Daily Dan Sports Blog

The big news while I was in New York was the Big East tournament. Hoops is huge in New York and the place was abuzz with basketball. St. John’s dismantling of Connecticut certainly made the city happy.

Pac-10 play is just underway and the Cougs got rudely bumped out by Oregon in OT. Undoubtedly a precursor to a great weekend. The Pac-10 may be down, but the competition should be good. There’s a lot on the line and I’m convinced two teams will get in.

So, what did happen in my absence…

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Well…sort of. I’m heading to New York City for a three-day business trip. Because of my travel day tomorrow, I’m putting up an early edition of the Monday Morning QB…

1 – Huskies – The hoop hounds got the job done in Oregon. Two nice road wins to catapult them into a rematch with the Beavers. The Pac-10 will get two teams into the tourney. Most likely, it will be the last two standing in the championship game (unless Cal gets upset). That means the Dawgs need to dispatch the bitter Beavers and then probably knock off Arizona State. Which road team will show up?

2 – Seahawks – According to ESPN, the Broncos want a #1 pick for Marshal  and may be looking to deal. The Hawks let Nate Burleson go and now are in desperate need of a quality WR. Talk is that there may be more teams involved. Could this be posturing by Denver? Stay tuned. At the same time, the Hawks are going to work out Tim Tebow. Remember my blog earlier about Tebow being a Seahawk? Seneca Wallace may be courted by Mike Holmgren and the Browns. Stay tuned here, too.

3 – Mariners – Not much news early. Spring training is just heating up in the desert.

I will make sure I report from NYC this week.

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Nate Burleson has inked a 5-year deal with the Detroit Lions, thus ending his homecoming to Seattle. Deion Branch is still on the squad, but this shouldn’t instill a lot of faith in the 12th Man. That leaves T.J. Houshmandzadeh as the only threat at WR. Deion Butler may have potential, but he’s certainly not there yet.

With Burleson leaving, the stakes are higher to get Brandon Marshall. I’m rooting for a trade because the 6th pick in the draft is a hefty price tag. Marshall is in Seattle today to meet with the Hawks. ESPN’s John Clayton doesn’t think an offer sheet will be signed. The best option for Seattle will be the trade route, but their leverage is less than it was 24 hours ago.

My gut feeling is something will get done and Marshall will be a Seahawk by next week.

By the way, less than 2 years ago, Seattle had become a wasteland for talent in professional sports. Outside of Ichiro, Lauren Jackson, and Sue Bird, we had not much left. Since then, Felix Hernandez has become a Cy Young Award candidate and we’ve added the likes of Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, and Pete Carroll. Now, we may be adding Brandon Marshall.

The times are changing and should be interesting!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Rumors are running rampant that the Seahawks are close to offering disgruntled Denver WR Brandon Marshall a contract. ESPN’s Tim Hasselbeck (Matt’s little bro) has been reporting his thoughts all day.  The questions for Hawks fans is this? Do we want a highly talented WR with an MO that reminds is of TO?

My thoughts:

1 – I’m always willing to take a risk and Marshall might be worth it. However, it the price is the #6 overall, I’m out. That’s too steep.

2 – The #6 has to go offensive line. Hasselbeck is no good to us or his receivers laying prone on the field. Anyone who watched games last year knows fixing the O-Line is job one.

3 – If the cost is the #14, I think I could stomach that. I know he’s a diva with off-field issues. But, does he catch TD passes? Can he help our team? The answer to both is yes. It’s a gamble. But supposedly the strength of Pete Carroll is communicating. Let’s see how good he is.

4 – This is an uncapped year. With Paul Allen’s money, could we make a serious bid to make a playoff run? Arizona is starting to unravel. The division is weak. If we get in, who knows what could happen? As former coach Jerry Glanville once quipped, “The NFL stands for Not for Long.” You must strike while the iron is hot.

My bottom line – If Marshall costs the #6 pick, I’m a no. If he’s the #14 and a lower pick, I’m willing to make the move and gamble for the short term.

What’s your bottom line?

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Two games in Oregon and then the Pac-10 Tournament.  The Huskies post-season hopes hinge on this week and next. But, one step at a time…

First, they need to take care of the Beavers and Ducks on the road. If they consider themselves a post-season team anywhere, they must win these games. If they do, the next step is getting to the tournament championship game. I still believe two Pac-10 teams will emerge in the Big Dance. They have to prove more worthy than Arizona State, and that means getting past them in the tournament.

As was once a theme for the Seahawks…it’s “Now Time” for the Dawgs.

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Mike Sweeney is giving it one more shot.

The 15-year veteran and former All-Star first baseman played well for the Mariners last year. However, his contributions went well beyond the batters box. He and Ken Griffey Jr. are credited with bringing tremendous leadership to a young team. In fact, the beat continues on today as he and Junior “coach” a team in spring training. Sweeney wants to play at least one more year and the Mariners need him.

Sweeney, a lifetime .298 hitter, batted .281 last year with 8 home runs and 34 RBI’s in 74 games. His difference came in the dugout, though. Chemistry may be most important in baseball, and Sweeney is the right mix. His positive attitude, leadership skills, and ability to communicate have made him indispensable.

The M’s have made several moves in the off-season to bolster first base and the right-handed DH position. Sweeney declined an option by the club to coach. He either wants to be a player or return home to San Diego and call it a career. In my estimation, his worth as a teammate should earn him a spot on the 25-man roster. Bench strength on any team is critical. That means more than just playing. If he can still throw out the skills to be a pinch hitting specialist and locker room general, then my vote (I’m sure Wakamatsu will be asking for it) is to keep Sweeney on the club. You can never have too many leaders.

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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Only one topic today on the QB…

One of the great sporting events I ever witnessed yesterday was the Olympic Gold Medal hockey game between Canada and the USA. I admit I’m not much of a hockey fan, but I think I could become one. As Al Michaels later said, “When hockey is played at it’s best, there is no better game.”

However, like basketball, hockey is usually only played at it’s best when the playoffs roll around. When the NHL resumes its games today, the stakes won’t be as high. The emotion won’t be as fervent. And, the games will not be as good. You can never duplicate what we just saw. Canada and the USA playing for the gold on Canadian soil. A crisply played game with the best players in the world. Overtime. And the game winner netted by “The Next One” as he is often called, Sidney Crosby. Ironic that the games started with “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky lighting the Olympic torch and ended with his heir apparent propelling Canada to a dramatic win in arguably its greatest sports moment in history.

The Olympics began with tragedy. It had it’s mistakes. But overall, it was a terrific two weeks in one of the most gorgeous spots on the planet. Kudos to our friends up north, eh.

Games Over!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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I can get into this sport! What a game!!!!

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It’s like 1980 all over again, right?

Well not quite. Nothing will replace the memory of the “Miracle on Ice” in Lake Placid when the USA Men’s Hockey team beat the Soviet Union. However, this is pretty cool in Vancouver, too.

It’s the rematch – USA vs. Canada on the Canadians home soil. It’s the final day of the Olympics. North America is guaranteed Gold and Silver. It doesn’t get better than this to end the games.

I admit I’m not a hockey aficionado, only because we don’t have a pro team here in Seattle. I have been to games and enjoy them and my nephews are avid youth players and I get some from them, too.  This Sunday, I will be glued to the tube pulling for the USA to bring home gold again. However, whichever way it goes, North America can be proud to hold the top two spots in a sport where the Eastern Europeans have dominated for so long.

Extra Points: For you auto racing fans, I have an upcoming blog post on a terrific presentation I heard from a Kitsap County racing legend. I just need more time to write it. Look for it coming to a blog post near you!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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It was exciting to watch Bremerton’s Bree Schaaf, the 29-year old Olympic High grad, compete well in the Olympics last night. She and her partner Shauna Rohbock did themselves proud. I understand there is no medal for fifth place. But in my short time watching this competition, I find that it is incredibly competitive and the entire USA contingent represented the red, white, and blue well.  Schaaf’s teammates, Erin Pac, took the bronze.

Scary moment again on that track, however. Germany’s top team and perhaps the best pilot in the world for the women, lost control and crashed. The brakeman went flying out of the sled and careened down the track for what seemed an eternity. The pilot eventually emerged wobbly, but unscathed.

This track has been an disaster. The tragedy in the luge before the games officially began started it. I read articles an article in the NY Times that states that Canadian officials had been warned about the danger of the track and been asked to fix it. I certainly understand there is inherent danger in this sport. However, it seems clear that this Olympics has had more unrest, crashes, and tragedy than any other. Let’s hope we get out of the games this week without further incident.

To end on a good note – another hearty congratulations for a local girl “done good.” Way to go, Bree!

© 2010 Dan Weedin. All Rights Reserved

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