"I don't care if it's Kevin F'n Costner!  Get back in there and run my show!"

-Mitch

Here's @slickhawk12 with Star Trek's John Cho who was in the building promoting the release of "Star Trek Into Darkness"

By Trenton Jocz, Sports Radio KJR

A bet’s a bet, right?

Well if new Seahawk Cliff Avril reaches a lofty mark of 15 sacks in the upcoming 2013 season, Mitch will have to follow through with his end of the bargain. While there’s no downside for Avril if he fails to hit the mark (at least in terms of the bet with Mitch), success grants Avril the right to make Mitch change his license plate to the message of his choosing.

Mitch’s license plate (and his anonymity on the road) would look to be safe when one looks at Avril’s career stats. He’s accrued an impressive 39.5 sacks since entering the league in 2008, but his best individual season was the 11.5 he racked up in 2011 alongside a rookie Ndamukong Suh and veteran Kyle Vanden Bosch en route to earning Detroit’s franchise tag for last season before falling back down to 9.5 last year. However, sack numbers can be fluky as they are dependent on a multitude of factors that are inherently random and out of the player’s control (QB pressures and other advanced stats can be better barometers).

What was in Avril’s control, at least once Detroit elected to forgo slapping the franchise tag on him for another season, was where he chose to play. When asked how it feels to be a part of the Seahawks, Avril said, “It’s great. I’ve been back in Seattle for about a month now working out with the team. It’s a wonderful feeling, young guys that love to compete, having fun and they enjoy what they’re doing and they’re talented. These are guys that can play.”

Another thing Avril has control over is how hard he works, especially now that he’s learned what it takes. Notice how he refers to his new teammates as “young guys,” which is what he was in Detroit. On his time there, and what is like being on such an inexperienced team, he said, “I’ve been a decent pass rusher, I would like to think at least, [since] my first couple years in the league. But then honestly when Kyle Vanden Bosch came to the Lions he basically took me under his wing and showed me a few things […] I didn’t understand what it took to take the next step, I didn’t have anybody there to show it to me.”

Now at 27, a veteran presumably entering his prime, Avril is ready to play that role for the next wave of youth and guys like Bruce Irvin among others. “If anybody’s up to learning things, I’m all in,” says Avril.

All in. That certainly seems to be the overarching theme of this offseason’s arm race between the Seahawks and 49ers, but it also applies to Mitch, as Avril isn’t going to let him off the hook once he hits his goal. In the words of Avril, “Alright, I’m gonna hold you to it.” So, if in a few months you see a car with an embarrassing license plate, make sure you wave “Hi!” to Mitch as you fly on by.

Check out the interview in its entirety here:

From MSN:

“May Madness” is a controversial tradition at Issaquah High School in Washington state that pits female classmates against each other in an NCAA Tournament-style bracket for "hotness."

http://news.msn.com/us/video?videoid=de267459-7a48-a2f6-e43e-5f93a4aaaffb#tscptme

By Miles Liatos  Sports Radio KJR

The expectation going into this season was the Mariners would start hitting better. While there may be incremental improvements here and there, it’s still just the pitching that merits praise.

Former Mets GM Steve Phillips joined Mitch this morning to talk about the Mariners’ hitting woes, and how Hisashi Iwakuma fits into the M’s starting rotation. Phillips said Iwakuma is “One of the best kept secrets in baseball,” and elevates the rotation with the best 1-2 punch in the major leagues along with Felix Hernandez.

Iwakuma has a 1.61 ERA through seven starts.

“He is pitching extremely well, and he’s a guy that doesn’t do it with velocity; he does it with movement. He has pitches that move every direction, and he keeps the ball off the center of the bat, which allows him to be successful,” Phillips said.

Now that the pitching is there for the Mariners, Phillips said the hitting will need to pick up to be able to win more games. The key to making the Mariners competitive through their hitting is by having “team at-bats”, where each at-bat flows into the next one.

“The way a certain hitter works the pitcher in front of you should have some impact on you, and it should have an impact on the next guy and [the M’s] should feed off of that,” Phillips said.

But the Mariners lineup doesn’t have that right now.

“They just can’t seem to find a rhythm right now,” Phillips said.

For the full interview with Steve Phillips, visit Mitch's podcast page.

By Miles Liatos  Sports Radio KJR

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Fred Couples said he didn’t know if he would ever play in the PGA Tour. He just wanted to play golf.

Little did Couples know he would go on to win fifteen PGA Tour titles, including a Masters Championship in 1992.

But Couples was bestowed with the “highest honor” in golf, of being inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame Monday. CBS Sports Golf Commentator Jim Nantz, who roomed with Couples in college, introduced Couples before he came to the podium.

Couples choked up during multiple occasions, including the conclusion when he expressed gratitude for his Hall of Fame induction.

“Thanks for taking a kid from Seattle and putting him in the Hall of Fame,” he said. “This is the coolest night of my life.”

Couples went to O’Dea High School before receiving a golf scholarship to play at the University of Houston. However, his real passion for golf started when he was 14 years old. He was able to participate in a golf clinic, where “An unbelievable PGA Tour player,” named Lee Trevino was playing.

“I was staring at him, and after a couple hours when I went back I wasn’t really the person who said, ‘That’s what I want to do, I’m going to be a PGA Tour player,’ but I knew I wanted to really, really get involved in golf,” Couples said.

Couples, at 18, would qualify for the US Open at Inverness Club in Ohio. He was paired with Trevino. Couples was nervous to be working with the legendary PGA golfer, who would win 29 PGA Tour championships, including six majors.

“He’s an unbelievable real buddy of mine, even though he’s much older, much better, much everything,” Couples said.

The Seattle native didn’t just “get involved” in golf. He became a golf Hall of Famer.