Sunday February 28th This Week in Sport Review

Another week has gone by for us so I am going to over what happened this week. Let you know there is no order of important as far as I am concerned.

The University of Washington Men’s basketball team lost against Oregon State by one point on a last second three pointer. Coach Romar complained to the league office about the officiating in the game which he ended up being reprimanded. I am not surprised because the Pac-12 office is not going to take it from any coach how the officiating is happening even though everyone knows that it has a lot of room for improvement. The Huskies take on the Oregon Ducks late this afternoon in a very must game. The Huskies are currently tied in sixth place with Stanford. Right now the Huskies are on the bubble for sure and they will be out of the NCAA tournament for sure with a loss to the Ducks. The only chance they would have be winning the Pac-12 tournament which is very unlikely.

This week the Seattle Mariners opened up spring training to all the players now being in camp on the major league roster. Pitchers are throwing batting practice some to the batters while others in the bullpen. Saturday Felix Hernandez threw his first session in the bullpen with a new slight difference in his delivery. He was disappointed in his season last year though he won eighteen games. He did not like the idea that he gave up so many home runs that were around twenty last season. Felix was the last to throw in the bullpen which is pretty usual for him. He goes at his own pace and no one questions it since he is the King and the Mariners number one pitcher. I expect yesterday’s outing he already looked better than any other pitcher in camp. Certainly saw smiles on general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais when Felix finished throwing forty pitches.

This week in football the college combine started in Indianapolis, Indiana and the big thing talking around is the size of the quarterback’s hands. Though Russell Wilson is short in stature as far as height goes he has large hands of just over ten inches. Now that is the standard the scouts and coaches are looking at. I wonder if the same thing will go with wide receivers. Since it is so hard now to define what a catch is remember the Super Bowl in the first quarter. So I see teams need receivers who will catch the ball without any controversy so maybe big hands will help. Of course, I am sure scouts and coaches have looked at that before. It would be nice to ask Pete Carroll if the size of hands matter for quarterbacks or wide receivers. I know in his mind he is looking for big receivers with good speed. I am sure the Seahawks will be looking that way for incoming wide receiver this year. It is not a priority for the Seahawks though since they likely will be looking for defensive linemen, offensive linemen, and running backs. They could find a quarterback that can come in to backup Wilson. Another question though will tight end Jimmy Graham be ready when training camp starts. There is a possibility he may not be ready until the season begins or later. Besides the college draft coming up the Seahawks has to look to see who they will keep as far as their own free agents.

Anyway I see that as my look at this week in northwest sports. The Mariners will be having exhibitions games starting this week. Oh it will be nice to see live baseball even though it doesn’t count. Also, to see those players that have come in that we are not so familiar with and how Robinson Cano is looking after off-season surgery and the throwing of Charlie Furbush being out for the second half of the season. James Paxton starts the first game on Wednesday in one that doesn’t count in the exhibitions games that don’t count either. Always been strange to me; anyway Go Huskies, Mariners and Seahawks!

  

First Full Day For Regulars On Mariners Training Camp

Today Thursday February 25 the Seattle Mariners full squad went through their first day of spring training.  It is a great time for fans that are in Arizona to see the players working out.

I am not there this year however I was at training camp in 2013. I did not spend my time until games were under way but I did get to see the player’s workout before the game began. It was great to be there around 10 am seeing the pitchers throwing and the batters hitting. I was able to see some of the minor leaguers as well. During the early time I was able to get some autographs of players on a ball. I was able to see Felix but Jesus Montero is the only player remaining on the forty man roster that I got an autograph from. Of course things have changed in that time Jesus was the starting catcher then and now he is fighting to keep a position on the Mariners.  

When I was in Peoria I stayed with my cousin Christy and her husband David. They stay there for about two months and they will go to several games this spring. They told me last week when they came through to my home here in Washington State that they would need a program like all the fans to know the names of all the new players.

This will be quite the move for the Mariners to see who will be fourth and fifth starters in pitching rotation along with the bullpen. At this it looks like the battle in the bullpen will be second lefty along with Charlie Furbush and three righties. The Mariners plan to have a total of seven relievers starting the season. So the Mariners have quite a few bullpen pitchers to make those three spots most being veterans.

In the infield the position players are pretty well set except who will be right handed platoon with Adam Lind at first base and the utility player in the infield. According to general manager Jerry Dipoto they looking to see if they can find a veteran infielder who plays shortstop since the three candidates have little experience in the major leagues. The outfield is really set right now any other candidates will be those who likely start in triple A in case of injury.

The next six weeks for sure will be interesting for all of us to see. Not only who will make the final twenty-five man roster but how Scott Servais will be working as a manager along with his coaches. The only one returning the staff is hitting coach Edgar Martinez. I like former Mariner pitcher Mike Hampton as bullpen coach because he is like having a second pitching coach. So far he has been watching the pitchers in training camp that may make up the bullpen along with some of the starters since he was a starting pitcher himself during his major league career. I look forward like us all who comes out in the end of March for the new Mariner team. Go Mariners!

NFL All The Time

There are those who continue to live there life on the NFL all year around including the off-season. As soon as the Super Bowl is over they are looking at their team for free agents and the college draft. I can understand those who work for the NFL network, other sport networks, and sport talk shows however fans I don’t understand putting a lot of effort into it.

I am a big baseball fan primarily however when the baseball season is over I am watching football and college basketball. I will see what my Seattle Mariners are doing as far as looking for trades and free agents but I don’t spend a lot of time researching though.

Though the NFL starts their training in July and August I will keep my eye on it though baseball is my major focus. College basketball I don’t focus until November. I do hear what is going on but it is not my major focus. What helps me though is that I can recall and remember things pretty quickly so I don’t have to spend as much time on it.

Now that baseball spring training has just started it will be where most of my focus is however I will listen and read to see what is happening in the NFL and college basketball. March madness is where I enjoy college basketball the most. I used to enjoy the college game years back before so many more games are shown on television. We can see basketball almost seven days a week if we want to. I primarily watch the Pac-12 because that is where my interest is however I do watch other games occasionally. March madness though is one of the most exciting times in sports during the year. I especially like watching the smaller conferences play in the tournament.

I hope that the University of Washington Huskies  make the tournament however they will need to win most of the remaining games to get in after being on a four game losing streak.

Right now for the NFL is the college combine reading to start in a few days. It will be interesting to see how the players will rank out. This year does not look like many quarterbacks coming out. A lot of offensive linemen seem to be the strength of the college draft. For the Seahawks though most experts believe they will go for a defensive lineman with their first round pick unless they trade down in the draft or go for someone like they did last year in tight end Jimmy Graham.

The Seahawks seem to be leaning toward drafting the offensive linemen in the middle of the college draft. Most likely they will not sign a veteran offensive lineman.

If they sign a free agent it likely will be a defensive lineman like Chris Long who was let go by the Rams. The Seahawks have about half of their roster who is up for free agency. I am sure they will look to retain some of them. General Manager John Schneider is good finding players in the college draft and college free agents to fill spots.

Though I do keep my eye on the NFL I recommend if you truly are a sport fan to see what is happening with the other local sport teams that are in your area. Like I say I know what is happening in the NFL all year long anyway though I am not an expert. So go Seahawks and Mariners. Oh yes the Sounders are ready to start as well.

 

Mariners One Thing Hasn’t Changed

Going into spring training as Mariner fans we know that the Mariners have a whole lot of change happening with a new general manger along with a manager who has never managed and a bunch of new players.

What isn’t changing is that Felix Hernandez will be the opening day pitcher for the Mariners. Of course this depends on his health and the history of King Felix we don’t expect it to be a problem. With Felix on the mound of opening season we hope the Mariners will get off with a win in the first game of the season. Last season Felix had his up and downs however we do hope that in 2016 we will see a lot more of the ups for him. Though he is turning thirty I expect he will be healthy most of the season and he will have another good season. What we hope for is that Iwakuma will have a healthy season instead of being sidelined for part of the season.

Starting out this spring training James Payton looks like he is healthy so we can hope that he stays that way all season. Right now he looks like he is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. If he doesn’t secure that spot he may start the season in Tacoma. I am sure the powers to be do not want him to be the long reliever in the bullpen. Pitching in Tacoma means that he will be in regular rotation so if someone does go down he will be able to step right in.

Another candidate for the fifth spot is Mike Montgomery. If he has a good spring however does not secure the fifth spot he is out of options so he has to be on the roster for the season or be subject to waiver wire. There is a possibility he could be traded to another club to help out the Mariner’s in another place on the roster.

Another candidate for the fifth spot is Nathan Karns the Mariners got from Tampa Bay in the first trade that new general manager Jerry Dipoto made in October. He does have options so he could go down to Tacoma if he loses out to James Payton however the Mariners will give him every opportunity to be that fifth starter.

The third and fourth starters should be Wade Miley who the Mariners acquired from the Boston Red Sox when they thought that Iwakuma had signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and TaiJuan Walker. We expect that Walker will likely be the fourth starter because Miley is a left hander and the Mariners will want not to pitch three righties in a row. Unless Payton is in the rotation Miley will be the only lefty.

It looks like the Mariners have a solid starting rotation with some depth. Vidal Nuno will be working out of the bullpen during spring training. According to new manager Scott Servais they want to use him where he can be successful however he would be available if needed to start. We can all hope that for the season Nuno will be the second left reliever in the bullpen behind Charlie Furbush. Over the last few days it looks like Furbush will be ready for the regular season which is very good news for the Mariners. He will be the main lefty out of the bullpen. The Mariners do have a few other candidates for the second lefty however Furbush and Nuno look like the best.

I know that there is some who have concern about Scott Servais never being a manager before either minor or major league. There have been a few other guys who have had success as first time managers so we have to see.

Anyway spring training here we go as we look to see what happens going into the new season. Go Mariners!

The First Day of Spring Training Mariners!

The Seattle Mariners first day of spring training starts today Feb. 19 with the pitchers and catchers. Actually physicals happen today and throwing starts tomorrow.

Like most spring trainings they have a group of guys throwing each day as far as the pitchers go. The bullpen pitchers will throw more often than the starting pitchers do. When the exhibition games start in a couple weeks the starters usually pitch an inning or two the first time out and then work their pitch count threw out spring training. The relief pitchers generally start out pitching one inning and go up to a couple inning  depending whether they are setup, closer who normally only pitch one inning and the rest go up to two innings. Usually the guy who is the long reliever right now is with the starting pitchers because he is competing for the fifth man in the rotation so this way he is able to pitch multiple innings when the season starts.

A lot of the pitchers have been in camp for several days already so they can go right off the bat. The starters will go through their regular rotation like in the regular season. Guys like Felix Hernandez and Iwakuma will pitch in some minor league games especially near the end of spring training. Felix has his own way of doing things during spring training. He most likely won’t play in the first couple rounds of spring training games. He will spend more time throwing in the bullpen. The pitchers do their throwing during the mornings and are out in the afternoon. Some will go out and play a round of golf in the afternoon.

The infielders and outfielders will be reporting next week. Many of them are already in camp as well and they work out on their own right now.

The minor league players won’t report for a few more weeks. Some of the guys who will play in triple A are in the major league camp. Usually a handful of them do not report to Triple A until the last week of spring training. This is especially true of the pitchers since they will be competing up until a few days before training ends. The last roster spot may not be determined until the last day of spring training.

This year spring training will be interesting with a new general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais along with all new coaches except Hitting Coach Edgar Martinez the only holder over from last season. There will be a lot of competing because the players can’t count on making the ball club except most starting lineup and a few pitchers.

It will be interesting to see if Dipoto will make some additional changes during or at the end of spring trainings. As far as the infielders and outfielders injuries could decide who makes the club or whether they have to go and get another player.  The catching position is pretty set right now unless an injury does happen during spring training. Last year’s starting catcher Mike Zunino likely will start in triple A unless Chris Iannetta or Steve Clevenger are hurt.

So anyway we will learn a lot as fans about the new Mariners during spring training and the new manager Scott Servais. So Let’s Go Mariners!

 

Nelson Cruz and the Mariners Outfield

The Seattle Mariners figure to have five outfielders including Nelson Cruz on the opening day roster. A lot will depend upon who the utility player is and the first baseman that will platoon with Adam Lind.

Last year the Mariners figured that Cruz would spend most of his time at designated hitter however under the circumstances he played more right field than expected. I am sure they will try again to have him be the designated hitter most of the time again.

The starting outfield is expected to be Nori Aoki in left leading off in the batting order, Leonys Martin in center fielder, Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez platooning in right. How much Cruz plays in the field will depend on his health and that of Gutierrez specifically. There could be times where Cruz plays right field against left handed pitching.

One of the candidates in the outfield along with first base is Stefan Romero. Most likely he will play first base if he makes the club however he will be available to spend time in the outfield as well. Since he has played some infield in the minor leagues he gives the Mariners a lot of oppositions. Another candidate would be Sean O’Malley if he is on the opening roster as utility infielder he can play some outfield too. Both of them give the Mariners added depth if they start the season in triple A.

Another outfielder the Mariners may count on is Boog Powell who they got included in the first trade general manager Jerry Dipoto made in the off-season with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent some of last season in double A as well as triple A. Though he likely won’t start the season with the Mariners he could come up sometime during the season if injuries happen. He definitely is in the plans of the future for the Mariners.

So we all hope that Nelson Cruz will spend a good part of the season as designated hitter however the shape he usually in I would not be surprised if he plays a lot of right field. A lot may depend on Martin in center field as well whether he struggles while hitting however the Mariners likely keep in most of the time because of his defense.

As far as offense goes this coming season for the Mariners will depend a lot on Cruz, Cano, and Seager along with the rest of the guys getting on base in front of them. Dipoto picked up guys who had more history of getting on base along with striking out less. It will be interesting this season where things go in the outfield. We can hope that Cruz and Gutierrez especially will stay healthy.  This is maybe true for Aoki too. Last year Aoki spent some time on the disabled list with the San Francisco Giants. 

This year with addition of Aoki and Martin the Mariners look to have upgraded the outfield especially on the defensive side. Dipoto I am sure will be looking to continue seeing if he can upgrade the outfield even further. Any of the five outfielders get hurt for a significant amount of time they will need to go out and get another experienced major league outfielder because those they have waiting in the wings have little major league time. Those things look good in the outfield right now they have to be prepared for anything. Go Mariners!

King Felix

Going now into spring training with pitchers and catchers reporting on this Friday I decided to start with the Mariners number one pitcher Felix Hernandez.

I guess I can’t count however Felix is number one pitcher on the Mariners starting pitching staff once again. Just after the season starts Felix will be turning thirty years old. I have heard some writers and broadcasters wonder if he is getting close to being done or at least not as productive since he has pitched so many years beginning at the age of nineteen. At this point I still don’t see a  problem because every year Felix at spring training in better shape than the year before and this year should be any different. I know that his arm will wear out someday but I think this year still will not be yet. We do hope that TaiJuan Walker will be the ace of the Mariners when the time comes however I expect Felix will still be at either number two or three when that happens. If Felix is not at the top of his game this year at least the Mariners do have more depth in the starting lineup and we can hope that he can put in at least six or seven quality innings each time out. Remember in the old days which is only about forty years ago the starting pitchers went every four days instead of five like now. They pitched a lot more innings than Felix has done. Also remember that the Big Unit Randy Johnson pitched into his forties going on five days without getting arm trouble. Felix is a type of pitcher where he does not throw the ball hard as he used too. He has pitches like the change up and curve that are better than most any other pitcher in the major leagues.

The Mariners have the depth this year where they may go six deep in the starting pitching so the Mariners could give Felix an extra day off now and then if needed. I have said before that I don’t like the five man rotation anyway. I prefer the days where the rotation was four men. One of the main reasons is that the fifth man does not win very many games over the season and usually has a losing record. On the some teams the fourth man in the rotation has a losing record. I have mentioned before I think a team can go with a four man rotation at home and then start a road trip with a fifth man. This would especially help a team like the Mariners who travel so much. The fifth man could be the first man out of the bullpen on the days the number one man pitches. Of course, many of the number one pitchers pitch a lot of innings in their outings. In that case the fifth man could come in first for the second or third pitcher in the rotation instead. This would allow the teams to go either with more of a bullpen or less depending in the team. The guy who is right now considered the long reliever could start the season in triple A and be ready when needed. This would allow a team to carry an extra player like an infielder, outfielder or catcher. That is my thought anyway. Look forward to Friday when spring training begins. Go Mariners!

Mariners Kyle Seager

Seattle Mariner 3^rd baseman Kyle Seager says that when growing up his favorite player was Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter; however, I see him more like Cal Ripken Jr who never missed a game until near his retirement. We can see the same thing in Seager as well where he misses a very few games. In fact the Mariner’s manager has to give him a day off or he will stay in the lineup. Also, he plays third base a lot like Ripken Jr. did too.

Last season Seager had a poor first half a lot like Robinson Cano. The main difference was that Seager had no injury that we know of that put him in that position. With both Seager and Cano along with the pitching the first half of the season put the Mariners behind where they never caught up though both these guys rebounded in the second half.

What makes Seager so special is that he is very steady and consistent usually throughout the season. Last year was not the kind of season we always count out on him. I guess everyone is due one once in a while. This year though the Mariners need to have Seager come out of the box like he played in the second of last season. Often he has started out slow but nothing like last year. It was amazing that manager McClendon always felt the team would go out on a winning strike which never happened and cost him along with general manager Jackie Z. their jobs. We hope under the new regime of Dipoto and Servais the Mariners will come out of spring training with a good April.

Unless he gets injured or a subpar season we expect the same old Seager once again. Now that he has been around several years and is the longest tendered regular in the lineup the Mariners expect him to be the leader on the field at least and possibly in the clubhouse along with Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano. Depending on spring training Seager will bat either second or fifth. I liked him batting second in the order because he did a lot better hitting when he was switched to the spot in the lineup. What makes Seager good at second in the lineup is that he can pull the ball in hit and run situations along with having power early in the lineup. Most likely if he hits second he will be followed by Cruz and Cano. If he goes back to fifth in the batting order he will follow Cano and Cruz. A lot of this depends whether Marte bats second in the lineup.

Anyway Seager we look forward to another good steady season from you and hopefully the Mariners can make it to the promise land this time. Go Mariners!  

Washington Huskies Men’s Basketball

The Washington Huskies lost Saturday night to Colorado on the road by one point. It gave the Huskies a four game losing streak.

I have found over last several years the Huskies have trouble the second half of the season losing more often than winning. At least this year they are playing primarily with all freshmen. They start four freshmen along with senior Andrew Andrews and the first three players off the bench are also freshmen. This does give a lot of hope for the future having seven freshmen who are playing a lot of ball. Andrews is one of the leading scores in the Pac-12 so he is leading the young Huskies by example.

We hope that the team can turn things around quickly so they can still make it into the NCAA tournament in March. The Huskies have not been in the tournament for several years. If they don’t make the tournament this would put pressure on Coach Romar in keeping his job. The have the talent to play well in the tournament if they can win at least half of their remaining games.

What I don’t like is the Huskies preseason schedule. They don’t play a lot of high level programs and most of their games are at home. They should learn from the Gonzaga Bulldogs out of Spokane who always a tough preseason schedule and gets them ready for their league as well as the tournament. The Huskies and Gonzaga have not played against each other for the past several years either however that will change soon. What would be really nice if the top four programs in the state of Washington could play in a tournament against each other every year.  They could alternate the tournament between Seattle, Spokane, and Pullman. The four teams would be the Huskies, Bulldogs, Washington State Cougars and Seattle University. This would be exciting for the fans and help in recruiting for all the teams. The winner would have bragging rights too.

Anyway Huskies time to stop the losing streak so we can see you in the tournament along with Gonzaga. Go Huskies!

Mariner Catcher Chris Iannetta

 Now that spring training begins in less than a week with the pitchers and catchers I have decided to start writing about individual players who may start or be the Mariners roster.

Today I begin with catcher Chris Iannetta who the Mariners signed as a free agent. He caught for the Los Angeles Angels last year. Those he has a decent career last year was an off year for Iannetta. His batting average was not much better than Mariner catcher Mike Zunino. New general manager Jerry Dipoto feels that Zunino could use a season in triple A to get his hitting back and feels Iannetta will bounce back this season. Though Iannetta is consider the starter he will share the position with Steve Clevenger the Mariners acquired in the trade for Mark Trumbo to the Baltimore Orioles. Clevenger spent a part of last season in triple A himself however he has shown that he is a good hitter so he will share the catching position with Iannetta. He can play first base as well so occasionally he could be there as well.

Anyway with Iannetta one of the reasons Dipoto signed Iannetta is that he is familiar with the catcher spending time as the general manager of the Angels. What Dipoto likes best in the same manner most of the other players he acquired for the Mariners is his on base percentage. Besides hitting poorly last year Zunino like many of the other players on the Mariners he had a bad on base percentage. Dipoto wants hitters who can get on base either with a hit or walk. He would like the rest of the guys on base so Cruz, Cano and Seager can drive them home. If the Mariners can add at least an average of half a run or more to last season’s run average than the Mariners will win more games. Dipoto expects the Mariners will still be in a lot of one run games. The important thing is to win those games instead of losing them. He hopes guys like Iannetta will make that difference on the Mariners.

The Mariners signed Iannetta to a one year contract so if things don’t work out than it will not cost them that much. The Mariners do not have much at the catching position behind Iannetta and Clevenger except for Zunino. What would be nice if Zunino could be ready to return by the middle of this season or by next season? This gives the Mariners the chance he did not have before being rushed to the major leagues. The Mariners still see the talent that is in Zunino.

The Mariners lost catcher John Hicks after the season when they designated him for assignment and he was picked up by the Minnesota Twins. Not sure whether Hicks has a chance to be a regular catcher however he could be a good backup catcher. The Mariners have Steve Baron who spent the last part of 2015 season in triple A after starting in double A. Baron is probably the second best defensive catcher in the Mariner system behind Zunino however he is not ready for prime time. He did not hit well in his first September call up however he did not get much of a chance either. Usually the Mariners have the catchers split time at triple A. So we can expect that Zunino when he isn’t catching he will be designated hitter since the most important thing is for him to get plenty of at bats.

So spring training we will see how Iannetta and the rest of the catchers perform. We can hope that Iannetta will bounce back as the regular catcher. We won’t call him the everyday catcher because Dipoto does not feel the Mariners have such a player and the demand on catchers he sees Iannetta catching around one hundred games if he stays healthy. Until next time Go Mariners!

 

Mariners Starting Pitching

The Seattle Mariners have five places to fill in their starting pitching. Three of the five are already locks in Felix Hernandez, Iwakuma, and Wade Miley the Mariners acquired from the Boston Red Sox.

TaiJuan Walker likely will be the fourth starter however he will have to fight to hold onto it. James Paxton is another one to look into becoming the fourth or fifth starter. Paxton has a good chance if he is able to stay healthy unlike the last couple seasons. The Mariners coaching staff would like him to be one of those starters.

When the season begins the 5^th starter could start the season in Triple A to allow another spot in the bullpen. One of the pitchers who does not make the starting five likely will be starting the season in the bullpen; he will be the long reliever starting out.

Two pitchers the Mariners had during parts of 2015 Mike Montgomery and Vidal Nuno will be candidates to be the fifth starter. Montgomery is out of options so he has to be on the opening roster and throughout the season otherwise they will have to trade him or put him on waivers before going to the minors. If he is not in the starting five he may be that long reliever available to start in case of injuries or poor performance by one of the five starters. Nuno on the other hand has more experience in the bullpen so if he doesn’t start he can be used in either role of long and short relievers. He has the attitude really getting after the batter so for him facing one batter or going two plus innings makes him quite valuable.

Nathan Karns who the Mariners acquired in the first trade of the off-season from the Tampa Bay Rays may be the leading candidate for the fifth starter. All depends whether TaiJuan Walker and James Paxton are in the starting five. Paxton the Mariners would like to be in the starting five to be the second lefty along with Miley. Karns could start in the bullpen or in Triple A to be ready for some starts.

The Mariners have some other guys they will look at to be in the starting five however the ones mentioned are the leading candidates so any others will have to show the coaching staff that they belong in the fifth spot. It will be interesting to see how the starting pitching works out. Nice to see the Mariners have depth this coming season. I have to say they have one of the strongest starting pitching staff in their division. Along with the bullpen the success of the 2016 season will hinge on them. The starters will need to go at least six innings each time out so the bullpen won’t tire out. I don’t see the problem with the first three pitchers to do so it is the last two that will need to go far as they can. This is as important at the beginning of the season besides throughout 2016.  Go Mariners!

Mariners’ Bullpen Going into Spring Training

Today the Seattle Mariners even added another member to their bullpen going into spring training named Joel Peralta. The Mariners signed him to a minor league contract. He pitched less than a half season for the Los Angeles Dodgers who released him before having to paying him $2.5 million. He spent last season on the disabled list with a sore shoulder from April thru June and again in August with a neck sprain. So you see he only pitched 29 innings for the season. He is now another reclamation project for the Mariner.

 I believe the Mariners will do well if at least one of these guys they picked during the off-season for the bullpen is successful. Actually the Mariners will need to count on several of them this coming season. Most of the pitchers the Mariners acquired during the off-season had off years in 2015. It will be quite interesting spring training because not only does the Mariners have pitchers who were not with them last year most of them we do not know their names or at least don’t remember them from a few years back. I would only those who are big baseball fans would remember them at all. Some of them are coming over from the national league as well.

The one real returning Mariner from the bullpen is Charlie Furbush who spent the second half of the season on the disabled list. At this point no one really knows if he will be able to start the season with the Mariners. According to Jerry Dipoto the Mariners will have two left handed specialists in the bullpen and they hope that Furbush will be one of them. The other candidates are David Rollins who only spent a partial year with the Mariners because he was suspended under the drug policy for eighty games and like much of the bullpen did not have very good outings either. He pitched only in 20 games for the Mariners with an era of 7.56. Other left handed candidates are Vidal Nuno and Mike Montgomery who both will be starting spring training competing for being the 5^th starter however one or both likely will be in the bullpen. Nuno is more likely the best candidate to pitch as a left handed specialist instead of Montgomery. If he is in the bullpen Montgomery likely will be used for long relief; Nuno on the other hand can be used several different ways. The Mariners do have another candidate in Brad Mills who is veteran and is invited as non-roster invitee. There is a good possibility that Dipoto will go out and get another left handed specialist before or during spring training.

As far as the rest of the bullpen the Mariners have several candidates. The Mariners are expected to have only seven pitchers in the bullpen including two left handers so leaves five right handed pitchers one being a closer and the other the eighth inning setup man. The closer is expect to be Steve Cishek who the Mariners signed as a free agent end the season with the St. Louis Cardinals and the setup man Joaquin Benoit the Mariners acquired in a trade with the San Diego Padres. So the Mariners have a lot of guys vying for three roster spots in the bullpen.

The Mariners have two guys who pitched some time with the team out of the bullpen during the 2015 season. The first is Mayckol Guaipe who went up and down with the Mariners several times during the season and Tony Zych who came up during the call ups in September. Actually Zych was impressive enough for the Mariners to have him on the forty man roster. He has the best chance on making the team out of spring training. The rest of the guys will be mentioned more going into spring training. Again it will be an interesting spring training to say the least. Go Mariners!

Super Bowl Was a Bust

Like I really thought the Super Bowl did not turn out to be a very good game however I did get surprised that the winner was the Denver Broncos.

If you like watching defense it may have been an OK game however the way the Panthers especially played I didn’t like the game very much. Especially in the 3^rd quarter I couldn’t believe how much time they took to run a play almost right down to the clock. I am not sure whether it was play caller’s fault or not but the Panthers should have made the plays easier to run. What made it even worse was that many of the plays that took the clock down turned out to be running the ball. You think after playing the full season they could have done a better job. It looked more like a pre-season game instead. Likely they were rocked by the Denver’s defense. On the other hand the Denver’s offense was not much better in the game either since they could not run the ball against the Panthers or the passing was not much better either. Speaking of passing Cam was over throwing the ball almost the whole game.

Does anyone know what a complete pass in football is any more the long pass in the first quarter that was ruled an incomplete was totally ridiculous.  It certainly looked complete to everyone except the referees and not to overturn the call what where was that guy’s head at. The game may have been totally different especially since the Panthers turned the ball over in two plays and the Broncos scored. Another play that sort of surprised me was the long return by the Broncos. I thought that Cam Newton was roughed up and a penalty was going to be called. Another game the referees made a difference in.

Speaking of Cam Newton I understand that he was something else in the post-game press conference. I did not get a chance to see it and did not really care either. I am sure it will be talked about a lot however I think it is a waste of time. The seasons is now over and let’s see if Peyton Manny retires.

Speaking of retiring being a Seahawk fan it looks as though it is history for beastmode. All reports indicate that Marshawn Lynch is retiring. Good luck and thank you Marshawn for you did for the Seahawks. Now are we ready for more beastmode 2 in Thomas Rawls.

Now this football season is over spring training for the Mariners is coming up in eleven days pitchers and catchers reporting. Certainly is going to be interesting spring training; also I will look at off-season football occasion. Go Seahawks and Mariners!

Super Bowl or Bust?

 This year it is the 50^th playing of the Super Bowl. Will the game between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers be a bust or super?

Everyone enjoys going to a Super Bowl party. My nephew Ian and his fiancée Helen are flying back this morning from Boston to Seattle to host their first Super Bowl Party. Regardless of the game Ian and Helen I hope you have a grand time.

We look at the previous forty-nine super bowls and most of them been toward the bust than being super. Actually they have been super for the team that wins and a bust for the team that loses. It would be nice to see a close game this year however the odds are against it. For the playoffs this year the Panthers have been pretty super while the Broncos just made it in.

Most experts I am sure are picking the Panther to win this 50^th addition of the Super Bowl and so am I. Outside of the Carolinas I am sure most people are rooting for the Broncos because this could be the last hurrah for quarterback Peyton Manning.  He may or may not announce his retirement after the game depending on whether the Broncos win or not. I recommend that Peyton retires because he is only a shell of himself. He was injured almost half of the season and his arm is not the same as it once was. We can only hope that he plays one last outstanding game that we all can remember him by. It would be sad if he got knocked out and had to leave the game or played a bad game. We can hope the Broncos will play a better game this time around than they did against my beloved Seahawks two years ago.

According to his father Archie Manning this will be Peyton’s last game with the Broncos even if he plays again next season.  If indeed it is the last game with the Broncos he should go ahead and retire. We should not be able to see another super star athlete go out when it is so obvious to everyone except himself that he is done. Also, we know in football a lot of athletes live a life that the rest of us do not. It would be nice if he could walk and talk at fifty, sixty, and even seventy like a normal person. So Peyton regardless how the game goes today please retire for us besides you; let us enjoy a grand Super Bowl party.

The Seattle Mariners Outfield

Going into the 2016 season the Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto felt it was important to get more athletic in the outfield so he traded for centerfielder Leonys Martin and signed free agent outfielder Nori Aoki who will play mostly left field except when Martin needs a rest.

The Mariners are pretty set in the outfield with Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez will share right field. There will be Nelson Cruz who may play some right field when he is not designated hitter. Most likely Gutierrez will be in left field when Aoki is playing in center or needs a day off. How much Gutierrez will play again will depend on his health however platooning with Seth Smith should be able to help him and the Mariners.

I am sure Nelson Cruz will want to play much as he can in the field however the Mariners want to play him at designate hitter. When he is in the field he will play right field. At those times Seth Smith and Franklin Gutierrez will be the primary designated hitters. What I like to is that most of the time Smith or Gutierrez will be on the bench to pinch hit. They are the Mariners best pinch hitters.

At this point the Mariners have no place on the roster for any other outfielders unless Stefan Romero makes the team as the platooning right handed hitting first baseman or Sean O’Malley can make it as the utility infielder. Since both can play the outfield it would be an added plus since none of the other candidates have any experience in the outfield.

If neither Romero nor O’Malley makes the opening roster they most likely are the top candidates to call up in case of an injury. The third candidate would be Boog Powell who the Mainers plan to start the season in Triple A. He probably would be the best choice if Martin came down with an injury in center field. Also, O’Malley can play in center field as well. So the choice of who comes up in case of an injury is the one who is doing the best at the time. Romero can play in center field in a need basis however Aoki would play in center field if that was the case Martin was injured.

I really do like the look of the outfield the Mariners have going into the season. It would be nice if they had more depth in the minor leagues to step forward. I am sure Dipoto is searching to see what he can find for the outfield in case any of the starters go down.  Next time I will be looking at the bullpen. Go Mariners!

Doug Baldwin Matured into Being #1

This last season we the 12^th man saw Doug Baldwin mature into being the Seahawks number one receiver. I believe we can see Baldwin move up the scale even more so in 2016. He has the incentive to because he will be in the last year of his current contract. If he does what I believe he will do the Seahawks will give him a very nice pay increase. I have to say something really good for a guy who came out of Stanford as a free agent.

Depending on whether Jermaine Kearse comes back or not I could see Tyler Lockett being the number two receiver across from Baldwin.  In either case whether Kearse is on the Seahawks or not I am sure they will be looking to give Lockett more passes this coming season. I not only would like to see more long passes to Lockett I like to see some screens as well.

We can hope that Paul Richardson can come back and emerge as the fourth receiver or either Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams. In any case I like what the Seahawks have as far as wide receivers. Another thing I would like the Seahawks do is put Jimmy Graham on the outside and design a couple plays for him on long passes along with Luke Willson or Cooper Helfet in at the tight end position. Also they can design specific pass plays for Graham at tight end as well. Right now the Seahawks should be designing the plays for Graham to best benefit the Seahawk offense. During the off season Russell Wilson and Graham should spend time together on those kinds of plays soon as Graham is healthy.

I believe with Russell having another year under his belt the Seahawks offense should even be better in 2016 especially early in the season. The Seahawks need to get off and running at the beginning of season instead of waiting until the season is half way over. I believe with Baldwin, Lockett, and Graham this is viable even without Kearse even though I hope he returns as well. Every receiver is a year older and more should be expected regardless who may return at running back. Though the Seahawks receiving core is underrated by the NFL I believe 2016 can be a great year for them all. Go Seahawks!

 

Mariners Sign Korean 1st Baseman

The Seattle Mariners signed Korean infielder Dae-Ho Lee on a minor league contract. He is expected to compete for the Mainers first baseman as the right handed platoon hitter.

I don’t know anything about him except what I have read on line. He is thirty-three years old played in Korean professional baseball before going to Japan in 2012 to play in Nippon Professional Baseball. He does have power since he hit 31 homes runs this last year and drove in 98 runs along with a .282 batting average. It will be interesting to see how it will correspond to playing major league baseball in the U.S.A.

Though we have little knowledge as fans on how Lee plays general manager Jerry Dipoto is adding more competition at first base whether he makes the roster or not. Also I understand he is an adequate fielding first baseman too. Even if he doesn’t make the opening day roster he may add depth at first base.

We will have to see what is next on Dipoto’s agenda whether he will add other additional players to the roster before the opening of spring training. Since Lee is signing a minor league contract this is a plus because if he doesn’t make it won’t cost the Mariners much money and if he is successful than the contract will be worth it. With incentives he could make up to $4 million on a one year contract.

Adam Lind the left handed hitter at first base is on a last year of his contract so he is eligible to become a free agent after this coming season. This doesn’t hurt the Mariners either because they can add an extension if things work out or they can go into next year looking to sign another first baseman. This allows the Mariners to keep their salaries in balance. Also the Mariners could make their right handed hitting first baseman full time next season. Maybe top draft pick from a few years ago D.J. Peterson could be ready to take over the position. I am sure Dipoto is looking to keep his options open. Again let the best guy win. Go Mariners!

 

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Mariner Infielders

First of all I have to honor my dad today February 2 is the 100^th anniversary of his birth. He has been gone for over twenty-two years so we all miss you.

He was not a big baseball fan however he did coach my little league team for one season. Also, while I was growing up he took me to some Tacoma Triple A games every year. I got to see some of Gaylord Perry, Willie McCovey and the Alou brothers playing for the Tacoma Giants. We went to a few Mariner games together when I became an adult. The most memorable time was seeing a double header against the Kansas City Royals and the scores were 2-1 and 1-0. We decided never go to another double header again. Actually it may have been the last scheduled double header the Mariners have played. So Happy Birthday Dad!

Today I am writing about the Seattle Mariners infielders. The only change is at first base which I have already written about. It is where there will be a platoon situation where newly acquired Adam Lind will play mostly against right handed pitchers. So the competition is who will play against left handed pitchers and batting right handed. The primary candidates are Jesus Montero, Stefen Romero, and Gaby Sanchez.

The competition for the utility role to play behind Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, and Ketel Marte are Chris Taylor, Sean O’Malley, and Luis Sardinas. Whoever gets the job will spend most of their playing time playing shortstop behind Marte. Since Marte has only two months of service time in the major leagues last August and September it is hard to say how he will do this year despite the talent he has so the utility player will need to be ready any time. The two players who do not make the opening roster likely will start the season at Tacoma in triple A.

We all know that last season Robinson Cano had a very poor first half and then rebounded in the second half. We found out that he had been hurt most of the season and had surgery after the season was over. We do hope that Cano will recover and have the kind of full season he did in 2014. At this point he is looking to bat third again in the lineup although he hit a lot better when the Mariners moved him to fourth in the batting order after Nelson Cruz. I am sure that could change depending how things work out even in spring training. I expect not only will his bat be like in the second half of last season that his glove will be more like in 2014 and in the previous years with the Yankees. It shows though the success of the Mariners is a lot on his back though Nelson Cruz had an outstanding season last year.

Kyle Seager had a poor first half of the season and rebounded like Cano in the second half as well. His bat or glove was as good as we had seen for his career. He did not have an injury like Cano so maybe it was just Kyle having a poor start of a season for the first time in his career. Knowing his work ethic I am sure Kyle will bounce back for a good full season. He may bat either second or fifth depending where the Mariners put Marte in the lineup.

Speaking of Marte this will be his first full season and he is only twenty-two years of age so it is only a guess how he will do. The utility players mentioned above will need to be ready in case he falters. What I like about Marte is that he looked very mature for his age especially when batting. He was the best leadoff hitter the Mariners had all last season since they did try several options however I won’t go into it since those guys are not here any longer. This year though he might bat second or lower of the batting order. What I like is that he is willing to take a walk when necessary and can bunt as well. Batting second though bunting more likely to happen than taking a walk; also, we will see if he is able to hit and run too. We can hope that his fielding will continue to approve too.

Anyway that is the infield next time I write about the Mariners we will look at the outfielders. Go Mariners!

 

Russell Wilson Wins MVP of Pro Bowl

I have to admit that I did not watch the Pro Bowl. I actually haven’t seen one in years. I could not tell you the year that I last saw it.  I do have to congratulate Russell Wilson in winning the offensive MVP of the game. I am sure that like me he would have preferred winning the MVP of the Super Bowl instead.

I will have to read up to see how the rest of the Seahawk Pro Bowl participants did in the game. I am sure those of you who took the time to watch the game had a good time since what I have heard the Seahawk players enjoyed their time in Hawaii.

Speaking of the Super Bowl I will be watching at least some of the game. I haven’t decided who I will be rooting for. Most likely I will not go for either team so I can really enjoy the game. With their performance so far in the playoffs I figure the Carolina Panthers are a big favor in the game and could win by a huge margin like the Seahawks did to the Broncos two years ago. I will look at wanting a good Super Bowl game however the history of the previous 49 games I am sure that is unlikely. Though I was not very old and did not really care either I have seen every Super Bowl including the first game. I am pretty sure the Green Bay Packers won but I would not able to give you the score without looking it up. The Packers sure had great teams back in the sixties.

I am sure this maybe the swan song for the beloved Peyton Manning. Whether the Broncos win or lose he probably won’t be back with them next season. If he is willing I am sure someone may take him up on it. There are some teams I am sure he won’t play for like the Cleveland Browns. So I hope Peyton will have a good game whether win or lose to go out.

What I like mostly about the Super Bowl is that I know baseball spring training is ready to start and March Madness is coming up soon. I look forward to seeing the new players the Mariners have coming through and I hope the University of Washington Huskies continue going good and make the tournament. Also, I enjoy the run Gonzaga does through the tournament too. Maybe this could be the year for them to go all the way. Only the time will tell for sure.

As far as Seahawk football now the Pro Bowl is over the next thing has to do with beastmode whether he will return and the signing of their free agents.

Primarily I will be concentrating on baseball and college basketball until the fall however it will be interesting where the Seahawks go from here. Whatever news comes from the Seahawks I will throw in my worth. I hope you are all sport fans besides just being the 12^th man. In the meantime enjoy the rest of the year. Go Mariners, Seahawks, and Huskies. Oh yes Gonzaga and Cougars.