Game 107, The King Is Here
As everyone knows by now, King Felix makes his major league debut today, becoming the first teenage pitcher to start a major league game since Todd Van Poppel in 1991. That’s a bit of a chilling sentence, but the fact is that Felix Hernandez is the best pitcher in the organization right now. His command is still a problem, but his stuff is so good that it won’t stop him from being effective.
The M’s have been hard to watch for 24 months. We’ve gotten bad news on top of bad news this week, as the club hoped to turn the focus to the future but instead has had to deal with a steroid suspension and yet another arm injury. But Felix is our glimmer of hope. He’s something to genuinely get excited about, a reason to watch the games, incentive to go to the ballpark.
From the all-star break of 2003 to the present, the Mariners have been a depressing cloud of disappointment. Today brings the hope of something better.
All Hail the King. Long Live the King.
Comments
512 Responses to “Game 107, The King Is Here”
It’s a cool day for the franchise.
Since I was 5 when Griffey got called up, and since A-Rod’s call-up was overshadowed by the impending strike, I’m gonna say that King Felix’s debut today is quite easily the most anticipated Mariner debut I can remember. No-hitter, anyone?
Sure Zach…go ‘head and jinx us.
Go Felix!!!!
Long time reader, first time poster.
Just wanted to remind those that are frustrated by the fact the game is not on TV in the Seattle area. The game WILL be on MLB TV, so if you have a high speed line you can watch it streaming on the net. I know I will be….Exctiting day in an otherwise dreadful season.
$3.95 for a once in a lifetime game? Definitely worth my money. Just hope my flight lands on time (9:53AM)!!
Actually, MLB.tv is blocking any IP address from within the blackout area, which runs from Canada to Montana down to Oregon. Basically, if you’re in the northwest, you probably won’t be able to see the game.
Damn. This will be one of the few times that I am grateful to be a Mariners fan in Iowa.
Wow that sucks, I thought it was only blacked out locally if there was local tv broadcast.
Sorry for the bad advice, and if I got anyone excited. My bad.
There are ways around the MLB blackout, but you need a few days warning.
Sorry, I meant to add that it’s your BILLING ADDRESS that is the significant factor in blacking out your coverage. Not your IP Address. If you have a friend in say………….Nebraska for example….
Pretty much just change the billing address on one of your CC’S and use that as the payment for the account.
That’s just not true, Mac. I have an MLB.tv account registered to my CC in North Carolina. When I came back to Seattle in July and attempted to use it from the blackout area, I was shut out.
There was a big article about this a month or so ago. They are seriously cracking down.
Sorry Mac, but it’s IPs they block. I paid all last year w/ a NY cc, yet when I visited my parents in WA the Ms games were blacked out.
Hmm, ok, I guess they haven’t gotten to mine yet…probably will after Felix’s 1st pitch…..!
That’s really weird then. Maybe my Apple is helping me out in some way?
Either that or I’ll be on Sportcenter with Raffy and Franklin tomorrow.:)
Is that the biggest ass-for-brains strategy ever? Here you have a relatively small but dedicated group of people who would pay whatever they asked for this product that they’re selling, but they won’t sell it. It’s not like it’s a home game and they’re trying to drive us to go to the stadium. What other business tries as hard as they can to keep their best product a secret from their best customers?
You probably have a dynamic IP address, which changes every time you connect.
Japan is also blocked by those dirty bastards.
Changing your address doesn’t work for MLB but it does work if you have DirecTV’s Extra Innings package. I know “someone” who has “moved” several times from Seattle when there’s a non-televised game. They always “move” back to Seattle a few days later. And you don’t have to change your credit card billing address, just the “physical address” that you give to DirecTV. And you can still keep your DirecTV “billing address” in Seattle so you don’t have to find a friend in another city to get your bill.
Having said all this, that won’t help you today if you have DirecTV as it doesn’t look like the game is being televised in Detroit. This has worked on many, many occasions in the past, so think about for the future if you have DirecTV…
#17. Must be my lucky day.
On the original topic. Whatever happens today, if Felix walks off the mound healthy, it can be considered a huge success.
Good luck mate.
#16. You’re right it’s beyond ridiculous. If they gave me the opportunity to pay extra for ALL Mariners games, I’d be happy to do it.
Apparently FSN did make an effort to have today’s game televised once they learned that Felix would be starting, but couldn’t get it together.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/235230_mbok04.html
NO FELIX ON TV: Today’s Felix Hernandez start, probably the most anticipated pitching debut in Mariners history, must be enjoyed the old-fashioned way (in person, on the radio) or in a very new-fashioned way (MLB.TV, via MLB.com), without an option in between.
With an unappealing 10 a.m. Pacific start time — on a Thursday — Fox Sports Northwest had no plans to televise the game. Neither did Fox Sports Detroit, presumably for a similar reason.
That left FSN officials working feverishly after the announcement that Hernandez would make his debut. “We spent the last day or two working with the team, trying to get enough sponsorship and move programming, but the logistics were too difficult in the end,” said Mark Shuken, FSN’s vice president and general manager. “It was on the schedule as a 10 a.m. game, and it was just too late to put everything together.”
“What other business tries as hard as they can to keep their best product a secret from their best customers? ”
The NFL. At least we can watch games that didn’t sell out.
22. Thanks for the report Jon. At least FSN was trying to do it.
FSN should have called up AFLAC, told them they would run wall-to-wall Duck commercials during Felix’s start, and give them a 50% discount. Easy peasy.
#14- maybe, that is why everyone should be on a Mac!
I liked Nageotte’s comment in support of Felix in the various papers today. I was checking out Nageotte’s profile on the CBS Sportsline site and saw this blurb in his profile:
“Nageotte is converted starter who befuddles hitters with a major-league quality changeup. He has a future as a Keith Foulke-type reliever, but saves opportunities are not in his near future.”
A changeup? I thought that was his problem. He didn’t have a 3rd pitch to go with his fastball and slider. Sometimes you have take what you read on these sites with a grain of salt.
So do we have a date yet for his Safeco debut?
In a season this dreadful, why do I pay for MLB Extra Innings except to catch games like this? I’m not blaming the TV people — not their fault that the game is at a time that makes it uneconomical to broadcast — but this all seems like adding karmic insult to karmic injury.
This being in NC thing is going to be very usefull today and means that I get to watch the game
I even woke up early so I wouldnt Miss it
“Nageotte is converted starter who befuddles hitters with a major-league quality changeup. He has a future as a Keith Foulke-type reliever, but saves opportunities are not in his near future.â€Â
This is just a stupid writeup, most likely written by an intern who has no idea how to pronounce Nageotte, much less knows anything about him. Clint is a fastball/slider guy.
Regarding Felix, he is listed at 6’3″, 170. We know he isn’t 170. For those that have seen him pitch this year, what would you guess his current weight to be, and does it look like a good playing weight for him?
As a life-long M’s fan from Richmond, VA and interning in NYC, I can safely say this should make an otherwise mundane Thursday afternoon terrific. Unfortunetly, mlb.com’s GameDay is the only way I will be able to follow along. I’m not sure how much my co-workers wouuld appreciate the intern watching streaming video of a baseball game and shouting obscenities. Best of luck Young King, we salute you.
Felix is 200 if he’s over 12 ounces. He’s a big dude.
Yup… he’s at least 200 from what I saw of him on Saturday.
He’s 225, easy.
This is irrelevant, actually. The block of IP addresses that are used for dynamic addressing by your ISP would still show up as “from Seattle”, most likely.
For example, http://www.ussmariner.com is 67.15.52.22. That range of IP addresses (from 76.15.0.0 through 67.15.239.255) are all owned by “Everyone’s Internet, Inc.” located in Houston, TX. If you were getting an IP in that range for your DSL or cable modem, you would most likely not be able to watch Astros games, regardless of where you were physically located.
Jimmie the Geek
With my expert eyes I’d put him at 210.
Watching him warm up in the bullpen in spring training from just above and behind him is easily the most exciting baseball I’ve seen all year. Followed closely by hustling to a spot behind home plate when he came in to pitch and watching from there.
Hopefully my boss doesn’t walk by my computer this afternoon.
I’m gonna say that King Felix’s debut today is quite easily the most anticipated Mariner debut I can remember. No-hitter, anyone?
If I’m remembering correctly, Ken Cloude was perfect through 4 or 5 innings in his debut. That was broken up by a walk, so he had a no-hitter through 5 or 6. With an 80 pitch limit, The King might only go 4-5 innings today anyway, so it wouldn’t be completely without precident.
:moon:
M-O-O-N spells :moon:
Sorry.
Ken Cloud was one of those guys I had great hopes for, especially after he took his no-hitter into the sixth against the White Sox. Then, of course, the Mariner curse hit. Last I heard, he was in the Tampa organization with Lou, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out of baseball entirely now. I’ll look it up when I get home.
So if FSN isn’t carrying the game, and Fox Sports Detroit isn’t carrying the game, will there even be video highlights to watch?
A runfest for the Inland Empire 66ers yesterday. Balentien with 2 RBI’s, Cabrera with 3, and Garciaparra with 6!
It will be so refreshing to see a Mariner pitcher who can actually blow hitters away with his stuff.
If it’s not televised, it will probably also run pretty quickly, too.
On the moon, weekends are 7 days long, so FSN would have televised the game since it would be on a weekend.
Wow, I guess they don’t want the King to win this game with the lineup they’re trotting out there. No Betancourt, and Sandfrog as DH. *shivers*
“Pilots fan said: Regarding Felix, he is listed at 6′3″, 170. We know he isn’t 170.
Rusty said: Yup… he’s at least 200 from what I saw of him on Saturday.
Dave said: He’s 225, easy.”
and now we see that using media guides as a source when leaping to conclusions about player weight gain can be misleading…
Leveque was rambling on about Franklin’s weight going from 165 to 195, basing it on his listed weight in the 2002 weight guide. Watching Franklin pitch in 2002, he was not pitching at 165 lbs– but then, was Leveque even watching baseball in 2002?
Why is Sandfrog still on this team?
Where are you getting the lineups?
and now we see that using media guides as a source when leaping to conclusions about player weight gain can be misleading…
Oh, some of them are comical, just total works of fiction — I once was looking up player weights with a guy from work, trying to figure out who was the heaviest currently in the majors and I kept busting up, because we’d look up Mo Vaughn or Bartolo Colon and they’d be listed at 225 or something ridiculous.
Any word on a roster move? The rotation is a mess, so I have no idea who would be moved off. I would like to see Spiezio DFA’d, but that would leave a 13 man staff. Hargrove might like that.
Nags was optioned to Tacoma.
Felix is wearing number 66? Is there any specific meaning behind that, or is it just random?
#51: From cnnsi
Pity me: I’m at work and I don’t even have a radio. Too bad I can’t subscribe to 1 day of internet audio like I could for 1 day of MLBtv.
The NHL has free internet radio of ALL games, both teams (and French if Ottawa or Montreal is playing). One of the few things they do right from a marketing standpoint.
I guess this site and the craptastic pitch-by-pitch scoreboards are my only option today.
54 – Thanks. I guess the Hasegawa release/DFA is not going to happen as soon as reported.
As for King’s number, maybe he has a sentimental attachment to his time at Inland Empire.
“But I just gooooooooooooooot here!”
“That’s fascinating. Here’s your ticket back to Tacoma. It’s a 92-hour flight in economy, routed through Vladivostok, Guam, and the Disputed Zone.”
“Awwwwwwww mannnnnnnnnnn.”
wasn’t El Guapo at 220 for a long time in the Dodgers Media Guide? I think he’s up to *cough* 250 now…
Teams as of the last few years like to give their phenom pitcher #66. I suppose it’s baseball-numerics for Phenom. The Cards did it with Ankiel and I’m trying to recall a few other examples, but failing.
Jeez, if Ankiel had it, I’d think they’d want to keep Felix far, far away from it.
When Dave says everybody is blocked FROM Canada down to Oregon, does he mean in Canada or just from the Canadian Border?
And what is Derek’s little man that has suddenly started popping up?
#51 and 56. CBSsportsline.com also has the lineups.
WFB at 2B, batting second. Spiezio the DH batting eighth. Morse is SS batting seventh. Betancourt not in lineup. Aaaaaarrrrgh!
Maybe they want Felix to become a corner outfielder?
Maybe Felix will turn into a good hitter like Ankiel.
Quick question – if the Fox Sports Nets aren’t broadcasting the game, where is the MLB.tv signal coming from? Will there even be announcers?
Felix gets a ton of ground balls. I’m not sure why they’d want Morse at SS.
Wouldn’t you think they’d want to give Felix all the defense he can have, in order to build his confidence? That wouldn’t be Morse at SS. And batting your DH 8th is an embarrassment.
re: Felix’ number, the PI yesterday said “He talked about the promotion with former Seattle ace Freddy Garcia – his idol-turned-friend. Garcia congratulated him and told him to work hard. He’ll wear No. 59 tomorrow after wearing No. 34 – in honor of Garcia – at Tacoma.”
You mean the :moon:
Given Felix’s ground ball tendencies, if ever there was a game to play your SS with maximal range, this is it. Odd move by Hargrove, or maybe he doesn’t care about GB/FB ratios.
#68 Agree. If anyone can figure out Grover’s lineup rationale please post it. I am sure a lot of us would be interested in what in the world the man is thinking about.
With the TV blackout, at least I will not have to watch DH Spiezio’ easy pop-ups or called third strikes. On the plus side, 100% of his hits have gone for extra-bases.
Is there any way we can get Felix to stop talking to Freddy? Within the law.
In regard to the line-up, Hansen should DH. The only value that Spiezio has is a defensive sub for 3b or 1b in case of an ejection or injury.
And can Morse play any other position other than short? Has he? I like to see his bat in the line-up, but I would hope that they begin seeing if he can play 2b or even lf in winter ball or next spring.
The geolocation of IP’s isn’t always correct because it, in large part, depends upon voluntary reporting from the ISP. If you’re in the Seattle area but still get the game you could try a free geolocation service/ap such as this one (note, I just pulled this one off Google, can’t vouch for their spyware policies). I’ll bet it pulls some other city for you.
If you want to check your IP (and many other things) DSL reports is a place I highly recommend.
Any prospect that has Freddy Krueger, er, Garcia as their childhood hero has got, well, let’s just say, issues.
So will Felix be pitching again on the 9th at Safeco??
ALL HAIL KING FELIX!
Even Corco was able to get an hour off from work to get over here to listen.
Holy crap, what’s Er doing here? Did I miss something in a previous thread or is his debut meant to coincide with King Felix’s debut?
No, he came around yesterday.
:moon: Dance, monkeys!
Why the obsession with :moon:?
By the way folks, this is what happens when I’m up really late at night tinkering with the site — I figure out how to add bizarre stuff like that. Prevent future functionality discoveries by making the game threads nice and clean.
Is it possible that because the game is being played in detroit, the game will be considered a tigers game and somehow be available to mariners fans in the NW?
No way!! I want to see the Samurai Abraham Lincoln Meatwad in the USS Mariner comments Somebody email the NY-Mariner and get him posting again.
(a side note: isn’t cool to see or hear stuff out of their proper context?)
86
Don’t you dare.
Dear god, please don’t answer that question.
Oh, THAT little man.
I havent questioned hargrove all season but this is ridiculus.You have one of the brightest defensive players to come around in a while in yuni and you dont put the best defensive team out there in the franschises best young pitchers debut?Im thuruly confussed i would think you would do everything in your powers to make it a smooth ride for the kid!!Hargrove just a hint yuni is the future along with felix and the more you play him the longer you stay employed!!!
Over 80 threads and we’re still 35 minutes from the first pitch. Today’s deadline day at my weekly publication, so will only be able to monitor via Internet occasionally. All I can say is good luck to Felix.
BTW, the last righthander I heard this much hype about (Mariners or other teams) was a fella named Gooden. You might have heard of him.
I heard King Felix has a quad laser in his arsenal
I’ve been waiting two years for this…
Praise the lord!
I feel like a beer, but I have to drive to work at 11:30 (10:30 PDT)
Really? I heard he shoots laser beams from his eyes and has the strength of ten oxen!
On radio pre-game, Hargrove said that King will be limited to a 80-90 pitch count. Hopefull that gets him through 5-6 innings.
Felix is wearing #59, Nageotte is sent down, according to gameday.
Why 59? That’s crap. Price could surrender 34 for Felix.
On radio pre-game, Hargrove said that King will be limited to a 80-90 pitch count. Hopefull that gets him through 5-6 innings.
The question is, will Hargrove count pitches? It seems to escape him at times. Like… his whole managerial career.
What time is the first pitch? I think I will take an early lunch and sit in the car so I can listen to the radio.
Hopefully Hargrove will not let Baylor count the pitches. When Baylor managed the Cubs, he let a young Rueben Quevedo pitch somewhere into the 130s. He later said that he thought the pitch count was around 110. But counting is hard. My four year old son has a hard time getting past twenty.
96: 10:05 PDT.
#92:
I heard Felix once punched a hole in a cow just to see who was coming up the road.
His poop is used as currency in Venezuela.
Prediction: Longest Game Thread EVER
Thanks DJC.
Gee, thanks for that.
54: Ken Cloude pitched for Tampa Bay’s AAA affiliate last year, but he doesn’t have any statistics there or at AA this year. And I can’t find any news articles more recent than his signing with TB. He last pitched in the majors in ’99. I think he’s done.
Re:99
Felix sounds an awful lot like one Bill Brasky….
Anyway, I know I sure am excited for today’s game, and hope to see Felix do well.
So, if I did subscribe to MLB.tv for today’s game only, and I wasn’t in a blackout region, what broadcast would I get, since neither FSNorthwest or FSDetroit is showing the game? Who’s producing the game, who’s the play-by-play/color team?
I got my Mariners Mail this morning from the M’s, and they’re advertising access to the game at MLB.tv “for only $3.95,” yet it’s blacked out for everybody who cares and there’s no broadcasters?
I’m gonna move back to LA.
Spezio at DH. Morse at SS.
I thought DH was supposed to mean Designated ‘HITTER’……..
Sometimes they show the stadium closed-circuit feed, no announcers. I’ve heard it’s a little eerie
105: The closed-circuit stadium feed, coupled with Detroit radio announcers, I think.
104: yep, see the link my name.
Anyone know if people in the seattle area can watch the archived game on mlb.tv after its over? Better late than never, I suppose.
I heard that the reason Felix isn’t allowed to use his slider yet is because it is so nasty that the FCC won’t allow it.
Do you think Speizio has what it takes to rival Ben Davis’ ignominious .091 from last year?
Good news: I’m in L.A. with MLBTV, so I can watch.
Bad News: They are using the Detroit broadcast.
Worse news: Some pain-in-my-neck decided to schedule a last-minute meeting for me on the other side of town, so I can only watch the first inning or two.
102
My connection is terrible so the feed is very choppy, but the people walking around the stadium with no audio is pretty creepy.
check this photo from today’s times ….
So, does the camera change and everything, or are you stuck with a behind/above the plate shot, like a spring training game?
#67 Normally they use the stadium tv feed and the MLB.com radio announcers.
#116: Is that a halo?
117: You see what you see on the Jumbotron.
I would have begged off work to see see this if it was televised. Man.
Wow, I finally feel lucky as an M’s fan living on the east coast. An important game on MLB.com and one that doesn’t start at 10PM. This is what I paid all that money for I guess.
I have been holding out judgment on Hargrove, but if he keeps putting Morse instead of Betencourt at SS when Felix is pitching, judgment will come pretty quick. This is really fustrating, even more so then the way he uses the bullpen.
When Hernandez gets a strikeout on his fastball at home, they should put “Ultima Ratio Regum” on the scoreboards. I’m sure like four people would get it, but it’d be awesome.
Is it just me or are teh announcers voices really creepy. This is for those watching the game on MLB.TV. I put it on and got freaked out.
#124
That would be pretty awesome, both a Louis XIV and latin reference. I vote for more esoteric scoreboard messages
I haven’t been this excited about a non-playoff game or game without playoff implications since Alex debuted in 94. All hail the King.
The last argument of kings, indeed
You know, it seems like the PNW’ers of the group could access this game if they routed themselves through a proxy server that was located outside of WA, OR, ID, MT….just a thought. Of course, by the time you set this up, the game would probably be mostly over.
#116–that shot was from this spring, the traditional bubblegum bubble on the rookie; I think it was one of Elaine Thompson’s fine AP photos
I’ve never been more happy to have XM Radio in my office then today.
“That would be pretty awesome, both a Louis XIV and latin reference. I vote for more esoteric scoreboard messages”
Why not hire Dennis Miller as a broadcaster while we are at it?
Why not hire Dennis Miller as a broadcaster while we are at it?
Because he sucks.
I am doing the GameDay thing…Any advice on which is better — Sportsline’s, ESPN’s, MLB’s (or someone else)? Usually I do Sportsline but it seems to be 3 batters behind sometimes.
Yahoo’s isn’t horrible – they get behind sometimes though too (at which point I bounce around between all the others to see which one’s furthest along).
Because he sucks.
You’re not being very supportive.
134 — MLB’s is the best, at least in my humble opinion.
I’m just saying anything is better than “Noise” or “Here comes the Boone”
Anyone find a radio feed? I can’t get radio in my building.
Just a thought – many universities have remote access to their internet connections with passwords/user IDs so their students&staff can read journals from afar. If any of you have friends studying/working at a university out of the blackout zone who’d lend you a password for the day, it’d probably function as a proxy…
When Verizon used to include free MLB.TV last year, I would watch games with the MLB.TV feed. Usually instead of commercial breaks, you’d just get a wide shot of the field for a few minutes. I don’t think they even shut off the mikes.
Overall, it wasn’t very good.
I don’t think they even shut off the mikes.
That could be really interesting.
141. and 142.
Sorry to dissapoint, but we get the radio feed now, including the commercials
Make this a quick inning, God.
So what am I missing here with the KOMO-AM radio feed? Why is the game not on?
Well, that was 2 quick outs.
My feed is probably going to be lost once I post this just to spite me, but I’m in Vancouver (WA) and mlbtv is working for me. Granted it is only the press box view, and on the radio Ichiro popped out about 15 seconds ago and still has yet to pop out on tv, but it’s a visual at least. If you can’t get the video you’re not missing much, though at least they can zoom in on the pitcher+batter.
134 – MLB Gameday is pretty reliable.
Well, judging by this first AB, it looks like we MLB.tv-ers have just one camera angle: a shaky zoom-in from behind the back stop. The plate is blocked by the ump. No sounds from the field. Crappy.
Dear David,
No problemo.
Here we go.
Thank you lord
OK, come on Felix!
God forbid we give him a lead to work with. That would be way out of the question.
I can’t get MLB Gameday to work with Firefox. ESPN’s does.
I would have preferred a solo shot to give him a run to work with.
I suppose that not seeing King’s debut is better than seeing Sele make another start. A trade-off I will take.
Anyone? Is there a radio feed?
Can someone provide the direct gamecast URL? stupid browser here at work keeps reloading the scoreboard page on espn.com over and over.
I gave in and paid the $7.95 to get MLB audio for the rest of the season, and disconcertingly, it’s almost a batter behind MLB.com’s Gameday.
That’s one.
Gameday works fine with Firefox. Maybe you need to enable popups.
I just paid $8 to MLB.com to listen to this. Here’s hoping the kid kicks ass!
152: It’s selfish, I know, that I wanted that to be quick, but I have to leave in 15 minutes, and I’d like to listen to at least 1 inning.
Dave just said 6’3″ 170….
C’mon Dave, use some sense.
MLB Gameday works fine for me using Firefox 1.0.5 on windoze xp. It’s flash… maybe you need to install flash.
base hit up the middle… felix waved at it … not the most auspicious start…
base hit up the middle… felix waved at it … not the most auspicious start…
Ouch.
I wonder if Torreabla will ever get to start a game.
Looks like he’s crap
Polanco is just about the hottest hitter in baseball right now…
He’s keeping it low. That’s a good thing.
Well, there goes the no-hitter. But at least his limbs didn’t pop off.
Well, I’d rather have Wiki today, simply because he caught KF in Tacoma.
THanks Zach for jinxing the no-hitter. j/k
Guillen hasn’t swung at a pitch yet… 3-2 count
Anyone? Is there an audio feed other than through MLB.com? Why is the KOMO radio feed just news and not the game? Did it get shifted to a sister station?
FYI – I’m watching the MLB.tv feed – from downtown seattle.
Guillen walked … 2 on no out
What the heck is wrong with MLBTV? It’s one guy with a freaking nadi-cam today. Guess that’s what you get when it’s televised nowhere.
What disrespect for the King’s debut.
That first hit… Felix could have fielded. Well, Moyer could have fielded.
The combination of Felix’s speed and MLB’s crappiness means you can’t even see the ball…
I feel less bad about my meeting now.
#173 I agree, that’s why Torreabla made sense yesterday. would give a different combo with Meche to see if he pitched better.
KOMO can’t broadcast games because MLB has the rights to them.
158, I’m using gameday on Firefox and it’s working fine.
176: It’s a copyright thing. MLB bought M’s audio rights from KOMO on their online feed.
176: Because if we could just get the KOMO feed then why would we pay for MLB audio?
MLB owns the rights to the internest stream.
OK, I just checked MLB Gameday again, and it’s working. The main page still looks like garbage (incorrect IE-only formatting, all the text areas are on top of each other) but the scoreboard page works now and so does Gameday. Yippee.
“Which of these AVGs is not like the others?
Which of these players just doesn’t belong?”
The MLB-tv feed is pretty poor — can’t see the pitches at all. And it’s running about 3 seconds behind the radio feed so I can hear what happens before I can’t see it.
Felix just called Wiki out to go over signs…
Call me a pessimist, but HE’S NOT READY!
(please prove me wrong)
can’t broadcast on the internet that is…
Rizzs: “Felix had great control throughout the minors”
I guess Ricky’s getting his exaggerations/lies warmed up for TV.
anyone watching on MLB.tv care to update us on what he’s hitting on the radar, if they’re sharing that?
??? Makes sense from the MLB perspective, but why is there an audio feed of news from KOMO radio? Do they actually still put out a regular news feed strictly for internet streaming since the on-air content is broadcasting the game?
What? Did he throw the slider? Nieahus said so!
“If you came to conquer you’ll be king for a day
But you too will deteriorate and quickly fade away
And believe these words you hear
When you think your path is clear
We have no control
We do not understand
You have no control
You are not in command!”
Crud.
He just walked another batter, bases loaded no outs… no sign of Price though
I wonder what our record would be if we eliminated the first innings of all our games.
If Felix were a Yankee, the fans would be calling for him to be released now.
“He’s not ready”…
After two batters? Wow, rough crowd.
I don’t really care how his outing is. Really. I know he’s good. I just want his arm to stay healthy.
FWIW, the Detroit announcers were sort of aghast about the last ball called. Seems tehy’re squeezing Felix a bit.
Do you get the sense that Niehaus knows there’s no TV? He’s really putting the flourish on.
Nerves, anyone?
Oh, dear.
192: Radio says 96-97, pretty much all fastballs
Uh oh.
Magglio just fouled one off weakly… first swing in about 10 pitches…
Apparently he’s taking a page from Gil Meche’s Guide to First Innings Against Detroit
93-97 is what mlb-tv says.
He’d better settle down or he’s not going to go more than 4 innings.
I think the problem I have with Gameday is with our firewall here at work, actually. It’ll get the data when I first load it, but then it never seems to want to reconnect and get any more. Changing to Firefox from IE didn’t help at all for me… obviously the admins here don’t want us watching baseball during work, I wonder why? (:
#22 Jon Wells….thanks for the heads up (and P-i link)on FSN’s attempt to move the game….
[That left FSN officials working feverishly after the announcement that Hernandez would make his debut. “We spent the last day or two working with the team, trying to get enough sponsorship and move programming, but the logistics were too difficult in the end,†said Mark Shuken, FSN’s vice president and general manager. “It was on the schedule as a 10 a.m. game, and it was just too late to put everything together.â€Â}
Right now they are showing a grill infomercial on FSN. (That’s really hard to reschedule with all the Top 10 list shows!) Kidding aside don’t trust FSN’s word on anything. There’s a reason Fox and Murdoch couldn’t compete with ESPN – they’re a fly-by-night organization.
200: Because I am always wrong, if I say that he isn’t ready, he must actually be ready and then he’ll dominate. I tried to fool the baseball gods and it didn’t work.
Dag Barn.
Magglio single to LF sharply hit … one run in … here’s Price
Couldn’t take it anymore. Left work and just arrived at my apartment in Redondo Beach. And I just lit a candle that sits a foot from my laptop. I advise everyone else do the same.
192 – we don’t get any visual aids on mlbtv – no score/count/pitch speed/anything. Just the field.
#187 argh,
Keep in mind that this game isn’t televised in the Seattle and Detroit markets. So for today, we’re getting a Press Box Special from MLB.TV.
Quit bitching. Try to enjoy the game. “Try” being the key word.
Hmm…first inning jitters. Hopefully he’ll calm down next inning out, just gimme a double play ball …
If he doesn’t settle down he’ll hit 80 pitches in the first inning.
3-2-3 double play!!!!
Couldn’t take it anymore. Left work and just arrived at my apartment in Redondo Beach. And I just lit a candle that sits a foot from my laptop. I advise everyone else do the same.
I don’t know that I can get to Redondo Beach in time, and do you have that many candles?
Felix now has a finite ERA! W00T!
Good double play!!
I had to add the Gameday page for MLB.com to my Trusted Sites to get it to work. Must be a script they’re using…
Thank you, Jesus!
WOO double play?!
Another weak foul ball this one by Pudge … his stuff looks good … Hah ! Got Pudge on a check swing!!!
Relief at last
YEEEEEHAW!
good job… pudge will swing at anything.
Here’s one K, and to many more.
yes! nice. out of the first with only one in. Let’s see if he settles down now. Good god my stomach is in knots…
Way to settle down and limit the damage, Felix!
Pudge came back to the dugout and slammed his helmet in disgust… I think the first base ump may have been a little generous with his punch out…
Good news: He survives.
Bad news: 24 pitches, so he may be gone by the 5th.
And man, is this site melting down.
Well, I didn’t see it, only listened to it on the crappy MLB gamedau audio, but that sure sounded like some good wriggling-out-of-a-jam pitching there!
Here’s to one K, and to many more.
Mercy call?
(joke)
OK, only 1 run after bases loaded no outs isn’t bad.
It’s not a great way to start but he’s a baby. There will be more innings.
There WILL be more innings, right?
9.00 ERA…….this guy stinks.
Is it just me or does Felix’s delivery look a bit like Freddy Garcia’s?
Another unpleasant discovery: using IE on this OS9 computer (ugh), reloading this page doesn’t bring me back down to the last comment loaded. But I’ll take Felix’s double-play ball over that anyway.
AGH! Freaking food service professions. Now I must vacate this thread and drive across town and sit in a 90 degree non airconditioned kitchen and wash dishes for the next 2.5 hours, simply because they wouldn’t give me this meal off. apparently “young pitching phenom making debut and I want to listen” isn’t a good enough excuse. Yikes.
Felix, do me well. Please. That strikeout, that’s what I like to see. Make those happen more.
Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit” played on the MLB.tv feed. Ha ha. Clever.
1 IP, 1 ER, 240 posts….
There are more people here than in the stands. USSMariner will sink.
“Man is this site melting down”
No kidding. If the Mariners got 1 more hot prospect out there we’d have to chip in and buy these guys a faster server.
25 pitches already. I want to see… Oops sorry, hear him as long as possible.
OK, sportsline gamecenter says:
Sexson grounded bunt out to center.
That sounds like an interesting play..is that really what he did?
There are more people here than in the stands. USSMariner will sink.
Don’t worry, I glued the rats to the floor. We can’t sink now.
248. No, grounded hard to short.
Gameday says Sexson flied out.
Boom! Jeremy Reed doubles.
Another sighting of the King Felix moniker.
http://fantasysports.yahoo.com/analysis/news?slug=fanball-pickupoftheweekfelix&prov=fanball&type=fantasy&league=mlb
Seems like it will stick.
No kidding. If the Mariners got 1 more hot prospect out there we’d have to chip in and buy these guys a faster server.
Boy, would that suck.
For future reference… it would seem the Millenium Digital Media IP Addresses aren’t blocked from MLB.tv. MDM has an extremely small cable market in Seattle. Mostly on Beacon Hill.
DMZ, if you can make it down to RB in time, you’re more than welcome to watch the game here on my T-30 Thinkpad. And I have about 14 more Ikea candles. Candle #1 is almost done burning.
Betancourt would have had that. Morse was slow to that ball. Luckily Beltre is a good 3B.
Jesus, the camera work just got worse. Zooms in on Felix and then it quickly moves to follows the pitch.
I still don’t understand why they can’t convert Morse to a 2b.
SAN SHIN!
Attaboy, Felix.
UNO-DOS-TRES!
Great inning there… two routine grounders to first, and a check swing strike out … camera was told to zoom to Felix every now and then for TV purposes…
Well that was more of what I was hoping for.
Thata boy, Felix. Get that confidence going.
Good Felix there — 2 ground outs and a dominating K.
Just cut the ERA in half….
third, not first… sorry
Nice inning, but man, the MLB-tv camera feed is weird. Don’t they have center field cameras in Detroit? Did Dmitri Young eat them?
#252: I saw that this morning. Check this out:
http://news.google.com/news?q=%22King%20Felix%22
I am officially starting my own “K” tally.
K, >|, so far. Damnit, it just doesn’t work without the plastic signs. =/
I’ve given up watching because of the lack of cameras; just listening to the feed. Nice change of pace to get away from the relentless hometowning of Dave and Rick, notwithstanding that Seattle is my other hometown.
Any chance that Morse is getting more PT at SS than Betancourt precisely because he isn’t as good of a fielder? Betancourt is already an excellent defender, perhaps they feel Morse will benefit from the playing time and improve a la Winn in center last year?
9.0 K/IP folks.
interesting listening to the Detroit guys talking about Betencourt. They’ve been raving about him and have him penciled in at SS for next year.
In all the excitement of players coming and going, has anyone noticed that the offense has gotten better? Averaging over 5.5 runs/game, and scoring 4 or more in 8 of their last 9. If the starting pitching was anything to speak of, we’d have a nice little win streak going.
Wiki! What an arrogant double!
The theory goes that a SS can be taller, because he’s already turned the right way on the DP. A 2B has to pivot, which is harder for a big man.
As I say, that’s the theory.
Anybody have a link to the earliest known “King Felix” reference?
How many DHs in history have had a BA of .062?
Good to see Spiezio make use of his few ABs. What a chump.
Weaky doubled. Dude.
I think Morse DH with Betancourt at SS is much better than what we have today. As much as I like Morse, Betancourt is obviously our SS next year. Vizquel-like.
Time to start a new streak, Ichiro!
Spiezio…when will he be gone?
I think they want Spezio’s batting average to hit .000 before they let him go. Plus it really helps to have that vetern leadership in the clubhouse now that Boone is gone.
Oh well. Maybe next time.
Who the hell is Shawn Douglass? Dave?
and Sandfrog strikes out looking? why exactly is this guy playing again? You know, for a bunch of businessmen, you would think they would understand the concept of a “sunk cost”.
271: You don’t know the concept of “hometowning” until you listen to Hawk and DJ during a ChiSox broadcast. Dave and Rick are the C-SPAN of broadcasting compared to the aformentioned two.
Well something is wrong with Ich. He hasn’t looked this bad in years.
Willie, if you drive this run in I promise I will not say anything mean about you for at least a week.
I think they are trying to let Speizio showcase himself. It’s no secret that’s he’s gone when Snelling comes back.
You realize that’s mathematically impos… oh I get it.
Time to ignite….
I think range and footwork is more important for a 2b than a SS. It’s better to take a SS with good rage and a weak arm to convert to a 2b than a SS with a good arm and poor range. Morse’s weakness is range and footwork, exactly the opposite of a 2b. He might make a nice 3b, lf or rf if his power develops.
Yeah those Chisox guys are awful..”You can put it on the board” and “He Gone” make me want to vomit.
Well hell. I didn’t know my REAL name would show up in the post. Guess I won’t be invited to Spezio’s new rock band debut after the M’s FINALLY get rid of him.
Looks like Willie’s in for another week of being flamed hairless.
290: No kidding. I refuse to watch Pale Hose games now, just because of those announcers. That “he gawn!” and their regrettable home-run call get on my nerves something terrible.
The worst, in my opinion, is that they refuse to call homers for the opposite team. They don’t even say anything!
FSN is now showing the “Natural Cures” infomercial…..(it’s the huckster who used to have Danny Bonnaduce as his co-host)
Enter the King.
Y’know, I actually like those guys. They have love for their team. “Your” announcers should have a bias towards “your” team. Kind of like how Jerry Lawler (and Bobby Heenan before him) was the “heel” announcer, always rooting for the bad guy.
Whoops.
Angelina, using the concept of limits, even as AB –> infinite, batting average will only approach 0. Of course, using the power of rounding to 3 digits, by my calculations he only has to go hitless his next 3969 AB’s to get to 0.000. Hey, it could happen!
Bet that hurt. =)
Can someone who has the privilege of seeing the game tell me about Felix’s pitch selection. Is he throwing mostly fastballs? Is he throwing any sliders? Curveballs? It’s hard to get a feel for that from the ESPN GameCast…
Earliest King Felix reference published was Jason, here 7/17/2003, though Dave was using it in emails before that.
“He gone”? Are they trying to sound, uh, “urban”?
#305 – Isn’t that referred to as an asymptote or something like that?
He looked out. But who knows.
Fox Sports Northwest = homers.
303— Having bias towards your team is one thing and being absolutley ridiculous about it is another. I mean those two guys are clown shoes.
#310 – Yes.
Jake S,
Maybe. But I think the Sox fans like ‘em. Heck, I like ‘em and they’re not my announcers.
“He gone” pronounced with a cornpone nasality that tries, and fails miserably, to imitation Jerry Reed in ‘Smoky and the Bandit’.
#305
At this point, it FEELS and sure SEEMS like the FO might just wait until then, to let him go. Damn. How many years is that?
Or ‘imitate’ if you want the non-cornpone spelling.
Wow. He made Shelton look foolish. The Detroit announcers really call it like they see it.
That guy that stole second on us has a name that sounds like he should be singing opera. Placido Polanco? Come on!
315— I bet they do. I guess as long as their fans like em. but could you imagine the backlash around here if they were M’s announcers?
damn!
293 – that’s a joke, right? I don’t think we would showcase an .062 hitter.
The single camera routine is sometimes done when a game isn’t being telecast. I guess the TV stations get something to air for highlights that way, and Web Gems and such are immortalized, if poorly. I recall such a game in Detroit several years ago when Dan Wilson hit three home runs (yes, the M’s Dan Wilson). There was lamented the lack of regular TV, but. IIRC, they had a one-camera view from press box level behind home.
I’m in the Seattle area, and I had just recently started on a 30-day MLB.com free trial. Yes, I’m blacked out.
Detroit announcers are calling the King’s range at 81-97.
SAN SHIN!
K, >|, K!
Here come the Angels. Building just shook….
Does the run scored on a PB count as an earned run?
I’m not sure Polanco’s run is earned since it was a Pass Ball.
#307 … He’s mixing it up … sliders, curves, changes… he has the hitters off balance… just K’d Magglio on what looked like a slider… the HP cam makes it tough to discern curves from sliders… but he’s definitely throwing them … and he’s throwing them anytime during the count which is a good sign… the passed ball was just that a passed ball .. wiki just let it go by him …
I dying to try an experiment the next time I’m working out of Seattle and a game is blacked out — use Remote Desktop to access my computer system in Alaska and try to watch the game via mlb-tv that way. Wonder if it’ll work.
57 pitches through three.
MLB animated gameday shows Polanco scorng on a passed ball, and KF getting tagged with an earned run. Is this right? Isn’t a PB an error?
Adam K,
No. Dave just said so. 57 pitches for Felix through 3. He’s gonna have to get that down if he wants to last very long.
328, No, a Wild Pitch counts as an earned run.
Way to battle, Felix.
6 ground outs, 0 fly outs, after 3 innings… and our middle infield is Mike Morse and Willie F. Bloomquist? Hargrove, buy a frickin clue.
What’s the Vegas over/under on the # of comments this thread will have when the game ends?
This is incredibly frustrating not being able to watch this game. I hope they rebroadcast it. I’m taping it!
Someone knows if he has a limited pitching count?
My gameday has his ERA at 3 now…only one ER
FSN now showing outdoor boxing on tape (Sunday Night Fights). Hosted by guys wearing not tuxes, but t-shirts.
#336
1036
Luigi,
Reports say he’s on ~80 pitch count. Which is fine with me.
The only reason the camera is there is because FSN Northwest wanted to show highlights… they hired the camera (remember the Detroit Sports Report is produced and broadcast from Seattle, so they have a bureau in Detroit) .. In fact … The M’s are using what FSN is shooting for their own use. If FSN didn’t hire someone to shoot this, nobody would be seeing it.
Re: the ChiSox announcers, I just moved back to Seattle after living on the South Side for 3 years. Hawk & DJ are obnoxious after a while, and I’m actually a big Sox fan … the Sox radio crew is much, much better … and for all of Hawk & DJs irritating foibles I can vouch that they’re nowhere near as homeristic as the Ms broadcast crew and KOMO, who are so fawning in their praise of the lowest, least talented Mariners that it makes me want to puke.
Dmitri just teed off on a changeup … down the 1B line for a long single…
Well maybe a little bit of FREAKIN OFFENSE would help the King’s cause. Good grief.
331
Isn’t Alaska in the M’s media market as well?
After watching this MLB.TV broadcast, I don’t think there is an actual film crew broadcasting. It sucks to have to watch this game via a home plate cam. Detroit radio announcers and a single crappy camera… I guess a picture is better than no picture. Don’t get your hopes up for a rebroadcast though.
USSM just failed to load the stylesheet for me. I think we’re killing it.
For those who care about what he’s throwing… he went fastball slider, change to Dmitri… slider, fastball, change, curve to Pudge… who just beat out a DP ball
344 — For all the M’s broadcasting weaknesses, they are in no way worse than the hawk and DJ. No way. I lived in Illinois for awhile and got all of their brodcasts as well, at least Niehaus will give it up for a good play by the other team Chisox announcers never credit the other team. They always say things like “well, he hit a bad pitch from Buherle etc…etc..” The other team can never do any good. Im not saying the M’s are great, but those clowns are embarrassing.
Just started Monroe out with a 96 mph fastball
2 hits, a walk 4 K and a GDP.
Offense is welcoming Felix in Ryan Franklin World.
We tend to get blacked out but I think that’s just because we get our stuff from the blackout area and have no direct feeds of our own — the Alaska area codes are not on the mlb-tv blackout list. Have to admit I’m not quite sure how all that works.
These Tiger announcers are funny… talking about Hafner needing 3 more days of rest which just happen to coincide with the next 3 games for the Tigers vs. the Indians.
Any idea on how many innings we can see felix pitch for the M’s? If he gets 190 innings this year, anyone know how many he pitched in AAA and Spring Training?
By my cocktail napkin calculations and a few assumptions, Felix will have produced more earned value than the rest of our rotation by September 12th.
So Sportsline didn’t even have the second run being scored, even after the inning…so now they had to go back and correct it. And I thought Felix was cruising along.
Additionally, I wonder if Grover really wants Felix to fail, considering that he has 2 poor defenders at premium positions, when talented alternatives are viable.
Niehaus quit saying it’s a shame the game is not being televised. The quality of radio broadcasts in Venezuela far surpasses those in the U.S. Venezuelan fans love to listen to games on the radio.
Tigers just executed hit and run … but Hargrove had Morse covering the bag, not Willie … and had Felix staying outside with his pitches… good control, good execution… Tigers announcers said Rodriguez, instead of Hernandez… first time, I think. 68 pitches for Felix now…
Boy when Niehaus tells you the story of how someone arrived in the Major League, it feels like your grandfather spinning a yarn about a local urban legend around the campfire on a cool August night somewhere around the Touchet River after a brisk day’s hunt in the woo…
*shakes head*
Sorry… what was I saying?
70 pitches through 4. He’ll be gone after next inning.
What’s his pitchcount after 4?
What’s his pitchcount after 4?
I don’t have MLB.tv. (Apprarently games on the radio these days are nothing but commercials.) What just happened on that play?
I am asking for a consensus. Was Felix called up because:
a. He is ready?
b. The M’s need pitchers?
I would pay so much more attention if the Seattle radio announcers actually called the pitches. God! Can you imagine. I think that would really help to educate the fan base into educated baseball fans.
G/F ratio of 9/0….very nice….
Interesting… after the players came off the field, one of the M’s coaches was talking to Wiki. He pointed to his eyes, as if Wiki needs to be watching for something.
It was a passed ball, not a wild pitch. It is not an earned run.
70 according to gameday.
Sorry about the double post…and I found the answer anyhow, assuming MLB.com is correct:
So, 42 strikes out of 70 pitches is pretty good, though the 2 walks and the HBP are a bit worrisome.
How about we score the King some runs?
365, Both.
Wind is picking up in Detroit, blowing out to LF … I like this for the M’s, since Felix isn’t giving up anything in the air… ooh, nice play Polanco right there…
Wow!
Orioles fire Lee Mizelli!
Boy when Niehaus tells you the story of how someone arrived in the Major League, it feels like your grandfather spinning a yarn about a local urban legend around the campfire on a cool August night somewhere around the Touchet River after a brisk day’s hunt in the woo…
That is how broadcasts used to be. Listening to Vin Scully when I was a boy brought me to a similar state of mind, TIF.
Nice to see our boys putting up such a fight.
374 — Niehaus just announced it!! WHAT?
375- I was just about to say the same thing. I love that. That is how baseball on the radio should be.
Hey! Spiezio’s average is listed at .063! He’s climbed 10 points above the Spiezio Line!
42 strikes out of 70 pitches isn’t pretty good. It’s mediocre at best.
But it doesn’t matter. Felix isn’t here to dominate the league; he’s here to get some experience, learn to handle the pressure, work through stuff, and hopefully get some hitters out. I think he’s doing fine so far. I don’t even care if we win this game.
Well, at least Speizio hit the ball
Neihaus: “I haven’t seen Speizio hit a ball to left field….a grounder to the LEFT side for crying out loud”
When Neihaus has given up on a player, its time for him to leave the roster.
.061 now.
Yeah, I would fire Mazilli, he didn’t get that Burnett trade effected. Oh wait.. that was Beattie’s job.
Felix has no flyouts. All GO’s and K’s.
Jesus. Sean Douglass appears to be feeding off the raw ability and talent of Felix Hernandez. He’s pitching more like we expected the King then the King himself.
Sheesh. For a guy who has a SO:BB ratio of 3:2 in 32 2/3 innings pitched (before today), he looks like an Ace.
Logan bunted slider to first… easy play by Sexy … let’s see if he can get out of here in 10 pitches or less…
I was writing our Dh name and got kicked out of the site!
Is it considered a mindless profanity?
Douglass looks more like the phenom today.
355- yes they are funny, I like ‘em!
365-He is totally ready I think he needs to be challenged more and was not getting it at AAA.
Knee-buckling curve to Polanco fooled the ump …
#380…I’m not saying it’s great, but for a guy making his first big league start (no matter how talented), and especially for a guy who has some control issues, I guess I’m glad to see that most of the time he seems to be coming right after hitters.
#386:
More like he’s feeding off the raw ability and talent of our hitters…to not hit.
And he ends with a K.
Nice debut! ERA is at 1.80.
SAN SHIN!
K, >|, K, K!
81 pitches through 5. Y’know, I’d almost let him have the 6th, being VERY CAREFUL to not let him get in trouble.
Morse was a little casual on that ground ball … two straight sliders to Carlos so far… then fastball outside… Felix knows this is his last batter… 2-1 slider, Carlos took a big swing, and fouled it off… heat for strike 3!!!! Felix looked great… retired last 14 of 16 hitters… way to go! I think he threw 80, maybe 81 pitches?
That’s the way to finish a debut!
These Detroit announcers are impressed by Felix. And they call it when their hitters can’t catch up to the pitch.
Can we PLEASE find or trade for the next Orlando Hudson? Or even the real Orlando Hudson? NOW?! And while we’re at it, let’s go back in time and get 1994 Omar Vizquel.
#331: Unless you have at least a T-3 line or better going both ways, remote desktop would not work. Look at it this way, if you’re using cable/dsl at home and watching streaming video (coming from a high-bandwidth host), it can be choppy. With remote desktop, you’d be lucky even to see the outlines of the video.
81 pitches: 49 strikes, 32 balls.
Is that it for today?
Not stunning but a nice soft landing overall. Is it in the top ten starts by an M’s starter this year?
If the moderators will permit, I have a quote from Will Carroll’s column today in Baseball Prospectus:
Somewhere beyond bad luck lies the Mariners pitching staff. I won’t chronicle the long painful history here, but suffice it to say that no team has more entries in the injury database for pitchers.
As we near 400 comments before the 6th inning, and the site is running about as fast as Manny Ramirez on a ground ball, should we bring back the T-Shirt idea? I’d be all for a simple Mariner blue shirt with U.S.S. Mariner across the front. This would both double my current wardrobe and subsidize this superb sports site.
Erase the early (theoretical) jitters, and very nice. How many more games would we have won this year so far with this kind of start?
A 2004 Ichiro would be helpful as well.
Was Felix only throwing 80 pitched in his starts at Tacoma?
This is by far the most pathetic and frustrating offensive performance of the year.
For those of us able to watch, let me paint a picture of his strikeout pitch to Carlos… he reared back for something extra, you could tell he was going for the K with heat… I’ve seen that in some of today’s great pitchers… Roger, Pedro, etc… he went for it and he nailed it …
It’s moot. This is the Major League level, where pitching is tougher and pitchers have to be babied even more. F-Her was on ~80 pitches today, and that’s what they held him to.
Ichiro down to .304. Walks down, power up (slightly). Is he struggling, or is he actually listening to the people who’ve suggested that he swing for power? Whatever it is, it’s not working too well.
Paul Molitor Cocktail said: “Fox Sports Northwest = homers”
Except when they are being Detroit’s homers. say, I see where Angie Mentink won the “2004 Michigan EMMY for Best Sports Anchor”
Mateo in for the King.
I never thought I would be glad to see Julio Mateo in a game, but I’m thrilled to see that the heat of the moment (and the fairly well pitched game, something I’m sure Hargrove had forget existed) didn’t lead them to putting Felix out there to start the sixth. He had his ~80 pitches, did well, now let him sit down and worry about his next start.
Hey, he’s got a 1.80 ERA, for those who like both ERA’s and small sample sizes.
Felix out? Okay, back to work now. Will my IPT lead have noticed that I played hooky for 2 hours? I’m thinking….no, no he hasn’t.
Could we have a nice round of applause for a game debut for the kid. Not dazzling, not eyepopping, but he settled down, made some nice pitches, and got through it.
#407 You call 2 for 19 with 4 K’s and 1 walk pathetic AND frustrating?
T-shirts are a great idea but I anticipate heated debate over the degree to which the ship should depicted as sinking.
409 — So he’s somehow pitching differently at Seattle than Tacoma? or harder somehow? What?
“Error establishing a database connection
This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or we can’t contact the database server at localhost.”
I’m signing off, this site is on its lips. I don’t want to be the one who breaks it….
As we near 400 comments before the 6th inning
Geez, I hope DMZ is stocked up on ramen…
How does Felix’s fielding look?
Okay, Felix is out, everyone can leave now and stop thrashing our little site. Thanks!
#409 … since Felix’s bursitis, yes, he’s been on a pitch count… in his last Tacoma start he was lifted after the 4th inning, even though he was throwing a no hitter… I think that’s because he got the call during or right before the game…
#418…sadly funny
#419…well, he might be trying to throw harder, to compensate for the increased ability of the hitters, plus they’re finally letting him throw his slider, both of which could tax his arm. Oh yeah, and he’s 19, and the brightest hope for this team…thus, no reason to risk him in a meaningless August game.
How about Wiki for a DH sometime? 4 times better than Spezio, and he won’t have any passed balls.
424- What I don’t understand, is they would have him on a pich count today bursitis or not. As if he’s throwing differnetly or something.
Miguel Olivo just hit his second Padres homerun. He’s now batting .571 with San Diego.
F-Her
This could appear offensive out of context. The King or King Felix is his nickname.
How about K-lix?
Anyone know how fast Felix hit his fastball today?
I love watching the SS Dmitri Young steam around out there. Can we take him home with us?
425- precisely my point.. We would have been letting hom throw all he wants at Tacoma.. certainly more than 80. So we just let him burn out in Tacoma instead of Seattle?
Dumy, up to 97 according to the Tigers announcers.
No, TIF, it’s just that they’re working him back from injury; this is only his second extended outing since the bursitis.
Felix has been on a tight leash his whole career. 80 may be particularly short, but it’s not as if they were having him throw 140 in Tacoma regularly.
Nice
RAUL!
In 1995, a miracle happened.
K-lix is now the Great New Hope.
Told you that wind was picking up !!! Way to go Rauuuuuuul
Ok. How about, I dunno…a run or two?
Was that hit on the meaty part of the bat?
Nice Raul. Perhaps I will insert A) foot in B) mouth
OK, at least we’re on the board . . . maybe we’ll manage to get Felix el Rey off the hook here.
And no, he’d be on a pitch count in Tacoma, too, while they get his arm stretched back out.
and FWIW, he is only 19 and has been on a pitch count his entire career….
Research is inconclusive about the effectiveness of pitch counts for reducing injury. Word to your mama!
I’m not debating that this has something to do with it. But I am sure my reason is fairly sound too. Pitching at the ML level isn’t easy. It takes more effort, more control, and requires tougher pitches. Down in AAA level, even, you can probably “get away” with a few more pitches. But in the ML level? When you’re facing guys like Magglio Ordonez, you have to make tougher pitches to get tougher hitters out.
I’m not saying that it is the sole reason, but considering Felix’s upside, his youth, his injury, and the fact that the Mariners staffs are WISELY not overexposing him, an ~80 pitch count for your first ever Major League start isn’t a stupid concept at all.
And then there were 6 outs to piece together some semblance of an offense.
Research is inconclusive about the effectiveness of pitch counts for reducing injury. Word to your mama!
You’re right. He should be throwin 140, 160 pitches a night, build up his stamina, like noted iron man Kazuhiro Sasaki.
Whoa! Slow down young fella.
Just noticed on MLB.TV the video is delayed so much that even the MLB.com gameday is quicker by about 5-10 seconds.. just an observation haha
Is there some kind of rule against pinch-hitting for your designated hitter? And… wouldn’t that be kind of sad/funny/inevitable if Hargrove had someone pinch-hit for Spiezio?
MLB.TV says injury delay?
Nice debut by da King! Hope is on the way for 2006!
USSMariner guys:
Could you please post something when you find out when Felix’s home debut will be?
If he stays in the five-man rotation schedule, he will debut Tuesday. Is there any word on whether he’ll make another start, or will he go to the bullpen as originally hypothesized?
Anyway, if you know anything, could you, pretty please, post something on the main page…maybe update it as we approach the day?
I’ll be taking the afternoon off work so I can get in the moment they open the gates.
Nook Logan had an injury, hard tag at 2nd, he was smilin so I dont think its too bad
I know it’s not about Felix, but how about the nice two innings from Mateo? Boy, it would be nice if he could ever find some consistancy.
FSN is now showing a true Olympic sport: Pro beach volleyball. (Well maybe AAA beach volleyball….one of the players looks a bit chunky).
This is what the IOC had in mind when they dropped baseball.
I can’t believe he’s not bunting
#454… “Felix’s home start”
The M’s announcers said they expect it to be Tuesday vs. the Twins and I doubt anyone in the blog world knows more than Dave Neihaus about this subject right now.
If we bunt with Hansen – why not Spezio and his .061 average?
make that .059
This would be one helluva spot for Ichiro to end this slump with an RBI single
WHY NOT BUNT? I’ve never hated a player more in my life. We couldn’t get a Snickers bar for Spiezio right now.
Can we trade Neihaus and Fairly for these Detroit guys? They just made the point that Wiki should not be our long term choice at catcher. That seems about 10 time more observant than anything our announcers could say about him.
Of course not, Ichiro is becoming an easy out, and without that catalyst, this offense just cannot get into a rhythm.. frustration is setting in quickly
465. Spot on comment. That was about as badly as you can play a leadoff walk. And Ichiro needs Dr. Heimlich.
Yeah, those .300 hitters… man, they’re easy outs.
Why did Wiki hit with Hansen on the bench and the tying run in scoring position in the 8th inning?
The only logical reason is that Hargrove is saving Hansen to hit for Willie the Igniter in the 9th. But the time is now.
OK, so Morse wasn’t in scoring position then, but still what are they saving Hansen for?
I realize Hansen isn’t a great hitter but he’s your LH pinch hitter on the bench. If you’re not going to use him in the best LH pinch hitting opportunity that is likely to come up in the game cut him.
The truth of the matter is that the Mariners don’t have any options on the bench, since pinch-hitter extraordinaire Dave Hansen is hitting a robust .171 this year. Sadly, that’s still about 3 times better than Spiezio, but still…
If he is starting Tuesday, the M’s have a promotion on tickets, which they sent me this morning in my email:
== FAN ZONE ==
ANOTHER MARINERS MAIL EXCLUSIVE TICKET OFFER: TUESDAY vs. MIN
It’s another chance for you to enjoy a special offer as a Mariners
Mail subscriber.
Super Tuesday is Salute to Pacific Rim Night as the Mariners host
the Twins at 7:05. You can enjoy a summer evening at Safeco Field
at a discount rate!
Location Mariners Mail Discount Price Savings
===== =========== =====
View Reserved $10 $7
Field $24 $11
Terrace Club Outfield $29 $14
DIRECTIONS
========
1) Go to the mariners’ website, click on the ticket link for Tuesday’s game [I edited this to remove the tracking link they sent me]
2) Select the total number of tickets you want in the TERRACE CLUB OF,
FIELD, VIEW RESERVED PROMO section.
3) Fill in the password — “RAUL”
4) Select either “FIELD SEATING,” “VIEW SEATING,” OR “TERRACE CLUB OF
SEATING.”
5) Click “LOOK FOR TICKETS.”
Tickets for this exclusive offer are not available by phone.
Discount price does not include $3.75 per ticket convenience fee.
Tell me again why Morse is playing short instead of Betancourt?
Frankly, Torreabla or Betancourt are better options than Spiezio or Hansen.
How come every time Putz pitches its a circus.
Is it just me or does everything about this game, save Felix, make everyone want to scream?
Is it just me or does everything about this SEASON, save Felix, make everyone want to scream?
I already had Tuesday’s game in my season ticket plan, yay! Maybe that’s why they’re keeping Shiggy around — have as many Japanese players up on the team as possible for the Pacific Rim promotion that night?
Wow, Kyle Lohse vs. Felix Hernandez sounds like a fun game to watch, anyway, assuming rotations.
Ugh, it’s way too easy to misread Torrealba as “Terrible” if you’re scanning something too fast. I hope that’s not an omen.
Only Lisa Bloomquist can be happy about no pinch hitter in this scenario.
After someone’s comments last week I only think of a Joe Torre and Jessica Alba hybrid when I see Torreabla.
Edgar Bobble-Head
Edgar Jersey
Edgar Ti-Gar
Edgar Martinez Drive
Revenant Edgar
The fact that Spiezio, Wiki, and Bloomquist hit for themselves in the last 2 innings of a close game with a full bench just sitting there makes me so angry I don’t want to watch another game.
3 HITS!!! Are you serious? This team makes me want to hurt things.
And Ichiro needs Dr. Heimlich.
So, were you saying that last year when Ichiro was on his way to getting the singles record? Or in 2001 during his MVP year? Or are you just a frontrunner?
481
Was the skipper watching the same game we were?
WTF?
Ok, Jim Osmer. That’s enough misspelling of Torrealba now. Are you tryin’ to reach some kind of limit? Because I’m pretty sure that no matter how high you get, [insert any hated poster here] will have outreached it.
483. I was just expressing a little bit of displeasure at his recent 0-16 skid. I doubt very sincerely that you wore a smile after his most recent groundout with a runner in scoring position.
Oh and it was the season hit record, not the singles record.
I’m not going to get on Ichiro because I know he’s working hard and trying and at the end of the year I expect him to be hitting .320. I’m not even going to get on Spiezio for sucking because I know he doesn’t want to suck.
I am going to get on Hargrove because sitting there like a statue of Bob Melvin doesn’t make me think he’s trying to win.
I’d like for just once for the toothless Seattle media to get in Hargrove’s or Bavasi’s grill and demand one good reason as to why Scott Speizio is still on this team. This is the most hapless offensive teams I’ve ever seen in my life…even worse than last year’s Ms squad. I don’t see how they can expect to win without at least 4 or 5 legitimate power threats in the lineup. Two isn’t going to get it done.
I’ve come up with a fool-proof way to dump Spiezio:
“Willie Bloomquist deserves a chance.”
#489 I couldn’t agree more. Hargrove is trying to get fired. It’s the only explanation I can come up with, except maybe the onset of Alzheimer’s. The dry humor on USS Mariner doesn’t even help anymore. Outside of Felix’s debut, this was just an excruciatingly bad game by the Mariners, in plan as well as execution. Spezio the DH? Why Spezio is designated for anything other than “assignment” is just mind-boggling. What a waste.
Betancourt got the day off after several on, as often happens when guys first come up from the minors. Spiezio? he, who knows. Maybe they are trying to wring a last little bit out of him before the Speizio Era finally ends later this week….
Who do you guys want instead of Spiezio? Dobbs?
Sandfrog has two hits out of 31 official at bats this season. Why is he still on the roster is the better question…..but the DH? WTF! Does anyone think Sandfrog would be on the team if Billy Beane was the GM? I notice the A’s won again today, with Zito picking up his eighth straight win.
Comparing Bavasi to Beane would be a fruitless exercise.
re: 63 (yes, extremely late)
The little guy is Err. He is a Mooninite.
My guess is that, late night while DMZ has been fixing up the site, he’s also had ATHF playing on the TV.
The Olivo problem has been solved. It was Don Baylor.
He hit his 2nd HR for SD today.
Now that the game is over…
I know this has been discussed ad nauseum, but in all the Felixcitment, I forgot what the general informed consensus was. Is it a fairly sure thing that Doyle will be called back up as soon as his 10 days are up?
#493 … good point. I’d forgotten just how bad the alternatives can be …
Wow. Felix is the awesum.
498. Mara, if Doyle isn’t called up then I’m sure some mad crazed individual from this board will accidentally trip Speizio to put him on the DL and clear space for our favorite Aussie.
Re #481 & #484 — who, exactly, would you have preferred to see hit? What clearly superior options did we have? Yeah, the bench was full, but all that means is that there was the appropriate number of uniforms sitting there — it doesn’t speak to any real options on Grover’s part. I do believe that Torrealba is a better hitter than Wiki, but it’s going to take a little familiarity before anyone around the team believes that, and aside from him, I don’t see any substitutions which were even remotely obvious.
Re #489 — I’m no Spiezio fan, to be sure, but he has more of a track record of success than anyone who’d be likely to replace him on the roster. I may not like him much as a player, but I like Dobbs even less. I think the team would have been better off with Jamal Strong in LF and Ibañez at DH, but that’s because it would have been a better lineup in the field — I would hesitate to argue that we would have been any more likely to score that way.
Re #494 — two words: sample size.
Re #496 — for those of us who are missing something: what’s ATHF?
Re:502
Aqua Teen Hungar Force, a cartoon
#487: Actually, Ichiro set records last year for hits AND for singles:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/1B_season.shtml
1.45 ERA & 97 mph fastball – Roger Clemens
1.80 ERA & 97 mph fastball – Felix Hernandez
There’s a new King in town.
(Normal disclaimers about sample size obviously apply here.)
The New York Times is reporting that Brian Cashman has talked to Aaron Sele’s agent about acquiring our favorite pitcher for the Yankees’ stretch run.
493. At this point, anyone. ANYONE. Aside from Hansen and Dobbs, who are just a step above Spiezio’s uselessness, you could plug in Strong, Doyle once he comes up, Betancourt if he isn’t playing, any one of a number of guys. The efforts of even Leone and his injured hand may be slightly better than what Sandfrog offers us right now and in the future, which is jack crap.
In case I missed comments on this very subject, if you use a proxy setting, you can view the mlb.tv in the blackout areas.
It’s exactly what I did today.
This blackout thing seems silly to me so I wrote MLB to tel them how I felt this is what I got in response. What gets me is how they still tried to sell it to me in the end of the email.
——————————————–
Thank you for sending your email.
We would love to offer all games to all fans, however we have to adhere to the
Local and National blackout regulations even if the local or national rights
holders choose not to broadcast the game in your area. Unfortunately we are not
given information on how the black out areas are determined. Blackouts are based
on your actual physical location at the time you are trying to access the game,
not your billing information.
[long deletion]
Thank you again for taking the time to write!
Sincerely,
OD, MLB.com Support
IF YOU ATTEMPT TO CIRCUMVENT OR CIRCUMVENT ANY BLACKOUT RESTRICTION OR OTHER USE
RESTRICTION: YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE TERMINATION AND A
CHARGE OF ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100.00) FOR EARLY TERMINATION; YOU MAY BE
SUBJECT TO LEGAL ACTION; AND MLBAM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REPORT SUCH MISCONDUCT
TO APPROPRIATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.
“law enforcement authorities”
Nice.
TV BLACKOUTS, ETC. (# 509)- Join the gang. I’ve written dozens of letters to the powers that be, and have usually gotten the same kind of response:
1. Thank you for your concern.
2. Thank you again for your concern.
3. BTW, would you like to buy…
502
Who would I have rather seen at bat in the 8-9th down by one run?
Probably half the pitching staff…..