| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2010 2:38 pm |
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• Cliff Lee on the hill today, with most of the regulars behind him March 10 • Feierabend, Fields among eight cuts (plus notes) March 10 • Griffey knows how he'll make his retirement announcement March 10 • Brace yourself Victoria, Boonie's coming back to the Northwest March 9 • Game report: Vargas already in mid-spring training form March 9 |
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• Cubs GM Hendry lashes out at Bradley March 10 • Garciaparra retires as member of Boston Red Sox March 10 • BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: Minnesota Twins closer may need elbow surgery March 10 • Strasburg makes long-awaited spring debut for Nats March 9 • Twins closer Nathan has ligament tear in elbow March 9 • Putz happily returns to AL March 8 • Mariners Notebook: Prospects get a taste of big-league action March 8 • Mariners hitting coach spent offseason in search of more runs March 8 • Cubs like idea of Jumbotron March 8 • Mariners’ Johnson progresses step-by-step March 8 |
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Cliff Lee, whose left foot has been more stable than his fastball location lately, will face big-league hitters for the first time as a Mariner today when he pitches against the Texas Rangers in Surprise. Behind Lee will be much of the Mariners' regular defense, with the exception of Josh Wilson at third base instead of ... well ... for now, Jose Lopez. Lee has been set back because of a minor procedure to remove a bone spur from his left foot on Feb. 5. Manager Don Wakamatsu says the foot is fine, although Lee's control, especially with his fastball, has been hit and miss. He hit two batters last week in a simulated game against minor league batters. Left-hander C.J. Wilson will start for the Rangers. And speaking of Wilsons, Jack Wilson is back in the starting lineup for the Mariners after having his right hamstring tighten up on Friday. Also, center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who missed the first four games because of a sore right shoulder, will become the first Mariner to start three straight days. First baseman/DH Ryan Garko started games Saturday, Monday and Tuesday (Sunday's game was rained out). Here are today's lineups: MARINERS Ichiro Suzuki, right field Chone Figgins, second base Milton Bradley, left field Mike Sweeney, DH Casey Kotchman, first base Franklin Gutierrez, center field Adam Moore, catcher, Josh Wilson, third base Jack Wilson, shortstop Left-hander Cliff Lee, starting pitcher RANGERS Julio Borbon, center field Esteban German, third base David Murphy, left field Vladimir Guerrero, DH Chris Davis, first base Mitsh Moreland, right field Joaquin Arias, shortstop Taylor Teagarden, catcher Ray Olmedo, second base Left-hander C.J. Wilson, starting pitcher ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Feierabend, Fields among eight cuts (plus notes) The Mariners have cut eight players from their big-league camp, including Ryan Feierabend and former first-round draft pick Josh Fields. Feierabend, who had Tommy John elbow surgery 13 months ago, pitched two scoreless innings Monday against the White Sox. He was optioned to Class AAA Tacoma. Fields, Steven Shell, Nick Hill, Chris Seddon and Mauricio Robles were the five pitchers re-assigned to the minor-league camp along with two catchers, Luis Oliveros and Steven Baron. The moves leave 55 players in the major league camp. A few other notes from this morning before the Mariners boarded the bus for the stoplight-and-go trek down Bell Road, which take anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour depending on the number of estate sales in Sun City: --Pitcher Erik Bedard threw from 120 feet this morning and, in manager Don Wakamatsu's words, "looked great." Wakamatsu didn't know when Bedard (labrum surgery in left shoulder last August) would pitch off a mound. Going into spring training, the Mariners weren't sure if Bedard would get on a mound before they broke camp. --Catcher Rob Johnson's surgically repaired hips felt fine today after catching Felix Hernandez's two-inning simulated game on Tuesday. Wakamatsu said Johnson would catch one of the two games in Tucson on Sunday (against Colorado) or Monday (against Arizona). There's a good chance Johnson will catch Cliff Lee on Monday with Rob Johnson catching Felix Hernandez on Sunday. Johnson has become Hernadez's personal catcher, although the Mariners want Moore to catch him during spring training in the event Johnson isn't ready to start the season. --Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez is the first Mariner to start three straight days, which puts him back in Wakamatsu's pattern of playing his regulars at least every other day. Gutierrez had a sore shoulder and didn't play until Monday. "He said he feels pretty good after the test he gave it yesterday with that throw to first base," Wakamatsu said, referring to a throw Gutierrez made trying to double the Indians' Shin-Soo Choo off first base after he made a shoestring backhand catch. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Griffey knows how he'll make his retirement announcement The TVs in the Mariners' clubhouse this morning were tuned to the MLB Network, which carried Nomar Garciaparra's retirement news conference. Quite a few Mariners watched that with interest, including Ken Griffey Jr., who sat atop the big trunk at his locker. As you'd expect, Griffey had his own perspective on retirement and, precisely, how he'd handle his own announcement when that day comes. "Not gonna be a press conference," he said. "Not even gonna phone it in. I'll just send out a fax, and it'll say, 'He gone!' That's all, 'He gone!' " ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Brace yourself Victoria, Boonie's coming back to the Northwest The Victoria Seals of the Golden Baseball League made an announcement today that brought a smile to my face. It also brought back memories of a guy who was never afraid to poke as much fun at himself as he would teammates or, gulp, reporters. A guy who more than once ran through the clubhouse wearing nothing but a pair of chaps. A guy who played with as much passion as anyone I've run across in the game. A guy who couldn't corral his emotions on the day the Mariners let him go, when the end of his playing career became painfully apparant despite his intense desire to keep it alive. Bret Boone, the guy who cried the day he left the Northwest when the Mariners released him, is coming back as manager of the Seals, the independent team in Victoria, B.C. The Seals' season runs from May 21-Oct. 6, and I have a feeling this will be a perfect summer to take a ferry ride to Victoria. Here is the team's announcement of their hiring of Boone. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Game report: Vargas already in mid-spring training form If this were the fifth game of the regular season, there doesn't seem much question who the Mariners would put on the mound. Jason Vargas, one of four competing for the Mariners' fifth starter job, gave up two hits and a walk in 3 2/3 scoreless innings today in their 6-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians. Vargas pitched deeper into the game than any Mariner in their seven exhibition games and has been as impressive with his poise as with his stuff. He hasn't allowed a run in 5 2/3 innings in two outings. Of the others in the running for the fifth starter job, right-hander Doug Fister had a nervous outing Monday against the Brewers and has an 11.25 ERA after two games; left-hander Garrett Olson has been a mess in his two games, allowing three hits and five walks in 1 2/3 innings and posting a 32.40 ERA; and left-hander Luke French, who pitched two scoreless innings in his first game, will pitch Wednesday against the Rangers. Yes, there's plenty of time for someone to step up and make run at the job, or make a late nosedive and lose it. Manager Don Wakamatsu is taking notes. "I thought Vargas was outstanding," Wakamatsu said. "What I liked about it is he's in better shape than last year and it looks like his mechanics are a little tighter, and he looks confident." In addition to Jose Lopez's attempted conversion to third base, a job or two in long relief and a bench role, the fifth starter is one of the key issues to be determined in camp. So far, it's been a one-man show with Vargas. Other things of note from today's game: --Matt Tuiasosopo drew two walks in an 0-for-1 day at the plate, but he played well again at shortstop in his attempt to win a utility job. Tuiasosopo has been the most versatile Mariner so far, having started twice at shortstop, once at second baes and once at third in the Mariners' seven games. "I like what I see so far," Wakamatsu said. "It's something we've asked him to do, be as versatile as possible. He gives us some offensive plusses compared to some of the other guys. That's going to be a big key for him." --Franklin Gutierrez started his second straight game after being slowed because of a sore right shoulder. He didn't baby that arm today, making a strong throw from center field to first base in an attempt to double Shin-Soo Choo off the bag. Gutierrez had started that play by making a backhand shoestring catch on a fly to left-center field. "I told him to take it easy and if there's any close plays don't do it," Wakamatsu said. "Then right away on the tagup play, he catches it and tries to throw the guy out at first base, and I started cringing. He threw the ball well and he said he was fine after that. That's a good sign." --Wakamatsu also said closer David Aardsma threw a bullpen today "and was really good. He worked on some pickoff plays and it didn't seem to bother him at all." Aardsma had tightness in his groin during his first game Thursday. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Felix Hernandez threw a 35-pitch simulated game this morning that had the minor l eague hitters he faced muttering to themselves and manager Don Wakamatsu spewing superlatives at what he saw. Hernandez didn't allow a hit to the 10 batters he faced, five of whom he struck out. "I thought he looked outstanding," Wakamatsu said. "It's really impressive to me to watch what a difference a year makes in the way he goes about his business. I think he's on track. I know we've held him back a little bit, but watching the action of his pitches, I couldn't be more pleased at this point." Wakamatsu said Hernandez would pitch in the bullpen on Friday, then start one of the games on the Tucson trip, likely Sunday against the Rockies. This also was an important day for catcher Rob Johnson, who saw his first game-speed action since last season. Since then, Johnson has undergone surgery on both hips and left wrist. Johnson was pleased, although one pitch from Hernandez did get away from him and he dropped a popup behind the plate (It's a cool, rainy and windy day here, by the way). "All I looked for is his health and the way he's moving back there," Wakamatsu said. "Obviously he dropped a couple of balls but I don't know who could catch (Hernandez) today, his ball was moving so much. I think tomorrow is going to be a big day to see how he responds from that." If Johnson checks out, he'll probably start his first game on the Tucson trip, Wakamatsu said. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment It's Simulated Felix Day, plus another 19-year-old in the lineup 9:20 A.M. UPDATE: A few more notes after a short talk with manager Don Wakamatsu: --That lineup below? Change it. Eric Byrnes has the flu's and has been sent home, so Michael Saunders will start in left field today. Last thing the Mariners need right now is the flu bug sweeping through the clubhouse. --Not only will Felix Hernandez pitch a simulated game, Rob Johnson will catch him this morning. Johnson has made a nice recovery from the soreness he experienced in his hips last week and, unless there's a setback after today, he could be catching exhibition games soon. --Nick Hill also will pitch in the simulated game. --Where's shortstop Jack Wilson? Wakamatsu plans to start him Wednesday against the Rangers. Wilson said yesterday that his right hamstring, which tightened up in a game last week, is fine. Head trainer Rick Griffin said the same thing, that Wilson was cleared to play. The wet fields the past two days have been a factor -- don't want someone with an iffy hammy slipping in the wet grass. -------- If the rain and wind hold off (30 percent chance by 10 a.m. with 20 mph gusts this afternoon), we'll have something to write home about today. Felix Hernandez will take another step in his going-slow spring training, throwing a two-inning simulated game at 11:30 this morning. Unlike his one-inning simulated game last week when the minor league hitters were ordered not to swing, they'll be hacking away today. After this, Hernandez should be ready for prime time Cactus League action. This afternoon when the Mariners face the Cleveland Indians in Peoria, 19-year-old Nick Franklin will start at second base for the M's. He'll officially become the youngest to play for the Mariners in a Cactus League game this year, having turned 19 on March 2. Catcher Steven Baron's 19th birthday was Dec. 7. Here is the Mariners' lineup today: Corey Patterson, left field Eric Byrnes, right field Jose Lopez, third base Ken Griffey Jr., DH Ryan Garko, first base Franklin Gutierrez, center field Matt Tuiasosopo, shortstop Guillermo Quiroz, catcher Nick Franklin, second base Left-hander Jason Vargas, starting pitcher ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
A kid catcher gets his first taste of a big-league game Steven Baron had a question about his hit in the eighth inning of the Mariners' 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox today. "Does this count as a big-league hit?" asked the 19-year-old catcher who experienced the thrill of his baseball life. In the Mariners' big-league spring training camp to learn the ways of the basebal world, Baron played in his first game today, catching the final three innings and getting one at-bat At this time last year, Baron was impressing scouts as he played for Ferguson High School in Miami. The Mariners selected him with the 33rd overall pick in the June draft, played him at Class A Pulaski last summer and brought him to their big-league camp in February. Baron's boyish looks make him stand out among the veteran players in this camp, but when he straps on the equipment and pulls the mask over that fresh face, he's all catcher. Like the scouting reports said when he was drafted, Baron has shown in camp that he's solid behind the plate. And at the plate today, he put a great swing on a fastball from the White Sox' Matt Long, lining a pitch into left field for a single in the eighth inning. "I was a little nervous, but I got comfortable after the first inning. I felt good," Baron said. "I feel so confident when I'm behind the plate." Mariners bench coach Ty VanBurkleo did have to remind him to check the dugout in the ninth inning when the White Sox had a runner on third and one out. Last thing the Mariners needed was for the White Sox to surprise them with a squeeze bunt. Otherwise, the day was another dream come true for Baron, as this entire camp has been. He's just beginning to learn the nuances of the pro game, but already believes he's a more mature player from the experience here. "Being more mature when I make a mistake," he said. "Big leaguers make mistakes and they shake it off and go about it as if nothing happened. My biggest problem is that I make a mistake, it gets in my head and I'll come into the dugout and start thinking about it. But to see them, they're having fun still. It helps to see them." Baron wasn't the only 19-year-old to show something. Second baseman Nick Franklin, taken with the 27th overall pick in the first round, also singled and stole two bases. He replaced Chone Figgins at second base in the sixth inning. Other tidbits from a split-squad day with the Mariners: --Ryan Rowland-Smith pitched the first two innings against the White Sox and gave up three hits and a run on Paul Konerko's second-inning solo home run. Rowland-Smith threw all his pitches, including the cut fastball that he hopes to show this season, but worked primarily on his fastball command. The one to Konerko was up. --Ryan Feierabend had another nice outing in his comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery, pitching two perfect innings with one strikeout. "Running out from the bullpen I couldn't calm down," he said. "When I got to the dugout, my hands were shaking. The second inning, I calmed down." --Mike Sweeney continued his great start, going 2-for-3 to give him an .800 average. --For the second time, Chone Figgins showed his nice range, diving behind the bag at second base to field a hard smash up the middle by Chicago's Juan Pierre, then making a strong throw to first for the out. --In Maryvale, where the Brewers beat the Mariners 6-2, Jose Lopez had a rough game at third base. He made one fielding error and had another ball get past him for a double. "We talked to Lopey a little bit about positioning and angles to the ball. Everything's been rosy so far but you'd like to see that so we can make some adjustments with it." --Second baseman Dustin Ackley also muffed a double-play opportunity when he dropped a throw from Lopez on what could have been a 5-4-3 double play. --Catcher Adam Moore went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI and is batting .667. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment The weather this morning isn't much better than yesterday, when the Mariners' suffered a home spring training rainout for the first time sincde 2006. However, the hourly forecast says it's supposed to clear up by this afternoon, so it looks like the Mariners will get in their split-squad road games today against the White Sox and Brewers. That doesn't mean the Mariners' morning workout plans didn't take a hit after one of those can't-see-across-the-street rainstorms last night that have made the practice fields unplayable. It shouldn't affect the schedule that much anyway. Because the team buses will leave around 11:30, the Mariners weren't going to do much more than loosen up, take batting practice and have pitchers throw their bullpens. That work now shifts to the covered facilities. Shortstop Jack Wilson, whose right hamstring tighten up on Friday, isn't in either lineup today. With the weather of the past two days, the last thing the Mariners need is for a guy with a tender hamstring -- or even a history of tender hamstrings -- playing on a wet field. Wilson said as much a few minutes ago. "I feel fine. They're not even treating it anymore," he said. "I'm ready to play and I'm sure if the fields were dry today I would play." One other note: Closer David Aardsma pitched in the bullpen this morning and said his groin is fine. He experienced tightness in the upper part of his right leg during his first exhibition outing Thursday. Here are the Mariners' lineups today: Mariners at White Sox Ichiro Suzuki, right field Chone Figgins, second base Franklin Gutierrez, center field Mike Sweeney, DH Casy Kotchman, first base Matt Tuiasosopo, shortstop Chris Woodward, third base Josh Bard, catcher Ezequiel Carrera, left field Left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith, starting pitcher Mariners at Brewers Eric Byrnes, right field Dustin Ackley, second base Jose Lopez, third base Milton Bradley, left field Ryan Garko, DH Mike Carp, first base Adam Moore, catcher Josh Wilson, shortstop Michael Saunders, center field. Right-hander Doug Fister, starting pitcher ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Following some familiar (ex-Mariner) faces While the current crop of Mariners watched the rain fall today -- and did it ever dump tonight, with a huge light(ning) show and sheets of heavy rain -- some of their old friends were getting their work in elsewhere. Here's a rundown of the ex-Mariners' day in spring training: Baltimore Orioles --Adam Jones went 1-for-3 with an RBI against the Red Sox, giving him a .250 average. --Kam Mickolio gave up one hit and struck out one in one inning against the Red Sox. He has a 4.50 spring ERA. Boston Red Sox --Scott Atchison struck out two and allowed a hit in one scoreless inning against the Orioles. He signed with the Red Sox this offseason after playing the past two years for Hanshin in Japan. He last played in the major leagues in 2007 with the Giants. --Tug Hulett played second base and went 0-for-2 against the Orioles.He's batting .333. Houston Astros --Roy Corcoran was thumped for four hits and three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings against the Braves, shoving his spring ERA to 11.57. Toronto Blue Jays --Jeremy Reed went 1-for-3 against Detroit and is batting .417. Pittsburgh Pirates --Chris Jakubauskas gave up three hits, two walks and three earned runs, striking out one, in 1 2/3 innings against the Twins. He has a 10.13 ERA. Philadelphia Phillies --Raul Ibanez went 0-for-3 against the Rays and has a .222 average. --Tyson Gillies went 0-for-1, walked once and struck out once against the Rays. He's batting .400. --Phillippe Aumont pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Rays, allowing two hits and one walk, leaving his ERA a clean 0.00. Washington Nationals --Mike Morse played first base against the Mets and hit a two-run homer in four at-bats. He's batting .267. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Hawaiian Punch (Tui, Texeira, Baron) wins Idol; Bad Bodies third (and disgu... This just in... The trio of Matt Tuiasosopo, Kanekoa Texeira and Steven Baron -- known in entertainment circles as "Hawaiian Punch" -- has won the Mariners' American Idol-like competition this morning. They performed a near-perfect Haka dance. Mike Sweeney, playing the role of host Ryan Seacrest, said Baron was an absolute doll in his grass skirt and coconuts, although he lost the coconuts by the end of the performance. The competition didn't end without a major dispute. The group known as El Cantando Batteria de Venezuela (Guillermo Quiroz, Mauricio Robles and Luis Oliveros) lost by one vote, apparently because catcher Eliezer Alfonzo's wife broke his cell phone last night and he couldn't submit a text vote. Alfonzo was visibly steamed afterward, claiming his vote should have counted. Yes, the team had a high-tech way of voting. Bullpen catcher Jason Phillips stayed in the clubhouse and accepted text voting from players in the multipurpose room where the performances were held. The judges were Ken Griffey Jr. (Randy Jackson), Eric Byrnes (Ellen DeGeneres) and Ryan Rowland-Smith (Simon Cowell), along with guest judge Ichiro Suzuki (Posh Spice?). Hard to picture Rowland-Smith being a perfect ass, but he mustered up enough of a jerk attitude to tell pitcher Ricky Orta he shouldn't have used a BeDazzler to decorate his shirt. Ichiro would hold up signs with such words as "Fantastic" or "Brutal" and speak to the contestants in Japanese. Griffey then would translate into English, although "I think it broke down in the process," manager Don Wakamatsu said. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was the performance by Bad Bodies Swinging Big Bats (beefy first basemen Brad Nelson, Tommy Everidge and Mike Carp). In a routine they put together at 7 o'clock this morning, they flung bagels into the audience and, at one point, Carp pulled a Burger King Whopper out of his pants. Sweeney called it the most disgusting part of the entire show, although the team liked it enough to vote the Bad Bodies into third place. The Bad Bodies actually thought they might finish higher in the voting. "I thought we had the most energy," Carp said. "I think it was the best performance. But they said they couldn't hear the lyrics." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment A rainout, grass skirts and Chuck Armstrong sings 10:05 AM UPDATE: We have a rainout, and the game won't be rescheduled. The team will work out this morning in the covered facilities. -------------------- 9:30 AM UPDATE: I've inserted the Padres' lineup below, although it may be moot because the skies have really opened up. Even if they get today's game in, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the lineups change in order to keep some key players off what's sure to be a wet field. Stay tuned. -------------------- They say it's raining at the airport this morning although, as George Carlin (Google him kids, because he's not just the guy from Thomas the Tank) might have said, I don't know anybody who plays baseball at the airport. Here in Peoria, today's game against the Padres could be in trouble because there's a 70 percent chance of rain. If they do play, we'll see Franklin Gutierrez in center field for the first time. He's been held back because of a sore shoulder. Otherwise, all the regulars are in the lineup except shortstop Jack Wilson, who came out of Thursday's game because of a tight right hamstring, and catcher Rob Johnson, who had hip surgery in the offseason. Wilson said yesterday that he's fine and Johnson, after a bout of soreness last week, could be in a game by the middle of this week. Here's the Mariners' lineup: Ichiro Suzuki, right field Chone Figgins, second base Milton Bradley, left field Ken Griffey Jr., DH Jose Lopez, third base Casey Kotchman, first base Franklin Gutierrez, center field Josh Bard, catcher Josh Wilson, shortstop Left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith, starting pitcher And the Padres' lineup: Tony Gwynn, center field David Eckstein, second base Chase Headley, third base Kyle Blanks, left feld Oscar Salazar, first base Will Venable, right field Nick Hundley, catcher Chad Huffman, DH Everth Cabrera, shortstop Left-hander Clayton Richard, starting pitcher. In a few minutes, the Mariners will seal themselves behind closed (but hopefully not soundproof) doors for their version of American Idol. Based on some of the rehearsing I've seen and heard, there might be more William Haung than David Cook. There was a grass skirt with coconuts and a nervous Steve Baron, and Matt Tuiasosopo walked through the clubhouse with a tattoo pattern scribbled on his face. In a hallway, bullpen coach John Wetteland practiced a few chords on an acoustic guitar, which tells me there probably won't be any System of a Down (which reminds me of a funny scene in the coaches' room a few days ago when Wetteland had bench coach Ty VanBurkleo cranked some System of a Down on his computer. VanBurkleo obliged, and within seconds he and Wettleland were slashing their air guitars and bobbing their heads like Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar. And as a warmup act, Mariners president Chuck Armstrong just walked through the media workroom and serenaded us with the Purdue alma mater and a heavy dose of Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. The guy was pretty good and, when Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune joined in, it was one of the best country duets I've heard since Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
End-of-the-day notes on Snell, Rob Johnson, Jose Lopez and others Ian Snell pitched well for two innings in his spring training debut today, then talked about how refreshing this camp is compared with what he experienced as a Pittsburgh Pirate. “I'm not used to hearing the crowd quiet instead of yelling at you,” he said. “Afterward you hear fans say you did a good job even though you gave up two runs or whatever.” He said it wasn't like that in Bradenton, Fla., where the Pirates train. “You'd need earmuffs,” Snell said. “It came from your own fans. It's pretty crazy. But it's a real good atmosphere here and I'm enjoying it a lot. Here, they want you to stay healthy and give your best. When you give your best, they cheer for you.” Snell gave up three hits and one earned run in the Mariners' 7-4 victory over the Padres, throwing 20 strikes among his 29 pitches. Other items of note at the end of a gorgeous spring training day in Peoria: --The Mariners got a good look at some of their top prospects today, starting Ezequiel Carrera in center field and Dustin Ackley at second base. Later, third baseman Alex Liddi and outfielder Greg Halman got into the game. They all made an impression. Carrera, who won the Southern League batting title with a .337 average at Class AA West Tennessee, went 0-for-1, walked twice and stole a base. He struggled in center field, being charged with a throwing error and losing a fly ball in the sun that fell for a double. Ackley, the second overall pick in the draft last June, went 0-for-4 but started a double play. Liddi, who tied Koby Clemens (Roger's son) for the California League batting title with a .345 average at Class A High Desert, doubled and struck out. Halman, whose 25 homers at West Tennessee tied for the Southern League lead, tripled in his only at-bat. --Catcher Rob Johnson was feeling better today after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired hips following a running drill a few days ago. Johnson may do more running today and, if he feels good, could play in a game by the middle of this week, manager Don Wakamatsu said. --Both Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee felt fine after their simulated game Friday and are on track to pitch in exhibition games this week. Hernandez is scheduled to pitch a two-inning simulated game Tuesday and Lee two or three innings Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. --Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who hasn't played because of a sore right shoulder, is expected to start today's game against the Padres and also may play in Monday's split-squad game against the White Sox. --For those wondering whether Jose Lopez's heart is in his work at third base, he seemed plenty focused during an intense workout there this morning. Lopez fielded nearly everything the coaches could hit at him -- grounders down the line to his right, hot smashes right at him, bouncers he had to charge and balls to his left that he had to sprint to reach. A couple did get past Lopez, but he gave one indication that he's into third base. He'd flip his glove into the air and catch it while muttering to himself when he didn't make a clean play, a little reminiscent of Adrian Beltre, who'd spike his glove to the ground if a ball got past him. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Sweeney's make-it-or-retire spring off to a hot start Mike Sweeney has no idea where he'll be a month from now -- either in a major league uniform or at home in San Diego beginning retirement with his family. Today, the 36-year-old showed he's still got some pop in the old bat, going 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and three runs batted in to help the Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 7-4. It gave Sweeney an .857 spring training batting average and, at least for now, stalled thoughts that he might be better suited for retirement. Sweeney signed a minor league contract with the Mariners last month with an invitation to spring training and not much more than that. With a Mariners roster that has little wiggle room for a DH-only type like Sweeney, this is looking more like a month-long audition for other teams that may be interested. That's fine with Sweeney, although the field is limited. He's interested only in playing on the West Coast and if no team is interested, he'll retire. "I came in here with a mindset and passion that I want to do what I can to open some eyes and turn some heads," he said. "I know the cards are stacked against me, but that's OK. I'm just doing what I can every day not only to have fun and do my best, but also to help this team, whether it's all year or the next four weeks. "I want to play hard, be a leader and put together good at-bats, and the rest will take care of itself whether it means making this team or getting traded to another team or going home to be with my beautiful wife and kids in San Diego." As for the 4-for-4 day, Sweeney celebrated it for what it was, a nice spring training performance. "You're not going to make a team on March 6," he said. "But I'm going to play the same way today as I would in October if I have a chance to play in a playoff game. All the rest of the stuff is noise to me. It's static, it's confusion and I don't listen to it. I just go out and enjoy the game. “If you'd told me when I was a Little Leaguer that I'd be a 36-year-old guy playing with guys like Ichiro and Griffey and still be doing something I love, I'd say I'd be a lucky man. Despite the conditions or what the oddsmakers may say, I'm doing something I've always dreamt I'd do and I'm enjoying it.” ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Jack Wilson ready to play today (although he won't) Mariners shortstop Jack Wilson, whose hamstrings are as important to the infield defense as his hands, says he's fine after a scare yesterday. Wilson came out of the game after the third inning when he felt tightness in his right hamstring. Given his hamstring history, that caused a few folks, including manager Don Wakamatsu, to gulp a little bit. "It's good and getting better," Wilson said this morning. He doesn't believe he'll miss a game as the Mariners had thought Friday "I don't see it," said Wilson, whose next schedule playing day would be Sunday. If anything, Wilson said the hamstring tightness could be the result of too much stretching. "The whole point of this whole offseason working with a massage therapist was getting the hamstrings loose," he said. "They're at a point now where they're really stretching out and getting loose. They're kind of irritated, we've been stretching so much. I"ve been stretching two to three times a day. "It was just tightness. With the history I had last year and (the fact) I did get stretched out three or four times yesterday, I was like, 'All right, maybe we've been getting after the stretching and need to back off and do more massage.' I'm being very, very cautious with it." It was such a non-issue in Wilson's mind that when he originally felt the tightness, in the top of the third inning on a fielding play, he stayed in the game in order to get his at-bat in the bottom of the inning. He singled and, wouldn't you know it, had to sprint all the way home when Ichiro Suzuki tripled. "It's not serious at all," he said. "I wanted to get my at-bat, and I told (first base coach) Lee Tinsley that I wanted to go 80 percent and not do anything stupid (on the bases). Of course, Ichi hits a triple. I didn't feel it at all running around the bases. I was careful and mindful about it. It's all good." A few other notes from this morning: --Among the drills scheduled for this morning's practice is a session on pickoffs and rundowns. The Mariners allowed three stolen bases Friday, and manager Don Wakamatsu laid much of the blame on pitchers not holding runners as effectively as they should. --The "Mariner Idol" competition has been pushed back a day to Sunday morning. It fits into the schedule better that way. No confirmation of a suspicion that some of the dance moves need to be run past a censure committee. --Closer David Aardsma, who felt tightness in his right groin during Thursday's game, said this morning he's feeling fine. To prove it, he performed a couple of dance steps just as a KC and the Sunshine Band song played on the clubhouse sound system. Aardsma didn't wince, although a couple of writers did. --Minor league infielder Kyle Seager, the third-round draft pick out of North Carolina, made a few calls back home Friday after he batted against Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee in their simulated game. What did he tell everyone? "That I got plunked by Cliff Lee!" he said. Lee, battling his control in the second inning, stung Seager with an up-and-in fastball that popped him just above his right elbow. --And now, the lineups for today's huge tilt against the Padres. If the Mariners are adhering to the Cactus League "suggestion" that five regulars should be in the starting lineup, then Ezequiel Carrera should be feeling awfully good about his chances with this team. Also, note that Dustin Ackley will make his first start at second base: MARINERS Ezequiel Carrera, center field Eric Byrnes, left field Ryan Garko, first base Mike Sweeney, DH Ryan Langerhans, right field Matt Tuiasosopo, third base Dustin Ackley, second base Adam Moore, catcher Josh Wilson, shortstop Right-hander Ian Snell, starting pitcher PADRES Jerry Hairston, shortstop Scott Hairston, center field Adrian Gonzalez, first base Matt Stairs, DH Will Venable, right field Yorvit Torrealba, catcher Aaron Cunningham, left field (former Everett CC player) Logan Forsythe, third base Matt Antonelli, second base Right-hander Jon Garland, starting pitcher And, on the bench for the Padres will be catcher Mitch Canham, who starred at Lake Stevens High School and on Oregon State's College World Series champion teams in 2006 and 2007. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
The good (Lowe, Cordero), bad (Olson) and the hammy (Jack Wilson) After all the excitement of a 52-pitch simulated game this morning for Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, what could top that? Nothing because, really, we're talking Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. However, this afternoon's game against the Padres, a 9-3 Mariners loss, was noteworthy on several fronts. Foremost is a hamstring injury by shortstop Jack Wilson, who felt tightness in his right leg while making a play in the field in the third inning. Wilson stayed in the game and scored from first base on Ichiro Suzuki's triple in the bottom of the third, and came out of the game after that. Manager Don Wakamatsu said Wilson would be re-evaluated Saturday, but at this point the team is describing it as "tightness." Wilson has experienced a fair amount of leg pains and strains in his career. He had problems with both hamstrings last year after being traded to the Mariners by the Pirates, and he missed the final 17 games because of a bruised right heel. He missed eight games in 2006 with a strained right hamstring, seven games in 2007 with tightness in the same hamstring (and also the birth of his child), and was on the 15-day disabled list in 2008 because of a strained left calf. Other developments in today's game: --After Luke French pitched two strong innings and the Mariners gave him a 2-0 lead, left-hander Garrett Olson struggled to find the strike zone and was torched in his first exhibition outing. Olson, among the four pitchers trying to win the fifth starter's job, gave up three hits, four walks and six earned runs before Wakamatsu lifted him with two outs in the third inning. The Padres scored eight runs in the inning. -- Mark Lowe pitched a dazzling inning, with two strikeouts, and Steven Shell worked two scoreless innings. Josh Fields allowed a hit, a walk and a run in his inning and Kanekoa Texeira one hit in a scoreless inning. --In perhaps the most personally satisfying inning of the game, Chad Cordero pitched around a leadoff single and got the next three outs in the ninth in his first exhibition game in two years. Cordero had labrum surgery on his right shoulder in July, 2008, and has fought through a lot of pain to get this far. Cordero struggled early in the week in an intrasquad game, blaming himself for getting too antsy. Today, he stayed calm and pitched well. "It's a huge relief," he said. "The whole game I was nervous. But once I threw that first strike, it was like, 'OK.' I didn't worry about anything. I can't wait for the next time. I wish I was pitching tomorrow. Having two years off and going through the rehab, it wasn't a fun thing. I want to enjoy this as long as I can." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Of sore groins, Griffeys, birthday cakes and baseball cards (lineups) One month from today, it all starts for real. The Mariners open the regular season April 5 at Oakland. And that's a really good thing if you're David Aardsma, or the team that needs David Aardsma to close games like he did last year. He's laying low after feeling tightness in his groin on the last pitch he threw in the third inning Thursday. The Mariners never believed it was anything more than a minor thing, but a groin issue is nothing to ignore. Aardsma was walking around the clubhouse without a limp this morning after a session ice, stimulation and time in the whirlpool. He realized first thing this morning, when he took at first step out of bed, that he would be OK. "It actually put a smile on my face," he said. Even though the Mariners appear to have dodged a big one, Aardsma will take it easy for a while. He suffered a major groin injury two seasons ago with the Red Sox. Aardsma said this is in the same leg, the right, but farther down than before. "This is totally different. That one was way worse," he said. "There was a pop and I went on the DL twice. With this, I just want to be smart about it. There's no point pushing it. We've still got a month until the season." And now, other matters of importance this morning: --It's double-dip day, with the Mariners facing the Padres in the big stadium this afternoon. The other game in town, this morning on a practice field, will be just as important ... maybe moreso. That's when Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez will pitch a simulated game, Lee throwing two innings and Hernandez one. Why the difference? Manager Don Wakamatsu said Lee has thrown close to 50 pitches in each of his past two bullpen sessions. Pitching coach Rick Adair assurred that there's nothing wrong with Hernandez, and there's plenty of time to get him ready for opening day. --Around Ken Griffey Jr.'s locker, it looked a lot like 1989 again. Trey Griffey, Junior's 16-year-old son, is in town still looking a lot like his dad did when he was a teen phenom. Junior said Trey has grown about five inches since last year, and he's definitely taller than Dad. Someone asked who's the most impressive Griffey these days, and Trey quietly thumped his chest and said, "Me." Junior beamed. "My Dad had a t-shirt once that said, 'I don't take the credit. I just take the responsibility,'" he said. --Griffey swiped Eric Byrnes' No. 1 jersey and carried it into Wakamatsu's office. "If (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi can get 28 because they're going for 28 championships, then I can put No. 1 in Skip's locker." Yeah, but what number will Byrnes wear? "He can have 2," Griffey said. Then what about Jack Wilson? "He gets 3." If this plan unfolds, then a bunch of guys will be changing jerseys. Ryan Garko wears 3, Jose Lopez 4, Mike Sweeney 5, Chris Woodward 6, Jack Hannahan 7, Lee Tinsley 8, Chone Figgins 9. Nobody wears No. 10. --There's a birthday cake on the counter in the middle of the clubhouse, with two candles shaped like the numbers 2 and 1. Looks like left-handed pitcher Mauricio Robles will be the center of a team ceremony. --On the other side of that counter, reliever Mark Lowe carefully opened mail sent to him by fans. Most of them were letters with baseball cards. Lowe not only signed all the cards and placed them in the self-addressed stamped envelopes, he read every word of every letter that accompanied those cards. Here are today's lineups: MARINERS Ichiro Suzuki, right field Chone Figgins, second base Milton Bradley, left field Ken Griffey Jr., DH Jose Lopez, third base Casey Kotchman, first base Greg Halman, center field Guillermo Quiroz, catcher Jack Wilson, shortstop Left-hander Luke French, starting pitcher PADRES Everth Cabrera, shortstop David Eckstein, second base Chase Headley, third base Kyle Blanks, left field Oscar Salazar, first base Will Venable, right field Nick Hundley, catcher Aaron Cunningham, DH (former Everett CC player) Chris Denorfia, center field Right-hander Mat Latos, starting pitcher ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Felix Hernandez looked sharp and Cliff Lee not so much in their simulated game this morning on a lower practice field. But, as they say this time of year, they both got their work in. Hernandez, on a carefully plotted program this month to avoid overtaxing his arm, threw 18 pitches to a group of minor leaguers who were instructed not to swing. Lee threw 34 pitches and the kids were hacking with a mix of results. He faced six hitters in the first inning, getting two fly outs and a ground out, and also allowing a walk to Nick Franklin and a single up the middle by Juan Diaz. Lee's control wandered in the second, when he plunked Kyle Seager on the right arm and grazed Denny Almonte on the shoulder. He also walked Franklin and gave up a single to Maximo Mendez. James Jones also hit a hard smash between third and shortstop that third baseman Mario Martinez, who played impressively last year for the Everett AquaSox, stopped with a diving catch before throwing to first for the out. "Felix looked great," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "Cliff was actually falling off a little bit compared to Felix. Look at the quality of pitches down in the zone, it looked like he didn’t miss a beat. He looked great." Wakamatsu also said Lee had no issue with his left foot. A month ago today, he had a bone spur removed from it. But why the descrepancy in the number of pitches Lee and Hernandez threw? Lee has been throwing upwards of 50 pitches in his past two bullpen sessions. Hernandez is on a take-it-slower program and the Mariners insist it's because they don't want to overwork him at at his time of year. There are no health issues, they say. The Mariners want Hernandez to begin the regular season with about 20 innings at spring training, based on what he did last year when he pitched 8 2/3 innings in the World Baseball Classic and another 14 at spring training. "After having a good year, you’re trying to duplicate that and not go over it," Wakamatsu said. Hernandez will pitched one more simulated game before he's thrown into the exhibition mix. Lee is expected to start Wednesday against the Texas Rangers in Surprise. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Mariners not worried, yet, after Aardsma tweaks groin Nice as it is to win a game, which the Mariners did 9-3 this afternoon over the Padres, there are a lot more important things to accomplish in the exhibition season. Good health, for example. In that department, the Mariners didn't come out of today's game unscathed. On the last pitch he threw in the third inning, closer David Aardsma "felt something" in his groin. Manager Don Wakamatsu didn't believe it was serious, although any problem in the groin of a pitcher is nothing to pass off because their legs are so vital to what they do. "We don’t think it’s very serious and he might miss one outing hopefully and that’s it," Wakamatsu said. "It was the very last pitch and he felt something in his groin. Hopefully we caught it before it gets to be anything serious." The health news was a little more encouraging -- although not totally -- concerning center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and catcher Rob Johnson. Wakamatsu said Gutierrez would start Sunday or Monday after being held back this week because of a sore right shoulder. "Guti is actually feeling pretty good," Wakamatsu said. "Maybe Sunday, but definitely Monday." Johnson could see his first game by Monday as well although his hips were sore today after running the bases Wednesday for the first time. "It’s a little bit of a setback," Wakamatsu said. "He ran the bases for the first time yesterday, so maybe that’s the reason. We don’t know where the stiffness came from." It's certainly doesn't surprise the Mariners that Johnson is feeling some pain. He had surgery on both hips early in the offseason and there will be periods of discomfort as he works his way back. Wakamatsu said Mariners head trainer Rick Griffin may have Alex Rodriguez, who had hip surgery about this time last year, talk with Johnson. "Rick talked about having Alex call him," Wakamatsu said. "A young kid like that, he knows the situation here is wide open for him and he’s going to want to push it a little bit, and we’re going to have to hold him back a little." Otherwise, the Mariners had a good day. Tommy Everidge's grand-slam in the bottom of the eighth inning blew open a game that had been tied 3-3. The Mariners broke the tie when Mike Wilson doubled high off the center field fence to score Josh Wilson. Jason Vargas pitched two clean innings, hurt only by Kyle Blanks' high-fly double with one out in the second inning when center fielder Michael Saunders twisted and turned as the ball fell on the warning track. After Aardsma, who walked one but got a double play and another grounder, Brandon League fought his control in one inning. He threw two wild pitches and allowed two hits and a run. Shawn Kelley gave up a home run to Matt Stairs in the fifth and 20-year-old lefty Mauricio Robles pitched a perfect sixth with one strikeout before Nick Hill allowed three hits and a run in the seventh when the Padres tied the score 3-3. Anthony Varvaro and Levale Speigner each pitched a scoreless inning to keep it tied, and the Mariners' six-run eighth secured their first victory in two exhibition games. And yes, Dustin Ackley lookekd good again. He played the final four innings at second base, cleanly fielded a grounder and held his ground on a double-play pivot with a runner barreling into the bag. He made a strong throw to first base that was a split-second too late to get Aaron Cunningham (who played at Everett Community College). Ackley also drove in a run with a single in the eighth. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Nobody is going to win or lose a job this early in camp, although that doesn't mean folks in the media can't make more of a spring training game than there is. So, Jason Vargas, looks like this will be the start of your life. OK, then it's at least a good time to keep the fifth-starter competition interesting. Vargas is scheduled to pitch the first two innings today against the Padres, beginning his quest to grab the one opening in the Mariners' starting rotation. Doug Fister pitched two innings Wednesday and, after giving up three runs to the first five hitters he faced, retired five straight (including three by strikeout in the second inning). Vargas started 14 games last year and pitched nine others in relief, going 3-6 witha 4.91 ERA in 91 2/3 innings. Others on today's pitching list are right-handers Shawn Kelley, Levale Speigner, Brandon League, David Aardsma and Josh Fields, and left-handers Nick Hill and Edward Paredes. Also suiting up will be minor leaguers Erasmo Ramirez (a right-hander) and Jimmy Gillheeny (a lefty). Tomorrow, two more left-handers hoping to crack the rotation, Luke French and Garrett Olson, will pitch against the Padres. Where are the big guns of the rotation? Both Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee are scheduled to throw simulated games Friday as the Mariners manage their workloads early in camp after both reached career highs in innings last year. Ian Snell will start Saturday and Ryan Rowland-Smith on Sunday, both games against the Padres. Here are today's lineups: MARINERS Michael Saunders, center field Eric Byrnes, left field Ryan Garko, first base Mike Sweeney, DH Jack Hannahan, shortstop Ryan Langerhans, right field Josh Bard, catcher Matt Tuiasosopo, second base Chris Woodward, third base Left-hander Jason Vargas, starting pitcher PADRES Tony Gwynn, center field Jerry Hairston, second base Adrian Gonzalez, first base Chase Headley, third base Kyle Blanks, left field Scott Hairston, right field Matt Stairs, DH Yorvit Torrealba, catcher Everth Cabrera, shortstop Right-hander Chris Young, starting pitcher ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
It's never too early for these Mariners to start running With so much uncertainty over how -- and how much -- the middle of the Mariners' lineup will produce runs this year, the one element they must utilize is their speed. And, proving that it's never too early to start running, the Mariners did just that in today's 8-7 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the first game of the exhibition season. The Mariners stole two bases, by Ryan Langerhans and Ichiro Suzuki -- you read that right, Ichiro didn't hesitate to steal lthird in the fourth inning -- and used every opportunity they got to advance an extra base. Jose Lopez went from first to third in the fifth inning and Brad Nelson, a big-bodied first baseman, scored from first base in the sixth (the dust he kicked up might have beat him to the plate, but at least they both got there before the ball). The Mariners also drew nine walks, so small ball, or Wak ball, or whatever you want to call it, was in full effect from the exhibition get-go. Manager Don Wakamatsu liked that, along with the threat that Suzuki and Chone Figgins posed at the top of the lineup. "Patience at the top of the order. We had nine walks and I liked the dynamics of Ichiro and Figgins," Wakamatsu said. "Ichi stealing third base right out of the gate is something you didn’t see last year, although he was in the WBC early. We have been talking about being aggressive on the bases." Other notes from an interesting first exhibition: --Jose Lopez played 4 2/3 innings before he fielded his first ground ball at third base, a chopper with two outs in the fifth inning that he gloved easily before throwing to first. Lopez also played five innings in an intrasquad game Monday without seeing a grounder. “It was like my first day in the big leagues,” Lopez said. “Nervous, Nervous. But when you catch the ball and make an out, you’re not nervous anymore and you want more. I want more ground balls at third base. I want hard ground balls to get my eyes ready, my feet, everything.” He did have one tough play, aided by catcher Adam Moore's 85-foot throw to third trying to keep Emmanuel Burriss from stealing. The ball short-hopped Lopez, who blocked it with his sternum. --Ken Griffey Jr. hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning and walked in the second, and seemed more proud of the walk. "The peepers were working,” he said. Asked how old those peepers are now, Griffey didn’t hesitate to answer. “Thirty-nine and 465 days old,” he said. “Never say 40.” --Mariners starter Doug Fister, who's competing for the fifth-starter's job, had one of those typical early spring outings. He struggled with his location in the first inning and gave up three hits and three runs to the first five hitters he faced, then dialed it in, kept the ball down and retired five straight, including all three on strikeouts in the second inning. --Giants starter Tim Lincecum was just as off-kilter, walking two and giving up two RBI singles and Griffey's sacrifice fly in the Mariners' three-run first inning. --The Mariners tied the score 7-7 with two runs in the ninth on Dustin Ackley's run-scoring ground-out and Jack Hannahan's RBI single. Minor league pitcher Kenn Kasparek couldn't get an out in the top of the 10th, walking all three batters he faced, before another youngster, 19th-round draft pick Anthony Vazquez, came on.. Vazquez, a left-hander, gave up an RBI single that the Giants' Jesus Guzman fisted into left field to break the tie before he got a popup and double play. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment A few notes from early this morning as the Mariners work off their nervous energy before today's first big exhibition tilt against those pesky San Francisco Giants: --The Mariners will hold their version of American Idol with a closed-door talent contest Saturday morning, but already the guys are tuning their voices and getting their dance moves together. Shawn Kelley is part of a trio known as The Confused Kickers, with Garrett Olson and Luke French as his sidekicks. And this morning as the Mariners killed some time before a meeting, Kelley was spotted demonstrating what we fear will be some of their dance moves -- a nice hip swivel followed by a disturbing pelvic thrust with one leg hiked atop a trash can. For more on the talent contest, check out this piece by Tacoma News Tribune writer Larry LaRue. Oh, to be a fly on the wall of that room Saturday. --The long hallway leading from the players' parking lot to the clubhouse contains a gallery of 28 life-size framed posters of current Mariners. Sometime recently, two more appeared, although the new images certainly aren't in proportion with the others. Taped to the wall between Mark Lowe and Brandon League is an itty-bitty, teeny-tiny Sean White. It's the mug shot from his days pitching for the University of Washington and is the work of fellow relievers David Aardsma and Shawn Kelley. "Aardsma found the picture and I took care of the rest," Kelley said. Across the hall is another flash from a more distant past, a similarly small mug shot of a young guy who looks a lot like Mike Sweeney. No word yet on who found that one. "It's from 1999. My passport photo," Sweeney said. "Back when I had hair." --Speaking of relievers, Lowe is the new king of the big blasters on the golf course, having uncorked one of 380 yards to win the long-drive portion of Tuesday's tournament at the Raven at Verrado in Buckeye. "I would stroke one down the middle, about 300 yards, and then there goes Lowe's ball flying by," Kelley said. --Representatives from the players' association are in the clubhouse to hold their annual meeting with the team, and the group includes three Mariners who are executive assistants with the MLBPA -- Phil Bradley, Stan Javier and Mike Myers. --The subject of third basemen and "protection" came up today in a Boston Globe story about Adrian Beltre, who still isn't wearing a cup. It brought back the memory of a brief conversation a couple of us had last week with Jose Lopez, who's giving third base a whirl in camp. "Jose, you wearing a cup?" Lopez didn't say anything. He just "knocked" three times to prove that he was well protected. --Mariners catching coordinator Roger Hansen walked through the clulbhouse this morning and was asked if he's getting excited about his "Breakfast Club" for minor leaguers. "Of course," Hansen said. The Breakfast Club is anything but breakfast. It's the 4:30 a.m. run around a dark practice field which serves as a "reminder" that the kids need to adhere to the rules on and off the field. The minor league pitchers and catchers report on Sunday for physical exams, and Hansen figures he'll have some Breakfast Club participants very soon. "You know something will happen," he said. "It'll probably happen during the physicals." --And finally, everyone on the 40-man roster is now signed. Pitcher Luke French has agreed to a contract for 2010, the team said this morning. He was the last of the unsigned players as the March 11 deadline approached for the club to either sign or renew the contracts of players under their control. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment 'Greatest time of the year' begins today for Niehaus, Rizzs Dave Niehaus begins his 34th season today as the Mariners' play-by-play voice, and the anxious feeling in his stomach is no different now that it was when he first started calling games. “Tommy Lasorda used to say he's got a weight problem this time of year,” Niehaus said. “He couldn't wait to get down here.” Niehaus and Rick Rizzs will call the first of 22 exhibition games today on ESPN 710 AM radio when the Mariners play the San Francisco Giants at 12:05 p.m. (PST) in Peoria. “It's always fun watching the club come together, young players trying to make an impression and veterans trying to hang on,” said Rizzs, who starts his 25th season with the Mariners. “There are always great stories to tell.” Niehaus calls it the greatest time of the year. “But,” he added, “it's also the toughest time of the year.” It's spring training for the broadcasters, who must get to know the 63 players in camp and do their best to become familiar with the minor leaguers who'll appear in the late innings of the exhibition games. “We're going to see kids the next 2½-3 weeks that we're not going to see at any other time of the year,” Niehaus said. “You don't know a thing about them. It'll be the same when the Giants, the Padres, whoever, come in. “There will be two No. 99s in there and you'll only know who one of them is. And when they do cut the squad and send the kids down, lo and behold they'll bring them back up and throw them into the game in the seventh inning, and you're thinking, ‘Where in the hell did he come from?' ” Niehaus also is like most Mariners fans, eager to see how much farther the improvements to the pitching and defense will take this team but concerned about the offense. "We won 35 games by one run last year, and you look at that lineup and still wonder where the runs are going to come from," Niehaus said. "We know we're going to have good pitching, although after one and two, you're throwing darts. "The Angels are still the club to beat, we know that. The tough pull is now. Going from 61 to 85 wins was unbelievable, but going from 85 to 95 or 100, where you want to be, is real tough." The process really gets started today with the first exhibition game, and Niehaus and Rizzs will be back in the booth describing how it unfolds. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
A moment of wildness and some lost skin It's not uncommon to see an overly excited young pitcher throw the baseball everywhere but over the plate in the intrasquad games early in spring training. Today, it was a big-league veteran who couldn't corral his adrenaline or his fastball. Chad Cordero, who saved 37 games for the Washington Nationals in 2007. faced big-league hitters today for the first time since April, 2008, when a shoulder injury led to surgery on a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Cordero's comeback has been slow and painful, but he found his arm slot at spring training the past two weeks and he not only was eager to pitch an inning in today's intrasquad, he was anxious. And that wasn't a good thing. Cordero's breaking stuff was fine, but when he reached back to throw a fastball, he reached too far. One sailed so far up and in on Franklin Gutierrez that it peeled some skin off the knuckles of Guti's right hand. Merely a flesh wound, but it scared everyone, including Cordero. "I held my breath, and then I apologized to him," Cordero said. “Throwing my bullpen I was perfect," Cordero said. "But when I got on the mound I was trying to do way too much. I tried to calm myself down and take deep breaths, but today I was so excited to get back on the mound again.” Cordero is scheduled to throw again Friday against the Padres, and he promises he'll be a calmer, more effective pitcher now that today's experience is out of the way. A few end-of-day notes: --The Mariners have signed right-handed pitcher Wes Littleton, who worked out for the team on Monday. He signed a minor-league contract and will report to the minor league spring training camp on Sunday. Littleton, 27, pitched parts of three seasons for the Texas Rangers from 2006-08, going 5-3 with three saves and a 3.69 ERA. He pitched last year for the Brewers' Class AA and AAA teams. --The M's have agreed to contracts for 2010 with right-handed pitcher Sean White and infielder Matt Tuiasosopo. It leaves left-handed pitcher Luke French as the only unsigned player on the 40-man roster. The deadline to either sign or renew the contracts of unsigned players is March 11. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Intrasquad report: Two more hits for Ackley, and some pitching comebacks The Mariners played themselves again this morning, with the "visiting" M's winning 2-0 on Corey Patterson's RBI single in the third inning and Ryan Langerhans' home run in the fourth. No beer showers or ice cream pies in the face (that would be rubbing it into the faces of the losers, remember, because they're in the same clubhouse), although when the guys returned to the clubhouse, Ken Griffey Jr. was waiting with one question: "Well, did we win?" Griffey asked. Four players left an impression in the 5 1/2-inning game -- Dustin Ackley, Ryan Feierabend, Chad Cordero and 21-year-old pitching prospect Michael Pineda. Ackley went 2-for-2 with an infield single up the middle in the first inning and a bloop single to center field in the fourth. He also turned his first double play as a second baseman, handling shortstop Chris Woodward's flip with a bare-hand grab before making the pivot and throw to beat Matt Tuiasosopo at first base. Feierabend gave up a leadoff single to Woodward but got the next two outs, then picked Woodward off first base. This was hardly one of those "just another intrasquad" moments for Feierabend. It was his first competitive game since an elbow injury midway through the 2008 season led to Tommy John surgery. Cordero also is coming back from surgery, to the labrum in his right shoulder nearly two years ago, and faced hitters for the first time last summer. Cordero was admittedly antsy today, and it showed. He walked Ezequiel Carrera with one out and, in the process of walking Franklin Gutierrez, a tailing up-and-in fastball scraped the knuckles on Guti's right hand. He stayed in the game. Pineda dazzled everyone at first with his physical stature -- 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds -- then with his pitching. He worked a 1-2-3 inning with two ground outs and a strikeout. Wednesday, the Mariners face somebody besides themselves -- the Giants in the first Cactus League game -- and fans will get a treat right out of the box. Tim Lincecum, the Cy Young Award winner from UW, will start for the Giants. Right-hander Doug Fister will start for the Mariners, followed to the mound by Kanekoa Texeira, Ricky Orta, David Pauley, Mike Coplove, Jesus Colome and Chris Seddon. Manager Don Wakamatsu will throw out most of his regulars, with a couple of exceptions (catcher Rob Johnson won't play for about a week as he comes back from hip surgery, and Gutierrez is nursing a sore arm). Here is the Mariners' lineup: Ichiro Suzuki, right field Chone Figgins, second base Milton Bradley, left field Ken Griffey Jr., DH Jose Lopez, third base Kasey Kotchman, first base Eric Byrnes, center field Adam Moore, catcher Jack Wilson, shortstop ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Mike Carp's two-run double in the sixth broke a 2-2 tie that led the Mariners to a 5-2 victory over the, uh, Mariners this afternoon in the first intrasquad game of spring training. So much for the pivotal at-bat of the day. This was the first game of Dustin Ackley's life at second base, and he displayed the athleticism that makes the Mariners believe he can make the transition from the outfield, along with the sweet swing that attracted them in the first place with the second overall pick in the June draft. Ackley played five innings, went 1-for-2 with a leadoff double off the left-field fence in the seventh inning and a sweet diving play in the top of the eighth. With Ezequiel Carrera on first and nobody out, Greg Halman hit a hard grounder to Ackley's left, and he made a headlong dive to snag it, popped up and threw out Carrera at second. “I was hoping that there was going to be a ball to my left or right to start it off," Ackley said. "The ones right at you might get you." Manager Don Wakamatsu was impressed with Ackley's whole package. "You just see the athleticism," Wakamatsu said. "This guy hasn't played much professional baseball, but he sure looks polished." Other performances of note from the game: --Carp's double down the right-field line off left-hander Danny Cortes followed back-to-back singles by Brad Nelson and Alex Liddi, scoring both of them to break a 2-2 tie. --Jose Lopez played four innings at third base and didn't get a ground ball, but he did catch a foul popup along the fence in shallow left field. Lopez went 2-for-2 with a single and a double. --Ian Snell, who figures to be either the third or fourth starter, pitched a perfect first inning. "He looked stronger, more confident, under control," Wakamatsu said. --The Mariners ran through their bunt defense between innings, and not everything went smoothly. On one play, Ken Griffey Jr (that's right, Griffey) dropped a bunt and reached first when second baseman Matt Tuiasosopo didn't cover the bag. "Tui on that play knew he had coverage on the bag, but he also had coverage at first base," Wakamatsu said. "We're throwing a whole new system at them in a sense, and that's going to happen. That's why you have these intrasquad games, to expose that." --A few of the veterans got a kick out of left-hander Danny Cortes, the 22-year-old who already has made an impression with his physical stature (6-foot-6, 230 pounds). Cortes didn't pitch his inning until the sixth, but he was pacing the dugout from the beginning. --Mauricio Robles, the 20-year-old left-hander who has impressed folks with his changeup, pitched a 1-2-3 ninth, including strikeouts of minor leaguers James Jones and Nick Franklin. He got Chris Woodward on a fly out to start the inning. --Nine more pitchers will work Tuesday morning's intrasquad, among them Ryan Rowland-Smith, Luke French, Chad Cordero and Josh Fields. --Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee will throw in the bullpen Tuesday. --Ken Griffey Jr., who walked and grounded out today, won't play Tuesday. "He's running the practice on Field 2, him and Coach Sweeney," Wakamatsu said. "We're going to put a little onus on them getting some work done rather than messing around, so I'd rather keep them out of the drill. We'll give him a stopwatch, my cart and a fungo, and see what happens." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment It's intrasquad game day, and Griffey's making the rules It's less than two hours before the Mariners' first intrasquad game, and there's a buzz in the clubhouse even for this. Most of it, of course, is coming from Ken Griffey Jr., who walked around chattering nonstop about whatever and whoever came to mind. To Jason Vargas, the left-hander who'll start one of the squads and probably will face Griffey, who'll bat fourth. "Vargas! None of that inside bull----!" Griffey shouted. "I want four fastballs, outer half." Vargas smiled as he walked by, with a "Yeah, right" look on his face. Griffey next made his way toward manager Don Wakamatsu, urging him to go easy on any daring baserunning the first time out. Wak also gave him a "Yeah, right" look. Griffey's mouth stopped only when Ichiro Suzuki entered the clubhouse in street clothes that came from a street far different from any around Peoria. There's no way to aptly describe the outfit -- jeans with the cuffs rolled up, multi-colored shoes, backward cap, sunglasses and a jacket that brings back the good old days of disco. Griffey stung Ichiro only a little over that -- "The socks, you can wear with anything" -- then he turned to a writer and said, "It's still way better than what you're wearing." And finally, in an effort to make everyone feel involved in today's intrasquad game, pitching coach Rick Adair had a special assignment for Felix Hernandez and Erik Bedard. Actually, he hung special jerseys in their lockers, making it clear what their assignments would be. A white cardboard square was taped to the back of each jersey with "BB" scrawled in blue ink. "Hey," Adair said, "we need batboys." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Hangin' out with David Aardsma's dad OK, the headline is a little misleading. Yes, I will be hanging out today with David Aardsma's father, David Aardsma, but so will about 100,000 others. This is a day off from baseball (kinda and sorta, because I'm still finishing off a Mariners feature for Monday's newspaper). Instead of Peoria, I'm headed to Scottsdale to watch the final round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament. David A. Aardsma, father of the Mariners' closer, is the senior vice president of sales and marketing for Waste Management, the tournament sponsor. Look for him on the 18th green at the end of the tournament helping the tournament winner hold that giant cardboard check. So "technically" I'll be right there with Aardsma's dad in a sporting event like no other. This isn't your laid-back golf-clap kind of crowd. This event draws the largest crowds of any golf tournament in the world and they behave more like college football fans than anything else. Oh, you'll see a few dweebs wearing their slick Ping sirt, slacks and, yes, golf shoes. At this event, anyone wearing a shirt with buttons is way overdressed. The rest are in t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops cheering the good shots and booing the bad ones -- usually with a drink in one hand -- and making sure the reputation of the boistrous, rowdy crowds here is upheld. This is the home of "The 16th Hole," the par-3 surrounded by grandstands that make it the Fenway Park of golf. They can pack more than 20,000 around that hole, and it's such a popular place that it even has its own souvenir tent selling 16th-hole hats, shirts, buttons, etc. It's a fun-loving crowd that doesn't think twice about cheering or jeering or ordering another beer. Just picture 20,000 Ryan Divishes and you get the idea. They sing college fight songs of various players and chant "USA! USA!" whenever a golfer from the victorious Ryder Cup team walked onto the 16th tee box. It's the "Dawg Pack" quadrupled. During a lull in the action last year, everyone in the general-admission grandstand started a chant directed at the hoidy-toidy folks in the corporate boxes across the way. "Corporate sucks! Corporate Sucks!" the few thousand in our grandstand chanted. A few seconds later, it was thrown back in our faces: "We get free drinks! We get free drinks!" That's when the creative leadership in the GA section got the last word: "We don't need a bailout! We do't need a bailout!" Just then, Chris DiMarco walked onto the tee and missed the green to the left, and everyone booed. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Lopez is showing the arm strength to play third base It's still way too soon to know if Jose Lopez has everything it takes to become the third baseman the Mariners hope he can be. What they've learned so far is that Lopez has the arm to play the position. "His arm plays at third base," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "That slow roller, he's got enough arm strength to do that." Wakamatsu said he planned to stick with Lopez at third and Chone Figgins at second through about half the exhibition schedule. "I don't have an exact date, but we want to be able to see them a little bit," Wakamatsu said. If it doesn't work out, Wakamatsu said it'll be important to give both enough games to become comfortable back at their regular positions -- Lopez at second and Figgins at third -- before the regular season begins. "But these guys have played the majority of time at those positions, so I think the flip side is that we can extend that at little bit if we're still not sure," Wakamatsu said. "But we'd like to make some kind of decision fairly early." Other notes from today's work: --Cliff Lee threw off the bullpen mound and, if his schedule holds, he'll throw again Tuesday with a simulated game Friday. --Felix Hernandez throw bullpens Sunday and Tuesday. --The Mariners will play an 8 1/2-inning intrasquad game starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday and a five-inning game at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Those games will be played on Field 1 of the Mariners' practice facility and, like all morning workouts, there is no admission charge for fans. --The Mariners have signed right-handed pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen to a minor league contract in hopes the 26-year-old can resurrect a career that stalled out in 2003 after only a couple of seasons because of substance abuse. The Brewers, who drafted him in the seventh round in 2002, suspended him in 2004 after he'd gone 5-5 with a 2.76 earned run average at Class A Beloit. The Brewers signed Wilhelmsen again last summer after he'd pitched independent ball in Tucson, but he suffered an elbow injury that required surgery seven months ago. He will continue his rehab in Peoria beginning tomorrow and isn't expected to ready when the Mariners' minor league teams start their seasons in April. The Mariners also will take a look Monday at right-handed pitcher Pat Bresnehan, a 24-year-old who was the Pirates' fifth-round pick in the 2006 draft. He went 0-1, 4.29 in 38 relief outings last yera at Class AA Altoona in the Pirates' organization. One whose comeback won't happen with the Mariners is pitcher Cha Seung Baek, who worked out for the team last week in Peoria but didn't show enough to warrant further interest. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment The Mariners took their workout to the big house this morning -- actually, Peoria Stadium, where the exhibition season begins Wednesday -- with some defensive work and batting practice. It's the ballpark's annual FanFest, when the Mariners and Padres take turns working out and signing autographs. There also are a few memorabilia stands and some baseball-related activities for kids. There's not a big crowd compared with previous years, but the weather may be the reason for that. It's 60 degrees and breezy, with the heavy stuff expected to arrive later today, bringing rain and wind gusts that could reach 50 mph. Among those along the rail snagging autographs are four avid Mariners fans known as the Old Bats -- Annie Hayes of Snohomish, Joan Carlson of Enumclaw, Judy Shannon of Ballard and Phyllis Kanda of Sumner. Hayes is pastor of the Snohomish United Methodist Church. The Mariners gave them a nice show on the field. During a fly ball drill, it wasn't just the catches that were impressive. The outfielders would lob each ball back toward a plastic bucket about 30 yards away and, of course, they did their best to hit the bucket on the fly. To no surprise, Ichiro Suzuki did it and, while we can't confirm this, the ball probably landed with the label facing upward. Ichiro also dazzled the fans with a behind-the-back catch in right field and, during batting practice, smoked pitch after pitch after pitch from manager Don Wakamatsu onto the right-field berm. Ken Griffey Jr. also launched a few, and everything Milton Bradley hit had a "sizzle" to it, many of them also carrying deep over the fence. And yes, Jose Lopez was back at third base when the team took infield. One grounder did get past him but Lopez snagged all the others, often hearing shouts of "Lopey!" from his teammates when he'd make a play. Back on the practice fields, Cliff Lee was among pitchers to throw in the bullpen this morning. It's his second bullpen session since a Feb. 5 procedure to remove a bone spur from his left foot. Lee is on a day-on, two-days-off throwing schedule, and, barring a problem, he'll throw another bullpen Tuesday and a simulated game Friday. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Jay Buhner walked into the media workroom a few minutes ago, told a few hilarious stories about the bad old days of Mariners baseball, then showed off an intriguing new baseball bat. He's working with Baden Sports, the Federal Way-based firm that has become well-known for its sports equipment and already has drawn interest from its lastest baseball product. It's a new bat called the Axe, made of maple with a handle that's shaped like, you guessed it, the handle of an axe. Buhner and Rusty Trudeau, Baden's basebal and softball sales manager, have been in the batting cages this morning showing it to Mariners hitting coach Alan Cockrell and a few hitters. Jack Hannahan and some minor leaguers took some swings with it. The idea, Trudeau said, is based on stories that Ted Williams would swing an axe in the offeseason to build his swing. The flatter shape of an axe handle fits the hand better than a perfectly round bat. Not only that, but the knob is angled such that Buhner believes hitters won't suffer problems with hand fatigue or hamate bone injuries that are more common with a traditional bat. It's a maple bat with the grain positioned to reduce breakage, another intriguing aspect considering the number of broken bats that have sent wood pinwheeling onto the field and, sometimes, into the stands. Trudeau says Major League Baseball has given provisional approval to the bat. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment A dozen or so Mariners -- among them are Mike Sweeney, Eric Byrnes, Matt Tuiasosopo, Steven Baron and Rob Johnson -- are on the grass outside the clubhouse going through a yoga class. They all have their mats and are following the instruction of Sarah Potts, an instructor from Seattle who is introducing the team to yoga. Every player on the team will go through an introductory class this week, and Potts will return later in spring training and lead classes for those who want to pursue it. "Yoga is perfect for baseball players as far as core stability, lengthening muscles, your hamstrings, your back," infielder Jack Hannahan said. "Yoga is something that I'll always do now. It makes your body feel so much better." Hannahan took a yoga class three and four times a week during the offseason, taking Bikram Yoga, also known as "hot" yoga because it's done in a room heated to nearly 100 degrees. "It was tough the first time I did it," he said. "And I mean real rough. The first time, I could barely do anything. Your heartrate is going and it's real hot in the room. I thought I was going to throw up." This afternoon's session was held outside in 70-degree weather. No report yet on how difficult it was for the players, although the instructor certainly was all business. Sweeney, as you'd expect, was gabbing through much of the session and had the 19-year-old Baron laughing so hard he couldn't hold a pose. That's when Potts, the instructor, spoke up. "We're going to keep going if you keep talking," she said. First time we've seen Sweeney speechless in a while. Later, in the clubhouse, manager Don Wakamatsu asked Jose Lopez if he was taking the yoga class. "Yeah," Lopez said as he prepared to leave for the day. "Yeah, right." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Who's looking good and who's not? Impossible to tell One of the often-asked questions at spring training is who I think looks good so far in camp. My smart-aleck answer usually goes like this: "Mark Lowe had a nice stretch this morning, and I like the way Ryan Rowland-Smith signed autographs. Good wrist action on the R's." At this point, pitchers are building arm strength and finding their release point, and hitters are trying to reintroduce themselves to a concept called timing. So you can't make too much of it when a manager notes how good someone looked. With that, here's who Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu mentioned after today's practice: --Reliever Sean White is throwing without problem after dealing with tendinitis in his right shoulder late last season. "He really worked hard," Wakamatsu said. "I saw the heavy sink that he showed last year." --Pitching prospect Josh Fields. Wakamatsu likes his work ethic, noting that one day after practice Fields got dressed into his street clothes, but decided to dress back into workout gear and disappeared into the weight room. --Left-handed pitcher Mauricio Robles, who's only 20, looked sharp when the hitters stood in at the plate and "tracked" the baseball. "Mike Sweeney talked about his changeup," Wakamatsu said. "When hitters are talking about a secondary pitch, that's pretty impressive." Robles will be one to watch, having come to the M's as a highly regarded prospect obtained from Detroit, along with Luke French, in the July trade that sent Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers. --Right-handed pitcher Danny Cortes, obtained from the Royals in the Yuniesky Betancourt deal, is impressive just standing still at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. But get this: Wakamatsu said Cortes was squatting 400 pounds in the weight room the other day. Other notes from today's workout: Pitcher Cliff Lee was feeling good after he threw his first bullpen of camp on Wednesday. Lee, set back two weeks because of a procedure to remove a bone spur from his left foot, will throw another bullpen today. Erik Bedard threw off flat ground for 12 minutes and continued to progress from shoulder surgery in August. Jose Lopez worked out at third base again. He's been held back from heavy running because of tendinitis in his left knee. Pitcher Yusmeiro Petit reported to camp and took his physical exam, and he’s expected to be on the field Friday. He was excused in order to deal with a personal issue at home in Venezuela. And finally, former Mariner Jay Buhner arrived in Peoria late this afternoon, which means a lot of guys may want to watch their back when he works with the team for a few days. Asked what kind of torment he had planned, Buhner feigned innocence. “I’ll be low-key for a while,” he said. “I don’t want to stir up anything too soon.” We'll see how long that lasts. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment A few reporters just finished a demonstration of the Mariners' revamped spring training weight room, which you can't really call a weight room anymore. Most of the big weight machines have been cleared out, and except for a rack of dumbells and a few other apparatus, the place looks more like an aerobics room than a weight room. It's a program developed by Dr. Marcus Elliott, founder of Peak Performance Project, a science-based program in Santa Barbara, Calif., that implements science to develop workouts specific to various sports. The Mariners, in fact, have named Elliott their director of sports science and performance and they are the first team in baseball to use his program. In very basic terms, the program gets away from the heavy lifting that's been prevalent in baseball and uses body-weight movements to develop strength, particularly in the core muscles and legs. One exercise, for example, is the "skater jump" that helps the horizontal explosiveness a hitter needs with his legs. Elliott, who has worked with the New England Patriots and Utah Jazz, believes the program is perfectly suited for baseball because the sport is so dependent on rotational mechanics. "There's no other sport where there's one movement that's so essential to being successful," Elliott said. "You can have guys who don't seem like they should make a college sports team in terms of athleticism but are these beautiful rotational athletes. That's the anchor of building a great baseball player, is understanding how to build a great rotational athlete." How have the players reacted? "Ken Griffey walked in here and the first thing he said was, ‘Where's my weight room?' ” said Danny Garcia, a former infielder who is the Mariners' coordinator of sports science and performance. Catcher Rob Johnson raves about it because of the increased strength in his legs, and he believes it has helped him recover more quickly from offseason surgery to both hips. "It's intense I feel incredible with the power that this program generates," Johnson said. "I'm feeling muscles I haven't even felt before. I'm happy with the way my body has responded. Conventionally, we had always done weight. This is more extreme explosive stuff -- box jumps and movements like that. There's a lot of explosive stuff, which is really baseball. Everything you do in baseball, you've got to be powerful and quick." The proof is in the results, so the impact to the Mariners isn't conclusive. Elliott, however, speaks in guarantees that you might hear on an informercial. "We're going to develop so many great athletes out of your system," he said. "I absolutely guarantee it." Elliott has worked with numerous baseball players on an individual basis -- including M's pitcher Garrett Olson the past four years. But team-wise the Mariners have him under contract the next three years, meaning no other organization in baseball has access to the program. "This hasn't been done in baseball before, but we're going to create a big competitive advantage here," Elliott said. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
A father, a son and Mike Sweeney There's no better time to get close to the players than spring training. Imagine going to your local high school field and watching major leaguers practicing on the other side of a chain-link fence. This morning, one 11-year-old wound up on the field with Mike Sweeney in one of those precious moments that the boy and his dad will never forget. Sweeney had jogged from one practice field to another to prepare for batting practice when he saw the boy and his dad playing catch. Sweeney picked up a baseball, walked to the open gate to the field and called for the boy to come over. "Hey Buddy," Sweeney said. "If you're going to playcatch with our dad, you need a big-league ball." The boy walked onto the warning track near the dugout and Sweeney plopped the baseball in his glove. Sweeney said a few more words to the boy and posed for a photo before patting him on the head and leading him off the field. "And do your homework!" Sweeney yelled to the boy as he went back to the field. A few minutes later, a father and son admired that baseball and couldn't stop smiling. Brendan McKibbin of Lincroft, N.J., and his son, Brian, spent the morning at the Mariners' facility in Peoria on the first of a five-day father-son trip to Arizona spring training camps. "This is the sixth year we've done this," Brendan McKibbin said. "Just me and him. It's a special time." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Reliever Kelley feels some chin music, plus six stitches Reliever Shawn Kelley became the first notable camp casualty when fellow reliever Mark Lowe kicked him in the face as the team prepared to stretch, opening a bloody cut that required stitches to the right side of Kelley's chin. It happened when Lowe dropped to all fours to demonstrate a stretch and Kelly moved his face too close. Lowe kicked out his right foot just as Kelley moved closer, and one of the metal cleats caught him in the face. There was an immediate, "Ooooooh," from the pitchers who saw it and then, as you might expect, cruel sympathy. Kelley walked away with a trainer and, as the pitchers began to stretch, David Aardsma said, "A real man would still be out here." Kelley left the complex to be stitched up, and he said the doctor who worked on him deals with hockey players. "He told me, 'If you were a hockey player, I'd stitch you up and tell you to go back out and fight,'" Kelley said. As you also might expect, the pitchers had a pool to guess the number of stitches Kelley would need. "I had eight," Luke French said. The correct number was six, making Erik Bedard the winner. Worst part of the incident is that Lowe and Kelley are golfing buddies. "I wouldn't want to be kicked in the face by anyone else," Kelley said. "Mark felt really bad about it." Thursday, all the players will hear about it from manager Don Wakamatsu. He has no problem with players having fun, but when they're on the field it's time to focus. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Cliff Lee back on the mound, feeling great Cliff Lee didn't know the exact number of pitches he threw this morning in his first time on the mound at spring training, but it may have been close to the number of times someone in the media tweeted his every move. Lee estimated he threw 40-50 pitches and, most importantly, his left foot felt fine in his first bullpen session since he had a bone spur removed on Feb. 5. "I wasn’t as sharp as I would like, but it’s the first time I’ve been off the mound in a little while, so I guess that’s to be expected," he said. "I feel good. The foot’s fine, body feels good. Now I need to get in shape and get off the mound more and catch up with everyone else. So far, so good." Lee threw all of his pitches but focused mostly on locating his fastball. Jason Phillips, the Mariners' bullpen catcher, didn't need to move his glove on many; on others he had to reach, especially a few curveballs. "I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be, but it’s the first time I’ve been off the mound in a couple of weeks," Lee said. "Considering the circumstances, I feel good with where I’m at." Lee isn't sure when he'll throw off the mound again -- how he feels Thursday will determine that -- but he expects to fall into a normal routine. "I’ll probably be a little behind when I get into a game in relation to everyone else, but I think once I get going I’ll catch up," he said. "It’s still way early. There’s a lot of teams that haven’t even started going full tilt yet." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
The day the Mariners signed Chone Figgins early in the offseason, nobody with the club would say for sure what position he would play. Could be third base, could be second. That opened a few possibilities as the Mariners looked at ways they could improve their infield, especially after losing third baseman Adrian Beltre to the Red Sox via free agency. Nearly two months ago, in a Dec. 27 column based on conversations with the team, I wrote about the possibility of Jose Lopez moving to third base with Figgins playing ssecond. Well, guess who was at second base and who was at third fielding ground balls in the Mariners' first full-squad workout this morning? After practice, Lopez said he's on board with playing third. Or, at least the idea of seeing now if it's best for the team. "We’ll see what happens the next couple of days, a couple of games," Lopez said. "If we like it, we’ll talk. If we don’t like it, I’m going to stay at second base." Lopez has been the Mariners' regular second baseman the past four years, but his range has always been an issue and something the current regime has sought to do something about. What the Mariners must learn at spring training is whether Figgins at second base and Lopez at third makes better sense than leaving Lopez at second and Figgins at third, where he has played most of his games as well. "It’s a way different throw to first base," Lopez said. "But it’s no big deal. We’ll see what happens the next couple of days (as) my arm gets in shape. Taking ground balls in batting practice is no big deal. I want to play. Third base? We’ll see what happens. "Figgins is a good guy, and he’s quick. He’s got the range that we need. I’ve got a better arm than Figgins at third base, especially with a diving catch. But it’s no big deal. I’ll wait for the games and see how I feel in the games." The Mariners must absolutely, positively be at their strongest up the middle, and Figgins gives that because of his range at second base in a tandem with shortstop Jack Wilson. But there's another side that the Mariners have thought about as well. Would they be just as well off leaving Lopez at second base, figuring first baseman Casey Kotchman's greater range on that side of the diamond eliminates some of the ground he must cover? And with Figgins at third, would his range do the same for Wilson at shortstop, allowing the Mariners more opportunity to pinch their infielders up the middle? There's no good answer to any of this right now, but spring training is about determining those things. Interesting that it started with the first ground balls of the first workout this morning. A couple of other notes from this morning: --Pitcher Doug Fister is scheduled to throw a bullpen today after being scratched yesterday because of a stiff right arm. --Wakamatsu on Ichiro Suzuki: "He gave everybody hugs yesterday. That didn't happen last year, so we know we're headed in the right direction." --Cliff Lee will do more agility work today and throw his first bullpen tomorrow. He had a bone spur removed from his left foot Feb. 5. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Wounded knee? Griffey is galloping on Day 1 Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said Ken Griffey Jr. was moving much better today than he did in his first spring training workout last year, when his left knee was still in the recovery stage from offseason surgery. Griffey also had surgery early this offseason to remove a bone spur from the knee, and that procedure seems to have given him greater freedom of movement, the skipper said. “It looks like Griff is a lot further along than he was last year,” Wakamatsu said. “In just being able to get to pitches and freedom of the swing, he looks to be in pretty good form.” Griffey even took part in the 300-yard shuttle runs. Well, in a sense. Everyone except those with a medical excuse was required to complete the run, a series of 50-yard back-and-forth shuttles, in less than 60 seconds. “Griffey ran the 50,” Wakamatsu joked. He actually did it twice, both times jumping ahead of Ichiro Suzuki on the final leg and sprinting to the finish line yelling, “I’m the rabbit! I’m the rabbit!” The second time Griffey did it, Suzuki proved he can speak exquisite, if not salty, English. As Griffey taunted him on the run, Suzuki shouted, with no interpretation needed, “That’s bull----!” And, speaking of aging players and their legs, there's this from Mike Sweeney: After admiring a ball that he smoked high off the left-center field fence in batting practice, Sweeney turned to his teammates and said, "Single!" ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment Belief systems, breaking in a glove and starting a vineyard As we wait for the Mariners to hit the fields for their first full-squad workout this morning (under a cloudless sky and temps in the low 50s), it's time to perform a little spring training cleaning of items that have gathered in the notebook. STILL GOT THAT BELIEF SYSTEM The Mariners have a lot of reasons to be confident about this year, given their 85-victory season in 2009 and the offseasons acquisitions. But there's also a sense that nothing can be accomplished without that same kind of work ethic and attention to detail that made them winners last year. "I feel like we're much more confident, and we believe in ourselves and our ability," closer David Aardsma said. "We're walking with our heads a little higher than we were at spring training last year. Pretty much every single guy in the clubhouse had their butt kicked the year before. "We're not losing that work ethic, that devotion, that bit of ‘We're going to go get them' attitude. We're walking around with our heads a little higher because we've got something here and we want to keep it and not let it go. What we did last year was great, but let's make this one better." GLOVEWORK Matt Tuiasosopo plans to work at multiple positions in this camp, which means his locker is littered with leather. He already had five different gloves and was eager to get a new shipment. Told he would be busy throughout the camp just breaking in all those gloves, he smiled. "I have Mark Lowe do that," Tuiasosopo said. "He makes a really good pocket." Lowe tried to downplay his expertise, saying all he really does is dunk a new glove into the hot tub. "About five seconds or so, that's all," Lowe said. "It softens the leather." There's more to it than that, obviously. For his own gloves, Lowe likes tight laces (and says Japanese interpreter Antony Suzuki is really good at that) but also prefers the thumb and little finger to flare slightly outward. So as he breaks in a new glove, Lowe is constantly pulling and tugging on those fingers to get them just right. OUT IN THE COMMUNITY While the Mariners' big leaguers occupy most of the attention, their month-long minor league minicamp continues to shape young ballplayers not only on the field, but off. Late this week, a dozen of them will visit schools and hospitals in Peoria. CHRIS SNELLING'S NEWEST VENTURE What is Chris Snelling up to these days? The popular former Mariner is out of baseball and, according those who've stayed in contact, pursuing another passion at his home here in Peoria. Snelling has gotten into wine making, to the point that he has started his own vineyard. Well, it's only a small patch in his backyard, but word is that Snelling is highly protective of his new vines. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
As it prepared to pour outside and put the practice fields underwater once again (see photo), Milton Bradley walked into the Mariners' lives this morning. He pulled on a Mariners uniform for the first time, then described his expectation for the 2010 in a way, according to him, he's never said. "Primarily, which I've never said in the past, is I want to have fun," Bradley told a scrum of reporters in the Mariners' spring training clubhouse a few minutes ago. "In the past, I wanted to win and I didn't care whether I liked it or not. It was all about winning, because that's what it's all about for me. At this point in my career, I want to enjoy it and have fun." Bradley smiled a few times and didn't face any questions that made him wince, and certainly nothing about his rough experience last year with the Cubs. That season was marked with conflict with management and, eventually, a suspension from the team on Sept. 20. The Dec. 18 trade to the Mariners, in exchange for pitcher Carlos Silva, landed Bradley with his eighth big-league club. Given the cohesive clubhouse that includes his idol, Ken Griffey Jr., and a definite passion for success that drives these guys, he's walking into scenario with the Mariners that fits him well. Bradley said the last time he truly had fun in baseball was in 2008 with the Texas Rangers. What was so right that season? "It's being in an environment that's conducive for playing baseball," he said. "It's a good environment down there, very cohesive, working together, no animosity, nobody trying to out-do the next guy, everybody playing ball and having fun and clicking together." Hmmm, sounds a lot like what the Mariners are assembling. Bradley said he doesn't believe in "all that cliche" stuff about a new team offering a fresh start. What he wants most this year is good health and the opportunity to be himself with the Mariners. "When people allow you to be you and don't steer you in a certain direction, or steer people's thoughts in a certain direction, things will work out the way they're supposed to," he said. When Bradley's season ended on Sept. 20, he said he paid little attention to baseball in the offseason, focusing more on his beloved Dallas Cowboys than anything. So when the Mariners pulled off the trade on Dec. 18, he said he wasn't that aware of the Mariners' offseason changes to that point, including their trade to get pitcher Cliff Lee two days earlier. "To tell you the truth, since Sept. 19 I didn't ... pay any attention to baseball," he said. "I'm a Cowboys fan, so I was watching football. I didn't pay attention to what was going on here until I got traded." In other developments .... --Ichiro Suzuki made a mid-afternoon arrival for his physical exam. He'll talk with the media tomorrow, so only real thing to observe was how he looked. The answer: He looked mahvelous, baby. Gray jeans, gray jean jacket, backwards black-and-white cap (not the trucker cap, though), beige and black "dada" t-shirt and, the touch that pulled it all together, high-topped red and white basketball shoes. --It rained again in Peoria and, for the third day, the Mariners scrubbed on-field drills for the pitchers and catchers. They got their work in under the cover of the bullpen and batting cages. --A familiar person walked across the parking lot this morning -- former Mariners pitcher Cha Seung Baek. He's here for a tryout in hopes of extending his pro career, which started in 1998 when the Mariners signed him out of Kora. Baek, who pitched parts of three seasons with the Mariners, hasn't been in the big leagues since 2008 with the Padres. He pitched in the Padres' minor league system last year. --It has taken some extra coordination to re-arrange the Mariners' workout schedule because of bad weather. Today was even more challenging because the club's 40 minor leaguers also are here for their mini-camp. That's why Andy Bottin, the minor league coach from Camano Island, was headed upstairs to the executive offices this with a clipboard in hand, to schedule time in the batting cages after the major leaguers got their turn. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
A team comes together behind closed doors Overnight rain again limited the Mariners to bullpen sessions for the pitchers and batting practice for the catchers. But before you think little else was accomplished, this could be a day the team looks back on as a time when really came together for the first time. The plan was for manager Don Wakamatsu, the players and coaches to meet for about 30 minutes before going outside. They talked for about two hours, with such pitchers as Ryan Rowland-Smith, Mark Lowe and David Aardsma speaking up about what it took for them to experience unprecedented success last year. Better than that, newly acquired Cliff Lee spoke up about his World Series run last year. A lot of Mariners fans have wondered how Lee would fit in with this team and, most important, whether he would feel comfortable enough to want to stay beyond this year. This is a good sign, and so are the comments from other pitchers who say the entire group -- including Lee -- already seem to be coming together as a unit. "We set out to talk half an hour, but there was a lot of player participation," Wakamatsu said. "To have those guys speak instead of the coaches is pretty neat. To have a guy like Cliff Lee to be open and talk about his experiences, especially since he's only been here a few days, is invaluable. "With some of the younger guys here in camp, it's highly beneficial to be able to have guys who've gone through it and talk about their experience, and also some World Series experience. To see guys like Danny Cortes and Ricky Orta with their ears wide open, that's the greatest thing from a manager's standpoint." It's easy to go a little overboard on the team-building stuff because talent, bottom line, is what wins pennants. But when the Mariners pull off a season like last year's, when Wakamatsu's emphasis on communication and "belief systems" was one factor in turning a 101-loss team into an 85-game winner, you can't dismiss the touchy-feely stuff. Spring training is only four days old and it's impossible now to tell who's looking good and who isn't. The pitchers are finding their release points and building arm strength, and the catchers are getting their legs under them. The important thing at this point is that they feel awfully good about themselves as a unit. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment You know what they say about the weather in the desert? Just wait a year or two and it'll change. After working out in temperatures near 80 the first two days of spring training -- and experiencing nothing remotely close to bad weather a year ago -- the Mariners lost their practice fields to a morning-long rain Saturday. When the players arrived this morning, there were puddles only ducks could love thanks to a series of overnight showers. At 7:45 this morning, GM Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu again were huddling with bench coach Ty VanBurkleo, who coordinates the camp, to decide what work the team could do today. No official word yet, but with the condition of the fields it wouldn't be a surprise if the schedule is the same as Saturday, with pitchers throwing off the bullpen mounds and the catchers taking their batting practice in the covered cages. It's actually turning into a sunny morning, and down here things dry out fast. But with the pitchers mounds and home-plate areas of the practice fields being tarped, the grass is wet and the dirt areas are holding standing water. Not exactly the best place to throw several million dollars worth of pitchers into with a bunt fielding drill. "I'm always on edge about that," pitching coach Rick Adair said. "We don't need someone to slip and turn an ankle." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Drills doused, but pitchers and catchers keep working Several years ago on a spring training day like this -- rainy, breezy and cool -- relief pitcher Rafael Soriano threw five pitches in the bullpen and then winced after the sixth. He'd strained a muscle near his rib cage, and while nobody would say the cold weather was the reason, it certainly couldn't have helped. That memory returned this morning as the rain pelted down, the wind came up and the temperature struggled to reach the mid-50s as the multi-million-dollar arm of Felix Hernandez and others got their bullpen sessions in. There were no mishaps. The rain made the practice fields unusable, wiping out the pitchers' drills -- defensive work on comebackers, passed ball recovery and squeeze plays, and covering first base on the 3-6-1 double play. Thanks to the covered bullpen and batting cages, the 15 pitchers scheduled to throw today got their work in. "The only thing we weren't able to do was execute some of the fundamental stuff on the field," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "Everybody got their throwing programs in." Wakamatsu said the rain actually provided an opportunity to address things with the team that there often isn't time to do. The team usually meets for a few minutes before its daily workouts, but today that meeting lasted more than a half hour. "Sometimes this is a blessing because it gives you a chance to slow things down and touch on some things that maybe you don't normally do," Wakamatsu said. "We had a good meeting to cover some philosophy things, things that we did last year, things we did well and things we need to work on. And to review what we'd done the past couple of days and praise them on some things." Other notes from today's work: --Steven Baron, the 19-year-old catcher who has been the classic example of eyes and ears wide open, fulfilled another dream today. He caught Hernandez's bullpen session. "The kid can catch," Wakamatsu said. "To think that he's a year out of high school, it's amazing. He's a pretty confident kid and he's a strong kid, much stronger than I envisioned, especially right out of high school. He's got great leg strength. But he's got real soft hands and a presence about him. He's not intimidated by any means." --Also behind the plate in the bullpen was utility player Jack Hannahan, who'll play some shortstop in camp but also is getting some work at catcher (along with Ryan Garko) on a just-in-case basis. --Pitcher Cliff Lee is expected to join the pitchers' fielding drills Monday, Wakamatsu said. Lee, who had a bone spur removed from his left foot 15 days ago, is scheduled to throw his first bullpen on Wednesday. --From the Goofing-Off Dept., closer David Aardsma had a spiked-hair visor that he'd bought at a local golf shop. When Aardsma pulled it over his bald dome, you could imagine what his high school photo might have looked like. Ken Griffey Jr., of course, got his hands on the visor and test-fitted it on several people in the clubhouse. --And finally, at 2:07 this afternoon, the clouds parted and the sun reappeared. It's supposed to remain relatively cool, with highs in the mid-60s early next week and rain forecast through Monday. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment 9:35 a.m. UPDATE: It's basically a washout today. It has been raining for about a half hour and the practice fields are drenched, with puddles forming. So all on-field drills are off for today, although the plan is for pitchers to throw in the bullpen and hitters to take their swings in the covered cages. ------------------ Ty VanBurkleo's best friend right now is the Weather Channel app on his iPhone. He has been looking at it on a regular basis. We're supposed to get rain this morning in Peoria, which is big news here in the desert. The wet weather system moving in from California was the lead story on the 10 o'clock news last night (which for me was a great diversion from the compulsory dance at the Olympics. How many times must we listen to that same song?). When rain meets baseball, especially at spring training, things get interesting for VanBurkleo, the Mariners' bench coach. Among many other things as the camp coordinator, he's responsible for putting together the daily workout schedule. "With 63 players in camp, plus coaches and grounds crew and others, I'm dealing with close to 100 people," VanBurkleo said. He consults with the coaches and staff on the drills they need to be run each day, which pitchers will throw in the bullpen and the catchers needed to handle them, plus batting practice and conditioning. Then he assembles it into a highly detailed, multi-colored one-page schedule that everyone follows. "I'm already on Day 8!" VanBurkleo said early this morning, offering a fist bump to mark the achievement. Day 3 could be iffy, however. There's a 70 percent chance of rain by 10 a.m. today, when the drills are supposed to begin, increasing to 80 percent by 11 o'clock. VanBurkleo is hanging a lot of hope on one forecast that said that while the rain definitely is coming, the amount could be minimal and not greatly impact the workout. "The most important thing is to get the bullpens in for the pitchers," he said. "Get the bullpens done, and guys can hit in the (covered) cages." The Mariners' bullpen area here, while outdoors, has a roof over the mounds and another over the home-plate area to keep the pitchers and catchers dry. The 50 or so feet in between is uncovered. "If it's not that sideways rain, the pitchers and catchers will be covered and stay dry," VanBurkleo said. Outside, the partly cloudy skies gave way to Seattle-like gray as it seemed apparent that rain would be a when, not if, event. Back in VanBurkleo's office, manager Don Wakamatsu walked in and asked if he had internet on his computer. "Yeah," VanBurkleo answered. "Doppler?" Wakamatsu asked. Before long, Wakamatsu and the coaches, along with a groundskeeper, were huddled around VanBurkleo's computer looking at the weather map with a big green blob of rain that was approaching Peoria. Every minute of spring training is precious because the Mariners must introduce numerous defensive plays, signs, fundamental drills, etc., and then follow them up with refresher drills as the six-week camp goes on. Any rainout would force VanBurkleo to tweak not only today's schedule, but tomorrow's as well. "It's a tight schedule because there is so much we've got to cover," he said. "Today we're introducing pickoffs, and tomorrow we'll go over it again. Worst-case scenario, we'll do it tomorrow and extend the time more to get it all in." By 9:15 a.m., the worst-case started falling. One clubhouse note this morning: Pitcher Yusmiero Petit won't arrive until late next week because, according to the Mariners, he's handling personal matters at home in Venezuela. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Remember Cliff Lee's pitch behind the back? Griffey certainly does Ken Griffey Jr.'s arrival at spring training today rekindled memories of The Kid in the Kingdome and, 20 years later, the parade around Safeco Field last October when nobody was sure if he'd played his final game. It also had some people thinking about his relationship with new Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee after a noteworthy incident six years ago. During a 2004 interleague game between Griffey's Cincinnati Reds and Lee's Cleveland Indians, Lee threw a pitch behind Junior and was suspended for six games because of it. Before anyone else had a chance to bring it up this morning, you-know-who did. "I'm going to throw bunting practice to the pitchers this year," Griffey said. "That guy might get one behind his back." He pointed toward Lee's locker and laughed, then walked away. OK, so the incident isn't completely forgotten. It seems clear that there's no ill will and Griffey and Lee will get along swimmingly as teammates. What exactly happened that day? I spoke last fall with Carl Willis, the Mariners' minor league pitching coordinator who was the Indians' pitching coach then, and he gave this account: "I had just gone to the mound and talked to Cliff before he threw that pitch," Willis said. "I remember the circumstances surrounding it, with Junior sitting on 499 (career) home runs. I recall that we had an open base. Eric (Wedge, the Indians' manager) and I had talked in the dugout about putting him on. But he’s sitting on 499 and he’s going to be anxious. We really felt like we could get him to chase something and basically give us an out. "So I went out and talked to Cliff. We talked about trying to throw a pitch in, under his hands, to get him into the thought process of, ‘They’re going to pitch to me.’ Then we were going to get him to chase something away. We didn’t want to try to throw some type of waste pitch right away and make him think we were going to pitch around him. "No sooner had I gotten back to the dugout and sat down, ‘Whoom!’ here comes this pitch. Basically, he threw the ball behind Junior. My head dropped and I thought, ‘Oh, my God.’ "The Reds’ manager was Dave Miley, who I roomed with in the minor leagues. He was in the other dugout screaming at me. There’s no way that it couldn’t look bad. But at the same time I remember Griff standing there just leaning on his bat looking out there at him. What a testament to his professionalism. But certainly there was no planned intent for that to happen. "I’m sure it is forgotten." Well, not entirely. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment One thing that stuck out when the Mariners' pitchers and catcher began stretching and throwing during their first workout Thursday was how quiet it was. Lots of light chatter, but mostly the guys went about their business. Someone remarked how that certainly would change once Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney arrives. This morning, it definitely changed. Griffey arrived, wearing a baggy gray sweatsuit and a Nike bucket cap pulled down over his eyes. You could see the mouth, and it was working as usual. Griffey chided center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, saying something about the extra money he'll win off him this year because of that new contract. He bragged about his kids, saying oldest son Trey is now taller than he is. And then he made the rounds in the clubhouse, shaking hands, hugging and smack-talking all the way. "It got a lot louder in there," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "It's amazing how one guy can change the karma of a room." Position players aren't required to report until Monday, but Griffey and two other starters, center fielder Franklin Gutierrez and third baseman Chone Figgins, arrived today. So did outfielder Ryan Langerhans, joining a big group of players hoping to win bench jobs who've been here for several days. "Everybody is excited, especially when you get Griff in early," Wakamatsu said. "That puts the pressure on everyone else." Wakamatsu said he called Mike Sweeney, who signed a minor league contract last week, and asked why he hadn't arrived yet. "I said, ‘Griff's here. Where you at?''" Wakamatsu said. "He said, ‘I got a late invitation.'" Sweeney is expected Sunday. Other notes from this morning as the pitchers and catchers begin their workout: --Cliff Lee's left foot is recovering well after minor surgery two weeks ago today to remove a bone spur. The team will start working him into the pitchers' fielding drills and monitor him closely. "He's feeling real good. It's based on pain tolerance," Wakamatsu said. "They don't want him doing too much too fast, but he's coming along fast." --Catcher Rob Johnson will catch in the bullpen today for the first time in camp. --Pitcher Erik Bedard will increase his throwing to 12 minutes today. Wakamatsu and the coaches say they're impressed at the great shape Bedard is in. "The coaches have remarked how hard this guy has worked," Wakamatsu said. --Pitcher Jesus Colome arrived Friday after finalizing his visa in the Dominican Republic. Pitcher Yusmeiro Petit, the only pitcher not in camp, is expected to be here tomorrow after handling personal issues at home in Venezuela. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
The Mariners hit the practice fields about a half-hour ago for their first spring training workout, manager Don Wakamatsu just finished his first official huddle with reporters and even now it's obvious there's a greater interest in this team. Besides reporters from the usual media around Seattle, three national reporters also were asking Wakamatsu mostly about Cliff Lee and what he'll mean to the team. A few early notes from Wakamatsu: --Catcher Rob Johnson will be "a little limited" in his work early in camp after offseason surgery on both hips. By all accounts, Johnson is recovering well and his newfound flexibility has been impressive, but the M's want to be careful not to wear him down early. --Lee will play catch but generally stay off his feet because of the minor procedure to remove a bone spur from his left foot on Feb. 5. Wakamatsu said Lee is scheduled to throw his first bullpen on Wednesday, which keeps him within the 2-3 week recovery time the team said he'd need from the surgery. Tomorrow will be the two-week mark. --Erik Bedard (shoulder surgery last August) willl play catch today as he continues his throwing program. --Two pitchers weren't in camp today -- Jesus Colome and Yusmeiro Petit. The team said Colome is finalizing his visa and is expected to arrive from the Dominican Republic on Friday. Petit was given some extra time to handle personal matters in Venezuela and is expected to arrive tomorrow or Saturday. --Besides bullpens for 15 of the 29 pitchers, fielding drills and batting practice for the catchers, the much-anticipated 300-yard shuttle runs will begin at the end of the workout. Brandon Morrow isn't here anymore, but they probably should keep a trash can nearby anyway. --After the players come off the field, Wakamatsu and his staff will have plenty of work -- actually, some of the more important work they perform in camp -- through the afternoon. They'll spend some quality time with each player as they did last year, hoping to learn everything from the name of their first pet to their upbringing to what makes them tick. These meetings were the foundation of the clubhouse harmony that existed last year. Too bad Roy Corcoran isn't with the team anymore, because he had Wakamatsu and pitching coach Rick Adair in stitches just listening to his down-yonder Louisiana twang. --And finally, I make amends on this blog with a group of dedicated Mariners fans who I misidentified in a late-night post Wednesday. Jane Henderson of Tacoma, Charlene Moore of Poulsbo, Kathy Hall of Puyallup, Sharon Hunt and Les Hunt of Puyallup, Rich Score and Cathia Score of Selah and Julianne Frick of Juneau, Alaska, already are here to watch the first stretch, first drill and first bullpen session of 2010. Henderson, a big Erik Bedard fan, says she won't miss a day of spring training and will make every game at Safeco Field except one because of a wedding. "And we play the Yankees that day!" she said. Frick also is a familiar face at Safeco Field, coming down from Juneau throughout the summer to see her favorite team. It was nice to talk with them this morning, even if it was to apologize for mistaking them on the blog yesterday with the Old Bats, a group of women who've been fixtures at spring training and Safeco Field. That's one of the things that makes spring training so cool, the fans who come down to show their support and enjoy access to the team they can't get anywhere else. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Let the fun in the sun begin You know you're at spring training when... ... 45 is not the temperature, it's the SPF you'll need to apply. ... you find a restaurant that has a 55-and-older menu, not a children's menu. ... as much as you'd like 78 to be your golf score, it's the next best thing: the high temperature. ... you walk into Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu's office and have him show off a photo of a monster 13-pound Texas bass, then have him discuss the makeup of his starting rotation for 2010 (more on that below). ... a woman carrying a four-foot-long toothbrush walks into the Mariners' clubhouse and you're determined to find out what it's doing there. Turns out an oral screening was part of the physical exams for pitchers and catchers today, and the big brush was a prop (what are the chances it becomes part of a bullpen ritual this year? I'm thinking pretty good). ... nineteen-year-old catcher Steven Baron, the youngest player in the big-league camp, is at his locker early in the morning with hardly anyone in the clubhouse, sitting there with his eyes and ears wide open. He has learned quickly that no matter what time he's supposed to show up for work, catchers always arrive at least an hour before that. ... the Old Bats, that lovable group of dedicated women from the Seattle area, already are along the railing at the entrance to the players' parking lot, saying hello to everyone who passes by. ... Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, so guarded this winter in articulating his enthsuiasm over the team he has assembled, can't completely contain himself as he sees the looks of determination and expectancy in the players' eyes. "It is about a four-letter word called TEAM," Zduriencik says. "It's that simple. It's going to be fun to watch them compete. Where it takes us, it's going to depend on the outcomes, but the journey is fun.” ... outfield prospect Greg Halman displays the bandage on his left hand, the product of hundreds of swings already that have raised a blister. He also shows off his newest tattoos, giving him 14 in all. “People say that when I get older it'll look bad,” Halman said. “But when I'm 60, women won't be interested in me anyway.” ... Ian Snell, the starting pitcher who'll probably pitch in the third or fourth spot in the rotation, can't quit smiling at his delight over being with the Mariners. A year ago with the Pirates, Snell's mental spirit was an absolute mess. "I've told myself that it's the beginning of my career again. I'm 0-0,” he said. ... the first official workout of spring training, on Thursday morning, features the first official bullpen session by Felix Hernandez. Today begins the six-week process in which Wakamatsu and his staff must evaluate their players and make important decisions with a roster that seems set in all but a few areas. Behind Hernandez and Cliff Lee, Ryan Rowland-Smith and Snell appear to have the third and fourth rotation spots in hand (not necessarily in that order). Who'll be the fifth starter? That appears to be a derby among Doug Fister, Jason Vargas, Garrett Olson and Luke French. There's room for one, maybe two, long relievers depending on whether Wakamatsu chooses to begin the season with an 11 or 12-man pitching staff. If it's an 11-man staff, there's a little more hope to those competing for bench roles, guys like Matt Tuiasosopo and nonroster invitees Corey Patterson, Josh Wilson, Chris Woodward and Mike Sweeney. If it's a 12-man pitching staff, those guys' chances become much, much slimmer. “I visited with the (coaching) staff yesterday and I told them there's so many things we have to find out,” Wakamatsu said. “If we're going to go with an 11-man staff, who are the long-man candidates? With the lack of roster spots, are we going to be able to see everybody and give everybody a legitimate shot? There's all kinds of stuff we have to find out in the spring.” The real work begins Thursday when pitchers and catchers start their first workout at 10 a.m. under what's forecast to be blue skies and temperatures headed toward the upper 70s. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment In body and mind, Snell is rested, relaxed and eager It's a quiet clubhouse on Day 1 of spring training, which comes as no surprise because it's physical exam day for pitchers and catchers. The poking, prodding, coughing and wincing starts at 1, and nobody wants to wear themselves out with a full workout before going through that. Among the few early arrivals is right-handed starter Ian Snell, who could be a huge factor in the Mariners' starting rotation this year. He'll fall in place behind Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee (and maybe Ryan Rowland-Smith if manager Don Wakamatsu wants to go back-to-back with his left-handers). Snell couldn't stress how much he appreciates having this opportunity with this team. It's been a cleansing offseason for a guy who dealt with a good deal of mental anxiety with the Pirates before the Mariners got him via trade last July. "This is so much more refreshing, and I'm happy to get a new start," he said. "I've told myself that it's the beginning of my career again. I'm 0-0." For the record, he's 38-48 as a big-leaguer, and 5-2 in a dozen starts after the trade to the Mariners last year. Since then, Snell went home to Florida and focused on an offseason workout regimen that was extremely light on throwing. "When I was with Pittsburgh, I usually would go to a mini-camp during the winter and throw there, and I'd keep throwing," he said. "This offseason I worked really, really hard on my agility work and my hand-eye coordination. I didn't throw too much at all because I didn't want to put the wear and tear on my arm." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Adair: Sean White's shoulder depends on sound mechanics It'll be pushing 80 here this afternoon. And no, I'm not referring to the average age in Sun City. In Peoria, the Seattle Mariners continue to mentally prepare for the first formal exercise of spring training -- the annual poking, prodding, wincing and coughing in physical exams that begin Wednesday. They'll hold their first official workout Thursday morning, and a lot of eyes will be on relief pitcher Sean White, who struggled the second half of last season with tendinitis in his right shoulder. Despite the addition of Brandon League to the pen this year, a healthy White would be a nice element because of his ability to coax ground-ball outs with his sinker. I had an interesting talk with pitching coach Rick Adair on Monday, and I got the impression that while White has looked good in his recent throwing sessions, he's not yet in the clear from concern about the shoulder. Adair believes White is at his best when his throwing mechanics are sound. And when they're not, the shoulder tends to bark. “Fortunately, I got to see him in his throwing program when I was in Seattle last month for FanFest,” Adair said. “And he threw off the mound down here (Monday). We talked about trying to get him back mechanically like he was. He's kind of fought some shoulder issues his whole career, and he has to work hard and smart to maintain his strength. He seems to think it feels better, and he really looked good.” ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
It's looking a lot like spring (training) in Peoria The Seattle Mariners' pitchers and catchers won't officially report to spring training until Wednesday, but their complex in Peoria, Ariz., already was busy today on a cloudless 75-degree afternoon. At the entrance to the players' parking lot, nearly a dozen autograph seekers lined the railings hoping to snag signatures as players drove in and out. That's a pretty good indication of the star power on this team, because in recent years only a couple -- if any -- autograph hounds were on those rails in the days before camp began. There was more activity inside the Mariners' clubhouse, and a definite sense of enthusiasm among the players.. Newly acquired Cliff Lee and Brandon League had moved into their lockers along pitchers row, with Lee at the first spot next to the exit that was occupied the past two years by Miguel Batista. No signs of any leftover Kenny G paraphernalia, although Lee might want to spray the area just in case. Lee said his left ankle was improving well after he had minor surgery 10 days ago to remove a bone spur. The procedure will keep him from normal baseball activities for another week or two, but Lee said it won't affect his preparation for the season. League, the hard-throwing and well-tattooed Hawaiian, shared a few high school memories with Antony Suzuki, the Mariners' Japanese interpreter. They both attended St. Louis High School in Honolulu. League, acquired from the Blue Jays in the Brandon Morrow trade, was especially thrilled to be wearing a Mariners uniform. "This is a great opportunity for me and I'm really excited to be with this team," he said. Ryan Rowland-Smith, who figures to have a spot in the middle of the starting rotation, was back in his corner cubicle smiling as always and talking about some of the surfing he did over the winter near his home in Australia. Reliever Chad Cordero, trying to resurrect his career after labrum surgery in his right shoulder nearly two years ago, had his biggest smile yet. He'd just thrown off the bullpen mound and said his arm feels better now than at any time since the surgery. "I finally found my arm slot," he said, raising his right arm to about a three-quarter height. "Last year, all I could do was up here (throw almost straight overhand) because I couldn't get it any lower." Matt Tuiasosopo is gearing up to be perhaps the busiest Mariner at spring training this year. He said he has lost some weight in order to help his mobility as he prepares to work out at third base, second and the outfield to make himself as versatile as possible. Tui started six games late last season at second base. "I want to do everything I can to break camp with this club," Tuiasosopo said. "I've gone from having two gloves to five, and my new gloves haven't even come in yet." What that means is he'll spend a lot of time the next six weeks breaking in all those gloves. He'll have help, because Tui said relief pitcher Mark Lowe can make a great pocket, and he'll often take other players' new gloves into the outfield during batting practice and work them into shape. Tuiasosopo, of Woodinville, spent most of the offseason working out in Everett with two other local major leaguers, Jackson High School graduates Travis Snider of the Toronto Blue Jays and Brent Lillibridge of the Chicago White Sox. They worked out together at the Rage Cage, a popular baseball and softball training facility in south Everett. Along catchers' row was an image of the sweat and toil those guys go through, along with one of the sweetest moments I've seen in a big-league clubhouse. Adam Moore was the sweat and toil, reaching up for a handshake with a bloody right thumb. He said he was nicked by none other than Roger Hansen, the Mariners' popular but hard-driving catching coordinator, during a blocking drill. "He got a little scrape on his finger and decided that it was a bloody mess," Hansen joked. "He loved it, though. It made him look like he was a tough guy." The sweetest moment? Nineteen-year-old catcher Steven Baron stood in front of his locker and held his cell phone high, taking photos that he planned to email to his family in Florida. Baron has taken part in the Mariners' mini-camp for minor league prospects since Feb. 1, but moved his belongings into the major-league clubhouse today. The Mariners drafted Baron with the 33rd overall pick in the supplemental round last June and are very high on him. "He's going to be a very good major league catcher," Hansen said. "He just needs to have fun and see what the big-leagues is all about in spring training. He'll talk to older players and see how Ken Griffey Jr. acts a certain way as a big leaguer. It'll help him mature a little bit." In the coaches' office, bench coach Ty VanBurkleo and new third base coach Mike Brumley worked on their spring training planning, although VanBurkleo proudly showed off video of the sailfish and mahi-mahi he and his family caught on a fishing trip to Mexico this winter. Pitching coach Rick Adair and bullpen coach John Wetteland also were there although Wetteland's black Lamborghini, a low-slung high-pitched fixture at spring training, wasn't on the premises. It was in the shop back in Texas. On Tuesday, the coaches will meet all day with manager Don Wakamatsu, who was flying in late this afternoon, to finalize their plans for camp. It all starts officially on Wednesday with physical exams for the pitchers and catchers, and they'll be on the practice fields for the first time Thursday morning. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
Moyer isn't looking at this season as his last Eleven years ago when I began on this beat, a cynical writer told me that Jamie Moyer surely couldn't pitch much longer. He was approaching his late 30s and throwing 84 mph oatmeal in a game dominated by pitchers who flung 95 mph hotcakes. I never quite saw it because Moyer still seemed to get hitters out with his soft stuff, although I certainly didn't want to doubt a veteran writer who'd been around the block several more times than I had. The first spring training I covered, I remember walking up to the screen behind the plate during one of Moyer's bullpen sessions. It was amazing that Moyer never seemed to throw the exact same pitch twice, whether it was the speed, the location or the shape of what he threw. It made me realize why some very good big-league hitters could look so silly against Moyer. It's 11 years later and Moyer not only is still cranking it up for the 2010 season, he's not willing to say it will be his last, even though it's the final year of his contract with the Phillies. Here's a story from Philadelphia Inquirer writer Andy Martino, who says Moyer is hardly ready to have a retirement tour this year. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
8:40 P.M. UPDATE: Not long after this blog post appeared this morning, I spoke with good friend Larry LaRue of The News Tribune of Tacoma, and he told a few tales of his experience covering the Angels at Francisco Grande in the 1980s. "The bar closed at 10 o'clock at night, which meant there were a lot of ticked-off ballplayers," he said. The town of Casa Grande wasn't exactly bustling with nightlife, either, and with the hotel several miles outside of town players often created their own fun after dark. One night LaRue tagged along with pitcher Bruce Kison to hunt for javelina. They got into Kison's truck and drove into the desert, spotting some javelina but never getting off a shot that scored. They eventually decided to drive back to the hotel but, having meandered too far and too fro, they weren't quite sure of the best route back. They did see the lights of the hotel in the distance, so they drove toward it as they crossed the desert again. After a while, they came to a stop and realized they weren't in the desert anymore. They had reached a grassy area and had stopped directly atop one of the tee boxes on the golf course. --------------------------- This has been a week to lay low work-wise before the run-up to nearly 50 straight days on the click when the Mariners begin spring training next week. I have been working on a spring training advance package, which will run in Monday's sports section, but mostly it's been a week of idle time (OK, coming clean here: I played some golf). Friday, I drove south of Phoenix to Casa Grande and met Jim Street, who covers the Mariners for MLB.com, for a round of golf. Naturally, we couldn't get away from baseball. We played at the Francisco Grande Golf Resort, a place that reeks with visions of Mays, McCovey and Marichal from the 1960s. Francisco Grande was the spring training home of the San Francisco Giants until 1982, then the Los Angeles Angels until 1984. The baseball fields are long gone, having been transformed into football practice fields for a couple of teams from the old USFL in the 1980s and, now, a fantastic soccer training facility that's part of the new Grande Sports World. In fact, the Seattle Sounders just finished a nine-day stay there and scrimmaged against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Thursday night. Surrounding it all is an 18-hole golf course, which made me wonder one thing as I played Friday: If I duck-hook a drive onto the soccer field, could I play it without penalty if one of the Sounders kicked it back? Still, there's no mistaking the baseball feel of the place, particularly the connection with the San Francisco Giants. The observation tower that was the centerpiece of the cloverleaf of practice fields still stands, and inside the resort are cool black-and-white photos, plus the home plates from a couple of the practice fields. From the outside, the hotel looks just as it did in the 1960s, although it underwent a big renovation in 2003. If walls could talk, how many juicy stories could that place tell? Click here to see a lot more about the facility, including some really cool photos from when the Giants held their spring training camp there. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment
M's keep a pitcher and lose one to the Red Sox Two more minor moves (well, major if you're the players involved) this afternoon by the Mariners. We now know the fate of two pitchers designated for assignment last week. Right-hander Yusmeiro Petit has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Class AAA Tacoma, and left-hander Gaby Hernandez was claimed by the Boston Red Sox. Petit, claimed on waivers from the Diamondbacks early this offseason, was designated for assignment on Saturday when the Mariners re-signed Erik Bedard. Hernandez, acquired from the Florida Marlins on July 31, 2008, in exchange for Arthur Rhodes, was designated for assignment Feb. 1 when the Mariners signed Ryan Garko. If you're counting, that leaves 62 on the Mariners' big-league spring training camp list, although that number easily could swell or shrink. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment M's sign right-handed reliever Colome to minor-league deal The Mariners' stockpiling of arms continues with the signing today of right-handed reliever Jesus Colome to a minor league contract with an invitation to the big-league spring training camp. Colome, 32, pitched in 21 games last year with the Washington Nationals, going 1-1 with an 8.40 earned run average before they released him on July 10. The Brewers signed him as a minor-league free agent and he came up to pitch five games with a 5.68 ERA. He has pitched in the big leagues in parts of the past nine seasons, with a 19-26 record and a 4.66 ERA in 328 appearances with the Rays, Nationals and Brewers. With Colome, the Mariners' current head count is 63 for their big-league spring training camp, 32 of them pitchers. Spring training begins a week from today when pitchers and catchers report to the Mariners' facility in Peoria, Ariz. The first workout is next Thursday, Feb. 18. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment |
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