Z.V. Sanders's Seattle Sonics fan blog

Ryan Rowland-Smith's debut as a starter was unspectacular. His line:

5.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 103 pitches

To elaborate farther, Rowland-Smith did not have a great overall outing. He only had 8 ground balls compared to 7 flyballs and 4 line drives. 

So much for Tacoma helping him out, huh.  Im hoping Morrow will be a bit better in his return. With Jarrod Washburn on the way out, and Batista being in the bullpen, there will be plenty of starts for the young guns in the majors this year.

If the prospects the Mariners have work out on the pitching end of things, assuming Aumont isn't another Ryan Anderson, here is the projected rotation in a few years:

1. Felix Hernandez
2. Brandon Morrow
3. Ryan Rowland-Smith
4. Philipe Aumont

Continue reading "Rowland-Smith falters in return"

Here is the beginning to my Seahawks preview. I will be going through position by position and previewing the year each position will have. Today: QB. To the depth chart we go.

1. Matt Hasselbeck: Finally becoming a household name around the NFL, Hasselbeck had his best statistical season last year. He ranked 8th in the NFL in passing yards (3,996) and 6th in TD's (28). On an even better note, he had more then twice as many TD passes as INT's.

2. Seneca Wallace: How long he will be the #2 is up in the air. Holmgren trusts him with the ball, but would prefer to have him returning punts and kicks, and the occasional receiving down. I personally think that Seneca would be a great backup, because he allows you to change the pace of the game if Matt went down. Wallace was impressive in the first preseason game against the Vikings, going 15/20 with 165 yards and 3 TDs. He has shown flashes of brilliance at QB during regular games as well, mainly two years ago when he stepped in when Matt had to miss extended time. Look for him to be the #2 QB, but also be a key part of special teams.

Continue reading "Seahawks Position Preview: Quarterback"

I hope Mark Cuban was watching when Germany handled Angola, 95-66.

Dirk showed when he was at his best. No, not against extremely sub-par talent (true as that may be), but when he has a big man who can score inside on his team. Dirk was allowed to roam around the perimeter, and drive without drawing double teams. 

Dirk and Chris Kaman (Clippers) combined for the first 13 of Germany's points, and for 47 of the 95 overall. Kaman looked to be the more dominant player, taking control of the paint on the offensive end.

Maybe this is a sign of things to come for their respective NBA teams. The Clippers have a shot to make the playoffs and win a series, while the Mavericks are falling fast with their lack of a respectable Center.

Pay attention to the Olympics Mark Cuban, you just might get some ideas.

Continue reading "Dirk and Kaman too much to handle"

On Wednesday, the Seahawks took the first snaps at their new practice and training facility. Although the Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) will not officially be open until the 18th, the Seahawks saw fit to begin using the facility.

The facility is located between Interstate-405, and Lake Washington in Renton. It includes 4 fields, one of which is artificial turf and located indoors. The locker room is enormous, and the facility itself is huge. Some players even remarked that the facility was so big, they didn't have time to walk through the whole thing because their legs got tired.

With a top of the line facility, will the Seahawks be a top of the line franchise and win the big game this year? Lets see how much impact VMAC will have.

Continue reading "Hawks break in new digs"

Recently, I also did a rundown of a few of the teams that could be the busiest come deadline day. Now, a look at the specific players that could be moving:

Catcher

Bengie Molina, Giants: Both the Yankees and Marlins have been said to approached the Giants about the catcher. Both of those teams have had injuries to the position lately, and could be looking for an immediate replacement. The price has been said to be turning some off of the idea. You have to remember, you are not just getting a replacement catcher, you are getting one that can hit and knows what it takes to win a title. I'm secretly rooting for the Yanks to acquire him, because who doesn't want an all Molina catching squad? Now if only Yadier was for sale.....

Others: Greg Zaun (Blue Jays); Gerald Laird (Rangers)

Continue reading "The Trading Post: Player Edition"

This is one of the times of the year where the General Managers around baseball really make their money. Some have already done their job (Billy Beane), and some still have pieces to sell. Some GM's will do much more work then others over the next 3+ days, but all will probably be fielding or making phone calls this week. Some teams who look to be busy, and the situation they are in:

Boston Red Sox:
Could be busy, but could be utterly dormant. With the Sox making it perfectly clear that they are fed up with Manny, and Manny telling ESPNdeportes that he would welcome a trade, the ball is in Theo's court. If he trades Manny, it will be almost impossible to acquire a player who could become his automatic replacement and contribute in the playoff race. What would the Sox even ask for? They are solid in the prospect department at SP, 2B, SS, OF. They are also locked up at almost every other position. I don't even have a clue of who could make a run at Ramirez. Possibly the Mets, who have some prospects to offer. I do NOT expect Manny to be dealt, but his option is sure as hell not getting picked up for next year.

Continue reading "Whats a GM to do? : Trade Deadline Talks"

Good news Mariners' fans, Putz is back! Although the Saves he may acquire are completely worthless this season, they could be good for next year. Every good outing that Putz completes will only help his possible trade value. Putz will not be around for long, but will most likely complete the season in Seattle. With the M's drafting Closer Josh Fields in the first-round of this years draft, Putz is not the future (especially because of his age).

To make room for Putz, the Mariners optioned Ryan Rowland-Smith down to AAA Tacoma. Rowland-Smith will use his time down in Tacoma to work on building up his stamina and mentallity so he may become a starting pitcher.

The whole point of sending R.R-S. down is so the Mariners will have a quality starting prospect inside the system. What about Phillipe Aumont? How about drafting one? Brandon Morrow was supposed to be a starter, what happened to that? 

Continue reading "Putz is back, Rowland-Smith is down"

Even though Jim Riggleman has said Bedard could now be back before August, the chances of him being traded are low. Originally, it was almost a lock that the Canadian would be traded before the deadline in order to help refresh the minor league system. Now, it seems he is a lock not too.

First off, no one really wants him. He has a terrible attitude to have in your clubhouse, espically from your supposed ace. He also has some what of a daunting contract, and will need to be extended soon. The injury problems this year and in years past have not helped the issue much either.

Secondly, the one team that seemed legitimately interested now has the pitcher they wanted. The Phillies were the only team reported to have taken a look at Bedard, and have traded for former Athletics Starter Joe Blanton.

Continue reading "Mariners poised to keep Bedard"

The Clippers just replaced Elton Brand. Well, sort of.

The Nuggets basically just gave the defensive ace to the Clips. The only thing Denver received in return is the option to swap second round picks in 2010. This was a cut and dry salary dump from the Nuggets, who have 5 other players at 10 million or more for next season. The problem will be the team's defense. The only thing that kept the Nuggets from being great was a lack of defensive play. Camby was just about the only player committed to defense every night. Who will stop teams from dropping 120 on the Nuggets now?

Not only will the Nuggets have lower salaries for next season, but the 2009 offseason should be a good one in Denver. With A.I. and Chucky Atkins' salaries expiring after this season, the team could be far under the cap (especially if they can find someone to pay Steven Hunter. They would still have good pieces to build around: Nene, Melo, JR Smith, and Linas Kleiza are all under the age of 26, and would be a good building block for the future.

Continue reading "What were they thinking? Camby to the Clippers"

I am glad it was July 11th. Having that free 7.11 oz slurpee was a blessing in the summer heat. Lets go over what has happened on 7/11.

Football: Brett Favre wants his release. This is an interesting story. I never put pen to paper on this, but I always maintained (as did Tony from PTI) that Favre would be back for the season. Favre wants to play, but the Packers want to move on. What to do, what to do? If I am Favre, the first teams I look at are Minnesota and Baltimore.

Minnesota already has a great running game, a line that can watch his back and a defense that is good enough to win. Add an effective QB, and you have a winning team. Baltimore still has the core of the defense that won the title. They have a good young RB, but their WR core and O-Line is not all that special.

Continue reading "A Day In Review: 7/11"