Locker Pro Day...*UPDATE*

Jake is in group four today. He will be throwing to three of his former teammates; Dorson Boyce, Austin Sylvester, and D'Andre Goodwin.

The plan is for him to throw 60 passes, following a plan designed by Washington Husky offensive coordinator and QB coach Doug Nussmeier.

He will not do any running drills, or other timed events. We are told it could take anywhere from 25 minutes to two hours. It all depends on what other things scouts and other team representatives ask to see of Locker.

Some notable team reps include former University of Washington head coach Keith Gilbertson, representing the Cleveland Browns, and Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks.

Locker wound up throwing 39 passes, completing all but two of them. Both of the incompletions came on passes longer than 50 yards, and just out of Wide receiver D'Andre Goodwins reach.

Locker measured in at 6'0 ft. And 205 lbs. *CORRECTION* 6' ft 2 in. 227 lbs. (User error!)

There were plenty of scouts, coaches, and other team representatives here.But no team was more present than the tennessee Titans, who hold the 8th pick overall and are in need of a starting quarterback. I wouldn't read too much into it, but is definitely something to take note of. Locker will hold a private workout with the team tomorrow morning.

And incase you have forgotten, there were other huskies participating today. I will review their workouts later.

Check back later...

My Mariner Addiction...

Nine seasons.

767 losses.

Six managers.

All of that is between the last time the Mariners made the playoffs, and now. As a kid growing up in Seattle during the 1990's, I was too young to remember the struggles, so things with the M's always seemed perfect. I remember going to the raucous games at the Kingdome in 1995. Griffey's MVP season in 1997. Going to the first game at beautiful Safeco Field in 1999. The "two-out so what" squad in 2000. And, of course, that almost unbeatable team the following year. Winners of 116 games. Everything was going right. until they ran into the Yankees and a roided up Roger Clemens in the ALCS. And although they did not make it to the World Series, the season was still pretty fantastic.

Then things slowly began falling apart.

Longtime, and very successful, manager Lou Piniella left to be closer to his family.  They did maintain decency for a couple of seasons following his departure, but they were getting old. And fast.

The big time superstars that helped in the rise of the club were either gone (Griffey, A-Rod, Big Unit), or on the decline (Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez).

Baseball fans in Seattle had just gotten used to winning. We got used to great teams, exciting players, packed stadiums, and national exposure. What we were really getting used to was the success.

Despite all of the issues. All of the firings, terrible trades, 100 loss seasons, and downright awful play, they still have me coming back for more.

When things first started getting bad, I was in denial. Then we were tricked for a few years when they put up 78, and then 88 wins. We thought things were looking up.

101 losses later, we realized they weren't.

At this point, I know what to expect. We have arguably the best pitcher in the game, and a few potential stars. And we have the always consistent Ichiro. That's it. We don't even have our most beloved member of the organization anymore in Dave Niehaus. We won't win more games then we lose. We will not score very many runs. And our pitchers, outside of the King, will give up a helluva a lot of them.

Yet, I am still excited for the season to begin. I will still try to make it out to Safeco field, and what has now become known as "Club Safeco" in the beer garden, to watch some games (You know the on-field product is bad when people are going to the games because of the beer garden atmosphere). I will spend $9 for a beer and wear my jersey. I will read the blogs, and constantly check the standings.

Some may call it loyalty, I am starting to believe it is stupidity.

By mid-June I will tell myself and my friends I have had enough. Yet, I will still watch, and have a vested interest. And when guys like Dustin Ackley are called up for the first time, I will be excited and brag about how this guy is going to be the real deal.

For some reason, I just can't get enough of my Mariners. My loyalty will be right on line with this teams record and performance for 2011, it won't be changing much.

Spring Preview, From Bottom to Top...

 UCLA Bruins


The Skinny:  The bruins enter spring ball for the fourth time under Head Coach Rick Neuheisel. Fans in Westwood were expecting a quicker turn around for their football team, and entering year 4, they have yet to see what they were hoping when Neuheisel was hired in December of 2007 to lead his alma mater. Only in the 2009 campaign did the Bruins finish the year with a winning record after appearing in the Eaglebank Bowl. Many supporters and outside observers believe that it is a "Win now-or else" situation for Neuheisel entering the 2011 season. He remains one of the best recruiters, although this year was not so good as previous seasons. It is now time to show progress on the grid iron.

What We Already Know: We know that after a rocky 4-8 season, the Bruins did a complete shake up of their coaching staff. Well regarded offensive coordinator Norm Chow was dismissed, as was their defensive coordinator. The firings were the result of what Neuheisel deemed "chemistry issues". The hiring of Chow in 2008 was seen as a very big win for UCLA. And when Lane Kiffin was reportedly trying to bring him back to USC when he was hired to replace Pete Carroll, UCLA stepped up to make sure he did not leave. Only to let him go one season later. Although the head coach remains the same, drastic staff changes can be very damaging. This program can not afford to back track, or Coach Neuheisel risks losing his job.

What We Want to Know: Can they make the pistol offense work? After installing the run and gun attack last season, they showed some what mixed results. The Bruins hired longtime Nevada assistant Jim Mastro to help with the pistol schemes in their offense. Nevada runs the most successful pistol in the country. The hiring of Mastro showed that the Bruins were not going to be one and done with the scheme, and that they wanted to stick with it and make it work. When correctly run with the right personnel, it can be a very explosive and unstoppable force. We will see if their attack improves beginning in the spring.

Potential Spring Star:  Quarterback Brett Hundley. Hundley was one of the top-rated dual-threat passers in the class of 2011, and managed to graduate early and enroll in time for Winter quarter. It came down to UCLA and the University of Washington for Hundley, choosing to play for Neuheisel, who has been known to mold star QB's in his time. Anytime Neuheisel has had coaching success, he has had an outstanding signal caller leading the way. Bruin nation is looking for Hundley to finally be that guy for them.

Spring Dates:  March 29th- April 21st.
                        Spring game- April 23rd.

Update, and some Ramblings...

Sorry I have not updated. I have been working vigorously for the paper getting my things done for the big Spring Football preview we have coming out in a few weeks. I am very excited because a lot of the things I have been working on will be in full print and online! A big moment for me and my career. Although, having the position I hold, I do not get too much name recognition. It is all part of being at the bottom of the totem pole.

Let's be honest, with that little thing called "March madness" getting into full gear tomorrow morning, no one seems to be very interested in college football right now. I even find my self scouring the basketball headlines while I am supposed to be doing research for a football story. 

I have the rest of my Pac-12 previews set to be released, I was going to do it last week but decided to wait because not all of the schools have began practicing.  I am going to go ahead and release them anyways, day by day starting tomorrow with the team I am predicting to finish 10th.

In the mean time, get your brackets finalized and submitted tonight! I am taking Kansas over the Orangemen in the championship game. These brackets get very frustrating. I keep wanting to change things around. I have finally decided to stick with what I have and call it good. The people who nail down their bracket to near perfection are not doing it with any sort of strategy. It is based on a whole lot of luck. That's why it is called madness!

Enjoy the basketball these next few days, as I am going to do the same. My boss told me this morning this weekend is the one weekend out of the whole year we can put the football in the back of our minds for a few days. That is what it takes when you are working in the largest college football section in the country! 24/7/365.

Oh yea, and as I remain as fair as I need to be when covering college football, the same does not need to be said for a sport I do not cover. So...

Go Huskies!

Sports Thoughts of The Day...

-The investigations of violations in the NCAA is getting ridiculous. 
Last week the reports of potential violations involving Oregon Football came out. Now we are learning that Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel new of violations well before the school or NCAA did. It seems as if every week there is something new going on with a university athletic department.

Either the rule book needs to be simplified, lightened, or better explained. Ever since USC got nailed last summer, every journalist is trying to uncover potential misconduct by a school. You don't have to dig too far to find something happening just about everywhere. Unless we want to continue seeing this occur, something needs to change. It is having a very negative impact on all of college sports. Fans are getting tired of reading about it, and schools are getting tired of dealing with it.

-Tiki Barber, you are crazy!

Tiki retired at the end of the 2006 season, to become an author, Today show host, and a football analyst for NBC. He still had a lot left in the tank it seemed, but he said he wanted to pursue other things while his body was still right.

Now, four seasons have passed and he decides he wants to come back. What is he thinking? Perhaps coming back for the 2007 season would have been a good choice, when his former team won the super bowl! He might feel good while working out in the gym, but odds are against him to be any bit productive. At 36, which is about 86 in running back years, he will be lucky to get a shot to latch on with a team. Tiki, this is a terrible decision! Your best bet is to stay seated on that Today show couch.

-Venoy Overton, bad decision.

The Senior guard for the Washington Huskies basketball team was suspended for the Pac-10 tourney after being charged with furnishing alcohol to 16 year old girls.

Although his name was kept private, it has been widely known he was the athlete being investigated by the Seattle Police Department for a possible sexual assault that occurred about six weeks back.  Those much bigger charges never went down, with the detectives saying witness statements seemed it appeared to be consensual. Either way, you should not be hanging out with 16 year old's. This guy is a star athlete at a major D-1 college. About 40,000 people go there. He could not find any girls his own age to drink with? Use your head man. Now, you may cost your team when the season really matters. It is playoff time. Every game counts.

-What's to come for this week...

The spring previews will really pick up, with the next four teams up (to be revealed as they come) in the next four days.

A story on all of these football allegations, and some more in-depth thoughts and analysis. 

Also, a story on a couple of Washington State Cougars from Orlando, who begin their first spring practices in the coming days.

Spring is in the air, folks. Can you smell it?

Hammer May Be Coming Down on Ducks...

The hammer may be falling in Eugene.

The same one that fell in Los Angeles, and on USC, a few years ago when the NCAA announced they were investigating potential violations.

Rumors coming out of Eugene say that this involves Baron Flenory, a former player under Chip kelly at New Hampshire. Flenory happens to be a so-called "street agent".  In the crazy world of football recruiting these days, street agents are people who unofficially represent PSR's (Prospective student athletes). Flenory is known to have worked mainly out of the state of Texas. If anyone is familiar with Duck football, you will know they have a few different guys from the state on their roster. Two very notable guys in Heisman candidate and Doak Walker winning running back LeMichael James, and starting quarterback Darron Thomas.

No one is pointing any fingers. And we will not know until the NCAA decides to speak. News is expected by the end of the week, if not in the next couple of hours.

Stay tuned.