Two days after being released to make room on the 40-man roster for Ken Griffey Jr., the Seattle Mariners have re-signed outfielder Mike Wilson.

Wilson, 25, was the team's second-round pick in the 2001 draft, and is a power hitter in a minor league system without many of those.

Slowed by injuries the past few seasons, Wilson hit 27 homers and had 84 RBI in 119 Class AA games last season.
He'll be back in camp today.

Three minutes after they'd finished stretching, the Mariners began an offensive drill - with third base coach Bruce Hines calling out the hitting situation and then flashing signs.

Ken Griffey Jr., in his second day of camp, hadn't seen the signs yet. Mike Sweeney filled him in.

Stepping into the batters box against a pitching machine, Griffey took that stance Mariners fans have seen for two decades.

Hines called out the situation - runners on first and second base - and sent in the sign for a hit-and-run.

The machine coughed up the pitch, and Junior lined it down the right field line hard enough to reach the fence on a roll.

"First swing?" asked Russell Bryan.

"That's all you need," Griffey said.

Both men laughed. Everyone on the field smiled.

After less than a week on the field together, the Seattle Mariners will begin playing games today.

Trying to get the team into shape for the Cactus League, manager Don Wakamatsu will oversee a pair of intrasquad games today and tomorrow aimed at getting pitchers work and players on the field.

"Intrasquad games are mostly for the pitchers, to let them face hitters for the first time," Wakamatsu said.

Ken Griffey Jr. probably won't play in either game as the Mariners let his legs work into shape, but lots of other players will.

Figure a pitcher per half inning and the team will use 11 today in 5 1/2 innings and another eight tomorrow in a four-inning contest.
Today's pitchers: Carlos Silva, David Aardsma, Denny Stark, Shawn Kelley, Justin Thomas, Miguel Batista, Mark Lowe, Jason Vargas, Randy Messenger and Stephen Kahn

And, in news of the former Mariners, consider this:

Travis Blackley, trying to catch on with the Diamondbacks bullpen, overslept and was two hours late for a workout. Oops.

Shawn Estes hopes to make the Dodgers rotation and says, if he doesn' make the opening day roster, he'll retire.

Omar Vizquel can't do everything he once did, but the Texas Rangers want him to mentor their young infielders - and he almost certainly will win a job as a reserve.

And in Yankee camp, where pitchers were signed bv the case this off-season, guess who will start New York's exhibition opener? Brett Tomko.