HOOKED ON KNOCKS

Admittedly, I am late to this one. The Seahawks’ first season of Hard Knocks, the HBO series that follows NFL teams through training camp, premiered in August, but until last week, I had never heard of it. To be honest, my football knowledge starts with knowing what a touchdown is and doesn’t get much further. But three episodes in, I am completely invested, and very little of that has to do with football. I’m watching for their personalities and the conversations we don’t usually get to hear. Take a scene in which receiver Cooper Kupp tells quarterback Sam Darnold he attended Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. Darnold works very hard to receive this information casually. Who did he sit next to? Did he talk to Taylor, and if so, why are we discussing anything else? Darnold doesn’t ask! That’s quarterback composure, I guess. I would have needed the rest of practice to get every detail.

The show gives us a way to get to know the players, and it’s hard not to develop favorites. Linebacker Derick Hall wears extremely short shorts to practice and stands by them when his teammates tease him. He drives a monster truck he helped build. We also learn he was born nearly four months premature at two pounds and given a 1% chance of survival. He gets worked up at practice and doesn’t always get it right, but he listens when he’s called out and apologizes. I’m really rooting for him. And I’ve always loved defensive lineman Leonard Williams (I hear he’s VERY into his houseplants, which obviously helps), and watching him get emotional as the team receives its Super Bowl rings did nothing to lessen that. The players shadowbox—a game of feints and guesses they say has brought them closer, and when cornerback Devon Witherspoon signs his contract extension, his teammates crowd around to hug him. I just love watching these guys enjoy one another. Man, what a team.

Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks is streaming on HBO Max.

TIN WIN

I’ve been eating my weight in Fishwife’s smoked rainbow trout since finding it at Costco recently. So my canned seafood needs are technically covered, but I’m making room for this: Washington’s Ekone Tinned Seafood and Oregon olive-oil producer Durant are releasing two limited-edition smoked oyster tins this fall.

The oysters are grown by Taylor Shellfish Farms and smoked for four hours at Ekone’s Shelton smokehouse before being packed in Durant’s Koroneiki extra virgin olive oil or its jalapeño fused olive oil. For the latter, fresh jalapeños are crushed with the olives during production. That’s the one I’m especially curious about. I haven’t tried either yet, but I’m already thinking about what crackers to pair them with.

The tins will be available October 1 through Ekone, Taylor Shellfish, and Durant.

COURT VISION

The Seattle Storm is giving neighborhood hoopers a little home-court advantage. Its new Eye of the Storm program will renovate two public basketball courts around Seattle every year through 2030. First up this month: Victory Heights in Northeast Seattle and Benefit Playfield in Southeast Seattle. Both will get the official WNBA three-point line. One will also feature a mural inspired by its neighborhood, while the other will get a new look featuring the Storm.

The hope is that kids will find more than a place to shoot hoops. Sheridan Blanford, the Storm’s chief social impact officer, says courts can be places where young people “discover their voice, build confidence and see what’s possible for themselves.” Each court will open with a community celebration hosted by the team. There’s something pretty great about following a team and then seeing it show up at the park down the street. The Storm is a class act.

Learn more about Eye of the Storm and the first two court projects.

PRETTY BIRDS

You can now have a parrot land on your arm at Woodland Park Zoo, provided you come prepared with refreshments. The zoo opened Lorikeet Landing this week, a walk-through aviary where beautiful, brightly colored birds fly around and perch wherever they please. Buy a little cup of nectar, hold it out, and one might stop by for a drink. I also learned that lorikeets have brush-like tongues for eating nectar and pollen, unlike parrots that mostly eat nuts and seeds. They’re pollinators, too, carrying pollen on their feathers as they move between flowers. I had no idea! The aviary is also home to laughing kookaburras and Luzon bleeding-heart doves.

Lorikeet Landing is part of the zoo’s new Wild Encounters area and is open year-round.

LOCAL SQUARES

I loved Monopoly as a kid, mostly for the pretend money and the little silver playing pieces. The iron was my favorite, which is more enthusiasm than I’ve ever had for the full-size version. Now Seattle is getting a new edition, and we get to help decide what belongs on the board.

Game maker Top Trumps USA is taking nominations for Seattle businesses, nonprofits, and landmarks to replace the familiar Atlantic City properties. I’d love to see a neighborhood coffee spot get a square (Caffè Vita? Caffè Ladro? Boon Boona? Diva?), or a nonprofit that rarely gets this kind of attention. Anyone can send in a suggestion, and businesses can nominate themselves. Between the cafés, art galleries, and breweries, though, we may need a second board. As for Seattle magazine, we’re prepared to let you land on us. We’ll probably have a few restaurant recommendations.

The game arrives in October of next year, but nominations are open through October 31, 2026. Submit your Seattle picks here.