This site wouldn’t be a quality place for the sports community if it didn’t offer up products and places that make it special. Here are favorites of the Sports Press Northwest crew, which will grow with your contributions.
BOOKS
Bet you didn’t know so many sports titles have been published about Seattle sports and/or by Seattle authors with a local sports background. Apparently the newspapers don’t want the competition.
Naturally, most titles are available at amazon.com, but please check first with your local independent bookstores: Elliott Bay Books, Third Place Books and University Bookstores are among our favorites. The literary world shall always crave brick and mortar places.
THE GREAT BOOK OF SEATTLE SPORTS LISTS (Mike Gastineau, Steve Rudman, Art Thiel): It’s the most entertaining and informative book ever on the history of sports in the state of Washington — even if we do say so ourselves. In fact, it’s one of the great bathroom reads of all time, so if you have two or more bathrooms, you’ll need a copy for each commode. You can read more about the Great Book of Seattle Sports lists elsewhere on the site.
OUT OF LEFT FIELD: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle (Art Thiel):No matter how many seasons pass, this is still the definitive work on how the Mariners recovered from the worst expansion team in modern sports history to become a national business success. Fun, informative and illuminating. If you haven’t read this, you really don’t understand Seattle’s major league baseball franchise.
WHO THE HELL IS BOB? (Steve Rudman): Wild narrative of Seattle’ sports promoter Bob Walsh, who brought to town the Goodwill Games and three Final Four men’s basketball championships. He’s a hero in many places around the world, and occasionally scorned in his hometown. The stories about the KGB are not to be missed.
TIDEFLATS OF TOMORROW: The History of Seattle’s SoDo (Dan Raley):Former Post-Intelligencer sportswriter offers a little-known narrative of the drama in the industrial and transportation hub south of downtown, including its role in hosting the stadium district.
STEVE RAIBLE’S TALES FROM THE SEAHAWKS SIDELINES: (Steve Raible, Mike Sando):Plenty of humor and vivid anecdotes after Seahawks history from Raible, who went through it all as a former player and current broadcaster. Sando is a former News Tribune beat reporter who writes for ESPN.com.
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping and Gut-Wrenching Moments in Seahawks History (Chris Cluff): Former Seattle Times deskman and writer chronicles the plays, players and seasons of the Seahawks’ tumultuous tenure in Seattle.
“THEN ZORN SAID TO LARGENT . . .” Best Seahawks Stories Ever Told (Paul Moyer, Dave Wyman, Chris Cluff): Two players from the 1980s dish on the era when the Seahawks made up for a dearth of playoff appearances with a lot of characters and weirdness.
TALES FROM THE MARINERS DUGOUT (Kirby Arnold):The Everett Herald’s longtime baseball scribes chronicles the Mariners’ rise in the 1990s from what had once been a hapless franchise under owner George Argyros.
NOTES FROM A 12th MAN: A Truly Biased History of the Seahawks: (Mark Tye Turner): A longtime fan’s amusing take on a few triumphs and a lot of travails in following a team that had only three playoff wins in its first 29 years.
TALES FROM THE HUSKY SIDELINES (Sonny Sixkiller, Bob Condotta): One of the most popular University of Washington football players ever, Sixkiller (UW’s starting quarterback from 1970-72), provides a great anecdotal history of the longest on-going sports operation in the state. Bob Condotta is the UW football beat writer for the Seattle Times.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HUSKY: Don James and Washington’s Greatest Players (Greg Brown): Former Post-Intelligencer sportswriter records in their own words the players and coaches, many from the heralded James era, on the meaning of Seattle’s longest-running sports tradition.
TALES FROM THE SEATTLE SUPERSONICS (Slick Watts, Frank Hughes):Longtime Seattleite and one-time most popular athlete in town, Slick Watts tells all about the early days of the late, lamented Sonics with Frank Hughes, former NBA beat writer for the News Tribune.
GAME ON! HOW WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOOK SEATTLE BY STORM (Jayda Evans):Seattle Times reporter chronicles the invention and endurance of the WNBA’s Storm franchise, including a good chapter on the 2004 championship and an honest take on the sport’s lesbian-dominated image.
IT TAKES MORE THAN BALLS: The Savvy Girls’ Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Baseball (Deidre Silva and Jackie Koney):Two Seattle writers demystify, explain and celebrate baseball in a way most traditional sportswriters cannot. Great for newbies of all genders and ages.
CHEATER’S GUIDE TO BASEBALL (Derek Zumsteg):Funny truth-teller about the relentless rule-breaking in the pastime for a nation of of rule-breakers from the Seattle sage of the USS Mariner blog.
THE DEVIL WEARS PINSTRIPES (Jim Caple):Former Post-Intelligencer writer, now an ESPN.com Page 2 columnist, goes on an epic rant about why he hates the Yankees, something Mariners fans can embrace.
ROB NEYER’S BIG BOOK OF BASEBALL LEGENDS:The Truth, The Lies and Everything Else (Rob Neyer):Prolific Seattle baseball author’s most recent tome in which he separates facts from the whoppers in America’s most written-about cultural activity. Third in his “big book” series on baseball.
THE KID RETURNS (Jarrett Mentink): Well illustrated book of fun for kids on the return of Ken Griffey Jr. to Seattle by the PhD husband of FSN anchor Angie Mentink.
BRAVEHEARTS: The Against-All-Odds Rise of Gonzaga Basketball (Bud Withers):The Seattle Times’ veteran college sports writer puts together the narrative of the Spokane school’s improbable climb to national hoops eminence. Withers also wrote, STADIUM STORIES: Washington State Cougars.
THE WINTER OLYMPICS: AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO THE LEGENDS, LORE AND GAMES: (Ron Judd): Seattle Times’ Olympics guru explains all the weird winter events and offers wonderful stories about the heroes, clowns and controversies. Judd has written several amusing outdoors books, including BLUE TARP BIBLE: The Many Uses and Abuses of the (Unsightly) Fabric that Binds America,and ROOF RACK CHRONICLES: The Honest Guide to Outdoor Recreation, Excessive Gear Consumption and Playing With Matches.
ICHIRO ON ICHIRO (Narumi Komatsu): Overlooked 2004 book from Seattle’s Sasquatch Publications in which a Japanese writer gets the Mariners superstar to open up on many things few fans know.
THE BODY POLITIC: THE GREAT AMERICAN SPORTS MACHINE (David Shields): The University of Washington English professor has written several books that offer provocative, unconventional insight into sports. This 2004 book was the most compelling. Also don’t miss Black Planet: Facing Race During an NBA Season, and a novel, Heroes.
GUERNICA (Dave Boling): Proof that some of the best writers on the American scene work in the sports section. The News Tribune sports columnist’s historical novel on the events of the Nazis’ horrific 1935 bombing of the Spanish town, which inspired Picasso’s greatest work, became an international bestseller in 2009.
GLORIA’S MIRACLE : A Young Girl, A Deadly Disease and the Power of Faith (Jerry Brewer): Seattle Times sports columnist chronicles the poignant struggle for life of Gloria Strauss, whose death at age 11 from cancer served as an inspiration for her family and many of faith in the Seattle area.
AN INCOMPLETE & INACCURATE HISTORY OF SPORT (Kenny Mayne):ESPN’s most entertaining personality grew up in Seattle (he owns up to Kent) and offers his weirdly skewed, hilarious takes on sports and life as well as his daughter’s illustrations. A most refreshing sports book.
BALL FOUR (Jim Bouton):There’s a reason this book is still selling nearly four decades after Bouton wrote it. It’s the most influential sports book ever penned, and it was set mostly in Seattle — the only year in the life of the 1969 Pilots. Bouton, a Pilots pitcher and former World Series hero with the 1960s Yankees, was in town in 2009 for a Pilots 40th anniversary reunion, pimping the book’s fifth (!) edition.
MEMORABILIA
WASHINGTON STATE SPORTS COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION:The club meets on the second Wednesday of every month at Romio’s Pizza & Pasta, located at 8523 Greenwood Ave. N., in Seattle. Trading sessions begin at 7 p.m. The group promotes the hobby of sports memorabilia collecting, and its members have hundreds of fascinating artifacts that you can peruse and purchase.
MUSEUMS
BASEBALL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST:Located inside Safeco Field, the museum includes a timeline of baseball history in the Pacific Northwest, the Mariners Hall of Fame, and dozens of interactive exhibits (you can grip bats once used by Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez, and view the evolution of the baseball mitt).
HUSKY HALL OF FAME:Located adjacent to Bank of America Arena on the University of Washington campus, the Husky Hall of Fame contains hundreds of trophies, photographs and artifacts important in the history of the school’s athletic traditions. The 1991 National Championship football trophy is housed in the Hall, and you can acquaint — or reacquaint — yourself with the dozens of Hall of Famers enshrined it. Open to the public.
THE HYDROPLANE AND RACEBOAT MUSEUM:This is the nation’s only public museum dedicated solely to powerboat racing. Formed in 1983, it preserves and exhibits important artifacts. The museum features an incredible collection of vintage hydroplanes spanning seven decades, including boats that have won 17 Gold Cups. The museum is located at 5917 South 196th Street, Kent, Wash., 98032. Phone: 206.764.9453.
SPORTS BARS
The Bookstore Bar at the Alexis HotelLIBRARY BISTRO & BOOKSTORE BAR:1007 1st Avenue, Seattle, 98104. In the Alexis Hotel, this place features fabulous decor, 65 types of scotch and is a favorite for Mariner fans, who congregate here en route to Safeco Field.
BUCKLEY’S:232 First Ave. West, Seattle 98119. On lower Queen Anne Hill about three blocks from KeyArena, Buckley’s features wonderful food and lots of TVs (we recommend the Bleu Cheesburger and Pita Steak sandwich).
FLOYD’S PLACE: 521 1st Ave. N., Seattle 98105: Two blocks from KeyArena, it features an array of drafts and homemade barbecue.
FOX SPORTS GRILL:1522 6th Ave., Seattle 98101. An upscale, underground place that caters to the after-work downtown crowd, the grill has flat-screen plasma TVs throughout.
FREMONT DOCK SPORTS BAR AND CAFE:1102 N. 34th St., Seattle 98103. A pair of big-screen TVs are usually showing the Mariners, Seahawks and Huskies. Try the steak and eggs.
FUEL:164 Washington St., Seattle 98104. When Sounders FC fans gather in Pioneer Square for the “March to the Match,” they have just come from Fuel, getting fueled up.
GEORGE & DRAGON PUB: 206 N. 36th St., Seattle 98103. An authentic English pub, the George & Dragon is awash in all matters soccer, as well as the maddest Sounders FC fans.
GOOSE PUB N EATERY:12001 NE 12th Street, Bellevue, 98005. Fried foods, beer, fun sports — all the essentials. Voted Bellevue’s best sports bar.
JILLIAN’S: 731 Westlake Ave. N. , Seattle, 98109. Occupies two floors, includes nearly a dozen 60-inch TVs and two restaurants. Big on pool, darts, video games and karaoke.
JIMMY’S ON FIRST:1046 First Ave. S., Seattle 98134. In the Silver Cloud Inn-Stadium just across the street from Safeco Field, Jimmy’s frequently hosts KJR radio’s post-game shows and other events. Try the Triple Club, and the fries are great.
KING STREET BAR & OVEN: 170 S. King Street, Seattle 98104. In Pioneer Square just north of Qwest Field, it’s a great place to wolf down a pre-game meal.It sports a 100-inch big screen TV and a 42-inch plasma.
FX MCRORY’S:Seattle’s landmark sports bar, just to the north of Qwest Field in Pioneer Square, is rich with the modern history of Seattle sports. Check out the majestic back bar, as artist Leroy Nieman once did. Mick McHugh is the paradigm of the genial Irish barkeep.
ROCKSPORT BAR & GRILL:4209 SW Alaska Street, West Seattle, 98116.Main feature is a 20-foot television that shows all sports all the time.
SLUGGERS:537 Occidental Ave. S., Seattle 98104. Skinny space in the warehouse warren west of Qwest Field, Sluggers is famous for a staggering amount of sports memorabilia adorning the walls.
SPORT: 140 4th Ave. N., Suite 130, Seattle 98109. Across the street southeast of the Space Needle, it has an impressive collection of display cases that feature fabulous photos of Seattle sports personalities.
THE RAM RESTAURANT & BREWERY:2650 University Village Place NE, Seattle 98105: Huge place in the Village that has hosted a couple generations of Huskies fans. Check out the Proud Mary Bloody Mary.
SPORTS RADIO
950 KJR-AM: This is not an exaggeration: Sports Radio 950 KJR-AM has the most dedicated audience of any sports talk station in the United States. From Mitch in the Morning through Groz (Dave Grosby) & Gas (Mike Gastineau) in the afternoon, KJR is hyper-local sports all the time.
TICKETS
STUB HUB!: StubHub.com is the place to go to buy and sell tickets, including Mariners, Seahawks, Sounders, UW, Pac-12, NCAA, NASCAR tickets — the works. Stubhub.com.
