T-Rats Calling

I know I don't usually use T-Rats, but this is a special circumstance.

Have you voted yet?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/23610287

It's still early, but the Sand Gnats are being as pesky as, well, sand gnats and they have built up an large early lead.

T-Rats calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, an' go it alone
T-Rats calling upon the zombies of death
Quit holding out-and draw another breath
T-Rats calling-and I don't wanna shout
But when we were talking-I saw you nodding out
T-Rats calling, see we ain't got no highs
Except for that one with the yellowy eyes

It's a clash

of the logos. And we aim to win.

Thursday Motivation (3/13)

A call to arms

Darren Rovell, the CNBC Sports Business Writer who once cracked on the Timber Rattlers for the naming rights deal with Time Warner Cable -- and if I could track down that post, I'd provide a link and make this clause a bit longer -- but that is a whole other matter, is staging a Minor League Logo tournament at his Sports Biz blog.

The Timber Rattlers are a #13 seed and are facing the #4 Savannah Sand Gnats today. Head over there later this morning to vote the Rattlers into the next round. Voting continues until 9am CDT on Friday.

A little spice was added when someone from the Sand Gnats front office e-mailed the Rattler staff yesterday to wish us luck in this friendly competition. Little does he realize that there is no such thing as 'friendly competition'.


But, apparently there is such a thing known as a 'friendly sand gnat'.

Oh, it's on.

M's 5, Brewers 1

In Cactus League action on Wednesday, Seattle beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-1. Box score HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's in the game:
Bryan LaHair ('04): 0-for-1, run
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 1-for-4, RBI, run
Rob Johnson ('05): 1-for-1, RBI, run
Mark Lowe ('05): IP, 0H, 0R, Win
Eric O'Flaherty ('05): IP, H, 0R, 2K

Seattle hosts San Francisco later today.

21 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 21 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 Devices and Desires by P.D. James. This is an Adam Dalgliesh mystery.

No one appeared as he drew up and, before lifting his hand to the bell, he paused to read the words of a stone plaque embedded in the flints to the right of the door.

In a cottage on this site lived Agnes Poley, Protestant martyr, burned at Ipswich, 15^th August, 1557, aged 32 years. Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, Verse 15.

The plaque was unadorned, the letters deeply carved in an elegant script reminiscent of Eric Gill, and Dalgliesh remembered his aunt telling him that it had been placed there by previous owners in the late 1920s when the cottage was originally extended. One of the advantages of a religious education is the ability to identify at least the better-known texts of scripture, and this was one which it needed no effort of memory to recall. As a delinquent nine-year-old at his prep school, he had once been required by the headmaster to write out in his best handwriting the whole of the third chapter Ecclesiastes, old Gumboil, economical in this as in all matters, believing that writing lines should combine punishment with literary and religious education. The words, in that round childish script, had remained with him. It was, he thought, an interesting choice of text.

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Wednesday Baseball on TV (3/12)

From the good people at Japanprobe.com, a little something from Japanese TV called Breaking 10 Baseball Bats:

Rockies 4, M's 1

The Colorado Rockies beat Seattle 4-1 in Cactus League action Tuesday. Box score HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's:
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 0-for-1, BB
Raul Ibanez (Foxes '94): 0-for-4
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-1
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-2
Felix Hernandez ('03): 5IP, 3H, 0R, 3K
Ryan Rowland-Smith ('02, '03): IP, H, 0R, BB
JJ Putz ('00): IP, H, 2R, BB, 2K

Seattle hosts the Brewers this afternoon.

22 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 22 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 Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography by Trevor N. Dupuy, Curtis Johnson, and David L. Bongard. Want to know what the authors thought of Albert “The Pious”, Archduke of Austria (1559-1621), Austrian general and statesman. Principal wars: Eighty Years’ War (1567-1648). Principal battle: Nieuwpoort (1600).

A capable general and administrator, with considerable tactical and strategic skill; his reputation has suffered unjustly in comparison with those of Spinola and Maurice of Nassau.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

White Sox 9, Mariners 8

In Cactus League action, the White Sox beat the Mariners 9-8. Wild late action. Chicago scored four times in the bottom of the eighth for an 8-3 lead. Seattle scored five times in the top of the ninth to tie the game. The Sox scored in the bottom of the ninth for the win. Box score HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's:
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-1, run
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-2, RBI
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 4-for-5, 2 2Bs, RBI
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 0-for-0, BB
Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 1-for-5
Ryan Feierabend ('02): 1-1/3 IP, 0H, 0R, K

Seattle plays the Rockies in Tucson later today.

23 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 23 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 Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn

“Hey, Dad. Whosa better fielder? Cookie Lavagetto or Joe Stripp?”

“Comparisons are nefarious,” Gordon Kahn said.

“Please, God,” said Olga, who aspired to atheism, “let him become interested in a book. One book. Please. Any book.”

Her large eyes gazed on the off-white ceiling toward Yahweh. And soon, in His infinite humor, the Lord God of Yisroel placed in my hands a book that enslaved me. Pitching in a Pinch, bound in dun, published in 1912, was a memoir written (with help) by Christy Mathewson, who say the canons of legend, is “the greatest pitcher ever to toe the mound.” It appeared one day on a high shelf among botany guidebooks and novels by Frank Norris and Michael Arlen. “A relic of my own boyhood,” Gordon Kahn said, and he fetched Pitching in a Pinch and displayed a photograph of “Ty Cobb, the Georgia Peach, sliding. Note spikes high.” Interested in a book? I was overcome. Pitching in a Pinch became my constant companion. No one has ever read a baseball book harder or for more hours of a day or with such single-mindedness. I read nothing else, no Dickens, no Twain, no Swift. Mathewson (with help) created a baseball world that added humor to the earnest and heavy baseball cosmos of my fantasy.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Mariner Sunday Split Squad

Brewers 2, Mariners 0. Box score HERE. Mariners 10, Diamondbacks 7. Box score HERE.

Ex-Rattlers in the game against the Brewers:
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 0-for-1
Raul Ibanez (Foxes '94): 0-for-3
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-3
Adam Moore ('06): 0-for-1
Ryan Rowland-Smith ('02, '03): 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, K
Eric O'Flaherty ('04, '05): IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, K

Ex-Rattlers in the game against the D-Backs:
Rob Johnson ('05): 0-for-1, run
Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 1-for-5, RBI
Brent Johnson ('05): 1-for-1
Sean White ('07): 1-2/3IP, 2H, R, BB, 2K
Cha Seung Baek ('00): 2IP, H, 0R, K, (WIN)

The Mariners face the White Sox in Tucson later today.

24 Days Until Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 24 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 Babylon 5 novel, The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos. Also, today there really are 24 days until Opening Day. Daylight Savings can really throw me even more off my game.

"Are you all right? You have blood on your neck."

She touched the area she'd been scratching. "It's nothing." He remained in the doorway. "I know I've screwed up."

"According to them"----Chang flashed his eyes skyward, toward the executives----"we both did. But truthfully, no one could have known what would happen. And your theory was right. The mechanism was telepathically controlled. I don't think anyone else would have figured that out. At least not so quickly."

"I know we don't have a lot left to work with, but I don't want to give up. Maybe by studying the fragments I can figure out something that might help that telepath recover."

"I've been asked to take over the testing," he said in his neutral tone.

A thousand objections ran through Anna's mind, but she didn't feel she had the right to utter any of them. She sat.

"I know you're the best person for this job."

Put today's excerpt in a baseball context.

Some goals

There are a few things that I would like to do to improve the site before opening day. But, since I'm still the one posting on here, better writing is probably not going to happen.

So, here are a few things that I'll be working on in the next few weeks:

Return of the How Long? posts. I started doing those How long has it been since [random major league team] won a pennant and a World Series posts late last year. The plan was to have them finished up before the start of this season. That plan failed. The new goal: Have them up by the end of the season.

Labeling. Since the upgrade to the new Blogger, there is a place to tag the posts with labels to make it easier to navigate around here. The goal: Label all posts...starting tomorrow.

A Regular Post for Every Day of the Week. The Wednesday baseball movie and the Thursday Motivation posts will probably stay through the season. I may go back to the Sunday Reading post. Or, I may try something else for the Sabbath. That leaves, what? two other days....um, make that Monday...Tuesday...Friday...Saturday................Four other days. As always, I have plenty of ideas. The follow-through is what counts. The goal: Figure this out by the home opener.

Decide whether Keep It or Drop It. This Date in Baseball History was the regular daily post during 2006. I'd like to continue that, but may want to spruce it up a bit. The goal: Figure out if it stays in the same form, stays in a modified form, or is dropped completely for another new daily feature entirely.

Update the Blogroll. There are some interesting blogs and websites out there that I haven't gotten around to adding to the blogroll. Blogs like The Bucky Channel, Baker's Blog, Bleeding Teal and Blue, No Rhubarb!, Sportsbubbler.com with The Daily Drink and...wait a minute?....I don't have USS Mariner over there yet. What an idiot I am! No Alyssa Milano link either? !?!?!! Geez, how do I miss this stuff? Let me know if there is anything else I'm missing. The goal: Update the blogroll by FanFest on April 1.

More about What's Happening!! No, not the awesome TV show with Raj and Rerun. More about what is happening around Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium. If you're reading this in a 90-mile radius of Appleton and don't come out to the games or know what promotions, I'm not really doing my job...Or I at least can't use this blog as an excuse for why I'm not doing my job. The goal: Let you know what's happening!!!

Heck, Why Not. I've looked at a lot of posts over the last two years, especially the ones that link to other articles. There isn't much commentary from me. Just a snarky one or two line response to a long excerpt that may or may not be in context. The goal: Better writing with a bit more original content by, oh, heck, I don't know when, but I'll give it my bestest shot, gosh darn it.

Update the Look of the Blog: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I have no idea how to do this. I'd like to get a decent banner for the top of the blog with a Rattler logo and an old time radio. No pictures of me. We all know how those turn out. The Goal: I may need a little help, but something by at least the home opener.

Those are some goals I've set for myself. Is there anything you would like to see? Drop me a line through an e-mail or a comment on this post. I'll either ignore it or obsess over it. That would probably depend on if I skipped breakfast that day.

That's it for the day. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Whatever happened to....

Denny Stark?

Stark was a Timber Rattler in 1997 and was 6-3 with a 1.97ERA over 16 games (15 starts). He moved up to Lancaster later in that season. Stark had brief stints with the Mariners in 1999 and 2001. I'll have Bleeding Blue and Teal pick it up from there.

Denny Stark was a piece of one of the uglier trades in Seattle Mariners history when he was dealt alongside Brian Feuntes and Jose Paniagua to the Colorado Rockies for third baseman Jeff Cirillo in 2001. Cirillo, as we all know, was a complete bust.

Before continuing with this post, a quick tip. If you really want to get under the skin of a Mariner fan, bring up the Cirillo trade. Brewer fans have a special edge in this because Cirillo had some good to very good seasons with the Crew. Back to the post.

Here's the link to the post on Geoff Baker's blog, which is being updated by Jose Romero, who has been filling in while Baker is on vacation, which explains what happened to Denny Stark.

The Mariners announced that they have signed RHP Denny Stark to a minor-league contract. Stark, 33, was originally drafted by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 1996 amateur draft and made his major-league debut on Sept. 15, 1999.

Stark has not pitched since 2005 due to a pair of Tommy John surgeries.

Seattle relievers; Rattler ties

Good news on the Mark Lowe (WI '05) front as he made his first Cactus League appearance yesterday.

Lowe began his career with a streak of 17 2/3 scoreless innings in 2006 before needing two elbow surgeries. The first was in October 2006 and the second during Spring Training last year, as he spent most of last season rehabbing.

Lowe said he thought after the initial surgery he would be fine, but "it didn't work out that way."

"It stinks when you can't pitch," Lowe said. "It's in the past. I'm ready to go. I felt incredible."

His first five pitches were called balls (even though Lowe said he thought three were good pitches) and he allowed a single to Mike Sweeney, but retired three A's on flyouts.

The battle for the left handed reliever who will take the place of the traded George Sherrill in the Seattle pen has been joined. The four in the competition are are ex-Rattlers.

MLB.com had this overview the other day; Lefties vying for relief role. Before getting into the excerpts, it is interesting that MLB.com has a picture of righty JJ Putz to go along with the story. Anyway....

The candidates are Eric O'Flaherty, Cesar Jimenez, Ryan Feierabend and Ryan Rowland-Smith.

They have retired 10 of the 12 left-handed hitters that they've faced, striking out three.

"Right now, they are competing," McLaren said, "but they're really just starting to get their breaking pitches and everything together. We're noticing but they're still working to get in shape.

"When something doesn't go their way, we take into consideration that they've only had one or two appearances. It's more to the end what we're looking for than the beginning."

According to this article, O'Flaherty has been held back due to a stiff back and another of the four has stood out.

Jimenez already has pitched himself into the picture.

"The thing I like about him, is that he uses both sides of the plate and he's got a good changeup," McLaren said. "He's somebody who was definitely on the radar screen coming to Spring Training, and he's done nothing but strengthen himself here. I like what I've seen."

Jimenez allowed three runs on three hits and a walk against Oakland yesterday, but it's only one appearance.

Now to this article in the Everett Herald on O'Flaherty; Have the Seattle Mariners found their left-hand man?

O'Flaherty, 23, pitched in various relief situations but was stellar against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .183 average. Cesar Jimenez also is getting a hard look for that role, with Ryan Rowland-Smith and Ryan Feierabend also in the mix.

Feierabend has a 2.25 earned run average in four innings of work, and the others haven't allowed an earned run.

They've all been solid against lefties -- O'Flaherty holding them to 1-for-3 with a strikeout, Jimenez 1-for-5 with a strikeout, Rowland-Smith 0-for-2 with a strikeout and a walk, and Feierabend 0-for-2.

"We've got some guys who know that position's open," manager John McLaren said. "You can see the intensity starting to pick up between those guys."

Unlike other roles on the team that McLaren determined early in camp, he said the lefty reliever competition could last all month.

This was from Saturday, before the game against the Athletics.

You know who might have an opinion on this? Lookout Landing. Let's check: High Starch Diet.

Let's make one thing clear right now: nobody's going to do what Sherrill did last season. The Governor was terrific all summer long, and what this really comes down to is a battle for who the coaching staff thinks can provide the smallest downgrade. To believe anything else is delusion.

There are four nominal contenders for this role, listed above. However, both RRS and Feierabend are (justifiably) viewed as potential long-term starters or swingmen, so they're highly likely to begin the year getting stretched out in Tacoma. I support this decision, because I think RRS has it in him to be the third-best starter in the organization by July. (That's both good and rather damning.)

But meanwhile, barring some surprise, that means we're left with Eric O'Flaherty and Cesar Jimenez vying for the job of #1 lefty. Of all the competitions taking place in Mariner camp this spring, this one stands to be the most important.

O'Flaherty sure as hell better win.

Then, there is a bunch of that stat and logic stuff.

Kidding. I'm kidding.

Athletics 5, Mariners 2

Oakland beat Seattle 5-2 in Cactus League action on Saturday. Box score is HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's:
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 0-0, pinch runner, run
Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 1-for-1, 2B, run
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-3, 2B
Rob Johnson ('05): 0-for-2
Mark Lowe ('05): IP, H, 0R, BB
Cesar Jimenez ('03): IP, 3H, 3R, 2BB, K

Sunday is a split squad day for the M's. One squad will be at Maryvale to play the Brewers. The other will face the Diamondbacks in Tucson.

24 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 24 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 Lincoln’s Men: How President Lincoln Became Father to an Army and a Nation by William C. Davis.

“The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am. None who would do more to preserve it. But it may be necessary to put the foot down firmly,” [Lincoln] warned. “And if I do my duty, and do right, you will sustain me, will you not?”

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

See you at the stadium today

Brave the cold, stop by the stadium to pick up some single game tickets. Box office windows open at 10am.

What it means to me

And by me, I mean the Timber Rattlers. And by it, I mean Brett Favre's retirement. And by what, I mean this:

Favre Celebrity Softball Game Faces Uncertain Future

Brett and Deanna Favre said besides Brett's retirement from football, the family is going to take a break from the charity work that they do, and re-evaluate their charity efforts next year.

They confirmed there will not be a Brett Favre Celebrity Softball game at Fox Cities Stadium this spring.

"I know that will disappoint a lot of people but, honestly, we both are really tired," Deanna Favre said.

For a venue that doesn't offer football, thousands of Packers fans crowded the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' Grand Chute stadium every year for the celebrity softball game. Now after seven years the game is on hold and faces an uncertain future.

"It wasn't a complete shock that we heard he wasn't going to be playing the game this year, but at the same time, a little disappointing," said Rob Zerjav, president of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

I haven't written anything about the retirement of the Packer QB. Maybe later, once baseball season is over or I need a post or two during a deadspot in the schedule. However, I did need to point you to the awesomely named Chuckie Hacks, where you can find a series of posts named Pre-Favre QB's. So far there are three:

Anthony Dilweg

Randy Wright

Alan Risher

Sickels on Jones

John Sickels has some projections on ex-Rattler and ex-Mariner Adam Jones in this post, Not a Rookie: Adam Jones.

First, a little history:

Adam Jones was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the supplemental first round in 2003 out of high school in San Diego, 37th overall. For awhile in high school he was better regarded as a pitcher due to a 92 MPH fastball, but the Mariners decided to use him as a shortstop. He was considered highly athletic but very raw. He hit .284/.368/.349 in rookie ball, showing very little power. I gave him a Grade C+, rating him as raw but promising.

Jones moved up to Wisconsin in the Midwest League in 2004. He hit .267/.314/.404 with 11 homers, 33 walks, and 124 strikeouts. Defensively he showed a strong arm and the potential to be excellent at shortstop with more experience. Offensively he showed some power development, but his approach was very erratic. I wrote in the book: "Jones has bat speed, but his approach is very inconsistent, even from at-bat to at-bat.. . in one game I saw, he worked the count very effectively in one at-bat, then was completely helpless and overaggressive the rest of the game." I gave him another Grade C+.

Those grades went up over the next few seasons. There are a few projections (the Me is Sickels, btw) near the end of the post. But, I'll just share two. You're going to need to follow the link to see them all.

Weighted Mean PECOTA: .273/.333/.468
Me: .259/.321/.449

This is the Sickels take on Jones:

I like Jones in the long run. The increase in power has been notable, his defense is a big plus, and he's shown a great work ethic and attitude in making these improvements. But he still has a strike zone control issue, and at this point I will be surprised if he does much in the batting average and OBP department right now. I suspect he will be rather erratic this year, improve slightly in '09, then break out in '10. One key will be getting consistent playing time, not getting jerked around by an impatient manager. They need to let him play and play a lot so he can work his problems out.

Tillman in the Post

Ex-Rattler and ex-Mariner farmhand Chris Tillman is the topic of this story in the Washington Post.

A 'Scout's Delight' Has the Orioles Smiling

Tillman, at 19 the type of young pitcher around whom the Orioles hope to rebuild, admitted he wasn't quite sure what to expect when he accepted the Orioles' invitation to attend major league spring training.

But three weeks later, Tillman seems to have settled in, a fact not lost on management, which may send Tillman to Class AA Bowie to begin his second professional season.

"I think he can handle it from what I see," said Orioles Manager Dave Trembley, who has been impressed by how Tillman has performed in his first major league camp. "He does repeat his delivery, he does show command, poise, great size, has a secondary pitch and is competitive. And I don't think he will be intimidated if gets hit around a little bit."

Tillman took the loss in Thursday's 8-7 defeat against the Minnesota Twins, allowing two runs (one unearned) in one inning, though he showed some of his competitiveness by striking out the final hitter he faced to close out his second outing. Earlier in the exhibition season, Tillman flashed some of the potential that put him the Bedard deal, working a scoreless inning and needing only six pitches against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Head over for the whole thing.

Line of succession

The Tacoma News Tribune had this story on Bryan LaHair yesterday.

Sexson's successor? Time will tell

It seems nearly every day in spring training Bryan LaHair offers a glimpse of what he can be and what he still isn’t.

Thursday was no exception.

The Seattle Mariners’ first-base prospect had a strong first at-bat, working the count and then fighting off a nasty breaking ball from Milwaukee Brewers ace Ben Sheets with a sharp single to right.

In his next plate appearance, facing left-hander Zach Jackson, LaHair fell behind in the count, flailing at a curveball in the dirt for strike three.

Still, good at-bats have been more common than bad ones for LaHair, whose 1-for-2 performance pushed his average to .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles, four runs scored and three RBI.

Look to the future.

Sexson’s contract is ending, and there is a possibility the Mariners will not re-sign him or he will become a free agent. There is no other first baseman in the organization even close to being ready for the majors, and there are rumblings that Seattle could look to get a first baseman in free agency.

For LaHair to become a viable candidate for the job, he must cut down on his strikeouts (126 in 552 at-bats), find a way to hit left-handed pitching (.193 in 140 at-bats in 2007), hit breaking pitches more consistently and improve his power numbers in cavernous Cheney Stadium, a pitchers’ park like Safeco Field.

“I don’t like to get too far ahead of myself,” he said. “People tell me that I have a chance to be there soon, and I gotta tell myself to stay in the moment. Where I’m at is where I’m at, and I have to focus on that.”

Cubs 6, Mariners 4

The M's lost to the Chicago Cubs 6-4 in Cactus League action on Friday. Box score is HERE.

Ex-Rattlers in action for the M's.

Raul Ibanez (Foxes '94): 0-for-3, RBI
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-0, HBP
Bryan LaHair ('04): 0-for-1
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-1
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 0-for-1
Adam Moore ('06): 0-for-0, BB
Ryan Rowland-Smith: 2/3 IP, 0H, 0R

Seattle hosts Oakland later today.

26 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 26 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 Brotherhood of Valor by Jeffrey D. Wert.

Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, sat at the northern boundary of the Confederate States of America. The action taken by Virginia Governor John Letcher to seize the arsenal testified to its ordnance value and its strategic importance at the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley. Through the town ran the tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, a vital supply line for the Union government. To strengthen its defenses and to bring order to the chaos among the volunteers at the site, Letcher and the state’s military commander Major General Robert E. Lee, assigned Colonel Thomas J. Jackson to the post during the final week of April 1861.

Jackson, dressed in the blue uniform of a VMI faculty member, arrived in Harper’s Ferry on the afternoon of April 29. A few of his former students at the institute recognized their former instructor and greeted him. The colonel took a room at a small hotel and established his headquarters at the home of the armory’s superintendent. To his wife, Mary Anna, he confided that he had been given “the post which I prefer above all others…an independent command.”

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Reminders

Single game tickets go on sale tomorrow morning.

Timber Rattlers single game tickets will go on sale at 10am Saturday, March 8^th. Free hot dogs, popcorn and soda will be available for those making a ticket purchase at Time Warner Cable Field that day.

Also there is the rummage sale:

The sale will feature plenty of memorabilia from the Timber Rattlers & the Appleton Foxes like stadium speakers, uncut sheets of team baseball card sets and game worn items. Also for purchase, is an extremely rare autographed stand-up of Seattle Mariners superstar Ichiro Suzuki.

One other reminder. If a Timber Rattler staff member spots you wearing a piece of team apparel out on the town (away from the stadium) between now and the end of the season, you'll get a free ticket to a Rattler game.

So, pick up a hat or T-shirt with you tickets tomorrow.

MiLB's Mariner Top 10 Prospects

A mid-day post for you because I didn't want to wait until Saturday morning to post about it. Kevin T. Czerwinski has this article up over at MiLB.com. You may have also seen it on the main Timber Rattler site.

Seattle serves up international flavor

The United Nations is on the East River in New York City. But if you ask Seattle fans where the world body actually gathers to meet, some may tell you it's at Safeco Field.

The Mariners have done a marvelous job in recent years mining the international market, gathering top-flight talent from Canada, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Holland and even Italy. International Director of Scouting Bob Engle has spared no expense in building Seattle's prospect base with parts from all around the globe, and the results have been impressive.

Throw in what Vice President of Scouting and Player Development Bob Fontaine has been able to accomplish and, well, the M's appear well stocked for the foreseeable future. And though the club has brought in several players to compete for the outfield vacancy created by trading Adam Jones to Baltimore in the Erik Bedard deal, don't be surprised if another youngster, Curacao native Wladimir Balentien, gets a long look this spring.

From there you can read about (and hear some highlights of):
Phillippe Aumont
Nick Hill
Matt Tuiasosopo
Greg Halman
Adam Moore
Yung Chi Chen
Carlos Triunfel
Juan Ramirez
Michael Saunders
Bryan LaHair
Alex Liddi
Justin Thomas

Also included in an On the Verge sidebar are Jeff Clement and Balentien.

Here are the details about the three players on that list who have not donned a Rattler uniform:

Aumont:

"He's a very humble kid," Director of Player Personnel Greg Hunter said. "He pitched for the Canadian National Team last year, but overall he hasn't been pitching all that long. He didn't get a lot of competitive innings last year, so he's feeling his way through it. He works hard, though, and he's a competitor."

Hunter said it hasn't been decided where Aumont will begin this season. He could go straight to Wisconsin in the Midwest League or he could stay in extended Spring Training. Either way, Hunter said the club wouldn't hold Aumont back other than to monitor the amount of innings he throws.

Hill:

The Mariners took the former Army star in the seventh round last year after he pitched in relative obscurity for much of his career at West Point. The fact that neither of the New York teams or even Philadelphia latched onto this kid is surprising. Based on what he showed in his debut last summer, Seattle may have gotten the steal of the draft.
...
"With his makeup and ability he has a good chance to move, and we've pushed prospects in the past," Hunter said. "He still has to go out and perform, but he's a guy who could move pretty quick." Hunter said the club, as far as he's aware, isn't going to lose Hunter to active military duty during the season.

Ramirez:

The youngster has a good low-to-mid-90s fastball and could prove to be a dominant factor this year in the Midwest League. If he can keep his walk total in check -- the higher he climbs, the more selective batters will be -- there's no reason his record won't catch up to his other numbers in 2008.

"He's got good life on his fastball, but he needs to work on commanding it and he needs work on his secondary stuff," Hunter said. "He's a good-size right-hander, which you love to have in your system. And you really can't look at the win-loss record early in his career. Sometimes other things stick, and with him, from a scout's perspective, there's a lot to work with there."

Check out the whole thing.

Speaking of Tui

Matt Tuiasosopo gets the story treatment in the Seattle Times today.

Can Matt Tuiasosopo make AAA this season as third baseman?
The article begins with a recent game against the Cubs and a big situation that didn't have teh storybook ending. Then, it goes to this from the M's manager.

"I love Tui," Mariners manager John McLaren said. "He has a really high ceiling. He's got a chance to be an outstanding player."

Tuiasosopo, a former three-sport standout from Woodinville, has advanced through the Mariners' farm system every year since being drafted in the third round in June 2004. He was in Everett that summer, moved to Class A long-season Wisconsin in 2005, Class A Inland Empire and AA San Antonio in 2006 and AA West Tennessee for all of last season.

He struggled at San Antonio, hitting only .185 after a .306 average at Inland Empire. But the Mariners decided to start him at the AA level again in 2007.

"There was a little bit of concern because he hadn't hit at Double-A that it would hurt his confidence," Greg Hunter, the M's director of player development, said. "But we knew that he comes from a good family. He's a good athlete. He has a good makeup. And we thought he would persevere through it, which he did."

If you are going to spring training and see Tuiasosopo in big league camp, you will notice the number he is wearing isn't your normal third baseman number.

Tuiasosopo wears No. 78 on his uniform, not a typical major-league number but certainly one with significance. It was his father Manu's number as a defensive lineman with the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Tuiasosopo doesn't know for sure why he got that number, but clubhouse manager Ted Walsh used to be an attendant for the 49ers when Manu played there.

"I'm sure that had something to do with it," Tuiasosopo said.

I'm sure, too.

Mariners 5, Brewers 2

In Cactus League action on Thursday, the M's beat Milwaukee 5-2. Box score HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's:

Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 1-for-2, 2RBI
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-2
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-2
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-4
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 0-for-2, run
Adam Moore ('06): 1-for-1, run
Felix Hernandez ('03): 4IP, 2H, 2R, 0BB, 5K
Ryan Feierabend ('02): 2IP, 0H, 0R, 2K, Win
Sean White ('07): IP, 0H, 0R
Cesar Jimenez ('03): IP, 0H, 0R, K, Save

The M's take on the Chicago Cubs on Friday afternoon in Mesa.

27 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 27 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 White Gold Wielder by Stephen R. Donaldson. This is the final book in The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

"Therefore we chose a harder path -- to share with you the burden of redemption and the risk of doom. The ring-wielder we silenced, not to harm him, but to spare the Earth the ill of power without sight. As that silence preserved him from the malice of Kasreyn of the Gyre, so also would it have preserved him from the Despiser's intent at the One Tree. Thus the choice would have fallen to you in the end. His ring you might have taken unto yourself, thereby healing the breach between sight and power. Or perhaps you might have ceded the ring to me, empowering the Elohim to save the Earth after their fashion. Then would we have had no need to fear ourselves, for a power given is altogether different than one wrested away. But whatever your choice, there would have been hope. To accomplish such hope, the price of the ring-wielder's silence -- and of my Appointment -- appeared to be neither too great nor too ill.

"That you took from us. In the dungeon of the Sandhold, you chose the wrong which you name possession above the responsibility of sight and the hope we strove to nurture was lost.

"Now I say to you that he must be persuaded to surrender his ring. If he does not, it is certain that he will destroy the Earth."

Put today's excerpt in a baseball context.

Thursday Motivation (3/6)

Aumont's debut

Phillippe Aumont, Seattle's #1 pick in 2007, pitched in a 'B' game against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. Jim Street has the report:

The first 10 pitches Phillippe Aumont threw to professional hitters in a game situation were in the mid-90s with good movement, the kind of stuff that makes hitters gulp and general managers show off their Cheshire-cat smiles.

With family and friends from Gatineau, Quebec, and club executives watching, the Mariners' first-round Draft choice last June unveiled his powerful right arm Wednesday morning during a "B" game against the Padres.

Aumont, a potential Rattler, tossed one inning, struck out one, and allowed only an infield single.

Reactions?

"I was real smooth, felt good, could put my ball wherever I wanted and got ground balls," the 6-foot-7, 220-pounder said after retiring three of the four batters he faced -- one strikeout and two ground balls -- yielding an infield single. "That's my game. I'm not a big strikeout guy. I got one, and that's a plus, but I'm a ground-ball guy."

....

"He threw 93 to 95 with sink," [catcher Adam] Moore (WI, '06) said. "He has great stuff. His slider was really sharp, his sinker looked good and his four-seamer was really nice. But all he needed today was one pitch."

Mariners 6, Angels 5

The Seattle Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6-5 on Wednesday in Cactus League action. Box score is HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's:

Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 1-for-4, 3B, RBI, run
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-1
Rob Johnson ('05): 0-for-1
Cha Seung Baek ('00): 2IP, 3H, R, 0BB, K
JJ Putz ('00): IP, 3H, 2R, K
Eric O'Flaherty ('04, '05): IP, 0H, 0R

The Mariners and Brewers meet in Maryvale this afternoon.

28 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 28 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 Sharpe's Company by Bernard Cornwell. How the 95th Rifles ended 1811.

At seven it was dark. The big church clock in the tower that had been chipped and scarred by cannon balls, whirred as it geared itself to strike the hour. The sound was clearly audible over the snow. The orders must come soon. The siege guns stopped firing, a sudden silence that seemed unnatural after the days of hammering at the defences. Sharpe could hear men coughing, stamping their feet, and the little noises were terrible reminders of how small and frail men were against the defences of a fortress.

'Go!' The Brigade Majors had the orders. 'Go!'

Lawford touched Sharpe's shoulder. 'Good luck!'

The Rifleman noticed the Colonel was still uncloaked, but it was too late now. There was a stirring in the trenches, a rustle as the hay-bags were pushed out of the trench, and then Harper was beside him and, beyond the Sergeant, Lieutenant Price, wide-eyed and pale. Sharpe grinned at them. 'Come on.'

They climbed up on the fire-step, over the parapet, and went in silence towards the breach.

1812 had begun.

Put today's excerpt in a baseball context.

Baseball on Television 3/5

Ah, The Baseball Bunch. Aside from the instruction on how to play the game, I remember the comedy bits the best. These skits put Hang Time with Reggie Theus to shame. "What skits, you raving lunatic?" you may ask.

Well, go ahead, ask.

How about this one: Rick Dempsey as George Brett, Johnny Bench -- with the performance that tops his Krylon spraypaint commercials by a wide margin -- as Billy Martin, one of the bunch as Goose Gossage, and the Famous Chicken as Tim McClelland.



That's gold, Jerry. Gold.

Oakland 9, Mariners 6

In Cactus League action, Oakland beat Seattle 9-6 on Tuesday. The box score is HERE.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's.

Raul Ibanez (Foxes '94): 2-for-3, 2RBI
Bryan LaHair ('04): 0-for-2
Jeff Clement ('05): 1-for-3, RBI
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 1-for-4, RBI
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 1-for-3, HR, RBI
Ryan Rowland-Smith ('04): IP, H, R, 0ER, Loss

It's the Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim today.

30 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 30 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 was not random. It was selected due to the passing of a Wisconsin legend. His departure shocked all of us in the state. He will be missed. I am, of course, talking about Lake Geneva, Wisconsin resident E. Gary Gygax, the man who developed Dungeons & Dragons. Did you think I meant someone else?

The excerpt is from page 30 of Dragons of Spring Dawning, a Dragonlance novel. I would have gone with page 30 from the Dungeon Master's Guide, the Monster Manual, or the Player's Handbook, but I seem to have, um, misplaced them during one of my last campai...er, moves.

Suddenly the dragon was in trouble. A gust of wind hit him, then another. Skie's wings beat frantically as gust after gust pummeled him. The hail drummed upon his head and threatened to tear through the leathery wings. Only the supreme will of his master kept Skie from fleeing this perilous storm and flying to the safety of calmer skies.

Tanis saw Kitara gesture furiously toward Berem. He saw Skie make a valiant effort to fly closer to the helmsman.

Then a gust of wind hit the ship. A wave broke over them. Water cascaded around them, foaming white, knocking men off their feet and sending them skidding across the deck. The ship listed. Everyone grabbed what they could -- ropes, netting, anything -- to keep from being washed overboard.

Put today's excerpt in a baseball context.

Cubs 6, Mariners 5

In Cactus League action on Monday, the Chicago Cubs beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5. Click for the box score.

Ex-Rattlers for the M's:
Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 0-for-2
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-2
Bryan LaHair ('05): 2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI
Joe Woerman ('06): 2IP, 2H, 2R, 2BB, 2K
Robert Rohrbaugh ('05): IP, 3H, R
Stephen Kahn ('05): IP, 3H, 3R
Sean White ('07): IP, H, 0R
Cesar Jimenez ('03): IP, H, 0R

Seattle faces Oakland today.

31 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 30 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 Sports Illustrated: Baseball; Four decades of Sports Illustrated’s finest writing on America’s favorite pastime. This one would have been best saved for April Fool’s Day, but the page numbers wouldn’t have worked. This is from The Curious Case of Sidd Finch by George Plimpton from April 1, 1985.

Meanwhile, the Mets are trying other ways to get Finch into a more positive frame of mind about baseball. Inquiries among American lamaseries (there are more than 100 Buddhist societies in the U.S.) have been quietly initiated in the hope of finding monks or priests who are serious baseball fans and who might persuade Finch that the two religions (Buddhism and baseball) are compatible. One plan is to get him into a movie theater to see The Natural, the mystical film about baseball, starring Robert Redford. Another film suggested is the baseball classic It Happens Every Spring, starring Ray Milland as a chemist who, by chance, discovers a compound that avoids wood; when applied to a baseball in the film, it makes Milland as effective a pitcher as Finch is in real life.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Amazing what you'll find...

I was doing some research on the Appleton Papermakers and Goodland Field for some PLAYBALL! articles and found these nuggets on the web.

Tribute to Goodland Field is a website that doesn't have much to it. But, it does have this about the final out of the final game at the home of the Foxes.

When the Appleton Foxes’ Wilson Delgado lined out to South Bend third baseman Greg Norton at 9:51 p.m. on Monday, August 29, 1994, minor league baseball officially completed its 54-year run at storied but crumbling Goodland Field in Appleton. The Foxes were defeated by the South Bend Silver Hawks 8-1 in front of a season-high crowd of 3,492.

I believe this is the same Greg Norton who is in Spring Training with the Mariners this season.

Then, there were this story about some former Papermakers from an April 10, 2007 New Jersey newspaper article.

It has been 57 summers since 19-year-old Dewey Gray, from Pitman, New Jersey, and 21-year-old Paul Fritz, from East Peoria, Ill., were a starting battery for the Appleton Papermakers in the Class D Wisconsin State League.

For both St. Louis Browns farmhands, the 1950 season was their first and last in organized baseball.

Gray, a fireballing right-handed pitcher who struggled with his control, pitched in rotation the entire 1950 season but turned down an invitation to spring training the following year and joined the Navy. Fritz, a catcher, unceremoniously was given his unconditional release by the Browns after two months in Appleton and he, too, never played organized ball again. He still keeps his framed termination document, like it was the deed to his house.

There are pictures of the two in Papermaker uniforms from the 1950 team photo. There is also a mention of Fritz being an author who uses the pen name Max Blue.

Max has a website. One of his books is called God is Alive and Playing Third Base for the Appleton Papermakers. The book is divided into five sections. Here are the final three:

Three - A Time to Coach

Aces and Eights

Four - Life of a Fan - How to Root for a Losing Baseball Team

A Short History of the April 1997 Philadelphia Phillies

Five - What Grampa's Are For
God Is Alive And Playing Third Base for the Appleton Papermakers

Mariners 6, Padres 2

Seattle beat San Diego 6-2 on Sunday. Box Score.

Ex-Rattlers in action:
Raul Ibanez (Foxes, '94): 0-for-2
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-2, RBI
Rob Johnson ('05): 1-for-2
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 1-for-2
Yung Chi Chen ('05): 1-for-2, run
Ryan Feierabend ('04): 2IP, 2H, R, 3BB
JJ Putz ('00): IP, H, R, 0ER, 2K
Eric O'Flaherty ('04, '05): IP, 0H, 0R, K

The Mariners face the Chicago Cubs today.

32 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 31 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 Down in the Valley: The History of Milwaukee County Stadium by Gregg Hoffman.

The quest for a major league team faced more roadblocks. The Brewers minor league franchise, which featured future Braves like Dick Donovan, Billy Bruton, Gene Conley, Jack Dittmer, and Johnny Logan, was prepared to move from Borchert Field to County Stadium for the 1953 season.

But, Bill Veeck, who once had served as general manager of the old Brewers, wanted to move the St. Louis Browns to Milwaukee. Veeck always thought Milwaukee was a good baseball town and was facing bankruptcy in St. Louis. However, the American League owners would not let Veeck move the team.

Meanwhile, Lou Perini, whose Boston Braves had been affiliated with the Brewers for years, announced on March 13, 1953, his intention to petition National League owners for permission to move his club to Milwaukee. Many doubted Perini’s effort would be successful, following the rejection of Veeck’s proposed move.

On March 15, County Stadium was opened to the public for the first time. An estimated 10,000 people braved typical bad March weather and gaped in awe at the new stadium. Many dreamed of the days when it would house a major league team.

That day came three days later, when National League owners voted 8-0 to allow Perini to move the Braves. Milwaukee went wild!! Mayor Frank Zeidler announced a week of celebrations to welcome the new team, including a parade and public rally. Local businesses took out full-page ads welcoming the team to town, and offered free cleaning of uniforms, free cases of beverages and automobiles to players. Thousands of ticket requests started flooding in, before the exact schedule was even known.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

LaHair gets some pub

The Minor League update at the main Mariner site is new. Bryan LaHair ('04) is the main focus:

LaHair hit a lot of singles last spring and ended up with one of the best batting averages on the team -- .387. In some cases, that would be good enough to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

But it wasn't good enough for the 25-year-old left-handed hitter and he returned to Triple-A Tacoma.

"It probably didn't matter what I did, I wasn't going to make the team," he said.

The same thing probably is true this spring.

Yeah, there is this Sexson guy up with the big club right now. After dealing with the disappointment last year, LaHair is ready for this year.

"It didn't happen for me last year, but hopefully it will this year," he said of reaching the Major Leagues for the first time. "All I can do is go out there, work hard and prepare every day."

Also at the Minor League update are a few other bits. This one is about a potential Rattler

First-round Draft choice Phillippe Aumont, tentatively scheduled to pitch two innings in a "B" game on March 5 against the Padres, continues to impress in his first professional Spring Training camp. "He's really been a standout whenever he's thrown on the side," Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said. "The arm he has, his size of course, and the way the ball comes out of his hands. He's a young pitcher with no real experience yet, but he's been very impressive."

This is about an ex-Rattler:

Right-handed starter Cha Seung Baek is out of options, which means he must clear waivers to be sent to the Minors, but that doesn't seem to be bothering him. He pitched two scoreless innings in his Spring Training debut against the Giants.

And this is about another potential Rattler:

Greg Hunter, the Mariners' director of player personnel, is eager to see left-hander Nick Hill during Spring Training. The seventh-round Draft choice out of Army is regarded as someone that could advance through the farm system quickly.

Padres 11, Mariners 10

The M's lost 11-10 to the San Diego Padres in Cactus League action Saturday. Seattle scored twice in the top of the ninth to tie the game. But, the Padres scored in the bottom of the ninth for the win. The box score is here.

Wladimir Balentien had a pretty good day:

Balentien hit a monster shot home run off Padres reliever Enrique Gonzalez in the sixth inning, then delivered a two-run shot that tied the game at 10 in the ninth.

The rest of the ex-Rattlers in the game:
Jeff Clement ('05): 0-for-2, RBI
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-2
Rob Johnson ('05): 2-for-3, RBI
Felix Hernandez ('03): 2IP, H, 0R, BB, K
Sean White ('07): 1.2IP, 6H, 6R, (BS)
Rich Dorman ('03): 1.1IP, 0H, 0R, K

Seattle and San Diego play again this afternoon.

32 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 32 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 Scipio Africanus: The Man Who Defeated Hannibal by Ross Leicke.

I followed him back across the field where the soil I had just watered was beginning to steam in the strengthening sun. Back on to the path that wandered through the acacia bushes, the brambles and the thorns and opened out back at the well. From there we walked in silence up the street that was Secunium, shabby, dirty, poor. From such as these, I thought again, Rome’s greatness comes. She is the sum of many parts, lives lost, hearts broken, pains borne.

Put today’s excerpt in a baseball context.

Mark your calendars

March 8 -- which we hope will not be Smarch 8 ['Lousy Smarch weather] -- will be a busy day at Time Warner Cable Field.

Timber Rattlers single game tickets will go on sale at 10am Saturday, March 8^th. Free hot dogs, popcorn and soda will be available for those making a ticket purchase at Time Warner Cable Field that day.

You don't think that is all that will be going on that day, do you? Well?!? Do you?!?!

The Rattlers will also host their first annual rummage sale on Saturday, March 8^th. The sale will feature plenty of memorabilia from the Timber Rattlers & the Appleton Foxes like stadium speakers, uncut sheets of team baseball card sets and game worn items. Also for purchase, is an extremely rare autographed stand-up of Seattle Mariners superstar Ichiro Suzuki.

See you there.

Alumni News

Jay has some updates on ex-Rattlers in the Leap Day edition of the Alumni Report.

The moves involving most of the affiliated players were covered on Rattler Radio. But, Jay goes into the independent leagues and digs up this bit of information

American Association
Wichita Wingnuts agreed to terms with OF Chris Colton ('04,'05)

A Georgia native, Colton played for the Macon Music last season following his release from the Mariners.

There is more at the link, including the latest Chad Ehrnsberger trade.

This is a neat idea

The West Michigan Whitecaps and their parent club have teamed up to create an opportunity for a corporate partner and their fans.

Fans coming to Fifth Third Ballpark always have a chance to view the future of the Detroit Tigers, but starting this year, they can also relive the past. Bennigan’s and the West Michigan Whitecaps have teamed up to place four actual seats from Tiger Stadium right behind home plate in Fifth Third Ballpark.

Here is the deal:

Located behind home plate in section 117, row 9, the Bennigan’s Tigers Stadium seats are each named for a former Tiger great - Kirk Gibson, Ty Cobb, Al Kaline and Ernie Harwell. The seat packages are $80 and include tickets for all four Tiger Stadium seats and four t-shirts. Fans should note that the Tiger Stadium seats are only 17″ wide, which is smaller than regular Whitecaps box seats.

No room for Hank Greenberg?

If only there were some seats from Goodland Field still around somewhere.

Name that Mascot

The Quad Cities River Bandits are back after the long, dark twilight struggle as the SWING of the Quad Cities. They have apparently retired the orangutan mascot and brought back that lovable trashcan scavenger, the raccoon.

Go to this link for an artists rendering of how they believe the new mascot will look.

Also, this mascot does not have a name yet and they are taking suggestions over there.

My suggestion:

Rocky Raccoon checked into his room
Only to find Gideon's bible
Rocky had come equipped with a gun
To shoot off the legs of his rival
His rival it seems had broken his dreams
By stealing the girl of his fancy.
Her name was Magil and she called herself Lil
But everyone knew her as Nancy.
Now she and her man who called himself Dan
Were in the next room at the hoe down
Rocky burst in and grinning a grin
He said Danny boy this is a showdown
But Daniel was hot-he drew first and shot
And Rocky collapsed in the corner.

I think I've mentioned this before, but those lyrics sure are dark and do not match the melody at all.

Mariners 5, Giants 3

Seattle won their official Spring Training Opener 5-3 over San Francisco. Box score is HERE.

Ex-Rattlers in the game:
Raul Ibanez (Foxes '94): 1-for-2
Bryan LaHair ('04): 1-for-1, BB, RBI, 2 runs
Jeff Clement ('05): 2-for-2
Wladimir Balentien ('04): 0-for-1, BB
Matt Tuiasosopo ('05): 0-for-2, 2Ks
Cha Seung Baek ('00): 2IP, H, 0R
Ryan Rowland-Smith ('02, '03): 2IP, 2H, 0R

The M's play the San Diego Padres today.

33 Days to Opening Day

Opening Day 2008 for the Timber Rattlers is April 3. That is 33 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 150 Years of Baseball from Publications International, Ltd. Page 33 has a group of pictures from 1875 advertisements and catalogs for Peck & Snyder. The images below were found at 19thCenturyBaseball.com.

This page [at top] from the 1875 Peck & Snyder's Sporting Goods catalog presents the the style of baseball caps of the day. The catalog also had uniforms for amateur teams and "New Styles" [bottom] for the asking.

Put today's entry in a baseball context.