Mariners lose to White Sox

Main meaning of spring training is getting

the team ready for the regular season and

seeing the youngsters as well.

Bryce Miller gave up one run in the first

of two innings. He did strike out three

which is a good sign. The White Sox 

won 6-5. They got three of the six runs

in the seventh inning. Gabe Speier gave

up two runs in the third. 

The Mariners had two starting position

players who started in Mitch Garver

and Luke Raley. Neither got a hit in

two at bats.  Garver started at catcher 

instead of dh and Raley at first. May see

some action there during the season.

Luis Urias was the dh. Hasn't played

any third base yet because of his

shoulder. If he isn't able to play the

field when the season starts likely

will begin on the injured list since 

Garver is expected to be the primary

dh. There is talk Ty France could play

some third as well as second base

and first. This would give Raley more

at first and Canzone in the outfield.

Cade Marlowe had a couple hits 

including a double so he isn't out of 

the mix either. Brian Anderson who

the Mariners signed as a minor league

invitee played third and a two run 

homer in the second inning. His

major league experience has been

at third and right field so if Urias

isn't ready to start the season he

could have a spot to start season.

Cole Young continues to show this

spring he had his first homer of

spring and Rysn Bliss had a hit too.

Though not many roster spots to be

made some guys can make it

interesting. The future looks bright

to. Go M'S. 

Matt Brash In Or Out

The Mariners haven't said anything

about the status of Matt Brash other

than he wasn't throwing right now.

Speculation on social media Matt 

may miss some or all of the 2024

season. If that is the case who will

take his spot in the bullpen as far

as where he would pitch. Last year

many cases he would come into the

game with runners on base. If there

no outs or one out he would finish

that inning. If there were two outs

he may come out for another inning.

A lot depended on how many pitches

he threw.

The question if he is out for some

or all of the season who will come

in instead. Is that pitcher on the 

roster now or will the Mariners have

to acquire someone?

George Santos who the Mariners

acquired from the White Sox will

have to make a bigger impact as

long as he can stay healthy. Also 

Andre Munoz has missed time to.

Now it will be important they both

stay healthy whether Brash is in

or out.

Two pitchers the Mariners acquired

in the offseason could fit the bill.

Jackson Kowar they acquired in the

Jarred Kelenic trade from Atlanta

and Carlos Vargas from Arizona in

the Eugenio Suarez trade. The thing

is neither has a lot of major league

experience though they throw the

ball hard. 

The Mariners may have a few other

candidates to but none being overwhelming. The Mariners always

seem to find someone to come

through. We will have to see. The

hope is nothing serious with Brash.

Go M's. 

Logan Gilbert Makes First Spring Start

Right now Logan Gilbert looks to be

starting game three when the season

begins for the Seattle Mariners. 

Not bad for  a guy who could be number

one or two on some teams. Logan 

could end up winning the Cy Young

Award this coming season as much

as Luis Castillo and George Kirby could

as well. How many teams have a starting

rotation like the Mariners.

In his opening spring outing he went two

innings with three strike outs. It would

be interesting if these three starters hsd

their best seasons so far. You add on 

Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo on top of

that. Could you imagine if these two

won at least ten games each. 

The Mariners lost Wednesdays game

to the Kansas City Royals 9-7. The

Mariners did have a good lead however

the nine runs were against three pitchers

who won't start the season in Seattle

if ever.

Crawford and Polanco played again 

together. Important as double play

partners. Not surprised when not

playing they are still working on

double plays.

The Mariners played minor leaguers

after those who started left the game

after two at bats.  Wouldn't be surprised

if the starters get in three at bats beginning

next week. They will probably start

every two or three games. They will be

ready before the pitchers.

Cal Raleigh had the big blow hitting

his first homer of the spring with

two runners on base. Mitch Haniger

made his first start in right field after

dh his last time out. He had a hit

and drove in a run. Josh Rojas had

a hit and a walk as well as playing

third base. Taylor Trammell had

his first two hits of the spring while

scoring and driving in a run. 

The Mariners are in Peoria taking on

the White Sox with Bryce Miller. See

what success he will have. Woo will

make his first start of the spring to

on Friday on the road against the

Rockies. That game will be on TV.

Go M's.

Mariners and Giants Tie

We will never see it in the regular 

season however in spring training

a tie happens sometimes. It depends

whether both teams want go extra

innings or not. At this point of training

camp probably not. Most teams have

setup how many pitchers they will

go with. In a couple weeks they could

go ten innings. 

The Mariners played the Giants on

the road. Score 10-10. George Kirby

started however gave up four runs with three earned in one and one-third innings.

If I recall he did do well in his first outing

last year either. It could be the Arizona

weather too. I wouldn't worry about 

him.

The Mariners used three pitchers besides

Kirby who may make the final roster out

of the bullpen. Trent Thornton and Tayler Saucedo who pitched some of last year 

for the Mariners plus Carlos Vargas who

they got in the Eugenio Suarez trade.

Vargas could make the opening day 

roster if he can control the ball. He

hss been known to be a bit wild but

another great arm though. Saucedo 

has a great chance being on the

opening day roster as one of two lefties

in the bullpen. Thornton could be a

long reliever and a spot starter if

necessary or be the first out of the

bullpen ehen called upon. Right now

the Mariners have almost five spots

already made including Saucedo so

only three spots that are open.

Dylan Moore has started out hitting

well including two hits on Tuesday.

He was on base when Mitch Garver

had his first home run of the spring.

Also again when Dominic Canzone 

hsd his first of the spring as well.

Canzone looks to be one of the

four outfielders getting plenty of 

playing. Besides Julio there is the

return of Mitch Haniger and Luke

Raley as well.

Dylan Moore though the main

candidate to be the utility player

is going to have some youngsters

trying to make the roster too.

Michael Chavis who signed as a

minor leaguer while invited to

camp hss the confidence to

make the team. He had a home

run to and started at third base. 

If Urias isn't ready to start the

regular season Chavis is right

handed bat that can play second

as well as third. 

What the Mariners need is another

right handed bat in the outfield 

whether it is Dylan Moore or someone

else. Currently Julio and Haniger

are the only right handed bats to get

plenty of appearances at the plate in

the outfield. Canzone and Raley are

both left handed bats. One may bat

against lefties however the Mariners

may want three right hand hitters 

sometimes. Dylan Moore looks to

be the guy right now. If one of the

youngsters make it then the Mariners

will look to trade him. Moore being

traded means the Mariners feel one

of the youngsters is ready to go. 

Wednesday Logan Gilbert will

start against the Royals. Right now

the order of the starting rotation

is Castillo, Kirby, Gilbert, Bryce Miller

and Bryan Woo. Miller is scheduled

to start on Thursday. No announcement

whether Woo will start on Friday.

Emerson Hancock is scheduled to

start on Saturday. Right now he is

considered the sixth starter. Not

sure he will start the season in

Tacoma or be in the bullpen. Stay tuned.

Seahawks Tuesday

Recently  Fox13 Aaron Levine had an 

interview with Seahawks  head coach 

Mike Macdonald. They talked about

Ryan Grubb  offensive  Grubb along

with quarterbacks  Geno Smith and

Drew Lock.  

Grubb just about how his mind works 

for the offense.  He could be an asset  

for the defense to in my mind. He

looks forward  to get to know both of 

the quarterbacks.  No answer at this

point. He expects  the defense  to play 

3-4. Not sure whether the standard

three linebackers,  two defensive ends,

and two tackles.  How edge rushers 

would play in the mix.

Mariners  lineup already  posted. George 

Kirby starts. Likely  goes two innings.  

Dylan will lead off and play second.

Ryan Bliss will be playing  short and

Harry Ford  starts at catcher. Luke Raley 

will be in right field while Dominic Canzone 

in left. It will be interesting  whether we

see that during the regular season. It will

be interesting  to see when Mitch Haniger 

plays in the outfield  whether right or left

field. He was a right fielder for the Mariners 

before however left field might keep him

more healthy. I  guess we will see.

 Mitch Garver  will be back at dh. Samad 

Taylor will be in  center. Tyler Locklear 

will be at first base. Wonder if we  will

see him at 3rd during camp. He came up

as a third baseman though the Mariners 

hope to play him at first. We could see 

him up with the the Mariners sometime 

in the season especially  if there are

injuries. It will be interesting to see

wheels will pitch behind Kirby since this

game four. Go M's. 

Mariners Win First Game Of Spring

Monday the Mariners beat Cincinnati

Reds in their spring training field 2-0.

The Reds only had one hit which 

happened in the 8th inning. This 

occurred after the Mariners scored

their two runs in the top of the  8th.

Mariners top prospect Cole Young

came in the game after JP Crawford

had his first two at bats. In his second 

at bat Cole hit a double driving in the

two runs the Mariners scored. Cole

Tucker played center field after Sam

Haggerty started there. He and Nick

Solak who got on ahead of Young

scored. Many figure Young is  on the

fast track to be a member of the

Mariners team. With JP Crawford

playing good ball over the last couple

seasons 2nd base would be his likely

spot. The Mariners acquired  Jorge

Polanco a few weeks ago. At this point

it doesn't look like he will start either

position for a few seasons. I suppose 

third base could be another option. 

The Mariners could use him as a super

utility player as well. At least this a good 

problem to have.

Another player who should be on

the roster in the near future is catcher

Harry Ford.  He considers himself

a catcher at this point. Of course, the

Mariners have Cal Raleigh as well.

Cal is a young veteran. The Mariners

could sign him to a contract in the

next couple of years. Recently Cal

mentioned be a Mariner for life. Now

what happens with Harry. Do the 

Mariners move him to another position

or trade him. Another one which is

to have a problem like this. A catcher

like Ford doesn't come along often

either. The Mariners have other youngsters

coming up in the next years too. We will

see what happens. Ford is so special

and so I Cal don't want to see either

one leave. 

News came that Julio has a sore

left hand. The Mariners are not worried

and he is working out though hasn't

played in any games yet. Hard to know

when he will be in the lineup.however

soon likely. The key he is ready for 

the season opener.. Go M's.

Mitch Haniger and More

The Mariners hsd their second game

of spring losing to Cleveland 8-4. The Guardians got all their runs in the 4th

and 7th innings.

Mitch Haniger was at dh where he got 

a home run in the second inning. Mitch

batted second in the order. He had two 

at bats on the day. Reminded me that

Mitch can hit anywhere in the order. 

On the regular season we will likely see

him further down in the order.

Dominic Canzone who likely share right

field field with Haniger played there and

batted fifth. He had a hit in a couple at 

bats and drove in a run. Looked good in 

the field too.

Most of the rest of the lineup were the

guys competing for the utility spots.

Cal Raleigh though started at catcher 

with a couple at bats. He scored after

walking. Luke Raley who may play a

lot of left field though played first base.

He looked good there to so if Ty France

needs a day off he will be a good one

to be out there.

Ryan Bliss who may play  at Tacoma

in the beginning of the season started

and hsd a couple at bats played second.

He began his career at shortstop. Could

see him play both at Tacoma along with

third base. Dylan Moore played shortstop

with a hit and a walk while driving in a 

walk. He is the one the rest of the guys

trying to beat for utility. Michael Chavis

who signed a minor league deal started

at third.

Sam Haggerty started in left while Samad

Taylor started in center. He played second

and left field on Saturday. Harry Ford saw

his first action of spring. The catcher threw

out a runner at second. Quite impressive

since he did it from his knees. The play 

wasn't close.

The Mariners again used eight pitchers.

Lefty Jhonathan Diaz who started was 

very impressive striking out four of the 

six batters he faced first two innings.

Though he won't be in the rotation to

start the season adds depth and could

be the long reliever if he continues 

this way. Diaz pitched four games last

year in relief with the Los Angeles Angels.

Monday Luis Castillo starts against

his former team the Cincinnati Reds.

Most likely go a couple innings. May

see Julio in his first game of the season.

Go M's.

Cougars Upset By ASU

The Cougars were upset by Arizona  State 

after beating  Arizona  in a close game.

The Cougars  were in first place for one

game after beating Arizona on Saturday. 

The Cougars had won eight games in a 

a row so a let down was understandable. 

The Sun Devils  beat the Cougars 73-61.

The Cougars shot only 17% from the

3pt line the worst of the season while

Sun Devils shot at 43%.

Jaylen Wells  who played well  and won

the game against Arizona had only 8

points making 2 of 8 beyond the arc.

Isaiah Watts was the only other one 

making a 3 point shot. The Cougars 

were led by Iaac Jones with 16 points

and 11 rebounds. Myles Rice had 13

points. Only players scoring in double 

figures. 

The Sun Devils  had four players in 

double figures  led by Jose Perez 

with 16 points. The Cougars play

their final three games at home.

Next Thursday  against USC and

UCLA on Saturday. The following 

Thursday  end it against  Washington. 

Huskies and Mariners

Not a big surprise after losing to the

Cougars Arizona came back to beat

the Huskies 91-75.

The Wildcats led most of the way

being up by 17 points at half and

get the score above 20 in the second

half. The Huskies brought in some

of the bench in the second half.

They were able to get within 10 points

under ten minutes left in the game

then Arizona was able to get the score

up higher once again.

The Huskies showed though the could

score some against the Wildcats their

defense couldn't stop them.

Korean Johnson led the Huskies coming

off the bench with 17 points. Keion Brooks

Jr. had only 15 points.  The Huskies

have three games left in the regular 

season.  They are in 10th place in the

Pac-12 with three games left. They

face UCLA and USC at home next

week and finish off against the Cougars

in Pullman.

The Cougars play Arizona State in the

evening. The Cougars will be still in

first place by winning or down by

half a game with a loss.

In baseball the Mariners lost to the

White Sox  8-7 in walk off fashion.

Like many spring training games

there was no scoring early on. The

While Sox scored first in the bottom

of the sixth inning and then sent 

back and forth.

The Mariners hsd five starters in the

game. They had eight pitchers go.

Only a few that are really competing

for a roster spot.

Julio Rodriguez didn't play and may 

do so on Sunday. Ty France had a 

double  for the Mariners first hit

of the spring. Tyler Locklear first

baseman prospect had three hits

When he came in for Ty.

Cole Young came in for JP Crawford

at short. Though he didn't have a hit

he did drive in a run on a sacrifice fly.

Samad Taylor who the Mariners acquired

from the Kansas City Royals had the

first Mariners home run of the spring and the only one the Mariners had on the day. 

He came in for Polanco at second base

and later moved to left field. Samad is

competing for the utility spot.

The Mariners take on Cleveland Guardians

on Sunday in Peoria as the home team

on Sunday. Left hander Jhonathan Diaz 

is expected to start for the Mariners.

Luis Castillo is expected to start on Monday as the first pitcher in the rotation

goes against his former team Cincinnati

Reds on the road. George Kirby expected

to go against the Giants Tues on the

road too. It will be interesting to see how

those two go in their first outings. They

may be the first two starters to begin the

season.

Saturday Opening of Cactus League

The Seattle  Mariners  open spring training 

games on Saturday against Chicago White 

Sox at noon Seattle  time.

It will be interesting to  see what the opening 

lineup will look like. I  am  sure  some of the

starters will be in the lineup though only play

like three innings. 

The Mariners signed two  more players these

to minor league deals. Infielder Brian Anderson 

who played 96 games for the Milwaukee Brewers 

last season  and right handed reliever Trevor Kelley 

who pitched a few innings last year with Tampa

Bay.

Neither Anderson  or Kelley had impressed stats.

Anderson went on the injured list after 96 games.

His primary  position  is third base and he has 

played right field to so gives Mariners added

depth and insurance.  Right now Luis Urias has a

sore shoulder so we may see Anderson  a lot in

the Cactus League especially early  on  to see how

he does. Also good in case Mitch Haniger  gets 

hurt as well. Kelley  is  another pitcher who the

Mariners  will try to change their fortune around.

I  am  sure  with all the candidates  they have one 

might make the ball club. Go M's. 

Geno Smith Receives Signing Bonus

General  manager  John Schneider  announced

a signing bonus set in his contract  signed last

year. It was changed from roster bonus for Geno 

Smuth.

The change saves the Seahawks $4.8 million 

the salary  cap. Since the Seahawks  were 

above the salary  cap.  Most likely  means

Geno will be around this coming season 

or could trade him  easier as well. 

News came out on Friday the salary  cap  

is going up in record numbers. The new

salary  cap  will be $255.8 million per team. 

For  the Seahawks  it is an increase of $13.8

 million. That could mean a lot for the Seahawks

as well as free agents. 

Does this mean Tyler Lockett  will stick

around or will they still renegotiate his

deal or trade him. Renegotiating means

it may mean it might be easier to trade

him as well. Things could mean difference 

for Jamal Adams too.

It is hard to know what Schneider and 

coach Mike Macdonald are thinking.

We will still see moves anyway.  The

price of incoming free agent  can go up

too. Go Hawks!

Huskies and Cougars Win

The Huskies men's basketball team 

won Thursday night 84-82 in overtime.

It really not the kind of game you would

think the score shows.

The Huskies did everything right in

the first half as Arizona State did

everything wrong. The Huskies 

built a 24 point lead that turned

into a tie at the end of regulation.

The Huskies even had a five point

lead under 30 seconds however gave

up a three pointer before a two point

shot by Arizona State.

At least they found a way to win in

the end although Mike Hopkins 

coaching career seems to be ending

soon at Washington. They have a lot

of talent on this team but can't finish

off. Whether it is Hopkins coaching

or bad luck we will never know.

The Cougars upset Arizona on their

home court 74-71. Much of the game was pretty close and the Cougars defense.

The Huskies would be near the top of

the conference if they had defense 

anywhere close to the Cougars.

Jaylen Wells who led the Cougars

with 27 points was the hero. Arizona

was head by three with less than 20 seconds when Wells tied the game 

with a three pointer however was fouled

where he put the Cougars ahead by one.

A few seconds later Wells made two

free throws to make the three point 

lead and final score. 

Caleb Love looked like he could put 

Arizona ahead with four seconds

left however he slipped and was 

called for traveling. We could say

it helps having a little luck. The

Cougars are now in first place

ahead of Arizona heading to

face Arizona State on Saturday 

while the Huskies go to Arizona.

Gonzaga beat Portland Pilots 

Thursday 86-65.  Graham Ike

led the Zags with 20 points and

14 rebounds. Nolan Hickman 

had 19 points with Ben Gregg 

and Anton Watson each with

13.  The Zags play at home on

Saturday in a big game against

Santa Clara. After that they finish

the regular season next Thursday 

on the road against San Francisco

Dons. The Dons are right behind

the Zags in third place. Saturday 

March 2 they finish off at St. Mary's

who is undefeated and likely to win

the West Coast conference even if

the Zags win.

Next post will be on the Seahawks

who have some big news and anything

on the Mariners if it comes up too. 

Seahawks Assistant Coaches

The Seahawks have now 17 assistant coaches named to Mike Macdonald's

staff. The could add some more. Last

year Pete Carroll had like 24 assistant

coaches. Since they play 22 starters

on offense and defense plus the punter, 

the field goal kicker and long snapper

it feels like an assistant for each spot.

Probably not exact though. I am sure 

there isn't an assistant for the left tackle 

and another for the right tackle. The

same for the guards as well  on tackle.

We already new of the coordinators 

and special team coach signed in

recent days. So here goes with the

other assistant coaches. 

Former Huskies offensive line coach

Scott Huff who was going to Alabama 

just like offensive coordinator Ryan 

Grubb decided to stay in Seattle as 

well.

Others on offense are quarterback coach

Charles London, running back Kennedy

Polamalu, wide receiver Frisman Jackson,

Tight ends Mack Brown, and passing game 

coordinator Jake Peetz.

On defense the new coaches not named

before assistant linebackers Josh Bynes, 

defensive backs Jeff Howard, defensive

assistant Nick Perry and defensive line

Justin Hinds. The special teams assistant

is Devin Fitzsimmons.

Overtime we will learn more about the

assistant coaches. By the way tight

end coach Make Brown is not the 

former Texas Longhorns coach if you

were wondering.

Let you know about any further hirings.

Over the weeks ahead we will learn of

players who are leaving as well as those

staying.  Go Hawks!

The First Day Of Position Players

On Tuesday  the Mariners  had their 

full group of players in workouts.

The Mariners  don't  have  many spots

open going into camp. 

The starting  rotation  is  intact. Who

would be the sixth and even seventh 

pitcher in case of injury.  The bullpen  

has five of their eight spots already 

set. Again who would be those in

depth beyond the eight as well.  

The position players for the most

part as well  is set to. There is a

possibility  of someone else besides

Dominic  Canzone to be the 4th 

outfielder  and  Dylan Moore the

utility player.

The only position  the Mariners 

could move on to improve  would

be third base. Currently  Josh Rojas 

and Luis Urias are expecting to

platoon at third. Rojas facing righties 

while Urias against lefties. Currently 

Urias has a little  shoulder problem 

so may see a little  more of Rojas 

playing third in the start of camp.

It isn't  like  Urias  won't  play  the

Mariners will keep  an eye on him.

We may see a player vying for the

utility player  being there. Also one

of the Mariners  top prospects like

Cole Young who primarily  looking

at short and second in the minor 

leagues this season the Mariners 

could give him a look at third.

The only free agent still on the

market playing third base is

Matt Chapman. The dollar amount 

is keeping  the  Mariners  away 

really  to be interested.  Of course 

things could change on both sides.

For the players Julio Rodriguez  had

a press conference.  He basically 

said the players are hungry and want

to get past last season. He wants to

get past his sophomore slump as

well. On the management  side general 

manager Justin  Hollander said he 

didn't see any big signing coming ahead

before the season begins. The Mariners 

always like to  keep  this to themselves 

so they could surprise  us  if something 

comes along. Most likely  the  Mariners 

would acquire someone who  would 

improve  the  end of the roster. Likely 

would  be  the bullpen,  outfielder or

infielder.  The Mariners  could add

a second  catcher if someone comes 

available  as well. Go M's. 

Cougars and Huskies Men's Basketball This Week

As major league  baseball  spring training 

is getting  underway the Cougars and

Huskies  are playing Arizona and  Arizona 

State this Thursday and  Saturday. 

Thursday  night the Cougars will take

on Arizona  while Huskies against 

Arizona State.  The Cougars  can beat 

Arizona they will  be first place in the 

Pac-12  and given a better chance being 

in the Pac-12  tournament.  Even a loss

that is close makes it favorable. 

Those who are in the Phoenix area for

baseball  spring  training then going

to see the Huskies against Arizona 

State on Thursday  followed by the

Cougars on Saturday. Be a good  way

to see more sports. Thursday to see

the Cougars  you would have to travel 

to Tucson.  

This road trip might be the last for

Huskies  coach Mike Hopkins since

they currently in 10th place in the

Pac-12 and he has only one year

left on his contract. The  Huskies 

have a new athletic director so

another poor season doesn't look

good  for Hopkins to return unless

there is a quick turnaround which

is not likely.

Whether Hopkins returns  or not the

Huskies  will have  to use the transfer

portal to bring in new players next

year. Most of the Huskies  players

who are getting the playing time

are in their final year of college eligibility.

Those who have eligibility remaining 

likely  will go elsewhere with a new

coach. This year's  incoming freshmen 

haven't  played at all.

Sophomore  Koren  Johnson who has

been playing  extremely well  recently 

coming  off  the bench and is a player 

from Seattle  would seem to be the 

only one to return. He might be a 

starter next year or a key guy off the

bench. 

The players that Hopkins brought in 

this year have done well for the most

part at least offensively.  The Huskies 

weakness has  been  on defense.  They

have won games mainly by outscoring 

the opposition.  They have been a fun

team to watch however more wins 

would be nice. Go Dawgs!

Tuesday Mariners Spring Training Full

On Tuesday February 20 is when the

position players are to report in. More

than half were in camp when the pitchers and catchers reported in.

Just like pitching staff the position 

players spots there isn't many 

available either.  The Mariners will

have two catchers, Mitch Garver as

the primary dh who may once in a

while to catch, five infielders,  and four 

outfielders along with utility player.

The Mariners will have Cal Raleigh

as the regular catcher. Ty France 

expected to start at first base. Jorge

Polanco the Mariners acquired from

the Twins a few weeks ago at second.

JP Crawford will be the shortstop. 

Josh Rojas and Luis Urias will share

playing time at third. Rojas may play

some second as well.

The four outfielders are expected

to be Julio Rodriguez, Luke Raley

acquired from Tampa Bay, Mitch

Haniger reacquired from the SF

Giants, and Dominic Canzone.

Julio and Raley are expected to

be regular starters. Haniger and

Canzone share right field. 

At this point Dylan Moore is expected

to be the utility player. He may play 

some outfield along with shortstop 

when Crawford needs a day off. 

Most likely against a tough left

handed pitcher. Could see him

at first base, second and third as

well. A lot will depend on injuries.

The utility spot and one outfield

spot are the only spots that could

be different. The Mariners could

make a trade during camp as 

well. 

The starting rotation is pretty set

and five spots in the bullpen as

well. The Mariners will have an

eight men bullpen so three spots

is where competition comes in.

One of the spots will likely be a

long reliever who can start if 

necessary as well. The bullpen

can add during the season 

depending on injuries, effective

and use. The last spot in the

bullpen could change on occasion.

The Mariners hope the starting

five will be able to start most of

the season. 

Robbie Ray who was injured and

lost for the season in his very first

gsmevis now with the Giants. He

was involved in the trade to bring

back Haniger. Marco Gonzales 

was hurt last season as well.

He was dealt in Jarred Kelenic

trade to the Atlanta Braves. The

Braves ended up sending him

to the Pittsburgh Pirates who

need help in their rotation.

It will be interesting to see the

stories that will unfold in camp.

Go M's. 

Cougars Win Huskies Lose

The Cougars  beat Stanford Saturday 

72-59. The game was close in the first 

half Stanford leading by one at the end.

The Cougars with their defense broke

open the game in the second half.

The Cougars had four of their five 

starters score in double figures.

Jaylen Wells and Issac Jones each

had  15 points. Oscar Cliff led the 

Cougars with 12 rebounds.

Both teams stats were close to the

same with Cougars shooting just 

over 47% from the field while Stanford 

was at 43.1%. The Cougars shot 

slightly better from behind the 3pt

line making three more than Stanford.

The Cougars hsd more chances

since they had 13 offensive rebounds

to Stanford's 6.

The Cougars now have won seven 

straight games. They are now 11-4

in the Pac-12 and half a game behind

Arizona. The Cougars though play

at Arizona on this coming Thursday

night. The Cougars win they takeover

first place in the Pac-12.

The Washington Huskies who had the

chance to sweep Stanford then California

at home instead lost Saturday night

82-80.  The game was in single degits

for both teams throughout the night.

Both leading back and fourth. The 

Huskies led 80-79 and were unable to 

score again under a minute. California

had the ball under 11 seconds remaining. 

Jaylon Tyson who led California with

28 points was covered when he dished

the ball to Jalen Celestine who put

down a 3 point shot with four seconds.

Sahvir Wheeler tried to make a layin 

just before the buzzer however missed

it. Keion Brooks Jr. led the Huskies

with 26 points.

Both teams shot OK from the field.

The Huskies made two more  3 point

shots than California however they

made six more free throws to make 

the difference in the game. 

The Huskies will play Arizona State

on Thursday followed at Arizona on

Saturday. It will be hard for the Huskies

to win both however will help if they 

can heading into the Pac-12 tournament.

Gonzaga won over Pacific at home

102-76.  Graham Ike led the Zags

with 21points and six rebounds too.

The Zags continue the wealth

having five player in double figures.

The Zags go to Portland this coming

Thursday then return home to play 

Santa Clara. They have four remaining

games in the regular season. All will be

hard to beat with Portland likely the

easiest though on the road. Go Zags!

Interesting February In Washington Sports

The Seattle Mariners have just started 

spring training. It is basically like most 

years with new players added to the

mix and others like Jarred Kelenic

and Eugenio Suarez moving on to

another team. The Mariners added 

a couple new coaches to the coaching

staff. One interesting is a new bench

coach who is called offensive coordinator

using the football term. 

With Kelenic, Suarez along with Teoscar

Hernandez going to the Los Angeles

Dodgers as a free agent the offense

will look a bit different as the Mariners

may not have as many home runs as

last year. They are hoping to have less

strike outs as well and balls hit into 

play.  The Mariners though have a lot

of players in camp they don't have many

spots open either.

Most years the off season we hear 

about free agents the Seahawks may

acquire and other players they may

release at this time of the year. Also

speculation in the NFL draft. This year

Pete Carroll was fired and Mike Macdonald

is the new head coach. He is assembling

a new coaching staff. They have new

offensive and defensive coordinators.

Other assistant positions have been

filled with about ten more to be hired.

On Friday four players contracts were

quranteed for 2024 which included

quarterback Geno Smith and wide

receiver DK Metcalf. It doesn't mean 

the four will be on the team in 2024

though more likely than not.  The

Seahawks have to trim some fat

to get under the salary cap while

bringing in some free agents. They

have some of their own who will

be free agents as well.

Two of the free agents are linebackers

Jordyn Brooks and Bobby Wagner. I

am sure the Seahawks will try to bring

back Brooks and not sure about Wagner.

If Bobby does return most likely he won't

play as many downs as he did last year.

In part was that Brooks was hurt a good

portion of the season.

The Washington Huskies have had to

do the same with a new head coach

in Jedd Fisch who came aboard when 

DeBoer went to Alabama. He is still

assembling his coaching staff. The

Huskies lost some players through

the transfer portal as well as players

who finished eligibility or going to

the NFL early. 

The Huskies brought in several players

through the transfer portal as well which

included seven  players from Arizona 

where coach Fisch coached last year.

They had to find new commits for the

incoming freshman class for those

who decided to go elsewhere to. In

April the Huskies may add a few 

additional players through the portal

as well. One position is tight end

since they don't have a lot of experience

and the same may go for the offensive

line coach. The Huskies may wait until

spring camp is over in late April or

early May to see who may decide to

leave and where they need to fill spots.

The Washington State Cougars though

being an independent school along

with Oregon State being the remaining

teams of the Pac-12 not finding a new

conference to join in. Their schedules

next season is primarily playing against

schools from the Mountain West

Conference along with playing their

rivals in Washington and Oregon although

both have gone to the Big Ten. They will

be psrtbof their non-league schedule

outside the Mountain West schools.

In two years they may merge with the

Miutsin West schools or some of them

may start a new conference.

The Cougars right now have their head

coach still there while the Beavers

have a new head coach after Jonathan

Smith decided to join the Big Ten by

becoming the head coach of Michigan

State. The Cougars didn't lose as many

players to the transfer portal as the

Beavers though quarterback Cameron

Ward left for a greener pasture. So

after two seasons the Cougars will

have another starting qb.

Now we will see what the next month 

goes for these teams in Washington.

Huskies and Cougars Men Basketball Win Comfortably

The Washington Huskies had one

of their best games of the season

blowing out the Stanford Cardinal

85-65 at home.

The Huskies seem to play better at 

home then on the road. Sophomore

guard Korean Johnson had a career 

high 30 points. He made a three pointer

to end the first half putting the Huskies

ahead by two. He continued not only

scoring in the second half he set the

tempo for the whole Husky team both

offensively and defensively. 

Keion Brooks Jr the Huskies leading 

scorer hsd 20 points on the night

which is usual. Point guard Sahvir 

Wheeler had 14 points along with

eight assists. Braxton Mean had

only four points but grabbed 13

rebounds for the Huskies. He played

a few extra minutes than normal. 

Meant he wasn't in foul trouble. 

The Huskies are now tied for eight

place in the Pac-12 while the Cougars

are still in second place. The UCLA

Bruins are now in third after getting

off to a slow start in the conference. 

The Cougars beat the California Golden

Bears easily 84-65. The Cougars led by 

12 at half time. California got the score 

done to eight a couple times in the

second half before Cougars  went on a

good run. Right now it looks like the

Cougars should make the NCAA 

tournament while Huskies have to

continue getting better. Most people

including me feel that Coach Hopkins

days are numbered. With a new AD

he would only finish his final year of

contract if the Huskies were in the top 

five in the conference. Heading to the

Big Ten a change should happen.

The Cougars had five players in double 

figures in scoring. In fact did most of the scoring. Again it was the Cougars defense

that led them to scoring. Freshman guard

Myles Rice had 25 points.

Forward Isaac Jones had 21 points and led

with nine rebounds. Jones and Rice are 

becoming quite the tandem. Jaylen Wells

and Andrej Jakimovski each had 12 points.

Rueben Chinyelu did well coming off the

bench with 10 points in limited action.

The Cougars shot well from the field 

at 55% and a good 40% from beyond

the 3-point line. The defense allowed California to shoot 38.2 % from the field.

The Huskies take on California on Saturday

while the Cougars play Stanford. Both

teams hope for a sweep. Next week they

are on the road playing Arizona and

Arizona State. After that they have three

remaining games of the regular season.

The season ends with the Cougars 

hosting the Huskies on March 7. 

The Huskies are 6-8 in the Pac-12 and

 really need to win their final six games 

to have a real chance. Sta tuned!

Gonzaga beat Loyola Marymount on

the road Thursday night 91-74. Much

like the Huskies it was the second 

half where they got the job done.

The Zags got their scoring from the

starting five all in double figures. 

The bench only contribute two points.

Graham Ike led with 23 points while

Nolan Hickman was right behind him

with 22. Anton Watson led in rebounding

with 11. Ike made 11 out of 19 from 

the field while Hickman was 7 of 12. He was four of six behind the three point

line.

The Zags take on Pacific at home

on Saturday. St.Mary's still is undefeated

in the Wst Coast Conference while

the Zags and San Francisco Dons

are both 9-2 in the conference.

See if the three Washington schools

can all win again on Saturday.

The Seahawks And Mariners

Seahawks  new head coach Mike  Macdonald 

not only is looking at adding more pieces to

the coaching staff he has been talking to some

of the players  as well.

When speaking to ESPN  Macdonald mentioned 

he spoke with both Geno Smith and Drew Lock.

He didn't  mention  about the future of either

one to  ESPN.  Over the next few days a decision 

has to be made on Geno since there are contract

decisions to be made. The Seahawks  are over 

the salary so Geno along with a few  other players

like Tyler  Lockett  have to be made about getting 

under the cap.It doesn't  mean  all or some of the

major  pieces will be gone. 

Drew Lock  will be a free agent again in a few weeks. 

The question  will he be considered for the backup 

role or compete for the starting job whether Geno

returns or not. Although Pete Carroll said their was

competition  between  Geno and Drew most media 

plus fans didn't  think so. The job was always Geno's.

Even if both do return  this could be different this 

time however the salary of Geno's  it would likely be 

his job. If Geno is let loose Drew may return to compete 

whoever else comes in. 

The Seattle  Mariners  the pitchers and catchers have

reported to camp. With physicals taken care of some 

of the pitchers will be throwing today while others begin

on Friday. The veteran pitchers will have their regular

routine while the youngsters like Bryce Miller  and  Bryan

Woo will be put on a schedule. Those who are new to

the Mariners  will be put on a schedule as well.

The first Cactus League (preseason) game will be on

February  24 against the Chicago White Sox  on their

spring training  field. Not sure who will start the first

game yet. I am sure manager Scott Servais has an idea.

Most likely Luis Castillo will be the opening day starting 

pitcher however he likely won't  open the Cactus League.

In fact I  would be surprised  if  he starts any of the first

five games. I  remember when Felix Hernandez was the

opening starter he didn't start in the first five games of

camp either. Castillo  like King Felix will throw on the

sidelines though. 

Most likely Logan Gilbert or George Kirby may start on

February 24 and go a couple innings. One of the guys 

who will compete for long reliever and start when the 

Mariners need them to may pitch a couple innings 

as well.  I would like that to be Emerson Hancock, 

however his history  of  being injured they may hold

him back. 

The position  players report  on  February 20 however

I am sure some of them are in camp already and they

will take grounders in the field and hit some in the cage.

Though Mitch Garver is expected  to  be the regular dh

I  expect  he is in camp as part of the catchers. I am 

sure Servais  and the coaching staff will want to see

how he looks behind the plate  though he is  is expected 

to be the third catcher. If he does  a decent job that will

help. This might allow Mitch Haniger to play some ball

at dh as well.  When spring games begin it will be

interesting  to  see how healthy Mitch is. I  am  sure  if 

he can play at least half of the games on the season 

depending  on  Dominic Canzone or whoever he shares

the outfield with performs will be good. Any bonus be

a plus. Go M's. 

Mariners Outfield Going Into Spring Training

Outside of Julio Rodriguez  there is some

questions  about the the outfield.  Last

year the starting  outfield  was Julio along

with Jarred Kelenic and Teoscar Hernandez.

Kelenic  is  now with the  Atlanta Braves

and Hernandez  is  with the Los Angeles 

Dodgers.  The Mariners  didn’t  get anyone 

in return for either one.

Luke Raley and the return  of  Mitch Haniger 

will be the  major players in the corner

outfields. Raley should start all the games

against right-handers while Haniger will

start against lefties  at least. With Haniger

the question is how healthy  will he be

for the season  and if so will he be close 

to the player we knew.

When Haniger needs a day off which is most

likely against right handers the first choice

going into camp is Dominic Canzone who the

Mariners picked up in the Paul Sewald trade

at the end of last July. He has a lot of talent 

however Canzone  doesn't have  a lot of major

league experience.  If training camp shows 

he is ready we could see him in the lineup 

starting in the outfield a lot. Haniger could

dh occasionally as well though Mitch Garver 

is expected to  be  the  regular dh. Garver

could catch on occasion  with Haniger at

dh.

When Raley isn't  in the outfield which most

likely  against a tough lefty we will see Dylan

Moore instead. He could play instead of

Haniger as well  again depending on health. 

Another candidate  against lefties  at this

point is Sam Haggerty. Right now though

he looks  like  the man out going into the

regular  season. 

Other candidates  in the outfield  are Cade

Marlowe, Canaan Smith-Njiba and Taylor 

Trammell  as left handed hitters along with

Samad Taylor a right handed hitter the M's 

acquired  recently from the Kansas City 

Royals. Taylor will likely  start in Tacoma 

unless the Mariners trade Dylan Moore.

Taylor Trammell  has shown talent however 

hasn't  shown much on the major league

level.  The question  has the Mariners given

him  a real shot. He is out of options so he

has to show what he has in the spring.  His

biggest issue has been not healthy during

the spring. This year he has to stay healthy 

in camp to have a shot with the Mariners 

or going elsewhere. He is a great guy so

I hope he does it.

The Mariners at least have depth in the 

outfield  from the left side of the plate.

I wish they had more from the right side

with question  marks outside of Julio.

Go M's.  

Going To Be Busy Now In Local Sports

We have to look at Gonzaga and

Washington State how they do

the rest of the basketball season

and whether they make March 

Madness. This should be exciting

if both teams make it in.

The Seahawks and Huskies have

to continue building their coaching

staffs and who the players they

will have to compete next season.

The Seattle Kraken have to see

what they can do to turn things 

around. Those who are Seattle

Storm fans and Sounders see

how they go.

The Mariners start spring training

this week. See if they pick up

anymore players and who makes 

the opening day roster. See.if

they can get off to better start.

We hope for success for all the

teams. Hopefully 2024 will be

really good for them all. Go teams!

Seahawks Start Building Their Staff

Now that the Kansas City  Chiefs are 

Super Bowl champions again and the

Seahawks  have  their offensive and

defensive coordinator. The job now

this week  is  to build the remaining

parts of the assistants.

Though Patrick Mahomes received 

the most press the  Chiefs won 

because of their defense and special 

teams. Since teams copy other teams

success I am sure the Seahawks  will 

look to see what they can do.

Now that Ryan Grubb is the offensive 

coordinator now the look is to see

who he will  bring in to fill the spots

of offensive  line coach, running back,

receivers , tight end  and quarterbackcoaches.

Now that Grubb is offensive  coordinator 

the thought is the Seahawks  will look

to draft Michael Penix Jr.  Maybe take

him at number 16 in the first round.

Does that mean Geno Smith is out or

will he be around for another year.

As far as offensive  line coach the

thought is the Seahawks will bring

in former Huskies offensive  line 

coach Scott Huff. We will have to

see where they go at the other spots.

Aden Durde  is the new defensive 

coordinator.  He comes from Dallas

Cowboys where he was defensive 

line coach. The Seahawks  could

bring in defensive  assistants from

Dallas who don't go to Washington 

Commanders  where   Dan Quinn 

is now head coach  and Baltimore 

Ravens where Seahawks head coach 

Michael Macdonald was defensive 

coordinator .

The Seahawks  retained Karl Scott

and will be defensive back coach.

Assistant head coach is Leslie 

Frazier  who has experience on 

defensive  so he will have input 

mostly  there and head coach 

Michael Macdonald will call

defensive plays. The Huskies 

have hired Kirk Olivadotti as

linebackers coach. Last season 

he coached at Green Bay.

Now we will see who else Michael 

Macdonald  will hire for like the

defensive  line coach. The Seahawks 

have Jay Harbaugh  as special teams

coordinator. I am sure he will have

an assistant as well.

Stay tune and see who else comes

aboard. After coaches come then

the Seahawks  will look at what 

free agent players they want to retain

and who they may go after from 

elsewhere.  Go Hawks!

 

Should Mariners Sign Blake Snell

Blake Snell  has been interested in  

playing for his home team. Do the

Mariners sign him or  let another

team like Angels  sign him.

Though he won the Cy Young  Award 

in the NL last season  he averaged 

under six innings per outing. He walked 

just over three batter per game. If he

cut down on walks a little  bit he could

go six innings.

The  minor flaws he has the Mariners  

coaching staff could help. The Mariners 

have no left  handed pitching in the

rotation  after trading Marco Gonzales 

and Robbie  Ray.  

The Mariners  could put either Miller

or Woo into the bullpen. Since Woo

may look at going less innings he 

could be the choice. He can start 

if the Mariners want to give Miller 

a break to. Not at the beginning of

the season  the Mariners could go

with a six man rotation briefly 

depending on a long homestand

or road trip. If they play two three 

game series the second teams would

not see a repeat pitcher. 

Not sure how much Snell is asking

for and how many years.  Snell is

31 years old and has pitched in the

majors for eight years. So pitching 

five years doesn't  seem to be out

of the question.  The Mariners got 

a sweet deal for Castillo however

Snell likely  want more. Logan Gilbert

and George  Kirby  will need to be

signed to a large contract so the

Mariners could be creative in signing

Snell.  If Snell  is  expecting five years

the Mariners could sign him paying 

him at a certain amount whether high

or low and pay him over more of period

of time. The Dodgers signed  Ohtani

to ten year contract however paying

him over 20 years. His case he is 

being paid  more in the last ten years.

The Mariners  could do that as well 

paying more after five years or go the

other way. Paying him higher now

and lower later would help on paying

Gilbert and Kirby.  

The Mariners  will  have  to  pay Cal

Raleigh  about the same time as Gilbert 

if the ownership  doesn't  screw things

up like this off-season and he wants

to stick around. The Mariners do sign

Snell  they could later to trade either

Miller or Woo and then there is Emerson 

Hancock who are not sure how he will

develop. They won't  have to pay youngsters

like Harry Ford for some time either. You

have to figure he and the other first round

picks after him received  nice signing

bonuses. The Mariners  have international 

players who may arrive as well in several 

seasons  and we could see another Julio 

Rodriguez. 

So you want the Mariners  sign Blake Snell 

who wants to be here or skip him for another 

team to grab  him. That is the question. 

Go M's!

Gonzaga, Washington State and Washington All Win Saturday

Gonzaga went on the road to Kentucky

and upset them 89-85. Gonzaga dominated Kentucky somewhat by leading by ten

points. The Zags played pretty good defense in the first half. Kentucky made it close by playing good defense in the second half. The game was close coming down to the end. The Zags made a way to win.

For the Zags to make March Madness Tournament this game was a good victory to hope in making it.  Graham Ike led the Zags with 23 points. The Zags had five players in double figures. Zags will play at Loyola Marymount next Thursday.

The Cougars beat the Oregon Ducks 62-56. The Cougars led much of the way though the Ducks made it hard at the end though still lost. The Cougars his four players in double figures who scored all but three points. Myles Rice led the Cougars with 21 

points. The Cougars made more free throws than the Ducks however missed 

some crucial ones that could have cost

them the game. The shot  better from

the floor as sell which was good as the Ducks took more shots.

The Cougars are now in second place after 

Arizona beat Colorado otherwise would

have been tied for first place. They have a good shot making the NCAA tournament 

if they continue winning.

The Huskies beat Oregon State Beavers 

67-55. They led all the way including being 

up by 20 points at half time. Though the

game was in Corvallis the Beavers didn't

seem well at all. The Huskies beat them 

at every fase of the game.

Keion Brooks  Jr. led the Huskies with.23 points and 9 rebounds. Neither team

shot well beyond the 3 point line. The Beavers allowed the Huskies a lot of

open shots. Had the Huskies knocked 

more done it would have been larger 

margin on victory.

The Huskies and Cougars play Stanford 

and California at home this Thursday

and Saturday. The Cougars play five

of their last seven games at home while

Huskies four of seven. The Cougars 

have a good shot making  March

Madness. 

The Huskies on the other hand 4-8

in Pac-12 and 12-11 overall for 10 

place. The Huskies basically have 

to win all seven remaining games

to have a shot unless they win the

Conference tournament.  Go Dawgs!

Seahawks Add Coaching Staff and Mariners Make Minor Move

The Seattle  Seahawks  added two 

assistant coaches the word has come 

out. The Seahawks  have reported

hiring their defensive coordinator  and 

offensive  coordinator.  

On Friday the Seahawks had a press

conference  with their new defensive 

coordinator.  The choice is Aden Durde.

He was a defensive  line coach with 

the Dallas  Cowboys. He is an Englishman

who played some football and coached

some in the UK before coming to United 

States. Head coach Mike Macdonald  is

expected to call the defensive  plays 

at least until Durde maybe able to take

the job over. We should expect more

coaching hires too.

It was reported by the Seattle Times 

the Seahawks  have their offensive 

coordinator hired as well. I  am sure

another of fans will  be  happy. The 

Seahawks  are hiring former Huskies 

offensive  coordinator Ryan Grubb 

for the position.  He will call the offense 

plays for the Seahawks. I am sure fans

look forward to that. 

Under Pete Carroll  the offense was 

running first then the pass. Often the

passing game came to the forefront 

because the running game wasn't 

happening or they were beyond in

the game or both. Under Grubb I

expect the run and pass would  be

about even though the pass could 

be more at the forefront.

This could be good news to DK Metcalf 

since we could see more passes thrown

his way. I would say in some  respects 

he is what Rome Odunze  was to the

Huskies. Not sure Odunze  will be available 

when the Seahawks  are ready to draft in

the first round though taking a quarterback 

aka Michael  Penix  Jr., however taking 

Jalen McMillan or Ja'Lynn Polk  a bit later

in the draft wouldn't  be out of the question. 

There is a question  whether veteran receiver 

Tyler Lockett  will be back or not since he has

a large salary  hit and the Seahawks  are over

the cap. They could renegotiate  his contract 

though if Tyler  is  willing too.

In baseball a few days ago the Mariners  made

a move that was actually  related to the Seahawks. 

They acquired  outfielder  Canaan Smith-Njiba 

from the Pittsburgh  Pirates. He is the older brother 

of Seahawks  receiver Jaxon  Smith-Njiba. I recall 

this has to be a first for brothers playing for Seahawks 

and Mariners. Not sure the chance for  Canaan to

make the Mariners  however has been a good triple-A 

player. He could be another player who plays well 

at triple-A  and  not so much in the majors.  The M's 

have had  several  of those types over the years.

It was reported  right handed pitcher Darren McCaughan

who was designated  for  assignment  when the Mariners 

acquired  Canaan Smith-Njiba  was traded  to the Miami 

Marlins for cash considerations on Friday.  McCaughan

spent much of the last five years at Tacoma. He did

make some appearances  for the Mariners  when they

needed a starter temporarily  or in the bullpen as well. 

We wish him  the best with  the  Marlins.

The Mariners  will start spring  training next week  with the

pitchers and catchers reporting  on February  15 and position 

players. The Mariners  have invited 31 non-roster players to

camp. That is more than the opening day roster  of 26. Most

likely most of those players won't  make the team out of

camp. Only spots available  is in the bullpen or as a bench

player.  The  Mariners could have someone if there is an

injury to a starting pitcher or a position player.

Here you will get news how the players do in camp. Go M's!

Men's Basketball Huskies Lose Cougars Win

The Huskies need to win for Mike Hopkins 

to keep  his job as Huskies.  The step was 

the wrong direction  once again.  Another

game against  the  Oregon Ducks  they 

had a  chance to win however the Ducks 

won in Eugene 85-80.

Keion Brooks Jr  who had his career high

35 points last Saturday  had only 15 points

against Oregon.  Have to say that  is a

major reason  Oregon  won. The Ducks

leader  Jermaine  Couisnard had 27 points.   

The Huskies had five scorers  in double

figures led by Sahvir Wheeler  with 16 points.

Braxton  Meah  had 15 points along with a

team lead 12 rebounds. 

The Huskies didn't  do well at the three point

line making only four 4 out of 21 while the

Ducks made 8 of 23. Also the Ducks made

more free throws.  

The Ducks went on 9-0 run in the first ten 

minutes of the game after a few buckets

by each team. The Ducks led by six in the

first half. The first ten minutes of the second

half the Ducks made the lead go out to a

twenty  point lead. The Huskies didn't give

up narrowing the Ducks lead to four with 

four minutes 10 seconds  remaining in the

game. Other words  the Huskies  outscored

the Ducks by 16 points. The Huskies  did a 9-0

run themselves in a period of 74 seconds to

to narrow to four. Moses Wood made a three

pointer to make it a one point Oregon  lead.

Oregon win came down to making free throws. 

The Huskies play the Beavers  on Saturday for

the last time in Pac-12 play in Corvallis. It will 

be interesting  when the two teams play again.

The Cougars beat the Beavers 64-58 Thursday

night  64-58. The Cougars led by one point at 

halftime. Jaylen Wells had a hot night making

six straight  three points leading the Cougars 

and his career  high  24 points. In all the Cougars 

made 11 three point shots while Beavers made

only three. The Cougars  shot twice as many as

the Beavers to. 

The  Cougars  play Oregon  Ducks on Saturday 

with the winner taking sole possession of 2nd

place in the Pac-12  conference unless Arizona 

loses to Colorado on their home court then

they will be tied with the Sun Devils  for first 

place.  Colorado wins and UCLA  wins the loser

would be tied with  both of them at third place. 

It is tight at the top of the conference.

Next week  the Cougars will be home against  

California  followed by Stanford while the

Huskies will play Stanford  followed by California.

The Cougars  look in good place in the Pac-12 

if they continue  to  win while the Huskies  need

to start  winning or the likely end of Coach Hopkins.

The Huskies  really  need to make March Madness 

this year with having a new Director of Athletics 

this year. Hopkins  has only one year after  this 

one remaining  on  his contract.  It was a bit of

a surprise  he was coming back anyway.  

Washington Huskies National Signing Day

The Washington Huskies were able

to add players on Wednesday who 

had announced they are coming 

through the transfer portal or had

changed commitment to Washington

from elsewhere.

The Huskies have eleven players who

either transfered or changed commitment

from Arizona where new head coach 

Jedd Fisch coached last year. 

One of the incoming freshman to sign

with the Huskies after committing

to Arizona was defensive back Rashawn

Clark from Garfield High School in

Seattle. At this point he is the only recruit

from Washington to sign with the

Huskies.

Another big signing was wide receiver

Jeremiah Hunter who transferred over

from the California Golden Bears. This

big since he came to Washington when

Kalen DeBoer was still coach and didn't

reenter the transfer portal. He likely

will start along with holdovers Denzel

Boston and Giles Jackson who received

a medical waiver to return to Washington

for another year.

At this point the Huskies have the 29th

ranked team in this year's class. Not

great endorsement for a team that

was in the national championship game.

The blame goes more on DeBoer than 

Fisch who came in about four weeks 

ago. The biggest criticism of DeBoer 

is that he isn't a good recruiter where

better at coaching. I expect better at

Alabama. Wins and losses is the most 

important however seeing where

the recruiting class comes in is next. 

The WSU Cougars will be playing against 

Mountain West schools in their schedule

though they are not in the conference along 

Oregon State at this point. They may merge

with some of the schools in two years

so both schools are recognized as 

independent or maybe the Pac-2. Lol

We will look into how they did on

signing day. Likely not like they did

while in the Pac-12. Be interesting to

see how the Cougars and Beavers

do next season. 

Mariners Getting Close To Spring Training

Spring training begins for the Mariners

pitchers and catchers reporting next

Thursday while the position players

come on February 20. First preseason

game happens on the 24th.

The Mariners have their starting five

returning at this point unless another 

trade happens beforehand. Emerson 

Hancock will be the main addition to

that group depending on his health. 

He could be a long reliever or start in 

thenminors. Expect to see him sometime

during the season unless he is traded.

The Mariners have four relievers who

spent most of last season in the bullpen.

They along with Gregory Stantos newly

acquired make up the five spots with

three remaining. We look further throughout 

camp how things go.

Cal Raleigh is the only returning catcher.

Mitch Garver is listed as a catcher 

however will be the dh most of the

time so they will have a third catcher 

most likely. Acquired during the off season

Seby Zavala from the Diamondbacks 

should  be the third catcher though they

have Blake Hunt acquired from Tampa

Bay as well.

JP Crawford and Ty France are the

only infielders who began and played 

most of last year to return. Josh Rojas 

who the Mariners acquired in the

Paul Sewald trade played mostly 

second base in August and September.

This year expected to platoon with

newcomer Luis Urias at third base.

Second base will be Jorge Polanco

acquired last week. Sam Haggerty

and Dylan Moore are the two returning

utility players. Moore will likely play

in the outfield and shortstop when

Crawford needs a day off.  With

others competing for utility spot

plus Rojas and Urias platooning 

Haggerty likely start in Tacoma.

In the outfield Julio Rodriguez is

the only regular from last year

to return. Luke Raley acquired 

from Tampa Bay will be in left

or right field. Mitch Haniger 

returns from a year in San Francisco

to be in right or left field. The decision

may depend how the Mariners feel

to keep Mitch the healthy. He is

accustomed to playing right field.

Dominic Canzone who the Mariners

acquired in the Sewald trade as well

may platoon with Haniger or give

him sometime off. He could give

Raley time off as well. Raley may

play some first base as well though

the Mariners hope Ty France returns

to good form. We could see Cade

Marlowe in the outfield as well. He

came up late July last year and 

played some in August as well as

a little in September. Cade hit

.239 in 88 at bats. Likely we will

see Dylan Moore occasionally in

the outfield as a right handed bat

unless the Mariners acquired

another through trade or free agency.

Justin Hollander the Mariners general

manager after Jerry Dipoto was promoted

to President of baseball operations 

mentioned over last weekend the

Mariners may not be done acquiring

another bat so we will see. Stay tuned.

Go M's. 

Huskies Add To Coaching Staff

Jedd Fisch added two members to

his coaching staff. Steve Belichick

and Vinnie Sunseri both from the

New England Patriots.

Steve will be defensive coordinator

while Vinnie's exact role hasn't been

named yet however on the defensive 

of the ball.

At the Patriots he was running back

coach however played as a defensive

back at Alabama. Good to have

two coaches to help on defense.

The Huskies 14-1 this last season

however over the last few years 

the defense has struggled against

both the run and passing game.

The important thing they made

adjustments in the second half

and were quite affected in the 4th

quarter in the close games. Both

games against Oregon made 

important stops to lead to both

wins.

Now we have to see whether they

can play consistently throughout

the game. The Huskies do seem

to have improved in the running

game while they well have to get

back to the passing game with

losing Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan

and Ja'Lynn Polk to the NFL along

with German Bernard going to

Alabama.

The defense will have to have their

part in the Huskies first year in the

Big Ten. At this point Oregon seems

the only team of the four joining

the Big Ten this coming season.

The Huskies will starting to sign 

more incoming freshmen starting

this week. They have been able 

to have some players who had 

gone through the transfer portal

to decide to return. Also they 

have seven players at this point

transferring in from Arizona. 

We will see who these guys will

be and any other coaches added

to the staff.

Over the next few days and weeks

we will see who the new members

of the Seattle Seahawks coach 

staff will be. The Seahawks are over

the salary cap so we have to see who

they retain, release or trade. 

The Seattle Mariners training camp

will be starting soon as well. In about

ten days. There are still some free

agents on the market so see whether

they sign anyone or stand pat after

two major trades last week..Go M's 

Cougars Beat Huskies and Zags Lose

On Saturday the Cougars beat the

Huskies in men's basketball in

Seattle. The Huskies have done

mostly at home however lost to

the Cougars in overtime 90-87. 

The Huskies continue not playing

good defense while the offense

is going well. They actually had

an eleven point lead in the first

half however couldn't sustain it.

The Huskies shot 57.1% from the

floor however the Cougars were

able to out rebound them including

15 to 5 in offensive rebounds. The

Huskies made  8 more foul shots 

while taking 10 more. The Cougars 

made six more shots from the 

field while taking 19 more shots.

They shot a good 50.7 % however

not like Huskies.

Keion Brooks Jr  led the Huskies

with a career high 35 points. The

trouble was they couldn't get him

the ball in overtime when the

Cougars took the final less with

over a minute remaing in overtime.

The Cougars were led by forward Issac Jones with 20 points. They were able to

match Keion Brooks Jr.  by having  five players scoring in double figures while

Huskies had three.

This week the Huskies and Cougars

go to Oregon to take on the Ducks

and the Beavers. The Huskies will

need to play better on the road then

they have and the Cougars keep

doing what they have. 

Arizona Wildcats are on top of the

Pac-12 with a 8-3 conference record

while the Cougars and Ducks are 

tied for second 7-4 record. The Ducks

got off to a 6-0 record however have

struggled as of late. The Huskies 

are in 10th place with a 4-7 record.

Oregon State and USC at the bottom

with 3-8 record. 

Gonzaga lost to Saint Mary's at home

on Saturday 64-62. Saint Mary's is

9-0 in conference play while the Zags

are now 7-2 and tied with San Francisco

Dons in second place at 7-2. 

The Zags went with their starting unit

most of the way with the bench going

sixteen minutes total and scoring two

points..The Zags were led by guard

Ryan Nembhard with 18 points. St.

Mary's had four player scoring in

double figures led by Adian Mahaney

with 20 points. The difference between

Mahaney and Nembhard was the

difference in the game.

The Zags play the Portland Pilots at 

home for the first time this season 

on Wednesday. They take on #10

Kentucky on the road on Saturday.

This could show us what chance 

they have to make March Madness 

this year. Having an upset over

Kentucky would help. Go Zags!

Mariners Make Another Trade

For the third time this week the Seattle

Mariners made another trade on Saturday.

This was another significant trade to 

make the Mariners a contender for the

2024 season.

The Mariners made a trade to bolster

there bullpen. They picked up Gregory

Santos from the Chicago White Sox for

prospects. A great trade partner since

the White Sox are looking to rebuild.

Santos is a right handed reliever who

throws up to 100 mph. He is only

24 years old and the Mariners have 

control of him through 2028 season.

Last year he ended the season as the

White Sox's closer. So along with 

Andre Munoz and Matt Brash he will

close games as well.

We should see these three primarily

in the eighth and ninth inning sometimes 

in the seventh seeing all three. The 

Mariners have lefties Gabe Speier and

Tayler Saucedo returning for a second

tour. They are the only lefties on the

Mariners forty man roster.  

The Mariners may have to see about

getting another lefty or what they have

in the minors. As you know relievers

can sometimes not last long. 

The Mariners gave up right handed 

reliever Prelander Berroa their #15

prospect who is a year younger than

Santos. Hss the same skill set though

not there yet. Before the trade the

thought was Berroa would likely be one

of the setup relievers for the Mariners.

They also traded outfielder Zack Deloach

in the trade along with the #68 overall

pick in 2024 baseball draft. Not many 

teams trade draft picks. In fact you

can't trade draft picks during the draft

like in other sports. Deloach is a left

handed hitter and had Dominic Canzone

and Cade Marlowe ahead of him. This

gives him new life I expect. He is the

second outfield prospect traded this 

week. The other in the Jorge Polanco

trade. Jonathan Clase is the top

outfield prospect at #7 for the Mariners.

He is a switch hitter with speed. You

will see him in training camp and he

is on the 40 man roster too. Go M's.

Seahawks Make Move To Build Coaching Staff

The Seattle  Seahawks  hired their first

member to head coach Mike  Macdonald 

coaching staff.  The first hire is Leslie 

Frazier a veteran defensive  coach and

had some experience as a head coach 

in the NFL.  

Frazier will be  assist head coach and

not defensive  coordinator. Someone 

else be hired for that post. In the days

ahead we will no who else  will  be on

the staff.

In  men's  basketball  the Cougars and

Huskies play in Seattle.  The Huskies 

have played  their best ball at home.

The Cougars are one of the top teams

in the Pac-12  this season so expect 

it to be a tough game with either team

could win. I  am  sure  there will be a 

lot of Cougs in the stands to for this

rival game. Being the last season of

the Pac-12  it is hard to know how

often they will play each other. 

Hopefully  they will play at least once

each season. 

Gonzaga will be playing St. Mary's on

Saturday.  This will be a big game as

St.Mary's is undefeated in conference 

play and the Zags can't  afford another

loss to make March Madness. Go Zags!

Seahawks Press Conference

Thursday the Seahawks with new 

head coach Mike MacDonald.

Of course new coach always come

in with positive attitude. He said he

wouldn't be Pete Carroll however 

one thing MacDonald seems to be

a player's coach as well. 

He said both the offense and defense

will come down to the players and

who may come in. The defense be

aggressive like it was in Baltimore.

It may not be like the Ravens since 

it all depends who the Seahawks

have. 

One thing I like to see the cornerbacks

more on the line especially on the third down or late in the game. I believe

Witherspoon can do so. The team they

play against will depend on that as well.

How much speed or physical the wide

receivers are. How often the opposition 

passes or runs on third down too. 

Pete Carroll likes to run the ball more

than throwing the ball. How MacDonald

likes to do so will depend on the players

and who the offensive coordinator is.

Word came out that former Huskies 

offensive coordinator Ryan Gruff is a

candidate for the position. He does

become the OC I could see him use

DK Metcalf in a way he did with Rome

Odunze with the Huskies. 

The only assistant coach returning is

defensive running back coach Karl 

Scott. There was word that the Eagles

were looking to hire him however the

Seahawks and MacDonald wanted to 

keep him. 

Weeks and months ahead we will see 

what happens with the Seahawks.

Mariners Make Anymore Moves

Now that is February  and  spring

training is about two weeks  away 

are the Mariners  make any additional 

moves. 

They acquired Polanco  in a big 

trade with the Twins this week.

This helps the offense and the 

second base spot to. He isn't 

the greatest defensive  second

baseman in the world however

infield  coach Perry  Hill has 

done wonders before with players.

Not only helping Polanco the 

Mariners will have to see how

Josh Rojas  and  Luis Urias do

over at third base. Those two

could  platoon or whoever isn't 

the everyday  third baseman 

maybe the Mariners  top utility 

player.

As the Mariners  look to have

the offense go into another

direction by not hitting as many

home runs and striking  out too.

Polanco will  help since he puts 

the bat on the ball. We should 

see more singles and doubles.

It will be interesting  to  see 

spring training  games to see

the differences. Go M's.