Art Thiel of Sportspressnw.com isn’t so quick to let David Stern off the hook. While Steve Kelly of the Seattle Times writes that it’s time for Seattle fans to forgive the NBA commish for his role in the departure of the Seattle SuperSonics, Thiel says no, no, no.
You’ll be able to read more from Thiel in The Sun when the Mariners head to Japan for their two-game series against the Oakland Athletics. We’ll give you more details later, but we think you’ll enjoy the content Thiel will provide from the Land of the Rising Sun.
Meanwhile, here’s some more linkage:
In case you missed it, here’s Jim Moore’s latest Monday column for The Sun. The Go 2 Guy is encouraged about the possibility of the NBA returning to Seattle, and the possibility of an NHL team sharing a new arena.
Side note on the Go 2 Guy: I was listening to his afternoon show on 710 ESPN one day last week and learned that he put down a $20 bet on Kyle Stanley to win in Phoenix the week after the Gig Harbor golfer blew it at San Diego’s Torrey Pines. Stanley was a 50-to-1 shot that week. Bottom line; Go 2 Guy’s return was $1,000, which pays for a lot of gas for his frequent trips to Pullman to watch his beloved Cougs.
Former Mariners catcher and current broadcaster Dave Valle helps give children in the Dominican Republic hope. Read about it here in Tim Brown’s Yahoo! Sports piece.
Jeremy Lin is the new Tim Tebow. Tweets, TV clips, he’s the new face of the NBA. If you can’t get enough of the former Harvard star, read Adrian Wojnararski’s story in Yahoo! Sports here.
Anybody who’s read anything I’ve written about Willie Bloomquist over the years knows he’s one of my favorite athletes, and it’s not because I’m a homer. Well, maybe a little bit. But I like the over-achieving types who prove the so-called experts wrong. I admire the way he plays, always have, dating back to his high school days at South Kitsap. If he was so horrible, he wouldn’t be embarking on his 10th year as a fulltime player in the majors; the Arizona Diamondbacks wouldn’t have started him for most of the second half of the season, trusting him during a pennant race and eventually in the NLCS. So all of you Willie fans, forgive me while I suggest that you read another anti-Willie rant. In this Baseball Prospectus piece by Geoff Young, he’s called the Pavement of baseball.
Jon Paul Morosi of foxsports.com has already written the Mariners off for 2012. Too many questions. As in: Can Franklin Guiterrez stay healthy? Is Casper Wells an everyday outfielder? Will Mike Carp hit his way into the lineup while playing passable defense? Is Justin Smoak going to justify the Cliff Lee trade? Where do Kyle Seager and Alex Liddi fit? Can Montero catch?
