January 21 Field Photo

Taken from the left field grass seats at a little before 4:00pm on 1/21/08



It was a crummy day yesterday.

Debating Society

Larry Stone has a column in the Seattle Times about how the off-season debate about trading or not trading Adam Jones to the the Baltimore Orioles is keeping things interesting in the Northwest.

As hot stove debates go, the one currently raging among Mariners fans is close to perfection.

So, without further ado, here's a heartfelt thank you to Adam Jones, Erik Bedard and that multitude of Seattle minor-league prospects who, perhaps unbeknownst to them, have enlivened what otherwise has been a largely uneventful offseason for the Mariners.

At issue, of course, is whether the Mariners should trade Jones and an amorphous, ever-changing group of potential future stars (or busts) for Bedard, an emerging ace for the Baltimore Orioles.

This imponderable is loads of fun to ponder. Delve into it long enough, and almost every aspect of baseball analysis comes into play: statistical breakdowns; how to quantify the importance of defense; the efficacy of predicting future performance; the salary structure of baseball; the pros and cons of playing to win now versus building for the future.

To cut the suspense, my position on making a deal for Bedard is a qualified yes — the qualification based first on just what, precisely, the final package sent to Baltimore for Bedard would end up being, and second, on what is general manager Bill Bavasi's plan to replace Jones in right field.

To the quick:

Any trade of prospects is rife with the potential for it to blow up in a team's face. But for every such instance, one can point to a corresponding trade where the so-called can't-miss prospects did indeed miss. Or, alternately, said prospects were so coveted by an organization that they refused to include them in any deal, only to never reap the benefits of those alleged phenoms (cough, cough, Ryan Anderson).

I don't expect Jones to be a bust. I think he will develop into a quality major-league player with a long and fruitful career. Torii Hunter-like, perhaps, or maybe even Jim Edmonds-esque. He could also be Ricky Ledee, Corey Patterson or Ruben Mateo — highly touted outfield busts — but I'd be surprised.

Whether Jones is ready to take the step to productivity in 2008 is a little murkier. Some growing pains are likely. Still, it would be difficult for the Mariners to give up on that kind of potential, especially considering that Jones is under club control for another six years, compared to two for Bedard.

I would admittedly feel better about this prospective deal if the Mariners locked up Bedard to a multiyear extension. But top-of-the-rotation pitchers come with a high price tag. The Mariners should swallow hard and include Jones.

Any number of names have been bandied about in the rumor mill as accompanying Jones to Baltimore. Brandon Morrow. Jeff Clement. Chris Tillman. Wladimir Balentien. Carlos Triunfel. Matt Tuiasosopo. Tony Butler. Et al.

All have tremendous upside. Some will likely make it big; others will likely be serviceable; a few are likely to make no impact at all. While minor-league numbers have proven to be indicative of major-league performance, any follower of player development will attest to the ultimate unpredictability of assessing how good a prospect will pan out to be.

Rattlers in Venezuela

Lara beat Bravos 8-3. A six-run fourth inning broke a 2-2 tie and gave de Cardenales the win.

Ex-Rattler for Lara:
Adam Jones ('04): 0-for-2, 2BBs, run

Lara is at La Guaira tonight.

He's not called 'The Mad Hungarian' for nothing

The Burlington Bees had their Winter Banquet over the weekend. Long-time St. Louis Cardinal pitcher and current Cardinal broadcaster Al Hrabosky was the guest speaker. He jumped right in with both feet to keep the Cub-Cardinal rivalry alive.

"We have Cardinals fans here tonight, we have Royals fans here tonight," the former St. Louis Cardinals reliever and current broadcaster said to the crowd at the Great River Convention and Events Center. "And we have born losers here tonight."

Then, he had a word or two for supporters of the Bees and minor league baseball.

"Minor league baseball is the backbone of what this sport is about," Hrabosky said. "That is the neat thing about minor league baseball. You have the chance to see these young men close-up as they come through here, and make an impression on them.

"You are the stars to them."

Then, he took some questions. What do you think one of them was?

On the Mitchell Report concerning steroid abuse in baseball: "I didn't expect much. Everything in there had already been reported, or, being around the game, you heard a lot of the rumors.

Hrabosky said he understood why some players succumbed to the temptation of taking performance-enhancing drugs.

"It would be hard sitting there and watching guys you were competing against taking something that was giving them an edge, and you weren't doing it," he said. "It would be easy for someone to take something that they were told, in some cases by a doctor, would help them heal faster or recover faster.

"It's easy for guys these days to get designer drugs. But the reason you have to eradicate this system is because it's trickling down to our youth. These kids aren't taking the designer drugs, they're sharing needles. You have to get rid of steroids in baseball."

Hrabosky placed most of the steroid era's blame on the players' union.

"That's their constituency who is using it," he said. "The testing? I don't know about these things, but guys tell you it's a joke.

"We're going to see a lot of guys break down, and you'll know why."

Go over there to find out if he prefers Old Busch Stadium or New Busch Stadium.

73 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 73 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is The Wounded Land by Stephen R. Donaldson. This is book one in The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

The old man stood in the center of the room, still clutching his torch though a bright fire blazed in the hearth beyond him. He peered at Covenant with trepidation, ready to cringe, like a child expecting punishment.

Covenant stopped. His bruises ached to be near the fire; but he remained still to look around the room.

At once, a pang of anxiety smote him. Already, he could see that something had changed in the Land. Something fundamental.

The dwelling was furnished with an unexpected mixture of wood and stone. Stoneware bowls and urns sat on wooden shelves affixed to the sidewalls; wooden stools stood around a wooden table in one stone corner. And iron – there were iron utensils on the shelves, iron nails in the stools. Formerly, the people of stone and wood, Stonedownor and Woodhelvennin, had kept to his own lore – not because they wished to be exclusive, but rather because their special skills and knowledge required all their devotion.

For a moment, he faced the man, bore the old, half-wild gaze. Linden, too, studied the old man, measuring him uncertainly. But Covenant knew she was asking herself questions unlike the ones which mobbed into his mind. Had the Stonedownors and Woodhelvennin grown together, blended their lore? Or had -- ?

The world is not what it was.

A raw sickness twisted his heart.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Lots to do

There were a lot of things to do this morning and a lot of things to do this afternoon. Then, there is the matter of a certain game up in Green Bay later tonight.

According to this at weather.com, it's -7 degrees up there at 10am. The wind chill makes it feel like -28 degrees. Now, I gotta go get my run in for the day. Believe it...or not.

This is going to be all for posting today...Well, there may be one post around 8:30 or 9:00 tonight depending on how things go up at Lambeau.

Have a great day and stay warm.

Back in the morning.

Rattlers in Venezuela

Lara beat LaGuaira 5-4 in 13 innings.

Ex-Rattlers for Lara:
Adam Jones ('04): 2-for-6, run
Cesar Jimenez ('03): 1-1/3IP, H, 0R, BB, Blown Save
Ivan Blanco ('05): 1-2/3IP, H, 0R, 2K, Winning Pitcher

Action today:
Bravos at Lara

74 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 74 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. This is book two in the DragonLance Chronicles.

The third day, they continued their journey, flying into the sunrise. They had lost the dragons, apparently, although Tika, keeping watch behind, thought she could see black dots upon the horizon. And that afternoon, as the sun was sinking behind them, they neared the river known as Thon-Thalas – Lord’s River – which divided the outside world from Silvanesti.

All his life, Tanis had heard of the wonder and beauty of the ancient Elven Home, though the elves of Qualinesti spoke of it without regret. They did not miss the lost wonders of Silvanesti, for the wonders themselves became the differences that had developed between the elven kin.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Checking in on Harrison Square

Downtown Fort Wayne Baseball has a pointer to an article about the Harrison Square Development in Indiana Business Magazine.

SITE WORK IS UNDER WAY and the bases about to be loaded at the 16-acre, $125 million Harrison Square development along Jefferson Boulevard and Harrison Street in downtown Fort Wayne

Soon to be on first base: a minor league stadium for the Fort Wayne Wizards, With a condominium/retail building at second and a Courtyard by Marriott hotel on third.

The L-shaped, multi-block development will be a home-team success long in planning, says Greg Leatherman, redevelopment director for the city of Fort Wayne.

"It was extremely challenging," he says. "In the last four to five years, we've been working hard to create an environment downtown that is receptive and inviting to private investment. We were planning for growth and development when the Wizards went up for sale."

Approached by a group With interests in both baseball and urban development, "need met opportunity," Leatherman says. Plans took shape, "and here we are today."

...

The ballpark, condo/retail project and a 900-space, $14 million parking deck with stadium seating on top are slated to open in April 2009. Construction of the hotel is scheduled to begin in spring 2008 and take 16 months to build.

Not just for baseball. "This will be the most innovative minor league stadium in America," says Jim Irwin, project manager for Harrison Square and a principal in Barry Real Estate. "The owners have visited over 60 minor league stadiums and are putting all the best ideas into this one stadium."

Hardball Capital is contributing $6 million toward the $31 million, city-owned stadium and will operate it for the city Its 16 private suites have already sold out, to buyers such as Indiana Michigan Power, Edy's Grand Ice Cream and Ratheon[.]

Check out the article. Then, check out DFWB. There is a cartoon currently at the top from what I guess would be the anti-Harrison Square camp.

A review of Louie

The Sports Logo Pundit has his thoughts on the new Louie the LumberKing.


Whoops. I meant to put this one up there. It was kind of confusing looking at both of them:


What says the SLP?

I don't know this for sure, but I'm pretty sure that this new Clinton LumberKings logo (left) is the first foray into logo design that the New Era Cap company has taken on. Perhaps they should stick to making baseball caps more and more expensive instead, since that's what they do best.

While I agree that Louie could've used a little bit of a tweak, perhaps just an upgrade to a more contemporary style of artwork, why they needed to make him so creepy is beyond me. In a sensitive time for baseball on all levels, there are just far to many cheap steroid jokes that one can make about the new Louie.

Seriously though, you can say that I'm reading to much into it, but I really think that this logo is an unintentional commentary on how different we think baseball players look now than we used to. Let's be honest with ourselves, thanks to Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, we now think of baseball players, especially sluggers, as being barrel chested, monstrous armed, razor sharp jawboned, aggressive monsters.

But, here is what really disappoints him:

Not to mention that they felt the need to get rid of the board with the nail. That's arguably the best part of the old logo. It definitely loses a great deal of it's charm with a plain baseball bat in his hand.

Team #31

Baseball America's 2008 Prospect Handbook is due out soon. As a kind of preview, they have a list at BaseballAmerica.com of 41 players who did not make it on to the respective Top 30 list of their team.

Here are the two players with Rattler ties who made the list:

Cesar Jimenez, lhp, Mariners

Born: Nov. 12, 1984. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 180. Signed: Venezuela, 2001. Signed by: Emilio Carrasquel.

Jimenez has bounced back and forth from starting to relieving in six years in the Mariners system. He operated out of the rotation for most of 2006 and seemed to turn a corner, but he wore down, just as he had as a starter in the past. He spent three weeks on the Triple-A Tacoma disabled list in August 2006 with a sore elbow, and he worked in just 26 innings for the Rainiers last year as he again missed time with elbow problems. Jimenez' best pitch is his changeup, making him effective against righthanders. His fringe-average fastball has some cutting action and sits at 88-89 mph. He can touch 92 mph when he comes out of the bullpen. His ultimate role likely will be as a reliever because he holds up better and retains the arm speed on his fastball. He does a better job of throwing strikes and keeping the ball down in relief, too, and he'll return to that role in Triple-A this year.


Fabian Williamson, lhp, Mariners

Born: Oct. 20, 1988. B-T: R-L. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 175. Drafted: HS—Sun Valley, Calif., 2006 (22nd round). Signed by: Phil Pote/Greg Whitworth.

Williamson signed too late in 2006 to make his pro debut, but he made a positive first impression last year. He spent the bulk of his time in the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he got better as the year progressed. He can pitch backward—his curveball and changeup are both solid average—but he has supreme trust in an 85-90 mph fastball that he locates well against righthanders. The natural deception in his delivery makes the pitch even more effective. Williamson's fastball command is advanced for a young pitcher, especially one taken in the 22nd round. He'll move up to low Class A in 2008.

Jimenez was a Rattler in 2003. Williamson, who will probably be starting the season with the Rattlers, made the start on Labor Day, 2007 for Wisconsin against Kane County and pitched six shutout innings.

Checking in on Choo

The Akron Beacon-Journal has the latest on Shin-Soo Choo (WI '02).

Indians prospect gets back in swing

Shin-Soo Choo attends winter program as he recovers from surgery

Left-hander Shin-Soo Choo once pitched five games in seven days during a tournament for Busan High School in his native South Korea — totaling a whopping 44 innings.

That's quite a strain on a teenage arm that's still developing. Not to mention a daunting load that no one would allow a veteran major-league pitcher to consider.

''Korea don't care about players' bodies,'' said Choo, who signed with the Seattle Mariners for $1.35 million shortly after being named the Most Valuable Player and best pitcher in the 2000 World Junior Championship held in Edmonton, Alberta. ''It's just, make the championship.''

That kind of overload might have been the beginning of what went wrong with the converted outfielder's left elbow, as Choo opted to have Tommy John (ligament replacement) surgery last fall.

As one of a handful of top Tribe minor-league prospects attending the Indians Winter Development Program, Choo, 25, spent Thursday morning working out with the group at Case Western Reserve University's Veale Center.

Four months after having surgery in September, Choo just started swinging a bat lightly Wednesday, with the goal of graduating to soft-toss next week if all continues to go well.

His timeline has him getting ready to go just before Spring Training starts.

This had to be fun for everyone involved

Imagine you have made the major leagues as a pitcher for your favorite team. Imagine that said team selects you to be part of its winter caravan. Imagine that the caravan makes a stop in your home town. If you are Eric O'Flaherty (WI '04, '05), you do not have to imagine.

M's O'Flaherty dares kids to dream

The Walla Walla native came home Wednesday with the Mariners Caravan, living proof that dreams do come true

The Mariners Caravan made a stop at Sherwood Center on the Whitman College campus Wednesday afternoon, and for Mariners pitcher and Walla Walla native Eric O'Flaherty, the experience brought him full circle.

"I remember when I was 10 or 11 and I was siting in those stands listening to (former Mariners) Charles Gipson and Carlos Guillen," O'Flaherty recalled. "They said that there would be some of us in the crowd who might get to wear a Mariner jersey someday, and for me it came true. It goes to show that if you have a dream, go or it."

Also along on the trip were former Rattler Mark Lowe and frequent Appleton visitor Norm Charlton.

Lowe is looking forward to getting back out there.

For Lowe, the anticipation for the upcoming season has been unbearable after spending much of last season on the disabled list a year after he set a Mariners record for consecutive scoreless innings.

"That was some of the most fun I've had in my life," Lowe said of his record-breaking season. "But we're focused on this season. A bunch of us have moved down to Arizona to train and keep each other in line. We just keep pushing each other to get better."

Charlton is looking forward to having both ex-Rattlers in the Seattle bullpen and comments on O'Flaherty to the hometown newspaper.

"Both of these guys work very hard," Charlton said of his new pupils. "Mark and I are both from Texas, and the first time I saw him pitch I was impressed. Eric's a lefty and a guy who has worked extremely hard. They both throw 90 with their hair on fire, which is a lot like me."

Rattlers in Venezuela

Lara's game on Thursday was not reported when this blog was updated yesterday. It has been since that time. They lost 7-5 to Caribes.

Ex-Rattlers for Lara:
Adam Jones ('04): 1-for-4, HR, 2RBI
Renee Cortez ('02, '03): 1-2/3IP, H, 0R, 2BB, 2K

Lara did not play on Friday. They are scheduled to take on La Guaira tonight.

75 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 75 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is Blame it on the Rain: How the Weather Has Changed History by Laura Lee. The chapter Lost Siberians is the story of how North America got its people, but the passage is an interesting side note from that wacky decade we know as the ‘80s.

As the ice age gave way to warmer temperatures around 13,500 BC, small bands of humans moved into the extreme northeastern part of Asia. Some of them wandered into a piece of real estate that no longer exists, the land the archaeologists call Central Beringia. This land bridge connected Asia and North America across what is now the Bering Strait.

Even today the gap between Alaska and Siberia is small enough – only 2.5 mi at its closest – that deep freezes sometimes make it possible for people to walk from one side to the other. Of course, what the atmospheric climate makes possible the political climate has generally not permitted, as John Weymouth of San Francisco discovered in 1986. When he walked across the frozen Bering Strait from the United States into the USSR, Weymouth found himself the focus of an international incident. After two weeks of interrogation and negotiations between the U.S. State Department and the Kremlin, the wanderer managed to convince the two governments that he was not a defector or a spy, just a curious guy who thought it would be fun to walk to another continent. He was finally sent back to America in a military helicopter.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

January 18 Field Photo

Taken from the left field grass seats at a time during which it was pretty cold on 1/18/08.



Seriously, I can't remember what time I took this picture yesterday. Judging by the shadows, it was before noon...I think...At least judging by the shadows, you can tell that the Sun was out.

They got invited

The Mariners have handed out invitations to 18 non-roster players for Spring Training.

Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, the Mariners' first selection in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, is among the 18 non-roster players invited to Spring Training this year.

Veteran relievers Chris Reitsma and Arthur Rhodes, both coming off injuries, are among the 11 pitchers invited to camp, which begins Feb. 13, when pitchers and catchers report to the Peoria Sports Complex.

Seven of the invited players, including pitchers Philip Barzilla, Roy Corcoran, Jake Woods, Reitsma and Rhodes, have prior Major League experience. Infielder Mark Kiger and outfielder Bronson Sardinha have limited big league experience.

Aumont, the 11th overall pick in June, has yet to make his professional debut. He pitched for the Mariners during the Instructional League in Peoria and then played for his native Canada during the 2007 World Cup, being named the Canadian Junior National Team MVP.

Others of note -- meaning ex-Rattlers, include:

C Jair Fernandez: The 21-year-old catcher from Cartagena, Colombia, spent last season at Class A Wisconsin in the Midwest League, batting .260 with 11 doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs.

RHP Stephen Kahn: He did not appear during the regular season in 2007 while recovering from ACL surgery on his left knee. Kahn pitched for Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League, going 1-2, with a 5.23 in 10 relief appearances this offseason. Kahn has compiled a 6-3 record with a 4.29 ERA and 20 saves in 69 career Minor League appearances.

C Adam Moore: Named a California League All-Star in 2007 at Class A High Desert, Moore batted .307 with 30 doubles, 22 home runs and 102 RBIs. He ranked third in the California League in RBIs and fifth in slugging percentage (.543). Among Mariners Minor Leaguers, Moore ranked second in RBIs, third in batting average and fifth in home runs.

LHP Robert Rohrbaugh: Selected as the Mariners Triple-A Pitcher of the Year, Rohrbaugh split the 2007 season between Triple-A Tacoma and Double-A West Tennessee. He led the Mariners Minor League system with 13 wins and ranked fifth in the organization with 111 strikeouts. Rohrbaugh went 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 starts at Tacoma last year and tossed back-to-back shutouts -- July 28 (at Oklahoma) and Aug. 2 (vs. Memphis).

RHP Chris Tillman: Selected as the Mariners Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2007, Tillman split the season between Class A Wisconsin and Class A High Desert, going 7-11 with 4.84 ERA in 28 starts. He led all Mariners Minor Leaguers with 139 strikeouts over 135 2/3 innings and was named the No. 3 prospect in the California League by Baseball America. He was selected by Seattle in the second round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

INF Matt Tuiasosopo: He spent the entire season 2007 at Double-A West Tennessee, earning Southern League All-Star honors. Tuiasopop batted .260 with 74 runs, 27 doubles, five triples, nine home runs and 57 RBIs in 129 games. The Mariners' first selection in the 2004 Draft was also a non-roster invite to Major League Spring Training in 2005, '06 and '07. He ended the '07 season by playing for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League, batting .293 in 23 games.

Not that far away.

76 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 76 days from today. This off-season, the countdown will be based on books. Each day between now and Opening Day 2008, I will pick a random book out of my library and excerpt a passage off the page number corresponding with the number of days remaining to the first pitch of the new season. I will try not to repeat a book during the countdown.

Today’s book is A Season of the Brink by John Feinstein. A look inside Indiana University Basketball’s 1985-86 season with Bobby Knight at the helm. This passage covers the second half of an exhibition game.

“Let’s put them away quickly,” Knight said. “Let’s jump on them and get a big lead. Don’t let them get back in this thing.”

They didn’t. A Harris dunk really got the crowd wound up and built the lead to 55-43. The lead eventually was more than 20, and the final score was 94-74. No contest. Still, there were moments. When Morgan threw a foolish pass, Knight screamed in his face during the next time-out. The two were literally nose to nose, one giving, the other taking. Did Morgan resent this treatment? “I was thinking,” he said later, “that I screwed up again.”

The screwups were balanced, though, by the potential that showed in flashes. Alford finished with twenty-three points; Harris had sixteen and nine rebounds. Thomas also had sixteen. It was, after less than four weeks of practice, a good beginning. Knight knew this. He also knew there was a lot more to do before this team could beat Notre Dames and Kentuckys. But they were not that far off. As the players congratulated one another after Knight had reminded them one more time “November 9 to March 9, keep that in mind,” they had little idea that they were about to enter the most difficult three weeks of the season. Over the next twenty days, they would have one day off. They would practice twenty-four times, look at endless hours of tape, and receive absolute hell from their coach.

After that, if they survived, they would play their first game.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

January 17 Field Photo

Taken from the left field grass seats around 11am on 1/17/08.



It snowed yesterday.

Thursday Motivation (1/17)

Courtesy of Curly from City Slickers:



Kind of baseball related with the baseball hat.