The Seattle Times: The Hot Stone League

Aroldis Chapman fires agent, hires Hendrick brothers

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:09:03 PST

Aroldis Chapman is the 21-year-old Cuban refugee who throws 100 mph and has been called the left-handed Stephen Strasburg. He is a free agent and is coveted by many teams -- including the Mariners. I wrote a column about him a few weeks ago. The Mariners had some serious interest at one point, but it seemed as though all progress on Chapman had halted in the last three weeks.

Mariners lose Chris Jakubauskas to Pirates

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:30:05 PST

Chris Jakubauskas, whose story of moving from independent ball to the majors was one of the captivating tales of 2009, has been claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to a Pirates' press release.

Jakubauskas, 30, appeared in 35 games for the Mariners -- including eight starts -- and went 6-7 with a 5.32 earned-run-average. Pitcher Jeff Karstens was designated for assignment by the Pirates to clear roster space.

(Geoff Baker has some quotes from Jakubauskas on his latest blog post, in which he analyzes a potential Mariner-Tiger trade.)

Tim Lincecum on Cy Two: "It just means the world" (plus entire Cy Young voting list)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:41:03 PST

Update 5 p.m.: The Baseball Writers Association of American has released the NL Cy Young voting because of heightened interest in the close results. I have posted those votes at the end of this thread, after Lincecum's quotes).

Here's some of what Tim Lincecum (shown above at a press conference in San Francisco today) said this afternoon on his conference call with reporters after winning his second Cy Young in two years:

On his reaction to getting the news this morning: "I actually jumped out my window -- maybe not per se, but I had to go to the window to get better reception. I was equally excited (compared to last year). It was a great moment for me, and I was able to share it with a couple of people close to me - my dad, my brother and my girlfriend, so that was good."

On how he thought the voting would go: "I really didn't know. Both the guys I was going up against in (Adam) Wainwright and (Chris) Carpenter had tremendous seasons. Given that - especially what Carpenter came off (numerous arm injuries), and what Wainwright did as a workhorse, I didn't know how the cards were going to fall. It was a lucky one for me. I'll take them as they come, I guess."

That three-way Mariner trade rumor and other stuff

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:58:03 PST

As Chris from Bothell noted on the Lincecum thread, Bob Nightengale of USA Today sent out a tweet that has Mariner fans all atwitter. Here's how it read in its entirety: "Keep and eye on developing three-way trade talk with Tigers and Mariners and mystery team involving M's Brandon Morrow and Dets Jackson"

I'll assume he meant "Keep an eye". It's not easy for some of us to text from a phone. Mine look like jibberish sometimes. And "Dets Jackson," I presume, is Edwin Jackson of the Detroit Tigers.

Lincecum makes first statement on marijuana incident

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:44:04 PST

Tim Lincecum just did a conference call with reporters to talk about winning the Cy Young Award for the second year in a row. I'll have some of his comments on that in a bit, but at the end of the call, Lincecum made a statement on his recent traffic stop in Hazel Dell, Washington, about four miles north of the Oregon border, on Oct. 30. It's the first time he's talked about the incident.

Lincecum was stopped for speeding, and handed over 3.3 grams of marijuana and a pot pipe after officers smelled marijuana.

Lincecum wins Cy Young again

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:04 PST

Tim Lincecum, the University of Washington flash, has won his second straight Cy Young Award.

This was expected to be a tight three-way race among Lincecum, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, and indeed it was. Lincecum received 100 points, Carpenter 94 and Wainwright 90. Wainwright, in fact, had the most first-place votes with 12, followed by Lincecum with 11 and Carpenter with nine.

It's another sign, I'd say, of the increasing sophistication of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) members who vote on these awards. Lincecum, with a 15-7 record, has the fewest victories of any starting pitcher (over a full season; throw out the strike/lockout years) to win the Cy Young. Previous low was Brandon Webb's 16-8 with Arizona in 2006, matched this year by Zack Greinke in the American League. Runnerup Carpenter was 17-4, while Wainwright went 19-8. Carpenter had the lowest earned-run average (2.24) but because of injuries made just 28 starts and pitched 192 innings, compared to 32 and 225 for Lincecum, who had a 2.48 ERA. Wainwright's ERA was at 2.63.

Selig sees the light: Postseason schedule will be condensed

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:44:03 PST

One of the real annoyances of the past two years, since MLB revised its postseason schedule to start the World Series on a Wednesday, rather than a Saturday, has been the increase in days off during playoff baseball.

It has been hard for the postseason to gain any sort of momentum with the constant gaps, and I believe casual fans tended to drift off to other things -- college and NFL football, for instance. During one span, the Angels and Yankees played just eight times in 20 days leading up to Game 6 of the ALCS. In a sport that's built upon the rhythms -- and challenges -- of playing every day, that's just not right.

The issue was brought to the forefront when Angels manager Mike Scioscia called the scheduling "ridiculous" during the ALCS.

"I think you lose a lot of the integrity of what the season means when you have three days off at the end of the season to let other teams maybe reset their starting rotation, which is an advantage of clinching early," Scioscia said. "That's negated when any team can do it just by getting to the playoffs."

Well, guess what? Commissioner Bud Selig was listening, and he promises the schedule will be tightened. In fact, he cited Scioscia's comments as a motivating force.

This is a good thing. Now if the Commish could just do something about getting instant replay expanded, we'd be getting somewhere.

Dumb and dumber: A poll unlike any other

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:32:03 PST

We have been having a lively and spirited debate around the office this week.

No, not Felix Hernandez or Zack Greinke for Cy Young.

And not whether the Mariners should give Russ Branyan two years.

Not even whether bringing back Ken Griffey Jr. was a smart move or a cave-in to nostalgia.

Sure, we ponder those questions. But the real hot topic here is who made the stupidest, most absent-minded maneuver last week.

Unfortunately, I am one of the two candidates. The other, a fellow Seattle Times sports employee, shall remain unnamed, but he (or she) will still have to live with the burning shame of his (or her) bone-headed act, just as I will.

I have decided to let the people decide this weighty issue.

A Cy Young voter explains why he put Felix Hernandez No. 1 on his ballot

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:50:04 PST

Here's an interesting take from one of the two voters -- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (so much for East Coast bias) -- who put Felix Hernandez No. 1 on their Cy Young ballot.

Feinsand gives Felix the edge, among other things, because he finished so strong, because he pitched for a contending team and Greinke didn't, and because Greinke never faced the Yankees while Hernandez pitched a gem against them. Writes Feirsand:

"On Sept. 18, I watched Hernandez handle the Yankees in a complete-game win at Safeco Field, and that left a lasting impression with me. Listening to the Yankees hitters talk about facing him, many of them said they hadn't seen a better pitcher all season. Even CC Sabathia, who was still in the mix for the award, said his vote would go to Hernandez if he had one."

A good, strong case can be made for Felix, no doubt. But the case for Greinke, in my opinion (and the opinion of most voters, and analysts), is just better.

Also, here's an explanation from the writer who voted for Justin Verlander.

Scioscia, Tracy win Manager of Year; Wakamatsu tied for fourth in AL

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:34:08 PST

Here is the rundown. I can't say that I'm surprised in any way. The Angels' Mike Scioscia got 15 first-place votes out of 28; Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire, who finished second, got six, and the Yankees' Joe Girardi , the third-place finisher, place got four. Don Wakamatsu got two first-place votes and finished tied with Texas's Ron Washington, who got the final first-place vote. Wakamatsu was named on seven ballots (two firsts, two seconds, and three thirds), while Washington was on 13 with one first, one second, and 11 thirds.

I probably would have gone Scioscia/Wakamatsu/Gardenhire.

1st 2nd 3rd Points
Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 15 10 1 106
Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins 6 12 6 72
Joe Girardi, New York Yankees 4 3 5 34
Don Wakamatsu, Seattle Mariners 2 2 3 19
Ron Washington, Texas Rangers 1 1 11 19
Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers 2 2

Jim Tracy of Colorado was nearly unanimous with 29 out of 32 first-place votes. Tony La Russa of the Cardinals got two, and Joe Torre the other. Most interesting vote: Bud Black, whose Padres went 75-87, got two third-place votes.

Role reversal: McLaren will be Riggleman's bench coach with the Nationals

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:53:03 PST

This one is hot off the presses, broken by Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times -- so fresh it hasn't even been officially announced.

Jim Riggleman, the new manager of the Washington Nationals, has hired John McLaren to be his bench coach. Yes, the same John McLaren who, as Mariners' manager, hired Riggleman to be HIS bench coach in 2008. And the same McLaren who saw Riggleman take over as the M's interim manager when he was fired in June. (The same McLaren, for that matter, who was hired as Mike Hargrove's bench coach in 2007, and took over as Mariner manager when Hargrove suddenly resigned in early July).

Good for Mac -- a good baseball man and a great guy. He belongs in uniform. And good for Riggleman for remembering who helped revive his managerial career. McLaren served as a scout for Tampa Bay last year, but I always felt he would be back in a coaching gig before long. Best of luck to both -- with this team, they're going to need it.

(Seattle Times photo by Rod Mar; from left to right, that's Sam Perlozzo, who was in the World Series this year as Phillies' third-base coach; Eddie Rodriguez, McLaren and Riggleman before a 2008 game.)

Now on the clock: Don Wakamatsu

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:57:03 PST

As brilliant as Felix Hernandez was in 2009, it was harder to muster up a passionate Cy Young case for him, because Zack Greinke was demonstrably just slightly better. And the voters agreed.

I actually believe a stronger Mariner case can be made for the award to be given out Wednesday: Manager of the Year.

Felix vs. Greinke: Cy Young day of reckoning (UPDATE: IT'S GREINKE IN A LANDSLIDE)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:24:03 PST

. Here's another story on the outcome.

UPDATE 11:05 P.M.: Zack Greinke wins the Cy Young. Any other outcome would have shocked me. He got 25 out of 28 first-place votes., and was second on the other three ballots, for 134 points. Felix finished second, getting two first-place votes and 23 seconds, for 80 points. Justin Verlander got the other first-place vote and finished a distant third with 14. Here's the voting.

We'll find out who wins the American League Cy Young Award today (Tuesday) at about 11 a.m., Pacific time.

As much as I admire what Felix Hernandez did this year -- and it was spectacular -- here's why I expect it will be Zack Greinke getting the call today. With all due respect to Justin Verlander, CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay and Mariano Rivera, I think the race boils down to those two.

Rumor mill links Mariners to Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:35:06 PST

FYI, the American League's Cy Young Award will be announced tomorrow at 11 a.m. our time. I'm working on a column for tomorrow's paper on why I think Zach Greinke will (and should) win. That's no reflection at all on Felix Hernandez, who had a brilliant season that would have been good enough in most other years. Just not this one.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who used to work for the P-I and still takes a special interest in Mariner doings, writes today that the M's are interested in pitcher Edwin Jackson and outfielder Curtis Granderson. of the Tigers.

I have no doubt that is true. The Tigers appear to be in full salary-dumping mode and have put out word that just about everone except Justin Verlander is available. The Mariners have the payroll flexibility to take on the remaining $25.75 on Granderson's contract through 2012 (with an option for '13), and whatever Jackson will get via arbitration after making $2.2 million last year and making the American League All-Star team and winning 13 games with a 3.62 ERA.