Sept. 1 has arrived and as expected no call ups have been made as of yet, although I am hearing we could see a pitcher or two on Saturday.

I have received a few e-mails asking about the Rainiers playoff games. They will play their home games at Safeco Field. For information, click the link here to the Rainiers home page.

Another link worth checking out is from ESPN.com today. Jerry Crasnick gives us a look at the possible managerial vacancies coming up this off season. The competition for managers may actually be tougher than that for top tier players this winter. Check out the competition here.

Speaking of competition...Looking ahead to spring training it looks like there will be plenty for one and possibly two spots in the starting rotation. One guy who trying to state his case right now is Luke French, who is just starting to put up numbers similar to those that earned him a PCL All-Star selection earlier this season.

French has changed up his repertoire, replacing his slider with a changeup. Why the change after having success with the slider last season? It is due partly to approach and partly to the pitch itself.

"Right now I have the most confidence in the changeup," he told me. "I have confidence throwing it in any situation in any count. Last year I tried to do too much. I tried to strike people out with the slider and do too much. I want to get the ball in play early and let the defense work and for me. Doing that it is locating my fastball and keeping them off balance which is what the changeup has done this year."

It is not that he is opposed to the strikeout and missing bats. The problem is his slider has not always been there for him this year.

"It has been really inconsistent," he said. "Last year it was better so I threw it more. It's been one of those things where I haven't had the feel for it consistently. It's all feel, it's really got to be spot on in the time you release it otherwise it is going to float or get hit or it is going to end up in the dirt. You either have the feel for it or you don't which makes it tougher to be consistent with it."

I asked if he was working on any other pitches and he said he was trying to learn a curveball. Who has been helping him with this? Josh Bard. The two both live in Colorado in the offseason and when French found out he had signed with the M's he gave him a call and asked if he would work out with him.

"He's helped me learn the breaking ball, he has really helped me learn the game, learn situations, which pitches to throw," he said. "I've just been picking his brain. He has been up here a long time he has a lot of experience and he has been catching a lot of great pitchers so I feel he knows what he is talking about and has a feel for what it takes to be successful."

Smart move using his resources.

One note to end with...They are calling this good news. Shawn Kelley underwent what turned out to be a partial Tommy John surgery yesterday. Dr. Lewis Yocum performed the procedure which involved cleaning up fraying at the end of the ligament and reattatching it. A full Tommy John requires ligament replacement and a 12-18 month recovery period. Kelley is expected to be throwing in four months.