Kirsten Kendrick

"It makes it that much more difficult for everybody in our division."

The words of Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, reacting to news today that the division-rival Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have signed star free agent Albert Pujols. The Seattle Times reports the Angels signed Pujols to a 10-year contract worth a reported $250 million.

He coached Texas Tech to 10 bowl games in 10 years. That's the winning record that Mike Leach brings to Washington State University as the new head football coach.

But KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says he also comes with controversy.

Just a day after firing Paul Wulff, who had the job for four years, Washington State University has hired Mike Leach to be its new head football coach.

Leach is the former coach of Texas Tech University. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says he's an offensive wizard who's had his share of controversy.

It's Apple Cup time again! The annual cross-state rivalry game between the University of Washington and Washington State University will be played at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says there's not much at stake for the players beyond bragging rights. But for two coaches, it's a different story.

After a 5-1 start, the Washington Huskies are now 6-4 heading into Saturday's game against Oregon State.

OSU is 2-8. But KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says that appears to be little comfort to the Huskies and their fans, who are more apprehensive than normal about this game.

After a promising start, the Washington Huskies have lost three of their last four games. And now it looks like they've lost their starting quarterback to a sprained knee. Keith Price was injured in last weekend's loss to USC.

It's not official yet, but it looks like freshman backup quarterback Nick Montana will get his first career start on Saturday against Oregon State.

It's perhaps the most fitting way to end an era at Husky Stadium. The University of Washington hosts No. 6 Oregon on Saturday night in a Pac-12 showdown that will be the final game in the 90-year old waterfront stadium.

We'd love to hear your favorite memories of the old Husky Stadium.

The Washington Huskies host the 6th-ranked Oregon Ducks Saturday. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says it's the biggest home game of the year - and the last one at Husky Stadium before it closes for major renovations.

The Ducks are a big threat to the Huskies, who have been doing quite well this season. Find out what Art thinks about the match-up tomorrow morning at 5:35 and 7:35 on 88.5 KPLU. Check back here for a blog of our conversation.

They won the game but lost the chance to advance to the next round of the playoffs. That was the situation for the Seattle Sounders and their fans Wednesday night at CenturyLink Field.

The Sounders beat Real Salt Lake 2-0, but it wasn’t enough. Real Salt Lake advanced to the Western Conference final with a 3-2 aggregate victory in the two-game series, after winning the first match 3-0.

KPLU's Nick Morrison is glad the word "robust" is coming back into common parlance. He says that's the perfect word to describe the Texas Tenor saxophone sound. He's compiled a list of five titans of Texas Tenor.

What happens when a city experiences explosive growth and balloons into a vast metropolis? That's what happened to Karachi, Pakistan which has grown from 400,000 people in the 1940s to more than 13-million people today. NPR's Morning Edition co-host Steve Inskeep talked to KPLU's Kirsten Kendrick about the growing pains of one of the world's fastest-growing cities which is the subject of his new book, Instant City - Life And Death In Karachi.

They've won the U.S. Open Cup for the third year in a row. They've moved on to the next round of a major international competition. And now, the Seattle Sounders have set their sights on winning their first-ever Major League Soccer Cup this year.

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says it would be the logical end to a spectacular season.

The Seattle Sounders begin playoff play on Saturday night against Real Salt Lake in Utah. The Sounders (18-7-9) earned the second-best record in Major League Soccer this season and are expected to go far in the playoffs.

In fact, the team is expecting to go all the way, after winning the U.S. Open Cup for the third year in a row.

The Washington Huskies play one of the best teams in the country on Saturday – the Stanford Cardinal and their star quarterback Andrew Luck. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says this is one of the most significant games UW has played in a decade.

The Washington Huskies take on Stanford in California this Saturday. They're hoping for a much better showing than last season's embarrassing 41-0 loss at Husky Stadium.

Standing in their way is the best quarterback since John Elway, according to KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel.