May 2009

=== To MORRRRRow, To MORRRRRow Dept. ===

As with Brandon Morrow's career to date, this 80-year-old song works beautifully -- provided you are a viewing it as a 4-year-old child on an ice cream bender:

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
Bet your bottom dollar
That tomorrow
There'll be sun!

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clears away the cobwebs,
And the sorrow
'Til there's none!

When I'm stuck a day
That's gray,
And lonely,
I just stick out my chin
And Grin,
And Say,
Oh!

The sun'll come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
'Til tomorrow
Come what may
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

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After the M's got Felix five runs and lost the game to their division rivals, Wakamatsu was furious.  Give him credit for his professional social veneer, but his anger was palpable even on the radio.

One of the things that Wok talked about, was Felix putting little or no effort into holding runners -- and it was exactly this same frame-of-mind that had Felix grabbing the ball and throwing it without an idea.  He was evidently in a lazy-brain mode. 

Felix had no "pitchability" -- no capacity for, and no interest in -- throwing the Angels the pitches that might cross them up.  He grabbed the ball and threw it mindlessly.  Read between the lines and you will see that general (lack of) interest in the game is what had Wakamatsu apoplectic.

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=== PTI, Ackley at 2B ===

Mt Grizzly finds the idea decidedly too optimistic:

I love the optimistic angle as much as the next guy but...if the only examples that one can find where this type of move has worked are HOF-level guys, then I'm not sure how applicable it is.

Mariner Central posters reply, in the main, that you're not losing much even if Ackley cannot play the infield.  If he can play 2B, you're max'ing out his value; even if not, he's still the #2, goes the volley.

True dat.  But in Grizzle's defense, my argument was that you are PROBABLY looking at an infielder when you draft Ackley.  So lay down your clipboards and forget about the #3-8 candidates in the draft.

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CrustyJuggler pointed out Gammons' report regarding Ackley's potential at second base.  What gives the story traction is that Jack Zduriencik likes the idea.

If Ackley actually moved from OF to second base, that would also move him from "Player of choice, in an uncomfortable draft position, in an uncomfortable draft" to "true #1-worthy pick."

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=== Feasibility Studies, Dept. ===

Would it take Ackley four years, or eight, or what, in order to meet our local standards for aesthetically-pleasing defense?  ;- ) 

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Ichiro5151There are games we remember a long time.  For Cindy and I there were ... (1) a late 70's, early 80's game in which Tom Paciorek hit a walk-off three-run shot against the Yankees' Goose Gossage (or was it Ron Davis) ... (2) Alvin Davis' callup with the Mariners, batting 6th, in which he hit one into the upper deck at the Kingdome ... you know whatuh mean.  :- )

I expect tonight's game to be in that category.  Down 0-4, terrible losing streak, Ichiro hits TWO homers to bring the M's back.  That's got to be Ichiro's only multihomer game in the bigs  -- past, present, future.  My son (6'2", 240 now) high-fived me literally as hard as he could and separated my hand from my forearm.  LOL.

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I looked up at one point and Boston had 6 hits to the Mariners' 2.  Next time I looked up, it was 7 hits to 11, if I recall correctly.  

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Fifth inning, even my wife wanted to know what was going on.  "That doesn't look like the same pitcher!"   She was referring to Jaka's tempo, his body language, and the fact that some of his pitches were not banging off the fence.

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Between the 3rd and 4th innings, Jakubauskas evidently decided he was sick of backing up bases.  So he:

1) Started mixing offspeed pitches in

2) Therefore found a better feel for his fastball

3) Clicked into "The Zone" as fast as you'd change channels from Oprah to Kobe

4) Started pitching as though the ball was as light as a feather

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Branyan

You play two months to see what you have, two months to go get what you want, and two months to play for it all. -- Billy Beane

Our good bud' San-Ral has argued eloquently that the M's offense would have plenty 'nuff to back the pitching and glovework, if we'll just give it a chance...

A week or so back, counsel objected that although the OPS+ was low on the season, over the 14 days up to that point, it had rounded to about 100 for a two-week period.   Encouraging, we admit, but 'tis a bit like saying Yuniesky was slugging .405 on the season but .480 the last two weeks.  Doesn't everybody go up and down?

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The M's OPS+ stood at 82 after 33 games, which is 1/5 of the season.   The last 7 days, it has been back to 83.

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=== Could the 1st-Rounders Help? ===

Lonnie with two Texas-chili-robust threads on Phillippe Aumont and Josh Fields. The idea, of course, is to replace Shawn "11 K's and 1 BB" Kelley with somebody talented.

As you know, I've got nothing against moving pitchers from college to the majors very quickly, and nothing against teenaged HS grads trying it, either.  In principle, the pitcher holds the ball, and when he's ready to execute his pitches, he's ready to learn in the bigs.

In this specific case, however, I wouldn't recommend it, at least with Fields right now.  From what I've seen of Aumont and Fields' recent vids, they are genuinely raw -- not Kelley-raw where they need some refinement, but low-minors raw.

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SSI and ProBall are now consolidated.

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Several questions about how to post came in.  We're workin' it.  :- )    The new system, I believe, will eventually allow all readers to post front-page stories and has quite a few other features as well.  There's always a transition, though...

....................

1.  Under the edit window (where you write your comment) there is an INPUT FORMAT area.   Open this and select "Full HTML."

2.  Click "Disable Rich Text" (immediately under the edit window).

3.  Click "Enable Rich Text" again (the toggle of "Disable Rich Text").

4.  After you click "Preview" you'll hit "Save" on the next page.

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Your comment should look fine, and we're working on the pre-screening/moderating. I'll be happy to post comments that are sent to me at MC or at my e-mail address.

Thanks!,

Jeff

=== Erikkkkkkk "Baseball's Best SP" Bedard ===

Bedard takes a shutout into the 7th inning.  Fans seven Rangers and walks none.  Has a vintage Erik Bedard Randy Johnson start.

Leaves the game tied.  Does not win the game.  Has a record of 2-1, 2.37 after six great starts.

That's got to be one of the TRULY frustrating things in sports -- each pitch is a separate athletic event, like a quarterback running a pass play and then throwing the ball.  A guy like Bedard goes out there and throws 100 virtually perfect pitches -- and doesn't win.   Once?  sure.  Every game?  Huh.

So far, Erikkkkkkk has lost one game 2-0 on a bloop, had to win another 1-0, left deep in this one 1-1 and watched them lose, and of course he knows if anybody happens to get 3 runs on him, he has no chance... :- )


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