Lunchtime Links – 5/30

We’re back with another set of links that might be of interest…

• Leading off is an article by Sportspress Northwest that describes the atrocious home batting average for the Mariners. A solid .193. You would think they would have better luck in the friendly confines of Safeco Field, but that is not the case. What I found interesting  is the author, John Hickey, brings up that the best hitter at home for the M’s is Casper Wells, with a .235 average. He’s currently in AAA Tacoma.
• It was brought to my attention that an official website has been made for the new Sonics arena deal. There are also Facebook and Twitter pages affiliated with the site. On them you can find how you can personally help further the possibilities of a new arena in Seattle.
• There was some sad news that broke yesterday. Johnie Kirton, former Husky running back and tight end, was found dead in his Santa Clara hotel room. The cause of death is still unknown. Kirton, 26, was currently playing for the San Jose SaberCats of the Arena Football League. He was on the Huskies from 2004 to 2008 and served as a team captain in his senior season.
• Lastly, here’s an article by Larry Stone of The Seattle Times debating what the future holds with the Mariners closing role. Brandon League has been struggling as of late, but can he salvage the season and possibly net some prospects at the deadline for the M’s? Stone also talks about Stephen Pryor, a reliever in AAA Tacoma who is absolutely tearing up the competition at the moment. Pryor currently boasts a stat line of a 0.00 ERA over 11.0 innings pitched and 14 strikeouts. On top of that, if you combine those stats with his AA stats from earlier in the season, he has a 0.67 ERA over 27.0 innings pitched and 38 strikeouts. Impressive to say the least.

That’s all we have for you today! While I have your attention, go like our Facebook page in order to be updated on new content that is published on SS&O.

Lunchtime Links – 5/22

Another batch of lunchtime links coming right up!

• The Sonics – Thunder saga continues, this time in regards to a shirt made by Warpaint Clothing. The front shows of the shirts shows the OKC skyline, resembling the iconic logo of the Supes. The back reads “Thank You Seattle – OKC.” As one would expect, a lot of hate has been sent to the Oklahoman company, some even as drastic as death threats. The company has since taken the shirts off of their shop. But, you be the judge, and vote in the poll below.

• The first match of the Cascadia Cup was this weekend for the Sounders and they played Vancouver to a 2-2 draw north of the border. Whitecaps midfielder Davide Chumiento had a few words to say about the Sounders after the match. Big words for a player who has yet to beat the Rave Green since his team joined the MLS. The Sounders are in 3rd in the Western Conference standings, sitting three points back with two games in hand.
• Mark Schlabach, writer for ESPN, came out with his second edition of the “Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25” and the Huskies broke into the rankings at #21. Yeah, nothing has been played in the 2012 college football season, but it’s always nice to see a national media writer show some respect for the Purple and Gold. Other Pac-12 teams to make the list are USC at #2, Oregon at #4, and Stanford at #12. The Huskies matchup in week 2, LSU, is listed as the #1 team. It should be an interesting start to the season, that’s for sure.
• The Mariners picked up a solid win against the Rangers on Monday night, riding the pitching of King Felix. His stat line was impressive, conceding only 1 run over 8 innings while fanning 7 batters. He just continues to throw gems almost every time he takes the mound. The offensive production has been great on this four game win streak, so hopefully the M’s can keep it rolling.
• Monday evening news broke that the Seahawks had acquired former Pro Bowler Kellen Winslow Jr. for only a 7th round pick that could be upgraded to a 6th rounder. I love the move by Pete Carroll here as Winslow has posted solid numbers over the recent years. The key will be if he can stay healthy and avoid off the field incidents. If that happens, he should fit nicely alongside Zach Miller, who is looking to bounce back after being injured for most of last season.

That’s it for now! Hope you enjoyed the light reading and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Lunchtime Links – 5/3

Something new here on SS&O will be the occurrence of “Lunchtime Links,” a rather straight and to the point post providing our viewers with notable links that are relevant to the Seattle sports world. Now, the goal is to do this intermittently around the lunchtime hours, hence the name, but I was a little late today so you will have to forgive me this time. Anyways, enough talking and more link-age.

• Great article today on Deadspin by Jeremy Repanich, a former Sonics employee, giving his insights on the well known turnover and departure of our NBA franchise. I will warn you, it is a rather long read, but it brings a lot of interesting inside information to the table. Enjoy. http://tinyurl.com/75r6k32
• Bob Condotta, the Seattle Times Husky Football beat writer, released his unofficial depth chart following the end of the Huskies spring practices. Definitely worth a look for those of you Dawg fans out there. http://tinyurl.com/86neldh
• This article is from Percy Allen, the Seattle Times Husky Basketball beat writer, and reports that the Husky hoops team will be taking a Summer trip to Europe and Africa, including Aziz N’Diaye’s home country of Senegal.  http://tinyurl.com/7k6l9kj 
• Lastly, is an article written by Nick Eaton of the Seattle PI posing the question: Who should be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks? Worth the read, as it gives a background of each of the four signal callers currently on the roster. http://tinyurl.com/c6qmdwn

That’s all I have for today. Let me know what you think about this new type of post; whether it’s worth your time or just a waste. We always encourage feedback. Thanks for reading!