Browsing Tag: seahawks

    Miscellany

    Where to watch NFL games on Hawaii’s Big Island

    November 12, 2018

    We found our tribe of Seahawks fans (12s!) at a neat sports bar in Kailua-Kona!

    If you’re a big football fan who’s traveling to Hawaii during NFL season, you might reach a point during your trip planning where you wonder … Where am I gonna watch the football game on Sunday?

    My wife and I have been to different Hawaiian islands probably 2-3 times during NFL season, and each time we’ve managed to find some good places that open up early Sunday for tourists to catch their favorite team’s game. Our most recent trip was last month when we visited the Big Island (Hawaii) with friends. But we were the only ones who wanted to find a place to watch NFL games — preferably with other Seattle Seahawks fans! — so the planning was all on our own.

    Good news: There are three sports bars nestled closely together in Kailua-Kona and each one opens early on Sunday mornings for NFL fans!

    My wife and I ended up at Oceans Sports Bar, which is just off Ali’i Road, the street that runs along the coast. As we were walking there, we passed by two other sports bars that were also open early and had TVs on for people to watch the games — Bongo Ben’s and Laverne’s. There are a few other bar/restaurant-type places in that same area that may have also been open, but we didn’t walk to them.

    (By the way … we’re talking 7:00 AM in Hawaii. That’s when the early games kickoff, at least before the mainland changes its clocks. If it’s after the clock change, kickoff will be at 8:00 AM Hawaiian time.)

    Oceans has a pretty big bar area with a bunch of TVs above showing the games, and then several more TVs placed throughout the dining areas.

    My wife and I arrived just as the game began and picked a table in the first dining area, where about 10-15 Seahawks fans had already gathered. It’s always fun to watch a game with other 12s, and this was no exception.

    The crowd grew as the game went along, and there were eventually about 25-30 Seahawks fans spread across two dining areas. There were also some Broncos fans, Chiefs fans and a few other teams represented … but Oceans Sports Bar seems to be the place for Seahawks fans to gather.

    Service was excellent. Our waitress was quick to bring my wife a mimosa and kept me filled with various tropical juices all morning. For breakfast, they offer a buffet that runs $14 per person, as I recall, which is pretty much a bargain for Hawaii. It was fairly standard stuff — scrambled eggs, bacon, home fried potatoes (to die for! OMG), biscuits and gravy, fried rice and some fresh fruit options. I think they had the fixins for a loco moco, too. As part of the buffet, you can also order a Belgian waffle — it looked delicious, but we were too full to try it.

    All in all, we had a great morning. The food was good. The service was good. The atmosphere was really fun. And we got to watch the Seahawks beat Detroit alongside a big group of fellow football fans. If you’re an NFL fan looking to watch the games on Hawaii’s Big Island, you can’t go wrong with Oceans Sports Bar — especially if you’re a Seahawks fan!

    Miscellany

    The Legend of Richard Sherman Grows

    January 26, 2014

    richard-shermanI was on the phone with my mom today when she mentioned how cold it is in the Philly area. I said I was watching NFL Network as the teams arrived in Jersey for the Super Bowl and that it was cold and snowy there. The rest of the conversation went like this (she’s 80 years old, by the way):

    Mom: “You must be excited for the game next week.”

    Me: “You have no idea. Can’t wait.”

    Mom: “Who’s the guy on your team that talks a lot??”

    Me: “Richard Sherman?”

    Mom: “Yes. I like him!!!!”

    (At this point, I start giggling because the thought of having a discussion about Richard Sherman with my mom was pretty much the last thing I would’ve guessed happening.)

    Mom: “He’s very intelligent.”

    Me: “Yeah, he had a 4.2 GPA in high school in Compton –”

    Mom: “– and he graduated from Stanford with a degree in…” (she couldn’t remember)

    Me: “In Communications. Yep. He’s going for his Masters, too. And he’s only 25.”

    Mom: “He’s very well-spoken. And he tells it like it is. He doesn’t suffer fools easily.”

    I love her so much.

    The Legend Of Sherman grows and grows.

    Miscellany

    Seahawks: We’re No. 1?

    March 19, 2013

    espn-ranks

    An ESPN pre-draft power ranking means absolutely nothing, but it blows my mind to think how quickly things have changed for this Seahawks fan.

    A little more than six months ago, I was in Arizona to watch the Seahawks’ season opener with my friend Mat. The game was ugly. The Seahawks couldn’t protect the QB, couldn’t move the ball much and — most embarrassingly — couldn’t stop backup Cardinals’ QB Kevin Kolb from marching his team down the field to win the game.

    I’d already looked at the Seahawks schedule and picked them to win maybe six games. Then, when Russell Wilson was named the starting QB, I figured having a rookie QB would cost them another game or two. So I was figuring 4-5 wins for the season.

    Wrong. Obviously.

    And now the draft is a month away and the Seahawks are one of the Super Bowl favorites. The turnaround is mind-boggling. It’s shake-my-head and pinch-me-is-this-real? kind of stuff.

    And in 2013, along with another friend named Matt, I’ll be a season ticket holder. Talk about picking the right year….

    Miscellany

    What NFL Experts Said About the Seahawks’ 2012 Draft

    December 29, 2012

    seahawks-logo-helmetThe Seahawks have clinched a playoff spot and have a slim chance of winning the NFC West.

    They have a fantastic rookie QB in Russell Wilson, who was drafted in the third round and very well might win Offensive Rookie of the Year ahead of the No. 1 and and No. 2 picks in the whole draft.

    They have a budding pass rushing star in Bruce Irvin, who was drafted in the first round and currently leads all rookies in sacks with eight.

    They have an excellent rookie MLB in Bobby Wagner, who was drafted in the second round and leads the team in tackles and might get consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

    Overall, seven of the Seahawks 2012 draft picks have seen considerable playing time this year. By any measure, it was a GREAT draft for the Seahawks. And that’s what makes some of these “expert” draft grades so funny. (Note: Thanks to Geordie Romer for a tweet that inspired this post.)

    Donald Wood, Bleacher Report

    Gave Seattle an “F” grade. Drafting Wilson was “by far the worst move of the draft.” Drafting Wilson and Irvin were “the two worst moves of the draft.”

    wood-bleacher

    Jason Cole, Yahoo Sports

    Gave an “D-” grade overall. Says Russell Wilson will “be lucky to be Seneca Wallace” and the Seahawks “are no closer to solving the QB situation now than they were before 2011.”

    cole-yahoo

    Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (Round 1 grades and Round 3 grades)

    Overall, he gives Seattle a “C+” grade. He calls Wilson a “strange pick.” Says Melvin Ingram, who was picked by San Diego at No. 18 and has one sack in 15 games so far this season, would’ve been a better pick.

    prisco-cbs

    Matt Miller, Bleacher Report

    Gave Seahawks a “D” grade overall. Called Irvin a “grab.” Says Seahawks “messed up” by drafting Wilson. Says those two picks were “just bad.”

    miller-bleacher

    SI.com (author not listed)

    Seahawks get a “C” grade overall for their “blah” draft. Seahawks were “bonkers” for picking Irvin. Says that Wilson “has a bright future, even if Seattle didn’t really need him.”

    si-com

    Vinny Iyer, Sporting News

    Overall grade is a “D.” He says the Seahawks drafted “defensive head-scratchers.”

    iyer-sn

    Dalton Johnson, Bleacher Report

    Gave the Seahawks a “C-” grade. Says the Seahawks draft was “full of reaches,” including all three top picks — Irvin, Wagner (or “Wager”) and Wilson.

    johnson-bleacher

    You might be wondering what Mel Kiper — ESPN draft guru — had to say. His full grades are “insider” content on ESPN.com, but this Mike Sando recap says that the ESPN crew gave Seattle a “C-” grade — tied for the lowest of all 32 teams — and that Kiper said he had “huge questions” about the Hawks draft.

    To be fair, some of the writers above admit that it’s best to wait a couple years before really grading a draft, but that sure didn’t stop them from making some ridiculously wrong immediate reactions to what the Seahawks did.

    Who Got It Right (or Close to Right)?

    John Czarnecki did a pretty good job on Fox Sports. He called the picks “one shocker after another” but gave the Seahawks a “B” grade. He had good things to say about both the Wilson and Irvin picks.

    czarnecki-fox

    On NFL.com, Chad Reuter only gave the Seahawks a “C+” grade, but didn’t completely dismiss the Wilson pick (he’s a “reliable reserve.” Heh.) and praised the Bobby Wagner pick.

    Moral of the Story

    NFL “experts” sometimes don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. And sometimes, the guys in an NFL team’s front office have a better idea about which college players are good draft picks and which one’s aren’t.

    #GOHAWKS