Five Things I would change about each Star Wars trilogy

Anyone who knows me knows I love Star Wars.  It's my favorite series of films and my all-time favorite fandom.  But Star Wars, like anything else, is not without its flaws.  I'm going to list 5 things that I would change about each of the three film trilogies.  Some of these I've known for a while, others like for the original trilogy, I had to really think hard for.  

Prequel Trilogy
1. Introduce Anakin at an older age
Do we really need to see the person that becomes Darth Vader at 9 years of age?  No.  We got introduced to Luke at age 19, why not split the difference and introduce Anakin at 14 or 15 years of age?  That's old enough that we could see a bit of his rebellious side already when he is introduced, but still young enough to show some innocence.  

2. Either cut out Jar Jar or change him completely
I get why Jar Jar Binks was put in the prequel trilogy, to appease and entertain children.  But Star Wars, for the most part, is enjoyed by adults, young and old(er).  I would either remove him or change him so he's not the clumsy fool that we know, but is maybe instead a wise-cracking Gungan that tries to bend the rules.  A Gungan Han Solo, if you will.  

3. Remove midiclorians
Was this a necessary inclusion?  Most Star Wars fans would say no.  There's no measure of a wizard's power or potential in the Harry Potter universe, why does there have to be that in the Star Wars universe?  

4. Don't have Anakin as a virgin birth/created by the Force
Is this even clear yet, 17 years after the release of Ep. III?  There's still speculation on how Anakin was created.  Anyway, I would have introduced Anakin's father, have him be a scumbag who deserted Shmi shortly after Anakin was born.  Maybe have a plot point where Anakin kills him, even?

5. Changing or removing the line, "What have I done?"
For a while, Anakin's full fall to the dark side has kind of bothered me.  And I realized the one little thing that's always bothered me.  It's after Anakin cuts off Mace Windu's hand to prevent him from killing Palpatine and Palpatine blasts him out the window.  Anakin then stumbles back and says in a regretful tone, "What have I done?".  Instead, I would have Anakin mad at Mace Windu for attempting to assassinate the chancellor (someone who he had grown close to), and just have him not saying anything.  He would simply breath heavily, realizing what he had done and how he had chosen Palpatine's dark side over the Jedi.  

Original Trilogy
1. Have things thought out ahead of time
One of the few flaws with the original trilogy is the fact that George didn't plan things out, seeing as when he was writing the original Star Wars, he was not planning on any sequels.  I would change how Obi-Wan describes how Luke's father dies, and I would remove any kisses between Luke and Leia and any desire Luke has for her (and have their relationship be more like Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter).  

2. Have a little better choreography between Obi-Wan and Vader in their final fight
Their fight scene has not aged well, but keep in mind it was the first lightsaber battle in Star Wars history.  If I could, I'd have the choreography be at least a little more intense.

3. Have the Ewoks be the final reason, not the sole reason, the rebellion wins in the end
It's been long criticized how a civilization such as the Ewoks, essentially giant teddy bears, were able to take down "A legion of the Empire's best troops".  I would make it so the rebellion had more forces and just needed a tiny bit more help, perhaps with stalling the Empire.  

4. Flesh out Boba Fett more or don't kill him off
Somehow Boba Fett developed a cult-like status after the original trilogy.  I'd either develop a bit more of a backstory for him (which lines up with the prequel trilogy) or I wouldn't have sent him down the sarlaac pit.  

5. Have Han be a bit younger
I'm grasping for straws here, but I'd have Han be a bit younger in the original trilogy.  At the start of Ep. IV, he is 31 while Leia is 19.  Not exactly an ideal age difference.  I'd make him somewhere between 25 and 28, old enough to still have some life experience.

Sequel Trilogy
1. Have Rey be Obi-Wan's great-niece, not Palpatine's granddaughter.  Or have her ancestry be inconsequential.
Rey's ancestry is one of the critical points of the sequel trilogy.  She is descended from pure evil.  This is equivalent to finding out Harry Potter is Voldemort's grandson.  I mean, they technically had a common ancestor, but it was back hundreds of years.  I think it would have been much better if Rey was related to someone else or no one (that we know of) at all.  My ideal choice would have been Obi-Wan.  We did see in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series Obi-Wan mention that he had a brother; that would have been a perfect opportunity to create Rey's lineage by making her Obi-Wan's great-niece.  Such a shame.

2. Have the Jedi appear as ghosts to help Rey
In TRoS, we hear from many different Jedi calling out to Rey.  I think what would have potentially saved the film is having them appear as Force ghosts and rallying behind her to help her.  Imagine seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon (potentially), and Ahsoka (also potentially) gathered behind her to help her.  It would have been equivalent to seeing all of the heroes and Avengers in Avengers: Endgame at the end fighting Thanos.  It would have given many Star Wars fans like myself goosebumps.  

3. Don't kill off Snoke in TLJ and replace him with Palpatine
I'm okay with Snoke being an altered clone or whatever he is, but I'm not okay with bringing Palpatine back.  It was Anakin's way of returning balance to the Force, and they undid all that.  Instead, I'd have Snoke survive TLJ and be the main antagonist in TRoS.  Not much needs to change.

4. Have Finn somewhat explore his force abilities and train with Rey
Another wasted opportunity.  We basically have it confirmed that Finn was Force-sensitive, so what they should have done was have his abilities be discovered in TFA (which they almost were), then in TLJ, he and Rey could be training together with Luke.  They don't have to necessarily be joined at the hip, but it would be cool to see two Jedi learning together.

5. Handle the OT characters better
The overall treatment of the OT characters was pretty bad, to put it nicely.  I'd have Luke and Han reunite, I'd have Leia and Luke reunite, likely with Luke leaving Ahch-To with Rey (and Finn in my version).  Also, imagine if it was Leia who talked to Ben in TRoS and was able to bring him back to the light.  We didn't even get to see Leia interact with her son.  

Honorable mention: Don't kill off Ben/Kylo Ren
I had to include a sixth, just because there are so many things I would change.  I would have Ben survive Exogol and form a bond with Rey (doesn't have to be romantic).  I know they wanted to end the Skywalker lineage, but they didn't have to kill off Ben.  Maybe, like Luke, he just doesn't have kids.  


Again, I can't stress this enough, I still love Star Wars.  I love the music, special and practical effects (outside of the prequel trilogy, maybe), and the action.  There are just a few plot points that could've made each trilogy even better.  

Grading each Mariner so far in 2022

The 2022 Mariners season is quickly nearing its halfway point, and this season has been less than ideal.  It seems the Mariners have taken a step back, although there have been a lot of things to not go there way.  One is injuries.  Mitch Haniger has missed time with two injuries, Kyle Lewis came back for about a week only to miss significant time with a concussion, and we have been without two relievers we were counting on, Casey Sadler and Ken Giles.  

Although the season is not over nor is it a "lost cause", there's still a lot of reason for concern.  However, there's also reason for optimism.  I'm going to give each player that's seen significant time a letter grade, and assess their overall games based on their expectations coming into 2022.  First off, Lewis, Haniger, and Murphy all get an "incomplete" due to being injured for a majority of the season so far.

Hitters

Cal Raleigh: C+
Cal got off to an extremely slow start offensively, causing him to be sent down.  However, his bat woke up, and he's done a very good job of handling our pitching staff.  A lot of Logan Gilbert's success has to be attributed to Cal.

Luis Torrens: D
He's been ok, his bat seems to very slowly be waking up.  His defense does seem to have improved from last season.  But as of mid-June he is still looking for his first home run of 2022.

Ty France: A+
Could we have asked anything more from Ty?  His defense has been great, and his offense has been even better.  He's been drawing comparisons to Edgar Martinez, and for good reason.  His average has dropped while his strikeouts have ticked up in recent weeks, so he's a borderline A/A+, but he's definitely the one lock to be an All-Star on the roster.

Adam Frazier: D+
He was expected to provide a high avg/OBP bat at the top of the lineup, but he has not.  His average has hung around the .230/.240 range, and we were expecting at least 50 points higher.  He's been riddled with awful luck, hitting straight to defensive players.  His defense has been adequate.  

JP Crawford: A-
JP is one of the bright spots on this team, and he easily could be slumping after signing a contract extension at the start of the year, but he really hasn't.  If anything, his defense has taken a hit, causing him to be near the top in errors by an AL shortstop.  But he's still made some great defensive plays.  

Eugenio Suarez: B
Suarez was almost an afterthought in the trade that netted him and Winker, but he has been definitely the better piece so far.  He's leading the M's in home runs currently and likely will the rest of the year, barring injury.  He's shown a propensity to strike out too much, especially in high-leverage situations.  But his defense has been outstanding, hardly a drop-off (if at all) from Seager.

Jesse Winker: D
Winker, along with Frazier, was acquired due to his ability to hit for a high average.  And also like Frazier, he has struggled.  His average is even lower.  Some worry about his lack of power numbers, but he never has hit too many, only hitting 24 last season.  One good thing has been his eye, as he leads the team in walks.  His defense leaves a lot to be desired, as there have been more than a few fly balls to left that a more athletic outfielder could have gotten to while Jesse did not.

Julio Rodriguez: A-
Julio got off to a slow start, which wasn't wholly unexpected, but that was partly due to the awful strike calls he was getting called against him.  But he heated up in May, coinciding with his first Major League home run.  He has relished hitting in the middle of the lineup.  But the best parts of Julio's game has been his baserunning and defense.  He currently leads the majors in stolen bases and has played great defense in center.

Jarred Kelenic: D-
It's a shame Kelenic wasn't able to produce, because come June the team has definitely needed him.  Fortunately, Trammell has done somewhat decently in his place.  But given that Jarred made his debut last year and had a chance to work on things this offseason, his slow start is concerning.

Abraham Toro: F
Just about every Mariners fan is done with Toro at this point, and I'll be shocked if something doesn't happen to him before the All-Star break (unless he miraculously catches fire).  He's provided some late-inning pop, and yes, if it wasn't for him, we lose that game to the Red Sox where he tied it up with 2 outs.  But so often we have asked him to come through and been let down.  I think Scott's getting tired of Toro's inability to come through.

Dylan Moore: C+
Dylan has been about what we expected.  We did not expect to see him start so much in the outfield, but injuries and Kelenic's struggles have necessitated it.  He's been adequate.  He did have a walk-off hit against the Red Sox.  And his defense and base running has been above average.  

Taylor Trammell: C
Taylor's done well in his short stint, but hasn't really quite broken through yet.  He has played solid D.  It's unfortunate that Servais feels the need to pinch-hit Moore or Toro for him every time he's scheduled to face a lefty.  How's a young left-handed hitter supposed to get better if he is never allowed to face lefties?

Sam Haggerty: C-
Not much to say about Sam, and he's really just a body to have on the Major League roster while we wait for guys to heal up.  He's been good defensively, but his bat leaves a lot to be desired.

Pitchers

Robbie Ray: C-
Given his expectations, we were expecting more from Robbie Ray.  He's given the Mariners length, pitching the most innings this far.  But he's also allowed a lot of home runs, 14, which is 3rd most in the AL.  His last start where he went 7 scoreless is promising after he developed a 2-seam fastball and used that effectively.  

Logan Gilbert: A
Logan has taken a big step forward in year 2.  Imagine if Kelenic, who was called up last year at the same time as Gilbert, looked as good as Gilbert does now.  Anyway, Logan has been mostly dominant, winning AL pitcher of the month for April, and for good reason.  His ERA was under 1 for that month!  

Marco Gonzales: B-
Marco's been fairly inconsistent, but when he's on, he's on.  His maturity and poise have shown.  If he can locate his change-up and get calls from the umpire, he's very hard to hit off of.  

Chris Flexen: C+
If there was ever a guy who was 2-8 who was actually pitching well, it's Flexen.  Flexen has gotten some awful run support, forcing him to leave games barely behind or tied, despite many quality starts. 

Matt Brash: D+
Is it fair to count Brash?  Eh, I'd say so.  He started off fairly well, but then hitters started to figure him out while at the same time he was losing a bit of control.  He also failed to reach 6 innings pitched in each of his 5 starts, something that cannot be said for any other pitcher to start a game this year.

George Kirby: B-
George sure had a nice debut, but unfortunately, it did take him a little while to get his first Major League win.  He definitely looks better than Brash, and hopefully, it won't take him that long to get win #2.

Paul Sewald: C+
I've gone from trusting Paul each time out to waiting with baited breath each time he pitches.  I think Servais shouldn't use him in high-leverage situations for a while, not until he gets his control back.  Seawald has definitely cost us a couple games at least.

Penn Murfee: A
I remember first seeing Penn, first thinking he had a weird name, then thinking, "Well here's a guy that will probably be sent back to Tacoma pretty soon."  Boy, was I wrong.  He has been magnificent, although his most recent outing against the Twins was not pretty.

Diego Castillo: B-
It's certainly been a tale of two seasons for Castillo.  He was looking so bad at one point that I was surprised he wasn't DFA'ed.  But he righted his ship and is now the most dominant arm in the pen.  

Andres Munoz: C
The velocity has been nice, but the control and the amount of hits off of Munoz leave a lot to be desired.  He's still young, so I can't be too harsh, but he's certainly got potential to be a dominant arm in the pen.

Matt Festa: C
Like Castillo, Festa had his struggles early on, but he has quietly become one of the more reliable arms in the pen.  

Erik Swanson: B+
When you have gone 2+ months into a season and you can't think of a time when a reliever has blown a game, you know he's doing at least somewhat well.  Swanson has been a surprising bright spot in the pen.  Shame we lost him for a bit to injury, but fortunately, he's back now.

Sergio Romo: C-
Romo has been wildly inconsistent, with at times looking like his old self and at other times looking like the old guy that no one wanted.  

Drew Steckenrider/Anthony Misiewicz/Ryan Borucki/Roenis Elias/Anyone else: D
I didn't think it was fair to count each of these guys as individual grades, as none of them have been with the big league club all season.  The rest of the bullpen here has been mostly disappointing. 

So with all those grades, what is the team's GPA?  Well I did the math, and the GPA is...

C+.  Well, if the team has a losing record, why do they have an above average grade?  Remember, this is based on expectations for each player, so players like Julio, Penn Murfee, and Erik Swanson have higher grades than if I were to grade their seasons not considering expectations.  I think this is about right, and if I were to wholly grade everyone without taking expectations into consideration, I'd say their grades drop one spot on average (so a B to a B-, for example).  That would mean the team GPA is a C, which makes sense.  Were the Mariners expected to run away with the division?  No.  But some bad luck and injuries have really hurt them, because otherwise this team has a winning record and is in the hunt for a wild card spot.  

I might grade these guys around the end of the season.  Hopefully, we'll have a GPA a bit higher next time.

Initial Thoughts of Seahawks 2022 Schedule

 The Seahawks 2022 schedule just came out, so I thought I'd give my thoughts on it.  I'll go game by game and give at least one thought or comment on each matchup, it's timing/network and sum up our schedule overall at the end.  

Week 1: vs. Denver (MNF)
Well, we might as well get it out of the way week 1!  Russ comes back and I like that we see him early as he may not be fully situated in the Broncos offense.  I think this will be low-scoring.

Week 2: at 49ers
I never like giving the 49ers the advantage, and we'll be playing them on a short week.  Yuck.

Week 3: vs. Falcons
Some nice skill players (Kyle Pitts, DK Metcalf) but no legit QB's to throw to them.  Yawn.

Week 4: at Lions
I worry about this game, actually.  The Lions may be an improved team next season.  

Week 5: at Saints
Three beatable opponents in a row finishes with the Saints.  The best QB the Hawks will see in this time is Jared Goff.  But knowing the Hawks, they'll find a way to lose one or two at least.

Week 6: vs. Cardinals
Let's hope the Cards are in the midst of a rough start like I think they might be.  We could catch them at a great time (for us).

Week 7: at Chargers
I'll be shocked if we win this.  But it'll be fun to watch Justin Herbert.

Week 8: vs. Giants
Takes place the day before Halloween, and the Hawks hope to deliver their fans a treat.

Week 9: at Cardinals
Both Cardinal matchups before week 10 and both before we play the Rams once.  Hopefully the Hawks won't be looking ahead to the following week before playing this one...

Week 10: vs. Tampa Bay in Munich, Germany
Too bad the Hawks couldn't be at home before this game, but oh well.  This was announced a week ago and it should be a game we'll remember for a while.  It will likely be the last time Tom Brady faces the Seahawks.

Week 11: BYE
The NFL was smart to put our BYE next to our trip to Germany.  I like how the team pranked players by showing them schedules where the BYE wasn't anywhere near the trip, haha.

Week 12: vs. Raiders
The Raiders could be in an offensive groove by this point, or missing a key starter to injury.  Either way, I'm not big on our chances.

Week 13: at Rams
We finally play the defending champs in Week 13.  Let's hope the refs don't screw us like they did last year.

Week 14: vs. Panthers
This will either be a Panthers team on the cusp of a wild card or a Panthers team that's out of it.  Let's hope for the latter.

Week 15: vs. 49ers (TNF)
I was hoping to take my girlfriend to a 49ers game, but seeing as they're playing on Thursday, that'll be hard to do.  Let's hope at least the Hawks are somewhat competitive at this point for a national viewing audience.

Week 16: at Chiefs (Saturday)
Can we pencil in an "L" already?  Unless something crazy happens before then, the Hawks won't be headed home on Christmas Eve very happy...

Week 17: vs. Jets
Playing New York on New Year's Day.  I kinda like the sound of that.  Hopefully the Hawks first game in the calendar year of 2023 is a W.

Week 18: vs. Rams
I like how the Hawks play their final two games at home, so if there's any chance they're competing for a playoff spot, they'll be fairly rested (from travel).  Unfortunately, we finish with the Rams, which could be a blessing in disguise, as their playoff seeding may already be determined by this point.

Overall, not a bad schedule.  Only two primetime games (yikes) and only one on a regular network and not a streaming service.  That's what happens when you trade your star quarterback away, I guess.  This must be the first time since we drafted Russell Wilson that we don't have a single Sunday Night Football game.  Crazy.  

What I Expect From Each Mariner in 2022

 I've already done an MLB predictions post and a post about keeping my expectations for this Mariners team not too high, but I thought I'd do one more post before the season starts.  I'm going to go through the opening day roster and give a sentence or two on what I expect from each of the members of the opening day roster. 

Catchers
Tom Murphy: Help the pitching staff, play solid D, and hit somewhat respectively.  Is .220 too much to ask?
Luis Torrens: Fill in at catcher (and maybe even first base) once in a while and be a good pinch-hitter, because otherwise Luis will be cut to make room for someone else.
Cal Raleigh: Make some progress and steal some starts from Murph and Torrens.  Show why you're our cacher of the future.

Infielders
Ty France: Be a force at the top of the lineup, hit for a fairly high average and hit a lot of doubles, and continue to play great D at 1st.  Don't allow Evan White to steal your job when he gets healthy.
Adam Frazier: Be our offense's spark at the top of the lineup, hitting close to or above .300 and score a ton of runs.  Provide adequate D at 2nd.
JP Crawford: Play some more gold glove shortstop and hit well enough to force Servais to move you to the top of the lineup... again.
Eugenio Suarez: Hit above the Mendoza Line and provide some pop in the middle of the lineup.  Play adequate D at 3rd.

Outfielders
Mitch Haniger: I expect Mitch to lead us in home runs; I think he had a great offseason and may even be one of the Top 5 in the AL in home runs and compete in the home run derby.  All-Star season and MVP runner up.  
Jarred Kelenic: With the spotlight not directly on Jarred anymore, I expect him to grow, raise his batting average while providing pop and great outfield defense.  I don't think 25, 80, and .240 is too much to ask for in terms of his numbers.
Jesse Winker: Hit for a high average in the middle/top of the lineup, be at least a borderline All-Star again.
Julio Rodriguez: Make sure the J-Rod Show comes to Seattle and generate buzz and be in the running for the AL Rookie of the Year.

Bench
Abraham Toro: Had a great spring so I expect that to carry over.  I'd like to see him steal some starts from Suarez, if possible, or force Servais to move Suarez to DH a few times.  
Dylan Moore: Be an effective pinch-runner, occasional sub for JP or Adam or Eugenio.  

Starting Pitchers
Robbie Ray: Lead the team in strikeouts and lead an effective rotation.  
Logan Gilbert: Make a jump in year two and show capability of being a frontline starter.
Marco Gonzales: Prove you're still one of our best pitchers and show grit and determination.
Chris Flexen: Led us in wins last year, just get more wins this year; don't have to lead the team in them though.
Matt Brash: Don't have to be perfect, but show flashes and generate buzz.

Relievers
I'm not going to go over them individually, but I expect our bullpen to be nearly as effective as last year at the very least.  I'd expect Sewald, Castillo, Romo, and Steck to all get closing opportunities.  

If most of these guys can live up to my expectations for them, the Mariners should finally end their 21-year long postseason drought.  I can't wait to see it!

Plan for Buying My First Home

The last time I blogged about my living arrangement, it had been a month or two after we moved and I listed the pros and cons of our current place.  We are still living there and really enjoying it.  However, the next time we move, it will be because we are purchasing a new place.  However, that won't be until 2023, for a few reasons which I will get into.  I've never bought a home myself, and now that I work for a mortgage broker, I know about the industry and I would easily be able to finance a loan for a mortgage.  

My sister bought her first home (which she still lives in currently) in 2017.  Soon it will be time for me to buy my first home.  But like I said, it won't be until 2023, and here's why:
- Save up for down payment
I know, I know, if you can make the minimum down payment, it's better to buy earlier rather than later.  But my savings took a hit recently because of a purchase, which leads me to...
- Paying off my car loan
I know that my car loan on my credit will affect my ability to purchase a home.  For lenders, I won't be able to qualify for as much.  My goal by the time we plan to purchase is to pay off my car, which I bought six months ago (as of the time of writing this).  I am making larger than necessary payments in order to do so.  I would much rather have bought a place first, but my car before this one was falling apart and was becoming unreliable.  I had it for a decade, and it was time to move on.
- Insurance record
I'd have to ask my girlfriend again, who works in insurance, but we have a... record of an incident on our insurance.  In July 2020, I accidentally set off a sprinkler in our apartment which caused damage (long story).  My girlfriend told me it would be on our record if we were to try to get homeowner's insurance for about 3 years.  So if we were to try to get homeowner's insurance now, it would be a bit more expensive because of that claim we had to file.  
- Not wanting to move again so soon
My girlfriend and I have moved so much in the decade plus that we've been together, at least once every three years.  Her nor I want to move again so soon.  

One reason why I'd like to just buy now and not wait is because our rent is likely to jump up, and I'd rather not be paying that.  But as long as we watch what we spend and cut back on a few things, we should be able to still save up. 

The location of our new home is up in the air.  My employer is moving offices for us in the next month or so, and we will be going from Woodinville to Bellevue.  Fortunately, I'll be able to carpool with my girlfriend, who works minutes away from where I will be.  But that means I'd like try to find a place a bit closer to there to ease both of our commutes.

We'll be looking for a condo or a townhouse.  I'd really like to find a place with an attached or assigned garage so that I can install an EV charging station.  I would then trade in my current car for an electric one.  Granted, I've only had it for six months now, but by the time we buy a place over a year from now and I take another few months to find the right electric car for me, I'll have had the car for close to two years.  I do like my car, but I'm not in love with it to the point that I'd hate to ever part with it.  

I want to be a homeowner so badly.  My boss is in the process of buying a place currently, and my two co-workers are each in the market to buy a place of their own as well.  It's definitely a seller's market right now, and I would much rather buy a place in a buyer's market.  I may update when the time comes if anything changes.  

My Ideal 2022 Seahawks Draft

With the trade of Russell Wilson (😢), the Seahawks acquired some draft capital this year and beyond.  I thought I'd put together my own mock draft for the Hawks.  This is assuming there will be no trades, which, knowing general manager John Schneider, is nowhere near realistic, but I am not going to try to predict any draft trades, either.  

Here's a list of guys I would take with the draft picks the Hawks have based on their needs, assuming each guy will be available.  I'll try to be realistic as to when each player will be available (for example, I won't have the Hawks take a guy in the 3rd round that is expected to be a 1st round pick).  I'll be stoked if the Hawks take just one of these guys.  It'll be interesting to see if any of these guys I select end up being diamonds in the rough.

Rd 1 Pick 9 overall: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
I'm not sure if he'll go this high, but if not, the Hawks could trade down a bit, acquire another pick, and take Penning later than #9.  He's a stud, and I'll bet he'll be a Pro Bowler someday.

The Seahawks actually took Charles Cross, who was a higher-graded tackle.  Penning ended up being drafted at #19 to the Saints.  I'd call this a win.  We'll see how each of their careers pan out.

Rd 2 Pick 40 overall: Logan Hall, DE, Houston
I was torn between Hall and Arnold Ebiketie, but I went with Hall because he's more like the Michael Bennett type D-lineman that can line up at end for running downs or at d-tackle for passing downs, whereas Ebiketie is lighter and is more like Darrell Taylor, who we already have of course.  I'd be happy with Logan Hall, who could learn from Shelby Harris and fill in for him.  

Logan Hall went #33 Tampa Bay, so the Hawks had no shot.  They ended up taking Boye Mafe at #40, so again I picked the right position, but not the right player.  We'll have to compare their careers and see who came out on top.

Rd 2 Pick 41 overall: Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
I do not expect the Hawks to take a QB in the first round.  I think they'll want to try to find another diamond in the rough, and I think it could be Desmond Ridder.  I like what I've seen from him.  Draft him, have him compete with Locke just like Russ competed with Matt Flynn.  The Hawks will likely draft a quarterback, and I'd put money on it being in the 2nd, maybe the 3rd round.

Well the entire media and I were thinking the Hawks would want to add another QB, but they did not.  Instead, they drafted Kenneth Walker, which shows they want to be a run-first offense.  If Walker has a solid career and guys like Ridder and Malik Willis don't pan out, I'd call this a win.  Ridder went to the Falcons at pick 74.

Rd 3 Pick 72 overall: Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan
Luke Goedeke has got good measurables and some scouts even like him better than his teammate who is likely a first round pick.  He's played tackle and guard, so he's versatile, and the Hawks could plug him anywhere.

Again, the Hawks went with an offensive lineman when I predicted them to, but instead of a guard, they snared another tackle in Abraham Lucas.  I like that pick.  Again, we'll have to compare Lucas to Goedeke.  Goedeke went #57 to Tampa (hey did the Tampa GM see this?), so the Hawks had no shot at him.
 
Rd 4 Pick 109 overall: Tariq Woolen, CB, Texas-San Antonio
This is a bit wishful thinking, but he's got the size (6'3") that Carroll likes, and he's athletic for his size, too.  The reason he's not graded higher is because he has some background and medical concerns, but I think Carroll and Schneider can work past that with him.

The Seahawks took CB Coby Bryant here, but the craziest thing is, they did end up taking Tariq Woolen, but later at pick 153.  He's the only pick I called; I just knew Carroll would love his size and speed.  

Rd 5 Pick 145 overall: Jesse Luketa, ILB, Penn State
The Hawks will very likely draft a linebacker who could play the mike position.  With Brooks and Barton stepping up after Wagner's departure, that means the Hawks will need to fill in the backup spots.  Jesse Luketa has great size but isn't outstanding athletically, but could definitely learn and develop in the Hawks' system.

The Seahawks traded this pick down and ended up taking DE Tyreke Smith.  Luketa went at #256 to Arizona.  Yikes.  At least I was right about taking a defensive player.

Rd 5 Pick 153 overall: Marquan McCall, DT, Kentucky
It wouldn't hurt the Hawks to get some depth at defensive tackle, because honestly, I can't remember anyone after Poona Ford and Al Woods.  McCall is a beast, almost 350 pounds.

This is where the Hawks drafted Woolen, and hopefully it will be a steal.  Marquan McCall went undrafted but signed with Carolina.

Rd 7 Pick 229 overall: Jordan Mason, RB, Georgia Tech
I got to this pick and realized that I didn't have the Hawks taking any offensive skill players; that would be so unlike them.  I could perhaps see a late pick on a running back, as I'm not sure what Chris Carson's future is.  Jordan Mason was overshadowed in college (wasn't a starter), so the Hawks may take a chance on him.

The Hawks did take a RB, but in the 2nd round.  They did, however, take an offensive skill position player here in WR Bo Melton.  Jordan Mason went undrafted but signed with San Francisco.

I think this is a fairly realistic draft for the Hawks.  The front of it is slightly stacked towards the offense, but the Hawks need offensive linemen and a quarterback they could develop.  I don't have the Hawks taking any offensive skill players until their final pick because they really shouldn't be wasting a pick on those positions.  Remember Dee Eskridge?  Sure could've used Creed Humphrey instead.  Let's hope Pete and John draft well this coming draft and hey, maybe they'll take one of my guys.  We'll see.

And just for the heck of it, why not take a look at what the roster might look like?  

QB: Drew Lock, Desmond Ridder
RB: Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, Deejay Dallas, Jordan Mason, Travis Homer
WR: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, D'Wayne Eskridge, Penny Hart, Freddie Swain
TE: Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson
T: Trevor Penning, Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe
G: Luke Goedeke, Gabe Jackson, Damien Lewis
C: Austin Blythe, Kyle Fuller
DE: LJ Collier, Logan Hall, Shelby Harris, Alton Robinson, Darrell Taylor
DT: Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson, Al Woods, Marquan McCall/Bryan Mone
OLB: Jordyn Brooks, Uchenna Nwosu, Ben Burr-Kirven/Jon Rhattigan 
ILB: Cody Barton, Jesse Luketa, Joel Iyiegbuniwe
CB: Tre Brown, Sidney Jones, John Reid, Justin Coleman, Artie Burns
FS: Quandre Diggs, Ugo Amadi
SS: Jamal Adams, Ryan Neal/Marquise Blair
And we know who the special teamers are. Honestly, that's not a bad roster, and one I could see winning at least 6 games.  

Resetting my Expectations for the Seattle Mariners

 Boy, I've talked about the Mariners a lot on here, haven't I?  Just do a search for "Mariners" on this blog, and you'll see what I'm talking about.  I care a lot about them; they're one of my top two favorite sports teams.  I've followed them passionately for almost 25 years, and boy has my loyalty been tested.  The 2022 season is about to begin and there's something this team has that they haven't had too often the last 20 years: Expectations.  This team is expected to improve, succeed, and finally end that now 21-year postseason drought.  But I've learned from past experiences to not get my hopes up too high with the Mariners, because I always seem to be let down.

Honestly, I'm torn.  Part of me wants to be super excited, get behind this team, and stay as optimistic as I can.  However, the other part of me knows if I get too excited and optimistic that I will be let down again, and to be let down after being that optimistic is just heartbreaking.  

One thing that makes me not want to be optimistic is the fact that the Mariners outperformed last season.  They relied upon winning a lot of close games, and when they lost, they lost bad.  They ended up with a -51 run differential, meaning they should have won closer to 76 games than the 90 they ended up with.  I fully expect that run differential to improve, but that doesn't mean their win total will.  Many times in sports, teams regress the year following a season they were "lucky".  It happens in the NFL and it happens in Major League Baseball.  

We will learn a lot from this season.  We will learn if this team will continue to be on the rise or if they take a step back.  We'll learn about Jarred Kelenic, and if he is going to make something of himself or not.  We'll get to see Julio Rodriguez and see what he can do.  If anything, I'm just excited to see new faces and see what this team can do with expectations.  

I'll likely write another blog on the Mariners around the mid-way point of the season, giving my thoughts on the team.  I hope to be writing about the amazing start the Mariners have, how they're leading the AL West, and start envisioning a playoff berth for the first time in 21 years.  Should be fun!