Sonic Boom

Let's play word association. Which one sounds more appealing?

Mitten or Glove?

Rain or Reign?

Thunder or Sonics?

If you are or have ever been a fan of Seattle sports circa the 1990's then I can guess your response. This is not an attempt to rouse anger on dirty deeds done dirt cheap to the team Seattle loved. This is a walk down memory lane during a time when Seattle fans need to remember that our sports teams haven't always been this pathetic. In fact, we were fortunate enough to experience one the most talented and liveliest sports duo's in recent sports history.

The year was 1989 and the Seattle SuperSonics had just drafted some high school kid named Shawn Kemp with the 17th overall pick. The word on Kemp was that he could dunk effortlessly but still had a very raw skill set. The analysis turned out to be true but it sure didn't last for long. He only started one game his first season while the team suffered and earned another high pick for the 1990 draft.

As fate would have it, a feisty guard out of the Pac-10's Oregon State was Seattle's lottery pick that next year. Sonics fans quickly learned their new point guard, Gary Payton, had quite a mouth on him but definitely had the game to back it up.

During his time with Seattle GP averaged 20 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Meanwhile, Kemp averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds including a nightly highlight reel of insanely dramatic dunks. Some say Kemp's thunderous throwdowns rival any of the legendary dunkers. Count me in!

The combination of Kemp and Payton became known as "Sonic Boom". The point guard Payton could often be found tossing the ball towards the hoop with Kemp flying in from all directions with no regard for others, including gravity. From that style came the nickname, "Reign Man". A fantastic play on words because he reigned over the paint and played in 'Rain City'.

Payton on the other hand became known as "The Glove" for his tight and tenacious defense. In fact, Payton was so skilled defensively that he is the only point guard to ever win Defensive Player of the Year.

As the two stars adjusted to each others own style, the Sonics became a force to reckon with. During their seven years together, they took Seattle to the playoffs many times as well Game 6 of the 1996 NBA Finals against arguably the greatest basketball team ever assembled, the 72-win Chicago Bulls.

Those were some good times folks. Be thankful for the fun times we had and do your part to support the return of a basketball franchise, because let's be honest, you know you want Kevin Calabro back at "the Key" yelling "Flying chickens in a barnyard!"

2010 Seahawks: the final analysis

All is quiet on the Western Washington front.

Your Seattle Seahawks flew to greater heights than most could dream and yet people are not satisfied. Local media and fans accept the 2010 Seahawks as overachievers. Meanwhile, the national media still thinks they stink and should hold the title as worst NFL team to ever make the playoffs.

Would the worst playoff team ever outscore the NFL's most prolific passing attack, the mighty New Orleans Saints? I think not. Hey national media, you do realize that the Saints were defending Super Bowl champs, right? But then what else should I expect from a body of so called "experts" that are so biased that they never believe any team West of Chicago can actually play sports?

You guys still here? Sorry, I had to get that out of my system before I recap the Seahawks dramatic run to the Divisional playoffs. Here we go...

First of all, I think the season was a success. Seattle won the NFC West and overcame the greatest odds a home playoff team ever faced. First-year head coach, Pete Carroll, got his players to rally behind him and to believe in themselves. Carroll's winning attitude permeates the locker room and should carry over into 2011.

This season was full of injuries to key players (Bryant and Unger), signings of players off the NFL scrap pile (Williams) and gritty play by men that wouldn't give in to their harassing injuries (Hasselbeck and Okung). Given the circumstances, Carroll and GM John Schnieder handled all the problems head on while improving on the fly.

Seahawks fans got a glimpse of what this team can do when things come together. Just think of what a couple good free agent signings, a productive draft and another training camp will do. Now that's exciting.

The offseason started off with a bang, well it was more of a firing with Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates getting let go. He was quickly replaced by a man named Darrel Bevell who was previously with the Minnesota Vikings. Bevell coordinated the dynamic Viking offense that included Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson.

Seattle's biggest improvement came in the form of Oakland Raiders ex coach, offensive line guru, Tom Cable. With a lot of wisdom and a little luck, Cable should turn Seattle's line into a force once again. An interesting note about Cable is that many of his Oakland linemen are free agents and would probably enjoy playing for Cable guy again.

Come April, Carroll and Schnieder need to make a major decision at quarterback. There is little doubt that Seattle will draft a quarterback. The question is, who and when? The who precedes the when because certain players will not make it past the first round and others will. Could it be the hometown kid, Jake Locker? He was supposed to be the first pick of the draft if he had entered the NFL draft last year. Did he improve enough in his senior year?

Or will it be Heisman Trophy winner, Cam Newton? The man can certainly play football, but can he play NFL style ball? His potential is very intriguing. Whomever the Seahawks draft at quarterback, they should expect to watch from the sidelines their first year because I believe Matthew Hasselbeck will reprise his role as folk legend one more time as he eases the rookie into the league.

Outside of the obvious need at quarterback, the next position to fill is a lock-down cornerback. Marcus Trufant is still valuable but he doesn't shutdown the opponent's best wide receiver often enough. Kelly Jennings is now a free agent and will surely find another team. The rookie Walter Thurmond is still an unknown asset, the book on him is yet to be written.

It just so happens that the league's premier free agent, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, is available and I truly hope Seattle and most importantly owner, Paul Allen, step up and do something huge. An acquisition like Asomugha would immediately upgrade Seattle's defense two-fold because he literally locks up his side of the field. Wouldn't that be nice...

Trust in Carroll and Schnieder to get things done and expect the unexpected this offseason.

Huge win yields huge potential for underdog Seattle

It is clear as a brisk, cloudless day in Seattle that the players, fans and most importantly, the city needed that momentous lift.

Saturday's win was more than a spiritual lift, it was downright seismic. Marshawn Lynch's back-breaking touchdown run caused the 12th Man to rock so hard that Qwest Field shook it's foundation enough to make Richter scale react. The people of Seattle need a local sports team to be special and invoke such an emotional reaction because it makes living here so much nicer when morale is high.

Seattle's improbable season continues this week in Chicago against a team the Seahawks already beat. The Seahawks charge into this weekend with a chip the size of the doubting national media on their shoulders. Head coach Pete Carroll will milk that cow as long as the players will let him. Nothing drives a man, let alone a team, further than an us-against-the-world mentality.

Now Seattle is taking their show East where the weather is a factor to be reckoned with. Chicago cold is not Seattle cold. The game time temperature is supposed to be in the teens. What does that mean? Basically, that translates to hard-nosed football in which in the game is won with a strong running game and tough defense.

Those traits definitely coincide with Chicago Bears history but Seattle can play that game too. Last time they played, the Seahawks defense really showed up. They shutdown the Bears on third down 12 times! The Bears leading rusher had 31 yards. Quarterback Jay Cutler passed for 297 yards but failed to score.

Conversely, the Seahawks were productive passing and running. Marshawn Lynch debuted with the 44 yards and a touchdown. Justin Forsett added 67 yards and another TD. Matt Hasselbeck found his favorite target, Mike Williams, ten times for 123 yards recieving.

The real key to October's 23-20 road win was the play of Seattle's defensive and offensive lines. They were stellar. More specifically, rookie left tackle Russell Okung, held his own with the NFL's most feared pass rusher. The Bear's Julius Peppers is simply the man when it comes to sacking the quarterback. But he was completely disabled by Okung's blocking which in turn allowed Hasselbeck a couple extra seconds to find his recievers.

Cutler was sacked six times and had a quick trigger finger thanks to the Seahawks defensive line. The Bears' turnover prone quarterback was continually pressured and that must continue this weekend. Cutler will turn the ball over and sometimes in bunches. That is the type of intensity and aggression Seattle needs to bring in order to pull off the upset.

Give me a good game from the bruiser, Lynch, the go-to threat, Williams and the chain-mover Brandon Stokely and I really like the Seahawks chances.

With two weeks of rest, the Bears defense will surely be ready to hit hard and fast. Seattle's advatage lies in the mother of all intangibles, momemtum. Belief can't be measured, only displayed. Throw talent out the window because the team that wants this game more will win.

Saints come marching in to Seattle

The first time they met there was fireworks but both left thinking they wouldn't see each other again. The Saints were the media darling coming off a rags to riches story that can't be beat. The Seahawks are firmly entrenched in the rags and can't seem to rid themselves of that pungent stench, losing.

It may shock people to know that these two have their second date after the Saints treated the Seahawks so badly the first time around. Others realize that New Orleans is just using Seattle because they're known to be easy. Whatever the case, they have a hot date this Saturday and someone is going home early from the dance.

Seattle's starter will be "been-around-the-block" Matt. This is the same guy that threw for 366 yards and one touchdown in Week 11 against the defending champs in New Orleans. Hasselbeck has been here before and his players but most importantly, his coach, believes he's the man. If this is to be Seattle's last battle with Hasselbeck, why shouldn't he lead the charge out of the tunnel?

The trouble with the Saints is they like to take advantage of Seattle's sensitive side, their secondary. The Saints aggressive offensive attack can dismantle the best defensive mechanisms. Seattle needs to be aware of New Orleans propensity to go all the way early in the game. Their relentless passing attack will be the go-to move because they can't run the ball. That is unless Seattle's ex, Julius Jones, decides to make the Seahawks miss their time together by running for more than 2 yards per carry. I think not.

Speaking of redemption, Seattle needs to free up Mike Williams and get him the damn ball. Williams was recently awarded a 3-year contract extension and now he needs to say thank-you by performing in his first playoff game. In his last matchup with the Saints, Williams caught 6 balls for 109 yards.

For either Seattle quarterback to be effective the Seahawks must be able to threaten with the run. Marshawn Lynch, where is Beast Mode? Don't ruin a great last name by being lame. I know the offensive line is a joke but so was Buffalo's and you succeeded there. Come on man!

The Seahawks better wake-up and respond to the Saints unwanted advances this weekend. Go out there and prove to America that you're nobodies fool.

Hey 12th Man, get loud!!!

Seahawks defeat Rams, punch ticket to playoffs

Hawks fans need to grab a left over bottle of champagne from New Years and crack it open for the playoff bound Seattle Seahawks.

Go on, it's allowed. I have your back. Celebrate tonight because you know the players are too. Head coach Pete Carroll did what he set out to do. The Seahawks won the wild, mild West. Critics, don't give me that look. Someone had to win the division and it was your team. Smile!

Qwest Field was rocking loudly with excitement as the Rams were sent packing after a solid 16-6 Seahawk win Sunday night. The quarterback controversy came to a head tonight as the healthy Charlie Whitehurst piloted Seattle to it's first playoff berth in three years.

With Matt Hasselbeck watching from the sidelines, Whitehurst played well enough to win. He passed for 192 yards and one touchdown. The inexperienced Whitehurst did his part by not commiting a turnover and made a couple big plays early.

On the opening drive, Whitehurst found reciever Ruvell Martin for a 61-yard gain. Building off that momentum, Whitehurst finished off the early charge with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams.

The passing game finally got off the ground thanks to the play of runningbacks, Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. Lynch got stronger as the game wore on and the Ram's defense tired. Lynch gained 75 yards on 20 carries. The light-footed Forsett added another 50 yards rushing and receiving combined.

The Seahawks defense got a couple breaks when Ram's receivers couldn't haul in the pass but overall they looked sharp. "Swiss cheese", not sharp, is usually the appropriate term that best describes the Seahawks defense. But an obvious something was in the air tonight and the defense decided it wasn't going to be their fault if Seattle didn't advance. They held the stud rookie quarterback, Sam Bradford to 157 yards, no touchdowns and one huge interception late by linebacker Will Herring.

So there you have it. The 2010 Seahawks made the playoffs with a 7-9 record. No NFL team has ever done that. Hawk fans should be happy even though they host the defending champion New Orleans Saints on Saturday afternoon.

For those of you that thought losing this game would be more beneficial to Seattle because they will envitably be bounced from the playoffs and gain a better 2011 draft position, you're dead wrong. Seattle needed this win for the present and most importantly, the future. Players need to experience winning and a playoff atmosphere to know what it tastes like.

A wise man once said that the most dangerous virus is the world in an idea. It is resilient and highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to iradicate.

An idea like winning.