That Was The Week That Was

Jan. Feb. 28-March 6, 2011

• Good Week — The state prep 4A and 3A basketball tournaments conclude in Tacoma with Gonzaga Prep (Boys 4A), Lewis & Clark (Girls 4A), Lakes (Boys 3A) and Holy Names (Girls 3A) emerging as champions. Congratulations to the winners.
• Bad Week –Washington botches its home finale, losing to USC, while Washington State loses to UCLA in overtime — as suspended star Klay Thompson watches. Two teams headed in the wrong direction will meet Thursday in the first-round of the Pac-10 tournament. Neither look fit to win it, and both could be left out of the NCAA Tournament.
• Sunday, March 6 — Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo, who did a face plant at home plate during a preseason game against the Cleveland Indians, injuring his left leg, says he should be ready to go by Opening Day. An MRI still needs to be factored in, but Olivo’s enthusiasm is a good sign. The Mariners are challenged enough without having their starting catcher go down.
• Saturday, March 5 — Washington falls behind by 15 points, never gets the lead, and falls to USC 62-60 on Senior Night at Alaska Airlines Arena, the Huskies’ second loss in three games at the facility. The Huskies insist they can recover their confidence in time for the Pac-10 tournament, but this team looks shaky.
• Friday, March 4 — Washington State’s Klay Thompson is arrested and tossed in jail after being caught with pot after cops stop him for driving a vehicle with a headlight out (what’s with all these headlights going out?). Ken Bone suspends the Pac-10’s leading scorer from the Cougars’ game against UCLA. Thompson’s biggest critic turns out to be his dad Mychal, who flays Klay in newspapers and on the radio. Good for Mychal.
• Thursday, March 3— C.J. Wilcox scores all 24 of his points in the second half — “That was one of the greatest games ever played by a Husky”, says coach Lorenzo Romar — as Washington holds off UCLA 70-63, likely ensuring that UW will receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies sure don’t look like they’re going to do much in the tournament, though.
• Wednesday, March 2 — Former Mariner dog Carlos Silva (four years, $48 million) of the Cubs gives up six first-inning runs, then gets into a dugout scuffle with teammate Aramis Ramirez. Based on the 2008 season that Silva delivered to Seattle — 4-15 record 6.46 ERA, for which he was paid $8.25 million — we wish Ramirez would have knocked his lights out.
• Tuesday, March 1— Forbes selects Seattle as the worst sports town in America for an unprecedented third year in a row. The sordid stat: Seattle’s pro sports franchises (Storm not included) have won just one championship (1979 Sonics) in a combined 107 seasons played by the Sonics (now Oklahoma City), Seahawks and Mariners.
• Monday. Feb. 28 — One day after 6-4, 247-pound Class AA prospect belts a ninth inning home run, Class A slugger Johermyn Chavez goes deep in a 6-6 Mariners tie with the San Diego Padres in Peoria. There may be hope after all that the Mariners have some power in their organization, although it might be long while before it manifests itself at the major league level.

“That Was The Week That Was (TW3)” is published every Monday as part of Sportspress Northwest’s package of home-page features collectively titled, “The Rotation.”

The Rotation’s weekly schedule:

• Monday: That Was The Week That Was (TW3) — A snarky, day-by-day review of the week just ended.
• Tuesday: Wayback Machine — Sports historian David Eskenazi’s deep dive into local sports history, replete with photo eye candy.
• Wednesday: Nobody Asks But Us — We ask, and answer, fun and quirky questions nobody else is asking.
• Thursday: Water Cooler Cool — Art Thiel takes on the weekend for the benefit of the more casual fan.
• Friday: Top 5 List — The alpha and omega of Northwest sports, at least as far as we’re concerned.