MLB mailbag answers questions!
From this week’s MLB.com Mariners Mailbag:
Manager Mike Hargrove said he plans to have a 12-man pitching staff, giving him seven relievers.
Soooo.. death to Bucky, I guess. I’m not sure what to make of that.
Myers accepted a position with the Mariners as a minor league infield coach and will primarily work with the short-season Class A Everett AquaSox this season.
I really have no idea why I thought Myers had signed on with the Cardinals, as I wrote in a comment a while back.
Looper sick of Arizona
Herald’s got a bit on the strange year of Aaron Looper.
Les Carpenter says farewell
Only slightly Mariner related, but Les Carpenter wrote his final piece for the Times today, as he has taken a job with the Washington Post. Les didn’t write about the Mariners very often, as he mostly covered the Seahawks, but he was one of the better writers the Times had, and I wanted to give him something of a USSM sendoff. So, without further ado, my Les Carpenter story, usually referred to as The Brian Hunter Debacle.
On April 28th, 1999, the Mariners sent Andy Van Hekken and Jerry Amador to the Tigers for Brian Hunter, a speedy “leadoff hitter” and left fielder that the team had been chasing. I use the term hitter pretty loosely, as Hunter had managed a .254/.298/.333 line the previous season, and was hitting .236/.311/.309 at the time of the trade. He was basically the offensive equivalent of Willie Bloomquist, but because he was fast, he managed to squeeze 1200 at-bats out of the Tigers in ’97 and ’98. They finally realized he sucked and sent him to Seattle. Our little community of Mariner fans were, well, pissed.
On April 29, 1999, as a project for my senior year, I had a job shadow with Les Carpenter. At this point, I was pretty serious about becoming some kind of sports reporter, and Les was kind enough to let me hang out with him for the day. I got to his office in the morning and we talked for a while. Since he was the NFL writer, though, there wasn’t a whole lot going on, and he suggested we head over to the Kingdome for the afternoon game between the M’s and Tigers. He wanted to get some quotes from the M’s new leadoff hitter, and it would give me a chance to watch some “real interviews”. So we trekked over to the ‘Dome in the morning and started making the reporter rounds.
On the way, Les and I spend most of our conversation talking about the Hunter trade. I’m vehemently against it, explaining how Hunter’s remarkable penchent for making outs is going to sink the offense, meaning that Edgar and A-Rod and Jr are going to be coming up with nobody on far too often. Les is more optimistic; he likes Hunter’s speed and thinks he can be a Vince Coleman style sparkplug at the top of the order. I try my best to convince Les that Hunter’s OBP is a sinkhole, but its to no avail. We eventually settle on the “we’ll see” point of view.
So, we’re down on the field, hanging out, Les is collecting a few quotes, and out comes to the newest Mariner left fielder. There’s not much of a crowd, so Les and I head over to talk to Hunter. In something of a surprise, Les asks me if I want to ask the questions, and I easily agree. He introduces me to Hunter, explains whats going on, and we proceed with the interview. Les handed me about 5 or 6 questions he wanted to ask, and said I could throw in one or two of my own at the end if I got comfortable. So, we start off talking, the typical new player interview, with questions about Detroit and the trade and his feelings. The last question on Les’ list is about what Hunter feels like he can bring to the team, and his response led to my two questions. I’ll paraphrase the conversation below; since this was 6 years ago, the exact wording might be a llittle off, but it went something like this:
Dave: Okay, Brian, the Mariners have been looking for a leadoff hitter for years. What do you think you’ll bring to the team?
Brian: Well, I think I’m one of the best in the game. I’m a basestealer, and I put the offense in motion. I get in scoring position for the big guys to drive me in. I’m a tablesetter.
Dave, launching into my first question not written by Les: Well, you almost never walk, so you don’t get in scoring position that often, right?
Brian, realizing this isn’t so much a question as an assault: Umm, I don’t get paid to walk.
Dave: Yes, we’ve seen that. So how do you plan on stealing first base?
Brian: Mother$#@*^ing kid. Get the #@$! out of here.
And thus ended my interview with Brian Hunter. Les thought the whole thing was funny, though told me that I was way out of line. So, we made our way to the press box, where I continued to tell anyone who would listen that Hunter was going to ruin the Mariners offense.
The Mariners won 22 to 6 that day, as Hunter went 3 for 6, stole a base, and, as the entire press box agreed, ignited the offense.
Stone on Beltre
Larry Stone writes in today’s Seattle Times about how much his old Dodger teammates (and coaches and everyone else) like Adrian Beltre. It’s a good light read.
King Felix Pics
Hey guys and gals — courtesy our good friend Jon Wells of the Grand Salami, who’s down in Arizona, we’ve got a pair of pictures of Felix Hernandez tossing the old horsehide today.
Read more
Translated cartoons for your amusement
This totally cracked me up, so I’m sharing this email from Jason Mastaitis:
Hey Guys,
I write the Always Amazin’ Mets weblog and a reader of mine, Frank Lee,
graciously translated a bunch of Choi Hoon’s baseball cartoons,
including the Mariners. I thought you might be interested in posting
them or sending them to another Mariners blog. Just give him credit for
the translation.Four weeks ’til opening day!
Cheers,
Jason
Seattle Mariners
Speaking of changeless teams…
Panel 2
Ichiro Suzuki
[Numbers]: bat avg., hits (the new record!), HR, RBI, SB, OBP (2nd), runs
The Ichiro Shift!
“You’ll never get past us!”
Panel 3
Randy Winn
In the shadow of others…
“How am I ever gonna get noticed?”
“Now who are you?!?!”
[it says in the arrow underneath, “There’s even Raul Ibanez…”]
Panel 4
Bobby Madritsch
The diamond in the rough… [or literally, “Pearl among mud”)
“This mudpack treatment is great!”
“Heck! Who are you?”
Panel 5
Bret Boone
Playing with his worthless brother… [if too harsh, then “his stupid brother…”]
“Okay, I have to go practice now.”
“Wait! Just one more round!”
Panel 6
Edgar Martinez
The best DH ever…
“Must I now say goodbye to my magnum too?”
“Not THAT DH!!!”
Panel 7
Ryan Franklin
“Why! Why! How can you guys NEVER score when I’m pitching?!?!”
“Well you know, you give up so many runs early on that we kinda lose the motivation…”
Panel 8
Jamie Moyer
King of homeruns allowed (44)
“I have three!”
“Oh man, I only have two! You win.”
“This isn’t the home run derby!”
Today’s articles
Finnigan in the Times on Felix Hernandez. Lots of quotes on the team’s plans for the King.
Finnigan also notes that Richie Sexson checked a swing without tearing his shoulder up. Spring training, this is news.
Hickey’s in the PI on Jeremy Reed and Olivo’s arm impressing Hargrove.
Is there anyone Hargrove hasn’t been impressed with so far? I half expect him to be quoted praising the hot dog vendors at this rate.
Spring Training games on TV, Radio
Radio schedule here.
and the TV schedule is, as always, available on the MLB schedule page.
Spiezio at second, in OF?
“As we sit here today, he is one of our bench guys,” manager Mike Hargrove said. “He’ll play first and third, a little in the outfield and we can also use him at second base.”
Toonces nooooooooooooooooo! (explosion)
On the other hand —
“I’m not going to say he’s locked into the bench,” the manager said. “If someone gets injured, or he has a tremendous spring and someone else doesn’t, we’d look at him being a regular.”
That’s a pretty generic spring training comment, but still — pretty much that means that either Beltre or Sexson has to be hit by a bus that also hits Leone or Ibanez (respectively) and that careening bus would probably also have to get Dobbs if he’s having a hot spring.
And yet… Scott Spiezio, super-utility player? I can’t bring myself to see him in left.
Special note: I’ll be deleting all comments that get names wrong. No, really.
One Thing to Watch This Spring
A friend of mine is writing for a new site called Seattlest, a sister site of a popular New York site called Gothamist. Basically, it’s a one-stop shop for Seattle news (or New York news, in the latter case). In any event, Seth’s on sports and has a quick piece up today about the M’s and Felix Hernandez. Check it out, and give the rest of the site a look as well.