The Locker Room Blog

Another basebrawl!

2010-09-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Here's video and a photo of last night's Nationals-Marlins brawl.

This is how you are supposed to brawl in baseball—get out there and get it going!! Plus the open ice hit by the 1st baseman in, is Classic.

-Toby

Gordon: Utah Booed Tube Socks Off Stockton Too

2010-08-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

There was much consternation among Utah Jazz fans when their club selected Gordon Hayward three months ago with the team’s first selection of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Actually, forget consternation. Jazz fans booed like schoolchildren at the team’s draft party at Energy Solutions Arena that night. But after watching Hayward during summer league in Orlando, coach Jerry Sloan made an auspicious comparison to the SALT LAKE DESERET NEWS - via SaltCityHoops.com:
Coach Jerry Sloan had high praise for Gordon Hayward (ninth pick) after watching him in Orlando. “He’s not a mistake-free player. This is a game of mistakes. He’ll make a mistake here or there. But he just plays. He just plays basketball. We had another guy here years ago who did the same thing, and he ended up being a pretty good player — John Stockton. I don’t mean to put that kind of pressure on [Hayward], but he plays.”

Comparing any first year player to Stockton is absurd, but at the very least Sloan is already at least half right.

Like Hayward last June, Utah fans booed the tube socks off Stockton when he was taken by GM Frank Layden in 1984.

Source: SportsbyBrooks

Jack Nicklaus Sinks a 100ft putt!

2010-08-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Johnny Miller enjoyed quite a foursome Wednesday in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The highlight was the still-potent putter of 70-year-old Nicklaus, which maintained its length and remarkable touch despite a hole requiring such firm stroke. (100 feet!) Check out the video below!

Worst boyfriend ever?

2010-08-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Worst boyfriend ever: Girlfriend gets hit by line drive as boyfriend leaps out of way.

His excuse?: "The ball was coming up and I was going to catch it and it was in the lights and I lost track of it.” The guy was then reamed on by Astros announcers for a solid two minutes, scolded for his lack of a gentleman’s backbone.

Toby's thoughts on Don Wakamatsu getting fired.

2010-08-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

(Please think of circus music in your head while reading this)

The Seattle Mariners fired Don Wakamatsu Monday afternoon and it raises some big questions. Jack Zurendcik “lost confidence” in Wak and the decision was “solely” his decision. I highly doubt that. There has been rumors abound that Ken Griffey Jr. stated that he would have nothing to do with the Mariners until Don Wakamatsu was gone from the organization. Did this play out behind closed doors—I doubt that this weighed at all on Jackie Z’s decision. But I highly doubt that Jack made the decision without thinking of himself and his longevity as the GM of the Mariners.

I tip my cap to Jack for one thing though. He has now publicly said that he screwed up with the hiring of Don Wakamatsu. Admitting your faults is a good start.

The M’s have shook up the players, they’ve changed the batting order, so now shaking up the coaching staff was really all that was left. We don’t have any players at AAA that we are waiting on to be called up—(OK maybe Micheal Pineda) so this was the only change left to be made. Why not wait till the end of the season? I would answer that question with a question—Why wait till the end of the season? If the M’s made the decision to move on then move on—it puts the M’s in a position to at least pursue/recruit the next manager for a good long time. Maybe they’ll make a good choice—so long as Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln keep their noses out of the search.

It does make sense to put Tacoma manager Daren Brown in as the new interim manager since the majority of the M’s team in August and even more so in September will be up from Tacoma.
We can now look forward Ken Griffey Jr. Appreciation Night and maybe even a Stand Up and Fight Night with Mike Sweeney in the future as well. At this point I would also urge you to add Nintendo to the list of boycotted companies because they screwed Seattle sports with Starbucks and Seattles Best Coffee and anything owned by Ken Behring.

Toby Howell
The LockerRoom

PS- If anyone sees Jack Wilson near a bathroom please report it immediately so proper precautions can be put in place.

Mariners fire manager Don Wakamatsu

2010-08-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Mariners have fired manager Don Wakamatsu.

Bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, pitching coach Rick Adair and performance coach Steve Hecht were also fired Monday by the Mariners, who are 42-70 and in last place in the American League West.

"I have concluded that these changes needed to be made now and that they are in the best interest of the Mariners as we move forward," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a release from the team. "Don, Ty and Rick are all good baseball men and they have done their very best. But we are where we are. I no longer have confidence that Don, Ty and Rick are the right long-term fit for our organization. New leadership is needed and it is needed now."

Daren Brown, who has managed the Mariners' Class AAA Tacoma team the past four seasons, has been named interim manager for the remainder of the season. Roger Hansen, who had been the Mariners' minor-league catching coordinator, takes over as bench coach. Carl Willis, who was the Mariners' minor-league pitching coordinator, takes on the responsibility of pitching coach.

"Daren is an experienced manager with over a decade of minor-league managing experience," Zduriencik said. "He is intimately familiar with our club; he was with the club in spring training and managed many of the players on our current roster in the minors. I believe he will do a fine job."

Click here for source.

Titans Sue USC, Kiffin; Cite “culture of violation”

2010-07-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Citing a “a culture of violation and avoidance of respect,” the Tennessee Titans filed a lawsuit today in Nashville against USC and Lane Kiffin for allegedly ignoring the NFL club’s contractual hiring requirements of assistant running backs coach Kennedy Pola.

In the lawsuit filing the Titans claim that when Pola took a job with the franchise on Feb. 1, the assistant coach agreed that he would, “not under any circumstance solicit discussions or entertain employment with any other person or entity during the term without given written permission to do so.”

Pola was then hired last Saturday by Kiffin as USC offensive coordinator. The move came just one week before Titans training camp was scheduled to open. That despite the USC coach allegedly failing to obtain contractually required written permission to formally approach Pola about a position on the Trojans staff.

The filing cites Kiffin utilizing, “improper methods and means to direct harm and damage of parties to contract.” The suit also states that, “written consent” from the Titans was required for USC to hire Pola and that “verbal consent” was “inadequate.”

The NFL team added in its lawsuit that despite fully recognizing Pola’s contract requirements with the Titans, Kiffin “encouraged” the assistant coach to breach the terms of his deal.

The Titans are requesting a jury trial while seeking treble, punitive damages against Kiffin and USC.

Though a serious read, the endgame in this lawsuit is more symbolic than punitive. The odds of Pola returning to the Titans are slim to none regardless of court proceedings and any financial settlement obtained by the NFL team will be small, if not altogether insignificant.

It’s probably not a coincidence that this litigation emanates from the same state that Kiffin recently departed as Univ. of Tennessee coach under turbulent circumstances.

Not to mention that individual Titans game tickets go on sale in less than a week.

Click here for source - Sports by Brooks.

Morning coffee... July 22, 2010

2010-07-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

What the heck Pete Rose? What the heck?

College News

Bobcats have five players named to preseason All-Big Sky
I'm just saying... Montana State will be a force to be reckoned with this year.

National News

Baseball player's wife pleads guilty to kidnapping
She stole a baby and told the player that he was the father... parent of the year!

Contador set for title
I have no idea how the Tour de France works but they say he's got it in hand.

Tiger Woods Can’t Sell Video Games No More

2010-07-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

If you thought that Tiger Wood’s female troubles weren’t going to have an impact on the sales of all things Tiger, look no further than with his video game. Copies of EA Sports “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11″ were down…WAY DOWN.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, sales were down 68% year-over-year across all platforms, but the drop for the Wii version was the most precipitous at 86%; with some simple math, that comes out to a meager 38,100 sales in June 2010 versus 272,400 in June 2009.

Wow that is HUUUUGE. Don’t think Nike and any other company using Tiger’s likeness to sell their shit isn’t paying attention to this. Makes one wonder where Nike’s Tiger apparel sales are currently as compared to a year or two ago.

I’m betting they aren’t nearly as good. I mean who wants to be caught rollin’ around town decked out in Tiger’s gear. Even if you fashioned yourself as a bit of player, if you’re wearing that gear you have got to be radioactive to women. There will be a fallout zone of at least 5 feet around you for sure.

Just when Tiger needs the money the most, its getting tougher for him to make that cash.
No wonder he’s not winning anything right now.

MLB Threatens To ‘terminate’ Rangers ‘franchise’

2010-07-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

The most undercovered story of the summer, and maybe the year, is the outrageous circumstances of the sale of the Texas Rangers.

Before your eyes glaze over, understand that this story is very important as it pertains to the financial future of individual major league clubs. It also could dictate if the Texas Rangers exist this time next year - if MLB’s rhetoric is to be believed.

If you’ve read this site over the years, you know by now that MLB has done all it could to turn over franchises to owners who either lack the financial resources, as in the McCourts, or the willingness, as in the late Carl Pohlad, to invest Yankee-esque sums into player payroll.

Most recently, MLB handed over one of the crown jewels of its league, the Chicago Cubs, to a highly-leveraged buyer in Tom Ricketts. Ricketts was chosen to take over the team despite his lack of liquidity and inability to field the highest bid for the franchise.

Why? Because MLB doesn’t want the Cubs to end up with a $200 million payroll, which would drive up costs for other owners, contribute to further competitive imbalance and possibly lead to additional labor strife.

Of course, if MLB had a revenue sharing agreement like the NFL, Cubs fans wouldn’t have to worry about having an underfunded owner running their beloved team. (In the third-largest market!) Because of the petty greed of the league’s individual owners, no such revenue sharing plan exists - forcing league commissioner Bud Selig to jury-rig MLB ownership ranks to prevent another Steinbrenner-type owner. (See shooting down Mark Cuban in his bid for the Cubs.)

That brings us to Selig’s latest payroll-chopping opportunity: The Texas Rangers.

Thanks to years of irresponsible borrowing and a subsequent mountain of debt, Rangers Owners Tom Hicks was forced by MLB to put the franchise up for sale last year. 15 months later, the team has not yet changed hands because the folks who lent the Rangers untold millions actually expect to … *gasp* … get paid! How dare they!

Despite the dire financial condition of the Rangers, Selig was hoping he could railroad Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg into the Rangers ownership suite over a fully-financed bid from Houston businessman Jim Crane - among others - by forcing the franchise into bankruptcy.

But when a bankruptcy judge noted that Crane was willing to come a lot closer to making lenders whole than Ryan and Greenberg, he cut down Selig’s end run.

How far will Selig & Co. go in forcing their cronies onto clubs?

Today the NEW YORK TIMES has this reaction from MLB to the bankruptcy judge who refused to yield to Selig’s attempt to hand his buddies the Rangers - which would’ve immediately screwed lenders out of hundreds of millions:

One of Selig’s lawyers vowed profanely in a conference call that if the judge did not approve the team’s prepackaged bankruptcy plan, which would have sped approval of the Greenberg-Ryan bid, M.L.B. would terminate the franchise, according to a person on the call.

That’s right, MLB would shut down the Rangers if a bankruptcy judge did not allow them to give the team to Ryan and Greenberg. In other words, if you make Bud Selig & Co. actually follow the letter of the law, they’ll just take their ball and go home.

Rather than give the team to the current highest bidder, the bankruptcy judge now plans to put the club up for auction on August 4. The club’s creditors, like J.P. Morgan bank, think the team could ultimately fetch nearly $1 Billion, but with auction deadline just two weeks away and MLB threatening to “terminate” the franchise if its cronies aren’t gifted the team, can you see an outsider trying to crash Selig & Co.’s private club?

If Ryan and Greenberg do end up with the team, that’s good news for small market clubs who have less money to spend on payroll. But is end-running lenders out of hundreds of millions of dollars by manipulating the legal system really the way to make that happen?

I’m a Kansas City Royals fans, so I would stand to gain from the Rangers being unwilling or unable to field a nine-figure payroll, but somehow MLB’s underhanded methods don’t fill me with optimism.

What would this mean for our Spokane Indians? A Texas Rangers affiliate!!!!!

Lebron James freaks out on Cleveland fans!

2010-07-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

NBA team changes logo

2010-06-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

Check out the new (or old) logo that the Golden State Warriors are going for. It hearkens back to the day of when sports uniforms weren't gawdy Star Trek uniforms.

Awesome. I'm so pumped about this. You can read the full story here.

Morning coffee... June 18, 2010

2010-06-18T11:17:00.001-07:00

Down 2-0 at halftime to Slovenia in the World Cup, the US battled back to get a tie and keep its hopes to advance to the next round alive.

I also heard via text that the US scored another goal but it was called offsides, something the replays show wasn't the case. Is it me or are refs getting worse and worse? Or perhaps replays are getting better and better?

National News

Missing North Korean players show up a practice
Is North Korea not one of the most entertaining countries in the World Cup? I think we need more communist countries in this international events.

LA bursts out into riots after Lakers win NBA Championship
Because what would a championship be without a good riot.

Ron Artest gives the best post-game interview ever
No really, watch this video and try not to laugh, I dare you.

Utah to the Pac-10

2010-06-17T16:00:00.001-07:00

It's official, Utah has joined the Pac-10. Or should we call it the Pac-12 now?

The rumors, projections, closed door meetings and dealings are over and the celebration has begun.

The University of Utah is officially part of the Pac-10. The move from the Mountain West Conference to the elite league was quickly approved Thursday by the unanimous vote of Utah's Board of Trustees in a public meeting at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"This is an absolutely great day to be a Ute," said longtime Utah athletics director Chris Hill.

Even though the super conference idea with the Big 12 South is deader than Michael Jackson, the idea that the Pac-10 has added more schools makes me like the situation that the conference is in. It's at least good they were proactive with expansion instead of reactive like the Big-12 errrr.... Big 10 now.

They didn't get the prettiest girl at the prom, getting schools like Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State would have blown up the Pac-10 to epic proportions. It also wouldn't have made a whole lot of geographical sense but whatever. It would have been great to get those big schools and big money into the conference but WSU fans... you wouldn't have been competitive ever again.

Colorado and Utah make sense though. First you capture the Denver and Salt Lake City markets which gives you an even bigger stranglehold out west. You give the Arizona schools somebody closer to develop rilvaries with. You keep the "travel partner" system together and you can hope and pray that Colorado and Utah develop into bitter rivals.

(Can somebody go and defecate on a John Elway statue in Denver and then put a Utah Jazz jersey on it?)

This gives Utah a chance to show that they're a national program after getting snuffed by the BCS for years. It's a very underrated school and has both strong football and basketball programs. It's also not BYU... which is great.

Colorado was one of the weaker schools in the Big 12 but I think it will do better since the bottom half of the Pac-10 is a lot worse than the Big 12.

Pac-10 fans might find the not becoming the Pac-16 might of been the best thing to happen to it.

Now if they could just fix those refs. Woof!

North Korea doesn't think they lost to Brazil

2010-06-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

So lets say that North Korea loses 2-1 to Brazil. Nothing really to fret about, Brazil is one of the world's best soccer countries ever. North Korea is North Korea. However, if you read the game recap from the Korean New Service, they don't even report the final score.

Pyongyang, June 16 (KCNA) -- The league match of the 2010 World Cup between the DPRK and Brazil took place at dawn (Pyongyang time) on Wednesday.

From the outset of the match the two teams fought a seesaw battle. The DPRK footballers created good shooting chances, not losing their confidence even after losing two goals.

At about the 88th minute of the match Jong Tae Se headed the ball before passing it to Ji Yun Nam who powerfully kicked it into the rival's goalmouth, scoring a goal.

The DPRK team will meet its Portuguese rival on June 21.
What would happen if they did this for Detroit Lions games or season recaps. "The team played with heart and tenacity and even though they dropped sixteen games, they finished the season on a high note."

Classy. Another reason not to live in North Korea... crappy SportsCenter segments.

Morning coffee... June 16, 2010

2010-06-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers tied up the NBA Finals 3-3 with a 89-67 victory over the Boston Celtics last night.

Is this series over? Do you realize that if Kobe wins this championship he'll have five rings, one short of Michael Jordan? Where does he rank among the greats in the game then?

National News

Switzerland upsets Spain 1-0 in World Cup - The Daily Interlake
And those annoying horns are still blaring.

Izzo not headed to Cavs, stays with Michigan State
Lebron... why are you packing your bags....?

Detained for promoting beer

2010-06-16T09:13:00.001-07:00

Reasons to watch the World Cup? Weird stories like this...

Thirty-six female fans were ejected from Holland's World Cup match against Denmark and interrogated for hours for allegedly wearing orange dresses to illegally promote Bavaria beer, though there's no branding on the dress and the company denies hiring them.

Could they do this sort of thing during a NASCAR event if anyone is promoting beer? Is it possible to detain thousands of fans?

Canadians are having roid rage

2010-06-15T22:39:00.001-07:00

Those dastardly Canadians are up to no good. The steroid problem has gotten so bad up there, they've had to suspend an entire football team.

The University of Waterloo Warriors football team will miss the entire 2010-2011 season over steroid violations.

As many as nine potential doping violations were discovered during a mass test of 62 football players from the University of Waterloo, resulting in suspension of the team’s activities for the upcoming season.

In addition, two players from the team received suspensions and a former player faces charges in a police probe into steroid trafficking.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, Canadian Interuniversity Sport and the University of Waterloo held a news conference Monday to announce the findings of a sweeping probe of players in the university’s football program on March 31. More than 80 urine and blood samples were taken, resulting in nine infractions. The test was instituted by the school.

As for the NFL... move along.... nothing to see here. Go make fun of baseball...

Aikman and Bledsoe to the rescue!

2010-06-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

The two former pro-bowl quarterbacks have a plan to solve this whole mess in the Gulf of Mexico. Lets hope the oil spill doesn't bring a blindside linebacker up to blitz.

Troy Aikman and Drew Bledsoe, both former Pro Bowl quarterbacks, are part-owners of a new technology that they claim can help clean up the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Their company, Ecosphere, has had meetings with BP. Bledsoe talked about the technology at a recent press conference. From FS Southwest:

According to Bledsoe, Ecosphere would set its filtration systems on barges in the gulf and on beaches to clean the water.

"This is not technology sitting on the shelf waiting for a disaster," Bledsoe said. "This is technology out in the field satisfying contracts for well over a year, so it's proven. ... When you watch it, it is magic seeing dirty, nasty water go in one end and then crystal, clean water out the other end."

So wait, they have a Brita filter?

Jerseys are magical

2010-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

Check out the new threads for Team USA. And as usual, Nike has gone scientific on us.

When the United States men's national basketball team heads to Turkey for the FIBA World Championships this summer, they're going to look pretty cool. It's hard to mess up red, white and blue, and the various manufacturers who have supplied their uniforms throughout the years haven't made very many missteps. But this year, they're also going to feel cool thanks to a couple tweaks by Nike.

Through some kind of clothing wizardry, Nike has eliminated more than 13 inches of fabric from a typical basketball jersey, and probably double that when compared to Allan Houston's tarp-like mid-90s shirt. The back of the jersey will once again feature "Aerographics," which you probably know as those intricately-designed perforations that make it look like everyone has a super sweaty back like Patrick Ewing. And yes, that's two zings on the New York Knicks, who have been the antithesis of on-court aesthetics for two decades running. Make that three.

Aside from the extra tailoring, the jerseys are about the same. The shorts are the big story, as far as international basketball clothing news goes. Thanks to Nike's new Hyperelite design, the shorts are about half as light as a normal basketball short when dry. Get them wet — like, you know, from sweating during a game — and they're even better, weighing less when soaked (10.1 oz.) than a normal pair does when dry (13.6).

Don't ask me how that's done, I think they're defying the laws of physics.

Photo: US vs England

2010-06-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ha! We tied the Brits! And ESPN had this very cool ad. Epic eh?

Just for fun, here's a picture from the 1986 World Cup

2010-06-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Those two are "fighting."

I think the internet just got its new viral photo. Enjoy.

Tragedy strikes World Cup

2010-06-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's only a day old, but the 2010 World Cup already has a downer story to talk about.

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—It should have been a moment of triumph—Nelson Mandela, basking in the cheers as Africa’s first World Cup opened. Nelson Mandela with his great-granddaughter Zenani, who was killed in a car accident following Thursday's kickoff concert. (AP Photo/Peter Morey)

Instead, South Africa’s beloved anti-apartheid icon stayed at home with his family Friday in northern Johannesburg during the opening ceremony and game, mourning his 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani, who died in a car crash on the way home from a tournament-eve concert in Soweto.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the tragedy “made it inappropriate” for the former president, who is 91, to attend the opening ceremony in Johannesburg.

That's a shame considering how much Nelson Mandela represents to South Africa and how this should be one of his finest moments. Prayers go out to him, and the good things that people say about this man are too hard to count. Sad day.

Fish tanks behind homeplate

2010-06-11T12:17:00.001-07:00

All these new Major League ballparks have gone retro, featuring unique quirks and aspects that make them stand out from the rest. It's certainly better than the cookie-cutter stadiums of the 60s and 70s, although it would be nice if they didn't cost tax-payers an arm and a leg.

The Marlins new stadium takes the cake for a unique quirk. They're installing an aquarium backstop. What?

The two giant aquariums will be located on either side of home plate, but not directly behind it. And no worries on a Faith No More-type situation with a fish flopping around on the ground and gasping for air because the aquariums will be constructed with shatterproof glass.
MLB.com has more details:

"Each aquarium will be constructed using a durable fiberglass structure, and white crystal-clear acrylic panels 1.5 inches thick will be used for the viewing windows. To safeguard it from impact, Lexan — the material used for bulletproof windows — will be installed in front and in back of the acrylic panels."

The aquariums will hold 600 and 450 gallons, but will sadly not be big enough for a real marlin.

This makes me think they should have Grizzly Bears at UM's home stadium.

Should Big Sky Teams move up?

2010-06-10T11:18:00.001-07:00

Huge news for college football, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Colorado is headed to the Pac-10. Now sit back and watch the Big 12 crumble to nothing. If more teams follow, the Pac-10 could look completely different in a blink of the eye. Also considering USC was just slapped with a two-year postseason ban, things are getting really juicy.

Now lets step back and take a look at how this affects more local teams, namely the Big Sky and the Montana schools. Talk of moving up to FBS is nothing new for Montana and Montana State, however is it the right move if this Big 12 vacuum clears some space in the smaller conferences?

Having seen a program fall flat when they moved up first hand, let me be the first to say that the Montana schools don't want to become the next Idaho. They also shouldn't expect to have Boise State-like success if they move up. I recently read this very well-written article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle by Will Holden explaining the challenges of the transition from FCS and FBS. I want to show you a few snippets and explain why it would be a bad idea for the Montana schools to move up.

CLICK "READ MORE" TO SEE THE FULL BREAKDOWN

First, Idaho AD Ron Spear made a good point about population bases. Boise State was in the middle of one of the largest population centers in the Northwest. Idaho was not. Montana and Montana State are in great cities but they're not nearly as big as a Boise State. You need big city money to be able to fund the continued growth of a Div. I program. While many colleges are in smaller towns they do have a large city in the state to draw their corporate sponsorships and season ticket bases. Where would UM and MSU go for that?

"Your funding is so important to your program's success, and your funding model is dependent upon your demographics," Spear said. "Boise State can generate a lot of its own revenue because of its population base. We can't do that at Idaho."

According to the 2008 Census, the population in the Boise area is estimated at nearly 600,000, roughly two-thirds the entire population of Montana.

"Sometimes we look here and say there's not a lot of professional athletic competition for the dollar and compare ourselves to Boise in that sense," O'Day said. "But the reality is that there is a much stronger population base in Boise.

"Even though we know that 50 percent of our season ticket holders don't reside in Missoula County, if you don't continue to win, do those people from Sidney and Glendive continue to make that trip back six to nine times a year? You just don't know."

While I would say that Montana and MSU are better examples of programs ready to make the jump than an Idaho (The Kibbie Dome is a joke, sorry), they would still need to vastly improve their stadiums to reach even WAC attendance standards. And that's not just putting more seats in the stadiums, you also have to upgrade the infrastructure of the facilities to better accommodate the supposed larger crowds and attract Div. I athletes.

And can you get bigger crowds? I'm not in anyway questioning the loyalty of Griz or MSU fans. What they do every Saturday is amazing, but keep in mind if they want to be the creme of the crop in even these lower tier FBS conferences, they'd have to draw thousands of MORE fans. And this is with the Griz and Bobcats not competing for a national championship since smaller FBS schools just get screwed out of the whole BCS equation.

Check this out quote and explanation from Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton ...

"Fans will always lead the conversations because they don't have to balance the budgets," Fullerton said. "If your team is losing bad or it's snowing, they don't have to show up. They don't have to understand coaches' salaries; they don't have to understand how television sets affect the equation."

And what would those fans think if their teams are no longer playing for conference championships each year? What would they think if their rosters where no longer stocked with athletes from Montana?

This upcoming season, MSU will have 43 Montana natives on its team; UM will have 36. In the entire FBS last season, there are only two players from Montana: Kalispell's Brock Osweiler at Arizona State and Bozeman's Jay Wisner at Auburn. Matt Miller, of Helena, received a scholarship this spring to play in the FBS - at Boise State.

"If (UM) were 5-6 or 6-5 every year, the discussions might be different," O'Day said. "But we've been in the championship game seven times since 1995, and having done that with a lot of Montana players means one heck of a lot to us."

And success at one level doesn't guarantee it at the next. Just ask a fan from Idaho.

And the Montana schools could weather those bad years and work up to compete for a conference championship, but keep in mind they wont be chasing any national championships anytime soon. Thank the lack of a playoff system for that.

The move would take UM and MSU from nationally-know programs to basically a side note in college football. And how much will the fan base support kids from California and Texas? Don't underestimate the lack of home-cooking, or Montana's ability to draw these out-of-state athletes to their programs. Ask WSU how hard it is to recruit to Pullman.

This isn't a dig to those schools, but the lower-tier of the FBS is not a very desirable position. It stinks, and what would it do to the school's other programs if they have to travel further in WAC conference schedules and will they be as competitive as they have been in the past. Again, look at the full picture, not just a snapshot of the program.

Reasons why you're still single... beach ball guy

2010-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

You're sitting an enjoying a perfectly good sporting event with a big crowd and this guy shows up. He looks around for ushers. He pulls something out of his pocket. He blows it up.

... and for the next 20 minutes, the game is ruined because this damned beach ball is bouncing in front of you.

What is this? 1994? Beach balls are stadiums are not only outdated but they're also annoying. It's like the wave but less social. And what if I don't want to hit the ball around? Beach ball guy, I hope you die a long, painful death.

Don't ignore Derek Fisher

2010-06-09T12:38:00.001-07:00

This gets me every time when the Lakers are in the Finals. Derek Fisher turns in a clutch performance and the media acts like they've been blindsided. He's been doing this for years! Granted, he has played old and washed-up for most of the season but one thing you can never do in the NBA playoffs is underestimate somebody that has been there before.

Fisher took over in the fourth quarter last night, scoring four clutch baskets to help LA beat Boston 91-84. That gives the Lakers a 2-1 lead in the series and lets them regain home court advantage. He finished with 16 points, second highest to Kobe's 29 on the team.

Now, many people have said he's been playing like a wet suitcase all season. Many people were right, but mark my word, you can always count on Derek Fisher coming up big in the clutch. He's hit big threes, he's caused Sacramento Kings fans to contemplate jump off a building and he's been every bit a staple of the Lakers' greatness as Kobe.

Is he as good as Kobe? Heck no. Not even close. He's a role player for sure. However, Fisher is also a veteran that knows where he needs to be at the right time. When the moment is right, he knows when to pull the trigger. He understands that no matter how terrible he is during the regular season, all it takes is some plays in the post-season to help your team.

That is why, you can never count out Derek Fisher. He'll come back to bite you.

Golden Tate had the munchies

2010-06-08T18:40:00.001-07:00

Is it wise to have a wide-receiver that likes maple bars this much?

Police were called to Top Pot Doughnuts in Bellevue, Washington, at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday after two men were found entering the store after hours. Turns out new Seahawk Golden Tate just had a case of the munchies.

It seems Tate, who lives in the building above the shop, apparently came home in the wee hours and was overcome by the smell of freshly baked maple bars. It's been well-established that the man lacks all self-control. So he and his buddy just went in and took some. Too bad the store didn't open for another four hours.

I don't know what is more weird, Tate thinking its cool to enter a store after hours or Tate living about a bakery. You decide.

Schools the Pac-10 should think about getting for expansion

2010-06-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

Before the Pac-10 becomes the Pac-39, here are some schools there should look at.

WSU - they're not in the league right now are they? Oh they are? Oops.

School of Hard Knocks - Their mascot, the high school dropout, is pretty cool.

Some Canadian school - that would make the Pac-10 competitive in Hockey. We're not being stereotypical are we?

Duke University - That way they could smell their own farts with the academics at Cal and Stanford.

The School for the Blind - This is where you could get all the Pac-10 refs!

Tim Tebow University - Formerly known as the University of Florida.

Seattle Seahawks - Come on, coached by Pete Carroll, a roster of good college players, they might even go to a bowl game.

A message from BP

2010-06-07T21:36:00.001-07:00

Okay this isn't sports related but it's damned funny...

Photo: How many combined wins do they have together?

2010-06-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

I mean, I guess when you're the mascot of a really bad team you have to hang out with mascots of other really bad teams.

How you can annoy English soccer fans

2010-06-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

So the United States will be taking on England in the first round of World Cup games, meaning we'll have to deal with some of the most passionate soccer fans in the world. Here is how you get into their head...

- Remind them that the NFL still makes more money than the English Premiere League. Also mention that unlike the EPL, there are women football fans.
- Remind them that they live in England.
- Remind them than even though we don't have universal healthcare over here, we still have better teach.
- Oh and our food is better.
- Say "lets play a game, raise your hand if you've won a revolutionary war."
- Tell them that their biggest contribution to the musical world was the Spice Girls.
- Braveheart. Yeah, you guys are a bunch of dicks. Oh, and William Wallace owned you.
- Inform them that they created Canada. Yeah thanks for that.
- America has NASCAR. England has Mini-Coopers. I think we win.
- Tell them France is better. That will go over well.

Urinal Foul

2010-06-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

Stephen Strasburg is getting a town named after him

2010-06-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

As if the hype around Washington National's pitcher wasn't enough, a town in Virginia has decided to change their name in honor of the prospect who is slated to start for the first time on June 8th.

No pressure kid.

Maybe the citizens of Strasburg, Va., haven't heard about the softening ticket market for Stephen Strasburg's debut on Tuesday, because this action seems rash if they're doing it to get into the game.

OK, they're not really doing it to get into the game, but an excited group from the town of 6,200 people wants it to be renamed "Stephen Strasburg" for one week next year. (The town of Strasburg is about 70 miles from our nation's capitol.) The movement already has a website (RenameStrasburg.com) and an accompanying Facebook group of 19 members.

My thoughts is that Strasburg is going to be one heck of a pitcher, but all these expectations are setting him up for failure. Everyone needs to slow down a tad.

The Mariners are desperate for your attention

2010-06-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

Really Ms? These are the kind of promotions you're coming up with? Celebrating websites that every baseball loving male hates.

Nothing like a 7-year-old Internet meme to show the kids you're hip, right Seattle? What's next, redirecting the team site to Last Measure? (Note: don't go to Last Measure.)

It was actually the second annual "Cheezburger Night" at Safeco, after the site that stole the idea from 4chan and made ridiculous money on it (which is okay, because 4chan found Happy Cat at Something Awful.

Enough with the tangled history of a meme we all wish would go away. Let's talk baseball, or the desecration thereof! The Mariners offered discounts on tickets and Happy Cat bobbleheads while supplies lasted. (Supplies lasted; they drew under their season average.) But, worst of all, they changed up "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" to put it in Lolcat speak.
I'm waiting for BobbleGut Griffey night.

Photo: Gary Coleman's Coffin

2010-06-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

This isn't too soon is it?

Perfect game disaster ending has a happy ending?

2010-06-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

You know doubt heard about Armando Galarraga's perfect game getting ruined by a bad call by the umpire. Well it might have a happy ending...

Bob Barker and Rod Roddy couldn't have planned it better themselves.

In the wake of Armando Galarraga's perfect-game-that-wasn't, Chevrolet and the Detroit Tigers rightly decided that the jilted pitcher deserved a grand gift anyway.

So a new Corvette was driven behind home plate prior to Thursday's game with the Cleveland Indians and presented to the man who has been nothing but class in the face of Wednesday's disappointing and unjust finish. That'll ease the sting a bit.

Even better, the feelgood moments didn't end once Galarraga was handed the keys to his shiny new whip. With Jim Joyce scheduled to work home plate for the day, Galarraga then carried the lineup to the tearful ump and shook his hand. Joyce remained emotional and responded with a thankful pat to Galarraga's arm.

Bud Selig came out and refused to change the call - the which would have been the last out of the perfect game - that the umpire obviously screwed up on. While replays clearly show that the runner was out, I'm not sure what precedent you set by changing rulings.
And how about all these perfect games? Yeah the steroid era is officially dead.

Oh those North Koreans...

2010-06-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

When they're not sinking South Korean ships, they're cheating before the World Cup starts. You'd think that coming up with a roster wouldn't be too terrible difficult but the North Koreans ended up messing up roster rules set by FIFA.

North Korea, also known as The Bad Korea, tried to pull a fast one on FIFA, listing one of their strikers as a goalkeeper, in essence gaining an extra roster spot. It didn't work.

Kim Myong-won was put on the DRPK's final 23-man roster, as the third goalie. North Korea had better hope their first two stay healthy, because Kim isn't actually a goalie. He's a striker, who the defensive-minded Chollima were counting on to provide a little extra offense. They apparently listed him without first consulting with FIFA to see if that was legal.

A goalie as a striker? Perhaps the US should employ that strategy against England, it might throw them off. As for North Korea, well just continue to be weird...

I'm back, bitches!

2010-06-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Good news everyone! I'm officially back on the grid as I used a Verizon wireless card to get my internet back meaning I'll be blogging like a mad fool. The bad news is that I'll be blogging like a mad fool.

(Most of it will be making fun of MooseJaw) By the way, these past few days without internet has been absolute torture.

Now I'll be able to update you all on the ins and outs of the fine state of Montana but first I would like to provide you all a counter-argument to everybody's worship about Ken Griffey Jr.

Sure he was basically the face of Seattle sports for years when he was with the Mariners but don't forget he left the Mariners. To go to the Reds. In Cincinnati. In the freaking' state of Ohio. And his career went into the tank after that.

As good as he was in Seattle, he was just as bad everywhere else and wasn't exactly Mr. Baseball when he came back to Seattle. I'll give that last year he was actually a big boost in the clubhouse. But this year he was falling asleep during games, which isn't a big deal in itself but it just goes to show you where he was in his career. He'll make a much bigger contribution as a clubhouse presence or coach - hopefully inside the Mariners' organization.

This doesn't tarnish his legacy but it's part of it. He came back to a rain check with the Mariners for the fans, not to better the team. Griffey is still one of the best players in the game all-time, and probably one of the clean ones, but don't omit certain parts of his career because of it. Everyone was calling for Griffey's head before the retirement and then once he announced it, he turns back into cuddly Griffey. What the heck?

Still love the guy, just being realistic.

Apparently some people can't hold their drinks

2010-05-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

So it was the big ol' going away party for me last night. Here are some images that obviously show that none of us can hold our alcohol.

MooseJaw with his usual chipper attitude.

Toby sporting probably the strongest drink out of any of us. I think I was enjoying Washington Apples and Mike's Hard Lemonade all night. That and Boones.

I'm showing off my batting stance in this one.

Goodbye Spokane! At least for the moment...

Seattle Crossing Guards FC

2010-05-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

So the Sounders defeated the Boca Juniors 3-0 last night in an international friendly match at Qwest Field. However, the bigger news was their highlighter colored jerseys.

Anyone's eyeballs hurt yet?

Hey guys! Have as much single-partner sex as you want

2010-05-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

We were worried for the sexual health of World Cup soccer players for a moment.

Argentina's World Cup doctor says the squad will be allowed to sleep with "regular partners...without champagne or other drinks" during the tournament since sex is "not a problem in itself."

Oh and they'll have hella nice toilets. Got to get rid of the condoms somewhere.

Is it about time to go to Roger Clemens?

2010-05-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

I mean, Yankees' starting pitching is struggling... might as well give it the ol' college try.

Venus Williams wants you to see her naked

2010-05-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Saw Outside the Lines this morning and Venus Williams claimed that her outfit in the French Open was a design choice. After all, she's an expert on fashion. And ass-bearing.

Danny talks to Samantha Steele

2010-05-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday's show, Danny got the chance to talk to FOX Sports sideline reports Samantha Steele. He may or may not have stumbled upon his words.

5-24-10 - Samantha Steele - Fox Sports by HansentheSwede

Ozzie Guillen likes to make fun of Cleveland

2010-05-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here's what White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen had to say to Cleveland via autographed balls...

Hey as a fan, I would be ecstatic to get a ball signed like this. Except for what he wrote next...

Is this the first time a manager has used LOL?
Found this on Deadspin.

Venus Williams.... ???

2010-05-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

ummm... what?

Scratch up an error on the safety crew

2010-05-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

What the heck is going on here?! Race car driver Giorgio Bartocci gets into a fiery wreck and the safety crew sits idly by while he burns in his car. This is ridiculous and the track should be held responsible for his injuries.

The least you could do is spray the driving compartment with the extinguishers... just a though.

Bartocci's Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 race car goes out of control and slams into the wall at the track in Brno, Czech Republic during the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo, which is the world's fastest one-make series. It's almost immediately engulfed and the driver struggles to escape the flaming wreckage. Instead of freeing the driver two track safety workers try to put the fire out — mostly by spraying the pavement with semi-functioning extinguishers.

No one seems to focus on actually removing the driver and a safety truck in the background nearly backs over someone. You also see another official trying to put out the fire from the grandstand before someone who knows what they're doing grabs it out of the guy's hands.

The driver's not freed until a minute later when one of his co-drivers and crewmembers eventually yank him from the melting car after running there from the pits. Numerous other track personal stand around as this happens, seemingly ambivalent to the fact there's a driver in there. Perhaps it's normal safety procedures at this track to have the two guys not in safety gear to rescue the driver, but it doesn't seem right.

Good job guys, you keep standing around in your fire-retardant suits while his unprotected buddies bail him out.

He wasn't napping through this fight

2010-05-22T13:09:00.001-07:00

This looks like any normal D-bag Chicago fan fight, but if you look closely...is it... ITS A GRIFFEY jersey!!!

Photo: Adam Morrison before the 'stache

2010-05-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

This is from the Sports Illustrated Vault, taken in 2003 of Adam Morrison in his dorm room. Wow.

A T-Rex can throw out a better first pitch than MooseJaw

2010-05-21T11:31:00.001-07:00

If you remember earlier this week, MooseJaw talked about how he couldn't get the ball to the dirt while throwing out the first pitch. Well I think he might have been one-upped by a prehistoric animal...

I'd like to see Lebron make this shot

2010-05-21T11:18:00.001-07:00

He'd probably refuse to get into the airplane and just hang out at the three-point line while his team lost by 20.

GRIFFEY IS THE BEST BASEBALL PLAYER EVER!

2010-05-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about how they should bench Junior for a more productive batter and then he goes and does this...

Griffey hits game-winning hit (and drives in Milton Bradley of all people)

I smell winning streak... okay I don't smell winning streak. Sadly this probably garuntees Griffey's spot in the lineup for at least two more months.

Madden just got awesome

2010-05-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Good God... is that Gus Johnson's music?! It is! The favorite March Madness commentator for CBS has just been signed as the play-by-play guy for Madden 11 - which if you have played the game recently you've noticed the commentary has sucked badly.

Now, get ready for "The runner... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Oh I can't wait.

Today, Johnson, the exciting and excitable CBS sportscaster, officially became the fourth play-by-play man to hold sports gaming's top booth job. Teased at the end of this video a month ago, Johnson's hiring is hardly a shocker, and neither are EA Sports' reasons for grabbing him. After nearly 20 years of often sedate, always straightforward calls by the likes of Pat Summerall and Al Michaels, Madden badly needed the kind of high-five-yourself enthusiasm Johnson imposes on a game.

"Coming out of Madden 10 one of the biggest criticisms was the audio presentation," said Ronnie Morales, an audio designer with EA Sports Tiburon, the studio behind the game. "We felt the game lacked the energy it deserved. Football is a dramatic sport."

The commentary was always something I thought was really cool as a kid but as I grew up I realized it was kind of lame. I mean how many times could you really enjoy John Madden talking about "Stick-em on the wide-recievers hands."

Gus Johnson will be a welcomed adition and hopefully the game comes with a "Gus Johnson head is exploding feature."

I think M's fans are really starting to hate these players

2010-05-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just how bad is it for Seattle fans right now? Last night, trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth against the Toronto Blue Jays, who does manager Don Wakamatsu put in to pinch hit?

That's right, Ken Griffey Jr. The same player that has been drawing the criticism of Mariners fans everywhere for being completely worthless at the plate. Coming in to pinch hit. On the verge of five straight losses. Ken Griffey Jr. That photo above is of Griffey harmlessly popping out - he didn't even get it to the outfield grass.

Then after Ichiro pops out, Figgins and Gutierrez get on base which brings up - MIKE SWEENEY!

The same player that has been drawing the criticism of Mariners fans everywhere for being completely worthless at the plate. Sweeney gave a ball a ride... right into the glove of of a Blue Jays outfielder and the Mariners lost their fifth straight, and are now 8.5 games out of the AL West lead.

Now I would take this time to announce that David Ortiz is back! I mean he's really hitting well now, but it pains me to see such suffering from Mariners fans so I wont even try and rub it in. Back-to-back, these have got to be the most painful losses by Seattle this year.

Why? Doug Fister pitched well. Eight innings, five strike outs, only allowed three runs. David Aardsma sealed up the ninth with two strikeouts. Figgins looks like he's starting to come around. But the two players that have been the epicenter of the Mariners woes this season crapped the bed.

Seriously, time to start rioting. Or just throwing those Griffey bobbleheads off high rises.

What's next for today? Randy Johnson scaling down from the rafters and hitting Felix in the back with a steel chair?

The mascots for the Olympics...

2010-05-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Further proof the English are a little weird, here are the mascots for the Olympics...

The one-eyed figures, called Wenlock and Mandeville, were unveiled at an east London school on Wednesday with organisers hoping they will inspire a generation of children and persuade their parents to contribute the £15 million the mascots are slated to raise in merchandising revenue.
Um....

Boston is just better than Seattle

2010-05-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

Let's compare this...

A vibrant east coast city with plenty of history (I mean didn't the Revolution start there) with classic sports teams that have championships and lore. A west coast city that is known for its grunge and coffee, not to mention a domed stadium that had a tendancy to drop concrete bricks onto unsuspecting seats.

Right now, the Boston Celtics are up 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals in the NBA, after basically being written off for being old and past their prime. Seattle? Well...

Oh yeah, ouch...

Now let's move to baseball. The Red Sox have been having a down year so far - just 20-20 on the season which is good enough for fourth place in the AL East. The Mariners are also fourth... in a four team division. With Brandon League on the roster. Ugh.

Whoah! The most feared closer in baseball!

Shall we compare football because that would just be ridiculous. Tom Brady vs. Matt Hasselbeck? Are you kidding me?

Between all the people on the show and their sports allegiances, Seattle, Cleveland and Boston. Come on, Boston wins by a landslide.

The ugly face of Steve Nash

2010-05-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

Good god man... from college to present... you're ugly.

Yuck.

Um... Tiger Woods ladies and gentlemen!

2010-05-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

Certainly not a subpar photo...

Want to see the Rocket's secret

2010-05-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Oh Roger Clemens, how funny are you right now?

Cleveland makes a song to get Lebron to stay

2010-05-18T15:09:00.001-07:00

For the love of the people in Cleveland, stay Lebron, otherwise they wont stop complaining...

NFL Player's career is over after golf cart incident

2010-05-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well this is more than a little depressing, and it might prevent me from ever going out on a golf course.

As a wildly irresponsible golf-cart driver, this brutal story hits slightly close to home.

Broncos offensive tackle Matt McChesney(notes) was knocking it around the links recently. He stopped and stepped out of his cart, and just as he did, another golf cart zoomed by and rolled over his ankle. The same ankle, unfortunately, that had to be surgically put back together after an injury last season.

There are reports that McChesney's going to retire. Mike Klis of the Denver Post says that while the Broncos want him back, McChesney "appears ready to enter the next phase of his life."

You never know what life's going to throw at you. This guy is 6 feet 4 inches and 307 pounds of gym-sculpted man-beast, and his career may have been ended playing a sport that encourages plaid pants and has only the word "fore" as a safety precaution. I'm sure I'll think of him the next time I have the urge to do something dumb in a golf cart.

Don't you think God could have been more kind and just struck him down dead with lightning?

The Preakness Potty Run

2010-05-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

What's the best event to get drunk at?

Football game? Nah you don't want some Pop Warner football parent to get made at you for ruining their child's exposure to pro football. I mean a loud, drunk person is way different than a loud, angry parent right?

Baseball game? Nah, you might get sick when you have to do the Chicken Dance in the eighth inning.

Hockey game? You don't really want to die from a wayward puck right?

Soccer game? No I was drunk and I ended up trying to steal fries from an Iranian man and his kid, not my proudest moment.

The answer is The PREAKNESS! This horse race in the fine state of Maryland is awesome, mainly because the infield consists of drunk people from Baltimore and College Park. Sheer mayhem and hi-jinks ensues.

Every fisherman should want this, right?

2010-05-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

For every true outdoorsman...

Tim Tebow can apparently go yard

2010-05-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

For all you Denver Broncos fans out there, if the Tebow thing doesn't work out - he could always just go play for the Rockies.

Tebow got in some whacks -- not at the critics who consider Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs for trading up to take Tebow in the first round of the NFL Draft.

No, these whacks came at batting practice with the high school kids on the Memphis University School baseball team.

Tebow hit 12 homers on 15 pitches.

...

Tebow played high school baseball before giving his heart to Gator football — winning a national championship, along with a Heisman, in the process. I don't know if he could have gone the way of Broncos legend John Elway, who played minor league ball in the Yankees system, but it's a notable near-parallel.

And yet if he did play the grand old game, you have to wonder if we'd be criticizing Tebow's batting stance and swing like we do his throwing motion.
Well now that you mention it... he could choke up on the bat a little.

Yesterday's Interviews: Shock, Horses and West

2010-05-14T14:36:00.000-07:00

Paul Zilm - our resident Preakness and horse racing expert.

5-13-10 - Paul Zilm - The Preakness by HansentheSwede

Aaron Robbins - Spokane Shock

5-13-10 - Aaron Robbins - Spokane Shock by HansentheSwede

Craig West - What would Craig say?

5-13-10 - Craig West by HansentheSwede

The World Cup is apparently being held on another continent

2010-05-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Whoops, I don't think that's South Africa.

Yesterday's Interviews - Cavs and UW Softball

2010-05-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Cavs beat reporter Jason Lloyd talks about Cleveland's collapse against Boston.

5-12-10 - Jason Lloyd - Cleveland Cavs by HansentheSwede

Heather Tarr - coach of University of Washington softball

5-12-10 - Heather Tarr - Washington Huskies Softball by HansentheSwede

MooseJaw does not approve of Cavs' loss

2010-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

You may have heard about how the Cavs season is on the brink after a terrible performance by Lebron James. Cleveland-native MooseJaw was so distraught, he had to call into the station in the morning and voice his concern to Danny. Here is the phone conversation.

5-12-10 - MooseJaw Phone Call - Cleveland Cavs by HansentheSwede

Eric Byrnes tearing it up in the softball leagues

2010-05-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

How did the Mariners ever let Eric Byrnes go?!?!

Yesterday's Interviews: Soccer and Slipper Still Fits

2010-05-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Here are our interviews from yesterday, first Zach from SlipperStillFits.com to talk some Gonzaga basketball.

5-11-10 - Zach - Slipper Still Fits by HansentheSwede

And here is Matt Gaschk from the Seattle Sounders to talk about how the soccer team is refunding season ticket holders after a 4-0 loss.

5-11-10 - Matt Gaschk - Seattle Sounders by HansentheSwede

We'll be on same time today. Tune in!

Going back to school...

2010-05-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

We hear about people that can't really grow past high school, the peak of their life being prom night, but this is probably the most extreme case we've seen.

Montimere led his old high school hoops team to the state semifinal before giving college ball a brief shot (at Highland Community College in Illinois.) When that didn't pan out, he dropped out of college and life ... until emerging in Odessa under a new name. He claimed to be parent-less and living with a half-brother—who was actually an old high school teammate. When the "brother" moved away, Permian head coach Danny Wright became his legal guardian, moving Montimere into his home. Because he was an immigrant, no one questioned his lack of school records or foreign birth certificate. It was the perfect plan.

Or it was until Montimere's old AAU coaches from Florida noticed "Jerry Joesph" playing at a tournament in Arkansas and realized it was the same kid. They tipped off authorities in Texas, but even federal immigration investigators concluded that Joseph and Montimere were two different people. However, even though "Joseph" didn't really exist he was in danger of being deported, so when confronted with his deception, Montimere confessed. Now everyone in the district is left scratching their heads.

I'm actually surprised more people haven't tried to do this. I mean if you have a baby face and an ability to forge an identity, why not relive your high school years? Other than the utter creepiness that follows it, hey, it's a fun time!

(And don't you think the AAU coach is a dick for tipping off the authorities about one of his former players. What an ass!)

The MLB network... has fewer viewers than PBS

2010-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

The MLB Network, apparently has some viewership issues, as in nobody watches it. The numbers are out and less that 100,000 people watch the newly launched network in prime-time. Apparently they're too busy watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" reruns.

In its first month of being rated by Nielsen, MLB Network is averaging less than 100,000 viewers in prime time, making its viewership more comparable to channels like Logo and Military Channel than to ESPN or Versus.

When the network launched 16 months ago to about 50 million subscribers, it became the most successful channel launch in cable history. Plus, the quality of its programming has been widely praised, as it took home four statues from last month’s Sports Emmy Awards, a record haul for a first-year network.

But viewership has been slow to follow suit.

Dude, when you're getting compared to the Military Channel, you know you're in trouble.

Featured Interview: Dave Cameron from USS Mariner

2010-05-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

The Mariners are falling apart!

There's no offense!

Griffey is falling asleep!

Time to bail on the M's right? Well come on, the season has just started. We talked with Dave Cameron from USSMariner.com about just how bad Mike Sweeney is (Can we bring back Jay Buhner?), the all important Griffey falling asleep in the clubhouse debacle and if the team has a chance to crawl back into this division race.

You can listen to the interview here.

5-10-10 - Dave Cameron - USS Mariner by HansentheSwede

Two videos you must watch

2010-05-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

A reporter screws up and does her own take on Tiger Woods' injury

See the horrific on-air mishap here.

Remember Yuniesky Betancourt and how much he sucks?

Here's proof he still sucks, just for the Royals now.

Enjoy, and remember, it's Monday, so we have the right to make fun of people.

Steve Nash scares small children

2010-05-10T14:37:00.001-07:00

Ahhh! Steve Nash either just got done with a playoff game involving Tonya Harding's body guard or he just started a royal rumble at a bar. Either or.

It might be the end for Griffey

2010-05-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

Get set for some serious drama, there's a bombshell about to drop in Seattle... Griffey hasn't been the "Mr. Teammate" this year that everyone expected. Now you can forgive his pitiful performance at the plate if he added something to the clubhouse but right now, he's not even doing that. Right now, he sells bobbleheads and that's about it.

That the rocking chair days are creeping near for Griffey doesn't come as much of a surprise. He's hitting .208/.265/.234 with no home runs and only two doubles in 83 plate appearances this season. He has struggled to recover from the left-knee surgery he had in the offseason and that he's 40 years old is evident to anybody who looks at him.

But what is surprising is that it's being reported that Griffey hasn't exactly been the teammate he has continually been touted to be. LaRue writes that there "have been times during games when [Griffey has] retired to the clubhouse, texted friends [and] watched the TV broadcast." Two players also told LaRue that Griffey wasn't available for a pinch-hit opportunity last week because he was asleep in the Mariners clubhouse. Yikes.

Falling asleep in the clubhouse? Was he getting too tired from giving out hugs along with Mike Sweeney. That's ridiculous and it's just in time to really make a poor season in Seattle even worse. Oh woe is the Mariners.

Featured Interview from last week: Jason Reid of Sonicsgate.org

2010-05-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last week we were able to talk to Jason Reid from Sonicsgate.org, a documentary about how the Seattle SuperSonics were stolen from the city of Seattle and it's fans. If you want more info, here is the trailer of the documentary...

You can also watched the entire documentary at Sonicsgate.org. I highly recommend it, and afterward you'll probably want to throw something after thinking about how the Sonics were taken from us. Here is our interview with Reid on the radio show...

5-7-10 SonicsGate - Jason Reid by HansentheSwede

Dallas Braden doesn't want you to touch his mound

2010-05-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden, most famous for throwing a tissy fit after A-Rod crossed over the pitcher's mound to get to first base, has made history. Braden has just pitched the 19th perfect game in the history of the MLB.

What's that mean? Well just be glad it was against the Tampa Bay Rays and not the Mariners. Although after watching SportsCenter and seeing the Mariners getting no-hit through six and then cheering when Griffey broke up the no-hitter in an 8-0 loss... yeah it's going to be a long season, and perhaps the lineup getting no-hit or perfect gamed would be the most memorable thing this season for the Mariners. That or Cliff Lee wearing a jet pack out on the mound so he can jettison to his next big contract team after his last start for the M's. It's going to happen. Trust me.

As for A-Rod? Well Braden's grandmother has apparently told him to go "stick it."

I love old people.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

From the Locker Room, have a Happy Mother's Day!

Scarves down

2010-05-08T19:25:00.000-07:00

This one was brutal, ladies and gentlemen.

The Seattle Sounders suffered their worst ever loss at the hands of the LA Galaxy, dropping today's match 4-0 at Qwest Field in front of a record crowd of 36,273 fans. Most of those people promptly went to Puget Sound and jumped in with their scarves.

LA improved to a league-leading 7-0-1 in the MLS, which is pretty good, in case you hadn't noticed. However, that's not important because nobody on this blog cares about Los Angeles. There's smog. Seattle drops to fifth place in the Western Conference at 2-2-3. Ack!

It's panic time, as another professional sports team in Seattle is struggling heavily.

Fan gets tasered, Tiger wishes somebody tased him

2010-05-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

I hope we have more tasering during sports. In fact, lets start tasering players. If a closer blows a save, tase his butt. If somebody gets PI during a big football game, zap the heck out of him. Although lets not do it too much because I still want people to heckle Tiger Woods.

A drunken golf fan got the shock of his life Friday when cops Tasered him after he refused to stop heckling Tiger Woods on the 11th hole of The Players Championship.

Travis Parmelee, 36, of Jacksonville, Fla., was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest, officials said.

Security guards at the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., tournament told Parmelee to stop yelling several times before calling the sheriff, who dispatched deputies to make an arrest.

Capt. Dave Messenger said officers attempted to calm Parmelee down, but he became more combative. When they tried to take Parmelee into custody, he resisted - and was Tasered once.

Oh and Tiger is -4, tied for 45th place. FAAANTASTIC.

Breaking down the All-NBA teams

2010-05-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

Breaking down the All-NBA teams for you. Seriously, this is big-time analysis.

First Team
C - Dwight Howard - Shoulders are wider than Rosanne Barr.
F - LeBron James - MooseJaw's mancrush.
F - Kevin Durant - Seattle fans should stay away from sharp objects.
G - Kobe Bryant - Still can't get Kobe's photoshoot out of my head.
G - Dwyane Wade - Charles Barkley should also be mentioned for the assist with this naming. He makes Dwayne Wade in those T-Mobile commercials.

Second Team
C - Amar'e Stoudemire - Now if he could stop calling everybody part of the 12 tribes of Israel.
F - Dirk Nowitzki - I'm glad Dirk Nowitzki is alive and well after his latest choke job.
F - Carmelo Anthony - His first name sounds like a candy bar.
G - Deron Williams - Might be the holder of the "worst hair in the NBA" award.
G - Steve Nash - Wait, nevermind.

Third Team
C - Andrew Bogut - Sadly, his elbow was not named to the third team, since it disintegrated in Bogut's horrible season-ending injury.
F - Tim Duncan - (Staring blankly at the screen with nothing to say)
F - Pau Gasol - If Pau ever comes out with a rap video, we will all be for the better.
G - Joe Johnson - He'd be cooler if his name was John Johnson.
G - Brandon Roy - Wish Brandon Roy was higher on this list. What the hell?

The Pirates seem to be losing everything these days...

2010-05-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

We're all about the heart-warming stories here in the Locker Room. Here's an excellent story about how an 11-year old returned a World Series ring to its rightful owner using the internet.

Merrill Hess, a former Pittsburgh Pirates scout who's now 83, recently lost the ring he was awarded after the Bucs won the 1960 World Series. He wasn't quite sure where he had misplaced it, but it turned up when 11-year-old Kate Drury found it on the floor of a snack bar at a New Jersey ice rink. She immediately alerted the rink manager of the find, but no one showed up to claim it. (Hess was thinking he might have left it in Florida while on vacation.)

A curious Kate then posted a question about the ring on Yahoo! Answers, which led to Hess' daughter Arlan finding her through an Internet search. The two parties soon connected and Kate was only too happy to return the jewelry to its rightful owner.

I know what you're thinking, somebody still uses Yahoo! and the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series? Shocking on all levels but it does make for an excellent story.

Check out the hyphen shirts!

2010-05-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Remember this commercial?

Well now, according to Twitter, they're selling hyphen shirts at the team store. Awesome!

Our Media Madness Trophy

2010-05-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

We finally got our trophy for our Media Madness Champion, Sean Widmer. What do you think about it?

Tuesday and Wednesday's audio

2010-05-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, here is some audio from our last two days of the show. Sorry for the delay, I was out of town yesterday.

5-5-10 - GSL Insider

5-5-10 - GSL Insider by HansentheSwede

5-5-10 - Brian McIntyre of NorthwestFootball.net

5-5-10 - Brian McIntyre - NorthWestFootball.net by HansentheSwede

5-5-10 - Jason Pitt - Chewelah Golf Course

5-5-10 - Jason Pitt - Chewelah Golf Course by HansentheSwede

5-4-10 - Tim Speltz - Spokane Chiefs

5-4-10 - Tim Speltz - Spokane Chiefs by HansentheSwede

5-4-10 - Chris Fetters - Dawgman.com

5-4-10 - Chris Fetters - Dawgman.com by HansentheSwede

5-4-10 - Bo Levi Mitchell - Quarterback of the EWU Eagles

5-4-10 - Bo Levi Mitchell - EWU Eagles by HansentheSwede

Lady Zags in WNBA unis

2010-05-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Gonzaga University head women's basketball coach Kelly Graves tweeted some photos of the Zag players who made the leap to the WNBA, Vivian Frieson and Heather Bowman. Check these out!

Vivian

Heather

Electron Boy saves the day

2010-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

You need a feel-good story for the day? Here is 13-year old Erik Martin. He has always wanted to be a superhero, however he's living with Liver Cancer. The Make-A-Wish Foundation did one of the coolest things I've ever heard about to make Martin's wish come true.

Erik, who is living with liver cancer, has always wanted to be a superhero. On Thursday, the regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation granted him that wish with an elaborate event that involved hundreds of volunteers in Bellevue and Seattle.

The local chapter, which serves four states, grants more than 300 wishes every year to children with life-threatening medical conditions, but only a few of them involve so many participants.

Pulling off a wish like this one required a big story, and a lot of heart. And so, with a note of panic in his voice, Spider-Man explained the dilemma: "Dr. Dark" and "Blackout Boy" had imprisoned the Seattle Sounders in a locker room at Qwest Field. Only Electron Boy could free them.

What followed was an epic comic book-like story that had Martin saving the day. Click on the link to get the full story. It's pretty amazing.

Word of advice, don't run out on the field

2010-05-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

You've probably heard about the teen that was tasered by Phillies security for running out on the field. There has been some question brought up whether or not he should have actually been tasered.

Now I understand that perhaps the guard didn't have to go to that length, you really don't know the situation until after the fact. I know it's a teenager, but he could still be dangerous, you just don't know. The taser is an effective non-lethal method to bring him down. Is that more violent than say tackling the kid? I don't think so.

How about this. DONT RUN OUT ONTO THE FIELD.

Yesterday's Interviews: Cameron and Allen

2010-05-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here is our interview with Dave Cameron of USS Mariner.com about just how badly the M's are doing right now.

5-3-10 - Dave Cameron - USS Mariner by HansentheSwede

Here is our interview with Percy Allen of the Seattle Times about the Washington Huskies football Spring Game and the recruitment of Terrence Jones.

5-3-10 - Percy Allen - Washington Huskies by HansentheSwede

You can also download the interview files by clicking on the Recent Audio on the sidebar.

Terrence Jones 360 dunk

2010-05-03T21:34:00.000-07:00

Toby wanted this photo put on the blog. At least for now, he's heading to the University of Washington. Wow

Passing interference, anybody?

2010-05-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the final play of the Spokane Shock game. Is that passing interference by the Cleveland defender? Just a though...

What the hell Kobe?

2010-05-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant recently did a story with LA Times Magazine and they though that this would be the perfect way to showcase the Los Angeles Lakers star. Um okay.

Better start off this Monday with a monster hockey check

2010-05-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

I love the fake disgust by the commentator when secretly you know he was thinking "Holy crap, he just owned the goalie."

We interrupt this blog for more NBA playoffs commentary

2010-05-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Lakers win! They advance to the second round of playoffs after disposing of the Thunder, formerly the Sonics. However, Kobe didn't make the game-winning shot to send the Oklahoma City Thunder packing. That was Pau Gasol's move. That obviously means Kobe is old and should probably retire next year. Trust me. He's had it. Completely done for.

Now up for the Lakers? The Utah Jazz. Why am I so excited for LA? Because I want them to eviserate the boring Jazz. Nobody likes them except for the state of Utah. Their players and bland. I couldn't care less about their coach. Stockton is gone. Malone is gone They have no flashy stars. Even their Fox Sports Net broadcasts are terribly bland and boring.

The sooner they can leave the playoffs the better and apparently Denver wasn't up to the task. That kind of happens when your coach gets throat cancer. If you want to cry a lot, watch the ESPN report they did on George Karl while he's watching the Nuggets from home and getting cancer treatment. If you down shed a tear, you're not human.

This second round should be very interesting, I don't think we're going to get any sweeps.

Remember Dustin Tokarski?

2010-05-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Yeah, he was pretty good for the Chiefs, bringing a Memorial Cup to Spokane. He's now doing some business for his NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tokarski, 20, is generally regarded as the Lightning’s top prospect in the their minor league system, despite being a late fifth-round draft pick, 122nd overall, in 2008. He has known hockey all his life, but did not seriously consider mastering the position of goaltender until he was 13-years-old, just four years before making his junior league debut in net for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Yet, from an outsider’s viewpoint, consideration of his late decision to man the crease followed by early success only compliments his growing, yet already impressive resume.

Just remember, Tokarski saves.

Yesterday's Interviews

2010-04-30T14:02:00.000-07:00

4-29-10 - Tim Speltz of the Spokane Chiefs

4-29-10 - Tim Speltz - Spokane Chiefs by HansentheSwede

4-29-10 - Jason Churchill of Prospect Insider.com

4-29-10 - Jason Churchill - Seattle Mariners by HansentheSwede

4-29-10 - Craig West of the Tri-City Americans

4-29-10 - CraigWest - Tri City Americans by HansentheSwede

Walter Jones, the toughest guy named Walter ever

2010-04-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

What do you say about this guy? After he announced he retirement, I felt a tinge of "hey hold on, so we wont get to make the joke about Walter Jones skipping training camp again?"

To his credit, he has a kidney condition that doesn't allow him to take painkillers that are stronger than say Tylenol. Wow. It takes a man to play football like that. And in 13 years of playing tackle for the Seahawks, he was called for holding just nine times. Are you kidding me?

Thank you Walter Jones, you may have the record for "offensive lineman I traded for the most when starting a franchise on Madden". I think Shaq would refer to you as a video game cheat code.

Here is some highlights of Jones. Check out the old school Seahawks jersey in this video too. Classic!

Time to put your NBA caps on

2010-04-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hold your horses, the San Antonio Spurs are lurking.

After knocking off the No. 2 seed in the NBA playoffs, expect choke artists extraordinaire Dallas, the San Antonio Spurs move on to play the No. 3 Phoenix Suns in the second round. Now with the Lakers struggling to mop up Oklahoma and the Denver/Utah series putting everyone to sleep, shouldn't we start looking at the Spurs?

Arguably the best team of this last decade, you can never count out a team with a championship pedigree like the Spurs regardless of their regular season performance. They struggled with injuries and finding a consistent lineup all year but those problems seem to have been worked out. Also consider that Tim Duncan is notorious for being unspectacular but steady for much of the season and then finding his moment to explode for monster games. Sure he's older, but nobody saves himself for better moments than Duncan. Parker looks like he's back into the swing of things and Ginobili's nose could probably guard Steve Nash by itself at this moment.

So as much as it pains me to say (and I really think the Spurs are way to dull for my liking), you can't ignore these guys at this point. They're like the wily vet at a poker table - never just assume they're over the hill.