Jamie Moyer: Not quite old enough.

First off, congratulations to Jamie Moyer for becoming the winningest pitcher in Mariners’ history tonight. Moyer earned his 131st win for Seattle, and on the Mariners' radio broadcast, Dave Niehaus announced that Jamie Moyer pitching to Pat Borders was the oldest battery in Major League history. Niehaus was close, but that isn't quite true. Moyer and Borders have a combined age of 84 years. However, on September 25th, 1965, Satchel Paige pitched three shutout innings for the Kansas City Athletics. Paige was 59 years old when he took the mound that night, and he was throwing his famous "bee balls" to Billy Bryan, a 26 year old catcher. It doesn't take a math whiz to realize that tandem was a year older than Moyer and Borders.

 

“Miguel Olive Oil”

Today the Mariners optioned Miguel Olivo to AAA and brought up catcher Rene Rivera from AA-San Antonio. I realize that something had to be done about Olivo, who was hitting .145/.174/.236, but will Rivera be much better? Obviously it's easy for the team to improve when Olivo is putting up those kind of numbers, but Rivera has a minor-league career line of .253/.310/.369 and has 18 at-bats above AAA.

 

Feeling a Draft…

In the final hour before the deadline, both Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew signed contracts with the teams that drafted them almost a year ago. Weaver signed with the Angels for $4 million, and Drew signed a contract with the Diamondbacks that will pay him at least $5.5 million. This could be great news for the Mariners, because there have been rumors that the Diamondbacks, who have the first-overall pick in next week's amateur draft, are going to pick another Boras client - as kind of a "package deal." Boras' top "advisees" this year are pitchers: Mike Pelfrey from Wichita State, Luke Hochevar from Tennessee, and Craig Hansen, St. John's closer. That would leave the two best position players, Justin Upton and Alex Gordon, for the Royals and Mariners. Personally, I would prefer Gordon, but I'd be happy with either. I'm still crossing my fingers...

 

Hammerin’ Cameron

Who has more doubles, more triples and as many home runs than Adrian Beltre? Unfortunately, lots of guys. But, who has all that with less than half of Beltre's at-bats? My favorite ballplayer, Mike Cameron. If you haven't noticed, Cammy's been tearing the cover off of the ball. After missing the first month of the season due to off-season wrist surgery, Cameron is currently hitting .373/.475/.699! Part of the reason that he's doing so well is that, so far, he's cut down on his strikeouts while increasing his walks. Right now, 20% of Cameron's plate appearances are resulting in strikeouts. His strikeout percentages for the last four seasons are: 25, 22, 27 and 24. He's walking 14% of the time, better than his previous paces of 10, 11, 12 and 12 percent. With Cliff Floyd hitting a very respectable .277/.346/.524, Carlos Beltran obviously not going anywhere, and 23-year-old Victor Diaz hitting .280/.407/.505, the Mets might have more of a logjam than the Reds.

 

Crown Contenders

It's probably a little early to be talking about this, but there are Triple Crown candidates in each league. In the American League, A-Rod is currently fourth in batting average (although he is 40 points behind the surprising Brian Roberts), but he's also leading the league in home runs and runs batted in. Over in the Senior Circuit, Derek Lee is currently neck-and-neck with Miguel Cabrera for the lead in batting average, and already has the lead in dingers and ribbies. Personally, I think the Triple Crown is overrated, but the simple fact that it hasn't been done in 37 years is impressive.

I didn't get to see the game, because I had to work, but the M's finally scratched out a win to stay one game better than last year's pathetic pace. Aaron Sele has now strung together three good starts, putting any talks of his release on hold. With Pat Borders behind the plate for Sele again, I'm sure Borders will be getting more playing time. Especially combined with the fact that Olivo has been horrible and the old guy hit his 69th round-tripper today.

John Olerud became the 199th player in baseball history to play for both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Olerud had a great debut, and if you go to the ESPN stats page, it shows his picture for the AL leader in batting average, even though he only has 6 at bats. It kind of takes me back to 1993...

Great interview with Chris Snelling "Doyle" right here.

In other news, I was in Woodinville today and I saw a self-proclaimed "Very Disabled" man begging for money. He had a sleevless shirt on, and when he walked by, I saw that he had a large portrait tattoo on his right shoulder. I figured it was Jesus, but then I looked again and realized that it was, in fact, Paul Reubens. That's right...the guy had Pee Wee Herman tattooed on his arm! I really need a camera phone. Next week...

I didn't realize that ESPN did comedy, but this had me laughing out loud! If you don't want to click the link, the Chicago Cubs have told Carlos Zambrano to cut back on his computer use, because it might be causing his elbow problems. That's like telling a fireman not to smoke, because he might burn himself. Did the Cubs ever think that maybe, just maybe, his elbow problems are the result of extremely high pitch counts? As far as Baseball Prospectus' "Pitcher Abuse Points," Zambrano is currently ranked 2nd this year, he ranked 3rd last year and 10th in 2003.

Sorry, it's been a while since I've updated this bad boy. Don't worry, I'm alive and well. The lack of updates have been a combination of a few things... 1) I just got a new job and have been reeeeallllly busy. Seriously, I'll have put in 47 hours this week. 2) On top of that, it's deadline time for the work I do for The Grand Salami. Add another 10 hours of writing! And... 3) The M's have been pretty depressing lately, and I'm sick of writing "Welp, the M's lost...again..."

Anyway, I have Monday and Tuesday off and will try to get some stuff up on here. We'll see.

In other news: This Guy got hit - not once - but TWICE today. I think he's cursed. Please send rabbit's feet, horseshoes and four-leaf clovers to: Tacoma Rainiers c/o Chris Snelling 2502 S. Tyler St., Tacoma, WA 98405.

Coming Soon: An interview with Micah Owings and, um...other stuff!

The M's have played 35 games this season.

Games in which the M's have scored 7 or more runs: 8

Games in which the M's have scored 2 or less runs: 13

I got the new ESPN Magazine in the mail today and, as I was flipping through it, I noticed they did an interview with Mark Kotsay. It's one of those interviews where they interview an athlete, one of his teammates and his wife, to see who knows him better - the teammate or the wife. But, instead of putting a picture of Kotsay, ESPN accidentally put a picture of Rich Harden. Oops!

In other news, if this doesn't result in a lawsuit, I'll be very surprised!

*I wonder how many times Mike Hargrove burned himself on the stove when he was a kid. I'm seriously starting to question the guy's intelligence. Moyer struggled today and left the game in the third inning, with the Mariners down 6-5, so who comes in to replace him? Matt Thornton. Thornton proceeded to give up six more runs over two innings, and that was basically the game. Good choice Mike!

*Because they have an off day, the Mariners are talking about possibly skipping someone in the rotation, but right now we're looking at Gonzalez vs. Pineiro, Miller vs. Franklin and Wakefield vs. Meche. Personally, I have a really bad feeling about the Red Sox coming to town. The M's have lost 10 of their last 11 games and I don't think it's getting better any time soon. I'm setting the over/under for the number of runs the Sox score during the series at 20. Place your bets...

*The Rockies claimed Randy Williams off waivers from the Padres. Is it just me, or does it seem like every pitcher that leaves the M's organization somehow ends up in Colorado. Hey Dan O'Dowd - Ryan Anderson's available!

*Speaking of the Rockies, they traded Mike Restovich to the Pirates for a PTBNL. Restovich is a solid player (certainly better than Brad Hawpe or Choo Freeman), putting up a .285/.364/.492 line over his minor league career and a very similar .274/.364/.442 over his 113 at-bats in the majors. I thought he'd stick (and shine) in Colorado, but I guess not. Although he hits more groundballs than flyballs, he's relatively young (26) and makes the league minimum. Somehow I doubt the Rockies will get something as good in return.

*How about that Tino Martinez?! He's going crazy. He's hit a home run in five consecutive games now. My first reaction is, "Remind me again why the Mariners ever traded this guy?!" I was actually in favor of the M's signing him to a short-term deal this off-season, but they went big at first base instead. Check this out...

Tino Martinez's HRs after leaving the Mariners: 243

M's regular first basemen in the same time period: 163

Tino's collective VORP after leaving the Mariners: 284.1

M's regular first basemen's collective VORP ('96-'05): 300.8

Money Tino's made after leaving the Mariners: $49,900,000

Money M's have spent on regular 1B, '96-'05: $48,775,000

Would I have preferred the M's sign Tino to a one-year deal, instead of Sexson for four years? Sure. But, as you can see, the M's have done well at first base in the post-Tino era.

>Earth to Mike Hargrove: Use your crappy pitchers in blowouts and your good pitchers in close games, not the other way around! After using Matt Thornton and Jeff Nelson last night in a tie game against the Yankees, "Grover" used Mateo, Putz AND Shiggy tonight, when the M's were down by 5 runs for most of the game. This is just ridiculous...

>I know wins for pitchers are greatly overrated, but I feel sorry for Zack Greinke (and not just because he's on my fantasy team!). He's pitching really well, but since the Royals suck, he's piling up the losses. Zack Greinke's girlfriend* must feel really sorry for him as well. I hope he's smart enough to realize that it's mostly his teams' fault that he's not getting the wins. His next scheduled start is against Tampa Bay, so there's hope. Buuuuttt....his next 4 scheduled starts after that are against: St. Louis, Texas and the NY Yankees (x2). In related news, after the Royals started the season 8-25, Tony Pena took the easy way out and resigned. BTW: Every time I say "Greinke," I think of the stupid Crocodile Hunter.

>The Milwaukee Brewers are a smarter organization than most people give them credit for. Doug Melvin is certainly on the right track, and one thing that I especially like about this year's Brew Crew is the bullpen. I'm a firm believer in building bullpens on the cheap, and Melvin has done just that. There are 8 guys who have had regular relief appearances, and the average salary in the 'pen is a measley $391,625. The Brewers relief corps has a combined VORP of 20.9 which, compared to the total salary, is almost certainly the best in baseball. I can't do it now (new job = tired Conor), but I plan to do a bullpen analysis of every team in baseball. P.S. If you want to read about the Brewers, this is the place to do it!

>Dustin Hermanson recently passed Andy Sisco as the "best reliever in baseball," according to VORP. It's a slim margin, so hopefully KC's new manager will continue to use Sisco regularly.

>The strange news of the day comes out of Virginia. The news is that people in Virginia are visiting this site waaaayyy more frequently than people in the rest of the country. In fact, since June 1st, there have been 448 visits from Virginia, and only 179 from Washington. I don't get it. But, if you're from Virginia (thanks, first of all), e-mail me and tell me why you're here!

*Yes, just another shameless attempt to get more hits on the site!

P.S. Sorry about the funky font changes. I really have no clue what I'm doing, and if something fucks up, I never know how to fix it. I had it at school, but I need to get BlogJet installed on my home computer...

Ok, you caught me. The title of this post is simply a shameless attempt at getting cheap hits for the site. I don't know why I really need the hits, being that there aren't ads on the site. It's really just a pride thing I guess. Just like the guys I write about, I'll take all the hits I can get! And hey...I love Lindsay Lohan and baseball, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! If John Sickels can put pictures of babes on his site to increase readership, I can title my posts anything I want. In fact, instead of calling posts about random stuff (like this one) "Random Stuff" or "This n' That," I'm going to make an effort from now on to title the posts a little bit more creatively.

*Anyway...back to baseball! The Mariners are killing me. Mike Hargrove hasn't impressed me during his short time in Seattle so far. After hating Bob Melvin so much, I wanted to like Hargrove, I really did. But he lost a lot of confidence when he didn’t pinch hit for Dan Wilson with one out and the bases loaded in the 7th inning of a 3-1 game against the Twins on April 6th. Tonight, Willie Bloomquist got his third start in three days, he used Matt Thornton and Jeff Nelson in a tie game against the Yankees, while Julio Mateo (who is currently the M’s best reliever, and hasn’t pitched since Friday) sat in the bullpen. Nelson gave up the go-ahead run, which was all the Yanks needed to pull through, 4-3. Not only that, but in the bottom of the 9^th with the M’s only down by one run, Hargrove lets Wiki Gonzalez hit, and then decides to pinch hit for Willie Bloomquist with…Greg Dobbs. Greg Dobbs?!? I know, I know. I guess he wanted a lefty in there to face Mariano Rivera and, for some reason, Dave Hansen and Jeremy Reed just weren’t good enough. I have no idea how this guy got 1,000 wins, it seems like he’s really good at losing ballgames. It’s looking more and more like the Mariners are going to have a sweet pick in the 2006 draft as well. Ugh…

*The M's rotation is horrible. I don't feel like actually breaking it down, so I'll take the lazy route. Looking at ESPN.com's team splits, the Mariners have a 4.86 ERA from innings 1-6. Although it's not the ERA of their starters alone, it gives you a pretty good idea. When you consider that the M's have a great defense and that Safeco Field is a pitchers' park, the M's starters look even more pathetic. Of the starting five, Ryan Franklin actually has the best ERA at 4.50. Moyer's next with his 4.70, followed by Meche (5.16), Sele (5.18), and Pineiro (5.66). Not only that, but through the first 6 innings, the M's have the lowest strikeout rate (4.65/9) in all of baseball. I'm betting King Felix is up before the All-Star break.

*Despite Hargrove's mismanaging, the other 7 pitchers (yes, Seattle has a 12-man staff) are solid. During the 7th inning and later, Seattle has the 2nd best ERA in the American League (2.80), behind only the Minnesota Twins. Do I think this will hold up? Probably not, but it's been a pleasant surprise so far. And, you never know. With the return of Rafael Soriano, and the addition of George Sherrill, with Jeff Nelson hopefully getting kicked to the curb, the bullpen could be strong all season.

*The baseball season is about 20% over, let's see what some of the Mariners are on pace for...

Ichiro!: 220 hits, 30 2B, 10 3B, 10 HR, 60 BB (30 intentionally), 70 strikeouts, 50 SB, 20 times caught stealing, 60 RBI, 105 runs

Beltre: Only 15 HR, but 95 RBI, 25 BB & 100 strikeouts

Boone: 15 HR (lowest since 1997), 20 errors (most in career)

Sexson: 40 HR, 130 RBI, 85 BB, 165 strikeouts

Winn: 45 doubles

Moyer: A record of 20-5 (yeah...right!)

Guardado: 45 saves

Meche: 3,400 pitches (which would have ranked 9th most in the AL last season)

*The Glasshouse Gang has finally picked things up and is starting to fire on all cylinders. We're currently in third place, but nobody's running away with the division. This week we're playing two of the worst teams, so it's a great time to gain some ground. When we get Ben Sheets back, things should be pretty sweet.

*Speaking of cylinders, I got a new car this weekend! After two weeks of searching and signing my name about 50 times, I got a midnight blue 1999 Nissan Maxima. It's pretty sweet. Once I get some Mariners' decals on there, maybe I'll post a picture (if the sun ever comes out around here!). I had to get a car, because I'm starting a new job this week. So, my life will be pretty hectic and I'm not sure how much posting I'll be doing. Consider this fair warning.

*And, finally, in creepier news, two searches have resulted in someone visiting my web site: "Jose Lima's wife" and "Zack Greinke's girlfriend." Perhaps, instead of using celebrities, I'll start using players' wives for the titles of my random posts!

The M's are currently 12-17. Through 29 games last season they were...12-17. Not so good. I know it's early, but I really think that the next couple weeks could make or break their season. Cross your fingers.

Last week you read about “My Guys,” a 25-man roster of my favorite guys in baseball for one reason or another, ala Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus. So, since you know about my favorite players, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my least favorite players in baseball. The rules are the same as “My Guys,” meaning that my bench can be made up of guys who normally start and my outfield doesn’t have to be a left fielder, a center fielder and a right fielder. Again, the only rule I’m setting for myself is that I have to list 5 starters and 6 relievers, not just 11 pitchers. Here goes nothing…

C: A.J. Pierzynski. He’s just a prick. What more can you say? Sure, he’s a decent hitter, especially for a catcher, but I draw the line at kneeing your trainer in the crotch and alienating your own teammates.

1B: Doug Mientkiewicz. I didn’t mind Mientkiewicz until he pulled that crap with the World Series ball. I actually kind of liked the guy. I liked his defense and the fact that he doesn’t wear batting gloves, but I thought that ordeal was pretty lame. Perhaps it was blown out of proportion, but the point is that it shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place. Hey Doug: the Red Sox waited 86 years for a World Series; you only waited 30! Aside from the greatest satisfaction and accomplishment in sports, the Sox are giving you an awesome ring, and you’re arguing about a silly ball? Please! Not only that, but Mientkiewicz told Sports Weekly that the Twins/White Sox rivalry is just as intense as the Red Sox/Yankees, but without the media hype. So, he’s selfish and stupid. Great combo.

2B: Luis Rivas. I don’t have anything against the Minnesota Twins, I swear! I don’t hate Rivas as much as Aaron Gleeman, but Luis is pretty pathetic! As a career .262/.307/.388 hitter, it’s surprising that any team is willing to pay him $1.6 million, especially a team that is usually pretty smart (and frugal), like the Twins.

3B: Alex Rodriguez. Do I even have to explain myself? Yes, he’s a great player, maybe one of the best I’ll ever see. But, it doesn’t matter when you’re such a bitch, like A-Rod. I don’t wish any personal harm or anything to the guy (nor do I for anyone on this list), but I will say that I hope he never wins a World Series. Because he was always whining and complaing about wanting to play for a winning team, that would be pretty sweet. Unlikely, but sweet. As a side note, in his awful deodorant commercial, is it just me, or do the lights at the end look like they spell E5? Hmm…

SS: Derek Jeter. Another hated player that I share with Gleeman (and a ton of other people!). When making this list, Jeter and A-Rod were the first two guys I wrote down. Like A-Rod, I’ll admit that, yes, Jeter is a great player. However, he  gets WAY too much credit for things that he doesn’t do very well (such as defense), and things that can’t be measured (such as being “clutch” and showing leadership). There isn’t one baseball message board on the internet that doesn’t have lame Yankees’ fans falling over and gushing about their beloved “DJ.” On top of that, the guy has dated some serious babes, including Mariah Carey, Jessica Alba, Anna Kournikova, Lara Dutta, Jordanna Brewster & Vanessa Minnillo. And just think…those are just the famous chicks he’s nailed! So, as you can see, he’s pretty easy to hate.

OF: Terrence Long. I was never much of a Terrence Long fan, but he really sealed his fate with the last at-bat of the 2003 ALDS. Striking out to end the game? That sucks! Going down looking?!? Even worse. Going down looking on a pitch that was basically identical to strike two?!? How can you even like yourself?

OF: Jim Edmonds. If A-Rod and Jeter were the first two guys I wrote down, Edmonds was the third. My dislike of Edmonds runs deep. I’ve always thought that Edmonds was a showboat, diving for balls that he didn’t really need to, just to make them look pretty. While he too is a great player, I’ve always thought that Edmonds was extremely overrated, and there was probably some vicarious jealousy for Mike Cameron that Edmonds got more love for his glove.

OF: Bobby Higginson. Higginson is just one of those guys that I dislike, but I’m not really sure why. I mean, he sucks, but that’s obvious. I guess it’s just that he’s way overpaid (averaging about $9 million the past three seasons for a .253/.340/.391 line over that period). By the way, he’s currently hitting .077/.111/.077, while raking in $8.85 million.

Rotation: Kenny Rogers, Andy Pettitte, Eric Milton, Russ Ortiz & Kirk Rueter. I dislike Kenny Rogers for a few reasons. One, he ruined my birthday party a few years ago, when he came into Safeco Field and shutout the M’s in April of 2002. I also dislike him because Jim Street (the Mariners writer for MLB.com) constantly compares Ryan Franklin to Kenny Rogers, stating absurd things like, “You would be surprised how much better pitchers can be with some run support. Just ask Kenny Rogers of the Rangers. His ERA was about the same as Mariners right-hander Ryan Franklin (4.76 to 4.90), and Rogers had an 18-9 record compared to Franklin's 4-16 record.” I’ve said this before and, unfortunately, I’m sure I’ll say it again: Pitchers aren’t better or worse because of run support. Sure, they might get more wins, but that doesn’t necessarily make them better. I don’t like Andy Pettitte because he was a Yankee for so long and…well, that’s reason enough! Eric Milton and Russ Ortiz can be grouped together because I think they’re two of the most overrated pitchers in the game. Why they make the big bucks is beyond me. Although he doesn’t bring in the green that Milton and Ortiz do, Kirk Rueter is kind of in the same boat, in that I’m surprised he’s employed. With those ears, maybe he’s just employed because he can hear across the field to the other dugout…

Bullpen: Troy Percival, Jose Mesa, Dan Kolb, Todd Jones, Billy Koch & Kevin Jarvis. Although I like the fact that Troy Percival drinks about 10 cups of coffee while he’s down in the bullpen (Uh oh…is that “performance enhancing?!?”), I just don’t like him as a pitcher. It’s probably the fact that he’s a Mariner killer (1.69 ERA with 24 saves in 50 games). Jose Mesa and Kevin Jarvis made the team because they sucked for the M’s (to varying degrees). Mesa was a great pitcher in the early and mid ‘90s, but really sucked during his time in Seattle (’99 and ’00). Jarvis was barely with the team last year, but that was all I had to see. Seriously, how does he still have a job? He’s a 35-year-old righty with a 5.93 career ERA! His VORP over the past three years goes from 2.4 in 2002 to -6.8 in 2003 and -7.6 last season. I dislike Dan Kolb because he gets hyped as a good pitcher because he accumulates saves (Kolb was an All-Star in 2004), but, in my book, if you pitch 50 innings and only strike out 21 guys, you really suck. Congratulations to Doug Melvin on “selling high!” Todd Jones isn’t just a piece of shit on the mound, he’s a piece of shit everywhere! If you don’t remember, Jones told the Denver Post that, “I wouldn't want a gay guy being around me,” Jones told the paper. “It's got nothing to do with me being scared. That's the problem: All these people say he's got all these rights. Yeah, he's got rights or whatever, but he shouldn't walk around proud. It's like he's rubbing it in our face. 'See me, hear me roar.' We're not trying to be close-minded, but then again, why be confrontational when you don't really have to be?” And finally, there’s Billy Koch. He made the team because he sucks, but he thinks he’s awesome.

Bench: Jeff Cirillo, Jason Phillips, Cristian Guzman, Scott Spiezio, Alex Sanchez & Willie Bloomquist. Jeff Cirillo made the team because I’m a Mariners fan, and we all know how that worked out… But, at least he’s not in a really crappy band. Seriously, Scott Spiezio sucks at baseball and music! What can this guy do well? Oh yeah…eat donuts. Jason Phillips basically made the team for those awful sunglasses. Who does this guy think he is, Bono? Jason, I was going to make this team “With or Without You,” but you made it! Guzman’s another guy I don’t like because he’s really overrated. Alex Sanchez didn’t make the squad because of the steriods thing. I couldn’t care less about that. No, Sanchez made the team because he bunts all the time. What a joke! Bloomquist is the unlucky 25^th man. He’s kind of the mascot of this team, because so many guys are here because I think they’re undeservingly loved or valued, and no one is more undeservingly praised like WFB. Mariners fans love him because he’s local and hustles. So, he’s like David Eckstein and Eric Byrnes…except a lot worse.

Manager: Bob Melvin. Although I really dislike Dusty Baker, I dislike the guy the Mariners chose instead of him more. BoMel made my team because he’s the crappiest manager I’ve ever seen. He’s not a good evaluator of talent, he makes poor in-game decisions and he’s just too soft for my liking. Plus, he’s afraid of clowns. What a wimp!

General Manager: Kenny Williams. He’s made a few good moves, and you can’t really complain about the White Sox’s start this season, but I’m not too high on Kenny Williams. Except, I do like the fact that the Mariners got more for Freddy Garcia than the Royals got for Carlos Beltran. Thanks Kenny!

So, there you have it. Now you know my favorite and least favorite players in the game. Now, the only question is: Which team would win?

 

Stephen Head is a 6’2”, 220 lb. junior first baseman and pitcher for Ole Miss. A left-handed hitter and pitcher, Head is tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .311/.388/.612, and is also holding his own on the mound. He has pitched in 14 games (7 starts) and is 7-2 with a 3.13 ERA. In 60.1 innings, he has 52 strikeouts and 22 walks. Head has his share of accolades, including being named the SEC Player of the Year in 2003, the same year he was also a member of the 2003 U.S.A. National Team. He continued to earn national attention with his play in 2004, when he was one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, the most prestigious award in college baseball. In 2005, Head was named a first-team, pre-season All-American by Baseball America. I was fortunate to catch up with Head via e-mail. Here is what he had to say…

 

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 Ole Miss.

I grew up in Jackson, Mississippi.  I’ve played baseball since I was little and I chose Ole Miss because the program was heading in the right direction and I loved everything about the campus.

Which do you prefer: Playing first base, or pitching?

I prefer playing first base and hitting, more than pitching, because I can play everyday.

 

What has been the most memorable moment in your baseball career?

The most memorable moment, so far, was when I was named National Freshman of the Year in 2003.

 

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

Jeff Francoeur, an outfielder in the Braves’ organization.  I played with him once in high school; he’s a great player!

 

What part of your game would you say needs the most work?

I would say my hitting. I am good at it, but there’s always room to improve.

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

Baseball is life, but school is very important also.  I will finish my degree whether or not it is next year or during baseball at the next level.

 

What is your conditioning regimen during the season and during the off-season?

During the off-season, the team lifts 4 days a week and does some conditioning.  During the season we only lift 2 times a week, but still run a lot.

 

Is it difficult to maintain a healthy diet while you're in school?
It’s very difficult to eat right, especially after games or practice when you don’t really have time or all the restaurants are closed.

 

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

I always stretch the same way before I go to the plate, but I don’t know where that came from though.

 

Can you please talk about your experiences on the 2003 U.S.A. National Team?
Playing for Team U.S.A. was unreal.  It was the best experience I will probably have as a player.  Going to the gold-medal game, as kids against all men, and almost winning was unreal…it was the best summer ever.

 

Who is your favorite MLB team?
The Atlanta Braves.

 

Who is your favorite baseball player?

Ken Griffey Jr. is the man…when he’s healthy!

 

What will be the first thing you buy if you get a signing bonus?
I don’t have any clue what I’ll buy, but I’ll definitely invest some of my money.

 

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

Greg Maddux.

And finally, please tell me something interesting/unique about yourself.

I am the biggest outdoors person you will ever meet. I love hunting and fishing!

 

Wow, the Mariners look pathetic lately! They're now 12-15, good for last place in the AL West, 4 games behind "Los Angeles." This time last year, the M's were 10-17.

Nothing too exciting from today's game, but it was nice to see Shin-Soo Choo's first Major League hit. It was also pretty crazy to see the M's kick out a young child for jumping onto the field to grab a foul ball. But, he got the ball, got a standing ovation and didn't miss much (it happened in the 8th inning)!

It always surprises me how many people line up outside the stadium on giveaway days. It's funny that it takes a chunk of plastic to get people to come to the park early. As if watching Vlad Guerrero take batting practice isn't special enough...

Ichiro! struck out 3 times today, making it just his 4th 3K game since coming to America.

John Lackey struck out 9 M's last night, making it only the third time he's struck out 9+ in a game. The last time John Lackey struck out 9 or more? September 19, 2004...against the Mariners.

Steve Finley...16 total hits, 6 home runs. In fact, 62.5% of his hits are for extra bases. Crazy.

Tomorrow, Paul Byrd (who is 4-0 in 4 starts with a 1.38 ERA against the M's) faces Aaron Sele (who is 7-6 in 18 starts with a 5.01 ERA against the Angels). Should be fun...

 

Ichiro's AMAZING catch, robbing Garret Anderson of a HR, was the spoonful of sugar that made it easier to swallow the nasty dose of medicine the Angels plowed down the Mariners' throat. It was probably the best catch I've ever seen, and might be one of the best that I'll ever see! My hand hurt from repeatedly hi-fiving my dad, and I lost my voice cheering so loud...but it was worth it!

Other notes from the game:

Although the radio postgame show was talking about how Ryan Franklin wasn't his "usual self," I thought it was a pretty typical Franklin start. Yeah, he walked a few more than usual (the last time he walked 5 guys was on April 20, 2004), but when you allow that many balls to be put into play, you're going to get burned every now and then - even with one of the best defenses in baseball! Also, I'm really sick of hearing Franklin (and his supporters) complain about how he doesn't get any run support. While it's true that he's probably had some tough luck, you can't complain when you're giving up 4, 5, 6, 7 runs per game. If he had an ERA of 2.50 or 3.20, then he'd have some valid complaints, but the guy goes out and gets shelled and then has the balls to complain about not getting run support? Please...

It's really distracting to sit in front of a group of high school girls. While watching the ballgame, I had the pleasure of listening to stories about: The OC, Jack Johnson, prom dresses, buying things at Claire's and then returning them after you wear/use them, how the color gold is "so in right now," how boring baseball is, Deperate Housewives, and how Randy Winn apparently looks like The Rock. Uh...yeah...

The Mariners are absolutely worthless against lefties this season, collectively hitting .204/.263/.290 - last in the majors in all three departments. Yikes!

Coming Soon: An interview with Stephen Head, "Not My Guys," and a fun little list of guys that went to the same high school...

 

Warner Jones is a junior second baseman for the Vanderbilt Commodores. As a freshman, Jones started all of Vandy’s 55 games as an outfielder. His freshman year, he led the team in hits, with 70. As a sophomore, Jones was the first Commodore to receive first-team All-American honors from Baseball America after leading the SEC in batting with a .414 average. Jones was named a 2005 pre-season second-team All-American by Baseball America and is currently hitting .315/.337/.478 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 14 stolen bases. Vanderbilt’s head coach, Tim Corbin, said this of Jones: “Warner is one of the best players that I’ve ever coached and will be regarded as one of the top players in the nation. He is a pure hitter who comes up big in key situations. He has also become a very good defensive infielder." I caught up with Jones via e-mail, and here is what he had to say…

 

First off, 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 Vanderbilt.

I grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.  I started playing organized baseball at 7 in a league near my house and continued on to play AAU ball until I was 16.  We traveled and went to the tournaments, never winning but coming in second a few times.  Then, I moved on to Twitty City in Nashville where I won the Mickey Mantle (AABC) World Series with the help of teammate Ryan Mullins, who is now an All-American pitcher at Vandy.  Then I went to Cincinnati, Ohio for my senior summer to play with the Midland Redskins.  I chose to go to Vandy because all of my family (10 members) had graduated from VU. I also felt like I had a good opportunity to start as a freshman.

Your father also played at Vanderbilt and was drafted twice. What advice has he given you during your college career?

My father really just supports me as much as he can.  He was a pitcher in college and in the minor leagues, so he does not offer much advice to me about hitting.  He really just likes to sit back and watch, rather than try to pressure me.

What has been the most memorable moment in your baseball career?

Two of my most memorable moments in my career have been when Worth Scott hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning with 2 outs against the University of Tennessee to catapult us into the SEC tourney for the first time in like 8 years (My freshman year).  The other was hitting a home run in the bottom of the 8th against UT to win a game this year.

 

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

On my team, Ryan Mullins and David Price, for sure. On other teams, guys like J.P. Howell, Mark McCormick and Landon Powell are great.

 

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

Mark McCormick is an amazing pitcher with high 90s velocity and a lot of movement. He also has the best curveball and slider I have ever seen!

What part of your game would you say needs the most work?

I really need to be more patient at the plate.

What is something specific that you are currently working on?

Plate discipline.

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

I spend at least 50 hours a week at the field or in the weight room.  When you are so pressured for time, you become very efficient.  I will finish my degree in human and organizational development.

What is your conditioning regimen during the season and during the off-season?

We lift weights 4 days a week, run 2 days, and do agilities 4 days a week in the fall and winter (obviously we do both agilities and lift on the same day).  In the season we lift 2 times a week.

Is it difficult to maintain a healthy diet while you're in school?
It is difficult to eat right since there is not a lot of time.  Wendy's and McDonalds are very convenient and close to the field.

Do you have any superstitions? If so, how did they develop?
No, I try not to have any because I am a pretty strong Christian and I feel like it is dividing your attention and putting faith in something other than God.

 

Who is your favorite MLB team?
My favorite Major League team is the Oakland A's, because I played at Midland where Mark Mulder played and I also played at Wareham, in the cape, where Barry Zito played, so I kind of felt a connection.  I also enjoyed watching the A's of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, with Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley. The Bash Brothers were cool too!

 

Who is your favorite baseball player?
I like Marcus Giles and Brian Roberts.

 

What will be the first thing you buy if you get a signing bonus?
I’m not exactly sure, but it’ll be something for my dad.

 

If you make it to the big leagues, what player would you most like to hit against?
I want to face Randy Johnson just to see what it’s like and probably add my name to the long list of people he has struck out!

 

And finally, please tell me something interesting/unique about yourself.

I have a cat named Tuesday that is a white Himalayan.  He is named after the Lynyrd Skynyrd song, because they are my favorite band.

The World Champion Boston Red Sox signed John Olerud to a minor-league contract today. Olerud had a little bit of a down year last year, especially in the power department, hitting .259/.359/.374. His 3-year totals still look nice (.278/.380/.422), but he's also coming off of ligament surgery in his left foot. The Sox must value Olerud's glove, because they passed on younger, more powerful lefty bats in, two guys you're probably sick of reading about on this site, Brad Fullmer and Cal Pickering. I wouldn't be surprised to see Olerud in ballgames as a defensive replacement, ala Doug Mientkiewicz.

I was flipping through the rules today and found this one to be particularly funny. Which one of these sounds out of place?

Rule 3.02

No player shall intentionally discolor or damage the ball by rubbing it with soil, rosin, paraffin, licorice, sand-paper, emery-paper, or other foreign substance.

Licorice?!? 

Yesterday, Ken Harvey went 3-5 with his first career grand slam. He was brought up to take Calvin Pickering's place as the Royals' DH. The Royals intended to stick with Pickering, but he got off to a horrible start (.148/.226/.259) and was optioned to Omaha on April 23rd. They're probably frustrated with Pickering and may have given up on the guy altogether. As the saying goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Pickering is a huge (6'5" 295 lbs), powerful lefty. If Mariners' fans fell in love with Bucky Jacobsen, just imagine what would happen if Pickering's bat came to Safeco Field, which favors left-handed power hitters. What's that Allard Baird, you want a starting pitcher? How about Ryan Franklin? Ooh...Ron Villone can start! Do you want Dan Reichert back? I know that thinking of trade proposals is kind of lame, but the M's are last in the AL in home runs and I really think that they could use Pickering as a bat off the bench. 

[Update]: Figuring out who has options left is confusing, but I believe Pickering's out of options, which means the M's could have had him for virtually nothing. Ugh...