Wait... no weights?

Kirby Arnold / The Herald

I first ran across info about a new strength and conditioning program the Mariners were implementing for their minor leaguers in mini-camp and linked the story here.

But wait ~ there are no weights in the MAJOR league weight room either!

There is quite the buzz going 'round about this program, developed by Dr. Marcus Elliott, who happens to be the M's new Director of Sports Science and Performance and, what's really exciting, is that the M's 3-year contract with Elliott is EXCLUSIVE in regards to MLB teams. What's this? Our beloved Mariners cutting edge? Super cool!

Elliott founded Peak Performance Project, a program based in Santa Barbara, Calif., that develops specialized workout programs for athletes. He has worked with athletes ranging from Olympians to the New England Patriots and Utah Jazz, and Mariners are the first major league organization to use his system.

The program, in basic terms, gets away from the heavy lifting that’s been prevalent in baseball and uses body-weight movements to develop strength, particularly in the core muscles and legs.

Players perform such exercises as box jumps and skater jumps, activities designed to develop the horizontal explosiveness a hitter needs with his legs. In the spring training facility — and soon to be installed at Safeco Field — is a compressed air-driven pulley system that helps strengthen the muscles vital in the rotational movements that are so important in baseball. That machine measures a player’s development in watts, not weight.

There's some excited discussion over at Mariner Central...

And some photos and video here...

The season just gets interestinger and interestinger :-)

More love and pub for our own Jackie Z

OK, at some point the hype has got to stop, right?

I mean it's fun and exciting and all but, I have to admit that all this attention is making me a bit nervous - is it actually "live-up-to-able"?

I kinda prefer it when my team flies under the radar (think 2001)

Oh well, here we go...

Sports Illustrated has a big story coming out in this week's editions singing the praises of Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik and the franchise's commitment to building a winner through defensive measures.

Titled "Feel the Glove," the five-page story by Albert Chen talks glowingly about the Mariners' willingness to take a different approach and ability to find the right players for that system since Zduriencik took over a year ago.

The main photo showing a leaping Chone Figgins was shot by local sports photographer Rod Mar.

Chen notes that the Mariners were last in the American League in runs scored and near the bottom in nearly every offensive statistic, yet improved by 24 wins last year in getting to 85-77.

Chen notes that no team in the history of the AL had scored so few runs and won as many games.

"Seattle is a team straight out of a different era, with defense as its backbone," Chen writes.

The story details how the Mariners uncovered Franklin Gutierrez as a key element and then watched in amazement as he blossomed in center field last season. It talks about this year's additions and how Zduriencik has blended Billy Beane's Moneyball theories with his own deep history in scouting.

Well, I certainly can't argue with the direction.

Since most know my motto by now but, just in case you missed it...

~ Chicks dig the long ball, but REAL women love leather ~

:-)

UPDATE: Here's the link to the SI story ...
Feel the Glove

OBP? Sooo 2003. This winter baseball's smart guys—most
notably the ones running the Mariners—turned run prevention into the Next Big
Thing....

Can't wait to get the hard copy!

Tools of Ignorance? .... not!

Felix and Rob made for quite the battery last season.

Of course everyone always has high praise for Felix, such as these thoughts from Rob...

"I love catching him, but it's very difficult," Johnson said. "Felix doesn't throw a pitch straight. Ever. You just never know what it's going to do, but it was an honor catching someone of that stature."

but seems Felix is pretty complementary about Rob as well.....

"He's very smart and we just seem to think alike," Hernandez said. "Every time he calls for a certain pitch, I am thinking the same thing. I almost never shake him off."

Here's hoping that Rob recuperates fully from his multiple off-season surgeries such that he is able to contribute at the plate this season as much as he has proven himself behind the plate last season.

The simultaneous encore and finale begin...

Larry LaRue's blog

So last October, we thought this was it. But, 't wasn't long into the off-season before we found out that there would be an encore to the finale.

Junior is back and he arrived in Peoria today.

Apparently, his presence in the clubhouse stirred quite the ruckus...

To new third baseman Chone Figgins: “You looked a lot bigger in red.” To center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who signed a four-year, $20.25 million contract over the winter: “I’ll be getting some of your money now that you got that big contract.” Griffey is the judge of the team’s kangaroo court. Pointing to new pitcher Cliff Lee: “I’m going to throw bunting practice to pitchers this year. That guy might get one behind his back.” Six years ago, Lee was suspended for six games after throwing a pitch behind Griffey during an interleague game between the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds.

“It got a lot louder in there,” manager Don Wakamatsu said. “It’s amazing how one guy can change the karma of a room.”

And maybe, just maybe, the karma of a season.

Ready and rarin'...

CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Some pretty great quotes coming out of 'Zona re: Felix....

"I saw such growth last year, and he's just continuing that, obviously," Wakamatsu said. "What we have to watch for is this guy signed an awfully big contract and how he's going to handle that in the right way. And so far, we're just trying to explain to him that he needs to be the same guy. And that's difficult for professional athletes sometimes because they want to put a lot of responsibility on themselves, but he doesn't need to."

:::

"You'll see a guy that over a period of time, the leadership abilities will come out even more," Rick Adair said. "There's a lot in Felix. You see the passion. You see the personality, the intensity. That's not false bravado. It's real because his work ethic and preparation is getting better and there's passion within that."

and, from the Ace himself...

"They let me go last year,” Hernandez said. “I did what I thought I could always do, pitch deep into games, throw a lot of innings. They gave me the opportunity.”

They have reported...

Mariners.com

Seems all pitchers and catchers were present and accounted for in Peoria yesterday, where lockers were assigned/selected and physicals were taken. As Shannon blogs about here, some gear is even preceding its owners and everyone is revved up and ready to go. The first official Spring Training workout will happen today (still mostly pitchers and catchers - all others will report by Monday, if not before).

Health is always a major concern and this season is no different, with several M's still recovering/rehabbing from surgery - everything from Erik Bedard's labrum surgery last season, to Rob Johnson's THREE surgeries (both hips and a wrist) to Cliff Lee's minor foot surgery. Here's to full and speedy recoveries for all.

Wak is anxious to see what Jack Z has assembled for him...

“I visited with the staff yesterday and I told them there’s so many things we have to find out,” Wakamatsu said Wednesday. “Do we go with an 11-man pitching staff? If we’re going to go with an 11-man staff, who are the long-man candidates? With the lack of roster spots, are we going to be able to see everybody and give everybody a legitimate shot? There’s all kinds of stuff we have to find out in the spring.”

And, Jack Z is confident in his staff as well as the players...

“I have expectations. I have optimism. I trust our players. I trust the staff,” Zduriencik said. “And I know from my experiences from watching them last year that I know the kind of effort that they’re going to give. It is about a four-letter word called TEAM. It’s that simple. From that standpoint, they experienced what that means and what can be accomplished. Knowing that you do the things you have to do on a day-to-day basis, and when you left Seattle a year ago you were a part of that parade that went around the field. Many of these guys want to experience that again, and beyond.

“It’s going to be fun to watch them compete. Where it takes us, it’s going to depend on the outcomes, but the journey is fun.”

Yes indeed, baseball is in the air. And, if you're like me, you don't even have to be in Arizona to smell it (although I certainly wish I were!)

Random quote that gave me a chuckle (Greg Halman on his 14th tattoo) ...

“People say that when I get older it’ll look bad,” he said. “But when I’m 60, women won’t be interested in me anyway.”

Gotta think a bit more positively than that, Greg ;-)

PECOTA guesses, but the REAL work begins...

Seems there's been a lot of hub-ub recently regarding the 2010 ALW standings prediction as "figured" by Baseball Prospectus PECOTA projection system - mainly because (after 3 'corrections') they have the Rangers winning the West with the Halos bringing up the rear. Whodathunk? (M's second, btw).

Anyhoo - this sort of stuff is all Greek to me, but I think I understand this particular deal at least a little better now after listening to Kevin Goldstein (of Baseball Prospectus) with Elise on KJR tonight. He explained that the computer projections for the standings are merely a compilation of individual performance projections and obviously can't take into account things like: injuries, career best years, career worst years, break-out seasons, etc. or, for that matter - gut feeling. So, there are a lot of things that can (and will) contribute to the real outcome.

And there's always good ol' Wikipedia for some additional interesting details on PECOTA ~Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm~ and how it got it's name (hence the photo leading this post - I'd never heard of a "backronym till now).

Thankfully, much to my delight, they have to play the games :-)

No matter what happens, as M's pitching coach Rick Adair tells Kirby Arnold, no one is guaranteed anything and "work ethic and process" will be stressed, including "PFP" (which I assume stands for "pitcher's fielding practice"), which for this defense-loving gal is a very good thing.

Looks to be a fun spring (YES - PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TOMORROW!!!) full of hard work, fierce competition and, as always, a little dose of hope.

"He likes it! Hey Mikey!"

Just call him Elmer, as he was the clubhouse glue in 2009.

Mike Sweeney will be joining the team again in Peoria with no guarantee to head north in April, a position he's become accustomed to, but a chance he feels is well worth taking...

“Last year was the most enjoyable year of my career,” Sweeney said on conference call from his home in San Diego. “Ever since I carried Ken Griffey Jr. off the field on my shoulders the last day of the season, I wanted to be back as a Seattle Mariner.”

“They’ve made it clear to me that it’s going to be an uphill battle to make the team,” Sweeney said.

“I like to think of myself as a fighter,” Sweeney said. “And come April 1 if I’m not coming north it may be a bitter pill to swallow, but at least I can live my life in freedom knowing that I played the game the right way, I played it hard. I definitely won’t have any regrets, nor will I wonder ‘what if.”’

Eight days until P.A.C.R.

Thankfully, it's that time of year, where attentions turn from the grid iron (congrats to Drew and the Saints, btw) to the diamond. Listening to the Hot Stove League Show on 710 ESPN tonight, there was the tiniest of parallels between the two sports, as Eric Byrnes seems to have almost as much energy as new Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll.

I've got a feeling that as great as the M's clubhouse was last season - we are in for even more of a treat in 2010. I'm anxious to see how the personalities meld and mesh. Will Ichiro find a way elude Junior's tickle attacks? Will Eric and RRS sneek off to go surfing in every road city within 50 miles of a coast line? Who will Junior appoint as Kangaroo Court Jester? Will Chone be the shy, retiring type or the class clown? Will Cliff Lee play the straight man? And, of course, we all know Milton will be a barrel of laughs.

Oh, and I guess it will also be interesting to see how the 5-man rotation shakes out, if it will be Ichi-Chone or Chone-Ichi, which young one will surprise with a breakout Spring, which old one will have a career year and how we will all contain ourselves watching that dazzling "D"

:-)

Here's hoping this isn't like the SI curse....

Some Yankee fans predicting a great 2010 season for the M's...

NYYFans.com ~ prediction thread

Heck, some of them even have the M's beating the Yanks on their way to the World Series!

This is all well and good and fun for Jack Z and the M's to be getting so much national pub and attention from other fan bases - but as Jack has said himself (paraphrasing) ..."We have had a nice winter, but we haven't proven anything yet - the game is played on the field, not in the off-season."

And frankly, I sorta like it when my team flies under the radar. So much for THAT this season.

As a side note, this is one of only a couple years in the last 20 or so that I haven't spent Super Bowl weekend in Nevada (usually Reno, sometimes Vegas) with a large group of friends. I usually place a bet on the M's to win the World Series - bummer that I forgot to do it when I was in Vegas in November celebrating my daughter's 21st birthday (likely it was 100/1 or so at that time and no doubt the odds are significantly different now ;-)

No need for arb .... yes to Bedard?

The M's were able once again to settle with all their arb-eligible players, avoiding the whole messy arbitration process. They haven't had to go to arbitration since 2003 and it's understandable why it's to be avoided at all costs, as from what I've heard, the process is contentious at best and down right acrimonious at worst. Both sides must submit a number and make a case for it and the arbitrator has to pick one - not split the difference (which is often what happens in settlement). Some ex-players have said that the hearings can be pretty brutal, with the teams doing everything possible to tear the player down in order to "win" and pay the lower figure. Anyhoo, Franklin and Felix obviously settled and signed extensions, but Aardsma, Lowe, League and Kotchman all signed one-year deals (with David and Mark getting significant raises due to their stellar performance last season).

Speaking of one-year deals....

JIM BATES / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Rumors have been for a couple of days about the possibility of Erik Bedard re-signing with the M's. Still no confirmation from the M's. But there was this from Erik himself...

Free-agent pitcher Erik Bedard confirmed to a Canadian newspaper that he has agreed to terms with the Mariners on a one-year contract for 2010.

Bedard, who turns 31 on March 5, was in Seattle undergoing a physical examination on Friday. The Mariners' medical staff was believed to be still evaluating test results on Friday, but an announcement of the deal could come as soon as Saturday, barring unforeseen issues.

According to Le Droit, a Canadian French-language newspaper in Ottawa — Bedard is from Navan, Ontario — the left-hander said he accepted a one-year deal with a base salary of $1.5 million. He can earn considerably more with incentives, likely based on how much he pitches and time spent on the active roster.

The paper quoted Bedard saying he "hopefully" could make "roughly the same" as the $7.5 million he earned last year if he hit all his incentives.

"I am truly happy. It was my first choice to return to Seattle," he told the newspaper in French. "I think the team will be really good this season. I very much like the direction the team is going."

Likely, we won't hear anything for certain until Jack Z and staff return from the Dominican Republic (sometime Saturday, I believe).

But, if there IS a deal and it IS as rumored ...

sure seems like a low risk-HIGH reward one to me. There are those who have grown weary of Erik's, shall we say, surliness. Granted, listening to and/or watching interviews with him can be a bit uncomfortable. His dislike of the media (or, more likely, the whole "process" of the media) is apparent but, I've never heard any reports of complaints about Erik as a teammate.

So, here's to your health Erik - if you can get it back and keep it back, M's fans will be drooling at the thought of that 1-2-3 punch.

Chemistry ~ it's not just for players

The significance of "chemistry" seems to be the epitome of the "chicken or egg" debate ~ Does great chemistry contribute to a team's success? Or, does winning develop great chemistry?

One thing not open for debate...

the 180 turn-around from the abyss of acrimony that was the team of 08 to the tickle fest of 09 was nothing short of a miracle. Not only did the M's improve their win total by 24 games, but they actually looked like they were having the time of their lives (just see the celebration of a third place team....)

Anyhoo ~ what I have surmised in recent weeks...

from watching the Q&A videos from Fan Fest, listening to the Hot Stove League Show and reading various blogs and columns is that this whole chemistry deal is important among coaches and the front office - and this organization seems to have it in great supply. Every time I turn around, it seems that some coach or FO guy is relaying the history of his relationship with another in the organization ~e.g., Carmen Fusco, Director of Pro Scouting and Jack Z have known each other since elementary school - grew up on the same street in fact. Okay, that's an extreme case, but there are other examples of those who have know each other for years and/or previously worked together. Many of them have player development experience (a rather vital attribute for assembling a contending team) and what comes through without fail is that they are all on the same page with Jack and Wak. They all share a passion for the game, a desire to win and are using their various talents (whether it be general knowledge of the game, teaching skills, talent evaluation, etc.) to build something special.

So, it occurred to me...

it's very possible this whole chemistry thing starts at the top. And, from all accounts the "great mix of 2010" has just begun....

Unique mini-camps begin in Peoria

In an article today, Kirby Arnold explains why the M's are serious about player development. Armed with detailed evaluations from last season and information from in-home scout visits this winter, 24 Mariner coaches will work under the direction of Minor League Director Pedro Grifol and performance enhancement expert (those p.e. words are always a bit scary ;-) Dr. Marcus Elliott to present a new strength and conditioning program to 41 top Mariner prospects over the next month. It sounds very individualized with lots of emphasis on player accountability.

“If we’re going to be a really, really good organization, our best players should come through our system,” Zduriencik said. “The core of our team should be guys we’re building, developing and training ourselves. This is a step in that direction.”

uh-oh, Spaghetti-Os!

JED JACOBSOHN/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

More pasta, as they say, to toss against the wall that is Spring Training. In this case it comes in the form of right-handed hitter, first baseman and former collegiate and minor league catcher, Ryan Garko.

Another inexpensive contract with a few incentives - he's glad to be back with former Tribe members...

“I was surprised when Cliff was traded, and I’m excited to play with him again. He’s the best,“ Garko said. “Franklin and I came up together and broke into the big leagues together. I’m really proud of him. He’s big-time now.”