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Thiel: Seahawks Top Lists Of Best And Worst Of 2015

2015 was filled with a lot of highs and lows for Seattle sports fans. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel breaks them down.

Art Thiel's Three Worst Seattle Sports Moments of 2015:

3. Sounders Losing In Playoffs

"They way the Sounders finished the season was mortally aggravating to their fans," Thiel said.

"For the seventh year, they made the playoffs and for the seventh year, they didn't even get to the MLS Cup Championship.

"The problem was that, at midseason, they had a terrible slump. Never fully recovered. Added a whole bunch of new players. They weren't ready to be a dominant team.

"Got ousted by Dallas. And then the worst thing happened, as far as Sounders fans are concerned. They varmint Timbers in Portland won the MLS Cup!"

2. Mariners' Disappointing Season

"The Mariners were just inert for most of the season," Thiel said. "Especially given the high expectations that came out of spring training when they looked like they had good pitching, good bullpen and good hitting.

"They never were able to engage on all three elements of the game for a sustained time. It cost Jack Zduriencik his job as general manager and Lloyd McClendon as manager. And, I have to say, it was deserved."

1. Seahawks' Super Bowl Loss

"It is the play that cannot be unseen." That's how Thiel described the Seahawks' last-second loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1, 2015.

"The final offensive play of the Super Bowl will be shown forever and ever: the interception that Russell Wilson threw when he was trying to throw an ill-designed and ill-timed pass.

"Losing the Super Bowl in that way has left a scar that just will never go away. But it seems to have inspired the Seahawks for the quest for the lost yard."

Art Thiel's Three Best Sports Moments of 2015:

3. Purge Of The Mariners

"This is something that I think is going to be very intriguing," Thiel said.

"I'm not suggesting that fans get all lathered up like they were last spring but it is possible to be intrigued with all the moves made by [new] GM Jerry Dipoto. There are so many of them that it's almost incomprehensible.

"I think the potential upside is better than the downside."

2. The 2015 U.S. Open At Chambers Bay

Thiel said he was very impressed with Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place outside of Tacoma hosting the U.S. Open.

"The 115th version and the first time this big event has been to the Northwest. And Jordan Spieth, the new, young phenom of the golf world, won the tournament."

Despite a controversy over the greens, which turned brown in the heat, Thiel said, "I think Tacoma, Pierce County and the whole region did itself proud by staging a wonderful golf tournament."

1. Seahawks' Comeback Win In The NFC Championship

"It was the most preposterous, absurd outcome that I've ever been around, as far as covering football," Thiel said.

"That was when the Seahawks were down 16-0 at CenturyLink Field to the Packers and they came back from that deficit. Starting with what I call a fat-guy touchdown," he joked.

"The Seahawks were attempting a field goal when holder Jon Ryan threw to Garry Gilliam, a tackle, and he scored a touchdown.

"That started a cascade of events like I've never seen before. It forced an overtime and then Russell Wilson hit Jermaine Kearse on a touchdown pass to win the game.

"It was really a special moment," Thiel continued. "I hope Seahawk fans keep that in mind and probably put the next game they had, a little bit to rest."

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You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.

Kirsten Kendrick hosts Morning Edition on KNKX and the sports interview series "Going Deep," talking with folks tied to sports in our region about what drives them — as professionals and people.
Art Thiel is a co-founder and writer for the rising sports website Sportspress Northwest. In 2003 Thiel wrote the definitive book about the Seattle Mariners, “Out of Left Field,” which became a regional bestseller. In 2009, along with Steve Rudman and KJR 950 afternoon host Mike Gastineau, Thiel authored “The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists,” a cross between historylink.org and Mad Magazine that has become mandatory reading for any sports fan who has an indoor bathroom.