Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    Twitter
    Sportspress Northwest
    Twitter
    Home » Exit 164: Pitchers & catchers & optimism report Sunday
    Uncategorized

    Exit 164: Pitchers & catchers & optimism report Sunday

    Seth KolloenBy Seth KolloenFebruary 9, 2011No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    Will happily take bets on these stories being written about the Mariners this spring:
    Hernandez Looks to Be Even Better in 2011
    Bradley Looks to Put His Demons Behind Him
    Cust Looks to Prove He’s an Everyday Player
    Figgins Looks to Justify His Paycheck
    Wilson Looks to Play Two Games Without Getting Injured

    Once baseball players and baseball reporters file into spring camps — the Everett Herald’s Kirby Arnold is down there already — the annual ritual of optimistic spring training stories begins. ESPN’s Bill Simmons wrote about this phenomenon ages ago, identifying the 25 spring stories that repeat year after year.

    I first noticed it when I was living in New York. Every spring, you’d hear about how all-glove, no-bat shortstop Rey Ordonez had some new batting coach/technique/approach, and this was the year he’d make an amazing turnaround at the plate. And every year, Rey Ordonez would be just as terrible at hitting baseballs as he was the year before.

    **Man, I’d almost forgotten about that SI photo of baseball’s young shortstops looking like they were posing for a Menudo cover. Ha!**

    Can’t blame baseball writers for being optimistic — after all, they are down in Arizona, where it’s 75 and sunny every day. With all that glorious sun, even something as ludicrous as Erik Bedard returning in June to help anchor the Mariners rotation (something else you’ll likely read about) seems possible. Up here in Seattle, experiencing our 93rd consecutive day of 50 and raining, we stay grounded enough to remember that life is largely a slog between disappointments.

    Of course, being a huge Mariner fan, I will read all the stories above, as well as “Kennedy Looks for One Last Pennant Race,” “Ackley Looks to Win Starting Job,” and “Vargas Looks to Repeat 2010 Success.” And a small part of me will believe them.

    What they’re saying…

    “If this unravels anymore, we can be in deep trouble.” — Lorenzo Romar

    “He is big and strong and once he gets a guy on his hip it’s tough for them to get the ball off of him. We are going to have more joy on him in Seattle.” — Sigi Schmid on Sounders striker O’Brian White

    “What’s interesting about the Erik Bedard trade is that, as more and more time has passed, popular opinion of the deal has grown more and more negative, while the trade itself looks less and less like the disaster it could’ve been.” — Jeff Sullivan, Lookout Landing, on the third anniversary of the Bedard trade

    In other news…

    BoDog.com puts the odds of the Seahawks winning next year’s Super Bowl at 80-1.

    The Sounders played Real Salt Lake to a 3-3 draw in an exhibition game. Lamar Neagle, O’Brian White, and Fredy Montero (PK) scored the goals.

    The Metro League boys hoops final is set for Friday at 8 p.m. at SPU. O’Dea will face Franklin for the title after the Quakers upset Rainier Beach last night. Franklin’s 5’9″ sophomore guard Arell Hennings dropped 30 in that game. Holy Names plays Cleveland for the girls title at 6 p.m–that should be a good one, Cleveland upset Holy Names for the state title last year.

    Today’s action…

    Soccer: Brazil @ France, 11:55 a.m. (ESPN)
    ACC Hoops: North Carolina @ Duke, 6 p.m. (ESPN)
    GNAC Hoops: Seattle Pacific @ Central Wa., 7 p.m. (FSN)
    NCAA Hoops: Utah Valley @ Seattle U, 7 p.m. (710-AM)

    Share. Facebook Twitter Reddit LinkedIn Email

    Related Posts

    Is DeBoer ‘special’? Only if he gets Huskies their money

    November 30, 2021

    Wilson has lots of time, as long as he doesn’t have to do it all

    September 10, 2021

    Kraken’s coach took the hard way to Seattle

    June 25, 2021

    Comments are closed.

    • Follow @Art_Thiel on Twitter
    Use our affiliate link on Amazon

    Subscribe to Our Weekly Roundup

    Get the top stories sent to your inbox every Thursday.

    Art Thiel on KNKX 88.5FM

    Kirsten Kendrick's Q. & A. with Thiel can be heard every Friday during Morning Edition at 5:45am and 7:45am and again that same day on All Things Considered at 4:44pm. It also airs Saturday at 9:35am.

    Listen now!
    Latest Posts

    A few musings about sports journalism as the unwinding begins

    February 18, 2022

    Carroll’s staff makeover seeks to get Wilson back in the game

    February 16, 2022

    Arizona loss unmasks truths about Hopkins, UW hoops

    February 15, 2022

    Rams win a survivors contest called the Super Bowl

    February 14, 2022
    Twitter
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • NCAA
    • Hockey
    • Soccer
    • Basketball
    © 2023 Sportspress Northwest

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.