Mariners Morsels - aka "Free Adam Moore and Rich Poythress! (George Sherrill is FREE!)"

(AP Photo borrowed from Larry Stone's article here)

Shit happens. Ya move on to a new day.

GO DODGERS! GO GEORGE!!!

Labels: George Sherrill, GS52, playoffs, relief pitchers, whoops

Modeling a new uniform, sportin' the goatee again. And still the brim isn't bent...




(Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun)

Labels: bad decisions, George is awesome, George Sherrill

(borrowed from BaltimoreOrioles.com)

A couple of quick observations from the ASG tonight:

• First thing I noticed was the 3-day goatee making a subtle appearance. I laughed at George's rebellion.
  
• I timed it perfectly -- I was outside doing yardwork and getting the house ready to sell and came in just as George came out from the bullpen, into the game.
• Leave it to the AL to play like the Mariners and not score the runner from 2nd when no one was out. It was bittersweet that George did his thing and didn't get the victory or the save. Man, what if...
• Twenty-five pitches, 18 strikes. 'Nuff said.
• Definitely deserved consideration for the MVP. Coming in with the bases loaded and getting a 3-pitch strikeout? Awesome!

What a great way to handle the spotlight.

Labels: All Star Game, George is awesome, George Sherrill, Incredible

From LOOGY to All-Star, practically overnight.

Not bad for a guy who wasn't drafted out of college and who had to fight his way into MLB.

I'm sure someone at the ASG can teach you how to bend your brim...

Congrats, GS52! Awesome. Just. Awesome!

(Kudos even further to Deanna who made the above photo, one of my faves of GS52 in the M's blues)

Labels: All Star Game, Bend yer brim, George is awesome, George Sherrill

Yep. George Sherrill T-Shirt night in Baltimore on July 1st.

Amazing, isn't it. Wish that shirt were blue, though...

Labels: Baltimore, George is awesome, George Sherrill

Here's something to ponder. Will George get to his first ASG this year?



As of today, he's second in the AL in saves. Considering that the O's are in last place, he's not getting many save opportunities (as expected, really). Of course, GS52 almost has as many saves vs. the Mariners (5) as J.J. Putz has saves vs. everyone (6).

Now, I recognize that saves aren't everything. But they do count for the person who's racking them up, and they give something to sportswriters and agents to talk about. He has fewer walks than Putz (in 14 MORE Batters faced (BFPs)) and K-Rod (in 2 fewer BFPs). I never said George would be a dominant, lights-out closer, but I've always thought he'd handle the role very well. Not bad for a shy kid from the Memphis area who plowed through major obstacles, taking the road less-travelled to the big leagues.

With Putz struggling mightily, and with the M's believing they actually have more than a snowball's chance in Gehenna of making the playoffs (and therefore are unwilling to move Morrow out of the setup spot and into the rotation), wouldn't it be nice to have George around? Of course he's probably a lot more respected where he's at, and is actually coming into games for more than just one LH batter...

Labels: All Star Game, George is awesome, George Sherrill, GS52

This might very well be the first photo of George in an Orioles' uniform with his brim bent! Yeah, I know, it's only a spring training/batting practice cap, but hey -- it's a start.

I had the time of my life at the game. It was definitely bittersweet for me going to the enemy bullpen and seeing a friend. Thanks to the awesomeness of George Sherrill (and, of course, Sid too), I got to sit 22 rows up from home plate for his return to Safeco Field. I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- my fandom of George goes well beyond his status as a Mariner player (of course, now being a former Mariner).

It was an awesome game -- Guthrie matched Felix pretty well, and I was very very surprised to see Trembley leave him in there after 100 pitches. I turned to a family friend of the Sherrills (with whom I had the pleasure of spending most of the pre-game with, to which and gave a guided tour of Safeco) and said "Here comes Walker to face Ibanez -- he's terrible against lefties!"


Well, the decision to leave Guthrie in to intentionally walk Ibanez came back to haunt Trembley -- after walking Beltre to load the bases, I was the lone voice in a sea of Orioles friends and family members (okay, there were some M's fans to the side of me -- but I was sitting in the O's players' seats) chanting "Fra-ank Tho-mas (clap clap, clapclapclap)!" when Vidro came to the plate (in the spirit of good ol' Lookout Landing mockery).


Needless to say, I was quite happy that the M's didn't have to face George tonight in my presence. After all -- my cell phone LCD display got smashed somewhere along the way tonight, and I could barely dial Sid's number a few innings earlier. It would've been tough to try and put the "Hey -- don't call Sid when George is pitching" jinx, whether or not my cell phone actually was working.

And this night was even made more awesome by the fact that I was able to take my son along with me and share a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was fun for him being able to talk to George in the 'pen, I'm sure, and getting to hang out with one of Brian Roberts' relatives (a 4-year-old close enough to his age -- the only kid I've met that actually could keep up with my son's energy level and not be put off by his crazy silliness).

I heard in the post-game show that Felix had caught that nasty bug going around the clubhouse (and, well, my house, too). He got off to a slow start, but found the strike zone and while not nearly at full kingly strength. It was good enough and -- like Bedard's Opening Day start -- he showed his aceness by being able to pitch through adversity when he didn't have his greatest stuff.

I sure felt like a king being there...

Jeez. It's late. I'll have many more pictures in the coming days. I may not ever get to experience a baseball game like that one again. What a night!

Labels: former players, Game reviews, George is awesome, George Sherrill, Photography, priceless moments, Safeco Field

The last three coming against our beloved Mariners.

See -- We told you George was good!

But it's not because of the brim. Bend it, dude, bend it!

(Photo from MLB.com -- Rob Carr/AP)

Labels: bad decisions, George is awesome, George Sherrill, GS52

No link yet, but Sid just mentioned that George will keep #52 while in Baltimore. Unlike a certain ~$50 million thief (yes, I'm still bitter), George actually respected his new teammate and decided against approaching Jon Leicester about taking #52, and has worn #51 during spring training instead. Today, however, Leicester refused his assignment to AAA and became a free agent, freeing up #52 on the Orioles' available jersey number list.

And George promptly made it unavailable again.

Now we just need to figure out a better Entrance Song than what they rarely played at Safeco last year. I like Sid's suggestion of a Clutch song. Like "The Mob Goes Wild!"

Labels: former players, George Sherrill, GS52

George Sherrill is FREE!!!

I can't put down in words how incredibly excited I am right now. These past four years have been intense, exciting, frustrating, and fun.

No, Mariners Morsels isn't finished. The design will change, sure, as soon as I get home.

But, finally, and officially, the Free George Sherrill campaign declares VICTORY!!!!

Congratulations, George! You deserve it. I just hope Baltimore has enough ninth-inning leads for you to protect.

Labels: "Free" campaigns, George is awesome, George Sherrill, relief pitchers, saves, the power of positive thinking, trades, VICTORY

A month ago, with the arrival of Carlos Silva and his subsequent thievery of George Sherrill's jersey number, I said good-bye to GS52. In the next day or so, he's evidently going to get a phone call informing him of his trade to Baltimore, and I'll be forced, once again, to say good-bye. I was hoping that phone call would be from Mr. Silva -- after all, he said he'd hook him up when I asked him at FanFest.

Honestly, the Free George Sherrill campaign will not come to an end. He may be leaving Seattle, but he's not shed of my fandom. It's quite possible that he's being banished to an even worse-run organization than the Mariners'. Also, with Boston and NY as well as a seriously up-and-coming Tampa Bay team in the same division, it's likely he won't pitch in the playoffs any time soon. I'm not sure, either, whether Baltimore would consider using him as their closer. So, with both of those things working against him, the campaign continues. Yes, my favorite player on my favorite team is about to be traded.

That doesn't mean my fandom comes to an end...

Labels: bad decisions, George Sherrill, Good-byes, trades

If I didn't have enough of a reason to hate the Carlos Silva signing, I do now. It's not good enough for him to steal nearly $50 million from the Mariners -- noooooo. Now he goes and steals #52 from George. Ugh.

I will never ever ever call him "CS52".

//Wonders how good George would look in Orioles Orange...
///No, GS52 hasn't been traded, yet. At least I haven't heard anything, yet. I just can't call him "GS52" anymore without confusing even more people (and certainly "GS" looks a lot like "CS" so I don't want to even think about being misinterpreted...)...
////BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Labels: bad decisions, Carlos Silva, George Sherrill, GS52

Well, it appears that Bavasi survived the Winter Meetings without completely devastating the team. Of course, there's still time, but I'll consider this progress. In fact, I'll give him a pretty big pat on the back! I'm a little excited about the minor move he made today -- grabbing 33-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey from the Rule 5 Draft:



As Super-Sleuth marc w found and linked in the comments on USSM, Jamie Burke was his teammate in 2006.

In spite of rumors, and his name being thrown around, too, George Sherrill is still a Mariner. He's due his first arbitration (as a "Super Two"), and since Bavasi has yet to actually take a player to arbitration, I expect a 2 or 3 year deal, like those given to Putz, Lopez, and Betancourt. I'd LOVE to see the dollar figures similar to what those other guys got, but everything I've heard isn't quite that high. I'm thinking 3 years, $6 million is probably fair, but I'd be surprised if the M's gave him that.

Oh, and I get asked a lot what I think about the possibility of George being traded. I think I speak for everyone w/the "Free George Sherrill" campaign when I say that I'm actually OK with it. Ultimately the campaign will be successful when George is given a proper role on a team who appreciates his talent and utilizes his skill as either an important setup man (read: NOT as a LOOGY) or a closer. We hope it's with the Mariners, but with J.J. Putz entrenched in the closer's role and the M's hesitation a) to call him up in the first place and b) give him consistent, increasingly-more-challenging at-bats versus righties, I'm not convinced it's his best organization. And, with some of the contract numbers I've heard, it's clear they don't want to pay him properly either...

If he's a part of the package that ultimately lands a guy like Santana or Bedard, then I'd be happy. Although, wait. I don't want him exiled to an even worse organization than the Mariners -- Baltimore -- but they're in need of a closer, and might actually use him properly. And the commute for his parents in Tennessee would be much easier, too. But that his name is being mentioned in those trade packages -- for players of that quality -- is definitely encouraging. Indeed, other teams may see his value more than the Mariners do. Ultimately, if George is happy, I'm happy. Yeah, I'm sure he's happy to be on an MLB roster, making an MLB salary, but his goals are bigger than that, and he's better than just "roster filler."

Labels: Bill Bavasi, George Sherrill, knuckleballers, R. A. Dickey, Rule 5 Draft, Winter meetings

So, GS52's career Save #4 comes on the hand of a baserunning blunder similar to Babe Ruth's 1926 World Series ending boo-boo.

I'll take it...

Labels: career stats, George is awesome, George Sherrill, relief pitchers, saves, team victory

Congrats on Save #3, George! Not that the save stat is hugely meaningful, but I'll take a 3K performance, leading to your third career save as a nice gift for my birthday tonight. Here's to many more of each (saves for you and birthdays for me) for us in the future!

Labels: George is awesome, George Sherrill, saves, winning

While I was away from the TV yesterday, mostly, watching Joey's final track meet of the season, I was able to 'watch' the game on my cell phone, thanks to the WEP version of GameCast. I was somewhat surprised that Mac left George in for the 9th, when the M's tacked on two more runs in the top of the inning and closed the door on a save opportunity for JJ. I knew that GS52 would've been eligible for the save had he been left in during the 9th, and I was both shocked and happy that it happened.

It was his longest outing since April 18th. Three K's and one walk (and on the GameCast on my cell phone, the AB with the walk was very questionable -- there appeared to be at least one strike that was called a ball, based on the graphic GameCast K zone. I'll have to go back to the game thread reactions to see if anyone commented on that pitch. It wouldn't surprise me to hear from Sid on this issue. Heh.

But whether or not it was a "vultured" save, I'll take it, and congratulate George on his second career save. I know there are more meaningful stats, sabermetrically, but saves mean a lot for player contracts, so huzzah!

What a fine season this lefty's having!

Labels: bullpen, career stats, George is awesome, George Sherrill, pitching, relief pitchers, saves, team victory, winning

Yeah, well, rough game for George tonight. But an even rougher night for the offense, again.

Still, had Reitsma been able to get one guy out, and not walk the heck out of the A's, the inning would've been over before Swish got to the plate. Yeah, George served a meatball. Just like JJ's yesterday, though, it was bound to happen. Reitsma's the guy that can't get an out if he tried.

One of the first changes needs to be the DFA of Reitsma. He's clearly not a high-leverage RP anymore. Let Green and GS52 handle those situations, and EOF and Lowe take 'em in the 6th-7th.

And, of course, Beltre went waaaay out of his way to try and grab a foul ball in left field. Where the heck was the LFer??? Right.

They've picked a baaaad time to start slumping.

Labels: bad luck, defense, DFA, George Sherrill, Losses, Reitsma sucks

Man. What a game.

I can't believe the Mariners, and their decimated bullpen, pulled out that victory. It's about time they cashed in on the expensive payments on players who were brought in to develop team chemistry. It's really nice to have exciting baseball again with the Mariners. This team may not be as good as they have been as of late, but this team isn't boring like they have been the last few years...

While Davis, O'Flaherty and Putz all did their jobs, the pitching hero definitely was our guy George. Coming in to relieve Morrow, with the bases loaded and only 1 out -- any sort of decent contact and the Cubs score a run. Top of the 9th with a lead, the Cubs probably would've won. Davis, EOF, and Putz wouldn't've gotten the chance to do what they did. And Willie wouldn't've gotten his gritty RBI (no thanks to Vidro who, when he finally made up his mind what he was doing, lucked into the run when Barrett dropped the ball).

I don't want to take away from what O'Flaherty did tonight. He pitched incredibly well, and deserves a ton of kudos, too. But if GS52 doesn't do his job in the 8th, the M's don't make it to extras.

Big High-5, George! And a big high-5 to the team for making it a team effort and a team win tonight.

Refuse to Lose is BACK!

Labels: bullpen, George is awesome, George Sherrill, pitching, relief pitchers, team victory