ST3 | Eenie Meenie Miny Mo

M's 6 | Giants 4

Mariners Closer Competition heats up | Mariners.com

Three of the potential contenders worked during Seattle's 6-4 Cactus League victory over the Giants at Peoria Stadium. Right-hander Miguel Batista retired all six batters he faced, right-hander Roy Corcoran pitched a perfect inning and right-hander Randy Messenger, the camp surprise so far, pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.

Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu was especially pleased with Batista's accelerated tempo, saying, "It was better than we have seen in the past.

"I thought Messenger was a little more pumped up today and Corcoran got a little emotional out there. We're looking at things. This isn't a big pressure situation, but we want to see how they handle it."

Right-handers Mark Lowe, David Aardsma and Tracy Walker also are closer contenders. Lowe and Aardsma are scheduled to make their Cactus League debuts on Sunday against the Rangers, while Walker continues to mend from a leg injury.

"For the relievers, it's about tempo, being aggressive down in the zone and not nibbling as much as the starters," Wakamatsu said.

ST2 | Lotsa hits ~ Wak not overly excited

M's 18 | Dodgers 2

Bedard cruises in first spring outing | HeraldNet

By all indications in the boxscore, the Mariners had a great day in their 18-2 victory over the Dodgers. They had 20 hits, including home runs by Matt Tuiasosopo, Mike Wilson and Mike Carp, and held the Dodgers to four hits.

Wakamatsu, however, wasn't tossing superlatives over everything he saw.

The hitting?

"We put a lot of damage on balls in the strike zone, but some of the counts we swung at were a little out of control," he said.

The pitching?

Besides Bedard, Wakamatsu wasn't overjoyed.

"I thought everyone was OK," he said. "Our command was good, the tempo was fine but I thought we were up in the zone a little too much."

Left-hander Jason Vargas and right-hander Chris Jakubauskas each pitched two scoreless innings, lefty Justin Thomas and Marwin Vega one scoreless inning each. Right-hander Jose Pena gave up a two-run homer in the ninth to Mitch Jones to break the shutout.

Carp continued to impress with his left-handed power, driving in five runs with the homer and a double. The homer, in the eighth inning, cleared a picnic tent well beyond the right-field fence.

Spring ~ time for mental growth as much as physical readiness

Wakumatsu gives Mariners hitters chance to grow | HeraldNet

In these early games of spring training, Wakamatsu is letting the hitters choose their approach at the plate, right or wrong. It's part of the mental growth he and the coaching staff are hoping the Mariners will experience before the regular season begins.

"Say you're leading off an inning and there's a 3-0 count," Wakamatsu said. "In spring, I want to see their decision-making process rather than just giving them the take sign. When you're trying to control their thought process, they don't grow as much."

Whether it's hitting, baserunning or defense, Wakamatsu and his staff are taking the mistakes they see in the games and working the next day on drills designed to prevent them from happening again.

"We're going to attack them as soon as they come off the field, then we're going to design drills the next day to eliminate some of those things," he said.

Baserunning will get some attention during today's workout after the Mariners had five more runners thrown out on the bases during Thursday's 4-4 tie with the Padres.

Reegie Corona was picked off first base twice, Jeff Clement was thrown out at home by a wide margin after third-base coach Bruce Hines sent him and Mike Morse was thrown out at third base after he'd tried to stretch a two-out RBI double in the fifth.

The biggie was Callix Crabbe, who tried to score from second base on Rob Johnson's high-chop infield single.

"With baserunning being such a huge emphasis, we're going to try and simulate those situations in drills," Wakamatsu said. "Rather than just talk about them, we're going to talk about them and execute some drills."

Two pitchers = minus 63 pounds

Carlos Silva reports to camp 30 lbs. lighter | Seattle Times

The four-year, $48 million deal given Silva about 14 months ago remains one of the most criticized of any move by the previous regime of general manager Bill Bavasi. Silva jumped out to a quick start, going 3-0 with a 2.79 ERA in April, then managed a lone victory the rest of the way.

Though some of Silva's misfortune was due to poor fielding behind him, his weight came under increased scrutiny as the season wore on. By the time it was done, Silva, often the target of fan scorn, was ready to try anything.

"I knew as soon as they signed me here that they had very big expectations," said Silva, who arrived with the rest of the team's pitchers and catchers at the Peoria Sports Complex on Friday to take a physical ahead of today's scheduled on-field workout. "I didn't cover those expectations at all. But as soon as the season ended, I went back home and the only thing I had on my mind is what I've got to do."

What the Mariners made him do was stop eating so much and get himself into the yoga class. They wanted to see more flexibility and core strength out of a pitcher whose back could barely make it through last season's second half.

"I feel great," Silva said of his increased strength and flexibility. "It's easier to work out because I'm not as heavy as before."

And now, the team hopes Silva is poised for a rebound on the mound.

"He looks like somebody cut him in half," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu exclaimed. "He's in good shape. He looks great."

:::

More advanced pitching metrics seem to suggest that his fielders were largely to blame for his bloated ERA in 2008.

The Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) stat showed him at 4.63 compared to the 6.46 ERA. While an ERA of 4.63 is still not what the Mariners wanted for $12 million per season, it would have been far preferable to the Jeff Weaver-like number Silva finished with.

Silva also stranded fewer runners last year than he had in previous seasons with better defenders behind him.

That seems to suggest that with better defense — something Wakamatsu and new general manager Jack Zduriencik have made paramount to their overall strategy — Silva's numbers are poised for a rebound even if he stays the same. But Silva feels he has to make big mound improvements, something that, if successful, could cut him slack with a skeptical fan base.

Messenger sharpens focus | Seattle PI

Randy Messenger only looks like a new man. Absent 35 pounds and the facial hair he sported when he pitched for the Mariners late last season, the right-hander feels like one, too.

"It feels better just waking up in the morning," he said. "I used to hit the snooze five or six times, and now I'm just hitting it once just to get my marbles working.

"At the end of the season, they wanted me to come in at a certain weight. I just took it a lot further."

Although the current coaching staff didn't know the 6-foot-8 Messenger last season, when he weighed a robust 284 pounds, tales of his dedication, and his performance thus far in camp, have their attention.

"Him coming in in great shape and the sacrifice he made over the winter brings into our discussions how motivated he is to make this club," manager Don Wakamatsu said. "That's the kind of stuff we're looking for."

Messenger, 27, who spent his early career in the Florida Marlins organization, was signed by the Mariners in July after his release by San Francisco's Triple-A affiliate. On Aug. 25 he was called up to Seattle, where he held opponents scoreless in 10 of 13 relief appearances.

The Mariners released him in January, making room on the 40-man roster after the trade with the Cubs that brought in Garrett Olson and Ronny Cedeno. Two days later, the Mariners re-signed Messenger to a minor league deal.

Shortly before his call-up last fall, Messenger's wife, Vanessa, gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Francesa. He said fatherhood was a major factor in his offseason turnaround.

"It's a health thing," he said. "I want to make sure I'm around a long time for my daughter. I just realized I wanted to get my butt in shape.

"The only thing that was hard was that first month, trying to eat right. Once I got that down, it became natural. I didn't have any cravings anymore."

ST1 | Feilx Day

M's 4 | Padres 4

Mariners Spring Update | NewsTribune

Felix Hernandez went two innings in part because the Padres made three outs on four pitches in the first inning. It took him 19 more pitches to get three more outs.

“I threw almost all fastballs,” Hernandez said. “I wanted to command both sides of the plate.” One of those fastballs became a two-run home run by Henry Blanco, and the Padres would have scored a third run against Felix except Endy Chavez threw out Emil Brown at the plate on a great diving tag by catcher Jamie Burke.

Manager Don Wakamatsu has made it clear already that he’s not going to wait around for offense. In the second inning, he had Chris Woodward stealing third, and the stolen base set up a Seattle run. A moment later, Reegie Corona was caught stealing. No matter – Seattle is going to keep trying to manufacture runs with the lower half of their lineup.

Erik Bedard feels ahead of schedule and will pitch again today, two days after working in an intrasquad game. “It’s a surprise,” he said of how good his left shoulder feels. My velocity isn’t there yet, but everything feels good and I feel strong.”

:::

Third base coach Bruce Hines has had three runners thrown out at the plate in two games, but Wakamatsu insists he’s not bothered by that. “Third base is one of the hardest coaching positions there is. You have to make a split-second decision,” he said. “A lot of times early in camp you’ll see third-base coaches who will want to make the decision before it’s time.”

Mike Morse doubled home a run in the fifth inning, then was thrown out trying to get to third base on the play.

Bryan LaHair, normally a first baseman, played left field late in the game and tripled in the ninth inning. “We’re rotating guys around different places to get them at-bats,” Wakamatsu said.

Rosy OOO

Hate to abandon the blog so soon after getting started, but it will be 'dark' for a week or so as I'm off to Dallas for a business trip.

Now that the Jr news has died down a bit, I hope to write about other interesting news from Spring Training (like how's the rotation shaping up, who's going to win the closer job, the infinite number of DH, LF, C and 1B platoon combinations, etc.) when I return.

See you in a week!

Two HoF'ers ~ one elusive goal

This is going to be fun!

Griffey-Ichiro: Odd couple or dynamic duo | John McGrath

The Mariners marketing slogan for 2009 – “A New Day, A New Way” – might need to be expanded to “A New Day, A New Way – and a New Odd Couple.”

They met in 1995, when Griffey already was renowned for his Spider-Man fence-climbing feats and Ichiro was an obscurity everywhere but in his homeland.

“He came over to see Michael Jordan and me,” Griffey recalled Saturday during his “introductory” press conference at the Mariners spring-training complex in Peoria, Ariz. “We knew what kind of baseball player he was going to be.”

By then, Ichiro knew what kind of baseball player Griffey was. He owned a Seattle No. 24 jersey, perhaps the only item in Ichiro’s eclectic wardrobe ensemble that his future teammate wouldn’t dare mock.

When Griffey goes casual, he wears warm-up jackets, nylon sweat pants and top-of-the-line sneakers. On those special occasions requiring him to dress up, he wears warm-up jackets, nylon sweat pants and top-of-the-line sneakers.

Ichiro? He prefers the look of somebody who’s been invited to the Grammy Awards. The, uh, 1984 Grammy Awards.

“We might have to change his wardrobe,” Griffey said. “He can’t wear skinny ties. Those went out with Duran Duran.”

It broke up the room, but couched in Griffey’s wisecrack was the promise the Mariners really might embrace a new day and a new way, at least in the clubhouse. When was the last time one of Ichiro’s teammates needled him about his colorful clothes? When Jay Buhner still had a locker at Safeco Field?

:::

Imagine. A former superstar who once tied a big-league record by hitting homers in eight consecutive games, who surely regarded the concept of a “productive out” as the ultimate oxymoron, preaching the virtues of whatever it takes.

He’s remembered as a monster masher capable of taking four bases with one swing. He returns as a subtle tactician, content to sustain rallies one base at a time.

“I might not hit 50 homers,” Griffey said. “I might not hit 40 homers. I might not hit 30 homers. “But I can do the little things you don’t look at in the box score – the things that help win ballgames.”

If Griffey does the little things that help win ballgames, Ichiro will be happy to do the little things, too. And if two future Hall of Famers – with a combined 21 All-Star Games, 18 Gold Gloves, two MVP awards and 4,584 hits – are doing the little things, then undisciplined free swingers such as Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Lopez will have no choice but to get on board.

Notes and Quotes from Jr's presser

on expectations...

“I just want to try to be as consistent as possible. I may not hit 50 home runs, I may not hit 40, I may not hit 30,” he said. “But I can do the little things that baseball is about. Things that you don’t see in the box score as a stat, but things that help a ball club win. The biggest thing is to win games. It’s not what one person does, it’s what we do as a team.”

on helping teammates...

“If you wear a uniform, you’re a family and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

on clubhouse issues...

"We're here for one reason and that's to win ballgames. You're going to have your feuding in there. But that is not going to carry over to the field. That's just the way it is. I mean, you're just not going to like somebody and he's not going to like you. But you're going to go out there and play. And you're going to give the other seven or eight guys on that field a chance to win. And that's just the way it's going to be.''

on returning to Seattle...

“I was raised in Cincinnati, but I grew up here,” he said of Seattle. “You always think that every play could be your last. You’re not promised tomorrow. I’ve played 20 years now. I always said I’d come back."

Reaction

Mariners Official Press Release

Seattle Times
The Kid comes home | Geoff Baker
Angst and elation are pure Griffey | Steve Kelley
Griffey was the kid, now he's the adult | Jerry Brewer
Griffey's decision the ultimate walkoff homer | Larry Stone

Seattle PI
Griffey returning to Mariners after 9 years | John Hickey
Mariners waste no time marketing Griffey's return | Greg Johns

The News Tribune
Griffey's return will spark interest in the Mariners | Dave Boling
Griffey's million-dollar smile might be worth just that | John McGrath

HeraldNet
Mariners win the Griffey sweepstakes | Kirby Arnold

Real. And Right as Rain.

Rumors of Junior's return have surfaced nearly every year since he was traded. But this year, this year was different. He was finally a free agent and there were definite signs that Ken Griffey, Jr. in a Seattle Mariner uniform was more than just the yearly rumor. It could actually happen...

drip, drip, drip of the dream...
The first inkling came after the "Junior love fest" that was that summer weekend in 2007 when the Reds came to town (his first appearance in the city since his anguishing departure in 2000). Safeco Field was packed to the retractable roof for three days with adoring fans who had waited years to see that sweet swing and unforgettable smile back in Seattle - even if his jersey wasn't teal. Many were taken aback when he expressed something rather unexpected ... the love and feelings were mutual. Junior seemed genuinely touched at the out-pouring of affection for him and he was unusually reflective and emotional regarding his years in Seattle. He even spoke of the possibility of retiring a Mariner.

"I love the game of baseball, and whatever happens, happens. Would I do it? Yeah. I would do it for the simple reason that, this is the place where I grew up. And I think I owe it to the people of Seattle and myself, to retire as a Mariner."

Still, I was initially torn by the whole idea. While the thought of Junior ending his career in Seattle was as poetic and sentimental as it gets (and heaven knows, I'm a sentimental kinda gal) would it really be the right move? There's no denying that, as much as he's loved, "The Kid" ain't what he used to be and neither are the Mariners. Would this really be the team with which to end his career, essentially no shot at a ring? Would it be wise for the M's, who are clearly in rebuild mode, to add yet another aging veteran? And, back to the sentimentality, what if his performance disappointed to the degree that it somehow diminished those memories held so dear?

showers of anticipation...

The reports of a nearly sealed deal began heading into President's Day weekend. By all accounts, there was nary an i to dot nor a t to cross. The imminent probability of Junior's return dominated discussion on message boards and local talk radio. Most fans wanted him back because of their appreciation of the fact that he put Seattle on the baseball map all those years ago and the thought of having him end his career where it began was just too cool for words. But, there were those who have never wanted him back because they are still bitter about how he left. I have to admit, I was in the former group and the excitement was building.

lightening strike of disappointment...
And then the news. Atlanta had entered the fray at the eleventh hour and the reports were now saying that Junior was headed to the Braves. The disappointment on computer screens and over the air was palpable. But, Atlanta was so close to his family home that most understood why he would choose it over his baseball home. Others, however, felt those memories were forever tarnished because they had been 'betrayed' yet again.

thunderclap of hope...
But wait! The Griffey camp refuted the deal with the Braves and insisted no decision had been made. And so we waited and we waited. Most seemed resigned to the fact that Junior was gone before he had arrived. How could the team in the city up in the left corner compete with the storied southern franchise ... and, more importantly, it's location? But, until it was announced, there was hope.

drenching rain of fruition...
Then it happened. The announcement that Junior had signed a deal and would be back in teal came early evening Wednesday. I soaked up all the reports - radio, TV and internet - the giddyness was everywhere. People were calling into talk radio excited about taking their son or daughter to the ballpark this summer to relive some of their own childhood. You could hear the tears of joy. Indeed, this town could use a little joy these days. In addition to the bleak economy, which seems to know no boundary, the state of sports in Seattle in recent years has been about as abysmal as it gets. Here's to a deal that culminates as a win-win for all because despite that teeny, tiny bit of nagging aprehension and disbelief ... it just feels right.

Real and right as rain.