Watson was on the roster at the end of the season but there is a good chance he won't be back with the Seahawks next season. 

Tight end Luke Willson brought back this last season because of injuries at the tight end spot. It is hard to know whether he will return or not. He is a great guy doing a good job but whether the Seahawks have a spot for him is in question. They may have him around just in case the Seahawks have injures again at tight end.

Defensive tackle Al Woods had a good season for the Seahawks until he was suspended at the end of the season for four games. Though the Seahawks like his play it will be interesting to see if he returns.

So that is the look at all the unrestricted free agents the Seahawk have. I will keep you up to date where they land whether back in Seattle or elsewhere. Go Hawks!

WSU Names New Football Coach

It didn't take long for the Washington State Cougars to name their new head football coach after Mike Leach became head coach at Mississippi State. 

The new coach is Nick Rolovich who comes to Pullman, Washington from Hawaii. Talk about a different climate especially late in the football season. He is reported to have signed a five-year deal to coach the Cougars. It doesn't mean a lot since Leach had recently signed an extension only a short time before leaving Pullman.

Rolovich's offense won't look a lot different than Leach's since he is expected to throw the ball a lot as well. I am sure there will be some differences in their offenses. I am sure the terminology will be different but the ball will be thrown for sure. 

Last year's quarterback Anthony Gordon was a senior so he won't be returning. The Cougars do have several quarterbacks expected to compete for the starting spot. It will be interesting if any of them will transfer or Rolovich will bring in a quarterback of his own. The turnover at quarterback might not be drastic since they will continue throwing the ball. It may all depend on the style of quarterback Rolovich likes compared to Leach.

The quarterbacks listed on the Cougars roster going into spring are redshirt junior John Bledsoe son of Drew who made his name at WSU before having a long career in the NFL, Cameron Cooper redshirt sophomore out of Lehi, Utah, two redshirt freshmen in Gunner Cruz and Aaron Angelos. Having been around the longest Bledsoe you would think would have the edge; however, we will see when spring ball is over.  Best to Rolovich and the Cougars. 

Mariner Spring Training Less Than a Month Away

The pitchers and catchers for the Seattle Mariners report on February 12. So the time is coming up soon.

Questions still need to be answered. Any more trades or signings by Jerry Dipoto. The Mariners can use at least a couple of more starting pitchers to compete for the rotation. They have no one if one of the five starters are injured. Also, Dee Gordon going to be around or traded before or during spring training. Dipoto says Shed Long will be the Mariners second baseman so what role will Gordon play if he is still here.

The bullpen will be wide open for competition. They will have eight relief pitchers with sixteen competing for those spots on the 40-man roster. They likely will have a few more pitchers from the minor leagues or veterans signed with minor league contracts competing as well.

Tom Murphy looks like he will be the starting catcher with Austin Nola backing him up.

First base likely will be Evan White signing a long-term contract. 

Second base looks to be Shed Long with Kyle Seager at third and JP Crawford rounding out the infield. 

The starting outfield right now according to Dipoto starting Haniger in right, Mallex Smith in center and Kyle Lewis in left. There should be competition for the fourth outfield spot or someone takes over for either Lewis or Smith 

So let's see what happens over the next four weeks. 

Seahawks Season Now Over

The Seattle Seahawks season ended on Sunday to the Green Bay Packers losing 28-25. This game was like most of their losses close and what might have been. 

The Seahawks with injuries and having a defense that had trouble stopping a good team's offense, for the most part, had a good showing this season. What will the Seahawks do during the off-season to improve the defense? We will see, won't we?

It would have been interesting had the offense started well in the first half instead of waiting until the third quarter. This is something we have been used to all season long. Actually longer than that. It was nice they were competitive in most of their games though.

So what do the Seahawks do next? They can look at making trades but more likely in the draft.

They need to beef up the offensive line and the defensive line too. The linebackers are still the best unit of the defense. The Seahawks need improvement at the defensive back positions as well. Whether the improvement comes from current players or bringing in better players. 

When it comes to the draft who do they pick in the first round?  I would look at picking the best offensive lineman, defensive lineman or cornerback. If there is an impacted player available at any of those three positions when they draft I would take him. The Seahawks need an impact player at any of those three positions. 

The Seahawks need more than just depth. If there is an impact player at any of those three positions that are free agents I would go after them. I would make a trade where an impact player didn't come in either through free agency or the draft. The Seahawks won't go further without an impact player at those three spots.

Enjoy basketball and baseball while waiting for football next season. Go Hawks! 

  

Tough Day For Washington and WSU Men's Basketball

Both the Washington Huskies got swept in the Bay area on Thursday and Saturday. 

The Huskies were ahead most of the time against Stanford before falling late in the game 61-55 on Thursday then on Saturday they were behind most of the game against California being able to force overtime where they lost on a three-point shot with 7.3 seconds remaining. Before Thursday's game, they received news that Quade Green their sophomore point guard is going to miss the rest of the Pac-12 schedule for academic ineligibility. 

The good defense Stanford and California but on the Huskies especially allowing Isaiah Stewart the team's leading scorer from taking his normal amount of shots was a major factor. The Huskies at times forced the ball into him as well. The Huskies shot terrible 25% from behind the 3-point line. They got back into the game after being down by ten points by going to the basket but shot outside again when the game was close. When you are making 3+pointers go for it but when they are not falling you must take closer and easier shots. 

Washington State Cougars who are trying to get things going under a new coach were beaten badly by California and Stanford. Not a big surprise since the Cougars are not as good as the Huskies. We hope the Cougars will be able to split the games against Oregon and Oregon State. The Ducks are favored to win the Pac-12 title so it won't be easy for the Cougars. Also, the Pac-12 is a better conference this year so no matter how much better the Cougars are it won't be easy.

We wish the best for the Cougars when they aren't playing the Huskies. 

Seahawks and More

Saturday we are looking forward to the Seattle Seahawks playing in Green Bay against the Packers on Sunday. It is expected to be cold which shouldn't be a surprise this time of the year in Green Bay. We might see some snow as well so how this game goes throw up a coin.

We will be rooting for the Seahawks to win this game, of course, however, how it ends the Seahawks have had a better season then I am sure most of us expected. This is especially true with all the injuries the team has had to go through. Also, we know that both sides have flaws in their units as well. The offense has had a surprise in receiver DK Metcalf improving over the season along with being someone making the difference against Philadelphia last weekend to advance.

While we wait for the Seahawks game there will be three other divisional playoff games.  The Seahawks win Sunday and so do the 49ers the Seahawks will play them for the third time. A rubber match as they call it since they split on the regular season.

The Washington Huskies basketball team plays the California Golden Bears in Berkely where they hope to even the Pac-12 record at 2-2 while the Cougars take on Stanford to see if they can even their record as well. Gonzaga will be taking on Loyal Marymount on the road. They want to keep their number one ranking in college basketball.

The Cougars, if you haven't heard, are in the market for a new head football coach as Mike Leach is moving his air attack to Mississippi State. Time for Leach to return to the South East of the country. I am sure we will hear in the next few days who will take over the head coaching job at Washington State. We can say the Huskies won't have Leach to push around anymore.  Best to the Cougars in their search for a new football coach. 

The Washington Huskies football team has hired a new offensive coordinator/quarterback coach in John Donovan recently of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Huskies are expected to be runny a professional type of offense under Donovan. 

Washington and WSU Lose Gonzaga Wins

It turned out to be a rough night for the Washington Huskies men's basketball team playing the Stanford Cardinal on the road. 

The Huskies led most of the game having a lead of 12 points in the first half; however, the had problems with their offense in the last 6 minutes 40 seconds where the Cardinal outscored them 16-4. In fact, the Huskies weren't able to get a point in the last two minutes plus seventeen seconds when the Cardinal tied the game. The Huskies ended up losing 61-55.

Earlier in the day, news came out that Quade Green the Huskies point guard became academically ineligible for the rest of the regular season. He will be able to play in the NCAA tournament if the Huskies can reach it.  How much it affected the Huskies play especially near the end of the game we probably won't know though I am sure it did.

I am sure Mike Hopkins will have the Huskies ready to play California on Saturday. The Golden Bears were last in the Pac-12 last season just behind the Cougars who they beat Thursday night 73-66. The Cougars are under new coaching so it will take time for their program to turn around.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs beat the University of San Diego Thursday night easily blowing them out 94-50.  This was after winning a close game last Saturday to Pepperdine 75-70. Gonzaga's next game will be Saturday at Loyola Marymount. 

We hope we can see all three teams win on Saturday. 

Picking Up Another Starting Pitcher

Spring training is five weeks away from happening. It has been a slow off-season for the Mariners as far as acquiring players unlike last season.

When it comes to starting pitching the Mariners don't have much depth there. The rotation right now looks like Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, a newcomer to the Mariners anyway veteran free-agent signee Kendall Graveman, Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn. 

Right now the Mariners don't have anyone else on the forty-man roster to step in. There are two pitchers Erik Swanson who started some games last year but the Mariners like him for the bullpen and Ricardo Sanchez who is 22 years old and hasn't pitched above double-A ball.

The Mariners are looking to acquire another pitcher like Kendall Graveman who is coming off a season where he was injured looking to bounce back. This is what the Mariners are looking for to sign over the next five weeks. 

If all the five starters are ready to go and healthy the Mariners will have someone that will pitch long relief out of the bullpen ready to step in at any time. They could sign one or two veterans who would start in triple-A as well as being ready at any time. 

So we will see who the Mariners will get over the weeks ahead.  The Mariners are hoping Logan Gilbert first-round pick in 2018  will be ready to join the rotation sometime during the season and 2019 top pick George Kirby be ready sometime next season. The Mariners drafted nine pitchers in 2019 in the first ten rounds so someone from that group will be ready in 2021 as well though I see more likely in 2022. 

I will be keeping an eye on how those guys are doing throughout the season. Go M's. 

Not Much Happening This Off-Season For Mariners

Jerry Dipoto the general manager of the Seattle Mariners said they didn't plan on making too many moves this off-season. So far he is correct that is for sure. Whatever the writers who cover the Mariners they have had to be creative in their writing.

I am sure most fans and other writers would agree with me where the Mariners need to acquire another quality starter. I would like someone not only to be here in 2020 but next year as well.

Marco Gonzales and Yusei Kikuchi are the number one and two starters the Mariners having going into this spring. I am not saying they are a typical one and two starters but they are for the Mariners right now. The Mariners signed veteran pitcher Kendall Graveman as a starter whether he is a third, or four, or fifth not sure at this moment. He is someone coming back from injury though.

The other pitchers expected to start for the Mariners are Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn both considered in the top ten of Mariner prospects. Sheffield made seven starts for the Mariners in August and September. In those seven starts, he went 36 innings with an ERA of 5.50. I am sure the Mariners are hoping for better from him in 2020. 

The innings do show that Sheffield averaged just over five innings per outing which is what you are hoping for a starter that is in the 4th or 5th spot in the rotation. I wonder if the Mariners find out that Sheffield would do better going three or four innings than bringing in the calvary or better known as the bullpen. In this case, the Mariners will need a long reliever who can go at least two if not three innings. I know this coming season has nothing to do with how many wins the Mariners have but they will need to see where the comfort zone is for him.

Now when it comes to Justin Dunn he may be in the same boat as Sheffield. How many quality innings can he go and be effective?  In September he made four starts as an opener. He didn't pitch any more than two innings. In fact, in the four starts, he went 6.2 innings with an ERA of 2.20. His issue was having control where he ended up walking nine batters. It was his first taste of major league ball so I expect he will do better this coming season. 

There is no guarantee that Dunn will be a starter coming out of spring training. He could be an opener or be in the bullpen as well. Right now though who else would start for the Mariners without Dipoto acquiring another starter.

The Mariners have Logan Gilbert first-round pick of 2018. Last season was his first in professional ball. He made three spots in the minor leagues end up at double-A  Arkansas. He dominated all three places he pitched. Is he ready to begin the season in Seattle? If not then who will start in the place of either Sheffield or Dunn if they can't make it or do they throw them to the wolves? This doesn't count if Graveman relapses and gets hurt again or one of the other starters gets hurt.

Looking at their 40-man roster only Erik Swanson and Ricardo Sanchez have starting experience. Swanson started several games for the Mariners last year with not a lot of success. In fact, he is more what I said about Sheffield and Dunn if they can't have success as starters. The Mariners figure he will pitch out of the bullpen. Sanchez, on the other hand, hasn't pitched above double-A ball. He likely will be going back to double-A or advancing to triple-A. Also, he is only 22 years old.

This tells me the Mariners need to acquire another starter. We could hear anytime the Mariners could bring back TaiJuan Walker who was released by the Diamondbacks. He hasn't signed with anyone yet. He would be like Graveman coming back from injury. At the very least the Mariners should consider signing him. I would do so to add depth to the starting pitching.

I hope in the next week or two we will hear something from Dipoto about starting pitching. I don't want the Mariners having to overuse the bullpen. Go M's. 

Huskies Split Series At Home

The Washington Huskies men's basketball team along with the rest of the Pac-12 conference started play last Thursday and Saturday or Sunday.

The opening game an upset loss at home against UCLA 66-64 then followed by blowing out the USC at home as well 72-40. I would have thought the Huskies splitting the games they would have beaten UCLA then lost to USC; however, college basketball is a funny game.

The Huskies are a young team with a lot of talent. They have two forwards that were on the McDonald's All-American team in Isaiah Steward and Jaden McDaniels. For the most part, they have lived up to their building. Also, sophomore guard Quade Green another former McDonalds All-American got off to a slow start on the season; however, he is getting better every game.

The Huskies have two juniors starting for them to the only players left from last year that played a lot of minutes. Hameir Wright who was a starter last year is the only one to return and Nahziah Carter who came off the bench last season is now starting.  They have senior Sam Timmins who averages around ten minutes a game He usually comes in for Stewart as a breather or he is in foul trouble. Timmins though isn't an offensive threat primarily comes in for defense and rebounding.

The Huskies now go to the Bay area this week taking on the Stanford Cardinal on Thursday. The Cardinal are 12-2 overall on the season so they will be difficult to beat. With the youth and talent, the Huskies have they may win or struggle than lose. On Saturday they play the California Golden Bears who finished twelfth last year in the Pac-12 and are not expected to be much better this year. 

For the Huskies to repeat as Pac-12 champions they need to sweep this series. It is not a big deal if they don't but will come to be important at the end. Go Dawgs. 

Seahawks Move On In The Playoffs

Sunday afternoon the Seattle Seahawks had one of their best games of the season beating the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 in the first round of the playoffs. Now they go to Green Bay to take on the Packers this coming Sunday. 

The analysts on NBC thought the Eagles would win the game. Seahawk's underdog attitude helped them win the game. Rookie Wide Receiver DK Metcalf had a fantastic game; he broke the playoff record for a rookie in receiving having seven catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.  Without Metcalf's game, the Seahawks may have not won. It wasn't he alone though defensive end Clowney on his return to the lineup helped save a couple scores as well.  Russell Wilson had a good game too. He probably would have been MVP of the game if it weren't for Metcalf and Clowney.

The Seahawks had to have their passing game on because the Eagles did a good job stopping the run although Marshawn Lynch did have a running touchdown. Russell Wilson was the only one to have success running the ball and they happened when they needed it the most. Wilson had 45 yards on nine carries. 

Now we will see whether the Seahawks can move on after playing the Packers this coming Sunday. Go Hawks!

Weekend Sports

The Seattle Seahawks are getting ready to play the Eagles in Philadelphia in the wild card playoff. Seahawks will have to win to continue onto the next round. Good news the New England Patriots lost to the Tenessee Titans so no return to the Super Bowl for them. What will be up next for Tom Brady?

Washington State Cougars beat the UCLA  Bruins in men's basketball Saturday 79-71 in overtime. The Cougars had to come from behind being down by nine at halftime. The Cougars had four players in double figures. So they split this week's games losing to USC on Thursday then beating UCLA.

The Washington Huskies take on USC tonight. They will try the same as the Cougars to come back to win against USC after losing to UCLA Thursday night. The Huskies will have to make some changes if they end up losing to USC making the start of the Pac-12 0-2. 

This coming week the Huskies and Cougars go to the Bay area to take on Stanford and California.  Those two teams played each other on Thursday with Stanford winning 68-52 at home. Both teams get a week off before facing Washington and Washington State.

The Washington Huskies women's team play Stanford on the road this afternoon. The Huskies are 2-0 in Pac-12 play with an overall record of 10-3 while Stanford is 1-0 with 12-1 overall record. The Stanford Cardinal are ranked #5 in the country so the Husky women will have to play their best to win. Go Dawgs!

Mariners Spring Training Coming Soon

We haven't heard much out of the Mariners this off-season with only a few minor transactions. In fact, they just picked up an infielder who previously was a first-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners signed him to a minor-league deal to add depth to the farm system.

Outside of the trade of Omar Narvaez to the Milwaukee Brewers along with releasing Domingo Santana and Tim Beckham nothing else has happened. 

Spring training will begin in less than six weeks.  Will Jerry Dipoto pick up any other players especially a pitcher or two for the rotation or the bullpen. I would see likely more of someone for the rotation. Former Mariner TaiJuan Walker was released a few weeks ago by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Are the Mariners finding any interest in signing him up? He is still only 26 years old so he does still have upside at a reasonable amount of money. 

Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais both have said that Shed Long will start at second base. What does that leave Dee Gordon? Will he be on the team when spring training starts or when the team comes north to Seattle. They must not be finding any takers at this point or at least they haven't mentioned any. They may decide to use Gordon as a super-utility player.  He can play short well as second base. The Mariners did try him in center field before Robinson Cano was suspended for 80 games in 2018. I am not saying to put him back out in center field but an occasional time in left should be OK. 

Another question what do the Mariners does if Daniel Vogelbach flops during spring training having trouble hitting like he did after the all-star break. Right now he is considered the left-handed designated hitter against righties with an occasion at first base. The Mariners would have options at designated hitter using one of the utility players or an extra outfielder. I prefer using different players at dh instead of one full-time one. There are not many dh guys like Edgar and Nelson Cruz out there. It would allow the youngsters to hit when they are not out on the field as well.

I just hope Dipoto does get in some players acquired before spring training. If not. we will see what they have throughout spring training. Go M's. 

Washington Schools Lose Gonzaga Almost

The Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars both lost Thursday night at home while Gonzaga won on the road in Portland. It was a close game for the Bulldogs who ended up winning 85-72.  I know the score doesn't look close but Portland was leading in the first half.

The Washington Huskies got off to another bad start against UCLA. They did make an early comeback in the second half to make it a game; however, in the end, they lost 66-64 on a three-pointer by the Bruins with eight seconds remaining. Poor ball handling didn't allow the Huskies to put up a shot to tie or win the game.

The Washington State Cougars lost to the tough USC Trojans 65-56. Now the Huskies will play against the Trojans on Sunday while the Cougars take on UCLA. We hope both teams can end the weekend at 1-1 in the Pac-12 conference. With a lot of good teams this year they need to do well to win. 

Conference Play Begins

The Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs all start their conference play on Thursday night January 2.

Both the Huskies and Cougars play at home while the Bulldogs are on the road.

Gonzaga won their last non-league game on Monday night beating Detroit 93-72. They are ranked #1 in the country right now. They take on the Portland Pilots while the Huskies play UCLA and Cougars USC. 

The Huskies and Cougars will reverse the teams on the weekend. Make note throughout the season the team the Huskies and Cougars play first will then play the other team. Of course, it will not happen the week they play each other.

Let you know Friday the outcomes of all three games.

The Seattle Seahawks take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the first game of the playoffs in Philadelphia this coming Sunday afternoon on NBC. Let you know who may play and who doesn't. 

Travis Homer will be the starting running back while Marshawn Lynch will follow him. Lynch will probably get more carries then he did against the 49ers. Of course, it will all be indicated on how the Seahawks are playing. Go Hawks. 

Happy New Year's Sport Fans

Here we are now 2020. It is hard to believe we are starting the third decade of the 21st Century. It just seemed like this century just began.

Washington Huskies, WSU Cougars, and Gonzaga start their conference schedules this week. All hoping to make it to the NCAA tournament. Gonzaga is rated number one in the country so it would be a shock if they didn't make the tournament. Washington Huskies were predicted to be third in the Pac-12 conference behind Oregon, and Colorada. The Huskies should be considered to make the tournament for the second straight year. The Cougars, on the other hand, are not expected to make the tournament but we are hoping for the best. Wouldn't it be nice if three teams from Washington made March Madness. 

The Seattle Seahawks start the playoffs in the NFL going to Philadelphia where they won during the regular season to take on the Eagles. It isn't ever easy to beat the same team twice in a season but we hope it is the case. With the win, the Seahawks likely will take on the San Francisco 49ers who have a bye for the third time on the season. Go Hawks!

The Seattle Sounders will be starting training camp soon to defend their MLS championship. We wish them the best.

The Seattle Mariners will be starting spring training in six weeks. It will be interesting to see who else they may pick up before spring training and who will be making the roster on opening day. Go M's.

Enjoy your day and year with a lot of good sports. Look forward to seeing what happens with the Huskies and Cougars football team as well. Both programs will be having new quarterbacks under the center. Go teams!