Monthly Archives: September 2013

Golf: Gold Mtn’s Olympic Course rated No. 5 among top munis in U.S.; Gamble Sands coming in 2014

Gold Mountain’s Olympic Course, one of the best values in golf, showed up on another top-10 list.

Joe Passov ranked the 10 best municipal golf courses in America for golf.com and the Olympic Course came in at No. 5.

Bethpage State Park Black in New York is the No. 1 muni, according to Passov. Nearby Chambers Bay in University Place outside of Tacoma, which will host the 2015 U.S. Open, is No. 2.

The rest of the list:

No. 3: Torrey Pines (South), La Jolla, Calif.

No. 4: TPC Scottsdale (Stadium), Scottsdale, Ariz.

No. 5: Gold Mountain Olympic Course, Bremerton.

No. 6: Wintonbury Hills, Bloomfield, Conn.

No. 7: TPC Harding Park, San Francisco

No. 8:  Butterfield Trail, El Paso, Texas

No. 9: Desert Willow (Firecliff), Palm Desert, Calif.

No. 10: Pacific Grove Golf Links, Pacific Grove, Calif.

While we’re at it, if you find yourself in San Diego and looking for a course, try the picturesque and unique Mt. Woodson Golf Club, about a 45-minute drive out of the city. It’s a target-style design surrounded by large boulders, ponds and has plenty of rugged terrain. We went to golfnow.com and got a tee time for $19 with cart on a sunny weekday afternoon last week. I lost count of my lost balls and didn’t bother adding up my score, but I still enjoyed the beauty of the place, which included a long wooden bridge and dramatic hillside holes. We played from the white tees. From the blues, it would be a beast. Of course, I can make any course three times as difficult as it is supposed to play.

And I’m looking forward to playing the No. 10-rated course on the above list. I’m taking my mom back to her hometown of Monterey, Calif., in December and I hope to get in a round at Pacific Grove Golf Links, a poor man’s Pebble Beach. It’s been highly recommended.

I didn’t make the trip, but 18 members of the Northwest Golf Media Association recently were the first to play Gamble Sands, a course outside of Brewster that’s scheduled to open in August of 2014. Designer David McLay Kidd hosted the excursion. Here’s some of what NWGMA secretary Craig Smith wrote after the visit:

Gamble Sands is designed by Scottish native Kidd whose resume’ includes Bandon Dunes, Huntsman Springs in Idaho, Tetherow in Oregon and the Castle Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

                “This is unadulterated golf from beginning to end,” said Kidd of his latest course. To watch Kidd give his introduction of the course to the gathered media next to the driving range, click here.

                The course is built on property owned by the Gebbers family. The course name (suggested to Kidd by NWGMA member Tony Dear) honors the first settlers (the Gambles) of the land of what became the Gebbers family.

                The Gebbers are now in their fifth generation with roots back to the 1880s in Okanogan County. The family owns more than 100,000 acres, and are among the world’s largest growers of apples and cherries.

                The Gebbers view golf courses as a way to bring more tourism, employment and diversity to their community.

                Cass Gebbers told NWGMA members at a post-round dinner Thursday, “It was a bit emotional to see you guys tee it up, after so many years of planning and building this.”

                The dinner was one of many hospitality gestures extended by the Gebbers family during our stay.

                A major figure in the project is *Orrin Vincent. It was Vincent who told Cass, “I know a guy (Kidd) who can build you guys a course.”

                The family had started construction of a Perry Dye course at a site on a hill overlooking Brewster before the recession hit in 2008.  Three holes were finished before work was suspended. The priority now is to open the Gamble Sands course next summer.

                The possibility exists that within five years the Dye course will be completed and open and there may even be a new hotel next to it.

                Vincent envisions Brewster as a golf destination similar to Bandon, Ore., and Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen, Neb.  He mentioned that the Brewster airport has a 5,000-foot runway for fly-in golfers.

                More on Gamble Sands:  Links course. . . . No homes or highway noise. . . . Grass is predominately fescue. . . .  Course is built entirely on sand, hence the name Gamble Sands. . . . Great views of the Columbia River on 12 holes. . . .  No trees. . . . Player-friendly as it is hard to lose a ball and many of the contours aid scoring . . . . Can play as long as 7,305 yards or as short as 4,920. . . . . Course will be rated by the WSGA in October. . . . Course will be open to the public but memberships are available. . . . Green fees have not yet been determined.

*Orrin Vincent represents OB Sports, the company that  built and opened Trophy Lake Golf & Casting in Port Orchard. Oki Golf bought Trophy Lake in 2005 from Heritage Golf. Heritage purchased the golf course in 2003 out of the bankruptcy of OB Sports. Trophy Lake opened in 1999.

 

 

 

                

 

 

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Seahawks thoughts

Letdown? Were you thinking letdown?

Letdown? Were you afraid that the Seahawks, favored by 19.5 points to beat the Jaguars, might not bring it on Sunday?

As it turned out, there was no need to worry. The Seahawks blew out the Jags, 45-17, and after three weeks, they’ve given us all a lot of reasons to believe that they are the class of the NFL.

In case you’ve lost count, the Seahawks have now won eight straight regular-season games and 10 straight home games. Average score over the last five games at the Clink: 38.5 to 10. Seattle’s last home loss? San Francisco beat the Hawks 19-17 on Dec. 24, 2011.

Yeah, the Seahawks are pretty damn good. There are so many things to like about this team, and I keep going back to their depth.

Where did defensive tackle Clinton McDonald come from? Dude had 1.5 sacks and seemed to be everywhere against the Jaguars.

And how many teams in the league would like to have Tarvaris Jackson starting at QB right now? He was 7 of 8 for 129 yards and a TD. T-Jack wasn’t healthy during his first stint with the Seahawks, but still managed to throw for 3,091 yards and 14 TDs. Because of his familiarity with the system and his relationships with the players, he’s the perfect backup for Seattle. If QB Russell Wilson goes down, there’s would be no reason to panic.

And as good as offensive tackle Russell Okung is, the Seahawks didn’t really skip a beat up front on Sunday. Journeyman Paul McQuiston started in Okung’s place and the Hawks averaged a season 4.3-yards per rushing play.

Strange stat of the day: 2 catches, 5 yards, 2 TDs. Yep, that was the line for tight end Zach Miller. He had a 1-yard grab for the game’s first score and Wilson found him for a 4-yard TD that made it 14-0 early in the second quarter.

On his first TD, Miller was all by himself. He faked a block in a tight formation at the goalline, dropping to the turf before getting up and waltzing by himself into the end zone.  “It was wide open. Worked even better than it did in practice,” Miller told reporters after the game.

Catch of the day: That diving 35-yard TD catch by Doug Baldwin was ridiculous. Golden Tate (10 catches, 158 yards, 0 TDs), Baldwin (9, 177, 1 TD) and Sidney Rice (8, 127, 2 TDs) are legit and Jermaine Kearse (3, 66, 1), who tweaked an ankle on Sunday, fits the mold. They’re all athletic and aggressive to the ball. And Seattle will add Percy Harvin later in the year. Like I said, depth is not a problem.

Leon Who?: I thought the Hawks would miss Leon Washington, the electrifying kickoff and punt returner, and maybe they will but Tate’s looked good returning punts (10 for an 11.2 average). They’ve only returned three kickoffs, so it’s too soon to tell on that one. Kearse (23 yards), Jeremy Lane (22 yards) and Tate (24 yards) have all returned one.

No luck for Niners: While the Seahawks were taking care of business, the 49ers were not.  They were 10-point favorites to beat Indianapolis at home, but the Andrew Luck and the Colts, missing six starters, crushed the Niners 27-7. Coming off a 29-3 loss to Seattle at the Clink, the 49ers have to be doing some soul-searching. QB Colin Kaepernink (13 of 27 for 150 yards with an interception and 0 TDs) looked lost at times.

This could be a long year for the Niners if they don’t get healthy. Top receivers Michael Crabtree (Achilles) and Mario Manningham (knee) are out and tight end Vernon Davis (hamstring) missed the game against Indianapolis and might not be ready for this week’s Thursday game at St. Louis. In addition, All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis (groin) left Sunday’s game in the third quarter, nose tackle Ian Williams suffered a broken ankle against the Seahawks and they will be without All-Pro defensive end Aldon Smith indefinitely.  He was arrested on charges of drunk driving and marijuana possession on Friday (his second arrest since he’s been in the league) and while he played on Sunday, several sources reported that he would enter a treatment center this week.  You wonder why they played Smith at all. All in all, it adds up to a troubling start for the 49ers.

Two-game lead: So three weeks into the season, the Seahawks (3-0) have a two-game lead over the 49ers (1-2), Rams (1-2) and Cardinals (1-2) in the NFC West.

This is the sixth time in franchise history that Seattle has gotten off to a 3-0 start. They’ve never been 4-0.

Sikma sighting: Jack Sikma, a fan favorite in Seattle when he played for the SuperSonics,  raised the 12th Man Flag before the game. The center who helped the Sonics win an NBA title had his jersey No. 43 raised to the rafters at KeyArena. Sikma was a seven-time All-Star  is currently an assistant coach with the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

While on the subject of the 12th Man Flag, I speculated that former Seattle guard Gary Payton, recently inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, might be asked to raise the flag for the Seahawks-49ers game. I later was told that Payton, an Oakland native, is a big 49ers fan.

Texans next: Early odds for next Sunday’s game at Houston: Seattle’s favored by three. The over-under is 43.5. For what it’s worth, I predicted Seattle would beat Houston in the Super Bowl. The Texans pulled out a couple late wins and lost at Baltimore on Sunday. There’s no shame in losing to the Ravens, but the Texans, unlike the Seahawks, aren’t exactly playing like a Super Bowl contender at this juncture.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

‘Cool’ Seahawks getting some national love; Willie B rips Dodgers

Coolest teams in the NFL? The Seahawks, according to this Grantland.com story by Robert Mays, who took in the Hawks-Niners game on Sunday.

Mays writes:

Ever since the Patriots won their first Super Bowl in 2001, even the NFL’s best have never been particularly cool. When New England rejected the individual pregame introductions before that win, it rejected a decade of personality-driven identity in the NFL. The league’s premier franchises were led by a pair of quarterback robots and a couple of coaches who seemed locked in a competition for who could be most benign. In football, every champion was the San Antonio Spurs.

Consciously or not, the Seahawks have spent much of the past three seasons deviating from that model. Everything about the team — from their coach, to their quarterback, to where they play, to what they wear — somehow seems different. In a league where teams often seem interchangeable, the Seahawks have made people take notice. And in doing so, they’ve become the coolest team in the NFL.

 

Art Thiel of Sportspressnw.com writes that Seattle’s fans are doing their part to see that their town won’t be considered the most miserable sports city in America, as ranked by Forbes Magazine earlier in the year. His column was sparked by a letter to the editor from San Francisco fans who think the NFL should do something about the Seahawks’ home-field advantage. Thiel ended his column with these thoughts:

“Nothing has been won, of course, except a Guinness decibel award and some hearts. But it cannot be said that lack of support is any factor in a subsequent failure to reward constituencies with some long-overdue hardware. No wonder Chris Hansen is willing to roll with a billion dollars — and break a few laws — to make the NBA and NHL happen here.

“Good luck, San Franciscans, with the campaign for golf-gallery applause at football games. Keep us informed by letter, email and text, but please don’t call. We can’t hear you.”

Port Orchard’s Willie Bloomquist didn’t like the way the Dodgers celebrated after clinching the NL West title with a victory over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Dodgers took over the Diamondbacks swimming pool that sits outside of the right-centerfield fence.

“… There’s not much we can do about it now,” Bloomquist said. “They’ve clinched the division this year, but if that’s how they’re going to act and be classless, that’s their gig, that’s their clubhouse. I just think it’s disrespectful and classless.”

Bloomquist, by the way, is hitting .336 in 40 games for the Diamondbacks.

Seattle reliever Charlie Furbush got the loss in relief and Detroit starter Doug Fister, who was traded to the Tigers for Furbush and a three other players (outfielder Casper Wells, closer Doug Ruffin and third baseman Francisco Martinez) who never panned out, got his 13th win of the season. Boy, that was a lousy trade. Fister was 8-1 for the Tigers with a 1.79 ERA in 2011, was 10-10 with a 3.45 ERA while battling some injuries and is 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA. The M’s also gave up reliever David Pauley in that trade. Pauley didn’t work for Detroit. Wells, Ruffin and Martinez (the M’s traded him back to Detroit) never worked out for the Mariners.

Furbush struggled as a starter, but has been pretty good out of the bullpen the last two years. He appeared in 48 games with a 2.72 ERA a year ago, and he’s worked in 67 games this year and has a 3.48 ERA. The trade never made sense when it was made because Fister, despite a 3-13 record at the time, was clearly a quality starter and he didn’t command a lot of money (he’s making $4 million this year after being eligible for salary arbitration). He won’t be eligible for free agency until 2015. It made sense to hang on to Fister at least two more years, or until prospects like Taijuan Walker and James Paxton were ready to make the leap to the majors.

 

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Collegians: Dixon, Fullington head small list of Kitsapers playing college football; Becca Schoales starting for UW soccer squad

Kitsap County high schools have not had a lot of success in the postseason when it comes to football, so it probably isn’t surprising that it doesn’t produce a lot of big-time college football players.

I might be missing somebody — please let me know if I am — but by my count, we’ve got four locals playing Division 1 football: Junior Larry Dixon, starting fullback at Army (1-1) from Olympic High; senior John Fullington from North Mason, starting right guard at Washington State (1-1); Kingston tight end Sam Byers is a freshman in eligibility at the Air Force Academy but is currently not on the varsity roster, and offensive lineman Austin Kanouse from South Kitsap is an invited walk-on at Washington State.

You can watch Dixon on TV when the Black Knights take on No. 5 Stanford on Saturday, Sept. 14, at West Point. CBS airs the game at 9 a.m. Fullington and the Cougars will get some air time (3;30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) against Southern Utah.

Running back Dominic Boddie (South Kitsap/Washington) and wide receiver Brett McDonald (Central Kitsap/Washington State) were walk-ons a year ago, but are not playing this fall.

The Kitsap area hasn’t produced many D3 or NAIA college football players either.

Defensive back Isaiah Davis is the only NCAA D2 player that I’m aware of, and it looks like the South Kitsap grad is going to have a big year.

Davis, a sophomore, had an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown called back because of penalty and he had 10 tackles in a season-opening 21-14 loss to Texas A&M University-Kingsville last week in Ellensburg. Davis transferred from Eastern Washington to Central last year and earned second-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors as a freshman. He started in basketball two years at South and cleared 6-foot, 10-inches in the high jump.

Davis is the only Kitsap County athlete on the football roster at Central Washington. There are none at Eastern Washington.

Quarterback AJ Milyard, kicker Kyler Gracey and linebacker Ben Berkimer, all freshman from North Kitsap, are at Whitworth. Gracey kicked an extra point in a 36-7 win over St. Scolastica from Duluth, Minn.

Colin Stone, a freshman kicker from Kingston, is at the University of Puget Sound, which opens its season on Sept. 14 at home against Chapman.

Austin Cook, a junior defensive end from South Kitsap, and Austin Miller, a freshman offensive lineman from Central Kitsap, are playing for the Pacific Lutheran Lutes, who open on the road on Saturday (Sept. 14) against Cal Lutheran in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Kaleb Nelson, a red-shirt freshman linebacker from South Kitsap, is at Western Oregon (0-1), which is at Central after losing to Eastern Washington 43-14.

Kyle Lanoue, a sophomore from South Kitsap, is a starting defensive lineman at Eastern Oregon. He had four tackles with a sack in a season-opening 57-13 loss to Portland State and 10 tackles and another sack in a 23-7 loss to Montana Tech. Two former Bainbridge Spartans are at Eastern Oregon: senior d-lineman Kyle Petherman, and freshman running back Matt Stone. Another Bainbridge grad, freshman outsider linebacker Paimon Jaberi, is at Willamette (0-0).

Sam Gisicki from Olympic High is a sophomore wide receiver for the Pacific Boxers (0-1).

Four South Kitsap athletes are playing at Minot State in North Dakota: Junior receiver Leon LaDeaux (transfer from Central Washington was suspended a game after being among five players arrested for possession of marijuana late last month), freshman kicker/punter Aaron LaDeaux, freshman defensive back Bryce Broome and freshman OL/DL lineman Damien Medeiros. Minot lost 29-0 to Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., and hosts Augustana College of Sioux Falls, S.D., Saturday, Sept. 14.

I’m realize that I’m probably missing somebody. If you know of a local athlete playing college football, or any college sport for that matter, shoot me an email or put up a comment. Here’s a short list of some local collegians who are playing soccer at four-year schools:

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Becca Schoales, freshman from South Kitsap, is already making an impact at the University of Washington. Schoales, a forward, had both goals in a 2-0 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 9 and appears to be a fixture in the starting lineup for the Huskies (2-4-0 going into Friday’s game against Seattle University). Paige Serwold, freshman defender/midfielder from Central Kitsap, is also playing for the Huskies in a reserve role.

Brianna Smallidge, a sophomore from South Kitsap, is the starting goalkeeper for Seattle U (2-1-2).

Junior midfielder Riley Dopps, a two-year letterman at Seattle Pacific, has been coming off the bench for the Falcons (2-1-0).

Emma Vucic from Bainbridge was a first-team All-Northwest Conference forward as a freshman for Linfield and she’s helped the Wildcats get off to a 3-0 start. Jalyn Halstead, a sophomore midfielder from Olympic, also starts for Linfield.

Sophomore Delanee Nilles and freshman Becca Cates, both midfielders from North Kitsap, are playing at Western Washington (2-0-0).

North Kitsap grad Lindsey Foster, a sophomore midfielder, is at Whitworth (3-1). She started 13 games as a freshman. UPDATE: Unfortunately, I’ve been told Foster tore her ACL last week and will miss the rest of the season.

Kaitlyn Sargent and Jessica Haga, freshmen from Klahowya, are playing for Central Washington (1-2-0). Haga’s started all three games as a defender, and Sargent has made one start as a defender.

Abby Neil, a freshman defender, is playing at PLU (2-2-0), and Micaylla O’Leary, a freshman midfielder from Olympic, is at St. Martin’s (1-1-0).

Bainbridge’s Hallie Swan is a junior midfielder at Whitman.

MEN’S SOCCER

Seattle Pacific midfielder Jordan Kollars, a freshman from Central Kitsap, had an assist in a 2-0 win over Dixie State. The Falcons are 1-1-0.

Paul Brumm, a junior forward from Olympic, and Matthew Hust, junior midfielder from Kingston, are reserves at Pacific Lutheran (4-0).

Sebastian Lyons, a junior midfielder from Port Townsend, plays for Evergreen State College (1-1-1).

Senior Sam Selisch from Port Townsend is a starting forward at Whitworth (1-0-1).

Once again, I’m pretty sure this is an incomplete list. If you know of athletes playing at four-year schools, let me know. Email chuckstark00@gmail.com or let The Sun sports staff know by emailing sunsports@kitsapsun.com.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Semancik golf tournament: Chucks and a whole lot of fun

The weather is supposed to be glorious.

And it’s not too late to enter the 11th annual Semancik Bremerton Alumni Golf Tournament, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 14 at Rolling Hills Golf Course.

It’s a fun day. You can buy mulligans AND Chucks (it’s like a mulligan, but you throw the golf ball and there’s a lot of strategy involved while considering the best time to use your Chuck). There’s class competitions between West, East and Bremerton grads. But it’s not limited to Bremerton grads by any means.

It’s a good cause. No, it’s a great cause. Proceeds go to the Semancik Foundation, which was founded in memory of the late Hall of Fame football coach Chuck Semancik. The foundation has awarded 51 scholarships worth more than $70,000 since 2000.

Check-in is 7 a.m. with the four-man scramble to start at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start.

Cost is $300 per team, $75 per person. It includes a cart and lunch at the Fifth Quarter awards banquet, where items will be raffled off.

You’ll be off the course in plenty of time to watch the Cougars vs. Southern Utah (3 p.m., Pac-12 Network) or Huskies vs. Illinois (3 p.m., Big Ten Network/check you cable, dish listings or contact your favorite sports bar to see if they will have the game on).

Chuck Semancik, by the way, was a Cougar, but he was also a big Husky fan. During my senior year, I remember traveling to UW games with Chuck on Saturday mornings. We’d ride in his Buick Wildcat (it was the blue-and-gold West High Wildcats and black-and-white East High Knights before the schools merged to become the blue-and-gold Bremerton Knights). I remember the UW assistant coaches greeting Semancik and you could tell how much respect they had for the burly man from across the water. Semancik, naturally, never hesitated to give them his opinions on what the Huskies should or should not be doing.

Chuck taught me the “bowling ball” pass during his P.E. class. You’d take the basketball and roll it full-c0urt to someone at the other end. I never had the pleasure of seeing Chuck out on the golf course, but I’ve been told he used to hit that little while ball around once in a while. That, my friends, would have been a treat.

For more information on the golf tournament, go to Semancik.org or email semancikfoundation@gmail.com

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

More love for the Seahawks

I went out on a limb earlier this week, predicting that the Seattle Seahawks would live up to the hype and win a Super Bowl.

Bill Simmons of ESPN’s Grantland.com, no doubt, was swayed by my pick because he, too, thinks Pete Carroll and the Seahawks will be hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the Super Bowl.

Simmons can’t wait for those 49ers-Seahawks games. The rivalry, and I agree, has the potential to get downright nasty. He writes:

… remember when we used to make snarky jokes about the NFC West? Suddenly Niners-Seahawks is the NFL’s single-best rivalry — if I could watch only one home-and-home this season, I’d pick the Seattle-S.F. games without blinking. (Runner-up choices: New Orleans–Atlanta, Green Bay–Chicago, Ravens-Bengals and Giants-Cowboys. Finishing last: Oakland–San Diego.) And it’s not going to be a fleeting thing. Thanks to the head coaches (who genuinely dislike each other), the QBs (sharing that same Playmaking Young QB corner), the stadiums/crowds/atmospheres (both enjoyable, especially Seattle) and the blue-chippers on both sides (extensive), Seahawks-Niners has a chance to be a hybrid of everything we enjoyed during the peaks of Patriots-Colts (the star power) and Ravens-Steelers (the bad blood/division rivals thing).

Year after year after year, I can see the Niners and Seahawks measuring themselves against one another, lobbing potshots at each other, making sketchy roster moves clearly intended to piss off the other team (Chris Harper, everybody!), and maybe even getting into one of those postgame pseudo-brawls with 120 players milling around two assistant coaches who are screaming at each other. If it gets REALLY good, once or twice, we’ll see a free agent switch from one side to the other for more money, and we’ll all consider him a massive traitor — like how Red Sox fans felt about Johnny Damon in 2006. I think it’s going to be a blood feud. I think it’s going to be what Rex Ryan always wanted the Jets-Patriots rivalry to be … you know, before the Jets died.

It’s going to be fantastic. I can’t wait. But for 2013? I think it’s Seattle’s year. In Russell Wilson we trust.

You can read Simmons’ entire story here. He’s not too high on the Panthers, Seattle’s Week 1 opponent.

But Carolina’s Cam Newton promises to be a difficult quarterback to slow down. Doug Farrar of SI.com talks to some Seattle defenders and coach Pete Carroll after how to defend the dangerous dual-threat.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

High school athletics need a little promotion, too

Friday Night Lights

Even though I’m retired, they’re keeping me around for the high school football picks. I think the staff wants somebody they can beat up on, but I’m gonna do my homework. Check out my picks here. Better yet, check out a local game. Week 1 of the high school season is upon us.

Attendance at high school sporting events has dwindled over the years, and that’s too bad. The days are gone when the majority of students put on their letter jackets (do they still have letter jackets?) and abused their vocal cords in the name of the home team. You’d go to a game and both sides of the stands were full and people lined up around the track. A full house during the regular-season is now a rarity.

We’re now in the era of club sports, but football is the one high school sport that hasn’t changed much over the years in that regard. It’s the start of a new school year, and a successful football season can go a long ways toward having a successful school year. A football team, more than anything, can pull a school and a community together. It can be a really cool experience for everyone. There are people who support high school athletics. They go to games long after their own kids have graduated, but the majority of parents don’t do that. Schools and coaches need to promote it. Get the word out. Form a booster club. Talk to pee wee coaches and athletes. Hold a pep assembly and encourage students to show up. Blast out emails to parents and service clubs. We’re way past the era where you just turned on the lights, and people showed up to watch the game. If the schools don’t think it’s important, then why should the fans?

Olympic League and Narrows League tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors (over 65) and elementary students. Students with ASB cards get free admission to home games; it’s $4 on the road with ASB card.

Baseball Numbers

.347: That’s what Willie Bloomquist was hitting going into Thursday’s  Wednesday’s game. Granted, it’s a small sample, just 30 games, because of two long stints on the disabled list. The Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop is 9-for-16 since being activated on Aug. 30. It’s the final year of Bloomquist’s contract, and manager Kirk Gibson’s a big Bloomquist fan, but the Diamondbacks are loaded at the position. Cliff Pennington’s under contract for another year, rookie Didi Gregorius has had a good year, and  Chris Owing, the 2013 PCL MVP, is waiting in the wings. Bloomquist, 35, has said he wants to play until he’s 40. UPDATE: Bloomquist was 3-for-5 with an RBI on Wednesday, pushing his average to .355.

.274: That’s what Drew Vettleson wound up hitting in the regular season for the Port Charlotte Stone Crabs of the High-A Florida State League. The Central Kitsap grad, the 42nd overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, was up to .284, but had 1-for-19 funk over his final five games. The Stone Crabs are currently in the postseason. The Florida State League was a pitcher’s league as only two players hit .300 or better. Vettleson, the Ray’s 10th-best prospect according to MLB.com, was 17th in the league in hitting, so his numbers weren’t bad. The right-fielder hit .228 against lefties and .295 against right-handers.

Seahawks Numbers

For my weekly Thursday column, I took a look at some Seahawks numbers. 

Drug Testing

The always-entertaining Bremerton bobsledder Bree Schaaf wrote about drug testing on her Team USA Blog and it’s an interesting look through the eyes of an Olympic athlete.

 

 

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post