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	<title>The Stark Truth</title>
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	<description>Former Kitsap Sun sports editor Chuck Stark shares insight, laughter, news, views and analysis of Kitsap sports and beyond.</description>
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		<title>Update: Big bucks for Wilson ($87.6M) and Wagner ($43M)</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/31/big-bucks-87-6m-for-wilson-wagner-next/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/31/big-bucks-87-6m-for-wilson-wagner-next/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:57:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bobby Wagner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Earl Thomas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marshawn Lynch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Sherman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russell Wilson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Seahawks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/?p=4343</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NOTE: Some new links and an update on Wagner’s deal have been added. It’s official. Russell Wilson&#160;signs a four-year, $87.6 million extension&#160;with the Seahawks with $60M guaranteed. That’s an average of $21.9M per year. Only Aaron Rodgers of the Packers has a higher average ($22M). But if you include the $1.5M Wilson is&#160;scheduled to earn&#160;this &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/31/big-bucks-87-6m-for-wilson-wagner-next/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Update: Big bucks for Wilson ($87.6M) and Wagner ($43M)</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>NOTE: Some new links and an update on Wagner’s deal have
been added.</em></p>
<p>It’s official.</p>
<p>Russell Wilson&nbsp;signs a four-year, $87.6 million
extension&nbsp;with the Seahawks with $60M guaranteed.</p>
<p>That’s an average of $21.9M per year. Only Aaron Rodgers of the
Packers has a higher average ($22M). But if you include the $1.5M
Wilson is&nbsp;scheduled to earn&nbsp;this year, he’s making $89.1M
over five years, or less than $20M a year.</p>
<p>Andrew Brandt of SI.com made a good point&nbsp;in
this&nbsp;tweet:</p>
<p><em>Why deadlines work: good agents know that teams never reveal
their best offer until they absolutely have to.
#WilsonContract</em></p>
<p>Brandt compared Wilson’s unique negotiations to other QB
negotiations <a href=
"http://mmqb.si.com/2015/06/30/mark-rodgers-agent-russell-wilson-contract-nfl-the-mmqb-100">
in a&nbsp;story last month.</a></p>
<p>Bucky Brooks of NFL.com explains why Russell Wilson <a href=
"http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000505221/article/russell-wilson-fully-deserves-mega-deal-from-seattle-seahawks">
deserves the big bucks.</a>&nbsp;One of &nbsp;the reasons,
besides&nbsp;helping the team win a Super Bowl and get to another
one: He’s orchestrated 15 fourth quarter or overtime comebacks in
three seasons.</p>
<p>This is what <a href=
"http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/07/30/russell-wilson-contract-negotiations-warren-moon">
Warren Moon had to say</a> about Wilson’s negotiations the day
before the Seahawks signed him.</p>
<p><a href=
"http://www.seahawks.com/news/2015/07/31/seahawks-qb-russell-wilson-his-new-deal-%E2%80%9Ci-wouldn%E2%80%99t-want-be-anywhere-else%E2%80%9D">
Wilson and Carroll</a> discuss the QB’s extension&nbsp;after it was
announced.</p>
<p>And <a href=
"http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/07/31/russell-wilson-new-contract-seattle-seahawks">
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King</a> of mmqb.com weighs in on the
deal, too.</p>
<p>The Seahawks&nbsp;have done a nice job of taking care of their
own. They locked up safety Earl Thomas (4 years, $40M) and
cornerback Richard Sherman (4 years, $56M) to big deals.
They&nbsp;also came up with a 2-year&nbsp;extension to&nbsp;keep
running back Marshawn Lynch happy, paying him $12M for 2015 and
another $12M in 2016, providing he comes back for another
season.</p>
<p>Safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Michael Bennett&nbsp;got
new deals, but&nbsp;they’re reportedly interested in re-doing them.
Chancellor is playing under a 4-year extension he signed in 2013
that pays him an average of $7M a year, but he didn’t report to
training camp, which opens Friday.</p>
<p>Bennett, who signed a 4-year $28.5M deal prior to the 2014
season, has threatened to holdout but he is in&nbsp;camp.</p>
<p>Seattle has also locked up defensive end&nbsp;Cliff Averill (4
years, $28.5M) through 2019 and linebacker A.J. Wright (4 years,
$27M) through 2019.</p>
<p>The Seahawks can now turn their attention to linebacker Bobby
Wagner, who is next in line for a significant pay raise. Russell
Okung’s contract also expires after the 2016 season, as does Bruce
Irvin’s deal.</p>
<p>Considering the salary cap, can&nbsp;the Seahawks keep everybody
happy?</p>
<p>For updated Seahawks’ contract information, go to&nbsp;<a href=
"http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/">http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/.</a></p>
<p><strong>UPDATE:</strong> The Seahawks&nbsp;kept Wagner happy,
announcing&nbsp;late Saturday the inside linebacker <a href=
"http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13363697/seahawks-bobby-wagner-agree-four-year-contract-extension">
signed a 4-year, $43 million extension.</a> It makes
Wagner&nbsp;the highest paid player in the NFL at his position.</p>
<p><a href=
"http://espn.go.com/blog/seattle-seahawks/post/_/id/13659/bobby-wagner-latest-seahawks-draft-pick-to-sign-extension">
Mike Sando of ESPN.com</a> points out that many of the players the
Seahawks signed are only 26 or 27, keeping the window open for
&nbsp;potential championships in the coming years.</p>
<p>ICYMI, check out <a href=
"http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/07/28/pete-carroll-seattle-seahawks-2015-season-super-bowl-xlix">
Greg Bishop’s story about Pete Carroll</a> in the latest edition of
Sports Illustrated. It’s all about grit, his philosophy&nbsp;and
moving past the disappointing Super Bowl loss.</p>
<p><em>“It’s been thrilling to learn from this. It really has,” the
always upbeat Carroll&nbsp;said of the offseason.</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Quick hits: Robbins/Jonson, Vettleson, Pumas, Montero/Zunino, QB Wilson</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/20/quick-hits-robbinsjonson-vettleson-pumas-monterozunino-qb-wilson/</link>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2015 00:43:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Carl Jonson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drew Vettleson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ESPN 710 Seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kitsap Pumas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike Zunino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pete Carroll]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Russell Wilson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Seattle Seahawks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/?p=4341</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Conner Robbins, former University of Washington golfer and a Central Kitsap grad, tied for second and Bainbridge’s Carl Jonson, who just turned pro after playing four years at UNLV, tied for fourth at the 52nd Lilac City Invitational in Spokane earlier this month. Here’s the story from The Spokesman Review. The long-hitting Robbins gave the &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/20/quick-hits-robbinsjonson-vettleson-pumas-monterozunino-qb-wilson/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Quick hits: Robbins/Jonson, Vettleson, Pumas, Montero/Zunino, QB Wilson</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Conner Robbins, former University of Washington golfer and a
Central Kitsap grad, tied for second and Bainbridge’s Carl Jonson,
who just turned pro after playing four years at UNLV, tied for
fourth at the 52nd Lilac City Invitational in Spokane earlier this
month. <a href=
"http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/jul/13/miller-holds-on-to-win-lilac-invite/">
Here’s the story from The Spokesman Review.</a></p>
<p>The long-hitting Robbins gave the mini-tour grind a while a few
years back, took some time off and has played well in the
tournaments he’s entered. He’s now playing out of the Tacoma
Country Club.</p>
<p>Jonson is playing in this week’s Colorado
Open&nbsp;at&nbsp;Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver.</p>
<p><strong>Drew Vettleson update:</strong>&nbsp;Drew, another
Central Kitsap grad, turned 24 on Sunday. The former first-round
(42nd overall pick in 2010) of the Tampa Rays, is with the
Washington Nationals’ Double-A club in Harrisburg, PA. <a href=
"http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=vettle001dre">
Vettleson,</a> an outfielder, went on the DL early last season and
it took him some time to find his swing. Once again, he found
himself on the&nbsp;DL this year&nbsp;after breaking his hamate
bone. He is hitting .211 after going 2-for-5 on Saturday. He got
off to a slow start, but has had five multi-hit games in his last
nine going into Monday.</p>
<p>Harrisburg hitting coach Mark Harris had this to say about
Vettleson at the league’s All-Star break:</p>
<p><em>“Drew missed a lot of time last year as far as experience in
this league. … In Drew’s case, I think he’s adjusting to getting
pitched a certain way. He’s learning the value of doing something
with your pitch to hit when you get it, so you’re not always down
in the count all of the time. … With him, I think he just needs to
get at-bats.”</em></p>
<p><strong>Pumas stand for defense:</strong>&nbsp; The Kitsap Pumas
start their USL Premier Development League postseason journey on
Friday in Tucson, Arizona, where they will play host FC Tucson in a
Western Conference semifinal at 8 p.m.. The Pumas (10-0-2) are one
of two PDL teams in the 63-team league to finish the season without
a loss.</p>
<p>Kitsap surrendered a league-low four goals in its&nbsp;12 PDL
games.</p>
<p>Pumas assistant coach Shaun Scobie praised the defense on the
team’s website after its 1-0 win over the Sounders 23 last
week:</p>
<p><em>“To have the best defensive record in the entire league is
not a fluke. The boys work hard every day trying to be better than
they were the day before and it’s that mentality that’s&nbsp;got us
to this point.”</em></p>
<p>If the Pumas win, they will face the Sounders FC U23-Burlingame
(Calif.) Dragons winner on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.. The champion
moves on to the PDL’s Final Four. Kitsap won the tournament in 2011
when the Pumas hosted at Memorial Stadium and they were second a
year ago&nbsp;to the Michigan Bucks.</p>
<p>On another Pumas’ note, The Sun’s Jeff Graham <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/jeff-graham-pumas-continue-to-plot-usl-move_13365626">
had an interesting take</a> on owner Robin Waite’s interest in
taking the team&nbsp;from the fourth-tier PDL to the third-tier
USL.</p>
<p><strong>More Montero, less Zunino:</strong> Jim Moore, who
writes a weekly column for The Sun, also writes for 710 ESPN
Seattle, where he co-hosts an afternoon radio show. Moore’s latest
column for ESPN centered on <a href=
"http://mynorthwest.com/1034/2786682/Ms-had-other-options-than-sending-Jesus-Montero-back-to-Tacoma">
why the Mariners didn’t keep Jesus Montero around.</a> They sent
Montero back to Triple-A Tacoma Monday. I’m thinking the same as
Moore on this move. Why not send Jesus Sucre to Tacoma and make
Montero the backup catcher? Yeah, yeah,&nbsp;he wasn’t much of a
defensive catcher in the past, but he’s slimmed down, and
according&nbsp;to what everybody is saying, he’s a more dedicated
player than in the past. His bat just might be worth any defensive
deficiencies he might have. ‘K’unino entered Monday’s game with a
.158 batting average and was striking out almost 36 percent of the
time. He’s the worst hitter in major league baseball. What do the
M’s have to lose by&nbsp;letting Montero catch 2-3 games a
week?</p>
<p><strong>Wilson links:</strong> The quarterback’s
contract-extension negotiations with the Seattle Seahawks has taken
on a life of its own. Here&nbsp;are a&nbsp;few recent stories about
it:</p>
<p>Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk <a href=
"http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/19/can-seahawks-wilson-get-deal-done-before-camp/">
says the time to do a new contract it is now</a>.</p>
<p>During an interview at the ESPYs Wilson said once again that his
contract situation <a href=
"http://espn.go.com/blog/seattle-seahawks/post/_/id/13562/russell-wilson-reiterates-his-belief-that-contract-situation-will-work-out">
“will work out.”&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wrote about Wilson’s agent,
<a href=
"http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/agent-mark-rodgers-a-father-figure-to-seahawks-qb-russell-wilson/">
Mark Rodgers,</a> and the relationship he has with Seattle’s young
star.</p>
<p>Here’s what Pete Carroll had to say&nbsp;about the contract
talks between the Seahawks and Wilson. “<em>He’s crucial, as all of
our guys are,” Carroll told the media in Los Angeles while
accepting an award from ESPN for his humanitarian work.&nbsp;“We
love Russell and we want him back playing for us forever. There’s a
lot of work being done. It’s underway right now and maybe it
happens, I don’t know. We’re hoping for it.”</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Shooting from the hip on a cloudy Friday</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/10/shooting-from-the-hip-on-a-cloudy-friday/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/10/shooting-from-the-hip-on-a-cloudy-friday/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2015 16:51:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Olympic College]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/?p=4339</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Congratulations to Ashley Robinson, the new girls basketball coach at Bremerton High. Good guy, good choice. Central Kitsap girls basketball coach Nicole Nelson has resigned after one year with the Cougars, according to a report on the Cougars’ Facebook page. Nelson guided the Cougars to&#160;regionals and a 21-5 record in her only season. She works &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/10/shooting-from-the-hip-on-a-cloudy-friday/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Shooting from the hip on a cloudy Friday</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Congratulations to <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/knights-hire-familiar-face-to-coach-girls-basketball_68052184">
Ashley Robinson,</a> the new girls basketball coach at Bremerton
High. Good guy, good choice.</p>
<p>Central Kitsap girls basketball coach Nicole Nelson has resigned
after one year with the Cougars, according to a report on the
Cougars’ Facebook page. Nelson guided the Cougars to&nbsp;regionals
and a 21-5 record in her only season. She works in the medical
field and has accepted a new job in Alaska.</p>
<p>Shane Matheny, the Washington State third baseman from Olympic
High, is playing summer ball for the Keene Swamp Bats of the New
England Collegiate Baseball League. The Swamp Bats (cool nickname,
huh) are from New Hampshire.</p>
<p>Congratulations to the <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/this-tie-is-a-win-kitsap-pumas-earn-point-needed-to-wrap-up-pdls-northwest-division_47072956">
Kitsap Pumas for winning another PDL Northwest Division</a>
championship. That’s four in seven years. The soccer community
should be proud of this club, which won a national
championship&nbsp;in 2011 and was second a year ago. Owner Robin
Waite has put in a bid to host the conference finals. The Pumas
(8-0-2) are one of two teams that have not lost a game in the
<a href="http://www.uslpdl.com/standings/pdl/index_E.html">63-team
PDL.</a> The Charlotte Eagles (8-0-3)&nbsp;are the other club that
hasn’t lost.</p>
<p>The Kitsap BlueJackets are still having trouble putting fans in
the seats at Gene Lobe Field at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds &
Events Center. The Jackets are last in the 12-team <a href=
"http://westcoast.bbstats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=145&amp;seasonid=29182">
West Coast&nbsp;League in attendance</a>, averaging 489 fans a
game. Nine of the 12 teams average more than 1,000 fans per
game.</p>
<p>I called it the “Blaine Game,” and everybody can play. Match an
athlete with a city in our state. Go ahead, give it a shot.
<a href="http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/chuck-stark-hes-tough-one-to-beat-at-playing-the-blaine-game_72983482">
Here’s what I came up with.</a></p>
<p>Good news: <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/former-east-high-gym-gets-1-million-from-state_52799211">
The old East High gym</a> is getting a new roof thanks to the state
Legislature, which came up with $1 million out of its capital
budget for the project. &nbsp;It’s time to bring out facilities up
to speed. I wrote about that a few weeks ago. You can read the
column <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/chuck-stark-time-to-bring-our-facilities-up-to-speed_99016354">
here.</a></p>
<p>Speaking of facilities, work has started at South Kitsap High
School on installation of the&nbsp;&nbsp;artificial turf at Joe
Knowles Stadium, and new scoreboards for the baseball and softball
facilities. Too bad the district couldn’t turf the baseball and
softball fields at the same time. Makes sense, and would have been
cheaper, too.</p>
<p>Speaking of South Kitsap, the Elton Goodwin Foundation is
holding a Grand Slam Picnic on July 25 at the baseball/softball
fields at the high school. The charity event (Middendorf
Chiropractic is a major sponsor) will feature live bands, all kinds
of games (waterslide, dunk tank, sumo wrestling etc.) for kids,
BBQ, smoked salmon and crab from the Suquamish Tribe and a
29-inning (Goodwin wore jersey No. 29) alumni softball game. Former
players (and non-players) can sign up by contacting SK baseball
coach Marques Logue at&nbsp;logue@skitsap.wednet.edu. &nbsp;Advance
tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for children (6 and under free).
Tickets at gate will cost $15 and $10. Go to EG29.org/EVENTS.html
to buy tickets and for more information. Wanna order a brick to the
Golden Gardens project at SK? Go to www.thatsmybrick.com/EG29 or
call 360-874-2929.</p>
<p>Yes, I am the new <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/stark-hired-as-oc-softball-coach_94378793">
softball coach at Olympic College.</a> Just wanted to thank
everybody who’s contacted me and offered congratulations. I’m
excited and looking forward to the challenge. I hope everyone can
stop by Lions Fall next spring and take in a game.</p>
<p>That’s all for now. Enjoy the sun, ah, I mean clouds.</p>
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		<title>SK grad Hammel deserves All-Star consideration, but will likely be snubbed</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/06/sk-grad-hammel-deserves-all-star-consideration-but-will-likely-be-snubbed/</link>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jul 2015 18:47:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jason Hammel]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[A report from Bleacher Report suggests that Jason Hammel, a 2000 South Kitsap graduate, &#160;is pitching at an All-Star level, but&#160;his best chance of getting on the roster is for other pitchers to drop out. Here’s Andrew Gould’s full report on All-Star snubs from&#160;Bleacher Report. Here’s what he wrote about Hammel: Assemble the NL’s crowd &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/07/06/sk-grad-hammel-deserves-all-star-consideration-but-will-likely-be-snubbed/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">SK grad Hammel deserves All-Star consideration, but will likely be snubbed</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A report from Bleacher Report suggests that Jason Hammel, a 2000
South Kitsap graduate, &nbsp;is pitching at an All-Star level,
but&nbsp;his best chance of getting on the roster is for other
pitchers to drop out.</p>
<p>Here’s Andrew Gould’s full report on <a href=
"http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2513985-2015-mlb-all-star-roster-predictions-for-games-most-likely-snubs">
All-Star snubs</a> from&nbsp;Bleacher Report. Here’s what he wrote
about Hammel:</p>
<p><em>Assemble the NL’s crowd of big-name aces: Max Scherzer,
Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and
Cole Hamels. Now throw in Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, Jake Arrieta,
Michael Wacha, Shelby Miller and Matt Harvey among the young studs
with ERAs below 3.00 and Cy Young aspirations in the
distance.</em></p>
<p><em>That makes it all the tougher for Jason Hammel to garner
everyone’s attention.</em></p>
<p><em>The Chicago Cubs cleared their budget to snag Jon Lester
during the offseason, but Hammel has been their best signing by a
wide margin. The 32-year-old righty has notched a 2.57 ERA, 0.95
WHIP and 3.09 fielding independent pitching (FIP).</em></p>
<p><em>Through 102.2 marvelous innings, he has registered 104
strikeouts and 18 walks. That gives him a 21.1
strikeouts-minus-walks percentage, which ranks third among
qualified NL starters behind Scherzer and Kershaw.</em></p>
<p><em>NL K-BB % Leaders</em><br>
<em>Rank Player K-BB %</em><br>
<em>1 Max Scherzer, WAS 27.7</em><br>
<em>2 Clayton Kershaw, LAD 26.4</em><br>
<em>3 Jason Hammel, CHC 21.1</em><br>
<em>4 Jake Arrieta, CHC 20.9</em><br>
<em>5 Madison Bumgarner, SF 20.8</em><br>
<em>FanGraphs.com</em></p>
<p><em>Yet a journeyman with a career 4.46 ERA doesn’t carry the
buzz of an established stud or electric young hurler. While he’ll
have a tough time cracking the original roster, keep in mind that
several pitchers always back out of the game.</em></p>
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		<title>Beaning, base-running blunders, tough year for Cano</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/28/beaning-base-running-blunders-tough-year-for-cano/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/28/beaning-base-running-blunders-tough-year-for-cano/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2015 04:44:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Robinson Cano]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[A day after getting beaned with an errant throw while sitting in the dugout, Robinson Cano had another tough day. The Mariners’ second baseman&#160;made another base-running mistake on Sunday. Cano was on third base in the fourth inning and&#160;should have tagged up sooner on a line drive hit by Kyle Seager to right field. It’s &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/28/beaning-base-running-blunders-tough-year-for-cano/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Beaning, base-running blunders, tough year for Cano</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A day after <a href=
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKJJ6hLYK1k">getting beaned</a>
with an errant throw while sitting in the dugout, Robinson Cano had
another tough day.</p>
<p>The Mariners’ second baseman&nbsp;made another base-running
mistake on Sunday. Cano was on third base in the fourth inning
and&nbsp;should have tagged up sooner on a line drive hit by Kyle
Seager to right field. It’s debatable whether he would have scored
against the Angels had he busted&nbsp;for home, but you have to
give yourself a chance to do it in that situation.</p>
<p>Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes about Cano’s blunder in
the <a href=
"http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/cano-back-in-lineup-after-scary-moment-saturday/">
second part of this story.</a></p>
<p>It’s just another in a series of Little League-like mistakes
Cano has been guilty of on the bases this year.</p>
<p>HIs first on April 15 at Dodger Stadium was the most memorable.
I’m not even gonna go into the details, but I never recall a player
of his status making such a bone-headed move. You can watch it
again and listen to Dodgers’ broadcaster <a href=
"http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/robinson-cano-has-costly--embarrassing-baserunning-blunder-145820629.html">
Vin Scully describe it here.</a></p>
<p>On June 4 at Safeco Field, <a href=
"http://mynorthwest.com/258/2770090/Robinson-Cano-should-sit-after-his-latest-baserunning-blunder">
Cano&nbsp;was picked off&nbsp;</a>first base&nbsp;on the day
manager Lloyd McClendon took his team out to the field to discuss
the art of base-running.</p>
<p>By the way, Cano was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Sunday and his
averaged dropped to .241.</p>
<p>It’s been a tough season for the six-time All-Star.&nbsp;The
bizarre beaning pretty much captures&nbsp;the whole season for Cano
and the Mariners to date. The Mariners, by the way, are paying Cano
$24 million a year through the 2023 season.</p>
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		<title>What they&#8217;re writing, saying about the U.S. Open, Chambers Bay</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/22/what-theyre-writing-saying-about-the-u-s-open-chambers-bay/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/22/what-theyre-writing-saying-about-the-u-s-open-chambers-bay/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2015 16:47:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Troy Kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Open]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[&#160; &#160; Here’s what some people are writing about the U.S. Open&#160;and Chambers Bay: Jordan Spieth won a U.S. Junior Amateur championship at Gold Mountain Golf Club in 2011, and he won the U.S. Open&#160;on Sunday at Chambers Bay. Jeff Graham of the Kitsap Sun writes about it. One of the feel-good&#160;stories of the week &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/22/what-theyre-writing-saying-about-the-u-s-open-chambers-bay/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">What they&#8217;re writing, saying about the U.S. Open, Chambers Bay</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Here’s what some people are writing about the U.S.
Open&nbsp;and Chambers Bay:</strong></p>
<p>Jordan Spieth won a U.S. Junior Amateur championship at Gold
Mountain Golf Club in 2011, and he won the U.S. Open&nbsp;on Sunday
at Chambers Bay. <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/major-stunner-jordan-spieth-outlasts-dustin-johnson-to-capture-us-open-title_20766312">
Jeff Graham of the Kitsap Sun</a> writes about it.</p>
<p>One of the feel-good&nbsp;stories of the week was <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/chuck-stark-chambers-bay-stands-up-to-support-local-boy_34520394">
Kitsap’s own Troy Kelly</a>, who finished with a 1-under 69. I
followed Kelly around and talked to him&nbsp;and his brother,
caddie Ryan Kelly, after the round.</p>
<p>In the end, the controversial tournament was decided by nerves
and the best player won, writes <a href=
"http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/us-open-2015-chambers-bay">Cameron
Morfit of golf.com.</a></p>
<p>Here’s what <a href=
"http://news.yahoo.com/spieth-wins-stunner-chambers-bay-us-open-title-024249280--spt.html">
Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press</a> wrote about on
Sunday.</p>
<p>Mike Davis heard all of the complains, but the USGA’s executive
director said the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay was a big success.
<a href=
"http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/golf/us-open-at-chambers-bay-a-big-success-says-usgas-mike-davis/">
Here’s Paul Ramsdell’s story</a> about it in the Seattle Times.</p>
<p>The 115th U.S. Open was the “first completely made-for-TV
major&nbsp;championship in golf history,” writes <a href=
"http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/final-round-of-us-open-doesnt-bring-an-end-to-criticism-of-chambers-bay/2015/06/21/d8455d5e-17c3-11e5-89f3-61410da94eb1_story.html">
Dave Sheinan of the Washington Post.</a></p>
<p><a href=
"http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2015/06/21/chambers-bay-us-open-pga-tour-unreasonable-conditions/29084253/">
Chambers Bay hogged the spotlight</a>, and that’s not right, writes
Christine Brennan of USA Today.</p>
<p>Can Spieth buck history and <a href=
"http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/sports/golf/after-jordan-spieths-us-open-win-can-he-take-the-grand-slam.html?_r=0">
win the Grand Slam?&nbsp;</a></p>
<p>Chambers Bay wasn’t so tough, according to this Golf Digest
report.&nbsp; <a href=
"http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/06/7-numbers-that-proved-us-open-was-pretty-easy.html">
Check out these numbers.</a></p>
<p>Golf Digest’s list of winners and losers, or <a href=
"http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/us-open/2015-06/birdies-bogeys-round-4#slide=14">
birdies and bogeys</a>.</p>
<p>Veteran golf writer Bill Dwyre&nbsp;of the Los Angeles Times had
<a href=
"http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-us-open-dwyre-20150622-column.html">
this&nbsp;take on the U.S. Open and Spieth’s victory.</a></p>
<p><a href=
"http://sportspressnw.com/2205191/2015/thiel-spieth-greller-and-mind-game-theater">
Art Thiel of sportspressnw.com</a> writes about Jordan Spieth and
his caddie, Michael Greller, and the things swirling through their
minds&nbsp;during the mind-humbling final half hour of the U.S.
Open.</p>
<p><a href=
"http://sportspressnw.com/2205172/2015/horschel-rips-usga-for-treatment-of-greens-fans">
Billy Horschel took shots at the USGA</a> following his final
round, and here’s Adam Lewis’ take for sportspressnw.com. Horschel
loved the spectacular beauty of Chambers Bay, but said it was a
disappointing week because of the conditions of the green.</p>
<p>For Dustin Johnson, <a href=
"http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/06/dustin-johnson-choked-us-open-jordan-spieth-three-putt">
it was a choke, plain and simple</a>, writes Chris Case of USA
Today.</p>
<p>ICYMI, here’s <a href=
"http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/06/gary-player-eviscerates-us-open-course-chambers-bay">
Gary Player’s rant</a> about Chambers Bay a couple of days ago.
It’s worth listening to if you haven’t heard it.</p>
<p>Chambers Bay designer <a href=
"http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/06/designer-of-u-s-open-course-responds-to-gary-players-scathing-criticism">
Robert Trent Jones</a> not ready to get into a debate with Gary
Player.</p>
<p><a href=
"http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2015/6/21/8821205/chris-kirk-10-first-hole-us-open-2015">
Chris Kirk took a sextuple bogey</a> on No. 1 Sunday. For those of
you counting, that’s a 10.</p>
<p><strong>Here’s some quotes from the Open</strong>:</p>
<p>Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 champion who closed with a 67, finished a
few hours before Spieth. Assessing Chambers Bay, Ogilvy told the
New York Times: <em>“You have to move the ball both ways and you
have to use your brain, which is a rare thing in modern golf and
something we’re not very good at, I don’t think. It’s going to be a
class act of a player who wins, and really that’s all you
want.”</em></p>
<p><em>“It has been a strange atmosphere because [fans] can’t seem
to get close and on some holes, there aren’t any.&nbsp;I watched
Phil Mickelson tee off at the first today, and then people won’t
see him until the second shot on the second hole, because you can’t
get down the first. From a fan’s point of view, it must have been
even a harder trek than for us players.”</em> — Lee Westwood.</p>
<p>On Friday, Henrik Stenson said it&nbsp;was&nbsp;<em>“like
putting on broccoli.”</em></p>
<p>World No. 1 Rory McIlroy begged to differ Saturday. <em>“I don’t
think they’re as green as broccoli.&nbsp;More like
cauliflower.”</em></p>
<p>Sergio Garcia on putting at Chambers Bay:&nbsp;<em>“Obviously,
luck is always a factor in golf, but this is pushing it a little
bit,.&nbsp;This is beyond luck. Sometimes it’s hope. Some putts you
hit and you hope it’s going to take the right bounce right or left
. . . It just doesn’t feel right.”</em></p>
<p>Chris Kirk shot 78 to finish 21-over, last among those who made
the cut, then tweeted: <em>“The U.S. Open is a great tournament
with incredible history. The USGA should be ashamed of what they
did to it this week.”</em></p>
<p>Dustin Johnson, the disappointed runner-up:<em>&nbsp;“You know,
I played well today. I did everything I was supposed to do.&nbsp;I
hit the ball really well, and I’m proud of the way I handled
myself. I just really struggled getting the ball in the hole today.
I didn’t think I was hitting bad putts; I thought I hit them pretty
good. They just weren’t going in.”</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Does Chambers Bay deserve another chance to host a major?</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/21/does-chambers-bay-deserve-another-chance-to-host-a-major/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/21/does-chambers-bay-deserve-another-chance-to-host-a-major/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2015 16:47:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Troy Kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Open]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/?p=4326</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Golfers are already on the course for the final round of the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. Will this be the final time the course hosts a major professional golf event? The place has been heavily criticized by players and golf analysts for the poor conditions of&#160;the greens and by the fans for the poor &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/21/does-chambers-bay-deserve-another-chance-to-host-a-major/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Does Chambers Bay deserve another chance to host a major?</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Golfers are already on the course for the final round of the
U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.</p>
<p>Will this be the final time the course hosts a major
professional golf event?</p>
<p>The place has been heavily criticized by players and golf
analysts for the poor conditions of&nbsp;the greens and by the fans
for the poor viewing areas.</p>
<p>I walked the place Thursday, Friday and Saturday as a spectator,
and it’s tough going. The terrain makes it difficult to walk and
all of the sand dunes, most of them off limits to fans, make it
difficult to watch. The sight lines are non-existent on some holes
and unless you’ve &nbsp;plopped down in one of the grandstands, you
can’t get close to many of the players.</p>
<p>Still, the uniqueness of the place, the beauty of it all, is
stunning.</p>
<p>Would I pay $110 for a ticket if the U.S. Open came back? Not if
they keep things the way they are. The USGA says it’s worried about
the safety of fans, which is why it keeps fans off of the slippery
hillsides and dunes. There are ways to get around that. Build some
paths up those hills, cut out some amphitheatre-like seating some
of the larger hills that have fantastic viewing areas.</p>
<p>Put some ropes up closer to the fairways and let the fans get
closer to the players. There are certainly ways to make it more
fan-friendly. The USGA blew it this time around concerning the
fans.</p>
<p>And there are certainly ways to fix those greens. Some have
already been re-done since the 2010 U.S. Amateur was played at
Chambers Bay. Players rave about the greens on No. 7 and No. 13.
Re-do the others. Give the players a unique test of golf, but let
them put on greens that are as beautiful as the surrounding Puget
Sound area. Because of the terrain and the slopes on the greens,
the USGA can still make sure that the winning score will be closer
to even par than -20.</p>
<p>So going into Sunday’s final round, I’ll be back at the course,
but this time I’m working. There’s no cheering in the media center,
but I’ll be&nbsp;pulling for the local guy, Central Kitsap Troy
Kelly, to have the round of his life (he tees off at 10:29 a.m.),
and I’ll be looking forward to what the USGA has to say about the
future of Chambers Bay.</p>
<p>Will this be the course’s swan song with big-time golf, or is it
just the beginning?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Gold Mountain&#8217;s &#8216;Stars of Tomorrow&#8217; have arrived</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/20/gold-mountains-stars-of-tomorrow-have-arrived/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/20/gold-mountains-stars-of-tomorrow-have-arrived/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jun 2015 13:30:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Troy Kelly]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[“The Stars of Tomorrow.” That’s what they billed the U.S. Junior Amateur when it came to Bremerton’s Gold Mountain Golf Club in 2010. I’ve mentioned this before, but Gold Mountain’s had its share of young stars pass through over the years, whether it was a USGA national event (Junior Am or 2006 U.S. Amateur &#160;Public&#160;Links) &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/20/gold-mountains-stars-of-tomorrow-have-arrived/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Gold Mountain&#8217;s &#8216;Stars of Tomorrow&#8217; have arrived</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>“The Stars of Tomorrow.”</p>
<p>That’s what they billed the U.S. Junior Amateur when it came to
Bremerton’s Gold Mountain Golf Club in 2010.</p>
<p>I’ve mentioned this before, but Gold Mountain’s had its share of
young stars pass through over the years, whether it was a USGA
national event (Junior Am or 2006 U.S. Amateur
&nbsp;Public&nbsp;Links) or NCAA tournament (Husky Invitational or
NCAA regional).</p>
<p>By my count, there’s 11 players left in the field of 75 at the
U.S. Open who have competed at Gold Mountain, including co-leader
Jordan Spieth, the 2010 U.S. Junior Am champ, and Troy Kelly, the
Central Kitsap grad and former UW golfer now living in
Steilacoom.</p>
<p>The others: Dustin Johnson, Jamie Lovemark, Beau Hossler,
Cheng-Tsung Pan, Luke Donald, Billy Horschel, Kevin Chappel, Keegan
Bradley and Morgan Hoffman.</p>
<p>Kelly, by the way, tees off at 8:47 a.m. on Saturday. He carded
rounds of 72-73 and made it into the field with 15 others when
amateur Nick Hardy bogeyed his final hole on Friday. It’s the first
time Kelly has made a cut in a major. He played previously in the
2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst and at the 2012 British Open.</p>
<p>Kelly has been playing on a major medical exemption for most of
the last three years. He has seven PGA Tour starts left after the
US Open and unless he changes plans, he will play at the July 2-5
Greenbrier Classic, where he lost a three-hole playoff to Ted
Potter Jr. and placed second in 2012.</p>
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		<title>Golf: Kelly, Jonson bid for U.S. Open spots; U.S. Open Trophy, City Amateur at Gold Mtn</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/05/golf-kelly-jonson-bid-for-u-s-open-spots-u-s-open-trophy-city-amateur-at-gold-mtn/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/05/golf-kelly-jonson-bid-for-u-s-open-spots-u-s-open-trophy-city-amateur-at-gold-mtn/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2015 20:22:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Carl Jonson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Troy Kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U.S. Open]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Troy Kelly and Carl Jonson will try to play their way into the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay on Monday. They will be among 50 players gunning for three spots in the 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum. Kelly, a&#160;Central Kitsap grad now living in Lakewood, has battled injuries &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/06/05/golf-kelly-jonson-bid-for-u-s-open-spots-u-s-open-trophy-city-amateur-at-gold-mtn/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Golf: Kelly, Jonson bid for U.S. Open spots; U.S. Open Trophy, City Amateur at Gold Mtn</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Troy Kelly and Carl Jonson will try to play their way into the
U.S. Open at Chambers Bay on Monday.</p>
<p>They will be among 50 players gunning for three spots in the
36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Tumble Creek Club in Cle
Elum.</p>
<p>Kelly, a&nbsp;Central Kitsap grad now living in Lakewood, has
battled injuries on the PGA Tour. The former NCAA runner-up when he
was at Washington&nbsp;qualified for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst,
N.C., in 2005. His best finish on the PGA Tour was a second at The
Greenbrier Classic in 2012. He also played in the British Open that
year.</p>
<p>Bainbridge’s Jonson, who just completed his senior year at UNLV,
made it through local qualifying earlier this year. He was the
Washington State Golf Association Men’s Player of the Year in 2014
and qualified for the U.S. Amateur that was played in 2010 at
Chambers Bay.</p>
<p>Washington All-American Cheng-Tsung Pan, recent runner-up at
the&nbsp;NCAA national championship, is also in the field. He’s
qualified for two&nbsp;U.S. Opens, including 2013 when&nbsp;the
sectional qualifier was also at Tumble Creek.</p>
<p>Another former Husky, Richard Lee, is also entered. Lee, a past
Bremerton City Amateur champion,&nbsp;has had some success on the
PGA and Web.com tours, but hasn’t played this year because of an
injury.</p>
<p>Brent Zapp, head pro at Chambers Bay, will try to qualify to
play in the national championship on his home course</p>
<p>You can find the complete <a href=
"https://www.ghintpp.com/wsga/TPPOnlineScoring/Pairings.aspx?id=187">
pairings and tee&nbsp;times here.</a></p>
<p><strong>U.S. Open Trophy Tour at Gold Mountain</strong></p>
<p>The U.S. Open Trophy Tour stops at Gold Mountain on Saturday
(June 6). It’ll be there from 1-3 p.m.</p>
<p>Golfers are encouraged to take a photo with the trophy and share
via social media using #usopenforall and #lexusgolf to have a
chance to win two tickets to the final round of the U.S. Open at
Chambers Bay.</p>
<p><strong>City Am June 6-7</strong></p>
<p>The annual Bremerton City Amateur, a 36-hole tournament, will be
held Saturday and Sunday at Gold Mountain.</p>
<p>Golfers will play the Cascade Course on Saturday, and the
Olympic Course on Sunday. <a href=
"http://cdn.cybergolf.com/images/426/CityAm-Sat-and-Sun-Pairings.pdf">
Here’s Saturday’s pairings and tee times.</a></p>
<p>Mercer Island’s Charlie Kern, who finished his college career at
William & Mary last month, will be back to defend his title. Kern’s
best finish this spring was a tie for third at the Redhawks
Invitational in April at Chambers Bay.</p>
<p>Bainbridge teen Sam Warkentin, who won a Class 3A state
championship recently, and Olympic College standout Adam Barker
are&nbsp;among the contenders. Past champion Scott Fenske and Devin
Loudon, who won the 2014 Kitsap Amateur, also also entered.</p>
<p>Kenyan Fanslow from Tacoma, an NWAC standout while at Olympic
College, is also in the field. He’s now at Northwest Nazarene and
was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the
Year.</p>
<p><strong>Another way to get to Chambers Bay</strong></p>
<p>The Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce announced that it will run a
shuttle to Chambers Bay for the U.S. Open. Cost is $30 for a
roundtrip and reservations are required. <a href=
"http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/06/05/3826138/gig-harbor-chamber-to-run-shuttle.html">
Read about it in this Tacoma News Tribune story.</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Links, tweets, Kitsap news and college updates</title>
		<link>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/05/13/links-tweets-kitsap-news-and-college-updates/</link>
		<comments>http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/05/13/links-tweets-kitsap-news-and-college-updates/#respond</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2015 19:33:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[cstark]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[1090 The Fan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympic College]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[LINKS Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press&#160;has an interesting take on the NFL’s handling of Deflategate and takes the league to task for letting the Seahawks draft Michael Clark: Sharp writes: The Seahawks are no doubt ecstatic that the Patriots’ punishment has deflected attention from their gross mishandling of the Clark situation. Art Thiel &#8230; <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/stark/2015/05/13/links-tweets-kitsap-news-and-college-updates/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Links, tweets, Kitsap news and college updates</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>LINKS</strong></p>
<p><a href=
"http://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/drew-sharp/2015/05/12/nfl-deflategate-domestic-violence/27209545/">
Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press</a>&nbsp;has an interesting
take on the NFL’s handling of Deflategate and takes the league to
task for letting the Seahawks draft Michael Clark:</p>
<p>Sharp writes:</p>
<p><em>The Seahawks are no doubt ecstatic that the Patriots’
punishment has deflected attention from their gross mishandling of
the Clark situation.</em></p>
<p><a href=
"http://sportspressnw.com/2203110/2015/thiel-u-s-open-will-test-tvs-buck-norman-too?utm_source=spnw&amp;utm_medium=featured&amp;utm_campaign=featured-colored">
Art Thiel of Sportspressnw.com</a> writes about the U.S. Open,
specifically how broadcasters Joe Buck and Greg Norman will be
tested during the week.</p>
<p>Thiel writes:</p>
<p><em>This is the first year Buck has done golf, the first year
for Norman as a broadcast analyst, and obviously the first time
they’ve paired — on a course hosting the Open for the first time in
a region that has never experienced it.</em></p>
<p><em>Rookie ball for all. Sorta.</em></p>
<p><em>“I’d be an idiot to not — not be concerned or apprehensive,
but there will be things I’m hit with that I’m not expecting, Buck
said. “This isn’t second nature, but it will be. Gotta start
somewhere.</em></p>
<p><em>“My approach is to take my time and not try to wow everybody
with everything I say. Silence speaks volumes, and you pick your
spots.”</em></p>
<p><a href=
"http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2015-05-12/eddie-vedder-sings-take-me-out-to-the-ball-game-pearl-jam-cubs-wrigley-field?eadid=SOC/Twi/SNMain">
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam sings</a> Take Me Out to the Ballgame at
Wrigley Field.</p>
<p>Only two pitchers in MLB have six wins, Felix Hernandez and ……
<a href=
"http://www.baseballessential.com/news/2015/05/08/bartolo-colon-baseball-string/">
Bartolo Colon.</a>&nbsp;Colon, now with the Mets, has 40 strikeouts
and just one walk, which adds up to his age (41).</p>
<p><strong>TWEETS</strong></p>
<p>@SteveSandmeyer of 1090 The Fan&nbsp;warns fans that it’s best
to stay a little even-keeled when it comes to following your
favorite MLB baseball team.</p>
<p><a href=
"https://twitter.com/stevesandmeyer">https://twitter.com/stevesandmeyer</a></p>
<p>Players walkways going up between third and fourth holes at
Chambers Bay.&nbsp;<a href=
"https://twitter.com/AaronQ13Fox/status/598557109253382145/photo/1">@AaronQ13Fox
has the photo.&nbsp;</a></p>
<p><strong>PUMAS</strong></p>
<p>The <a href="http://kitsapsoccerclub.com">Kitsap Pumas</a> get
their 2015 season started with a first-round U.S. Open Cup game
against <a href=
"http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/05/12/3788419/fc-tacoma-253-sees-open-cup-as.html">
Tacoma 253</a> on Wednesday at Mount Tahoma. The 7 p.m.&nbsp;game
will be live streamed. http://ustream.com/channel/sonarfeed or
http://www.youtube.com/user/acseattlechannel</p>
<p>The winners plays Sounders FC2 at Starfire in Tukwila on May
20.</p>
<p>Here’s The Sun’s <a href=
"http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/kitsap-pumas-ready-to-kick-off-2015-season_52432097">
preview story.&nbsp;</a>And here’s the Pumas <a href=
"http://kitsapsoccerclub.com/roster/">roster</a> and schedule, or
<a href=
"http://kitsapsoccerclub.com/matches/">fixtures&nbsp;</a>as&nbsp;&nbsp;they
like to say in the soccer world.</p>
<p><strong>BLUEJACKETS</strong></p>
<p>In case you missed it, the <a href=
"http://www.bluejacketbaseball.com/2015-schedule/">Kitsap
BlueJackets</a> schedule&nbsp;is out. They open West Coast League
play at Bellingham on June 5.</p>
<p>Here’s a look at <a href=
"http://www.bluejacketbaseball.com/player-cards/">some of their
players.</a></p>
<p><strong>PREPS</strong></p>
<p>The annual high school all-star baseball and softball games will
be held June 4 (a Thursday) at The Fairgrounds. The Kitsap Athletic
Roundtable sponsors the games, which start at 4 p.m. The softball
game includes the top players in the area, regardless of year in
school. The baseball game (or games, depending on the number of
players selected) are for seniors only. It’s affiliated with the
Washington State Baseball Coaches Association, and top players will
be nominated for the all-state series in Yakima.</p>
<p>Good luck to all of the local teams and athletes as they head
into the postseason. Follow them at the <a href=
"http://prepzone.kitsapsun.com/?_ga=1.74991634.1623955800.1372978421">
prepzone.kitsapsun.com</a>&nbsp;or at <a href=
"http://pugetsoundblogs.com/kitsap-preps/">The Prep Beat</a>
blog.</p>
<p><strong>COLLEGIANS</strong></p>
<p><strong>Baseball</strong></p>
<p>Pacific Lutheran catcher <strong>Curtis Wildung</strong> (sr.,
Kingston) and the Lutes, the Northwest Conference champs, will open
play in the six-team NCAA Division III South Region at Demorest,
Ga., on Wednesday. Wildung hit .308 and started 25 games for the
Lutes (30-12). He has two homers, 12 RBI, and hasn’t made an error.
He has earned 20 base on balls and has a .446 on-base percentage
and a slugging percentage of .487.</p>
<p>Linfield pitcher <strong>Joe Stevick</strong> (sr., Olympic) and
the Wildcats (30-13) were an at-large selection to the NCAA
Division III tournaments. Linfield opens the six-team West Region
tourney at Tyler, Texas on Wednesday. Stevick, a right-hander, is
2-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 relief appearances. He’s pitched 26
innings, allowing 23 hits, striking out 20 and walking four. …
<strong>A.J. Milyard</strong> (so., North Kitsap) is a relief
pitcher for Whitworth (28-13), which is also headed to the West
Region.</p>
<p><strong>Logan Knowles</strong> (fr., South Kitsap) had a 3-run
inside the park home run over the weekend, helping Navy (36-18)
beat Lafayette in the Patriot League semifinals series. Navy faces
Lehigh in a best-of-three series for the Patriot championship on
May 16-17. Knowles has started 34 games for the Midshipmen and is
hitting .183 with 11 RBI.</p>
<p><strong>Shane Matheny</strong> (fr., Olympic) has started all
50&nbsp;games for Washington State. The third baseman is hitting
.219 and has 19 RBI, third-best for the Cougars (27-23, 9-15
Pac-12), who have six regular-season games left.</p>
<p><strong>Softball</strong></p>
<p>Third baseman <strong>Erin Kinney</strong> (so., Bainbridge) and
shortstop <strong>Alissa Buss</strong> (so., South Kitsap) helped
Linfield wins its NCAA Division III regional in Decorah, Iowa over
the weekend. The Wildcats came out of the loser’s bracket to win
four straight games, sweeping Iowa Conference champion Luther
College in the finals. Linfield (35-13) will play Central College
(34-10) in Pella, Iowa in the super regionals, starting Friday, May
15. Kinney is hitting .389; Buss .367.</p>
<p><strong>NWAC</strong></p>
<p>Olympic College’s softball team qualified for the Northwest
Athletic Conference championship for the eighth straight year and
third year under head coach Dan Haas. The Rangers (17-15) were
seeded No. 13 and open against No. 4 Mount&nbsp;Hood (29-9) on
Friday at noon at Delta Park in Portland. The full bracket can be
found <a href=
"http://www.nwacsports.org/softball/cham">here.</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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