360 Sports Blog

Dear Venoy: No means no! when it comes down to making the winning shot for us. Pass it to Isaiah.

It’s time for a quick review of the Huskies loss at North Carolina. If you watched the game on CBS or CBSSports.com (who deserve a shout out for their excellent internet coverage, minus the ridiculous amount of commercials) you’ll know we had the Tar Heels number all game, minus the last five minutes. We were raining down three’s, forcing turnovers and creating points in the paint.

The final five minutes, aka winning time if you ask Charlie Sheen, was where we dropped the ball. We turned the ball over four times and didn’t get Isaiah Thomas the rock on the final two possessions. Instead, Venoy “No means No” Overton drove and missed a lay up and then on the next possession forgot how much time was on the clock, heaving a half court airball with four seconds on the clock.

Fortunately, the ball hit off a UNC defender with 1 second left. Unfortunately, they refused to review the amount of time on the clock and gave us only .5 seconds. Isaiah finally got the ball and made a desperation three attempt, which was close considering what he had to work with.

We lost by three and now we’re forced to wait until next year for this team to really come through. It was a tough year for the Dawgs, who lost Tyreese Breshers early in the year and later Abdul Gaddy to an ACL tear. Then there were the off the court issues with Venoy Overton, which resulted in his suspension from the Pac 10 tournament.

It was impressive to watch the Dawgs take the Pac 10 title and they were playing their best ball of the year towards the end. Minus the last five against UNC, we had the Tiger Blood/Winning instinct in us. Hopefully we learn and get stronger from it.

As for the rest of March Madness, I have a few predictions for the rest of the Sweet 16. The current March Madness Odds have Florida, Duke, Wisconson, North Carolina, Kansas, Ohio State and Florida State as favorites to win. Meanwhile, San Diego State and UConn are a Pick ‘em.

My eight winners from those match ups: San Diego State (I hate UConn), BYU (Go Jimmer!), Duke, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kansas, Ohio State and VCU.

My Final Four: Ohio State (beats UNC), San Diego State (beats the Dukies), Wisconsin (beats BYU) and Kansas (beats VCU)

My Final: Ohio State vs. Kansas, with Ohio State taking the title.

My ESPN.com bracket differs slightly, but has the same outcome.

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Picking a winner for this year’s Super Bowl is like being forced to choose between the two ugliest strippers at Toys Topless for a lap dance – you don’t want to, but your buddies are out with you after a long work week and you know there’s no going back. All you can do is throw back a couple high balls and try to enjoy it. If you can’t tell, I don’t like either of these NFL teams. The Stealers – they get all the calls (see example: SuperBowl 40) and their QB is a grade ‘A’ D Bag. The Packers? I don’t have much against them – excellent fan base and a great tailgating/overall experience. They’re just not the Seahawks.

The current Superbowl odds have the Packers as a 2.5 point favorite. Note here: betting odds are not always indicative of who will actually win. They are purely a function of how many people bet on one team or another. What this means is that most people are betting on the Packers to win. That said, let’s quickly review each of the teams:

The Steelers are a bit of an anomaly this season. Despite being having a decimated offensive line (think Seahawks receiving corps circa 2008), they’ve found a way to consistently win football games by pounding through with Rashard Mendenhall, spreading the field with their receivers (Mike Wallace) and having some great performances from Ben “99 Problems” Roethlisberger. They also have the Ferrari of run defenses – ranking #1 in the league this year.

The Pack, however, seem to have most of their ducks in a row. They’ve got a great receiving corps, led by Greg Jennings, a decent running game, solid secondary and a QB that looks to be the next Brett Favre (look out Jenn Sterger!). Also, don’t forget about Clay Matthews, the white man’s Palumalu. Overall they look to be the more balanced, healthy and talented team.

Things don’t always work out the way they are supposed to, however. The 2005 Seahawks, in my biased opinion, were a better team than the Steelers that year. As much as I hate to blame the referees for a loss, they had a significant impact on that game, with all the calls seeming to go the way of black and yellow. Thus, we lost what has been our only shot at a Championship so far.

That’s why I’m picking the Steelers, as much as I hate to say it, to win again it again this year. They’ve appeared in seven Super Bowls in their history, losing only one of them. The Packers lag slightly behind, winning three in five appearances. Basically what I’m saying is that when it comes down to the big game, the Steelers have a proven record of getting the job done. Additionally, it’s extremely hard to run on the Steelers, which means teams usually have to rely heavily on the pass. Though this is something Green Bay specializes in, it leads to a less balanced attack and somewhat predictable play calling.

My pick: Steelers 37, Packers 33

Things to expect from the game: Bad calls from the referees going Pittsburgh’s way, high scoring from both sides, a balanced run/pass attack from the Steelers, mostly passing from the Packers, solid Bud Light commercials

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Mariners broadcasting legend Dave Niehaus has died, according to the Seattle Times. More information to come on this soon.

Without going too much in detail, there are few others who dedicated themselves more to a franchise, let alone a Seattle club. He was the voice of the Mariners since their genesis in 1977. Through thick and thin, he stuck with the Mariners. I’m very very saddened to see him go.

I also noticed that his wiki page has already been updated. Crazy.

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Some of you may think this is all in the past, but I’m not going to let up on the Sonics being stolen from Seattle. Neither will my friends over at Sonicsgate. They’ve put together a new short video on the current state of the NBA and the Sonics potential return:

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A quick review for those who fell asleep in the back of the class: I’m touring/rushing each of the Sounders Supporters groups, trying to find the one that suits me best. After each experience, I’m reporting back on this blog.

I had the privilege of hanging out/prefunking* with the Emerald City Supporters (herein ECS for brevity’s sake) prior to the Sounders match against the New York Red Bulls. To do this, my buddy Double D and I ventured by Bremerton Ferry to downtown Seattle and then to Fuel, the bar/pub that serves as prefunk headquarters for the ECS.

*Did you know that “prefunking” comes from the word “prefunction”?  Back in the day, the prefunction was essentially a preparty to the party. Over time, the term became to be known in its current form. Thanks to my Aunt Rhonda for informing me of this, a former WSU student.

A quick profile of the bar: Located at 164 S Washington St, it’s got two main rooms with more seating upstairs -  the couch area is a plus. Supposedly, Drew Carey often shows up prior to matches and buys the bar a drink (though he did not when I was there). It’s got plenty of Seattle sports memorabilia on the walls and TVs in every corner playing the day’s relevant match ups. On that day they had on the Final Four match up between Michigan State and Butler. Double D bet me a 20 spot Butler would win, I of course took it and went down 20. I always lose to him.

We arrived at four hours prior to kick off, to ensure we got a spot to sit. I had heard the place fills up quick, which turned out to be 100% accurate. If we got there five minutes later, we would’ve been standing until game time.

We promptly ordered a pitcher from our waitress, a cute blonde who was very nice to us and treated us well all day. An hour later, the bar was packed – and it was great. By the time most people had a few beers in them, the ECS chant broke out along with several other Sounder favorites.

With that many people come a few problems, however: Our service from the cute blond slowed so much that whenever we wanted a beer, we needed to go find her. It also made it very difficult to get to the restroom – a necessity when you’ve had that many.

A few other things about the ECS: they’re the largest and most boisterous supporter group, you’ll see them in the south end of the stadium waving flags, chanting and bringing tha ruckus. They were all very nice, down to earth people – I have no complaints, only compliments about them.

Side note: If you’ve got any one under 21 in your group, the ECS has a home restaurant/bar across the street – called McCoy’s.

The ECS also has the best Sounder chant, in my opinion:

Summary

The Good – Excellent energy and atmosphere pregame, friendly people, accommodates those under 21, friendly wait staff at Fuel, best chant and have the biggest march to the match. It should be noted that most of the noise/chants you hear during the game are lead by the ECS.

The Bad – Way too crowded at Fuel. This comes with the territory, but if you’re looking to relax and have a few beers pregame, Fuel/ECS is not for you. In a sense, they’re almost too popular.

I will hold off any further judgement until I have visited the other Supporters groups. As my esteemed colleague, Mr. Ryan Burrows pointed out, there are in fact five official supporters groups that the Sounders recognize. Up this week: Gorilla FC.

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Documentary prepares for New York premiere and Park City Music Film Fest

April 14, 2010 — New York, N.Y. — “Sonicsgate: Requiem For A Team,” the acclaimed feature documentary profiling the tragic death of the Seattle SuperSonics, today announced it has been nominated for two 2010 Webby Awards in the categories of Best Sports Film and Best Editing. A panel of judges decides the winners, which are announced on May 4 before the Webby Awards ceremony on June 13 in New York City.

With these nominations, “Sonicsgate” is also eligible in both categories for the Webby Awards People’s Voice in which fan votes determine the winners. These Webby nominations continue to build momentum for “Sonicsgate” as the film prepares for a four-day New York City premiere and today announces its special selection for the prestigious Park City Music Film Festival.

April 28 thru May 1 at The PIT – New York City

“Sonicsgate” will screen for four days at the People’s Improv Theater (154 W. 29th Street, second floor) in NYC. The first two screenings are reserved for members of the press and invitation only; the Friday and Saturday screenings are open to the public. All four NYC screenings start at 3:00 P.M. local New York time. Advanced tickets at www.sonicsgate.org.

May 20 at Park City Music Film Festival – Park City, Utah

“Sonicsgate” has been selected for the Park City Music Film Festival in association with the Park City Film Series, which recognizes “unique and exceptional cinematic efforts.” The film will screen on May 20. More info at www.parkcityfilmseries.com.

“Sonicsgate” director Jason Reid is also scheduled to appear on ESPN during an upcoming episode of “Outside The Lines” to discuss the national implications of the film and how the Sonics scandal affects other cities with professional sports franchises.

Please direct media inquiries and ticket requests to the following contacts:

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A silly car analogy I thought up on the spot: If the average MLB offense were a Ford Focus, the Seattle Mariners would be a 70s Datsun B210 entered in the KDDA Destruction Derby. Seriously, they’re not even street legal.

When I made the prediction that the Mariners would win the AL West this year, I did so on the basis that our pitching and defense was able to overcome any deficiencies on offense. Well, I didn’t expect the M’s offense to be completely sterile. I didn’t foresee them scoring just 21 runs in their first eight games. That’s just under 3 runs per game if you’re counting at home.

The Mariners home opener featured several of the greats in pregame: Randy Johnson throwing out the first pitch and posing with Dan Wilson, Edgar, Griffey, and Jay Buhner.

A sellout crowd then proceeded to watch a decent start by Ryan Rowland-Smith, who gave up four runs thanks in part to some amazing defensive plays. The only problem was offense and it was abysmal. The Mariners totaled two hits and zero runs. Need I say more?

So am I going back on my prediction? Not yet. The season is young, but the prospects aren’t looking too good at the moment.

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Here is a video from @SeaSportsInsider of Randy Johnson throwing out the first pitch at the home opener yesterday.

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The Sounders tied 2-2 at Real Salt Lake on Saturday. A good result, but they’ll feel like they should’ve came away with three points.

Real Salt lake looks dangerous throughout the game, creating several chances and controlling the ball well. Fortunately, Keller was there to make several solid saves. Credit the Sounders defenders as well.

It was Zakuani, however, that opened the scoring the 13th minute, which was set up well by Fredy Montero. In the second half, RSL equalized in the 52nd minute off a diving header by Will Johnson. Poor defending the culprit. Later, Tyrone Marshall put the Sounders up 2-1 on a header off a free kick from Llungberg. All looked good for three points, when in the 90th minute +4 RSL’s Alvoro Saborio placed a header off a corner kick into the back of the net. Final score: 2-2.

Here are some random thoughts I had about players throughout the game:

Pat Noonan: Not gelling well with the team yet. Made a few hospital passes, had several bad touches and clumsy challenges.

Freddie Llungberg: Did not play well in the first half. Similar to Noonan, he had trouble controlling the ball.

Beckerman: RSL Captain. Take a shower and cut those dreadlocks. Have some dignity.

Zakuani: Probably our best offensive weapon along with Montero. He has pace and continues to create excellent plays. Once again, he was subbed out for Roger “Prefontaine” Levesque. I do not like this, but I have to assume the coaches know more than I.

Former Sounder Sebastien Le Toux had a hat trick against DC United in a 3-2 win for the Union.

Also note that the Kitsap Pumas defeated the Portland Timbers in a scrimmage last week, as featured in this Kitsap Sun slide show.

The Mariners are off to an atrocious 2-5 start to the 2010 season. Both wins came off King Felix’s starts (Cliff Lee is out until early May). The problem: Offense. We’ve had some excellent/decent efforts by our starting pitchers, only to have no run support to back it up.

Quite honestly, it hurts to watch. Especially after all of the off season moves the M’s made to be a competitive ball club.

The good news is, those were all road games and our home opener is today. We’ll see if we can muster a solid home stand at the Safe…

Speculation continues as to which hole in the ship the Seahawks are going to plug in the upcoming draft. Personally, I feel the Hawks are in full rebuild mode with the loss of Walter Jones and the performances over the past three years. They have major deficiencies on the O line, D line, safety and defensive ends.

Here’s a look at some potential draft prospects via the pundits:

RotoWorld says we want LT Trent Williams

Seahawks Draft Blog says we want Safety Eric Berry of Tennessee

The San Francisco Chronicle says we want USC Safety Taylor Mays

The BMore Sun says we want Derrick Morgan, DE from Georgia Tech

In all honesty, nobody really knows what the Hawks are going to do. There are so many holes to fill, they could go in any direction. If it were me, I’d use our two first round picks to get an O and D lineman. All for now.

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Have any Sounders, Seahawks, Sonics, Mariners, Pumas or any other random questions you want to ask? Go to my formspring page and ask away!

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