=== 5th Benchie ===

In Scorecard 1 and Scorecard 2, we preened over the way that Capt Jack has been synch'ing up with SSI's roto take on the M's:

• Tuiasosopo as super-sub
• Mike Sweeney as 25th man
• Johnson and Moore the catchers, no vet C on the 25-man
  
• Doug Fister to the front o' the line
• Erik Bedard ASAP
  
• Figgins 2B, Lopez 3B

This didn't include the stuff like moving Ackley to 2B and the Great Morrow-League Debate, but you can see how understandably giddy SSI is about the 25 men in the dugout.

We did ask for two more things in order to bring Team SSI :- ) into optimal fighting trim:

• 11 pitchers, 5 benchies, as soon as Lee's back
• Shawn Kelley to the rotation

Capt Jack saw SSI, and raised us.  We've got the 5 benchies before Cliff Lee is back.

This is an offense that needs to mix-and-match, and apparently Kelley and Kao-Kan have made this 11-pitcher config possible.  SSI couldn't be happier about the very real gains that the offense will receive from this decision.

So, how about that Shawn Kelley!  He's pretty good, ain't he?  Hey Matt, if Kelley goes into the rotation and Tui plays three times a week, can we call 'em Team SSI?
.

=== Matt Tuiasosopo ===

Last day of ST, got an 86-mph mistake pitch and put a textbook swing on it for four bases.

On Prospect Insider, they've been talking about "gliding" -- golfers call it swaying, and it disrupts the circular power you get around the hub of your spine. 

Tui got his pitch, stayed behind the ball, torqued short-and-sweet onto the pitch ... and got a sky-high, 15-rows-back Jay Buhner ball.   The kind that Jose Lopez wouldn't be able to hit if he were hitting golf balls.  You know in Major League, the start of it, the fans in CF going TOO HIGH!  TOO HIGH! ...

Granted, it was a mistake pitch.  But guess what.  Pitchers make mistakes.  When they do, Tui will Bone them out of the yard for yer.

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

Am sure I saw Tui playing center field late in the game, with Byrnes in LF.  SSI figures that was because of Tui's 17-strides-with-his-tail-on-fire save of Olivo's double into the gap, the day before.

As we kidded Spec, the average Pac-10 linebacker can probably outrun a lot of AL center fielders.  I'll bet you a lemynade that I could find a Husky linebacker to outrun our man Cranklin out there...

Tui probably could play center a little bit.  He looks awfully fast to me.

Cheers,

Dr D