U.S.S. Mariner

It was a fun year for the site, even as the M’s didn’t do so well. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, learned something, or at least felt like part of a larger group, and I hope you hang around for the next year, too. Official USSM Endorsements will be coming over the next week [...]

As usual, it was my fault. I see that now.
While talking with a friend at a recent fiesta, the topic rolled around to steroids in baseball. He knew about my status as a world famous baseball blogger, and wanted my take.
With the imprecision engendered by parties, the following careful and nuanced statement emerged [...]

Well, that last thread was fun. Who else is ready for the new year?
Only two words can right the ship: frivolous and links. First, enjoy my second-favorite link found through Google Ads,* basset hound puppies! Take that, pandas.
Second, your friend and mine, Ichiro, is making his acting debut. He’s going to play [...]

Finnigan reports in the Times this morning that the Mariners have shifted their attention from Bronson Arroyo or Matt Clement to one of Boston’s two top pitching prospects, Jon Lester or Jonathan Papelbon, as the swag they’re hoping to extract in exchange for Jeremy Reed.
To be honest, I still wouldn’t make the trade. [...]

Millwood to the Rangers is official. Look forward the marquee matchup of Washburn v Millwood later this year. It’ll be a barn-burner. Or a nose-biter, depending.
Troy Glaus and prospect infielder Sergio Santos go to the Blue Jays for 2B-B Orlando Hudson, RHP Miguel Batista (giving the Blue Jays 29 1b/3b/DH types and making the [...]

Let’s play Pick The Pitcher, free agent starter addition. We’ll do it Nick Bakay style.
Innings
Pitcher A: 210
Pitcher B: 177
Advantage: Pitcher A
Walk Rate
Pitcher A: 2.1 BB/G
Pitcher B: 2.6 BB/G
Advantage: Pitcher A
Strikeout Rate
Pitcher A: 4.0 K/G
Pitcher B: 4.9 K/G
Advantage: Pitcher B
Groundball/Flyball Rate
Pitcher A: 1.68 G/F
Pitcher B: 0.99 G/F
Advantage: Pitcher A
Contract
Pitcher A: 1 year, $4 [...]

Many of you fine readers have volunteered to help us make up some T-shirts to sell as Officially Endorsed USSM Swag. I hereby accept your offer.
Short version: as you’ve noticed, our poor server’s falling over pretty much every morning as our rabid readership gets to work and, instead of contributing to their company’s stockholder value, [...]

The Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram reports it’s a done deal, pending a physical tomorrow.
Update! $60m over five years, and the fifth year is voidable by the Rangers if Millwood doesn’t reach an innings target in the earlier years of the deal.
So, Washburn: 38m over 4 = ~9.5m/year
Millwood: 60m over 5 = ~12m/year
Now, whether or not [...]

The future of the franchise is hardly news around here, and we’ve seen national attention directed toward The King before. But this from the Baltimore Sun nudges the meter slightly past “props” and toward “exuberance.”
This will be [Felix] Hernandez’s first full season in the majors, and don’t be surprised if he challenges for the ERA [...]

Yes, there’s stuff to gab about.
John Hickey at the PI on the M’s interest in Hatteberg and Ishii. Hatteberg would be a lefty backup to Sexson which from a Hargrove matchup sense seems okay, but Sexson hit righties pretty well last year. However… Hatteberg is a picking machine. Picking machine!
Hatteberg’s agent wants us to believe [...]