Best Sports Figure:

Richard Sherman

Seattle’s never seen an athlete like brash, brainy Richard Sherman. The leader of the Seahawks “Legion of Boom” secondary, Sherman is confident enough to trash-talk Tom Brady, talented enough to be a top-five NFL cornerback, media-savvy enough to amass …

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Best College Athlete:

Cheng-Tsung Pan

What’s long been missing from Seattle Weekly is a heavy reliance on golf references. We will now rectify the omission in this encomium for star UW golfer Cheng-Tsung Pan. The backswing of Pan’s life takes us to Taiwan, where he learned the game because his mom was a caddy at a local course. Pan cleared the water hazard that is the … more

Best High-School Athlete:

Max Browne

Washington’s high-school football heartland starts in downtown Bellevue and stretches to the Sammamish Plateau. It’s no West Texas, but you’ll still find wealthy boosters, high-profile coaches, star recruits, and standing-room-only crowds under the Friday-night lights. And last season, quarterback Max Browne was the … more

Best Coach:

Michael Callahan

If Michael Callahan were the Husky football coach, there’d be a 50-foot-high statue of him on campus. Callahan’s UW crew team won their third consecutive national championship in June, making four in Callahan’s six years as coach. The Husky varsity eight hasn’t lost on American soil in three years. In July the Huskies beat the … more

Best Sports Venue:

The Clink

Honestly, what were we going to pick here? KeyArena? That’s cute. Safeco? Sure, maybe, if the Red Sox are in town and the place is actually filled past half capacity. The obvious choice is CenturyLink Field, or The Clink, as it’s been affectionately nicknamed. Home to 67,000 slobbering Seahawks fans on fall Sundays, CenturyLink is .. more

Best Young Mariner:

Nick Franklin

Any excitement surrounding the Seattle Mariners is focused on the future. With the present mired in tepid mediocrity—aside from the occasional Felix Hernandez gem or geriatric long ball from Ibanez—pretty much the only thing M’s fans have to cling to is the hope that some day the team won’t be so miserable. Luckily, there are a … more

Best Old Mariner:

Raul Ibanez

Raul Ibanez’s career is full of proverbs, little stories that speak to larger truths. Last year, when the crow-footed Ibanez came off the Yankees’ bench to outshine the well-gelled (and since shamed) Alex Rodriguez, we were reminded that grit goes farther than glam in … more

Best Storm Team Member:

Camille Little

Don’t let Camille Little’s last name fool you. The impact she’s had on the Seattle Storm this year has been anything but small. With Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson sidelined for the season due to injuries, Little was forced to pick up the slack and play center. The eight-year veteran is posting career-high stats for scoring, three-point … more

Best Seahawk:

Marshawn Lynch

Since the arrival of “Beast Mode” three years ago, the Seahawks went from a five-win club to one of the best in the NFL. Russell Wilson is getting his due credit for this (see Best Seahawk, readers’ pick), but overlooked is Marshawn Lynch’s huge role in helping the rookie quarterback come into his own by forcing defenses to guard … more

Best New Sounder:

DeAndre Yedlin

Several of this season’s new Seattle Sounders have made a major impact, but almost all were known quantities with established careers overseas (Djimi Traore, Obafemi Martins, and, as of this past weekend, Clint Dempsey) or elsewhere in MLS (Shalrie Joseph). But one, defender DeAndre Yedlin, 20, came as a complete surprise—except to those who had seen him … more

Best Reign Player:

Megan Rapinoe

Women’s soccer doesn’t quite get the blue-and-green love that the Sounders inspire, but it’s a growing sport. And the Seattle Reign is gradually building a local following. Though goalkeeper Hope Solo is perhaps the team’s biggest star, midfielder Megan Rapinoe may be … more

Best Move, Sports Division:

Passing on Josh Hamilton

Last winter, Mariners nation demanded action. The more bloodthirsty wanted a public beheading in the front offices. The prudent just wanted the team to plunk down some serious coin for a proven bat. And while the former set their eyes upon the guillotine, the latter gazed longingly toward Texas, where Josh Hamilton was hitting the market. After … more

Best Sports Broadcast Personality:

Aaron Goldsmith

There’s a new voice in the Mariners’ broadcast booth this year—young Aaron Goldsmith, who arrived in the big leagues after scaling the minor league ranks in impressive fashion. Having done time behind the mike in outposts like the Cape Cod League before seasons with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs in Maine and the Frisco … more

Best Performance-Enhancing Drug:

Adderall

There once was a team that had it all

And that included some Adderall

They snorted some lines

Then paid some fines

And now are the jacked for some football. —DP

Best Seattle Sports Twitter Follow:

Doug Baldwin

Whatever he’s going off about, Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin isn’t shy about letting the 12th Man know what’s on his mind. Behind the keyboard or on his phone, Baldwin this offseason has been almost as loud as his teammate Richard Sherman—ranting about the league, decrying the Zimmerman verdict, and issuing a treatise … more

Best Letdown:

The non-return of the Sonics’ reign

It felt so close you could almost taste it. Hell, it felt so close that hedge-funder and local hero Chris Hansen bought celebrating Sonics fans a beer at F.X. McRory’s after the Memorandum of Understanding for his proposed SoDo arena was approved by the Seattle and King County Councils—a victory you really could taste … more

Best Bowling Alley:

Lucky Strike

A little luxe, a little retro, one side of Lucky Strike is a huge room full of driver-simulation games and the like—basically a casino for kids; the other, all low lights and lower couches, is a bar, lounge, and 16 lanes ($30 an hour early evening, $40 later on, $50 Fridays and Saturdays). The menu is standard (small plates $8–$10; tacos … more

Best Semi Secret/Obscure Urban Bike Ride That Is Not the Burke-Gilman Trail:

Ship Canal Trail Link

Never mind Ballard’s “Missing Link” or the carved-in-stone yet unfunded promise of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan. Part of the pleasure of being a regular cyclist in Seattle is the accidental discovery, the new route from A to B that saves you a few traffic lights or spares you a hill. Though it opened in late 2011, the $6.5 million … more

Best Park:

Discovery Park

What’s perhaps most fascinating about peaceful Discovery Park is how closely it came to becoming a display of military might. For decades, the army kept the land dormant and locked up as it contemplated whether to house troops or anti-ballistic missiles there. But by the ’70s, most of the land was declared surplus and given to the … more

Best Place to Jog:

Around Lake Union

Start at Gas Works Park. Look at decrepit machinery. Look at attractive people lounging on the grass. Repeat. Catch the Burke-Gilman. Flip off an aggressive biker. Go up the stairs at the Fremont Bridge. Wait for the Fremont Bridge to come down. Cross the Fremont Bridge. Catch the Lake Union Trail. Consider whether that … more

Best Classic Swim: Green Lake

During the summer, when all the thermometers are broken and everybody’s sweating like Nixon, there’s no substitute for a good day at the beach. And though the Emerald City boasts its fair share of quality beaches, the wealth of activities at the lovely and accessible Green Lake can’t be beat. For starters, it’s got two beaches. And … more

Best Daring Swim:

Gasworks Park

This summer has been hot. Like the-cat-is-begging-you-to-shave-him hot. So when it feels as though hell has broken loose (and I think we can all agree: It does), it’s time to throw caution to the wind and get relief where you can. So grab that picnic blanket from the meal you just enjoyed on the waterfront, slip into your suit, and dive … more

Best Day-Trip Swim:

Mirror Lake

For those who feel the confines of city swimming as strongly as they feel the mild humidity within it, our area has great spots for outdoor swimming that don’t require venturing too far out of the city limits. But if you are also deterred by the thought of hiking, look no further than Snoqualmie’s Mirror Lake. A pristine lake only two hours … more