Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy joins us every Thursday at 4, sponsored by Zeeks Pizza. Today, there's plenty to talk about after the Duke/UNC game and the Zion Williamson injury, Washington smothering Utah, and more. Unrelated to the Zion Williamson drama, the NBA is proposing to lower the draft age minimum from 19 to 18. Dick gets Jed's thoughts on that, plus whether or not players in college should be compensated. Textimonials at 49451 react to the first two hours of the show.

Bucky Jacobsen and Chuck Powell continue their broadcasts from Spring Training in Peoria this week. Today was the first Spring Training game, and it lasted all of an inning and a half; canceled due to rain. The good news is the team is on pace to score 45 runs a game... There's still plenty to talk about though. Chuck goes over his interview with Dee Gordon, the overall charisma of the clubhouse, and more as we all await the first full game of camp. Maybe tomorrow. It's no secret the Pac-12 is in a bad state. Now the conference is hoping to sell equity, generating upwards of $500 million. That's great in the short-term, but it'll mean less revenue in a couple of years. Coaching is a bit of an issue here too obviously. How many Pac-12 football and basketball coaches are household names big enough to be known by sports fans on the other side of the country? Maybe four or five? Jed explains why a lack of revenue does absolutely impact the level of talent a school can get. There is a ray of hope though for basketball, as several of the top 25 recruits are slated to land in the conference next season.

Tony Softli is back again today as Softy continues his vacation. Is Russell Wilson about to become a New York Giant? Colin Cowherd has suggested that Ciara, being an entertainer, wants to be in New York, and Russ stands to gain more in endorsements by being there, plus the Giants really need a future quarterback. So how likely is this? It's of course possible, but he's got it pretty good in Seattle. While Tony is here, it's the perfect time ot pick his brain about the Hawks' needs going into 2019. Tony grades each of ten Seahawks positions, plus a player-by-player analysis of the defense.

We continue our in-depth evaluation of the Seahawks defense with Tony Softli, going player by player, and determining the biggest needs in the draft. It's a rare occasion when Dick talks with Petros, but with Softy out, today is one of those such opportunities. After discussing end-of-civilization level traffic events, Dick gets Petros' take on Colin Cowherd's Russell Wilson prediction, and the settlement reached by Kaepernick and the NFL. Textimonials react to the first two hours of the show.

Our Spring Training coverage continues with Chuck and Buck all this week live from Peoria. One half of said duo, Bucky Jacobsen joins us to discuss Kyle Seager and Felix Hernandez; two veterans who are hoping to recover after disappointing recent seasons. The NFL Draft is about two months away, and the Dawgs have a massive number of players who might find themselves in the pros next season. Tony Softli walks us through each of the prospective NFL players, one by one.

Dick Fain is back today, but Softy remains in Hawaii. Tony Softli returns as co-host. Last week, Dick promised Tony he'd spend a little more time watching AAF games in Week 2. He came through, and after some time to evaluate, shares his thoughts. The AAF reportedly received a $250 million bailout from Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon. Is it really a bailout, or is it more of an investment? Hard to imagine he'd put that kind of money in if he didn't expect a return on his investment. Former Steeler Hines Ward is one of many big names who have signed on to be a part of the new league. He has a one-on-one interview with Tony Softli about the league. With such a big turnover on the M's roster, young up-and-coming players are getting more attention at this year's Spring Training. One of those players is top first-base prospect Evan White, expected to play in AA this year. He talks more about himself, as a player and as a person.

The All Star game was this past weekend, and as is tradition in Seattle, anytime the NBA is brought up, a contingent of sports fans have to remind everyone that they hate the NBA for taking the Sonics away. Said fans won't participate in anything the league does until the second a team is brought back here. Dick points out that it's hypocritical to have such a hatred for the league but then admit that if a team just came back, all would be forgiven. Steph Curry finds a way to sneak in some odd phrases into interviews, Don Cherry isn't a fan of NHL celebrations, and Dick finds an excuse to play Baby Shark on Fun with Audio. Textimonials from the anti-NBA contingent respond to Dick at 49451.

KJR's own morning show Chuck and Buck are broadcasting live from Peoria all this week. Chuck Powell, one half of said duo joins us to discuss the latest on the Mariners, and all things baseball including the news of the Machado deal with te Padres, the health of Kyle Seager, Even White and the future at first base, and more. Speaking of the morning show, we're off a little early today so that we can replay some of the best interviews of the day from Chuck and Buck, so Tuesdays with Tipp is bumped up to an earlier time slot. Today, Dave Tippett is joined by former Seattle Thunderbirds head coach Steve Konowalchuk.

With Softy still on vacation in Hawaii, and Dick taking the holiday off, Gas steps in today, joined by Jason Finn, drummer for Presidents of the USA. Spring Training is in full swing in Peoria. Voice of the Mariners Rick Rizzs is already down there getting ready for the season. He shares his thoughts on the team's re-imagining, where Ichiro fits into the picture, and more. Some Mariners fans are frustrated by the continued struggles year after year, and aren't feeling this rebuild. How many will be upset by a 75-win season, and how many will see the bigger picture at the end of the season?

The Mariners spent years working with Mike Zunino, but despite all efforts, things never quite worked the way everyone had hoped. Now, the team has decided to go in a different direction, acquiring Omar Narvaez. Corey Brock wrote a piece on Narvaez for The Athletic. He describes the skill set he brings to the team, and where they still want to see him improve. The NBA All Star Game took place yesterday, and there was no defense to be had whatsoever, but that's always been the case. Did people really watch the game in Seattle? It's a little harder to get into it, and the league in general without a team. Luckily Chris Hansen and the Oak View Group both seem to be working toward bringing a team here; OVG with the new hockey arena, and Hansen still pressing forward with the SoDo plans. It'd be a little crazy, after 15 years of fighting for a new arena, if we suddenly had two, but the more the better when it comes to trying to lure a basketball team. M's fans weigh in at 49451; will they still be excited about the "re-imagined" 2019 team?