Sports with Art Thiel

Smiles flashed and tears flowed when the mod of yellow jerseys swarmed the pitcher’s circle after the Lutes won it all at the 2012 NCAA Division III Softball Championships.

The proposal to build a new sports arena in Seattle is now open to public scrutiny now that the City of Seattle and King County have formalized their agreement with lead investor Chris Hansen.  The next step is to gain approval from the city and county councils.

KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel explains why he thinks the plan should move forward.

The success of the Seattle Storm has led to some pretty high-profile women's basketball events being held in the city. One of them is Saturday night at KeyArena.

The U.S. Women's National team will play the Chinese Women's National team in an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says this is a big deal for fans of women's basketball and for the city.

The U.S. Women’s National Basketball team will play a special exhibition game on Saturday night at KeyArena in Seattle against the Chinese Women’s National basketball team. Current Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird and former Storm player Swin Cash will play for the U.S. team.

The women from China are the champions of Asia, and the team is using its visit to Seattle as a tune-up for the London Summer Olympics. Northwest Asian Weekly reports the visit will be a rare opportunity for basketball fans to see the team from China.

Just days after the suicide of retired NFL star Junior Seau, a lot of people are wondering whether the head injuries he suffered on the field may have played a role in his death.

The tragic death of NFL star Junior Seau has raised some questions about whether the hard hits he was involved in on the field somehow contributed to his apparent suicide.

The body of the 43-year-old linebacker was found Wednesday. Authorities say he left a note, although the contents of the note have not been revealed. Police have confirmed that Seau was shot in the chest. Does that mean he wanted his brain to be preserved for research, similar to the wishes of another former player who recently killed himself?

He's everything the Seahawks said they wanted in their first round draft pick. West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin has speed and can deliver one heck of a sack. But he also comes with some baggage.

The Seahawks made a surprise choice for their first round pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.

They chose Bruce Irvin, a 6-3, 248-pound defensive end from West Virginia. He's fast - dazzling scouts with a 4.5-second time in the 40 yard dash. But he also has a troubled past.