God Given

Talent, that is.

Was it just me, or did it seem like Brandon Morrow was just a little bit pissed off tonight? I'm sure the traditional media will say he was "focused" or "amped" or "pumped up". But from my seat, he looked downright pissed off. Like he'd just had it with his inconsistency. He'd had enough of worrying about his role with this team. Like he realized what gold he's got in that arm and he just blew three batters away.

They didn't have a chance.

He looked like a bona fide stopper.

Now, I realize his value is in the rotation and just about anyone can save 30 games. But regardless, it was a pretty welcome sight to see him come out of the bullpen with a sneer on his face and multiple 100 mph fastballs flying out of his hand. Check the graph, courtesy of Brooks Baseball and Pitch FX - he lived at 98+ save for one pretty wicked slider at 89. Go check out the rest of their awesome graphs to see that he peppered the strike zone with all but one pitch.

I'm no smart-guy-prognosticator, but if this is to be his role this year - then let's let it be this freaking bad ass and perhaps we can build his confidence, come up with a plan for his diabetes, and see if we can translate some of this success into the rotation in the future. But hey, I digress...

Brandon Morrow is a unique talent - and tonight, he just gave a big middle finger to the Tigers. It was an awesome sight.

8-3! Viva Mariners!

What is stranger:

The Seattle Mariners start the season 7-2.

Someone named Jakubauskas is starting today.

Someone actually won that ridiculous "7 in the 7th" contest last night.

Shawn Kelley is looking a hell of a lot like JJ Putz.

Endy Chavez and Ichiro both go yard in the same game. Their combined weight probably isn't even as much as Silva weighs after 4 days on a treadmill.

Adrian Beltre appealed his own check swing for the second night in a row.

That Manager Cecil Cooper wants to monitor the playing time of Kaz Matsui because of his stints on the DL last year due to anal fissures.

Funny thing is, it's all true. Viva Mariners.

Holy Shit

So, it seemed to me that the Mariners tried in every way to give this game away and yet, somehow the California-Anaheim-LA halo-angel-scioscia-babies seemed to just not want to win this game. It was the weird kind of crap that used to happen during the 116 win season where you just couldn't believe the M's pulled out a victory.

Beltre even appealed his own check swing again and lost.

I was watching the 10th inning at a pub, two beers in, and actually muttered to my 8-month pregnant, very uninterested and irritated wife, "what do you want to bet they lay down a bunt here and Shields launches it into right field."

She asked me, "why would he want to throw the ball to the right fielder?"

I bought 20 lottery tickets on the way home.

You know what, this team could play .500 ball for the rest of the year and they would still be in the hunt for the playoffs. Now that's something to celebrate. What a great start for a bunch of players I can't believe are in the lineup night in and night out.

Viva Mariners.

Moving On From Morrow Mess

It's too easy to fuel the fire this morning about Brandon Morrow's unfortunately choice to spend his career in the bullpen when his team desperately needs starting pitching. Calmer heads will focus on an unfortunate game that left an all-to-familiar bad taste in the mouths of Mariner fans. With 2 outs and nobody on base, and a 2 run lead, Morrow threw pitch after pitch off the plate in the same location. With no ability to make an adjustment, and no advice from his backstop or dugout that helped, 3 walks in a row and his night and the game fell apart. That is done, and we move on.

Two valuable lessons should be learned from last night:
1. When you have a young starter turned reliever who missed time due to injury and recently had command issues, you don't send him out on an island to fail. Simply put, someone should have been warming up in the bullpen. There is a show of confidence that managers have with established closers that keep them from warming someone up while they are on the hill in the 9th. Morrow has not earned this show of confidence. In addition, ALL of the Mariner arms are rested and ready to go, yet they sat in the bullpen as Morrow gave the game away. Batista didn't help the situation, but by the time Batista came in things were already out of control. Bring him in with runners on 1st and 2nd instead of the bases juiced and it probably would have been a different story.

2. Chuck Meriwether was horrible. He is to blame for the Mariner loss as much as Morrow and Batista.

From the Seattle Times: Bedard gave three runs back in the fifth — two on
Michael Cuddyer's two-out single after plate umpire Chuck Meriwether failed
to call a third strike on a 2-2 pitch down the middle.

Is anyone else tired of seeing pitches thrown belt-high or slightly above called balls? The vertical portion of the strike zone was around 12 inches tall at times last night, while balls off the plate were called strikes. Umpires like Meriwether are calling the game incorrectly. In this case it let the Twins back into the game.

(Photo: AP/Seattle Times)

Reilly Points The Finger At Beltre

ESPN's Rick Rick Reilly has a funny piece this week about steroids and their impact on recent MVP awards. One of the players he calls out is Seattle's own Adrian Beltre.

Reilly writes:

"I have a U-Haul of hardware here for Jose Alberto Pujols Alcántara of the St. Louis Cardinals. You already have two MVPs, Albert, and you're about to get three more, since Barry Bonds ripped you off worse than Bernie Madoff to win the award from 2002 to 2004. You hit .335 and averaged 41 bombs those years and yet you finished second behind the clearly creaming Bonds in '02 and '03, and third behind Bonds and Adrian Beltre in '04. We're throwing out Beltre since, while he denies ever using PEDs, he fell off the face of the planet once baseball put in stricter steroid suspensions in 2005. If he wasn't cheating, I'm the Queen Mother."

On a side note, Beltre is seen here appealing his own check swing, which he does frequently. Nothing funnier than watching Beltre ask the 1b umpire to ring him up after the home plate umpire doesn't call a strike. Why doesn't someone with the Mariners explain to him that he is the only major league hitter (ever?) to do this and that it can only hurt him?

Back to the 'Roids. Beltre can prove in 2009 that he is not a cheater, and that he saves his best effort for contract years. Hit 35+ HR this year Adrian and we'll know you play for the cash and not on the juice!

Griffey Comes Home

The deal is done...finally! Griffey winds up with a $2 million contract that can balloon up to $4.5 million with incentives. The public relations benefits of bringing Griffey back are obvious for a team with plunging attendance. What isn't quite as obvious to many is the actual value Junior may bring to the team.

While his batting average is not going to be pretty, the key stats to watch are OPS (OBP + SLG), HR & RBI. He produced a .777 OPS in 2008 and .868 in 2007. Keep in mind the Mariners had only ONE player with an OPS over .800 last season, and he left in free agency (Ibanez). So by splitting the difference between his 2007 & 2008, Griffey could have an OPS over .820 and be the M's most productive hitter at a bargain basement price.

For some reason is it very difficult to score when you don't have any power hitters and nobody gets on base. Only TWO Mariner regulars had an OBP over .327 last year (Ichiro & Ibanez). Griffey has done that every year except for 2006 (his OPS was still over .800 that season).

Griffey won't make the M's a contender in the AL West, but he will make things more entertaining and hopefully will keep the M's offense watchable. Mariner fans deserved a feel good story.

Kelley's Take On Jr.

Good read from Steve Kelley on the Griffey situation: Article Here

Griffey Finds Leverage

With the Mariner deal nearing completion, Ken Griffey's agent earned his paycheck by getting another player in the ring. Reports keep mentioning Atlanta's proximity to Griffey's home as a major selling point. Sound familiar? What is it with Griffey's need to be close to home? He's on the road all summer anyway. I think he has enough cash to get a sweet pad for his family in Seattle during the summer.

My prediction is that the Atlanta involvement won't change Griffey's date with destiny here in Seattle. But it may result in some sort of 2nd year with a club buyout.

Vote of Confidence

From the Times today, this tidbit that is somehow supposed to make us all feel better...

Cincinnati Reds team physician Tim Kremchek doesn't believe passing a physical will be problem for the oft-injured outfielder, who turned 39 in November.

"I can't imagine any problem," Kremchek said by phone from Cincinnati. "I've known Junior 10 years. I've operated on his right shoulder, his wrist, his right knee, left knee, his foot and hamstring."

What do you want to bet Kremchek owns a Land Rover and despite the fact that his mechanic sees it more than he gets to drive it himself, he thinks it's the "best car he's ever owned."

The Bitch Is Back!

Well almost. Looks like the M's are about to make the 2nd best AL West free agent OF deal of the week. He's no Abreu, but the good news is that Griffey has demanded that Pokey Reese come to Seattle with him in a package deal. His dad says Pokey is the key to a championship.

One thing is certain, it should spice up a spring training otherwise dominated by such riveting questions as: Johjima or Clement? Branyan or Shelton/LaHair? Chavez or Balentin or Morse? Silva or Rowland-Smith?