Sounders head up north to face their rival Vancouver Whitecaps

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders make their first trip to BC Place as they take on the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Cascadia Derby. Last year, the Sounders defeated the Whitecaps on the road 3-1 in Vancouver's final match at Empire Field thanks to two second half goals from Fredy Montero. The Whitecaps are off to a good start so far with a 5-3-2 record (17 points), however they've been short of goals. With stars like Eric Hassli and Camilo Sanvezzo in place, the Whitecaps added a familiar face to the Sounder nation, his name is Sebastien Le Toux. They've also looked better Defensively with the addition of Martin Bonjour and Lee Young-Pyo and in the Midfield with a couple new faces like Matt Watson and Jun Marques Davidson. It's just a question of how the French connection will shape up with Vancouver and whether or not they're ready to compete with the big clubs, which they're not.

The Sounders are coming off a 1-0 loss last Saturday at home to Real Salt Lake after a poor second half display. Good news though, Alvaro Fernandez is back in the starting 11 after making his return last Saturday as a sub for David Estrada who's really struggling. This will be the first time that Fredy Montero, Mauro Rosales, Eddie Johnson and Alvaro Fernandez are all in the starting lineup together. A good opportunity for the Sounders to inch closer to the top spot in the Western Conference after that tough loss last Saturday.


Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Sounders, Michael Gspurning did not make the trip so that means he's out. Patrick Ianni, Brad Evans and Leo Gonzalez have also been ruled out. The rest of the guys out for the Sounders are Josh Ford, Michael Tetteh, Steve Zakuani and Babayele Sodade. Alvaro Fernandez was listed as probable, but he's on the squad and ready to go.

Vancouver Whitecaps - For Vancouver, Bryan Sylvestre is out after having right knee surgery. I think that was last year he had it and he's still recovering. Atiba Harris is listed as questionable with a right quad contusion. He has made four appearances this season after making appearances in the first five matches of last year, but he's missed the last two.


A lot of Soccer to be played on Saturday. We got the NPower Championship, which the second division of English football. West Ham United and Blackpool will square off in that match kicks off at 7am on FOX Soccer. The winner of that match will book their place in the Premier League next season along with Reading and Southampton. Just to recap the teams that are relegated from the Premier League, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers. So there's that match. Then at 11:30am, it's the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea and much to the delight of the Munich supporters, the final will be at Bayern's home ground Allianz Arena which was chosen to host this years final. So even if Bayern didn't make it to the final, the match would still be at Allianz Arena. Then shortly afterwards, the Sounders and the Whitecaps kickoff at 2pm. So I'm going to have a pretty busy day recapping these matches.

SSB Weekly Rant: May 12-18th edition

By Kshell

This week on the 32nd anniversary of Mt. St. Helens erupting which shook up the northwest for the worst especially my home town down in South Washington I'll be doing my weekly rant. The mountain erupting is very symbolic of the Seattle Mariners who have lost four games in a row and are currently 1-6 on this road trip. The Mariners should have did what the Seahawks are doing under Pete Carroll which is blow the team up completely instead of messing around with washed up veterans. Anyways with the NBA playoffs going on and today marking the 16th season of interleague play in baseball there is plenty to talk about this week. I'll start off with the baseball talk as the Mariners are taking on the Colorado Rockies.

This weekend the Seattle Mariners take on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. The Mariners are 13-12 all-time against the Rockies but only 4-7 at Coors Field. The Mariners first ever interleague game was against the Rockies at the old Kingdome in which the Mariners won 12-11 back in 1997 in which Bobby Ayala recorded the save. The Mariners dominated this series early on from 1997-2002 going 12-7 against the Rockies but have gone just 1-5 since. I know some fans are tired of interleague play but personally I still like it. I know with free agency you have the chance to see most every player but there are some you don't get a chance to see.  It was nice seeing Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, Greg Maddux and Sammy Sosa playing at Safeco Field. It was nice seeing Ken Griffey Jr having his return to Seattle which let him know that the city of Seattle still loves him so he could return in 2009(I'll pretend 2010 never happened). I think interleague play still has a place in this game and was one of the better things that Bud Selig has ever done in his time as commisioner.

The Miami Heat are in serious trouble right now with Chris Bosh being out for this playoff series as the Heat have lost back to back games to the Indiana Pacers in Bosh absence. If the Heat fail to win a title again these clips of their celebration and Dan LeBatard's rant about the Heat are becoming more and more hilarious on the unintentional comeday scale. The Heat are down 2-1 and with Bosh down they are in danger of losing this series. Even if the Heat escape this series alive I don't see them beating the Boston Celtics next round and definately can't see them beating the Zombie Sonics or the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat could possibly go down as the biggest joke in sports history if they fail to win a title with the "big three" . Bosh going down has hurt the team but there is absolutely no excuse to lose to the Pacers when you still feature by far and away the two best players on the court in Dwyane Wade and Lebron James. This is their legacy right now on the line as those two choked away game two and failed to even show up for game three. Those two made the ridiculous statements and there is no turning back now. Time for those two to finally step up or they can continue to point fingers at their coach or their teammates. Years from now nobody is going to remember that Mike Miller wasn't very good they'll remember that the trio of Lebron, Wade and Bosh choked!

Sports is kind of funny cause there is always that one team that you hated but respect so much you actually start to like them. That is how I feel about the San Antonio Spurs. I've never been a big fan of Tim Duncan but there is something about how consistent he is. The Spurs are the exact opposite of the Heat. They aren't flashy, their stars don't make stupid statements, you don't see them on commercials. Instead they just win and win titles. Duncan has won four championships and three have came with teammates Manu Ginaboli and Tony Parker. I figured the Spurs would be done by now as their age had caught up to them but instead they have posted the NBA's best record two years in a row. The Spurs this postseason are 6-0 and have yet to really be challenged. Everyone assumes the Zombie Sonics will make the Finals but I feel like we are all sleeping on the Spurs. In a way a Boston Celtics-San Antonio Spurs finals would be special. It would show that good ole fassion team work, hard work and accountability still exists in today's game. The Spurs are the real deal and I think they are going to end up winning the championship which would give Duncan five titles. Could that put him in the top five players of all-time? Perhaps it can. Duncan may be boring but he is also a winner.

Well guys that is my weekly rant for this week. The Spurs just have something special about them and I thought I'd never root for them in my life yet I find myself pulling for them right now. They are the opposite of the "South Beach" media hype machine and there is something redeeming about that. The Spurs represent what is right about the NBA while "South Beach" represents what is wrong with the league. Judging by Chris Hansen's recent press conference the NBA appears to be returning to Seattle very soon. I won't write about it until it's official as I don't want to jinx anything. Once again thanks for reading my weekly rant and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Sounders five game winning streak comes to an end with a 1-0 loss to RSL

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders had an opportunity to climb on top of the Western Conference standings. Instead, the Rave Green failed to register a shot on goal in a poor second half performance and they found themselves on the losing end 1-0 to Real Salt Lake. The Sounders despite the loss still have three games in hand with Salt Lake and they have a chance to pull within a point of the conference leaders this Saturday when they travel to BC Place to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The Sounders got off to a bright start and looked like the better side in the first half. Off a Mauro Rosales corner kick, Jeff Parke nodded the ball down for Fredy Montero as he looked to turn and volley it goalwards but it was broken up by Jamison Olave and headed out of the box by Nat Borchers but not out of danger. The ball bounced to Andy Rose who settled and had a go from the top of the area, but the ball bounced wide of the goal. There were a few appeals from the Sounders about a possible handball in the box, but the referee didn't see anything.

Four minutes later, Mauro Rosales fed an overlapping Adam Johansson who had time and space to send in a cross to the far post. There were four Sounders in the box. Eddie Johnson got up well, but he couldn't get his header on target. Seconds later, Johnson had a player in support after beating three RSL defenders, but instead he went for goal himself and made a complete mess of it.

Salt Lake didn't test Bryan Meredith until the 23rd minute. Luis Gil fed Will Johnson on the left wing. Johnson made a nice cut inside of Adam Johansson and tried to curl his shot into the far corner, but he slipped as he got the shot away and his effort was straight into the hands of Bryan Meredith.

In the second half, Real Salt Lake took advantage of some sloppy passing from the Sounders and broke the dead lock. In the 51st minute, Luis Gil lifted the ball over the top for Fabian Espindola who let the ball bounce in front of him before maneuvering around Adam Johnansson and finding the back of the net with his left foot. Bryan Meredith didn't move a muscle because he had absolutely no chance of making the save after some good movement by RSL and some crappy passing and defending by the Sounders. Espindola made the Sounders backline look bad all match, winning the long balls and outrunning every loose ball like the one against Johansson that led to the goal.

Alvaro Fernandez came on as a sub in the second half for David Estrada who really struggled in this match. In the 60th minute, he had an opportunity to made an impact as he cut to the end line and whipped in a driven cross but it was straight into the arms of Nick Rimando.

Seattle had one more opportunity in the 87th minute. Alex Caskey fed the ball out wide to Cordell Cato who took on Will Johnson and sent in a driven ball into the area for Fredy Montero but Rimando came off his line to punch the ball clear. That's how it was for the Sounders, creating a few chances in the second half, but not able to register a shot on goal. A poor second half performance resulting in a 1-0 loss.


Observations:

Eddie Johnson had his worst game of the season since he joined the Sounders during the offseason. He's been holding on to the ball for long, he took a couple of unnecessary shots on goal when he should've passed the ball to his teammates, and he also picked up an unnecessary yellow card for knocking the ball out of the goalkeepers hands with his head when the keeper had control of it. He's a veteran player. He should understand that when the goalkeeper has full control of the ball with his hands, you have to leave it alone until it's put back into play. Even though his team was trailing and ended up losing, this is not the time to do something stupid like that. Hopefully, he'll get back on track next Saturday.

Fredy Montero also had a rough ass time in this match. He didn't have one real opportunity in this match because his former Deportivo Cali teammate Jamison Olave shut him down. He basically outdeuled Fredy Montero for 90 minutes. He doesn't need to watch any video clips, these two were teammates at Cali so he already knew what Fredy Montero was gonna bring to the table and Olave made sure he brought nothing.

The goal in the 51st minute by Real Salt Lake was the first goal Bryan Meredith conceded in 276 minutes of work since taking over for Michael Gspurning in the second half against the Los Angeles Galaxy. He has started the last three games for the Sounders since Gspurning was ruled out for 2-3 weeks with a hip injury and it's likely he'll get the start again Saturday against the Whitecaps. If he had another good outing against Vancouver, would he take Gspurning's job and become the new starting goalkeeper? Absolutely not. Michael Gspurning will be back in net when he is fully recovered from his hip injury and medically cleared by the doctors, but it looks like Meredith will get at least one more start in net before Gspurning recovers.

Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson and the Sounders backline weren't the only one's who had poor performances. David Estrada, god damn. It was a long night for him. Tony Beltran didn't feel tested at all against this dude. Estrada is a hard working player and he's doing everything he can to prove he deserves a spot on the roster after rarely seeing any action in 2010 and 2011, but he looked like he was pushing himself too hard and really did not have it in this match. Now one thing I have to disagree on is somebody called David Estrada overrated. Now that makes absolutely no sense to me. Estrada hasn't even played enough to be considered overrated. As bad as he was last Saturday, you can't just go ahead and call somebody overrated when in reality they haven't gotten much media attention and they've recently just jumped on the scene. It doesn't work like that. David Estrada overrated? Eh eh, I don't think so. Personally, I'm not calling him a one hit wonder, but he lacks skill and he's also lacking a bit of confidence. He's probably going to be dropped to the bench when this team is fully healthy.

After that long stretch of five games in 15 days, the players got a much needed day off from training on Sunday. Since they don't have a midweek match this week, the Sounders will have plenty of time to get settled and prepare for their Rivalry match down in Vancouver against the Whitecaps which will kickoff at 2pm. I'm just going to throw this out right now, it's also the day of the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea. Seattle still has four more games left two play this month before their two week break to start the month of June, with the exception of the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal on June 5th if the Sounders advance. They'll travel to Vancouver on Saturday then they'll return home for a Wendesday night match against the Columbus Crew. After that they'll travel to Carson, California to take on Chivas USA (who need to be relocated). After that, they kickoff U.S. Open Cup play on May 29th and they'll find out tomorrow who they'll face.


Scoring summary:

Real Salt Lake - Fabian Espindola 4 (Luis Gil 2) 51'


Misconduct summary:

Seattle Sounders FC - Eddie Johnson (caution; foul) 53'

Real Salt Lake - Alvaro Saborio (caution; foul) 70'


Lineups:

Real Salt Lake - Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert (Chris Schuler 20'); Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, Luis Gil (Jonny Steele 75'), Will Johnson; Alvaro Saborio (Yordany Alvarez 81'), Fabian Espindola

Seattle Sounders FC - Bryan Meredith; Adam Johansson (Alex Caskey 82'), Jeff Parke, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Marc Burch; Mauro Rosales (Cordell Cato 75'), Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Rose, David Estrada (Alvaro Fernandez 58'); Fredy Montero, Eddie Johnson

Seattle Mariners weekly recap: May 7th-13th edition

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners just completed a 3-3 week which saw them face two teams who had made the playoffs the last season. The Mariners began the week at home defeating the Detroit Tigers two out of three before heading off to New York. The Mariners lost two out of three to the Yankees in New York.  After last week which saw the Mariners lose seven in a row this week was a nice welcome change as the Mariners avoided such a long losing streak. The young hitters are still finding their stride this season as a few are starting to emerge. The Mariners also saw their starting pitching let them down in New York but had a surprise guy pitch well to earn the victory on Mother's Day. This week since the team went 3-3 I  chose to be positive so we'll discuss the good(young hitters), the bad(a struggling young pitcher) and the awesome(focus on a forgotten man in the Mariners rotation plus a rule 5 draft pick). I hope you enjoy yet another Mariners weekly recap.

The Good:

This week the Mariners went 3-3 against good competition which was mainly due to their young hitters. Now that Dustin Ackley has been moved to the leadoff spot he is currently in a nine game hitting streak. His former college teammate Kyle Seager continued to hit well this week as did Casper Wells who had a monster game on Mothers Day. Struggling first baseman Justin Smoak had a good week especially in New York which saw him it a home run off a left hander which prior to that at bat he was 3-31(.091) off of lefties. This week also saw Jason Vargas continue to dominate his opponents as he increases his trade value if the Mariners choose to let him go. Lucas Luetge the lefty specialist who was a rule five draft pick continues his scoreless streak. Overall this was a pretty decent week for the Mariners. It wasn't good but it also wasn't bad either. During a long season when you are facing teams such as the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees sometimes "not bad" is a good thing. The Mariners are hoping to have their young kids grow as this is the youngest hitting team for the Mariners since 1994. The Mariners youth at times can drive you nuts but they are for the most part doing a good job. Now if the veterans can start to carry their weight this team could actually be playing some meaningful games.

Good Hitting:

Kyle Seager: 5-18(.277), run, 3 RBI's, SB
Dustin Ackley: 6-20(.300), HR, RBI, 3 runs - 9 game hitting streak
Casper Wells: 2-7(.286), HR, run, 3 RBI's, 2 BB's
Justin Smoak: 7-22(.318), HR, run, 2 RBI's.....6-12(.500) vs NYY

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 8 IP, 1.12 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 6 K's
Kevin Millwood: 1-1, 12 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 9 K's
Lucas Luetge: 1.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, K, hold
Brandon League: 3 IP, save, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, K
Shaun Kelly: 2.2 IP, 3.37 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 4 K's
Hisashi Iwakuma: 3 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 5 K's

Lucas Luetge is a rule five draft pick  who was taken back in 2005 in the 31st round by the Chicago WhiteSox. Luetge is only 25 years old but is making his major league debut this season for the Mariners. So far he has appeared in 14 games where he is 1-0 having thrown 9.2 scoreless innings. He is sporting a 1.24 WHIP with 11 strikouts. He has three holds and opponents are batting .182 off of him. He has became the Mariners top left handed reliever this year pretty amazing that the Mariners got him off the scrap heap like most of their other bullpen parts.

The Bad:

This week wasn't as bad as it could have been with the Mariners avoiding the sweep in New York. Still seeing Hector Noesi continue to struggle is  starting to become a problem. The facts are the Tacoma Rainiers currently as a team have an era over six otherwise Noesi would be down in Tacoma where he rightfully belongs. This past friday also saw King Felix Hernandez get hit around a bit by a team he normally dominates in the New York Yankees. Herandez is still having a great year so that is bound to happen and probably just a minor blip on the season for him. Mike Carp continues to struggle since coming back from his injury. Last year he started off slow as well so maybe that is simply what he does. Brendan Ryan continues to be a liability at the plate despite his terrific glove. Eric Wedge moved him from the #2 hole(should have never been there to begine with) to the #9 hole. At what point does Wedge seriously consider DH'ing Ryan's spot in the order? The Mariners like I said didn't have a bad week overall. During a loss on Tuesday to the Tigers our fans did show why they are some of the worst in the country when allowing an oposing player to dive into our stands to making the winning catch. I bring this up because seven fans politely backed away. That play summed up the Mariners fans and Seattle fans in one giant nutshell.

Bad Hitting:

Jesus Montero: 3-21(.143), HR, 2 runs, 2 RBI's, 5 K's
Mike Carp: 2-16(.125), HR, run, 2 RBI's, 4 K's
Brendan Ryan: 2-18(.111), 3 runs, RBI, SB, 3 K's

Bad Pitching:

Hector Noesi: 0-1, 7 IP, 6.42 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 4 K's
Felix Hernandez: 0-1, 6.2 IP, 5.39 ERA, 1.94 WHIP, 7 K's
Tom Wilhelmsen: 1.1 IP, 13.53 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 3 K's

Although he didn't pitch poorly this particular game for the year Hector Noesi has been terrible minus two starts against two crappy offenses at home. For the year he has started seven games sporting a 2-4 record having thrown only 37 innings. He has 6.32 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with 22 K's. His main problem is he has walked 13 batters and allowed eight home runs. He needs to keep both numbers way down as opponents are only hitting .248 off of him.

The Awesome:

Jason Vargas is kind of the forgotten man in the Mariners rotation. With Felix Hernandez grabbing all the headlines along with the new upcoming big three of James Paxton, Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen. Vargas was also part of the J.J. Putz trade along with Franklin Guiterrez and Mike Carp. Vargas has been a solid pitcher for the Mariners since the 2009 season. He may have a career losing record but that is mostly because this team can't score any runs. Vargas is enjoying a terrific season so far and is increasing his value.

Which begs the questions, should the Mariners hang onto Vargas or trade Vargas? I think with Vargas struggling in the second half in years past possibly trading him wouldn't be such a bad idea. Hopefully turn Vargas into a Doug Fister type of package where you land four guys who will help your major league team(Charlie Furbush, Chance Ruffin, Casper Wells and Francisco Martinez). Vargas like Fister was the unsung guy of the team and is very "boring" as he isn't a big strikeout guy. Vargas has a ton of value and if the Mariners can speed up their rebuilding by turning him into some valueable pieces that even better. Vargas has been terrific this year and regardless of what the Mariners do with him I'll remember him fondly.

Awesome Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 8 starts, 4-2, 51.2 IP, 2.79 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 38 K's, .200 BAA
Felix Hernandez: 8 starts, 3-2, 59 IP, 2.29 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 58 K's, .216 BAA

The problem with trading Vargas is right now the Mariners have no pitching. Those two are giving the Mariners everything while Blake Beavan, Kevin Millwood and Hector Noesi along with what is down in Tacoma has given the Mariners franchise mostly crap.

Al West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 23-12, first place
Oakland A's: 18-17, 5.0 GB
Seattle Mariners: 16-20, 7.5 GB
L.A. Angels: 15-20, 8.0 GB

The Mariners completed this tough week and will face the struggling Boston Red Sox on the road and the Cleveland Indians as well. The Mariners are still four games under .500 as they hope to stay competitive this season and avoid losing 90+ games for the third straight year. The Mariners are winning with youth which has been nice to see. Hopefully the young kids keep growing and the wins start to come in bunches.

Two words I'd thought I'd never utter in my lifetime.........Go Lakers!

By Kshell

There is a saying that an enemy of my enemy is now my friend. That is how I feel about the second round playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics. Sports can be funny sometimes but I'd put this in the cruel category where I'm forced to root on a team that growing up was my first sports team I ever hated. Many people make the mistake that the Seattle Supersonics biggest rivals were the Portland Trail Blazers but that simply wasn't the case. Minus the 1978 season neither team was good at the same time. When the Blazers were contenders the Sonics were rebuilders, when the Sonics were contenders the Blazers making the playoffs as a bottom seed. No the Sonics true rivals were the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and of course the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have ended the Sonics season five times in their history including twice in the Western Conference Finals and twice in the 1990's when the Sonics had homecourt advantage in both series. Still the Lakers are the lesser of two evils this series and I'll be rooting for them even though it's going to be painful.

Before I can get into why I'm rooting for the Lakers this series(should be pretty clear) I have to explain why it's so painful. There is a deep playoff background between these teams. Back in 1978 the Sonics who started off 5-17 made the playoffs led by new coach Lenny Wilkens. That would mark the first of three straight years the Sonics-Lakers would face off in the playoffs. In this best of three series the Sonics would earn their first ever playoff series win defeating the Lakers two games to one. In 1979 on their way to the franchises only championship the Sonics faced the Lakers in their first round(actually second as top two seeds received byes) which they won four games to one.  That series though featured two overtime games and four games decided by six points or less which the Sonics won three of them. Then in 1980 the Lakers had a rookie sensation at point guard named Magic Johnson. Despite winning 56 games(four more than their title year) the Sonics lost out on the division title to the Lakers but would square  off with the Lakers in the western conference finals. The defending champs upset the Lakers on their home floor in game one 108-107. Then the Magic dynasty started as the Lakers rattled off four straight wins including the final three by six points or less. That paved way to the 1980's as Magic dominated the league winning three MVP's and five NBA championships including a title that year while going to the NBA Finals eight times that decade. In the 1986-87 season the Sonics who were the 7th seed with a losing record shocked the #2 seeded Dallas Mavericks then #3 seeded Houston Rockets before once again facing Magic and the Lakers. The Lakers swept the Sonics in the Western Conference Finals led by Magic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and Michael Coopers defense. The Lakers won game one by five points, game two by eight points then game three by a score of 122-121 before blowing out the Sonics in game four. In the 1988-89 season the Lakers swept the Sonics in second round as Magic Johnson would go 3-0 against the Sonics in the playoffs.

In the 1990's Magic Johnson had came down with HIV virus so the Lakers weren't dominant anymore. The Sonics were the new team on the west coast as they swept the Lakers in the regular season five games to zero in the 1993-94 season in earning the top record in the NBA. The Sonics would of course choke in the first round to the Denver Nuggets. The following year Nick Van Exel would become a Sonics killer as the Lakers won four of five in the regular season against the Sonics. The Sonics would face the Lakers as the 4th seed who won 57 games while the Lakers had won just 48. In game one at the Tacoma Dome the Sonics blew out the Lakers 96-71. Then in game two the Lakers had built up an eight point lead then a sudden power outage happened in the Tacoma Dome killing the momentum. When the game resumed the Sonics made a run but would lose 84-82 as the Lakers stole home court. In game three the Sonics would lose 105-101 which had them facing elimination once again. Then in game four the Sonics were up by nine points after the first quarter and led by eight heading into the fourth only to see the Lakers outscore the Sonics 32-20 to end their season 114-110. After the Sonics won the Western Conference title in 1995-96 the Lakers would sign Shaquille O'Neal. In a tight division title race that came down to the final day the Lakers would lose to the Blazers as the Sonics won the division title over the Lakers. Again in the 1997-98 with Shawn Kemp traded everyone expected the Lakers to win the division title. Once again came down to the final day only the Sonics defeated the Blazers in Portland to clinch the division crown for the third straight year and fourth year out of five. Those two teams would square off in the playoffs. The Sonics would win game one at home before losing the final four games to the Lakers which marked the end of the George Karl era in Seattle.

As you can see this Lakers franchise has caused the Sonics fans plenty of grief in thier lifetime. With all that said I'd kill to live those moments again vs the garbage we have to deal with now which isn't having a team. Seeing ESPN jerks posting our stuff as Oklahoma City stuff. I have no choice now to become the type of person that I hated which is cheer on Kobe Bryant and hope the Lakers knock off the Zombie Sonics. The Lakers defeated my team fair and square but what those dirtbags in Oklahoma City did was rip out my heart and now with Durant being so incredibly good like we all knew he would be they are now stomping on my heart  as well. The Lakers have already defeated the Zombie Sonics back in 2010 but this Zombies team is different. The Zombies are trying to take over the Lakers as the premiere team out West since the West has only seen three teams make the NBA Finals since 1999 which is the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. The Zombies are challenging that and hopefully Kobe Bryant still has one last run left in him. This is a great series from a basketball standpoint as you have the estbalished franchise with the established super start going up against the up and coming franchise with the rising super star. Both will be starters this summer on Team USA as well. For now I have to root for the Lakers despite growing up hating that team for breaking my heart in the 1995 playoffs and then putting the final nail in the George Karl era which led to this mess.

At the end of the day in sports when you watch games whether you like to admit it or not you are always rooting for a team. When the Washington State Cougars take on the Oregon Ducks I say "Go Cougs!" as they are the lesser of two evils. In this matchup the Lakers are the lesser of two evils as they didn't pack up and leave my city to some dust bowl in the middle of nowhere. The Zombie Sonics are going to go on a run and the only thing that can prevent that is the Lakers who seem to destroy every young team's chances at making runs. The Lakers since 1980 have won 10 NBA championships and made 16 NBA Finals. They are the most successful franchise in the NBA in the last 30 years and there isn't really a close second. So to this I say Go Lakers proudly! Sure I'll most likely be rooting against them in the Western Conference Finals but for this series I want the Lakers to win. Look they are the lesser of two evils and I encourage everyone in Seattle to hop on the Lakers bandwagon for just this series.

Sounders get set to clash with Real Salt Lake with first place in the Western Conference on the line

By Money Mike


These last couple of days, you think about the 2011 playoffs and you continue to ask yourself how this team couldn't get the job done especially when all the momentum was in their favor. That was then, this is now. In a city that over the years has proved to be the Soccer Capital of America (Seattle, WA), inside a fortress filled with over 38,000 fans (CenturyLink Field), the top two teams in the Western Conference get set to collide in a rematch of last years MLS Cup quarterfinal. Coming off their fifth straight win, the Seattle Sounders (7-1-1, 22 points) return home to the Emerald City to face Real Salt Lake (7-3-2, 23 points) with a massive opportunity not only at revenge, but to take over first place in the Western Conference. The only chance of taking over the top spot is to pick up a sixth straight win.

The Sounders may have two games in hand with the San Jose Earthquakes and three games in hand with Real Salt Lake. It may be early in the season. However, with the Sounders in a tight race for the top spot in the Western Conference and possibly the Supporters Shield, every game is a must win.


Injury report:

Real Salt Lake - For Salt Lake, Cody Arnoux has a strained left adductor and he's listed as doubtful, although I don't think he would've been on the squad for this match. Javier Morales strained his left quad during training and is listed as questionable, but he is not on the squad and will not play. That's a big loss right there. Lastly, Nick Rimando missed RSL midweek match against the Chicago due to impingement on his left shoulder. Right now he's listed as probable, so there's a chance he might be in net.

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Rave Green, of the guys that are out are Josh Ford, Michael Tetteh, Steve Zakuani and Babayele Sodade. Michael Gspurning will be out once again for this match with a strained right hip, but there's a chance however that he'll return for Seattle's Cascadia Rivalry match against the Vancouver Whitecaps. Last but not least, Alvaro Fernandez has missed the last five games with a quad injury. It looks like he's officially cleared and ready to go for tomorrows match.


Suspensions:

Real Salt Lake - NONE

Seattle Sounders FC - Zach Scott has been handed a one game suspension by the MLS disciplinary committee for his challenge on Fabian Castillo that resulted in a yellow card. That challenge was not red card offense, I don't know what the committee was looking at.

The Sounders have been in so many big matches over the years. They know what it takes to get the job done. RSL may have knocked the Sounders out last year, but that was last year. This years Sounders team is a lot tougher than last years with Mauro Rosales back healthy, new acquisitions like Eddie Johnson, Marc Burch, Adam Johansson and I would've added Gspurning but they won't face him because he's out injured. Bottomline is, the Sounders have conceded the fewest goals in MLS so far with three and they're facing an RSL team that so far has conceded 12. To me, this is one of the biggest matches in club history and maybe one of the biggest matches in Seattle Sports history.

SSB weekly rant: May 5th-11th edition

By Kshell

This week my rant won't be as controversial as last week which received some hate messages for calling out a KJR host. Instead this week I'll focus on the Seattle Mariners going to play the New York Yankees at Yankees stadium. As the Mariners prepare for the Yankees they'll have a rookie returning to the place where he was supposed to be part of their future but was traded. The Mariners will also be sending their ace Felix Hernandez who lately has been fantastic in New York. I'll also touch on a former Sonics coach who is doing everything in his power to provide a major upset in these playoffs. A coach who in my personal opinion someday belongs in the basketball hall of fame as he is one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA.

Today the Seattle Mariners are taking on the New York Yankees as Felix Hernandez takes the hill. In his career against the Yankees Hernandez is 6-4 in 11 career starts having thrown 79.1 innings with three complete games and one shutout. He has a 3.29 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 66 strikeouts. However since 2009 Hernandez has simply dominated the Yankees.  Hernandez in seven starts has been 5-1 having thrown 55 innings(7.2 IP a start) with 2.12 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He has recorded 47 strikeouts(7.7 K's per 9) with three complete games including a shutout. His lone start last year at Yankees stadium he recorded the win having pitched seven innings allowing one run. That win was signficant because the Mariners had been on a 17 game losing streak which of course their ace ended. Hernandez the last three years has stepped up his game when going up against the Yankees and I'm excited to see what he will do today.

This series in New York will also have the return of Jesus  Montero to Yankees Stadium. Montero this offseason was traded to the Mariners for Michael Pineda(who is out for the season). Montero was the prized prospect for the Yankees and last year in 61 AB's he hit .328/.406/.590 with four home runs and 12 rbi's with nine runs while catching only three games. This year Montero is experiencing his first full season in the majors as he is the Mariners DH but also catches some. This year in 112 AB's Montero is hitting .268/.282/.420 with four home runs and 16 RBI's. He has also scored 10 runs while playing in 11 games at catcher all of which were starts. Montero is only 22 years old and since Pineda is out for the year the Yankees will be very bitter if Montero were to have a big series. Since New  Yorkers drive me nuts I hope Montero has a big weekend so the Yankees crowd can turn on their own because that makes me very happy.

How about the job that former Sonics head coach George Karl is doing? He lost what should have been his franchise player in Carmelo Anthony last year only to continue putting the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. This year after trailing three games to one to the heavily favorite Los Angeles Lakers the Nuggets led by Karl have forced a game seven. Karl is coaching circles around Lakers head coach Mike Brown which TNT analysis Charles Barkley makes a note of every game. Karl is one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA. In his NBA career he is 1,074-731(.595) in 24 seasons. In those 24 seasons Karl has seen his teams win 50 plus games 11 times and two of those years were strike shorten seasons. Karl has coached five different teams leading all five teams to the playoffs.

In Seattle the Sonics won the championship in 1979 with 52 wins then followed that up with 56 wins in 1980 as they lost in the Western Conference Finals. After 1980 until Karl's first full season in 1993 the Sonics won over 50 games just once which was in 1982 when they won 52 games. Then Karl comes to town and the Sonics win 55 plus games every year from 1993-1998. After Karl was fired the Sonics won 50 plus games just once in 2005 when they won 52 games. Karl took the Milwaukee Bucks who had won 52 games to a game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001 a franchise that prior to his arrival hadn't advanced that deep since 1986 when they lost to the Boston Celtics. That was the Bucks first 50 win season since 1987 and his first year he took them to the playoffs in 1999 which was the Bucks first playoff trip since 1991. He then takes a one year break to go to the Denver Nuggets. During the 2004-05 season Karl took over midseason as the Nuggets were only 17-25, Karl went 32-8 with the Nuggets leading them to the playoffs. He has taken the Nuggets every year to the playoffs in his eight year career with them. In 2009 he led the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals their first playoff series win since well they beat his Sonics in the famous 1993-94 upset. That was the Nuggets first Western Conference Finals since 1985 when they lost to the showtime Lakers. Karl has won seven division titles, made four conference finals and one NBA finals in his career. Karl is a legendary coach and I hope every finally appreciates his greatness as he belongs in the hall of fame damn it!

Well that was my weekly rant sorry if my Karl rant ran a little long but it does bother me that his name doesn't get brought up with the elite coaches. The Mariners will have a fun series this weekend in New York as the Yankees prized prospect returns home wearing the Mariners gear. Meanwhile King Felix gets to pitch on the big stage which he has done a great job of lately. The NBA playoffs has been terrific so far which hurts because I miss the Sonics even more. I'm glad you listened to my rant and hopefully my rant on Karl either confirmed what you had already thought or changed your mind a little on him. Karl is one of the greatest coaches in Seattle sports history and firing him just started the downhill spiral of our franchise.