SOUNDERS FC: Photos from the Match

Reach Jane Gershovich at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

MARINERS COLUMN: The All-Star Game Blues

By: Nathan Parsons
Don't we all love the All-star game? Maybe it’s because of the epic battles between the AL and the NL players, the eye-popping home runs, and the magnificent catches? Isn't it amazing?

Yeah right, maybe in 1950.

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On July 13, the 2010 MLB All-Star game will be played in Anaheim, and we will see two Seattle Mariners: Ichiro and Cliff Lee (given he's not traded by then). But you have to wonder, why isn't Felix Hernandez there? The first things his critics will point out is that he only has 6 wins compared to 5 losses and that he is only the second best pitcher on our team. Well let's examine those stats, shall we?

He has made a total of 18 starts, in which he has 7 no decisions. Most of those 7 have been a result of someone like the tattooed Brandon League blowing the lead in the later innings or the Mariners being 1-7 in extra innings.

In his 6 wins, he has 3 complete games and 1 shutout against the Yankees. Amazing. He is tied for the most quality starts with 14, only in 2 starts has he allowed over 3 runs, and is 3rd in strikeouts in the American League. I could go on and on and on, but I need to reiterate the second point his critics make: He is only the second best pitcher on his team.

This point seems quite irrelevant. Cliff Lee, the better pitcher (at the moment), has had 4 consecutive complete games, 2.34 ERA, and a 8-3 record on one of, if not THE lousiest offensive team in baseball. So you can imagine how dificult it is to be better than the best pitcher in baseball right now.

So all of this leads me to the point already made hundreds of times: the All-Star game is the biggest joke in all of sports. It's a thing that fans vote on, which is the biggest flaw. Let's say there's this one stud in Cincinnati (Joey Votto) who's leading the entire league in HR (21) didn't get in because he is … well … in Cincinnati. BUT let's say there's this overrated, overpaid guy in Philadelphia (Ryan Howard) who has 6 less HR than Votto, manages to get in!

So to me, all these that are missing out is the result of not enough media coverage of these players and fan numbers for teams like the Phillies. So that's why I suggest a group of highly regarded baseball writers pick the teams, as they do when choosing a player to win the MVP award and the Hall of Fame voting. Especially when implications of World Series home-field advantage are on the line.

Reach Nathan Parsons at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

MARINERS: July 6th vs. Royals, Live Game Log

By: Jacson Bevens

Well, the Mariners have pulled the ol’ bait-and-switch on me. I was scheduled to live-blog the return of Erik Bedard tonight but am instead sitting in front of the TV on a perfectly sunny evening watching Ryan Rowland-Smith pitch against a completely uninteresting lineup. As sure as the ocean is wet and meth is addictive, Bedard has suffered a “setback.“

The good news is that the Royals are throwing reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke, which is like a preview for what it will be like when Cliff Lee is pitching against the M’s later this year.

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7:12pm -- RR-S is throwing a ton of strikes. An infield hit and a 4-6-3 double play have him in line for a quick frame. It’s such a cliché, but getting ahead of batters goes just SO far towards a successful start. He’s two-for-two on that front thus far.

7:15 -- Thanks for making me look like a moron, Ryan. Rowland-Smith subsequently falls behind David DeJesus and walks him, extending the inning. Butler grounds out to Lopez to end the inning. There have been a lot of things that have turned out worse than expected for the Mariners this season, but one place where they’ve gotten a better-than-anticipated return is Lopez’ defense at third.

7:19 -- By the way, another former Cy Young winner, Johan Santana, went “Little League All-Star” on the Cincinnati Reds today. He threw a complete game shutout against the NL’s best-hitting team and as if that wasn’t enough, he added a home run of his own. On the 12th(!) pitch of the at bat.

7:24 -- That didn’t take long. Three up, three down for the M’s in the 1st. Greinke now has 30 consecutive scoreless innings against Seattle.

7:27 -- “Hyphen” comes back with a 1-2-3 inning of his own. The panning camera catches a ton of empty seats. I mean, I know that Tueday night isn’t a marquee night for baseball and there aren’t any smoking’ giveaways tonight, but that is hard to look at.

7:30 -- I am so awesome. Dave Neihaus has Jay Buhner in the booth with him and says to Jay, “Greinke reminds me of a pitcher that you’re familiar with from the nineties.”
“David Cone!” I yell to no one.
“Who’s that?” asks Buhner.
“David Cone!” I shriek.
“He’s a guy with a similar delivery, same kind of stuff…” says Dave.
“David Cone!” Thank goodness no one else is home right now.
“…and that is David Cone.”
YESSS!!

7:33 -- Meanwhile it only took Greinke the length of that conversation to retire the M’s in order again. There’s not a lot of flash to his game, but he works quickly, throws a ton of first pitch strikes, and just manages to avoid the barrels of bats for long periods of time. I don’t know when he becomes a free agent, but barring injury, the kerfuffle over Greinke will someday be very similar to all the talk about Cliff Lee right now.

7:36 -- Willie Bloomquist is up. If there’s ever been one player that Mariner fans and announcers have loved disproportionately to his talent, Bloomquist has to be near the top. Gotta love the hustle. And while we’re here, just how many former Mariners are on the Royals roster anyway? I can think of five right off the bat: Bloomquist, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jose Guillen, Kanekoa Texiera, Gil Meche… any others? Not a game-changer in the bunch. How on earth does Royals GM Dayton Moore keep his job. It’s not like he claimed these guys from good Mariners teams. And don’t give me the whole “well, he must be at least as good as Zduriencik since the Royals have a better record than the M’s” line of thinking. The Mariners’ situation is nothing like the Royals’ situation and I promise you that the Mariners will win many more games than Kansas City over the next five years.

7:38 -- There have been five half-innings in this game and it’s taken 33 minutes. I’m lovin’ this pace.

7:43 -- Saunders reached on an infield hit and got to second on a throwing error by the Royals second baseman. A Josh Bard groundball gets him to third. This may be the best chance the Mariners get to score a run off of Greinke all night.

7:44 -- SQUEEZE!! Jack Wilson executes the suicide squeeze with a bunt towards first base. Greinke fields it and apparently tweaks his knee in the process. 1-0 Mariners, and they didn’t even get a ball out of the infield. The Mariners probably don’t try that against say, Brian Bannister, but you take one run when you get the chance against a guy like Greinke.

7:52 -- The Rangers are stomping their opponents again, and Vladimir Guerrero, who I admittedly thought was a little over the hill, now has 19 HRs, 72 RBIs, and a .330 batting average. That lineup is just outrageous, and their farm system is stocked. The AL West will be the Rangers’ to lose for the next few years.

7:58 -- Buhner and Blowers are up in the broadcast booth right now, swapping stories about bunting. It’s actually pretty entertaining, but it got me thinking: I wonder if the producers ever check into whether or not the players like each other before putting two or more of them in the booth together. I mean, it sounds like they get along fine, but could you imagine if they didn’t?
Dave: “Bone, you wish you had gotten a chance to play in Safeco?”
Jay: “Absolutely. When I played, all we had was the Kingdome and that turf was pretty hard on you.
Mike (mumbling): “Wasn’t that hard.
Jay: “What’s that, Mike?”
Mike: “Nothin’.”
Jay: “You got something’ to say to me man?”
Mike: “I said I played on turf too, never got hurt half as much as you claimed to.”
Jay: “That’s ‘cuz I actually had the cojones to dive for a ball once in a while, you pansy.”
Mike: “Please, you call those little slides ‘dives?’ You were always too busy on the trainer’s table to notice whether I dove or not.”
Jay: “Listen man, I’m sorry the fans never loved you, but I could hardly blame them. You were as forgettable as last month’s meatloaf. Maybe if you had ever done something in Seattle, people would care who you were.”
Mike: “That’s it! It’s on now!”
Both stand to fight.
Dave: “And a deep fly ball to right center will… fly away. A homerun for Wilson Betemit!”

8:05 -- Seriously though, Wilson Betemit just took RR-S deep. The Aussie has given up so many home runs this year. Seventeen, to be exact. 1-1.

8:18 -- Jason Kendall is up. When he’s done playing baseball, he should become an extra in action movies and westerns. He has the meanest, ruggedest face in the league. I guess that’s what happens when you insist on catching every game for every team you play for and also come back from one of the most horrific baseball injuries you’ll ever see. Kendall doubles to left and then, I imagine, re-holsters his gun with resolute flourish.

8:24 -- Rowland-Smith is in his first jam. A walk and a hit batter have the bases loaded with two outs for the Royals in the 6th and Betemit coming up. Here comes the pitching coach.

8:26 -- RR-S gets to two strikes on Betemit and all 156 fans in attendance start to get behind him.

8:28 -- Betemit lines a 2-2 pitch off of “Hyphen’s” leg that dribbles out towards short for an RBI single. Between that and the home run, it’s like Wilson Betemit is taking out his anger at his parents for naming him Wilson on Ryan Rowland-Smith. The next batter flies out and we head to the bottom of the 6th with a 2-1 advantage for Kansas City.

8:32 -- I went to get a drink of water during the commercial break and by the time I got back, Greinke had two outs. The kitchen is literally six feet from where I’m sitting. How did he do that?

8:34 -- Through six innings, Greinke has allowed a walk, an infield hit, and an unearned run while striking out seven. He is drinking Seattle’s milkshake right now.

8:43 -- Russell Branyan is up and I just want to say that I enjoy watching him swing the bat. A lot of people were scratching their heads when the Mariners re-signed Branyan a couple of weeks ago, since no one expected them to be buying when they were clearly out of the playoff race but, considering the weak value of the prospects we gave up for him, I can’t help but wonder if this was just Zduriencik’s way of making the last 90 games a little bit more watchable for the fans. I also wonder if you gave Josh Wilson a metal bat, whether or not he could ever hit a ball as high as Branyan does with a wooden one. That would be a fun contest. Especially if you let them switch bats afterwards, just for kicks.

8:52 -- A Lopez single and a walk to Kotchman make things a little sticky for Greinke in the seventh, but he gets Saunders to chase a video-game slider in the dirt to end the threat and the game goes to the 8th, still 2-1 KC.

8:56 -- A lead-off single chases RR-S after 100 pitches. Combined with his last couple of starts, you can’t help but think that he’s getting his confidence back. He’s just had the misfortune of going heads up against two of the best pitchers in the game in his last two outings in Greinke and CC Sabathia, and he’s had to do it with an inferior lineup at his back.

8:59 -- Sean White’s in now. LOVE Sean White. I’m sorry, that’s not true. In fact, there are at least five pitchers in the minors I’d rather see right now than Sean White. What exactly is it that gets Don Wakamatsu so excited about this guy? I get that last year he had a nice low ERA, but that was as fluky as it gets, seeing as all his peripheral numbers were unsustainably beneficial. This year, he has an ERA near 8.00 and the peripherals have all predictably regressed to the mean. He just has nothing going for him. Even his goatee is bad, but Wak keeps putting him out there. Unbelievable.

9:01 -- White immediately allows a hit.

9:04 -- And then induces a double-play. Touché, White.

9:06 -- And then allows a run-scoring single. HE’S NOT A MAJOR LEAGUE PITCHER, WAK!! Betemit now has all three RBIs.

9:08 -- White “ends” the inning by giving up a double, wherein Betemit is thrown out at home. Sean White is a bad TV show that keeps getting re-upped season after season because it just kills with the 65+ women audience.

9:12 -- Greinke’s night is done. Total domination. Some kid named Wood is on in relief.

9:16 -- Here we go. Back-to-back singles by Wilson and Ichiro has the go-ahead run at the plate. You know what’s gross? If the M’s take the lead in this inning and hold it in the 9th, Sean White gets the victory.

9:21 -- A Figgins sac fly makes it a one run game again. A Branyan double has the misfortune of bouncing over the wall, forcing Ichiro to stop at third instead of coming around to tie the game. I love Branyan. For real.

9:23 -- Lopez grounds out to end the inning and the game goes to the 9th, 3-2.

9:31 -- New Mariner David Pauley works a perfect ninth and now the M’s will have to steal a win off of Royals closer Joakim Soria. One of the byproducts of being a bad team that stays bad, like the Royals, is that you’ll invariably end up with some really good players that no one outside of fantasy baseball players ever hear about. Soria is one of those guys. He may be one of the five best closers in baseball right now. It’ll be up to Gutierrez, Kotchman, and Saunders.

9:33 -- Guti lines out to second.

9:34 -- Kotch singles. (Hope!)

9:36 -- Saunders strikes out.

9:40 -- Now, I love Ryan Langerhans as much as the next guy whose heard of him, but he was just overmatched against Soria. Pinch-hitting for Josh Bard, he strikes out to end the game.

This was one of those nights that, despite a fair amount of high-leverage situations, just wasn’t very compelling, especially with Bedard being scratched. This game should’ve meant more to the M’s playoff chances than it did, but as it stands, it doesn’t affect anything. It shouldn’t be this way in the first week of July, but that’s just how it is. At least this way, that loss doesn’t hurt as much. Kind of like being shot in a paralyzed leg.

And on that note, fans, I’m signing out. Enjoy the rest of your evening.

Reach Jacson Bevens at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

SOUNDERS FC: Sounders cannot match weapons of LA Galaxy, fall 3-1 on 4th of July

The Seattle Sounders looked for redemption Sunday, as they traveled to LA in hopes of showing that an earlier 4-0 loss to the league-leading Galaxy was a fluke. However, by the end of the match on a sunny 4th of July at the Home Depot Center, the Sounders found themselves walking away without any points to show for. The star-studded Galaxy made easy work of Seattle in what ended in a 3-1 victory for LA.

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The newly returned US-National team stars of Landon Donavan and Edson Buddle were strong forces in an always dangerous Galaxy attack. They showed their abilities early, when in the 19th minute, Buddle scored off a header from a Donovan corner kick; a beautiful goal that put the Sounders down early.

Much of the first half was spent with Seattle on their heels defensively. With an attacking Galaxy, Seattle showed very little signs of offensive life. By the half-time intermission, LA had outshot Seattle 12-3.

The second half saw some offensive changes for Seattle, as Nate Jaqua was inserted for Pat Noonan, and later seeing Michael Seamon inserted in the game for Pat Vagenas in the 51st minute.

The Galaxy came out with the same intensity in the second half and doubled their lead with a 32-foot strike by Juninho in the 48th minute. At this point, many fans watching the match were reminded of the dismal performance on the Qwest Field pitch where the Sounders lost 4-0 months ago.

However, Seattle began a more offensive movement after the Seamon substitution, and saw this capitalize in the 66th minute. The Sounders marched downfield and Fredy Montero rolled a ball to Steve Zakuani on the left side. Zakuani then took it into his hands, and weaved through the Galaxy defense and fired a shot past the LA keeper for his fifth goal of the season. The lead had been cut in half and Seattle had momentum.

This momentum was soon shattered by an unfortunate defensive play by the typically solid James Riley in the 77th minute. With the Galaxy driving down the field, a cross was sent toward the Seattle goal with Donovan lying in wait, but Riley was there. Unfortunately, Riley had chose to challenge the ball with a slide, but his miscalculation saw the ball deflect off his leg and into the Sounders net just past Kasey Keller. This own goal by the Sounders effectively ended any threat of tying the game.

Sounders coach Sigi Schmid simply said afterwards, “LA was better than us.” This may have been true Sunday evening, but the Sounders will have another crack at the Galaxy this coming Wednesday in a US Open Cup match. This match will be played at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila and will kick off at 7 pm. Good luck Sounders!

Reach Kyle Fosnes at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

SEAHAWKS: Chargers not interested in dealing WR Jackson

The San Diego Chargers are reportedly not shopping Pro-Bowl WR Vincent Jackson, ESPN.com reports. The news comes almost a week after reports arose that the Seahawks were interested in the wide-out by making calls to Chargers executives and expressing their interest.

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Vincent Jackson is currently a restricted free agent and has refused to sign his tender with the Chargers. On top of this, according to league sources, Jackson has been suspended three games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which in conjunction with his refusal to sign could turn into missing up to 10 games in the upcoming season.

Moving forward, the market for premier wide receivers is quite barren for the Seahawks, now that Jackson is off the market. Still, no reports on the future of Terrell Owens as he still remains on the radar for Seattle.

Reach Jacob Kehle at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

SOUNDERS FC: Double-header vs. L.A. could refocus Sounders

The glow of the energy-filled, shiny, new 2009 Sounders is beginning to wear off. While the team remains in contention for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and haven’t yet begun their CONCACAF odyssey, their hopes of a successful MLS campaign are all but over.

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Seattle has won a single game in their last five league matches and are about to face the hottest team in the MLS. The L.A. Galaxy have a nine point cushion over any MLS team and have the league’s best record (10-1-3, 33 points). The Rave Green currently occupy seventh place in the Western Conference and eleventh overall of the 16 MLS teams (4-7-3, 15 points).

By a freak coincidence of scheduling, not only will the Sounders play L.A. on Sunday in the Home Depot Center, three days later, the two teams will meet for the Open Cup in the amazingly intimate, for an MLS matchup, Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington.

After leaving the team for the World cup Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle will be back in uniform for the game against Seattle. Donovan has nine assists while Buddle is averaging a goal per game after nine matches. Besides missing David Beckham, L.A. isn’t doing too badly on the injury front either.

Seattle will have Nate Jaqua as an option at forward, probably for both games, and should have more players coming off injuries in the coming weeks. The addition of Blaise Nkufo could boost an underpowered offense, but the Swiss player will have played the equivalent of two MLS seasons by the time he reaches Seattle.

Between the two teams, Seattle is 1-1-1 all-time against the Galaxy, with L.A. handing Seattle their first ever 4-0 defeat at Qwest Field. The Sounders are 0-3-2 versus the Western Conference, and should consider ever conference match from now on a must-win. Seattle can do a few things with this rare mid-season two game series. Put everything on the line in the first game to gain some ground in the standings. They can focus on the second game and the Open Cup, which they are much closer to capturing.

Seattle leads the MLS is shots (165), corner kicks (90), and fouls suffered (171). While Fredy Montero has not lived up to his 2009 numbers, he still leads the team in goals, assists and shots. Steve Zakuani has also brought light for the Seattle offense. The key to a victory over the Galaxy will be to have other players contribute.

The Sounders often rely too heavily on their forwards to score goals. Players will anxiously try to launch a pass over the defense, only to be whistled offsides (48 times, second in the MLS). In order for Seattle’s forwards to create scoring opportunities, the passing in the back and mid fields needs to improve. Too many passes this season have been intercepted or hurried.

Conversely, the forwards have, on several occasions, taken a touch too many or took a shot out of desperation. If the defense can return to their 2009 form, and the midfield can stifle the Galaxy’s potent lineup, they can maintain possession long enough to crack off a few shots.

The match will be on 97.3 FM, 1210 AM and KONG 16. Additionally, ESPN has picked up it's option to air the game, which will be at 7:30 p.m.


Reach Galen Helmgren at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

MARINERS: Series Sweep Eludes M’s in 4-2 Loss to Yankees

It was only a matter of time before the two teams returned to their ways of the 2010 season: one leading the AL East and other holding up the rear in the AL West. After two games where the M’s and Yankees essentially switched roles, leaving Seattle fans scratching their heads and wondering where such performances had been all year, C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees brought everyone back to reality.

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Sabathia (10-3, 3.33) pitched a spectacular game, blanking the Mariners through 7 innings. The Yankees' ace did not overpower the M’s, only striking out 4, but surrendered just 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks. He allowed Seattle to tie the game in the top of the 8th on a 2-RBI single by Russell Branyan, but got out of the inning on the same play as Branyan tried to reach second on a throw which was cut off by Mark Teixeira rather than make it to home plate. Mariano Rivera (2-1, 0.89) came in to close out the game for the Yankees and earn his 18th save of the season.

Ryan Rowland-Smith (1-7, 5.92) pitched a solid 6 innings, keeping the M’s alive and giving them a chance to win the game. Rowland-Smith gave up 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. Down by a run in the bottom of the 4th, Rowland-Smith sat down Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez to start the inning, but the first pitch he threw to Robinson Cano was taken out of the park for Cano’s 16th home run on the year. The M’s effectively shut down New York through the next three innings.

Don Wakamatsu turned to his closer, David Aardsma (0-5, 5.33) in the bottom of the 8th in an attempt to preserve the tie until the offense had another chance in the top of the 9th. After Aardsma gave up a single to Teixeira, A-Rod came up and belted his 12th home run of the year, giving the Yankees a two run lead for good.

After producing 14 runs the first two games of the series, the M’s lineup had a hard time finding anything in the finale. Aside from Branyan’s RBI single, Milton Bradley was the only other bright spot, going 2-for-4 with a double. Ichiro and Ryan Langerhans were the only other M’s who managed to reach base with a hit.

Seattle now heads to Detroit for a three game series against a Tigers team who has lost 6 of their last 9 games. The Mariners look to Doug Fister (3-3, 2.81) to start another win streak for the team, while Detroit counters with Max Scherzer (4-6, 5.26) to open the series. This series will wrap up their current road trip before the team heads back to Seattle for 7 games prior to the All-Star break.


Reach Jeff Stoss at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

SEAHAWKS COLUMN: The T.O. Debate

As the rumors swirl about the Seahawks looking into acquiring a proven “#1” WR to supplement the questionable health of WR’s Deion Branch and T.J. Houshmandzadeh; a name that seems to be one of the more popular is that of the aging veteran receiver Terrell Owens. While adding another proven receiver would not be the worst idea Seahawks management has ever had, adding T.O. could be either a regression in smarts or an attention-grabbing upgrade in what has already been a pretty good offseason overhaul of the Seahawks roster.

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The Case for T.O. (By: Nathan Parsons)

Many of you are anti-Terrell Owens because of his history with other teams and his publicity stunts. But I have a reason why the Seahawks need to pick up T.O.: We have no choice! The Seahawks WR depth chart is as follows: (1)T.J. Houshmandzadeh (2) Deion Branch (3) Deon Butler/Golden Tate.

For starters, look at Branch. First and foremost, he is most likely going to underperform or get hurt considering he's had 3 knee surgeries in 2 years. So that leaves us with Housh and two developing, young receivers. Fail. Don’t tell me we’re going to be successful with these 4 guys (or 3 with Branch probably slipping on a banana peel and cracking his knee). We don't have a big, strong receiver that strikes fear into the hearts of defenses.

Insert Terrell Owens.

At 6-3, 224 pounds, he is a physical specimen and even more impressive are his career numbers. 15 seasons, 1,006 receptions, 14,951 yards, 144 TDs. Last season wasn't exactly stellar by his standards, 829 yards, 55 receptions, and 5 TDs, but you have to cut him some slack considering that his QB was Ryan Fitzpatrick and he was in cold, windy Buffalo, NY. Keep in mind though, two seasons ago he had 69 receptions, 1052 yards, and 10 TDs, which suggests he is still capable of putting up numbers with the right supporting cast.

The main knock on him is he USED to be your prime example of a drama queen, as evident while he was with San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Dallas. But did you hear of any problems in Buffalo? No. How about with the quarterback? No.

I think being in Buffalo humbled Terrell and he finally realized that he wasn't the best player in the world. Even if he still had problems, Pete Carroll would still need to pick him up because of our futile wide-receiver corps. Owens would bring pressure off of Houshmandzadeh and allow the two young guys, Butler and Tate, to develop at their own pace.

The Case Against T.O. (By: David Berry)

First knock on Owens would be his age. Why would you want to bring in a receiver who is going to be 37 coming into the 2010 season? We all know Brett Favre has had success into his 40’s, but the difference between Favre and Owens is that Owens has to run routes and catch passes.

Hyperbaric Chamber or not, I refuse to believe a rebuilding team like the Hawks would be better off with an aging star who still thinks of himself as a superstar over bringing in a younger proven receiver, say Vincent Jackson, or developing one of the young receivers already on the roster.

Second would be how drastically Terrell Owens’ statistics have dropped over the last three years. In 2007 he had 81 receptions for 1355 yards and 15 TD’s. In 2008 he saw his stats drop to 69 receptions 1052 yards and 10 TD’s, as mentioned earlier. Last season, while playing for the Buffalo Bills he saw his stats drop even further 55 receptions 829 yards and only 5 TD’s. So if we follow this trend, the Seahawks should look for around 40 receptions, 600 yds, and between 0-2 TD’s; great production out of your “#1” receiver.

The third major reason why Terrell Owens would be a bad fit for the Seahawks would be his attitude. If the Hawks are going to bring in a veteran player he needs to be someone who will be more concerned about the name on the front of the jersey rather than the name on the back. As was evidenced last year the Seahawks’ receivers are an impressionable group. With the very outspoken T.J. Houshmandzadeh at the #1 spot, we got to listen to the amazing radio that was T.J., Deion Branch, and Nate Burleson pop off and blast the coaching staff. I fail to believe it would be any better with Mr. Owens at the helm.

Terrell Owens has got himself run out of not one, not two, but three different cities with his antics, most notably: Dallas, TX. C’mmmon now Dallas, really??? This is the same franchise that put up with Michael Irvin and Nate Newton and all their legal troubles. You have to TRY to get run out of Dallas. I don’t think TO had time to get under Buffalo’s skin enough to get excommunicated from there, but you also notice they aren’t rushing to invite him back to play with them either.

Add all these factors up and that’s three strikes. Sorry, Terrell, but you’ve struck yourself out in the mind of this Seahawks fan.

Reach Nathan Parsons, David Berry, or Jacob Kehle at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more

SEAHAWKS: New player, executive and soft-drink signings?

Since hiring their new Head Coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks have been on a mad rush to sign talent. The belief of the newly installed regime is that competition, at every position, will bring out the best in their players. This week is no different with Seattle adding a new player and reconnecting partners from seasons past.

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New Player

Just a week after claiming Kevin Ellison from the San Diego Chargers via waivers last Tuesday, nobody was really surprised when Seattle waived him again after he failed a physical. Fast forward another week and the safety out of USC is back on the team with a reworked contract.

Seahawks GM John Schneider thinks Ellison could be an effective piece of the puzzle, considering the former All-Pac-10 player’s knowledge of the coaching scheme to be installed by Uncle Pete.

"Coach Carroll and I are excited to add Kevin's intensity to the competition at the safety position. He has a feel for our system, and although he is a late addition, we believe he can step in and challenge for a roster spot."


New Executive

In a move certain to ruffle some feathers in ‘Frisco, the Seahawks have also added Scot McLoughan, the 49ers former GM, as their senior personnel executive. The 39-year-old left San Francisco in March citing undisclosed personal reasons. McLoughan was acquired from the Seahawks in 2005 and, as the 49ers’ GM, helped rebuild an underperforming roster.

"It's huge for us because Scot is one of the most respected personnel people in the league," Seahawks General Manager John Schneider said Monday. "He played a critical role in helping the Seahawks become a Super Bowl team [in 2005] and did a great job in rebuilding the 49ers over the last few years."

"We're very fortunate to add someone of Scot's caliber," Schneider said. "Scot is not only an experienced leader but he is also extremely loyal."

Soft-Drink Shake Up?

Jones is out and Coke is back, at Qwest Field that is. After three years being the exclusive supplier of soft-drinks to the Seahawks, the Jones Soda Company declined to renew their contract with the team in a statement released Wednesday. The announcement follows three months after Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air terminated their contracts with Jones after less than two years.

The change of heart likely boils down to money. Jones, a Seattle-based company that gained popularity in the 90’s, is on their fourth CEO in three years. The company’s income has shrunk from $5 million last December to just $2.4 million in March.

The offbeat, indepentent soda maker never disclosed the price of its contract with the Seahawks, but renewing that contract would probably have taken an enormous chunk out of their remaining marketing budget.

William Meissner, the current CEO of Jones, wants to return his company to their roots in an attempt to get the company’s finances back into the black.

“We achieved everything and more than we originally set out to do with Qwest Field and the Seahawks organization. The return of our focus on Jones’ core 12-ounce flavors in glass bottles and our need to support our efforts in markets from coast to coast created a shift in our marketing mix.”

The Seahawks announced today that they have entered into a five-year contract with Coca-Cola, the team’s supplier previous to the 2007 contract with Jones. That means no more green apple, fufu berry or blue bubble gum soda flavors.


Reach Galen Helmgren at nextseasonsports@gmail.com Read more