Great Charity, great times! National Martini Day!! Come celebrate with DollarPerMonth.org, Sullivan's Steakhouse, DPM Co-Founder Doug Clerget, and myself at Sullivan's on 6th and Union today. Get here and sign up for dollarpermonth.org, get a free Sullivan's $25.00 gift card for the month of July!!! Now that's a gift that keeps on giving Clark!!!”

On average, how much money would you say you lose track of each month?  By that I mean, spend frivolously, a pop here, a bag of chips there, extra couple of bucks for a tip?  You know what I am talking about.  Check this out- what if you took those couple extra bucks and put them toward a good cause?  Now you are probably saying to yourself, "that's impossible."  Fret not friends, nothing is impossible when the Traffic Divas are involved.  Allow us to introduce you to our newest friends at Dollar Per Month.  that's right, DOLLAR!!  Think about how many people are on social media....now think about how much money even 10% of those people could raise each month just by donating a dollar, what about two dollars, even three!  Pretty amazing, right!  

  Our friends at DPM have set it up, so YOU can donate as much or as little each month as YOU want!  Each month, they take the proceeds and chose three charities to receive the money.  The best part of that?  Your money gets spread around to help three different fantastic charities each month.  Your small donation really goes a LONG way!  I know, no you are wondering how they chose the charities, or how they know the charities are to be trusted- each charity chosen has been vetted for actually making a difference in their given field of philanthropy and for having a history of financial responsibility with donor contributions.  

  It's pretty cool actually- the three charities for the month are showcased on the site where DPM™ members can read about their respective mission statements and goals, view pictures and video. From there, members vote where they would most like to see the monthly pool of money go to. At the end of each month Dollar Per Month™ takes 90% of the received pool and distributes based on voting at 50%, 30% and 20%. In this way no charity loses. 10% is used for paying for site overhead, etc. Just to fill you in on exactly where the money goes!  

**Please note that nobody is receiving any income from DPM™ and that the founders currently fund a large percentage of overhead out-of-pocket as the site has yet to break the 10% threshold initially allowed for expenses.

 Sign up on their website, dollarpermonth.org to start giving NOW!

A national hero, an enigma, one of the best baseball players to ever have a career on two continents; these are just a few of the things that describe Ichiro Suzuki. However if you ask Seattle Mariner fans to describe Area 51 now, you will encounter words such as declining, selfish, roadblock, done. What do you do with a player like this? That is the question that has spurred much debate in this city. What do we do with Ichiro?

We don't know if Ichiro will be offered another contract by the Mariners, move on to a new free agent adventure, or simply ride off into the Hinomaru. Many fans are ready to see him go anywhere as long as he does not return to the Seattle lineup in 2013. Others can’t fathom letting loose of a player who has been such a franchise icon and can still hit for average and play a nice right field.

As the rebuild process begins for this team, it too begins for the fans; the rebuild of a new superstar figure to cheer for and admire. The rebuild of a new potential, Rookie Of The Year, AL Stolen Base Champion, 2x AL Batting Champion, 3x Silver Slugger winner, 10x Gold Glove, 10x All Star, AL MVP and historical MLB record breaker.

It is clear that Ichiro’s skills have declined. He is not a 200 hit, .300 average, 50 stolen bags type of player anymore. But is he so detrimental to the franchise that we are completely ready to cast off a player who has, at a minimum, kept us interested in the team and one of two reasons (King Felix) for the nation to keep a peripheral eye on our little baseball world here in Seattle? Maybe, maybe not, but one thing is for sure: some fans want him and some fans want him gone. What do we do with Ichiro?

Maybe you never liked Ichiro because you never really felt like you knew him. Maybe you thought his slap hit, infield single style of bating was overrated and underwhelming. Maybe you have been disenchanted by his perceived unwillingness to improve his on base percentage via the walk. It could be the fact that he is making a ridiculous amount of money in the twilight of his career. If you never liked Ichiro then presumably his departure from Seattle will not stir much emotion. If you have loved and enjoyed Ichiro’s career here in Seattle you likely replay fond memories of his laser arm, the deep knee bend and shirt sleeve tug, every piece of hardware collected in association with his Mariner career, and the meshing of Seattle baseball with an historical figure such as George Sisler.

What do we do with Ichiro? We can debate where Ichiro should or should not hit in the lineup. We can argue the merit of signing him to another season or two. We can discuss how to remove an old roadblock to make way for the new superhighway. We can attempt to justify his existence on the team by way of relative batting average and capabilities in the field. We can clamor for his benching. The topic of “what to do with Ichiro” can be dissected down to the most finite point. But here is my suggestion on what to do with Ichiro…..root for him, enjoy any flashes of Ichiro days gone by, and reflect on what he has accomplished in a Mariner uniform. Don’t worry about what we should do with Ichiro and let the ball club worry about what to do with Ichiro. It’s out of our control. What is in our control as fans is the ability to enjoy the transition from culture and history to youthful exuberance and possibilities. What do we do with Ichiro?

John Persak of ILWU 19 5-25

Listen to my conversation with John Persak of the Local 19 regarding the longshoreman's issues with the results of the traffic study funded by Chris Hansen. Why does trhe Port of Seattle and the maritime industry not want an arena built in SODO?

The news breaking this morning about Junior Seau's death from a self inflicted gunshot to the chest sent shock waves throughout the country. It is always shocking when we learn of the untimely passing of a prolific figure. The feeling for some is second only to that of losing a family member, friend or pet.

Why do we have such strong feelings for our hand selected heroes, those we never truly knew? Sure, we get to know them from a distance through interviews on TV, radio and print. We witness their performances over several years and maybe, if we're lucky, get our opportunity for a brush with fame when we see them around town or meet them at an autograph signing. However, we never really KNOW our sports heroes but when they pass on, we feel like we've lost someone we gathered around the campfire with over the weekend to drink beers and tell lies. I don't know why we do it, but in my opinion it's ok. It doesn't matter how much we knew them personally, what matters is how much of an impact they had on our lives. For many, sports figures are as much a part of their lives as people who are actually physically part of their lives. They help transport people to another place outside the realm of their own lives. They bring joy and excitement to many. Weather it's a sports figure, musician or actor we have a one sided bond with these people and it's natural to feel something with their untimely passing. Maybe our emotions are heightened because we often view these people in an immortal light. We don't see their day to day problems and struggles. We don't hear their intimate conversations about what's not going well in their lives, and we aren't privy to their physical and mental health conditions on a daily basis. When we come to the realization that our heroes are exactly like us, mortal, the fantasy becomes too real.

Junior Seau was in the NFL for 20 years. He was a star for the majority of that time. He was a guy seen with a smile on his face and determination in his eyes, even in year 20. He was a mentor to many young players in the NFL and a I'm sure a hero to his family, friends and certainly fans.

I did not know Junior Seau. I only interviewed him a couple of times in a media scrum after games here in Seattle, but when I heard the news I felt my stomach drop. I'm not sure if it was the circumstances surrounding his death or the fact that he was Junior Seau, one of the greatest football players I have ever seen play, but I definitely felt the loss of a sports hero.

We have seen many name changes throughout the history of sports. The two most notable name changes are Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and Lew Alcindor to Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Ali changed his name in 1964 after joining the Nation of Islam, and Kareem adopted his Muslim name in 1971. Both of these name changes, in retrospect, seem to make sense and definitely fit who they represent. There are several others of note as well; Brian Williams, Maryland & Arizona & former NBA player, changed his name to Bison Dele to honor his Native American and African heratige, Chris Jackson, LSU and NBA, converted to Islam in 1991 and changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. Bobby Moore changed to Ahmad Rashad for the same religious reason. Again, these name changes seem to be purposeful, but not all name changes have been.

Now, there are those name changes that seem to have little more meaning than to garner attention and capitalize on marketability. We begin with one you may not have heard of. Greg White, former defensive end for the Buccaneers. He changed his name to Stylez G. White reportedly to pay homage to Michael J. Fox's character in the movie Teen Wolf. What? If you're going to change your name to pay homage to a movie don't you choose characters like Tony Montana from Scarface, Hannibal Lector from Silence of the Lambs, Don Vito from The Godfather, or even 007, Bond, James Bond? I would hate to think what Mr. White would have changed his name to if his favorite movie was Bevis and Butthead Do America!!

The next name change is well known. You all remember who Chad Johnson was? Well, he was an up and coming wide receiver in the NFL. A superstar in the making but something happened along the way...he changed his name to Chad Ocho Cinco...which in Spanish means eight five..not eighty five...eight five. It was no more than an attention getting ploy geared toward marketability. But Mr. Johnson's name change sired an alter ego that has seemingly derailed Chad Johnson's Hall of Fame aspirations.

And now we come to maybe the most ridiculous/redonkulous name change in the history of name changes...Metta World Peace! No, this is not one of those street fundraising companies that places college kids out in front of the mall to solicit donations for poverty striken children using a booklet of depressing pictures . It's not a "Save the Whales" campaign...this is Ron Artest's new name. Metta World F'ing Peace? So... the other night when James Hardin received an elbow to the back of his head, was that Metta World Peace going Ron Artest on his ass?

How far can name changes go before someone says enough is enough? I guess if Prince can change his name to a symbol to avoid contract issues with Sony, there might not be any limits. What if an athlete changed their name to Mother Fu**er? What if another changed his/her name to Kill The President? There must be a limit, right?

I think if I were going to change my name simply for attention I would go with someone else's name who was rich like Bill Gates or Paul Allen. That way if there were ever any identity issues I may get lucky and wake up with a hundred million $ in my bank account. Or, maybe I would change my name to a number, the numeric version not the spelled out version..ie..34. That way I could have 2 numbers on my jersey and confuse the referees and score keepers. Or maybe I would change my name to Nike...gotta be some dough for me somewhere in there.

I will be assigning new names to the members of the KJR staff this week so check back with my page this week and if you have a name you think would fit a particular host here at Sports Radio KJR, send me an e-mail. brianabker@clearchannel.com