Sorry for the huge lag in posting. Between work, reading Deadspin, On The DL and Yard-Work, and playing Madden NFL ’06, I’ve been pretty busy. I really need to schedule more time to post here though, because it is something that I do enjoy. Anyway, here are some things that I’ve thought of or come across lately…

 

*What do Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente, Mark McGwire and Mario Mendoza all have in common? They all hit into triple plays!

 

*Remind me again why the Mariners didn’t trade Eddie Guardado...

 

*I didn’t know this until a few weeks ago, but the Mariners high-A team, the Inland Empire 66ers have a dance team! One of the dancers named Jessica was in the Best Damn Sports Show’s Hooters swimsuit contest a few weeks ago.

 

*Have you heard of MySpace.com? It’s a web site where you put up your profile and become “friends” with other people online. I know, it sounds really lame, but it’s pretty fun and it’s a great way to contact/keep in touch with people that you haven’t seen from high school, or whatever. Anyway, I was dinking around on MySpace the other day and came across some interesting profiles…

-Bob Melvin's daughter, Alexi

-Left-handed pitcher, Robert Rohrbaugh, the M's 7th round pick out of Clemson in 2005

-Matt Tuiasosopo

-Conor Jackson

You might have to set up an account to view the profiles, but hey...it's fun, and we can be friends!

We know that the Mariners need pitching help this off-season. The big question is how are they going to get it? Ideally, like they discussed over at USS Mariner, the M’s sign Kevin Millwood and then a mid-tier free agent like Esteban Loaiza, or even take a chance on Kevin Brown. However, many people believe that the price of the few upper-tier free agent starting pitchers is going to get out of control. So, if the M’s can’t sign A.J. Burnett or Kevin Millwood, what should they do? They could still sign Loaiza, but I don’t think that’s enough. They could try to trade for a front-line starting pitcher, but let’s face it: the Mariners’ farm system isn’t exactly stocked with first-class talent. On top of that, some of their best prospects (Felix, Lopez, Betancourt, etc) will be starting with Seattle next season. So, I think getting someone like Jason Schmidt or C.C. Sabathia is pretty unlikely. So, instead, I think it would be best to try to trade for *the next* Jason Schmidt. Remember, Schmidt was somewhat of a “diamond in the rough.” Before going to San Francisco, the big righty was 49-53 with a 4.58 ERA. At age 28, through his first six and a half years in the big leagues, he was averaging 6.8 strikeouts and 3.8 walks per nine innings. It’s cases like this that remind you how important scouting is – you can’t always rely on the stats. Now, the important question becomes: Who are some guys who could be the next Jason Schmidt? I guess if I knew for certain, I’d be working in a front office – or at least not finishing in last place in my fantasy baseball league! But, all kidding aside, there are some guys who, for one reason or another, intrigue me – AND! – might be available via trade this off-season…

 

Brett Myers: As Bat-Girl would call it, I have recently developed a “Non-Sexual Man Crush” on Brett Myers. Like I said, it’s pretty recent, so maybe it’s just infatuation at this point, and hasn’t quite reached the “man crush” stage just yet. But, simply put, I like the guy. Check out this comparison between Myers and soon-to-be-multimillionaire A.J. Burnett:

As you can see, Myers is younger, strikes out more and walks less than this year’s best free-agent pitcher (and, BTW, SNLVAR is this). On top of that, Myers has some pretty dramatic splits. He’s been doing much better on the road, where he has an ERA of 2.87 while holding opposing batters to a line of .196/.287/.365. At home, he’s been getting lit up, posting an ERA of 4.30 with opposing batters teeing off on him to the tune of .269/.318/.452. Maybe that’s why he’s not the most popular guy in Philly. Tom Goodman from the blog Balls, Sticks & Stuff recently said, “Brett Myers never met a writer yet where, given the opportunity to take a shot at the local press or fans, he would pass it up. This guy has one big chip on his shoulder and, frankly, he pitches like someone who is pissed off all the time. He is the biggest disappointment on a team that has had more than its share of disappointing figures.” So maybe, just maybe, the Phillies won’t even offer arbitration to Myers and the Mariners can just sign him, instead of trading for him. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, but my fingers are crossed!

 

Ted Lilly: Unlike Myers, I’ve liked Lilly for a few years now. Watching him battle injuries and struggle for the past couple seasons has been tough, but my selfishness sometimes gets the best of me and I think it could be in the Mariners’ favor that Lilly hasn’t done too well. I mean, how much would you really have to give up for a 29 year old with a 5.46 ERA? Granted, Lilly’s FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) is a tad bit lower at 5.03, but that still puts him in Ryan Franklin territory. Looking on the bright side, Lilly’s strikeout ratio has always been quite good. His 7.05 K/9 in 2005 rate him ahead of guys like Matt Clement, Jeremy Bonderman, Barry Zito, Kevin Millwood, Roy Oswalt and John Smoltz, just to name a few. However, K/9 obviously doesn’t paint the whole picture because all of those guys have a better K/BB ratio than Lilly. Making more than $3,000,000 is a little steep, but for the right deal, I would certainly take a chance on Lilly. And, c’mon…don’t you think a guy named Theodore Roosevelt Lilly should be pitching for a team in the United States?!?

 

The Mets’ Odd Man Out: Honestly, the best time to trade for Jae Seo would have been earlier in the year when he was the Mets’ ugly stepchild, wasting away in AAA, watching guys like Kaz Ishii and Victor Zambrano take the hill every fifth day. His value is probably at it’s peak, so the Mets would certainly be “selling high” by dealing Seo over the winter. That said, Seo has turned a corner and is finally pitching like the Asian Games’ gold-medal winner the Mets signed out of South Korea in 1998. Seo is certainly a different pitcher this year than he’s been in years past. His K/9 rate this year (6.51) is the highest it’s been since he’s seen regular playing time in the Major Leagues, but what’s been most impressive is his control. Perhaps Seo is finally regaining his control after having Tommy John surgery a few years ago. Granted, he’s only pitched 73 innings this season, so maybe it’s just a fluke, but Seo’s control has been phenomenal. If he had enough innings to qualify, his K/BB ratio of 5.30 would rank him fourth in all of baseball, behind only Carlos Silva, Ben Sheets and Johan Santana. On the other hand, maybe the guy to trade for is Aaron Heilman. Mets’ manager, Willie Randolph, recently said that he’s impressed with what Heilman has done and that Seo hasn’t secured a spot in the 2006 rotation. When I went to Shea Stadium after being on Good Morning America, I watched Heilman one-hit the Marlins. A former first-round pick in 2001, the 26-year-old righty out of Notre Dame is pitching well this season. His 9.06 K/9 through 100.1 innings is fantastic and his K/BB ratio of 3.37 isn’t too shabby either.

 

Casey Fossum: If I were to say that the Mariners should trade for a guy with a career ERA of 5.08, you’d think I was crazy. I mean, that’s Ryan Franklin-territory, and that’s who we’re trying to replace, right? However, if you dig a little deeper, Fossum is semi-intriguing. The 27-year-old lefty has always posted solid K rates. This year, Fossum’s K/9 of 7.41 ranks him 21st out of all of MLB’s qualified starters. It’s better than C.C. Sabathia, Matt Clement, Barry Zito, Kevin Millwood and Roy Oswalt. The problem is with his control. Fossum ranks 40th out of 44 qualifying AL pitchers in BB/G with 3.2 and leads all of baseball with 18 beanballs. To put that in perspective, Moyer, Pineiro, Meche and Franklin have hit 19 batters combined this year. So, the question with Fossum is, can you teach control? And, if you can (and I’m not sure whether it can be taught or not), is there a price? Is it give and take – in other words, will improved control cause Fossum’s strikeout rate to dip? That’s not a question I can answer, but Fossum’s a guy that I wouldn’t mind seeing at the back end of next year’s Mariners rotation.

 

Aaron Harang: For a big man (6’7”, 270 lbs.), Harang doesn’t have the overpowering stuff you might expect. His fastball is in the low 90s, so that might be a strike against him if you’re searching for the next Jason Schmidt. However, you can’t argue with the results. His K/9 rate of 7.04 ranks him 26th out of all of MLB’s qualifying pitchers, ahead of guys like Matt Clement, Jeremy Bonderman, Barry Zito, Roy Oswalt and Kevin Millwood. His K/BB rate of 3.12 is solid as well, good for 24th in all of baseball (again, out of qualifying pitchers). In fact, Harang might be one of the most underrated pitchers in the game. So, perhaps he’s not available. I’ve read in some places that the Reds consider him their ace. On the other hand, he did clear waivers in August, so I don’t think it’s entirely out of the question. Oh, and if you’re wondering what Harang looks like, he looks something like this.

As usual, if you want a game log, visit USS Mariner or Lookout Landing. Trying to compete with those fellas is like the Royals trying to hit King Felix. Plus, it's late, I'm tired, and I still have some writing to do for the September issue of The Grand Salami, so I'm going to take the easy way out for a re-cap of tonight's events...

10 Things about M's vs. Royals on 8/15...

1) I met up with the USS Mariner crew again at the King Street Bar and Oven. Jeff was there this time, and he's one cool guy. I wish I could talk to Jeff more often, because he's really funny and always has good stories. He's going to be one cool grandpa! (I bet *that's* a compliment he hasn't heard before!)

2) I know this isn't shocking, but I just can't put it any other way: Felix is sooooo good! Man, he's fun to watch! I'm going to try my best to make it to as many of his home starts as I can. I can't believe only one other team tried to pick him up in my fantasy league (which happens to be a keeper league!) Suckers...

3) Thanks to Jon Wells (who was apparently on the Royals MLB.tv broadcast - which means I might have been too!), I was sitting 8 rows behind the Royals dugout. Jose Lima doesn't even watch the game, all he does is throw balls to people in the stands. As if he doesn't give away too many balls already with the multitude of HRs he allows! He also gave away three bats, which is fine because, with Felix on the mound, the Royals didn't really know what to do with them anyway.

4) You'd think that with Felix on the mound, Hargrove would have gone with the best defensive infield possible. Hernandez is a groundball machine, and Grover puts Bloomquist at 3B, Morse at 2B and Betancourt at 2B. Plus, Felix had to pitch to Torrealba for the first time. I guess you can't argue with the results, but in the future I'd like to see Beltre at 3B, Betancourt at SS, and if he *must* play every freaking game, stick Bloomquist at 2B. Morse should be playing more often, but I think we should stick him at DH. He's not a good shortstop.

5) I haven't seen my TiVoed "Baseball Tonight" yet, but Betancourt's play has to be one of the "Web Gems." That kid has RANGE! I just hope he can show a little more discipline at the plate, or at least start hitting a little better.

6) The Royals have now lost 16 games in a row. (Cue Nelson from The Simpsons...) Hah Hah!

7) I'm sorry, I just can't get over how sweet Felix is. Wow. During his first three MLB starts, he's gone 21 innings, given up only 11 hits (ALL SINGLES!), 2 earned runs (0.86 ERA!), 3 walks and 21 strikeouts! The reason he's only allowed singles is because he's getting 4.33 groundballs for every fly ball! Granted, he's faced some pretty easy lineups, but the kid is phenomenal! Hopefully it will hold up. It looks like he'll be facing the Twinkies again - in Minnesota this time. After that, things will be a little tougher. It's hard to predict too far down the line, but it looks like his next couple of starts will be the White Sox at home and then the Yankees at home (That will draw some fans!). Then, he might get the red-hot A's in Oakland, Baltimore at home and then the Rangers at the hitter-friendly Ballpark in Arlington, or whatever it's called now. Whatever happens, I'll be watching. I haven't been this excited to watch the Mariners in a loooooonnnnnnggggg time.

8) Ok sorry, one more about Felix (he *is* the King, afterall!): I really can't wait to get a Felix jersey, but I would bet money that he won't be wearing #59 next season. Here's a vote for Bryan Price giving up #34 for The King...with the caveat that that's as far as the Freddy Garcia imitating goes!

9) It was nice to see Andy Sisco pitch. If you've read this blog at all, you know that I'm a big Sisco fan. He did, however, get roughed up in his first MLB appearance in Seattle. Sisco went 2/3 of an inning, giving up 3 hits, including Richie Sexson's 29th HR of the season. Sisco's ERA went up, but he's still at a very respectable 2.72.

10) Speaking of Sexson, he's on-pace for 178 strikeouts, which would break Mike Cameron's club record of 176 in 2002. Incidentally, if Sexson strikes out 178 times, he would tie himself for 15th most in a single season. Richie struck out 178 times in 2001 with the Brewers. However, Sexson is also on pace to hit 40 home runs (which would make him the first Mariner w/ 40 bombs since A-Rod in 2000), so I'll take it...

I went to the game today with my dad and, as expected, the M's got rocked. It was surprising that nobody heckled Franklin while he was warming up in the bullpen, and he didn't really even get booed. Mariners fans are way too polite. The game was pretty dull...except for when my dad got hit on by two prostitutes hanging out in centerfield. No joke! It reminded me of the less-famous Abbott and Costello sketch, "Whores on First." It's times like this that I wish I had a digital camera...

M's trivia for the day: So, my girlfriend's stepdad, Jean, went to see the Nationals play the Astros when he was in Houston the other day. The Nats won, 6-5 and scored all 6 of their runs by blasting 5 home runs. I asked Jean, "When's the last time the M's hit 5 home runs in a game?!," to which he responded, "Yeah, they're lucky to hit 5 in a week!" Anyway, the last time the M's hit 5 in a game was on August 27, 2004 against the Kansas City Royals. Miguel Olivo hit two and Bocachica, Jose Lopez, Boonie and Spiezio all hit one apiece.

 

This is just a quick post to wish my favorite player, Mike Cameron, a speedy recovery. For those who don't know, Cammy collided with Carlos Beltran during yesterday's Mets-Padres game in San Diego. It was brutal...easily the worst baseball collision I've seen. Cameron broke his nose, shattered both of his cheekbones and suffered a concussion. The accident stopped play for 14 minutes, Cammy was taken off the field in the cart and apparently didn't know where he was. Best of luck, Mike. I'm rooting for you!

It's a good thing that I'm getting a bonus from work this week, because I'm hoping to win an eBay auction for a 1/1 Mike Cameron card. If I win, it will be the second 1/1 in my collection. But damn...I should really start selling some of my other cards to help support my Cammy collection, which is at about 300 different cards, and counting!

Also, best of luck to Chris "Doyle" Snelling, and thanks to Kelly for updating my page. Both of the people who read this page think it looks nice! :)

Yesterday on KJR, Willie Bloomquist said that he loves proving people wrong. So, for all of you who think Willie is a good player, he tried his best last night to prove you wrong...and, apparently, loved every second of it!

Ok, so I had a longer, cooler post with links and pictures, but it wasn't working. After a month of inactivity, I think my blog has turned against me. So, here...the third try's a charm, and here's a basic post with text only. Let's hope it works this time!

If ConorGlassey.com was a child, CPS would have had me arrested by now. Wow, I knew I was neglecting my blog, but I didn't know it had been so long! Sorry for the inactivity, the usual excuses apply, lots of work, vacations with no internet, yada, yada, yada. Anyway, let's talk about some baseball!

Change Change Change!
During my month-long absence, the Mariners made more than a dozen transactions, including a stretch where they made at least one transaction for nine straight days. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the moves. I don't understand why the Giants wanted Randy Winn, but hey...good riddance! Ron Villone? Adios! See you at Azteca. (http://ussmariner.com/?p=1862) I was a little bummed that the M's gave up on Miguel Olivo (he was one of "My Guys"), but I understand and think we got a decent return for him. It's been really fun watching some of the other young players that the M's have brought up. Yuniesky Betancourt has been exciting, Snelling is finally back in Seattle (!), and I can't remember a time when I was more excited to go to a M's game in Seattle than I am for tonight's game featuring King Felix. Hernandez brings an excitement to Seattle that we haven't seen in quite some time. He was born the same year that "Goose" was flying with "Maverick," and he's definitely the Mariners' "Top Gun."
I was a little disappointed that the team didn't trade Eddie Guardado (but you'll read more about that later). Speaking of the bullpen, he's been difficult to watch for most of the season, and a lot of people have been really hard on him, but I really think this team should keep Matt Thornton. The season's lost, and if they've kept him for this long, they should just hang onto him for a few more months. While he's making close to the league minimum, he's a good gamble. If he can ever harness some control, he could be very effective. Thornton had a great outing last night and (small sample-size alert!) has cut his walks in more than half since the All-Star break.

Parity is Pathetic
Because of last night's Hall of Fame game, there was talk on KJR this morning about football being better than baseball. One of the main arguments was that, because so many teams have a chance of making the playoffs, football is more exciting. But, I have to disagree. Parity isn't exciting, it's pathetic. The Seahawks won their divison last season with a record of 9-7 and played the Wild Card team, the St. Louis Rams who were 8-8. I'm sorry, but that's not exciting, that's lame.

Cammy's Ride
If you know me, or read the site enough, you'll know that my favorite ballplayer is Mike Cameron. I collect Cameron's baseball cards and often search eBay for new and rare cards that I don't have. The other day I was dinking around and came across someone selling a Lexus SUV that used to belong to Cammy. Man, that would be pretty cool.

It's Official...
My friends and I used to hang in the QFC parking lot practically every day in high school. I probably spent more time in that parking lot than I did in class. So, I've always loved QFC, but it's now official...QFC is my favorite grocery store. I mean, seriously, does *your* favorite grocery store sell Baseball Prospectus? Mine does!

Alright, it's time to play a little XBox before heading downtown to check out the new Grand Salami, say hi to Derek and Jonah and watch the Safeco Field debut of KING FELIX HERNANDEZ! All hail The King! But, stay tuned, I promise not to neglect this baby anymore. Coming soon: Updated links and an interview with Micah Owings that I forgot was in my inbox.

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I decided to skip watching the game today and hang out with my friend Kelly. The Mariners swept the Angels to give people a false sense of hope right before the All Star break. Anyway...we went to Value Village and I found some real Major League bats. I bought a Bob Kearney model, but if you want Ricky Nelson, Al Chambers or Luis Salazar, they're still down there for $5 each. We also went to a great new pizza place called "Slices" on Alki and I picked up some CDs at Easy Street.

Also, I found a great new Mariners site: Marinerds! Check it out... (http://marinerds.blogspot.com/)

And, finally, I would like to let everyone know that I had a dream that the Indians will end up with Bret Boone. You heard it here first...