Recruited a decade ago ago to USC by Pete Carroll, Brian Banks instead spent 10 years in hell before a woman recanted the rape story that jailed him. The second chance began Thursday.
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.
In a time when the Mariners have a lot of potentially good players but no game-breakers, the University of Florida catcher should fit right in.
The biggest threat to Chris Hansen’s arena project is the sense of a deal already done. King County is taking steps to assure the skeptics get heard, so they don’t run to their lawyers.
In a pre-game chat before being swept by the Angels Sunday, Mariners manager Eric Wedge let loose a little, scolding players and critics. But the issue is a roster not built to succeed in 2012.
The recent uptick suggests a bold move this summer — trading away all the vets for prospects. Except for Ichiro and Figgins, of course, because they have no market.
Alex Liddi’s grand slam and another gem from starter Kevin Millwood made for unlikely heroes in a series win over the suddenly ordinary looking Texas Rangers.
As arena developer Chris Hansen names an advisory panel of business people Tuesday, owners of NBA Warriors offer a deal to San Francisco perhaps better than Seattle is getting.
AL champ Texas Rangers had their swagger checked for a night by Felix Hernandez and a patient approach by the Mariners’ offense to Yu Darvish in a 6-1 triumph Monday.
Seattle fans this week get to see Yu Darvish, Josh Hamilton and a franchise committed to winning big. The Rangers have it all together.
Still miles to go, but arena backers have a proposal blessed by the mayor and county executive to take to their councils. Yet to be explained: Who pays to help fix traffic?