Seahawks: A power outage prevented me from watching the second half of Sunday’s Seahawks-Broncos game, but I’d already seen enough. That first-half Seahawks performance ranks up there with some of the stinkiest I’ve seen from that franchise. They had a TD called back by an obvious hold (on Sean Locklear), QB Matt Hasselbeck threw two awful interceptions inside Denver’s 10, they fumbled a punt that led to a Denver touchdown and it seemed like they had more penalties than positive plays.
So what you do take from Seattle’s 1-1 start? Are they as good as they looked in Week 1 or as bad as they looked in Week 2? How many games do these guys win? Give me a number. They look like an 8-8 team to me, which just might be good enough in the NFL Worst.
Marineros: Speaking of power outages, I headed to Safeco Field and caught the final six innings of the Marineros (it was Latin night at the ballpark) loss against Texas on Saturday after the UW-Nebraska football game. Is it just me, or does every M’s hitter (except Ichiro and Chone Figgins) swing from their you-know-what every at bat, even when they’ve got two strikes? To borrow a phrase from modern-day baseball, these are in desperate need of a new “approach.” It’s one thing if you’re Russell Branyan and you have a chance for your bat to run into the baseball once in a while, but Josh Wilson, Tuiasosopo, Jose Lopez … c’mon. And, by the way, isn’t it about time the M’s give up on Tuiasosopo. He’s a poor man’s Mike Morse.
The consensus from Row 14, Aisle 144: We think the pitching staff is in decent shape, though it might be nice to pick up a veteran arm that could be used as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter. Move Figgins to third, start Dustin Ackley at second, leave Jack Wilson at short, put Justin Smoak at first (at least give him a shot), use Josh Wilson as your utility infielder and go out and find a veteran catcher than can start 120 games, or at least split time with Adam Moore. We’d trade Ichiro, but we realize that’s about as likely as CEO Howard Lincoln doing standup at your local comedy club. So, it’s Ichiro in RF, Franklin Gutierrez in CF and Michael Saunders in LF unless you can add a veteran who’s a .300/20HR/100RBI kind of hitter.
While on the topic of baseball speak, how’d the word “command” become so popular when talking about pitching? “I had good command,” said so an so. Or announcer might say that so and so “has lost his command.” What they’re saying is “I threw strikes where I wanted,” or “his control isn’t very good.”
And one more thing: You may or may not know that there is a campaign to name a block of 1st Avenue South in Seattle after Ken Griffey Jr.? Here’s the website, where you can sign a petition if you think it’s a good idea. Wonder if Griffey will ever talk about his mid-season retirement? Wonder if Griffey would show up if they named the street after him?
Kitsap Quick Hitters
Running: Our own David Nelson, yes the editor of the Kitsap Sun, was 19th overall in the Top of the Mountain Marathon in Logan, Utah, this weekend. He covered the course in 2 hours, 53 minutes and 12 seconds. Over 3,000 runners participated.
Hall of Fame: Here’s information on how to get a ticket for the Sept. 25, Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame. The list of inductees is included with the story. The guest speaker is Pete Rose, who will be given an honorary Hall of Fame certificate. Nah, just kidding. But isn’t it about time baseball should honor this man in Cooperstown? Here’s a recent Q&A with Pete from ESPN.com.
Baseball: Olympic College’s baseball team started fall practices last week. The Rangers have moved their practices and games to Gene Lobe Field at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds & Event Center. They previously played at Legion Field. The move should be a positive one in terms of recruiting.
Golf: Port Orchard’s Bjorn Bjorke, the golf coach at Olympic College who works at McCormick Woods Golf Course, leaves this week for Bridgehampton, N.Y., where he will play in the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at the Atlantic Golf Club. The tournament starts Saturday, Sept. 25. The field of 264 will be reduced to 64 for match-play after 36 holes. The Mid-Am is limited to golfers who 25 by Sept. 25 with a handicap of 3.4 or less.
