According to a report from the Seattle Times, the new NHL Seattle team has named their General Manager: Ron Francis.

BREAKING: @NHLSeattle_ will name Ron Francis its first general manager. Francis, who was GM in Carolina from 2014-18, played in the NHL for 22 seasons and is fifth all time in points. @GeoffBakerTIMES story: https://t.co/eOytcscl78

— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) July 17, 2019

Francis played in the NHL for an impressive 22 years and was most recently the GM for the Carolina Hurricanes. You can read more about his departure from Carolina, here.

This will be the first of many moves for the new expansion team as they begin to build out their new franchise.

You can get more about the Francis hire from the Seattle Times. 

The Seattle Dragons continue to dominate the XFL in attendance.

Just days after the Dragons set a league record with 29,172 in attendance at their home opener against the Tampa Bay Vipers, Seattle has surged past 10,000 in season-ticket sales, according to a report from The Seattle Times.

“We have had a spike in demand and we surged past 10,000 season tickets, which is an awesome story for us and the most in the league,” Dragons president Ryan Gustafson told the Seattle Times. “We’re continuing to build it every day. We’re grateful for the support we’ve gotten so far and excited to continue to build this, not just for this year but many years to come.”

As we mentioned earlier this week, the presence of former Seahawks, like receiver Kasen Williams and tackle Isaiah Battle, as well as players with Pacific Northwest ties, appears to have benefited the Dragons franchise.

XFL attendance increased across the league from Week 1 to Week 2 thanks to the Dragons impressive outing at CenturyLink Field.

Are you ready to Bring the Fire again this week? We need fans to bring their orange towels and get @CenturyLink_Fld rockin' Saturday.

If you need a towel, a limited quantity will be sold at the stadium.

🟧 towel ➡️ https://t.co/1QHDwwbBY1 #ForTheLoveOfFootball pic.twitter.com/20KZ2phSPl

— Seattle Dragons (@XFLDragons) February 19, 2020

A crowd of 20,000 decked out in orange, navy and green are expected again this week as the Dragons welcome the Dallas Renegades in Week 3.

The love of football runs deep in Seattle. 

An XFL record of 29,172 fans decked out in green, navy blue and orange came out to cheer on the Seattle Dragons as they defeated the Tampa Bay Vipers 17-9 in their home opener at CenturyLink Field. 

A special thank you to the 29,172 fans who had @CenturyLink_Fld rocking today! #ForTheLoveOfFootball | #BreathingFire 🔥🐲 pic.twitter.com/ORuNcsrARg

— Seattle Dragons (@XFLDragons) February 16, 2020

Per Ben Fischer of Sports Business Daily, the XFL saw a big boost in attendance thanks to Seattle. Approximately 76,285 fans attended four games across the XFL this weekend, a 9.5 percent boost from Week 1 to Week 2. 

There are two likely reasons for Seattle’s solid attendance numbers. One, football is woven into the Seattle football community’s DNA. There’s a reason why the Seahawks have the “12th man,” and CenturyLink Field has long been known as one of the loudest stadiums across the NFL. 

Seattle fans are not messing around 🐉 pic.twitter.com/I8JnghWz79

— XFL on FOX (@XFLonFOX) February 15, 2020

Also, the Seattle Dragons boast a team with many former Seahawks players. Dragons head coach Jim Zorn, receivers Keenan Reynolds and Kasen Williams, left tackle Isaiah Battle, backup quarterback B.J. Daniels and reserve cornerback Mohammed Seisay all have ties to the Pacific Northwest and to the Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Defenders had two former Seahawks: defensive end Tavaris Barners and quarterback Cardale Jones on their roster. 

The Dragons are back at CenturyLink Field in Week 3, hosting the Dallas Renegades. If Seattle sees a similar crowd, and the St. Louis BattleHawks, who are playing at home for the first time, get a significant boost, it could be another big week for the revamped XFL. 

The Portland Diamond Project has partnered with Restore Oregon to secure a new home for the 1921 Jantzen Beach Carousel, they announced Tuesday afternoon via their Twitter.

We will join forces with @RestoreOregon to incorporate this historic attraction into PDP’s plans for a Major League Baseball development in Portland. pic.twitter.com/T9O8X07JoY

— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) February 11, 2020

From the renders released on their social media, it appears the historic carousel will be installed near the new baseball stadium. 

We continue to conduct in-depth site studies to evaluate the feasibility of a baseball stadium and an adjacent mixed-use development, ultimately creating a new entertainment district that is accessible to all Portlanders. pic.twitter.com/cYjAAHBix8

— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) February 11, 2020

The carousel was built in 1921 by  C.W. Parker and closed in 2012 when the Jantzen Beach shopping center underwent a $50 million renovation. The mall's owners promised to house the carousel in an empty, climate-controlled store where it would be restored once construction finished. However, it never returned.

Restore Oregon added the carousel to their list of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places shortly after. In 2017, the mall's owners announced they donated the carousel to Restore Oregon who began a search for a permanent home. Well, they found a partner. 

In November 2016, the Portland Diamond Project signed an agreement in principle to develop the Port of Portland’s 45-acre Terminal 2 Property as the future home for Portland baseball.

[RELATED: Portland Diamond Project reveals new renderings of proposed ballpark]

It’s time to unleash the Kraken.

According to John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor, a name has allegedly been decided for the NHL’s 32nd franchise team: The Seattle Kraken.

“From everything that I’ve heard, it looks like Seattle Kraken is going to be the name,” Hoven said on NHL Network Radio."I was a little bit in shock personally, just because we had been told several times previously that was not the name that they were going for. It looked like they were leaning toward Sockeyes.”

Hoven said he initially thought the franchise was leaning toward the Sockeyes, but it has since come out that there is a sexy, contemporary, new adult, sports romance series called Seattle Sockeyes already. The interesting twist is the plot of the book series, written by USA Today bestselling author Jami Davenport, is about a billionaire determined to bring professional hockey to Seattle.

NHL Seattle released a statement via Twitter on Wednesday addressing the rumors: 

While we’re aware of some fishy rumors surrounding our team name, please rest assured we’re doing our due diligence by scouring the depths of the ocean, the tallest mountains, and the densest parts of the forest to find the right name for our great, green city.

— NHL Seattle (@NHLSeattle_) January 29, 2020

People on Twitter certainly had mixed reactions to the reported name, but the NHL Seattle franchise is not confirming the name...yet. 

Seriously Seattle!?!

Kraken?
Kraken?

That is a horrible name for an ice hockey team ... almost as bad as "Mighty Ducks" was for Anaheim. (It was since changed to just "Ducks.")

Seattle Sockeye would have been MUCH better ...

Kraken would work for eSports, not the NHL.

— John Koetsier (@johnkoetsier) January 29, 2020

How can anybody hate that great possible name for Seattle franchise?

You want effing Sockeyes which sounds like softball u15 team? Or Totems which is just awful?

Kraken is the best.

— Samuel Tirpák (@SammyT_51) January 29, 2020

News: According to multiple rumors, the NHL’s newest franchise is expected to be named the Seattle Kraken. Release the Kraken!! 🐙

(Not the actual uniform just a concept) pic.twitter.com/GJpPsUijzt

— Kyle Cannillo (@KyleCannillo) January 29, 2020

personally i think if they go with seattle kraken they will automatically be my favourite team

— 𝐡𝐚𝐟𝐬𝐚𝐡 (@trevmoores) January 29, 2020

I'm still holding out hope they'll be called the Seattle Grunge, but reportedly the new NHL team will be the Kraken. 👇 https://t.co/5R2TWklv59

— David Schoen 📰🗞🏒 (@DavidSchoenLVRJ) January 29, 2020

Totems, Emeralds, Rainiers, Sockeyes, Renegades, Sea Lions, Seals, Evergreens, Whales, Cougars, Eagles and Firebirds were also on the list of potential names the Seattle ownership group registered for the expansion franchise.

The Seattle NHL expansion team plans to open a remodeled Key Arena next June just in time for its team to start playing in the 2021-22 NHL season.

In the wake of accusations made by the son former Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius against MVP outfielder Mike Trout, both David Brosius and Major League Baseball are setting the record straight. 

This comes on the heels of a story that appeared on this website, which brought to light an allegation of HGH use by the David Brosius made against Trout on social media. 

On Friday, Major League Baseball and the Baseball Players Association released a joint statement:

The following statement was jointly issued today by @MLB and the @MLB_PLAYERS: pic.twitter.com/CiAB202Yog

— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) January 18, 2020

“Since the inception of the MLB-MLBPA Joint Drug Prevention Program, no major league or minor league player has ever received a therapeutic use exemption for, or otherwise received permission to use, Human Growth Hormone (HGH).”

The Angels issued a statement saying they “support the joint statement by Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Assn. regarding the therapeutic use exemptions.”

Brosius also walked back his accusation via social media.

I’d like to clear the air about a comment made earlier this week about Mike Trout potentially using HGH. The statement in question was taken from a conversation where I was explaining how there are certain situations in which actions that would usually be against the rules and considered cheating, are deemed okay for medical or other reasons, thus not cheating. The example I used of Mike Trout does not stem from information from my Dad or sources within the MLB and has no evidence behind it. I had no intention of this becoming an accusation against Mike Trout or causing the uproar it did. Mike Trout has been the face of MLB for good reason, as he is an amazing player and even better example for baseball players like myself. I would like to sincerely apologize to him and his family for the unfair statement I made and the negative fallout it has had on them. No criticism or skepticism should be pointed at him, it should all be at me. I had a lapse in judgment when posting the comment and have learned my lesson on how powerful and dangerous social media can be.

Trout, who signed a 12-year, $430 million contract with the Angels, has never been suspended for a failed drug test throughout his career. The Angels outfielder has earned eight All-Star Game nominations, seven Silver Slugger Awards, and three American League MVP trophies in his nine years as a professional baseball player.

Major League Baseball... is burning. 

Caught up in one of the biggest cheating scandals to ever rock the league, it appears some would prefer to see the entire baseball world scorched. 

In recent days, MLB managers AJ Hinch, Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran have all lost their jobs because of a scheme devised by the Houston Astros that uses trash cans and video cameras to send out signals to hitters.

To pour gasoline on the fire even more, the latest rumor about one of the MLB's best players could bring the league to its knees. 

David Brosius, son of former Seattle Mariners third base coach Scott Brosius, accused Trout of taking human growth hormone for a "thyroid" issue in what are now deleted comments on Instagram. 

This is big if true.
Credit to @MikeB_923 for finding this on reddit. pic.twitter.com/FKaPTzxtsU

— The Scorecrow (@TheScorecrow) January 16, 2020

David Brosius, who was a baseball player himself, a left hand pitcher who spent one season at Oregon State before transferring to Linfield, also deleted his Instagram account in the wake of the social media comments he made.

NBCSNW cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the now deleted account. 

Scott Brosius, who was born in Hillsboro, Oregon and attended both Rex Putnam High School and Linfield College, played for the Oakland A's and New York Yankees. He's a three-time World Champion, a Gold Glove winner and was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. He became head coach at Linfield in 2008 and was named Northwest Conference coach of the year five times (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014). In 2013, Brosius' team won Linfield's first NCAA national baseball championship. 

In addition to confirming the now public cheating scandal that has shaken the MLB to its core, Scott's son, David, threw out the unsubstantiated claim that, true or not, carries equally harmful implications. 

"If you want to read something better, Mike Trout takes HGH for a 'thyroid' condition," Brosius wrote on Instagram. "It's a loophole he found and the MLB doesn't make it public because they don't want fans knowing their best player is on HGH. But people within know..."

Trout has never been suspended for a failed drug test throughout his career. The Angels outfielder has earned eight All-Star Game nominations, seven Silver Slugger Awards, and three American League MVP trophies in his nine years as a professional baseball player. 

The claims are unconfirmed and baseless, but David's close family ties (his dad) to the Mariners 3rd Base Coach is enough to get people's attention. 

Now im reading Mike Trout is always on HGH.

I cant even keep up with the MLB news this week.

— Jordon (@Jaypher_) January 16, 2020

I swear if it turns out Mike Trout was using HGH this whole time, baseball will be cancelled.

— Thomas Cavanagh (@TJCavs_) January 16, 2020

So, to recap...

Baseball is in a scary spot right now:

-Astros and Red Sox cheating
-Cora, Hinch, and Beltran all gone
-MLB knew about Astros back in 2017 and said they’d only do something if the public found out
-Mike Trout is on HGH
-Players wearing buzzers?
-Brewers/Yelich cheating too?

— J (@gauntIet) January 16, 2020

Ugh, not Yelich, too...

Major League Baseball hit a home run yesterday.

MLB, in concert with its players association, announced Thursday it has updated its drug policy, with testing for cocaine and opioids beginning in spring training and marijuana no longer on the banned substance list.

And the best part of the change is that failed tests will now be met with treatment plans, rather than just punishment. Players will be punished only if they violate prescribed treatment plans.

It sounds like the most sensible approach to drug testing in all of sports.

Tyler Skaggs, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, died of an opioid overdose last July and there is little doubt that this policy change is at least in part due to the recognition that opioid abuse has become a serious societal problem. Skaggs died with fentanyl, oxycodone and alcohol in his system.

“It is our collective hope that this agreement will help raise public awareness on the risks and dangers of opioid medications and contribute positively to a national conversation about this important topic,” said Dan Halem, M.L.B.’s deputy commissioner for baseball administration and chief legal officer, in a statement.

MLB will now test for opioids, cocaine, fentanyl and synthetic THC. It’s been apparent for a few years now that the sports leagues have lost the battle over marijuana, with the substance now legal in many areas of the country and to officially back off on testing for it is the correct move.

This surely will apply pressure to other leagues to implement the same sort of policy, including the elimination of marijuana from the banned-substance list.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that negotiations stalled to split the Tampa Bay Rays home games between Tampa Bay and Montreal. Now, the organization has decided to honor their agreement with Tropicana Field and remain in Florida until 2027, announced in a letter from St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman addressed to City Council.

#BREAKING: the latest on the @RaysBaseball saga. pic.twitter.com/6YJfmCrrTz

— Christopher Boyd (@CMB_News) December 4, 2019

However, once the agreement ends the Rays will most likely be moving away from the area and playing in a different market. Evidenced by the organization declining Kriseman’s offer to extend their deal beyond 2027. Last season, despite making the postseason, the Tampa Bay Rays were second to last in Major League Baseball in average attendance.

This could be positive news for supporters of the Portland Diamond Project, an organization dedicated to bringing Major League Baseball to Portland. With the Rays’ decision, it appears a MLB franchise will be looking to relocate and Portland may be able to host the team. 

Back in November 2018, the Diamond Project announced an agreement with the Port of Portland to develop Terminal 2 property as an eventual site for the stadium. 

We are thrilled to announce that the Portland Diamond Project has signed an agreement in principle with the Port of Portland to develop the Port’s 45-acre Terminal 2 property. Release: https://t.co/Ddi79kP4i7 #MLBtoPDX pic.twitter.com/B7PvImtXvB

— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) November 29, 2018

Investors for the property include Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Nike, and more. Also, the petition to bring Major League Baseball to Portland has reached over 44,000 signatures.

Happy Civil War Week! 🏈 One thing we can all agree on ➡️ #MLBtoPDX‼️ We’ve reached over 44,000 signatures on our petition, help us accomplish our goal of 50k!

🔶⚫️ #gobeavs
🦆 #goducks

Sign the petition: https://t.co/Ddi79kP4i7 pic.twitter.com/w5t3RA6jm6

— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) November 26, 2019

Wouldn't it be cool to see something like this happening in Portland? 

The new dimensions seem just fine to Joey Gallo
pic.twitter.com/c4QbjToiUL

— Starting 9 (@Starting9) December 4, 2019

One can only hope. 

The University of Washington sports world was shaken Monday after it was announced that head football coach Chris Petersen would step down following the team's bowl game. 

In the process, UW promoted defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake to take over.

Here are five things maybe you didn't know about the Huskies new head coach.

• Lake was an honorable mention All-Big Sky and academic all-conference honoree at Eastern Washington as a strong safety and was a graduate of North Central High in Spokane, WA. Lake and his wife, Michelle, have three children: Jimmy Jr., Faith and Bronson.
• Lake began his coaching career at EWU in 1999 and spent time at Montana State and in the NFL (Tampa Bay and Detroit) before joining Petersen at Boise State in 2012.
• Lake previously served as an assistant at UW under Keith Gilbertson in 2004 and returned to Seattle as the defensive backs coach in 2014. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator before the 2016 season and to defensive coordinator in 2018.
• From 2015 through 2018, Washington's defense led the Pac-12 in both total defense and scoring defense all four years. Eight former Husky defensive backs coached by Lake are currently on NFL rosters.
• This is Lake’s first head coaching job. According to Steve Berkowitz of USA Today, Lake’s contract is for five years with an annual salary of $3 million. “I could not be more excited about taking over as head football coach at the University of Washington,” said Jimmy Lake in a press release. “I’ve been dreaming of this opportunity for as long as I can remember and I can’t think of a better place to do it than in the world-class city of Seattle and at such a prestigious university with a rich football tradition. This wouldn’t be possible without the mentorship of Coach Petersen and I would like to thank him for everything he has done for me, as well as Jen Cohen for entrusting me with this opportunity.”