Mariner Magic - Refusing to Lose

This is huge. Huge.

The best pitching prospect to come along since Todd Van Poppel. Wait, let's make that Dwight Gooden.

The best left-hander of his generation.

Tonight. At SafeCo.

Felix Hernandez vs. Randy Johnson. ...Choir...Organ....Angels singing....

I can't believe this game isn't on national TV.

Discuss.

Here's what Jim Caple has to say.

Willie "I am either the best 25th man or the worst everyday player in the majors" Bloomquist has been placed on the 15-day DL. Don't get me wrong, I am not a Bloomquist-hater, and his grit is admirable, but he's not an everyday player. He's a great defensive replacement, and he's a great base runner. Thus, a great 25th man. But nothing else. It's not his fault that Mike Hargrove is the least creative manager ever and was struggling to produce from the 2-hole.

Jose Lopez is up. This is third time he's been up with the big club this year. His first two stints weren't overly successful, but he was raking at Tacoma.

This means we'll see a lot of the Betancourt-Lopez double-play tandom that, if all goes well, will be dazzling us for many years in SafeCo. Lopez is the hitter, and Ricky's a friggin magician at short which will give him a long leash while he works on his hitting. Yay.

Sitting with Pete Friday night at the safe we got to talk. Me approaching 3 sheet to the wind, and Pete sober and ready to rumble, began to argue about the team’s captain. We no longer have one, was the only thing we could agree upon. Pete felt that the team did not need one, or if they did it should be anyone other than who I suggested.

Slurringly I blurted out Raul Ibanez. Everytime Raul came up to plate I jumped up and shouted Team Captain time to get’er done!!!

Seriously though Raul is the constant professional and lets face he is the teams most consistent guy. He is the first guy to diffuse any situation. Take the game a while back when Betencourt was pissed for being drilled by Millwood. Raul was the first guy out there to calm him down. Raul gets along with all his teammate’s. Even Ichiro has a soft spot for good ole Raul. The pair teach each other languages. Raul learns Japanese while teaching Ichiro Spanish.

Look they guy has put in the time, gone through the system and proven he is a quality major league player. The young guys listen to him and it is a roll I think he has fallen into already. Richie is not really interested in that roll and neither is Bletre. My vote is for Raul!

On a second note Pete and I have deemed a new boy to join Morse here at Mariner Magic. He is none other than Mr. Hustle Yorvit Torrealba. Every time I watch him play I am impressed. He is fast and hustles. He seems to have a moderate stick, which is a bonus. I always say any production you get from catcher is a positive. Clearly this is a guy we can count on till Clement is ready. Plus his name is really fun to say.

According to today's Seattle Times, Felix and Freddy Garcia are good friends.

The pessimist:
1) Freddy and Ozzie Guillen are going to recruit Felix to play for the White Sox in a few years.
2) Freddy...he, uh, see, he's not the best role model.

The optimist:
1) Freddy seems to have gotten himself together. He can show Felix which road not to follow.
2) They talk about everything BUT baseball, so Freddy's...er...issues won't rub off on Felix.


OK so this isn't that interesting. But anything Felix-related is always more interesting than anything else that's going on in Marinerland lately.

Willie Bloomquist is hitting .229 over the last 30 days. Why does he bat 2nd everyday?

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Richie Sexson is a nominee for the Viagra Comeback Player of the Year Award.

The Big Sexy, Viagra.....that just lends itself to thousands of corny one-liners. I expect the Mariner Magic nation to supply plenty.

Seattle’s Worst Sports Columnist opens his large overzealous pie hole again. Steve Kelly is a glorified crybaby whose opinions are flaunted upon the pages of Seattle’s largest newspaper. I have read this scumbag’s column for a while now and not once have I come away thinking you know what Steve makes a good point here. He uses the smallest of incidents to create drama and publicity for his articles. In his most recent article "M's better off without selfish Franklin" Kelly blasts Ryan Franklin for being Selfish and an embarrassment to the team.

First off Kelly, you complete waste of space, get your facts right. Franklin did not go after an argument with Brian Price. He came into the dug out pissed off BP told him to cool down in the back so Franky left to let off steam. When BP said that was enough that’s when the argument ensued. In no way did Franklin chase down BP as you insinuated in your article.

You go on to say that Franklin is a crybaby about getting no run support. What the hell man!!! He hasn’t gotten any run support for the better part of two years including a year were he was in the top 5 in ERA in the entire league. His ERA this year is unimportant when you give up 2 runs and are pretty much guaranteed a loss. Let the man finally say something about this. He has been quiet this whole time until recently. Let the man say something.

I feel strongly that you, Steve, are out of line here. It’s a frustrating time for all Mariners and to let of some steam is expected. BP can handle himself, Franky can handle himself. They both don’t need you to call them out or ask management for a release. I know I am not the only Mariner fan that doesn’t think too highly of your work. Stick to WNBA basketball, maybe they can teach you some solid fundamentals and perhaps some respect for someone who needs support right now, not to be ridden out of town.

If you would like to read the article I am referring to click this link here:

PILE OF CRAP

While I believe Franky's time here to be over I in no way have any harsh feelings for the guy. He is a competator and a horse. 3 years he had filling the 5th man whole and he did it admirably. I wish him the very best and hope he finds a home somewhere in thE future as I find it hard to believe managment will bring him back. Cheers franky and don't listen to a bum like Steve "I think I am god and always right" Kelly.

END RANT

Many wishes have been granted. Scott Spiezio has been released.

2004-the offseason from Hell:
-Signed Rich Aurillia-CUT! 2004
-Signed Scott Spiezio-CUT! 2005
-Traded Carlos Guillen-ALL STAR! 2004
-Didn't sign Miguel Tejada-BEST SHORTSTOP IN THE GAME!
-Didn't sign Vlad Guerrero-MVP! 2004

One thing you can say about Bavasi-he knows when he's screwed up.



Maybe I'll "catch" on somewhere else. Or maybe I won't even catch this ball.

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Being a Mariner fan definitely has its ups and downs. In the 80’s we suffered through sub .500 season after sub .500 season. The 90’s gave little relief early on. The team seemed plagued with faulty bullpens, however hope was given to us with a solid offense and a pretty steady defensive output. Many a year the Mariners would lead the league in homeruns and double plays turned.

Then 1995 came and with it all the magic. To those outside of Mariner nation this year meant very little to you. To the Mariner fan however this year meant everything to you. Proof of this is shown by the celebration at Safeco field commemorating the 10th anniversary of the dramatic 95’ run.. The 95’ team changed not only the average Mariner fans but the everyday man, women, and child in Seattle.

I remember being in a laundry mat watching the game while washing some cloths. It was the 9th inning and the angels had 2 on. This was early in the season and we had no idea what the season was going to hold. A man came up next to me and asked what the score was. The M’s are up 1 I replied and the Angels have 2 on and 2 out. "They’ll blow it" the man said. I gave him a nasty look but he just laughed. Sure enough a deep fly ball was hit. Way back, way back. The Words "I told you so>>>" started to come out of the man’s mouth only to be cut off. Niehaus erupted "Buhner makes an unbelievable catch crashing into the wall in right center." BALLGAME OVER. Almost beaming with Moosly pride I returned to my Laundry and the man who so predicted a failure erupted with a new found mariner pride. "YAAAAAAAAA!!!! He got it!!" The City had found their golden boys that were the Seattle Mariners, hence began the 95 run for me.

Now in Seattle we have been blessed with some of the best major league talent the game ahs ever seen. Some may say come on man slow down the best ever? Yes I would argue this look at who has roots in the Seattle organization. We have produced arguably the games greatest Left-hander in randy Johnson. Yes he was with the Expos first but he really made his initial make in Seattle. We have also produced one of the games greatest Center Fielders in "The Kid" Ken Griffey Jr. Who has amassed numerous stats most of which with Seattle and Likely will be the Mariners first entry to the Hall of Fame. The next name should come as no surprise, this man WILL be the one to break Hank Aaron’s HR record. Alex Rodriguez, as much as I hate him for leaving, is one of the games greatest players EVER to play. He is don’t argue this fact.

These three alone rank up there with some of the greatest all time, of course we have others in the likes of Edgar Martinez, Ichiro, Omar Vizquel, David Ortiz, Derek Lowe, Jason Veritek etc etc. All solid names, not of the caliber of the ones above but still very solid.

I bring this up for a reason. Last night we were given a viewing of the next major prospect to come from the Mariners system. Felix "The King" Hernandez is that man. This is the 5 time I have gotten to see him pitch and by far this was the most dominating I have seen him be. His line, 8 Innings, 1 run, 1bb, 11k’s on 99 pitches is just sick. At no point was he ever on the ropes. Even when the Royals scored their one run Felix was in complete control. He gave his defense not one but 2 chances to get out of the inning un-scaved, only to have them falter.

Felix overpowered the Royals with 98 MPH heater and knee breaking curves. He even dawned a change that came across in the mid to upper 80’s. Folks when you throw 98 MPH there is no way you should be throwing a 86-88 mph change, that’s just unfair.

Ninety-nine pitchers and 8 innings after the play ball call Felix was done. Laughing it up in the dug out as Joel Pinero and Ryan Franklin gawked over the score sheet. Seeing numbers they have been unable to obtain for 3 years now.

Today I am beaming with Mariner Pride. This 19-year-old kid is going to save this franchise. No joke, the Mariners are in a tailspin, but on the arm of a 19-year-old wonder kid we affectionately call the King, the Mariners will return to the team of the late 90’s. The team that changed the sports fan base of Seattle.

As Mariner fans we have lived through too many trade deadlines and winters without the front office making a big splash. Sorry, but getting Vince Coleman in 1995 or John Olerud in the 1999 offseason doesn't exactly have me longing for yesteryear when the team was aggresive. I have to watch Miguel Tejada here in Baltimore knowing he should have been a Mariner, but the M's wouldn't match the O's offer.

That changed last offseason. The M's brass spent over $100 million in a 48-hour period on Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre. Remember? Sexson was nice, but Beltre was the icing on the cake. Here was a kid who everyone had been waiting to tear up the league, and in 2004, it finally happened:
.334 AVG, 48 HR, 121 RBI, 104 R, 1.017 OPS
And he was only 25. The Mariners locked him up for 5 years, when he would only get better. Needless to say, 2005 has been a major disappointment:
.253 AVG 14 HR, 60 RBI. The most glaring number has to be 72 strikeouts to just 22 walks. He had a decent June, hitting .321. I thought maybe that would lead to big things in the second half. Obviously not. It's fair to say 2004 has been a bad year. But does that mean that this is what we should expect for the next 4 years? That's a question I'm going to try to address here. Is Adrian Beltre a one-year wonder?

Well, that's pretty tough to figure out. There's not a whole lot of statistical data, trends, or otherwise to go by when looking at something like that. But one thing we do have is history. We can look at some of the biggest one-year wonders in recent history to see if we can come to any sort of conclusion. Here are five players who had one big year, and nothing much else in their career. This is by no means scientific, but it could be interesting. I'm gonna do a brief synopsis of each player's career year, then discuss at the end.

#1: Brady Anderson-1996:
Perhaps the most ridiculous 50-HR season of all time. The most mind-boggling numbers from that year are 50 HR and 110 RBI. This was following seasons of 12 HR/48 RBI and 16 HR/64 RBI. The two years after 1996? 18 HR/73 RBI and 18 HR/51 RBI. Now, Brady Anderson wasn't a bad player. He scored 100 runs 4 times, had 10 triples twice, and 20 steals seven times. But that 1996 season was absurd. The interesting thing is that none of his other numbers were exactly through the roof compared the rest of his career. He had career highs in average (.297) and runs scored (117), but only the power numbers were way up from the rest of his career.

#2Rich Aurillia-2001:
Speaking of crappy M's offseason signings. This was an insane year for Aurillia:
.324 average, .369 OBP, 37 HR, 97 RBI, 114 runs, 206 hits.
If you put his career highs together in those categories outside of 2001, it would look like this:
.281 average, .339 OBP, 22 HR, 80 RBI, 76 runs, 157 hits.
It's nice to hit in front of Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds isn't it Rich?

#3Ben Oglivie-1980:
Wow. Now that brings back some baseball card memories. Looking for players who have had only one huge year has been tough, but Oglivie's 1980 season qualifies. Take a look:
.304 AVG, 180 hits, 41 HR, 118 RBI, 94 runs.
1981 was a strike year, but his 14 HR, 72 RBI, and .242 AVG don't stack up. He did have some good power years in 1979 (29 HR/81 RBI) and 1982 (34 HR/102 RBI), but 1980 stands out. I actually think he is a good guy to compare with Beltre. His numbers were decent for a couple years building up to his big year, and I'm sure Brewers fans loved him during the World Series run of 1982. But Ben Oglivie makes the list mainly because I can still see his 1985 Topps card in my head.

#4 Ken Caminiti-1996:
1996 was an unreal year. Not only Anderson and Caminiti, but players like Henry Rodriguez were crushing homers all over the league. We all know about Caminiti, and I debated about including him, but it was tough to ignore:
.326 AVG, .408 OBP, 40 HR, 130 RBI, 109 Runs.
Caminiti was pretty good, but he didn't even reach 30 HR or 100 RBI once before or after 1996.

#5 Kelly Gruber-1990:
First things first-Kelly Gruber's hair was mullet-esque. Gruber's 1990 batting average wasn't anything special for him, but his 31 HR and 118 RBI dwarf his next best years of 20 HR and 81 RBI. He did hit for the cycle once too and I think his face is on the SkyDome's (I don't like it's new name) wall because of it.


There are definitely others and I would welcome anyone to add to this list. We've seen what these guys share with Adrian Beltre-one big year preceded and followed by a lot of so-so years. But how do they differ from Beltre?

1) Beltre was 25 when he had his big year. Anderson was 28, Aurillia 30, Oglivie 31, Caminiti 33, and Gruber 28. Those guys were all in there prime years.

2) Beltre was in the bigs at 20 and was a highly-touted prospect. I hadn't graced the world with my presence when Oglivie was coming up, but I don't remember any of those other guys having the expectations that Beltre did. My point? Beltre is flat-out more talented than those guys.

3) Anderson and Caminiti were playing in the juiced-"ball" era. Let's not make accusations, but everyone was hitting like crazy then.

4) I mentioned the lineup Aurillia was hitting in. Sorry, but Shawn Green and Milton Bradley aren't Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent.

5) Beltre is the only one of those players to switch leagues following his big year.

6) Beltre's 2004 was the best overall season of any of those players. That doesn't really mean much, but...



Like I said, this wasn't a scientific exploration. I just wanted to see how common it was for a player to have a season like Beltre did last year, and never reach that level again. I think the most important factors are Beltre's age, talent level, and switching leagues. I also think that he put a lot of pressure on himself this year because of the expectations that came with his signing. Although there may be even more pressure on him to perform next year. Only time will tell, but I for one am going to keep my hopes up. I think Mariners have a chance to make a run from 2007-2009, and Beltre will be in Seattle for all those years. If he can bounce back from this awful year, that run could be awfully special.

What are your thoughts Mariner Magic faithful? Should we be hopeful?

Nope. Still in Felix heaven. That sporting event that took place at Safeco Field didn't happen for all we care. Remember this picture from 2001? Pretty.

"Poise? I don't think we're talking about poise here. I think we're talking about a 97 mile an hour fastball with a curveball from hell. I think you can overlook the poise part. Let's just say great stuff."
-Ron Gardenhire

"I wish I could have been in here [the clubhouse] watching, instead of out there opposing him... That was pretty impressive. I hope I don't have to lock up with him too much in the future."
-Kyle Lohse, opposing pitcher

"On the first pitch, I called a two-seamer [sinker] and it just exploded on me and I dropped it. I peeked at the radar reading and it said 97. I thought, 'Wow, a two-seamer that hard.' The next pitch, I dropped that, too... I said to myself, 'Oh, my God ... the way this kid is throwing, I've got to be ready.'"
-Wiki Gonzalez, steady-handed catcher

"I was comfortable. I was actually a bit surprised, I was more comfortable than I had been in my first start in Detroit ... really, more comfortable than I've felt all year. And I just did it."
-The King (That last sentence has to be the coolest thing he has ever said in his life).

On overcoming a bewildering play by unnamed third baseman:

"...Felix came through. He didn't scoot around and feel sorry for himself. He just went back to work and picked up Beltre. Whether a pitcher is 19 or 90, you want to see him pick up a teammate, and that's exactly what Felix did for Adrian. You better believe Adrian appreciated that."
-Mike Hargrove

On going out for the eighth with a 1-0 lead:

"Going out for the eighth I told him, 'Don't change anything; this is just like the first inning.' Felix pointed at me, like he was saying, 'Let's go.'"
-Gonzalez

"I felt more emotional going out to pitch with a lead. Now it was my game and I had to win it."
-The King

And finally, drumroll...

"He seemed like he knew what he was doing."
-Matthew LeCroy, still befuddled Twins hitter

His Royal Highness.

Award-winning photography provided by Mariner Magic: Refusing To Lose.

The 2005 Mariners have not been to follow. The Future, The Franchise, The King is on the hill. Go to SafeCo. I would I didn't live 3000 miles away. WOOT!

Woohoo. The Mariners won on a walk last night. I can hardly contain my excitment. Eddie Guardado had the quote of the century: "More of these, and it would be a different record..". Couldn't have said it better myself. If the Mariners had won more, they would have a different win-loss record.

There are definitely some things to be excited about as a Mariner fan. Felix is making his SafeCo debut tonight. That is definitely cool and I wish I could be there to see it. If anyone goes, be sure to share your thoughts here.

There are some other bright spots too. George Sherrill has yet to give up a run since being called up. That's huge. It'd be great if he could lock down that lefty set-up role for next year. Snelling and Reed were the biggest contributors to last night's win. Let's hope to see a lot of that in the future.

But I'm having a hard time feeling anything too positive about the Seattle Mariners right now. Look at what the A's are doing. They have lost great player after great player, have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, and still have found a way to be in contention every year since 2000. The M's have lost great players, have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, and are in the middle of the franchise's worst two-year stretch since the early 1980s.

How about the Braves? Written off every year but still end up in the playoffs. Some will say that it's meaningless since they've only got one World Series to show for it. But I think that makes it even more impressive. Years of playoff frustration, but they still bounce back every year. When the M's lose in the playoffs, everyone feels sorry for themselves.

My point is that there isn't a culture of winning surrounding the Mariners organization. A lot of that has to do with never winning it all. Because of that, every time something goes wrong it's "here we go again". 2002 and 2003 are great examples of that. Those teams had plenty of opportunites to make a run to the playoffs, but all we heard was bitching and whining about a lack of moves at the deadline. I would hate to see the Mariners fall into the Red Sox/Cubs category of lovable losers.

Do we really think 2006 will be that much better? I can't help but think that this year is going to be tough to bounce back from. There was a lot of optimism to start the year, and it's been just as bad as last year. The good thing is that there are a lot of new faces. Let's hope that those new faces can instill a new culture in this organization. And let's hope that new culture leads to a different record.

Pineiro avoided going to the minors by pitching a fairly solid game, going 6 and a 1/3 innings and striking out four. I think he only did it cause he went against Garcia who is like his best friend. Moyer pitched well too, he is so constant no matter how old he is getting. I would like them to bring him back next year cheap and just let him throw, he eats innings and keeps you in ballgames.

Jeff Harris I felt pitched well enough to get another opportunity. But from hearing Grover I am not totally sure he is going to get one. That’s unfortunate but I’m not paid to run the team he is so not sure how much a fuss I can raise. I would like to see spezio, shiggy and hansen gone now please. Why are they still here?

I don’t have much to say, let me get a good look at tonight’s game for a more in-depth post tomorrow, then of course Tuesday is the biggey of course as the King is making his 1st home start, that is exciting stuff. How energized will that crowd be???

Something about the Palmeiro thing really started to rub me the wrong way. Why would a guy like Palmeiro do something like this? Speaking with friends and Colleagues I received a similar answer from them. He wanted to get ahead and at the time it wasn't tested for. This seems to make more sense to me after I dug up some of Palmeiro‘s stats and combined it with some other names. Let me start this by saying I am only considering full seasons which I consider to be 400+ AB. Injuries can dwarf numbers and in one of my examples I do list a injury season but he was still able to obtain 400+ AB.

Palmeiro’s career started in 1986, however he didn't make a full season by my standard until 1988. In 88' Palmeiro registered 580 AB, .306 AVG, 8 HR, and 53 RBI. In 1989 Palmeiro moved to Texas.

Over the course of the next 4 seasons Palmeiro had the following stats:

89' 559 AB, .275 AVG, 8 HR, 64 RBI
90' 598 AB, .319 AVG, 14 HR, 89 RBI
91' 631 AB, .321 AVG, 26 HR, 88 RBI
92' 608 AB, .268 AVG, 22 HR, 85 RBI

Now, that is pretty standard growth of a player. He learned pitching got new strength and conditioning workouts etc etc. The interesting year is 1993.

The jump is very large:
93' 597 AB, .294 AVG, 37 HR, 105 RBI

If you average out the prior 5 years of his Career we see him hitting 15.6 HR a year. Take out his "Rookie" year by my standard he hit and average of 17.5 HR. His 93 numbers are more than double his career numbers. Palmeiro was 28-29ish that year and for sure in his prime. But the correlation I found most interesting came from a players signing the Rangers made in 92-93. The rangers acquired one Jose Canseco that year. HMMMMM........

More interestingly was what Palmeiro did the following year in 94'.
94' 436 AB, .318 AVG, 23 HR, 76 RBI

That’s a pretty large power drop off. Apparently Palmeiro noticed it too as the next year he:
95' 554 AB, .310 AVG, 39 HR, 104 RBI

After 95 all the way until last year Palmeiro never hit less than 37 HR. He constantly was 37- upper 40's in HR's. Interestingly enough in 96' another person had a monster year along with Palmeiro from Baltimore. One Brady Anderson out of the blue hit 50 HR's. His career best prior to that was 21. He typically averaged 18 HR's a year.

These stats and correlation's are hard to ignore. Couple that with the recent report of what drug made Palmeiro fail his test has at least lead me to believe he is Lying through his teeth. Palmeiro as reported by several sources has tested positive for a drug called Stanozolol.

"Stanozolol, known by the brand name Winstrol, is most notably linked to the Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson of Canada, who was stripped of his 100-meter gold medal in 1988. It is not available in over-the-counter supplements and is known as a powerful strength-builder, casting doubt on Palmeiro's claims that he ingested the drug unwittingly."

See now the thing is this drug is not a Supplement. This is something that according to the article linked everyone knows is an anabolic Steroid. Anyone taking it would know what they are taking so by saying you werent careful in reading lables or just not know what you had been putting into your body is flat out BS.

It doesn’t look good for Palmeiro, if this is what he was taking then he openly lied to congress, his teammates, his family, and his fans. This of course is just my opinion, but still with what I have brought to the table how can you not question this guy now.

Campillo got the start last night, and after giving up a double, completed his first inning of his first major league start. Something was wrong though. Team trainers along with Grover and BP hovered around the kid in the dugout after the first. Watching the Telecast you could clearly see Grover turn to BP and say, "Get someone up." So the call was placed.

Now imagine yourself in Harris's shoes. Your 31, you have been in baseball all your life. You have bounced around from minor league teams to independent leagues. All this time trying to realize a dream you have had since you were just a kid. Finally you get the call to pack your bags, your going to the show. Giddy as can be you hop on a plane and fly to Detroit to join the Seattle Mariners. You sit in the bullpen taking in the sights and sounds of a major league park. You've been before but it’s different now. Today you’re the ticket, you’re wearing the uniform and people are pulling for you to succeed.

Harris was happy just to be sitting there in the bullpen. Then it happened. Bullpen coach Jim Slaton hung the phone up turns to Harris, "Get up. You've got the next inning." At this point do you even have time to get nervous in a situation like that?
When asked about that Harris said "It all happened so fast, I didn't have time to think about it," and that is so true. He had a short top half of the second, which featured a Beltre blast to put the Mariners up one. Enter Harris. Sweat on his brow, butterflies in his stomach he methodically worked the bottom of the 2nd 1, 2, 3.

Harris proceeds then to go another 4 strong innings allowing 3 hits and no runs. 2 of the three hits came in the 3rd, which was his only trouble inning and by trouble I mean 2 on and 2 out, so nothing to terrible. The big key was that Harris threw strikes. He had zero walks, Meche, Joel did you watch that?? Zero Walks!! A fast worker he didn’t get intimidated by anyone. Firing strike after strike and letting his defense play. After all most of them he had played with before and you could tell he trusted them.

Upon compellation of the 6th inning in what was another 1,2,3 inning for the 31-year-old rookie, he received the quintessential pat on the ass from Grover and high fives around from his teammates. Had this happened at the Safe Harris would have left to a standing ovation on the first base line as he entered the Mariners dugout. A scene that surely would have given him chills. Harris left with not only a solid pitching performance but a 1-0 lead that gave him an opportunity to get his first win.

Mateo promptly let Pudge go opposite field in the leagues largest ballpark to tie the game. Opposite field................ It’s ok though Pudge is awesome and Mateo has been very solid all year long.

The youth movement paid off in the 8th as Reed lead the inning off with a single. Hansen then; still playing for the M's.........I sound myself asking where is Choo, and where is Dobbs, laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Reed to second. Reed then did a veteran like move and recognized that the third basemen was not at third. With no hesitation he rounded the bag at second and full of steam headed to 3rd. The throw from Shelton at first was wide and even with Reed over sliding the bag he was able to get his hand back to it in time before the tag of Rodriguez covering third in full catchers gear.

A walk next to Wiki put runners on the corners with 1 down. Up comes Yuniesky Betancourt, a miniature brick house. Yuniesky Promptly doubles in Reed to put the Mariners up 1 again. The tigers Walk Ichiro, and a pop up later brings my vote for Captain of the team to the plate, one Raul Ibanez. Raul did what he has done all year, deliver in the clutch. He singled in Wiki and Yuniesky Betancourt giving the Mariners all the runs they would need to pick up a well-deserved victory.

The youth are here and they are exciting to watch. Congratulations go out to MR. Harris for a Job well done, and at least this fan hopes you get another shot.

ON ESPN JUST NOW 10:27 AM

"Seattle Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin has failed a drug test and will receive a 10-day suspension under the terms of Major League Baseball's tougher steroids policy, a source familiar with the situation told ESPN.com.
Franklin
An official announcement from MLB is expected Tuesday afternoon.
MLB officials could not be reached to comment, and the Mariners wouldn't confirm news of the suspension. A representative of the Franklin-Frye-McCann agency, which represents Franklin, also declined to comment."


He is my Boy I back him more than anyone here..................words can't describe what I am feeling right now

As I do every morning I listen to Mitch in the Morning on Sports Radio KJRAM. This morning they have Bill Bavasi and Mitch got right to the point. Where is Felix he asked. Bavasi replied with Campillo will start tonight, then Meche, Then Felix on Thursday. Mitch asked then if Felix would be with the team for the rest of the year to which he replied that was their intention with this move. As long as he is learning at the big league level he will remain here Bavasi said.

This is some good stuff, they went on to talk about the deals. Yorman Bazardo, the Marlins guy, is going to be a starter in Seattle. Bavasi said that there is an outside shot we could see him this year but most likely next year. The ceiling on this guy is huge and that is what Bavasi liked about him.

Next its the most intriguing deal, the one that included Foppert. They need to work with him but for now he is going to AAA and they are gonna begin stretching him out. Once he gets some arm strength he will be starting and the will go from there. He has a tremendous arm but mediocre control, I read Matt Thornten here, but lets hope they can work some magic.
He talked about Olivo, I don’t care about this he's gone that’s good.

Bavasi won’t talk about trades not made. He was adamant on this part which is unfortunate because I really wanted to know if the reported players from Houston were the actual ones. Chris Burke would have been a NICE PICKUP!!!! Anyway I love Jamie so I don’t fault him for exercising his right.

Unless you were living under a rock that blocks out all baseball news, you know that Rafael Palmeiro has tested positive for a banned substance. Everyone is weighing in on this, so I think I will.

"When I testified in front of Congress, I know that I was testifying under oath and I told the truth," he said during a telephone conference call Monday. "Today I am telling the truth again that I did not do this intentionally or knowingly."

Accusing people of having taken steroids is a worthless conversation. Everyone has their ideas of who they think did and didn't but until now we haven't had any proof.

What's even more ridiculous about the steroid witch hunt is how easily some people have chosen to assume that people DIDN'T take steroids. Because Rafael Palmeiro pointed his finger and used a stern tone with Congress, he didn't take steroids. But because Mark McGwire avoided the question, and Sammy Sosa used a translator, they did. (By the way-what the hell was Curt Schilling doing at that hearing? I wish he'd shut up once in a while). Is it possible that Palmeiro is just a convincing liar? Haven't we all come across people like that in our lifetimes. Your college roomates who lied about eating your pizza? Your child who lied about where he was last night?

So now Palmeiro tests positive and says he never knowingly took a banned substance. If you are an athlete the caliber of Palmeiro, you know what you're taking. If you don't know, ask the trainer, the coach, someone on your team. If you truly care about making sure you are not taking banned substance, it is very easy to find out. I swam in college and we were able to find out if certain energy and protein drinks had banned substances. This is Major League Baseball, if you don't know what you're taking, it's your own fault if you get caught.

I don't believe Rafael Palmeiro for one second. He cheated. He got caught. He deserves what he's about to go through.

Sele..................GONE!!!!!!!!!!! On the heals of the trades the shake up in the mariner nation continues. Campillo is getting called up and it is widley speculated that King Felix is starting this thursday!!!! I am going to bar and I am going to take in every minute of his first start.

Rumors continue that the next shoot to kill shot fired by Bavasi is Shiggy. He could be gone as well by the end of the week. This is exciting stuff. Campillo is starting tomorrow and felix on thursday. Wow can't wait to see whats next.

Here is a tidbit from USSMariner:

"Before tomorrow’s game, the Mariners will recall Felix Hernandez, Jorge Campillo, and Jeff Harris from Tacoma. Aaron Sele, Shigetoshi Hasegawa, and a third pitcher (unconfirmed right now, hearing several names) are going to be waived. Hernandez will start Thursday’s games, though will be limited to 80 pitches, and he may not stay in the rotation, as the team is going to be very careful with his workload. "