Mariners Give Minor Leaguers A Chance

The Seattle  Mariners  in 2033 gave double-A 

pitchers a chance to  pitch in the majors

however not much in position  players.

Mike Ford lefthanded hitting first baseman 

came up mid-season to be dh since not 

anything going on there.  He did a descent job 

especially  hitting  home runs. 

Early  on the Mariners  brought up Jose Caballero 

to platoon  at  second  base  with Kolten Wong 

until he exited at the trading deadline. Jose

had a good start then not so good at the plate

in the second  half.  I  expect Jose will get another 

shot this spring.  He could  be  the Mariners number 

one utility  player. All depends whether  they  pick

up another one. 

Tyler Locklear who finished 2023 at double-A  is

having a good time in Arizona Fall League.  Tyler

plays either first or third base. He may need another

full season  in the minors however Tyler bats right

handed which would be valuable to the Mariners 

where it was a weak link especially  after Tom

Murphy  was injured. A number 11th prospect for

the Mariners we could  see him traded along with

a young pitcher or two during the off-season too.

Over the weeks ahead we will look at other minor 

leaguers  who could make steps forward.  Go M's!

Seahawks Make It 5-2

The Seahawks  beat  the Cleveland Browns 

24-20 on late game touchdown.  

The Seahawks  had two touchdowns  early on 

in the first quarter.  They had a field  goal  in

the first half as well. 

Geno Smith threw a couple interceptions  that 

helped the Browns  to  take the lead 20-17.

With little  time left Geno Smith threw a touchdown 

for the win.

The two  interceptions  can be questioned  to be

Geno's fault or not. The Browns were able  to  run over 

150 yards on the Seahawks.  Be less if it weren't 

for the interceptions.  It doesn't  matter however

the Seahawks  have to improve with less interceptions.

On Monday the Seahawks  made a big trade with the

New York Giants.  They  picked up defensive tackle 

Leonard Williams  for a 2024 second round pick and

a 2025 fifth round pick. Likely  Williams  will  move 

around on the line depending where he needs to  be.

Hopefully  this means cutting  down on running  plays. 

Next  week  the  Seahawks  play the Baltimore  Ravens.

The Seahawks  have ten games to go. I  figured the 

Seahawks  would win 10 games with  ten games remaing. 

The remaing schedule is tough including  playing the 49ers 

twice.

I  figured the Seahawks  would have won ten games. With 

the strength of schedule  The Seahawks  are in first place 

While the 49ers  lost. Go Hawks!

Weekend Football

The Washington  Huskies  are playing the 

Stanford Cardinal  Saturday  afternoon 

on the road.  The Huskies  plan to play 

better this week after a poor  performance 

at home against Arizona State last Saturday. 

The Huskies again a high favorite being a 

26 point favorite. The Cardinal have only

one win in the opening  game  of the season. 

The Cardinal  have not won at home yet this

and the Huskies  plan to keep it that way.

The WSU  Cougars  take on Arizona State 

down in the desert of Arizona.  The Cougars 

after winning their  first  four games have

landed on poor soil. Though do hope to

recover this week. The Sun Devils hope to

complete  what they almost did last week 

against the Huskies. It will take more than

one touchdown and not turn over the ball.

The Seahawks  are home against the Cleveland 

Browns at home. Both teams  have a 4-2 record.

The Seahawks  hope to make a fifth win with

the defense  continuing playing well and the offense

to improve.  It would be nice if the Seahawks could

score 28 points in this one. Go teams!

Frank Clark A Seahawks Again

Thursday  it became official Frank Clark 

once again is a Seahawk after spending 

a few years with the Kansas City Chiefs 

and recently  was with the Denver Broncos 

though was released.

Whether Clark  still has anything  left in

in his tank we will find out quickly. He

announced that he plans to play this

Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. 

How much he will is anyone's  guess. 

Injuries  happened  on the defensive 

line so the Seahawks  needed to added 

another player. I  am  sure  at the beginning 

Clark  will play in certain situations. His

success  or lack of it will determine  how

much play he will  get and how long he

will be a Seahawk. Anyway  welcome 

back Frank Clark. 

Mariners Bullpen plus Heading Into 2024

I am sure we will  look  into the bullpen 

over and over again during the off-season. 

The World Series  expected  to start on Friday.

We now know the Texas Rangers  represent

the American  League while waiting the outcome

between  the  Philadelphia Phillies and the

Arizona Diamondbacks. 

N back o Mariners  bullpen was one of the bright 

spots last season  though went through  tough

times in September as the team did as a whole. 

Andre Munoz  and Matt Brash  were the two 

that would come in the  late innings after the 

trade of Paul Sewald at the trading deadline. 

We have no idea whether the Mariners  would 

have made the playoffs  or not with him. They

after all won 21 games in August. Unfortunately 

they were not able to sustain  in September. 

We all have theories on that.

I could see the Mariners adding another pitcher

to the bullpen to go along with Munoz and Brash 

to close out games. Whether this in a trade or

free agent signing. As we know bullpen can change

each year not only in personal but how they perform. 

Though the Mariners  was great for most of the

season they did have   few changes from 2022. 

Example Diego Castillo started the season in Seattle 

however  never saw the light of day again after being

demoted to triple-A  which was a bit of a surprise.  

Now he is a free agent  to see if he can get his career

back on track.

Justin Topa  was the third member  to do well out of

the  bullpen  and likely  seem again next season.  Whether

he can duplicate or not we will see. We saw several pitchers

make their major league debuts in the Mariners bullpen.

I  expect we will see them again in spring to make  the  roster.

The  important  thing  is   to  have  the  bullpen  not to

run out of gas next season.  Of course a lot of that depends 

on how the starting rotation  goes. The experience of the

youg starters should help in that regard.

We will again as I say revisit again down the road this

off-season.  Now we have to   see  who the Mariners 

will do to improve the offense. Things won't get real

busy until  the  World  Series  is over. Go M's. 

Seahawks Win Sunday

The Seahawks  beat  the hapless Arizona 

Cardinals 20-10 Sunday  afternoon.  

The offense still needs to improve though

Geno Smith threw a couple of touchdowns.

Jaxson Smith-Njiba, Jake Bobo and Tyler 

Lockett each had four catches  on  the day.

Rookies Jaxson and Jake each had a 

touchdown. 

The running game was all Ken Walker who

had 105 yards on 26 carriers. The offense

needs to improve though stepped in the

right direction.  The Seahawks  were without 

DK Metcalf  who missed the game because 

of injury. 

The defense again had another good game.

They are getting  better every  game. Jordyn 

Brooks and  Bobby Wagner led the  way with

nine tackles. Jamal Adams had six. Edge 

rusher Darrel Taylor  led with one and a half

sacks.

Next Sunday the Seahawks  are home again

this time against the Cleveland Browns. The

Browns and Seahawks  have  the same record

at 4-2. Go Hawks!

Weekend Football

The Washington Huskies  had a great victory  last 

Saturday  afternoon  over the Oregon Ducks  36-33. 

They take on the Arizona State  Sun Devils  at home

Saturday  night. The Sun Devils have beaten the 

Huskies  the last two  years  so things plan to

change as Washington  is going after the Pac-12 

Championship  and national championship. 

The Sun Devils are not having a good season 

having an overall  record of 1-5 and 0-3 in the

Pac-12.  They have used three quarterbacks  

this season with the original  starter out for the

season. They have a weak running game as well. 

The Huskies are favored  by 28 points despite

their past experience  against  the Sun Devils.

The Washington  State  Cougars  after  getting 

off to a great start have fallen on hard times

losing their last  two games. They take on the

Oregon Ducks in Eugene. Depending  if they

can rebound or not this could be  another ugly 

for them.

The Seattle  Seahawks  will try to rebound from

their loss in Cincinnati  against the Bengals where

they won everything  except  the score. The Seahawks 

need too get their offense going. They are  home

against the Arizona Cardinals who are not doing

well at 1-5. So the Seahawks  like Huskies against

Arizona  State  should win this game. Go Hawks!

Ohtani To Seattle

Ohtani is a multiple talented player

from Japan who hit and pitched

for the Los Angeles  Angles. 

No one has done both at a all-star 

caliber level since Babe Ruth. In

Japan Ohtani  played the outfield 

as well  as  pitched. The Angels 

used at dh when he didn't pitch

and did pitch. He usually  batted 

second or third in the lineup. He

had speed to run the bases.

Ohtani is now a free agent. In

September he had surgery on

his right arm so he won't be

able to pitch for at least a year.

Ohtani though will still be able

to hit. During the upcoming

season  he likely will dh. When

he is able to pitch again he could 

play in the field at first base or in

the outfield.  How often would 

he do so besides dh is anyone's 

guess. 

We have no idea whether he would

want to play for the Mariners or not

we certainly will find out over the

next few months. Having Ohtani

batting second  or third would be good.

Having  him bat before or after Julio.

Two superstars  in the lineup would be

great. It seemed to  have  have worked

with the Angels though they didn't 

have the talent around them and Trout

was often hurt too.

This should be an interesting off-season 

to see where the Mariners  add talent

in the offense. They may have to add

pitching to if they trade one of their 

young starters to.  I expect at least one

or two  to the bullpen as well. We will 

look at that over the next several weeks.

Seahawks Offensive Line

Sunday the Seahawks  lost in a way because 

the offensive  line was weak. They have had

injuries across the line except center. In fact

Brown the starting  center had to  move over 

to guard in the win over the Giants.

The Seahawks  going into the season  the

defense needed to improve  for the chance

to win games. They have done that even 

better than expected. The offensive line

along with  quarterback  Geno Smith have 

to do a better job. Geno took the blame

for the loss however it isn't  just  him.

For the  offense  to be effective  the running

game has to be. The Seahawks philosophy 

is to get the running game going. The passing 

game will  open up. Geno Smith is best at 

pass action. Possibly start out with short

passes to the running backs  as well as the

tight ends. 

Since the Seahawks  are playing  Arizona next

week it is a good idea to  put all ideas into the

offense. Go Hawks!

Seahawks Lose Close One

Seahawks lost Sunday to the Bengals

in Cincinnati 17-13. Geno Smith actually

threw more yards 323 to Joe Burrows 185.

The deal though Burrows had two touchdown passes while Geno had 

zero. Like baseball how many runs you score. Geno had two interceptions while 

Burrows one.  Seahawks ran the ball

further too. Sometimes this happens.

Geno took the blame for this one.

The Seahawks had the ball longer as well

Just over eight more minutes. The Seahawks defense did a good job.

Most of the time in the NFL a team that

gives up 17 points is going to win but

those who score 13 are going to lose

more often. The Seahawks who are

3-2 will need a better offense while what

the defense is doing is good.

The Seahawks like playing close games which is fine if you win a good percentage

of them. Hopefully we will see more wins.How I figured they still can win ten

games which should get them into the playoffs.

The Seahawks play the Arizona Cardinals 

next week so they should win. The Cardinals are 1-5. The Seahawks will be favored however this is why they play the 

games. 

Makes me wonder if the offense still

struggles how long will Geno be at

quarterback. We will see and it will

depend on victories too. Winning

will solve it although playing in the

playoffs with an offense not doing

well means they won't likely make

the Super Bowl but we have seen

stranger things. Go Hawks!

Huskies and Cougars Going Different Directions

The Washington  Huskies  and the WSU 

Cougars were both doing well being 

undefeated  and being recognized 

among the top teams in the country. 

Saturday  afternoon  the Huskies 

had a wild game and they were 

victorious over arch rival Oregon

36-33. The  game wasn't  even

decided until the final second 

of the game when Oregon missed 

a field goal. 

The Huskies had scored after 

stopping  the Ducks on fourth down

around the 50 yard line when they

went on a 4th and 3 to get a first

down. The Huskies took 33 seconds

to score a touchdown. It would have 

been nice to have taken a little more 

time off the clock. The Ducks had

a minute and thirty-three seconds

to score. Both teams showed are

pretty  even.

The Cougars were home as well taking

on Arizona who lost to the Huskies two

weeks before on their field. They had

given the Huskies  all they could have.

The Cougars the week before had their

first loss of the season on the road at

UCLA  25-17.

This game was more disastrous as the

Cougars lost 44-6. The Cougars scored

first with a touchdown at ten minutes in

first quarter  remaining and  missed a

two point conversation.  Of course nothing

went well after that.

 Arizona  scored ten points in each of the 

first three quarters  with a touchdown and 

a field goal. The 4th quarter  they had two 

touchdowns. We could say might have been 

worse.

Next week  it doesn't  get better as they

have to go to  Eugene to take on the Ducks.

We have to see what the Cougars are like.

We wish them the best. 

Seahawks Friday

The Seahawks  can't  live on their moral

victories after beating  the New York Giants 

on Monday night football ten days or so

ago.

The Seahawks  basically  won for the 

defense having eleven  sacks. Not sure

they can do it this Sunday  against the

Bengals  on the road. A lot has to do

with timing. Bengals  quarterback Joe

Burrows  had been hurt though still playing. 

He is better now and they beat Arizona 

Cardinals  on the road last week  34-20.

Playing the Cardinals  can make anyone 

feel  better.

I  figured before the season  began the

Seahawks  would win ten games including 

losing to the Bengals. The Seahawks  offense

needs to step up their game to have a

chance in this one besides  continuing 

playing  good defense. The offense begins

with the Seahawks  running the ball. Good

news left tackle Charles  Cross is expected 

to play Sunday after missing a couple games.

The Seahawks  expect Jamal Adams back

as well after his concussion  against the

Giants. Also guard Phil Haynes and cornerback 

Tre Brown are expected to make the Seahawks 

more healthy.  A good time for the bye last Sunday. 

College  football the biggest game in the northwest 

for sometime happens at Husky Stadium as the 

home team takes on the Oregon  Ducks.  Both teams

are in the top ten in the country.  The winner puts

themselves  in a good place for the Pac-12 championship 

game along with the national  championship series. 

Go Dawgs!

Seattle Report Card Part 3

The Seattle Mariners starting pitching

was a major part why they were so close

to making the playoffs. If you have been

watching the playoffs you know why

other teams are glad they are not in it.

The Mariners had to count on the depth

of their starting pitching to have the 

success they did have. They lost Robbie Ray in his first start of the season and won't return until June or July likely. He

was having a great spring. Marco Gonzales

the Mariners lost after ten starts. He had an era of 5.22 however a record of 4-1.

Expect him in spring training competing

for the fifth spot in the rotation unless

they trade him for a position player.

Though not an injury the Mariners had

to release Chris Flexen after not pitching

well starting or relieving. 

The Mariners first brought up Bryce Miller then Bryan Woo. Miller started 25 games

 with an era of 4.32.  Not bsd for someone 

who pitched his first season in the majors.

He averaged five and a third innings so meant he gave up three runnings per outing

which gave the Mariners a chance to win and he had a record of 8-7. This was the

most innings Miller pitched in his professional career. Though not as many innings Bryan Woo had the same as Miller.

He had 18 starts for the Mariners with an

era of 4.21 and a record of 4-5. Both 

showed promise for sure and a spot in

next season's rotation unless one of

them is traded for a position player.

Emerson Hancock made three starts 

before injury. Though in limited time

he certainly showed promise. The

key is he stays healthy which he has

had problems do so. He maybe a key

in next year's rotation especially if

the Mariners trade one of the other

starters. 

The three starters who pitched all season

in Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan 

Gilbert. Castillo was the ace though Kirby

could have been the ace. Castillo was the

all-star pitcher though he didn't make an

appearance. He had the most wins with

fourteen. The disappointing  thing was 

Luis had his shortest game of the season

in his last start and the most important

game of the season. Had he pitched well

the Mariners may have made the playoffs.

Kirby made the all-star team as a replacement and pitched one inning in his

home park. He missed a start late in the sesson because of illness and didn't pitch well in the next two outings. He criticized

that he wasn't taken out before the seventh

inning. He apologized later however I agree with him.  He did get back to his regular 

self however makes us wonder had he not

gotten sick the Mariners made the playoffs.

Next season I could see him as the ace.

Logan Gilbert had another fine season.

He to could have been the ace as well. One thing we do know Castillo, Kirby and Gilbert each had fine seasons and look forward

to being even better.

Grade:  A minus

Next up and the final report card.

Seattle Mariners Report Card Part 2

We now look at the Mariners  catchers and 

the outfield  in part two.

Catcher: Cal Raleigh  showed in his second

full season he is the right man for the job.

He and JP Crawford are the leaders on the 

field. Cal is more the quiet type though he 

puts his point across when needed.  We

could see  that when he went to the mound

to straighten out the pitcher.

Cal had the best first two seasons  as a catcher

in Mariners  history. This season he had 30

home runs and 75 rbi's.  He didn't have a high

average in .232 however with his other responsibilities 

he still showed he got hits when they counted.

Tom Murphy  was a good back having a great

season  before ending his season in August.

His loss was probably a major reason the M's 

didn't make the playoffs.  He would spell Cal

behind the plate against lefties. When facing

lefties Cal would dh or Murphy  did to depending

how how often they faced  lefties in a week. The

dh spot was weak all season however against

righties it was important  to  have both in the

lineup depending whether Cal needed a rest or not.

Usually  found Cal pinch hitting when he wasn't in

the starting  lineup.  In fact he was the Mariners 

best pinch hitter. In fact it was a flaw for them.

Wish they hadn't  pinch hit so often except when

Cal or Tom did it.

The Mariners brought back Luis Torrens at the end

of the season.  Would like him or add another catcher

for depth. Look forward  to the day Harry Ford  is on

the team even if he ends up playing  another position. 

He would still  be a good backup at catcher. Harry 

may end up being a superstar so having him and Cal

in the lineup  is important.  See what happens.

Grade :  B plus 

Left field:   The Mariners  always have had issues in

left field  since the beginning  of the franchise. Jarred

Kelenic  was the starter out of spring training. He had a

a rough April however May he was one of the Mariners 

best hitters. He struggled  in June however recovered

in July before allowing his temper and frustration get the

best of him being injured for two months over a water

cooler. Cade Marlowe  did a fine job for a little while

in his place before going into a slump. The Mariners  

picked up Dominic Canzone  who  did show some signs

for the future. 

The season  began with Jarred Kelenic  platooning with

AJ Pollock who started against lefties.  With Kelenic 

doing well and play good defense Pollock pretty  much

became the right handed hitter against lefties. As we

know that was a disaster where he didn't  even bat .200.

They should have released him in May or June but waited

until the trading deadline. Jerry Dipoto  admitted signing

Pollock and Tommy La Stella who didn't  last long besides

acquiring Kolten  Wong  were his biggest  mistakes. Now

we hope this off-season the front office learned from their

mistakes. 

Grade: C sort of pushing it here

Center Field: It was Julio Rodriguez all the way. His stats

looked great having over 30 home runs and 100 rbi's. Julio

made the all-star  team probably because  the game was 

played in Seattle  and an injury  kept out another outfielder. 

Looking at the stats you would think Julio had a good season 

at the plate all season long but that isn't  the truth. The first

half he hit inconsistent and struck out a lot especially in key

situation.  The biggest trouble  was the rest of the offense 

followed suit. Otherwords  when he was going good so

was the offense but the same when he wasn't.  Can't  blame

it on Julio the other players  needed to pick up the slack.

The nice thing he did play solid defense. We should see Julio

have a good  season  all the way along in 2024. The Mariners 

need to see the August version beginning in April.  

Grade: B

Right Field: Teoscar Hernandez  who the Mariners  picked up 

during the last off-season was the Mariners  primary  right

fielder. He would on occasion dh. He started the season  

inconsistent. He is known as a slow starter. He heated up the

same time  as Julio. Trouble like other M's  hitters he struck

out way too many times especially  in  key situations.  His

home runs and rbi's  were good being number three on the

team in both. Some people  criticized his defense however

he did a fine job. He was one of the top right fielders in

throwing g out runners. Teo is now a free agent.  Whether

he returns will depend on how much he is offered on the

open market.  I  wondered what the Mariners  were thinking

since they could have signed him to an extension during

the season. His return  is a if at this point.  The Mariners 

will have to pick up another outfielder whether he returns 

or not. We could see Kelenic  move to right field depending 

on what comes up. 

Grade: B 

Next time on Mariners report card  look at the starting  pitching.

Go M's.  

Cougars Lose Saturday

I knew it would not be easy for the

Cougars to win Saturday afternoon in Pacedena. 

Takeaways

Final was 25-17 UCLA 

The cougars had a one point lead at half

time then led 17-12 at the end of the third 

quarter. The Bruins score two touchdowns

in the fourth quarter to take the win.

The Cougars were lucky if you call it that

at half time as their defender Kapena

Gushiken intercepted a pass and went 

the distances 88 yards for TD. Gushiken 

had a fantastic first half..Had he not 

intercepted the Bruins would have had

a touchdown or field goal.to end the half.

The Bruins threw for 290 yards and 190 rushing yards. The Cougars threw for

204 yards however no yards really on the

ground. Total was 12 yards.

Time of possession wasn't good either.

The Cougars had the ball for just over 21 minutes and Bruins had it over 38 minutes.

For a team to win you must have the ball

around 30 minutes to have a chance unless

you cause several turnovers or strike fast.

Ward didn't have a good day having two

interceptions with one touchdown.

Next week the Cougars are home 

against Arizona. Go Cougars.

News came out Saturday the Huskies

have new athletic director named Troy

Dannen. He comes to Washington

from Tulane. Though DeBoer will

stay as football coach we could see

a change at men's basketball coach

after this season coming up depending

how Hopkins and the Huskies do. The

season begins in November. Go Dawgs!

Seattle Mariners Report Card Part One

We will start with the Mariners infield for

the report card for 2023.

First base: Ty France had a disappointing  season  

though he appeared in more games than any player

except  Eugenio Suarez  who played in every single 

game. He started the season  batting either second

or third, however in the second half he was batting

seventh. No place for a player who was on the all-star 

team in 2022. 

In the four games that France missed Mike Ford 

played first base while the rest of the time at dh.

My opinion is Ty France was  not totally  healthy

and  though France is better defensively Ford did 

an ok job there too and should have played a few 

more games there to.

Some of the fans believe the Mariners  should go 

out and get another first baseman  likely  in a trade 

since not much in the free agent market. The Mariners 

have Dominic Canzone who they acquired from Arizona 

in the Paul Sewald trade though played the outfield

has played first base as well.  We see what the Mariners  the 

do there.  Grade C minus

Second base: No doubt the most disappointing position 

in the first half of the season. Kolton Wong was expected

to be the answer when they picked him up in the off-season 

in a trade from the Milwaukee Brewers.  In his limited time

he batted .163 with only two home runs. It was far cry from 

his career average of .256. In 2022 he hit in double figures

in home runs. The Mariners  were hoping Wong would break 

out since he was always a slow starter but never did.

Jose Caballero a rookie came up in mid April  platooning 

with Wong and even started against some right handers.

Like most Mariners he had a good May and August. Like

most rookies he did struggle  at the plate sometimes. 

He became a fan favorite  mainly by his attitude and at

the plate when he was hit a few times. I  could see Jose

being the Mariners number one utility  player next season. 

The Mariners  still need to upgrade in the utility role though.

Josh Rojas  played well  when the Mariners  acquired him

from Arizona in the Paul Sewald trade. He ended up batting

.272 and had four home runs. We could see him being the

left handed bat platooning at second unless the Mariners 

go out and upgrade.

Report card: another C minus however hope for a better

grade in 2024.

Shorstop:  JP Crawford  the best player on the Mariners 

this season whose name wasn't Julio. In fact I would

call him the Mariners  MVP. I don't  think the Mariners  

would have been this close to making the playoffs 

without his outstanding play especially at the plate 

where he was the most consistent player all season. 

In fact if one other player had his consistency the

Mariners would have been in the playoffs.  

JP started the season  batting  9th however when

Julio was struggling  at the plate he took over the

leadoff spot and owned it the rest of the season. 

JP ended the season with  a batting average of .266

and had 19 home runs a career high.  He led the

Mariners in walks and second in runs to Julio both

at 94.

Grade: A

Third base: Though he didn't  hit as well or consistent 

Eugenio Suarez played every game and did an outstanding 

job in the field. Certainly  is a good replacement for Kyle

Seager who played defensively well for the Mariners  for

a decade. His batting average was down and so was his

home runs at 22 from the year before. Eugenio was second

in rbi's  to Julio with 96.  Report Card B plus

Next  time up on the Mariners we will look at catcher and

the outfield. Go M's.  

 

Washington State Versus UCLA

The Washington State Cougars on

Saturday at noon are taking on the

UCLA Bruins. This might be there

last meeting for some time. 

The Huskies have Saturday off and 

the Seahawks have a bye week as 

well so major college football the

Cougars are it for a local team.

Next week the Huskies will be home

against the Oregon Ducks.

The Huskies and Ducks will continue

playing against each other for the next

several years anyway. On Thursday

the Big Ten announced the schedules

for each team who they are playing

at home and on the road the next five 

years. Each team will have a rival team

where each will play each other the next

five years. The Huskies and Ducks will

play one another alternating between

home and away. In all they will play nine

games in the Big Ten. This means room

to play three non-conference games.

So the Apple Cup may still be played.

Hard to know whether it will take place

at the same it has always or move

forward near the beginning of the season.

At this point we still don't know whether

the Cougars and the Oregon State Beavers

will find a conference to join. Both certainly

are giving their points that they are good

enough on the field anyway. Of course it

will come down to money. 

The Cougars are undefeated heading to UCLA while the Beavers loss was to the

Cougars. It isn't easy to play on the road

or in the Rose Bowl so the Cougars will

have to hold their stand. The Bruins on

the other hand have one loss and no

wins on the Pac12 schedule so for them

to stay in the race they need to win this

one. They want to look good heading into

the Big Ten next year. The Cougars want to

continue on hoping the Apple Cup will

be for them to get into the championship

game. It would be interesting if both the

Cougars and Huskies end up in the Conference championship game. It may

depend whether there is two losses by

other teams in the Pac12. One thing

we want is a memorable end to the

conference.

Michael Penix Jr is getting a lot of print

on the west side of the state and across 

the nation however the Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward is having a very fine season as well. He hopes to add more in this game as well. The Cougars are still

a passing machine though adding in the 

run on occasion as well. Something they

have with their cousins the Huskies. We

look forward to a Cougar win in the

Rose Bowl. Go Cougs!

The Baseball Playoffs Picture

The wildcard games are all over 

already as each series were won 

in two games.

The  Minnesota  Twins beat the

Toronto  Blue Jays at home. This

was expected to be the easiest

series for the three wild card spots

to advance however it didn't  turn

out this way. This was the first

time the Twins have advanced in

the  playoffs  in 21 years. The 

longest on record. The Twins will

now take on Houston  Astros 

beginning on Saturday.

In the  other American  League 

wild card series the Texas Rangers  

eliminated the Tampa  Bay Rays 

winning in the fashion they have

done much of the season winning 

game two 7-1 after winning the 

opener 4-0. Sad for the Rays who

began the season  winning their first

thirteen  games. Injuries  hurt them

down the stretch. Texas Rangers 

will go to Baltimore on Saturday to

face the Orioles. 

In the National League the Arizona 

Diamondbacks  beat Central division

winner Milwaukee  Brewers on the

road 5-2 after the opener on Tuesday 

6-3. They will face the Los Angeles 

Dodgers in the next round on Saturday. 

The second wild card series in the

NL the Philadelphia Phillies beat the

Miami Marlins 7-1 in game two after

winning the opener  4-1. They take on

the Atlanta  Braves also starting on

Saturday. 

Now the Mariners  continue to  see 

what they must do to get back to the

playoffs  next season. Next  time up

on the Mariners we will grade each

position  on the past season and what

they need to do to improve.  Go  M's. 

Mariners Wednesday

We were hoping and expecting  the Mariners

would be in the playoffs this week however it 

didn't  happen.

The Mariners  showed in August they could

beat the teams they should however they

couldn't  carry it over into September.  They

played teams like Houston and Texas who are

a bit better than they are. Had they beaten

both at least one game more than they would

have made the playoffs.  

The month of  September  showed off the

weaknesses  of  their offense and the overuse

of the pitching. When Luis Castillo should have

stepped forward  in his last start he couldn't do 

it. It didn't  help that George Kirby could pitch

well for a few games after coming up down

sick and Bryce Miller couldn't  perform like

he did early on either. 

Most of the problem  came down on the

offense. When Julio wasn't playing at his

best the other players except JP Crawford 

couldn't  fill the void. The Mariners  will need

to add at least one player to the roster who

can be consistent like JP Crawford. We should

see Julio more consistent  next season being

more mature and learning from this last season. 

That could be enough however should be  good 

to add another bat anyway. 

The starting pitching should be better over

the long haul. This is especially true when they

don't  have to feel like they have to pitch perfect. 

The offense needs the players to hit the way

they are capable.  They showed signs at times.

Had they not strike out so much. This was true

when runners were on base. They could blame

ownership or Jerry  Dipoto  but it really came

down to them. Go M's. 

Seahawks Win On MNF

I thought the Seahawks  would have

a 3-1 record after week  4 however I 

thought the Giants would be the 

first loss. I figured the Seahawks 

would win 10 games on the season.

The Seahawks  have a bye week next

week before playing  the Cincinnati 

Bengals. Final was Seattle  24 New York 

Giants 3.

The Seahawks  defense  made a big 

difference in this game with 11 sacks.

The Seahawks  have had trouble getting 

to the quarterback  but not this time.

Let's  see this will become more regular.

Next game in almost two weeks  the 

Seahawks will go against Joe Burrow

depending  how healthy he stays.

He has a calf injury and takes on the

Arizona next Sunday. The Seahawks 

likely  look to put the rush on the

Bengals and Burrows as well. Former

Washington  Huskies  quarterback

Jake Browning is  Burrows backup.

The Be gals have a 1-3 record going

into next week. Arizona has the same

record too. See who wins next week.

I figured the Bengals would be favored

and win with a second road game in

a row despite  the week  off.

Geno Smith played  much of the game

however he was hurt in the second half

with a bad knee.  Drew Lock did a fine

in his place. Smith did return to play

most of the second half although Lock

played at the  end  of  the  game which

makes sense.

Geno threw a touchdown to DK Metcalf 

in the first quarter  to put the Seahawks 

ahead 7-0. The Giants made their only 

score late in the second quarter on a

field goal. Just before the half was

over Noah Fant caught a pass, running

for the distance but landed on the

one yard line. Kenneth Walker ended

up running the ball in. Half time

Seahawks  14 to 3.

The third quarter  was somewhat quiet

however number one pick Devon Witherspoon 

intercepted a pass going 97 yards. Myers

kicked a field  goal  in  the  4th quarter. 

Ken Walker led the Seahawks 79 yards on

17 carries. Geno threw for 110 yards while

Lock had 63 yards.

Jamal  Adams  played however was hurt 

as well.  He had a concussion. Not sure

how long he could be out isn't  certain but

could  be out for the season.  

Update later. Go Hawks!

Monday Night Football Seahawks

The Seahawks  are in New York  to take

on the Giants on Monday  Night football. 

Not sure exactly  their record however

the Seahawks have done well on Monday 

Night. It is interesting  the Jets lost to

Kansas City  Chiefs on Sunday night also

in New York.  Does that say something to

us. We will  see.

 The Seahawks  elevated two players off

the practice  squad  in wide receiver  Cody

Thompson and cornerback Lance Boykin.

The injuries at cornerback we will likely 

see some of Boykin.  Jamal Adams is

expected to  play.  How much we will see.

May play some safety and possibly linebacker. 

Offensively  the Seahawks should be running

the ball. We may see some big plays from the

wide receivers  as well. 

Next post we will  review the game. Go Hawks!

Mariners Win Final Game

The Seattle Mariners  beat the Texas

Rangers Sunday afternoon  1-0. The

game had little  meaning as the Mariners 

now go home thinking what it might 

have been.

September  was the Mariners  second 

worst month of the season going 11-17.

Had they won 13 games they would have

been in the playoffs. June was their worst

month winning nine games. April was right 

behind going 11-15. One more win in those

three months they be in the playoffs.  

April, June and September  showed what

their short comings were and I  am sure

we know the offense was the main factor.

We will have a lot of time to dissect over

the off-season. 

The Mariners  scored their run in the 4th

inning when Dominic Canzone hit a slow

roller to first base with Eugenio Suarez 

scoring from third. By the way Suarez 

was the only Mariners player to play in

all 162 games and he didn't miss many

innings either. Thank you Eugenio for a

good season especially  defensively. 

His offense wasn't  what we expected

but few Mariners were.

That's a wrap for a team that were 14

games above five hundred. Both Cal

Raleigh and JP Crawford expressed

the disappointment the Mariners didn’t 

go out and get a few better players. We

hope that changes going forward.  I am

sure Jerry Dipoto  realizes what a difference 

on the bench and particular second base

as well.  Enjoy your off-season and we will 

see what comes before spring training. 

Go M's. 

Huskies Win At Arizona

Washington Huskies won as expected though the game was closer as well.

Washington 31 Arizona 24

The Huskies hsd the ball last which was 

good. They lead 21-10 at half time. They weren't able to score their first time

having the ball in the second half although

they scored first.

This was the Huskies lowest scoring game

of the season. They have a history not doing well in Arizona so not a big surprise.

Penix threw for over three hundred yards however no touchdown passes. Didn't have

Jslen McMillan. Hopefully he will be back

in two weeks when playing Oregon. A big

test for sure. Go Dawgs!