Archive for May, 2005

Get ready for another burst of football news now that June 1st is upon us. Teams will be shedding players left and right now that they can do so with less impact on their salary cap.

Bobby Taylor won’t be a Seahawk much longer after a waste of a season in 2004. Some of the money his release frees up may go toward LB Peter Boulware, who was hurt last year while with the Ravens. Boulware is tentatively coming to Seattle on Friday for a visit, unless he signs with the Browns while visiting with them first.

It’s almost time for the end-of-the-month Mariners recap, but Jeremy Reed deserves some space to himself — not only based on today’s effort, but really his development this whole month. I mentioned in the April recap that Reed looked due to breakout soon, and all things considered, you have to say he has.

Jeremy Reed: May 2005

- 25-84, .298, 10 runs, 11 rbi
- 6 doubles, a triple, 2 HRs
- 8 multi-hit games

Jeremy Reed: Last 7 games

- 11-23, .478, 3 runs, 8 rbi
- 3 doubles, 2 HRs
- 4 BBs, 2 Ks
- 3 multi-hit games

He’s raised his avg. from .241 to .270 for the season; his SLG pct. from .304 to .387; and his OPS from .644 to .740. The batting average is .001 worse than Randy Winn, while the SLG and OPS are both noticeably higher than Winn’s numbers. In the last 7 games, Winn is only 5-27.

So the obvious question is this: Is it time to move Reed up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup so we can see how he does with the likes of Beltre and Sexson behind him, as compared to having Bloomquist/Valdez and Olivo/Borders behind him? I’d love to see it.

(But wait, you say — they’re facing a lefty Monday against the Jays. Yep. And go check Reed’s average against lefties compared to Winn’s. Neither good, both comparable.)

Following in the vain of this recent post on the Seahawks’ off-season activities, there’s this:

Ken Hamlin will host the Ken “The Hammer” Hamlin Celebrity Skills Camp July 14-15 at Lincoln High School in (I think) Lincoln, AK. The cost? A cool $200 “for two days of skills, fundamentals, and tips from the pros.” Yikes.

More information: HammerCamp.com

IMG_0046
Originally uploaded by mdu2boy.

My good friend (even though he likes Baltimore) Phil was on hand last night to watch the %$!@$# Orioles finish the sweep of the Mariners. And since we all like to slow down and watch a wreck on the side of the road, no doubt you’ll want to take a look at his set of photos in our Flickr Group.

The Fan Flickr Group

As always, if you have Mariners, Seahawks, Sonics, etc. photos, put them on Flickr and share them in our group. Thanks Phil!

It really is all about the hype, isn’t it?

I’m looking on ESPN.com right now, and the current poll question is “Which player would you rather have?” The choices are:

1) LeBron james
2) Dwyane Wade

I voted for Wade. Currently the voting is 60%-40% in James’ favor. LeBron is a great player and has somehow actually lived up to the hype. But the fact is Dwyane Wade is the best player in the NBA right now and I’d take him over LeBron in a heartbeat. Shame the 60% can’t see through the hype.

Our old Seattle Times friend Les Carpenter writes today in the Washington Post what I think is the best article about Ichiro I’ve ever read.

The Hit King Stays Guarded (registration required and worth it)

Attanasio breaks Ichiro down to what he calls “three personas that are really just one.” The first is the baseball persona; the player fans see on the field is meticulous and composed. The second is a social persona, rarely seen by the public, in which he will dress in exquisite Italian suits, attend fundraisers, converse in English and dance with his wife. The third is the most private Ichiro, the one who runs errands or sits around the house. This is when he wears hip-hop clothes with caps turned sideways on his head. It is the side of Ichiro that is most comfortable for him, Attanasio says. It is also the one almost no one ever sees.

Thx to Phil for the tip……

Darrin Beene writes in today’s N-T that Felix Hernandez is doing everything expected of him (and more?) in Tacoma. He’s 6-3 with a 2.63 ERA and everyone expects him to be up in Seattle sooner rather than later. How good is his stuff? Nobody better than the guy catching him to answer that, and here’s what catcher Bryce Terveen said about Felix’s outing last night:

“It’s like Nintendo, you know what I mean?”

See you soon, Felix.

Beene also mentions that the Brewers have signed ex-Mariner Ryan “Little Unit” Anderson.

Hard to believe this little corner of the sports web launched one year ago today.

I should have a slice of cake or something…..

Professional athlete contract limitations: no motorcycles, no extreme sports, no regular sports outside the sport you’re paid to play, and coming soon: No email.

Computer could be causing righty’s elbow problems

(Too much time on the computer? Elbow problems? I’m sure it’s only email……)

Wonder what some of the Seahawks are doing lately? No minicamps at the moment, so what are they up to?

Seems Shaun Alexander has just bought a community center in his hometown are of Boone County, Kentucky.

And three Hawks — Matt Hass, Josh Brown, and Jerry Wunsch — all recently attended the Favre Fourward Foundation Pairings Party and Golf Classic in Gulfport, Mississippi. The event is a fund raiser for disabled and disadvantaged kids.

Now you can sleep better tonight…..