Monday, December 24, 2012

Five Wishes on My Seattle Sports Christmas List

Well like everybody says, it's that time of the year again. Christmas is just around the corner, and I mean JUST around the corner, and most people are in that cheery type of mood again. Teams in Seattle have had their ups and downs this month, most notably the down of the Huskies, and the ups of the Seahawks, but in the end aren't all Seattle sports kind of bipolar in these kinds of ways? Christmas has ups and downs just like Seattle sports, the downs of gaining weight from all the great food, but the ups from getting presents, getting a break from school, and celebrating the life of Jesus Christ. Every year I look forward to Christmas, as I think many other people do as well, and always wonder what gifts I could be receiving. I usually make a list (even though I'm almost in college) and put my favorite desires on this list. Well this time I'm making the list a little bit differently. I'm creating a list of what 5 things/events I want, or want to occur, in Seattle sports that are within the realistic spectrum (so probably not a World Series championship for the M's). Here are the five items on my list.

1. Seahawks winning the Super Bowl

First off, I think this wish has a very realistic shot of happening. The Seahawks have been one of, if not, the hottest teams in the NFL the past couple of weeks and Russell Wilson just proved it again with an enormous win over the 49ers. Wilson had the highest QBR in week 16 out of every quarterback in the NFL, posting a 97.6 rating, and I think this goes to show how high of a level the Seahawks (and Russell Wilson) have been playing at the past couple of weeks. I mean it's crazy to think that they have outscored their opponents 150-30 the past three weeks. It still kills me to think we had losses against the Rams, Cardinals, and Dolphins. If we played them all again right now, I would have to believe that we would outscore all of them by at least 150-0 or some score around there. That's how good the Seahawks are playing right now (and how bad the other three teams are). The Seahawks will face the winner of the Dallas and Washington game in the first round of the playoffs and I believe that the Seahawks can go on the road and beat either of those teams. Nobody wants to play the Seahawks right now and if I were in the NFC, I would have nightmares of Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson (as long as Sherman's appeal goes as he said it went). The Seahawks will face a tough opponent if they win their first round playoff game, but they have faced at least 2 of the teams in the NFC playoffs before this season. The Seahawks will be prepared and if I was an opponent, boy would I be scared. This would be an awesome late Christmas present in February.

Wouldn't it be nice to see this on the cover page of the Seattle Times once again, except this time having Russell Wilson on it?

2. Seattle Arena is built and the city gets an NBA franchise within the next 5 years

I know, I know some of you may be asking how this is not number one on my list, but at the current moment, the Seahawks are tearing it up, if you haven't been watching. Also, there are years in the future where I can wish for Seattle to get an NBA franchise. I've learned that you always have to be patient. Anyways, I think that if the city of Seattle attained an NBA franchise within the next five years, it would energize every sports fan in the city. Well duh it would, but I mean that this event would probably boost ratings and attendance for every team in the city. People would get excited about the general scent of Seattle sports, maybe as strong of a scent that would catch the east coast's attention. Probably not though, knowing the east coast. Gotta love that east coast bias! But back to the point. With the construction of the Seattle arena, not only could an NBA franchise come to the city, but an NHL franchise could follow just as easily. Therefore, this would make Seattle one of the biggest sports cities in the nation, as long as the teams have success, and could even rival towns such as Boston (that only comes with HUGE success though). The acquisition of an NBA franchise has its positives up front, but has even more positives behind the smokescreen, such as the ones I just explained above. This would definitely make my Christmas a whole lot merrier.

3. The Mariners sign or trade for a superstar, or big power hitter

Everybody knows the Mariners need offense. The M's got some offense in their trade for Kendrys Morales this past week, but they still need a lot more. Like, a whole lot more offense. Some trade names that have been thrown out there in recent weeks are Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies and Andre Eithier of the Dodgers. Both of those players would be hard to pry out of their respective team's hands and it would take one or more of the Mariners' big pitching prospects. However, I would give up one of those prospects for either of these bats. There are some other power bats that could be attained through trades, but I'll leave it to Jack Zduriencik to find out exactly who he wants. However, Raul Ibanez won't cut it, at all. After or if we sign or trade for a power bat, I think the Mariners should sign Michael Bourn. He would set the table nicely for the big power hitters and would always bring his stellar defense to the situation. An outfield of Michael Bourn, Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders would be a very athletic and effective group. Either way, the Mariners need to make some more moves to improve their offense and Jack Z knows this. I also think he might know that it would make my Christmas a little bit better. Actually, probably a whole lot better. Hopefully Jack Z makes a move for not just me, but for all of Seattle soon after Christmas.

Andre Eithier could bolster the Mariner's offense in a big way.

4. Keith Price returns to his 2011 form in 2013

Fresh off a Vegas Bowl loss, this wish debuts at number four on my list. The Huskies were one of the most infuriating teams I've ever chosen to root for this year as their play-calling, decision making, performance and sometimes their effort were way below what I thought they were going to be at the beginning of the season. I think the reason for why this season was so frustrating to me was because I saw so much potential in this Huskies team. Sure, the first six games were tough, but the Huskies made it out of the gauntlet with a 3-3 record. I thought the season would have ended with a 9-3 record after the first six games, but probably more realistically an 8-4 record. Well sure enough, the regular season ended with a 7-5 record and in the end a 7-6 record was pulled out from the rubble. Leading the team this year was Keith Price and I thought he was poised for another outstanding year, but boy did he disappoint big time. After talking with Scott Enyeart yesterday, I think USC fans know what I'm talking about. Matt Barkley was poised for a Heisman caliber year and in the end it turned out to really be a dud of a season for Trojan fans. For once, Trojan and Huskies fans can relate in the ways that they feel. Oh what a jolly time Christmas is, friendships and all, but back to the point. It would make me so happy if Keith Price returns to his 2011 form in the 2013 season and depending on how well his year goes, this wish could end up being the best event I ever wished for! With a performance reminiscent of his 2011 season in the 2013 season, Keith Price could lead the Huskies to contend for a PAC-12 title.

5. Aaron Gordon announces that he will attend the University of Washington

This would be absolutely huge for Lorenzo Romar and the Dawgs. The Huskies desperately need a play-maker and star player, and they would be getting just that in Aaron Gordon. The Huskies are pretty darn boring to watch this year and the signing of Gordon would give a reason to all the Huskie's fans to come storming back to Alaska Airlines Arena. I know that I sure would. It looks like Arizona is the Huskie's biggest competition for Gordon as Kentucky already has a jam packed recruiting class, as they always do under Calipari. Gordon will likely make his choice after the college basketball season as he wants to see how each team on his lost performs throughout the year. I've also heard a rumor that Gordon is waiting to see what happens with Romar, as Romar could sprint off to UCLA if Howland is fired. I found these rumors hard to believe, but if it happens, you can say you read it here first (unless you read it somewhere else first...). A kid who is only 18 years old has the chance to make my Christmas. That's how good Aaron Gordon is.

Aaron Gordon would be a huge get for Lorenzo Romar and the Washington Huskies.


Honorable Mention: A surprise 5 or 4 star recruit for the Huskies football team, Sounders making it to the MLS Cup, Huskies make solid offensive coaching hires

As you can see, I dream big. All of these events have a realistic chance of happening and if they all do happen, the city of Seattle will go absolutely nuts. But on the other side of the spectrum, these wishes could all just as easily not happen and Seattle sports fans could be left to drown in their sorrows for once again another year. Obviously, I won't get instant gratification with any of these wishes as they will happen over time, being within the next year or five years, but I can live with that. I think Seattle sports fans, such as myself, have learned to be patient over the past 10 years or so. Don't worry, we can be patient again, we would just like to have our wishes come true once in a while.

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well! Keep checking back for more updates.

Marshall

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