Seattle Sober Saturday: The week in sports missed because you were intoxicated

Justice(?) prevails, I guess, in the murder investigation of Ed McMichael, the quirky musician known to sports fans as Tuba Man. According to the Seattle Times, three teenagers have pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter and will face up to a year and a half in juvenile detention. That’s 72 weeks, almost a hockey season. Pathetic. King County prosecutors say that’s the best they can do since they don’t have any eyewitnesses. The teenagers pleaded guilty to avoid the prospect that the attorney’s office and the Seattle Police Department get lucky just once and solve a crime – bringing a stronger case against the accused.

Isaiah’s just joking
Washington freshman point guard Isaiah Thomas set off a flurry of sports radio blather yesterday when he posted a note on his Facebook page that he’ll be declaring for the upcoming NBA draft. KJR radio devoted on-air time weighing the pros and cons of Thomas declaring so soon. Turns out he was just kidding. I think Thomas should do this more often, increasing the odds that radio host Dave “Softy” Mahler has an on-air heart attack. Just kidding.

Callero goes to Cal Poly
After eight years at the helm of Seattle University’s basketball program, Joe Callero took a new job at Cal Poly. In the Redhawks first season as a Division I program this year, Seattle U went 21-8. Callero is a Central Washington grad and all-around stand up guy, so I wish him the best. I had the pleasure of covering his teams in the mid ‘90s when he was head coach at Highline Community College. One of those teams featured now Boston Celtics big man Brian Scalabrine. Both of them went to USC a year later to play and coach under Henry Bibby. Callero is a talented, dynamic coach who will continue to turn heads. I’d be surprised if we don’t seem him in a major conference job before long.

Ichiro bleeds on the inside
Turns out Ichiro’s fatigue was caused by a bleeding ulcer, yikes, and he’ll go on the 15-day disabled list. This is the first time the M’s right fielder will go on the DL. This especially sucks because I bought tickets for the home opener specifically in left field where Ken Griffey Jr. was to make his home opener debut. Now, it looks like Griffey may be playing right field. Doh!

Please, no AC\DC
Australian left hander Ryan Rowland-Smith is the front runner to earn the Mariners closer role. This is fine with me, just so long as we don’t have to endure AC\DC for his play-in music as he runs in from the outfield bullpen – especially “Thunderstruck.” I like the Australian rock band as much as the next meathead, but this just smacks of something a dim-witted NBA franchise in the Midwest would do. Oh, they actually do this? Well, there you go.

Montero under investigation
Well, welcome to the world of professional sports in Seattle, soccer fans. The Sounders FC will be without leading scorer and newly minted Seattle sports icon Fredy Montero when the team faces Toronto this weekend. Disturbing news surfaced late Friday that Montero is under investigation after allegations that he twice raped a Bellevue woman. According to the Seattle Times, the Bellevue Police Department released a report that identifies Montero as the suspect in the case.