The Seahawks have won only eight season-opening road games in their history, and in only one of those did they beat a team coming off a playoff campaign.
Author: Steve Rudman
Steve Rudman
Steve began his journalistic career in an era in which social networking mainly occurred in saloons. In the years since, he has been a reporter and columnist (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), a magazine founder and editor (The National Sports Review), the Director of Research at ESPN (once had the chore of looking up the history of rain delays in major league baseball), a radio talk show host (fired by KIRO because stupid people need radio stations, too, according to the program director), and the producer of a syndicated sports statistical feature (titled Wow!Stats), distributed by Universal Press Syndicate (quick, name three countries in which athletes are eaten when they fail to perform). He wrote (with Karen Chave) 100 Years of Husky Football, Who The Hell is Bob? (one of Seattles more remarkable people) and collaborated with Art Thiel (Sports Press Northwest) and Mike Gastineau (KJR-AM) on The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists, a ribald compendium of Seattle sports exotica that should be made into a movie (Brad Pitt playing Steve). He gained everlasting infamy in 1985 (at least in Corvallis, Ore.), when, in a column in the Post-Intelligencer, he called the Oregon State Beavers The Barney Fife of College Football, then sat stupefied as the 37-point underdog Beavers cast aside a 28-year slump and beat the Huskies. As of this writing, that game (which resulted in an official, Oregon State-issued game ball for Steve) still generates 314,000 Google pages, most of them from unenlightened (and presumably salt pillar-licking) OSU fans. Steve has yet to issue an apology on Facebook or Twitter and has no plans to do so.
Boosted by the arrival via trade of veteran starter Mike Leake, as well as a remarkable start Sunday from Andrew Albers, the Mariners sneaked back into the wild card race.
The Mariners traded INF Chris Taylor to the Dodgers in June 2016 and received a minor league pitcher now out of the game. Since then, Taylor has become LA’s third-best hitter.
With premium talent at all key positions coupled with a favorable schedule, Washington has a splendid chance to win every regular game, starting with Rutgers Friday.
The Mariners had a chance to take possession of the second wild card, but two losses over the weekend at Yankee Stadium landed Seattle 1.5 games in arrears.
Nelson Cruz and some new kids on the block — Yonder Alonso, Erasmo Ramirez and Andrew Albers — helped make for a 4-2 week that kept the Mariners in the race despite many injuries.
The Mariners had a good start to the week, sweeping two in Oakland, but dropped four in a row to the Angels while James Paxton was lost to the DL with a pectoral strain.
The number retirement ceremony for Edgar Martinez at Safeco Field Saturday is also about boosting his chances for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Mariners lost ace Felix Hernandez to the disabled list for a second time, but split a series in Kansas City and acquired All-Star 1B Yonder Alonso to platoon at first base.
Kenny Easley had a long and painful journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but his wait ends Saturday when he joins four other career Seahawks in Canton.