Instant Takeaways: Storm Outlast Sun, Raman Earns First Win as WNBA Head Coach
Lexie Brown and Jade Melbourne led an efficient, physical comeback in the second half, and the Seattle Storm got Sonia Raman her first win as a WNBA head coach in an 89-82 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, May 10, at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Brown rebounded from an abysmal season opener to sink five threes and lead the Storm with 17 points. Melbourne continued to be one of the fiestiest players on the court, totaling 15 points, six assists, one steal and one block. Rookie Flau’jae Johnson, though still inefficient, added 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block.
Connecticut was led by 17 points and 16 rebounds from Aneesah Morrow. Brittney Griner finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Storm battled foul trouble early, forcing Raman to dip even deeper into her bench. The balance across a 10-player lineup through two games has been incredibly unique.
Kraken the Ice: Seattle Nipped By NHL Lottery Curse… Again
Once again getting the short side of the lottery stick, the Kraken didn't get a top-five pick as hoped coming off a disappointing finish to the 2025-26 season that ended without a playoff berth.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee examines Seattle's latest misfortune landing on the wrong side of the lottery ticket, takes a first look at possible targets the Kraken may consider with the first of two first round selections, and breaks down the upcoming offseason NHL calendar and how it pertains to Seattle.
Washington State Signs Roman Stathis, Dips Into Australian Pipeline Again
The Washington State Cougars continued their aggressive offseason rebuild with another international addition, landing 6-7 wing Roman Stathis from Sydney, Australia.
Stathis spent his lone prep season at Golden State Prep in Napa, California, and becomes one of several newcomers added to a dramatically reshaped Cougar roster heading into the 2026–27 season.
There is limited publicly available information on Stathis, but early film suggests he possesses intriguing upside. In the clips currently available, the Australian wing shows a smooth perimeter shooting stroke and appears comfortable operating as a catch-and-shoot threat from beyond the arc. At 6-7, his size and shooting ability give Washington State another developmental piece to mold, as he’s the second Australian addition of the offseason along with Fraser Roxburgh.
Sounders Equalize Late, Survive San Diego with Draw Despite Missed Chances
It's becoming a theme, and the Sounders don't seem thrilled with it.
For the second straight game, the Seattle Sounders have taken a 1-1 draw in a game where they generated far more than one goal's worth of opportunities. Last time came at a struggling Sporting Kansas City squad, and this time was against a floundering San Diego FC squad (3-5-4, 11th in Western Conference), trying to pick up the pieces after a slow start.
In all, Seattle (6-1-3, fourth in Western Conference) took 25 shots, just four on frame, and generated 3.6 expected goals.
To create all of that, the Sounders forced eight corner kicks, crossed the ball into scoring chances 11 times, had seven of their shots blocked, and touched the ball 52 times in San Diego's box after doing the same over 40 times against KC.
But after all those chances that ended in poor decisions or a lack of quality in bringing them to fruition, the Sounders finally broke through in the 80th. They had trailed nearly all night thanks to an 18th-minute goal from San Diego's Marcus Ingvartsen as Nouhou failed to mark the Danish national in a run-of-play goal.
After multiple chances ended in a Seattle corner, though, Albert Rusnak found Cristian Roldan at the near post, who flicked the ball back to Danny Musovski through a sea of bodies in the box. Musovski did what he does best, tapping it in with precision just moments after hitting the crossbar on one of many frustrating opportunities on the night.
The Montlake Report: Zach Albright Goes From Dream to Dawg Committing to Huskies
Staying in state as one of the top recruits in Washington, rising tight end Zach Albright officially committed to the Huskies as part of their impressive 2027 recruiting class.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Aaron Coe chats with Albright to discuss his decision to join UW, his goals to become an impact player for Jedd Fisch's squad, how relationships mattered more than other factors in his recruiting process, and much more!
Jalen Milroe’s Development Among Key Storylines as Seahawks Begin Phase 2 of Offseason
Keeping most of their roster intact this offseason after capturing a Super Bowl LX win, the Seattle Seahawks will open OTAs later this month with the same exact quarterback group they had when they left the field through a flood of confetti at Levis Stadium in February.
The clear headliner of the signal caller collective after guiding Seattle to a second Lombardi Trophy, Sam Darnold added more hardware to his collection this spring, marrying his fiancé Katie Hoofnagle in California. The two-time Pro Bowler has two years remaining on the three-year contract he signed in March 2024 and following an impressive 2025 campaign where he threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns, he’s vaulted into franchise quarterback status and will be looking to take another step forward amongst the NFL’s elite at the position.
Behind him, Drew Lock has proven himself as a capable gunslinger in limited opportunities during two stints with the Seahawks and brings 28 career regular season starts to the table. Few teams have a better backup option on their roster in terms of talent and experience, ensuring he will hold onto that spot as the team’s primary insurance policy in 2026.
Considering Darnold’s status as the undisputed starter and Lock’s firm grip on the backup job, second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe isn’t in an ideal situation to see the field anytime soon, at least beyond the possibility of Seattle revisiting using him occasionally in Wildcat packages to capitalize on his immense athleticism and running ability. But even with such circumstances, his growth on the practice field will be heavily scrutinized for a number of reasons in coming weeks as he sees plenty of reps in his second NFL offseason program.
Jacks Full of Threes: Raley Clubs Seven RBIs, M’s Bash White Sox 12-8
Things go a lot more easily for a baseball team when they hit three home runs to score three or more men each. Good offense over nine innings can more than smooth out a bad inning on the other side, though the Mariners’ 12-8 win on Friday night against the White Sox took a while to get to the coasting stage.
In a sense, it wasn’t nearly as close as the score said; most of the high-end relievers were able to rest as Chicago scored three runs in the final two innings to turn a giant lead into a respectable one.
But in another sense (it was a one-run game until the seventh), the game was closer than its final score. M’s starter Emerson Hancock slipped quite a bit in the third inning and gave up five runs on the night, but recovered enough to go six innings and preserve the bullpen. Seattle’s first chance with the bases loaded didn’t produce anything else, but they broke the gates later on.
The big hero of the night was the still-mashing Luke Raley, who upped his season line to .258/.314/.567 with eight homers and 23 RBIs.
Luke Raley began the barrage with the first grand slam of his career.
The Mariners gave White Sox starter Sean Burke a couple of easy innings on Friday, falling in seven pitches in the first and 11 in the fourth. But crucially, they also put tons of traffic on the bags in the second and third, and though the second was underwhelming, things came together in the following frame.
Instant Takeaways: Inexperienced Storm Lose Early Mojo in Season-
A hot start for the new-look Seattle Storm and first-time head coach Sonia Raman rapidly fell back to Earth in a 91-80 loss against the Golden State Valkyries in the 2026 regular season opener on Friday, May 8, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Dominique Malonga unsurprisingly led the way for the Storm to begin her second season, totaling 21 points (8-of-15 FG), eight rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes. The Valkyries were led by an impressive 20 points from forward Janelle Salaun.
Seattle stormed out of the gates early with efficient shooting, but that quickly fell off, the turnovers piled up and its lead evaporated. The potential was apparent in the new lineup, which included six players who didn’t play for the team last season, but it also proved they have a long way to go.
Storm’s Flau’jae Johnson Trade Keeps Looking Better
The Seattle Storm went into the 2026 WNBA Draft with picks No. 3 and No. 14 in the first round. It was expected to be a second-straight transformative class for the Storm, who took Dominique Malonga No. 2 overall last year.
But by the draft’s end, Storm general manager Talisa Rhea had pulled off a masterclass. She got forward Awa Fam Thiam at No. 3, who has arguably the highest ceiling of any player drafted, and point guard Taina Mair in the first round.
When the Storm went to make their first pick of the second round, No. 16, they already had a deal lined up with the Golden State Valkyries to acquire guard Flau’jae Johnson — the eighth overall pick in the first round.
Five Depth Players Gonzaga Could Target in Transfer Portal
Now that most of the main components of the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ 2026-27 roster have been made official, it’s time to look at various options to fill out the rest of next year’s team.
Depth was a key reason the Zags were able to go 31-4 last season, after dealing with more adversity than any other team in the Mark Few era. Although the rotation dwindled to seven by GU’s final game of the season, it was as long as nine or 10 players for a considerable chunk of the calendar. Even with guys who will take up much of the usage rate under wraps like Mario Saint-Supéry, Braden Huff, Davis Fogle, and Massamba Diop, the Bulldogs can still look to bolster their squad in the areas of three-point shooting, defense, and experience off the bench.
So, who are some names to watch for in the transfer portal that could fill these voids for Gonzaga?
Banged Up Mariners’ Bullpen Needs to Weather Mid-May Storm
During a 162-game marathon of an MLB season, there is bound to be some attrition and injuries. It’s a natural part of the game. Every team goes through it. It’s not very often that a specific position group on one team gets hit seemingly all at once with the injury bug.
The Seattle Mariners are currently down three different relievers that they were counting on to get big outs late in games. Flamethrower Matt Brash and lefty Gabe Speier seemingly got hurt on the same day. That means they quite literally are without the two top bullpen arms manager Dan Wilson uses to get through the seventh and eighth innings before the closer Andres Muñoz closes it down in the ninth.
Intriguing Suitor Emerges as Seahawks Seek Bids for Franchise Sale
In the aftermath of winning Super Bowl LX, the Estate of Paul G. Allen announced the Seattle Seahawks would be put up for sale on February 18, ensuring a new regime would take the reins for the first time since Allen purchased the franchise in 1997 for $194 million.
Considering the timing of the decision, less than two weeks after Chair Jody Allen hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, many expected the Seahawks to receive rich offers aplenty to acquire the franchise. But up until this week, interest hasn’t been quite as plentiful as anticipated, with ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reporting on Friday that the market has been softer than expected thus far, at least compared to the two most recent teams that were sold in Denver and Washington.
Still, the Seahawks are expected to fetch a record sale price north of $9 billion, and even with only two legitimate suitors - the reported interest of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg immediately was debunked - that have become known publicly, one of those options quickly jumps out as a fascinating one to watch as the franchise heads towards new ownership.
Sounders, Reign Look to Make Statements Ahead of World Cup Break
The Seattle Sounders (6-1-2, 4th in MLS Western Conference) and Seattle Reign (3-2-2, 7th in NWSL) have gotten off to strong starts, but are both coming off draws in which they could have come away with more on the offensive end.
The Reign’s Mia Fishel also spoke with The Spectrum on Wednesday about reigniting the team’s offense, which is coming off three straight scoreless showings as the striker recovers from an injury-riddled stretch.
Ranking Seahawks’ Possible Opponents for Season Opener
Opening week for the Super Bowl champions is always something to circle on the calendar. The NFL typically gives them the first game of the regular season as a standalone time slot to raise the Super Bowl banner and have one last celebration before their title defense begins. The NFL schedule is set to be announced in the middle of next week, by May 14.
For the Seahawks, it will be a little quirky. They will play on Wednesday, September 9, not the usual Thursday slot. That is due to the Rams and 49ers facing off in a special opening week matchup. The NFL scheduled its first-ever regular-season game in Australia for Thursday, September 10 between two of Seattle’s biggest rivals.
Not only does that decision move Seattle to Wednesday night, but it also eliminates two possible opponents for their Week 1 matchup, which is yet to be announced.
Big-Time Bryan Woo Bounce-Back Outing Gives Mariners Series Win vs. Atlanta
It might have seemed that the Atlanta Braves were the worst possible team for a struggling Bryan Woo to face. Woo, whose arsenal depends almost entirely on two zippy fastballs thrown over the plate, was set to face an aggressive squad that feasted on fastballs. That ability to jump on the heater has been the lynchpin of Atlanta’s stellar opening salvo of the 2026 campaign, and Woo had to stare them down as the M’s tried to be the very first team to hand the Braves a series defeat.
On the other side of the ball, the Mariners needed to produce more with the stick, having logged quite a few uncompetitive innings on offense in both previous games in the series, with a pair of well-timed homers providing just enough runs on Monday but not on Tuesday. The hitting took a bit of an improvement overall on Wednesday, and though the sequencing didn’t do them many favors, the runs they scraped across were enough for a 3-1 victory.
There were banner days for several involved. For Julio Rodríguez, who came about 20 feet from denting the newly-unveiled Randy Johnson plaque with a mammoth homer; for Cole Young, who put together a three-hit outing; and for Josh Naylor, who showed up with the glove, the bat, and the well-renowned mind to find stolen bases.
But it all started with the guy on the mound, who gave his team an excellent chance to win the game.
Storm Nearing Final Roster After Waiving 2 Players
One day after re-signing rookie No. 14 overall pick Taina Mair to a developmental contract, the Seattle Storm waived guards Jaelyn Brown and Rennia Davis, the team announced. They are now one player away from finalizing their 12-player roster.
Davis and Brown were battling tough odds to try to make the Storm’s roster, but Davis looked like she might have a legitimate chance to be a surprise retention after a pair of strong preseason performances. Instead, it’s down to Mackenzie Holmes and rookie No. 39 pick Grace VanSlooten for the final spot.
Analysis: How Did Seahawks Fare Replacing Boye Mafe, Departed Free Agent Talent?
Teams that win the Super Bowl typically have to pay the toll that comes with such success when free agency opens at the start of a new NFL league year, and while the Seattle Seahawks only lost five players off of the Lombardi Trophy-winning squad, they weren’t an exception to that rule as several key starters departed for greener pastures this offseason.
With the start of OTAs just around the corner and the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, the Seahawks have made a concerted effort to plug those newly-created holes through their own free agency signings as well as adding an eight-player draft class. More moves may be yet to come, but at this stage of the offseason, the projected replacements for the likes of Ken Walker III and Riq Woolen among others likely are already under contract for 2026.
How did Seattle fare finding short and/or long-term replacements for their free agent losses? Here’s a look at all five departures, their projected successors, and an early verdict on whether the team upgraded or downgraded at the position.
Kraken Receive No. 7 Pick in 2026 NHL Draft Lottery: What Now?
The NHL lottery for draft picks 1 through 16 took place on Tuesday night, ahead of the draft on June 26 and 27. The Seattle Kraken entered the lottery sixth in line, with a 7.5% chance at getting the No. 1 overall pick with an average projected draft position of 5.9.
For yet another season, Seattle got the short end of the lottery. The Toronto Maple Leafs nabbed the top pick, followed by the Sharks getting second overall. Seattle did not hear their name called until No. 7. They will pick seventh, which is one spot higher than their slot last year when they selected Jake O'Brien.
Picking seventh means for another season, they are picking lower than their initial position in the final standings. However, this will actually be Seattle’s highest draft pick since taking Shane Wright fourth overall in 2022.
Mariners Bats Give Kirby Vintage King Félix Treatment, M’s Drop Winnable Contest to Braves
The names and faces change but the general concept remains the same. Gone are the days when a pitcher like Steve Carlton could win 27 games for a team that only won 59 games total; in modern baseball, such pitchers get saddled with no-decisions, a concept pioneered by a 13-12 Félix Hernández in 2010 who won the Cy Young Award on the back of his league-leading 2.27 ERA.
That was still 21.3% of that awful Mariners team’s wins. They weren’t quite as bad as Carlton’s old side. They may have given 702 plate appearances to Chone Figgins and 278 more to Milton Bradley, but there are few teams who were ever as bad as the ‘72 Not-Really-Phightin’ Phils.
Arisen during the career of that selfsame Hernández was the term “Félix Quality Start”, based on the definition of quality start (six innings or more, three earned runs or less) but narrowed in scope to seven innings or more and two earned runs or less. Hernández got plenty of those in his career.
Another Mariner got such a start on Tuesday night, and like a lot of those “King Félix” outings of old, his team lost 3-2. Whether it is an aberration or a harbinger, it is still too soon to tell. But the hour of judgment is drawing nearer than those in T-Mobile Park might like to admit.
George Kirby put together a “Félix Quality Start” against one of the best teams in baseball.
With a direly stretched bullpen, the Mariners needed their starter to go deep into the game. And with an offense once again struggling to put anything together, he needed to keep the Braves to a low score.
Gonzaga Baseball Treads Water, Splits Four Games at Home
The response from Gonzaga baseball (29-17, 16-5 WCC) after its 14-game winning streak was snapped was always going to be something to watch, and the early returns are somewhat of a mixed bag.
Facing the second-worst team in the conference in Santa Clara for a three-game set on their home turf and then matching up with Washington State for the third time this season, the Zags split the four games as they saw performance drop-offs from two areas that have otherwise boosted them over the last month. Now with just two series left in the regular season, including a big one on the road against San Francisco this weekend, GU will need to get back to playing the brand of baseball that led to their impressive run.
What are the current concerning trends in the Bulldogs’ play?
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