Thursday, April 15, 2010

No Place Like Home

He is probably the most celebrated Husky receiver ever. He could single handily take over a game. And he's back in Seattle. Reggie Williams got the break he needed when the Seahawks decided to give him a try out with new coach Pete Carroll. Carroll obviously sees the value in this kid, still only 26 years old with a four month old son. He is also engaged and has promised to turn his life around. He is a former number one draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he admits it just wasn't "a good fit". I agree. Who wants to be a receiver for a team that mostly relied on ball control, defense, and the kicking game. The Jags grind it out with the running game, which doesn't give you many chances as a wide receiver, so you better take advantage of the opportunities when they arise.

Well, that opportunity is here for the former Husky star. Reggie Williams is relishing it. And there's no place like home.

Monday, April 12, 2010

An Unfortunate Couples Retreat

The 74Th Masters was well represented with players from the Northwest making some noise, in one of the most exciting weekends you will ever see at the Masters. And once again Seattle's own Fred Couples excited the crowd with some remarkable play. It might have been nerves that shattered his chances for another green jacket but we can't downplay the gutsy performance by Phil Mickelson. Lefty picked up his third green jacket, joining an exclusive group that includes Gary Player and Nick Faldo to name a few. Faldo has said on numerous occasions that nobody swings it better than Freddy, a swing that hasn't changed since his glory days at O'Dea High School. Couples got off to a great start with birdies on two of the first three holes, but it was an unfortunate double bogey 5 on number 12 that started his fall on the leaderboard. This shot found the water in Rae's Creek, he wasn't as lucky as he was when he won his first green jacket when the ball was hit in the same place but managed to stay up. It was the third iron shot in a row that Couples missed to the right, ending his chances of a second green jacket at 50 years of age.

Another Seattle native, Ryan Moore, dazzled the crowd with a hole-in-one on number 16 to finish in the top 16 and earn another trip to the Masters next year. The top 16 and ties earn invites for the following year. Ryan might have received an invite anyway, showing his respect for the game by sporting a tie. Moore closed with a final round 68, two shots better than Couples' final round 70.

I have a sneaking hunch we haven't heard the last of Fred Couples at the Masters. There's a reason why people call him "Boom Boom".