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SEATTLE -- Its too simple of an equation to say that Budda Baker was the cause and Washington being on the cusp of a Pac-12 North title was the effect.But its not too far of a stretch to believe that the most impactful recruit landed by Chris Petersen since he arrived at Washington came in February 2014. Thats when Baker decided to stay home with the Huskies rather than follow the lengthy parade of premier recruits from the state of Washington who decided to go out of state.We were very urgent. We knew he was a big time football player that could really change the direction of this program and that was job No. 1 when we first took this job was to make sure we kept a homegrown talent in Budda Baker here at the University of Washington, Washington defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake said. It was an intense battle and were obviously happy that we got him.There are numerous pieces that Washington has woven together to create a roster that this year is 10-1 and on the cusp of not only a Pac-12 North title but potentially a shot in the College Football Playoff headed into Fridays Apple Cup against Washington State. Some were holdovers from the previous coaching regime, who have developed into stars later in their careers, like linebacker Keishawn Bierria and wide receiver John Ross. Others were recruits from out-of-state that Petersen and his staff convinced to make Washington their home, like quarterback Jake Browning.But ultimately, for Washington to be successful, it must be keeping the top in-state recruits at home. And beginning with Baker, it has.I always heard it every day by friends, family, even random people that `Youre a hometown guy, you can put this program back on top, and all that type of stuff, Baker said. It hit because like they said I have a lot of family here, I had a chance to go to a great school.Since Bakers commitment in 2014, the Huskies have had a pipeline of in-state talent staying home, including running back Myles Gaskin, wide receiver Chico McClatcher, left tackle Trey Adams, safety Taylor Rapp and offensive lineman Kaleb McGary. Its not a huge list, and while California will always be the hotbed for Washingtons recruits, getting the top kids from the state is influential in what the Huskies are trying to build.I didnt know where I wanted to go. I thought if I stayed here I would always being going home and doing chores and stuff, Gaskin said. My mom and dad kept it real. They said, `You are going to Washington. At the time I didnt understand why but Im very thankful for them.When many of the current Huskies were first making impressions about college football, Washington was a struggling program. The 2008 season where Washington went 0-12 was the clear bottom, but even under Steve Sarkisian there was a plateau reached -- 7-win Sark became the nickname -- with little indication the Huskies would rise much beyond that mark.Additionally, the group watched a number of top recruits from the state -- Jonathan Stewart, Jake Heaps, David DeCastro, all the way up to Myles Jack -- take the route out of the state rather than remain at home.Which all leads back to why landing Baker was so important.Its huge for that year and the years following, all the in-state talent that hey it is cool to stay at home and play for the hometown (Huskies), Lake said. Now hopefully those young guys are seeing where were at now and seeing the following that he has here and now when his career is over at Washington hes going to be a legend here. Hes already made a ton of plays and hopefully we do some bigger things this year and next year and hell be a legend here for a long time to come if he keeps doing what hes doing, and those other guys are seeing that.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Adidas Neo Lite Racer Canada . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Buy NMDs Canada . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. http://www.nmdshoescanada.com/ . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. Adidas NMD For Sale Canada . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. NMD R1 Primeknit Canada . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014.Our final rankings of the season start the way they began, with our preseason No. 1, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs spent 25 of 27 weeks (including our preseason rankings) at No. 1, and they enter the playoffs as the unanimous top team in baseball. Behind them at No. 2 are the Boston Red Sox, who opened the season at No. 8 in our preseason rankings. Boston dropped as low as No. 17 in the rankings in Week 3 but bounced back quickly and spent the next 23 weeks somewhere among the top 10.The rest of the top five stayed the same heading into the playoffs, with the?Texas Rangers (No. 3), Los Angeles Dodgers (No. 4) and Washington Nationals (No. 5).At the other end of the rankings, the Minnesota Twins finished at No. 30, with an MLB-worst 103 losses. It was a disappointing season for a team that opened our preseason rankings at No. 21 after winning 83 games in 2015.This weeks voters are Jim Bowden of ESPN Insider, Eric Karabell of ESPN Fantasy, Tim Kurkjian of ESPN, David Schoenfield of the SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.com and Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. Most of the team comments come courtesy of the SweetSpot Blog Network.Past rankings: Week 25 |?Week 24 |?Week 23 |?Week 22?|?Week 21?|?Week 20 |?Week 19 |?Week 18 |?Week 17 |?Week 16 |?Week 15 |?Week 14 |?Week 13 |?Week 12 |?Week 11 |?Week 10 | ?Week 9 |?Week 8 |?Week 7 |?Week 6 |?Week 5 |?Week 4 | Week 3 | Week 2 | Week 1 | Preseason1. Chicago CubsRecord: 103-58-1 Week 25 ranking: No. 1The Cubs 103 wins marks their highest total since 1910, when they posted 104. That season, they went to the World Series. Can they go a step further this year? --?Joe Aiello (@VFTB), View from the Bleachers2. Boston Red SoxRecord: 93-69 Week 25 ranking: No. 2With an impressive list of dignitaries in attendance Sunday, David Ortiz put the finishing touches on one of the best seasons ever by a 40-year-old player two days after yet another dramatic go-ahead home run. Ortiz led the majors this season with a .620 SLG and 1.021 OPS, and he has some baseball left to play against old friend Terry Francona and the Indians in the ALDS. -- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona3. Texas RangersRecord: 95-67 Week 25 ranking: No. 3For the first time in franchise history, the Rangers finished with the American Leagues best record. As their reward, they will enjoy the benefits of home-field advantage in the postseason.?--?Brandon Land (@onestrikeaway), One Strike Away4. Los Angeles DodgersRecord: 91-71 Week 25 ranking: No. 4They werent able to knock the rival Giants out of wild-card contention, and that final series exposed a big weakness: The Dodgers are the worst-hitting team in the majors against left-handed pitchers. Luckily, the Nationals are thin in the southpaw department, with only Gio Gonzalez in the rotation and some shaky lefties in the pen.?--?David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot5. Washington NationalsRecord: 95-67 Week 25 ranking: No. 5Health update: Wilson Ramos is out, Daniel Murphy pinch hit in his first appearance since Sept. 20, Bryce Harper played over the weekend after missing four days, and Jayson Werth sat out Saturday and Sunday but says hes OK. The four days off before the division series will be much needed.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot6. Cleveland IndiansRecord:?94-67 Week 25 ranking: No. 6In the last week of the regular season, the baseball gods smiled on the Indians. They lost their final series to the Tigers but swept the Royals to gain home-field advantage in the ALDS and avoid a Monday trip to Detroit to make up a postponed rainout. Yan Gomes marked his return from the DL?to the starting lineup with a two-run homer. --?Susan Petrone, Its Pronounced Lajaway7. Baltimore OriolesRecord: 89-73 Week 25 ranking: No. 9Despite a patchwork starting rotation and a power-heavy lineup that was good but didnt produce quite as well as expected, the Orioles earned the second AL wild-card spot. Their regular season was a roller-coaster ride until the very end, and its fitting that theyll now head back to Toronto to face a division foe that failed to ruin the Orioles playoff chances in the teams previous matchup.?--?Matt Kremnitzer (@mattkremnitzer), Camden Depot8. Toronto Blue JaysRecord: 89-73 Week 25 ranking: No. 7They slumped to the worst September record of any of the playoff teams, but Aaron Sanchez helped clinch a wild card with a no-hit flirtation Sunday and claimed the AL ERA title in the process (3.00). Edwin Encarnacion finished tied with David Ortiz for the AL RBI crown.?--?David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot9. New York MetsRecord: 87-75 Week 25 ranking: No. 10The Mets have reached the postseason in consecutive years for the second time in team history (after 1999 and 2000). This offseason, Yoenis Cespedes,?who finished with 31 homers and a .884 OPS, can opt out of his contract. The past two seasons, the Mets were 110-79 (.582) when Cespedes played and 67-68 (.496) when he did not.?-- Joe Janish (@metstoday), MetsToday.com10. San Francisco GiantsRecord: 87-75 Week 25 ranking: No. 9Despite a late-season swoon that left them with a 30-42 record after the All-Star break, the Giants got into the postseason by winning their last four games, continuing their string of success in even years. All mysticism aside, the Giants need to do a better job of scoring runs on Wednesday than they did in August and September if they want to advance against the Mets. -- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona11. Detroit TigersRecord: 86-75 Week 25 ranking: No. 8The Tigers season ended with a whimper, as they were shut out by the last-place Braves. They went 29-27 in August, September and October, which isnt bad, but they never got hot enough to leapfrog the other teams into the playoffs. One could even say the Tigers got a bit lucky, with a 26-17 record in one-run games. -- Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers12. St. Louis CardinalsRecord: 86-76 Week 25 ranking: No. 12The Cardinals won their final four games but missed the playoffs by one win, and its the first time since 2010 that they wont be in the postseason. They led the NL with 224 home runs, with Jedd Gyorko leading the team with 30 (though he had just 59 RBIs, in an odd stat line). -- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot13. Seattle MarinersRecord: 86-76 Week 25 ranking: No. 13It came down to the wire, but Seattle didnt get the help it needed to reach the postseason, and that ensured the teams 39-year drought without a World Series appearance will remain intact. The core of the team will be in place again in 2017, though a declining Felix Hernandez remains a concern.?-- Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona14. New York YankeesRecord: 84-78 Week 25 ranking: No. 15Yet again, the Yankees finished just enough above .500 to fool themselves and their fans into thinking they might have a shot at a championship.dddddddddddd With win totals of 84, 88, 84 and 85 for the past four seasons, theyve been nothing if not consistent, but the big difference this year was a new-for-the-Yankees rebuild that restocked a now-impressive farm system and yielded hope of more than slightly above-par mediocrity in the future -- maybe in 2018. -- Scott A. Moss,?Its About the Money15. Houston AstrosRecord: 84-78 Week 25 ranking: No. 14With 84 wins, the Astros won two fewer than they did last season. Theyll look back at that 7-17 April with regret, and the same goes for their dreadful 4-15 record against the Rangers. Jose Altuve won his second batting title in three seasons.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot16. Kansas City RoyalsRecord: 81-81 Week 25 ranking: No. 17A 3-2 loss in the season finale dropped the Royals to .500. The injury to Mike Moustakas certainly hurt, but the team will have to find a way to improve an offense that ranked 13th in the AL in runs. Sub-.300 OBPs from Alcides Escobar and Salvador Perez arent helping.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot17. Pittsburgh PiratesRecord: 78-83-1 Week 25 ranking: No. 16After sputtering to a sub-.500 finish with a rash of September injuries, the Pirates have some difficult choices to make this offseason, with Gerrit Coles health a wild card. The club still has most of its key players in place for at least two more seasons, but it stands to lose late-season revelation Ivan Nova,?and with a number of players earning raises, the Pirates might have limited payroll space to add depth.?-- Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona18. Miami MarlinsRecord:?79-82 Week 25 ranking: No. 18Obviously a beyond difficult end to the season for the Marlins. Nice gesture by Don Mattingly to let Martin Prado player-manage in the last game of the season.?--?ESPN.com19. Chicago White SoxRecord: 78-84 Week 25 ranking: No. 20The White Sox entered the year with expectations to compete for a playoff spot, and after a hot start, they pushed their chips in with a few key trades. The results didnt come around for the club, however, and the Sox finished in fourth place in the AL Central. Skipper Robin Ventura is on his way out, with Rick Renteria likely to lead the team in 2017 as the White Sox look to retool. --?Jeff Wiser (@OutfieldGrass24), Inside the Zona20. Colorado RockiesRecord:?75-87 Week 25 ranking: No. 19A seven-win improvement on 2015 is nothing to sneeze at, but theres the feeling that it couldve been so much more. With a crop of good, young starting pitching, the Rockies go into the offseason needing to yet again fix their bullpen, which was an issue all season and was responsible for the losses in their last two games of 2016.?--?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers21. Los Angeles AngelsRecord: 74-88 Week 25 ranking: No. 25Did Mike Trout do enough to win the MVP? He finished .315/.441/.550 with 29 homers, 100 RBIs, 123 runs and 30 stolen bases. He led the majors in runs, OBP and WAR.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot22. Milwaukee BrewersRecord: 73-89 Week 25 ranking:?No. 21Despite their record, the Brewers had a successful season. In a year of rebuilding, they were sellers at the deadline and now have arguably the best farm system in baseball. Young players on the roster received meaningful development. The rebuild tag has been lifted, and theres optimism in Milwaukee that this team could piece together a wild-card run in 2017.?-- Gabe Stoltz (@Stoltzy3), Disciples of Uecker23. Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 71-91 Week 25 ranking: No. 25While watching Ryan Howards last game as a Phillie, it was easy to flash back to the World Series years when the offense was great. You dont need to squint to see the potential in Philadelphias young hitters, in terms of power, but as far as getting on base, they make Jimmy Rollins look like Chase Utley.?--?Richard Bergstrom (@rbergstromjr), Rockies Zingers24. Atlanta BravesRecord: 68-93 Week 25 ranking:?No. 27Considering how well the Braves played for interim manager Brian Snitker, especially their 18-10 finish in September and October, it will be hard for the team to replace him. -- Martin Gandy (@gondeee), Chop County25. San Diego PadresRecord: 68-94 Week 25 ranking: No. 26Luis Perdomo, a Rule 5 pick, led the team in innings pitched, which is pretty much all you need to know about the 2016 Padres.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot26. Oakland AthleticsRecord: 69-93 Week 25 ranking: No. 23The Athletics finished in last place in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1997 and 98, back when they were in the four-team AL West. They ended up one of six teams with 68 or 69 wins (the Twins won 59). That means that if theyd lost their final two games, theyd be picking second overall. Instead, theyll be drafting sixth.?-- David Schoenfield (@dschoenfield), SweetSpot27. Cincinnati RedsRecord: 68-94 Week 25 ranking: No. 29This was a bad season overall, but the Reds played .500 baseball after the All-Star break, led by Joey Vottos .411 average (he was the first player to hit .400 in the second half since Ichiro in 2004). For the first time since the division championship year of 2010, the Reds had four players hit at least 20 home runs: Votto, Adam Duvall, Eugenio Suarez?and?Jay Bruce.?--?Chad Dotson (@dotsonc), Redleg Nation28. Tampa Bay RaysRecord: 68-94 Week 25 ranking: No. 24The 2016 Rays should be remembered for hitting a ton of dingers and having some surprisingly good -- and healthy -- starting pitching. The team will yet again be tasked with finding a left-handed bat that can play some outfield or first base, and the Rays will need to pull up every rug they can to find a starting catcher. However, it is the bullpen that should see the strongest focus. --?Jason?Hanselman?(@sandykazmir), The Process Report29. Arizona DiamondbacksRecord: 69-93 Week 25 ranking: No. 28Jean Segura and Paul Goldschmidt both joined the 20-30 club, Jake Lamb broke out to blast 29 home runs, Yasmany Tomas launched 31, and Brandon Drury emerged with a 1.077 OPS since Sept. 1. Even so, the D-backs fell short of even the most pessimistic projections this season and will pick No. 7 in the 2017 draft, rather than No. 3, thanks to a win in the seasons last game. Itll be back to the pitching drawing board this winter, despite some strong performances on the mound to end the season.?--?Ryan P. Morrison (@ryanpmorrison), Inside the Zona30. Minnesota TwinsRecord: 59-103 Week 25 ranking: No. 30After a promising 83-79 record in 2015, the Twins took a big step back this season, finishing 59-103. One bright spot is that Minnesota will have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and the most pool money to spend. -- ESPN.com ' ' '