Tag Archives: Jon Heyman

by andrewlong7 | August 20, 2012 · 10:36 am

Likes and Dislikes – The Beginning!

I’m going to be trying something new here on the blog. Once a week or so (you know how good we are with schedules here on the blog), I’m going to put up things I like and I dislike on the blog. Usually they’ll have to do with the previous week. Please, add things you like and dislike in the comments. Try to make them creative and somewhat sports related, but if they aren’t that’s okay as well. These will usually be light-hearted and hopefully fun.

This could be a good idea that we continue, it could be a bad idea that we don’t continue. It also might be a bad idea that we continue and in that case, haha. This weeks will include a few things from the Olympics because I feel like they are still in everyone’s mind. Anyway, without further ado, your first likes and dislikes!

Likes:

Felix’s Perfecto!

For about a day, Seattle was on top of the baseball world, Felix got the recognition he deserved, and the town caught baseball fever. It was a blast! The team, and the fans, have played pretty well since the all-star break and the perfection made everyone notice. It was a day I’ll never forget and has a glow to it that the Mariners and their fans are still basking in.

19 inning games!

Jeff Sullivan once said something like, “When extra inning games first get into extra innings you want your team to win, then after a while you just want the game to end. If it gets past that point, you cheer for the game to go on as long as possible.” The Cardinals and Pirates played 19 innings on Sunday and I wish it had gone another 19 innings.

Handball

Handball joined Curling as my favorite Olympic sport. America doesn’t have a team, which is a pity, but if you haven’t seen handball go watch a clip on Youtube right now. I’m starting a team.

Felixing!

This is ‘Felixing’! Think of it as Tebowing but more awesome. Everyone’s doing it and you should as well.People who make fun of NBC’s coverage of the Olympics

I mean, why wouldn’t you? Ryan Seacrest is great and all (not really) but if you’re cutting away in the middle of a basketball game for a commercial (just one example) I think most people should be making fun of you. Also, I understand that having national pride is part of the Olympics but did anyone else think NBC took it overboard at points? I heard Bob Costas accuse two countries of cheating and scold athletes for showboating… Unless they were American.

Olympians who cheat at Badminton

That was fantastic. It’s by far my favorite sports scandal of the year.

Dislikes:

People who get upset about friends posting Olympic news when it actually happens and not waiting until it’s shown in prime-time…

I had friends on Facebook who were begging people to stop posting Olympic results before they actually happened. Wait, what? That doesn’t make any sense. If it meant that much to you, watch it live or stay off of Facebook. Crazy, I know. Also, by the time NBC showed the event in their prime time slot you could have watched the event live, watched it again (assuming you recorded it, since it obviously meant a lot to you), drove 20 minutes to dinner, taken an hour to eat a burrito, rented a movie from Redbox, driven home, watched the movie, watched the event on your computer and then watched the event in prime time again. This is assuming that this event wasn’t 10 P.M. London time, the event wasn’t longer than an hour and a half (most weren’t), and the movie you rented wasn’t John Carter (because that movie is at least 7 hours long).

Jon Heyman…

Injuries to football players on teams that I like to root for…

Not only is it just bad news but it puts all fans into panic mode and then no one’s reasonable.

The Wind

Matthew and I just spent a good share of yesterday evening putting plastic over windows so that we would be ready to paint our parents house tomorrow. Now, the wind decided to show up and blow some of it off. You’re just showing up here wind and disrespecting our hard work? And no, I didn’t forget to put Jon Heyman’s explanation, I just didn’t think he was worthy of an explanation.

The Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox

The Mariners never have good luck against these teams. Paul Konerko hits over .1000 when he plays Seattle (please, don’t check those stats) and the Orioles hit a walk-off each night they play the Mariners. Lets hope that changes over the course of the next few weeks as the M’s march toward the wild card.

Again, add yours below. Thanks for reading,

Andrew

Thank You, Ichiro

Matthew just wrote a post about Ichiro below this. It’s based more on facts and what it means for both sides. This post is more of the emotional aspect and I just wanted to write a few words about the legend.

For the last month I’d been planning to write a post about Ichiro Suzuki. I’ve been a defender of his this past year and I had grown frustrated with the media constantly bashing him while overlooking other faults in the organization. Every time I tried to write the post though, I couldn’t get it out. The truth is, Ichiro just has been very good in the last couple of years and I couldn’t write a strong enough piece to totally defend him. I guess, more than anything it bothered me how Ichiro was treated.

I’ve never been one to truly care about how much a player talks to the media. I didn’t like it when Chone Figgins repeatedly said, “Next question.” but that’s just because I don’t like Figgins. Unfortunately, the media doesn’t like it when players don’t speak to them and where do fans get most of their information? The media. With that in mind, I think number 51’s career was tarnished a little bit. Ichiro Suzuki was one of the Mariners most productive hitters this season. He wasn’t good, in fact, he was bad, but there truly weren’t many better guys. Yet, talk shows spent hour after hour debating his spot in the batting order. National media members (Jon Heyman) tweet about the Mariners once a month and it’s usually to bash Ichiro.

For some reason, Ichiro has gotten the label of being a ‘selfish’ baseball player. This stemmed from him not interacting with people and always hitting singles. Think about how ridiculous this notion is now that he’s not here. You had 2,533 hits for our organization and you are selfish. What? Former players didn’t understand Ichiro and then bashed him, because of that, after they’d left town.

Over the course of this year, there have been many things said about Ichiro that shouldn’t have been said. Jay Buhner said recently said he would have vomited if Ichiro was signed to a good-sized extension. We all understood the sentiment, but don’t you think he could have made it sound better? A Mariner legend, who will never sniff the hall of fame, just insulted a future hall-of-famer, who played in Seattle longer than he did, in front of the whole city. No one would have done this to Jr. in his last season even though he was producing at a much lower rate.

I think, over the past year, we’ve diminished the player Ichiro was. He’s been the face of Japanese baseball and will continue to be long after he retires. I ask you to forget all things that were said this past year about Ichiro. He’s not selfish, he’s from another culture and just came here to play baseball the way that he knew how. He was great at it. He’ll be the 2nd player inducted into the Hall as a Mariner, right after Griffey, and he should be treated like that. He’s a legend and we won’t see anyone else do what he did, ever. 2,533 hits in 11 and a half seasons. Read that sentence again.

Remember Ichiro for his laser throw to gun down Terrance long. Remember Ichiro for the day he broke Sisler’s hit record. Remember him for the player he was as a Mariner, not the picture some of the media painted him as.

I’ve always hated the Yankees. I’m like most people. Now, I will root like crazy for them to win the World Series. Ichiro truly deserves that.

I’m sorry if you ever felt under-appreciated here, Ichiro. I hope you know that you are loved in this city and you’re a legend. Go hit .320, win a ring, wear it to spring training and punch Jon Heyman in the face with it on.

Andrew

Tim Tebow and Baseball Sabermetrics

Husky basketball season ended a few days early to make sure we focus on the Mariners and Japan. With Chone Figgins less than 4 hours away from stepping up and seeing the first pitch, I’m here still talking about Tim Tebow. I’m sick of him (to no fault of his own, blame ESPN and any other sports outlet) but I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time and it seemed fitting to write it before the season began.

As you know if you follow along here, I think highly of the Mariners’ blogosphere. Lookout Landing is my favorite website on the internet. USSM is as smart and statistical proof-driven baseball blog as there is. Prospect Insider and Proball NW have good information, especially about minor league ball. Seattle Sports Insider is the blog I agree with the most, and always a fun read. I haven’t even covered Larry Stone, Geoff Baker, and a good amount of other good Mariner blogs. They all have good information, especially since the evolution of baseball sabermetrics have made them relevant in everyday baseball conversation.

The sabermetrics have made the game more fun, it’s easier to understand and more complex all in one. Usually the stats they show back up what they’re trying to prove and that’s what baseball needs after years of misleading stats like a pitchers win-loss record. But, as we enter the new season, remember that these metrics don’t tell it all. Here are 3 wide-ranging examples of why they aren’t the end-all in explaining a team.

Continue reading →

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Filed under Mariners

Tagged as Blake Beavan, Dave Cameron, Geoff Baker, Hisashi Iwakuma, Jon Heyman, Lookout Landing, Seattle Sports Insider, Tim Tebow, U.S.S. Mariner

by andrewlong7 | March 22, 2012 · 8:15 pm

A Couple Of Thoughts On The M’s

As I write this, the Seattle Mariners are on a plane headed to Japan. A week from now, they’ll have two regular season games under their belt and will be headed back to the states for another week of wonderful spring training baseball (sarcasm). I’ll try to catch us up on some Mariner news. If you have anymore questions about the M’s put them in the comments and we’ll address them.

As I said, the Mariners are on their way to Japan at the moment which means that they had to cut their roster to 30 for the trip. Kevin Millwood (who we’ll discuss later) is not on the trip but will be in the starting rotation to start the year. Him and Japan don’t get along. This all gets a bit confusing as far as the rosters go for this trip, so stay with me. I think I understand them. 30 players are on the trip and they’re all allowed to play in the exhibition games against the Japanese teams. I’d have to take a look at the Japanese teams rosters but it’s hard not to imagine that the Mariners carrying Casper Wells AND Carlos Peguero for these games won’t give them an insurmountable advantage over the Tigers and Giants of Japan. Unless they are actually Japanese tigers and giants. Anyway, back on track. After the exhibition games the Mariners then have to cut down to 28 players for their games against the Oakland A’s of Japan. That has to be the day Guillermo Quiroz is dreading. Of those 28 players, only 25 of them will be able to play in the actual games against Oakland. Kevin Millwood, and any other players they left at home who they expect to open the season with the big-league team (there probably aren’t any), must count against the 28 players but not against the 25. So, the Mariners may have a different 25 players available in the season opener than their first game stateside. It’s a bit confusing, really and probably not worth your time to understand.
Anyway, here’s the 30 guys going to Japan by position: Starting Pitchers – Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Hector Noesi, Blake Beavan, Erasmo Ramirez (although he may be used in the bullpen for the M’s) Relief Pitchers – Hisashi Iwakuma, George Sherrill, Tom Wilhelmsen, Shawn Kelley, Lucas Luetge, Brandon League, Chance Ruffin, Steve Delabar, Charlie Furbush Catchers – Jesus Montero!, Miguel Olivo, John Jaso, Guillermo QuirozInfielders – Justin Smoak, Dustin Ackley!, Brendan Ryan, Chone Figgins, Kyle Seager, Munenori Kawasaki, Alex Liddi Outfielders – Mike Carp, Michael Saunders, Ichiro Suzuki, Casper Wells, Carlos Peguero.
So, you have those 30 plus Kevin Millwood to choose from for your final 25. We know the starting rotation (Felix, Vargas, Noesi, Beavan, and Millwood), so I would imagine Erasmo Ramirez starts in Tacoma. I think Furbush will also start in Tacoma. Then, the M’s will chose between Luetge, Delabar and Ruffin for the last 2 bullpen spots. I think Ruffin starts in Tacoma. That puts the team at 12 pitchers and 28 players. Quiroz and Alex Liddi will almost surely start in Tacoma. So, I’d say the last roster spot comes down to Peguero and Wells. I really hope that the front office picks Wells and I think they probably will. There’s your 25 man roster.
I mentioned the starting rotation above and don’t really have any objections with those 5. Blake Beavan is a little boring and Iwakuma is somewhat intriguing but I was never high on Doug Fister either and he proved me wrong plenty of times. Beavan is in the same mold and could do the same. Marc at USSM had a good article on the argument today. Really we don’t know if any of these guys, aside from Felix, will be here the whole year. Vargas has always been a subject of trade talk and the others could just be passed by better, younger pitchers. For now though, I think these five will do.
Last time Matthew posted on the M’s, Michael Saunders was a big topic of conversation. Since he has hardly done anything in the games (blame Matthew). He finished the spring with a lower batting average than he had last spring. I’m not saying he didn’t improve because I think he did, I’m just not a belie
Bad Guy of the Day

ver yet. Here’s to hoping he proves us wrong.
Spring training stats are meaningless, so stop looking at them.
Today, Jon Heyman who reports for CBS Sports had an article on Ichiro. The main idea was that Ichiro should not be back on the Mariners next year because he holds too much power over the organization. To put it plainly, I think it was a ridiculous piece. Yes, there needs to be a discussion about what the M’s should do with Ichiro and maybe they should let him go. They definitely need to agree to a smaller contract after this year but that’s because of his age and performance last year. Heyman mentioned his on-field performance but chose to focus on issues that came up in the 2008 season. Heyman had a ‘source’ (Carlos Silva, anyone?) who said Ichiro caused problems in the clubhouse because of his egos. All of these things were mostly taken care of in the 2009 season and have been non-issues since. By the way, the person who called Ichiro out during the 2008 season was Carlos Silva, who said Ichiro was selfish. Ichiro hit .310 that year and had 214 hits. Carlos Silva was 4-15 with a 6.46 ERA that year. Heyman finishes the article by saying Ichiro refused an interview before his spring training game and still treats himself like a superstar even though he isn’t playing like one. He has never granted interviews before the game. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact I’d say that means he’s focusing on the actual baseball being played, which is something Heyman needs to do.
All of that to say, be cynical with what you read in sports especially when it comes to the national media. Heck, be cynical when it comes to what you read here, if you think I’m on Ichiro’s side too much I understand. There’s enough good Mariner blogs that don’t form opinions of players without actual stats supporting them. Jeff Sullivan and Matthew at Lookout Landing are the best at this, and the best at trying to understand things from all the points of view. Try to do that as well, it’ll make you a better fan.
The last bullet holes I have are just informative things around the blog (I doubt anyone has made it this far in the reading anyway!). If anyone’s interested in forming a fantasy baseball league, I would gladly be the commissioner. I don’t know if any of the other Good Guy writers will join but if you want to leave a comment or email me at andrew.long09@northwestu.edu. Also, we will be watching the season opening game next Wednesday live at 3 AM. If any of you are interested in joining us, shoot me an email and we’ll try to have a good time watching some very early morning baseball.