Mariners Spring Training — Day 11
Friday, February 24, 2017 / 38 Days ’til Opening Day (April 3 at Houston Astros)
Weather Report:
Dan Wilson…Blocking Pucks?!?:
We all know that Mariners great Dan Wilson is a big deal in Seattle, but did you know that he was something special as an amateur? He was a member of the Barrington (IL) Little League team that finished 3rd in the Little League World Series in 1981, while at Barrington High School, he earned All-State honors three times as a goalie in hockey and twice as a pitcher and a catcher in baseball, while also quarterbacking the football team. Which brings us to today…Dan strapped on the catchers gear during a fun team meeting and defended slapshots against outfielder Tyler O’Neill and special assistant Pete Harnish among others. I think it’s safe to safe that Dan’s still got it.
Scout Back for His 6th Spring Training:
For the sixth year in a row, Scout the Golden Retriever arrived in Mariners camp and he was ready to chew on a baseball and hang out with the team. While the fields were empty, he patiently gnawed on a baseball until the team arrived…and then he was the center of attention. Scout has had surgery on both his legs, but that doesn’t stop him from enjoying the sun in Arizona.
Situational Hitting Competition — Team Cruz vs. Team Cano:
The 2nd Annual Team Cruz vs. Team Cano Situational Hitting competition was revived today. Team Cruz took a commanding lead after the first round, but Team Cano (with the help of some dubious scoring) was able to catch up and win the competition 75–74. The game awarded points for advancing runners with hits or outs. For the second year in a row, teams lost points for hitting a home run…and this year, Tyler O’Neill put a little too much backspin on the ball as it sailed over the fence in left-center field.
Walkoff:
There were four fields of hitting going as part of the workout today, with players alternating between hitting off a coach and hitting off a pitching machine, which was set at 90-plus MPH. On the final swing of a rotation, Daniel Vogelbach sent a line drive back up the middle that knocked the extension cord out of the machine, ending the drill, and leading to Daniel doing an exaggerated bat drop and walkoff pantomime.
Play Ball!
The Mariners and Padres take to the field tomorrow for the Annual Charity game (proceeds support Phoenix-area youth non-profits) to begin the 2017 Cactus League Schedule. Seattle will play 36 games in the Valley of the Sun this spring, including playing ‘split-squads’ on three different days. 710 ESPN Seattle will broadcast 33 games this spring, so a game will be on the radio every day we play (the Mariners have off days on March 7, 20 and 30). Rick Rizzs and Aaron Goldsmith will be on the call tomorrow, with air time at high noon in Seattle. ROOT Sports NW will televise 16 games, beginning March 5.
Line ’Em Up:
Mariners Manager Scott Servais said today that he expects to write in the line-up above tomorrow.
Enhanced Security at Peoria Sports Complex
Fans at Spring Training games this year will have to go through enhanced security screening at all ballparks. It’s part of Major League Baseball’s on-going work with the Department of Homeland Security designed to elevate and standardize security practices across the game.
Just like at Safeco Field, all fans entering the Peoria Sports Complex will have to pass through walk-through metal detectors at the gates. This is in addition to bag checks that have been in place for several years.
So whether you are headed to the Peoria Sports Complex or any Spring Training game in Arizona or Florida, give yourself a little extra time to get through the enhanced security.
Photo Gallery:
Kaz Sasaki at RBI Club Today:
Meanwhile, back in Seattle, the Mariners all-time saves leader, Kazuhiro Sasaki, made an appearance at the RBI Club luncheon.
Kaz is in the Seattle area for a fundraiser at the Bellevue Westin to benefit Keiro Northwest, which provides lifestyle and health care services for Asian seniors.
Kaz, who just celebrated his 49th birthday, is helping out Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic, but is focusing most of his energy on his stable of elite race horses and his Porsche Carrera Grand Prix racing team. One of Kaz’s horses has been invited to run in a prestigious race in Dubai this spring, and his motorsports team is training with the goal of entering the Le Mans 24-hour race.
He still keeps track of the Mariners and stays in touch with former teammates (Jose Paniagua was his closest friend in the bullpen), and Kaz says he’s feeling optimistic about the team’s chances this season.
Kaz, who was inducted in to Japan’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, still keeps in shape, although he admits his days throwing “The Thang” (a wicked split-finger fastball) are behind him. But at an event in January with fellow retired Japanese ballplayers, he says his fastball registered about 75 miles an hour.
Not bad, Daimajin.
Writer Roundup:
