MARINERS NOTES:

The Mariners have won consecutive season openers for the first time since winning three in a row in 1995, '96 and '97.

Erik Bedard struck out the first batter on three consecutive strikes to start his Mariners. debut and finished with five
strikeouts on the night while only allowing three hits.

The Mariners recorded more walks (7) than hits (6) in today’s game; the Mariners only had more walks than today’s total in two games last season.

The Mariners' come-from-behind win today was the first of the season. In 2007, the Mariners were tied for the AL lead, and tied a team record with 45 comeback wins.

The sold out crowd of 46,334 fans was the ninth largest in Mariners history. The Mariners have sold out every home opener since 1996 (13 consecutive).

Jose Vidro went 0-for-3 with a walk in today’s season opener, snapping his eight-game hitting streak on opening day. He had collected a hit every opening day since 2000 and was tied for the second longest current streak on Opening Day.

Jose Lopez and Adrian Beltre combined to go 4-for-8 with a run and three RBI.

March 31 ties the earliest the Mariners have started their season, matching the 1996 and '98 seasons.

Kenji Johjima’s two walks mark the first time in his career he has been walked twice during a game.

The Mariners are now 3-5 in home openers when the roof is closed.

RANGERS NOTES
The Rangers have now lost five consecutive season openers, their last win coming on March 30, 2003 at Anaheim.

Michael Young was 1-for-17 against Erik Bedard before hitting a home run in the top of the first inning. The home run was the only extra-base-hit for the Rangers who finished with seven hits.

Kevin Millwood allowed only two unearned runs in his six innings of work in his third consecutive Opening Day assignment for Texas and the loss dropped him to 1-4 in his previous five Opening Day assignments despite a 3.86 ERA (12 ER, 28.0 IP).

Ben Broussard made his first trip back to Safeco as a Ranger and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Franklyn German’s relief appearance in the seventh inning was his first since May 9, 2006 against Atlanta.

Texas’ Kazuo Fukumori made his Major League debut in the seventh inning, retiring the first batter he faced before allowing the next four Mariners to reach base.

NEXT GAME
Texas Rangers vs. Seattle Mariners – Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 7:10 p.m. (FSN HD)

PITCHING MATCHUP: RH Vicente Padilla (6-10, 5.76 in ’07) vs. RH Felix Hernandez (14-7, 3.92 in '07).

With most games being on TV and radio, I'm not going to do constant updates, but I'm going to write things during the game, that might not be picked up TV or radio.

And other thoughts as well.

First of all, the roof will be closed for the game today.

Dave Niehaus got a standing ovation for throwing out the first pitch. He was wearing a tux, which isn't exactly Dave's style. To make matters worse it looked like his pants may fall off.

Game time temperature 50 degrees.

First pitch at 3:46 pm.

6:46 --- ahhha, huuhhh, ahhhh, THUNDER. That's right it's JJ time. I have to give Kudos to the Mariners staff, his video is even cooler than last year.

6:35 -- Weather.com says its 45 in Seattle, perhaps in places other than Safeco. The sun is out a little, but its cold, just look at my boy John McGrath...

6:21 -- after a nice piece of hitting with the double down the line, Jose Lopez has my first "what were you thinking moment" getting thrown out third trying to steal. He was in scoring position with the No. 3 hitter up. hmmmmm. I'm guessing that steal wasn't called.

6:06 - sorry for the delay, I had to finish up something for the paper. Great hustle by Beltre on that ground out to beat out the double play turn and let the go-ahead run to score. There no chance of scoring Sexson's pop up, Hamilton has one of the best arm's in the major leagues.

Here's a photo from News Tribune from the game...

5:25 --- It's officially snowing outside of Safeco Field, Wow. SEan Green is entering the game for Bedard in the sixth. Here's his line 106 pitches (59 strikes). He pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits, he walked four and struck out five.

5:01 --- Bedard's 94th pitch was clocked at 96 miles per hour. He's getting stronger as the game goes on, I wonder if he'll have a pitch limit.After all it is the first game. Also the temperature just dropped considerably as the wind is starting to come throught from left field.

4:40 -- the Seattle PI's John Hickey just got hit in the hand by a foul ball in the press box, and it hurt. It's pretty cold in here and your hands get pretty raw. and Rangers manager Ron Washington and the dugout just got issued a warning from Joyce about jawing from the bench. It's the top of the third and Bedard has thrown 77 pitches already. Joyce still refuses to give him the inside corner.

4:17-- home plate umpire Jim Joyce is a little tight with his strike zone, he's called a few pitches that looked like strikes balls, he's really not giving up that inside corner on right handers.

4:10 -- so much for this whole going deep into the game stuff, Bedard is at 32 pitches the first batter into the second inning. Paging Sean Green, Eric O'Flaherty -- you will be pitching on opening day.

3:52 --- Jose Lopez should have made that play. They ruled it a hit. I really don't get what Richie is doing there, he probably could have made the play and I think Lopez was expecting him to. Jose should know better.

3:49 -- The fan that caught Michael Young's home run off of Erik Bedard won't throw it back despite the pleas of the people in the right field stands. You gotta throw it back.

Bedard fell behind threw a 3-1 and threw a fastball, most major leaguers are going to put a good swing on it when they are sitting fastball, but a good hitter like Young, well it's pretty dangerous.

For (maybe) the final time tonight, I'll mention that I've updated Word on the Street.

I've got two more posts about fans at Safeco Field over at Word on the Street.

I've posted a link about fans at Safeco Field here. I'll be updating the Word on the Street blog throughout the day.

UPDATE 3:32 p.m. it started raining about 10 minutes after the Mariners opened the roof, now they are closing it again.

It's finally here.... decent response on the predicitions, I'm hoping for a little more. Don't be afraid to throw a few things out there. A little debate is a good thing.

A few things....

We have a full staff up here with myself, John McGrath, Dave Boling, Doug Pacey and also a "man on the street" reporter Scott Fontaine out roving amongst the fans and writing blog posts on his blog --- blogs.thenewstribune.com/street --- with pictures and updates from the fans at Safeco.

We're also coordinating with the photo/mulitmedia man Joe Barrentine back at the desk so I'll have in game photos posted as well.

Also Larry LaRue is here today but not writing. He's still recovering but made an appearance and is going to sit back and enjoy the game. He got plenty of hugs, handshakes and well wishes from the Mariner players, coaches and staff.

A few notes... the press box is packed. Opening day brings out all the media from all over the state.

Talked with Charlton Jimerson, Ryan Rowland-Smith and Mike Morse about their first opening day on a major league roster and all of them are trying to play it cool, but they are clearly excited.

Ian Kinsler is back in the Rangers lineup. He was a scratch and then decided to stay, apparently he has the flu.

It's pretty crisp here right now, but expect it cool down even more. Jose Lopez told me he'll going be without sleeves though. Erik Bedard was sporting the long black tights that he'll be wearing under his pants in the clubhouse.

Here's the schedule for the pregame activities....
Monday, March 31

Dave Niehaus, who will be inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to help get the 2008 Seattle Mariners season underway on Monday, March 31, vs. the Texas Rangers. Game time is 3:40pm. Gates open to the public at 1:40pm. Pre-game ceremonies start at 3pm. All fans through the gates will receive a 2008 Mariners schedule magnet. Fewer than 1,000 tickets remain available.

Opening Day Festivities
Opening Day activities begin with a countdown at the Home Plate Gate (corner of 1st & Edgar Martinez Drive) at 1:30pm. The pre-game program begins at 3pm. In addition to the first pitch by Dave Niehaus, other activities include:
* Pre-game musical entertainment by Henry M. Jackson High School band from Mill Creek,
* Marcus Shelton, a tenor with Seattle Opera will perform the National Anthem,
* Presentation of the flag by Whatcom County firefighters color guard,
* Presentation of Awards: Rawlings Gold Gloves to Ichiro Suzuki and Adrian Beltre; J.J. Putz, 2007 American League Rolaids Relief Man; Ted Walsh, MLB Equipment Manager of the Year,
* Delivery of the first pitch baseball, which has been on a month-long, 20-stop tour of the Northwest,
* Ceremonial first run around the bases by 10-year old Ben Comer of Renton.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler will start and hit leadoff for the Rangers instead of Ramon Vazquez.

The Mariners are 16-15 in Opening Day games.

YEAR.......OPPONENT.........RESULT
2007........A’s.............W, 4-0
2006........Angels..........L, 5-5
2005........Twins...........W, 5-1
2004........Angels..........L, 10-5
2003........at A’s..........L, 5-0
2002........White Sox.......L, 6-5
2001........A’s.............W, 5-4
2000........Red Sox.........L, 2-0
1999........White Sox.......L, 8-2
1998........Indians.........L, 10-9
1997........Yankees.........W, 4-2
1996........White Sox.......W, 3-2
1995........Tigers..........W, 3-0
1994........at Indians......L, 4-3
1993........Blue Jays.......W, 8-1
1992........Rangers.........L, 12-10
1991........Angels..........L, 3-2
1990........at Angels.......W, 7-4
1989........at A’s..........L, 3-2
1988........at A’s..........L, 4-1
1987........at Angels.......L, 7-1
1986........Angels..........W, 8-4
1985........A’s.............W, 6-3
1984........Blue Jays.......W, 3-2
1983........Yankees.........W, 5-4
1982........at Twins........W, 11-7
1981........Angels..........L, 6-2
1980........Blue Jays.......W, 8-6
1979........Angels..........W, 5-4
1978........Twins...........W, 3-2
1977........Angels..........L, 7-0

Texas Rangers (0-0):
12 Ramon Vazquez 2B
10 Michael Young SS
32 Josh Hamilton CF
9 Hank Blalock 3B
21 Milton Bradley DH
22 Marlon Byrd RF
7 David Murphy LF
15 Gerald Laird C
23 Ben Broussard 1B
----------------------------
33 Kevin Millwood RHP

Seattle Mariners (0-0):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
3 Jose Vidro DH
2 Kenji Johjima C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
45 Erik Bedard LHP

We're coming live to you from the Las Vegas airport as I await to catch a late flight back to Seattle on Sunday evening. Gambling report: (down about 600), thanks to some idiot who didn't know how to be the black jack anchor and a few hours to kill today. Sleep report: about eight hours in two days.

UPDATE: the good folks of that airline that rhymes with Who Us Care just informed me our flight is delayed. What's the over/under on the number of times I fly with said company in the future ---

First of all, since we have space and several of you who have been commenting lately, I thought we'd see who's got the best prognosticating skills. It's something fun to do. Let's not kid ourselves many of you are just as qualified and probably better suited to make these type of picks than me.

First pick each division, both AL and NL, the wild cards, the LCS winners and the World Series champs --- (mine were in the TNT's baseball special section). Also pick the MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookie of the Years, and while were at it the Richie Sexson, oh, I mean the comeback player of the year awards.

And just to have a little more fun .... here's 50 random predictions you can make (all you have to do is cut and paste these in the body of a comment). Most of these questions we can look up the answer to, so I'll even consider some sort of a prize for the person with the most right. They are just for fun and don't need to be much more than a word or two? I'll post mine in a separate post tomorrow.

1. How many wins for the Mariners?

2. How many wins for Erik Bedard?

3. How many home runs will Richie Sexon hit this year?

4. How many strikeouts will he have?

5. How many home runs for Jose Vidro?

6. How many extra base hits for Vidro?

7. How many times will Yuniesky Betancourt walk?

8. How many times will you scream "what were you thinking?" following a play by Jose Lopez?

10. Brad Wilkerson will play more or less than 125 games.

11. Ichiro Suzuki's total number of hits will be more or less than 220.

12. The over/under on Ichiro batting .340

13. The number of saves J.J. Putz will earn.

14. The number he will blow.

15. R.A. Dickey make will make his first appearance in Safeco Field before or after May 1.

16. Either Jeff Clement or Wladimir Balentien will get called up before or after the all-star break.

17. The number of times Kenji Johjima swings at the first pitch?

18. Mike Morse will start in more or less than 80 games.

19. Who will be the first player sent down to Triple A or released?

20. Will the Mariners make a major trade during the season and for what?

21. Will Carlos Silva pitch more or less than 200 innings.

22. How many times will McLaren use Willie Bloomquist, Charlton Jimerson, Morse and Miguel Cairo in the same game in the first two months of the season?

23. Will Brandon Morrow return to the Mariners bullpen or begin to work as a starter?

24. Will Richie Sexson's batting average be higher or lower than Carlos Silva's listed weight of .246 (his real weight is closer to 260)?

25. Will Sexson's average be higher or lower than Clement's listed and real weight of 215?

26. Will Clement and Balentien combine for more or less than 50 home runs for Triple A Tacoma?

27. How many times will Bedard say, "I don't know" in his first postgame interview.

28. Will Morse start more games in the outfield or the infield?

29. Will Morse start more games than Bloomquist or Cairo?

30. How many home runs will Jarrod Washburn surrender this season?

31. Will Jamie Burke have more or less than 15 extra base hits?

32. Which players will make the all-star team from the Mariners?

33. How many times will manager John McLaren get ejected?

34. Will Charlton Jimerson steal 15 bases?

35. Who will have more wins Bedard or Felix?

36. Who will have more wins Washburn or Batista?

37. Will the Mariners score more or less runs overall than their opponents?

38. Will Bedard re-sign with the Mariners during the season?

39. Will the Mariners pick up the option on Jose Vidro's contract?

40. What will Vlad Guerrero's average against the MAriners be?

41. Will he Mariners beat the Rangers more than 10 times?

42. Will Adam Jones hit higher than .265 for the Orioles?

43. Will George Sherrill have more or less than 30 saves for the Orioles?

44. How many reported emotional outbursts will Jose Guillen have with the Royals?

45. What month will be the first column written criticizing Bedard?

46. Oakland's Rich Harden will make more or less than 20 starts?

47. Will there be more or less Red Sox fans than Mariners fans during the annual Boston series at Safeco?

48. Will Carlos Triunfel be promoted to Class AA sometime during the season?

49. Phillippe Aumont have more or less than 10 wins?

50. Will there be postseason baseball games at Safeco Field?

It's a good thing I didn't make a bet on how the roster would shape out because I would have lost plenty of money like any fan who's team played Davidson in the NCAA tournament.

OK, here's what happened..... McLaren will go with an 11-man pitching staff. Greg Norton and R.A. Dickey have been sent to Triple A. In order for the Mariners to send Dickey down, they had to trade Jair Fernandez to the Minnesota Twins, since Dickey was a Rule V Draft pick up. Mike Morse, Charlton Jimerson and Cha Seung Baek are on the team.

I talked with Morse, Jimerson, Morrow, Dickey, GM Bill Bavasi and obviously McLaren.

McLaren told Morse as they walked through the casino of the HArd Rock on their way to the team bus.

Jimerson said it was all little less dramatic than he thought.

Dickey was obviously disappointed, but a true professional.

Morrow was disappointed, but admitted that he wasn't completely right with his mechanics. And he will be throwing relief not starting at West Tenn...

Here's my thoughts... I tend to agree with many of you, who think they should be begin the permanent transition of Morrow to starter now, since Lowe is obviously healthy.

Dickey was simply better than Baek this spring, but Baek was out of options and they didn't want to risk losing him.

I have no problem with keeping Jimerson and Morse both, but you need to use them. It does no good to keep them and not use them. I think part of the thinking in keeping jimerson is that Morse still isn't completely at ease defensively in the outfield, and Jimerson can be a good late game replacement.

Here's the roster ...
Here's a look at the club's current spring roster:

Pitchers (11)
45 Bedard, Erik LHP
34 Hernandez, Felix RHP
52 Silva, Carlos RHP
56 Washburn, Jarrod LHP
43 Batista, Miguel RHP

58 Baek, Cha Seung RHP
59 O'Flaherty, Eric LHP
18 Rowland-Smith, Ryan LHP
54 Green, Sean RHP
57 Lowe, Mark RHP
20 Putz, J.J. RHP

Catchers (2)
15 Burke, Jamie C
2 Johjima, Kenji C

Infielders (8)
29 Beltre, Adrian INF
5 Betancourt, Yuniesky INF
16 Bloomquist, Willie INF
13 Cairo, Miguel INF
4 Lopez, Jose INF
12 Morse, Mike INF
44 Sexson, Richie INF
3 Vidro, Jose INF

Outfielders (4)
28 Ibanez, Raul OF
25 Jimerson, Charlton OF
51 Suzuki, Ichiro OF
6 Wilkerson, Brad OF

McLaren announced that reliever Brandon Morrow and outfielder Jeremy Reed will be optioned out immediately. Morrow will be sent to Double A West Tennessee with its warmer climate, while Reed will be sent back to Triple A Tacoma for the second consecutive year.

“Morrow is just not quite ready yet,” McLaren said. “He hasn’t pitched back-to-back yet. His velocity is great, but he’s having problem with his delivery.”

Indeed, McLaren saw first hand on Thursday night in San Francisco when Morrow walked the bases loaded to start his only inning of work. And while he got out of the inning only allowing a run, he was clearly fighting with his command and his mechanics.

“We’re going to put him on a throwing program and get him where he throws back-to-back,” McLaren said. “We’ll know when he’s ready soon and I see him being back fairly soon.”

Well, I made it here finally. I just want to give a big thanks to the people of the airline that rhymes with Who Us Care? Actually, you probably save me at least 200 or 300 on the black jack table.

Also, they caused me to miss the McLaren pregame meeting, which the lovely Shannon Drayer told me "Mac didn't say anything." And apparently he didn't. But he did hint that possibly there could be roster moves tonight, but most of us don't think the final roster won't be decided till the Sunday workout.

He did say also that he doesn't see any reason why Brandon Morrow will start the season the DL. I think he makes the team.

And going by that theme, I'd lay a double down on a hundred dollar bet that the Mariners carry a 12-man rotation. Given what Morrow did last night I think you have to be a little conservative and can't run the risk of carrying just a six-man bullpen.

Here's my predictions for the bench and bullpen....

UPDATED 9:08 p.m. I just got back from the clubhouse and I was kind of glanced over at Brandon Morrow and he looked pretty upset about something I'm thinking he's going to be sent down to work on his control. He has options left and I don't know that the Mariners are comfortable with sending him out there.
So my bullpen would be: Putz, Green, O'Flaherty, Lowe, Dickey, Rowland-Smith and now Cha Seung Baek... and the Mariners could hang on to him a little longer. Or they could go with a 6-man bullpen and still let Baek go.

Also Kenji Johjima hit a three-run homer and Brad Wilkerson hit a pinch hit home run to right in the eighth inning.

Bench: Burke, Bloomquist, Cairo and Morse. At no point this spring has Mac ever intimated that Cairo might not make the squad.

Bullpen: Putz, O'Flaherty, Green, Morrow, Dickey, Lowe and Rowland-Smith

Let's get to the game.....

That's the Las Vegas mayor getting ready to throw out his first pitch. Some politicians travel with armed security, this guy travels two shows girls and the world's largest martini, (hint one of the girls is holding it) not that any of you are notcing it.

UPDATE 7:26: Jose Lopez just hit a solo home run, also the game is being televised on WGN if you have that station. Adrian Beltre just went deep to opposite field for a two-run homer... and Mike Morse doubled. The wind is blowing out so there could be some runs scored tonight. Right now, Lou Piniella wants to take a sip of the Mayor's martini...

UPDATE 7:48 P.M. -- A moment of silence and a raise of a beer in sadness, the gritty Chris Snelling was outrighted by the Phillies today. He's one of the good guys in baseball and injuries have totally derailed his career and .... Unbelievable double play by Betancourt and Lopez. Betancourt went up the middle made a nice stab on a ball up the middle, flipped it with his glove to Lopez who then threw out Mark DeRosa.

UPDATE 8 p.m. Jose Lopez ripped a single right and then Raul Ibanez followed with a homer to right that went in between the legs of the giant inflatable cow atop the right field wall. Lou is looking for a refill on that giant martini

UPDATE 8:24 Alfonso Soriano hit a 450-foot ball foul down the left field line, and then on next pitch hit one over the inflatable cow in right field.

UPDATE 8:44 Mike Morse hit monster home run deep to left field in the sixth inning. I don't know how he can't make this team, but then again these are the Mariners....

Here's tonight's lineups... the Mariners are the visitors
Seattle
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
12 Mike Morse RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
3 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
52 Carlos Silva P

Chicago
2 Ryan Theriot SS
12 Alfonso Soriano LF
25 Derrek Lee 1B
16 Aramis Ramirez 3B
1 Kosuke Fukudome RF
7 Mark DeRosa 2B
18 Geovany Soto C
20 Felix Pie CF
30 Ted Lilly P

Alright, I'm sitting here in the San Francisco airport, since my flight this morning to Vegas was cancelled.

I'm not going to name air line, but it rhymes with Few S Care. It's also the same airline that will be charging people 25 bucks for checking in a second bag, starting in May. Needless to say, I won't be flying Pew S. Hair, anymore.

I've gotten a few questions from some people that I plan on answering, and no I won't be doing it on video. No need to frighten people with my massive cranium on video.

Here's one final thought before I get on the plane, no doubt stuck to a 400-pound man who reeks of garlic and body odor, .... If you were picking the Mariners remaining bench spots and bullpen spots, who would you choose and why? Feel free to post, it and I'm interested in your opinion. Also start thinking about making your predictions for the season and we'll have a separate post for that.

For Snydro, I wasn't in Peoria this morning to see the game or meet with McLaren, I flew out this morning at 7 a.m. and got to San Fran around nine. Like some of the other writers, I'm trying to finish up some stuff for our special baseball preview that kind of took precedent over blogging at the time, plus I knew I'd be blogging from the game. It's not a question of being lazy, it's a matter of prioritizing.

Anyway, I posted some pictures of AT&T Park. I have to say it's one of the cooler parks I've ever been to. If you look closely there is no signs that Barry Bonds ever played here. No signs. No pictures. Nothing.

UPDATE 10:47Update 9:40 Brandon Morrow tried to pitch his way to Tacoma and then back into the Seattle bullpen in one inning. I think there is some concern about his location. The velocity is good, but can McLaren really afford to run him out there with the possiblity of a repeat performance happening.

UPDATE 8:59
Michael Saunders with his first hit of the spring. I like the kid. I watched him play in AAA game earlier and he looked pretty good. A guy that big shouldn't be able to move that fast.
UPDATE 8:53
Dickey is done for the night. He allowed one hit and struck out two batters and never had a runner reach second. I wonder what I'll be writing about. I think this performance just locked his spot in the pen. It's hard to argue.

UPDATE 8:24
I know he's a professional athlete,, and I am not, but I guarantee you I am faster than Bengie Molina, even with the Molina-esque 14 pounds I've packed on this spring. It's like watching an ambling Yak waddling to first base.

UPDATE 8:18
Yuni obviously likes Matt Cain's pitching because he just hit a three-run bomb. Ichiro does not like Cain so much having struck out twice.

I talkled with Jamie Burke before the game and he was pretty concerned with how much Dickey's knuckleball was going to move. He was constantly working that "knuckleball" glove, which is basically a fastpitch' softball catchers glove in.

"Yeah I'm worried, you have no idea what that thing is going to do with the wind," Burke said. "But that's how it's going to be the rest of the year."

Also I talked with Mark Lowe about his last outing the other day. The last three pitches he threw were 95, 95 and 96 to strike out a hitter.

"I'm telling you I felt that good all spring," he said. "The velocity has gone up the more I throw and the stronger my arm gets. I feel great."

UPDATE 7:44
Isn't that sequence with Yuni precisely the reason people get frustrated. He rocks a double off of Cain, who at that point had been pretty much dealing (both Wilkerson and Burke's hits were pretty meek) and then you see his speed and his baserunning ability, scoring on the error. At some point he has to stop swinging at pitches at his eyes or at his ankles. Doesn't he?

Also it doesn't look like it's moving as much on TV, but sitting behind home and pretty low (sweet press box here) you can see that knuckle ball moving like crazy.

UPDATED 7:29 --- Dickey just picked off Fred Lewis on a sweet move to first. No problem with conversation Snydro. I know you're a die-hard NEws Tribune blog reader so your criticism is expected and justified.

I got some quotes from the McLaren press conference this morning, thanks to Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald.

A few things.

* He didn't say Morrow might stay back, but he didn't say Morrow is going either.He was asked whether Morrow was on the team and McLAren answered: "We’re trying to see where we are with him."

* Here's what McLaren said about the fourth outfielder.
"I think we’re pretty close there. Not close enough to give you a name."
But Mac it's so easy to say, "Mike Morse." Isn't it.

* Here's his thoughts on how the AL West is looking.
"We have a tough division. The Angels been at the top for a few years and they’re the team to beat. That’s our goal, to get them. Along with the Rangers andOakalnd. We’r enot taking anyteam lightly. Texas can swing the bat, there’s no doubt about that. The Angels are the Angels. They play all-out baseball all the time. But I thnk with our upgraded pitching, we’r eclosing the gap rapidly. If we can have some guys come back and have their type of years, we’re going to be in great shape."

Lineups
Mariners at Giants (San Francisco, CA)
March 27, 2008

51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibanez (L) LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
12 Mike Morse 3B
15 Jamie Burke C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
41 R.A. Dickey RHP

San Francisco Giants
14 Fred Lewis LF
5 Ray Durham 2B
2 Randy Winn RF
1 Bengie Molina C
33 Aaron Rowand CF
35 Rich Aurilia 1B
12 Jose Castillo 3B
29 Brian Bocock SS
18 Matt Cain RHP

There's pretty much no way I could write that headline without drawing smirks or comments from people so why even bother.

Here's the release from the Mariners...

PEORIA, Ariz. - Seattle Mariners Director of Player Development Greg Hunter announced today that catcher Wei Wang has been assigned to the High Desert (A) Mavericks club in the California League.

Wang, who was signed as a non-drafted free agent on June 20, 2007, will report to High Desert for the start of the season.

The Mariners have also already granted permission for Wang to re-join the Chinese National Team this year, when requested.

Wang has 10 years of professional experience in China, and has been the starting catcher for the Chinese National Team since 2002.

Sorry if picture is a little blurry, but that's the phenom Carlos Triunfel playing shortstop for the Mariners. He looks pretty good in a SEattle uniform doesnt' he?

On the first ball that was hit to him, he made an unbelievable stab of a bouncing ball up the middle, wheeled around a delivered to a seed to Richie Sexson at first to get Mark Teahan. I had actually ran down to sit on the first base side so I saw it quite well. It was a big-time play, and I swear you could hear the ball hissing on its way to first.

In his first at-bat, Triunfel smoked a ball to center that was good enough for a sacrifice fly.

As expected LHP Ryan Feierabend was optioned to Triple A Tacoma this afternoon. Feierabend pretty much knew it was coming with all of the signings this season.

No word yet on Reitsma. Again none of the stuff involving him, Rhodes, Corcoran and Hulett have not been officially gone through, but might become official tonight or tomorrow.

* Also as the title said, Angels' starter Kelvim Escobar could be done for the season, and possibly his career.

* Even scarier news out for the Angels is that special assistant to the general manager Preston Gomez was hit by a car while walking.

* The Angels also still have questions about their infield.

* The A's picked up their first win of the seaosn. Rich Harden looked good for the opener. No word if he injured himself using chopsticks in his postgame meal.

* Here's the game notebook from the SF Chronicle.

* The Royals are still awaiting to find out if Jose Guillen can get out of his suspension.

* Jason Botts has the made Rangers, which might not be good for former Mariner Ben Broussard.

* Kevin Mench - the man with a size 8 head, will not be making the Rangers..

* Here's some more about the Canseco book and his accusations leveled at A-rod and Magglio Ordonez.

And we move a little closer to determining the Mariners bullpen for opening day.

Manager John McLaren said this morning that Arthur Rhodes and Chris Reitsma will not be be making the team out of spring training.

"We've talked to Arthur Rhodes and told him he's not going to break camp with us," McLaren said. "Our thoughts are we are going to take him Vegas have him continue his throwing program and work some back-to-back games in."

As for Reitsma?

"We've talked to Reitsma and asked him to do the same thing and he's going to go home and think about it?," McLaren said. "He's not sure what he wants to do right now. We're hopeful he does want to continue."

Besides those two, McLaren said he also talked with RHP Roy Corcoran and IF Tug Hulett and informed they will be sent down to minor league camp.

Officially none of the players has been reassigned and no roster moves have been made. McLaren only informed them of what is going to happen.

UPDATE: Neither Reitsma or Rhodes had minor league options in their deals. They have to accept minor league assignments or retire (or at least not play this year.

Really this didn't come as too much of a surprise to the people down here. Neither pitcher has yet to throw in back-to-back games this spring, and that's something that McLaren felt vital. With Brandon Morrow still limited, there was no way he could take two, or really even one, more reliever that might be limited in some way.

"We don't want to put ourselves in the position where we have too many pitchers that we have to take extra caution with and paint ourselves in our corner," McLaren said. "Why you gotta be cautious with three or four guys, you're asking for trouble and that happened to us last year."

McLaren still wouldn't commit to an 11- or 12-man pitching staff at this point, but the guess down here is that he'll go with 12 to stay on the safe side.

Basically, that leaves...

Mark Lowe, Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Cha Seung Baek, R.A. Dickey for the four remaining spots ... so that means either Baek or Dickey because Rowland-Smith has thrown well all spring and there is a need for a second left-hander in the pen.

If and when Rhodes gets healthy, he'd probably move into the bullpen and they'd send Rowland-Smith down. Remember Rhodes' target date for a comeback was supposed to May 1st.

McLaren said there could be more moves made on Thursday. But his goal of getting his 25-man roster before the team heads to San Francisco.

"I don't think so, but we're going to be very close," McLaren said.

Here's today's lineups
Mariners at Royals
March 26, 2008

Seattle Mariners (10-15-2):
16 Willie Bloomquist LF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
3 Joes Vidro (S) DH
44 Richie Sexson 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
8 Jeremy Reed (L) CF
12 Mike Morse 3B
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
45 Erik Bedard LHP

Kansas City Royals (15-11):
2 Joey Gathright CF
15 Mark Grudzielanek 2B
24 Mark Teahen LF
11 Jose Guillen RF
16 Billy Butler DH
21 Miguel Olivo C
7 Ross Gload 1B
26 Jason Smith 3B
1 Tony Pena, Jr. SS
----------------------------
55 Gil Meche RHP

We're coming to you live from the press box at Surprise Stadium where the temperature is 82 degrees at first pitch at 7:07 p.m.

Here's my story from today's paper on Mark Lowe....

* Let's not screw around here and get to the bigger news. Angels starter Kelvim Escobar was shut down a week into his throwing program after feeling more discomfort in his throwing shoulder... It says that Escobar's return is now early June, but I bet its about mid to late June.

* This isn't the only injury issues for the Angels. Outfielder Gary Matthews twisted his ankle the other day, and that's caused some issues. He's day-to-day.

* Here's the SF Chronicle's game story on the A's 6-5 loss to the REd Sox. I think they're playing the second game right now as we speak.

* The Rangers haven't decided to do with Marlon Byrd yet.

* Signing John Patterson isn't a risk for them because, well, their starting pitching is terrible.

* Here's SI's Tom Verducci's season picks.... he does not pick the Mariners to win the AL West.

* Apparently Jose Canseco said he introduced A-Rod to steroids. I wonder if he also introduced him to choking in the clutch.

And because I love youtube and thought it was cool, I couldn't help but post Kansas City's Joey Gathright jumping over a pitcher the other day.

Why because the guy can jump over a car.....

Brandon Morrow sat in front of his locker with a somewhat disgusted look on his face. Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus approached him and asked, "how'd it go today?"

Morrow didn't hesitate. "I got shelled," he said flatly.

And to be fair, Morrow did get shelled, raked, knocked around or any other baseball vernacular that would describe giving up a plethora of hits and runs.

Morrow, who was pitching against the Texas Rangers Triple A team, faced seven hitters and recorded just one out, giving up five runs on four hits and walked two hitters. The inning never actually ended with three outs, after the triple both teams just switched.

"It was a tough one," Morrow said. "Definitely frustrating."

Morrow looked to have very good velocity with his fastball but just not the command. He immediately put himself in trouble by walking the first two hitters. Bu

"I was hitting my spots in the bullpen," Morrow said. "I felt good in the bullpen."

And part of the problem might have been the mound. On that field, it seems every pitcher that's thrown on there regardless if they are major leaguer or minor leaguer has complained about the height of the mound and severe steep.

"It's completely different than the bullpen mound," said Ryan Rowland-Smith, who threw before Morrow and also walked the first hitter he faced.

Morrow admitted the mound bothered him and was causing him to miss down.

"It seems like it's a foot higher," he said. "I don't want to make any excuses but since you brought it up, that's why I felt like I was missing down in the beginning of the game. It felt like where your foot was supposed to land it would fall another three or four inches. It's tough to get used to."

As for what he will do next, Morrow wants to throw again this spring.

"I'd like to get in another game," he said. "I guess that would be in San Francisco."

So what does it mean??????

Well, if the Mariners decide to keep Morrow on the team to start the season, I don't think there is any way they can go with an 11-man rotation. It just doesn't make sense to shorthand themselves, especially since Morrow hasn't thrown on back-to-back days yet this spring and Mel Stottlemyre made it sound like he wouldn't for another few weeks.

So of the seven bullpen spots, we know that J.J. Putz, Eric "Pototaoes" O'Flaherty (that's Geoff Baker's nickname) and Sean Green are in. So that leaves Morrow, Mark Lowe, Chris Reitsma, Arthur Rhodes, R.A. Dickey, Cha Seung Baek, Ryan Rowland-Smith to fill those four spots. I'll have a breakdown on them a little later...

Mariners at Rangers
March 25, 2008

Seattle Mariners (10-14-2):
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibañez (L) LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
3 Jose Vidro (S) DH
15 Jamie Burke C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
43 Miguel Batista RHP

Additional Pitchers:
20 J.J. Putz RHP
33 Chris Reitsma RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP

Texas Rangers (14-10-2):
5 Ian Kinsler 2B
10 Michael Young SS
32 Josh Hamilton (L) CF
9 Hank Blalock (L) 3B
21 Milton Bradley (S) RF
27 Frank Catalanotto (L) DH
7 David Murphy (L) LF
2 Adam Melhuse (S) C
23 Ben Broussard (L) 1B
----------------------------
14 Kazuo Fukumori RHP

Additional Pitchers:
43 Kameron Loe RHP
50 Frank Francisco RHP
54 Franklyn German RHP
58 Wes Littleton RHP
59 Josh Rupe RHP

Here's my story from today on the bullpen situation, specifically Brandon Morrow's progress.... I honestly don't think there is any way the Mariners don't carry seven pitchers in the bullpen at this point. There is still some level of uncertainty about how much he can pitch early on, and whether he can go in back-to-back games. You could get away with keeping him in the bullpen still if you had the extra guy in the pen.

That's why it doesn't seem like Arthur Rhodes will make the team out of spring. They simply can't rely on him at this point, and he hasn't thrown enough down here to determine whether he's sharp enough to pitch in the regular season. In the spots where the Mariners would need Rhodes, you don't want him to be still trying to find location or building velocity.

Here's my story from Sunday on McLaren not being happy with the way his team is playing....

He said today he wants his team to make a little push and go into the season playing better than it has the past week.

Other links of note...
Here's a piece on George Sherrill from the Sporting News.

* Here's a good story from SI on the DH and how it shaped baseball..

* The Orioles are still trying put together a trade for Brian Roberts. It's taking almost as long as the Bedard deal.

Let's check around the AL West
* Vlad Guerrero isn't sold on DHing too much for the Angels.
* The Angels' competition for shortstop is still going.

* The Rangers are so pitching-starved they signed John Patterson. No word on if Ho-Ram signed with anybody yet, but I hear the Bellingham Bells need some pitching.

* Mike Sweeney made the Oakland A's roster
* Eric Chavez has been shut down for the time being.

* Here's some good preview stuff on the A's from the San Francisco Chronicle.
* Including a position-by-position breakdown.

* The Rangers felt their victory over the Mariners the other day was a breakthrough win.

White Sox at Mariners
March 24, 2008

Chicago White Sox (9-15-3):
38 Pablo Ozuna 2B
10 Alexei Ramirez CF
25 Jim Thome DH
14 Paul Konerko 1B
30 Nick Swisher LF
24 Joe Crede 3B
5 Juan Uribe SS
32 Brian Anderson RF
44 Toby Hall C
----------------------------
52 Jose Contreras RHP

Additional Pitchers:
53 D.J. Carrasco RHP
57 Boone Logan LHP

Seattle Mariners (9-14-2):
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibanez (L) LF
44 Richie Sexson DH
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
3 Jose Vidro (S) 1B
2 Kenji Johjima C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
56 Jarrod Washburn LHP

Additional Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
33 Chris Reitsma RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
53 Arthur Rhodes LHP
57 Mark Lowe RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP

The Mariners trimmed their roster to 35 as outfielder Wladimir Balentien and catcher Rob Johnson were optioned to Triple-A Tacoma, while Jake Woods, who signed a minor-league contract and came in as a non-roster invitee, was optioned to the minor-league camp and will be reassigned, most likely to Tacoma.

None of the three was much of a surprise. If the Mariners didn't want Jeff Clement sitting the bench in the big leagues, they weren't going to have Balentien doing so either.

"He needs to play every day," McLaren said. "He's a young kid learning the strike zone and we want him playing every day. It doesn't serve any purpose ... to me he mirrors Clement. We don't want those guys sitting around as extra players. We want them playing on a regular basis, and if we need him, he'll be ready."

This spring, Balentien appeared in 20 games, hitting .319 (15-for-47) with six doubles, three home runs and nine RBI. More importantly, he only struck out seven times.

As has been well documented in the past, Balentien struggled with strikeouts, but they've gone down each of his three seasons: 2005 (160), 2006 (140), 2007 (105).

"I want to be under this season," he said a few weeks back. "I've got them down every year."

He also understood that the possibility of going back to Triple A was a distinct possibility.

"I don't have no problem with that if that's what they want me to do," he said. "I'll just go to Tacoma and try to do what they want me to do, have success."

McLaren liked what he saw this spring and hopes it will improve.

"He used the whole field, showed some power. I want him working on his defense, trying to steal a few bases, try and improve on his all-around game. I like Balentien a lot. I told you all coming into camp when we made this Adam Jones trade that a lot of our people thought he had a higher ceiling than Adam. With that said, he's going to go down there and play every day and keep working on his game."

Quietly under the radar amid all the talk about Jeff CLement, Johnson made serious strides this sprign at the plate.

He hit .385 (5-for-13) in limited action. But he had changed his approach at the plate. Last season in Tacoma, his stance was spread more and he was taking a defensive-type swing, hitting mostly singles. This year, he's standing more upright, has shortened his stance and is trying to drive the ball with authority.

"I'm a big guy and I needed to start hitting like one," he said. "I feel so much comfortable and free in the batter's box."

Defensively, Johnson is major-league ready right now.

"I've seen a lot of improvement with him," McLaren said. "If he hits, he's going to be an everyday player for 10 years. If his bat doesn't come, he'll probably back up for 10 years. We like him a lot. He's got a nice feature any way you equate it.

I talked with Rainiers manager Daren Brown, who said Johnson and Clement will platoon behind the plate and DH for Tacoma much as they did last season.

Woods' demotion wasn't much of a surprise. He was vying for the long-relief spot and became the odd man out with Ryan Rowland-Smith, Cha Seung Baek and R.A. Dickey also competing. But McLaren liked what he saw from him.

"I see him as a reliever myself," McLaren said. "Then again, left-handers can do just about anything given the opportunity. I thought he threw much better this spring. He is on the radar screen and we'll be watching him closely."

*Updates in progress

Brandon Morrow threw one inning of rehab work. He allowed a single to right and then retired the next three hitters in a row. He threw 12 pitches, seven of which were strikes. Nine of the 12 pitches were fastballs and three were sliders.

"It was a good inning. I didn’t want to stay out there and labor too long. I felt strong," Morrow said.

As for being ready for opening day, Morrow seemed pretty confident.

"I didn’t take too long to warm up," he said. "I warmed up the one half-inning before that, which is normally the time they would give you. I didn’t baby it too much. The effort level was pretty good; I didn’t feel like I was holding anything back."

Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre anticipates Morrow will pitch again on Tuesday either against the Rangers in Suprise or in another minor league game.

Here's some news out of Tempe, Angels set-up man Scott Shields has been shut down with a sore arm and might not be ready for opening day.... that make Kelvim Escobar, John Lackey and now Shields all ailing. The Mariners must take advantage of this early in the regular season.

Anyway Morrow is throwing soon .... And I will be there. OK I just got back from the minor league fields and the game isn't till 1 p.m. We were misinformed. So I am going to skip the first part of today's game in Tempe to stay and watch Morrow pitch.

Why?

Because if we were going to have any idea of how this bullpen is going to shape up before opening day, Morrow's progress is key to helping determine that.

Two weeks ago, the bullpen seemed to be the least of manager John McLaren's problems. And now there's a certain level of uncertainess with Morrow being shut down for a few days with a "tired arm." With a healthy Morrow, you had the eighth inning set up guy locked in. Without him, things get a little tricky. You could use Sean Green there, but who's going to fill Green's role as a guy that comes in earlier and usually in dicey situations to get groundballs? At this point, McLaren still can't pencil in Chris Reitsma or Mark Lowe, who are coming back from offseason surgeries.

I'll try and break down the bullpen a little more today....

A few quick notes ....
* Morrow and Silva will throw in the minor leauge game to avoid having to pitch against AL West Rival the Los Angeles Angels.

* Richie Sexson is out today with a sore right shoulder. Sexson has bursitis in his shoulder that he developed from sleeping on it wrong. Trainier Rick Griffin gave him an injection to ease the discomfort --- we're not sure what it was, we're waiting to find out. My guess, as a person who dealt with nasty tendonitis in his elbow, is that it's probably cortisone.

* McLaren said the team has kind of hit a rough spot of spring training where the players are looking are tired of spring games and are looking forward toward the regular season.

No, it's not what you think. Felix Hernandez and J.J. Putz pitched in the minor league game today in order to avoid pitching against the Texas Rangers....

Putz looked pretty sharp. He gave up a home run to Josh Womack to lead off the the first inning, but then settled in to finish the inning. In the second inning Putz recorded three quick outs, but stayed out there to reach his pitch count, getting two more outs in the prolonged inning. His final numbers were 2 2/3 inning pitched, one run, two hits, and five strikeouts.

Felix didn't have quite as sharp an outing. He pitched six innings, allowing seven hits, five runs (four earned) and a walk, but he did strike out 10 hitters, including Matt Tuiasosopo three times and Jeff Clement twice.

He was pretty much on cruise control until the fifth inning, when he gave up four hits, including a lead-off home run to Bryan LaHair and a deep double to Mike Wilson. But in typical fashion, he struck out the final five hitters he faced in the outing.

A few notes ...
Willie Bloomquist was taking swings in the minor league game, including cuts off of J.J. and Felix. After J.J. gave up the home run to Womack, Willie started teasing J.J. about being the No. 1 closer in fantasy baseball.

Putz got his revenge, striking out Bloomquist on a nasty 3-2 split-finger – Bloomquist was about a foot out in front of it, and a foot over the top of with his swing.

Manager John McLaren, who was on hand observing, couldn't help but tease Bloomquist. Not surprisingly, Bloomquist said nothing.

Also, they had LaHair playing left field in the game. It's a position he played on occasion early in his career.

John McLaren and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre have some tough decisions to make in the coming days.

John McLaren's face had a worn and tired look this morning. It's clear that the roster decisions he has to make in the coming week are weighing heavily on his and his staff's minds. But then, so are the other issues: lack of situational hitting, injuries and the high expectations for this team.

The first question will be whether he goes with an 11-man or 12-man pitching staff. And there are plenty of variables in making that decision.

"We know what we’ve got in our starting pitching," he said. "We want to see what we’ve got in the bullpen - the three rehab guys, how Morrow is. It all plays into the equation."

And the equation can't really be solved until the factors of the equation are in place... meaning Brandon Morrow, Chris Reitsma, Mark Lowe and Arthur Rhodes have to go from rehabbing to reliable.

"There’s still a lot of competition in the bullpen," McLaren said. "There’s a lot of thought over what we need to do there. There’s the rehab guys, Morrow, who can do what, who can’t do what. We’re going to have to sort this out a little at a time and see where we are. We don’t want to paint ourselves into a corner with innings available in the bullpen. We’ve got to look at the big picture and see what we’ve got to do to protect ourselves."

Morrow is scheduled to throw in a game Sunday. He isn't on the list of pitchers going to Tempe to play the Angels, so most likely he'll join Carlos Silva in the minor league games in Peoria.

But McLaren made it clear they aren't going to rush Morrow back just to make the regular season. They want to err on the side of caution.

"We’re looking for opening day, but you’ve got to look at the big picture. We certainly don’t want to rush anybody just to come out March 31," McLaren said. "If he breaks down Week 1 or Week 2, we haven’t accomplished one thing. We haven’t accomplished anything as an organization and it sure isn’t helping our players. That’s a definite consideration."

And all this needs to be sorted out in the next five days, because McLaren hopes to have the roster in place before leaving for the San Francisco-Las Vegas road trip. But of course he knows that isn't a guarantee.

"I don’t know what we can do over the weekend that we won’t know by the middle of the week," McLaren said. "I just don’t know what a weekend series in Vegas playing the slot machines will do for us. We should know when we hit that plane exactly where we are."

But then he dropped in this nugget that raised a few eyebrows....

"Unless there’s something going on with one of these guys - Dickey, the Rule 5 guy, if we’ve got a deal going for one of our guys who’s out of options," he said. "That may push us back, but I’d like to be set when we hit that plane. I don’t know that we can do that, but that would be my goal."

Hmmmmm..... a DEAL? Maybe the competition for the last few bench spots might have a new player in the mix. GM Bill Bavasi hasn't been shy about late add ons from the waiver wire – think Jason Ellison from last season, or possibly a trade. For the record, the players who are out of options are: Mike Morse, Charlton Jimerson and Cha Seung Baek.

Rangers at Mariners
March 22, 2008

Texas Rangers (12-9-2):
5 Ian Kinsler 2B
28 Kevin Mench LF
10 Michael Young SS
9 Hank Blalock (L) 3B
21 Milton Bradley (S) DH
22 Marlon Byrd RF
29 Jason Botts (S) 1B
7 David Murphy (L) CF
15 Gerald Laird C
----------------------------
64 Eric Hurley RHP

Additional Pitchers:
36 C.J. Wilson LHP
45 Jamey Wright RHP
53 Joaquin Benoit RHP
58 Wes Littleton RHP
59 Josh Rupe RHP

Seattle Mariners (9-12-2):
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibanez (L) RF
44 Richie Sexson DH
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
10 Greg Norton (S) 1B
12 Mike Morse RF
15 Jamie Burke C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
31 Ryan Feierabend LHP

Additional Pitchers:
33 Chris Reitsma RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
53 Arthur Rhodes LHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP

Thought I'd post a few pictures from earlier since I got a chance to wander around a little.

A quick game update, the Mariners are down 2-0 after Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer left-center off of Erik Bedard.

Here's why I gained 14 pounds since I've been here. I highly recommend the Chicken Gyro, or the barbecued chicken or the teriyaki bowl.

George Brett, enough said.

It's Jose Guillen and M's hitting coach Jeff Pentland.

"Brothers don't shake hands, brothers gotta hug."

Royals at Mariners
March 21, 2008

Kansas City Royals (11-10):
9 David DeJesus (L) CF
13 Alberto Callaspo (S) 2B
4 Alex Gordon (L) 3B
11 Jose Guillen RF
16 Billy Butler DH
24 Mark Teahen (L) LF
7 Ross Gload (L) 1B
1 Tony Pena, Jr SS
12 Matt Tupman (L) C
----------------------------
55 Gil Meche RHP

Additional Pitchers:
45 Ron Mahay LHP
48 Joakim Soria RHP
27 Yasuhiko Yabuta RHP
66 Chin-Hui Tsao RHP
46 Leo Nunez RHP

Seattle Mariners (9-11-2):
13 Miguel Cairo SS
3 Jose Vidro (S) 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
44 Richie Sexson DH
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
50 Wladimir Balentien CF
2 Kenji Johjima C
12 Mike Morse LF
23 Tug Hulett (L) 2B
----------------------------
45 Erik Bedard LHP

Additional Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
54 Sean Green RHP
57 Mark Lowe RHP

Alright I wanted to get some stuff up this morning, but got a little sidetracked by some NFL happenings with the Seahawks, like Mike Morse, I am all about versatility.

Speaking of Mr. Morse, last night's debacle in right field didn't help his chances of making the club. For those of you who didn't see, Morse badly misplayed two shallow fly balls late in the game costing the Mariners a run.

"I'm concerned," said manager John McLaren. "We're no closer to finalizing that extra bench position or two than we were two weeks ago."

With the way Morse has been swinging the bat this spring, he seemed like a lock to make the team. But McLaren seemed very resolute about it still being an open competition this morning.

"We're having meeting after this about it, and we debated last night after the game," McLaren said.

Obviously Morse isn't going to win or lose the job based on one game. And I will say that he has looked serviceable in the outfield, but he is not as good as Charlton Jimerson, Wladimir Balentien or Jeremy Reed, who have been playing the position for many years. Morse still looks like an infielder trying to make the transition.

Special instructor Jay Buhner talked with Morse briefly about last night and McLaren said he was going to work with him some today.

"Buhner had a few moments out in the twilight zone last year," McLaren said.

But the Morse talk isn't really what fired up McLaren. It was when we brought up last night's failure to score a run with bases loaded and no outs in the top of the 10th.

All spring, McLaren has preached to us and to his players about being better hitters situationally, particularly with a runner at third and less than two outs. But in the last week, Seattle has floundered in those situations.

"It was our Achilles heel last year and I still see signs of it," McLaren said. "If we're going to be a good ball club you can't leave runners stranded at third base with less than two outs. It just can't happen."

Part of the problem is the mixture of hitters. You have guys like Jose Vidro and Ichiro who are a little more patient in that situation and then you have hackers like Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Lopez, who seem to almost get overexcited in the box in those situations.

"We got a little bit of everything there," McLaren said.

And the more we talked about it, the more irritated McLaren got...

"It's something we talked about a lot. We talked about not doing too much, trying to hit sacrifice flies to center," McLaren said.

And from there he issued a bit of an ultimatum.

"We will pinch hit for these guys if they're not getting the job done," he said. "We have confidence that they can, But if we keep leaving runners out there, we're going to have consider other options."

It seems all spring that the fallback answer is always, "well, it's spring training." But the season is in sight and McLaren knows that excuse just isn't cutting it.

"I certainly don't think we can just get to March 31st and turn it on, turn the light switch on," McLaren said. "You gotta have a game plan. And that's what we've been preaching. Get a $?% damn game plan and let's go."

I wanted to post the links later in the day, just because with the lineups, the posts get pretty long. That and I had to stop and desperately hope that Duke would lose to Belmont. Seriously, that was the best inbounds play they had to run with four seconds left --- throw it in the middle and hope.

Anyway let's get to some links ...

Here's my notebook from yesterday about Jeff Clement and a few others getting optioned to Triple A Tacoma. I guess on the bright side for you South Sounders, the Rainiers squad could be pretty decent with Clement, LaHair, Tuiasosopo, Kiger, White, Huber, Jimenez and others.

Here's a nice story on Aussie Ryan Rowland-Smith that ran in the Sydney paper.

Here's some stuff on the Ms from USA Today.

The Mariners are trying to make a push to please fans and generate more in the Portland area.

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick has this story about Adam Jones.... for everyone who's met him, easily sees that Jones is a pretty genuine guy, here's a nice column by Roch Kubatko showing one reason why.

It appears the ageless Jamie Moyer is ready for yet another year in the big leagues...

Since it is spring training and MArch Madness, here's a story on former Wazzu athlete Mark Hendrickson going from hoops to baseball.

While we're on Washington natives, Moses Lake grad Ryan Doumit (and I believe Willie Bloomquist's cousin) feels better this spring after dropping a little weight.

Well, at least Rafael Soriano had a rough outing too.

ANAHEIM ANGELS
The Angels have Torii Hunter and Vlad Guerrero battling nagging injuries, but nothing too serious according to MLB.com. Garrett Anderson said he isn't too worried about it.

There might have been more injuries thanks to this clubhouse joke that went wrong and led to some harsh feelings.

Pitcher Nick Adenhart, one of the Angels top prospects, is making a push for one of the open spots.

OAKLAND A's

Lost in all the commotion of the REd Sox mini-protest yesterday was the fact that the Oakland A's were also caught up in all of the same issues. Mike Sweeney thinks the A's are going to have a good team -- of course he would know having played on those dominant Royals teams of recent years.

TEXAS RANGERS
Apparently practical jokes are helping the Rangers team chemistry, no word if it actually helps their pitching. I'm guessing no. Kason Gabbard started in a minor league game and made some progress.

A quick update-- I'll be doing a "linkage" post later...

The Mariners made two roster moves after last night's game, reassigning third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo and pitcher Phillip Barzilla to minor league camp.

Down on the minor league field....
Jeff Clement was 3-for-3 with a HR, 2 2B and 4 RBI as Tacoma beat Oklahoma (Texas AAA) 9-3...RHP Andy Baldwin threw 4.0 scoreless IP, allowing 1 H and striking out 4...Bryan LaHair (2x3, 2B, RBI), Yung Chi Chen (2x5, 2B), Kevin Witt (2x4, 2B, RBI) and Shawn Garrett (2x5, RBI) also recorded multi-hit games.

A few notes from the afternoon meeting with John McLaren...
Brandon Morrow looked strong in his bullpen yesterday and feels good today. He'll have one more side session and then throw in a game in about three days. McLaren anticipated that Morrow would be fine and ready for the season.

Jose Lopez will bat in the No. 2 spot again tonight as McLAren continues to move Jose Vidro around, this time batting him fifth, and he'll play first since there is no DH tonight and Richie Sexson has a sore shoulder.

Lopez did show some restraint last night batting second and even had a few good at-bats. But whether he could ever consistently do that remains to be seen.

Mariners at Padres
March 20, 2008

Seattle Mariners (9-11-1):
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibañez (L) LF
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
3 Jose Vidro (S) 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
15 Jamie Burke C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
43 Miguel Batista RHP

Additional Pitchers:
41 R.A. Dickey RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP

San Diego Padres (10-9-1):
24 Brian Giles (L) RF
10 Tadahito Iguchi 2B
5 Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B
23 Adrian Gonzalez (L) 1B
3 Khalil Greene SS
33 Jody Gerut (L) LF
12 Scott Hairston CF
28 Josh Bard C
57 Justin Germano RHP

Additional Pitchers:
21 Heath Bell RHP
41 Kevin Cameron RHP
51 Trevor Hoffman RHP
59 Jared Wells RHP

Sorry, I didn't get this up sooner, but I left the power cord for my laptop at my place and had to run back and get it.

As expected, Jeff Clement was optioned to Triple A Tacoma along with Sean White, Jon Huber and Cesar Jimenez. Manager John McLaren said there would be two other roster moves after the game but wouldn't elaborate. He is most likely waiting in case he needed to use either of those players tonight. We've been speculating on the possibility of one of the cuts being Jeremy Reed or Charlton Jimerson, and maybe another pitcher.

No real big surprises here. McLaren said all along that Clement was going to get sent down if he didn't win a spot, and Clement didn't win a spot. He was starting to lose at-bats being with the Mariners. So now, he'll at least get plenty of innings and at-bats in the minor league camp.

Huber was battling injuries and never really pitched well. White was inconsistent all spring. Jimenez was a candidate for the situational lefty spot, but his lack of a consistent or viable breaking ball hurt him, according to McLaren. Jimenez has been working all spring on his breaking ball and it has improved, but not enough to send him out consistently against left-handed hitters in the big leagues.

I'm back in action after the Mariners, and I, got a much needed day off from baseball. And you know how I spent it? Watching the A's and the Rangers … yeah, I have no life. But it's one thing to cover a game, and another to sit in the outfield, have an ice cold beer and soak up the sun. Also, I went to Don and Charlie's Steakhouse in Scottsdale with a few friends who were in town. If you get a chance to go, I highly recommend it. The food was fantastic and the memorabilia in that place is unbelievable.

A few things ...

I went and watched some of the minor league games today. Arthur Rhodes, Chris Reitsma and Mark Lowe all pitched. Lowe and Reitsma each threw two innings, while I saw Rhodes throw one. Reitsma gave up a long home run after leaving a fastball up on a 1-2 count, but for the most part he looked OK. Lowe and Rhodes had moments when they were very sharp, and moments that were a little rough. Lowe's velocity looked good, and he threw a couple of nice breaking pitches. I think Lowe might be the furthest along of the three.

Phillippe Aumont was throwing in the other minor league game, but during the time I watched, he was hit around a little.

I talked briefly with Brandon Morrow. He said he feels fine and is scheduled to throw a bullpen at 5 p.m. today. He thought he might throw in a game early next week, if not sooner. "It's just a tired arm. It's not a big deal," he said.

Let's get to some links.....

Here's my story on Carlos Silva's experimentation with the cut fastball. A quick note: you will never see the phrase "begs the question" in a story of mine ever again.

ESPN Page 2's Jim Caple did a funny story on trying to catch R.A. Dickey's knuckleball.

I know it stings reading about Rafael Soriano and his success, but here it is anyway.

Here's a column on George Sherrill being the closer for the Orioles.

Fauntino De Los Santos --- that isn't a restauarant, it's a 22-year-old pitcher for the A's who throws pretty hard.

Michael Young and Frank Catalanotto don't want be shut out of the playoffs for their whole career. A piece of advice then guys --- ask the Rangers for a trade or learn how to pitch.

Here's today's lineups
Diamondbacks at Mariners
March 19, 2008

Arizona Diamondbacks (8-12-1):
24 Chris Young CF
34 Conor Jackson 1B
1 Orlando Hudson 2B
22 Eric Byrnes LF
19 Chris Snyder C
27 Mark Reynolds 3B
6 Stephen Drew SS
10 Justin Upton RF
44 Micah Owings RHP

*Arizona will not use the DH

Seattle Mariners (8-11-1):
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibanez (L) LF
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
10 Greg Norton (S) 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
3 Jose Vidro (S) DH
2 Kenji Johjima C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
56 Jarrod Washburn LHP

Additional Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
20 J.J. Putz RHP
54 Sean Green RHP

As is customary in baseball the Mariners are sporting green hats in honor of St. Patty's Day.

Here's a picture of Jamie Burke with his hat on outside of batting practice....

Here's a close up of what the hat looks like ...

Though I'm far from Irisih decent, I'm not above a pint of Guiness or a snort of Jameson's at Doyles Public House in Tacoma. For all you readers with Irish backgrounds enjoy your day.

Mariners at Rangers
March 17, 2008

Seattle Mariners (7-10-1)
8 Jeremy Reed (L) LF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
28 Raul Ibañez (L) DH
6 Brad Wilkerson (L) RF
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
10 Greg Norton (S) 1B
13 Miguel Cairo SS
15 Jamie Burke C
25 Charlton Jimerson CF
----------------------------
58 Cha Seung Baek RHP

Additional Pitchers:
41 R.A. Dickey RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
59 Eric O’Flaherty LHP
74 Philip Barzilla LHP
50 Rich Dorman RHP*
59 Jason Mackintosh LHP*

* from Minor League Camp

Texas Rangers (10-7-2)
5 Ian Kinsler 2B
27 Frank Catalanotto (L) DH
10 Michael Young SS
32 Josh Hamilton (L) CF
29 Jason Botts (S) LF
9 Hank Blalock (L) 3B
22 Marlon Byrd RF
23 Ben Broussard (L) 1B
25 Jarrod Saltalamacchia (S) C
---------------------------------------------
Jason Jennings RHP

Additional Pitchers:
59 Josh Rupe RHP
55 Robinson Tejeda RHP
58 Wes Littleton RHP
-- Doug Mathis RHP

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brewers at Mariners
March 17, 2008

Milwaukee Brewers (13-6):
23 Rickie Weeks 2B
30 Craig Counsell 3B
22 Tony Gwynn LF
1 Corey Hart RF
13 Eric Munson C
20 Laynce Nix CF
53 Ozzie Chavez SS
35 Brendan Katin DH
11 Mike Rivera 1B
----------------------------
39 Chris Capuano LHP

Additional Pitchers:
66 Chris Narveson LHP
75 Steve Bray RHP

Seattle Mariners (7-10-1):
51 Ichiro Suzuki (L) CF
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
3 Jose Vidro (S) DH
44 Richie Sexson 1B
50 Wladimir Balentien RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
16 Willie Bloomquist 2B
12 Mike Morse LF
78 Matt Tuiasosopo 3B
----------------------------
52 Carlos Silva RHP

Additional Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
31 Ryan Feierabend LHP
38 Jon Huber RHP
46 Sean White RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP

Sports Illustrated is running a survey among fans about their favorite baseball stadiums and what makes them special. They plan to rank to the top 30 stadiums. So if you want to vote for Safeco Field or some other stadium -- click here to vote on it.

It's a very extensive survey taking into many things like food, price, location and other things.... Feel free to post some of your thoughts about how and why you voted.

Alright, I know I've joked about how there are no clouds in Arizona, or precipitation for that matter. But look at the picture above, there are clouds - ominous clouds to be sure. Temperatures have dropped into the lows 60s and a rain and lightning is expected for today's game against the Brewers.

Manager John McLaren sent the team out early for workouts to make sure they get everything in. One of the things they'll be working on in those workouts is baserunning, specifically reading lefthanded pitchers pick-off moves. The Mariners have had a handful of guys picked off by lefties this spring, including Yuniesky Betancourt yesterday.

Let's get to the Links ....

Here's my long breakdown on the five players -- Mike Morse, Greg Norton, Wlad Balentien, Jeremy Reed and Charlton Jimerson -- fighting either the last, or the remaining two bench spots.

Dave Boling wrote on assistant coach Lee Elia, while my buddy Scott Fontaine, man on the street reporter, was over at Cheney Stadium on Saturday for their open house.

ICHIRO VIDEO: ESPN has this pretty cool video of Ichiro for its upcoming ESPN Magazine issue 10th anniversary

If you look a little ways down in Nick Cafardo's Sunday column, it hints that Ken Griffey Jr. wants a Mariners hat on his plaque when he gets inducted into the baseball hall of fame.

Wladimir Balentien makes ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick's top Cactus League prospects.

George Sherrill hasn't decided on his all-important entrance music as the Orioles new closer.

Let' check on the John Lackey siutation....
This LA Times story is a must read, the three pitchers they mention as possibilities to offset Lackey's loss --- Jeff Weaver, Horacio Ramirez and Freddy Garcia -- I'm not making this stuff up. The OC Register also mentions the former Mariners in its story.

One of the in-house candidates to replace Lackey for the time being is young prospect Nick Adenhart, who pitched yesterday.

The Oakland A's are headed to Japan..... But Eric Chavez and his bad back are not... Here's Scott Ostler's column on the lack of long ball hitting from the A's and their bay-mates the Giants.

Tim Cowlishaw believes that Rangers' second baseman Ian Kinsler can be a 30-30 guy.

Brewers at Mariners
March 16, 2008

Milwaukee Brewers (12-6):
23 Rickie Weeks 2B
25 Mike Cameron CF
2 Bill Hall 3B
8 Ryan Braun LF
1 Cory Hart RF
13 Eric Munson 1B
7 J.J. Hardy SS
14 Gabe Gross DH
18 Jason Kendall C
----------------------------
15 Ben Sheets RHP

Additional Pitchers:
51 Brian Shouse LHP
73 Seth McClung RHP

Seattle Mariners (7-9-1):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
3 Jose Vidro DH
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
13 Miguel Cairo 3B
4 Jose Lopez 2B
15 Jamie Burke C
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
----------------------------
34 Felix Hernandez RHP

Other Pitchers:
20 J.J. Putz RHP
33 Chris Reitsma RHP
53 Arthur Rhodes LHP
57 Mark Lowe RHP
62 Cesar Jimenez LHP

A late game today for the Mariners, so I thought I'd get some links up since, I'm basically on the every other day routine. It's supposed to be daily, but I'm like some of the Mariners position players -- still not ready to go back-to-back days.

Anyway here's my story on Edgar making an appearance in Peoria. He even comments on the Shane Monahan offseason accusations.

Here's the story from the Denver post about Colorado pitcher Franklin Morales' rough day against the Mariners.

Dave Boling was here and he wrote about Carlos Silva a few days ago and Brad Wilkerson yesterday.

Let's look around baseball, starting in the AL West.

There is some concern about John Lackey's health. A week ago, he said he wanted to still start opening day, now that's in question. Here's a story from the Orange County register.... It appears that he is going to be shut down for at least a month with a triceps strain. With Kelvim Escobar already out, the Mariners could definitely have an opportunity to take advantage of a soft April schedule that features the Orioles twice, Tampa Bay, Texas and Kansas City not to mention to head-to-head series with the Angels.

Manager Mike Scioscia is pleased with his shortstop platoon right now.

The Texas Rangers pitching situation is in disarray right now. The Rangers are relying on the volatile and at times engimatic Milton Bradley, perhaps not the best idea.

Former A's hitter Nick Swisher squared off against his old team including ace Joe Blanton.

Mariners at Giants
March 15, 2008

Seattle Mariners (7-8-1):
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
3 Jose Vidro 1B
28 Raul Ibanez LF
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
10 Greg Norton RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
50 Wladimir Balentien CF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
45 Erik Bedard LHP

Other Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
54 Sean Green RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP
74 Philip Barzilla LHP

San Francisco Giants (5-11-2):
28 Rajai Davis LF
5 Ray Durham 2B
2 Randy Winn RF
1 Bengie Molina C
33 Aaron Rowand CF
35 Rich Aurilia 3B
40 Dan Ortmeier 1B
29 Brian Bocock SS
75 Barry Zito LHP

Other Pitchers:
41 Brad Hennessey RHP
52 Bartolome Fortunato RHP
64 Merkin Valdez RHP
34 Steve Kline LHP

Leave it to the unassuming Edgar Martinez to make an appearance unbeknownst to most of us. The quiet Edgar sat hung out and in the press box nursing a diet pepsi before many of us even knew he was there...

Martinez is in town for a banquet just for a day. He won't actually put on a Mariners uniform, but he hung out in the clubhouse and talked with some of the players as well as manager John McLaren and the rest of his staff.

Martinez isn't certain whether he'll be able to do a coaching stint this spring. His daughter is having her tonsil removed the week he was supposed to come down. But he said if all goes well, then he may make an appearance. Although, it will be the same time as Jay Buhner, which would be great for M's fans in the area.

We had pretty long interview. I'll get some comments up soon.

I don't know how many people get into the whole uniform phenomenon. But many people do, just look at Paul Lukas' uniwatch blog, which sometimes appears on ESPN Page 2.

Anyway, my friends over at the Tacoma Rainiers passes along the new alternate logos they'll be using this season. I think they're pretty cool. Feel free to share your thoughts...

Here's the press release from the Rainiers....

Tacoma, WA – Come one, come all bring your friends and family to the Tacoma Rainiers Pre-Season Party this Saturday, March 15th at Cheney Stadium. We can’t speed up Opening Day, but we can help you get your fix a couple of weeks early. This event is open to the public and everyone is invited.

Here are a few of the highlights:
• The Big Nights. First chance to purchase single game tickets for the 2008 season.
• New Merchandise. First chance to buy 2008 merchandise with our new logo.
• Tag-A-Seat. Purchase a season ticket plan and pick out your exact seats, right there, on the spot.
• FREE Hot Dogs and Sodas.
• Bring the Kids. Face painters, Rhubarb, coloring contests and more.
• Tour the Park.
• Check Out Our Newest Area. The Venture Bank Gold Club II.

Where: Cheney Stadium
2502 South Tyler St.
Tacoma, WA 98405

When: Saturday, March 15th
11am - 2pm

So you think you can sing? National Anthem tryouts begin at 11am. Register for an audition time at anthem@tacomarainiers.com

For more information call 253-752-7707 or visit www.tacomarainiers.com.

Just got the latest issue of Baseball America here at the complex in Peoria Spring training in complex. It's their annual major league preview issue and in it their panel (group of very knowledgeable baseball writers) picks the Angels to finish first, the Mariners second, the Rangers third and the Athletics fourth.

Their "quick-take" on Seattle is this: The Mariners won 88 games despite being outscored last season, and one but not both of those trends can continue.

Here's BA's other picks
Regular Season
AL East -- Boston
AL West --- Angels
AL Central -- Tigers
Wild Card --- Indians

Division Series
Red Sox over Indians
Tigers over Angels

ALCS
Tigers over Red Sox

NL
NL East - Mets
NL Central -- Cubs
NL West -- D'Backs
NL Wild card --- Phillies

Division series
Cubs over Phillies
Mets over D'Backs

NLCS
Mets over Cubs

World Series
Tigers over Mets

They rate Ryan Feierabend as the top "not-quite" prospect and Jeff Clement as the Mariners top prospect.

Felix Hernandez also is seventh in their list of Top 25 players under 25, with Miguel Cabrera heading that list.

Clement also ranks No. 22 in their top 25 rookies list --- which isn't bad since he might not even start the team with

Here's the top five...
1. Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay
2. Kosuke Fukudome, IF, Cubs
3. Clay Bucholz, RHP, Red Sox
4. Jay Bruce, IF, Reds
5. Joba Chamberlain, RHP, Yankees

Rockies vs. Mariners
March 14, 2008

Colorado Rockies (7-7-1):
29 Scott Podsednik DH
2 Troy Tulowitzki SS
27 Garrett Atkins 3B
10 Jeff Baker RF
25 Seth Smith LF
22 Marcus Giles 2B
47 Joe Koshansky 1B
18 Cory Sullivan CF
20 Chris Iannetta C
----------------------------
56 Franklin Morales LHP

Other Pitchers:
34 Matt Herges RHP
44 Micah Bowie LHP
52 Juan Morillo RHP
61 Ramon Ramirez RHP

Seattle Mariners (6-8-1):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
28 Raul Ibañez LF
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
10 Greg Norton DH
2 Kenji Johjima C
4 Jose Lopez 2B
----------------------------
43 Miguel Batista RHP

Other Pitchers:
31 Ryan Feierabend LHP
38 Jon Huber RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
62 Cesar Jimenez LHP

The Mariners announced some roster moves before today's spring-training game against San Francisco. From the team release:

Seattle made 12 roster moves today and currently has 44 players in camp … this morning the following moves were made; Re-Assigned to Minor League Camp: RHP Stephen Kahn, RHP Brodie Downs, RHP Phillippe Aumont, LHP Robert Rohrbaugh, INF Mark Kiger, OF Bronson Sardinha, C Jair Fernandez, C Adam Moore, C Brant Ust; Optioned to AAA Tacoma: RHP Joe Woerman, INF Yung Chi Chen, INF Bryan LaHair…the roster includes: 23 pitchers (5 non-roster), 4 catchers (0 non-roster), 11 infielders (3 non-roster) and 6 outfielders (0 non-roster)…of Seattle’s 44 players in camp, 34 were in camp with Seattle last spring and 32 appeared in a game with Seattle during the 2007 regular season.

PEORIA, AZ -- Seattle Mariners announced today they have asked waivers for the purpose of granting left-handed pitcher Horacio Ramirez his unconditional release.

Ramirez, 28, was 0-0, 5.40 in two games, one start, this spring.

"We did not believe Horacio was going to break camp with us," Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Bill Bavasi said.

"We felt it would be in everyone's best interest to give him time to catch on with another club."

Ramirez spent one season with Mariners, posting an 8-7, 7.16 mark in 20 starts with the Mariners last year after being acquired for hard-throwing reliever Rafael Soriano in a trade with the Atlanta Braves. Ramirez was on the disabled list with left should tendinitis from May 25-July 16.

John McLaren and Mike Hargrove conversing during Wednesday's early workout....

A programming note: I'm taking my second day on Thursday since columnist Dave Boling is in Peoria for a few days. It will allow me to hang out with folks who are down visiting. But I may post a few things depending on how things go.

A few things ....

Manager John McLaren is going to make some cuts in a few days. There should be few if any surprises this round – it will mostly be younger players who were destined for the minor leagues before coming to camp.

Still, he admitted to be dreading the prcoess already.

Also, Arthur Rhodes is scheduled to make his first appearance in a game this spring. McLaren said he's just looking for Rhodes to have good, smooth mechanics and nothing more. Mark Lowe and Chris Reitsma are also scheduled to pitch today.

Let's get to some links.... sorry, no pictures from the In-and-Out burger that I've eaten far too many times here. "They put an addictive chemical in it that makes me crave it fortnightly." (That's from So I Married an Axe Murder. I'm a fan of the random movie quote.)

Here's my story on Ichiro and hitless spring. No word if he'll be in the first round of cuts or not.

Kirby Arnold had a Q&A with Mike Hargrove after his appearance the other day.

It looks like George Sherrill will be the Orioles' closer....

It appears the Washington Nationals are looking at signing Jeff Weaver....

From Los Angeles Angels of Orange County, Compton and Ricita, John Lackey believes/hopes he can still make his start for opening day. Like the Mariners, the Angels don't walk much, but they aren't worried.

Oakland A's pitching prospect Henry Rodriguez throws 100 miles per hour. At least it will be a few years before they have to trade him to save money. Jack Hannahan is making the most of Eric Chavez's injury ..

Yes, it can get worse for the Texas Rangers. They've got another injury to their pitching staff.
But they do have some good young prospects.

If you haven't watched HBO's Real Sports this month (yes, I know Bryant Gumbel is a smarmy little weasel), there's a great piece about Lenny Dykstra as an investment genius. Yes, THAT Lenny Dykstra.... here's a story on it.....

Brewers vs. Mariners
March 12, 2008

Milwaukee Brewers (9-5):
30 Craig Counsell 2B
22 Tony Gwynn CF
7 J.J. Hardy SS
28 Prince Fielder 1B
14 Gabe Gross LF
27 Joe Dillon DH
20 Laynce Nix RF
21 Abraham Nunez 3B
18 Jason Kendall C
----------------------------
12 Carlos Villanueva RHP

Other pitchers:
39 Chris Capuano LHP
57 Mitch Stetter LHP

Seattle Mariners (5-8):
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
3 Jose Vidro DH
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
44 Richie Sexson 1B
50 Wladimir Belantien CF
2 Kenji Johjima C
4 Jose Lopez 2B
12 Mike Morse RF
25 Charlton Jimerson LF
----------------------------
52 Carlos Silva RHP

Other Pitchers:
33 Chris Reitsma RHP
38 Jon Huber RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
53 Arthur Rhodes LHP
54 Sean Green RHP
57 Mark Lowe RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP

If you've ever seen the movie "Tin Cup" which I've seen a thousand times, you'll know why I'm posting the pictures of this fine eating establishment that was next to my hotel in Tucson....

"I've been dreaming about Waffle House 500 miles, Doreen,"

"Besides, these are my people. I'm a Waffle House guy. Got to stay in touch with that"

We're live from sunny Tucson today.... I'll post the lineups and some links in this. Not much going on, Ichiro is playing today and still looking for his first hit. EIther way, he's talking with us today, so I'll be posting something on that later.

In the morning meeting with John McLaren, he talked about pitcher's going through a"dead arm" period this time of spring. And he thought it was the explanation for Brandon Morrow's rough outing yesterday.

"You can put it on the calendar with certain pitchers," he said. "We'll have the training staff and Mel(Stottlemyre)look at it real close and change the routine a little bit."

"You come in good shape, build your arm and feel great and then you a hit a wall a little bit," McLaren said. "You step back, maybe it's a little treatment an extra off day, an extra pen session, whatever it is."

And now some links that I've been neglecting .....

Here's my story from yesterday on the kinder, more genial Erik Bedard..... and the other day I wrote about Eric O'Flaherty and his chances of being the lefty specialist out of the bullpen.

My boy, John McGrath was down in Peoria for a few days, and he wrote about one-time M's prospect Denny Stark, do you remember him? He also wrote about Mark Lowe and Chris Reitsma's outing the other day....

We don't usually link to other papers, but Mike Hargrove was in Peoria yesterday at the M's complex. The esteemed Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald has a blog post about it. The PI's Jim Moore (Go Cougs as he often says) has his take on Erik Bedard's day with the media.

Elsewhere, Bud Selig is reviewing Jose Guillen's case .... His spring debut with the Royals was less than memorable.

Mariners at Rockies
March 11, 2008

Seattle Mariners (5-7):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
16 Willie Bloomquist 2B
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
13 Miguel Cairo SS
15 Jamie Burke C
34 Felix Hernandez RHP
* No DH today

Other Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
20 J.J. Putz RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
62 Cesar Jimenez LHP
76 Brodie Downs RHP
79 Phillippe Aumont RHP

We're live from Tucson, Arizona. I had a nice two hour drive complete with far too many semis and even more motorhomes and camper trailers, anyway, I thought I'd give an Erik Bedard update.

We just got back from the interview with him. And he was actually pretty engaging. He said, "You got five questions" but he did so wtih a smile and we actually asked about 10 questions which he more or less answered.

As for on the field, he pitched four innings, allowing eight hits, four runs, a walk and gave up back-to-back homers to Jim Thome and Paul Konerko in the first inning.

The first inning six of the first eight hitters that came to the plate got hits and Bedard admitted that his pitches were just catching too much of the plate. After the first, he never allowed another run and seemed to settle down. He threw a total of 68 pitches with 40 of them being strikes.

As for the game, it's 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh and Wlad Balentien is already 3-for-3 with two double and an RBI. Jose Vidro also has a pair of singles.

Mariners at White Sox
March 10, 2008

Seattle Mariners (5-6):
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
3 Jose Vidro DH
10 Greg Norton 1B
50 Wladimir Balentien RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
4 Jose Lopez 2B
12 Mike Morse LF
78 Matt Tuiasosopo 3B
25 Charlton Jimerson CF
-----------------------------
45 Erik Bedard LHP

Other Pitchers:
31 Ryan Feierabend LHP
35 Brandon Morrow RHP
38 Jon Huber RHP
41 R.A. Dickey RHP
54 Sean Green RHP
62 Cesar Jimenez LHP

Chicago White Sox (6-8):
68 Jason Bourgeois CF
18 Orlando Cabrera SS
25 Jim Thome DH
14 Paul Konerko 1B
30 Nick Swisher LF
23 Jermaine Dye RF
12 A.J. Pierzynski C
24 Joe Crede 3B
5 Juan Uribe 2B
-----------------------------
56 Mark Buehrle LHP

Yes it's the Sausage race

This was the most exciting aspect of Sunday's game in Maryvale.

Actually it's Monday when I'm posting this, but oh well. I wanted to provide more updates from today but I ended up writing later than I thought and then headed out for a late bite to eat with John McGrath. Chips and Queso for my meal, living the healthy life. At this point, I'll be built like Bartolo Colon in a few weeks.

To paraphrase him from Major League: "Two hits? That's all we got is two damn hits?"

Here's a few quick thoughts.....

Mike Morse must make this team. Yes I know this is spring training, and I know we shouldn't have a vested interest beyond reporting, but I really feel like he can contribute even more than anyone on the Mariners' believes. He's a good player and a good guy and he deserves a chance. Now will he get it?

I didn't get to see Phillippe Aumont pitch today (I stayed here in the area for the game, instead of heading south to Tucson), but you had to expect some level of failure because he's been so dominant so far. It happens he'll be fine. It just goes to show how far he still needs to go and how much grooming in the minor leagues he needs before he can even think of going to the big leagues. Don't be going and having Ryan Anderson nightmares.

Chips and Queso are just better here than in the Puget Sound.

How is it the large core of the Mariners everyday lineup get no-hit for five innings by Claudio Vargas, and a group of back-ups and minor leaguers score four runs and get eight hits off Brandon Webb.

I'll be in Tucson for Monday's game with Erik Bedard starting. What's the over-under on the number of questions the media can ask. I really am looking forward to this out of comical aspect than anything else.

I sat down with Tony Phillips of a long interview the other day -- don't think we can post that audio on the blog.

Judging by seeing the Brewers play twice, their fans like bratwurst - a lot. Treadmills not so much. Maybe I should move to Milwaukee.

If the cuts go as expected most predict, the Rainiers could have Wlad Balentien, Matt Tuisasosopo, Tug Hulett, Mark Kiger, Bryan LaHair, Jeff Clement, Rob Johnson, Jeremy Reed, Rob Rohrbaugh, Ryan Feierabend, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Yung Chi Chen, Jon Huber, Joe Woerman, Stephen Kahn on the team.... that's a pretty good team.

Richie Sexson had some awful at-bats (similar to midseason) in the last few games. Trend? or Given?

Lineups for both of today's game and spring stats attached in PDF format.

Mariners (ss) at Brewers
March 9, 2008

Seattle Mariners (4-5):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
3 Jose Vidro DH
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
50 Wladimir Balentien RF
13 Miguel Cairo 2B
15 Jamie Burke C
16 Willie Bloomquist SS
-----------------------------
43 Miguel Batista RHP

Other Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP
66 Robert Rohrbaugh LHP
76 Brodie Downs RHP

Milwaukee Brewers (6-4):
23 Rickie Weeks 2B
25 Mike Cameron CF
7 J.J. Hardy SS
8 Ryan Braun LF
27 Joe Dillon 3B
33 Gabe Kapler RF
65 Brad Nelson 1B
20 Laynce Nix DH
11 Mike Rivera C
-----------------------------
46 Claudio Vargas RHP

_______________

Mariners (ss) at Diamondbacks
March 9, 2008

Seattle Mariners (4-5):
8 Jeremy Reed CF
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
10 Greg Norton 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
12 Mike Morse LF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
78 Matt Tuiasosopo 3B
26 Horacio Ramirez LHP

Other Pitchers:
46 Sean White RHP
58 Cha Seung Baek RHP
60 Joe Woerman RHP
68 Stephen Kahn RHP
74 Philip Barzilla LHP
79 Phillippe Aumont RHP

Arizona Diamondbacks (5-6):
22 Eric Byrnes LF
1 Orlando Hudson 2B
34 Conor Jackson 1B
24 Chris Young CF
19 Chris Snyder C
10 Justin Upton RF
2 Chris Burke SS
11 Augie Ojeda 3B
17 Brandon Webb RHP

We'll get you some links before I get on the road to Mesa. Our columnist John McGrath is in town for a few days so expect some additional M's coverage from him.

A programming note. I am planning on taking Saturday off, my first since I've been down here. John is going to for cover me. My plans are to go watch baseball. Yes, I have a problem. Actually, one of my friends from the big city of Havre, MT is playing in a college tournament down here with Montana STate University-Billings so I plan on watching him play. If anything breaking happens though in terms of news I will get it up on the blog ASAP.

Let's get to the news.......

Here's my story on first baseman Bryan LaHair and his progress. There's also a funny conversation with Felix Hernandez at the bottom of the story following his start yesterday.

Here's my story from the day before on John McLaren wanting to prove a point by beating the Angels. There's also a note about Phillippe Aumont's first spring training appearance. Manager Mike Scioscia didnt' make the game quite as big of deal.

It looks like Mariners guest assistant instructor Tony Phillips hasn't lost his touch with the umpires...

Adam Jones left the spring training game early the other day with stiffness in his lower back.

Here's a story about another player in the ERik Bedard trade .... pitcher Chris Tillman.

Now let's go around the AL West
THe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Disney World, Orange County and Laguna Beach
John Lackey still believes he can make the opening day start. Former shortstop Orlando Cabrera admits he was expendable in the Angels' eyes.

From the OC Register....Here's column on Garrett Anderson, the timeless Angel . Reliever Scott Shields has put the rough patch of bad pitching late last summer behind him.

The Oakland A's
Eric Chavez and Daric Barton are behind schedule in terms of returning to the lineup.

Both teams are breaking out quality lineups for the day. Adrian Beltre, who took a groundball off the thumb on his throwing hand won't participate in any baseball related drills today. Instead, he'll do some conditioning. Manager John McLaren said it wasn't a big issue.

Seattle Mariners (4-3):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
4 Jose Lopez 2B
12 Mike Morse 3B
52 Carlos Silva RHP

Other Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
41 R.A. Dickey RHP
54 Sean Green RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP
66 Robert Rohrbaugh LHP
76 Brodie Downs RHP

Chicago Cubs (2-6):
2 Ryan Theriot SS
1 Kosuke Fukudome RF
25 Derrek Lee 1B
16 Aramis Ramirez 3B
19 Matt Murton LF
17 Mike Fontenot 2B
24 Henry Blanco C
20 Felix Pie CF
30 Ted Lilly LHP

Other Pitchers:
22 Kevin Hart RHP
44 Chad Fox RHP
48 Neal Cotts LHP
63 Carmen Pignatiello LHP
49 Carlos Marmol RHP

It's been a while since I answered some questions that have been either e-mailed to me or posted on the comments section. As always if you have a question about the Mariners or spring training, I will try to answer it or find someone that can.

Here we go....

A question from snydro22 on Erik Bedard...
"He's obviously a very personal guy.. I can respect that.. Ryan, after being around him in the clubhouse - does he come off as shy and maybe insecure, or as condescending and pompous?"

I really am still up in the air about Bedard’s personality. I’m still watching and waiting before I make a final decision. I don’t think he’s shy, but definitely introverted. He’s just not a big talker. When I see him hanging out with people in the clubhouse, it’s the other person doing the talking and Bedard doing the listening. It’s strange the two guys he talks to most are fellow Canadian Phillippe Aumont and reliever Roy Corcoran, neither of whom will be on the 25-man roster once the season starts.

I asked Aumont about Bedard, and he said he just doesn’t say much, they basically just have small talk to keep on their French.

This article that ran in Sports Illustrated a week before his trade offers some insight and background on Bedard, and his quiet life he wants to lead. If you notice, he doesn’t say a whole lot in that story.

As for a feeling of condescension or pompousness, I think its more just total indifference. He knows he has to deal with the media, but he tries to make it as brief as possible. He doesn’t particularly enjoy it and makes no apologies about feeling that way. He loathes to talk about himself or accomplishments, which is kind of different from many players. I will say this: it doesn’t take long to transcribe an interview with him.

From dave8557 on Phillippe Aumont..
"So why limit him to one inning? Please tell me he is not being groomed to be another one inning reliever."
Actually the plan was to have Aumont throw two innings, but the Padres decided that they only wanted to play a 7-inning B game and the Mariners wanted to stretch out Horacio Ramirez and make sure that Aumont, Chris Reitsma, Jon Huber and Brodie Downs all got mound time, hence the single inning for big Phillippe.

I don’t think there’s any way that they would make Aumont a reliever. There isn’t an inherent need right now. Besides he’s at least two to three years away from the big leagues. You don’t draft a kid that high in the draft, with that much potential to be a front line starter and make him a reliever -- at least not two years in a row anyway.

From wabubba67 on Richie Sexson and Mike Morse
"So what is the "over/under" on the date that Mike Morse will take over at 1B for Richie Sexson? I'm picking May 27th (after Sexson's Ks and double plays have gutted enough potential run-scoring opportunities to even make McLaren think twice). This is, of course, if the Mariners are bright enough to keep Morse in the first place."

I really feel like the team is going to keep Morse. He’s out of minor league options. He’s versatile and he can play multiple positions. I think Richie would have to fail spectacularly and for at least a two-month period for McLaren to bench him. And even then I’m not sure that he would. McLaren has a faith in Richie that Mariners fans don’t have. Remember he guaranteed that Richie would win the comeback player of the year award on KJR.

I will say that Richie has looked solid this spring. He’s hit the ball hard on most occasions and has four hits in 12 at-bats, while striking out twice. In yesterday’s game against the Angels, his double to dead-center would have easily been out of Safeco, but Peoria Stadium has a 25-foot high centerfield wall. He even got a standing ovation by the fans after making a nice diving catch on the infield. Last season, the only time he got a standing ovation is when he was taken out of the game.

He’s seems to be very focused this season, which is logical considering the year he had last year and this is the final year of his contract with Mariners.

From Auggeydog on Horacio Ramirez and Sexson
"I had a couple questions from the link below. Is it any surprise that HoRam was getting shelled? It was his MO last year. I was also wondering about Sexson, has he even made contact with a ball yet? To be serious, do the Mariners really think they can turm HoRam around? Seems like a lot of wasted money to me. Also how is Richie looking? Have not heard much about him."

I don’t know that the Mariners believe they can turn Horacio around, but they believe he can be better than last year. Let’s not kid ourselves, he’s not going to be Bedard, and he might not even be Jamie Moyer, but lefties always seem to find a place in baseball.

Bill Bavasi said earlier this spring that he truly believes that Ramirez can be a viable pitcher in the major leagues.

I really think the Mariners hope Ramirez does enough this spring that they could trade him, possibly to a pitching starved National League team.

As for much coverage of Richie, he is another guy that doesn’t enjoy talking to the media, particularly after last season. He has talked with the media twice. Once for Jim Moore in this column and once the other day to Gregg Bell of the AP, and he’s very clear about what he is and isn’t willing to talk about….

Jeremy Reed has been scratched with a bruise right knee that he injured while getting thrown out a steal of second attempt in yesterday's B game

Mariners at Brewers
March 6, 2008

Seattle Mariners (3-3):
13 Miguel Cairo SS
61 Bronson Sardinha CF
10 Greg Norton 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
39 Bryan LaHair DH
50 Wladimir Balentien LF
12 Mike Morse RF
15 Jamie Burke C
16 Willie Bloomquist 2B

34 Felix Hernandez RHP

Other Pitchers:
31 Ryan Feierabend LHP
46 Sean White RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
62 Cesar Jimenez LHP
68 Stephen Kahn RHP
74 Philip Barzilla LHP

Milwaukee Brewers (4-3):
23 Rickie Weeks 2B
25 Mike Cameron CF
28 Prince Fielder 1B
8 Ryan Braun LF
1 Corey Hart RF
27 Joe Dillon 3B
7 J.J. Hardy SS
79 Matt LaPorta DH
18 Jason Kendall C

15 Ben Sheets RHP

Other Pitchers:
47 Zach Jackson LHP
57 Mitch Stetter LHP
59 Derrick Turnbow RHP
38 Eric Gagne RHP

Normally, I don't post much audio on here. It takes up a lot of memory and I usually sound like a stuttering, stammering idiot when I asked a question. But since our interview with Erik Bedard was limited to four questions by him (and I didn't get one in), I decided to post it here...

As he said he would manager John McLaren put out his starting lineup that features most of his day-to-day starter, with the exception being ADrian Beltre who is in Mexico and Jose Vidro who has a sore elbow. The Angels did pretty much the same.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (3-2):
9 Chone Figgins 3B
24 Gary Matthews Jr. RF
27 Vladimir Guerrero DH
48 Torii Hunter CF
16 Garret Anderson LF
47 Howie Kendrick 2B
39 Robb Quinlan 1B
5 Jeff Mathis C
6 Maicer Izturis SS

90 Nick Adenhart RHP

Other Pitchers:
94 Henry Bonilla RHP
52 Jason Bulger RHP
66 Jose Arredondo RHP
86 Steve Marek RHP
83 Darren O'Day RHP

Seattle Mariners (2-3):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
2 Kenji Johjima C
10 Greg Norton DH
4 Jose Lopez 2B
16 Willie Bloomquist 3B

45 Erik Bedard LHP

Other Pitchers:
20 J.J. Putz RHP
35 Brandon Morrow RHP
54 Sean Green RHP
58 Cha Seung Baek RHP

Just got back from the B game the Mariners played this morning. I wanted to see a few things, Horacio Ramirez, Chris Reitsma but most importantly I wanted to see Phillippe Aumont throw in his first game.

Aumont pitched one inning. He threw 10 pitches, eight for strikes, one curveball for a strike and his fastball stayed consistently at 94-95 miles per hour.

He broke the bat of the first hitter on an easy ground ball. He gave up a single on fastball, but then got a groundout to third on nasty curveball and he ended the inning with a dominant four-pitch strikeout in which he basically blew two high fastballs right by the hitter.

Perhaps the best response came from a Padres hitter who swung and missed at a sinking fastball and then looked back at the umpire and catcher as if to verify what he just saw.

I haven't received the A's lineup yet, when I do I will post it.

Seattle Mariners (2-2):
13 Miguel Cairo 3B
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS
28 Raul Ibanez LF
44 Richie Sexson 1B
9 Jeff Clement DH
2 Kenji Johjima C
50 Wladimir Balentien CF
12 Mike Morse RF
17 Yung Chi Chen 2B

43 Miguel Batista RHP

Other Pitchers:
18 Ryan Rowland-Smith LHP
41 R.A. Dickey RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP

A's lineup
19 Chris Denorfia LF
15 Ryan Sweeney CF
4 Emil Brown RF
32 Jack Cust DH
11 Dan Johnson 1b
24 Kurt Suzuki C
22 Jack Hannahan 3B
62 Brooks Conrad 2B
2 Gregoria Petit SS

Pitchers
Joe Blanton

Tacoma Rainiers owner and celebrity Nick Lachey is at the game and sitting in one of the luxury suites. Rainiers fans will be happy to know that he's sporting his authentic Rainiers No. 14 jersey.

Ok I just talked with Nick and he's also sporting a Rainiers visor ... it wasn't anything too serious.... here's his comments ...

* I think we're going to continue to look at trying to make improvements to the stadium and make the experience there better for everybody. I just read an interesting article that they're working on developing the land around the stadium. That's really appealing to us on our end, becuase it creates a whole entertainment complex there, condos and everything I'm reading about, that's always good for the stadium.

* We're just going to continue to look at ways to improve it. Hopefully we can get some state money for that and make some more improvements there.

* I think it's going in the right direction. I don't deal with it on a day to day basis, but I think we made some improvements last year with party decks and they seemed to be a big hit, and obviously we're still looking at ways of making the expereience for the fans, becuase that's what it comes down to, make the stadium more comfortable.

* I've said this from day one we're committed to Tacoma and trying to make everything work there as best we can. But as far as I know from what I've heard, we're on a good path.

* I got so busy last year I only got the chance to get up there at one time. that's why I'm down here today to see the facilities here and to see some of the guys that are ultimately going to end up in Tacoma for at least a lttle bit this yaer.

* I said from day one I like to be involved, but at the same time I also like to defer to those people that do this for a living and know what they're doing and trust those people with taking care of the team.

* Hopefully, I'll get up there three or four times this year.

Just got back from interviewing Lou and he was engaging as usual...

A few things.... John McLaren said today that he thought a World Series match-up between the Cubs and the Mariners would be pretty cool. And Lou agreed.

* He thinks the Mariners have a pretty good team, and he said he'll be pulling for them.

* He had plenty of good things to say about McLaren, calling him a good baseball man and deserving of a managing job.

* Most interesting though was that Lou said the Cubs would be his last managing job. He might take a consulting job, but this is it for him for managing. He didn't give a time frame though, so he could go a few more years.

Jose Vidro has a sore right elbow and is being held out of action for a few days. It's nothing major, but they don't want him hurting it worse taking swings during the game.

Minor league Brant Ust is out 3-5 days with back spasms, while Anderson Garcia is still out with biceps tedonitis.

Also Adrian Beltre has left Peoria and is headed to Mexico. His wife's grandmother passed away and Beltre will be gone for a few days.

As I had in my spring box in today's story, Chris Reitsma (pictured above), Mark Lowe, Arthur Rhodes and Jon Huber all threw live batting practice. Here's some video of Reitsma throwing....

Reitsma by far looked the most ready of the four. He had good velocity on his fast ball and the movement on his curve ball was good, just his command was a little off. Still he was very happy with the outcome.

It’s nice to be healthy,” Reitsma said. “I’m ready to get in a game.”

The hitters thought Reitsma looked ready.

“He was throwing hard,” Morse said. “And it was really heavy.”

After five arm surgeries, Reitsma is happy just to be healthy and on the mound.

“It’s been too long,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I can go on the mound and not even think about my elbow. I feel lose. I feel free and easy. I know what I can do when I’m feeling like that and it’s fun.”

Here's some more comments from Reitsma ...

* Everything is feeling pretty good. The last thing that usually comes is my breaking ball. That was inconsistent pitch I was throwing today. My fastball and changeup were pretty much on point.

* I feel like I'm ready to go in a game, but that's up to them.

* I threw more this offseason than I ever have. I felt like I was ready to go on day one of spring training. I put the work in the offseason, and I definitely feel its paid off.

* I got a lot to prove to myself and to this organziation so the sooner the better for me to get on the mound.

Lowe is being cautious with his comeback, but he has been pain-free in his elbow this spring.

“After what I went through last year, there’s nothing better feeling,” he said.

Cubs at Mariners
March 3, 2008

Chicago Cubs (1-3):
5 Ronny Cedeno CF
2 Ryan Theriot SS
1 Kosuke Fukudome RF
19 Matt Murton LF
67 Micah Hoffpauir 1B
9 Jake Fox DH
65 Luis Figueroa 2B
6 Alex Cintron 3B
55 Koyie Hill C

32 Jon Lieber RHP

Other Pitchers:
45 Sean Marshall LHP
47 Scott Eyre LHP
50 Jeff Samardzija RHP
51 Juan Mateo RHP
52 Tim Lahey RHP
62 Bob Howry RHP
63 Carmen Pignatiello RHP
70 Geoff Jones LHP
71 Esmailan Caridad RHP
78 Ed Campusano LHP

Seattle Mariners (2-1):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
16 Willie Bloomquist 3B
10 Greg Norton DH
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
9 Jeff Clement C
39 Bryan LaHair 1B
4 Jose Lopez 2B
8 Jeremy Reed LF
64 Mark Kiger SS

56 Jarrod Washburn LHP

Other Pitchers:
46 Sean White RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
49 Jake Woods LHP
60 Joe Woerman RHP
62 Cesar Jimenez LHP
66 Robert Rohrbaugh LHP
68 Stephen Kahn RHP

Let's get to it... since I have to prepare for Loouuuuuuuuuuuu!!!! making an appearance today in Peoria.

Here's my story on Horacio Ramirez and his struggles last season.

Here's a story from USA Today on Miguel Batista....

As I said earlier, Lou Piniella is here today. He had a full last week with a brief war of words with pitcher Jason Marquis. Here's an interesting take on the situation from columnist Rick Morrisey. Lou is here, but Alfonso Soriano won't be here.

Alright let's get to the AL West....

Down in Tempe, it appears that John Lackey's elbow is a little sore according to the OC register. Prospect Brandon Wood is looking to cut down on his strikeouts and make a push for the big leagues.

From the LA Times, Torii Hunter is off to a torrid start for the Angels. Here's a few questions the Angels are facing.

Over in Surprise, the Texas Rangers are looking at the "if" factor. Randy Galloway has a column on the Rangers.

Here's the Rangers preview from Foxsports.com

Down in Phoenix, where the A's are working out. Susan Slusser from the SF Chronicle has this story on the A's adding more foreign players. Pitcher Chad Gaudin threw hard but won't be pushing it too much. Eric Chavez might miss the A's trip to Japan.

I forgot to post this sooner becuase it slipped my mind in my nyquil-induced malaise from yesterday., But here's News Tribune photographer Drew Perine's photo gallery from the Mariners' Cactus League opener in Scottsdale.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/944/story/297169.html

HEre's a small sample...

Padres at Mariners
March 2, 2008

San Diego Padres (1-1):
12 Scott Hairston DH
10 Tadahito Iguchi 2B
15 Jim Edmonds CF
7 Tony Clark 1B
3 Khalil Greene SS
8 Michael Barrett C
64 Chip Ambres LF
18 Paul McAnulty RF
2 Luis Rodriguez 3B

44 Jake Peavy RHP

Other Pitchers:
38 Glendon Rusch LHP
75 Mauro Zarate RHP
21 Heath Bell RHP
51 Trevor Hoffman RHP
50 Joe Thatcher LHP
67 Paul Abraham RHP

Seattle Mariners (1-1):
13 Miguel Cairo 2B
61 Bronson Sardinha CF
28 Raul Ibañez DH
44 Richie Sexson 1B
2 Kenji Johjima C
12 Mike Morse RF
50 Wladimir Balentien LF
23 Tug Hulett 2B
5 Yuniesky Betancourt SS

52 Carlos Silva RHP

Other Pitchers:
31 Ryan Feierabend LHP
74 Philip Barzilla LHP
20 J.J. Putz RHP
35 Brandon Morrow RHP
59 Eric O'Flaherty LHP
54 Sean Green RHP
44 Andy Baldwin RHP (Minor League Camp)
68 Doug Fister RHP (Minor League Camp)

Sorry this is coming to you a little late, but I'm battling a flu bug that's left me feeling pretty awful. How exactly do you get sick in 83 degree weather? It's ridiculous.

Here's my story from today's paper on Erik Bedard's first game.

Anyway, the morning meeting with manager John McLaren went in a little different direction than it has in the past. The normally gregarious and upbeat manager got a little irritated with the media. It started when a question came up about his goals for Carlos Silva's outing, and if he's looking for the same things he saw from Erik Bedard in terms of velocity, use of all his pitches ...

"I just want them get their feet wet...all these pitchers to get their feet wet. It's their first time on the mound. It would look great in the box score if it's three scoreless innings. That's not the bottom line for us. The bottom line, No. 1, they're healthy. No. 2, they're out on the mound for the first time and they're still getting in shape. We're not looking for box scores, so to speak. We're looking at what we see on the mound. Are they improving each time out? How's their stuff? Building their arm up. And I think sometimes, the fans and even the media are looking for just three scoreless innings and this is why we got this guy, and I'm not looking for that. If it happens, it does, and that's fine. But there's some other things that we're looking for. As an example, yesterday I was very happy with Erik. Very happy. He had good stuff. There were lot close pitches there. He had good composure, lot of borderline pitches he didn't get and he got his pitch count in, he had delivery and got in his pitch count."

But he wasn't finished.... and the anger began to rise in him.

"Some of the questions you guys asked me yesterday, it actually (expletive) me off and it’s carrying over to today," he said. "I just don’t know what the (expletive) we’re expecting in spring training. We get three scoreless innings and I just want this kid in shape. It (expletive) (expletive) me off, to be honest with you."

And with that, the meeting was done.

Look, I understand where McLaren is coming from on some level. This is after all spring training, and the games and results are essentially meaningless. But Bedard is the guy that the Mariners have propped up as the difference maker in getting them to the postseason, and a guy they traded five guys for, including a guy who would have been their everyday right fielder. Consequently, people want to read about him and how he does in his first spring training start, even it wasn't great.

Part of the reason, McLaren was asked so many questions about Bedard was because Bedard barely answered any questions after the start. Bedard is notoriously standoffish with the media, and he was that and more yesterday. I realize not everybody is as good with media as Raul Ibanez or Miguel Batista. But Bedard doesn't make much of an effort. So I'm still going to wait and give Bedard the benefit of the doubt, because it is spring training and because that first start shouldn't have been that big of deal in a normal situation. But I hope he gets a slightly more accommodating as the season goes on, not for our benefit, but I think fans want to hear what he has to say, and answers like "I don't care." "I don't know," "I'm not answering that" "This is too many questions" just don't cut it. It's part of the responsibility that comes with being a No. 1 starter and getting paid No. 1 starter type of money.

Mariners at Padres
Seattle Mariners (1-0):
51 Ichiro Suzuki CF
3 Jose Vidro DH
10 Greg Norton 1B
29 Adrian Beltre 3B
6 Brad Wilkerson RF
12 Mike Morse LF
4 Jose Lopez 2B
15 Jamie Burke C
16 Willie Bloomquist SS

34 Felix Hernandez RHP

Other Pitchers:
26 Horacio Ramirez LHP
76 Brodie Downs RHP
46 Sean White RHP
48 Roy Corcoran RHP
68 Stephen Kahn RHP
50 Rich Dorman RHP
1 Justin Thomas LHP

San Diego Padres (0-1):
14 Jeff DaVanon CF
33 Jody Gerut RF
5 Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B
23 Adrian Gonzalez 1B
28 Josh Bard C
18 Paul McAnulty DH
16 Chase Headley LF
11 Craig Stansberry 2B
13 Oscar Robles SS

25 Randy Wolf LHP

Other Pitchers:
57 Justin Germano RHP
72 Wade LeBlanc LHP
74 Josh Geer RHP
52 Enrique Gonzalez RHP
43 Cla Meredith RHP
80 Edwin Moreno RHP
59 Jared Wells RHP