Sims Honda - Sport Tones by Tony Ventrella

It never fails. I get the same question every Monday morning. “How was your weekend?” Now don’t get me wrong, it’s very courteous thing to ask someone about their weekend but there’s one problem. In my business I work every weekend during the football season and a good number of them during the off season. So if I answer with, “I worked this weekend,” the other person will snap back, yeah but you work for the Seahawks so it’s not really work.” They’ve got me on that, I do work for the Seahawks and it is really fun so from now on my answer is going to be, “I had a great weekend, how about you.”

Mini Camp

This past weekend the Seahawks welcomed 67 players to team headquarters in Renton for their annual rookie mini camp. Making up the 67 were eleven drafted players, nine un drafted free agents and 47 “tryout” players.

With all the research coaches and scouts do these days I think it’s safe to say there were no big surprises in this camp just confirmation of what the staff already knew.

For example tight end Luke Willson, a fifth round pick out of Rice made a couple of really nice plays the first two days and established himself already as the fastest tight end on the team.

Second round pick Christine Michael, a running back out of Texas A&M runs with great balance, speed and power and should work nicely with Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin. In case you’re wondering the new running back does spell his first name “Christine.”

Sixth round pick Spencer Ware will battle for a spot on the team as a fullback. He was also impressive over the weekend.

Defensive tackles Jesse Williams and Jordan Hill got a close look from coach Carroll on Saturday and Sunday and he liked what he saw. “Those guys did very well. They were in better shape than the other guys, they were not taxed by the work load.”

Chris Harper the fourth round pick out of Kansas State impressed his head coach as well. “He can really catch it and he runs good routes. There’s going to be some great battles for those guys.”

And that really sums up this three day camp and the rookie class in general. There will be great battles between the new guys and the veterans not only for playing time but for spots on the roster.

Next up for the Seahawks is a series of “organized team activities,” or workouts over the next two months. The rookies will get their first taste of competition with veterans on Monday May 20.

Sounders Explode

After a hand wringing first six weeks of the season the Seattle Sounders have suddenly put together a four game undefeated streak including a 4-0 win over San Jose on Saturday night.

Lamar Neagle scored a pair of goals in the win over the Earthquakes before 39,000 at Century Link field. The Sounders are now 3-3-3 with 12 points and have climbed out of last place.

Up next another home game this Saturday against Dallas at 7:30 p.m.

Great Strides

Before I go I want to invite everyone to walk with me this coming Sunday May 19 at 12:30 in the annual Great Strides walk for Cystic Fibrosis research. The program begins at 12:30 at Seattle center right behind the Pacific Science Center.

Make a donation if you can but by all means come out and walk with us along the Seattle waterfront for a great cause. Then next Monday morning when someone says, “How was your weekend,” you can honestly answer, “it was great, I did something to help someone else.

May 13, 2013

As you know I’m not one to complain about things, especially things I can’t change but I do have a couple of gripes I’d like to get off my chest in this column.

Let me start with lemonade prices. I was driving into my neighborhood on Sunday afternoon when I saw three kids with a table set up by the small park selling lemonade. I pulled over and asked ,”how much,” and was told “$50 cents for a small.” I handed over 75 cents because I’m a good tipper and the little guy handed me a small cup of warm lemonade about three quarters full. I said thanks and went on my way. As I took a sip of the stuff I realized it was made from a package of Crystal Light and tasted a little weak. Now of course I didn’t go back to complain but I did recall the time my friend Dave Appelbaum and I sold lemonade on Bobwhite Lane in Wilton, Conn. 50 years ago.

It was home made with lots of ice and we sold it for 5 cents a cup. We didn’t just part the table on the side of the road either, we had the business sense to set up at the building site of a new house on a hot summer day. The builders kept coming back time and time again for our ice cold, home made lemonade. We were true businessmen.

Having said that, I understand the 2013 price hike is due to inflation but what’s the story with no ice and artificial flavor, what kind of customer service is that? One word of advice to lemonade sale peoples of the 21st century, show some business sense. It wouldn’t hurt your bottom line to squeeze a real or two into that artificial stuff and toss in a few ice cubes

I can understand why today’s kids don’t get it when it comes to customer serves. They hardly ever see customer service anymore. As a kid I remember my Dad stopping for gas and getting the oil checked, the windshield cleaned and a smile from the service attendant.

I remember the people at the bank knowing our names and actually calling us by those names. I recall the guy at the drug store-soda fountain scolding us for trying to take a peek at a Playboy magazine. Who scolds anybody anymore, especially if it isn’t their kid?

And don’t get me started on prices. Okay get me started. Gasoline was 29 cents a gallon when I drove my first car, baseball cards were 10 cents a pack and they with bubble gum. Granted the bubble gum was as hard as a rock but once it was in mouth for ten minutes it softened up pretty good.

Now that I’ve gotten all of this stuff off my chest I will say this about today’s young people. They seem to care about their world more than we did. They seem to care about re-cycling, helping kids in poor countries or poor parts of this country. They care about homelessness, their own health and the ridiculous level of waste in our society.

The kids of today may not know much about selling lemonade but they might just be the generation that makes the changes needed in this world that us grown ups have been putting off for so long.

Sims Honda

By the way if you really want old fashioned, neighborly service with a smile, come on over to Sims Honda. These folks will know your name and will give you old school service. They might even make some lemonade for you.

May 6, 2013

My initial response to the NBA is very simple. “We will survive rather nicely without you in our region so don’t come crying to us when your brand dries up and nobody wants to come see your games anymore.”

That response might indicate that I don’t like basketball or at least pro basketball but that is not the case. What I don’t like is the idea that we’re begging a monopoly to allow us to spend some of our own money only to be rewarded with the opportunity to spend even more of our own money for a product that isn’t worth it.

Okay I said it. Call it sour grapes, call me an anti Sonics fan, call me whatever you want but the fact is I’m sick of the smugness of the NBA way they right rough shod over cities and people.

I’m impressed with Chris Hansen and the new Sonics ownership group. They’ve spent three years trying to bring a team back to Seattle and they’ll do it one way or another. The irony is what bothers me. When Hansen and boys bring the team or get an expansion team the NBA will make fresh millions despite their past treatment of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

April 30, 2013

All right I want the truth now, how many of you watched all three rounds of the NFL draft over the weekend? Really? That many? Holy cow!

Thanks to the first amendment we can watch anything we want and say anything we want about what we just watched so here goes. As you know I work for the Seahawks in the digital media department. As you may also know we did a “live” web cast of the draft from 5 p.m. Thursday to 7 p.m. Saturday evening. Between the NFL network, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Fox sports and some guy blogging from underneath a bridge in Ballard I saw and heard everything there was about the players picked in the 2013 draft and I still only believe in half of it.

As good a show as the NFL makes out of picking players, no one is ever certain who will make it in the league. There are too many variables.

Look at last year when the Seahawks picked a 5’10” quarterback out of Wisconsin in the third round. Most people scratched their head and wondered why a team that had just spent a good sum of money to sign Matt Flynn would draft a short quarterback from Wisconsin.

Now one year later Seahawks fans are buying winter coats for the Super Bowl trip to New York in February 2014. Not even the experts can tell for sure if any of the draft picks are going to make it big or make it at all. Ryan Leaf was drafted second overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1999 and paid 11 million dollars to become the answer to a trivia question. Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round by the Patriots in 2000 and has two Super Bowl rings and a place waiting for him in Canton Ohio in the Hall of Fame.

My point is this, you just never know unless you’re a guy at a party with other guys within hearing range of women your age. That’s when the discussions really ramp up. In the old days the standard pick up line was ,”what’s your sign,” or “come here often,” but that’s all changed. Now it’s “hey the guy from Alabama can bench 600 pounds and run the 40 in less than 5 seconds.” If that doesn’t get the girl nothing will.

Miracle M’s

Just as meaningless as the guy spouting off facts and figures about a linebacker from LSU are my baseball predictions, but here goes anyway. I was out for a run the other day when I had an epiphany. Now keep in mind I didn’t even know what an epiphany was until my wife explained it to me. I immediately wanted to have one myself so I did. I envisioned the Mariners reeling off a long winning streak in June and another one in August that would put them in the thick of the A.L. West race. I shared my epiphany with other members of the media so I really hope it happens now. My prediction is not that far off actually since many teams in the past have started slowly with no offense and good pitching and gone on to contend for the pennant. That’s the 2013 Mariners. Mark my works unless of course it doesn’t happen, then forget everything you read here.

April 29, 2013

In a perfect northwest drizzle on Sunday morning I witnessed first hand the resilient spirit of the running community.

Sure, we’re 3000 miles west of Boston but the spirit of that great east coast city was in full bloom among many of the 5000 runners and walkers who came out for the 4th annual Seahawks 12 run. Some people wore Boston Red Sox caps and jerseys, others wore pins and small logos on their Seahawks gear in honor of the victims of the marathon bombings.

The Seahawks 12K has become a destination for runners from all over the state and a good sampling of them were among the winners on Sunday. Phil Olson of Mountlake Terrace won the men’s 12k finishing in 39:12, Shelly Hack of Seattle won the womens 12k in 48:30, Christy Houk of Port Orchard won the women’s 5k in 17:51 and Jacob Pullen of Kent took the men’s 5k in just over 15 minutes.

Seahawks players Breno Giacomini, Golden Tate and Bruce Irvin signed autographs for hundreds of runners after the race as the the Seagal and team mascot Blitz.

It was a wonderful celebration of goodwill, athletics and civic pride and it also showed how popular the Seahawks have become in the last couple of seasons.

Sounders Score

The big news Saturday night was the Sounders first victory of the season, a 1-0 triumph over the Colorado Rapids. Now they have a week off and a mostly healthy roster so they should be in good shape to start a winning run when they travel to Philadelphia for a game May 4.

Mariners don’t score

On the other hand the Mariners hitting woes continued in Texas where they were swept and nearly shutout by the Rangers. Only a three run home by Kyle Seager kept the M’s from a shutout sweep. At this point fans are wondering then the hitting will start and if letters to the editor and radio talk shows are any indication it better start soon.

Willie Mays Wife

In a little publicized item last week Mae Louise Allen Mays, the wife of Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away at the age of 74. One of her favorite stories was about the day she received a phone call from Willie asking her out on their first date. “He called and said, this is Willie Mays, recalled Mae Louise, “and I just said yes and this is Martha Washington.” It turned out it was Willie Mays and the two were married a few months later.

April 22, 2013

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman put his career on ice Monday night in Vancouver, literally I mean. Sherman was in Canada for a couple of days as part of NFL Canada's "Take a player to school," program. Nine year old Matthew Baxter, a fourth grader at Cambridge Elementary School in Surrey, B.C. won an on line contest among 5000 participants in all of Canada and the Sherman visit was the prize. Before visiting Richard and his family at their house and going to the school, Sherman went to the Canucks game Monday night and had a chance to join in the pre game "skate around." Don't worry he didn't actually put on skates but he did get to stand on a carpet and shoot a few pucks into the net prior to the Canucks game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Later he sat in the Canucks Alumni suite and watched the Canucks beat Phoenix 2—0.

Sherman's message

On Tuesday morning Richard showed up at Matthew's house for the short drive to Cambridge Elementary School.

After visiting Matthew's 4th grade class, Sherman spoke to rest of the 800 students about getting 60 minutes of exercise a day and eating properly. It's all part of the NFL's Play 60 program and Richard is a terrific ambassador.

Along with the Sherman's visit the school received a $5000 grant for technology education from Samsung.

Lot's of quarterbacks

The Seahawks indoor practice facility was temporary home of several quarterback prospects on Monday as the team tries to find a back up for Russell Wilson. Last week the team signed former Seahawks quarterback Josh Portis and Tuesday they brought in Brady Quinn. The way competition works around here, I doubt that Quinn and Portis will be the only quarterbacks in the mix.

Much to Prove

It looks like the Mariners have a lot to prove to fans before the crowds return to Safeco field. On opening night a near sellout crowd on 42,000 saw the M's shutout the Astros 3—0 and then on Tuesday Houston exploded early for a lop sided 16—9 win.

The Astros roughed up Brandon Maurer for six runs in the first inning before the rookie was pulled from the game.

In the second inning two Houston home runs cleared the shortened fences in left field. I thought moving in the fences was supposed to help the Mariners. Oh well it's a long season and the M's do have a nice young team. I just hope the fans are patient but I'm afraid unless the victories come soon and more consistently there will be empty seats at Safeco Field.

Sounders fall in Mexico

Lamar Neagle scored a goal for the SoundersFC in a 1—1 draw with Santos Laguna in Mexico Tuesday night but it wasn't enough for the locals to advance in Champions League play, they lost on aggregate 2—1 in the semi finals.

Now they need to settle down and concentrate on getting back on track in MLS play which continues Saturday night at home against New England.

April 10, 2013

Here we are on the verge of the final four of the NCAA basketball tournament. Few would disagree that this event is a much loved part of American culture these days. Who doesn't fill out a tournament bracket? Who doesn't put a couple of dollars on the line with the chance to win an office pool? Who doesn't watch game on the first Thursday of the tournament while trying to file an expense report or finish a project for one of the managers?

March Madness is a little crazy, a little over hyped, a little excessive but it's good for the soul even if it is bad for the wallet. This coming weekend millions of people around the world will watch Louisville take on 9th seeded Wichita State and the two number four seeds Syracuse and Michigan battle it out for the chance to win it all two nights later. It's a wonderful sports event and I know how much most of my friends love it but can I say one thing? I'm glad it's almost baseball season.

Opening Day

When I was a kid I played every sport according to its season. In the winter I skated on outdoor frozen ponds in New England using my hockey stick not only as a wicked offensive tool but also to keep myself from falling.

On Saturday's we gathered at the high school gym for recreation league basketball. I played on the "Tarheels," and once scored 24 points in a game. No one who saw it was quite sure what they'd seen and was pretty sure they'd never see it again. They were correct.

As soon as the front lawn of our small house began to thaw in late March my three neighborhood buddies brought out their gloves for the first "catch" of the season. There's something about spring and baseball that simply go hand in hand. I'm fully aware that it's a generational thing since more kids today play soccer than baseball in the Pacific Northwest, but during my childhood there was something magical about spring and opening day.

Uncle Fred

Obviously as a sports caster in Seattle for 30 years I've covered more Mariner games than any other team but as a kid I was a Yankee fan. We lived 50 miles from New York City and every summer my Uncle Fred took me to a Yankee game. My Dad would drive to Scarsdale, New York and Uncle Fred and I would take the train the rest of the way.

In the late 1950s the one dollar my Uncle gave me before the game bought the following treasures. One scorecard, one pencil, one hot dog and one ice cold lemonade. I used to sit in my seat behind the third base line and watch Mickey Mantle shag fly balls before the game, Yogi Berra knock balls into the right field seats in batting practice and Whitey Ford warming up in the bull pen.

For me it really was a "Field of Dreams," and today, so many years later, it remains that way. This summer, near my birthday the Yankees and Dodgers will meet at Yankee Stadium in New York. I must be there.

During my childhood there was no greater rivalry in baseball than the Yankees and the Dodgers. Now with inter—league play those two tradition deep baseball teams will play two games at the stadium. I love all sports and in fact all forms of cultural entertainment from music to theatre to dance but opening day of baseball takes the cake and the hot dog and the soda and the scorecard.

April 1, 2013

Congratulations to the men's and women's basketball teams at Western Washington University for making their national tournaments in Division II basketball.

It just shows you what total dedication and passion for a program can do. Women's coach Carmen Dolfo started with the Vikings in 1986, took over the head coaching job in 1990 and never looked back. Now that is total dedication to a program and a community.

Men's coach Tony Dominguez arrived on the scene 17 years ago as an unpaid volunteer assistant. He was on the verge of leaving last year when head coach Brad Jackson moved on to the University of Washinghton. Luckily for the Viking program Tony stayed on as head coach and led his team to a 30—2 season in his first year. Western has had men's basketball for 111 seasons and this year's record tops the other 110 seasons.

The women play Tuesday in San Antonio while the men play Thursday at Louisville's Freedom Hall. Good luck to both teams. This is a proud moment for Western fans and all sports fans across the state of Washington.

Locker Room Buzz

The Seahawks locker room has a certain to it this week with several players coming in for off season workouts. I spotted K.J. Wright, Gregg Scruggs, Will Blackmon, Charly Martin and Russell Okung in the building earlier this week.

Quarterback Russell Wilson spent the afternoon at Roosevelt High School in Seattle congratulation the students for pledging to stop texting while driving. Sponsored by Verizon Wireless, the program is designed to stop kids from doing what is now being recognized as one of the leading causes of accidents in the country.

Wilson and Verizon asked four high school to get as many students to pledge as possible and Roosevelt won the contest getting over 800 students and staff to sign up.

Several of the players will take part in We Day at Key Arena, a program that encourages young people to volunteer locally and globally and rewards them with a major, star studded event once a year. Jennifer Hudson, Magic Johnson and Martin Sheen headline the first event on American soil this week in Seattle.

Men in Kilts

The second annual men in kilts elections start this week. The program encourages area athletes and celebrities to wear kilts and draw votes and pledges from fans. It's all to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Western Washington and Alaska.

Seahawks lineman John Moffitt, former Sounders favorite Roger Levesque and current Sounders mid fielder Brad Evans posed for publicity photos in their kilts Monday at Seahawks headquarters.

I'm no expert but if I had to choose a winner among that group it would be Levesque. You can vote by logging on to www.meninkilts.rmhcseattle.org.

By the way the Sounders are still looking for their first MLS victory and first goal nut things will improve quickly with the return of several players loaned out to their national teams. The Sounders next MLS home game is April 13 versus New England.

March 26, 2013

The Western Washington men's basketball team should have plenty of fuel heading into the NCAA Division II regional this weekend.

That sudden and crushing loss to Seattle Pacific Saturday night in Lacey has to hurt for a while but also must be left behind for the Vikings to realize their ultimate goal of a national championship.

After beating SPU twice during the regular season, the Vikings found themselves tied at 70—70 win less than a second on the clock when Jobi Wall hit a 28 footer to give the Falcons the victory and the GNAC title over the number two ranked Vikings.

What a season it's been for Western. They started out with 24 victories in a row stretching their winning streak to 30 over two seasons before losing one.

Now that's all in the past along with Saturday's defeat. The only thing that matters now is the future and that's this weekend. Good luck Vikings.

Women Win

The WWU women's team is also headed for post season play. Western beat Simon Fraser 60—40 Saturday night, improving to 25—3 and heading into the NCAA Division II national tournament with an eight game winning streak.

Sherman Tank

I've never been a fan of roller coasters and boy what an up and down week it was for Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman.

I spent all day Wednesday in South Central Los Angeles with the bright, affable, outgoing Seahawks defensive back.

We started in Compton where Richard grew up and went to school. As a 2006 graduate of Dominguez high school he was a 4.0 student and an excellent receiver on the football team. In fact, Sherman was heavily recruited by then USC coach Pete Carroll but instead chose to go to Stanford.

He explains it this way. "I chose Stanford to show the other young people growing up in Compton that anything is possible if you work hard and study." It turns out Carroll got him anyway when the Seahawks chose Sherman in the 5th round of the 2010 draft. Richard didn't play much his first season but when Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond got hurt, he was forced into action in the 2011 season and took over the starting spot next to Brandon Browner.

Back to L.A. for a minute. Richard spent an hour talking to 500 seniors at Dominquez about making the right decisions, working harder than everyone else and being a positive force among peers.

The next stop was in Watts at Verbum Dei Jesuit school for boys. Richard spoke again of success, peer pressure, hard work and setting goals.

Sherman is the new spokesperson for a non profit called SWAG or Students

With A Goal. Their message is simple. If you have a vision for your future and you focus on it enough, work towards that focus and never give up, you'll succeed.

The third stop of the day was a place called the Brotherhood Crusade in South Central L.A. Most of the young men in this program have already had a brush with the law so Sherman's message carried even more weight.

At the end of the long day Richard's voice was a little hoarse but he seemed to have the same energy he had in the morning. He is a sincere, competitive young man wishing to help as many young people as he can.

Fast forward to Thursday and suddenly Richard is appearing on "First Take" an ESPN show hosted by Skip Bayless. I didn't see the program but from what I hear Richard and Skip got into a discussion that didn't make either one of them look very charming. Richard was sharply criticized across the media in other parts of the country but generally supported around here.

Upon looking at a re play of the interview I think Richard could've toned it down a bit and maybe even smiled or laughed when Skip suggested that Sherman's talents were nothing special. It's not easy for any of us to be criticized let alone hearing it on national television so I do not fault Richard for holding his ground but I still think he could've handled the situation better.

This is the kind of thing professional athletes have to learn to handle. Not every member of the media is a kind, gentle, bright character like me. Did I mention "modest," I guess not. Anyway Richard is a very good NFL player, has a wonderful message for young people and probably learned a thing or two from his "First Take" interview. So I say forget about it and move on.

March 12, 2013

I have to admit I'm giddy these days from all the sunshine outside. It's only March and my deep Hollywood actor tan is already coming back. Call it March Madness.

Speaking of madness, how about those Mariners, winners of nine in a row as of Sunday night with a 9—1 record in Grapefruit league play so far. Who do they think they are the Yankees?

Actually they're not the Yankees because the former Bronx Bombers are mired in a 1—7 spring down in Florida. Who do they think they are, the former Mariners?

Spring training is such a wonderful way to shake off the winter no matter what team you root for. Everyone has high hopes in the month of March and even though it means nothing yet, it's a nice way to start.

Sounders Support

Speaking of a nice way to start the sounders drew 39,000 to their home opener against the Montreal Impact. Too bad they had no impact on the result of the game. Montreal went away with a 1—0 victory over an out manned Sounders team.

The Sounders were without defender Marc Burch and midfielder Ozzie Alonso, both serving suspensions. Both will be back in the line up for the next home game against arch rival Portland on March 16.

Vikings Hot

Western Washington finished its regular season with a 67—56 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday night. The Vikings finished the season with a lofty 26—1 record, 17—1 in the GNAC.

Sherman Trip

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will spend Wednesday of this week in Los Angeles and his home town of Compton, California. The affable Stanford graduate who may be the best cornerback in the NFL, will speak on the importance of academic excellence at three are schools.

Sherman's program is called "Excellence in Education." Sherman will be speaking at Dominquez High School in Compton, Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles and Brotherhood Crusade in Los Angeles.

Seahawks Off Season

March 13 is a significant date in the NFL. That's the day teams can sign available free agents. Even though Seahawks quarterback Matt Flynn is not in that category there may be some interest in him from teams in need of a quarterback. Alex Smith will leave the 49ers for Kansas City officially next week and there is interest in Flynn.

The big question is, are the Seahawks willing to deal their really solid back up quarterback? If you combine his salary with Russell Wilson's NFL minimum salary it's still far less expensive for two very good quarterbacks than some teams are paying for one.

March 4, 2013

The NFL combine has proven once again that men in tights running and jumping can attract a large audience. We don't have the final figures in yet but we know that more people than ever before tuned into the NFL network to watch the four day combine broadcast live from Indianapolis.

Sunday is always the big day because that's when the quarterbacks get to show their stuff. Last year Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson stole that show even though no one imagined that Wilson would have such a great rookie season.

In recent years the NFL draft on ESPN has drawn millions of viewers all over the world and now even the combine is starting to become a popular television show. It just shows the overall massive footprint the NFL has established for itself around the world.

Back here at home the Seahawks coaches are beginning to trickle in from the Combine and other scouting trips. In the next few weeks all of their focus will be on the up coming NFL draft the weekend of April 26.

Richard Sherman

Cornerback Richard Sherman is enjoying his off season but he'll be on the go next week when he returns home to Compton, California to host three local events for the youth of that area.

Sherman grew up in Compton and then chose Stanford for college in part to prove that a young man could make it out of Compton to a university like Stanford.

Sounders return

The Sounders pre season is winding down with their opener on Friday night at home against Montreal. The team swept the Desert Diamond Cup in Arizona last weekend with four victories.

New to the squad is veteran midfielder Sharlie Joseph who spent ten seasons with the New England Revolution. He'll bring a veterans presence to the Sounders mid field.

Center back Djimi Traore adds a much needed presence to the defense. He's a 13 veteran of top division teams in England and France.

Seahawks 12K

More than three thousand runners and walkers are expected to take part in the fourth annual Seahawks 12k and GLOW 5k run/walk at the Renton Landing on Sunday April 21. Day or race registration begins at 7:30 a.m. that morning with the 12K starting at 9 a.m. Runners and walker may register for the event at the Landing website http://seahawks12krun.com/. See you at the race.

February 26, 2013

I happened to listen to a few minutes of sports radio on Monday in the early afternoon and you want to know what I heard? Well I'm going to tell you anyway. On a sunny day in late February with baseball spring training starting in Arizona and Florida, college basketball getting really exciting, and the Olympics giving up wrestling, two of the three sports stations were talking about the Seahawks.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't fault them for that at all. It just goes to show you how much interested an 11—5 season and a rookie quarterback can excite an entire region of the country.

I work at the Seahawks headquarters in Renton and believe me there isn't a player in sight and won't be for at least a month of two but the buzz is still alive and well. A big part of the reason is that 11—1 record and the victory over the Redskins in the playoffs and the almost victory over the Falcons but a bigger part is the outlook for next season.

As you read this college football players from all over the country are gathering in Indianapolis for the NFL combine. They will be tested, measured, poked and prodded as scouts and coaches fill out their draft room boards for the big weekend in April.

Nothing really happens around here until the week of March 13 when teams can sign free agents. The Seahawks need at least one pass rushing defensive lineman, a receiver and a linebacker. Who knows if they'll get one from free agency or pick a couple in the draft? At this point the Seahawks have ten picks in the draft and may get more depending upon off season deals.

Felix deal

Good for Felix Hernandez and his five year mega deal. I really don't care how much money the Mariners pay him as long as he continues to provide thrills for the fans every five days. Whether the mariners can support Felix or any of their pitchers with an improved is the big question this off season.

WWU Hoops

Are you kidding me, the Western Washington men's basketball team is on a 30 game winning streak as they head north to play Alaska Fairbanks Thursday night. What a streak. They're the most exciting college hoops team in the state right now. Go Vikings.

February 20, 2013

Am I the only one here wishing we had a little snow this winter? All of my east coast relatives got there share and more. They'll be shoveling out until June at this rate. The best scenario is a few inches of snow without the power going off. That way you can play in the snow, shovel the driveway and go back inside for hot chocolate and a good book or movie.

A large number of our neighbors will travel to Arizona for Mariners spring training camp. The buzz right now is the seven year contract deal Felix Hernandez wants and will probably get. Over the weekend some news leaked out that he may have an elbow problem and that could hold up the deal. There may be some evidence of that since he didn't do well in the latter part of last season but then that was partially caused by the Mariners lack of offense. I like Felix and I hope he gets his deal and pitches great for the entire seven years.

Husky Hoops

It seems this year the UW women's basketball team has a better chance of advancing in the NCAA tournament than the men if they can get in. The men can't seem to finish and don't really have a defined leader on the court.

Coach Sighting

Last week the Seahawks coaches returned to work after a short post season vacation. The coaches and scouts will spend their time between now and March 13th sifting through the free agent market. On March 13 teams can actually sign those free agents. It'll be interesting to see who the Seahawks talk with and who they're able to sign.

The other big date is April 26 the start of the NFL draft. At this point the Seahawks have ten draft picks but remember that number could increase if they're able to make some deals before or on draft day.

Matt Flynn

A year ago there was a buzz around here when the Seahawks signed free agent quarterback Matt Flynn. That was before any of the fans had even heard of Russell Wilson. Now that Wilson is the starting quarterback is Flynn expendable? It's easy to say, yes, go get some draft picks for him but then what does the team do for a back up quarterback. If I'm Matt Flynn I want to start some where but If I'm the Seahawks I don't want to lose my really good back up quarterback.

February 11, 2013

Some time during the afternoon Sunday a large balloon floated into my yard from the south. It had a huge Seahawks logo on it. Since I had no idea where it came from I just brought it inside and let the cats play with it. Earlier in the day on my four mile walk through the neighborhood and into the woods I noticed lots of houses had extra cars parked outside, a sure sign of Super Bowl Sunday. I'm sure one of them is missing an inflatable Seahawks balloon.

What's the whole point of all this? Good question and I'll get to it now. Super Bowl Sunday is a big deal.

Super Bowl One took place on Sunday January 15, 1967 when Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers were charged with defending the honor and glory of the original NFL by playing the Kansas City Chiefs of the upstart American Football League in the first official "Super Bowl." The game took place at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

The Chiefs had beaten the Buffalo Bills 31—7 in the AFL championship and the Packers had knocked off the Dallas Cowboys 34—27 for the NFL title.

I remember a couple things about that game. First the half time show was performed by two college bands, the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona.

I also remember that Coach Lombardi was slightly miffed that his team had to play an extra game after already proving their superiority by defeating the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL championship game two weeks before. Lombardi's packer beat the chiefs 35—10.

Through recent research I learned that a 30 second commercial in that first Super Bowl cost $34,000. This year's commercials cost near 4 million. By the way were you grossed out by the kissing commercial too?

In the last 20 years the Super Bowl has become a national holiday and sometimes the bally hoo leading up to the game over shadows the actual game itself.

This year's game was deadly boring until the power outage and the 49ers comeback. It turned out to be exciting and I'm so happy about that because I'll never get back that 8 hours I spent inside the house watching the pre—game and game itself.

I'm grateful for a couple of things. I'm happy the Harbaugh parents are so humble, I glad the older brother won the game and I'm really thrilled I don't have to see or listen to Ray Lewis anymore.

Back to the Seahawks balloon landing in my yard. The message I got from that is really the underlying story of this Super Bowl. Seahawk fans think their team should've been there and I agree. Since there's nothing we can do about it now let's keep our eyes peeled for off season free agent signings and the all important draft in April. The Seahawks will be a changed team in 2013, they'll be even better.

February 4, 2013

As a proud baby boomer whose childhood heroes were Superman, Mickey Mantle and Rocky Marciano I sometimes have a tough time getting excited over professional sports in the 21st century. Let me explain before I start getting nasty emails from anonymous writers who lurk in the dark corners of society waiting to unleash their creative venom on a nice guy like me.

After watching the Seahawks lose to Atlanta two weeks ago I decided to tone down my interest in the NFL for a while during my recovery period. That lasted until last Sunday when I watched the Ravens beat the Patriots and the 49ers knock off the Falcons. My two least favorite teams in the entire playoffs were the Ravens and the 49ers.

Excuse me for asking but exactly why is Ray Lewis such a big story for the networks? I don't understand the attraction. I'm also a little worn out on seeing Jim Harbaugh's scowling face on the sidelines every time he disagrees with an officials call which by the way is every time there is a call.

Inspite of all that I still got sucked in and watched both games and yes I'll watch the Super Bowl too. Is it possible to root against both teams?

Pro Bowl

Suddenly this year the Pro Bowl is attractive to me. The Seahawks have six players in the game now that Russell Wilson has been named one of the three NFC quarterbacks along with Drew Brees and Eli Manning. Russell Okung and Max Unger are starters and Earl Thomas will see a lot of playing time as well. The game is meaningless but won't it be fun watching Russell Wilson throw and run and further excite the Seahawks fan base and his agent who stands to do very well given all the endorsement possibilities.

Stan The Man

Lost in the din of bad sports news involving the Notre Dame football player who had a relationship with a make believe person, the jailing of former Cougar quarterback Ryan Leaf and the Oprah interview with Lance Armstrong was some genuinely bad news, the passing of Stan Musial.

Every time the Seahawks travel to St. Louis to the play the Rams we stay at the Westin hotel right new to Busch Stadium. Outside that wonderful ball park are statues of all the great Cardinal players of the past and Stan "The Man" is among them. He was perhaps the best hitter of all time and a nice guy to boot. He played at a time when the working man could actually afford a ticket to a ball game with being part of a giant corporation. Pro sports was a fans game back then.

Sonics return

The other bug news this week was the purchase of the Sacramento Kings by Chris Hansen and his team of investors. Good for Chris, he's a real knight on a white horse and seems to have the community in mind with this bold financial move. The NBA has also become a corporate game but I hope the new ownership holds a place in their hearts for the real fans, the people who hurt most when the Sonics left in 2008, the men and women who can afford to go to two of three games a season.

That's my rant for this week. I tip my hat to Stan the Man, and Chris Hansen, the Seahawks pro bowlers and yes even the Super Bowl teams. Sports is great entertainment for all of us even if you do need a mortgage to see more than three games a year.

January 23, 2013

As the four busses carrying the Seahawks players and staff exited Sea—Tac airport at around 9 p.m. Sunday night hundreds of fans braving the 31 degree night showed their love and support by waving flags and chanting "Seahawks, Seahawks."

Those fans along with millions of others across the Pacific Northwest and the world had grown to love this 2012 Seahawks team. They all had one thing in common on Sunday night,a dull pain in the gut. They all shared in the roller coaster ride that was the 2012 season. They all cheered at the emergence of a 5—10 rookie quarterback with poise and knowledge well beyond his 24 years. They marveled at the power of "Beast Mode" who ran through and around most opponents but was then suddenly shut down by an Atlanta defense that held the key to slowing the Seahawk's playoff momentum.

They watched their beloved Seahawks fall behind 27—7 with only one quarter of football separating them from cleaning out their lockers. Then they watched their brilliant young quarterback engineer a memorable final 15 minutes that will fade in memory only because of the Matt Bryant field goal that eventually crushed their dreams.

When Marshawn Lynch ran two yards into the end zone to tie the Falcons 27—27 I was standing about ten yards away not far from Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Knowing how much the former New Yorker and founder of Home Depot has done for the city of Atlanta's charities I almost felt bad for the guy until I realized that the Seahawks comeback would stand alone in playoff lore as the greatest ever.

After the Seahawks took the lead 28—27 with 31 seconds to go I visualized a Richard Sherman interception to end the game and instead watched Matt Ryan complete a pass to Harry Douglas for a first down and another to Tony Gonzalez that set up the winning field goal.

Just before Matt Bryant was to kick the possible winner Coach Carroll called a time out. Bryant went through the motions anyway using the opportunity to get in a practice kick. He missed but of course it didn't count because time had been called. Before the game Coach Carroll has discussed that exact scenario with the officials but a decision on "what if" was never determined. The officials let it go and Bryant made the next one for the game winner.

I'm not complaining here just pointing out what a thin line there is between victory and defeat in this great game of football.

Now we have a choice. We can either look back and wring our hands about what might have been. Or we can look at what was and what will be and wave our little 12th man flags until our arms are tired looking ahead to off season free agent signings and the NFL draft in April.

Quoting a line from the great musical Camelot, for "one brief shining moment," Seahawk fans saw their team going to the NFC championship and beyond. Now that moment will remain in the depths of our minds until it awakens next fall when we get to take this ride all over again.

January 14, 2013

It's always reassuring when you look up at the Lincoln Memorial on a beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon and see our 16th president looking out across our nation's capitol. I'm not certain but I think I may have heard him say, "Go Seahawks" at one point. On the other hand that may have come from the hundreds of Seahawks fans who made the trip east for the game or for that matter the many Seattle natives who now live in Washington D.C. or surrounding states.

By now you've seen game highlights a few dozen times so I don't need to re—visit the 132 yards by Marshawn Lynch or his amazing scoop fumble recovery and 20 yard gain setting up a Seahawks touchdown. By now you've seen Russell Wilson leading his team back from a 14—0 deficit to a 24—14 victory. By now you've seen Earle Thomas pick off an RGIII pass that led to a Seahawks field goal, two kickoffs by punter Jon Ryan after Steven Hauschka was injured, a fumble recovery in the end zone by Clinton McDonald and Russell Wilson blocking for Marshawn Lynch on a 27 yard touchdown.

Those were the ingredients for the Seahawks first playoff victory away from home since December 31, 1983 in Miami. Those were the ingredients that finally got the national media on board with the Seahawks road trip to the Super Bowl.

No Time to Rest

There is still a lot of work to do. As I sit at my desk at Seahawk headquarters on Monday morning I can hear players coming and going into the weight room. The team plane didn't arrive home until 1:10 a.m. Monday and lifting is optional on Monday but most of the guys are here. That's what it takes to make a championship team and that's was the Seahawks have this year. That and some very passionate fans.

Thanks Fans

You may have read about some knuckle heads that spoil the fun for everyone at home games but believe me those people are in the tiniest minority. Keep having fun Seahawks fans, stay classy, keep yelling and supporting your team. A Super Bowl run doesn't happen very often and it's happening now so enjoy it.

Sight Seeing

By the way a quick word about one of the greatest attractions on earth, Washington D.C. There is so much to see in such a small area and most of it is free. You owe it to yourself to go to our nation's capitol and celebrate our freedom as a people and a country. On Saturday we walked for four hours from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, The Jefferson Memorial, World War II, Korean, Viet Nam memorials. We also saw the FDR Memorial, Martin Luther King Memorial , National Archives and Library of Congress. It is truly a day to remember and I urge you to see it some time soon.

For the Seahawks it's on to Atlanta and another step towards a possible trip to New Orleans in early February. To quote Russell Wilson, "we just want to go 1—0 every week, we need to stay in the moment, every week is championship week around here."

January 7, 2013

I was considering a trip to our nation's capitol this coming weekend anyway to protest against a congress that can't seem to agree on anything and it turns out I'm going to a football game instead.

The Seahawks will travel to Washington D.C. to face the Redskins in an NFC Wildcard matchup at 1:30 pacific time Sunday. I'm sure I'm not the first to bill the match up as "RG 3 versus RW 1," but keep in mind there's much more to it than that.

Both rookie quarterbacks carry themselves as gentlemen off the field and leaders on the field. They both defer recognition to their offensive line, coaching staff and other teammates and they both have better rookie quarterback ratings than the former leader Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers.

That's not Me

Russell Wilson had a chance to break the rookie record for touchdown passes on the final drive of the game but chose instead to run it in for the game winning score rather than hit Zach Miller across the middle for his 27th TD pass of the season. "That's not me" explained Wilson at the post game press conference, we needed a touchdown more than I needed the record." That pretty much sums up the type of leader Wilson is.

Golden Opportunities

Golden Tate caught three crucial passes for 105 yards and recovered the game saving fumble. He has quietly become one of the rising stars of the entire NFL in his third season.

Too many sacks

Russell Wilson got sacked six time by the Rams who finished the season third in the league in that category. I'm sure offensive line coach Tom Cable spent Sunday night and all of Monday and Tuesday figuring out a way to prevent that from happening against the Redskins.

Keeps on running

While the Redskins praised the 200 yard performance of their rookie running back Alfred Morris, Marshawn Lynch cooked up his tenth 100 yard game of the season on Sunday. Lynch finished the regular season with more than 1500 yards on the ground.

Browner is Back

After going unbeaten in the four weeks without cornerback Brandon Browner the Seahawks get him back for Sunday's game. What a terrific learning experience by Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell.

Veteran corner Marcus Trufant had a terrific game Sunday diving for a touchdown saving play in the end zone in the third quarter.

Undefeated at Home

The Seahawks finished 8—0 at home for the third time in their history. They also did it in 2003 and 2005, their Super Bowl year. Their 3—5 road record actually looks worse than it is since they really turned the season around with a crucial 23—17 victory in Chicago December 2.

December 31, 2012

Anytime I can reference a 60 year old NFL record in a sports report I'm happy. I did that Sunday after the Seahawks 50—17 win over the Buffalo Bills in Toronto. By scoring 50 or more points in two consecutive games the Seahawks did something no team has done since 1950 when both the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams did it.

The Seahawks did it with a perfectly balanced attack of offense, special teams and defense for the second week in a row. K.J. Wright picked off a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass that turned the tide of the game completely and Earle Thomas grabbed one himself and ran it back 57 yard for a touchdown.

Russell Wilson became the first quarterback in Seahawks history to run for three touchdowns in a single game and Marshawn Lynch ran for 113 yards and a touchdown, averaging 10 yards a carry.

It is safe to say the Seahawks are playing their best football right now when it is needed most. Right now when they're preparing to face the 49ers on Sunday night in a game that would've been for the NFC West lead had it not been for a San Francisco win over New England last Sunday night. A win by the Seahawks would still be huge in that it would be their 4th straight with only St. Louis keeping them from an 11—5 season.

Last night on the team charter from Toronto the players and staff watched the 49ers take a 31—3 lead over the Patriots then watched as Tom Brady brought New England back. When the Patriots tied the game cheers and shouts erupted throughout the Delta 747 as it streaked across the northern border of the US on the way home. Too bad the 49ers came right back and eventually won it but it still sets up a big match up between the two NFC west rivals.

Back on October 18th, a Thursday night in San Francisco the Seahawks lost to the Niners 16—7 just four days after beating the Patriots 24—23 in Seattle. That game seems like two years ago and the way the Seahawks offense is playing now it may as well have been.

Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, who gets almost no recognition from ESPN or NFL Network is playing as well or better than any quarterback in the league. The Seahawks play calling reflects his confidence, his team leadership and his ability to read defenses and react.

As the players always say, "we take them one game at a time. We just want to go 1—0 on Sunday. The prospects are exciting and I know it's hard for fans to hold back their enthusiasm and visions of playoffs and even Super Bowl but the players really fo need to approach each game like it's the only one. Right now the 49ers are the only team on the schedule.

Holiday Prayer

This is a particularly poignant holiday season for me. As a native of Connecticut, as a member of the human race my heart is broken by the senseless deaths of all those little children at Sandy Hook School. As I celebrate Christmas and we all celebrate in our own ways I will say 26 extra prayers for the victims of that horrible day.

As a people we must put a stop to all the violence. It is not getting better, it is getting worse and every time we forget about it, something happens again, even worse than the last incident.

I will pray for peace in the hearts of the victim's familys and eternal peace for the victims themselves.

May you all do the same and have a wonderful holiday season.

December 17, 2012

The records fell like needles off a Christmas tree the day after New Years and the fans celebrated like it was holiday party.

The Seahawks 58—0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals can be described in many ways but as Coach Pete Carroll said in his post game press conference,"It was actually a reward to the players for working so hard and executing well in this game."

Robert Turbin who rushed for 108 yards but was reluctant to take any credit called it "A fun game, it's rare to see games like this in the NFL but when you can go out and execute in all three phases of the game and with the defense doing everything right sometimes things like this can happen." They sure can. Marshawn Lynch ran for 128 yards and scored three touchdowns, Leon Washington ran for a touchdown and Russell Wilson connected with Zach Miller for a 24 yard touchdown as well.

The Seahawks offense accounted for five touchdowns while the defense had one and special teams had one. Richard Sherman had two interceptions, one for a touchdown and overall the Seahawks had eight take aways in the game.

So here we are at Seahawks headquarters on the Monday morning after the biggest blowout in team history and what do you think I see. I see Russell Wilson in the Indoor practice facility tossing passes to one of his coaches. The players were given the day off by coach Carroll but the rookie quarterback knows there is still a lot of work to do.

"We can't get too high, we have to stay focused on what we can do to control our own destiny and that's to play one play at a time like we did tonight.

One play at a time that just kept happening. Kicker Steven Hauschka who accounted for 16 points and 231 yards of kicking distance not including kickoffs admitted that his leg was tired after the win. "I usually have about half of the kicks I had today, said the soft spoken Hauschka.

Not a single player in the locker room was feeling smug about the victory. Marshawn Lynch exited early not wanting any of the attention on himself. He has proven to be one of the beat team players I've ever seen. He's only talked to the media once this season after a game and that was after the loss in Miami when he stepped forward when others were too disappointed to speak about it. Marshawn protects his teammates and is one of the key reasons this Seahawks team has endless possibilities from here forward.

December 10, 2012

Who likes to ride roller coasters? If you're answer was yes you probably loved the Seahawks 23—17 overtime victory over the Bears in Chicago Sunday.

I was in the post game interview room under stand stadium when the Seahawks took the ball at their own three trailing 14—10. I watched Russell Wilson navigate a brilliant 97 yard drive filled with read option running plays and pin point passing that led to the go ahead touchdown.

When he hit Golden Tate at the 12 yard line and the 3rd year receiver from Notre Dame weaved his way into the end zone you could hear a pin drop at Soldier Field. Now with a 17—14 lead and only 32 seconds left on the clock it appeared the Seahawks would win again in Chicago and for only the second time on the road this season.

Ahhh but the rollercoaster was just getting ready for that stomach in your mouth dive towards the midway. Jay Cutler avoided a tackle and let fly a ridiculous pass to a leaping Brandon Marshall for a 56 yard gain and a chip shot field goal for veteran Robbie Gould. That tied the game at 17—17 and sent it into overtime.

The Seahawks won the toss and started their drive on the 20. Again the rookie 3rd round draft pick out of Wisconsin took control and led his team down the field. The offense mixed the run with the pass but did find themselves in a third and 10 situation just inside Bears territory. That's when Wilson found Doug Baldwin for a first down and the coaster climb picked up speed.

On the very next play Wilson hit Sidney Rice at the goal line for the winning touchdown. Sidney took a pretty good known but held onto the ball as it crossed the plane.

So what's next? I'll tell you what's next, a game in Chicago against the 8—3 Bears. How in the world can the Seahawks beat the Bears at freezing Soldier Field when they couldn't beat the Dolphins in warm, sunny Miami?

All the frustration of losses at Arizona, St. Louis, Detroit, San Francisco and Miami flew out the window with a brilliant comeback in Chicago.

Now the Seahawks lead the Wildcard race with four games remaining. Will the rollercoaster continue its climb to unknown heights or will it dip back towards the Scone booth near the parking lot a few more times. Hey you're the one who likes this ride, stay with it, enjoy it, see where it goes. It might go higher than its ever gone before.

December 3, 2012