tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62203902011-09-05T10:51:25.337-07:00Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and Northwest sports weblog, with Chris Caldwell and Joe Halverson of Pullman, Washington, and Pete Ziemkiewicz of Chicago. Formerly entitled "At Least The Red Sox Have 1918," but that handle became obsolete on October 27, 2004.Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.comBlogger4471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1121304295751729332005-07-13T18:17:00.000-07:002005-07-13T18:24:55.756-07:00

Lance Armstrong may be leading overall in the Tour de France, but check out the winner of Monday's leg of the race. Chris, you will appreciate this one the most.

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1121104865841148182005-07-11T10:52:00.000-07:002005-07-11T11:01:05.846-07:00

No, I'm not talking about this website. I'm referring to the Mariner's 4-game sweep of the Los Angeles California Anaheim Identity Crisis Angels of Extreme Redundency. On the road, no less. Has there been a more improbable sweep this year? It's a shame that the all-star break falls right now, just as the club is heating up. But the good news is that right after the break, we start off with

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1120678250986110652005-07-06T12:13:00.000-07:002005-07-06T12:30:50.993-07:00

All 12 of the Sonic's fans can sleep a little easier now. What took so long? You wanted him back, he wanted to come back, and you guys could offer him the most money. And the terms of the deal are basically what Allen wanted. Now that that's out of the way, Seattle can probably look forward to another 50 wins next year.On a completely unrelated note, ESPN's page 2 posted a poll of each team's

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1120181505576883802005-06-30T18:30:00.000-07:002005-06-30T18:31:45.576-07:00

The one-time cellar-dwelling Oakland A's have completed a three-game sweep of the Mariners today. I have nothing further to add.ROER is now up to date.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1120008776829397042005-06-28T18:19:00.000-07:002005-06-28T18:32:56.840-07:00

One year ago today, The Mariners threw up the white flag on the 2004 season, trading Freddy Garcia to the Chicago White Sox for three youngsters: Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Michael Morse. Therefore, it's a good time to look back on how that trade's worked out.At the time of the trade, Garcia was having one of his best seasons, striking out 82 (with 32 walks) and having a 3.20 ERA in 107

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1119723288391718542005-06-25T11:02:00.000-07:002005-06-25T11:14:49.886-07:00

Adrian Beltre and Bret Boone are tied for 3rd on the team in Home Runs.Of course, they are tied with Ichiro, who has a mere 5 on the year.This might have gotten more attention if there weren't so many other sad stats on the Mariners. Like Ichiro's batting average. Or Beltre's batting average. Or Boone's batting average. Or the lower part of the lineup's batting average. Or Ryan Franklin. Or

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1119405657919437852005-06-21T18:41:00.000-07:002005-06-21T19:00:57.926-07:00

Brought to you by Jack-In-The-Box. Ciabatta: C-I-A-B-A-double-T-A. Ciabatta. Peace out.Aaron Sele didn't bring his best stuff, as evidenced by 7 hits, countless line-drive outs by Oakland batters, and a mere 3 strikeouts in 6 innings. Still, he gave up only 2 runs and left the game well within reach. Then the bullpen conjured up images of '96-'98, giving up 4 runs, 4 hits, and 4 walks in 3

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1119315073591650312005-06-20T17:38:00.000-07:002005-06-20T17:51:13.596-07:00

This from USS Mariner:"Jose Lopez: 13 plate appearances, 2.2 VORP. Bret Boone: 262 plate appearances, 1.7 VORP. Lopez contributed more offense to the team from Friday through Sunday than Bret Boone has since opening day."This is a dead horse that has been beaten by every remotely aware Mariners writer, so I'll be brief. Boone brings nothing to the table both in the batter's box and in the field,

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1119295960478659362005-06-20T11:05:00.000-07:002005-06-20T12:34:12.683-07:00

They've won six of their last seven series, including the most recent sweep of the Mets. What's with the recent upswing? There are a couple of reasons, including the schedule (thank you, interleague play) and the starting pitching (2.80 ERA in June, best in baseball) , but the biggest factor has been their youth movement. Take a look at the production of the youngsters in recent weeks:Player

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1119052897909250702005-06-17T16:56:00.000-07:002005-06-17T17:10:21.370-07:00

Sponsored, in part, by The New Era Cap CompanyCammy's back in town. Rejoyce!Not for the M's, true, but if you're not doing anything else this weekend go to the ballpark and show your appreciation for four years of incredible center field play.Cammy might not play at all (he's battling about 4,832.23 different injuries right now), but if he does bat, I'd like to hear the DJ at the Safe play

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1118862432766781182005-06-15T11:44:00.000-07:002005-06-15T12:07:12.773-07:00

Sponsored, in part, by Reser's Flour Tortillas.Gil Meche was dominant last night. His one run, three hit, eight inning performance was absolutely Randyesque. The Phillies' Jim Thome summed it up:His curveball is right up there with the best I've seen... What happened is that it made his fastball ... a lot quicker.When Gil's pulling the string like he was last night, he should mow through just

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1118700150524449122005-06-13T14:48:00.000-07:002005-06-13T15:02:30.530-07:00

Mike Tyson claims that he is going to retire from boxing after refusing to go back in for the 7th round against Kevin McBride. Sorry, Mike, but I just don't see it happening.For one, he's still something like $20 million in debt. Had he either won this last fight or just stuck it out until the end, he would have netted a $5 million payday. He's still a drawing card, and this is the easiest way

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1118699250869732022005-06-13T14:22:00.000-07:002005-06-13T14:47:30.910-07:00

If you saw Stewie's little, um, discovery about Annika Sorenstam on last night's episode of Family Guy, you know what I'm talking about. But let's be honest here: we were all thinking the same thing. I wonder what Vegas put as the over/under for the future impending lawsuit?In a related story, the episode ended with Quagmire and Cleveland duking it out in the boxing ring for fun. Cleveland rang

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1117914411361675952005-06-04T12:18:00.000-07:002005-06-05T11:49:19.930-07:00

Alan Schwartz is, for my money, one of the best baseball writers out there. But I gotta say that he really goofed when identifying Alex Rodriguez as the best top pick of all time. Ok, A-Rod may wind up being the best player ever selected from the first spot (he debatably is already). But this article is a perfect example of just how quickly we can forget.Ken Griffey, Jr. was the player of the

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1117756237982042332005-06-02T15:48:00.000-07:002005-06-02T16:50:38.046-07:00

Due to a combination of moving back home for the summer, long hours at work, Mom's knee surgery, and (mainly) general laziness, I haven't been able to post for awhile. So, as a triumphant return, here's my roundup of the past and preview of coming attractions.Brought to you by Star Wars: Episode III. It's Like putting in the last piece of a really annoying puzzle; satisfying only in that it's

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1117034253032548892005-05-25T07:59:00.000-07:002005-05-25T08:17:33.076-07:00

Sometimes an entire scientific community believes something for no scientific reason. For example, the medical community has agreed for a number of years now that consuming cholesterol-laden foods increases your serum-cholesterol levels, even though billions of dollars have been spent trying to prove this without any semblance of success.My point is that a scientific community's belief in

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1115228319189845722005-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:002005-05-04T10:38:39.486-07:00

From today's Sports Illustrated 10-Spot:2. Disgraced pitcher John Rocker, now playing for the minor league Long Island Ducks, had a profane exchange with a fan in Atlantic City on Tuesday night as he walked off the field after a poor outing. Rocker apologized afterward, insisting he has nothing against fans unless they're Asian, black, gay or ride the No. 7 train.I'm not sure SI was making a joke

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1115147529106409682005-05-03T12:10:00.000-07:002005-05-03T12:12:09.106-07:00

...for being accepted into the graduate program at Florida State University. Make sure to register to vote down there, since they seem to need all the help they can get.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1115101220774342022005-05-02T23:07:00.000-07:002005-05-02T23:31:10.006-07:00

As many of you know, the Anaheim Angels recently changed their name to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in order to sound more inclusive to the Southern California market. We here at Who Wants to Watch the World Series? think that this tag is rather lame and wish for the Angels organization to make some changes to it.Chris has already suggested the Los Angeles California Anaheim Los Angeles

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1115050860893243022005-05-02T09:20:00.000-07:002005-05-02T13:03:18.606-07:00

Former Coug News of the Day: John Olerud has signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox, who have apparently been searching for a first basemen despite the presence of David Ortiz and Kevin Millar. Expect Olerud to be called up in July and play the Doug Mientkiewicz role for the Sox down the stretch.Ray Allen Got Game: 45 points last night as the Sonics go up 3-1. Get this guy re-signed, fast

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1114447817662678932005-04-25T09:17:00.000-07:002005-04-25T09:50:17.663-07:00

How loaded was USC last year? Their backup QB was taken in the 7th round of Sunday's NFL draft. Yup, The New England Patriots selected Matt Cassel with the 230th pick in the draft (hey, with their track record, it's hard to argue). This reminded me of the Minnesota Vikings selecting Brad Johnson in the 9th round of the 1992 draft, even though he was an injury-riddled backup at Florida State.

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1114216867117426842005-04-22T17:39:00.000-07:002005-04-22T17:41:07.116-07:00

Have you ever seen something so funny and pathetic at the same time that a simple giggle, snicker, or guffaw just doesn't do it justice? Where the only natural response is to just let it all go and unleash a hearty belly laugh? This often happens in a bar or nightclub when a female who doesn't bring anything to the table tries to seduce every man in the bar. You see something this

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1114214389337606742005-04-22T16:58:00.000-07:002005-04-22T16:59:49.336-07:00

Yeah, he's a homer (and a Husky), but Caple likes the M's chances in a wide-open A.L. West this year.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1114214051114520992005-04-22T16:14:00.000-07:002005-04-22T16:54:11.116-07:00

After a split of their two-game, intradivision series (an idea which I hate, incidentally) against the A's, the M's host the Rick Vaughn-less Cleveland Indians this weekend.FRIDAY:Gil Meche (1-0, 6.14) vs. Carsten Charles "C.C." Sabathia (0-0, 1.59)Sabathia has quieted any doubts about the health of his left hamstring, injured last September, by posting a strong start so far this season. It's

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1114123170697855402005-04-21T15:36:00.000-07:002005-04-21T15:39:30.696-07:00

It was somewhat theraputic hearing Dave Niehaus' "SWUNG ON AND BELTED! DEEP TO LEFT FIELD! GET OUT THE RYE BREAD AND THE MUSTARD GRANDMA, IT'S GRAND SALAMI TIME!!!" call of Bret Boone's first inning grand slam last night. Especially since I publicly stated that one of our righties would touch Zito at some point.If you're in eastern Washington, get away from your computer and enjoy this

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1114040616162954962005-04-20T12:17:00.000-07:002005-04-20T19:21:05.513-07:00

Brought to you by M.C. Hammer (a super-dope homeboy from the Oak-Town)Oakland, Seattle, and the Los Angeles California Anaheim Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim each go into Wednesday's play tied for first place at a lackluster 7-7. The Mariners come back to Seattle today for a two-gamer against Billy Beane's Athletics.With Beane and company coming to Safeco Field, it seems like an opportune moment

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113957326851800382005-04-19T16:46:00.000-07:002005-04-19T17:35:26.853-07:00

With today's 5-3 triumph over the Angels, the Mariners finished their eight-game road trip at 5-3 and improved to 7-7 overall.Eddie Guardado's save was significantly less dicey than usual. Even though Garrett Anderson came to the plate as the tying run, it was with two outs, and Guardado got Anderson to ground out to Ibanez at first to end the game. The key to the inning was that Guardado

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113920433489197902005-04-19T07:06:00.000-07:002005-04-19T07:20:33.490-07:00

Aaron Sele has officially come back down to Earth, allowing six earned runs in four innings in Monday's 6-1 loss against the Angels. Five of those runs came on home runs by Vladimir Guerrero and Darin Erstad (who is just KILLING my Bad Fantasy Team the way he's been hitting). Both Angels hitters connected on curveballs right in their respective wheelhouses.Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113883954960621192005-04-18T16:10:00.000-07:002005-04-19T05:38:52.880-07:00

Despite losing two of three games to the White Sox this weekend, the Mariners are tied for first place (albeit with just a 6-6 mark). And on top of that, the team sports the best run differential in the American League West division, outscoring their opponents by eleven runs overall. Easily, the Mariners could be sitting on a 7-5 or even 8-4 record, and a lot of newspaper column inches would be

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113590477691494102005-04-15T11:12:00.000-07:002005-04-19T05:39:20.940-07:00

We keep hearing a lot about NBA commissioner David Stern's plan to put an age limit on the NBA draft, restricting it to only players who are at least 20 years old. I must say that this is not a good idea, and not because Jermaine O'Neal thinks the motivation behind it is race. I do believe that the league is concerned with quality of play (and rightfully so), but barring the best high school

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113528946226647652005-04-14T17:15:00.000-07:002005-04-14T19:10:20.293-07:00

Baseball Prospectus, among other sources, publishes Run Expectancy charts (subscription required). These nifty little tables outline with a three-by-eight grid the average number of runs that score after a given baserunners/outs situation. For 2004, the chart looked like this: Runners, outs, Run Expectancy:---, 0, 0.54---, 1, 0.29---, 2, 0.111--, 0, 0.931--, 0, 0.551--, 0, 0.25-2-, 0,

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113520620432919072005-04-14T14:56:00.000-07:002005-04-14T16:17:00.436-07:00

I've already apologized to Ryan Franklin for having any doubts about his ability to perform as a starting pitcher. It should be noted, though, that so far in 2005, Franklin's surrendered batting average on balls that are put into play (basically, every at-bat that wasn't a strikeout or a home run; simply put, the ones the fielders have a say in) is a cool .178. The Major League average is

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113507755487802692005-04-14T12:36:00.000-07:002005-04-14T12:42:35.486-07:00

All I know (courtesy of a CBS SportsLine game-center) is that Beltre came out of the game in the 4th inning with "an apparent back injury." Did anyone see what happened!!??

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113500251502031742005-04-14T10:24:00.000-07:002005-04-14T10:37:31.503-07:00

So I did get to the double-header yesterday, and it was awesome--except that I think I caught pneumonia sitting in that upper-deck wind-tunnel. But I'll live, and the important thing is that Mark Prior looked phenomenal! Like the real Mark Prior! Like a guy who, with any kind of run-support, might win 20 games this year!This changes the whole equation. With the Proodbradux fully intact, I think

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113401320709682592005-04-13T06:56:00.000-07:002005-04-13T07:08:40.710-07:00

Thanks to Mother Nature and our good old-fashioned roofless ballyard, today is going to bear witness to that most magical of events: a Prior/Wood double header. That's right! And with Jake Peavy pitching for the Pope-lovers, that's three legitimate Cy Young candidates taking the same mound in eight beautiful hours!This is the kind of day that makes me feel absurdly lucky to be living four blocks

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113348439525186422005-04-12T16:12:00.000-07:002005-04-12T16:27:19.526-07:00

In a Champions League quarterfinal match today, fans of Inter Milan hurled bottles and road flares at the AC Milan goalkeeper, causing a stoppage of play after the 73rd minute. The Milan police chief offered this comment, pulled from the linked article:"There were two or three hundred hooligans who were involved in throwing the flares," said Milan police chief Paolo Scarpi, "They have been

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113343615321872132005-04-12T15:04:00.000-07:002005-04-12T15:06:55.323-07:00

Nothing to write about today, so I offer you a link:United States of Baseball.It's a collection of articles by Peter Handrinos about topics that are in more of a general baseball interest rather than focusing on one or two teams. Give it a look.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113263088464603272005-04-11T16:40:00.000-07:002005-04-11T16:44:48.466-07:00

I've just spent five minutes closely examining the pitch-by-pitch recap of today's game, looking for any shred of evidence to diminish what Franklin did today, and I couldn't find a thing. I'll just put up his line and shut up for as long as he pitches like this:8 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout, 2 runs, 83 pitches, 64 strikes.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113247791112715962005-04-11T12:22:00.000-07:002005-04-11T12:29:51.113-07:00

Brought to you by Gold's Gym.The Rockies' Jorge Piedra is this week's lucky victim. What a week. Wednesday: called up to the big club. Thursday: sent back down to the minors. Monday: suspended for ten days.Another 'roid story:I remember when I was with the Phillies, we were on the road, at our hotel, when a pitcher asked me to inject him with steroids. I don’t know, I guess he couldn’t stick

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113239256533476412005-04-11T09:10:00.000-07:002005-04-11T10:07:36.536-07:00

Today, 1:05 PM: Ryan Franklin (0-0, 2.25) vs. Runelvys Hernandez (1-0, 1.29)Tuesday: Off. Whah???Wednesday, 11:10 AM: Aaron Sele (0-0, 6.35) vs. Zach Greinke (0-0, 0.00)Thursday, 11:10 AM: Jamie Moyer (1-0, 2.45) vs. Denny Bautista (1-0, 1.13)Thanks to the scheduling geniuses at work for Major League Baseball this season, instead of a typical Monday off day to travel halfway across the continent

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113169282364840772005-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:002005-04-10T14:41:22.366-07:00

If you are seated in the first row of right field, and if you packed your baseball glove around all afternoon so that if someone hit a home run your way you'd be in position to catch the ball, you'd better not choke.Some idiot just cost Richie Sexson two bases and two RBI by not holding on to Big Sexy's would-be home run in the fourth inning today. Idiot.Do any readers watching the game know who

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113166225510828902005-04-10T13:42:00.000-07:002005-04-10T13:50:25.510-07:00

Bobby Madritsch's shoulder is slightly torn. Madritsch's arm will be in a sling for three weeks, then another MRI will be taken to assess the recovery progress. Annoyed grunt.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1113161818918519942005-04-10T12:34:00.000-07:002005-04-10T12:36:58.920-07:00

Bret Boone, analyzing his costly ninth inning error, which allowed the winning (and unearned) runs to score for Texas yesterday:"My son could have made that play."Yep.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112985177766356442005-04-08T11:19:00.000-07:002005-04-08T11:32:57.770-07:00

It's week one of the baseball season again, and that means it's time to freak out about the Cubs! Oh my God! Oh my freaking God we're screwed! Once again, Prior and Wood (whose names are now forever linked to the gut-feeling that the Cubs really should be good, but never will be) are nursing various mysterious ailments. Prior got slammed by some triple-A bums yesterday, but at least he left the

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112983767983006622005-04-08T10:39:00.000-07:002005-04-08T11:09:27.986-07:00

Conventional media wisdom has Ryan Franklin shimmying his way into the rotation for a start or two to replace the injured Bobby Madritsch. Franklin is a Proven Starter, whatever that's worth, and would be an easy choice for Mike Hargrove and Bryan Price. Because of a scheduling quirk that has the Mariners playing a day game Monday with an off day Tuesday, Franklin is probably the only real

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112979714850424252005-04-08T10:08:00.000-07:002005-04-08T10:09:59.443-07:00

Hands-down the most ironic story of the year: John Rocker has signed on with the Long Island Ducks of the Independent Atlantic League.BTW there is no truth to the rumors that batteries will be handed out to the first 5000 fans on opening day.

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112892057649064692005-04-07T09:22:00.000-07:002005-04-07T09:40:57.650-07:00

...in one regard, that is. A look at James Click's latest article at Baseball Prospectus (subscription required) shows that one of the old-timey pieces of baseball wisdom that are Red's specialty might be true.Click wants to know if a speedy runner on first base actually influences the batter-pitcher outcome. Looking at last season's numbers with a runner on first and with second base

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112888869879379962005-04-07T08:46:00.000-07:002005-04-07T08:58:29.556-07:00

Brought to you by Fat Ass Burrito. It always seems like a good idea at the time.Friday, Aaron Sele vs. Chan Ho ParkSaturday, Jamie Moyer vs. Pedro AstacioSunday, Gil Meche vs. Ryan DreseIt looks like the M's can get two out of three at home against the Rangers. I expect Aaron Sele to Coug it on Friday for the lone Texas win, giving up as many home runs to Hank Blaylock as he has opportunities

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112809010449637142005-04-06T10:29:00.000-07:002005-04-06T10:36:50.450-07:00

Sponsered by Burger King's Tender Crisp Bacon Chedder Ranch. Come and git it!Matt Thornton, our 2nd (or 3rd) lefty out of the pen:1/3 IP, 15NP, 4H, 3ER, 81.00 ERA.Is there a statistical equivalent of Suck-Ass for Pitchers? We could call it SAP, for short.

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112777565784435792005-04-06T01:44:00.000-07:002005-04-08T11:10:18.063-07:00

Have you ever wondered how bad a fantasy baseball team you could assemble? Now's you're chance. I've created a league on Yahoo fantasy baseball that will give points for hitters with a sub-.800 OPS and for pitcher with ERA's above four. The scoring is derived from the HACKING MASS system, which rewards not only futility but playing time.If you're interesting in testing your wits, follow the

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112623779352701872005-04-04T07:15:00.000-07:002005-04-04T07:34:08.276-07:00

After his ridiculous 2004 season which was followed by a red-hot 2005 Spring Training, Ichiro has stirred up a lot of recent speculation that he might break Joe Dimaggio's 56-game hit streak record this season. But can we put a number on the actual probability of that happening?Trent at Lookout Landing has used Ichiro's career batting average and at bats per game to determine that Ichiro's

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112598107030289162005-04-04T00:01:00.000-07:002005-04-04T00:01:47.030-07:00

Today's the day! Here are some links for the Mariners' first opponent, the Twins:Aaron Gleeman's Blog. One of the best baseball websites in the known universe, AG.com is chock full o' Twinkie goodness.Batgirl. Twins baseball from the lady perspective.Twins Geek. A geek who loves his Twins.Will's Minnesota Twins Page. Lest the esoteric title confuse you, this is Will's Minnesota Twins page.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112594551416980252005-04-03T23:01:00.000-07:002005-04-03T23:02:31.416-07:00

The first SA and CSPAN leaders for 2005 have been posted to the left.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112583112235585092005-04-03T19:49:00.000-07:002005-04-03T19:51:52.236-07:00

Louisville's Francisco Garcia will be the NBA's next version of Ron Artest.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112567694118360522005-04-03T15:28:00.000-07:002005-04-03T15:34:54.120-07:00

The first proud recipient of baseball's new "get tough" penalties on steroid use is...Alex Sanchez, Outfielder, Tampa Bay Devil RaysQuite a monumental upset. Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi had to be considered the heavy favorites in this race. But Sanchez comes out of nowhere (i.e. Tampa) and steals the honor away. Congrats on getting yourself in the history books. Think there will be a special

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112489472069868752005-04-02T16:49:00.000-08:002005-04-02T16:51:12.070-08:00

The link on top of the right sidebar now reflects the change. I will no longer be checking my hotmail account (actually, I haven't for a month or two). If you want to get a hold of myself, Pete, or Joe, we'll all have access to the Gmail address.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112379153603930992005-04-01T10:10:00.000-08:002005-04-01T10:12:50.256-08:00

...in The Daily Lancer.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112377366480201922005-04-01T09:35:00.000-08:002005-04-03T20:29:24.933-07:00

Brought to you by Cougar Cottage.If you know what's so special about this Mariners box score, then post a comment. Or don't. It's entirely up to you.DET A 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 4 1SEA A 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 x - 4 9 1BATTINGDetroit Tigers AB R H RBI BB K PO AHunter cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 3 0Reed 2b

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112323238056489082005-03-31T18:29:00.000-08:002005-04-01T01:28:47.306-08:00

StorySo, Clarett went from "Slower Than Me When I Was In High School And I Was Running In Wet Grass" to "A Little Bit Faster Than Me When I Was In High School, But I Was Running On Wet Grass, Not A Manicured Track, So It's Probably Still A 35% Chance That I Was Faster Than He Is Now."Here's how I see the draft going down:INT. NFL DRAFT ROOM, DAY:Paul Tagliabue, NFL commisioner, approaches a

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112239509354463912005-03-30T19:15:00.000-08:002005-03-30T19:25:09.356-08:00

Projected Standings for the 2005 SeasonDiamond Mind Baseball is a baseball simulation software that can be used to simulate entire seasons at a time. Their writers have simulated the 2005 season 100 times and reported the results. About the Mariners:Seattle Mariners (83-79, division title 25%, wild card 2%)Can they really improve by 20 games in one season? If the 2003-04 Tigers can go from 43

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112237449813532032005-03-30T17:17:00.000-08:002005-03-30T18:50:49.816-08:00

The Los Angeles California Anaheim Angels people have been doing this on their blogs lately, and in WWWWS tradition, I will copy them to get an offseason story idea.Baseball Reference has a feature on their player web pages that lists the ten players with the most similar careers to the player of interest, based on a formula that compares the players' career statistics. For example, the most

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112208473868940652005-03-30T10:01:00.000-08:002005-03-31T00:21:17.750-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to my cousin, Shelley (a huge Mariner fan) and she told me about her idea for a fantasy baseball team: Choose the names that made her laugh the most. So, based on this highly scientific process, I created this team. Brought to you by Snickers: Not going anywhere for awhile? Grab a Snickers.The LineupC: Jason LaRue (great pornstar nickname)1B: Albert

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1112059271422759772005-03-28T17:06:00.000-08:002005-03-28T17:21:11.426-08:00

The other day Joe and I were discussing over a couple of cold PBR's starting a fantasy league where the object is to put up the worst possible team. It turns out that Baseball Prospectus has been doing this for a few years now. HACKING MASS 2005 is now accepting rosters for the upcoming season. It's free, and the team with the worst performance gets 500 bones. You pick one player at each of

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111790925839177972005-03-25T14:46:00.000-08:002005-03-25T14:48:45.840-08:00

Ripped the idea off from Alex Ciepley.I'll start: Luis Sojo. Little League home run vs. the Los Angeles, California Angels of Anaheim. The double that made The Double possible.Who's yours?

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111787990841691892005-03-25T12:57:00.000-08:002005-03-25T13:59:50.843-08:00

(1) Illinois v. (12) MilwaukeeIllinois 77, Milwaukee 63Correct pick. Milwaukee hung around for a while, but there was just too much Illini backcourt for Milwaukee. The Illinois-Arizona match should be an incredible game tomorrow. When the Illini finally play a close one I'll have a bit more to say about them.Dee Brown, incidentally, is a taller, better shooting Nate Robinson.(2) Oklahoma State

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111705715449941152005-03-24T15:07:00.000-08:002005-03-24T15:08:35.450-08:00

Please go to I'm stuck in rehab with Pat O'Brien immediately. Hilarity will ensue.WHAT WAS BRITNEY THINKING!?

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111695561383502242005-03-24T11:32:00.000-08:002005-03-24T12:48:23.626-08:00

Brought to you by Capital One. "Marco!" "Po-no!"CHICAGO REGION(1) Illinois v. (12) MilwaukeeIllinois 81, Milwaukee 65Jeremy at Sports at B's got me thinking about 80s songs and their lyrics, and this ditty from Tears for Fears sums up Milwaukee's tournament run nicely:"Hey now, hey now, the dream is over""Home! The Illini are too many!"(2) Oklahoma State v. (3) ArizonaArizona 81, Oklahoma

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111630087931840182005-03-23T17:53:00.000-08:002005-03-23T18:08:07.933-08:00

Brought to you by Dissmore's IGA. For the highest beer-to-actual groceries ratio in the continental United States, come to Dissmore's IGA.ESPN published a good article about West Virginia's Mike Gansey, who I have honored by naming him the CMOP (Caldwell's Most Outstanding Player) of the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. When I received a text message from my little brother late in the

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111623662215160292005-03-23T16:05:00.000-08:002005-03-23T16:21:02.216-08:00

Felix Hernandez is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Angels at 6:00, televised on Fox Sports. If you're like me and don't have a hot date tonight (which makes it identical to about 360 days per year) I suggest you tune in to gaze upon the future of this woebegotten franchise.While looking for Angels blogs to see if any had anything to say about the Mariners, I discovered Chronicles of the

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111617275049675102005-03-23T14:26:00.000-08:002005-03-23T14:34:35.050-08:00

Brought to you by Folgers. It's no Starbucks, but, hey, it's dirt cheap.In Jim Baker's 2005 Wish List (subscription required), published on Baseball Prospectus this morning, Baker hopes that one of baseball's most unbreakable records gets challenged this year. The prime candidate to take down DiMaggio's 56-game hitting steak is, of course, Ichiro. After remarking on Ichiro hitting safely in

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111514896618307102005-03-22T09:59:00.000-08:002005-03-22T10:43:36.396-08:00

During the Mariners' Spring Training contest yesterday against the Rockies, throughout the game Fox Sports Northwest previewed the Mariners television commercials. Overall, they were mediocre at best. Nothing along the lines of Jay Buhner doing stand-up comedy or John Olerud and Edgar Martinez discussing the merits of a laundry soap.There was one ad, though, that stood out, and not because it

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111429666675817352005-03-21T10:27:00.000-08:002005-03-23T15:37:23.003-08:00

I don't know about the validity of the source, but there's a rumor going around that the rapper The Game (what do his friends call him? The?) was once offered a scholarship to play basketball here at Washington State. The article also says that he was booted from school for selling drugs (which is not true; he would have had to have signed a letter of intent by that time and there is not one on

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1111379604695455442005-03-20T19:52:00.000-08:002005-03-20T20:33:24.696-08:00

Brought to you by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-OperativeCongress, as I don't doubt you already are well aware, has recently subjected a handfull of current and former Major League sluggers (and Curt Schilling) to a pointless hearing about steroids in baseball, claiming that the actions of famous baseball players influence the youth of our nation greatly enough to warrant federal involvement. It is

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1110755528538733672005-03-13T14:42:00.000-08:002005-03-13T15:12:08.540-08:00

I chickened out with my semifinals picks, taking the favorites Washington and Arizona. The way the Pac-10 unfolded this season though, it was the Huskies, Wildcats, and eight also-rans, so I felt there was no way I could take OSU or Stanford.I would have had a finals preview up yesterday, but travelling from Pullman to Snoqualmie took up most of my day. If I had written a proper preview, it

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1110596857942210962005-03-11T18:30:00.000-08:002005-03-11T19:10:18.110-08:00

It's a couple days old by now, but I can't ignore the news that Rick Ankiel is giving up pitching to try to become a big league outfielder. Ankiel was named the high school pitcher of the year and minor league pitcher of the year in the same season, and the following year, at age 20, was called up to pitch for the Cardinals. Expectations were beyond huge; Ankiel, a lefty with a blazing fastball

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1110591458892993232005-03-11T17:29:00.000-08:002005-03-11T17:37:38.896-08:00

The four readers who stuck through the end of last season might remember the first installment of Name That Box Score. Today, with not a whole lot of Mariner material out there, I thought we could do it one more time. Last time was easy (the answer was Griffey Jr.'s debut). This one will be a little bit tougher. If you can name the date and historical significance of the box score that

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1110581467104015522005-03-11T13:44:00.000-08:002005-03-11T14:51:07.110-08:00

Yesterday's quarterfinal action was, in case you have a job or something and weren't able to watch basketball all day, intense. With the exception of the opening Arizona-Cal game (Arizona by a lot), the games all went down to the last few possessions. Arizona State took the Huskies to overtime but eventually ran into too much Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo, AKA Nate Robinson, and the UW won 95-90

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1110322531512364902005-03-08T13:55:00.000-08:002005-03-08T14:55:31.526-08:00

Spring Training is finally here, and I'm finally writing about it, albeit briefly. Big stories:Richie Sexson, in an indefensibly foolish attempt to recreate the checked swing that he hurt himself with last year, reports that the shoulder is fine and that he'll be ready to strike out 180 times again in 2005.Adrian Beltre, the M's biggest free agent since Kevin Mitchell, is godlike in stature and

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1106162168205579292005-01-19T11:15:00.000-08:002005-01-19T11:16:08.206-08:00

The Seattle Times is reporting that Aaron Sele is contemplating a one-year offer to return to Seattle. He most likely won't be guaranteed a roster spot, but would seem to have a good shot at making the club due to the Mariner's perceived lack of starting pitching. Sele was one of baseball's most overpaid players last year ($8.6 mil for a 5.05 ERA and 132 innings) and has seen his numbers decline

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1105631295555542712005-01-13T07:38:00.000-08:002005-01-13T07:48:46.926-08:00

Blaine Newnham: Jacobsen Ready After Knee Surgery Bucky Jacobsen seems to have the optimism cranked all the way to eleven during his interview with the Times' Blaine Newnham. In the same paragraph that asserts the need for Bucky to stay humble this season if he wants to be successful, Newnham has Bucky claiming that he could easily "hit 35-40 home runs this season as he says he can." I hope he

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1105389319969446962005-01-10T12:29:00.000-08:002005-01-10T13:20:45.743-08:00

With apologies to Jeff, Trent, David, and Jeremy, whose respective web logs, Leone For Third and Sports and Bremertonians, changed URLs quite some time ago, I have finally updated my links on the right sidebar to the new URLs. I guess because it's the first day of a new semester I must have some kind of renewed sense of responsibility, or maybe dilligence, or maybe even some awesome synonym of

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1105366841228486802005-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:002005-01-10T06:20:41.230-08:00

Some years, there's just no baseball player on the market worthy of becoming one of the highest-paid guys in the league. Obviously, this was such a year. If any free agent was worth breaking the bank over, it was a certain 25 year-old third baseman coming off an unquestionably MVP-caliber season. Carlos Beltran hit .267 with 38 homers, and it was arguably the best season he's ever had. Sure, he

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1105299225539991792005-01-09T11:25:00.000-08:002005-01-09T11:33:45.540-08:00

At least that's what Newsday says. The first thought I have when the notion "Carlos Beltran" pops into my head is that I can't think of another player that people have described as a bona fide superstar, five-tool type who had at the time exactly one thirty-homer season under his belt. Seven years, $119 million. With the Pedro Martinez deal, the Mets have made one very high risk major deal (

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1105135634069537602005-01-07T14:05:00.000-08:002005-01-07T14:21:25.863-08:00

Bruce Sutter received more Hall of Fame votes this time around than Goose Gossage did. Talk to anyone who was a baseball fan in the 1970s and early 1980s (like my dad, for example), and they will say that that very idea is ridiculous. The main case for Sutter that I've seen is that Sutter "invented," "developed," or "created" the split-finger fastball and thus deserves a spot in Cooperstown as

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1105131531322212672005-01-07T13:54:00.000-08:002005-01-07T12:58:51.323-08:00

How did I do? Using the spreads, money lines, and over/unders quoted in my post and placing $5 bets as dictated by the fortune teller, I would have lost $15.56. Darn. Interesting to note, though, is that if Virginia Tech had managed to defeat Auburn, with a money line of +210, the teller could have come out with a virtual push (-$0.06, actually). I promise to write about baseball soon.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1104931139999286932005-01-05T05:12:00.000-08:002005-01-05T05:23:21.363-08:00

On signing the oft-injured but always crappy Pokey Reece to be the M's starting Shortstop: "We are rolling the dice a little bit." He went on to explain that he was talking about novelty-dice with six blank faces.

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1104459846591594032004-12-30T17:36:00.000-08:002004-12-30T18:24:06.590-08:00

The fortune teller. Since sports betting against speads, money lines, and over/unders is pretty much a crapshoot, my brother and I wanted a method of making selections that removes all bias from the process. Behold: the paper fortune teller method. To make each bowl's pick, we asked my 13-year-old sister Sara to pick a number from the outside of the fortune teller (see above photo). Then,

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1103217381409369732004-12-17T10:04:00.000-08:002004-12-17T08:37:30.960-08:00

Now that we're all feeling better about the state of the Mariners, maybe we should revisit the Richie Sexson signing with an open mind. Eh? I was kind of taken aback by the hyper-negative reaction by M's Blogvania to this signing. I actually like it (full disclosure--I have a major soft spot for big guys who hit big homers). The reasoning behind those who despise the deal makes perfect sense and

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1103232706959977332004-12-16T13:22:00.000-08:002004-12-16T13:31:46.960-08:00

I'm pinching myself to see if this is real. ESPN.com reports that the Mariners have signed Adrian Beltre to a 5-year contract worth in the neighborhood of $65 million. This just 24 hours after signing Richie Sexson to a 4-year deal. I never thought I'd say this, but great job, Bavasi. But you're not done. the next thing to do may be the hardest, but get Andruw Jones from Atlanta. Find a

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1103120531742297192004-12-15T05:59:00.000-08:002004-12-16T06:21:32.950-08:00

With the baseball hot stove slowly turning into a warm stew of questionable-or-worse trades and free-agent signings, I think it's time we got things going again here at Who Wants to Watch the World Series?, especially now that the Mariners have made their first major signing of the Dream-Team season (you know, the time of year when you can still imagine your team signing every one of the free

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1101151271034197802004-11-22T11:02:00.000-08:002004-11-22T11:24:02.570-08:00

It truly has been a sad week for the University of Washington. First, they lose the Apple Cup for the first time since 1997. Then they fail to defend their 2003 title for ESPN's Turkeys of the Year. Due to his recent late push (or punch, for that matter), Ron Artest is this year's runaway winner, and the Huskies didn't even merit a mentioning. Don't worry, Husky fans; your new coach will have you

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100882483799768322004-11-19T08:36:00.000-08:002004-11-19T08:41:23.800-08:00

Corey Koskie is expecting an offer from the M's any day now, he says. It would probably cost at least 4 mil a year to sign Koskie, and would mean the M's decided to stay away from Adrian Beltre. Beltre, of course, will sign somewhere that he can kill the Mariners 15-20 times a year. I'm leary of Koskie. Koskie's agent, Pat Rooney:"He has interest in three or four places, and Seattle is one of

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100830557990038022004-11-18T18:09:00.000-08:002004-11-19T10:18:01.490-08:00

ESPN's Jim Caple gives us his official nomination for broadcasters in the baseball hall of fame. To no one's surprise, Dave Niehaus is his pick. But here's the thing: how can you do an article on Niehaus without mentioning either the homerun calls or his amazing ability to add -ie to the end of every player's last name?

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100814133393364622004-11-18T13:40:00.000-08:002004-11-18T13:42:13.393-08:00

Mariano Rivera is the last "gradfathered" player that still wears Jackie Robinson's uniform number 42, and the Yankees are the only team that hasn't retired 42 yet.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100811725160812312004-11-17T20:06:00.000-08:002004-11-18T13:04:30.793-08:00

Tuesday's joke Three college students -- a Husky, a Coug, and a Central Washington University Wildcat -- take seats next to eachother at a bar, and each orders a pint of beer. When the bartender brings their drinks, each man notices that theirs has a fly swimming on top. The Central student removes the fly and takes a drink. The Husky asks the bartender for a fresh, fly-free beer. The Coug

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100633837360890212004-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:002004-11-16T11:37:17.360-08:00

As promised, here's my look at the pitchers on the free agent market, and where I think they will wind up: Pedro Martinez: his numbers for last year were a record of 16-9, 3.90 ERA, and 227 K’s for the WCBRS last year. Made $17.5 million in 2004 The Good: His numbers dipped from the previous year, but that’s not too hard to do; the previous 7 years or so for Pedro was among the best 7-year

Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03180881076007306386noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100612911724729062004-11-16T05:46:00.000-08:002004-11-16T05:49:07.973-08:00

... (Wait for it) ... (Wait for it) ... (Won't be long now) ... The Husky football team.

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100612718364647532004-11-16T05:25:00.000-08:002004-11-16T05:45:18.363-08:00

Here are this week's TBCS Top 10: 1) Central Florida (140.17 rating) 2) Western Michigan (135.72) 3) Buffalo (127.00) 4) Ball St. (123.83) 5) Central Michigan (122.44) 6) San Jose State (114.11) 7) Eastern Michigan (113.89) 8) Utah State (113.28) 9) Ohio (112.67) 10) Idaho (112.11) OK, how the heck is this calculated, and where the heck are USC, Auburn, and Oklahoma, you ask? This is,

Caldwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01915184699108366532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100532624738467552004-11-15T06:56:00.000-08:002004-11-15T07:30:24.736-08:00

Now that the player's association has let Sammy Sosa out from under the "Sammy no want trade" clause in his contract, there's been some talk of interest from three teams: the Mets, the Rockies, and the Mariners. The Mets make sense because they've got a bunch of overpaid veterans of their own to get rid of, none of whom could possibly be of any real interest to the Cubs. Maybe Cliff Floyd--he's

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6220390.post-1100524101618080452004-11-15T04:54:00.000-08:002004-11-15T05:08:21.616-08:00

I've never understood why people think Brian Sabean is a decent GM. If it weren't for Barry Bonds' stubborn refusal to play anywhere but San Francisco, Sabean's tenure would look a lot like the last decade of Pirate or Brewer baseball. That Omar Visquel deal was Bavasi-esque. With six or seven really good shortstops on the market, he jumps the gun to sign the criminally over-rated Omar! to a

Petehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03500229180975052078noreply@blogger.com2