Will the road to the Super Bowl go through Seattle?

I think it will, and we’ll find out later today when the Seahawks play the Rams at CenturyLink. It’s hard to see Seattle having a letdown in this one. There’s too much at stake and they’re coming into the game on a roll, winning their last five games while giving up just 6.6 points a game.

If Seattle wins and the Green Bay-Detroit game doesn’t end in a tie, the defending Super Bowl champs will earn a bye and the home-field advantage. The home-field advantage definitely means more when you’re talking about Seattle or Green Bay. The crowd at CenturyLink makes a difference, and the Packers are a different team at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interception at home this season.

Here’s a look at the NFL’s playoff scenarios heading into Week 17.

Some links and some thoughts

* Here’s a pretty convincing argument for why former Mariner DH Edgar Martinez should be in the Hall of Fame. 

* ICYMI, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune addressed a lot of questions concerning the Mariners in this story.

* Former Kentridge  High and Edmonds CC star Shaquielle McKissic has had a tougher journey than most college basketball played. McKissic’s now a senior at Arizona State.

* Olympic High has won six straight and looks like the Trojans are the team to beat in the Olympic League in boys basketball. Next game: Jan. 6 at Bremerton.

* New England’s the obvious favorite to win the AFC, but I wouldn’t sleep on the Pittsburgh Steelers, which has looked pretty good in winning their last three games. Ben Roethlisberger is getting protection, Le’Veon Bell is the best multi-purpose back in the league and the defense is starting to come together. The Steelers win the AFC North and a bye with a win over Cincinnati today. If the Steelers go into the playoffs with a four-game winning streak and a bye, watch out.

* Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports is among those who’s convinced Kentucky will be 34-0 when the NCAA Tournament begins in March. The No. 1 Wildcats dispatched No. 4 Louisville 58-50 in a battle of unbeatens on Saturday, and Forde said it should be smooth sailing for Kentucky in the SEC.

Forde writes: Too long. Too versatile. Too deep. Too relentless. Too athletic.

Louisville coach Rick Pintino says: “I know one thing. They’re one of the great defensive teams I’ve seen in my 40 years. They can switch and not cause a mismatch, they can move their feet, they can block the shot.”

Hope everyone is having a great day and looking forward to a exciting and healthy 2015!

One more thing. Check out this column by Howie Stalwick, a regular contributor to The Sun when I was at paper. Howie’s got more reason than most to celebrate the holidays.

Wondering how Kitsap’s college basketball players are faring? Of course you do.

Here’s a sampling:

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Weber State — Jalen Carpenter (jr., Bremerton) leads the Wildcats in scoring (11.8 points) and is second in rebounding (6.6 rpg). The 6-foot-1 Carpenter is coming off a 14-point, 6-rebound effort against No. 19 Oklahoma State on Thursday, a game Weber State (4-5) lost 55-49 in Ogden, Utah. Carpenter’s making 46% of her FGs, shooting 73% from the foul line and is a defensive presence inside where she has a team-high 16 blocked shots. Weber State is off until Jan. 1, when it opens Big Sky Conference play at home against Eastern Washington.

Western Oregon — Dana Goularte (sr., South Kitsap) went over the 1,000-point career mark in scoring on Dec. 18 during a win over Dixie State in Las Vegas. Goularte, a second-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference selection a year ago, scored a career-high 27 points and had 10 rebounds. It was her sixth double double of the season for the 6-footer. Goularte averages 15.9 points and 10.9 rebounds. Western Oregon is idle until Jan. 3, when it hosts St. Martin’s at Monmouth, Oregon.

St. Martin’s — Krista Stabler (jr., Central Kitsap) averages a team-high 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the Saints (3-7). The 5-6 guard had a career-high on Nov. 22 vs. Cal Baptist University.

Evergreen State — Brittany Gray (sr., Bainbridge/Skagit Valley) was the Cascade Collegiate Conference Player of the Week earlier this month. She had two double-doubles and ended up one rebound away from a third as the Geoducks (6-4) went 2-1 against NCAA Division III Northwest Conference opponents. In a four-day stretch, the 5-9 Gray scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 65-62 loss at Puget Sound; had 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 75-58 home victory over Pacific (Ore.) and added 14 points and nine rebounds in an 80-53 win at Pacific Lutheran. In the three games combined Gray shot 46 percent from the field, 80 percent from the foul line and averaged 17.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Gray’s averaging 15.7 points/9.7 rebounds going into Friday’s game against Northwest Christian … Sadee Jones (sr., North Mason) averages 13.6 points/9.4 rebounds for the Geoducks. She had 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win over PLU. Jones, a 5-8 post player, was named CCC Player of the Week after scoring 18 points and pulling 11 rebounds in a win over New Hope Christian in late November.

Montana Tech — Guard Sophia Baetz (sr., Kingston/Skagit Valley) averages 5.7 points. She’s played in nine of 13 games for the Orediggers (7-6), an NAIA school from Butte, Montana.

Western Montana — Breyenne Mosey (sr., Crosspoint) scored a season-high eight points and had seven rebounds in a win over Vanguard University in Las Vegas, Nevada this week. The 6-foot-1 Mosey averages 2.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 10.4 minutes per game. She’s started two games for the  Bulldogs (7-5) of Dillon, Montana.  … Kelsey Callaghan (sr., South Kitsap) is a reserve guard, averaging 11.4 minutes a game and more than an assist a minute.

Umpqua Community College — Ashli Payne (so., Olympic) and Sawyer Kluge (fr., Bremerton) continue to light it up for the Riverhawks (9-1), who are based in Roseburg, Oregon. Payne, a 5-11 guard, is fifth in the NWAC in scoring (19.0 ppg), eighth in rebounding (9.45), fourth in assists (4.4) and fourth in free-throw shooting (26-30, 86.7%). Payne’s been in double figures all 10 games for Umpqua with a high of 35 vs. Lane on Dec. 7. She scored a career-high 45 during her freshman season …. Kluge, a 5-10 guard,  averages 16.0 points, which is 14th in the NWAC. She had a high of 31 points vs. Big Bend on Dec. 5 and ranks sixth in the NWAC in free-throw shooting (29-34, 85.3%). … For NWAC updates and statistics, go to NWACSports.org.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Seattle University — Jarell Flora (sr., Bremerton) is the Redhawks second-leading scorer (13.4 ppg) and third-leading rebounder (5.11 rpg). Flora’s shooting 40% from the field, and 87.7% from the foul line. Flora (130) and senior guard Isiah Umipig (143) have combined to take a little over 45 percent of Seattle U’s shots. Flora has taken as many 3-point attempts (65) as two-point shots. Umipig has hoisted 99 threes. When opponents are successful in shutting down the backcourt duo, SU usually struggles. The Redhawks (5-6) are coming off a 92-57 loss against Minnesota (Flora had six points, and six turnovers in just 15 minutes) and play Sunday against Sacramento State (KeyArena, 7 p.m.) and Dec. 30 against UC Davis (KeyArena, 7 p.m.).

Eastern Oregon — Caulin Bakalarski (fr., South Kitsap) is using this year as his redshirt season. The 6-3 wing was an All-Narrows League player a year ago. The Mountaineers from LaGrande, Oregon, are 9-3.

Peninsula College — Ryley Callaghan (fr., South Kitsap) scored 30 points in a win over Walla Walla on Friday. The 6-foot guard has been over 25 five times with a high of 33. He’s averaging 20.4 points for the Pirates (4-5), sixth-best in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). … Deonte Dixon (fr., Bremerton) averages 18.0 points for the Pirates. The Olympic League MVP a year ago scored 22 points and pulled eight rebounds in the win over Walla Walla. Dixon’s played in just five games for Peninsula, which visits Olympic College on Feb. 18. OC travels to Peninsula on Jan. 21. Peninsula played Grays Harbor on Saturday, Dec. 20. For compete NWAC statistics, go to NWACsports.org. UPDATE: Dixon scored a career-high 34 in a 74-72 win over Peninsula on Saturday, Dec. 20.

Bremerton’s Bree Schaaf might be retired from bobsledding, but the 2010 Olympian helped pave the way for women to drive a four-man bobsled.

This weekend in Calgary, Elana Meyers Taylor of the United States and Kallie Humphries of Canada will become the first women to pilot four-man bobsleds in a World Cup race, smashing through the gender barrier at nearly 85 miles per hour.

Schaaf was the first woman to drive a four-man sled down a World Cup track, doing it in 2011 at Lake Placid.

“Everyone was super excited, and they were all hugging and congratulating us,” she said in a story at vicesports.com. “It was very, very cool.

Here’s more from that story written by Lindsay Gibbs:

The next season, Schaaf had hip surgery, and as she struggled to make a comeback, she found extra meaning in the push to get a four-woman bobsled event into competition. In the 2012-2013 season, Schaaf kept pushing officials to allow her to drive a four-woman sled against the men in smaller FIBT events, but she was met with resistance.

“Here we are, it’s the millennium, and we’re still asking to do the same things as the men,” she said. Schaff was given a host of reasons why she couldn’t compete with the men, such as a lack of ice time and the threat of a crash. Of course, crashing is an inherent risk for all bobsledders—male or female, two-man or four-man—so citing safety as a reason not to hand over a four-man sled to experienced pilots is an arbitrary excuse at best. And the addition of one extra bobsled to the four-man rotation would have a negligible impact on the practice and competition schedule.

“The reasons were just mind-blowing,” she said. “I worked so hard to just maintain composure and smile and say, ‘Thanks for your help.’ Then I’d go right above their heads.” More determined than ever, Schaaf was not afraid to ruffle some feathers along the way.
“In a meeting at one point, someone was once again giving me the reasons why this would be bad for women bobsledders, and I was like, ‘Yeah, just like voting was bad for us.'”

Here’s another excerpt:

When Schaaf didn’t make the U.S. team for Sochi, she decided to retire from the sport and begin working as a broadcaster. She said that when the FIBT announced that women could pilot four-man sleds this fall, it was a “bittersweet” moment for her.

“I’ll admit I cried for about three minutes,” she said. “Then I pictured myself in the sled, hitting my head around, and I realized, I slid for 12 years, my time’s done,” she said. “This is on these two girls. And admittedly, I’m not nearly as strong or as fast as Elana or Kallie.”

“They’re the perfect two people to bring this to the world.”

In case you missed Jason Hammel’s press conference on Friday, the 2000 South Kitsap graduate is excited to be back with the Chicago Cubs.

The right-hander, who signed a two-year, $20 million deal, called his three months with the Cubs the best three months of his career.

Hammel will be reunited with Joe Maddon, his manager at Tampa, and Chris Bosio, the former Mariner who is the Cubs’ pitching coach.

Hammel was 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA at Wrigley Field last season before being traded to Oakland. Jon Lester, who was with Hammel in Oakland, will be a teammate in Chicago as well. Jake Arrieta had 10 wins and a 2.53 ERA.

“I can’t predict the future, but it’s going to be a very dominant rotation,” Hammel, 32, said. “And you win championships with pitching. Obviously, the offense helps. But all the teams that go (to the postseason), they all have dominant, consistent pitching.”

Also

* Congratulations are in order for Lauren Haas, Olympic High grad who will be inducted into the Southern Illinois Hall of Fame in 2015. Haas, an infielder, was a four-year standout in fastpitch for the Salukis, and  the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2008.

* Speaking of Hall of Fames, the 2015 Kitsap Sports Hall of Fame banquet will be held Jan. 24 at Kiana Lodge. Check out this link for a list of inductees. Tickets are $30 in advance; $35 at the door.

* North Kitsap grad Kasey Dunn joined the Oklahoma State coaching staff as receivers coach in February of 2011. Dunn and the Cowboys preparation for the Washington Huskies this week. OSU (6-6) and the UW (8-5) will play Jan. 2 in the Cactus Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. I talked to Dunn over the weekend. The well-traveled Dunn — he’s coached at nine colleges and had a two-year stint as running backs coach with the Seahawks — has been at OSU for four years, his second-longest tour of duty since getting into the business. He was at  Washington State for five years. The Huskies contacted him about a possible position when Rick Neuheisel took over from Keith Gilbertston, but the timing wasn’t right. Dunn  was happy at WSU, where Mike Price was the head coach.

* I always thought Jake Locker would have been an All-Pro safety if he’d played on the defensive side of the ball. He turned out to be a really good quarterback, but we’ll never know how good because of all the injuries he’s suffered. Locker dislocated his shoulder for the third time on Sunday, and his career with the Tennessee Titans is probably over.

* Jason Flora, senior form Bremerton, averages 13.0 points and 5.4 rebounds for the Seattle Redhawks (4-5), who play Northwest College on campus at Connolly Center Monday night. SU’s other home games are played at KeyArena.

* I won’t be surprised if Eastern Washington (8-2) wins the Big Sky Conference this year. I’m talking basketball, not football. The Eagles let one get away at No. 17 Washington on Sunday. They led the Huskies by 10 with 11:22 left but couldn’t hold on, losing 81-77. EWU’s not real deep, but they’ve got enough weapons to give anyone a tough time. Sophomore guard Travis Harvey (20.5 ppg) and Australian junior forward Jenky Vois (20.3 ppg) are for real. Harvey led the Big Sky in scoring a year ago. EWU beat Indiana in Bloomington earlier in the season. If the Eagles beat No. 19 California (9-1) in Berkeley on Dec. 19, they just might crack the top-25 polls.

* I still can’t get Robert Turbin’s 8-yard run out of my head. You know the one. It was 2nd-and-9 from the 12 and Turbo turned Beast Mode, running over the 49ers’ Antoine Bethea. Marshawn Lynch scored the go-ahead touchdown on the next play from the 4, and the Seahawks were in control.

A Marshawn Kind of Way: This is an intriguing profile of Beast Mode. Lynch didn’t agree to an interview following the Seattle Seahawks win over the Eagles on Sunday, but MMQB writer Robert Klemko does a pretty good job of telling Marshawn’s story from people who know him and understand him. .

“He’s an introvert, but he doesn’t want to conform,” says former Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. “What made Seattle perfect, and allowed him to flourish, was the fact that Pete Carroll never made him conform. Pete never gave him a dress code. Him talking to the media was not treated like part of the main thing. It’s a set of rules somebody at Park Avenue came up with, and they mean nothing to him.”

“The best teammate I’ve ever had,” said Seattle linebacker Malcomb Smith.

“There are days when I don’t feel like dealing with media,” says Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith, a friend of Lynch’s. “People think he’s hiding something because he doesn’t want to talk. He does his job and does it well, and he’s not interested in other things. There are people who use the media to give false perceptions of who they are. He’s not interested in any of that. He just wants to ball.”

Mariners Lineup

Would you be happy if the Seattle Mariners 2015 Opening Day lineup looked something like this?

1. Austin Jackson, CF

2. Melky Cabrera or Alex Rios, RF

3. Robinson Cano, 2B

4. Nelson Cruz, DH

5. Kyle Seager, 3B

6. Logan Morrison, 1B

7. Dustin Ackley, LF

8. Mike Zunino, C

9. Chris Taylor or Brad Miller, SS

Felix Hernandez, P

Everything’s in place except for the No. 2 spot in the batting order. The Mariners are believed to be the front-runners to sign Cabrera, who is coming off a year in which he hit .301 with 16 home runs and an .808 OPS for Toronto. The switch-hitter seems like an ideal  fit. The M’s are also believed to have targeted Alex Rios, who hit .280 with a .709 OPS for Texas last year. Either would be a significant upgrade, although I’m still intrigued about the upside of James Jones. He stole 27 bases in 108 games a year ago and we saw the excitement he brings to the game when he’s putting the ball in play.

Maybe the M’s will pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade and wind up with Matt Kemp or Justin Upton? Lookout Landing takes a look at which player would provide you with the best value going forward.

Lighting it up for Umpqua

Umpqua Community College’s Ashli Payne (so., Olympic High) had 35 points and 10 rebounds, and Sawyer Kluge (fr., Bremerton) added 16 points and seven rebounds in a 69-63 win over Lane in the championship game of the Bellevue College Bulldog Classic this weekend. Kluge had 31 points and eight rebounds against Big Bend; Payne went for 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists in that game. Umpqua, second at the NWAC Championships a year ago, is off to a 6-0 start. Payne’s averaging 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds; Kluge 16.3 and 5.3.

It’s one thing to think you’re going to be better, but it’s another to prove it.

So far, the Olympic College basketball teams are living up to their preseason expectations. Both Northwest Athletic Conference squads are coming off fourth-place finishes at holiday tournaments.

The OC men (3-1) have already won more games than they did a year ago when they finished 2-22 in the NWAC. The Rangers’ only loss was to 4-0 Lower Columbia at the Red Devils’ Thanksgiving Tournament. OC came back to beat Southwest Oregon and Yakima.

And the OC women (3-1) look like they must might challenge for an NWAC North Region playoff berth after going 0-24 and 6-18 the past two seasons.

Yeah, it’s early, but it looks like both teams will be playing meaningful games when the conference season begins in January. Stop by cozy Student Center Gym to get a close-up look. It’s a great place to watch a college basketball game, especially when the place is packed, which hasn’t happened in recent years.

The women are at Tacoma on Thursday, Dec. 4. The team is getting balanced scoring. Sophomore Mariah Frazier was an all-tournament pick at the Clackamas Thanksgiving Tournament where the Rangers were 2-1. They won wins over Clackamas and Mt. Hood, so  Frazier is averaging 11.0 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds. Amanda Carper of Kingston (13.0) and Macy Walker of Port Angeles (11.3) lead the Rangers in scoring.

Tacoma’s Brian Neal is averaging 18.6 points and point-guard Gavin Peppers from Washington D.C. is averaging 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals for the men, who host Tacoma on Friday. Louisiana’s Cortavious Williams, the only sophomore suiting up at the moment, averages 10.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds.

Also

Peninsula College’s Ryley Callaghan, freshman from South Kitsap, made the all-tournament team at the Skagit Valley tournament over the weekend. Callaghan is averaging 25.8 points after four games with a high of 33 for the Pirates. … Sawyer Kluge, freshman from Bremerton, scored 23 points off the bench in her last game for Umpqua CC (Roseburg, Ore.) and averaged 16 point in her first three games while playing just 20 minutes a game. Ashli Payne, freshman from Olympic High, averages 14.0 points and 7.3 rebounds for Umpqua.