We knew sports likely would be a target, and the Boston Marathon was an easy one. But the bad guys picked on the most indomitable of athletes.
Author: Art Thiel
Art Thiel
Never having met a metaphor he could not twist beyond recognition, Art has been illuminating, agitating, amusing and annoying Puget Sound sports readers for a long time. Along with Steve Rudman, he co-founded Sports Press Northwest because it didnt seem right that the Google monster should aggregate daily journalism into oblivion without at least a flesh wound from somebody. Thiel and Rudman labored under the Seattle Post-Intelligencer globe until the print edition died an undeserved death in March, 2009. Art continued on at its online successor seattlepi.com while working on SPNWs creation. His radio commentaries can be heard Friday and Saturday mornings and Friday afternoon on KPLU-FM 88.9. In 2003 he wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, Out of Left Field, which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists, a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University as well as two dead papers and a live one, the News Tribune of Tacoma, he has become a fan of entrepreneurial online journalism because it allows him to continue a lifelong passion to take the English language to places it rarely visits willingly, and does not involve the cleaning of kennels or stables.
The bid-up for the Kings is an extraordinary development in U.S. sports history, because the rich guys believe that the NBA is well-positioned to be a global gold mine.
Rookie Brandon Maurer finally flashed back to his spring training exploits, leading the Mariners to a series split with Texas and happily into a blessed day off Monday.
New owners, false deadlines, more money for the purchase and more money for SoDo land. Your guide to the mayhem.
Everyone knows it’s cool to win, but PLU’s Frosty Westering managed to do it with a sportsmanship and humanity that was unparalleled.
By threatening Sacramento bidders with a Friday deadline, the Maloof family is forcing a needy town to make hasty decisions so NBA can deny Seattle — for now.
Speaking of perfect games, the Mariners home opener came on a pleasant, rainless, windless April evening (!!) before a near-sellout of 42,589, Jamie Moyer was back in town for the ceremonial first pitch, new pitcher Joe Sounders ran his personal record at Safeco Field to 7-0 and the Mariners prevailed over the Houston Ghastlies 3-0.
Mariners’ 3-4 start revealed little, but now comes the test: Houston Astros, newbies to AL West, must be throttled regularly for M’s to stay out of the basement.
Calling it a “weighty” issue, NBA Commissioner David Stern all but put off the vote on the Kings’ relocation, not wanting quite yet to deny either of two strong bids.
Things picked up around the Sounders Tuesday night at the Clink. Coach Sigi Schmid didn’t feel compelled to use the words “terrible” and “disease” in describing his team’s play. He also didn’t choose to use the word “whoopee.” “We didn’t play that poorly,” he said. “We played all right.” His shrug was almost seismic.