Tuiasosopo off to hot start with Mariners
Matt Tuiasosopo has no second thoughts of his decision to play baseball for the Mariners, and the guy once considered the Washington Huskies' quarterback of the future is enjoying a hot start to spring training in Arizona.
Even if this baseball thing had never worked out, Matt Tuiasosopo says he wouldn't have had any second thoughts.
"I haven't even thrown a football since I've been out of high school," says Tuiasosopo, whose name is synonymous with that sport in Seattle. "I don't even think about that. I'm totally happy with where I am."
And, increasingly, it looks like maybe baseball will work out just fine for Tuiasosopo, who signed to play quarterback at Washington in 2004 before deciding to sign with the Mariners.
Tuiasosopo is one of the hottest hitters for the Mariners through the first few days of training camp. He is 6 for 11 in the first five games with a team-high 11 total bases, including one homer, and four runs scored.
And slimmed down to 227 pounds from 240 a year ago, he's also shown increasing range at third base.
"What impresses me is that he keeps getting better," said Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. "I saw him at the end of last year a little bit and thought that his defense wasn't strong. But he's lost a little bit of weight and he's moving better, playing aggressive, and running pretty good. He is getting better every day."
1 comment:
NICE!!! Most excellent of blog posts Chris.
Good to see, and i know it's early, but i'd love the Mariners to work a trade for Beltran and have Tui open as the starting third baseman this season (but i'd settle for Beltran being traded near the deadline in July...).
And you know how everyone would tell Wilt they saw his 100 point game (even though it wasn't televised and there's no way all those people fit into the 7,300 seat Hershey Sports Arena...)?
...well, a week from Sunday down in Arizona when the Mariners host the White Sox, i'd love to shake Tui's hand, wish him well and tell him I REALLY WAS one of the 400 or so people who saw him crush a fast ball into the teeth of the north wind out to left for a game winner on a 40 degree day game in April of 2005!!!
Ohhhhh, the memories... If you'll excuse me, i'm feeling a little melancholy.
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