Seattle Mariners fans have something to look forward to this offseason as it’s a foregone conclusion that franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki will earn election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That announcement will come in January and the induction ceremony will take place next July in Cooperstown.

The question isn’t if Ichiro will get in to the Hall of Fame, the question is by how much? And according to ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney, it should be a unanimous decision:

Ichiro should be a unanimous HOF selection. Here’s part of his resume:
.311 lifetime avg.
Played his first MLB game at 27 years, 162 days old, and finished with 3,089 hits.
Led the majors in hits in seven different seasons.
10 Gold Gloves
438 steals
10 All-Star appearances

To this point, former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is the only unanimous Hall of Fame selection in baseball history.

One of the best pure hitters in baseball history, Ichiro amassed 3,089 hits in his United States career. In addition to that lifetime .311 average, he also stole 509 career bases.

Ichiro won a laundry list of awards including Rookie of the Year (2001) and MVP (2001). He was a two-time batting champion, a 10-time Gold Glover, a 10-time All-Star and a three-time Silver Slugger.

He played parts of 14 seasons with the Mariners, three with the Yankees and three with the Marlins. Remarkably durable throughout his career, he never played less than 136 games in a season until age 44.

He’s been working with the Mariners since retirement and is already part of the team’s Hall of Fame. He’ll be the third Mariners-specific Hall of Famer, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Edgar Martinez.

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SEATTLE – The man accused of fatally shooting a 34-year-old unhoused man in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood over the summer appeared in court Thursday. 

Kahmari Hale, 20, faces charges of second-degree murder for the death of Johnathan Stutson, with prosecutors alleging he taunted and targeted the unhoused before the shooting. Stutson was killed at a Seattle homeless encampment in July.

Hale entered a not guilty plea. His attorney requested a bail reduction from $2 million to $200,000, emphasizing that Hale, a lifelong Washington resident with no criminal record, is not a flight risk or a threat to public safety.

However, prosecutors argued against the bail reduction, saying Hale poses a danger to the community. 

“The facts of this case are concerning,” the prosecutor stated. “The defendant and others allegedly taunted residents at the encampment, threatened violence, and ultimately fired 13 shots at Mr. Stutson.”

According to court documents, Hale and his group were at a homeless encampment near South Walker Street and 25th Avenue South around 4:24 a.m.

Witnesses say the group shouted threats, including statements about “airing out” the camp, before Stutson confronted them. Surveillance footage captured the sounds of the altercation, with Hale reportedly firing shots that hit Stutson multiple times. Police arrived shortly after and found Stutson with ten gunshot wounds; no weapons were found on or near him.

The defense argued that Hale acted in self-defense, claiming he feared for his safety as Stutson moved his hand toward his hip in a way that Hale interpreted as threatening. Hale reportedly told police he closed his eyes and fired, feeling the man was close enough to cause harm. Yet, Hale also admitted that Stutson did not overtly threaten him or display any weapons.

“Mr. Hale is extremely young, he just turned 20 and has no history of violent behavior,” his defense attorney argued. “He has strong ties to Washington and was actively participating in school activities prior to his arrest.”

Hale was reportedly an active student, involved in sports like football, baseball, and wrestling, and took classes at a local restorative center. His family was also present in court. 

“He’s a part of the legacy group where they help other students on campus, he participated in classes at the restorative center,” Hale’s defense said.

Melissa Herrera, also unhoused, claims to have witnessed Hale’s actions that night. 

“They were yelling at all the homeless, waking them up, ruffling the tents, telling them to get up,” Herrera said. “He didn’t expect them to shoot him like they did.”

The judge expressed concern over the “troubling nature” of the allegations, describing Hale’s actions as alarming. He denied the request to lower bail. 

If convicted, Hale faces 15 to 24 years in prison. The firearm used in the incident remains unrecovered, allegedly taken from Hale weeks after the shooting.

An omnibus hearing is scheduled for December 5 and trial on the 20th.

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Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant’s career resurgence is recent but prominent. He keeps getting better every week, and now he’s become an impact player every week.

Before Week 7 of this season, Bryant hadn’t started a game since Week 2 of the 2023 campaign. Now, since returning to a starting role, he’s playing almost every snap on defense for the Seahawks.

It’s thanks to Bryant’s performance in practice and new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s competitive philosophy: No starter’s job is safe, and playing time must be earned.

“It says a lot,” Bryant said Wednesday of the message Macdonald’s philosophy sends to the team. “That we are willing to work, and nothing is given to us. Once you get that opportunity you just take full advantage of it.”

Of course, it would also be less likely Bryant would have been given a chance to start if starting safety Rayshawn Jenkins hadn’t been placed on injured reserve with a hand injury after starting the first six games of the season for Seattle. But Bryant still had to beat out K’Von Wallace and Jerrick Reed II for playing time.

Macdonald said on Monday Bryant is “playing at a really high level,” and the numbers back that up. Pete Carroll’s coaching staff began moving Bryant to safety last season, but this has been the first full season of his football career he’s been almost exclusively at the position.

Bryant, who was initially reluctant to change positions, said he took advice from former Seahawks players Quandre Diggs and DeShawn Shead, as well as current starter Julian Love.

“Just so many changes,” Bryant said of his initial skepticism. “Being a young player, you don’t really understand that until you talk to guys. Quandre Diggs and a couple of other guys, having that conversation, it puts longevity on my career. It shows how they have faith in me.”

In his first start of the season versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, Bryant logged a career-high 11 tackles and added an interception and pass deflection. He’s had at least a pass deflection and four tackles in each of the two games since, in addition to becoming an enforcer on the back end.

Bryant has had multiple punishing hits, including one on Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson in Week 9 that prevented what would have been a long completion to potentially set up a game-winning field goal. He’s consistently making plays in big spots and has played every defensive snap the last two games, per Pro Football Reference.

“Pretty well,” Bryant said of the adjustment to safety. “Obviously, there’s always things that I can get better at, that’s the biggest thing is that I am still trying to get better. I feel like I am doing pretty well.”

Seattle’s defense will look different in Week 11 than it did before the bye in Week 9. Starting inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson was waived when the team got back from the break as the team searched for answers in the middle of its defense. Wallace, also a safety, was also placed on injured reserve, opening the door for Reed to potentially appear in three-safety sets.

“It’s exciting for [Reed],” Bryant said. “Just all the things that he’s been through with his injury and everything. We’re excited to see him out there whether it’s special teams or defense. I know he is going to do well.”

Bryant said the team is rejuvenated after the bye. With the Seahawks currently at 4-5 overall (0-2 NFC West), Week 11 versus the San Francisco 49ers has essentially become a must-win game. Seattle lost to the Niners 36-24 in Week 6.

“We’re good man,” Bryant said. “We needed that bye [week], now it’s time to go back to work. Go in, focus, and go out there on Sunday and get the job done.”

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