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But...AWESOME!!
I'm calling them that...whether the PC media likes it or not. :)
Mariners Crawl Out of the Coffin
PROPS TO A MESSAGE SERIES - The M's won 7-3, 10-1, and 7-2. Afterwards, the Tigers shook their heads admiringly at the rotation, at Ichiro and Smoak and Figgins, and simply tipped their caps: "They had our number."
This wasn't Pascal's Triangle and balls rolling through. No way no how.
The Mariners played better in three games, deserved to win three games, and did win three games.
Props to everybody who risked being called a homer, and who insisted that this club has too much going for it to --- > quit in April.
SSI insisted throughout: if this were a Vidro/Silva team that was 5-and-12, fine, turn the channel. But not when it's a Pineda/Felix/Smoak team. THAT team, you hang with 'em. The potential is there.
I'm blinkin' glad that the M's bosses didn't quit. Here's to you, Jack Zduriencik, for your samurai spirit. And here's to you, Eric Wedge, for your samurai skills.
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SLOPS TO NO CHEERING IN THE PRESS BOX - Question for you.
Would we all agree at this point? That the 2011 season would not be alive, if Michael Pineda hadn't been here in April?
Is it now easier to perceive Zduriencik's motivation? He was trying to compression-start this '66 VW. It seems to have caught and turned over. Thanks for the push, Jack.
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PROPS TO THE BEST TWO-MAN NICKNAME SINCE DIZZY AND DAFFY - Did G-Money come up with "Kong" for Pineda, or see it somewhere?
The PC media might (unnecessarily) rule the nickname to be contaminated by inappropriate overtones. Perhaps we can persuade them to use a tilde on Pineda's surname and consider him strictly Latin.
If I'm Michael Pineda, you are more than welcome to call me and Felix --- > King-Kong, and baseball history is littered with nicknames that are far more blunt... Alas, baseball's ultimate Two-Person Nickname may never see the light of day...
Pineda gave up two funky runs today, and when he walked off the mound, his eyes looked like those pictured above.
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PROPS TO a 90 OPS+ OFFENSE - SSI has firmly insisted that the Mariners do not have to develop three Ryan Brauns in order to rate "mediocre" on the offense meter.
A good GM can pick up pop cans alongside the road and get to 90. And the M's were at exactly that, 90, going into Thursday. They'll be what, 92 or so going into Fenway.
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Can they sustain? Sure. We pointed out that the M's luck numbers had been the problem, and the blog-o-sphere has followed in hot pursuit. So why surprise if the M's do wind up at 92, 94?
Smoak is at 183 and the realistic 2011 target is 133, so you'll lose ground there. But! Check these out:
- 49 - Figgins
- 56 - Cust
- 62 - Olivo
- 65 - Wilson (Ackley)
- 66 - Ryan
- 75 - Saunders
Objectively speaking, the Mariners should wind up with more than a 92 OPS+. DH, 3B, and 2B will improve.
Again Dr. D sends Capt. Jack on an RLP snipe hunt. Here, snipey snipey.
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The 2005 White Sox had a 95 OPS+ and won the World Series. They had Paul Konerko (their Smoak) at 136, and eight meatballs. They won it all.
You get four guys like Felix, Pineda, Bedard, and Fister and you can fake the rest. The hard part is the four guys. Should be easy from there: we could give G-Money a superstar rotation and he'd figure something out.
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BABVA,
Dr D
Comments
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We need a handful of co-conspirators to achieve critical mass, though. :- )
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So the name is fitting...he even has that electric prize-fighter zest that, for some reason, Felix lacks despite being the King.
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I count nine specific reasons why Kong resonates:
The building-stomp slash line in general
Felix' regal poise vs. Pineda's grab-you-by-the-throat mound presence
Victims are of much smaller physical stature
The anger (not fear, not melancholy) when the airplanes get lucky
The simplified, unrefined two-pitch stomping technique
The 100 attack, 0 defense, "I am the intimidator, you are the intimidatee" attitude (did you watch Pineda take out Cabrera on Thursday?)
The sudden explosion into Times Square without apology
Victims do not consider any response other than fleeing
The names sound so sweet off the lips, either in tandem or singly
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Missing anything?
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Not just a resurgent offense but for a world-class nickname combo.
King and Kong.....Love it!
Great line about when the airplanes get lucky, doc!
And thanks for the M. Wilson props!
Give him 40 games. 160 plate appearances. You'll have an idea at that point.
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On Cust are simply burned with a match. On Wilson, they'd be spent, in investigation/development.
You never accept a 32-year-old who's killing you. There are always developmental players.
Every moment spent on 'Cuts' is a precious moment lost .... unless, if you're Zduriencik, you judge Cuts to have a decent chance to revive. I certainly don't. His power looks to be gone.
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Please, let it be Kong -- And let Fister be Donkey.
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I still don't think Mike Wilson has much of a shot to be a big league success...but I'd rather take my lotto shot at finding Bucky Jacobsen than sit and watch the 32 year old swing like a 42 year old and run like a 92 year old.
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Raul Ibanez looked finished the first half of 2007. It was so painful to watch that I was practically begging Bavasi to give the spot to Jones because a pennent was on the line. Clearly Ibanez wasn't finished.
When power hitters struggle (Sexson in the first half of 2006 as well), they look finished. But if Cust isn't finished can you think of a player with a higher upside than him just floating around the league? Mike Wilson doesn't interest me because even if he beats the long odds and makes it in the bigs, Safeco isn't the park where he will succeed. If he were a lefty... maybe.
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Nervously hoping for rescue from the 7th floor at Swedish hospital?
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Why would Fister be Donkey though...I know he's tall and all...but I'd think he'd be more like Diddy (the little Kong) since he's hardly an big scary imposing pitcher...he just gets you out in little ways.
But what would Vargas be?
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considering the first three, making the 4-5 donkey and diddy is pretty hapnin...
Fister being diddy tho would be a satire on his height and donkey captures Vargas' plodding reliability...
Cust and Ray star as the barrels crashing down onto everybody's heads?.... No j/k....