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Seattle Seahawks fans lost one of their best on Saturday with the passing of Patti “Mama Blue” Hammond. “It is with great sadness and very heavy hearts that as a family we share that our beloved mom, grandma, great-grandma, great-great grandma, aunt, cousin, friend, and number 1 Seattle Seahawks fan, Patti Hammond, took her last…
Seahawks mourn the loss of super fan Patti ‘Mama Blue’ Hammond — Seahawks Wire
Nearly no one will argue the Seattle Seahawks 2022 draft class was one of the best in the league. Now general manager John Schneider and his team of scouts have received the recognition they deserve. 217 more words
Seahawks win Inside the League’s ‘2022 Best Draft Award’ — Seahawks Wire
The NFLPA released their first ever team report cards yesterday, grading all 32 franchises via polling 1300 players. Each team got letter grades based on how players viewed eight different categories, including their facilities, how they treated their families and the quality of their strength and training staffs. 285 more words
Seahawks get mostly high marks on NFLPA report card — Seahawks Wire
After needing another top-four defenceman for years, the Ottawa Senators finally added a proven NHL talent to bolster their blue line to help them make a playoff push. 579 more words
Ottawa Senators bolster blue line, acquire Chychrun — 613 Sports
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Seahawks’ change in draft philosophy was out of necessity and by design — Seahawks Wire
There are some athletes you watch a majority of life and revel in. It could be they’re not like any player or athlete you’ve ever watched. They could be the classiest and sweetest person ever, interacting with regular people like they’re family. Perhaps it’s the number of hobbies and fun activities when not scoring, running races or blocking shots. Or maybe, it’s because they stand out so much in and out of sports that it blows one away and you can’t help but want them around, forever wanting their presence and energies.
Sylvia Fowles is all wrapped into one. I’ve watched her play professionally since her early days with the Chicago Sky around the turn of the 2010s. I still have yet to hear a bad word about her from teammates, coaches or fans since watching and analyzing women’s basketball.
Fans found out before last season started she likes to knit and sew. She loves plants and how they bring good energies. Sylvia’s planted gardens across Minneapolis, helping serve healthy food to those who want local shops and places to go to. She swims to keep up with fitness, believes in reincarnation (she’d love to be an eagle or elephant in a next life), is avid about her mental health, loves bike-riding and charity for children. Sylvia’s obsessed with science and education, and is a talented dancer and comedian.
Since August of last year, Sylvia’s finally getting a good amount of honors, appreciation and respect she should have much of her career. You probably heard what she wants to do now that she’s retired from the WNBA, but you may not know why. I had known she’s been wanting to become a mortician because there was interest in Chicago to ask her things past basketball, but there’s still a lot to learn about someone who’s been quiet yet motherly to her teammates.
Why Sweet Syl is very important to the league and to those covering the WNBA
The WNBA had a renaissance woman they could’ve promoted for 15 years. Sylvia was the second overall pick by the Chicago Sky in the 2008 draft. To this day most see her as LSU’s best women’s basketball player. The league blew it in ways no other sports league would.
One can say Sylvia never wanted the attention and would be both uncomfortable and weirded out. Past a point, her accomplishments can’t be overlooked and she should be both praised and told how she’s one of the best players to take the court. This falls on who covers women’s and men’s sports with what best to say.
It’s why despite her farewell tour (which she was hesitant on and absolutely felt a lot of emotions her last weekend of play), the media and the league decided to focus on another WNBA star for most of the season. Unless one watched her games throughout 2022, it would be hard to know she was retiring until ESPN put on segments in the middle of August.
You may have figured out there’s a certain pattern as to why Sylvia didn’t get the attention, and it’s not because she doesn’t want it. She’s a very tall, dark-skinned black woman who probably has a deeper voice and is intimidating to both opposing teams and anyone covering women’s basketball. All of this outside of intimidating the media is correct. Some of her own teammates joined the Minnesota Lynx because they were tired of facing her at least three times a season. Outside of the media tidbit, this is a problem the league hasn’t addressed and falls face first on.
Think of who the faces of the WNBA are today. Chances are most, if not all look closer to me than her. You probably assumed who the other retired player was or pictured to be even if you don’t watch the sport. It would be hard to figure out Sylvia is the only player to lead two franchises in rebounding, or be the only woman to have 4,000 rebounds. In an interview with LaChina Robinson aired at half-time of her last game Sunday August 14th Sylvia said she takes this to the chin, and she does get in her feelings at times (it’s also one of the few interviews she’s fully herself when it comes to her being in basketball), but she’s adamant of knowing she at least deserves the full respect, something that’s been quiet off the court in most markets.
This is something the league and mainstream media need to not just address but fix and figure out before the start of the 2023 season. Promote and talk about players like Jonquel Jones, Kahleah Copper and Arike Ogunbowale just as much as Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Candace Parker.
What makes Mama Syl GOAT-worthy
Ask yourself who the last dominant center you watched play professional basketball was; male or female. Chances are most men would say Shaquille O’Neal. No center has played as close to Sylvia’s level since Lisa Leslie retired (one could say Brittney Griner but she hasn’t played since 2021).
Here are things you can say about Sylvia that you can’t say about many or any players in the W. They include
It’s a rarity to find a player in basketball, regardless of sex to have a list of accolades this deep, thorough and impressive. Sylvia’s well known for defense but is a critical player around the hoop to either score, generate second-chance opportunities or draw fouls. Unlike with forwards or guards, there’s been no solid counter to Sylvia for almost her entire career. Minnesota still ran an older style of offense and defense when she started games. The Lynx didn’t want to make three-point shots a main focus of scoring when Fowles was on the court. It slowed opponents’ games and worked in Minnesota’s favor all but one season. On defense, teams preferred having second chance scoring opportunities rather than numerous three point chances. No other player in her three decades of play commanded that much respect.
Many of us obsess over male athletes (and to be honest, with good reasons) because we know how hard things are for them to attain either the levels of greatness or to stay a good person especially with normal people around for long periods of time. A fewer amount do the same with female athletes or try to understand them unless they fit a certain description. Sylvia didn’t and for the most part, still doesn’t fit a lot of the characteristics a good amount of the public wants from both taller and dark-skinned female athletes. Yet she’s one of the most empathetic, comedic, creative and wonderful people you’d ever come across.
In the end the league never deserved a one-of-one, unequaled individual. As a true fan, I’m happy and blessed I got to watch her play for as long as she did. While I’m mostly at peace she leaves on her own terms, it’s also true to say the league will not be the same without her. It won’t be as colorful with that extra height space and the added sweetness she brought every summer. In the end, it’s safe to say the true fans were the ones playing funeral all year.
Conspiracy theories have become even more popular than professional football with some folks. Near the end of the 2022-23 season, the idea that the NFL is scripted was born out of an elaborate joke that former Texans running back… 226 more words
NFL scripted conspiracy theory is relatively popular among Seahawks fans — Seahawks Wire
The Seahawks are still hanging on to associate head coach Sean Desai, who’s now interviewed for at least five defensive coordinator openings. However, Pete Carroll’s coaching staff has experienced some turnover. 261 more words
Steelers hiring Seahawks assistant Aaron Curry as linebackers coach — Seahawks Wire
What a fun first half of the season. Most teams are close in the standings with good chances of making the NBA playoffs. The incumbent champion Golden State Warriors are in the middle of their division and conference. The MVP race is either Nikola Jokic’s or Giannis Antetokounmpo’s to lose while coaching and managers are inconsistent. The second half is set up for a fun, intense finish.
Here are the most important topics and questions after the first half of the season.
More teams prefer to contend for the playoffs than tank for Victor Wembanyama
At the All-Star break, there are four teams eliminated from playoff contention. What’s more shocking is how both conferences are competitive and close in almost every playoff seed. Teams such as Orlando, Washington and Utah can make strong pushes and multiple winning streaks to stay in the middle for a play-in round. Veteran teams such as Golden State, Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers are struggling to stay in a top seed despite the stars and coaches who usually make their teams excel.
It’s the reverse of what many fans and analysts expected at the beginning of fall 2022. Teams want giant phenom Victor Wembanyama and will do a lot to land him at the number one or two overall pick. Right now there’s a lot of fight in the 26 competitive teams and that might not stop until the last month of the regular season.
Coach of the year is an easy choice
The coach of the year winner should be Sacramento’s Mike Brown. The Kings are the best team in the deep Pacific division after one half of season play and are third overall in the western conference. Almost an entire generation of NBA fans have never seen Sacramento in the NBA postseason, but that might finally change under Brown’s leadership. Unless Boston, Phoenix or Denver break league records, it’s Brown’s to lose.
How serious is the conversation on reduction of regular season games?
The topic has a larger audience the past few years and it’ll continue when play resumes. Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and many other star players around the league are or have battled injuries throughout the season. While rest management became the topic of discussion heading into 2020, more criticism of a long NBA season are growing among coaches, players, fans and analysts. While things won’t be resolved at the end of the league’s 76th season, be aware this storyline will stay heading into fall.
The Top 30: Time for one view for each team. The view can range from improvement to an easier transition during the second half of the season.
Atlanta: The Hawks are eighth in the east and a benchmark for mediocrity. DeJounte Murray has floundered at times and coach Nate McMillan was finally fired after all kinds of mismanagement. This was supposed to be a top team in the Southeast and a better contender in the east. They need to figure it out fast.
Boston: Joe Mazzulla is officially locked in as the Celtics permanent head coach. Everyone expects Boston and Milwaukee to be the conference finals contenders, but we need to see how well Mazzulla is in the postseason compared to his predecessor.
Brooklyn: A year ago James Harden was traded to Philadelphia in a blockbuster deal that brought in Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. The Nets are hanging on to fifth place in the east due to interim coach Jacque Vaughn even after the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant trades. No matter where Brooklyn finishes in the standings, they have a reliable coach in Vaughn and can assess who to add on the roster.
Charlotte: One of the four worst teams in the league, it’s stunning how awful the team is when LaMelo Ball isn’t playing. They’re at the bottom in three point and field goal percentage and ahead of only Detroit in the east. Add in critical players such as Terry Rozier, Kelly Oubre and Gordon Hayward are injured for a while and this team just can’t catch a break.
Chicago: The Bulls are in a tough situation. On the edge of a play-in round with Indiana and Orlando close behind, this roster doesn’t fit well and coach Billy Donovan is running out of options. Expect Chicago to make a run but big changes are coming this offseason.
Cleveland: This team is better and more dangerous with Donovan Mitchell. The past two years solidified a talented roster that can make a run in the postseason. Don’t expect the Cavaliers to drop off when play resumes.
Dallas: The Mavericks finally have a solid number two option to take pressure off Luka Doncic in Kyrie Irving. While the debates rage on, it’s equally important Dallas brought in Markieff Morris. The Mavericks need more options at power forward and that should be discussed more among NBA analysts.
Denver: Nikola Jokic is having another MVP caliber season but the play of guards Jamal Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson will help push Denver past the second round of the playoffs if everyone stays healthy.
Detroit: Even with Cade Cunningham injured, you’d think the young core of the Pistons, with the addition of Bojan Bogdanovic and Nerlens Noel could be a more competent team. The problem is either coaching, management or a combination of both. Unless Detroit really wants Victor Wembanyama this team is in crisis mode.
Golden State: At first glance the defending champions can’t catch a break. Franchise star Stephen Curry got injured, former first round pick James Wiseman was traded, and Gary Payton II had trouble coming back to the team due to a failed physical. But the Warriors are tied as the number one scoring team in the league, are close to unbeatable at home and would be in the play-in if the season ended today. If this team gets on a roll after the All-Star break, the west could be in trouble fast.
Houston: Turns out coach Steve Silas might not be as good as many people thought. In his defense, how can you tell with this assembled mess called a team. At least the Rockets have a bunch of draft picks heading into summer.
Indiana: The Pacers can’t continue to be the Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner show. Management has to make trades and signings to bulk up a roster that’s close to being a play-in contender.
Los Angeles Clippers: There might not be a more frustrating team in the western conference than the Clippers. No one knows what team they’re getting any given night. Will the team that thumps the rival Lakers take the court or will the team that gives up double digit leads show up? It’ll be a headache thinking of how well they’ll do in any playoff round.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers got the needed additions at the trade deadline but now we’ll see how good Darvin Ham is with the upgraded talent, especially late in games. Get ready for more headlines about how LeBron James feels on leadership after the moves these next few months.
Memphis: The west would be different if Grizzlies point-guard Ja Morant didn’t shoot his mouth off on the roster rivaling the Celtics. Memphis is a great team in the conference but the young core isn’t conference championship level yet and whoever they play the first two rounds will let them know it.
Miami: I don’t doubt the Heat can leap to a top four or five seed in the east but it’s alarming how they’ve sputtered most of the season and are bottom five in so many categories on offense. There are too many injured guards on this team and one must wonder if they flame out fast in the first round. That could thin out the true contenders category quick.
Milwaukee: The Bucks and Celtics are the top teams in the east. If Milwaukee wants to come out on top and return to the finals, they have to remain at full health and continue being the best rebounding team in the league. More scoring opportunities and offensive possessions will wear down opponents late in the season.
Minnesota: It’ll be fun watching a Timberwolves team that just traded for Mike Conley contend when Karl-Anthony Towns returns from injury. Can coaching elevate this team past a play-in round seed into a top six spot? We’ll find out fast.
New Orleans: Zion Williamson’s injuries would dominate basketball headlines if the Pelicans were worse and didn’t have other quality players like C.J. McCollum stepping up. His health problems aren’t going away anytime soon.
New York: It’s hard to understand the Knicks. Two years ago they were a surprising playoff team. Last year they fell off a cliff in offensive production. This year they’re a top six team in the east. There aren’t words to describe this team outside of wild.
Oklahoma City: The Thunder were another team people wrote off as a lottery team but are a contender in the play-in round. That’s due to the MVP caliber play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey leading the third highest scoring offense in the league. This is already an interesting team to watch but their draft picks focusing on depth at center and small forward will make the roster more formidable next year.
Orlando: A team where numbers don’t tell the whole story. Rookie Paolo Banchero was a great choice at number one in the draft and this team plays hard despite their record. There will be teams such as the Bulls, Nets and Hawks that face serious challenges to their roster after the season and some teams will be elevated to playoff contending because of that. The Magic could be one that finds themselves lucky to move up.
Philadelphia: It’s time for Doc Rivers to stop coaching. The 76ers do have the third best record in the east but they’re not championship contenders if they face off against Boston or Milwaukee. That’s alarming despite P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell on the roster. Plus the number of blown leads and terrible decisions holds them back further.
Phoenix: It’s been an up-and-down season in the desert. The Suns could’ve went the roster demolition route but instead traded for Kevin Durant and gave up a lot of draft capital. This is a move that’s regarded as a success only if a championship is won, and it’s been a long time coming for Phoenix to bring home the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Portland: At what point do the Trailblazers tell Damien Lillard he has to go in order for this soap opera to end? He won’t win a championship in the pacific northwest and it’s ok for everyone to admit that. It’s just a shame he’s wasted the best years of his career never getting to an NBA finals appearance.
Sacramento: Not many people (especially analysts) are talking about how the Kings are tied as the number one team in scoring, the third best team in field goal percentage and are top ten in three point percentage during their short reign on top of the Pacific division. It probably won’t stay the second half of the season but it shows how well coach Mike Brown has done improving the offense and making De’Aaron Fox a true threat at point-guard.
San Antonio: If this isn’t coach Gregg Popovich leading the Spurs every night, this team would be getting trashed on television every night. San Antonio can’t compete and people are wondering if they began tanking the season early for Wembanyama.
Toronto: Late in 2022 writers were wondering when coach Nick Nurse would be fired so the Raptors could do a full re-build on the roster. Toronto may not have that option due to how many players prefer being on a team in the U.S., so the firing of Nurse and building a better roster from the ground up would be a terrible idea. On the other hand, the Raptors have looked worse since the bubble tournament in 2020. There are valid concerns, but it feels more on management’s hesitations than coaching.
Utah: I don’t think anyone had this team near .500 when the season began. Danny Ainge and Dwyane Wade are re-vamping something special in Salt Lake City. Their offseason should catch most true fans’ attention.
Washington: Statistically and roster-wise, this is a team that could advance past the play-in round. The question on will they actually play to that potential is what will be most interesting since Atlanta, Toronto and Miami might fizzle out faster.
Marshawn Lynch may be the most beloved Seahawks player of all time. While the fanbase almost universally adores him, his relationship with the media is a bit more contentious. Lynch never liked speaking to reporters after games – so much so that he was willing to get fined to avoid it. Speaking as a guest…
Marshawn Lynch reveals how much the NFL fined him for not speaking to media — Seahawks Wire
JD's Sportscorner 