OUT AND ABOUT with STEVE CAMERON: Seahawks seek stars, but could Shedeur be it?

Hey, here’s a thought.

We haven’t done an “Out and About” column in ages, and all sorts of unique things have popped up in the meantime.

So, why not take a stroll to hither, thither and yon, and see what’s up?

First stop: Goodyear, Ariz.

It’s almost mandatory to start with the Mariners’ exciting new pitching prospect — also known as the human Scrabble game.

Yep, that would be Jurrangelo Cijntje, who’s Curacaoan ethnically but was born in The Netherlands.

That’s a mildly interesting background, but nothing compared to his professional gig.

Cijntje, who was picked No. 15 overall in the 2024 MLB draft, pitches with both hands.

But maybe you knew that.

What’s fun right now is that Cijntje made a two-inning appearance last Friday night in the Spring Breakthrough game for rookies and other prospects.

The Mariner kids were facing Cleveland, which meant Cijntje might have a chance at pitching to Travis Bazzana, the Guardians infielder who was chosen No. 1 in the same draft.

The two rookies already had become friends at card shows and other events.

Bazzana is a left-handed hitter, so he wasn’t surprised when his pal Cijntje went lefty against him.

Bazzana swung at the first pitch and grounded out.

The shocker, though, was that Cijntje faced Bazzana one more time to end his turn his turn on the mound — and this time, he chose to pitch right-handed.

No way Bazzana had a scouting report for a right-handed heater, and Cijntje struck him out swinging with a 98 mph four-seamer.

“That's something special,” said Bazzana, the MLB No. 10 overall prospect, when asked about facing a pitcher who threw with both hands. 

“You don't really see that, ever. I think he's got a bright future, and it was cool to battle.”

ITEM: It’s been a bit of a dreary season for the Seattle Kraken, who were hoping for much better.

Instead of a playoff dash, they’re mired in seventh place in the NHL’s eight-team Pacific Division with a record of 29-34-5.

On the other hand, the Kraken set a record last week that may never be broken.

In fact, it’s hard just to comprehend it.

Seattle and Montreal were tied 4-4 after regulation time at Climate Pledge Arena, when Kraken face-off man Chandler Stephenson cooked up a play with defenseman Brandon Montour to open up overtime.

Normally, Stephenson would be trying to pull the puck backward to ensure possession for the Kraken.

This time, though, he banged the puck forward — where Montour gathered it in at full speed.

In barely a heartbeat, Montour whipped a shot past Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. 

The time was confirmed to be an astonishing four seconds from puck drop.

The league confirmed it was the fastest goal ever scored in overtime, and tied for the quickest in any period in NHL history.

When you see this goal, you’ll likely conclude that Montour’s record will never be broken.

Let’s hope not too many fans were still in line, waiting for a cold one up on the concourse, when the overtime started.

And finished.

ITEM: One thing we’ve now taken for granted is that the Seahawks won’t bother to take a quarterback in this year’s draft.

Right?

I mean, Seattle has added Sam Darnold to the roster, and backup Sam Howell is still under contract, as well.

GM John Schneider wouldn’t grab a young QB to develop along the way, would he?

That thought occurred to me after another long look at the quarterbacks who will be available at this draft, which rocks up on April 24-26.

Shedeur Sanders is a cinch to be taken early, and former Washington State QB Cam Ward (now from Miami) will be snapped up pretty quickly, as well.

Most scouts and personnel execs have pegged the rest of this quarterback class for the second round or lower.

Some experts couldn’t find a sure-fire quarterback anywhere high in this draft.

Matt Miller of ESPN did not list a single QB — not even Sanders or Ward — among his first-round projections.

But a note on the Seahawks: Before landing Darnold, Schneider was thought to be interested in Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart as a prospect who might turn into something special.

Now, longtime draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. has put a surprise spotlight on Dart, who had been largely ignored by the mainstream media.

Writing for Athlon Sports, Kiper placed Dart at No. 18 in his newest top 25 draft prospects.

Kiper has Sanders at No. 5 and Ward at No. 6.

It’s kind of ironic that Kiper placed Dart at 18th on his board.

That’s right where the Seahawks have their first pick.

You don’t think?

Nah.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”