marinergeek

QUOTE(El Piervizdyeguchansodnik @ Apr 16, 2005 -> 09:59 PM) OUr boys have sure scared off those M's fans. LOL - You're forgetting we lost 99 games last year. A couple of road losses won't scare us away. Actually, I was hoping for more of a two way street, but I think we only got 2-3 Sox fans to come visit us. Maybe next time.

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Apr 15, 2005 -> 04:37 PM) Wufners or Geek, when do you think Hernandez will get the call to the big club and actually stick? The kid looks like he's gonna be a stud, especially pitching half his games at Safeco... Felix has been the subject of much debate on our forum. We're pretty devided about it. My gut feel is he will bee a post all-star bullpen addition. As far as "sticking" with the club, I think that the goal of M's managmenet is to call him up when he's ready and not have him going back and forth between the Majors and AAA. Here's a link to a thread dedicated to the subject: The Great Felix Debate

I don't know if it is better to use a thread here for in-game talk or to use existing game threads at our sites. I'll use this post as a link index for series game threads: Game 1: SportSpot.net Game Day SoxTalk Gameday Feel free to jump into the in-game conversation over at SportSpot.

QUOTE(quickman @ Apr 15, 2005 -> 03:54 PM) Freddie works very slow, too slow, the defense gets unsettled, we need him though, he needs to come on strong and act like a number 1. he is more like a number 2. Sounds familiar. That was always the compaint on Freddy. Everyone always believe he had "Ace stuff", but never was able to get over the hump and be a true #1.

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Apr 15, 2005 -> 02:16 PM) Welcome to SoxTalk any Seattle fan that decides to chime in! What is your take on the Freddy Garcia trade almost a year after it happened? My opinion is it was a great trade for both teams. Mariners were doubtful that we'd be able to sign Freddy and Sox management obvioulsy had the inside track on getting him to sign an extension. We're thrilled with what we got in return, but it looks like Reed and Olivo were spare parts for you guys. We're definitely missing Freddy's presence in the rotation. The guy was a bit inconsistent, but he's always been a work horse.

The Bullpen Eeeeek! Eddie Guardado, if he can stay healthy (another of those capital letter ifs), will lead the bullpen as closer, and if the Mariners are smart, they will let him pitch the 7th and 8th innings as well. Hasegawa will try to regain his form, and both Hasegawa and Villone will try to improve upon their terrible spring trainings. A number of young, relatively untested pitchers and scrub major leaguers fill out the rest. Pray for Soriano.

Starting Pitching Jamie Moyer: Jamie Moyer will look to leave 2004 in his rearview, and show that he is still the crafty left-hander that can post a mid to low 3 ERA in the American League. Did age finally catch up to Jamie Moyer, or does he just have the occasional bad year? Many would have set him loose after his abysmal 2000 season (A 5.49 ERA vs a 5.21 ERA last year), which would have proved to be a mistake as he posted three of his best seasons immediately following. Don't bet against Moyer making yet another comeback. Bobby Madritsch: A pitcher most every Mariner fan should look forward to watching in 2005. Madritsch will not only add solid innings in 2005, he'll add a bit of color to a team that has lacked it in recent years. While it might be unreasonable to expect Madritsch to post a low 3 ERA as he did in 88 innings last year, we can expect to see more angry stares at umpires, and batters drilled for looking at a Mariner wrong. Or adjusting his contact. Or something Bobby didn't like. Gil Meche: Can Gil Meche put an entire season together like his late 2004 numbers? History tells us no, but Gil is a young pitcher with good amounts of potential, and flashes of pitching brilliance. Will a more simple repertoire of pitches allow better focus when the lights go on at Safeco? Joel Pineiro: Strained flexor bundle? "Sore" shoulder? Or the next victim of the Seattle chop shop? Pineiro will look to rebound from a terrible season, in which the last few months were spent recovering from injury. A few pitching outings this spring following a sore shoulder, and the Mariners are ready to plug him into the rotation yet again. Ready to rock-and-roll, or a desparate move on the part of a team with very little pitching depth? Aaron Sele: Beating out Ryan Franklin for the fifth spot in the rotation, Aaron Sele begins his second stint with the Mariners. More-or-less a placeholder for Felix Hernandez, regardless of who got the job, the Mariners will look to Sele for some consistent if not spectacular starts, and a solid number of innings. Sele will probably be an improvement over Ryan Franklin, but with other question marks surrounding the starting rotation, it might not matter. Top to Bottom: Can they stay healthy? That will be one big key for the Mariners starting rotation in 2005, as Joel Pineiro possibly lingers on the edges of surgery, and three of the five have had significant surgeries in their careers already. If one or more pitchers go down, look for the Mariners to look to Ryan Franklin, Clint Nageotte, or Felix Hernandez to pick up the pieces. The rotation as is should be solid, but not spectacular provided everything goes as predicted. Still room for upgrade if the Mariners do decide to look towards trades in 2005.

The Bench A weak bench has become a trademark of Seattle since 2001 passed away into the great land of memories. Dan Wilson will provide a solid back-up at catcher, and might hit a bit when not relied on to catch 4/5 games. Scott Spiezio is a solid back-up, and with a slimmer body, will be able to command some playing time in the outfield and corner infield. Willie Bloomquist will return as pinch-running extraordinaire, and will unfortunately be asked to do other things as well. Bucky Jacobsen will look to return to the big club once his knee has fully recovered, and will provide an able bat for pinch-hitting duties when that day comes.

The Lineup Ichiro Suzuki: Returning to patrol Area 51 (right field) is Ichiro Suzuki, who looks to outperform his amazing 2004 campaign. Breaking George Sisler's hit record last year, Suzuki provided a spark of interest as a gloomy season wore on. Setting a personal Major League best in batting average last year at .372, and a new batting stance that helped him hit over .400 in most months last year, can a .400 season be in reach? Jeremy Reed: Rookie extraordinaire, and along with Madritsch, one of the few young players to actually manage to stick with the 2005 team. Jeremy Reed will take over in center field, and looks to bring some added defense to the expanses of Safeco Field. Batting second behind Ichiro Suzuki, the M's look to run the bases early in games. An exciting talent, Reed rarely strikes out - and it will be fun counting his at-bats between them. Adrian Beltre: Beltre had a career year last year playing third for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Mariner fans will be keeping their eyes peeled to see if this was a one-year explosion, or the real Beltre finally coming through. A strong spring has backed up the feelings that we will be seeing a true hitter in Seattle once more, as Beltre will look to come close to his 48 HRS, 104 Runs, 121 RBI, and .334 batting average of 2004 - all while playing Gold-Glove calibre defense at the hot corner. Richie Sexson: Richie was off to a slow start average-wise in 2004, and another impressive power season in 2004 when an injured shoulder sent him to the disabled list after only 23 games. Check swings, monster home runs, and Cameron-esque strikeouts will lead the way as a new #4 hitter and starting first baseman joins the Mariners for 2005. Bret Boone: Boone had a frustrating year in 2004. As the Mariners sank lower in the rankings, so too did Boone's stellar defense and batting average. While keeping up impressive power numbers at second base, Boone hit a mere .251. Is our bundle of confidence slowing down, or will Boone bounce back yet again with a solid season? Raul Ibanez:: Raul Ibanez put in a solid year playing left field for the Mariners in 2004, and looks to remain healthy all of 2005 by moving to replace the retired Edgar Martinez as DH in 2005. While Ibanez can't replace EDGAR, he's looking for his hot spring and end of 2004 to carry him in the upcoming season. If Randy Winn is ever traded, look for Raul to reclaim his position in left. Randy Winn: Our new Mr. Consistent, Randy once again put up solid numbers in Safeco field while playing a questionable defense in center field. This year, Randy will once again be asked to play left as he did next to Mike Cameron in 2003. A more suitable position for the speedy outfielder, Winn will be able to make up for hesitated decisions with his strong legs. Randy Winn batting seventh will show Mariner fans one of the deeper lineups they have seen in a number of years. Miguel Olivo: Coming to the Mariners in the Freddy Garcia trade that also brought us Jeremy Reed, Olivo has been named the starting catcher after putting in a winter of hard work improving his defensive abilities. Behind the backstop, Olivo has shown an improved ability in stopping balls thrown in the dirt, and as always, a powerful arm that will nail most base runners attempting to steal. At the plate, the Mariners are hoping for the Miguel Olivo that hit .270 and struck out 29 times in 141 at bats with Chicago rather than the one that hit .200 and struck out 55 times in 160 bats with the M's. Improved confidence in his catching abilities, a new coaching staff, and increasing comfort with a new team can only help. Pokey Reese: A line-drive up the middle...what's this, Pokey fields it standing up, and throws the runner out at first. This is the type of insane-play-made-easy that keeps Pokey Reese in a major league uniform. If Pokey can stay healthy, (and since he'll start the season on the DL with a sore tummy [or something], that looks to be unlikely) he has been handed an every day job at shortstop with the Seattle Mariners. Look for splendid defense, and a player struggling to hit his weight. Top to Bottom: Improved offense with the key additions of Beltre and Richie Sexson, but also a much improved defense will shine in 2005. Jeremy Reed will help in the outfield, and with Randy Winn and Ichiro Suzuki also playing outfield, we once again will have a trio of potential center-fielders roaming the grass of Safeco. Beltre brings a solid glove, as does Richie Sexson, and a spectacular Pokey will not only be an improvement over the lead-hands seen in 2004, he may allow Boone to fudge a bit to his left, keeping Boone's defense solid if he has indeed lost a step. Overall, a fairly big step up for Seattle's starting nine in 2005. - more coming -

QUOTE(EvilJester99 @ Apr 15, 2005 -> 10:02 AM) This going to turn into a smack talking, s*** slinging spot?? As southsider said, this is experimental. The idea was brought up by one of the Mods at the SportSpot.net Mariners forum. We're just trying to expand the fun to conversation with other baseball fans. You guys seemed like a good place to try this out since your forum is an Invision forum same as ours, so everyone will be real familiar with the interface. Our intent is not to come over and troll your board, rather to have some friendly fun and conversations with you guys when our teams meet up during the season. I will be making a post in our game thread, directing our members here along with a plea to keep conversation friendly. I would also like to invite SoxTalk members to pay us a visit sometime during the three game series. I won't be designating a special area for this. I'm hoping you guys will just comment in any topics you feel you have relevant input. We'd especially like to get some of your comments in our Game Day threads. As SouthSider said, we will be moderating conversations a little closer than usual. No trolling please. MarinerGeek SportSpot.net Mariners Forum P.S. Good luck in the series...but not too much luck.