Griffey Speaks on Retirement, Says Nothing: Ken Griffey spoke about his decision to retire, blandly asserting that he left because he felt he was becoming “a distraction.” I wouldn’t call that an untruth, exactly, but it wasn’t probably the whole truth. Anyway, in my view, he earned the right to do whatever he wanted. Watch an edited version of his comments for yourself here, or read a transcript here.
Pac-10 Goes 3-1 in Postseason Play, But: Your fave conference accumulated a winning record in postseason tournament play last night, with Wazzu winning its first round NIT game 85-74 over Long Beach St., Cal winning its first round NIT game 77-74 over Ole Miss, and Oregon winning its first round CBI game 68-59 over Weber St. But, in the NCAA tourney, USC lost 59-46 to much-maligned VCU.
What they’re saying…
“Pineda can pitch to big league righties right now, and he can succeed. He did strike out Ryan Braun twice. But lefties – against lefties, I’m not convinced.” — Jeff Sullivan, Lookout Landing
“Hes just not Major League ready yet. Hes got work to do, and that work is best done in Tacoma. ” — Dave Cameron, USS Mariner
“The way (Pineda) was using his secondary stuff, it was as good as we’ve seen it all spring.” — Eric Wedge
“You’re definitely looking around, not seeing those white shoes, those tight pants he wears, that semi-tight shirt, and that voice. I think that’s the biggest thing, that voice saying hello, teasing you, having a good time at the ballpark. That’s the thing that the guys who have been here over the years is going to miss.” — Ken Griffey Jr. on Dave Niehaus
In other news…
This Lookout Landing spoof of a Mariner Legends Hitting Lecture is funny…really at one player’s expense, but still.
Some rich folks are paying $45,000 to have former Seahawk Jacob Green barbecue at their house. The money goes to breast cancer research! Rich people rule!
Wow. Really not a lot going on! So here’s a pretty awesome video of Xavier McDaniel highlights, which includes video of the X-Man dunking on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, fighting with Clyde Drexler, and choking Wes Matthews.
Seven days closer to a championship…
Today, March 17
First Full Day of NCAA Tournament: ALL DAMN DAY WOOOOO! (CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV)
Baseball: Mariners @ Kansas City, 6:05 p.m. (710-AM)
Friday, March 18
NCAA Tourney: Washington vs. Georgia in Charlotte, 6:45 p.m. (CBS-7)
Baseball: Mariners vs. Arizona, 1:05 p.m. (FSN)
Saturday, March 19
Baseball: Mariners @ Texas, 1:05 p.m. (710-AM)
Soccer: Sounders @ NY Red Bulls, 4:30 p.m. (KONG)
Sunday, March 20
Baseball: Mariners vs. San Diego, 1:05 p.m. (710-AM)
NCAA Tourney: Washington/Georgia winner vs. North Carolina/LIU-Brooklyn winner, Time TBD
Monday, March 21
Baseball: Mariners @ Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m. (no local radio, check MLB.com)
Tuesday, March 22
Baseball: Mariners vs. White Sox, 1:05 p.m. (no local radio, check MLB.com)
Wednesday, March 23
Baseball: Mariners @ Colorado, 6:40 p.m (FSN)
