If you see a message announcing the site is undergoing maintenance, do not be alarmed.

I will be testing and modifying an updated site theme for the next few days, so I will have the site down for an hour or so at a time until complete.

Bear with me.  2008 is going to be a huge year and I want my site to be ready for it.

I have been to one game at Qwest Field.  I can say this with all assurance:  It is loud.  Every beer swilling loudmouth within ten rows of me was screaming his (or her) lungs out.  Don’t get me wrong, I was beer swilling and screaming too.  It is infectious. And loud.  I am use to being hoarse after a game, but not deaf.  My ears rang for hours.

So no, I am not buying the constant accusations of loudness being artificial.  Which made another appearance before todays game, when the ‘Skins running back Sellers had this to say:

Like very loud broken record, rumors that the noise supplied by Seattle Seahawks fans at Qwest Field may be artificially flavored is starting again.

The latest volley in the controversy comes from a member of the Washington Redskins, who play the Seahawks this Saturday.  It’s a rematch  of a playoff game two years ago which the Seahawks won 20-10 on their way to Super Bowl XL.

Running back Mike Sellers thinks the crowd noise is piped in, saying, “That place had to be miked up  because the last time we played there, it was ridiculous.  We couldn’t hear ourselves talk.  For a stadium that small,, it can’t be that loud.”

Sorry bub, it is.  As the article notes, the NFL investigated the noise in 2006 and walked away shrugging. 

Frankly I think the stadium is acoustically designed to be loud.  But that’s just me.

Today’s games seemed like a done deal, the ‘Hawks up 13 to nothing at the half.  But the ‘Skins Fought back hard in the 4th, and made it 14-13.  They said on the TV show that Joe Gibbs was unbeaten (72-0 I believe) in any game his team lead in the 4th quarter.

Until tonight.

22 unanswered points by the ‘Hawks ended this as a 35-14 rout.  The ‘Hawks advance to the Packers next week, in what will sure to be a real nail biter.