You may have noticed some changes at the station over the last 3 or 4 months. No longer on the air is the local sports watering hole known as Elise at Night. She was traded to the Gasman In The Afternoon Show, for a player to be named later. That player to be named later turned out to be The T-Man of KUBE 93 fame. He paired up with former Major League pitcher Rob Dibble and Dibbs proceed to relive his days of brawling with Lou Pinella and the T-Man took his ball and went home.

In the wake of the Elise at Night franchise dissolving, yours truly was once again an orphan in search of a loving home. About 3 weeks ago my Daddy Warbucks came a calling! I am proud to announce I now have a bunkbed on the Dave "Softy" Mahler show. My chores include anchoring the sports news desk and delivering award winning updates, providing witty, or not so witty banter during the show, laughing at Softy's jokes and eating all the Taco Time a gastrointestinal tract can handle.

My Cougar friends often ask how I can handle working on the show of the biggest Husky Honk in the state. To be quite honest, I really enjoy Softy's show. He is loaded with personality and enthusiasm. He is extremely funny and energetic, and without question entertaining. Everyone has their shortcomings and his just happens to be the University in which he chooses to affiliate himself :) Plus, who doesn't like the opportunity to make fun of a chubby guy once in a while?

One other bonus to being on Softy's show is the fact that his show is broadcast on television (Comcast channel 179 in Wasghington) and my mommy and daddy get to see my smiling face every day and reep the benefits of the THOUSANDS of dollars they poured into my college education....sorry mom and dad.

I look forward to a longstanding relationship on the show and plan to update my personality page on a regular basis with entertaining and educational tidbits.

I invite you to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter-@abker, but I usually do my best work on Facebook. Go Cougs, Go M's, Go Hawks, Go Christopher Hansen!

The Pac 12 Today heard every Saturday with your hosts Jason Puckett and Brian Abker. The show begins 4 1/2 hours before kick off of Husky Football. Each week we break down the upcomming conference games, hear from all Pac 12 coaches and visit with Seattle Times college football writer Bud Withers. Puckett and I also pick the Pac 12 games (with the spread) and you the listener can call for an opportunity to win a $25 gift card to Georgetown Brewery. Just call in after Pucket and I make our picks, We will select 1 caller who will choose the host they believe picked the most correct winners (Abker is 2-0-1) and if you're right, you are having a grog, or 2, or 5 on 950 KJR and Georgetown Brewery! Also each week Puckiett and I will be listing our top 5 Heisman picks. We'll post those picks herer and track the changes throughout the year, and see how close our original selections come to being the top 5 finalists at the end of the season.

HEISMAN TRACKER:

Puckett:

1) Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2) Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

3) Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin

4) Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina

5) Robert Griffen III, QB, Baylor

Abker:

1) Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2) Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3) Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State

4) Ronnie Hillman, RB, San Diego State

5) Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Xavier McDaniel 5-29

   

Xavier McDaniel joins Sports Saturday to talk with Brian Abker about his time with the Sonics, his career and the state of the NBA.

My most vivid memory of Sparky Anderson comes from my trip to Detroit Michigan to visit my grandparents when I was 11 or 12 years old. My grandpa knew that I would be excited to go see the Tigers play in what is coined now as “The Old Tiger Stadium” We had great seats about 15 rows deep on the first base line and I can remember my grandpa pointing out all the players and yelling out to them by name while they were taking infield…

“Let’s go Lou, let’s go Alan…turn two now” Of course he told me all about the Bird, Mark Fidrych…but I distinctly remember him pointing out the manager, Sparky Anderson, saying he was called Sparky because he was a firey guy who would “kick your ass” if you didn’t play hard, and that he was going to have the Tigers in the World Series soon.

I remember this because my grandpa told me he would send Sparky to Seattle to kick my ass if I didn’t play hard in little league.

The armed intruder exchanged gunfire with his ex-girlfriend, Mackenzie Rae Putnal, after putting a gun to her head on Monday night, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.

According to the sheriff's report, Osgood, 30, sustained some minor bruises during the attack and while fleeing.

"He's fine," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said Wednesday. "I'm aware of it. I really can't comment on that whole deal. He's doing OK."

The Florida Times-Union first reported the incident.

Julian Armond Bartletto, 20, of Jacksonville, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, armed robbery, burglary and violation of an injunction. He was being held without bond at the Duval County Jail.

Putnal and Osgood were watching television around 11 p.m. in an upstairs game room when a man walked in with his face covered with a plastic bag and pointed a gun at them. Saying "I can't believe you're with that guy," the man pulled Putnal around the room by her hair and hit her with the gun and his fists before hitting Osgood in the head with the gun, according to the report.

The gunman took Putnal's cell phone and tackled her as she tried to flee. When he ordered the couple to sit on the floor, she escaped downstairs in her parents' home and grabbed a gun, police said. They shot at each other and both missed.

Osgood, meanwhile, jammed a chair under the door, jumped out a window to the lawn below and ran to a neighbor's house to call police.

Putnal identified the man as her ex-boyfriend and called police, according to the report. Bartletto was later found at his home and arrested.

Osgood has two receptions for 29 yards this season, including a 24-yard TD catch in the opener against Denver. He played seven seasons for San Diego, and made three Pro Bowls as a special teams ace, before signing with the Jaguars.