The Washington Huskies Wednesday night nearly rocked the college basketball world.

A valiant effort in the hostile confines of McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane was thwarted when Rui Hachimura's jumper with .6 seconds left gave unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Gonzaga an 81-79 win over UW.

READ MORE»

The Cougars may have lost the Apple Cup again, and were handed a second-tier bowl invite despite a 10-2 record, but Gardner Minshew II is going out on top. The graduate transfer was named Monday the 2018 winner of  Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's best college quarterback.

READ MORE»

After one of best seasons for a linebacker in Huskies football history, Washington senior Ben Burr-Kirven was named Wednesday as Pac-12 Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2018 season.

He's the second Husky to win the honor in the past three seasons. Former OL Jake Eldrekamp won in 2016.

READ MORE»

A bit wobbly at times, the Washington State Cougars nevertheless did their part Saturday to help keep the Apple Cup in two weeks a consequential affair with a workman-like, 31-7 victory (box) over  injury-diminished Colorado at Boulder's windy Folsom Field.

READ MORE»

In keeping with the plan to drive the franchise with data, the Mariners Tuesday hired Paul Davis, who had been manager of pitching analytics with the St. Louis Cardinals, to replace Mel Stottlemyre Jr. as pitching coach for 2019.

A five-year member of the Cardinals staff, Davis was assistant pitching coordinator for the club's minor leagues in 2016 and 2017.

READ MORE»

BY STEVEN AGEN

PORTLAND -- The Seattle Sounders knew it would be hard, but perhaps not this hard.

They emerged from the charged atmosphere of Providence Park Sunday night with playoff hopes intact, but physical health less so. The 2-1 loss in the first leg of the MLS playoff series to the Portland Timbers included injuries to Christian Roldan, Chad Marshall and Gustav Svensson.

READ MORE»

The season's first College Football Playoff rankings are out and, to the astonishment of the known sports world, the Washington State Cougars are eighth. WSU at 7-1 has its highest ranking ever in the five-year history of the format, produced by a selection committee.

READ MORE»

Ahead of the most significant game of the season so far, the Huskies lost two defenders to retirement because of medical problems. Junior CB Austin Joyner has had multiple concussions, and junior DE Jared Pulu has a chronic kidney condition.

“Those are hard things, but they are in great care right now,” coach Chris Petersen told reporters after practice. “They will stay with us and always be part of us."

READ MORE»

BY TERRY BLOUNT

As he was carted off the State Farm Stadium field in the fourth quarter Sunday with a broken leg, Earl Thomas gave the one-figure salute to the Seahawks bench, a symbol of all that has gone wrong between the star free safety and the team.

But as the game clock flashed :00, Sebastian Janikowski was mobbed by joyous Seattle teammates, redeeming himself with a game-winning 52-yard field goal on the final play, a hope of what still can go right in 2018.

READ MORE»

After a serious scare from Phoenix in the semifinals, the Seattle Storm made the shortest possible work of the Washington Mystics -- a three-game sweep -- and are now three-time WNBA champs. The 98-82 triumph Wednesday on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, made it trophy No. 3 for Seattle, the first since 2010.

READ MORE»

The Seahawks defensive line took another hit Friday when end Marcus Smith, who had 2½ sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 games as a backup the past season, unexpectedly had his contract terminated Friday for personal reasons that coach Pete Carroll declined to specify after practice, ahead of Saturday's 7 p.m. exhibition in Los Angeles against the Chargers.

READ MORE»

A week ahead of his scheduled return to the Mariners, 2B Robinson Cano began an assignment in AAA Tacoma Monday night, starting at first base for the first time in his career. He can be reinstated from his 80-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy Aug. 14. Rules permit a 14-day period to prepare for the return.

READ MORE»

For the rest of the Mariners season's road trips, Edwin Diaz buys Jean Segura's drinks, calls the Uber drivers and shuts up when told to.

Segura seemed to be the no-brainer MVP of the 89th MLB All-Star Game Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., when his three-run homer in the eighth gave the American League a 5-2 lead. But Diaz blew the save by giving up a two-run homer in the ninth to Cincinnati's Scooter Gennett to to tie the game at five.

READ MORE»

Mariners fans have to hope the franchise is as good at baseball as it is at social media. The abrupt campaign to get out the vote for SS Jean Segura as the fan-selected 32nd player for the American League's All-Star team worked brilliantly.

READ MORE»

After a half-season of good health, Felix Hernandez, 32, was put on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with back soreness that has recently nagged him. With the All-Star break starting after Sunday, the chance to rest now might cost him only the start he was to make Thursday in Anaheim, where the Mariners begin a three-game series at 7:07 p.m. Tuesday.

READ MORE»

The Sounders' intense pursuit of Peruvian international Raul Ruidiaz climaxed Friday with the signing of the 27-year-old striker to a deal as the club's newest designated player. He spent the past two seasons playing in Mexico with Liga MX side Morelia, but won't be eligible to play with Seattle until after MLS's secondary transfer window opens July 10, meaning his first game won't be until July 15 against league-leading Atlanta.

READ MORE»

Ahead of Monday's opener of a three-game series with the Angels at Safeco Field comes news that the Mariners aren't alone in personnel woes: Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles club's star acquisition highly coveted by Seattle the past off-season, reportedly will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery and miss the remainder of year as well as the 2019 season.

READ MORE»

Always innovating with ways to crush the disabled list, the Mariners tried a fresh tactic Friday: Two at once, from the same unit.

Relievers Juan Nicasio (right knee effusion) and Dan Altavilla (right elbow sprain) were placed on the 10-day disabled list ahead of Friday's game in Tampa against the Rays. Called up from Tacoma were DH/1B Dan Vogelbach and right-handed reliever Mike Morin.

READ MORE»

The Florida college, Stetson, that produced MLB pitchers Corey Kluber of the Indians and Jacob deGrom of the Mets provided the Mariners Monday with their first-round draft choice, 14th overall: Junior Logan Gilbert, a 6-6, 225-pound righthander who had 157 strikeouts and 23 walks in 15 starts for the Hatters of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

READ MORE»

Marco Gonzales hasn't given up an earned run in three games, including Monday. when he throttled the Texas Rangers for 6.2 innings in a 2-1 triumph (box) at Safeco Field that was the Mariners' fourth in a row and ninth in the past 10. At 33-20, the Mariners are a season-high 13 games above .500 and remain a game behind the Houston Astros in the American League West.

READ MORE»