Reed out two months
Jeremy Reed has a broken bone in his wrist and will be out for 6-8 weeks.
The likely scenario is that Willie Bloomquist becomes the regular center fielder. There’s a real possibility, however, that the M’s decide to take the opportunity to try Ichiro in center. With the current composition of the roster, moving Ichiro to center is the logical option; Ibanez slides in as the right fielder, with Lawton/Morse/Borchard holding down left field for a few months.
Should be interesting to see just how the team, and Ichiro, handles the situation.
USSMariner Gathering – Details
Okay, enough beating around the bush. The details are finalized, and we’re finally able to make the official announcement.
Sunday, April 2nd, from 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm at Safeco Field
We’ve got space for 200 people to come join Derek, Jeff, Jason, and myself for four hours inside Safeco on the eve of opening day. 24 hours before the season kicks off, you get to come hang out with us as we spend a few hours talking baseball and having a good ol time.
Of course, we won’t be the only people talking. Once again, Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi has graciously agreed to give up a good portion of his free time and participate in a question and answer session. Quite simply, this is a unique opportunity for Mariner fans to get together and pick the brain of the guy who makes the decisions.
Four hours of baseball talk, including time with the number one guy in the front office the day before the season starts? Hard to beat that, honestly.
We’ve done our best to keep the costs as low as possible, and we’re really happy we can offer this get together for $15 per person. That will include snacks and drinks, so while it’s not a feed, you will be able to get fatter while attending, which is a nice plus.
If you’re interested in attending, here’s what you need to do: send an email to ussmarinerfeed@gmail.com with the number of people you’re requesting spots for in the subject. In the body of the message, I need full names of those who will be coming under your reservation.
Due to the event being just nine days away, we’re going to have you pay-as-you-enter to avoid problems with the postal service and getting checks around in time. We’re counting on your good faith to attend the event if you sign up; we’re paying for your spot whether you come or not, so if you don’t come and don’t pay, that’s money out of our pockets.
One last note; we’re making one minor change to how we handled the event last summer. Instead of a free-for-all where everyone gets the mic and we pray that they ask a question that isn’t insulting and makes sense, this time around, the Q&A will be moderated. If you have a question you’d like to hear Bavasi answer, leave it in the comments of this thread, and we’ll cull the best ones and make sure they get asked.
Also, any general questions that you think may be of interest to others, feel free and ask in the comments.
Is it Friday? Oh thank goodness
(having a bad week)
PI: King Felix had a nice outing. Ichiro’s been emotional lately. In the TNT, Betancourt liked watching Cuba play in the WBC.
Times: Moyer’s the Opening Day starter. Close those jaws now, or something might nest in there.
Also, Dave’s got a Mariners Preview up over at the Hardball Times. It includes this fun little segment:
It isn’t rare at all to see a team “come from nowhere†to make a strong push for the playoffs. It’s actually so common, you have to expect it. Teams who underperformed the previous year, have significant young talent, and got career years from a key player or two entering their prime often blow the common wisdom out of the water and remind everyone that improvement does not have to come in small, incremental steps.
There isn’t a team in baseball better poised to make that leap this year than the Mariners. They have young players with solid track records or established stars at every position on the diamond besides left field and a pitching staff that will be anchored by the best young arm to enter the major leagues in a couple of decades.
Hooray for Friday optimism.