Employment, Football and Week 2 Picks

So, a lot has happened in the nearly two months since my last post. Most of these things have contributed to my not writing and some may just get me divorced. Let’s get to it:

Gainful Employment – Yes, that’s correct, there are jobs out there and I got one of the four that were available in the country. Don’t worry, if you’ve been laid off, you too can earn 25 to 50 percent less than you made a year ago.

Baseball Season – Thank God it’s ending. Seattle fans are so painfully in denial about how bad this team is, they were assigning moral victories to late-season trades. This season reminds me a lot of the 1991 team that finished over .500 for the first time in franchise history and everyone was high-fiving each other. Except for manager Jim Lefebvre. He got canned. I don’t want moral victories for small improvements. I want a fucking World Series. Enough already.

Washington Football – Speaking of moral victories, the Dawgs hung in there with LSU to start the college football season and then beat on a weaker Idaho team. And good for them. Eventually, the Athletic Department will stop scheduling BCS Top 10 opponents to start the season and let the kids kick the hell out of some smaller schools so the team isn’t starting the season 1-4 or 0-3. By the way, if gambling were legal, I’d be pounding Washington -20 at home against USC. I smell a giant letdown after the Trojans beat Ohio State on the road. There was lots of hype, lots of energy, and lots of ESPN interviews and behind the scenes features leading up to that game for USC. There will be none of that crap this week and they’ll come out flat in Seattle. They’ll win, but won’t cover. Banging Washington and taking the points.

Seahawks Season Opener - I took the wife to the Seahawks season opener. Enough said. Actually, one more thing. Is anyone else concerned that Matt Hasselbeck couldn’t throw the ball downfield unless it was into double or triple coverage? I’m hoping it’s rust since he hadn’t played in a meaningful game in almost a year and hadn’t really played in a game in nearly three weeks.

NFL Week 1 – There were plenty of WTF moments in week 1. Neither the Pats nor Bolts cover, but both eek out wins. New England’s defense looked porous at best. San Diego is looking like the Seahawks from a year ago. Instead of listing who is injured on offense, the Chargers should just tell us who isn’t and we’ll go from there. Houston, who I thought was a super dark horse to do big things in the post season threw up all over themselves and got whooped by a rookie quarterback, making his first start on the road. Maybe Mark Sanchez is the real deal. I’m not buying yet. The supposed stout Baltimore defense gives up 24 points at home to the Chiefs who were playing without Matt Cassel. Backup Brodie Croyle posts a 116.1 passer rating.

NFL Week 2
Here are my picks and sometimes thoughtful reasoning:

New England (-4) at New York Jets – Maybe I’m stuck in 2008, but I just don’t see Bill Belichick allowing the Patriots to not bounce back in a big way. Tom Brady looked not so great in the first half Monday night, but he gained his rhythm back in the second half and the defense seemed to figure things out a little bit. I’m not jumping on the Sanchez bandwagon yet and I’m not buying the Rex Ryan is a genius thing either, just like I didn’t buy the Man-genius hype. I’m taking New England.

Baltimore (+3) at San Diego – Baltimore is 1-4 against the spread in the last five on the road at San Diego. They had a hard time with the Kansas City offense last week at home. So, why wouldn’t you take Baltimore straight up, right? That and the Bolts are banged up and feel a shame spiral manifesting since they didn’t blow out Oakland on Monday night.

Houston (+7) at Tennessee – Titans running back Chris Johnson will go off, there’s no way he repeats a 57-yard rushing day. And Tennessee seemed to quiet down the talk of a rough life after Albert Haynesworth. Taking Tennessee -7.

Cincinnati (+9) at Green Bay – Green Bay fans want to see Aaron Rogers open it up and the Packers want to prove they are for real after sputtering to a win over the Bears. Beating the Bengals won’t do anything to help announce their arrival, but a healthy ass kicking would be a show of good faith.

Carolina (+6) at Atlanta – Jake Delhomme is shell shocked and they can’t run the ball. The Panthers had seven turnovers last week, Delhomme is probably on a short leash and they’re going into Atlanta who has a running back in Michael Turner who is due. Love Atlanta to win big.

Seattle (+1.5) at San Francisco – Homer pick. San Francisco continues to pat themselves on the back for beating the NFC champs at home the week prior. Meanwhile the Seahawks do just enough to squeak out a late field goal to win. Seahawks +1.5.

Minnesota (-10) at Detroit – Adrian Peterson is real good. Detroit is real bad. Minnie -10.

St. Louis (+9.5) at Washington – St. Louis committed so many knucklehead penalties in Seattle last week and Marc Bulger had the swagger of Jake Delhomme. The Rams are 3-6 ATS on the road at Washington and 3-7 ATS in last 10 games. Washington at home -9.5.

Arizona (+3) at Jacksonville – There is nothing I like about this game. I have no idea what AZ is, but I know they aren’t very good, like most West Coast teams, when they head to the East Coast. Jags for no real good reason -3.

Oakland (+3) at Kansas City – It sounds like Matt Cassel will be back for this game and the Raiders are still the Raiders. Unless Raiders coach Tom Cable can take an early flight and bust the jaws of two thirds of the team, KC wins -3.

Tampa Bay (+5) at Buffalo – Tampa Bay is a mess. Trent Edwards looks like he can move the ball for Buffalo and T.O. hasn’t lost his shit. Yet. Buffalo -5.

Cleveland (+3) at Denver – I’m taking Clevland and Brady Quinn looked ayight. Except for getting sacked five times. Just can’t go with Denver.

Pittsburgh (-3) at Chicago – When Brian Urlacher doesn’t play, the Bears don’t win. That’s enough for me. Pittsburgh -3.

New York Giants (+3) at Dallas – The Giants cover and Cowboys don’t. Everyone goes gaga over Dallas’ new home and New York thanks everyone for the win and the comfy accommodations while they were in town. NYG +3.

Indianapolis (-3) at Miami – Taking the home dog Miami in a must win for them before they have to travel to San Diego. A 0-3 start would be an early season death knell. Miami +3.

This Week’s Man Crush: Franklin Gutierrez

What’s better than a major league baseball player running into a wall while chasing a fly ball? An international sex symbol major league baseball player running into a wall while chasing a fly ball. This week, Mariners outfielder Franklin Gutierrez has achieved both. One could also say Gutierrez has achieved the Seattle baseball fan adoration trifecta:

• Bobblehead night? Check (July 24).
• Above average season at the plate? Check.
• Sex symbol status unseen since Alex Rodriguez whored around town? Check.

While some fans have called Gutierrez “dreamy” – I’m more interested in the simple pleasures of his game. Head first slides, face planting into walls, smart base running, you know, hustle plays. Gutierrez has come through in those situations while swinging the lumber (he’s hit half of his 12 HRs while hitting .386 in the last month or so). However, going head first into an immovable object has put a damper on things and the M’s outfielder has been out of the lineup since it happened a couple days ago. But you can't keep a good looking man down.

There’s no doubt the M’s marketing department is wondering when GM Jack Zduriencik is going to re-sign Gutierrez to a long-term deal. Our dreamboat is on a one-year contract for less than half a million. I mean, come on Jack, I understand you’re in the middle of a pennant race, but we’ve got future bobblehead and singles nights promotions to think about.

Johjima demotion minimizes damage behind the plate

For the record, I’ve never been accused of leading the Kenji Johjima fan club. In fact, I can’t think of another major league catcher who has created a more visceral negative reaction when he’s behind the plate. In a word, he’s terrible. So, it was with open arms that I accepted the news that M’s catcher Rob Johnson was “officially” going to be handling the club’s best hurlers.

If one were to look at the stats, Johjima has Johnson beat in just about every offensive and defensive category. Johjima hits for better average and power and he throws out more runners. Still, I’ve rarely seen a worse backstop than Johjima. Catching is a lot like umpiring. Aside from when he throws out a runner, you shouldn’t be constantly aware of his presence on every play. I’m not sure how they approach the position in Japan, but it’s a like watching a gymnastics routine with Johjima. He seems to be fooled on every pitch, like he doesn’t know what’s coming. Lunging to his left or his right. Leap frogging from his crouch on a pitch high in the strike zone. Framing a pitch? Forget about it. Does Johjima think he’s being flamboyant, showing off his athleticism maybe? This has to infuriate pitchers even more since they spend half their time on the mound shaking off Johjima’s signs.

The team will have some interesting decisions to make very soon about the long-term health of this position. Johnson can’t hit for average and Johjima will receive $8 million a year through 2011 thanks to former GM Bill Bavasi’s keen talent evaluation skills. It’s possible that in a couple weeks two thirds of the M’s top rotation guys will no longer be on the club. Does that mean Johjima will get the chance to once again justify his salary?

The M’s have carried a light-hitting catcher on its roster before and had team success. Dan Wilson wasn’t a threat with the bat, but was a solid game manager behind the plate. Unfortunately, the 2009 version of the Mariners doesn’t have the big bats in their lineup to pick up the slack like they did in the early ‘90s.

Profiles of Sounders Nation

In the team’s first season of play, the Sounders FC has turned the Seattle sports scene on its ear. They’re selling out every game and on Saturday packed the Qwest Pitch with more than 65,000 fans for their friendly with Chelsea. Any doubt that this has become, or maybe always was, a soccer town must be washed away.

I think it’s awesome, even though I’m not a big consumer of the game. I’ve got enough time management problems watching baseball, golf, football and poker on TV. Adding soccer would spell divorce with Mrs. The Mitten. However, I try to keep up with what’s going on through the newspapers, sports radio and blogs.

I’ve been entertained by the fans and promoters of the game along with the opponents of soccer. Every sport has its different classes of fan and soccer isn’t any different. So, I’ve tried to identify the species of each fan base below. I’m sure I’m missing one or more, so let me know. If you’re a super sensitive MLS fan, I probably wouldn’t continue reading. But if you do read on, try to summon a sense of humor.

The Expert – Not only will he make you feel like an idiot because you know next to nothing about soccer, but he will most likely turn you off soccer forever. The Expert is a close cousin of the Baseball Snob (think George Will, or any devout saber metrics disciple). No doubt you’re pretty excited about what is going on here in Seattle with the Sounders, but The Expert will rattle off a list of strategic reasons why the Sounders suck and that European soccer is the only true game. After listening to The Expert you’ll feel like breaking something.

The Defender of Freedom – Natural enemy of the Expert, the Defender or Freedom hasn’t taken the Bush/Cheney bumper sticker off his Ford F-150 and there isn’t a snowball’s chance in Hell he’s going to let a bunch of cheese-eatin’, commie-lovin’, pinko Euro-trash surrender monkeys think that soccer is on the same level as the big four of football, baseball, basketball or hockey. He didn't spend a year of his life knee deep in mud in the 'Nam to let something like this happen on his watch. He will defend the honor of the big four sports while keeping a watchful eye on our borders to make sure none of these soccer players from Latin America take jobs away from hard working Americans. Sarah Palin in 2012!

The Editor – This person had never read a sports page or listened to sports radio, but has played recreational soccer for years. Now that there is a major league soccer team in town, they have reason to plug into the sports media world. He or she serves as ombudsman and de facto editor for sports radio, blogs and sports pages everywhere. The Editor hasn't quite grasped the understanding that journalists sometimes mistakes and it's nothing personal. God forbid you misidentify a player in a photo caption or mispronounce a player’s name on the radio. The Editor’s righteous indignation will pour down on you like red hot magma and you will be shamed for your lack of attention to detail. Be on your game and be very afraid.

The True Fan – This person wants you to know that not only do they play soccer in some recreational league, but they’ll tell you that they followed the Sounders in the ‘70s (probably a lie), was a season ticket holder the years leading up to the creation of the MLS club and continues to be a season ticket holder and member of numerous supporter clubs. You might have season tickets, but the True Fan will let you know just how much of a bandwagon jumper you are. He’ll probably question you about Sounders history and minutia, but try to change the subject and then run away as fast as possible.

The Supporter – If you’re going to run into anyone, The Supporter is the guy you want to meet. They are true ambassadors of the game. Parts Expert and True Fan, Supporters are smart enough to know that it’s important for the longevity of the sport that it is inclusive of all fans – new and old. They are a welcoming bunch and are usually the leaders of the higher profile support clubs. These folks get it and are embarrassed when the True Fan or Expert goes on another nasty diatribe.

The Newbie – A Seahawks season ticket holder, never one to shy away from a party, The Newbie is really enjoying himself this summer. There’s chanting, excessive drinking, long stretches with little action – which makes it perfect for multiple beer runs. He doesn’t know squat about soccer, but he’s making the effort. Scarves, singing, over consumption … what’s not to like? The Newbie is just happy to be here.

The Lost Sonics Fan – Some of the Newbies are former Sonics fans looking for something to fill the void now that the NBA is gone and never coming back. They’ve found the warming embrace of Sounders co-owner Drew Carey comforting in their time of regret and despair. It’s going to be OK Lost Sonics Fan – there, there. Shhhhh….

The Sportswriter – This poor guy or gal hasn’t had to cover soccer since they were just starting out in the newsgathering business reporting on prep soccer. They thought those days were behind them, but now they are horrified to learn that Sounders soccer can’t be ignored and at some point in time they have to write or talk about it on the radio. This is a terrifying prospect for these folks as they desperately download soccer knowledge like The Mitten used to cram before a media law exams in college.

The Soccer Mom – If she doesn’t run you over in the parking lot with her mini-van, you’ll see her unload a platoon of soccer munchkins from the vehicle that would make a circus clown car act envious. Adidas sweat pants? Check. Oversized purse filled with juice boxes, Skittles and 20 pound bags of Kettle Corn? Check. Furrowed brow and commanding voice of a Marine drill sergeant? Check and check. If you see Soccer Mom, it’s best to just get out of her way. She’s taken on the seemingly impossible task of ferrying her daughter’s soccer team to and from Saturday’s match all on her own. Without a hair out of place and the agility of a gazelle, she will kill you without regret or hesitation if you get in the way of her mission.

The Soccer Dad – This baby boomer has three kids who refuse to play baseball, basketball or football and instead chose soccer as their sport. It has taken years for Soccer Dad to get over the fact that the sports of his youth hold no interest for his offspring’s generation. Many a night he’s sat alone in the dark with his box of old baseball cards – Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax … sigh. He’s accepted this and is now a Sounders season ticket holder so he can spend some quality time with the kids. Soccer Dad should be admired. Most of the time he walks around with a confused look on his face – a stranger in a strange sports landscape. “First the Cold War ended and now this?” he asks. Ronald Reagan where have you gone?

Stern hopes Seattle gets an NBA team. Whatever.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied nearly 3 percent yesterday, there’s an outside chance that The Mitten gets a job offer today that doesn’t entail mopping the men’s room of a Shell station, and NBA commissioner David Stern told Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley that he believes Seattle will be an NBA city once again. Things seem to be coming around. And if you believe all that, I have an NBA team to sell you.

"(Seattle) was a great city for the NBA," Stern told Kelley during an NBA summer league game in Las Vegas. "It supported us very well, and we had great teams and great memories. I don't consider it a success that we left Seattle, but a failure of types. And I hope someday, whether on my watch or a successor's watch, that we again have a team in Seattle."

Well, whoopdy-freakin’-doo.

I don’t need to tell people in this area that Stern is a disingenuous troll. Listening to him is worse than watching reruns of the final 1994 playoff game against Denver. I think Kelley is a fine journalist and it takes some stones to corner Stern at the Summer League and ask The Commish if he’s got anything to say to the fans in Seattle. But at this point, any talk of a return rings hollow. There are a number of things that need to happen along with the planets aligning in constellation “The Glove” (OK, I made that up) for the NBA to return to Seattle.

1. All of the casual NBA fans in Seattle must be deceased. The damage has been done and they don’t care anymore. If anything, they won’t go to a single game because you slighted their beloved city. If the NBA has done any market analysis in the last 50 years they’d have learned that Seattleites and those living in the Puget Sound area are unbelievable sensitive and defensive when it comes outside perceptions of their city. You take a cut at the Space Needle and the gloves come off. It’s endearing, but also a little pathetic. There’s sort of a small man’s disorder in play here. Whatever the case, an entire market demographic has been lost due to the months-long dump the NBA and Clay Bennett took on the good people of the region. In 30 to 40 years, there will be a new generation who didn’t go through this ordeal who may become fans. But for the casual fans here right now, they are gone and they are not coming back.

2. The die hard SuperSonics fan needs to pass on his passion for the game to the next generation. Just as there will be a new crop of would-be casual fans of the NBA in 30-40 years (assuming the NBA doesn’t economically imploded), there will need to be the next generation of die hard Sonics fans because it may take that long before a team is relocated to Seattle. These are the sons and daughters of the folks who rallied outside the courthouse or drove down to Olympia to lobby for their team’s home. There will need to be people who can teach others what it means to be a SuperSonics fan. Let’s hope the die hards haven’t been tainted forever.

3. The CEO of the largest software company in the world needs to stop laying off workers. I’m not going to tell Steve Ballmer what he should or shouldn’t do – he’s got more money than God. But if he is going to buy a basketball team, he should wait until the economy improves, whenever and if ever that happens. Ballmer has bigger fish to fry closer to home. Google is making noise with a new operating system and is already pummeling Microsoft in search. The Zune player is an afterthought next to the iconic i-pod. And the brightest computer science and mathematics students don’t want to work for Microsoft. They’re going to Google or somewhere else. Can Ballmer own an NBA franchise and keep his foot on the neck of the competition in an industry that doesn’t sleep let alone blink? Maybe.

4. A new privately-owned arena must be built. If the city thinks it can keep The Key running and profitable while making sure it doesn’t become the largest eyesore in the state, then by all means let them. They think they can attract big crowds and generate revenue with graduations, Seattle U basketball and the occasional Barry Manilow concert. I’m curious to see if this plan works. But the bemoaning from the Queen Anne business community says it’s not. Those businesses are hurting now that the Sonics aren’t bringing in large crowds 40 times a year. Remodeling The Key seems to now be an acceptable solution for the NBA, even though it was the reason it left. To avoid a never-ending battle about whether or not the arena is suitable, someone with deep pockets will have to finance the construction of a new building. If done right and constructed in a prime location, I think it would be a cash cow for all involved. The state isn’t going to hand over the money, never will. All signs are pointing to a newer-new economy – one with fewer jobs, lower wages and less tax revenue for the government. Even if the arena tax plan was a low-impact solution, it’s still political kryptonite.

I hope I’m wrong about everything I outlined above. Given my track record, there’s a better than even chance that I am. But the NBA and Stern have dug quite a crater in this corner of the country. The TV numbers show that people around here are still tuning in to NBA games, but nobody will admit to watching one. I’m guessing most of these folks are transplants, keeping tabs on their hometown squad. As for me, a local yokel whose team was high jacked to Oklahoma City, I’ve had a hard time watching more than a few minutes here and there.

Oh, and a side note to the Portland Trail Blazers management who think we’ll all become fans of your team: Never gonna happen.

Time has come to deal Bedard, Washburn

Since we’ve got some time during the mid-summer classic break, it’s fun to think about the Mariners making a second-half run at the AL West pennant. They could hold on to pitchers Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn and really make a go of it. However, it’s not so fun to think about what this team would look like next year and possibly years after if they don’t deal both of these guys before the trade deadline.

The M’s have Bedard and Washburn who are pitching lights out in contract years. It’s time to sell high. You know what you have in Bedard: an often injured pitcher who will give you five good innings a game when healthy, but will miss four to six weeks of the season every year. It’s better than a 50-50 chance that he walks after this year, anyway. Next season, Washburn will demand more than the $10.35 million he is getting paid in the final year of his current contract. Sorry, check that. His agent Scott Boras will demand more than the $10.35 million he’s getting paid this season. At age 34, I don’t see how Washburn fits into any long-term plan, especially at that price. And I’m not buying the talk that he’s the next Jamie Moyer.

The fact is this Mariner team is playing about as good as it will ever play and it’s still four games back of an Angels team that’s having a down year. While we’ve been treated to marked improvement from last season’s squad, there are still glaring holes. Assuming injured third baseman Adrian Beltre is gone after this season, the left side of the infield lacks a long-term solution. An argument could be made that second base lacks a long-term solution as well. The catching position is platooned by an overpaid catcher, who the entire pitching staff doesn’t trust (Johjima), and a light-hitting backstop in Rob Johnson who is terrific defensively, but his batting average hovers at .200. And yet again, the Mariners need to find a power-hitting solution in left field.

I doubt that it’s in his DNA, but let’s hope that Jack Zduriencik doesn’t pull a Bill Bavasi and throw big money and long term contracts at players who are having career years. Zduriencik has done a masterful job in his first year and shown a knack for unloading his team’s baggage and getting real value in return. 2009 was billed as a rebuilding year and next year will probably be similar.

Now is the time to stockpile farmhands and draft picks. Prior regimes left the Mariner farm system in shambles and saddled the big club with overpaid players signed to long-term contracts. This won’t be fixed in one season, not unless they want to roll the dice and go after big-money free agents. Unfortunately, we’ve already had a front row seat to see how that strategy plays out. Not well.

Are the Sounders outshining the Mariners?

For anyone who has read this column, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of my favorite movies is Will Ferrell’s NASCAR spoof Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

In the movie, Ricky Bobby loses his wife to his best friend and former racing teammate after Ricky has a mental brake down following a crash. Fearing the worst, Ricky will often strip down to his skivvies, stop, drop and roll because he thinks he’s on fire. But he’s not on fire, he’s just stupid. Clearly unfit to race, Ricky’s wife leaves him for his buddy Cal so she can continue to lead the lavish life of a driver’s wife.

In one of my favorite scenes, Ricky triumphs over his inner demons and is back on the track. Cal, meanwhile, is trying to reconcile what he has done to his best friend during a mid-race conversation with his pit crew chief. The conversation through the radio head sets goes like this as Ricky Bobby is making his move on Cal:

Crew chief: Cal, Ricky's passing you.
Cal: Do you think Ricky is passing me in my subconscious?
Crew chief: No, he's actually passing you. That's happening right now.

Love it. And it’s my long-winded way of comparing the trajectories of Seattle’s two summer season sports franchises: major league baseball’s Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Sounders FC of the MLS. The M’s represent Cal, a slow, careful franchise wondering if they are doing the right thing and trying to figure out if they can milk any residual novelty from Safeco Field. The Sounders look like our hero, Ricky Bobby – taking the bull by the horns and pulling all the right levers.

In the Sounders first season of MLS play, the team has generated an unbelievable amount of buzz while selling out every game. They’ve met some of the demand for tickets by making a few thousand additional seats available. The mainstream newspapers and sports radio cover the Sounders like they would the NBA if it were still here. So thirsty for new Sounders angles, I listened to KJR’s Mike Gastineau interview the president of one of the soccer team’s fan clubs. And I was riveted! Seriously, I was, and I don’t even like soccer. When was the last time you heard a radio interview of a Mariners fan club president? You want to know when? Never. You'll never hear one. My friends and associates are not making plans to go the M’s game. They are trying to figure out how to get Sounders tickets. If they can’t get tickets, they settle for tailgating in the parking lot.

Our hometown nine, in the meantime, have been following pretty much the same script they’ve written for themselves over the last five years. An early season, swoon followed by three or four months of “evaluating” young talent for the future. While they've teased us the last week by taking a series from the Dodgers and a series from the Red Sox on the road, it still feels like past seasons where a 10 of 11 losing streak is in the offing. The most compelling and contrived story line lately has been Russell Branyan’s home run hang time. Tracking the ball like one might for an NFL punt, Mariners broadcasters can now manufacture excitement over an inane measure of power. “That ball was in the air for 6.3 seconds, wow!” Ugh.

We are also getting an encore performance of the Brandon Morrow Show. Is he a starter? Is he a reliever? Will he pitch in Tacoma? Will he pitch in Seattle? Tune in tomorrow to find out! Spoiler alert, for those of you who don’t want to know how this show ends, stop reading now. After getting jerked around for the better part of three or four seasons, Morrow will undergo major reconstructive arm surgery, followed by a failed attempt to return to form. He’ll have the Mariners organization to thank for ruining the career of a promising young pitcher with a cannon for an arm.

The M’s look a lot like the teams that I grew up watching in the 70s and 80s. Ugly baseball, but you could always count on getting a gimmicky giveaway item when you went to the Kingdome. There is lots of talk about whether or not you should believe in this team. My question is "believe in what?" That the M's are built to win the world series? Because, as fans, that's the only question we should be asking now that the Mariners are one of only three teams that have not appeared in the fall classic. The Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers being the other two. So, do I believe the M's are a world series team? No.

Do I have any hard numbers to prove that the MLS is overtaking the M’s? No, not really, but the Sounders are definitely a hotter commodity and the novelty of soccer isn’t wearing off. Things will only get worse for the M’s when the Seahawks begin training camp in a matter of weeks. A turnaround, if it happens for the M’s, will no doubt bring the buzz back to the ball park. After all, it is still the national passtime and soccer isn't quite mainstream yet. But until the day the M's begin to make a real run at it, they should take a look in their rear view mirror. That’s the Seattle Sounders passing you on the inside.

That’s happening right now.