One more from Mike

Tacoma Rainier broadcaster Mike Curto has been filing dispatches from Spring Training in Arizona. His third day is HERE. The excerpt below is about a Triple-A game from Wednesday.

the Rainiers lost to Omaha (the Royals Triple-A affiliate), 5-3. Robert Rohrbaugh started and pitched four scoreless innings, but he allowed five runs to score in the fifth. Manager Daren Brown said he simply got tired, which is not unusual for a starting pitcher in the fifth inning at this time of spring. Pitchers are still building up the arm strength needed to work deeper into games - something you will see when the Rainiers season starts next Thursday. Don't expect any Tacoma starter to last more than six innings during the first couple of weeks of the season.

Day four is a three part epic. Part one HERE; part two HERE; and part three HERE. It is worth it to look at all three parts. But, the one thing to excerpt from day four is from part three. Pay attention Rattler fans.

I found an intrasquad game between the two Class A teams, Wisconsin and High Desert. I settled in and watched former Rainiers hitting coach Terry Pollreisz in his new role as manager of the Wisconsin TimberRattlers.

To say that Pollz is excited about his new job would be an understatement. He says he is really embracing his new role, especially the parts he did not get to do when he was just the hitting coach. He's excited about the prospects on his club, and he confirmed that last year's first round draft pick Phillippe Aumont will be in his starting rotation. He's even ready for the travel in the Midwest League, claiming that the long bus rides will be "simpler" than PCL air travel.

Nothing in the Midwest Leauge is "simpler" than the PCL...except, maybe the radio announcer at the Mariner affiliate.