Weekend Sports Preview: Wizards and Devils in the Cards

Please forgive Seattlest for the horrible attempt at a punny play on words headline, but we spent most of Thursday watching a spaceship balloon drift across Denver. So now our brain is dead.

But, that doesn’t absolve us from previewing yet another important weekend in Seattle sports (hint: they’re all important). Starting with:

The Dawgs, who find themselves underdawgs, again, against an Arizona State team that is 3-2 despite not having beaten anybody. Much has been made about ASU’s defense. But their victories came against Idaho State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Washington State - three schools whose notoriety comes, ironically, from their abject obscurity. No offense to any Idaho State or Louisiana-Monroe alums.

Whatever Vegas oddsmakers gave the Sun Devils a seven-point edge (maybe this guy helped), one thing is certain - the Huskies don’t give a rip. Neither do we. We’re taking the points, because the UW wins against USC and Arizona plus nail biters versus LSU and Notre Dame trump any cakewalks that ASU might have taken over Patty Cake U.

The Seahawks, meanwhile find themselves favored in a divisional bone-pickin’ matchup Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, on their way to the Super Bowl, the Cardinals booted the Seahawks off their four-year reign atop the NFC West, beating us twice in the process.

But, despite being the defending NFC Champions, the Cardinals seem to have forgotten that they are just that. They bring a 2-2 record to Qwest Field, and the league’s worst pass defense. So, if Captain Hasselbeck can sling a little this, a little that like he did against the Jaguars last Sunday, we can finally deliver a little payback where deserved.

Finally, but not chronologically, the Sounders, who are on the cusp of being the first MLS expansion team in 11 years to make the playoffs. All they have to do is beat the Kansas City Wizards on the road Saturday night. In addition to an extended season, a victory would also tie head coach Sigi Schmid for most wins by an MLS coach.

Now mathematically, the Sounders could still clinch a birth with a tie (please for the sake of soccer ever catching on in America not a tie), however that would involve a series of other teams either losing or tying and ifs and buts and solving a logic puzzle, and frankly we don’t have the energy for that at this point.

So win, all of you. We're coming off a pretty good weekend last time, and on the rise. Last thing we want to see is this balloon coming back to Earth anytime soon.