Believe the Seahawks Win

                                          He's Back!!

I am sure most Seahawk fans were like me hoping that they would win the game though  knowing it would happen is another story. I am glad that they won though I wasn’t sure if they would. I knew if they played like the last three games they would not win however they rose up to the occasion.

The goal line stance at the very end was fantastic. It doesn’t make up for the Super Bowl game but at least it is closer. It was great to have Kam Chancellor back in the game. I am not sure if he is old Kam however he is close enough that is for sure. He was the one that made the difference on that stance.

It was nice to see the Seahawks running the ball again to some success and the three touchdown passes to Doug Baldwin. The Seahawks can be a dangerous team if they can pass the ball at this rate well as running the ball. I like the way C.J. Prosise is running well as catching the ball out of the backfield. I didn’t think he was going to be part of it with the injuries he had in camp and the beginning of the season. Nice to see that he has a good future with the Seahawks; Christine Michael looks like a good runner as well as long he is not the featured back. We will have to see if Thomas Rawls returns next week against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Speaking of the Eagles I watched the end of the third and the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. It looks as though the Seahawks will have to play another outstanding game against them like the Patriots. I especially enjoyed watching quarterback Carson Wentz. It was the first time that I had seen him play. I liked the way he throws the ball. He looks like a soft touch without much effort. No wonder he was being considered the top pick in last year’s draft. He looks like he will be around for a long time. It will be interesting next week to see how he performs against the “legion of boom”.  Also Cliff Avril and Frank Clark will have to put some pressure on him too. In any case it should be a fun game to watch.

The Eagle fans sounded almost as loud as the 12^th man. This was especially true on a couple poor calls the referees did not make. Although they were loud they still don’t make it to the 12^th man though. The Eagle players should be used to the loud noise though so they may not be raddled. I look forward to another great game.

The Huskies were a disappointment losing to the USC Trojans on Saturday. Oh well it would have been nice to see an undefeated season though. The Cougars are now on the top of the Pac-12 north division so the Apple Cup should be even more exciting than we were expecting. If the Huskies can win the final two games who know they could still make it to the NCAA Championship. In any case a great season for the Huskies and the Cougars; it will be good to see the Rose Bowl as well.

Great football in the state of Washington this year; go Hawks, Huskies and Cougars. The best is yet to come.

Mariners Make a Move

General Manager Jerry Dipoto kept pretty quiet during the General Manager meetings this last week in Arizona however he made a trade on Saturday with the Oakland A’s to pick up a player that gives the Mariners some versatility. They acquired Danny Valencia who is a veteran player that has been in the major leagues for seven years. His career batting average is .271 and he has hit .327 against left handed pitching.

Valencia is a right handed hitter who primarily played third base however he has played some first base as well. The Mariners figure he will play mostly first base and the outfield. He will give Kyle Seager a day off once in a while as well. In those cases Seager will probably dh. The Mariners expect Valencia to platoon some with Daniel Vogelbach at first base and he could with Seth Smith in the outfield. How much he plays at first base will depend on how well Vogelbach does. He was a regular at third base for the A’s so the Mariners could have him playing regular there if Vogelbach is not ready to play against right handers. What matters really is if the Mariners can pick up an outfielder or another first baseman. Most likely Dae-Ho Lee will not be returning for the Mariners and it is possible that Franklin Gutierrez will not either.

Valencia has some power since he hit seventeen home runs for the A’s. Where he hits the batting order is anyone’s guess at this time. He could bat second or sixth I would expect. It is real nice that the Mariners were able to pick up a player like him to play for them. Although he may play more than one position he is accustomed to playing every day which is a nice player to have. This will be good if something happens with Seager and they need someone to play third base for a little while. With his versatility it will be interesting to see how much Shawn O’Malley will play as the utility player. I expect the next thing for Dipoto to do is go out and find a veteran shortstop in the same manner as Valencia. A solid player that will allow Marte to get some more seasoning in triple A; in the same manner they did with Zunino last year. Although they don’t have to it would be nice to find an outfielder as well along with a starting pitcher. They may purchase or sign a left handed relief pitcher who can be a situational pitcher to face the other team’s best left handed hitter. Best of luck to Dipoto. Go M’s.

Huskies Take On USC

University of Washington takes on the Southern California Trojans later this afternoon (Saturday) in Seattle. Another big game for the Huskies as they march toward the Apple Cup in a couple weeks and possibly the Pac-12 championship and then they will go for the NCAA championship series if they are still undefeated.

The Trojans started the season slowly losing three out of their first four games however they have won five in a row. They have scored over forty points in all those wins except the one against Colorado when they won a close game 21-17.

The Huskies on the other hand have played in a lot of tough games recently especially the importance of their record. Now that the Trojans have won five games in a row this will be a tough game for sure. This could be a high scoring game since the Huskies have the highest scoring team a round and the Trojans have been doing so well.

Although the game may be high scoring the difference may come down to turnovers especially on the side of the Huskies. The reason that they have an undefeated season is that they have had very few turnovers. They don’t beat themselves so the other team will have to come out to do so. Another thing is that the defense can play a big part in this game though the score may not indicate so.

Again the key to the Huskies offense once again is John Ross. If the Trojans can’t keep up with him it will be another lopsided game for the Huskies. The Trojans can shut him down then the game could go in their favor although the Huskies do have other weapons.

The Washington State Cougars take on the California Bears this week. The Cougars should be the big winners here since they beat up on Arizona last week in Tucson and the Huskies beat California in Berkeley. This game will take place in Pullman so does look pretty good for the Cougars. They have been playing pretty good defense recently along with having a good running game they didn’t have earlier in the season. This game should lead the Cougars to their showdown in two weeks against the Huskies in Pullman.

The Seattle Seahawks take on the New England on the road on Sunday Night Football. This should be a big game for the Seahawks. They will have Kam Chancellor back this week which will help out their defense while Christine Michael is expected to be out of the game. The Seahawks running game will be depended on rookies C.J. Prosise and Alex Collins. The Seahawks will be playing Prosise most of the time with Collins taking his spot when he needs rest. This will show that the Seahawks likely throw the ball a lot again this week. The Seahawks expect to have Thomas Rawls back when they play against the Philadelphia Eagles. Hopefully the Seahawks will have some success against the Patriots in the running game so that the defense will not stay on the field so much. Tight end Jimmy Graham should be another key player again in this game. Go Huskies, Cougars and Hawks!!

 

 

 

Dipoto and GM Meetings

Now the Presidential election is over now we can concentrate on more important things like the Seattle Mariners. This week Jerry Dipoto and his management team are in Arizona for the general manager meetings.

We will have to see if Dipoto will pull off some trades this week or at least set up for the next few weeks ahead. Like all of us know Dipoto will be searching for a right handed hitting first baseman along with an outfielder who can play every day as a regular.  I am sure that Dipoto will be discussing pitchers as well whether for the starting rotation or bullpen. I know the pitching isn’t the priority right now but it will be nice to get a top notch starting pitcher in the next couple months. This will depend a lot on what they do otherwise.

Dipoto is not looking to dive much into the free agent market but I would not be surprised if he signs at least one free agent probably at first base. If Dae-Ho Lee doesn’t return the Mariners may look at Mike Napoli who is a free agent who played last year with the Cleveland Indians. He could be a good choice however he may cost more money than Dipoto is willing to spend.

The outfield position the Mariners likely will go after in a trade however they could sign a free agent there as well but that is not a priority though.

I hope that we do see a little splash this week at least in the general manager meetings. There could be some less costly free agents they may go after as well. I would say probably not any big names just those who could add depth to the team.  Those could be guys who may start the season at AAA and be available when needed.

I have full confidence that Dipoto will be upgrading the team for the upcoming season. Although he will be talking a lot to other general managers I am sure there will not be as many trades as last season but he could surprise us. Go M’s.

Seahawks Beat Bills However

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Buffalo Bills Monday night 31-25. It was the eleventh win in a row for the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Although they won the game you wonder if they will win the war.

Monday night Russell Wilson looked pretty good passing the ball especially in the first half and to tight end Jimmy Graham who can jump over high buildings. Also we saw Wilson score a three yard touchdown running the ball into the end zone; certainly showed us that he must be on the way to recovery from his injuries.

The problem in the game against the Bills is that the running game was another bad one for the Seahawks. For a team that has been making running the ball its primary way of living since Pete Carroll has been in town it was dreadful for sure. I am not sure whether it is the offensive line or the running backs. It will be good when Thomas Rawls can return to the grid iron. Not expected against the New England Patriots but possibly against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Speaking of the Patriots the Seahawks will have to play a lot better game than they have been doing the last three weeks.  In fact for them to win they have to play their best game of the season. They have to keep the offense on the field a lot longer than they have done recently. They don’t necessarily have to score a touchdown every time they have the ball though that would be nice however they need long drives where scoring at least a field goal would be nice. Playing like the last three weeks with the defense on the field so much the Seahawks will lose by a large margin to the Patriots. This game will show everyone where the Seahawks will be. I expect that they will lose however it would be nice to keep it a close game;  a game where they may have a chance to win in the last couple minutes.

I thought the offense was going to try running the ball almost much as passing the ball against the Bills but that did not happen. The Bills played a good game other than winning it. Like most games it is hard to win on the road and that is especially true in Seattle.

Whether the Seahawks win or lose against the Patriots they still have a good chance in making the playoffs. The important thing is to get healthy having the return of Thomas Rawls along with Kam Chancellor and Michael Bennet.  The Seahawks have been known as a second half season team and we hope it will continue again this season. The passing game is intact but they are showing how important running the ball is for them. We need the signs that it is returning. So let’s be positive and take on the Patriots! Go Hawks!!

First Week of the Off-Season For Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners started the beginning of the off-season making some moves that were expected and then on Sunday night made a trade for catcher Carlos Ruiz with the Dodgers for reliever Vidal Nuno.

The trade for Ruiz has not been yet confirmed by either the Mariners or the Dodgers however I am sure it has been done. Several reliable sources have reported the trade. I am surprised that early last week the Mariners exercised declining the option on catcher Chris Iannetta for $4.5 million and then turn around acquiring Ruiz at the same amount of money. I would have thought the Mariners try to save money for a backup catcher. I wonder if the Mariners are planning to use him more often than they would have used Iannetta. On the other hand it could be a beginning of another move Dipoto plans that may happen in the days ahead. It is possible he could be part of another trade or someone else in the catcher position; just asking no speculation at all.

The trading of Vidal Nuno really doesn’t surprise me at all. He wasn’t used a lot last year especially in the first half of the season. He finished pitching in 55 games with an era of 3.53. Not bad at all but he was the only left handed reliever in the bullpen most of the season. You would have thought he would have pitched more often. Mostly in relief he has pitched long relief but the Mariners did not use him that way. Most of the time he was used at the end of the game and was used sparingly as a left handed specialist; Dipoto mentioned that he was going to go out to find a left handed specialist so Nuno’s days were numbered far as I am concerned.

Early last week the Mariners accepted Seth Smith’s option to stay with the team while Aoki was sent to the Houston Astros through waivers. Most likely Smith will be platooned next season with Franklin Gutierrez if he returns since he is a free agent or someone else who bats right handed. At this point not sure whether he will play in left or right field I surely hope it will be left field since he does have some defensive liability. Left field is better position to have someone play who has defense deficiency. This is especially true in Safeco Field. Depending who the Mariners get to play in right field will decide how much Smith and his partner will play in left field.

If Ben Gamel and Guillermo Heredia are both on the opening day roster for 2017 it is possible they could be platooning in right field however Dipoto doesn’t want to platoon both left and right field once again. There is a good possibility that Heredia could be the platoon player with Seth Smith if they decide not to bring back Gutierrez. In that case Gamel could be the everyday right fielder if the Mariners decide not to pick up another outfielder. Gamel can be the backup to Leonys Martin in centerfield when he needs a rest. Gamel can play a good defensive center field. Another option in the outfield is how much utility player Shawn O’Malley may play out there. This could depend on who the Mariners have playing short stop as well. We know that O’Malley won’t have much playing time at second or third.

I do expect a regular everyday outfielder besides Martin because with the Mariners likely to platoon someone with Daniel Vogelbach at first base the Mariner won’t want to have three positions to platoon. How all things work out at shortstop, first base and the outfield will be interesting during this off-season. Go M’s.

Cougars and Huskies Keep Rolling the Seahawks Are Next

The Washington State Cougars started Saturday rolling over Arizona 69-7. Before you could blink your eyes the Cougars had a 21-0 lead so rolling over is probably not the right word. Anyways it was not whether the Cougars were going to win it was by how much.  This certainly is having us lead to the Apple Cup on Black Friday that the winner will advance to the Pac-12 Championship game.

The Huskies on the other hand game was not decided until the second half. They had a slim lead in the first half 21-20 when they started stopping the California Bears and causing turnovers. In the end the Huskies won the game 66-27. The Bears could not keep up with the speed of John Ross and could not stop the catching of Pettis. Both had three touchdowns in the game. At least that is what I believe anyway. I stopped counting at some point.

Next week the Huskies will be taking on USC Trojans. This will be another challenge that the Huskies should be able to meet. Everything goes to plan we will be seeing the Huskies playing in the NCAA Championship series. Whether they win or not they do have a legitimate chance to do so. The offense shows no slowing down while the defense needs to shore things up. They need to work more at getting to the quarterback or at the very least making him rush his passes.  They do have the best cornerback in the nation along with pretty good safeties and can’t forget their defense line. I am sure they will be more ready to go next week.

The Seattle Seahawks play on Monday Night football this week after losing last week to New Orleans and tying the Arizona Cardinals the week before. The Seahawks take on the Buffalo Bills which will not be an easy task. The good thing is the Seahawks have the best record on Monday Night football and have won ten straight there. According to Coach Pete Carroll Russell Wilson is the healthiest he has been the whole season. We can only hope he is correct. Besides have a healthy Wilson the Seahawks need a healthy running game. Last week the Seahawks passed the ball thirty-four times compared to running the ball seventeen times. Not good for a team that is considered a running team. Not sure the problem is with the running backs or the offensive line or the combination of both. Whatever the case is the Seahawks need their running game be back in high gear.

Though the Seahawks have a good passing game they still have to rely on the running game. I believe the Seahawks are not confident in Christine Michael and Thomas Rawls won’t return for another week or longer. We are not sure how he will return when he does come back. The Seahawks defense needs to return to where they have been. Again they will be without Michael Bennett and Kam Chancellor. The important thing though is that they can’t be on the field as much as they have been the last two weeks. The offense has run so few plays the last two weeks especially in the first half. Not sure of the success however they need to start out running the ball mixing in passes here and there. They need to make the Bills defense be honest. They need to be able to make third downs on a regular basis. I see the Seahawks turning the season around since they about ready to play the second half of the season. The Seahawks always play better in the second half. Whatever the case we know Monday night’s game will be exciting. Go Seahawks!