Internet connects Ryan Rowland-Smith to fans

ANAHEIM, Calif. — A dream journey for Ryan Rowland-Smith has had quite a few passengers hop on board for the ride.

On Saturday, the Australian pitcher will make his second start for the Mariners since being recalled from Class AAA to join the rotation. It's the fulfillment of a career goal for Rowland-Smith, and one he has been sharing with fans as part of a Web log.

Rowland-Smith had always been a bit leery of the Internet, afraid of "eroding the personal touch" by resorting to things like a MySpace page instead of simply talking to people. But after beginning his blog to help a friend, as part of an online site she was starting up called Prolebrity.com, the left-hander has connected with fans in a way he didn't think possible.

"At first, I thought, 'Nobody's going to read this,' " he said. "And then I saw that people were actually interested in it."

The turning point was likely a "Heading to Tacoma" entry Rowland-Smith posted on July 25, right after being sent to AAA to be groomed as a starter. In the rather candid blog entry, he admitted to initially being disappointed.

"I left Safeco Field upset and very confused," it reads. "I'm not sure if people understand the feeling of being sent down, it's tough no matter what."

This came as a shock to some readers, who largely viewed the demotion as temporary and the beginning of the pitcher's dream of becoming a full-time starter.

"No one wants to leave the big leagues," Rowland-Smith said this week. "You work your whole life to get there. It's your ultimate goal, your life's dream. And once you're there, it's hard to go back to the minor leagues after that. ... But then, I was around some really good friends and that made it easier."

Reading the responses to his blog entry also helped.

"To be honest with you, just that alone made it an easier transition," he said. "Some people wrote some really nice things."

The 435-word post generated 77 reader comments, the most Rowland-Smith has received out of five entries.

"I'm sure it's totally frustrating and just has to be a downer to be sent back after doing so well in the Bigs," one reader wrote. "But just know that there are so many of us out there who are really pulling for you ... "

The kind words inspired Rowland-Smith to write a longer post titled "Back to the Bigs," which appeared on the eve of his first start last Saturday.

"It's just sort of a random thing," he said, adding that each post takes about a half-hour to write, then a bit longer to edit. "When I'm ready to write, or something has gone on with me that I think is worth writing about, I do it. This time, I'd planned to keep it short but I found that I had a lot more to say. I kept going back to it."

Rowland-Smith plans to keep sharing his experience with his readers.

"My teammates were kidding me about it when they first found out," he said of the blog. "But looking at it now and seeing how it's grown, it makes me want to keep doing it."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com