61 days until Opening Day...

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and 16 days until pitchers and catchers report
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and about 17 hours until I celebrate my "winter birthday" at my "summer home"
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It's the big 5-0 this year, so decided to do it up right
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Party at Safeco Field :-)

from the playoff grid-iron to the unknown diamond

Thank you, Seattle Seahawks.

Yes, your 2010/11 season was a bit topsy-turvey ... 
new GM, new head coach and 280+ roster moves just for a start!

But you gave Seattle sports fans a taste of some sweet nectar we've been thirsting for for SO long.

Granted, you took far from the conventional route to the NFL playoffs...
becoming the first team in NFL history to win their division with a losing record.

But, undeterred, you went on a quest to "prove 'em wrong at Qwest...
and prove 'em wrong you did - defeating the reigning Super Bowl Champions in an unforgettable game in Seattle on January 8th in which we fans cheered so hard and loud at one point during Marshawn Lynch's epic 67-yard touchdown run we caused an earthquake!

Then there was the trip to Chicago for the second round...
hopes were high - you had already beat them this season, on their own field.  But, apparently, it just wasn't in the cards.  The defense was lack-luster, the receivers dropped too many balls and the overall offense was unable to adjust adequately after losing John Carlson - with a game plan heavily reliant on the tight end.  And so, your season ended on a cold Sunday at Soldier Field.

But, the future seems bright...
I mean, if you can get THIS far with the somewhat patchwork team of aging vets, rookies and various misfits whom others had written off .... imagine what you can accomplish once some real key pieces are acquired!

Obviously, the big elephant in the room is...
What to do at quarterback?  I, for one, hope you resign Matt - for a couple of years.  Sure, his year, like the team's, was a bit of a roller coaster (from the concussion, to the broken wrist, to the freak hip injury to the awesome games early vs. the Bears and late vs. the Saints).  From everything we hear, Matt is the consummate professional and the ultimate leader.  From everything we see, he can do some pretty special things for this football team - when healthy and behind a cohesive O-line (neither of which occurred enough simultaneously this season).  A transition is in order and Matt should be an integral part of it.

In baseball, there's a saying that "Chicks dig the long ball"...

And, in response, my mantra has always been, "but, REAL women love leather!" 

(in fact, I even considered naming my blog that, but quickly realized, some might get the wrong impression of the sort of blog I was running ;-)  Anyway, point is, I LOVE defense - no matter the sport. I truly hope that the Seahawks place a LARGE emphasis on improving, make that "stellar-izing", their defense.  There's just something about a quarterback sack (like a caught-stealing) or an interception (like an inning-ending double play) or a goal-line stand (like a home run-robbing catch) that gets my juices flowing.

So, anyway...
You don't need me to tell you that there is a TON of work to be done.  But, I do trust you to get it done, to once and for all get this organization (or "program" as Pete likes to call it) headed in the right direction.  Of course, there's the added complexity of the looming CBA - all the more reason to move swiftly and accurately:  sign Matt, fix the O-line and build a KILLER "D" that will put the Seahawks well on their way to "owning" the NFC West - just as Pete declared when he first donned his Blue and Green last winter.

Thank you again, Seahawks...  

You helped a city remember what it's like to win again.  Here's hoping you can continue where you left off and that some of the good things of your misfit season can rub off on your baseball counterparts.

It's time to turn my attention from the blue and green of  the grid-iron to the navy and teal of the diamond.  But first, a few things to start my 2011 off right... 

• a celebration of my "winter birthday" (the big 5-0) at my "summer home" (that would be, Safeco Field) later this month with a 100 or so of my very favorite people
• a trip to Las Vegas with my husband for Super Bowl weekend
• a trip to Arizona in March with some good friends to catch a few Spring Training games

I think it's going to be a good year :-)

TWELVE spanning sports...



Rod Mar | Greta, Marilyn and Andy Niehaus atop the Space Needle this Blue Friday morn...

Dave Niehau's wife Marilyn, son Andy and daughter Greta raised the 12th man flag a top the Space Needle on this Blue Friday morning...

Marilyn Niehaus says her husband Dave was a huge Seahawks fan who never missed a game. And, yes, the Mariners' Hall of Fame broadcaster would have been beaming with pride on Friday, knowing his wife was atop the Space Needle raising the 12th Man flag in anticipation of Sunday's NFL playoff game against the Chicago Bears.

"I feel like I'm still flying high," Marilyn said several hours after coming down from the top of Seattle's most famous landmark. "That was an incredible experience. I will never look at the Space Needle the same way again." The Seahawks approached the Niehaus family earlier this week about raising the flag. And despite the expected trepidation of standing astride the 605-foot-high structure on a wet and windy Northwest morning, this one wasn't a subject for family debate.

"I didn't hesitate," Marilyn said. "They did ask if I have a fear of heights, which I do a little bit. But I didn't want to tell them." So that was that. Marilyn and two of her children, Greta Niehaus Dunn and Andy Niehaus, found themselves climbing two steep flights of stairs and then about a 20-foot ladder to the top of the Needle, where they then raised the flag.

Never felt so good to have my throat hurt so bad...

In the beginning, the Saints fans were asking, "Who dat?"
By the end, the Seahawks fans were answering, "SEA dat? WE dat!"

Wow - what a game!

Seahawks 41 | Saints 36

Some of the highlights...

• The Hawks came back from a 10 point deficit - TWICE!
• Matt was back to Matt - throwing 4 TD passes to 3 different receivers (Carlson [2], Stokely, Williams)
• Lynch had an epic run that totally defines BEASTMODE
• For the most part, special teams gave and kept them to undesirable field position

AP | Marshawn in the endzone after his epic run

up next...

da Bears ~  in Chicago ~ 10am Sunday the 16th

NFC WEST CHAMPS!!!

And no, I ain't apologizing!

Rosy, et al, representin'!!!

The D was awesome, the 12th Man was strong and Charlie was just good enough.

Saturday at 1:30pm the Saints come marchin' in...

No one gives the 7-9 Seahawks a chance vs. the reigning Super Bowl Champs.

But then, no one gave the Huskies any chance agains the Huskers either :-)

Go, SEA-HAWKS!!!

One of these days, the West will rise again...

Here we sit on the eve of the BIG game.
You know, the one being scoffed at around the country...

the 7-8 Rams
vs.
the 6-9 Sehawks

They are playing for the NFC WEST crown and the right to HOST a playoff game!

Granted, it's not too sexy, considering the records but, considering where these two teams have been in recent years, it's certainly a step in the right direction.

I don't think they'll be apologizing for their respective (un-respected) records and their chance at post season play...  
-There are veteran players on both teams who have been around and know the significance
-There are young players on both teams who are eager to experience the added level of intensity

In other words, the players are not taking this "laughing stock game" lightly.
The fans shouldn't either.

Com'on 12th MAN ~ raise your voices!!!

Go, SeaHAWKS!!!

Merry Christmas!

Art Glass from hubby :-)

Cherished memories bring heartfelt tears, comforting laughter

A Celebration of the Life of Dave Niehaus

(from the printed program)

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep

I am an echo in home run calls.

I am the flash of white on a well struck ball.

I am the sunlight on the outfield grass.

I am the powerful autumn home run blast.

When you jump up to a called steeerike three

I am there, yes you know me.

I am the sound of the broom after a three game weep

Swung on and belted; I am the tears on your cheek.

Rye bread and mustard, salami abound 

I am high above looking down. 

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. "My Oh My"

Rick couldn't quite make it through his initial tribute speech ...
He started to breakdown but, was able to regain his composure with "a little help from his friends" (Jay, Danny, Red and Gar stepped up on stage to show their support) and then proclaim, "Tom Hanks was wrong." (eluding to the fact that there IS crying in baseball).

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Ron, Dan, Jay and Edgar each shared their favorite funny stories and fond memories of Dave.

Dave's daughter Greta and son Andy spoke eloquently about their dad...
Both gave heartfelt tributes with glowing examples of how their father was just as kind and giving in his  family life as in his professional life - as fabulous a husband, father and grandfather as he was a broadcaster and baseball fan.  He lived life to the fullest and enjoyed every moment spent with his family and on his job.

Dave often said, "I've never worked a day in my life."...
referring to the fact that he didn't think of his job as work, but truly felt it as a passion.  He shared that passion to with all who would listen.

And listen they did...
Marlaina Lieberg, a representative for the Washington Council of the Blind also spoke, describing how Dave was able to bring the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of the game of baseball to the blind.

Chuck Armstrong was the last speaker and he shared some of his memories of Dave as well as made the announcement of the following tributes...

• commemorative patch worn on the 2011 Mariners uniforms
• Dave's microphone and scorebook will be on display
• the first ever Mariner statue will be of Dave

This was my favorite photo of the day, snapped via my phone ...

Apparently, respect and admiration for Dave knows no bounds of fandom.
These two were seated together for the entire ceremony.

Dave ~
You would have been so proud of your family and the grace with which they expressed their sorrow and love.  You would have been touched with the gamut of emotions that the stories the speakers shared invoked (we needed to cry, but you would want us to laugh - we did both).  You would have been pleased with the ways in which your employer chose to remember and revere you.

We are eager to see the statue that will be erected in your honor, but we are dreading the emptiness we will feel the first time we listen to a Mariners game without hearing your voice.

R.I.P. Mr. Niehaus

Preparing to memorialize...

My Oh My lighting the dark... (from RealMariers Tweet deck)

Still missing you, Dave...

Grounds Crew's tribute to Dave remains in the infield despite the snow. | via tweet/twitpic from RealMariners