Rain Delay

Huddy da' man..

Well it seems that Bobby Cox and John Smoltz are moving forward with Smoltz's throttling back and taking it a bit easier, as Tim Hudson will get the opening day nod.

"Huddy is opening day starter for the future here," Smoltz said. "As long as Huddy's here, he's going to start opening day. Huddy's the guy."

Added Smoltz: "I'm just tickled to death being healthy."

I'm glad Smoltz is healthy and I hope he stays that way. Because who really knows how much longer he can endure 200 innings plus, a year. I applaud the fact Smotlz is trying to tone it down, he's such a gamer though. He's been known to convince Cox to let him stay in the game, when he darn well knows the tank is empty.

Sounds like Smoltz is perfectly happy to be in the number two slot in the rotation.

Bonds, looking to switch "teams"..

You know really I'm not sure what to say about the picture to the right. It's a lot like rubber necking at a nasty accident along I-5.

Spring training hazing is alive and well. What makes this even more funny is the fact he's not getting hazed. Though I would like Barry to appear on a episode of "Pimp My Walker."

He did this by choice.

Paula Abdul probably could hit a fastball about as well as Barry Bonds could impersonate Paula Abdul.

Bonds entertained and delighted a small gathering of fans and teammates Tuesday by dressing up as Abdul to judge the San Francisco Giants spin-off of the hit Fox show "American Idol," called Giants Idol.

Bonds, who wore a strapless dress and a blonde wig, surprised everyone watching the mock contest, where young players had to sing in front of the judges.

"I'll never tell my wife to hurry up any more," Bonds said. "Because it took me forever to get ready. I'll never do that again. I couldn't get my hair right. There were a lot things I went through during the 30 minutes I was getting ready."

I really had planned on bringing the funny with this picture, you know that my love for Barry runs deep. Well Barry White that is, Bonds on the other hand. That in itself is another story. So I leave it to you dear reader to bring the funny this time. Spot me this once?

Boonie re-surfaces in Met Country

Being a Braves fan for most of my life, I've been brought up to hate the Mets and the Dodgers. Just like during the football season, I'm a Eagles fan therefore it's natural to hate the Cowboy's. That's why I'm torn, I've always had a soft spot for Bret Boone, when he was a Brave and Mariner. On one hand it's good to see he's in camp, albeit a minor-league deal. But it's with....the Mets.

He signed a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite, battling for the 2nd base gig with the Mets that could net him a cool Mill, will incentives upwards to over 500 grand. Last year was not kind to Bret, his career imploded and resulted in getting released from two teams inside a month.  He knew that if he was going to continue to play a game that runs in the family there was going to have to be some adjustments.

"Normally, when I'm really having a tough time, man, I'm mad after the game. But it was like, 'Is the game over now? Can I go home?' I had lost the passion."

What helped bring it back was sitting at home in Seattle in August and September, reduced to watching games on television and wondering what in the world had brought him to this point.

"I reflected on everything, and started getting that hunger back watching baseball games, thinking, 'I can't believe I'm sitting home.' I'm watching guys playing, and I'm going, 'Are you kidding me?' "

To his credit, Boone takes full blame for his demise and says the Mariners were justified in releasing him.

After working with his trainer that he used in his All-Star/MVP year he started working on his comback, even seeking the advice of Chili Davis a former Twin who lives in Emerald City.

"He said that it happened to him at the same age, that he lost that desire inside, and that he thought about walking away," Boone said. "He said I needed to rededicate myself if I wanted to still compete. He said he did, and he came back and had three or four more good years."

It's good to see he's back at it, I hope his career gets back on track even if for a short while. He's 37 and the clock is ticking. Though playing second base at Shea is his job to win, especially when your only competition is Kaz Matsui. Matsui, a Japanese import cost the Met's way to much cash for what he's delivered. They've been trying to dump his $8 million salary all winter. 

This could be the thing Bret needs to get back into the swing of things.

Good Luck Boonie.

Frenchy could start for Team USA

With injuries and pull-outs, Francoeur could get starting nod for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, which starts March 7th (scroll to the bottom).

Between earlier pullouts and recent injuries to other United States outfielders, Jeff Francoeur could possibly end become a lineup regular for the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic, which starts March 7.

Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells (leg strain) is the latest question mark, at least for the opening round of the tournament.

With all these pull outs and injury's is the WBC really worth it? Someone is going to get injured you can bet on it. Though money says a pitcher goes down before a position player.

Chaves & Soriano have history

It seems that the Mariners new pitching coach, had a hand in helping Rafael Soriano make the transition from Outfield to the Mound.

Rafael Chaves has carried a guilty secret since 1998 – when Rafael Soriano was still an outfielder trying to get past a dreadful slump at the plate.

“Every at-bat, I’d sit in the dugout and hope he didn't’t get a hit,” Chaves admitted Sunday. “If he’d strike out and come back to the bench I’d say, ‘Nice job.’

“I wanted him to pitch. It was just a feeling I had, that an arm like that should be on the mound.”

Now lets flash forward to 2005, not a bright year at all for Soriano as most of the time was spent in rehab of his surgically repaired elbow. It was slow going, and the only thing Soriano remembers about his 2005 season, is the pain.

“All I remember about 2005 is pain,” Soriano said. “I pitched a few innings, but there’s not much else to remember.”

Right now he's projected to share the set-up role with JJ Putz.

I just remember at the end of last season, when we were on a Soriano watch. When he'd get up in the bullpen and start throwing. Wondering weather or not he was going to actually pitch in a game, he didn't collect to many innings last season, but we're sure to see allot more from him in '06 than last year. Now, lets all cross our fingers and hope that elbow holds up.

Cha Ching!

Mariners '05 profit to the tune of $8 Million Junior Bacon Cheesebuger's.

PEORIA, Ariz. — The Mariners informed the Public Facilities District on Thursday that they had a profit of more than $8 million for last season, according to information obtained by The Seattle Times.

The club is required to report annually the amount referred to as a special calculation, which was created specifically to determine when the club begins sharing profits with the PFD.

However, they are not required by terms of their lease for Safeco Field to declare their net profit/loss totals from business operations, but have done so in recent years.

Their letter to the PFD stated that they had net income of $8.3 million for the fiscal year that ended Oct. 31, 2005, which resulted in a special calculation figure of $7.3 million.

This is the second time this year the Mariners have opened their books in a sense and revealed financial figures

The Spezmiester re-surfaces..

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to spring training.

The training complex at Roger Dean Stadium is like a Mariners nightmare flashback. Everywhere one turns, it seems, is a screaming reminder of ill-fated trades, misguided personnel decisions, and faded splendor.

On one side is the St. Louis Cardinals camp, where (cue the scary music) Scott Spiezio has resurfaced as a backup infield candidate. This may surprise those who believed, based on last year's .064 average, that Spiezio would have difficulty winning a backup job on a high-school team. Never mind a pennant contender.

But wait it doesn't end here, he then starts talking trash about his stay with the M's.

In various recent interviews, Spiezio has had the gall to intimate that his pathetic two-year stint with the Mariners was the fault of: a) stick-in-the-mud teammates who broke his spirit; and b) management that didn't give him a fair shot; rather than c) an abject inability to perform.

Empasis mine, and so's the hate. Yeah it was all the Mariners fault when your the DH hitting a robust .056. .056? There's the Medoza line, maybe there should be a Spezieo Line?

Cox worried, will Sosa start or relieve?

We're down the home stretch for the World Baseball Classic, and I'm sure this wont be the only report coming out of Spring Training Camps as the tournament draws near. Position players, they only thing to really worry about there is that they don't get injured, they'll more than likely get there at bats as they would in Spring Training.

But pitchers it's another story, a story like I said we'll see all this week. Will Pitcher X be ready to go for the start of the season? Will Pitcher X who's normally a starter, will he get enough innings in a relief role to be ready by the time the regular season starts?

So that would bring us here, Cox and company plan on having Jorge Sosa in the starting rotation once the season starts. But Team Dominican Republic may use him in a relief role, especially when you consider their roster has at the least 4 quality starters including last years American League Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon.

"If he's going to relieve for three weeks [in the WBC], he's not going to be ready to start" when the season begins, Cox said.

Sosa is scheduled to start the Grapefruit League opener Thursday against the Dodgers, then join the Dominican team Friday for training camp in nearby Kisssimmee, Fla. Cox talked to Dominican manager Manny Acta and was told Sosa would pitch in the Dominican team's second game March 9 vs. Italy.

I'd have to say that I'm with Cox on this one.  If Sosa is going to be our 4th or 5th guy in the rotation I sure as hell want him to be ready to go once regular season play starts. Not a month behind in throwing. Again, this whole thing (the WBC) stinks of bad timing.

 

Bucky gone, signs with ChiSox

Bucky Jacobsen, signs with Minor League deal with World Champs.

He was a Mariners folk hero and then a Mariners discard, and now he's a member of the White Sox organization.

Bucky Jacobsen, who made an indelible impact in his brief Seattle tenure, on Friday signed a minor-league contract with Chicago. His agent, Joe Speed, said Jacobsen will report to the White Sox minor-league camp in Tucson, Ariz., on March 6.

Looks like he'll be 3rd on the depth chart, behind Kornerko and Thome. It's his knee that's really in question and was more than likely why the M's kept him off the 40 man roster, and made absolutly no effort to re-sign him.

The Buckster's stats via The Baseball Cube

Ibanez gets an extension

Yep, you read right. Raul Ibanez gets a 2yr $11 Million dollar extension.

Befitting his status as successor to Alvin Davis and Edgar Martinez as the soul of the Seattle team, the Mariners have given Raul Ibanez a contract extension.

A source said Thursday the club has signed the outfielder, who is in the final season of a three-year deal, for another two years at $11 million.

Wow, I'm not sure exactly how to take that. So I'll direct you over to the USS Mariner, where the discussion of Ibanez's worth is on-going, including talking about the extention.