Multiple sources have confirmed that Jefferson High School (Portland, Ore.) basketball recruit Terrence Jones is not yet a member of the Washington Huskies.
Along with former high school teammate Terrence Ross, Jones announced in a press conference on Friday afternoon that he would be committing to play college basketball at the University of Washington. Shortly thereafter, the story took a turn for the worse for Dawg fans.
Reports indicate that minutes after the press conference was complete, Jones received a phone call from University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari. Jones then spoke with Calipari for approximately fifteen minutes with what Percy Allen of The Seattle Times described as a “pained” look about him.
Following the phone conversation with Calipari, Jones huddled in the gym with his close friends and family to further discuss his decision. The Letter of Intent he was supposed to send to Washington and coach Lorenzo Romar remained untouched nearby.
Interestingly enough, Jones admitted to reporters earlier in the afternoon that he was unsure of his college choice up until the moment he made his decision by picking a Washington hat off a table in the midst of the press conference. That uncertainty apparently carried over into the evening.
You all know the stats (just 23 sacks in over 5,000 passing attempts, with two of those being relinquished in a 2008 game where he was injured).
You all know about the longevity (13 seasons with the Seahawks, 180 games played, 180 games started).
You all know about the greatness (Mike Holmgren once referred to Walter as the greatest offensive player he had ever coached, while a laundry list of superstar defensive players have called him the toughest opponent they’ve ever faced).
What you may not know is that Walter Jones was so ridiculously obscure, so humble, and so underrated for what he did that a Google Image search returns more pictures of the guy by the same name who played the original black Power Ranger than of No. 71.
Yep. It’s kind of funny the way you don’t notice a great offensive lineman until he’s gone. And Walter was once of the greatest. Ever.
We wish you well, Walter. And we’ll see you in five years, in Canton.
As the saying goes, it’s only a problem if you have a solution. And frankly, when it comes to the Mariners’ designated hitter tandem of Mike Sweeney and Ken Griffey Jr., solutions are nowhere to be found.
Much has been made in recent days of the hitting woes shared by two veterans with 76 years of life between them (Sweeney is 36; Griffey, 40). Their combined batting average is .211 (16-for-76). They have managed just one extra-base hit (a double, by Griffey). They have produced a grand total of six RBI. They have eight bases on balls to their credit, but mitigate the on-base percentage with their 14 strikeouts. To say that the Mariners’ DH position is a veritable black hole would be entirely accurate.
But let’s be real for a minute. What other options does the team have?
The University of Washington lost its president on Tuesday when Mark Emmert opted to take on the same role with the NCAA. Somehow, I can’t blame him.
Despite a limited background in college sports, Emmert was a visible figure in the athletic departments at each of his last two schools, Washington and Louisiana State. As chancellor at LSU, Emmert was largely credited with helping build the foundation that brought the school two BCS National Football Championships. At Washington, he replaced embattled athletic director Todd Turner with current AD Scott Woodward, and also played a significant role in the hiring of football coach Steve Sarkisian.
With Emmert moving on to Indianapolis to hold court over the world of collegiate athletics, the UW will undoubtedly begin a search for the next president at Washington. While we will likely not be solicited for advice during the hiring process, we’d humbly like to suggest 11 viable candidates who could capably step into the role of Top Dawg and fill Emmert’s shoes.
11. Beverly Cleary
She’s the author of those Ramona chapter books you read as a kid.
In case you missed it, the University of Oregon just hired former Creighton head basketball coach Dana Altman (pictured, at right) to assume the same position in Eugene. While Altman is a decent enough guy with an above-average coaching pedigree, he was probably the school’s tenth or eleventh choice for the vacant post previously held by the infamous Ernie Kent.
The Ducks began their well-chronicled search for a strong basketball mind over a month ago when they fired Kent after 13 seasons at the helm. After attempting to lure a plethora of big-name coaches with large sums of money (Mark Few, Tom Izzo, Tubby Smith, Jamie Dixon, just to name a few), the university was forced to adjust their qualifications for the ideal job candidate. We came across their most recent want ad a few days ago on CraigsList. Take a look.
Head Basketball Coach (Eugene, OR)
Date: 2010-04-20, 12:00 PM PDT
Reply to: job-bhpcgs-1712412759@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]Semi-prestigious university based in Eugene, Oregon is seeking a head coach for its men’s basketball program.
The other day I happened to be watching the Mariners play in Chicago when a White Sox hitter sent a deep fly ball to left field.
The screaming liner was headed towards the corner, hooking towards the foul line, when left fielder Eric Byrnes came hustling over and made a last-ditch effort to secure the flying object by diving face first into the warning track.
He fell just short of his target, but no matter. In this case, it was the effort that told the story.
That Byrnes was able to pick himself up in one piece was a victory in and of itself. The double that resulted in the aftermath of the play was barely worth a second thought.
A few years back, I unknowingly spawned the birth of a legend when I selected LenDale White in the second round of the Pearce Fantasy League keeper draft. Between the 36 players who were kept by the 12 teams in our league, as well as the 12 players who had been taken in the first round, I was left with few options besides the Tennessee Titans’ starting running back.
Little did I know that White wasn’t exactly in the best shape of his life and was about to have his job stolen by the evil Chris Johnson. It didn’t help any that Johnson wasn’t taken until the final few rounds of the draft, after every starter and most backups were already off the board.
And so it was that I was left with LenDale.
Tennessee’s featured back initially, the erratic White kicked off the ’08 campaign by rushing for five touchdowns in the season’s first four games. To say I was pleased would be an understatement. In a typical fantasy season, my best players are usually obtained via free agency or trade. I’m more or less the George Steinbrenner of fake sports.
White kept his tremendous season going with five touchdowns in weeks seven and eight, alone. That put him at 10 scores already for the year. No easy feat through just seven contests (the Titans had a bye in week six).
The only thing that could disappoint me in 2010 is to witness the Seahawks piece together a mediocre season. Not a bad season. Not a good season. But very specifically, a mediocre season.
Anywhere between, say, five and eight wins would be what I consider a disappointment.
Nine wins or more? Great.
Four wins or less? Fantastic.
As long as we can avoid the uncoveted middle-of-the-road, I’ll be thrilled.
You may ask yourself why I’d be forecasting an entire season this way. It’s simple, really. I either want this team to go to the Superbowl or finish poorly enough to be in position to draft Jake Locker.
4:38 PM: With the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select QB Sam Bradford. Anyone else think he looks like Phil Nelson on steroids? This might just be me. Anyways, moving on to whoever gets to be the next Lions bust…
4:44 PM: Detroit surprises no one by selecting the guy with the first name that means “House of spears” in whatever language they speak in Cameroon. Seriously. But with a last name like Suh, I’ll be honest — a few months ago I thought he was at least half-Korean. Of course, the real task here will be for Suh to try his hardest to fail in the NFL. These are the pressures of being a Lions draft pick.
Word has it that the Seattle Storm have been hijacked and relocated to Oklahoma City. Not that you care.
Anyways, they’ve been replaced by the Seattle Bing. So enjoy that.
The team is reportedly looking into signing Chandler Bing, thus making him the first WNBA player in history to wear his name on the front and back of his jersey. The fact that he has a penis and is therefore likely not eligible to be a part of the league is irrelevant. Likewise, the fact that he is fictional is also irrelevant.
For those not in the know, Bing is the name of Microsoft’s new search engine launched within the past year. Apparently, AdultFriendFinder wasn’t willing to put up the same advertising dollars for product placement across these ladies’ chests. Go figure.
The Mariners announced this morning that lefty Cliff Lee was the recipient of the American League Simulated Pitcher of the Month Award for April.
Lee, acquired in the offseason from the Philadelphia Phillies, went 4-0 in simulated pitching appearances over the past three weeks. His dominant performance was enough to land him the award with nine days remaining in the season’s opening month.
“It feels great to be recognized,” said Lee in a press conference, “but it’s really all about the championship for me. The individual accolades are nice, but I’m here to help this ballclub win a ring.”
Considered the early front runner for the AL Simulated Cy Young Award, Lee has baffled simulated hitters with an assortment of fastballs, breaking balls, and change-ups that may or may not be real. His ability to work the corners and open the simulated strike zone is lauded by his imaginary coaches, and even opponents recognize what they are up against.
You may remember a few months ago when I posted this article about a review that some dude (me) did on Safeco Field. Well, after more than half a year, the website that the review was written for — StadiumJourney.com — is now up and running. You can also find them in the links section of the site over on the lefthand sidebar.
To briefly explain my stance on the review (which was written back in August, by the way), I tried to be critical of the things that most Seattle sports fans are critical of when it comes to Safeco, and likewise tried to embrace the things we tend to embrace.
*Note before reading: The following article and attached link ARE safe for work, so long as the word “penis” doesn’t raise any eyebrows around the office. There are no R-rated photos here.
According to Deadspin.com, an anonymous source has come forward with a naked cell phone photo of Mariners closer David Aardsma. Yes, really.
The source reportedly contacted local news website SeattleMet.com with the information, which was then forwarded over to Deadspin. To quote the source directly:
“To whom it may concern:
I have a photo of Seattle Mariners pitcher David Aardsma that may be of interest to your magazine publication. Sent to my phone directly from Mr. Aardsma (camera phone of Mr. Aardsma clearly displayed in the picture itself) showing subject in VERY compromising position (i.e. fully nude). Considering his marital status and prominent position in the Seattle community, this photo necessitates significant attention. Due to the recent media coverage of Tiger Woods’ similar situation, this topic is rather timely & appropriate in nature.
If you have any interest in acquiring this photo, feel free to contact me through this email address. Thank you for your time.
M.S.”
From a social perspective, this is interesting, to say the least.
My only gripe with Doug Fister these days is that he hasn’t accepted my friend request on Facebook. Not that I’m holding it against him, or anything. Hell, Fisty could rob a bank tomorrow and no one would care. He’s that good.
I could give you a game recap from last night, but that’s not really my thing. I suggest you support The Seattle Times and read what the talented reporters over there have to say. They’re truly the best in the business and they don’t get enough love for what they do.
That said, I’ll briefly sum it up by saying that any back-end-of-the-rotation guy who can carry a no-hitter into the latter stages of a game (the 7th inning, in Fister’s case) might be a little better than everyone is giving him credit for. And that’s Doug Fister in a nutshell.
Fister is clearly not the prototype. Sure, at 6’8″ he may possess ideal size, but he’s a gentle giant. If Roger Clemens was the type of pitcher who stung like a bee, than Fister is the Rocket’s distinct foil: he floats like the most graceful of butterflies.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Jefferson High School (Portland, Ore.) basketball recruit Terrence Jones is not yet a member of the Washington Huskies.
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