Wednesday, May 23, 2012 @ 10:26am

Time for Mariners to move in Safeco Field's fences

Should Safeco Field's fences be moved in?

Greg Johns, who covers the Mariners for MLB.com, gets that question all the time.

And last night, the topic came up again after Casper Wells launched a bases-loaded drive that died in Josh Hamilton's glove just in front of the left-center field wall. Later in the Mariners' 3-1 loss to Texas, Alex Liddi smacked one to center field that Hamilton tracked down as he ran into the wall.

On the postgame show on 710 ESPN Seattle, Matt Pitman pushed for the team to move the fences in, saying that in most any other park, the Mariners would have won last night's game 6-3 because of a grand slam by Wells and a solo shot by Liddi.

Before I continue, I need to be honest. The rest of this column is basically what I wrote in a Kitsap Sun column in January. But it still applies today. And I'm assuming you didn't read the original column, so I'm regurgitating that sucker today and essentially plagiarizing myself.

Balls like the one Casper Wells hit to deep left-center field at Safeco would be home runs in most major-league ballparks. (AP)

Like Johns, I just assumed it was fodder for sports-talk radio. Apparently it's more than that, which is good to hear.

I'd like to see more home runs at Safeco Field. More home runs equals more fun at the ballpark. More fun equals more of a reason to go to the games. More wins and cheaper beers would be even bigger reasons to go to the games, but neither is likely this year.

It's a good thing the Mariners don't have me heading up their should-we-move-in-the-fences? committee. I would immediately ask if I could swing the first ceremonial sledge hammer at the old wall.

I would resist the urge to do something really radical like move the left-field wall in 30 feet and raise the height of the wall to 40 feet and call it the Blue Monster. (Any guesses on the height of the Green Monster at Fenway Park? I would have guessed 60 feet, but it's actually 37 feet, 2 inches.)

I'd tweak the dimensions like they did at Comerica Park in 2003 when the Tigers reduced left-center field from 395 feet to 370 feet. At the time, Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski called 370 "a pretty normal distance," noting that the ball doesn't carry well to left field in Detroit.

The Tigers did not move in the center-field and right-field fences, and Comerica Park is still considered to be pitcher-friendly with dead center still extending to 420 feet.

This year the Mets also made minor adjustments to Citi Field. The wall is being moved in in all of the outfield areas from 4 feet to 12 feet. The wall will also shrink from 16 feet to 8 feet high.

"We're targeting to try to fit in, to be more normal, or more on average with everybody," said Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon.

That's what should be done at Safeco Field, too. Partly because of our thick marine air and partly because of the Mariners' lack of power, balls die in left-center field. Home runs elsewhere are warning-track shots at Safeco Field.

What would be so bad about leaving everything else alone but moving the left-center field wall from 385 feet to 370 feet?

Would Felix Hernandez and the rest of the Mariners' pitching staff be that upset? I suppose. But speaking as the president of the should-we-move-in-the-fences? committee, I would ask Felix if he's sick of losing 1-0 games? Whatever his answer is, I would tell him that I'm sick of watching them.

I love baseball, and I love a good pitchers' duel. But I don't want to watch them night after night. I also like to see guys cross home plate. And heck, give me a 12-10 slugfest once in awhile.

If you make a bad pitch to a power hitter, it should be a home run, not an out. I'd tell Felix that, too.

In the old Comerica Park, left-handers felt like they could challenge right-handed hitters in the strike zone, knowing that their mistakes wouldn't hurt them. Is there anything wrong with lefties needing to make better pitches in the new park to avoid longballs?

I would think not. The same holds true for Safeco Field.

Here's the other thing: Larry Stone of The Seattle Times advocates moving in the left-field wall because it will help attract free-agent, right-handed power hitters in the future.

If you're a right-handed slugger, would you want to play at Safeco Field with its heavy air and spacious dimensions? Adrian Beltre was a good hitter when he was here, but he's been a beast since while playing at Fenway Park and The Ballpark in Arlington.

When they built Safeco Field, I recall that the Mariners thought it would be possible to not only hit the ball over the left-field wall but out of the entire park. But it's never happened in a game -- and as far as I know -- not even in batting practice.

During the home-run derby at the 2001 All-Star Game, I was assigned to write a story for the Post-Intelligencer from Royal Brougham Way. Surely someone in the steroid era would knock one out of the park in the home-run derby.

Along with about 50 or so fans, I patrolled Royal Brougham Way for the better part of an hour and a half, foolishly waiting for a ball to head our way, but everyone went home empty-handed.

Again, you don't have to turn Safeco Field into a bandbox like the Kingdome, just something that more closely resembles an average major-league park.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website, www.jimmoorethego2guy.com, and the Kitsap Sun. You can reach him at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo. Jim appears weekday afternoons from 3 to 6 on "The Kevin Calabro Show." He also co-hosts "The Golf Show with Jim Moore and Shon Crewe" on the podcast page at 710Sports.com.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012 @ 2:19pm

Chris Hansen, NBA playoffs and M's have Yu's number

In Tuesday's Warm Up video, Kevin Calabro and Jim Moore talk about arena investor Chris Hansen and his take on the NBA playoffs and how the Mariners got the best of Rangers starter Yu Darvish.

Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 8:02pm

One game still sticks in Doug Baldwin's craw

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin would naturally point to the Seahawks' Week 5 win over the Giants as one of the games that stood out for him during his stellar rookie season.

After all, the Seahawks' upset of the eventual Super Bowl champions was arguably the most impressive of their seven wins. It was statistically Baldwin's best individual performance as well. He caught eight passes for 136 yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Cleveland Browns were the only team to hold Doug Baldwin catchless during his stellar rookie season. (AP)

It was also for a different reason.

"One of the games that really stood out to me which we actually lost -- and I actually played pretty decently assignment-wise but there was just something about the defense and the player that I was going against and I just didn't have a good game statistically -- it was against the Cleveland Browns and Dimitri Patterson.

"I'll never forget it because I didn't have a catch that game, and I'll remember Dimitri Patterson for the rest of my life because of the fact that he held me to zero catches."

The fact that a bad game is still on Baldwin's mind despite plenty of positive personal moments speaks to his competitiveness. That attribute was evident on a few occasions, including the end of Seattle's Week 9 loss to the Cowboys. With 23 seconds remaining and the Seahawks trailing by 10 points, Baldwin leapt over the back of a Dallas defender and appeared to simultaneously catch an underthrown pass from Tarvaris Jackson. When officials ruled it an interception, ending any chance of a Seahawks comeback, an irate Baldwin vehemently argued to no avail. Winning seems to matter a great deal to him.

Baldwin caught 51 passes for 788 yards and four touchdowns last season, becoming the first undrafted rookie to lead his team in receiving since the AFL-NFL merger. That loss to the Browns was the only game in which he was held without a catch (he actually caught a pass, but the 10-yard gain was negated because he was flagged for offensive pass interference).

Baldwin credited the entire Browns defense -- not just Patterson -- for the degree to which they were prepared for the Seahawks. Cleveland won the game, 6-3, and held Seattle to 137 yards of total offense.

"I was very impressed, and that only motivates me more to do better," Baldwin said.

Related: Doug Baldwin hoping to build off breakout '11

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 @ 9:59am

Losing patience, hope in the hapless Mariners

Like you, I root for the Mariners. I watch or listen to almost every game. I keep hoping they'll improve.

But it's getting tougher. I used to look for flashes of brilliance and signs of life. I've switched from plural to singular. At this point, I'll take a FLASH of brilliance and a SIGN of life.

We're told that it's a young team and that growing pains are expected. It's all part of the process.

If that's the case, it's a sloooooooooow process. It's Jesus Montero slow. I'm not so sure if I buy that explanation anymore. Could it be that the players just aren't very good now and never will be? Heaven forbid, but that is a possibility, isn't it?

Why is it that the Red Sox call up guys from Triple-A Pawtucket, and they don't have any problems adjusting to the big leagues right away? Why is it that the Mariners prospects from Tacoma always do? Why can't we just one time have a guy who comes up from Tacoma and starts smacking the ball all over Safeco Field? Gawd, it's maddening.

No Mariner is struggling more offensively than Brendan Ryan, whose terrific defense is offset by his .140 batting average. (AP)

Since Beckett gave up eight runs to the Indians in his last start, Calabro thought he might be ripe for the pickin'. But you know what happened -- Beckett looked all-world against the punchless M's, who struck out nine times and managed only four hits.

Yet the Mariners, according to Geoff Baker's story in The Seattle Times, are somehow encouraged because they hit the ball "hard" in the game but just had the misfortune of having those balls go right at the Red Sox. I guess the thinking is that if they keep hitting the ball "hard," they'll get results eventually, and we'll start seeing a powerhouse that will put crooked numbers on the board.

I want to believe. I don't want to be the perennial Mariners skeptic that I am now. I don't want to go into every game thinking: "I wonder how they'll lose today."

But until they consistently show me something different, that's the way I'll feel. Like tonight -- the Mariners are slight favorites to beat the Indians because Felix Hernandez is pitching. You like to think that he'll throw eight innings of shutout ball and strike out 12 batters like he did the last time he faced the Indians on April 19 at Safeco Field.

But as you'll recall, Brandon League blew the save and the game that night as the Tribe rallied for a 2-1 victory. Tonight, Ubaldo Jimenez is pitching for Cleveland. In his last start, he gave up seven runs. His ERA is 5.18. But as much as you'd like to think that Jimenez is vulnerable, he'll probably be unhittable tonight.

Based on what I THINK will happen not what I HOPE will happen, here is the type of story we'll be reading later this evening on name-your-favorite-Mariners website:

CLEVELAND -- Felix Hernandez bounced back from a subpar outing at Yankee Stadium to throw a two-hitter, but it wasn't enough as the Indians shut out the Mariners 1-0.

Rocked in his previous start, Ubaldo Jimenez limited the feeble Mariners to three hits as Eric Wedge's team fell to 1-5 on their 10-game road trip. The Mariners have now lost 11 of their last 12 games away from Safeco Field and have been outscored 26-11 on this trip.

For the umpteenth time in his career, Hernandez got no support from his offense, yada, yada, yada ...

I watched Tuesday's 5-0 loss to the Red Sox at the Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island. Love that place, looking forward to taking my daughter there for lunch now that she's 21. Anyway, I walk in, and on one screen there was a soccer game and on another, I noticed Shelley Smith from ESPN talking about the Raiders. I had to ask the bartender to turn on the Mariners game. That's apparently what it's come to -- a local bar doesn't even have the game on.

I left after the top of the eighth, thinking I'd rather watch Smith talking about the Raiders, a team I don't care about, knowing that there was no way in hell the Mariners would rally in the ninth. I took Willie, the greatest golden retriever ever, for a swim instead.

I don't want the Mariners to be irrelevant. I don't want them to be boring. I love Brendan Ryan, but I don't want a guy who's hitting .140 on my team anymore, even if he is a terrific shortstop. I don't want Figgy on my team anymore, either.

I haven't given up on Justin Smoak. I love what I've seen from Kyle Seager and Montero. Even if it figures to be a short-term development, I love the developing cult-hero status of the clutch-hitting John Jaso. And I'm still pulling like mad for Michael Saunders, hoping his swing changes will work, though his average of .226 suggests that they won't.

In the bullpen, I still love to root for former bartender Tom Wilhelmsen. And Lucas Luetge is a small-town kid who's having big-league success so far.

Gimme some more glimpses of greatness, or goodness at least. Gimme Danny Hultzen, Taijuan Walker and/or James Paxton, and stop it already with needing an extra year of club control with their contracts or whatever that crap is -- I'd like to see them now.

If they take some lumps, so what? The team's not going anywhere this year anyway. You tell me that Walker's starting against the Rangers next week, and I'm front and center, wanting to see how the kid handles the spotlight. Oh wait, I'm sorry, that's too much to ask of a 19-year-old. We have to wait until he's "ready," but why is it that it always seems like some of these prospects are coddled 'til the cows come home?

Seamheads and other baseball experts would shoot holes in everything I've just written, and justifiably so. I'm writing from a fan's perspective, my own perspective, based on frustration from watching this team on a daily basis.

You just reach a point of not being able to take it anymore.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website, www.jimmoorethego2guy.com, and the Kitsap Sun. You can reach him at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 @ 9:14am

Catcher John Jaso enjoying his time with Mariners

Bad news, ladies: John Jaso's taken. The Mariners' developing cult hero -- that's what ROOT Sports' Dave Sims calls him -- is engaged and will get married this winter.

He proposed to his girlfriend on a six-mile hiking trip into the mountains.

"I've got this outdoorsy thing going on," said Jaso, who grew up in McKinleyville, Calif., near Eureka on the northern coast. "I was raised backpacking and camping, and it was her first backpacking trip.

"She was crazy to go up there with me. No car, no cell phone, no hospital, nothing. She was totally relying on me. It was awesome the trust she showed in me."

Jaso proposed under the stars. During an interview on "The Kevin Calabro Show" on Tuesday, I asked him if did it the traditional way, on one knee, and Jaso said: "I'm not a one-knee guy. I hope you can forgive me."

John Jaso has produced in key situations, including his game-winning sacrifice fly in Monday's win over the Tigers. (AP)

Montero figured to be the backup catcher behind Miguel Olivo, leaving Jaso nothing but morsels of playing time. For the seven games, Jaso did not stir from the bench.

When he finally got into the lineup, he made an immediate impact with a triple and the game-winning RBI single, knocking in Michael Saunders in the ninth inning, the difference in a 4-3 victory over Texas.

Jaso, 28, has had three-game winning at-bats, a pair of singles and a sacrifice fly that capped the Mariners' 3-2 win over the Tigers Monday night at Safeco Field.

A career .247 hitter, Jaso is leading the Mariners at .306 with six of his 11 hits going for extra bases.

He shines during the brightest moments and has no problems delivering when he's behind in the count.

"That two-strike thing is pretty important," Jaso said. "I'm definitely confident with two strikes. I don't change much. A last at-bat is like any other situational at-bat."

Jaso wasn't bothered when he didn't play right away. He stayed focused by getting quality swings in batting practice and "not trying to play home-run derby."

He also remembers where he could be. As a 12th-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2003, he had to bust his tail to make it, spending years in the minor leagues on buses, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"It's a rough road going through the minor leagues," Jaso said. "Times were tough and money was scarce. My family helped me through it. I'm so thankful that they were there to help me.

"I'm happy it all worked out. I definitely don't take it for granted. I still have the awe factor when I'm catching (in a big-league game). All those years I played in the minor leagues putting in the hard work. There were a lot of guys who put the hard work in, too, and didn't make it. I definitely count it as a blessing."

Jaso enjoys working with the Mariners' other catchers, Olivo and Montero, and has seen increased playing time now that Olivo has been sidelined with a groin injury.

"The three of us, we have a friendly relationship," Jaso said. "Catchers have to stick together, and that's what we do. With Olivo going down, I'm going to be in there a little more, and he's cheering me on the side. And Montero's doing a great job so far."

Jaso lives with his fiancée and four pets -- an English bulldog named Bruce; a chinchilla named Gustavo and two hedgehogs, Bill and Marble.

"I look around me and it's like, 'What the heck is going on?'" Jaso said. "It's a zoo."

Of Gustavo the chinchilla, Jaso said: "He's the man. He runs all over the apartment and makes the dog frustrated because he can't catch it."

Asked about the hedgehogs, Jaso said: "They're a different a kind of animal. They keep to themselves a little bit. But they're entertaining in their own way. I love 'em just as much as the other pets."

I thought about asking him more probing questions such as: "Why would anyone want hedgehogs as pets?" and "If you did get hedgehogs, why did you name them Bill and Marble?" but I moved on and finished the interview with a question about him becoming a developing cult hero in Seattle.

"I'll be whatever," Jaso said, laughing. "As long as I get handshakes out there and see smiles on fans' faces. The positive energy coming from the fans, I like the feel here. I'm glad to be a part of it."

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website, www.jimmoorethego2guy.com. You can reach him at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 @ 11:47am

Carroll shares Seahawks' thinking on Ryan Tannehill

We may never know exactly how much the Seahawks liked Ryan Tannehill or whether they would have taken the former Texas A&M quarterback had he still been available when Seattle made its first-round pick.

Coach Pete Carroll didn't offer any definitive answers on the subject during his appearance on "The Kevin Calabro Show" last week.

Pete Carroll says the Seahawks would have considered taking Ryan Tannehill, who went eighth overall to Miami. (AP)

Did Tannehill's performance during his pro day workout really leave Carroll "giggling like a schoolgirl" as Peter King's report suggested?

"Well, first off, I don't know who the guy is that wrote that and I don't know what giggling like that would look like," Carroll said, seemingly a tad amused by the notion. "I can't imagine how he interpreted that. I might have been having fun with John Schneider, telling some stories or something like that but it wasn't about the workout. So that's a bunch of garbage."

Carroll's assessment of Tannehill matched up with his reputation as a supremely talented but raw prospect.

"This is a really exciting player. He has all the right makeup to be just what you're looking for because of his stature, his arm strength and his running ability and [he's] a smart kid," Carroll said. "He did not have a lot of play time behind him. He started something like 16 games or whatever it was, and he didn't finish as well this past year as he had played the year before. So there was some question marks there."

There were some who thought -- or in King's case, were certain -- that the Seahawks would have taken Tannehill if he were still there. The fact that the Seahawks took Russell Wilson in third round shows they were open to the idea of drafting a quarterback despite not having an overriding need at the position.

Seattle never got the chance. Tannehill went eighth to the Dolphins, a team that had plenty of familiarity with him. Mike Sherman, Miami's offensive coordinator, was Tannehill's head coach at Texas A&M. The Seahawks traded back from 12 to 15 and took pass-rusher Bruce Irvin, a player they said they targeted.

"It wasn't a lock that we would take [Tannehill] but he was definitely a guy that we would consider. Miami, they have the background with the same coach and all that from his college days," Carroll said. "We didn't think he'd ever get past [the Dolphins]. We thought that would really be a big sign that we would have to interpret during the draft if they didn't take him because we thought it was just a lock that they would."

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 @ 9:52am

Mariners should put struggling Chone Figgins on notice

By Jim Moore

Can we stop the madness now? Can we stop thinking that Chone Figgins is suddenly going to show up as the pesky Anaheim Angel that he used to be?

Can we finally cut ties and move on?

Following a mostly torrid start, Figgins has gone 5-for-36 in his last 10 games, an average of .139. I don't know what his OPS is or his on-base percentage or any of that other sabermetric stuff, but I'll assume that Figgy's horrible in those stats, too. He also leads the teams in strikeouts with 24.

When manager Eric Wedge announced that Figgins would replace Ichiro as the Mariners' leadoff hitter, I liked the plan. It was a what-do-we-have-to-lose kind of plan during a what-do-we-have-to-lose kind of season. The Mariners aren't going anywhere this year anyway, so whatever they do in terms of experimentation, sign me up for all of the above.

Ichiro has thrived in the third spot in the order, hitting .302 with nine runs batted in. He's on a pace for 58 RBIs, which isn't great, but with the power shortage on this team, I'll take it.

Figgins was emotionally moved by Wedge's decision. You could tell in an interview that he was truly touched. I tried to be happy for him, but it's hard to be happy for a guy who's acted like a jerk since he's been in Seattle. And when you're an unproductive jerk, it's hard to be supportive at all.

But I figured what the heck, maybe Figgy will be rejuvenated by this move to the top of the lineup. Maybe he'll justify the $9 million he'll get this year and the $9 million he'll get next year, or maybe it's $10 million, I forget. Whatever it is, we all know it's a joke.

And yet ...

I've been pulling for Figgins. I've enjoyed seeing his smile in the dugout. From the ROOT Sports shots I've seen, he looks like he gets along well with teammates.

I figured, why not give him the month of April to see how it works out. As I mentioned, and as you know, Figgins was on fire early. But he's hitting .209 now.

Releasing Chone Figgins would free up more playing time for younger Mariners like Michael Saunders and Alex Liddi. (AP)

Give him two more weeks. Give him 125 at-bats. And if he's still hovering around the Mendoza line, release him.

I understand that the Mariners are trying to milk something out of their bad investment, but I'd release him even if he's hitting .225. Heck, .250 wouldn't be good enough for me, either.

The mere presence of Figgins in left field means that Mike Carp and Casper Wells are on the bench. We know that Figgins, at 34, isn't in the Mariners' plans for the future. We don't know that about Carp or Wells. I'd like to find out, and the only way you find out is by playing them both.

Worse than that, if you send Figgy back to third, then you're putting Kyle Seager and Alex Liddi on the bench. We're pretty certain that Seager's in the future plans, and Liddi is like Carp and Wells -- we're not sure, but we'd like to find out.

In a surprising development, Liddi is the second-leading hitter on the team with a .289 average. Seager's batting .278 with seven doubles and seven RBIs. I don't know about you, but I want to see Seager in the lineup every single day. He always seems like a threat in the batter's box.

I also like the idea of Dustin Ackley leading off, and Seager following his North Carolina buddy in the two hole.

There's no room in the lineup for Figgins anymore. If he wants to be a backup utility man, fine. But I don't see him being OK with that.

So give him two more weeks. Or give him whatever the time period is until Franklin Gutierrez returns. At that point, there will really be a logjam in left field with Michael Saunders in the mix, and in no way do I want to see Saunders on the bench. He's hitting .254 with four home runs and 12 RBIs.

Last year the Mariners released a struggling Milton Bradley on May 16. I'm expecting the same fate on or around the same date for Chone Figgins.

The Go 2 Guy also writes for his website, www.jimmoorethego2guy.com, and his columns appear every Monday in the Kitsap Sun. You can reach him at jimmoorethego2guy@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter @cougsgo.

Monday, April 23, 2012 @ 4:18pm

More thoughts on Philip Humber's perfect game

Kevin Calabro and Jim Moore share some more thoughts on the perfect game Chicago White Sox starter Philip Humber threw against the Mariners on Saturday.