Baseball Winter Meetings

This week the Seattle Mariners along with all the other major league teams are in Florida for the winter meetings.

The Mariners have much of their staff including general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais. They each had press conferences over the state of the Mariners including the signing of Dee Gordon. Dipoto mentioned the off-season training of Felix Hernandez stating he is involved in flexibility for his shoulder and that he has pride to be the King that we all know. Servais talked some about Cano and his off-season training because of his lower body along with that he likes the everyday lineup pretty well.

The Mariners so far during the winter meetings have signed several minor league players who will probably play in Tacoma and have the depth in case of injuries. Dipoto is leaning toward going after starting pitching however would like to add an arm to the bullpen as well.

We all know that Ohtani signed with the Angels however he looks like he may need to have surgery. The thought could be Tommy Joh so it is a wonder if the Mariners bit the bullet by not signing him. Of course only time will tell. It is a wonder how much the teams knew about his health. I am sure they had doctors checking him over. It depends though on his agent how much information was given out.

It will be interesting to see if the Mariners will make a trade or a significant signing this week or this is just where they are building up into getting the right guy. It would be nice for us to hear a significant signing or trade regarding a pitcher to ease us going into Christmas. I hope we don’t have to wait until next year. So here we go M’s.

Seahawks Make Comeback However Fall Short

The Seattle Seahawks had another exciting game on Sunday against the Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida however this time they lost 30-24.

The Jaguars had a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks scored two touchdowns including a throw from Russell Wilson to a wide open Tyler Lockett late in the game to make the final score 30-24. The Seahawks had another opportunity that could have put them ahead by one point after they stopped the Jaguars on three downs but Wilson threw an interception to give them the victory.

In the third quarter the Seahawks lost two linebackers Bobby Wagner to a hamstring and he isn’t expected to play again the Rams next Sunday afternoon in Seattle and K.J. Wright to a concussion. The Seahawks are expecting Wright to play though. With three pro bowlers out it will be interesting game that the Seahawks need to win. The winner between the Rams and the Seahawks should win the division. The Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles to give the Seahawks any chance to win the division. The Seahawks now have a record of 8-5 and can go 11-5 if they win all three of their remaining games. The Seahawks lose to the Rams they still might make the playoffs as a wildcard however it will make it real difficult for them to make it to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks running game continued to be trouble though Mike Davis a few good runs along with Russell Wilson but this team has become primarily a passing team. This has made what continues to the play of Wilson being extraordinary because he has to pass the run on many occasions. Again the Seahawks struggled in the first half though they were still in the game. They were down 3-0 at half-time though kicker Walsh continued to have trouble kicking field goals missing one before half time. According to Coach Carroll he is still on the team for another week anyway.

At this point Mike Davis is the primary running back for the Seahawks. They were hoping that rookie Chris Carson would be back soon however he had a setback because he turned his ankle. I am familiar with that since I did the same thing almost two weeks ago and I am still trying to recover. It looks right now that Carson could be out until the playoffs if then.

The ending of the game in the last minute or so the Seahawks were involved in a couple fights that led to ejections first of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and then defensive end Quinton Jefferson who ended up getting into arguments with Jaguar fans. Both Richardson and Jefferson could be suspended along with being fined for the game against the Rams. Also Michael Bennett who looked like starting the first altercation however didn’t get tossed out of the game could be fined and suspended as well. We may find out the news sometime this week which could make next week’s harder to win. With Cliff Avril already out losing three defensive linemen could make it difficult to win. If they are not suspended they will likely face high fines though. Anyway the news coming out this week on the Seahawks should be interesting to say the least.

The Seattle Mariners brass is at the winter games and more about that will be forthcoming. We hope that the Mariners can come up with a pitcher or two this week. We wish them the best well as the Seahawks so go teams!!

 

Hawks Sunday

Good morning everyone here we are again for another week of Seahawk football. Last Sunday night’s game against the Eagles was the best game the Seahawks have played all season in my mind anyway. Although they didn’t get a touchdown they did drive the ball down the field in their first possession and kicked a field goal. From that time on they led the whole game. The running game still needs improvement and Mike Davis who has had the most success at the running back position since Chris Carson has been out is expected to start once again. Really hard to know whether the lack of a running game has to do with the offensive line or the running back or both it is hard to say. I would guess it is both.

This afternoon the Seahawks play in Jacksonville, Florida against the Jaguars. I have to admit that I don’t know much about them since they play in the American Football Conference and I don’t see many of those games unless the Seahawks aren’t playing. Even then I usually watch the NFC games. I don’t recall the Jaguars playing much on prime time either.

I am sure most Seahawks fans are like me don’t have much of an idea about the Jaguars. I have heard that they have one of the best defenses in the league and it will be difficult for the Seahawks to play a good game. Although I would like to see the Hawks get off to a good start like last week this defense they are going against we might be back to a game we have been quite familiar all see and that is Russell Wilson coming to the rescue in the fourth quarter. Although I would like to see a game that starts out good this scenario would be fine because that means the Hawks will win. I understand the Jaguars are favored by a little bit which is understandable because of their defense and the Hawks are playing on the road. I do hear that the Jaguars don’t have much of an offense so this could be a very low scoring game and if the Hawks win most likely be by a field goal. I don’t always give out a predicted score before the game however this time I will go with Seahawks winning 13-10 to stay with the idea of winning by a field goal. This is another important game to win to stay up with the Los Angeles Rams who the Seahawks play next Sunday afternoon in Seattle. Go Hawks!

Mariners Win One Lose One

The Seattle Mariners on Thursday November 7 made a shocking trade with the Miami Marlins picking up second basemen Dee Gordon for some high draft picks plus a million dollars for international players allotment. This was to help the Mariners to continue going after Japan pitcher and hitter Ohtani. At this point the Mariners have the highest amount of money being a bit over $3 million however on Friday the Mariners got the bad news where they lost out on Ohtani who decided go to the Los Angeles Angels.  I am sure had more to do with the city than the team. So now the Mariners have lost the guy they wanted to get however they did get an all-star player.

With Robinson Cano playing second base and Segura at shortstop where Gordon played previously the Mariners have decided to play him in centerfield. Having the speed he has since he lead the major leagues in stolen bases this last season with sixty I am sure he can make the move successfully. I figure if former Mariner Chris Taylor can play a good centerfield for the Dodgers without any prior experience so can Gordon. He is in the middle of his prime career to being twenty-nine years old. If he has trouble adjusting to centerfield the Mariners could always move him to left or right field as well. With his flexibility the Mariners can always play him at either second or shortstop in case of injury. The thought that Robinson Cano might be moved to first base Gordon transfer back to second would be easy. Of course I don’t see that happening for a year or two at the most. Also this most likely wouldn’t happen until Nelson Cruz is no longer on the team. At that point the Mariners could move recent acquired first baseman Ryon Healy to first base however this speculation is down the road anyway.  If that does happen I would see Healy playing some first base still anyway having Cano being designated hitter at times as well to keep him refreshed.

Now we come to Ohtani. It is a disappointed that the Mariners were not able to get him especially to a division rival in the Angels. All we know about Ohtani is what we have heard from Dipoto and the other teams that have pushed to come after him. Whether he turns out to be a superstar as a pitcher and hitter only time will tell. His contract as well may allow the Mariners to pick him up down the road if things don’t work out in his favor with the Angels.

One thing I do know is that I am sure that Dipoto isn’t finished yet and he could come up with another surprise like in Gordon. This time I am sure it would be for a pitcher. I am sure he is in the works to get a starting pitcher however a relief pitcher would be nice as well. The Mariners still have the $3 million plus to go after an international player as well. The Mariners have to spend that money before the deadline in June to sign a player so I am sure they have a backup plan to do so.  

We do hope that we can get a nice present for Christmas with an outstanding pitcher. It wouldn’t surprise me if it happens soon since Dipoto seems to strike when the fire is hot. Go M’s.

Huskies Men’s Basketball Beats Kansas

Wednesday night Nov.6 the University of Washington Huskies basketball team was going into their biggest game of the 2017-2018 season under the new coach Mike Hopkins. They played number two ranked Kansas on the road beating them 74-65. I tuned into the game at half-time. I was on my couch thinking oh yes the Huskies are playing the Jayhawks and I wasn’t sure where in the game they would be at. I was surprised the Huskies were leading 36-34 at halftime. I thought wow they are ahead however good teams like the Jayhawks will rebound and win this game. I only had seen a few minutes of one of the Huskies previous games. I knew they were playing better because they have a 6-2 record during non-league games however they had a five hundred record last year before the Pac-12 season started and it turned out to be terrible where in the end long time coach Romar was fired after the season. Also high recruited players decided to go elsewhere. The Huskies had a terrible defensive team last season. The offense was great however they couldn’t stop anyone either.

This year Hopkins has brought in the defense he knew while playing and being an assistant coach at Syracuse. So far the Huskies team has embraced the zone defense that Hopkins knows so well. Going into this game Kansas was undefeated with a record of 7-0. They have been scoring an average of over 90 points a game however the Huskies only allowed 65 points. This game was so astounding to me that watching the Jayhawks I wanted to know how in the world did they average over 90 points a game.  Instead the Huskies made them look like an average team at best. Whatever the way the rest of the season goes for the Huskies one thing I do know it looks like the defense will be outstanding unless other teams figure the zone out. The Huskies don’t look like they will have the same offense as a year ago but they don’t need it I believe so. This group of guys are showing that defense wins games and they continue playing this way they might make the NCAA tournament this year. Mike Hopkins looks like a great fit at Washington and I look forward to seeing more of Husky basketball. Go Huskies!!

Best Win of the Season

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night at CenturyLink Field 24-10. This probably was the best game the Seahawks have played all season and could lead them further into the playoffs and we hope the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks scored a field goal in their first possession of the game to take the early lead 3-0. Later on in the first half Jimmy Graham scored his ninth touchdown of the season to make it 10-0 before the Eagles were able to make a field goal to end the first half 10-3.

In the second half it looked like the Eagles were going to score a touchdown to tie the game however quarterback Carson Wentz fumbled the ball on about the one yard line that went through the end zone for a touch back. It certainly made a difference in the game however the way the Seahawks were playing I still believed that they would have won the game though having a little luck on your side helps as well.

Running back Mike Davis came back to play for the Seahawks. His rushing yards were not impressive other than one nineteen yard run however he did make two catches in the first half that helped the touchdown to Jimmy Graham.

The Seahawks again had to rely primarily on the throwing arm of Russell Wilson along with his running ability to escape the Eagles defense. Russell Wilson made a lateral that was questionable however the Eagles didn’t ask to be shown to see if could turn over the decision that leads to a touchdown to Tyler Lockett. Later on Doug Baldwin made the final touchdown to make the final score 24-10.

It would have been nice to have a better running attack however we can’t be choosers so other than that it was a well-played game by both the offense and defense. The Eagles have been averaging over thirty points a game so giving up ten by the Seahawks was a very good achievement. The Eagles could have scored seventeen that would have made it really interesting but still showed how well the defense played in this game.

The Seahawks go next Sunday on the road to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are going to be tough since the Seahawks will be playing on the road and they have one of the top defenses in the NFL though their offense is questionable.

In other local sports it was announced that the Washington Huskies will be playing Penn State in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona while the Washington State Cougars take on Michigan State in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Both games should be interesting and we root for both the Huskies and Cougars too win.

In other local news the Seattle Mariners are now finalist to acquire Japanese pitcher and hitter Ohtani. The Mariners will be meeting with Ohtani and his representatives this week at the Winter Meeting. Many in major league baseball feel the Mariners are the favorites to sign Ohtani. We should know the answer within the next two weeks. If so the Mariners could have a great Christmas present for all of us to enjoy. We wish the best for the Mariners in getting Ohtani. He certainly will look good in the Mariners lineup and starting rotation. Go teams!

Seahawks Sunday

Here we are again to root on our lovely though frustrating at times team the Seattle Seahawks. They play on Sunday night football tonight against the Philadelphia Eagles at Century link Field.

The Eagles are favored in this game having the best record in the NFL at 10-1. This is one of the rate times since Pete Carroll has been the coach of the Seahawks that they are not favored in this game at home. The Seahawks are 7-4 going into this game behind the Los Angeles by one who has a record of 8-3. The Rams will be taking on the Cardinals in Arizona and we will all know the outcome of the game before the Seahawks play this evening.

It is real important that the Seahawks win this game to keep not only contention for their spot in the NFC west division but for the playoffs as well. The history has shown that the Seahawks don’t do well when they have to go on the road in the playoffs and if they want to play in the Super Bowl.

The other day I heard Brock and Salk on 710 ESPN speaking about Russell Wilson being one of the favorites to win the MVP of the league. I am sorry at this point I would not consider him a MVP candidate. He has made up about 84 percent of the Seahawks and done a bang up job in the fourth quarter of the games they have won but unless the Seahawks win out and go to the Super Bowl there is no way I would consider Wilson for MVP.  Outside of the dramatic fashion winning in the fourth quarter the Seahawks offense has been horrible in the first half most of the games. In fact it has been a while since they scored in their first possession of the game. Just because he has thrown his magic wand and came up favorable in the seven games they have won doesn’t qualify him for MVP in mind anyway. The Seahawks have been a better second half of the season team since Wilson has come aboard so anything is possible and if they come out on top in the playoffs than I would say yes Wilson for MVP however right now I can’t say that at all. Did I just repeat myself oh well if I did.

The Seahawks will need the running game to come out in the beginning of this game and hopefully can score early. We all know that the running game has been awful so far this season except when Wilson scrambles. The combination of the offensive line and the running backs has made it that way. Now that he has been here a few weeks we hope that left tackle Duane Brown can help out the running game and that one of the running backs like Eddie Lacy can step forward. Speaking of running backs what has happened with Thomas Rawls. Is it the injuries that have kept him from realizing what he did two years ago for the Seahawks? It  sounds like the Seahawks will need to go out and get some other running backs during the off-season. Mike Davis who was on the practice squad and looked like he did a good job a couple weeks ago or so will be activated once again; we hope that he might be the answer for the Seahawks.

It looks like Chris Carson the seventh round pick of the Seahawks this last year who was playing the best ball from the running back position before getting hurt might be back in the next week or two. It would be nice to see if he recovers enough to do a good job for the remaining of the season.

In other local sports let’s congratulate the Seattle Sounders going back to the MLS championship and seeing if they can win two straight years. They take on Toronto who they beat last year and the best to the Sounders and to their faithful fans.

In baseball this week the Mariners didn’t tender contracts to either Drew Smyly or Shae Simmons. Both of them are now considered free agents. Smyly was hurt during last spring training and had to have surgery. He wasn’t expected back to play until the second half of the upcoming season at the earliest so not a surprise there. Simmons on the other hand was hurt most of the year however did pitch a little in September however the Mariners I am sure feel that he might not be ready to go either or at least no plans to be part of the bullpen. The Mariners have thirty-five players on their forty man roster right now so leaves room for free agents and trades. This coming week the winter meetings happen in Los Angeles. The Mariners are putting in all the stops to go after Japanese pitcher and player Ohtani. If you are a Mariner fan I am sure you know the Mariners interest in getting this young player. We do hope that he does decide come to Seattle. What the odds is right now it is hard to say. What other moves the Mariners make before spring training will depend on whether they are successful in signing Ohtani or not. Let’s go M’s on this one.