Just a quick note
Dave · August 1, 2007 at 8:34 am · Filed Under Mariners
As I’m prepping to fly back to Seattle this afternoon, and will be spending most of my time in the northwest away from a computer, the wave of neverending Dave posts will be taking a hiatus until next week. I won’t disappear, but if you’re wondering where the new Future Forty is or why I’m not answering any of your questions, try not to get offended.
For those of you who have registered for the USSM/LL events the next couple of nights, I look forward to seeing you all there.
Felix’ and Mark Lowe’s combined fastball speed is almost 200 MPH.
Daves Boy J.P. Howells last start in AAA
7.0 ip, 2 h, 0 er, 1 bb, 12 k
Now just picture how much nicer that is then HoRam. and I bet TB would have jumped at the chance to get Raffy Soriano, seeing as how they traded for the POS that is Dan Wheeler.
Oh sorry forgot to add: ESPN fantasy baseball news updates had one for Adam Jones, saying we should see him soon, and then in the ‘spin’ on it said that he should have been up long ago, but was held back until the trade deadline by Bavasi. even random writers in conneticut know he should be up.
Yeah, I agree.
I think a good plan is to acknowledge that these ARE veterans…but that they are scuffling at the moment. We ALL want them to return to their usual level of performance if at all possible.
Bring AJ up to spell them for a bit. If that works for the vet, then there’s no problem. If it doesn’t, you really haven’t lost anything. And if AJ forces his way into the lineup because of his performance, well….I think even the most privileged vet won’t have a problem with that.
Or random writers in Connecticut read the same local coverage as we do and repeat it as “analysis.”
So does tonight’s game shape up as the most important of the season so far?
The trade deadline has passed and the final race begins. Can the team truly compete as constituted?
It is August 1. The dog days are here–for those out of contention.
They win, and they are within 3 games. Lose, and they are five back. (Of course the wild card is still in play).
They are at home against the one team that is killing them and the one they are trying to catch, LAAofA. They win and they take the series at home; they lose and they lose the series at home.
Felix Hernandez is on the mound. He is the ace in the making, and here is a big stage on which to shine.
He’s facing the Angels young phenom Jared Weaver. Who’s got the better young pitcher (of course we know what the answer will be in the future even if it doesn’t happen for the King tonight).
I think it’s a pretty important game tonight.
Important? Yes, but lets not kid ourselves. Win or lose there is alot of baseball left to be played.
That said – knock ’em dead King!
57. What I hope is that this isn’t the last time we wonder whether this is the most important game of the season to this point. If they go down five games with the Red Sox coming on, it is quite possible that their future meetings with the Angels won’t have much at stake. I hope there are several more “most important games so far” left to be played. Winning tonight makes that much more likely.
Actually, even if their last big game is played on August 1, that is probably more than I expected from this bunch prior to the season. That’s how bad 2004-06 were.
I have just found out that if I combine my common sense with the M’s FO we still only have 1 guy with common sense. Thats a tough stat in regards to the future because I can’t bring up Adam Jones or start platooning veterans.
Not really. Right now Coolstandings gives us a 10.8 chance of taking the division, and obviously another game back would be worse. Five games behind with 56 to play may not be much, but it is. Tonight’s game is huge, and thinking otherwise would in fact be kidding ourselves.
I meant “may not seem like much, but it is.”
As has been noted here; the M’s are doing a lot with very little. face it they are simply not as good as the Angels. But how would we look with this rotation/bullpen: Felix, Washburn, Meche, Moyer, Morrow and Soriano.
I wonder what Ibanez and Sexson’s two out with runners in scoring position BA is since the All Star Break? Oh what the heck, what’ they’re plain old BA since the break?
While I’m at it, has anyone noticed Ibanez’ lollipop throws to home lately? His arm is as weak as his legs are right now.
63- I have noticed he won’t even throw to 2nd anymore, he just lobs it down to 3rd. I know he probably isn’t going to get anyone but not even trying is ridiculous.
Ral, Sexson, and Joh are all batting mid 100’s since the break.
With Joh and others slumping, I yearn for the days of Lou, where everybody got a little rest and McLemore got 500 AB’s. But you Know, Burke plays only on Sunday day games, no platoon splits for tired slumping veterans, and I pull another clump of hair out.
That’s okay, that just means their combined batting average is over .300!
The most ridiculous aspect of this vauge “veteran clubhouse leadership” notion – to where, and whom, are these veterans leading? Isn’t the whole point of a coaching staff to lead?
What kind of leadership, praytell, could Ibanez and Sexson offer? What *not* to do in clutch situations at the plate? How to make mediocre fielding appear more substantial than it is?
Darnit – “vauge” = “vague”.
“Not really. Right now Coolstandings gives us a 10.8 chance of taking the division, and obviously another game back would be worse. Five games behind with 56 to play may not be much, but it is. Tonight’s game is huge, and thinking otherwise would in fact be kidding ourselves.”
Well every game is big because we are behind. We have to win 5 more games than the Angels over the course of 56 games to take the division – I understand just how “big” that is. But we will lose games on nights when the Angels win between now and the end of the season – count on it and those games we be just as big as this one in the standings.
The biggest thing about tonight (for me) is how Felix performs and whether the teams looks like they want to dig in and go toe to toe with the Angels.
I know we are not big “feeling” guys here on this site, but the last few series against the Angels almost everyone has looked a little (a)pathetic or disinterested. Not attempting to work counts etc. once we fall back a few runs. In contrast vs. the A’s this year it just seems like the M’s spit and claw the whole way. Maybe its just a convergence of variables and percentages but I’d still like to see the M’s spit in the Angel’s eye.
Ken, I agree 100%. Are the veterans leading themselves? Yuni and Lopez are the only young guys and what leadership they get should be from the coaching staff or Beltre. What advice is a slugging 1st basemen going to give middle infielders who might hit 25HR in a career year? Is Ral leading Ichiro and Guillen? Aren’t the Angels proof you only need a few veterans not 7 of them?
In any case, our best chance by far will be the wild card. The Indians are a better team but I doubt that they’ll win the division – I don’t see the Tigers struggling for long, but with that bullpen, who knows. And there’s no way that the Yanks can continue to score 10+ runs a game, and their pitching still sucks, so I don’t see them finishing with more than 86-88 wins. 90-92 wins may net the wild card.
As long as I’m being a softy: Anyone who has been involved in sports knows that leadership IS a real value on a team. Leadership is not not to be disparaged, and is virtually required for a truly competitive team.
However, anyone who has been involved in sports also knows that clubhouse leadership does not have to come from the most talented player, or even a starting player. Clubhouse leadership is just that – clubhouse (not on the field) leadership. The “vague” club house leadership comes from the guys who keep everyone loose and focused and thinking about the team.
If your veteran leader sulks because he is taken out of his “rightful” role because someone else might help the team more… then guess what, he’s not that much of a leader after all is he? If Ibanez and Sexson are really leaders its time to find out. Shift them to the roles there current performance dictates and lets see if they really are the leaders everyone chalks them up to being.
I hate the atmosphere in pro sports todays where selfish veterans* are anointed leaders by the media just because they spend time time in front of the microphone.
Grrrr, sorry went off the deep end a little there
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* I’m not calling Ibanez or Sexson selfish at this point – no one on the team (to my knowledge) has asked them to change their roles so they are still just trying to fill the slots management has them in at this point.
Yes. The real test of Ibanez and his veteran leadership will be when he is asked to take a reduced role for the good of the team based on his own performance and the potential of Jones.
Yes. Let’s see where he’s focussed—on the good of the team or the potential of Jones.
Any “veteran leader” is going to have to take a look at himself and say, “what’s going to help the team the most right now?”
Further reason why I LOVE JJ putz, courtesy Seattle P-I:
“I heard the Royals wanted Jones for (reliever Octavio) Dotel,” closer J.J. Putz said before Tuesday’s game. “When you hear something like that, it’s just ridiculous
Heh. That is a good quote. It gets tiresome sometimes hearing the same prettied-up-for-public-consumption comments. That’s why it’s so refreshing when someone breaks the mold and starts biting people. Oh, wait.
Hey! Texas is leading Cleveland 3-0 in the 2nd! Thatsa good sign…
…and Oakland beat Detroit 🙂
Hey, I’m still looking for exact time/place details for tomorrow’s USSM event in Tacoma … please post here or send by e-mail.
Where is the game thread for Tonight?
Lineups are out and…
CF Ichiro
DH Jose Vidro
RF Jose Guillen
LF Raul Ibanez
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Ben Broussard
C Kenji Johjima
2B Jose Lopez
SS Yuniesky Betancourt
(wierd the rest of that post got cut off)
But Broussard is starting over Richie tonight! Must dig for more info.
The good news is that Richie is on the bench… the bad news is Raul is hitting cleanup. Baby steps, I suppose.
Maybe the start of a platoon? Hopefully it keeps up, depending on the pitcher!
Baker’s blog suggests that 82 is correct and there is “no comment” beyond the fact that Sexson will be in the lineup tomorrow….
Richie Sexson will begin losing playing time to Ben Broussard until he can turn things around.
”It’s been four months,” manager John McLaren said. ”We’ve talked and talked. And I think he and (hitting coach) Jeff Pentland have found some things that may help. But he’s got to get it done. We need Richie. But Ben’s done a nice job.”
Great news then. I never thought the FO would have the sense to do it.
Where is the game thread for Tonight?
The game threads around here aren’t normally posted two hours before game time.
You’re right – my computer clock jumped an hour. Sorry for jumping the gun!