Boone working for another chance at big leagues

According to Bret Boone's plan and prediction, some lucky team has an All-Star second baseman waiting for its call.
Boone, a former Mariners All-Star, Gold Glover and MVP candidate, fell from grace the past two seasons and from sight about halfway through this season.
"I want to play again; I intend to play again," Boone said this week from his house on the Eastside, where he and wife Suzi live with daughter Savannah and son Jacob.
"I'm prepared for this; I know what it will take, because I've had a weird career full of ups and downs."
In fact, he has been at this low point twice before — in 1997 after hitting .223 with Cincinnati, and in 2000 when he hit .251 with San Diego, playing on a bad knee.
"I know I have something left," said Boone, 36. "And I know talk is cheap. As long as the idea is burning in my mind — and it is — that I can still play, I've got to do it. But I can't just show up and assume all of what I had is still there."
The first time Boone went through a downer, he rebounded with a good 1998 season (.266, 24 home runs, 95 RBI), then was traded to Atlanta and helped the Braves get to the 1999 World Series.
After his 2000 season in San Diego, Boone signed a look-see deal with Seattle, and Mariners fans know that he went on to the best stretch of his career.
"Don't get me wrong, I know I'm not the same guy I was five years ago," he said. "I'm older and things do change. But I also know I still have abilities. I may not be a 40-homer guy any more, but I can still swing a bat and I can still play defense with anyone."
Thus, the plan/prediction comes with a promise.
"I'm going to get back in the shape I was in 2000 to 2002," Boone said.
As far as what kind of shape Boone was in when he had his best years with the Mariners, there have been accusations of steroid use, most famously by Jose Canseco in his tell-all book. Boone has denied taking steroids.
Now, when Boone talks about getting back in shape, he means shaping up his body and his baseball, but as much as anything else, shaping up his mind.
"Mentally, for whatever reasons, I hit a wall," he said. "It's baseball and I know how to play the game. I'd come to the park and bust my ass, same as usual. But when your mind isn't there ... "
Boone said he recently talked to a veteran player he respects, whom he won't name, and asked him what happened.
"He told me, 'You need to re-dedicate yourself to the game,' " Boone said. "It takes more than effort, more than knowing how to play. It takes total involvement, and somehow my head wasn't there.
"I don't know where my brain was. Somewhere it never was before. Well, I'm back from outer space."
Even with his brain back on baseball, the rest of the conditioning isn't any easier.
"I've got four months of hard [weight-]lifting ahead of me," Boone said. "I've been keeping up, eating right. But sitting around instead of playing I feel soft. That will change."
His plan is to get started in mid-October, when he will rework his physical condition and re-tool his swing. Most winters in the past, he would work out but didn't do a thing baseball-wise until February.
"This winter, I'll be hitting both the health club and the batting cage every day," he said. "My dad [former catcher and manager Bob Boone] will work with me on my swing, just like he did in 1997 and 2000.
"I have a unique swing. It's not easy for just anyone to work on it; it's such a timing thing. Dad knows it, so he'll work on it with me. This swing gave me a lot of good years. and it's not like I'm going to seriously alter it, like show up with a crouch. I'm not going to go from my stance to Edgar [Martinez's] stance."
To a fierce competitor, this is simply another competition. And Boone makes another thing very clear.
"This is not about money," he said. "I'm not going to make a bunch of millions next year. This is all about getting back because I can still play.
"I don't want to leave and look back in five years and ask myself, 'What was I thinking?' "
Baseball, he said, "has been unbelievable to me. I tried to do right by baseball by playing right, playing hard. But the first half of this year, maybe last year, too, reminded me it takes more than ability. It takes dedication.
"It's going to the toughest winter I've ever had. But without the total effort to get back in top shape, it would be a waste of my time. I wouldn't do that to the team that signs me, I wouldn't do that to myself.
"And you know what, I wouldn't do that to the game I love."
There were calls from teams after Boone was released by the Minnesota Twins, who made a trade of convenience for him when he was leaving the Mariners. Boone told his agent, Adam Katz, to say no to offers to play again this season.
"I knew then something had gone wrong. I was not ready to play," he said. "I wasn't going somewhere just to play bad ball, and that's what I had been doing. If you don't have the fire, you might as well go home. I lost it and I went home."
Along with spending time with the family and playing golf, Boone watched ballgames on TV, mostly Mariners games, but a lot of games.
"I'd be watching and asking myself, 'What am I doing sitting home?' " he said. "Well, I know I put myself in this place. I didn't mean to, but I did.
"I completely understand the connection between not performing up to my standards, which are as high as ever, and being out of the game. It has reminded me I belong back in the game. I needed the reminder. It wouldn't be fair to my new team to show up with the mind-set I had two months ago."
Having re-tooled the mind, now comes the harder/easier part.
"Now I've got to go out and give myself the best chance possible to live up to my intention," Boone said. "And I won't stand for being decent, for hearing a scout or someone saying, 'He's a nice player.'
"I'm going to give this everything I've got, go at it full force. I expect to go out and have a great season. When I'm back next year and I don't have that feeling, I'll go home. And no one will have to tell me. I'll know. I'll go home."
Having said that, he immediately points out he does not anticipate that last part being the case.
"My idea is that if someone asks me, 'What are you going to do during the All-Star break?' my answer is, 'I'm going to play in the All-Star Game, man.' "

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/

Steroid scandal nearly trips up an icon

I'm surfing the Internet when I see the headline. It stuns me like a slap across the face.
Mariners' Moose Suspended For Steroids.
This is it. This is the breaking point, the indelible remember-where-you-were-and-what-you-were-doing moment when almost two years of long-simmering fears and frustrations finally boil into outrage over baseball's worst scandal since the aftermath of World War I.
First, such sluggers as Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield and Jason Giambi testify they'd used steroids (Bonds and Sheffield pleaded ignorance) in the BALCO investigation. Then several minor leaguers, most of whom are from third-world countries where body-building drugs aren't regulated as fastidiously they are in the United States - in America, some over-the-counter supplements known to produce long-term ailments have been illegal for, geez, several months now - are found to test positive.
Then comes the Rafael Palmeiro fiasco, when Palmeiro's 3,000-hit career is revealed to be tainted days after he records his 3,000th hit at Safeco Field.
Now this. The scandal that continues to permeate every baseball conversation - from Bonds' viability as a Hall-of-Fame candidate to Giambi's "Comeback Player of the Year" status - is claiming the only symbol of innocence and frivolity remaining at the ballpark.
The mascot.
As my fists clench and my eyes well with tears, I find myself asking questions without easy answers.
What circumstances could justify the Moose betraying the fans?
Was he attempting to rebound as fast as inhumanly possible from an injury? Or was he merely trying to gain an edge that'd give him that extra boost of strength to wiggle faster and flop harder?
Did anybody in the Mariners organization have so much as a clue? And if not, why not?
Has the Moose endangered his chances of someday joining the San Diego Chicken in the new Mascot Hall of Fame?
And, finally, what do I tell my children about the Moose's signature scribble in their autograph books?
"There's Willie Bloomquist," I'd say as we settled in our seats before a game. "He's signing stuff."
The kids would glance at the cluster of fellow autograph seekers behind the first-base dugout and shrug. They're disinclined to exercise patience in those long lines not snaking toward a vendor selling cotton candy or a Slurpee.
And besides, they only had eyes for the Mariner with the giant antlers, the only Mariner in 2005 who hasn't struck out, committed an error, or wound up and thrown the one ball all night he wished he could have back - the ball he knew spelled trouble the second it left his hand - because he'd briefly fell into the bad habit of delivering the pitch from an improper release point.
I'm not a psychologist, but I believe children intuitively gravitate toward those in a baseball uniform who don't bemoan the pitfalls of an ineffective release point.
And, of course, there are those antlers.
"Dad, I don't see the Moose," I can hear one of the kids say, "but I think I know where he is. Let's go to the gift shop!"
Through thick and thin this year - OK, through thin and thinner - the Moose always could be counted on to show up with a game face.
On those nights the action between innings was more suspenseful and provocative than anything quantifiable on a scorecard, the Moose provided enough of a distraction to delay a fourth or fifth visit to the gift shop.
Then I discover the act is, dammit, an act. In his blind ambition to entertain Seattle fans at any cost, the Moose has ruined the reputation of all the decent and hard-working mascots throughout baseball.
I probably won't stop watching the game once regarded to be "The National Pastime," but now that the sacred trust between fan and mascot has been violated, can I expect my ballpark experience to be the same?
Will the green grass still sparkle under the lights? Will the concourses still scintillate idle minds with the aroma of onions and garlic fries? Will the public-address announcer's recitation of the starting lineups - the most life-affirming sound in the world, aside from a grade-school choir singing "This Land Is My Land, This Land Is Your Land" - still give me goosebumps?
The Moose has been exposed as a fraud and a cheat. Say it ain't so, Mo.
Betrayed and dismayed, perturbed and disturbed, I muster the stomach to glance at the heartbreaking headline on my laptop screen for a second time.
Mariners Morse Suspended For Steroids.
Oh, well, never mind.

Source: http://www.shns.com/

Bang-bang play busts Birds in loss

SEATTLE -- Though Orioles interim manager Sam Perlozzo paused after his postgame session with the media to laud his team's effort and determination, it did little to divert attention from the fact that the Orioles, once again, committed a week's worth of mental and physical mistakes in the course of their bitter 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Friday at Safeco Field.
The combination of miscues, along with two controversial calls by umpires, doomed the Orioles, as they dropped 10 games below .500 for the first time this season and looked like a club that's crumbling in the final few weeks.
The Orioles' anger reached a pinnacle in the eighth inning, when they were inches away from tying the game after trailing all night. Against Jamie Moyer, Brian Roberts laced a double to the left-field corner that scored Eric Byrnes from first to reduce Seattle's lead to 2-1.
One out later, Miguel Tejada lined a single to left field off Julio Mateo and Roberts darted for home. Jamal Strong's throw was slightly wide, but catcher Yorvit Torrealba reached over and tagged a sliding Roberts as he swiped his left hand across the plate.
Television replays appeared to show that Roberts' hand touched home before the tag, but home plate umpire Adam Dowdy called him out, much to the chagrin of Roberts, who argued and slammed his helmet in the dirt. Perlozzo came out and, before he could make a compelling argument, was ejected for inadvertently knocking Dowdy's mask to the ground.
The Orioles would not catch Seattle, as the Mariners added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and closer J.J. Putz stranded the potential tying run at second base in the ninth.
"I knew Robby wouldn't react like that unless he felt pretty confident he was in there," Perlozzo said. "I thought his hand got in. I was pointing to the ground and I knocked [Dowdy's] mask out. It was unintentional. He knows it."
The play capped a frustrating night for the Orioles, who combined for six hits in the fourth and eighth innings but managed just one run. Meanwhile, reliever Jorge Julio again missed a chance to come through in the clutch, this time throwing a wild pitch in the eighth, allowing Raul Ibanez to score from third base.
Perlozzo was irritated that catcher Javy Lopez didn't dig the ball out.
"It was a wild pitch, it was in the dirt, but it was also blockable," he said. "You can't let those get under us. You have to be able to throw a pitch without being afraid that it's not going to be blocked."
Another major mistake occurred in the fourth, when the Orioles squandered a first-and-second, no-out opportunity.
With Tejada at the plate, Roberts darted for third, only to stop halfway and head back for second base. Melvin Mora, who was instructed to follow Roberts in these situations, was nearing second when Torrealba charged from behind the plate and started a rundown, nabbing Roberts near second.
"It seems like that's the way things are going for us," he said. "It's something we've done several times this year. [Moyer] didn't give me as high a leg kick as I thought he was going to give, so I stopped. It was a tough situation. You try to make the right decision and it turns out bad."
Erik Bedard (6-7) lost for the sixth time in seven decisions, allowing two runs in five laborious innings. He threw 105 pitches, walking four as the Mariners scored runs in the first and fifth innings.
Bedard was one strike away from escaping the first inning unscathed, but, as has been his pattern since returning from the disabled list, he couldn't finish off a batter with two strikes.
With two outs and Ichiro Suzuki on first, Bedard faced Richie Sexson. The left-hander jumped ahead with two quick strikes to Sexson, who worked the count to 3-2 before lacing a double into the left-center field gap. Byrnes and Luis Matos got crossed up on who would field the ball, allowing Ichiro extra time to score.
An irritated Bedard then went right at Adrian Beltre and struck him out in three pitches to end the inning. But Bedard didn't challenge hitters consistently.
"I don't what to tell you," Perlozzo said of Bedard. "He can get people out, but it just takes a long time to do it."
Bedard was coming off a discouraging, 4 1/3-inning outing Saturday at Boston. Bedard was swallowed up by the patient Red Sox, who simply waited for him to throw hittable strikes or issue walks. On Friday, his control was a little better and the youthful Seattle lineup was more anxious.
The lefty settled down and appeared on his way to pitching deep into the game when Torrealba bounced into a 4-3 double play in the fifth. But the Mariners manufactured another rally with singles by Ichiro and Strong. Bedard began to tire and walked Raul Ibanez to load the bases.
The game's critical at-bat then ensued, with Sexson falling behind, 0-2. Bedard followed with an outside fastball that Sexson appeared to flail at for strike three. But neither Dowdy nor first-base umpire Jerry Meals ruled it a swing, and Sexson worked a walk to score Ichiro for the crucial second run.
"It's just the walks," he said. "I had four walks again. If I had just one walk, maybe I last a few more innings."

Source: http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/

Mariners Can't Comeback Against O's

SEATTLE -
Melvin Mora homered and drove in three runs in Baltimore's 5-to-3 win over Seattle.
Orioles starter Rodrigo Lopez improved to 14-and-9.
He had lost three of his previous four starts, but he beat Seattle for the third time in three meetings this season.
Richie Sexson hit a three-run homer in the eighth off Chris Ray for all the Mariners scoring.
It was his 34th homer.

Source: http://www2.kimatv.com/

Baltimore Orioles (65-75) At Seattle Mariners (61-79), 9:05 P.m.

The Seattle Mariners will battle the Baltimore Orioles tonight at Safeco Field in the second portion of a three-game.
Taking the hill for the Mariners is Jeff Harris, who is 2-1 in his last three starts. In his last outing, a 5-3 setback to Anaheim, the righthander allowed five runs on six hits in just three innings of work. Harris will be making his first career start against the Orioles.
As for the Orioles, they will send Rodrigo Lopez to the hill this evening. Lopez comes into tonight's game with three losses in his last four games. In his last outing, the righthander allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings of work. Away from Camden Yards, Lopez is just 7-6 in 17 starts with a horrible 6.22 ERA.
In two starts against the Mariners this season, the 29-year-old has pitched well, posting a 2-0 mark with a 2.70 ERA. Against Seattle in his career, Lopez is just 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA.
Yesterday, Jamie Moyer allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings and Richie Sexson knocked in two runs as Seattle earned a 3-2 victory over Baltimore.
Raul Ibanez went 2-for-3 and Ichiro Suzuki scored a pair of runs to help the Mariners to their third victory in four chances.
Moyer (12-6) continued his dominance at home and of the Orioles, his one-time club, as the veteran lefty scattered seven hits and walked just one. He improved to 9-0 with a 2.62 ERA at Safeco Field this season, and is now a remarkable 16-3 against Baltimore for his career.
J.J. Putz got the final three outs to record his first save of the year.
Jay Gibbons had two hits, including a solo home run, for the Orioles, who were dealt their fifth defeat in six games. Brian Roberts also finished 2-for-4 with an RBI in the loss.
Erik Bedard (6-7) allowed just two runs over five innings but was hurt by four walks which led to both of Seattle's tallies against the southpaw.
Baltimore has won five of the eight meetings between the clubs this season. These are the final games between the teams for the 2005 campaign.

Source: http://www.thewbalchannel.com/

Brewers comeback stifled by Astros

MILWAUKEE -- The Astros blooped, bunted and blasted their way past the Brewers on Saturday, burying the home team's bid for a return visit to .500.
Nine of the Astros' 12 hits were singles, but they also got a key two-run insurance homer by Lance Berkman and staved off the pesky Brewers for a 7-5 win in front of 24,437 at Miller Park.
Right when the Brewers worked back to the cusp of evening their record, they faltered. Second baseman Rickie Weeks committed an error that led to two unearned runs in the second inning, starter Tomo Ohka walked two batters in the third that came around to score and reliever Kane Davis surrendered Berkman's two-run home run in the eighth that gave the Astros a crucial four-run cushion.
"It's been so long since we've had that .500 season, and we just have to find a way to get over the hump," said third baseman Bill Hall, whose double sparked a ninth-inning rally that fell short.
"Of course, it's not going to be easy," Hall said. "Once we get there, everybody knows we're close to it and we seem to lose the game. Hopefully we can run off some wins in a row and then we can forget about it."
Four of the Brewers' five runs scored courtesy of pinch-hits. Corey Hart belted a two-run home run off Andy Pettitte (15-9) in the third inning as the Brewers tried to mount a comeback from an early 5-0 deficit, and Jeff Cirillo and Prince Fielder each delivered pinch-hit RBI singles.
Cirillo's seventh-inning single chased Pettitte from the game and brought the Brewers to within two at 5-3. But after retiring the first two hitters in the eighth inning, Davis surrendered a single to Chris Burke and a 414-foot home run to Berkman.
Manager Ned Yost said Davis "overthrew" a breaking ball to Burke, who extended the inning. He then engaged Berkman in a long at-bat that included only one offspeed pitch. On Davis' seventh offering -- another fastball -- Berkman put the game away.
"He's got a good breaking ball when he stays with it," Yost said of the hard-throwing Davis. "The kid throws 95, 96 mph and he's got a decent breaking ball. It's just putting the ball in a decent spot and letting the pitch work for him."
Berkman's 19th home run of the season loomed large when the Brewers rallied in the ninth. Hall scored on Weeks' RBI double and Weeks scored on Fielder's single. But Brad Lidge retired Brady Clark and J.J. Hardy for his 36th save.
"The homer kind of killed the game," Hall said. "It put it out of reach for them, especially since we scored the runs in the ninth. But those things happen; maybe tomorrow we'll hit that big home run and put it out of reach."
Houston held onto its lead in the National League Wild Card race and Milwaukee slipped back to two games under .500 at 70-72. Rick Helling will start for the Brewers against Roy Oswalt in Sunday's series finale.
On Saturday, Ohka (10-8) surrendered five runs, three of them earned, on six hits and three costly walks, lasting just three innings.
"They weren't smashing balls all over the park," Yost said. "They were hitting balls off the end of the bat that were finding holes, and they put five runs on the board on [Ohka] quick."
The first three Astros hitters delivered soft singles off Ohka for a 1-0 lead, but Yost gambled by bringing the infield in and Ohka worked out of further damage. In the second, Ohka recorded the first two outs before Weeks misplayed Pettitte's grounder, extending the inning for Craig Biggio's two-run double. Biggio became the 13th player in Major League history to hit 600 doubles.
"We didn't make plays when we needed to," Weeks said. "That's what happens; they usually come back to get you."
In the third inning, Pettitte helped his own cause when he executed an RBI squeeze bunt with the bases loaded.
Wes Obermueller held the Astros scoreless over the next four innings while the Brewers attempted a comeback against Pettitte, who limited Milwaukee to three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings to win his fourth straight start.
"He just tries to keep you off-balance," Hall said. "He didn't throw the ball as hard as he did the last time we faced him, and I felt like we had some opportunities to get some runs. We didn't come up with them until late."

Source: http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/

What readers are saying about Mariners, Storm

Time for fire sale
My Christmas wish list:
• Mariners owners put team up for sale, citing a lack of desire to put a competitive baseball team in Seattle.
• Mike Holmgren steps down, citing difficulties attracting coaches in the skill positions, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams, whom are fluent in "Yes, Sir" and "No, Sir."
• Wally Walker steps down, citing difficulties in making intelligent decisions affecting basketball in general and the Sonics in particular.
— Arthur Ingalls, Redmond
African Americans and baseball
Hoops at issue, too
Thanks for the article on the declining number of African Americans in baseball (Seattle Times, Aug. 28). One thing I find interesting is not the legitimate focus on this issue, but the lack of comparable discussion on the lack of white players in basketball. I understand how delicate the issue is, and that even raising it can make someone vulnerable to an accusation of racism, but on a theoretical level the issues are the same, and the concerns should be the same.
— Grant Johnson, Wenatchee

Mariners
Move the fences in
I know that it sounded like a good idea to develop Safeco into a pitchers' park. Regardless of the field dimensions, Safeco has to be hailed as one of the best ballparks in all of MLB. Yet something has to change to facilitate the team on the field. We have all heard about the dugout reaction to the non-moves that were made in the magical 2001 and the end-of-an-era 2002seasons. These heartbreaking examples of non-action were justified by the faith in the up-and-coming pitching prospects in the organization.
Fast-forward to what is left of the 2005 season. While Felix Hernandez is certainly everything and more of what was advertised, Gil Meche and Joel Pineiro have seemingly been struggling to utilize their full potential, and don't seem to be solid pieces to build a starting pitching staff. Worse yet, the highest-level pitching prospects have made little to no impression on the biggest stage. Uber prospect Ryan Anderson was released due to a seemingly endless string of injuries. Clint Nageotte has struggled with command at the starter level, and injuries have also posed a problem in his development. Travis Blackley has gone through two major surgeries, and some extremely suspect outings (though injuries may be at fault). The list of disappointing careers continues with the stories of Jeff Heaverlo, Cha Seung Baek, Ken Cloude, Rafael Soriano, et al.
Regardless, the Mariners have set out to improve their club on the offensive side of the plate. While their offense continues to struggle, it is accurate to say that their best prospects, and best chances to succeed, lie in their position players. As such, it is a reasonable proposition that the Mariners move up the fences at Safeco Field, if only by a little bit. I don't think the solution is to create a homer-friendly ballpark in the mold of Minute Maid, Citizens Bank or Great American. But there should be a middle ground.
The best way to design your ballpark is to amplify the strengths of your organization. You play half of your games at that venue, and have the ability to modify it to suit your needs. Examples of this have existed throughout all of baseball, from raising pitching mounds, to wetting the basepaths, to modifying the dimensions of your home field. With that, I ask that the Mariners consider moving the left-center and left-field areas in 5-10 feet. I think it is a reasonable request and in the best interests of the franchise.
— Brendon Inman, Seattle
What the ... ?
I'm not sure what it is about the M's, their skipper and Sundays. After some questionable moves (or rather lack of moves) two weeks ago, Sunday, Sept. 4, was another fine example of AWOL managing.
Third inning. Runner on second, first base open, one out. The M's pitcher had been struggling, very little control over his pitches. Up steps Vlad Guererro, one of the game's most dangerous hitters. So the Mariners do the prudent thing and gave him four wide ones, right? No, silly, they pitch to him, he smacks a two-run home run, and they ultimately lose the game by two runs.
Sixth inning. The Mariners finally have something going. Bartolo Colon has started to struggle after handcuffing them for five innings. Esteban Yan comes in to pitch, isn't doing much better. So, right-handed pitcher, M's making some noise, time for a left-handed pinch hitter? Granted it's early, but the game is nearly two-thirds over and there's still another catcher, outfielder, etc., on the bench. Instead, Torrealba is left in and he kills the rally by striking out.
I think folks tend to be too glib with their blaming managers for bad seasons. Usually the people who do so can't articulate their complaints. That's why I rarely do so. However, I have to wonder what Mike Hargrove is doing during these games. Is he napping? At church services somewhere? Back in his office? Has someone checked him for a pulse lately?
I don't think any manager should do things "by the book" all the time. Nor do I expect them to do everything a fan thinks ought to be done. But some of these non-moves are just inexplicable. Yes, the players as a group (with some notable exceptions, such as Ichiro, Felix Hernandez, etc.) have once again led the league in underachieving, but jeepers, can't they find a manager who will at least act on some situations, or at least one who shows a little more initiative than your average couch potato?
— Tom Pacher, Whidbey Island
Storm
Bird deserves better
Times reporter Jayda Evans notes Storm guard Sue Bird's "horrible" playoff performance (Seattle Times, Sept. 5) and rates her an overall "C" for the season. In my book, and I am sure for hundreds of her loyal Seattle fans, No. 10 deserves better. Bird has heart, grit and style. How about an unqualified "A" for her spirited team leadership throughout the season despite her injuries? I cannot imagine a Storm team without her. Love that Bird.
— Ralph Rosinbum, Seattle
Backing Bird
Do Jayda Evans' ratings of players mirror their value to the team? Sue Bird a C? Did she not always perform to the best of her ability with this team? Yes. Is that worth a C compared to all the point guards in the league?
Why give Sue Bird a C and Lauren Jackson an A? I think both are very valuable to the team. Totally irrational ratings.
— Bob Norikane, Seattle
Huskies
Attitude check
I am a Huskies fan but also spent 20 years in the Air Force. My loyalties were tested Saturday and I was proud of both teams. However, the comments by Brad Vanneman, including "that team shouldn't have been in the game with us," speaks volumes about his character and perhaps of his teammates. The Huskies got beat by a better team and I believe this team that "never should have won that game" has taken the Huskies down the past three times they have played.
The only greater disappointment than the loss is the character deficits of the spokesman for the Huskies players.
— David A. Russell, Seattle

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/

M's Soriano returns

SEATTLE - The outcome, a 5-3 Seattle Mariners loss to the Baltimore Orioles, was as irrelevant as any the M's will experience the rest of this month.
The season has boiled down to subplots worth hanging their hopes on for next season, and the Mariners enjoyed an important one Saturday night.
Rafael Soriano returned to the pitcher's mound.
It had been 16 months since he'd last pitched in a major league game, the victim of an elbow injury that required major surgery last August.
Soriano, in his first big league appearance since May 9, 2004, gave up two hits and a run in the ninth inning, a performance that brought both relief and raves to those who know his importance to the pitching staff.
"He doesn't have a surplus of innings this year," pitching coach Bryan Price said. "But he had the arm strength, the velocity and the command, and it was great to see."
Last year, Soriano was considered the Mariners' top right-handed setup reliever - and possibly their future closer - before the bad elbow struck him down. The young pitcher with the easy-going delivery and 97 mph fastball had never suffered an arm problem. When doctors told him he needed surgery, it scared him.
But he talked to other pitchers who'd come back from Tommy John surgery, among them Mariners left-hander Matt Thornton, and they eased his mind.
"They told me to work hard every day and I would come back better the next year," Soriano said. "I'm so happy. This is why I worked so hard every day to come back."
He isn't back to his pre-injury form, but Saturday's outing was impressive nonetheless. He struck out two, including Geronimo Gil on a 95 mph fastball, and showed good control with both his fastball and slider.
"He showed us a premium arm and he certainly will help us in our bullpen when he becomes 100 percent healthy," Price said.
Saturday also was comeback night for right-hander Scott Atchison, who appeared in the big leagues for the first time since suffering a strained right elbow in spring training. He gave up two hits in two scoreless innings.
"It was good for them to say my name in the bullpen again, to get that adrenaline rush going again and the nerves that come with every outing," said Atchison, who had a chance to make the team out of spring training before the injury hit him.
Manager Mike Hargrove missed it all, at least from his place in the Mariners' dugout. He was ejected in the first inning arguing with second base umpire Mike Winters after Ichiro Suzuki was called out on an attempted steal.
It was Hargrove's second ejection this season, and he spent the rest of the night watching the game on TV in the clubhouse.
What he saw was Orioles starting pitcher Rodrigo Lopez shut down the Mariners for seven innings while the O's roughed up M's starter Jeff Harris with two runs in the first inning and two in the third.
That 4-0 score stood until the eighth, when Richie Sexson hit his 34th home run this season, giving him 104 RBI and making it 4-3.
In the clubhouse, Hargrove stayed glued to the TV for the return of Soriano and Atchison, plus Suzuki's first four-hit game of the year. It pulled his average to .302, the first time he's been above .300 since Aug. 24, and gave him 177 hits with 21 games remaining. He's trying to reach the 200-hit mark for the fifth straight season.
Hargrove also fought the urge to find out any information on the Texas-Ohio State football game, an event of personal significance. He's a native of Texas but a longtime resident of Ohio.
He said he didn't even sneak a peek at the football game.
"But I TiVo'd it, and I'm going to watch it later," he said. "Please don't tell me the score."

Source: http://www.heraldnet.com/

Hamstring has him hamstrung

Willie Bloomquist is caught between his competitive nature and reality, and reality is winning.
The all-purpose player the Seattle Mariners used all over their infield and outfield this season has a strained left hamstring that has all but ended his season – and he still has trouble giving up even a few games the final week of the season.
“Based on what the trainers and doctors have told me, it’s going to be another couple of weeks before I can do anything, and I’ve looked: That would leave me like four games left to the season,” Bloomquist said Saturday.
“Do I want to play? Yes. Will I? Probably not.”
For the first time in his career, the South Kitsap High School graduate is fighting his aggressiveness.
“My legs are my game. I’m not a DH, not a guy who’s going to hit the ball out of the park and trot around the bases,” Bloomquist said. “My game is speed – in the field and on the bases.”
Bloomquist has been told, in no uncertain terms, that rushing back from a hamstring injury almost certainly would risk reinjury and could well turn a minor problem into something major.
“Normally, I’m the worst patient in the world. I want to test myself, get back out there sooner,” Bloomquist said. “But this is different – for a couple of reasons.”
One is the Mariners’ record. If they were in a race, if a handful of games might make a difference, Bloomquist would try to play. That’s not the case.
“For a chance to help us get to the postseason, that’s worth the risk,” Bloomquist said.
Given the chance to play regularly – albeit at different positions – much of the second half, Bloomquist played 82 games this season and batted .257 with 22 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts.
“I think I showed them I can play regularly, and I think I’ve got a lot more I can do offensively,” he said. “You don’t play regularly for a few years, it takes time to get back into it. I loved playing every day again.”
Vacation is over
Eddie Guardado was back in the closer’s role Saturday after taking Friday off – and hating it.
“My left knee has been a little swollen, and they wanted to give me a day or two,” Guardado said. “I’m not used to watching someone else work the ninth inning.”
Guardado looked like a man being tortured watching teammate J.J. Putz work the ninth Friday for his first save of the season. Once Putz got the third out, however, Guardado was on his feet and cheering.
“Watching was almost as hard as pitching in that situation,” Guardado said.

Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/

The bull pen

How about this for a friendly offseason competition -- Ken Macha vs. Art Howe for the managing gig in Pittsburgh? Both have roots in the area. For now, Cardinals scout Jim Leyland might be the favorite. He was the last winning manager in Pittsburgh, and he says he wants to manage again.
-- Neither the Brewers nor Pirates have had winning records since 1992, and the streak might end this year. The giddy Brewers are two games below .500 with a manager, Ned Yost, whose contract recently was extended, while the Pirates fired their manager, Lloyd McClendon, when they were one loss shy of clinching another losing season.
-- Nationals manager Frank Robinson, questioning whether his team cares anymore, took the most desperate of measures: no more pregame music in the clubhouse.
-- Sad to say, but Rafael Palmeiro's career seems to be over. Palmeiro's presence embarrassed the Orioles, who sent him home, conveniently using a minor injury as a reason. He'll be a free agent after the season, and it's improbable any team would pick up a 41-year-old with his baggage.
-- It would be a cleaner game without the Great Northwest: When Mike Morse was popped for steroids last week, he became the third Mariner among nine big-leaguers to be slapped with a steroid suspension, joining Jamal Strong and Ryan Franklin. The Mariners also lead in minor-league suspensions, with eight players caught taking 'roids.
-- In July, Craig Biggio gave former teammate Billy Wagner an autographed jersey for Wagner's 7-year-old son, Will. On Wednesday, Biggio stopped doing Wagner favors and hit a game-deciding home run to beat the Phillies. Since Wagner's trade to Philadelphia, the Astros have beaten the Phillies 12 straight times.
-- Wagner properly corrected a reporter, who asked about his "devastating" loss. "We're going to stop using devastating," he said. "Because it's not devastating. New Orleans is devastating."
-- Why the Cardinals might have trouble winning it all: They do their best work inside their own division. They're 11-3 against the Astros, 10-3 against the Brewers and Pirates and 7-3 against the Reds. Chris Carpenter is 12-0 against the NL Central.
-- Mark Mulder, in his first year in the NL, does not have a sacrifice bunt.
-- Greg Maddux was asked if he thinks he can extend to 18 seasons his streak of 15-plus wins. He's 12-11 with four more starts. "I'd let the boys in Vegas know if I knew," he said. Note to commissioner's office: That's his hometown.
-- Nobody knows if Cleveland's Jake Westbrook is having a good year (tied for sixth in the AL in wins, 14) or a bad year (tied for second in the AL in losses, 14). Westbrook has a chance to become the second pitcher in history to lead a league in losses for a team that makes the playoffs. The first: Livan Hernandez for your 2002 Giants.

Source: http://www.sfgate.com/

Seattle phenom Hernandez shuts out slumping A's

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- On the mound, Felix Hernandez exhibits all the poise and confidence of a veteran. It's afterward when he shows signs of his true age, giggling and fidgeting with his towel as he discusses his day.
The teen phenom dazzled again, and Adrian Beltre and Greg Dobbs each had an RBI to provide the necessary run support in the Seattle Mariners' 2-0 win over the struggling Oakland Athletics on Monday.
"My age doesn't matter," Hernandez said. "I'm a good pitcher. ... Once I'm on my game, I can't fail."
Yuniesky Betancourt had a triple for Seattle, which handed the A's their fifth loss in six games -- their third shutout defeat in five games and AL-high 12th this year.
The 19-year-old Hernandez (3-2) pitched seven shutout innings to beat A's rookie Joe Blanton, efficiently getting groundout after groundout and giving up just one fly ball that reached the outfield.
"He stuck it to us," A's manager Ken Macha said.
The A's dropped 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels in the AL West race and also 1 1/2 games back of the New York Yankees in the wild-card standings. Oakland lost two of three to New York in a weekend series, then dropped the opener of an important series against last-place Seattle that the A's would like to win to keep pace.
The A's quickly understood the hype around Hernandez in the club's first glimpse of the dominant right-hander, who made his seventh major league start.
Hernandez's first three pitches were fastballs clocked at 96 mph, 98 and 97, then he struck out leadoff hitter Mark Ellis with an 83 mph curveball.
Hernandez hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of his outings, though he lost 2-0 to Randy Johnson and the Yankees in his previous start last Wednesday despite pitching eight strong innings.
Mariners manager Mike Hargrove planned to let Hernandez finish the game before he ran into trouble in the seventh. There were no complaints from the pitcher when he got pulled.
"Felix, if he had a mouth full of nickels he wouldn't give you change for a quarter," Hargrove said. "He doesn't speak much."
After Marco Scutaro doubled leading off the third for the first hit allowed by Hernandez, he retired 14 of the next 15 batters he faced before Jay Payton's two-out single in the seventh.
Dan Johnson followed with a single -- snapping an 0-for-13 slump -- to put runners on the corners and Hernandez received a mound visit from pitching coach Bryan Price. Marco Scutaro walked to load the bases for Nick Swisher, who flied out to left on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.
"I lost a little bit of concentration, then decided to center myself, and when I do that, I cannot fail."
Macha watched tape of Hernandez and said he has "the best stuff of anybody we've faced this year."
Hernandez allowed four hits, struck out five and walked one in a 107-pitch performance. J.J. Putz and George Sherrill tag-teamed the eighth and Eddie Guardado worked the ninth for his 30th save in 32 tries, completing the five-hit shutout.
Guardado became just the fourth Seattle pitcher with 30 or more saves in a season.
He certainly has been impressed with Hernandez.
"He's one of those guys who comes around every 20 years," Guardado said before the latest gem.
Seattle loaded the bases against Blanton in the sixth when Richie Sexson was hit by a pitch, then Beltre broke up a scoreless game with a sacrifice fly to left moments later. Dobbs followed with an RBI single to center.
Blanton (8-11) has lost two straight after a three-game winning streak. The rookie right-hander -- who at 24 seems old compared to Hernandez -- has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last nine outings.
"I try not to worry about it," Blanton said. "Keeping us in the game is my job. I faced a young guy with great stuff, but there's nothing I can do about it."
Blanton gave up two runs and seven hits, struck out four with two intentional walks in 6 1-3 innings.
"He has pitched tremendously and I've said that to him several times to keep the faith and one of these days we'll get him a bunch of runs," Macha said.
Notes: Hernandez has struck out 50 while walking only 10. ... The Mariners activated RHP Rafael Soriano from the 60-day disabled list. He hasn't played this season after having elbow ligament replacement surgery last year. Hargrove will "use him as we can," but the pitcher won't go more than one inning for now. ... A's CF Mark Kotsay missed his eighth straight game with soreness in his back but is expected to play Tuesday. ... No. 2 Oakland starter Rich Harden, nursing a muscle strain in his right side, made 20 throws on flat ground from 90 feet before the game. The A's hope to have him back on the mound Sunday at Texas, though trainer Larry Davis hinted that timeline could be optimistic. "Everything has to go perfect," Davis said.

Source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/

Mariners SS Morse suspended for steroid violation

OAKLAND (AP) — Seattle Mariners rookie Mike Morse was suspended 10 days Wednesday for violating baseball's steroids policy, and said he was still being punished for an "enormous mistake" he made in 2003.
Morse became the ninth major league player penalized under the sport's tougher drug rules.
Tuesday, Morse's seventh-inning single was the difference in a 3-2 win over Oakland, and on Wednesday the grievance by the players' association to overturn the suspension was denied by arbitrator Shyam Das.
"This result is unfair and unfortunate. It punishes Michael Morse again for conduct for which he has already been punished," said Michael Weiner, the union's general counsel. "The PA does not believe the parties ever intended for the Basic Agreement to compel such a harsh result."
Morse, 23, was batting .287 with three home runs and 23 RBI in 209 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A earlier this season. The infielder-outfielder was acquired last season in the trade that sent pitcher Freddy Garcia to the Chicago White Sox.
In a statement before Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Morse apologized to "the fans, my teammates, the Mariners organization, baseball and to my family," and he offered an explanation.
"Back in November 2003 when I was 21 years old, I made an enormous mistake in my life: I took steroids while in the minor leagues," he said. "My thigh muscle, which I had previously torn, had never healed and I was scared that my career was over. I was desperate and made a terrible mistake which I deeply regret.
"In May 2004, I was punished and suspended, which I deserved, for my mistake. I embarrassed myself, my family and my team. I am responsible for the mistake of taking steroids and the positive result was not due to some over-the-counter supplement, protein shake or tainted test."
Morse said the steroids, however, remained in his body and that he was again suspended in July 2004 while in the minors. He said those remnants resulted in another positive test this year, and he appealed those results.
"I am troubled that I will be suspended for the third time despite the fact that the scientific evidence supports that I kept my promise that I would never use steroids again," he said. "Even the (arbitration) panel states in its written decision that 'the panel recognizes that this result may be viewed as unfair to Michael Morse.'
"I find it unfair that I am being punished three different times for making the mistake of taking steroids in the 2003 offseason. At least there is some solace in the fact that the scientific evidence supports that I kept my promise that I would never use steroids again," his statement said.
Later, Morse met with reporters and said, "I know what I did and I was wrong."
"I was a man about it and I confronted it. I came forward and served my time," he said. "Now it's twice for the same thing. Now I get this again two years later. It's just unfair."
"I'm not lying and I'm not hiding anything," he said. "I'm for testing. I'm for kicking out steroids."
Earlier this season, Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin and Seattle outfielder Jamal Strong were penalized for violating the steroids policy.
"We've had two other people at the major league level and this is no different," Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said. "We're not happy about it."
Asked whether he felt badly for Morse because of the background, Bavasi said: "Everyone has natural feelings and given the circumstances, sure."

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/

Athletics 8, Mariners 7

OAKLAND, Calif. - Nick Swisher planned on having an easy afternoon Wednesday after Oakland manager Ken Macha told him he had the day off.
"I was going to use it to get my head right, and the next thing you know I'm up there hitting," he said.
Swisher walked with the bases loaded to force in the final run as the Athletics overcame a four-run ninth-inning deficit in a win for the first time in 48 years, beating the Seattle Mariners 8-7.
"The way things have been going, to pull off a win like this gives us momentum and confidence," Swisher said. "The way it happened was cool."
Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez hit two-run doubles before Swisher's walk. The last time the Athletics came back from four runs down in the ninth to win was in a doubleheader opener on July 4, 1957, when the Kansas City A's beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"That shows you right there how big a win this was," A's closer Huston Street said. "In order to score five runs you have to do a lot of things and get a little lucky. It was unbelievable. You saw everybody coming through."
Seattle led 5-0 after three innings and was on the verge of sweeping its first series at Oakland since April 2001 before the comeback against Eddie Guardado (1-2), who blew a save for the third time in 34 chances, and Jeff Nelson, who walked Swisher on a 3-2 pitch.
Chavez drove in four runs as the A's stopped a four-game losing streak. Street (5-1) got the win for Oakland, which began the day 1 1/2 games out in both the AL West and the wild-card race.
"When they got the extra run, I looked up and noticed a whole lot of people heading for the exit gates," Macha said. "That was a rough start, but what a comeback."
Swisher, who entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth, was in an 0-for-15 slide when he led off the ninth with Oakland trailing 7-3 and singled off J.J. Putz. Mark Ellis walked, and Guardado relieved and gave up a single to Jason Kendall that loaded the bases.
After the doubles, Jay Payton was intentionally walked. Scott Hatteberg popped out to the catcher on a bunt, and Dan Johnson reached on an infield single that loaded the bases.
"I didn't bear down," Guardado said. "It would have been nice to sweep those guys but it was a bad day. It's the first time this has happened in a while."
Nelson came in, and Keith Ginter hit a grounder to third baseman Adrian Beltre. who threw out Chavez at the plate. Nelson then walked Swisher.
"Seven days off, and I come in with the bases loaded," Nelson said. "I made the one out, and that 2-2 pitch was close. The 3-2 pitch was away. The inning happened too quickly. You have to make your pitches."
Swisher was in a 5-for-56 slide before the single.
"I think I have been thinking too much and getting myself flustered," he said. "I was kind of relaxed. I was looking for a good pitch to hit and ended up walking. It was a sigh of relief."
Richie Sexson hit his 33rd homer, and Raul Ibanez doubled twice for Seattle. Mariners starter Ryan Franklin, 0-4 in his last nine starts against the A's, allowed three runs and eight hits in five innings.
A's starter Dan Haren failed to get out of the third for the first time this year, giving up five runs and eight hits in 2 2-3 innings. Haren had allowed six earned runs over 21 innings in his three previous starts against Seattle.
"It would have been a devastating loss," Haren said. "Now there's 20 games left and every one is important. Fortunately, we came back, and that will make it a little easier to forget."
Ibanez hit an RBI double in the first and scored on a single by Greg Dobbs. Run-scoring doubles in the third by Ibanez and Jose Lopez around Beltre's run-scoring grounder made it 5-0.
Chavez led off the fourth with his 23rd homer, but Sexson's homer against Juan Cruz made it 6-1 in the fifth.
Kotsay hit an RBI double in the bottom half. and Chavez had a run-scoring grounder. Jeremy Reed double in a run for Seattle in the ninth against Street.
Notes: Chavez did not strike out for the ninth straight game, the second-longest such streak of his career. Chavez has hit 26 homers and has 73 RBIs against Seattle, his most against any team. ... The A's lost their fifth straight home series, the longest such streak since April-May 1994 (also five straight). ... The Mariners recalled INF Ramon Santiago from Triple-A Tacoma. ... The A's are 18-7 in games decided in the last at bat.

Source: http://www.kentucky.com/

A's top Mariners with 5 runs in 9th

OAKLAND, CALIF. - Nick Swisher planned on having an easy afternoon Wednesday after Oakland manager Ken Macha told him he had the day off.
"I was going to use it to get my head right, and the next thing you know I'm up there hitting," he said.
Swisher walked with the bases loaded to force in the final run as the Athletics overcame a four-run ninth-inning deficit in a win for the first time in 48 years, beating the Seattle Mariners 8-7.
"The way things have been going, to pull off a win like this gives us momentum and confidence," Swisher said. "The way it happened was cool."
Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez hit two-run doubles before Swisher's walk. The last time the Athletics came back from four runs down in the ninth to win was in a doubleheader opener on July 4, 1957, when the Kansas City A's beat the Chicago White Sox 5-4, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"That shows you right there how big a win this was," A's closer Huston Street said. "In order to score five runs, you have to do a lot of things and get a little lucky. It was unbelievable. You saw everybody coming through."
In other games • Indians 4, Tigers 1 — At Detroit, C.C. Sabathia pitched his first complete game of the season for his seventh victory in as many starts. The win kept the Indians one-half game behind the wild card-leading Yankees. "I've got four or five more starts, and I have to keep going," Sabathia said. "We're still in the race, and I have to give us a chance to win every time I'm out there."
Casey Blake homered twice as the Indians finished a three-game sweep of the Tigers.
• Yankees 5, Devil Rays 4 — Jason Giambi hit a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning, and host New York got a much-needed victory against a surprising nemesis. Hideki Matsui hit his 400th professional homer and drove in three runs for the Yankees. New York fought back from a 4-0 deficit and improved to 5-10 against last-place Tampa Bay.
• Red Sox 6, Angels 3 — Bronson Arroyo recovered from a rough beginning, and Boston overcame a three-run deficit at Fenway Park with the help of David Ortiz's two-run single. Ortiz, whose homer in the bottom of the ninth gave Boston a 3-2 win in Tuesday night's series opener, tied the game with his single, one pitch after he appeared to swing his bat far enough for a third strike. Angels manager Mike Scioscia yelled from the dugout and was ejected.
Later in the third inning, Trot Nixon doubled in the go-ahead run.
• Twins 8, Rangers 6 — Minnesota overcame a five-run deficit, taking advantage of a throwing error by pitcher Doug Brocail on a bunt to score two runs in the sixth inning and beat visiting Texas. Mike Redmond and Luis Rodriguez drove in two runs each for the Twins, who trailed 5-0 in the second inning for the second game in a row.
• White Sox 1, Royals 0 — Paul Konerko homered for the fourth straight game, and host Chicago extended its winning streak to seven. Konerko connected off Mike Wood (4-6) in the third inning. He has 36 homers and a 12-game hitting streak.
• Blue Jays 7, Orioles 4 — Frank Catalanotto singled in the tiebreaking run in a four-run seventh inning at Camden Yards, and Gregg Zaun homered for Toronto, which took two of three games to win a series for the first time since mid-August.

Source: http://www.chron.com/

Orioles start road trip in Seattle

Southpaw Erik Bedard will make his 20th start of the season for the Orioles. The 26-year-old hurler is 0-2 in his last five outings and has given up at least three earned runs each of those contests. Bedard is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA for his career against the Mariners. He is facing Seattle for the first time this season. The Orioles' lefthander is 2-3 with a 4.24 ERA on the road this year. The Mariners counter with veteran lefty Jamie Moyer, who is 2-2 in his last four starts. He faced the Orioles on July 16th and worked eight strong innings, but did not figure in the decision of Seattle's 3-2 victory. Moyer is 15-3 with a 3.02 ERA for his career versus Baltimore. The 42-year-old Moyer, who will be making his 28th start of the year, is a perfect 8-0 with a 2.73 ERA at Safeco Field this season. Seattle starts a six-game homestand, as it will host the Angels for three games after the Baltimore series. The Mariners return home after going 3-3 on a six-game road trip. They are 6-4 in their last 10 contests at home. The Mariners are 33-36 at home this season, while Baltimore is 31-37 as the visitor. The Orioles are fresh off losing two of three to Toronto at Camden Yards. They will visit Texas after playing the Mariners. Baltimore is 4-6 in its last 10 on the road. Baltimore has won five of the seven meetings between the clubs this season. These are the final games between the teams for the 2005 campaign.

Source: http://www.cbs47.com/

Mariners Notebook: Gillick not job hunting

His name will surely surface in telephone conversations and notes columns in the weeks ahead. For now, though, Pat Gillick is not eager to be a general manager again.
Gillick, a special consultant to Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi during the past two seasons, said Friday that, at age 68, he does not plan to pursue the potential openings for which he will certainly qualify.
"I don't think so," he said. "Nothing's etched in stone, but I'm very happy doing what I'm doing."
Since stepping down as Seattle's GM after the 2003 season, Gillick has worked from his Toronto home as a special assignment major-league and amateur scout. His eyes and experience lent opinions on the June draft and July trade deadline.
"I enjoy working for Bill," Gillick said. "He's a guy who likes to get a lot of opinions and information. He's very inclusive. And (CEO) Howard (Lincoln) and (COO) Chuck (Armstrong) have always been very good to me.
"I'm very content. If something did materialize, it would have to be something special."
Gillick's contract with the Mariners expires at the end of October 2006, but he is allowed to interview for GM jobs if the club grants permission. Armstrong granted him permission to interview once before, for the Dodgers' vacancy prior to last season, and said Friday he would be willing to do so again.
"We're happy to grant him permission," Armstrong said.
Potential vacancies loom in Arizona and Washington, where current GMs Bob Gebhard and Jim Bowden, respectively, are working under interim tags.
Other openings could materialize next month, and Gillick's track record makes him an automatic candidate virtually anywhere. In addition to two American League Championship Series appearances in his four seasons as Mariners GM, he won five AL East titles and two World Series with the Blue Jays. He also reached the ALCS twice with the Orioles.
The question might not be of other teams' interest, but whether Gillick is willing to return to the grind.
"As a GM, you work 24 hours a day, at least 300 days a year," he said. "When you're off, you're not really off."
Gillick's potential interest in the Diamondbacks job could hinge on what type of power-sharing arrangement general partner Jeff Moorad is willing to have. Gillick has a good relationship with Moorad, the superagent-turned-owner, but questions persist as to whether they could coexist while making big decisions.
For that reason, one former GM said he does not expect Gillick to begin next season as Arizona's GM.
"I think they will go for a younger guy who Moorad can control," the former GM said. "He will not control Pat. Moorad will want to be involved. That is a problem."
MORSE 'GOOD KID': Mike Morse left the Mariners' clubhouse just before 3:30 on Friday afternoon, stopped to chat with batting coach Don Baylor behind the cage, and jogged to left field for drills with outfield coach Mike Goff.
A typical day -- except his name was not anywhere on the lineup card. Not among the starters. Not among the reserves. Friday was the third day of Morse's 10-day suspension under Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Morse, who politely declined interview requests on Friday, is not allowed to be on the bench during games. He is, however, able to practice before the game.
Manager Mike Hargrove promised Morse would do "intensive work" on his fielding until the suspension ends next weekend when the team is in Texas.
"He'll get worked real hard," Hargrove said.
Hargrove declined to address the issue in great detail, but did say Morse is "a good kid whose heart is in the right place, who made a mistake two years ago."
EDDIE UPDATE: The Mariners have yet to approach Kevin Kohler, Eddie Guardado's agent, to discuss the closer's dual option for next season. Seattle could bring him back for $6.25 million, or decline its option and allow Guardado to decide whether to return at $4.25 million.
That dialogue is unlikely to occur until after the season, and Bavasi has declined to comment on the club's plans.
Either way, Guardado said his uncertain future had nothing to do with his blown save in Oakland on Wednesday afternoon, his third this season.
"I don't think about it, to be honest," he said. "I just want to finish this season out and see what happens. The best thing would be for me to be back here next year."
NOTES: Chris Snelling, out for the season because of another knee injury, is still waiting to have exploratory surgery. Doctors have yet to find the proper graft from a cadaver to complete the procedure ... Jeremy Reed started in center field against left-hander Erik Bedard on Friday night -- a strong show of support by Hargrove, who has often rested the rookie against southpaws this season. Reed began the homestand hitting .318 in September (7-for-22) after a .250 August ... Hargrove said he hoped to use recent call-ups Rafael Soriano and Scott Atchison -- and sooner rather than later. Soriano may pitch in the Dominican Winter League, depending on his health at the end of the season.

Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/

Mariners bag Orioles

The ninth inning began on Friday night with the Mariners ahead by two runs. Still, Eddie Guardado did not stir in the Seattle bullpen.
At some point between Guardado's blown save Wednesday afternoon and the start of Friday's game, Mariners manager Mike Hargrove determined that his closer needed "a couple days off." The reason, Hargrove said, was a "feast-or-famine" summer that saw Guardado pitch in five of Seattle's past seven games.
The fact that Friday night's feature presentation included two teams that began a combined 35 games out of first place might have had something to do with that, as well.
"It was the best way to go," Hargrove said, "and certainly the most nerve-racking."
Whatever the precise reason, Hargrove's ad hoc committee nearly pushed his patience straight into Elliott Bay. Entrusted with a two-run lead, George Sherrill surrendered a leadoff home run to Jay Gibbons. The Orioles advanced the tying run to second base against J.J. Putz, before the right-hander retired David Newhan and Eric Byrnes for a narrow escape in Seattle's intricate 3-2 triumph over the Orioles before 27,429 at Safeco Field.
Guardado's reaction in the bullpen included a fist pump and enthusiastic, "Atta boy!" Hargrove said Guardado should be available tonight.
Meanwhile, Jamie Moyer (12-6) continued his inspired summer of pitching in SoDo. The trusty left-hander allowed only one run in 7 1/3 innings.
Moyer remained unbeaten in 15 home starts, a remarkable feat at age 42.
He is, in fact, the only pitcher in the major leagues with a 9-0 home record.
"A coincidence," he said.
Sure it was. Moyer was almost predestined for victory. He began Friday with a 15-3 record and 3.02 ERA in 27 career games against Baltimore, one of his former teams. His .833 win percentage is second all-time to Tim Hudson among pitchers with 10 or more decisions against the Orioles.
The Mariners had never lost in Moyer's seven previous starts against Baltimore at Safeco Field. He was 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA in those games.
And so on.
Moyer retired the first nine batters he faced. Three struck out -- all looking -- none at pitches faster than the 81-mph curveball Miguel Tejada watched for the final out of the first. Javy Lopez and Luis Matos watched changeups at 75 and 74, respectively.
Later, he was helped by two fine defensive plays by rookie Seattle outfielders.
In a seventh-inning collision worthy of Qwest Field, Jeremy Reed surged headlong toward the wall, leapt at the track, and crashed with the force of an alley-closing free safety in pursuit of Javy Lopez's trouble-making gapper. He snared it as he rose, and held on as his glove dipped over the wall.
He held on, even after his torso rocked the padding with a thud.
Jamal Strong had charged after him from left field, yelling, "Fence! Fence! Fence!" Perhaps Reed did not hear him. Or maybe he did.
"He hit that wall at full speed," Strong said. "It was amazing. I was just coming in behind him, in case that ball popped out."
Strong's rescue came one inning later, when he cut down the would-be tying run in the person of Brian Roberts, the speedy leadoff man.
With two out, Strong charged a hard single by Tejada, and zipped a low, one-hop throw to Yorvit Torrealba at the plate. Torrealba blocked the inside portion of the plate and pushed Roberts to the outside. He tagged him on his shoulder, just in time.
Roberts disagreed. So did Baltimore interim manager Sam Perlozzo, who argued to the point of ejection.
Strong, meanwhile, looked like he does such things all the time -- when, in fact, he could recall only one similar play in Tacoma this season. And that was in center field. Never before in his baseball career had Strong made a similar play from left field, according to his recollection.
"That might've been the first time," he said.
That, coupled with another Seattle run in the bottom of the eighth, seemed to seal the game for the Mariners, despite Baltimore's best efforts in the ninth.

Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/