Gritty M's Comeback

I took my 8 year old son to see the Mariners play against the Oakland A's last night. After 3 innings, Carlos Silva served up some softballs and the A's battered him for 6 runs. I had a flashback to a game I went to 25 years ago, when my best friend and I went to a similar game. At that time, we were down 6-0 early, so we hopped a bus and went home. Except that the hometown nine rallied behind Pete O'Brien, tied the game, and lost 7-6. I vowed never to leave too early again.

Last night, we were down in simiar fashion, losing 6-1. However, a few timely hits along with homeruns by Frankie Gutierrez and Russell "the muscle" Branyan, brought the M's back. Finally, Jose Lopez capped off the game in the 9th by fouling off 100 pitches until he lashed a single to drive in the winning run. Of course, the team mobbed Lopez halfway to second base and the fans went nuts. Scoreboard: M's win 8-7.

What impressed me most was the club's determination. The probability of winning after 3 innings must have been 1-2%. It's the equivalent of being down by 4 touchdowns in a football game and then rising to the occasion.

It's nothing short of amazing that the team left April with a winning record and now leads the division by 3.5 games. Statistical analysis says that the Mariners shouldn't be doing this. They are getting lousy performances from the heart of their order: Beltre (no homeruns), Griffey (not driving in runs), Lopez (low batting average), and Bettancourt (no walks). And Carlos Silva continues to throw crap at hitters, putting the team in position to lose every time he starts. What will happen first? Will the hitters get hot or the pitching staff cool down? In any event, it's alot of fun to watch competitive Mariner baseball again.

Seahawk Draft Analysis and Grade

Welcome back to Football Friday at Wetland Sports. Its siesta time considering the Huskies completed their Spring Game and the NFL draft is over. Not much to look forward to until August (NFL preseason) because no one cares about mini camps or fall practices. If you really care, I’m guessing that you are either single, or about to become single.

My mock draft from last week deserves a failing grade (do they give out F minuses), thanks in large part to the village idiot also known as Al Davis. Who in their right mind drafts Heyward-Bay #7? Davis passed over two time Biletnikoff winner Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin for a project receiver from Maryland who has never caught more that 5 TD’s in a season. This was a colossal reach for a player in a lackluster conference facing second tier talent. I’m assuming Tom Cable wanted to stab his eyes out with a butter knife. With Davis at the helm, the poor Raiders can look forward to drafting in the top 7 every year.

The Hawks fared much better with an above average draft. I would give Ruskell and the Hawks brass a B-. They could have gotten cute in the first round and traded down or taken the pretty boy (Sanchez) #4, but they chose correctly selecting Curry who can contribute right away. The defense needed serious help in the back 7 and Curry will solidify a defense that ranked near the bottom in 2008. He is a big, physical, fast LB that can cover in the flat and tackle with the best of them. Some pundits think Curry can’t put his hand on the ground on third down and rush the passer since he wasn’t asked to do so at Wake. I think that’s foolish. With his combination of strength and speed, he could take over Julian Peterson’s role and average double digit sacks per season. Curry is that good.

In round 2, Ruskell’s brilliance was on display. He exchanged a second round pick for Denver’s first rounder in 2010. Denver is on the decline and I fully expect the Hawks to draft in the top ten with that pick. With two first round picks next year, the Hawks can get their franchise QB to replace the ailing Matt Hasselback and a top notch RB. I would love to see Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy and Jonathan Dwyer in a Hawks jersey. I’m salivating just thinking about it.

Yet Ruskell and the Hawks weren’t finished on day 1. They traded back into the second round to select C Max Unger. On the surface this is a bit of a head scratcher considering Ruskell drafted C Chris Spencer #26 overall in 2005. I like this selection for several reasons. Chris Spencer has dealt with a slew of injuries over his 4 year career. When healthy his play has been shoddy at best. I doubt he will ever live up to expectations. Max brings versatility to the O-Line. He can play Center or either Guard position. If Spencer fizzles, Mad Max can step in right away. If Spencer takes a huge step toward realizing his potential, Max can take over for the aging Mike Wahle. Wahle is 32 and entering his 12th NFL season. He was cut outright by the Panthers in 2007 for a reason. He just doesn’t have it anymore. Mora will love Unger’s versatility.

In round 3 Ruskell traded up and drafted WR Deon Butler. The Hawks receiving corps have lacked speed for years. Without a deep threat to stretch the field, opposing DB’s have jumped the short routes knowing they can recover in time to defend the double move. Not anymore, Butler has the ability to take it to the house. Like most college receivers, he may need a year or two to get acclimated to the pro game but I expect him catch 30 to 50 balls in 2010. In the least, I’m betting he will get a look this year on Special Teams as a kick returner.

I’m not going to waste time analyzing players selected in rounds 4-7. 99% of these draft picks are either cut by the end of Pre-Season or make the team as a wedge buster or gunner on Special teams.

*Check back next week on Football Friday as I may turn my attention to the Huskies on Montlake.

Favre a Viking?

Don't act suprised.

He wanted to do it in 2008, but the only thing stopping him was his pesky little contract. Sure, Favre looked good and the Jets were rolling when they started 8-3. Favre's precision passing set the stage for their dormant running game to come alive. However, the wheels came off and the team dropped most of their remaining games. Leading rusher Thomas Jones, who should've thanked Favre for resurrecting his career, bitterly complained about Favre to the media after the season. One of our Wetland Sports sources had the privilege of being in the room with Favre sans reporters after the hapless Seahawks beat the Jets at Qwest. In the presense of a small group of people, Favre quietly laid into his team's crappy wideouts and the fact that they weren't running to the spots they were supposed to run. Ultimately, the stench of that team wafted from coast-to-coast, resulting in the firing of head coach, Eric Mangini.

Most curiously, Brett Favre's agent Bus Cook, got the Jets to grant Favre his outright release today. Why would a guy who's supposedly retired ask for his contractual release?

The Minnesota Vikings are a perfect fit for Brett's final hurrah. That team is built for winning right away and the only thing they lack is a game manager who can move the chains. They have all-world running back Adrian Peterson in his prime, a hungry defense that snuffs opponents' running games, future Hall of Fame offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson, and an improving group of skill players on offense. And they play in a dome -- Brett doesn't even have to get dirty! The Vikings are one of the few teams in the NFL where their QB (Tavaris Jackson) is keeping their team from winning. Put Favre behind center, and the Vikings are a Superbowl contender. Without Favre, the Vikings are just another wildcard team.

This fit is too good for both sides to pass up.

Tim Ruskell - Great Yet Mediocre Draft

On NFL draft Saturday, lady luck smiled on the Seattle Seahawks and allowed sure-thing LB Aaron Curry fall into their laps at #4 (which I had predicted earlier in the week). Suddenly, the 4-12 Seahawks had the right piece to plug into their ailing defense. This new piece would benefit the team both in the immediate as well as long term; allowing Jim Mora to cover for the loss of Julian Peterson. With one of their larger holes filled, Mora raved to the national media that the Seahawks had the best LB corp in the NFL - 2 pro-bowl caliber linebackers and the top-rated LB coming out of college in perhaps the last 5-10 years.

In the 2nd round, Ruskell made what might become the best trade in Seahawks history. Trader Tim swapped the Hawks 2nd round pick in exchange for Denver's 1st round pick in 2010. If the Broncos record is similar to last year's, that pick is somewhere around the middle of the first round. However, given the Broncos' trade/loss of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler combined with one of the worst defenses in the NFL, some think the Seahawks pick might be in the top 5. Most analysts feel that the 2010 draft is loaded with talent and superior to 2009. In short, the Seahawks will go into the 2010 draft armed with two 1st round picks giving them the opportunity to add impact players to re-stock their team.

And Ruskell wasn't done. He traded back into the 2nd round to grab C Max Unger and moved into the 3rd to get Deon Butler, a deep threat WR with 4.38 speed from a legitimate college football powerhouse. The net resultof the draft? Two players that will see significant time and a 3rd player that adds depth and something unique to the receiving corp. An impact player-to-be-named in 2010 -- a franchise QB? A stud RB? Taylor Mays?

Just when everything seemed to fall into place, Timmy did the unthinkable. He reached back into the past and pulled out the ghost of Steve Hutchinson. By removing the franchise tag from Pro-Bowl LB Leroy Hill (one year $8.3m), Ruskell is gambling that other NFL teams have blown their wads on free agency and the draft, and therefore, won't have the cash to pay Hill better than the package that the Hawks can put together. Unfortunately that gamble failed to pay off with Hutch and will also fail when teams that are under the cap (Philadephia, Tampa Bay, Miami, Tennessee, or Kansas City) line up with suitcases of cash. Given that Hill is only 26 and undoubtedly in his prime, there will be no shortage of teams willing to spend top dollar to land him.

Suddenly, without Hill the draft doesn't look as rosy. The LB group is down one pro-bowl player, a rookie, and no adequate 3rd option. I'm not buying Ruskell's response to the media that by letting Hill sign elsewhere the $8m will be used to bring in some great free agents that will cover the teams other problems. Today's signing of CB Ken Lucas adds yet another 30 year old to the aging secondary. The NFL is a young man's game. Keep in mind that the recent AFC Pro Bowl roster included 5 players in the secondary whose average age was 27.5:

CB Nnamdi Asomugh (Oakland) - 27
CB Cortland Finnegan (Tennessee) - 25
S Chris Hope (Tennessee) - 28
S Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh) - 28
S Ed Reed (Baltimore) - 30

Let's just say, as of right now, I'm only mildly pleased with the results of the draft. I don't, however, think that the Hawks improved much. You don't swap a Pro-Bowl LB in exchange for a rookie and expect better results. Also, you don't swap a hall of fame coach and replace him with Mike Vick's caretaker. Don't expect to make a Superbowl run with a weak team of RBs, aging secondary, and a QB whose health is questionable. Unless the pieces unexpectedly come together, the Hawks don't look much better than 8-8.

Tuesday Top 10: Worst Seattle team uniforms

Remember that glorious Chicago summer day in 1976 when, if you were one of the privileged few to take in a game at Comisky you witnessed your beloved White Sox trot onto the field with collared jerseys and SHORTS?

Those uniforms will go down in infamy, as will these local favorites we've had to endure over the years:

1. Mariners "Futuristic Night" in 1999. MLB's "Turn Ahead the Clock" promotion, which featured 20 big league teams wearing futuristic uniforms over the course of 14 games during the summer of '99 will be a source of uniform ridicule for years, the Mariners included. The series was actually sponsored by Century 21. Coincidentally, there's a former Century 21 marketing executive now doing infomercials for food dehydrators in Alaska.

2. Lambright's purple helmets. Talk about breaking tradition. I actually know a guy that played at UW during this era. The cool thing about being a player is you get to keep your helmet after you graduate. The shitty thing is if you're a former UW player in your early 30s, this giant grape is most likely what adorns your mantle.

3. Sonics, mid-90s. Or should they have been called the "Comics" as that's what the lettering resembled. And can anyone explain adding crimson to their color palate? Maybe they should have considered bringing it back years later, as those unis were the last to see an NBA final.

4. Seattle Thunderbirds Halloween jerseys, 2002. I can't figure out if the T-birds were trying to be clever or sell Fruit Loops with these.

5. The teal Mariners' alternate jerseys of the mid-90s. Let's face it: Teal went out with the Unit's mullet a long time ago.

6. The Purple People Eaters. Apparently in the mid-80s, UW forgot gold was the school's other color.

7. These radioactive Hawks' jerseys...if they ever see the field. Cough cough "Sounders ripoff" cough cough.

8. UW basketball, circa late-90s. I'm not so against the uniform itself, although the script "Huskies" looks a bit sissy. But the redundant "Dawgs" on the shorts was unnecessary.

9. The Hawks jerseys of the late 80s. Rude mesh. Actually, I just wanted to link a pic of the Boz.

10. The new Sonics uniforms. Weird...they got the colors, and the city name wrong?

Locker, UW about as good as you could ask for in spring game

The UW football team conducted its annual spring game on Saturday, putting the proverbial stamp on the first installment of the Sark era.

It was clear Sarkisian's objective for spring practice was to implement the new offense/defense, identify playmakers and begin to assemble a depth chart, and in general, set the standard for a new era of Husky Football.

And if the outcome of Saturday's game was any indication of what direction this team is headed, Husky fans surely have brighter days ahead.

OK, major caveat time. The spring game was scripted for success: The ones against the twos on both sides of the ball. And considering the twos were twos from an 0-12 team last season, Sarkisian may have considered inviting Jake Heaps' Skyline team to compete against the starters instead.

That UW coaches decided on this format in favor of the previous staff's mix-and-match ones/twos, or ones vs. ones (which yielded a retirement center bocce ball-like pace and 3-0 outcome in Tyrone Willingham's first spring game in 2005), suggests the new staff is more concerned with execution versus matching up the best possible competition.

And execution is what the coaches - as well as the fans - received.

Jake Locker went an impressive 16-18 with two touchdowns as the offense scored on its first four possessions, the offensive line/running game was able to establish itself, and the defense pitched a shutout in a 33-0 rout.

Is the score significant? Somewhat; Had the starters faltered, there would be reason for major concern considering the competition. In year's past, it was essentially a no-win situation: If the first team offense scored on the first team defense, it was a good/bad scenario, and vice versa. But pairing the ones versus the twos ensured a one-sided outcome should have been the end result, something everyone could feel good about.

But the way in which the ones executed a brand-new offense with exact precision, on the ground and in the air with a combination of short and medium game, play action, check-downs to secondary option receivers and dump-offs to running backs, suggests this team is learning quickly on the fly.

Locker's efficiency was huge. If the Dawgs have any chance of respectability in 2009, he has got to be effective through the air, something coaches have stressed all spring. In years past, it was more about featuring Locker in the complicated spread option with marginal athletes at the skill positions and overweight lineman, which was rarely successful if not downright disasterous when Locker went down with a broken thumb four games into last season, leaving Ronnie Fouch to fend for himself in an offense that couldn't have been any less-designed for him.

Now, in Sarkisian's pro-style offense, Locker's speed on the edge can be featured via play action and misdirection, which is sure to give defenses fits this fall, no matter how good. It also takes pressure off the lineman and running backs to block, which is surely welcomed. Locker's no longer depended on to run-option in the pocket, either - He can decide to run purely based on what the defense gives him now and not necessarily by design.

Defensively, we knew coming in many of the starters from a unit with the tackling skills of a matador return, but it was good to see them hold up their end of the bargain. The linebacker corps in particular, with the addition of once-banished star E.J. Savannah, could be "one of the best units in the conference" according to Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt. Overall the defense appears to by faster, more tenacious, hungrier.

This team will win football games in 2009. It will beat a few teams because it is more talented, it will sneak up on a couple teams that should beat them, and it will play some good teams close. The key to UW's success this year will be its health. Beyond the starters, there seems to be quite a dropoff. But all indications point to Sark's kids buying into his system/philosophy, which is a step in the right direction.

IN OTHER NEWS...UW unveiled new uniforms, featuring new block-style numbering on jerseys, retro 80s-style pants with stripes, and the introduction of an all-white road uniform. I love the new tougher, back-to-basics look of the home unis, and the pro-style road whites are very clean.

Monday Morning Musing, April 27

Happy Monday and welcome to the latest installment of Monday Morning Musings, where we rip and riff on Seattle sports and all things related.

-Lucky, interesting and productive draft for the Seahawks.

Lucky in that stud LB Aaron Curry, perhaps the best player int the draft fell to them at number 4.

Interesting in that it allowed the team to remove the franchise tag from the disgruntled and oft-injured LB Leroy Hill. Hill still might re-sign with the team, but if he doesn't, it frees up $8.3 million to go after a free agent, like a safety who can actually tackle (Yes, I'm talking to you Brian Russell) or cover somebody (Mr. Grant, you're old and slow and your days are numbered).

Productive in that we picked up speed at receiver in Deon Butler, a versatile center in Max Unger to push Chris Spencer (or replace his underachieving ass altogether), a tough, athletic and smart QB prospect in Mike Teel (he willed Rutgers to a bowl game this year after a 1-5 start). Plus, they picked up an additional 1st round pick next year.

Well done, Ruskell. How many days till training camp?

-By the way, Max Unger will also be the name of the new death metal band I'm starting with Nirvana's Krist Novaselic, the old guitarist for Soundgarden, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie and the two bald dudes who played two-stringed guitars from the Presidents of the United States of America.

-That's the old Washedupburn we've been missing all season. Good to have you back and keeping our expectations low.

-Great pro hoops yesterday, starting with an absolute thriller of a double-OT game between Celtics and Bulls (Ray Allen = clutch; Paul Pierce = half-clutch, for every time he come up big, he blows it) and then ending with a tough loss for my Blazers in Houston, bringing B-Roy and Nate to the brink of elimination.

-I'm trying to be a Sounders fan. Really, I'm trying. Why is this so hard! They won again on Saturday and Kasey Keller is dominating betweent he pipes at the age of 57. Not sure if this reflects well on Keller and the Sounders or badly on the state of talent in the MLS. (This week, Wetland promises to investigate the Sounders blogosphere and get all the inside goo on our city's newest pro franchise. We'll publish our findings on Saturday.)

-Despite the wishy-Washy performance last night, I believe the M's can win the division if Felix and Bedard stay healthy and productive all season, mostly because the rest of our division sucks. But also because Griffey has reinvented himself at 39 as the team's dirty old uncle, keeping the team loose and well-stocked with porn and cheap beer for the rest of the season.