"I think he's pretty close."

That is a quote from Mariner manager Don Wakamatsu about former Timber Rattler Rob Johnson ('05). It's from this Seattle Times story.

Memories of his father and co-workers shoveling a 500-yard-long path through six feet of snow helped Rob Johnson become the catcher he is today.

It was on his great-grandfather's ranch, Bear Gulch, back in his native Montana that Johnson watched his father, Bob, on a crew clearing the paths so cows could get from one haystack to another and not starve to death. Sometimes they would shovel, or else use a team of horses and a sleigh to blast through the drifts.

Johnson worked on the ranch as well through his junior year of high school, haying, piping and doing other forms of manual labor with heavy equipment that required teamwork and communication. And that experience, he said, of working with and depending on other people has helped when it comes to communicating with Mariners pitchers.

"It's the way I was brought up," he said. "I was taught to ask questions and talk to guys. It's something that my dad kind of instilled in me.

"Working on the ranch, you've got to be hand-in-hand with guys. If you don't, you're going to screw up. It's just that it could be a little more life threatening than it is on the baseball field."

And Johnson's ability to work with pitchers, block the plate and throw runners out as part of an all-around defensive package has now vaulted him into the picture when it comes to making this Mariners team.

Click through for the quote in context.