Mariner enthusiasm and random Fleming thoughts

Hot Stove

2011-12-07T10:54:00.001-08:00

So, here I sit looking at a blog that has not been updated since July. Needless to say, the M's did not give me much to write about. However, we are now in the wonderful Hot Stove time in the offseason. Here are a few notes that I have about some moves that would benefit this team.

1. Drop Figgins like a sack of laundry. We will do this by eating about half to two-thirds of his salary. I am fine with this type of strategy. He has been one of the biggest signing busts in Seattle history. (Dan McGuire just breathed a large sigh of relief). The Rockies sound like the only team that is remotely interested. Great, send him packing and send us some 3B talent in return.

2. Trade Ichiro after you sign Fielder. This is only way to make this move "PR friendly". I have said it before that Ichiro is paid way too much to hit singles and not score. I do not think that we can afford Fielder, Ichiro and Felix salaries in 2012.

3. Sign someone that can hit with power from the left side. I state Fielder in the above entry, simply because he is the largest (pardon the pun) name on the market today. Right now, we just need to get on base, with a few people that can drive in runs. We were one of, if not, the worst offensive team last season. Bringing Fielder into the mix starts the whole "Who's on first?" debate in Seattle. Beltre can tell you how difficult Safeco is for right handers, so we need a power left handed hitter and a .280+ right hand hitter. I am sure we could find someone in the .280 range fairly cheaply with an OBP somewhere around .350. Ackley lead the M's last year in OBP with a whopper .348 and 5th in SLG with .417. SLG might be more importlant, but if someone does land on 3B, someone else needs to find a way to drive them home. The Mariners were last in the league in R, H, RBIs, AVG, OBP and SLG. That is embarassing. We have to do something this offseason.

4. Bring up the talent. It was nice to see Ackley, Smoak and Seagers play last year, but we need to make true commitments here. I don't think it is fair to Felix and the fans to pay him 20 Million this year and claim that we are still "rebuilding". Following through on 1 and 3 from above should help. Smoak has been a semi nice addition; however, should Fielder sign (unlikely) Smoak then becomes trade bait. He was probably more valuable as a propect in the Rangers system than someone that seems to lack the power he was advertised as possessing. Of course, there must be some "Safeco Field delta" added to most scouting reports. Ackley was exciting to watch and has the ability to do very welll for this team. Robinson was a nice acquision around the trade deadline as well. Perhaps we can build on his speed and talent in the outfield.

Another hot stove, and yet another "we must do something". The fan base was burned by the Lee and Figgins signings couple yeasr back. We will own cautious optimism as we wait and see what Jack Z plans on doing.

Can this get any worse?!

2011-07-19T22:41:00.001-07:00

Of course it can, but how bad is it really. So bad the Mariners make the back page of the Wall Street Journal. With the awesome headline "It's Been a Futile Run for the Seattle Mariners". In the first 14 games in July, they are averaging 1.86 runs per game. If that does not change, they will have the 6th worst run average month in the history of baseball. That is over 100+ years of baseball. That is how bad baseball, or at least hitting, is in Seattle.

Who is worse than the Mariners? Taking the lead spot are the 1963 Houston Colt .45s with an average of 1.55 runs for June of that year. Here is the article if you can spare 45 seconds of laughter.

With the looming trade deadline, the Mariners will not be sellers nor buyers. Right now, we are just looking for respect. There has been talk of Prince Fielder, not a chance, at least in July. Perhaps Jack Z can work some magic in the offseason to bring a strong left handed bat to the lineup. Of course, you will also have to protect him in the batting order or we still won't see decent run production. I am not sure of others in the mix. Alex Gordon is finally living up to his prospect hype, but we are trying our hand with a rookie in the hot corner in Kyle Seager. He has yet to make any impact on the majors, unlike Ackley who is at least trying to produce.

Pitching is a completely other story. Pineda has done well (however he faltered against the Jay earlier tonight). Felix is pitching well, but not like his Cy Young year. Bedard has been a mild surprise, as well as Fister and Vargas. They are bending, but are about to break. I am not sure how long the pitchers will put up with the lack of support at the plate.

As of tonight, we are on a 10 game losing streak. I don't have the answer. Poor base running and relaxing in the field led to the Jays come from behind victory. We really need to pull our heads out. If the A's can win, why can't we?

To my Facebook faithful

2011-07-19T22:23:00.001-07:00

Thank you for your continued readership even if the import function from Blogspot to Facebook breaks at times. Just a quick shout out of thanks.

Now, onto the boring topic of the Mariner.

Pineda was snubbed

2011-07-06T18:40:00.001-07:00

There is a lot of talk about snubs from the All-Star game. Many mention C.C Sabathia as a pitcher who was snubbed. Don't get me wrong, I think CC is a good pitcher, but don't tell me the fans only pick players based on popularity. So do the managers.

Micheal Pineda has better stats, not necessary win/loss, than 3 member of the pitching staff of the AL next Tuesday. That would also include his teammate Felix Hernandez. In fact, Felix is statistically the fourth best stater on the Mariners, but that is a topic for another day.

Here are Michael's stats. He is 8-5 with an 2.58 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and a .193 AVG.

Three players in the all star game: C.J. Wilson, Felix Hernandez and David Price. C.J. Wilson stats are as follows: 8-3 with an 3.02 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP and a .243 AVG. Felix stats are as follows: 8-7 with an 3.47 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP and a .252 AVG. David Price stats: 8-7 with a 3.56 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and a .229 AVG. Throwing in CC, since being a Yankee apparently gives the fans a right to gripe. 12-4 with a 2.90 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and a .248 Avg. Wilson is in because his manager is the AL manager, Felix is in because of his name and so is Price.

Pineda, outside of CC's record. blows away 3 plays in the game and 1 player who is getting a lot of "snub" attention. If we sort by stats, Pineda is the 6th best pitching in the AL with regards to ERA. He is the third best pitcher with AVG, eight in WHIP, and tenth in K's. I know a lot of fans see this game as worthless, but watching a rookie phnom could help make this game interesting.

Felix and CC both pitch on Sunday which makes them ineligible for the active roster for the all-star game. I don't necessary want Pineda to pitch, but I do want to see him to be recognized during the team announcements.

The most meaningful NBA title, ever

2011-06-12T23:00:00.001-07:00

Sure, that name is a bit much, but given the spectacle that Lebron produced last off season I feel it is very accurate. Let it be known that I have not followed the NBA since 1998, and have lost all reason to follow the NBA when the Thunder made their debut.

If Lebron and company would have captured the title, how empty would that have felt? It would have felt manufactured if the outcome would have been reversed. Think of how dry the Yankee titles seem to be (for those non-fans) since they already have the highest payroll. I think this shows that heart goes a long ways! Plus, Cuban was one of two owners to vote agianst the Sonics departure.

i dedicate this blog to those titles that provide great stories lines, not evil ones. I think the Giants and Rangers World Series 2010 run demonstrates heart and dedication. The Rangers, in bankruptcy looking for buyers, became the best team in the AL. The Giants, in second to last place in July represents the NL and completes the run with the title. I am sure ratings for the WS were less than previous, however the storyline was unbeatable. The drama was more along the lines of "warm and fuzzies" while Lebron brings a hatred to those that value loyalty. It seems that turmoil and debate always bring out the voyeurs in all of us.

I raise a glass to Dirk and the rest of the Mavs that produced a title for a town that has long ached for one even before Dale Ellis was traded. Cheers.

Blogging at 36,000 feet

2011-06-12T22:36:00.001-07:00

I did not spring for the Gogo net purchase, but decided to kill time while I a sate wedged in the famous middle seat for a 2.5 hour flight.

Since I am a superstitious blogger, it is good the M's have hit a bit of a skid. Losing 3 of there last 4 and losing a series to the despicable White Sox. First series loss in a very long time. I was just starting to get use to them winning! So I feel comfortable taking some time to blog as they turn things around against the Tigers.

You know things are going weird for a team when a a $10 million player is providing a weekly charge to a pint of beer based on his batting average. Last week, Chone Figgins was drumming up draft beers for $1.87. He offers absolutely nothing of value to the team at this point. We had the luxury of attending a game on Memorial Day. Chone proved his value at third with 2 errors. The crowd, even after error number one, did not let up. He was booed the minute his throw to first was errant. Needless to say, I was one of the members in the booing party. I am done with him in Seattle. Sadly, he will be cut since no sober team would take him in a trade.

Pitching has been spot on, both from a starting and relief perspective. Pineda and Felix and Bedard are proving to be a great trio of starters. Fister and Vargas are also pulling their weight to make sure we are successful from 66 feet.

It should be noted that I started this blog on Thursday night, but did not post until Sunday. Some of this information needs to be updated as the Mariners were able to salvage a series tie against Detroit. Now they come home for one of the best homes stands with the Angels, Phillies (a small set in DC) then back for the Marlins and Braves.

NCAA sanctions: Why punish an entire school?

2011-04-26T15:22:00.001-07:00

Let me begin by stating I am not an Ohio State fan, I don't necessary dislike them, but not a fan. Jim Tressel's latest gaff will cost OSU some games, scholarships and potenial bowl appearances in the future. Why does the NCAA insist on punishing future players and the entire school for the gaff of a handful of idiots?

Jim Tressel, I think, makes somewhere close to $3.5 million dollars a year to win football games. The NCAA should fine him directly for everything they can prove. Fine him $1 million and cut the five players involved. However, if history is any indicator, none of that will happen. Instead, OSU will face a loss of scholarships, and potential bowl appearances. So, a player two years from now that had nothing to do with the issue, is not going to be able to play in a bowl game. Why would anyone want to go to OSU? Prestige can only last so long.

Instead, take care of Tressel. Go after those that are directly involved. Force Trussel to wear a huge black eye for the rest of his career with a fine and punish him with loss of scholarships and bowl eligibility, wherever he may land. This would go for any coach involved in current or future investigations. Rather than make the school take the hit for a stupid coach, make the stupid acts of a coach remain on his resume for years to come. What OSU might do to help with any public relations image issue is fire Tressel. Then again, they might not fire him, which I would actually support. Why fire him when he can go coach at another school with full scholarships and open bowl eligibility. Schools will be waiting in line for Tressel, based upon his long successful history in the NCAA. A lot of schools will choose to overlook this issue for the dollars he could bring to a program. Only punish the entire school if the chain on knowledge does go directly to the top.

NCAA, please don't take away wins. I see this to be a stupid, slap on the wrist punishment. Why should OSU have to forfeit wins from the past season? What does this actually prove? Why punish the past for something today, does not make sense to me. I will say, to this past punishment, Reggie Bush is a great example. By forfeiting his Heisman trophy, he took away all controversy. I see his actions as spot on since he was a direct recipient of benefits from USC. Koodos to Reggie for the way he quickly delt with his past college controversy.

I think the NCAA prohibition situation needs to change. I do not like how schools are punished, while a coach can get fired and then hired someplace else with no consequences. Sure, he may hear something from the crowd, but he will still make his millions as his new institution.

Please, trade Ichiro

2011-04-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

Before you call me out as being sacrilege, hear me out. Here are a few facts to consider.

1. Ichiro is paid $20 million a year.

2. Of his 2200 hits over the past 10 seasons, 1800 are singles.

3. He is 37 years old. Not old by any stretch, but probably not deserving money of a 28-30 year old MVP-type producer.

4. Ryan Howard makes less money than Ichiro.

5. Last year, Baltimore, KC, Washington, Pittsburgh and Arizona all lost 90+ games. Seattle was the only team with $20 million tied to one player.

6. How much rebuilding can a 37/38 year old player provide? The Mariners are well on their way to a 95+ loss season in 2010 and probably the same in 2011. Jack Z has made it a priority to rebuild with youth.

Let's start from the beginning, the $20 million a year salary. A lot of people think that he is worth this money because he gets on base and is put into scoring position through sacrifices and steals. This could be true, however, we have no one to drive Ichiro home. Ichrio's streak of 100 or more runs ended in 2009 with 88, and only 74 in 2010. If we have no one to reward Ichiro for his hard work, why pay him so much to do so little? Management/Ownership might be under the impression that he is the reason people come to the ballpark. I beg to differ. We are setting record attendance marks in 2011. By record attendance marks, I mean record low marks.

No matter how we cut it, my second point contains a lot of singles. However, we now have Chone Figgins for another couple of years. I am not a fan of Chone, but we do have someone that could step into the lead off role and perhaps get on base. I am by no means throwing all my trust at Chone, but let him attempt to prove his worth while we find a true leadoff player with a much lower price tag.

Jack Z is doing, I think, a decent job of acquiring young talent. With Ichiro at age 37 in right field, with a hot right field prospect behind him in AAA Tacoma, do we really need to keep him? Yes, he is a great fielder with a great arm. However, the $20 million price tag is not well justified if it only keeps 5 runners a season from advancing from second to third on deep fly balls.

No matter how we slice it, there is no comparison to Ichiro. He is the only player being paid this much money to hit singles. Ryan Howard is signed through the 2016 season, with an option for 2017. Howard is making about 18 million until 2012, then in 2012 to 2016 he has a sizable increase to $25 million a season. In 2011, Ryan hopes to extend his streak of 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs to six straight seasons. The RBI's dropped last year to 108, down from over 130 the previous 4 seasons. Offense and wins put butts in the seats at any stadium. I am not saying we need to go out and try to get Howard, but we do need someone that can hit with power from the left side of the plate.

My fifth point is just depressing, I have no other way to describe how sad this stat appears. They had the second worst record in 2010 and the worst in 2008, very challenging to be supportive. I am still not convinced the Mariners realize what truly is broken, I know I don't. In the start of 2011, KC is doing very well. Pittsburgh and Arizona also appear to be on the climb. If we give Wedge enough time, perhaps he can turn things around this year. I have already noticed more patiences at the plate and some aggressive behavior on the base path. We can always hope for more wins to help make the season move along, even though we will not be contending for any playoff spots.

Youth is key to progress in any ball club. Felix is great at age 25 and already has one Cy Young sitting in his trophy case. I am sure this will not be his last. Michael Pineda is off to a great start to his MLB career. We have Dustin Ackley waiting in Tacoma for his call up in June as well as a host of other younger talent. We need to build around Felix and Pineda, not so much around Ichiro.

Ichiro very well could hit 200 hits a season well into his 40's. As with most Seattle athletes, he will always be welcomed in the Emerald City. (A-Rod might be the exception to this rule). Let him finish the next 3 or 4 years helping someone else with his wizardly magic of the infield single. Allow the Mariners to acquire a player that will actually break 100 RBI's and maybe even 30 HR's. We all know Milton Bradely is not that guy. Perhaps Smoak can step up and start to show his potential greatness. All I know is that we need a new face to this franchise. Now, we just need to find someone to take on rich contract.

Thank you ichiro, it was a great run!

Rough Start

2011-04-19T21:10:00.001-07:00

My mood to blog this season has been anything but excited. I am currently watching the M's lead Detroit 6-1 and I am fearful that we will find a way to blow it. I sure hope not.

Felix looked great in the opener, but has been anything but the Cy Young winner in his last couple of starts. I am sure this is temporary, but still worrisome.

As a team, we are below double digit home runs. There are individuals in the league who have more home runs than this team.

On a bright note, Michael Pineda has looked great! He has faltered toward the end of his starts, but has looked really good and continues to shine. It is the hope that Felix can turn things around and we will have a great 1-2 punch. We need that great punch, since Bedard has fallen flat. It was hoping for Bedard to pull it out this year, but his first 3 starts have been pretty poor.

The season is still young and teams like the Indians and Royals are leading the Central...what is happening in the world? Are all those #1 picks finally working out? I wish the same could be said for the Mariners.

Open day, 2 days away

2011-03-29T22:27:00.001-07:00

I have not come close to the amount of posts from last year. Last year, the Mariners were going to win the World Series and all of the world's problems were going to be solved. This year, who cares.

We have zero expectations for the upcoming season. If we finish at .500, which we will, that will be a joyous occasion and rioting with ensue, I am sure of it. I will say, I am excited about our starting rotation, with Felix and healthy Bedard and a young gun in Pineda. Finally (knock on wood) with Bedard healthy we may see why Bavasi gave away half the team for 3 years ago. Pineda and his 6'8" frame on the mound should be nice to see him overpower hitters. All in all, a good start to the season.

Of course, we still have no offense but the pitching will be outstanding!

Trade talks around Felix

2011-03-15T15:04:00.001-07:00

I am not a fan of this. Just when we finally get a player that the fan base can cling to besides Ichiro, there are trade rumors abound. Of course, the only team that could give us the 1 for 5 players deal being rumored are the dreaded Yankees.

Why Felix and why now? I am certain this falls under the "buy low, sell high" mentality. Buy low equals finding a gem in the Venezuelan rough. Sell high equating to providing the most hated team in the world, with one of the best pitchers. I would rather see Ichiro traded than Felix. I am more of a pitching fan, which could play a role, however his salary is too high for us to bring in any decent bats. Give us five decent prospects for Ichiro and we could be play in October within 2-3 years. Trade Felix, with no true "#1" starter behind him, and you have bound us to a season of record breaking loses and low attendance.

If we work on building a true staff around Felix, with Bedard staying healthy and Pineda coming up mid year, we could deliver solid pitching for a few years before salaries need to be revisited. If we are able to trade Ichiro for several decent prospects, we might build an offense that will not be last in the league in runs.

Right now, Ichiro has the value of bringing fans to the ballpark. I understand this is a good thing, but winning also brings in fans. If we go through yet another 100 lose season, not even Ichiro can pack the house. We will see how long these rumors last.

Baseball!

2011-03-14T14:45:00.001-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. That is about the 15th time I have started a blog with that line.

Pitchers and catchers have long since reported and we are rapidly approaching opening day. The Mariner season is starting off with zero expectations. In fact, they have barely been a topic of conversation on sports talk, at least when I have tuned in. Last year, we occupied some air time, even with March Madness. I feel a lot of people got burned by having high hopes to only lose 100 games.

Bedard is coming along nicely in camp. He is setting himself up to be a nice 1-2 punch with Felix assuming he remains healthy. Michael Pineda does appear primed for a June call up, if not then September. Regardless, he will see the majors this season. Entering a season where we are not expected to do anything takes the pressure off promoting players ahead of their timetable.

If time permits, I will make some attempt to complete my predictions for the upcoming season. Right now, I need to finalize my fantasy baseball draft strategy.

Jake Locker is overrated

2011-02-22T14:28:00.001-08:00

There, I said it.

I have bit my tongue for awhile. Jake Locker was a very good college quarterback for the University of Washington. I always felt that he had an Alex Smith quality to him. Sports Talk radio in the area was hoping for a round 1 selection of Jake to the NFL, this is beyond ambitious in my book. To their credit, they are starting to come around to a round 2 or potential round 3 selection.

It would be in the best interest of most NFL franchises to select him in rounds 5 or higher. He is going to need to develop patiences and pose to be success in the NFL. This is not trying to be a knock on Jake, but rather the blinded dawg fan that feels this kid is going to save a franchise. The amount by fans to push the Seahawks to draft Locker is amazing. At this current time, Jake would not be able to hold Matt Hasselback's jock strap, let alone lead the Seachickens to victory.

Sure, he will play and probably win a game or two, but as of right now I do not feel he is NFL ready. Look for Jake to hit a stride by years 3 and 4 in the NFL.

The Battle for Shortstop and some pitching news

2011-02-22T14:20:00.001-08:00

Jack Wilson and Brendan Ryan are officially competing for the starting shortstop position. I feel this is a good thing. Ryan is five years younger than Wilson and does not come with the tag line "when healthy". I think this is very important in a physically demanding position of shortstop. I would rather see Ryan at SS and Wilson at 2B, but that is just me. Career batting average does not make the separation any easier, with both of them around .255.

Don't be surprised if Ackley makes his debut in June. He probably won't break camp with the team. After all, no one is predicting this team to do squat this year so no reason to rush his major league service time. So that means we will win 100+ games and make a run at the post season...just kidding. The reason for my logic above, is that Ackley could be called up in June, and Wilson traded by July 31st. This type of scenario makes sense to me. I want the smallest amount of "when healthy" players on my team. Youthful, longterm approach to the middle infield wins points with me any day.

Michael Pineda is one of the hot topics for the Mariners this Spring. He is a killer pitcher with great potential that has rocketed through the minors. However, it appears that June is the earliest we could see Michael make his Safeco debut. The debut of both Ackley and Pineda appears to be contact driven rather than talent. If they break camp with the team, they lose a year of guaranteed service in the Mariner organization. The rule around this is called "Super Two"".

I cannot wait for this season to begin. The Mariners have nothing to lose this year.

Kindle: Year 2

2011-02-16T23:06:00.001-08:00

It has been 2 years since the second generation Kindle has graced me with its presence. I must say, I am not sure what I would do on work trips without this handy device. I give the device all the credit for my interest in reading. Apparently, I was never into the "old school" method of reading words on paper, but rather liquid paper. Under my own admission, I have read more books in the last 2 years than in high school and college...combined. If that is not a sad picture of my education, I am not sure what is. I am sure that could explain the usual lack of filler words or the occasion dyslexic wording on my blog. Better yet, the general lack of proper grammar and tense. (Or, too much caffeine in ones diet could be to blame.)

Just complete the two of the three books in the "The Girl who..." series. I am always open to a good suspense novel. I have a couple of reference books on the device and do pose a challenge. In the case of reference material, I would like to...well...easily reference something. Providing highlights and virtual dog ears are a nice way to do this, however, the feeling of "I read something about that right around here..." is missing. Of course, that may also depend on the reference that you choose to read.

One that already has considerable issues with clutter based upon my rather numerous, and now nearly worthless, sports card collection, the lack of physical material is awesome. I have ready many books over the two years and the space on my bookshelf has not changed. I bet all you "Twilight" readers would kill for this reading medium.

Here is to the start of a successful year 3!

BOTW: update

2011-02-16T23:05:00.001-08:00

I have done some tasting around different parts of the states recently, Billings, MT and Atlanta, GA. I plan on providing a few BOTW entries in the coming days. However, I hope to add photos of the beer as well. I have enlisted the work of the free program Evernote. They have an iPhone, iPad, MAC and PC (and I am sure Android) client that sych's in the "cloud". So instead of trying to type on the phone keyboard a complete blog entry, I take a few notes, snap a pic and synch to my account. The next time I log into my MAC/PC the application syncs up easily allowing to effortless put my thoughts and photos on the blog.

So effortlessly I have yet to do it..but stay tuned.

Town to change name to Nate, MT

2011-02-15T16:13:00.001-08:00

The news has hit the airways. A few days after father Joe visited Missoula, Nate Montana will be transferring from Notre Dame to Missoula. Normally, this type of news would be met with great exuberance, however, Nate's stats are below average. I am sure his name carries a fair amount of weight, however I would expect more than the linked stats.

He has a troubled collegiate career. It is this fan's hope that he is able to turn things around. I am not sure what "promises" were made to create this transfer: starting role? I am not the best follower of Griz football, especially when it comes to who we recruit and the starting lineup. However, this news may reinvigorate me to start a practice of following my alma-mater closer. Sure, I follow game results, but my account at egriz.com is probably long since expired.

Good luck Nick!

(FYI, the title of this post is not to be believed, unlike this one)

***Update, I did have NIck in here instead of Nate, thank you Bill. I blame the Montana's for naming their kids with similar names.

Pitchers and catchers reporting, along with Griffey

2011-02-15T16:08:00.001-08:00

About time! A sign that spring is not that far away...I hope.

The Mariners have a few question marks. One of them is in left field. Milton Bradley will be competing for a spot against Michael Saunders. The rest of the field is fairly well known. Smoak at first, Ackley (mid season) Adam Kennedy at second, Wilson at shortstop, Figgins at third and Olivo behind the plate. We will have our mainstays in Gutierrez and Ichiro in center and right field respectively.

The pitching could have a few issues. As of today, we do not have a set closer nor a known fifth starter. I was hoping that Josh Fields would be making his MLB debut this year as the closer, but his failure to put together a solid season in the minors is hurting his progress. The fifth starter does appear to be a mystery. Here is what we do know, Felix, Vargas, Bedard (fingers crossed) and Fister should be how the rotation begins.

I hope that Wedge is able to bring everyone together for a solid season. I am putting a fair amount of confidence in a .500 year.

On the topic of good news for Seattle, Griffey plans on playing some "consultant" type of role with the organization. I am pleased to see his loyalty remain with the Mariners. I hope that the "Griffey day of celebration" is a game in which I can attend.

Bring on Baseball!

2011-02-11T22:03:00.001-08:00

Now that ridiculous sport of football has come to a close, time to move onto baseball! I have been checking my Yahoo fantasy baseball site for the past 2 days for a sign up notice. I cannot wait to defend my third place finish. Or course, I should do some research this year to better my placement. Time and life seem to get in the way of some good ole fashion stat mining.

Quick update: I started this blog post on Monday, then work got in the way. Surprisingly, Yahoo! opened registration and we have our league setup with already 5 of our teams from last year. Clearly, I am not alone in my excitement for baseball. I realize the post is short so the irony of not having this complete in one day is not lost on me. However, I wanted more content, and now I have.

Bring on pitchers and catchers!

Electric Mowers...really?

2011-02-06T22:09:00.001-08:00

I am on the cusp of lawn maintenance change. I am starting to be convinced by a member of my household that an electric mower is something to consider. My old mower is a complete mess. I have done minimal maintenance, but it seems to have reached a point where it needs to be put out of it's misery.

So, my question to my readers and perhaps my readers friends: Should I journey down this path? If so, what model? I have followed the Neuton for a couple years now with great interest. I know that most major hardware stores carry an electric model that is fairly lost cost. Those seem to have mixed reviews about longevity.

There has also been the idea of grabbing a push mower. You know, those old metal ones with about 4 lines of twisted metal to do the cutting. I like manual labor, sometimes, but this method might be too "green" for what I would like to accomplish.

So, there it is, a request from my loyal following for feedback. If you, or you know someone, that uses an electric mower, please let me know how that is working out.

Blogging app bake off winner: MarsEdit

2011-02-04T21:55:00.001-08:00

It was a close race between MarsEdit and Blogo. Blogo lost me when out of nowhere it informed of me I had no internet access, when clearly there was. It was a bit disappointing but something that fell right in line with most of the comments I later read.

Neither application allows for a wizard mode for a table insert, like LiveWriter. I only use tables to show off worthless baseball statistics in some sort of comparison model. I guess I can make due with bulleted lists, or better yet, re-learn HTML. The last time I edited HTML was in Notepad for a friend's fantasy football page. He was my one, and only, client. Needless to say the payments of beer did not impress my landlord. Also this was back in '97.

The interface for MarsEdit is fairly simple, no glitz nor glamour. It is straightforward and plugs right into Blogger and their templates. It does allow for multiple drafts to be saved, something Blogo seemed to lack.

That is all, just wanted to close that loop as I know it was the source of many sleepless nights for some.

BOTW: Avery Brewing Company, IPA

2011-02-04T21:38:00.001-08:00

The BOTW has not surfaced for a long time. I am sure many of my readers consider this hobby extinct; however that is not the case. I had an opportunity to hit a town I have never been to before, at least of age, Boulder, CO. I sampled and enjoyed the Avery IPA.

This is what an IPA should be, a hoppy blast that about knocks you off your bar stool. It reminds of those lame spearmint mouth wash ads were the mouth wash is visualized as some refreshing river of spearmint goodness. However, instead of spearmint, I had visions of hoppy and bitter goodness. (By no means is this beer close to the taste of mouthwash. I wanted to put the visual that was running through my mind at the time of consumption). It took all of 3 seconds for the hoppy wall to crash upon my taste buds and it was well worth the wait. Not soon after, the bitterness subsided and the beer returned to some naturally good flavors.

I give this beer a rating of: "very drinkable". However, if you have any taste aversion to IPA's, this is one to avoid.

On a side note, I have a neighbor that is a killer hobby brewer. As the brewing engine starts to get rolling at home, I plan on using BOTW liberally in the future. (Beer of the Week for you newbies).

The "Pat down"

2011-01-31T22:52:00.001-08:00

I opted out of the full body scan today. The line at SeaTac at 8 AM was surprisingly nonexistent as I was the only person in the ID line prior to the X-Ray machines.

For those of you unaware of the layout at SeaTac main security check point allow a brief overview. Two conveyor belts converge on one traditional walk through X-Ray. The type that has been around for many years. Something was different today, I could feel it.

Today was my first encounter with the much debated full body X-Ray machines. I chose the shortest conveyor line not noticing that my destination was the full body machine. However, the line to my left was heading towards the traditional walk-thru. I almost switched lanes, but figured I would just chance it. I also assumed that since both were going, if you opt out of the full body, they would just have you take the walk thru. I could not have been more wrong.

Once I informed the female TSA employee I was opting out, she read me a small paragraph of how the next 5-7 minutes of my life would transpire. Of course, leaving out the key point that it would take an additional 5-7 minutes. As I am waiting on the outside of both X-Ray machines as the words "male assist" are echoed throughout the security point I took note of how other travelers were directed. I notice only one person being put through the full body, while others are still able to use the walk thru. What gives? I meant to ask but was uncertain if that would draw more attention. Hell, even the women running the other bag scanning X-ray machine was laughing at the term "male assist"...or I think that is what she was laughing at.

A friendly TSA gentleman escorted me to an unattended point in the security point to perform the dreaded "pat down". He offered me the option for a private room pat down, but I stuck with my choice of having this performed in-front of everyone. The humorous part of this journey for me was the TSA employee had to carry all of my stuff. It was not a lot as this was a day trip, but it did consist of a backpack, stinky shoes, and 2 bins of assorted electronics. I am not sure if he did this out of kindness or that I could take my stuff and run.

As he applied his rubber gloves to his hands, he informs of me of how the procedure is going to unfold. He talks of how he is going to check me for airline contraband and the manner to which is hands will be used. This is all fine and dandy.

Small talk was prevalent during this 1-2 minute process. Questions like "Where are you going today?" was the common theme. It quickly turned to a topic of stock options with Microsoft, from the early years, and if we would be working today. (Not sure how we got on that topic, I was distracted. Perhaps because I said I work in software and he jumped to Microsoft. It is almost as bad as when you tell someone you are from Montana and they ask "Do you know John?") But I digress. There was no groping or grabbing of ones junk. However, I will say they are not shy about the inner thigh region. They do get right up in there where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. After the encounter, pleasantries were exchanged and I was allowed to gather me things and be on my way.

If the line was long and/or I was running late for my pre-flight coffee prior to my flight, I probably would have just gone ahead with scan. However, I do feel that I am blasted with enough cancer causing rays in my day so I am not in a hurry to add anymore. It was not a miserable experience, the worst part was probably waiting for someone to come get me so I could go on about my day.

For my next trip I plan on starting in the walk thru line, regardless of length, to see if I am chosen at random for the full body. I will be sure to provide a detailed blog of that exciting event.

Fountain Lady

2011-01-26T14:33:00.001-08:00

I normally don't comment on this since it only stresses what the person is trying to accomplish, publicity; however, I am going to make an exception.

If you have not seen the footage, here is a link. (I believe this video is of the security company laughing at her.) I heard she is suing. At first, I thought she was suing the mall for "improper fountain location". However, she is suing the security company for releasing the video.

Suing is not answer. I understand her frustration that security personnel took it upon themselves to release this video. My guess, this is a clear violation of the company ethics code, or at least it should be. I feel that suing is a bit much and the security company should take the initiative and fire/reprimand the employee that released the video. Perhaps, to add to this, perform the reprimand in a public setting. Perhaps with some nifty press release that states the employees name. I truly wish our society was not be setup in a manner where legal action is the first move. Rather, just address the security company and ask them to make a formal apology and take of the employees responsible.

I find it ironic that someone who is clearly embarrassed by this, goes on a program like Good Morning America. You knew they were going to show the video, so why go on a morning program, watched by many, and express how upset you are about the release of the video. My only thought is that she is making the most of her 15 minutes. Perhaps she too can be a guest DJ on next years "New Years Rockin' Eve".

What I want to see most from here is a smile. You have to admit, this is hysterical and she deserves a bit of laughter at her expense. I heard there is a second video ready to surface where she falls down a manhole while attempting to chew bubble gum.

To aid those too lazy to click the link above, I have provided an embedded copy of the video.

Testing with Blogo

2011-01-20T23:24:00.001-08:00

Another random post, this time with Blogo. MarsEdit was not great with the copy and paste from Word. The reason I am testing that is because of my poor grammar. I would like to blame instant messaging or texting to the demise of my English language. But I feel it is safe to say, it was never stellar to begin with.

Blogo deals with the copy and paste from Word nicely. MarsEdit showed a need to pull in some of the extra formatting that is normally hidden behind the scenes. Blogo also pulled down my categories so those do not need to be recreated, something that MarsEdit did as well.

In doing some more digging, Blogo does have a grammar check that I just enabled. I will see how this works out as I may have a new front runner for a blog program. The overall look and feel of the interface is not ideal, but will get the job the done. Another strike against blogo, is the lack of font choice, or I may not have looked hard enough.

I will keep plugging away, but so far Blogo is my choice.

Testing with MarsEdit

2011-01-20T23:18:00.001-08:00

One of the blog applications I am considering is MarsEdit. This post will have little meaning as I am playing with how it works with the template that I use when I post. It also has a history of my posts for easy reference on the computer.

Nothing exciting here, just random text about an Mac application

My first MacBook!

2011-01-20T23:04:00.000-08:00

Attending sales conferences does have an upside. Last week, I attended my company’s sales conference to which approximately 20 Apple MacBook Air’s and 30 iPad’s were “tossed” into the crowd of attendees. Reasons being for random drawings or correct answers to pop quiz questions. I was one of the lucky recipients of an Air.

I have been debating about the use of a laptop as my primary machine for some time. Primarily, I have no need for a robust desktop machine draining power from the world for the potential to play Duke Nukem or Quake or whatever the top FPS reigns supreme of the PC gaming world. My primary use is browsing, iTunes, Office products and TurboTax. None of these applications are defined as graphically intense. Plus, I now have a Kinect/Xbox to take out my gaming needs, I still love Maddens.

The “Air”, in my opinion, is not equipped to be a primary machine but I am going to give it the ole college try. It is nice and quick; however does require connectivity to take advantage of the lack of options the device itself offers. The flash memory allows for quick boot and quick operation. Mine is the base model, so I would recommend a 4 GB RAM upgrade if you are considering this way of life. I will say, the 2 GB has not been a problem yet. And, thanks to the technology my company offers, this device can be used in a corporate world. I use my virtual Windows desktop on a regular basis.

Another reason I was considering a laptop was for mobile blogging. The Live suite of free apps from Microsoft is a rather nice addition to my Windows 7 machine. I used the Live Writer for all blog work in 2010. Now, my machine is going to be a copy and paste from Word to the Blogger website, not ideal but something I can live with. There are blog programs that tie nicely into the Blogger site; however, they are pay for applications that I am still trying out the free trials.

I am doing what I can to make this small, lightweight and quick MacBook as my primary machine. So far so good, but uncertain as to what I should do with my iTunes library that currently sits on my Win7 machine. I will do some random posts throughout the year as to how this device is treating me from a permanent standpoint.

I am enjoying the ride on the Air!

Who Dat?

2011-01-09T14:37:00.001-08:00

That was one hell of a game for the Hawks. Being a typical Seattle fan, I entered the game with low expectations but aware that the Hawks would compete and keep it close. Little did I know they would out play the champs.

The NBC broadcast was like a broken record beating a dead horse. They mentioned the “losing” regular season about 78 times during the telecast. But, entering that game yesterday, both teams were 0-0. As they say, any given Sunday…or Saturday.

I am not sure who we draw for round 2, however, I feel we will still keep it a competitive game. We have nothing to lose, no one is expecting nor predicting success from the Seahawks, including most of the locals.

Most of the talk on the radio this season has centered around who should play Quarterback. Yesterday was perhaps Hasselback’s best game in the last 3 years. He looked like the 12 year veteran (12 years, I think I heard that only once during the broadcast) and leader that he is for this team. There will always be doubters in any given fan base, but Matt rose to the challenge and put the team on his shoulders. Say what you want, but Matt is a competitor. Of course he throws interceptions from time to time, but he is also someone trying to make a tackle too. I wonder how many other QB’s out there hustle after their own mistakes. Or even sometimes try to beat running backs to the end zone for a celebration.

The run my Marshawn Lynch was, in a word, awesome! I honestly have nothing else to say. I was speechless during the run, speechless now as well.

I don’t want to jinx anything, but yesterday’s game provided the level of excitement similar to that from the 1983 run to the AFC championship game. In that year, the Hawks jumped all over the Denver Broncos to win 31-7 in the wild card game. The next game, Seattle traveled to Miami to take on the Dolphins and defeated Marino and cast 20-27. The last game, took us to LA to face a team the Hawks had defeated twice during the regular season. Sadly, Seattle’s first ever playoff run ended at the hands of Marcus Allen 30-14. I hope the outcome is different this year should we make the NFC championship game. However, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, we still need a solid victory next week.

Good luck in round 2!

2010 year in review

2010-12-30T12:22:00.001-08:00

From a Seattle sports perspective, not the best.

The year started off with the highest of all expectations for the Mariners, potential World Series representation. Instead we finished as one of the worst teams in all of major league baseball. Felix Hernandez did win the Cy Young award, so we do have that going for us as we enter 2011. We do better as a team in odd years anyway.

The Seahawks went out and hired a coach with ADHD in the hopes his energy would rub off on the players and turn into some wins. That too did not turn out to be true either. Between injuries and a QB controversy, who knows what 2011 will bring for the Seachickens. I am smelling a draft day trade-up!

The way I see it, we can only go up from here. The Mariners should finish closer to .500 once our youngsters start to click and build some momentum as the spring months roll into summer. The Seachickens will do their homework and draft the best player possible with whatever spot falls to them, maybe a QB or a potential hidden gem of a RB in a year of weak running backs.

Good luck to our sports teams in 2011!

Christmas Eve football, gotta love it!

2010-12-29T10:40:00.001-08:00

My family and I did not make the pilgrimage to Missoula this year for Christmas. Since we did not, I was unable to attend the 22nd annual football game held every year on Christmas Eve. This year, the long tradition received some much needed publicity as I have always felt this tradition is beyond cool.

Many friends texted me throughout the holiday weekend informing me that we made the local newspaper, the Missoulian. Here is a link to the well written article. As far as the physical print of the story goes, it made the front page! How cool is that?! (The article states 23 years, but 1988 is the starting point, but perhaps my math is off)

Way to go gents with keeping the tradition alive!

Things wrong with sports: NFC West

2010-12-29T10:33:00.001-08:00

I had the “luxury” of watching some of the Seahawk’s game this past Sunday versus Atlanta. I started my viewing experience as halftime was drawing to a close. Within seconds I was able to witness Matt Hasselback get smacked in the face, fall down, and then fumble in the end zone. On the next possession, Matt threw an interception. Several plays later, the Falcons scored. So, within about 4 minutes of the third quarter, what was a somewhat close game based on score was turning into a run away affair.

Why is this “wrong” for sports? Because the winner of the NFC West is going to be below .500. The fact that the New Orleans Saints are going to be the away team and traveling to 7-9 (Seattle, St. Louis, AZ) is kind of disgusting to me. I realize that this will be the start of the “second season”, so anything is possible where the Saints could not get off the bus and the Seahawks advance to the second round. That is one nice thing about the playoffs, it can be seen as a fresh start.

I obviously started this post prior to the Tampa Bay game and the ever exciting “flex” game on NBC between St. Louis and Seattle this coming Sunday. I cannot believe the winner of the NFC west will have a losing record.

So the debate in Seattle is whether the playoffs are actually worth it. Meaning, lose on Sunday and get a 13th pick in April, win and get the 21st pick (or something like that). I am not a fan of losing for draft position. It has been proven that even the best draft position can still have teams drafting the wrong player. I give you Rick Mirer as my evidence. If we do make the playoffs, we could upset the Saints, but who is actually going to predict that outcome. I feel that this years team, even with a near winning record, is worse than last years team.

To that end, I still wish the Seachickens good luck in Sunday’s contest, they are going to need it.

Welcome back…Miguel Olivo?

2010-12-10T10:53:00.001-08:00

I am honestly questioning this move some. It has been awhile since he last played in Safeco, but he was a horrible hitter in this park. If you look at what he did outside of Coors Field, that trend continues. I think he batted .211 outside of the mile high city. So, what makes us think he will do well in not so friendly Safeco the second time around?

Catchers seem to be our position of frustration. No matter what, he seem to have countless issues with this role. Rob Johnson had a hard time holding onto the ball, as well as hitting. Adam Moore is young and unproven and also inconsistent. Perhaps Miguel will surprise me, but I am not holding my breath.

In other moves, we signed Jake Cust to a 1-year deal. This should be interesting, as he does have some power. I hope that is able to shine for the Mariners in 2011.

With that, the winter meetings draw to a close for the Mariners. Onto the rest of the hot stove league.

Bye Bye Lopez, and other notes on the Hot Stove

2010-12-03T09:49:00.001-08:00

The Mariners have taken the initiative to trade away Lopez for a potential young arm from Colorado, Chaz Roe. I do not know much about Chaz, but the word on the street is that he is not MLB ready.

I view this trade as a positive. It allows for movement on the infield. Matt Tuiasosopo can take over at 3rd. If that does not work out, Figgins can move over there and Ackley takes over at second base. Of course, this all depends if we keep Figgins around. He had his worst career last year as a professional, if we traded him, I would not miss him. However, I think that would mean we carry his salary while he plays elsewhere. That really puts a damper on adding room to your salary budget.

Another positive, Chaz is young and was a previous first round pick. That does not automatically say he will be good, but it does provide some promise.

Ryan Rowland-Smith is gone. He has a horrendous 2010 season, after such a promising 2009. I like RRS, and hope the Aussie is able to land on his feat with a team that help him get back in track. My wife and I met him at a signing back in 2009, probably one of the nicest people I met in professional sports.

We are bringing back Bedard! He is signed to a non-guaranteed contract for 2011. Everyone says he is healthy, so we will see how he competes for a starting job in the Spring.

Overall, a pretty good start to the Hot Stove season.

MLB Prediction results: NL West

2010-11-30T11:24:00.001-08:00

Predictions: Actual:

LAD	San Fran
AZ	San Diego
Colorado	Colorado
San Fran	LAD
San Diego	AZ

Almost a completely inverted view of the division. I would love to place quotes from my March posting about this division, but I am not. I do not want to lose any of the humor that is my dismal prediction of the NL West.

Grade, D. My saving grace was the Colorado Rockies and ex-Osprey Carlos Gonzalez.

MLB Prediction results: NL Central

2010-11-30T11:18:00.001-08:00

Predicted: Actual:

Chicago	Cincinnati
St. Louis	St. Louis
Milwaukee	Milwaukee
Cincinnati	Houston
Houston	Chicago
Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh

Let's just begin with the cop out phrase from the post in March:

“I will say the top 4 teams in the central could produce a race this year that comes down to the final week of the season.”

Not the best phrase, but it does attempt to clear my selections and have Cincy in first…just kidding. I have another great phrase in my paragraph about the Reds:

“Could Cincinnati be the next team to give the Cardinals a run for their money?”

I think they did. Put in the surprise MVP of Votto and you have a quality team to start the 2011 season.

Being the grader for this exercise, I will give myself a “C”. Why? Because I felt I came somewhat close. See if I ever put the Cubs first again!

MLB Prediction results: NL East

2010-11-30T11:12:00.001-08:00

My prediction: Actual Results:

Atlanta	Philadelphia
Philadelphia	Atlanta
Florida	Florida
NYM	NYM
Washington	Washington

I really thought Atlanta had what it took to overtake Philly. The injured and inconsistent Jair Jurrjens did little to help Atlanta’s pitching this year. Jason Heyward, as predicted, was a bright spot for Atlanta and will continue to have a rich career. As far as Philly goes, I have a cop out statement on them as well:

“This team is solid, all around. I picked Atlanta just to be different, but there is no reason why the Phillies should not repeat as NL East champs, and perhaps once again represent the NL in the World Series.”

That run on sentence turned out to be only partial true. As far as my grade goes, I am going with a “B”. I feel I represented this division as accurately as possible.

MLB Prediction results: AL West

2010-11-30T11:05:00.001-08:00

What I predicted: Actual results:

LA	Texas
Seattle	Oakland
Texas	LA
Oakland	Seattle

Oh boy, where do I begin. The Mariners were by far, the worst team in baseball this year. I have never seen a team predicted to go to the World Series have such a bad season. My cop out statement from my March post is a dandy.

“The Rangers are set to take over this division as well, especially if they get their pitching squared away.”

I could not have said it better today.

My grade, “F”. For missing all spots and for putting too much faith in my team.

MLB Prediction results: AL Central

2010-11-30T11:00:00.001-08:00

What I predicted: Actual Results:

Minnesota	Minnesota
Detroit	Chicago
Chicago	Detroit
Cleveland	Cleveland
KC	KC

Much better than the AL East for sure. Here is a link to my post back in March. I do make comment that this would be a 2 horse race for first and sure enough it was. Detroit tried to make it interested but finished 13 games back when it was all said and done. In reading through my post in March, nothing really strikes me as noteworthy. I do mention Austin Jackson as the starter in CF for Detroit, but I think a blind monkey could have predicted that. I will say, Austin is going to be a good pickup in Fantasy Baseball, as he becomes more comfortable at the plate as he lowers his strikeout totals.

I give myself a “B” for hitting 4 out of 5.

MLB Prediction results: AL East

2010-11-30T10:52:00.001-08:00

Okay, I can now take the time to grade my ability to predict the standings for the MLB 2010 Season. First, we start with the AL East.

What I predicted: The True Outcome:

Boston	Tampa Bay
NY	NYY
Tampa Bay	Boston
Baltimore	Toronto
Toronto	Baltimore

Talk about way off. However, I did make note that Tampa Bay “will make a big push to try and knock out both the Sox and Yankees.” I give that sentence partial credit. Of course, that is a cop out phrase. I have to give myself a grad of D.

Next, AL Central

Winter driving

2010-11-29T09:53:00.001-08:00

After a long Thanksgiving week drive that saw the full spectrum of weather, the Jeep was able to achieve it’s highest recorded gas mileage of 24.7. Why is this so special, allow me to elaborate.

It is November, and I drove in “Full Time” four wheel about 75% of the drive. Keep in mind, in the Jeep Liberty, Full time is more like allowing the front wheels to engage as necessary. (From the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip) This is contrasted by “Part time” which locks the front differential so the front and rear wheels rotate at the same speed. We also had a Thule roof cargo carrier on the car which does supply a fair amount of drag. The Thule also plays a the role of a sail around Livingston. As mentioned in my previous post, the EGR valve is still disabled.

I would have to say, with all things considered, I am pretty pleased with the 2.4 MPG’s that we gained on this journey.

We did this same trip last year (with roof rack) and were able to achieve 22.3 MPG. Last year, the roads were dry for 98% of that that journey. Needless to say, I did not go into four wheel drive but only once on that trip. So the gain alone from having the EGR valve in a non working state is fairly large. I am really curious is this will help out on MPG’s when towing.

All in all, a great trip to see family.

Ackley MVP of AFL

2010-11-29T09:22:00.001-08:00

Dustin Ackley was named MVP of the Arizona Fall League. Here is a quote on his statistics during his MVP run. (The Mariner article can be found here).

“He won the AFL batting title with a .424 average, but that was far from all he accomplished. He also topped the league in on-base percentage (.581), slugging (.758), OPS (1.338) and runs scored (28), all while also going a perfect 5-for-5 in stolen-base attempts.”

I hope he can ride this momentum into the Spring and make the team. We all know this offense could use someone like this. I realize he won’t be on a team of potential young all stars as he was in Arizona, but he still should see some quality pitches and put himself into a position to score.

Now onto the following announcement. “Starting at second base, Dustin Ackley!”

Woohoo Cy Young!

2010-11-29T09:10:00.001-08:00

Due to work and Thanksgiving travel, I was unable to get this post out in a reasonable amount of time.

Congrats to Felix! Wins will be the largest controversy to come out of this vote, but Felix did dominate all major pitching categories, with the exception of K’s. Jared Weaver took home that crown for the 2010 season with 1 more than Felix could muster.

A few analysis are calling this a revolutionary vote due to the fact that 21 voters put pitching stats ahead of wins. I am not sure if this will be a revolution for future contests, but it does present an interesting argument.

Here is the article on the Mariner’s website for you to read. One point that I did not realize. Santana in 2004 was the only other Cy Young winner since 1998 to be left out from the All Star game. (All Star rosters expanded in 1998).

Congratulations Felix!

Davie Niehaus, 1935-2010

2010-11-10T20:29:00.001-08:00

The Mariner family suffered a great loss today. The original broadcaster and last member of the 1977 inaugural year died today from a heart attack. His voice and his enthusiasm for this team will be missed.

It would have been nice for an original member to see the Mariners achieve a title, but those days are a long ways away. He did call some very magic moments in the franchise short history. Here is a link to the Mariners article.

Here is what Griffey had to say of Dave’s passing.

Slowing down my pace

2010-11-07T20:58:00.001-08:00

It has been awhile since my last post, nearly 3 weeks. I have not had much to write about, especially with regards to Seattle sports. The M’s were eliminated from the playoffs on June 1st, and Seachickens could win the NFC West with a 7-9 record. I guess, all this borders on a fair weather fan.

In other news, I recorded my highest MPG with my Jeep CRD since using GasCubby (2 years this month) to record fuel mileage, 24.1 MPG. I have to thank the fact I would not pass emissions as the reason why. My EGR valve failed about 1 month ago. Ever since my engine stopped recirculating hot exhaust gases back into my engine, I have seen a 2-4 MPG jump for my driving style.

Now, there are ways to do this in a green manner. You can purchase a new CPU unit from these guys that reprograms your computer to trick the EGR valve into not working. It also performs a wide array of other features to help maximize the engine. This could be something I will do once I replace my EGR in the near future. For now, I am loving this increase in MGP and the engine even feels more responsive. Lucky for me, I passed emissions in August, just prior to this failure. What I would normally see is somewhere between 19-20 MPG for hybrid highway/city driving. I would like to see how I do towing, but that will have to wait until next Spring.

We have a new manager!

2010-10-20T14:02:00.001-07:00

Mixed results around the area, probably because we have had 5 since I have lived in the Seattle area (3 years). Eric Wedge,even though the record may not say so, had success in Cleveland. At least he won games and came very close to the World Series . I am excited, but I am always excited for something like this. I don’t think Don Wak was a bad manager, just not a good fit.

A lot of people around here blame the front office for how bad we are. I am not sure I necessary agree. We had success with this same group of owners in 1995. 1997, 2000 and 2001. We now have a GM that is trying everything he can to put together a winning team. I feel it’s the mindset with seasons like 1995 put into the memory banks of fans that feel we should be competing every year. I would love to see us contending every year, but that alone has its set of challenges that I do not think we are ready to tackle. Here is to an above .500 team in 2011. After all, it’s an odd year, we seem to do our best.

Here’s to a successful start to the hot stove league for the Mariner organization.

To root for the Rangers or not

2010-10-20T13:51:00.001-07:00

Of course I dislike the Yankees like any intelligent person, but to root for a team within the Mariner division seems weird to me too. I guess at the end of the day, I do not like the Yankees so my decision has been made for me.

The one true downside of this and to show how crappy the Mariner history has become. If the Rangers make it to the World Series, the Mariners will be the only AL team to not appear in the series. Ugh, sad stat.

PlayOn, now for iPhone and iTouch

2010-10-01T15:43:00.001-07:00

Wondering how you can watch Frontline from PBS on your iPhone? How can you catch up on episodes of Jersey Shore? (Yeah, I know, I “went there” so sue me). Well, now you can with the PlayOn streaming service for your PC.

Don’t know about PlayOn? Click here to find out more. You can stream to your Wii, PS3 and XBOX 360 in addition to iTouch and iPhones. It’s fairly simple. You can stream from your YouTube, Hulu, and NetFlix accounts as well as watch media from MTV, PGA tour, ComedyCentral, etc. The list is very extensive and will continue to grow and improve. Here is a link to what is currently available.

Once you install it, you have 14 days before you have to buy. They just improved the channel selection and the streaming service, sadly that came at a price. It was $40 up until September 30th, it has since jumped to a one time payment of $80. Yes, that is a one time payment if you plan to use this solution for a very long time. Otherwise it is $40 for the first year, and $20 every year there after.

So, on the iPhone you open your browser on your internal Wi-Fi network and point the address to “m.playon.tv”. It loads an icon on your iPhone desktop and that is all. You can begin watching shows in a matter of minutes. If you want to mess with Firewall rules on your router, you can configure your media server to be available anywhere you might end up with internet access.

I don’t use this service a lot, but it is a very cool toy. Perhaps once I acquire an iPad, it will be a great way to watch some of these shows.

In the latest version, they added a way to self promote what you are watching with Playon by integrating with all major social networking players.

I have played with this more on my iPhone than I ever did on the Wii. I have to say, I like it, even on that small of a screen.

Going to be self promoting, watch out!

2010-09-29T11:10:00.001-07:00

As if social networking did not do this enough for me, I am forced to manually post my blog to Facebook. Yes, you heard me, forced!

The synch between blogger and Facebook works when it wants. Appears to really have a mind of it’s own. Awhile back I could manually force an update to appear in Facebook, but apparently that functionality has disappeared.

So, I am now forced to put my blogger blight manually into Facebook for all to read. I am sure that now, since I have said something, the upload process will magically work. Of course, you could just subscribe to my RSS feed and I would not be put into this situation.

Trying to expand beyond my three loyal readers. (No offense to the two of you since I represent the third)

A year of change in Cy Young voting

2010-09-29T10:59:00.001-07:00

As my 3 loyal readers know, I have been supporting Felix (for obvious reasons) to win the AL Cy Young award. Last night was a HUGE night for all 3 major contenders for the award. CC, Felix and David all had huge games. With Felix probably not starting on Sunday, still TBD, and the Yankees and Rays working on playoff rotations, that may have been the final start for all 3. Here is how the statistics fall with AL ranks.

Stat	Felix	David	CC
IP’s	1st (249.2)	8th (207.2)	2nd (237.2)
CG	3rd (6)	T-13th (2)	T-13th (2)
ERA	1st (2.27)	3rd (2.73)	7th (3.18)
QS	1st (30)	T-3rd (25)	2nd (26)
K’s	1st (232)	8th (187)	5th (197)
Opp BA	1st (.212)	5th (.222)	12th (.239)
WHIP	2nd (1.06)	12th (1.20)	9th (1.19)
Wins	T-16th (13)	T-2nd (19)	1st (21)

This is going to be tough. Statically, Felix cannot be caught. He may drop to 2nd on K’s as Weaver will have 1 more start. To be honest, the “hybrid” solution to this problem appears to be Price. Regardless of how this goes, all 3 of these pitchers have had amazing seasons. I hope that 2010 will be a changing point in the voting for Cy Young as I do not feel wins should carry a heavy weight, but does need to be considered. Having a discrepancy of 6 or 8 wins is going to weigh on the minds of voters. If Felix had 16 or more wins, this would NOT be a debate.

ActiveSync for Hotmail

2010-09-28T09:18:00.001-07:00

It was announced toward the middle of summer that is was coming and as of August 29th-ish, it is here. I have been using it for a couple of days and have enjoyed it so far. Also, the contacts that I have accumulated all these years in Hotmail are now on my iPhone.

For those of you looking into how to accomplish this, here are some simple configuration entries. (On the iPhone, set this up as an Exchange account)

Filed	Settings
Server/URL	m.hotmail.com
Username	(Full email address)
Domain	Leave blank
SSL	Enable this
Certificate	Accept if prompted
Mail, Contacts, Calendar	All can enabled

You could setup Hotmail before as a Mail account, but it would not synch. So, I had to double delete email and it would not synch over contacts either.

200 hits, 10 years running…

2010-09-24T09:40:00.001-07:00

Ichiro did it. He set a major league record by recording 200 or more hits in 10 consecutive seasons. (Peter Rose had 10 seasons of 200 or more hits in his career, not consecutively)

Sports Talk radio in Seattle has centered around the price that Ichiro commands and if he is worthy. The argument is: He is paid 18 Million dollars for singles. However, I feel he does more than just singles. He does what you want a leadoff hitter to do, get on base and steals bases. He has stolen 30 or more in 9 of his 10 seasons, When you have someone that is able to get on base, the other members of that batting order should deliver. From 2001 to 2008, he had over 100 runs during that stretch. He does not hit a lot of doubles and triples which is somewhat surprising for someone with his speed. I think Ichiro should be remembered as one of the best lead off hitters in MLB, however, I do not agree with his price tag. If he was to put up more HR and RBI’s, then the $18 million might be a decent price tag given today’s market.

Another bright spot in the 1-0 defeat yesterday, Felix pitched a complete game. Sure, it was not a shutout, but a great pitching performance on a day when CC was roughed up by the Rays for 7 earned runs. We have just over a week of “Cy Young” play left. It should be an interesting race for that award in the AL. I would love to see Felix take the prize with David Price as the runner up.

Egg laying, 101

2010-09-21T13:34:00.001-07:00

Nice job Seahawks! Way to go into Mile High and lay a huge egg on the field. I did not see all the game, but caught enough of it to see the week 1 performance was in the very distance past. Turnovers and mistakes were the main dishes being served.

The Seahawks egg, came only 24 hours after the Huskies laid one against the Cornhuskers. I am not a UW fan, but to see the Heisman candidate Locker perform that poorly may have sealed his fate with an early exit in the race.

The third egg, the Grizzlies. WTF? It would have been fantastic to go into the red turf and spoil the conference opener for EWU. However, with what seemed like a comedy of errors and lack of follow through, the Eagles walked away with a large victory. I am not one for rankings as I feel the Griz should never be given the #1 tag. As long as we still make the playoffs and work our way towards Chattanooga (or wherever it has moved) I am okay with this. Not happy, but okay.

Let’s hope the Griz and Seachickens end the month on a positive note. The Seachickens come home to face the mighty Chargers. The Grizzlies welcome Sac State to Washington Grizzly stadium for homecoming.

What if Felix had 19 wins, then what?

2010-09-08T11:00:00.001-07:00

So, let’s say the roles were reversed. CC is leading in all major statistical categories and Felix has the 19 wins. Would I feel that CC would deserve the Cy Young?

Great question. I would like to think my baseball objective eye would kick in. However, I know my Mariner biased nature, or rather anti-Yankee nature, would kick in and I would build a case for Felix. I will be willing to say that moving forward from the 2010 season, I have a better view on who truly deserves the Cy Young. I was a person that thought record should have a weight to it in the voting. In doing all this digging of information around Felix and other pitchers in the AL, I have taken away a much more objective viewpoint.

Currently, the debate involves a player that I admire and have followed for his career. But, all this statistic gathering has been entertaining. In conjunction to my pre-season predictions (scroll down). I will add an AL Cy Young prediction in August moving forward. Eventually, one day, I will dare to tackle the NL Cy Young race.

My iPhone 4 case has arrived and the lame AppleTV

2010-09-08T10:48:00.001-07:00

It actually arrived about a week ago. This is the free case that Apple was so willing to ship to all those fools who purchased an iPhone 4 during “Antennagate”. I found the antenna issues to be totally blow out of proportion. However, Apple’s response to this was not easy to come by either. I have yet to be disappointed with this phone. I have strapped a lot of my life to some of the applications this device provides, so switching platforms for me is going to be challenging. Of course, Apple is fully aware of this “dilemma”.

My case is the Speck checker one. I threw away the packaging prior to this blog, so I apologize for the lack of proper model. In the “free case” app, it is your bottom option. Overall, it is not bad, good hardened rubber shell. The only downside is that due to the rigid nature, it is difficult to remove the phone for proper cleaning. Other than that it offers a nice grip with some limited drop protection.

I see the new AppleTV to be a total bust of a device. It is solely for streaming. Why could they not expand on the successful AppleTV with storage and turn that into a media center? Technically, it is a media center that chats with another device (your computer) to stream content. How very “green” of Apple to require 2 electronic devices to stream Netflix content to your TV. For those of us that already have a TiVo, this new device offers nothing new. Sure, the small compact size is nice, but that is where the positives draw to a close in this bloggers opinion. This is my first look at this device, and most likely my last. If that changes, I will be sure to update my 3 regular readers.

Seattle, we have a problem

2010-09-07T14:54:00.001-07:00

Besides the fire sale of players going on at Seahawks headquarters, and the lack of offense the Mariners provide, we are going to miss out on the Cy Young.

Felix has been on fire, playing for a bad team. I have pounded my fist on this blog and I will do it again.

Felix is 11-10 at the time of this writing. Of his 11 wins, 7 are at home, while 4 have been on the road. Of the 10 loses, 6 have been on the road and the other 4 in pitcher friendly Safeco. Of his 4 road wins, 2 were against the Yankees. How well did he pitching in “homer friendly” Yankee stadium? Well, I will tell you: 17 IP, 6 H, 1 CG, 0 ER, and 22K’s. And by the way, 5 days after beating the Yankees, he beat the Red Sox with 1 ER and 8 K’s. Felix has started in 30 games and only has 21 decisions. Of his nine no-decisions, he left with the game tied or with a lead in seven of those games. Of those seven, the Mariners won two. The two games where he left in a losing position was when the team rallied to win, his first two starts of the year.

Let’s compare that to CC, the lead runner in the Cy Young if wins were actually the only number that “mattered”. At the time of this blog, he is 19-5, nothing to sneeze at. All 5 loses have been on the road. Of his wins, 8 have been on the road. CC has appeared in 29 games, so it is rather impressive to have a decision in 24 of those games.

Why does this matter? Well, it really shouldn’t. The days of having pitchers throwing complete games every other day are long gone. You have designated pitchers for long relief, setup, and closer. This combination means that a “team” in involved in providing W’s in the win column, not one individual. Not only is there a fleet of pitchers to provide team support to a starter, but there is also a defense and an offense. Plus, in the AL, pitchers do not bat! My goal here is tell the writers to NOT hang their hat on one stat. Putting W’s aside, how do these two compare.

Stat	Felix	Rank in AL	CC	Rank in AL
IP’s	219.1	1st	202.2	2nd
CG	5	3rd	2	10th
ERA	2.25	1st	3.02	5th
QS	27	1st	23	2nd
Ks	209	1st	165	7th
Opp BA	.219	3rd	.239	13th
Wins	11	T-7th	19	1st
WHIP	1.09	3rd	1.20	13th

(QS = Quality starts). For those of you unaware, WHIP is walks and hits per innings pitched.

If you put your hand over the win column, Felix is the clear choice for the Cy Young. Take a look at the teams. The Yankees have 32 more wins than the Mariners, 32! That has to play into this decision somehow.

I think the most telling stat of dominate pitching is the K count. Felix has been battling with Jared Weaver for this title and currently has a 2K lead. That is the one stat that clearly shows how a pitcher can dominate his opponent at the plate.

My fear, CC wins the Cy Young. This decision should have impact on future votes as wins could be argued as the least important stat to a pitcher’s overall ability to pitch successfully.

Are we lucky to have Dustin Ackley?

2010-08-27T09:06:00.001-07:00

In case you have not heard, Stephen Strasburg is on his way to Tommy John surgery. Yes, this is serious, but a lot of guys are able to come back from this and continue to pitch well. The best example could be Chris Carpenter. If I recall correctly, his Cy Young aware was post Tommy John surgery.

A lot of Mariner fans were disappointed to see the M’s sweep the A’s to conclude the 2008 season. If we had not done that, we would have drafted Strasburg. Instead, we swept the A’s and drafted Dustin Ackley. Dustin, in all likelihood, will be called up on September 1st. It would be interesting to see how Dustin performs. Of course, we can never truly compare a pitcher to a hitter.

In case you missed it, here is the article.

1,000 strikeouts

2010-08-26T09:39:00.001-07:00

On what was a long road trip for the Mariners, they did end on a high note. Felix became the third youngest pitcher to reach the 1,000 strikeout mark. The only pitchers younger than Hernandez, who is 24 years and 139 days old, to reach the milestone since '52 are Bert Blyleven (23 years, 121 days) and Dwight Gooden (23 years, 249 days).

The trivia question portion of this stat will always be the victim, David Ortiz.

Other great trivia victim’s:

1. Pete Rose’s record hit breaking Ty Cobb’s mark was off of Eric Show of the Padres

2. Hank Aaron’s 715 home run was off of Dodger pitcher Al Downing. Braves reliever Tom House caught the ball.

3. “The shot heard ‘round the world” was hit off of Brooklyn's Ralph Blanca at the Polo grounds.

4. Nolan Ryan’s 5,000 strikeout came at the expense of Rickey Henderson

5. The other guy in WHAM was Andrew Ridgeley.

Of course there are several more, but those are just a few. Congratulation Felix!

18 game regular season…really?

2010-08-26T09:26:00.001-07:00

I am not sure where the division will be on this topic. I am a fan, and I am not for this. I cannot imagine that players are going to be too thrilled about this as this is an obvious way for the league to cash in on even more revenue. So, does football now go all the way up to baseball’s spring training?

For those of you that missed the announcement, here is a link. I am sure that most fans, if you polled the nation, would be excited about 2 more games for their team. Especially those that live for fantasy football. I will add, I am for shortening the preseason from 4 to 2 games. Perhaps since I am a fan of a team that seems to always be hurt, the less preseason games they have to hurt themselves, the better. Plus, I think lowering the preseason total will force a team to form a cohesive unit a bit faster to be prepared for week 1 of the regular season. My ideal schedule would be to have 2 preseason games and 16 regular season games.

This is not set to begin until the start of the 2012 season. I am sure this will be good for the league, however, I am not sure this will be good for football.

Fantasy Football, a billion dollar industry

2010-08-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

On talk radio, some talking head was chatting about how the world of Fantasy Football is out of control. The billion dollar figure comes from publications, software, and advertisements. This does not include side gambling and entry fees that some leagues introduce.

Other ways this is getting out of control is the fact you buy insurance for players on your team. Let say you draft Brady and you have some sort of payment in your draft. Either an entry fee or a cost to draft someone in the early rounds. If Brady is out for 6 or more week, you can guarantee the reimbursement of your entry fee and/or any cost to acquire Brady.

There are also litigation sites that are cashing in this industry in a big way. Fantasy Football is a biased setup, period. The commissioner will have a team in the league. So, if you dislike the way a trade occurred, you can pay $15 to have a lawyer and some of his judge partners mediate your dispute. You can also pay $100 (or some flat amount) for a season of disputes. Smart thinking by someone, and pretty easy cash flow.

I have enjoyed fantasy football for many years now. However, I tend to stay away once entry fees are thrust upon the managers. However, I would never pay for the above two services. Kind of wish I got in on the ground level with some of this stuff. But, with this being a billion dollar industry for about 4 months of actual work, there is enough money for everyone.

Cy Young Watch 2010

2010-08-25T12:17:00.001-07:00

Okay, I have nothing better do this baseball season that hold out for remote chance that Felix’s consistency is rewarded, Here is a side-by-side comparison with whom I see being the front runners in the AL.

Stat	Felix Hernandez	CC Sabathia	David Price
Wins	9	17	15
Games Started	27	27	24
Quality Starts	24	22	18
Innings Pitched	197.0	187.2	157.2
ERA	2.51	3.02	2.97
CG	5	2	2
SHO	1	0	1
Opp. AVG	.228	.243	.229
Strikeouts	183	151	146

As much of a challenge it is for me, I have to take a step back from these stats. Felix is better than both of these pitchers in every category besides wins. Will that be enough assuming he finished just as strong? If the Mariners win the rest of his starts there will be no doubt he deserves it. I would like to see the Cy Young winner with at least 12 to 14 wins, so the stat does matter to some degree, however should not have the most “weight” tied to it.

As the season draws to a close I will continue to follow this race.

September 1st

2010-08-19T10:33:00.001-07:00

Since my baseball season has been over for awhile now, this is the date that we look forward to the most. On this date, major league teams can expand their rosters and call up a slew of AAA and/or AA players for some big league experience. Kick the tires to see how people will perform on the big stage.

I would like to see three Tacoma players make it to Safeco for the final month of the season. They are Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda and Josh Lueke.

Dustin has a higher batting average in AAA then he did in AA. Dustin is currently being pushed since he was picked directly after Stephen Strasburg. He could be a nice face for this franchise.

Pineda is pitching well in the minors. He packs a fastball that could reach mid-90’s. His delivery is the big question mark around his longevity. He was named the clubs Minor League pitcher of the year in 2009. Here is what Baseball intellect had to say on Michael: “When Pineda was on the mound, he was dominant. He struck out 28.6% of the batters he faced, while walking just 3.6%. He put up an ERA of 2.84. And he did this in High Desert, one the worst parks a pitcher could pitch in.”

Our wildcard is Josh Lueke. He has a checkered past that involves a rape claim while in the Rangers minor league organization. I have mixed feelings on this. As a player, he is dominating minor league hitters. Averaging around 1.5 K’s per inning. He is going to be a PR nightmare. The Mariners would open the door to protests and public ridicule once he arrives in Seattle. He obviously has the talent. Perhaps, with his outstanding numbers, they use him as trade bait for some quality hitting, time will only tell.

I know there are several other players in our organization that deserve a chance this September. Stay tuned as next month approaches.

Blogger imports into Facebook, kind of ugly

2010-08-17T11:46:00.001-07:00

I noticed a steep limitation with regards to how tables import from Blogger to Facebook, as in they don’t. So, if you want to see my full analysis of why I think Felix deserves a shot at the Cy Young, you have to actually visit the blog site and not rely upon Facebook.

Hmm, it might be time to drop that import..things to consider.

Should Felix be considered for the Cy Young again?

2010-08-17T09:36:00.001-07:00

I think it’s time to admit, especially after last years voting, wins are not as important as everyone thinks. Zach Greinke had 16 wins to Felix’s 19. But Zach bested Felix in ERA (2.16 vs. 2.49), complete games (6 vs. 2) and strikeouts (242 vs. 217). In looking at this, it is apparent voters looked at a more overall picture rather than solely on wins. Felix did best Zach in innings pitched (238.2 vs. 229.1) and in opponent batting average (.227 vs. .230). A stat that I like, Quality starts, Felix took the prize with 29 vs. Zack’s 26.

That takes me to the 2010 season. At the time of this writing, here is how Felix looks in the AL.

Stat	Numbers	Current Rank
ERA	2.62	3rd
Innings pitched	189.0	1st
Strike Outs	172	2nd
Complete Games	5	2nd
Shutouts	1	T-2nd
Quality Starts	23	1st
Games Started	26	1st
Wins	8	38th

Take out wins, and you are building a VERY strong case for Felix to yet again, be in the running for the Cy Young. Understanding that there are still 6 weeks left in the season, anything can happen. If you look at who is first in some of these categories, I think it makes my point.

ERA. Clay Buchholz is the leader with a 2.49 mark, However, he only has 126.1 innings pitched, 20 starts, 1 complete game, 1 shutout, and 13 quality starts.

Strike outs. Jared Weaver of the Angels leads with 182. He does have a decent ERA with a 2.87 and started in 25 games. However, he does not have a complete game or a shutout, has 26 less innings than Felix and 20 quality starts.

Complete Games. Cliff Lee leads with 7. His ERA has climbed to 2.77 and has 20 less innings than Felix. He also trails Felix in strikeouts with 147 and has 15 quality starts.

Wins. We have a 3 way tie with CC Sabathia, David Price, and Carl Pavano all with 15. Pavano is out with his higher ERA of 3.27, 168 Innings, 97 strikeouts and 17 quality starts but does have 5 complete games and 2 shutouts. Sabathia is not a bad pick here. He stands with a 3.14 ERA, 134 strikeouts, only 2 complete games and no shutouts, but does have 20 quality starts. The real front runner for the Cy Young, I think, is David Price. David has a 2.85 ERA, 141 strikeouts, 2 complete games with 1 shutout and 18 quality starts.

Felix numbers, again covering up the W column, are consistent from last year. In 2009, he started in 34 games, and 29 of those where defined as quality starts. So far this year, 26 and 23. I think that shows amazing depth into games and is a stat that will set him a part from the competition. Looking at the whole picture, I feel that Felix needs to considered. I know his 8 wins are a cause a lot of alarm to many people out there. If he could somehow get to 14 wins with this crappy offense, and keep the other numbers consistent, he should be a shoe in.

Catching up is hard to do

2010-08-16T10:22:00.001-07:00

I have been avoiding the Mariners for a bit. It was getting too embarrassing to watch as we would do a better job of connecting in the dugout then on the field.

I hate to say it, but I predicted the firing of Don. Of course, I only said this to myself, but the minute after Jack Z gave Don Wak the dreaded “vote of confidence” I knew his career in Seattle was over. Whenever this happens, the person be applied this vote is going to axed. Either within days or at the conclusion of a season. But no matter what, a vote of confidence is a death sentence.

What needs to happen now? Not really sure. The season has been over since about May so you might was well give some prospects the opportunity to perform at the major league level in September.

I hope to regain some interest soon, but watching them play right now is a painful process.

More disturbing stats

2010-07-21T12:06:00.001-07:00

Jose Lopez is on pace to lead the team with 68 RBIs. Yes, 6 frickin 8. As of this writing, today, there are 6 players in the majors with 68 or more RBI’s.

Franklin Gutierrez and Milton Bradley are set to lead the team with 15 HR’s. Some players hit 15 HR’s in two months!

The team is set to have the lowest run total in franchise history (non strike years) with 538 runs. The 1977 expansion team had more runs.

This is what I am talking about. The morale of this city when it comes to baseball might be at an all time low. Perhaps Branyon becomes sell bait on July 31st for more hitting prospects. I would not mind if Aardsma took a hike as well so we can find another Putz-like closer. At least when JJ entered the game, the crowd sang “Thunderstruck”.

Bring up Dustin Ackley in September and I will probably buy a ticket.

Why do I even care anymore?

2010-07-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

This baseball season is dragging. We cannot get out of our own way. Most games, if they only went 5 innings, we would be unstoppable. However, last time I checked, there are at least 9 innings per game. It is also a guarantee that when we load the bases, no one will score, regardless of how many outs.

Are there any bright spots? Not really. We have a couple of “4 or 5” starters that are leading our team in ERA. David Pauley is 0-2 but with only a 2.40 ERA. Jason Vargas is 6-4 in 18 appearances with a ERA of 2.97. A bit on more on Vargas, he had one horrible game against Detroit on July 3rd (4.1 IP and 6 ER). If you remove that one game, his ERA is lowered to 2.75 which would put him second in the AL behind….Cliff Lee. Keeping that bad game in there, he is 7th in AL with Felix at #5 with a 2.88 ERA and Doug Fister 17th with a 3.56 ERA. However, the combined record of these 3 “top 20” pitchers is 16-16. Way to provide run support! If Felix and/or Vargas had any run support in the 28 games, they would have to be in the conversation for Cy Young.

Do we need to spend more money to bring in more talent? Here is how the playoff years compare to the Jack Z years:

Year	Payroll	Rank for Year
1995	34,241,533	11th
1997	39,667,628	15th
2000	59,215,000	15th
2001	74,720,834	11th

2010	86,510,000	14th
2009	98,904,166	10th

Not much difference in terms of our overall ranking. Obviously the game has change a bit over the last 15 years as the lowest salary in 2019 is the Pittsburgh Pirates with a salary of 34,943,000. Almost an exact match for what would have been the 11th highest paid team in 1995. But no, I do not think we need to spend more. We need to be smarter shoppers, which is an element that makes Jack Z so appealing.

As most of you know, I had high hopes for this year. Sure, we were missing a big bat, but other teams around the league have had success with small ball. As obvious as this prediction may seem, Don Wak will be gone at season’s end. I am sure there will be a campaign to bring Lou back, which I will not support.

Team leadership and cohesiveness seem to be large holes within this organization. Jack Z is allowed at least 4 perhaps as much as 6 years to work on this team before his job is in jeopardy. We need a strong leader in the clubhouse as well as on the field. Before long Ichiro is going to ask to be traded and the one piece that fans actually do go the Safeco Field to see, will be missing.

Don't trade Lee just yet!

2010-07-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

As of now, Lee is pitching Friday. This also happens to be a game that we are attending. The rumors are really starting to heat up! It almost makes you wonder if this is a tryout for the Yankees...like he needs one.

iBlogger vs. Windows Live Writer

2010-07-05T13:57:00.001-07:00

Well, silly me. I tried to post a second iPhone blog and it appears after my initial iPhone blog. Apparently iBlogger on my phone uses some other timestamp than the time on my phone.

In case you missed it, here is a link to the post.

iPhone 4

2010-07-04T12:45:00.001-07:00

I has been two days now of iPhone 4 use. I was able to upgrade from iPhone 3G to the 4, so the experience improvements over the past two years are rather large.

I try to use Safari on my phone for a few items. One of those items is my fantasy baseball page. On the 3G, this was a 40-50 second load on Wi-Fi. With my new phone, it is 8-10 second load. I am actually able to make roster changes and view my matchup scores in the time it would take to only view my roster. Great improvement on surfing.

I have not done too much with the multitasking, but that does appear to work very well.

The video has been a lot of fun. Just took a few sample videos of my son and loved the outcome. The camera is leaps and bounds better than before. How is it leaps and bounds? I can actually get the phone out of my pocket, unlock it, open the camera application and take a picture all before my old phone would even open the camera application from a non-locked state.

I have not had the antenna, but I try to use headphones whenever possible.

I will be getting a case. Not because I don’t think the phone is weak or fragile, but like every other iPhone, it is hard to handle without some sort of grip or texture to cling to.

All in all, pretty pleased I have the phone. Anything is going to be great when you wait 2 years to upgrade.

iPhone 4 continued

2010-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the grammar nightmare in my previous post. Thanks to all that powered through.

I failed to discuss the retina display. Side-by-side with my old phone there is a night and day difference. The clarity of text and the vibrant images are well worth the upgrade.

I also forgot battery life. As always, my 3G is turned off. I also lower my brightness a titch and turn off wi-fi discovery. So far, some improvement. I have yet to experience a full work day with it, but I am close to 3 days before a charge is needed.

I will keep you posted as I uncover more features with this piece of technology.

Catching up

2010-07-03T14:46:00.001-07:00

I know, it has been awhile. I have not written about my thoughts on anything for some time. As far as the Mariners go, they win more when I don’t talk about them. Yes, I am a bit superstitious when it comes to this stuff. I thought I would take this 0-2 slide on the road as an opportunity.

Cliff Lee, where do you begin. He is pitching lights out right now. Either raising his trading stock or actually trying to make the Mariners competitive. It was nice having his around for a couple of months and getting a chance to see him pitch. Good luck, wherever you land. I heard the bankrupt Rangers are in the market. Seeing that money is an issue for them, if he goes to Texas, we just may get stuck holding the bill, however Texas does have a nice farm system.

Erik Bedard is set to return this week. He has had 2 very successful rehab starts in the minors and appears to be well on his way to a successful return from labrum surgery. Perhaps we will see him on Friday at Safeco.

The offense continues to struggle, but appears to be doing better of late. I think we will be a decent team from here to the end of September, but the month of May and early June really put us in a large hole.

Perhaps with Bedard being healthy in his return, losing Cliff Lee will not hurt as bad. Only 28 days until the trade deadline!

Way to go Bud Selig

2010-06-08T09:32:00.001-07:00

Let me begin by stating that I am not a fan of Bud Selig. But, when given an opportunity to change a call made in a game, I feel that he chose correctly.

I spent my time last week talking about Griffey. I see that Armando Galarraga will pitch tonight, first time since the almost perfect game, which is why I am doing this today.

The day after the event, I had a lunch with a coworker who was passionate about having Selig reverse the call because “it was the right thing to do”. I disagreed. Where do you draw the line? That blown call affected history (still a big deal), and not the outcome of the game. About 5 hours later, a blown call has the Mariners beating the Twins in 10 innings rather than having the Twins bat at the top of the 11th. That blown call actually affected an outcome of a game. When you start to reverse calls, you start down a path that is very slippery slope. The manner in which Jim Joyce, Armando, Jim Leyland and Tiger fans reacted the following day was extremely respectful. Also, keep in mind, Joyce immediately apologized to Armando in person after watching the replay. They gave a standing ovation to the umpires as they entered the field the following day. They also gave Armando a standing ovation with he delivered the lineup card.

What started me thinking about this again, happened today on Sports radio. A radio host had his 40th birthday party over the past weekend. He was addressed by someone that said “I know you don’t want to talk shop, but your viewpoint on Selig was dead wrong. You have never been more wrong.” (FYI, I share the same viewpoint as the radio host). The individual used examples of how Selig could sent an example for kids, yadda, yadda, yadda. The real example for kids is how everyone reacted. Joyce immediately recognized his fault and apologized for it. I would much rather have my child learn a lesson of telling someone that you were wrong, rather than some Pollyanna viewpoint on life.

For those of you that have not seen what occurred during the game following, here you go.

Is Stephen Strasburg the next Ben McDonald?

2010-06-08T08:49:00.001-07:00

I have my concerns. Sure, the Nationals have done a great job of limiting his innings, but will that be enough? MLB.com is littered with Stephen Strasburg advertising, they are cashing in on this as much as the Nationals. It is my hope that his arm is able to withstand the hype.

I recall similar hype (in a non-internet era) surrounding LSU graduate Ben McDonald. Ben McDonald won the 1990 Rookie of the year award for the AL by going 8-5. He would not finish above .500 again until 1994 when he would have his best season (record wise) at 14-7. All-in-all, he had a 9 year career between the Orioles and Brewers ending his career with a 78-70 mark and a 3.91 ERA. Not horrible numbers, but the hype and hysteria surrounding him in 1989 put him in the hall of fame before he began.

I followed Tim Lincecum as he worked his way through the Giants org. He entered with little fanfare, and had a mediocre rookie season, statistically speaking. After capturing two Cy Young awards, I would think it is safe to say that he has arrived.

Is Stephen Cooperstown bound? We won’t know for hopefully a very long time as he is only 21 years old. If his minor league numbers transition over to the majors, the NL has a lot to worry about. He is leaving behind a 7-2 mark with a 1.30 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 11 games.

Good luck tonight Stephen, it would be cool to be there!

Thank you number 24

2010-06-03T08:09:00.001-07:00

With some surprise, Griffey decided to hang them up for good yesterday afternoon. I do not agree with the timing of this move, but apparently it does seem to be for the best. Was it planned to call is quits 23 years to the day he was drafted into the Mariner organization? It seems that way, but I am not sure we will ever know the answer.

He will be a first ballot hall of famer. Apparently, a journey to Cooperstown in five years might be in order for my family. Yesterday was a different feeling for me. It seemed that when Griffey retired, so did my childhood. He was the last of my 3 idols to still be playing the game he loved. Largent ended his hall of fame career in an injury plagued 1989 season. Once the X-man departed Seattle, my interest faded as his career ended with a 7 year journey to 4 different teams. But Griffey, he was always there. Even if he did play for the Reds and half a season with the White Sox. His charisma was part of it, but he was also so damn good in his first run in Seattle. Safeco will always be the house that Griffey built. For those of that don’t know the whole story, he (rather the 1995 team) is responsible for saving baseball in Seattle.

I think some people wonder why Seattle has such a love affair with him, and 1995 in particular. My brother was in Tampa Bay in the mid-90’s. Sporting good stores were selling shirts that said “Tampa Bay Mariners”. The Mariners were going nowhere fast. In fact, he brought one back to me. Then 1995 hit. They were 13 games out of first in early August. They fought for two solid months to have a playoff game against Anaheim (then called the California Angels). This was the first year of the wild card and the Mariners were lucky enough to face a 5 game set against the Yankees. It was a format of 2-3, not sure why the Mariners got 3 straight at home, but who really cares. After falling 0-2, the M’s came back to defeat the evil empire on what is by far the greatest play in Seattle sports history.

Griffey’s legacy is more than just the 1995 season. He was the first Mariner MVP in 1997, as well leading the AL in home runs for 4 seasons. And how can we forget his countless amazing plays in centerfield. All in all, he was, and continues to be, the face of this franchise. He is the greatest player to ever wear a Mariner uniform.

As Griffey flies off into the Floridian sunset, it is time for this region to put the 1995 season behind us. We can always look back on what was the best season ever with fond memories, but it’s time to make some new ones. We have since tried in 1997 and most notably in 2001. However, the magic that was the 1995 season can only be replaced with a World Series crown.

In honor of his retirement, I am wearing my Cooperstown Collection Griffey jersey with my hat on backwards. Cheers to a great career.

6-9

2010-05-24T06:53:00.001-07:00

That is the Mariner record when we send Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez to the mount. In the offseason, we had dreams of that number being closer to 15-0. With Felix coming off a near Cy Young year, and Cliff Lee being Cliff Lee.

I missed a few games recently, frankly, because I have better things to do. Felix gave us 7 strong yesterday before the bullpen decided to throw batting practice. I will sound like a broken record, but starting pitching has been the only shining light this season has offered. We have shown signs of greatness at the plate, and in April our pen could keep things together. But getting all 3 of these items to work together is a larger challenge than what we realize.

Mike Sweeney, due to his hot hitting of late, played the field yesterday for the first time this season. For someone like myself asking for him to go in April, he has been one person that really seems to be making an effort.

June could be exciting time for the Mariners as we will see what Jack Z decided to do with Cliff Lee. The bidding war for Lee will increase as June completes as more teams will see where they stand for the second half push. I think at this point, we could be sellers rather than buyers.

Missed Friday’s game, but the offense did not

2010-05-23T06:28:00.001-07:00

Sweeney has been coming through like mad recently. He is a batting around .412 in the last week, and raising his HR total to 5. Saturday nights game was not nearly as exciting as we lost yet another 1 run game. The Mariners are 5-14 in one run games. Not a good stat.

On a bright note, Ian Snell did pitch 5 strong innings last night. The reason this is a bright note, he started in place of Ryan Rowland-Smith. RRS has been moved to the pen until he can work out what has been killing him.

Even Figgins now has an average over .200. Things are starting to look up, and guess what. It is Sunday and Griffey has not retired. I think it is only fair to have him finish the season. All these nah sayers want him gone early, but I do not agree. Sure, are still way below .500, but I would like to think we are on the up and up.

Look for May to be the worst of it, I hope.

What do we do?

2010-05-18T16:02:00.001-07:00

I talked yesterday about how Cliff Lee will probably not going to be a Mariner by the end of June. Now the talk on the radio is asking for Griffey to retire this weekend. My stance on this is mixed.

I felt that his exit from the 2009 season was perfect. His teammates carried him around the field, it was as if he was being provided a great avenue to say his goodbye. But then he resigned. I was happy because I truly thought his presence was beneficial. I do not think he needs to retire to turn this year around. Try to fix the other hitters before you force him to retire.

Here is the breakdown…Griffey is batting .182, the 5th worst on the team. How have the offseason signings done?

Figgins	.185
Kotchman	.183
Bradley	.214
Sweeney	.244

Sweeney has come “alive” in the last few outings. Figgins has not lived up to any of his potential. Kotchman is batting .067 in May with 0 RBIs. As much as Griffey has underperformed, he is not alone.

Having Griffey maintain this death spiral of batting is not going to help the club. But outside of Ichiro and Gutierrez, not many are. Oh, and let’s not forget the bullpen. They have blown a couple on their own. It seems that when the offense finally clicks, the pen blows it. We have more on this team to fix than just Griffey.

Are we wasting money or just poor planning?

2010-05-17T12:50:00.001-07:00

The Mariners starting rotation is turning out to be one of the best in all of baseball. Sure, Ryan Rowland-Smith is not meeting expectations, but the other 4 are, and in some cases exceeding them. However, we are the worst offensive team in the majors, or damn near.

The talk is now surrounding trading Lee. He is a free agent comes seasons end, but is pitching out of his mind. However, his run support for the last 5 games has been horrible.

April 30th, 0 runs

May 5th, 3 runs

May 11th, 5 runs, his first win

May 16th, 1 run

I hate to say it, but he is not long for this world in Seattle. I think he is a superstar pitcher and deserves some offense. I don’t think we throw in the towel yet on this season. I feel there would be other ways to bring in bats without dropping one of the best offseason pickups in Mariner’s history.

From a bullpen perspective, we are average. It should be noted, the pen has done it’s fair share to blow leads. Dare I say, I miss Brandon Morrow? Nah! Of course, if we did not put our pitchers into so many 1 run situations, perhaps the pen would look a bit better.

Not exactly sure how to fix this situation, perhaps trading Lee is our only option at this point. If we do any moves, I would think we would do them in June, and not wait until the end of July.

Should he stay or should he go?

2010-05-11T06:46:00.001-07:00

The rumor is that Griffey will be gone by months end. There was a blog post yesterday that stirred up a lot of talk on the sports radio scene.

It needs to be noted that the Mariners are not bad because of one player. Sure, his numbers and lack of a home run are nothing to write home about, but who on this team can? Gutierrez is about the only one that comes to mind. It is apparent that his bat speed is not where it should be and his knees are still bothering him even after his off-season surgery. Is this the right move? To release him, that would be a black eye to this ball club. If he made a choice to step down and retire early, that would be the only graceful way to move on.

This team has it’s problems. Milton Bradley is seeking counseling and Mike Sweeney has not shown any signs from his time in Arizona. If it was me, I would release Milton and Mike, or perhaps try to trade. We do lack a power bat, but we knew this going into the season.

As far as what this potential mid-season move would do to his career, I think nothing. He has had an outstanding career both in Seattle and abroad. It would be a disappointment for sure, but I don’t think we need to pin all our team issues on him. If the Mariners are asking him to step down, Jack and company have a plan. Not sure if we will ever know for sure what that plan is, but there is something there. You don’t release/ask a player to leave without having a “what now?” idea. Especially with the impact Griffey has had on this city. Either they have someone they want to target in the minors, or a DH trade in the works.

A lot of people in the northwest are holding their breath until the end of May.

One of the most embarrassing series sweeps…ever

2010-05-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

Cliff Lee and Doug Fister pitched two outstanding games Fister pitched 8 scoreless while Lee pitched 7 scoreless. In support, the M’s gave them 1 run for those 2 games. Felix had an odd outing and did not look like the Felix that we have all come to know and love.

On Friday, Lee made his long awaited debut. The game went into the 10th in a 0-0 tie. We had the bases loaded in the 10th and 11th with no outs, and did not score one run.

For Doug Fister on Sunday, bases loaded in a 1-1 9th, and did not score a runner. Not only was the offense stagnant, but the pen gave up the tying run in the top of the 9th. For the 3 game set, we scored a grand total of four runs in 32 innings. David Aardsma, Mark Lowe and Brandon League did not look like their usual selves either. Their flaws seem so minor compared to the four runs and leaving 27 runners on base. To rub more salt in the wound, this was the first sweep in Safeco by the Rangers.

We have on tap the hottest team in the majors in Tampa Bay, followed by the division rival Angels. Should be an interesting 6 games, stay tuned as we hope to turn things around in May.

Safeco gates open early for Lee debut

2010-04-29T16:16:00.001-07:00

If you have not noticed, this city is excited.

Look for Snell to be most likely the odd man out of the rotation and into the pen. Snell has struggled this year and had a inconsistent Spring, which is okay, but he has yet to rebound.

Bring on the Rangers. This should be a great game in what is turning out to be a division that anyone can win.

Cliff Lee to start on Friday

2010-04-28T12:10:00.001-07:00

For what should be a near sell out on Friday against the Rangers, Cliff Lee will make his Mariner debut. For those Texas fans that read this blog, Ian Kinsler will also be returning for the Rangers. We hope the bats also show up to welcome Cliff Lee. Texas will be throwing the hot Colby Lewis at the Mariners. This could be a great game to watch.

Last night, we saw how a bull pen can ruin a great start. Zack Grienke had us on the ropes for 7 innings. It was not until the call to pen was made that the Mariners were able to get something going. Also had a bit of luck with a bad bounce, but who counts that.

We are only a few days away from May. With wins today and Friday, we achieve my wish of .500 for April.

I am starting to wonder about Mike Sweeney. He is not getting the at bats he probably deserves based on his performance from March. In fact, I would say he is on the verge of being released. Mike is someone that could be released. Griffey is not doing much better, and is still homerless at the time of this blog. But the ramifications the Mariners would face would be catastrophic if they chose to let him go. Pitching has been pretty good this season given the fact they have received little to no run support.

Bring on May! With Bedard on track to return in June, it could be a great summer for Mariner baseball.

Take us home!

2010-04-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

We are not a road team this year. With only 2 wins on the road, we are making it pretty obvious we prefer the “safe” confines of Safeco Field.

Felix was not lights out, in fact Kyle Davies was lights out as the Mariners were hitless until the 6th. But, on a positive note, this was Felix’s 18th straight quality start. Felix is able to keep the Mariners in games, but the offense seems to sputter. We left eight men on base, batting a magical 1-9 with runners in scoring position.

There is a great line from the Mariner write up. “Chone Figgins is the current poster child for the run-challenged offense.” I think that about sums it up. Figgins went 0-4 while striking out 3 times, and leaving Ichiro stranded in scoring position twice. He is also in a huge hitting funk, batting 2-for-31.

I am hoping that we can take the last two from KC. Snell vs. Grienke tonight, with both pitchers looking for their first win. If Snell can keep us close, we will see how the offense does against last years Cy Young winner.

The return of Cliff Lee

2010-04-26T13:52:00.001-07:00

After a horrible time in Chicago, we move to the great Midwest community of Kansas City for a three game set. We will not have the chance to see a Felix/Zach matchup as Felix goes today, while Zach goes tomorrow.

On a bright note, Lee pitched 6 innings of shutout ball in Tacoma on Sunday. This is promising news as he should get the start on Saturday or Sunday in Seattle. It would be my hope that Safeco Field be sold out, but probably not likely. A lot of people are excited to see what Lee can bring to this team.

iPhone app update: Yahoo Fantasy Baseball app

2010-04-22T09:35:00.001-07:00

Okay, this app is officially worthless. There is currently no way to add/drop players with this application. The larger issue for me is the lack of a lineup indicator. You have no way to tell who is starting and who is not. With these short coming, along with how slow this application loads, using the Safari browser ends up being more effective.

The app is free, and you pay for what you receive. Let’s hope that more development is being put worth to work these issues out. I would have thought that a “starter” indicator would have been a priority for version 1.0…silly me.

I promise not to do any more updates on this current version. Once the next version has been released and my issues are resolved, I will update everyone.

*******UPDATE*******

Major typo. The original blog was correct, just not the title. The MLB app I enjoy for radio and my 1 free TV game.

Awesome homestand

2010-04-22T09:29:00.001-07:00

When this all started, we were 2-5, we now leave for Chicago at 9-7.

Felix pitched his 17th straight “quality start”, a club record. I missed most of the game, but was able to catch the eventful fourth. Tui’s hustle was able to keep a rally alive and help us produce our only runs for the game. Even Jack Wilson was able to show us he can hit when he wants to.

Glad to see Felix climb into the W column as Zach Grienke has a nice goose egg working for him. As far as the battle of last years Cy Young finalists, Zach is not living up to his end of the bargain. I had concerns of this hangover, but still selected him in my fantasy draft. Playing for the Royals is a challenging spot to be in, probably why he led the AL in complete games last season. Zach is not on his game at this point in the season. I hope that last year was not a fluke. Zach pitched on Wednesday and could take the mound on Monday which may be a Felix/Zach matchup for the first game of that series. Zach’s last start was good, but the pen ended up blowing the W for him.

Keep up the good work!

Starting to click

2010-04-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

I figured the news of Cliff Lee’s 5 game suspension being rescinded was a good time to post on our recent home success.

Offensively, we seem to be getting the job done. Before the home stand, Ichiro was around .225 or so, now he is around .315. Casey Kotchman is also performing well and leading the team in home runs with 3. How about Doug Fister? He struggled in his season debut in Oakland, but has come alive with back-to-back wins. Brandon League has also been a nice addition to the pen.

We have worked our way up to a .500 record at 7-7. This looked like a difficult task a week ago, but we seem to be getting back on track.

Oh boy, not this again

2010-04-12T21:00:00.001-07:00

It was the Spring of 2008, the Mariners were coming off of a late push in 2007 for the post season that fell short by a week. So, all the analysis thought we had a chance in 2008 to make the post season. Instead, we lost 101 games and had the second worst record in baseball.

Starting off 2-6 does not make good baseball. We are second-to-last in the AL in runs with 21 (Orioles are at 20). We have played 8 games, only 2 other teams have played 8 games, Twins and A’s. Oakland is first in runs and the Twins are third. So teams that have played one, in some case two, less games than us are scoring more.

Jack Z did wonders for us in the postseason, I have blogged constantly about it; However, I did say, we are missing a big bat. Milton Bradley, I guess, is the big bat with his 1 HR. As at team, we have 3 HR’s. I am all for small ball, teams have been successful with getting people on and moving them around. The key to the last sentence is getting people on. We are 11th in hits, with 55, in the AL. That puts 3 teams worse than us (Orioles, White Sox and Indians). To put that into context, the top 3 teams in hits are either leading or in second in their respective divisions; The Tigers, A’s and Twins. I find it frustrating, the team I had finishing last in a what should be a competitive AL West, is leading the way. I realize the season is young and being 4 games behind .500 is not a huge amount. But right now, I don’t see the momentum shift or that hitters edge creeping up in our lineup. Both of our wins have come in the top of the 9th, and when we were trailing or tied.

As far as pitching goes, it is hard to have all of this on your shoulders. Ryan Rowland-Smith had 1 bad inning today, and that was it. That one bad inning cost him the game because we are not seeing the ball. Both of King Felix’s starts have ended in no decision’s as we cannot produce any run support for our pitchers.

We need to finish April at .500. This “thing” we are in cannot get worse, it needs to get better.

iPhone app update: Yahoo Fantasy baseball and iPad demo

2010-04-12T08:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, after a week of use, here is an update on this application.

No way to tell who is starting. This is a challenge since, obviously, pitchers change daily. Also, on offense, Yahoo generally puts a carrot (^) for those that make the lineup that day. If you have a player set to “day-to-day”, you need to make adjustments. Or, if an injury happens and a player is put in a DL position, it does not say on the application.

They performed an update last week, but I still do not see a way to drop and add players. Two days after the application was updated, it would crash on me every time I tried to open it. I uninstalled/reinstalled and it now works, but again, not a good sign of the applications stability. And no, nothing changed on my phone over those 2 days.

The application appears to be just a “check in” application. You still need full web browser access to make any decent changes. The application is free, so really nothing lost. But they do have some room for improvement.

This past weekend, I happened to be in an Apple store, so I had to try the iPad. Overall, a fun toy. The MLB application rules, I really enjoyed that. Games that looked fun on the iPhone (driving games) actually become legit time killers with this screen. I liked it. Not sure if I will own one.

Back-to-back one run defeats

2010-04-08T10:09:00.001-07:00

Well, not exactly how I saw the first 3 games going. The good thing is that we are still early in the season. I would hope that the M’s can have a .500 month for April. I would love to see something a bit over, but right now, I will take .500.

Missed most of the game, but that is back-to-back defeats in the bottom of the 10th and 9th respectively. That is a bit disconcerting after we pulled out a top of 9th inning win in game one of this series.

After today’s mid-day contest, we jet down to Arlington. I am concerned when walking into that ballpark. I am mostly concerned if our pitching staff with be able to hold up against the bats of Texas.

Home opener is the 12th….I just may take that day off!

Our magic number is 161

2010-04-06T09:31:00.001-07:00

i saw moments from early on and then the last 2 innings.

Felix appeared to be cruising until he his pitch count started to climb around 90, then the excitement happened. Hats off to Mariner new comers Chone Figgins and Casey Kotchman. Figgins, like he did for Anaheim, never lets the opponents rest when he is on the base pad. Kotchman accounted for 4 of the 5 runs, Rob Johnson having a solo home run to account for the 5th run. It was also nice to see Ardsma picking up right where he left off last year with a solid save.

A great start to the season.

Opening day!

2010-04-05T08:52:00.001-07:00

Assuming the rain stays away, the Mariners play later tonight in Oakland! Felix vs. Ben Sheets.

Watched yesterday’s rain shortened exhibition game against the Giants. Overall, we looked pretty good. Vargas did well in his final tune up for the season. We also were able to see one of our hot pitching prospects, Michael Pineda. He is 6’5” and is said to have a fastball that could reach 99 mph. He will begin his professional career in West Tennessee and you could see him in the rotation by 2011, but most likely 2012.

The ad campaign for the Mariner season has a fair amount of pressure associated with it. These are not the fun ads that you will be seeing on FSN, but more of a general ad to promote the season. There is a lot of talk about October going on, but we still have a long road to go down before we get there. I will be putting out the positive vibe and doing what I can to make sure that October becomes reality.

iPhone app: Yahoo fantasy baseball

2010-04-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

I am currently disappointed with version 1.0. However, in the “coming soon” section, most of be gripes will be gone.

Currently, you cannot browse available players on the free agent market. This is going to be an issue fairly early in the season. I prefer apps over the website in fantasy sports as they load much quicker and are more responsive.

The other shortcoming, is the lack of seeing the league page. It would be nice to see the transactions that have occurred and the trash talk that was on the message board. Along those same lines, it would be nice to post to the league’s message board.

I am still happy with the app for what I need it to do in my immediate future. Assuming that 1.2 or whatever the next version will be can hit the market by the end of April, I highly recommend this application.

96 teams in the March Madness…a joke!

2010-04-01T12:45:00.001-07:00

Again the rumor of March Madness expanding to 96 teams is being tossed around. I am apposed to this expansion as the only teams/leagues I see benefiting are conferences like the Big East, Big 10, ACC, etc. Instead of placing your top 2 or 3 teams in the tourney, having 6 or 7. Would this benefit conference such as the Big Sky, Horizon or Colonial? Division that are only guaranteed 1 team. Could this put 2 teams from the Big Sky if they are good enough? Probably not since the money generated from having a team in the ACC that finished 6th would generate more money than Weber State or Portland State.

The expansion has nothing to do with competitive play, but how to string along profits and make more money than what is already generated. Look at how ridiculous college football has become. Why on earth do I give a rats ass about the “Enterprise Rent-a-car bowl” on a Tuesday night in December? Just to watch two teams I didn’t not follow during the season battle for a bronze car on a statue and probably $1 million? Is that really what this is all about? I don’t watch the national championship game. Oh, but I will be sure to set my DVR for the new New York bowl…not!

Let this remain at 64 teams. We already have 1 “play in” game. I don’t see this becoming better with a few more “play in” games, and/or having some higher seeds acquire “byes” and starting play on Monday or Tuesday. It may sound fun and intriguing, but right now you have legit teams with winning records on the bubble. You move to this large format and the bubble doesn’t go away, but the quality of bubble does.

I am sure many people fought the move from 32 to 64 team in the 80’s. But I think that found a nice sweet spot of talent to present to the nation in March. There are 347 D1 basketball teams, so we are a long ways from devaluing post season play, unlike in football. (34, now 35 bowl games and 120 teams…70 are in bowl games, while 50 are not…what’s the point).

There was also an argument of having too many “under .500” teams in the playoffs should they expand to 96. I don’t agree with this argument. If you win your conferences tournament and are still under .500, who cares. You are obviously peaking at the right time. If the 7th place team in the ACC is below .500 and get’s in, I am sure it would be because they played a tougher schedule than someone else. So, to me, this argument I don’t care that much about. I would argue that those teams would play at their highest level since they have nothing to lose and will give most any team a run for the money.

I see this being an expansion out of greed rather than enjoyment. Please keep this model to 64 teams.

Fantasy draft complete

2010-03-31T09:38:00.001-07:00

Thus begins the need to have my league page always up when my computer is on. Here is how my draft turned out last night.

No.	Draft order	Name
1	7	Ryan Howard
2	10	Roy Halladay
3	23	Matt Kemp
4	26	Ian Kinsler
5	39	Zack Greinke
6	42	Mark Reynolds
7	55	Curtis Granderson
8	58	Josh Johnson
9	71	Carlos Lee
10	74	Andre Ethier
11	87	Ricky Nolasco
12	90	Chad Billingsley
13	103	Kurt Suzuki
14	106	Jair Jurrjens
15	119	Francisco Cordero
16	122	Asdrubal Cabrera
17	135	Ryan Madson
18	138	A.J Burnett
19	151	Scott Kazmir
20	154	Jason Heyward
21	167	Jorge De La Rosa

A lot of talent, since we have only 8 teams. The Free agent market looks fairly rich, especially for starting pitching. Here is the breakdown of my decision process.

Howard and Halladay were my “keepers” from last season. I have been able to keep them both on my team for three out of the last four seasons. Halladay is a bit of a risk as this is his first time in the NL.

Kemp had a great season last year and was on my watch list. I think the Dodgers should do well offensively this year, that is why I have two of them. Ethier has been fairly consistent for me in the previous two seasons.

Kinsler was a bit of an uneducated grab as he is going to start the year on the DL. I was unaware of this when I took him. Not a huge deal, but need to have that move take place sooner rather than later so I find an adequate replacement.

Greinke was a risky pick this early for me. I still find it hard to believe that the Cy Young winner last year plays for the Royals. I hope he is able to pickup from last year’s outstanding season.

Reynolds and Granderson can do great things at the plate, as long as they hit the ball. Both have high strikeout rates which is a risk when going after HR and RBI numbers, generally.

Josh Johnson I have been watching for awhile now. I think he could be the NL Cy Young winner very soon, let’s hope for 2010.

Carlos Lee is generally consistent, but is nursing some nagging issues. So, to back him up, I have acquire the hot prospect from Atlanta in Jason Heyward. Time will tell if that pays off, or he is sent down to mature a bit more.

Ricky Nolasco and Chad Billingsley are decent pitchers that should get between 10-13 wins this year.

Suzuki is a great hitting catcher and is aggressive at the plate. He should do well with about 75 RBIs and an average around .280.

Jurrjens and Cordero are returning to my lineup due to their success last year. Jurrjens is one of the many strong young pitchers the Braves offer and Cordero is a great closer even if he does play for the Reds.

Madson is taking over the closer role while Lidge works his way back from surgeries. With the Phillies set to return to the playoffs, if not the world Series, always good to have a couple of them on your team.

A.J. Burnett because I think having a Yankee pitching is not necessary a bad thing, even if you don’t like the team. Same reason as above.

Kazmir is going to be part of a strong 5 man rotation for a team that should win the AL West for yet another year.

I usually try to avoid Rockies, especially pitchers, but I could not pass on Jorge as my last pick. I am hoping that last season was not a fluke.

That's about it. I won’t make any unnecessary moves prior to the start of the regular season. As always, it will be interesting to see how many of these players are on my roster in October.

Could it be that Washburn returns to the M’s?

2010-03-25T21:50:00.001-07:00

Highly unlikely as Washburn is recovering from his own surgery, but the rumors are flying around. The Mariners would want someone for day 2 of the regular season. It is unclear if Washburn would make that timeframe.

Again, this is highly unlikely, but it makes some sense. With Lee out until, my guess, May 1, that leaves a pretty big void in our rotation. Ryan Rowland-Smith has not had a great spring, and neither has Ian Snell. I hope that both of them can turn things around by April 5th.

Let the rumors fly and see what lands.

Cliff Lee still feels pain

2010-03-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

Well, this is not good. Not sure how our starting rotation is going to look like come April. I don’t speculate as I am uncertain where this puts us. Justin Vargas is pitching today, which could have rotation impacts.

Obviously, Felix, Ian Snell and Ryan Rowland-Smith will be on that 5 man rotation. Doug Fister was rumored, but is having control issues this spring. Thus making Vargas’ progress this spring something of an interest story given our injuries.

Since I am speculating, Lee returns on May 1, Bedard on August 1 and Fister and Vargas are moved to the AAA/bullpen accordingly.

2010 MLB Predictions: NL West

2010-03-23T10:17:00.001-07:00

Los Angeles Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
San Francisco Giants
San Diego Padres

Last but not least, the NL West.

The Dodgers should be able to defend their title as champs. Offensively, they are a sound team. Andre Eithier and Matt Kemp continue to shine and produce. They were also successful last year when Manny was out for 45 games. James Loney is a great first baseman while Russell Martin remains one of the best well rounded catchers in all of baseball. Pitching is coming along as well. One of my favorites, Chad Billingsley, should lead the charge and become the ace of this staff. Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda will also produce 8-12 wins to help move this team along.

The D-backs are loaded with offensive talent. Even ex-Osprey outfield Gerardo Parra was able to get into the mix last year. Over the 120 games he played, put up a .290 average and 60 RBI’s. The offense is riddled with young, talented players that have been around this organization for awhile. Justin Upton, C.B. Young and Chris Jackson will all return to start in the outfield. Watch out for Mark Reynolds at third, as he is becoming one of the best hot corner players in the game. The pitching staff starts with Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson. Don’t forget about Brandon Webb. He was injured all of last year, but will look to come back at full strength, rumored sometime around May.

Colorado is the next logical fit in this division. I am generally not a fan of their pitching staff,primarily since they play a mile high. But last year, this talented staff was able to hold off most of the competition and performed well. Look for a repeat of last year from Jimenez, Cook and De La Rosa. Brad Hawpe is trying to fill the offensive shoes of Matt Holliday, while Troy Tulowitzki continues to have a brilliant start to his young career.

The California teams will round out the rest of this division. The Giants do not offer much in terms of defense or hitting. They have a great pitching in Tim Lincecum, and decent #2 in Matt Cain but that is about it. Zito has yet to return to his glory numbers for the A’s. Offensively you have Aubrey Huff and the ever versatile Pablo Sandoval, and the sometimes powerful Aaron Rowand. They will be able to beat the Padres, but not sure about the Rockies or D-Backs

Take away Adrian Gonzalez and I am not sure who else you have to choose from for offense. Tony Gwynn jr. is coming along nicely, but still has a long career ahead of him. They have other talented players, but none appear to have the power to protect Adrian. Pitching wise, it is not pretty. You have Jon Garland and Chris Young, but there are bright spots in Clayton Richard and Kevin Correia. I don’t see much here to take over the west this year. But the AL West is a competitive division, thing will shift and change in the coming seasons.

2010 MLB Predictions: NL Central

2010-03-23T09:29:00.001-07:00

Chicago Cubs
St. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

Why do I have the Cubs first, just because. I will say the top 4 teams in the central could produce a race this year that comes down to the final week of the season. Placing them first is almost beyond silly. But if they can get numbers from the likes of Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano Mike Byrd and Aramis Ramierez at the plate, they will be in good shape. They also have Xavier Nady waiting to play; he is capable of some long balls as well. We will see where the pitching staff is able to take these guys, lead by Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster. Again, the Cubs could finish anywhere from first to fourth.

I could be reading too much in Mark, but I see his presence to be a big distraction to the team, at least early on. Someone that only hit for power as a hitting coach does not make much sense to me. They do offer two “aces” in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. On offense, you have the always present Albert Pujols and the hard hitting left fielder, Matt Holliday. I am sure the Cardinals will once again win the central, but it would be nice to see someone else give them a run for the money.

The Brewers face some challenges this year for sure, but they could make this race an interesting one. They are lead on the mound by Gallardo and Randy Wolf, both were spotty last year, just over .500. Offensively you have two heavies in Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. I think this could be a great “team” that could take advantage of the Mark McGwire distraction that will follow the Cardinals.

Could Cincinnati be the next team to give the Cardinals a run for their money? The recent addition of Aroldis Chapman took a step back as he is dealing with lower back pain this spring. They have a lot of RBI producers in the field. Here is how they sat at the conclusion of 2009: Votto 84, Phillips 98, Cabrera 77, Rolen 67, and Bruce 58. Bruce will play in more than 101 games this season for sure. If Aaron Harang and Johnny Cueto can get back on track, the Reds will help make the central an interesting race to watch.

The Pirates need a shift. Instead of always placing these guys at the cellar of the central, I think you will see them creep up to fifth. Zack Duke was off last year for sure, but I am confident that he will turn things around and be the true ace of this staff. Offensively, we will have a great opportunity to see Jeff Clement and what he can do outside of the hype from Seattle. Andy LaRouche will still lead all Pirates in most offensive categories.

The Astros and Pirates will make cellar watching a nice story. Roy Oswalt probably had one of his worst seasons every in 2009. I am sure he is hungry to turn things around. The rest of the staff could pick up on this energy and actually produce. Offensively, you still have Carlos Lee. They have some up and comers in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn. Don’t forget about Lance Berkman too. After doing more research, I am changing my vote, the Pirates will again finish in last.

2010 MLB Predictions: NL East

2010-03-23T08:59:00.001-07:00

Atlanta Braves
Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins
New York Mets
Washington Nationals

I have no set reason as to why I placed Atlanta on top. My gut feels that the Phillies and Braves should give us a good fight to watch. The pitching of Atlanta is young and talented. Look for Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens to produce yet again. If Tim Hudson remains healthy, they have a competent pitching staff ready to take on the rest of the East. Look for Jason Heyward to make an early entrance in the outfield. This #1 prospect should deliver decent number and steal about 30 bases a season. The issue to address would be the often injured Chipper Jones at third base, not sure how his body will hold up, but perhaps Infante is the answer for the hot corner.

What can you say about the Phillies that has not already been said? This team is solid, all around. I picked Atlanta just to be different, but there is no reason why the Phillies should not repeat as NL East champs, and perhaps once again represent the NL in the World Series. The top 4 hitters in the batting order (Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard) are going to be tough yet again for any pitching staff to survive. Lets see what Roy can do in his first season in the NL.

The Marlins are scrappy and young. They will be enough of a disturbance in this division to contend for second place. The middle infields pack a heck of an offensive punch with Uggla and Ramierez, plus they are not bad on defense either. Look for Josh Johnson to put up Cy Young type numbers this year as his stock continues to climb.

The Mets have the talent, but I am not sure about the discipline or guidance. The addition of Jason Bay should be nice to see in the new ballpark. The pitching staff is anchored by the recently injured Johan Santana. This club could prove me wrong, but right now, I am placing them a shy bit above the Nationals.

The Nationals have some talented players. Ryan Zimmerman at third, Pudge behind the plate and Adam Dunn at first, this team has home run potential. The big question in my mind is how the pitching staff will keep this team in a game. Nyjer Morgan is a nice base running threat and can cover some ground in center. Josh Willingham also has the ability to hit the long ball. If pitching is able to come together, the Mets could very well be sitting in last place by season’s end.