I went to the ballgame today with my mom, because she's on spring break. It was a great game and we had a blast, but here are some funny things that I overheard at the ballpark...

Two guys behind me:
Guy #1: "Did you know that when Ichiro came to America, he couldn't speak English?"
Guy #2: "So he says..."

And, later, talking about the pitchers’ numbers on the out-of-town scoreboard:

"What are those numbers by the teams? Are they pitch counts?"

Some guy in front of me, asking his friend about Kenji Johjima:
"Did we grow him or trade for him?"

A woman in front of me, when Vlad was up...
Woman: "This guy reminds me of Mike Cameron. Where's he now?"
Her husband: "I don't know."
Woman: "Gone? He was good!"

Opening Day is finally here! Life is good.

I went to the USSMariner event at Safeco Field yesterday with my dad and had a great time. Bavasi was the guest of honor and was awesome, just as he was last summer. It was cool that the entire USSM crew was able to attend and they too were a lot of fun. Jon from The Grand Salami gave me the new issue and it looks great. If you’re going to a game anytime soon, make sure to pick one up outside the stadium. You can even see a picture of me interviewing Billy Beane (sweet!). I also saw my friend Deanna and got to meet Jason Churchill from InsideThePark and the new Prospect Insider, J from Mariner Minors, and Evan from the USSM comments. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to meet “msb.” Maybe next time…

Around the news:

Hickey says Reed is ready to go, but forces me to question his knowledge by writing, "The center fielder hasn't played in a game in more than a week because of what was first believed to be a broken wrist." Geez...I didn't know Saturday was more than a week ago!

Not a good day for Hickey...in his fluff piece about how the M's "have to start well," he spelled Rafael Chaves' last name with a Z. The M's do have a difficult schedule for April, but I'm going on record as saying that they will be better than .500 on May 1st (2006).

The "Answer Guy" tells us that there will be some new grub at the Safe this year, Matt Lawton was Brett Favre's double-play partner as a youngster, the new hotel sort of blocks the view from Lookout Landing, and gives us the origin of the term 'Can of Corn.' But, "hair-styling secrets of certain M's broadcasters" are on a strict, don't-ask, don't-tell basis.

Art Thiel looks back on the good ol' days and gives us 10 years of Mariners Opening Day lineups.

Yeah, Finnigan...we know that Chaves is trying to get these guys to throw more two-seamers. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that teaching Meche a two-seamer is like putting the premium gas in your Pinto.

Finnigan also mentions that Quiroz is here, the coaches will change clothes with the players this season, he did know that Reed played on Saturday and if this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will...

After breaking out his new high-socks look for the World Baseball Classic, Ichiro intends to stay with it this year for Seattle. He grinned and said, in perfect English, "Old school, brother."

And hey, apparently even Debbie Downer wrote piece to bring us down for the upcoming season.

And, if you missed it, Baseball Prospectus has their National League and World Series predictions up. Now, if only they would let us play Hacking Mass!

Ooh...and Matt Thornton pitched yesterday and did well. 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K.

And – some of you may have noticed that I didn’t post a “Set your TiVo” this week. I was in the middle of writing down all the baseball that’s going to be on TV and I realized that it’s probably just a big waste of time for me. I mean – if you care enough to want to watch that stuff, you’ll find it on your own. Do you really need me to tell you that there’s a Jim Thome cutout rerun of The Drew Carey Show this week? Plus – I’m not sure that broadcasting is the same from city to city or from one service to another. So, there goes that idea…

Go Mariners!

...is a great show. You should watch it every Thursday night. Never heard of it? Check it out!

Pray for rain

The M’s are scheduled to take on the Rainiers in Tacoma on Saturday. But...what if there’s rain?

"If weather forces the game under the roof at Safeco, all fans, not just those who have tickets for the game in Tacoma, will be invited to attend free of charge."

So, start practicing your rain dance and, hopefully, I’ll see you at Safeco Field!

Baltimore batboys bummed

Anna Benson has filed for a divorce from her husband, Kris. No word yet on whether she'll still let him stick it in her butt if he wins a Cy Young...

Taking everything in stride

As noted over at Lookout Landing, the White Sox’ pitching coach, Don Cooper, thinks he may have fixed Matt Thornton’s control problem. Cooper says that a few years ago, he noticed that Thornton wasn’t striding as far as he should be. It pisses me off that the M’s never noticed this or never tried to fix it, but hindsight is always 20/20. Thornton’s always had great stuff (87 strikeouts in 89.1 innings last year) and if he could harness that control, he could be a very effective relief pitcher. Thornton was great in his outing today, but let’s see if he can keep it up…

Ryan the reliever

Ryan Franklin’s already been bumped out of the rotation in Philly. He probably thinks that’s a bad thing but, actually, being in the bullpen might delay the death threats by a couple weeks.

Also: The Royals placed Bobby Madritsch on the 60-day DL, Randy Johnson is suing the mother of his 16-year-old daughter over less than $100,000, Scott Spiezio is battling Hector Luna and Aaron Miles for the final spot on the Cardinals’ bench, and a 3-year-old boy got stuck in a toy machine at Godfather’s Pizza and Dan Wilson said it was the funniest thing he’s seen in his life. But, no, not that Dan Wilson.

*Here’s a cool article about Bill James. I just finished reading the new biography on Bill James and it was pretty good. As always, if you need a login account for that article, use BugMeNot.

*The guys (and gal!) over at Baseball Prospectus released their AL predictions.

*Here’s an interesting interview with Zack Greinke. He sounds like he’s half-baked. He talks about how much he loves sunsets, how the chirping birds have beautiful flight patterns and about when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston broke up, he “cried in bed for a while, moaning, “Why? Why did this have to happen?” Listen for yourself…

A few months ago after talking with Baseball Prospectus author Jonah Keri, I did a little research about what makes a pitcher successful. Nothing groundbreaking, but I like to do little research projects like that because they’re fun and I feel I learn more when I work through things on my own, rather than just reading it somewhere. What inspired the research was Jonah telling me that pitchers are generally more successful when they have at least two of the following three traits: a good strikeout rate, a good walk rate, or a good groundball to flyball ratio. And, intuitively, that just makes sense. A pitcher’s very basic job description is to keep as many men off base as possible. He can help himself out by…

A) Striking guys out. Because, unless Josh Paul is catching, you can’t reach base if you whiff. (Sorry, that was harsh!)

B) Limiting walks – don’t give guys free passes!

C) Inducing ground balls – while fly balls turn into outs a higher rate than ground balls, ground balls are good because they do less damage when they do go for hits. Like Orel Hershiser used to tell his pitchers, “When’s the last time you saw a ground ball go over the wall?”

Simple enough, right?

Well, the last time I saw Jonah was at the Baseball Prospectus 2006 / Baseball Between the Numbers book signing at the wonderful Third Place Books. I asked him what he thought about Raul Chaves, the Mariners’ new pitching coach, trying to teach some of the pitchers a two-seam fastball. The two-seamer doesn’t have quite the velocity that the standard four-seam fastball has, but it gets more movement – and is usually better at getting ground-ball outs.

Jonah suggested that I e-mail Will Carroll with that question, so I did. I told Will what Jonah told me about successful pitchers and asked him if teaching pitchers the two-seamer could help to improve their GB/FB ratio. Will was nice enough to e-mail me back and here are some things that he said…

“I disagree vehemently with Jonah on that, but that's not your question. Can teaching a pitcher to sink it or keep the ball down help? Sure, if he executes. I like that Chaves is at least trying something. It depends on the teacher and the student.”

I found it very interesting that Will disagreed with Jonah on the issue and asked him what he thought made a pitcher successful, to which he responded, “Health, location, and deception. Give me five Greg Maddux’s and I'll rule the world.”

Here’s the catch though: Jonah's keys to pitching success are results, whereas the keys Will listed are the traits that lead to the results. Health allows pitchers to pitch, location leads to low walk rates and sometimes groundballs, and deception leads to strikeouts and groundballs. Maddux has sure been healthy. His lowest inning total since 1988 is 199. Of course that’s part of the reason for his Hall of Fame career, and it’s obviously important to try and keep any player healthy as much as possible. So, while Maddux does have pinpoint location and great deception, he’s also always had decent strikeout numbers combined with an above-average groundball rate and good-to-great walk totals.

Will may disagree with Jonah about what makes a successful pitcher, but I hope they don’t waste too much time and energy arguing over it because I think they’re both correct!

Shane Robinson is a junior outfielder for the Florida State Seminoles. Robinson’s mantle is already running out of space. In high school, he was voted first-team all state in baseball and football for his junior and senior seasons. As a freshman at FSU, Robinson started all 68 games and was the ACC Tournament MVP. Robinson really broke out during his sophomore season, hitting .427/.532/.605 with 49 stolen bases and a 57/28 BB/K ratio. Because of these eye-popping numbers, he was a consensus first-team All-American, was named Collegiate Baseball’s Player of the Year and had the honor of playing for Team USA. Robinson’s success has carried over into this season. As of today, he’s hitting .409/.485/.617 through FSU’s first 28 games. He still has more walks than strikeouts and he’s 17 for 18 in stolen base attempts. Robinson will be one a top pick in MLB’s amateur draft this June and he was gracious enough to answer some questions for me via e-mail. Here is what he had to say…

                                                                                     From Seminoles.com

Can you please talk about yourself a little bit? Tell everyone where you grew up, a little about your youth baseball career and what made you choose to attend Florida State University.
I grew up in Tampa, FL and began playing baseball at the age of four. I played at Forest Hills Pony League Baseball Park most of those years. I attended Jesuit High School under the famous Coach Crumbley. I had to pick out of high school whether I wanted to play football or baseball and when FSU called it made my decision a lot easier.

What has been the most memorable moment in your baseball career?
There are a lot of memorable times. Last year, with all the accolades and freshman year, winning the ACC Tournament and being named Tournament MVP. Even traveling this summer with Team USA and making new friends with some guys I’ll be playing with down the road.

You were the first Seminole since Doug Mientkiewicz to play for Team USA. Please tell me about that experience.

It was a tremendous experience. I really learned a lot from all the players and coaches and it helped me develop into an even better player.

Speaking of Major Leaguers, you went to the same high school (Jesuit) as Lou Piniella, Dave Magadan, Brad Radke and Jason Michaels. Have you met any of those guys?

No I've never met any of those guys but, being from Tampa, you get to meet a whole bunch of Major Leaguers.

What was it like when your first baseball card was released? Did you collect
cards when you were growing up?

It was cool. FSU actually has been making cards of us but it was pretty neat to see myself on an Upper Deck card. Yes, when I was little, I collected all kinds of cards. I mainly focused on Michael Jordan and Dan Marino.

What player have you played with or against that makes you say, "That guy is going places!"?

There have been a lot. One of my good friends that I made over the summer was Jon Jay from Miami.  I love how that kid plays and his approach at the plate is so smooth.  

On a related note, who is the best pitcher you've faced?

I really don't like to give many pitchers respect when I’m hitting. But, the pitcher who has done the best job with pitching to me is Cesar Carrillo (who pitched for Miami and was drafted by the San Diego Padres). Any guy who can throw all three pitches for strikes with good command is dangerous.

What is a specific part of your game that you are working to improve?
I’m trying to work on slowing myself down at the plate.  I've done a good job at it, but when I don’t get a hit in my first two at-bats, I start to get anxious. I just tell myself to slow down and let the game come to me.

How much time does your commitment to baseball take each week? How
do you keep up with classes? Will you complete your real estate degree?

A lot of people think athletes have it easy, but with traveling and missing classes it is a lot of work. You have to develop a relationship with your professor so he doesn’t look down upon athletes. I have to make sure they know I’m concerned about my
grades in their class and they usually bend with me. I will eventually complete my degree, but if I get drafted after this season, I will have to take classes in the off-season.

What is your conditioning regimen during the season and during the off-season? Is it difficult to maintain a healthy diet while you're in school?
In season we have to work out twice a week with some conditioning after practices. Off season we work out 4 times a week and condition after our workouts. Yes its tough to maintain a healthy diet, with classes and practice every day its hard to get in three meals unless you stay up for a late night snack.

Do you have any superstitions? If so, how did they develop?

The one that I have is that I take a shower right before I put on my uniform
and go on the field – even on away games. I started doing it my freshman year and I started hitting the ball very well, so I stuck with it.

Have you selected an advisor for the draft yet? If so, who is it?
Yes, I chose Jeff Berry with IMG Baseball.

THE LIGHTNING ROUND…

Who is your favorite MLB team?

New York Yankees

Who is your favorite baseball player?

Derek Jeter

If you make it to the big leagues, what pitcher would you most like to hit against?

Randy Johnson

What is your favorite movie?

Bloodsport

What is your favorite band / musician?

Lil Jon

What is your favorite food?

Sushi

COMING SOON: An interview with Brandon Morrow...and more!

Obviously I’ll be watching the Mariners this season. There isn’t a player on Earth I’m more excited about than Felix Hernandez. I’m also excited to see Kenji Johjima’s MLB debut, Yuniesky’s amazing glovework, Soriano back in the bullpen (or the rotation?), the emergence of Jose Lopez, Sexson mashing more homers and whether or not Beltre can bounce back. I’ll also be keeping tabs of the guys on my fantasy team, and I’ll be following the stories that ESPN shoves down my throat (Bonds, Clemens, Soriano, Orioles pitchers vs. Braves pitchers, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, etc.). But, here are a few players I’ll be keeping a close eye one – for one reason, or another…

Mike Cameron

Of course I’ll be following Cammy this season! If you’ve read this blog very often, you might know that he’s my favorite player. How will he play after his season ended last year when he collided with Carlos Beltran? How will he adjust moving back to centerfield and into Petco Park? I’ll be cheering for him and can’t wait until May 19^th, 20^th and 21^st when the Padres come to Safeco Field.

Chad Gaudin

Back in December, I levied for the Mariners to acquire Gaudin. With a shaky rotation and very few pitching prospects on the way up, the 22-year-old Gaudin would have been a nice addition. The A’s ended up snagging him from the Blue Jays for a PTBNL. The catch with Gaudin is that he’s out of options, so if the A’s want to keep him around, he’ll have to stick with the Big League club…and I’ll be watching.

Conor Jackson

How can I not root for the only player EVER to have my name and play Major League Baseball? He even spells it the right way!

Brett Myers, Jae Seo, Aaron Heilman, Aaron Harang, Ted Lilly, Casey Fossum, & Jeremy Affeldt.

If you remember my “Next Jason Schmidt” post, most of these guys are on it. That’s because these are all pitchers that I think are on the verge of breaking out. You could argue that Myers has already broken out, but I think he can break out even further. I love the fact that Seo is moving to Dodger Stadium. I hope Heilman gets a spot in the rotation, Harang is a good pitcher that’s hurt by his home park, I’ve always liked Ted Lilly, Fossum needs better control and Affeldt needs to stay healthy.

David Wright & Miguel Cabrera

Ok, so these guys are on my fantasy team – but I would be watching them anyway. They are two of the most exciting young players in the game. With Cabrera moving to third base, it looks like there will be some stiff competition for the National League third baseman in the All-Star Game for years to come.

Andy Sisco

Sisco was one of the best rookie relief pitchers last season. If you haven’t heard of him, that’s because he’s stuck in Kansas City, where the Royals snagged him from the Cubs in last year’s Rule 5 draft. Having never pitched above A-ball before, Sisco stuck with the big club and posted an ERA of 3.11 over 75.1 innings with 76 strikeouts. But, that’s only one of the reasons I’ll be following Sisco this year. The other is because the 6’10” lefty went to high school with me for his sophomore and junior years. In the final edition of our high school newspaper each year, seniors are allowed to “will” items, responsibilities, honors and the like to underclassmen. Now, if you don’t know me, let me state that I am pretty short and not very athletic. So, as a joke, I willed my “skills” in baseball, basketball and football to Andy Sisco – who was, of course, the star of our school in all three sports. Luckily for him, I don’t think he accepted…

Jacque Jones

Like Gaudin, another player that I wanted the Mariners to acquire this winter was Jacque Jones. Instead, Jones signed what I think was a fair deal (3yr/$16M) with the Chicago Cubs. Jones plays great defense – which is a necessary quality when you’re shopping for prospective left fielders for the spacious Safeco Field. I’ll be watching Jones this season, trying to repress the thoughts of, “I told you so!”

The Brewers’ youngsters

I think the Brew Crew will win the NL Central before this decade’s over. They’re certainly a team on the rise and I think Doug Melvin is one of the most underrated GMs in the game. The Brewers have a great group of young players that have come through the ranks together and are all penciled in to start in Milwaukee. Prince Fielder and Rickie Weeks are the most publicized and probably the most exciting, but you can’t forget about J.J. Hardy and Corey Hart, either.

Ryan Franklin and Matt Thornton

Now that these guys are no longer with the Mariners, I can watch them without having to monitor my blood pressure. In fact, all the laughing I'll be doing when I watch these clowns will actually be good for my health!

Ok, this is going to be a regular feature for this blog that is going to be posted every Sunday night. I know…I’m already off to a late start because, technically, it’s Monday morning right now. But, that’s because I went to an awesome concert tonight (Cartel/Gatsby’s American Dream/Copeland/The Starting Line) and just got home. You can think of this as a TV Guide for baseball fans. Please note that all times are PST and I’m not listing absolutely everything. For example, Spring Training games that are televised more than once will not make the list multiple times. On with the shows…

Monday, March 27, 2006

Tuesday, March 28, 2006