Tag Archives: Ichiro

Arts & Entertainment, Music, News, Sports

Can the K Records Catalog Save the Mariners Season?

You know the music that comes on to inspire every Mariner batter as they walk to the plate? It hasn’t been working. Mariner hitters have been dreadful at Safeco Field, saddening Mariner fans like me, you, and music journalist Mark Baumgarten. When not suffering through low-scoring Mariner games, Mark has spent the past year-plus writing the story of Calvin Johnson’s K Records, the galvanizing force behind Beck, Modest Mouse, the grunge scene, and the riot grrrl movement. With his book Love Rock Revolution: K Records and the Rise of Independent Music coming out today, I gave Mark this challenge: Pick the K Records songs that will galvanize Mariners hitters and get Safeco rocking. Here are his indisputable picks.

Ichiro
“Bewitched” by Beat Happening, from Jamboree (1988)
[:00 – :10]
I know that Ichiro likes the club hits. For a while he was bumping that Flo Rida song. More recently he has been grinding his spikes into the dirt to LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.” “Bewitched” is the ultimate K party jam from the label’s cornerstone band. It’s a little grittier than those slick pop tracks, and its beat is much more primitive, but maybe a little d.i.y. can help the the M’s “first-ballot Hall-of-Famer” manufacture a few RBI’s.

Michael Saunders
“Birds vs. Worms” by Modest Mouse, from Sad Sappy Sucker (2001)
[:07 – :17]
On this moderately upbeat track, songwriter Isaac Brock contemplates self-pity as a catchy guitar line whiles away. Like Brock, Michael Saunders has always seemed burdened by a great existential weight. Unlike Brock, Saunders tends to keep his emotions bottled up, only sometimes exploding by violently throwing his batting helmet to the ground, post-strikeout. Deep within his intensity there is a sadness. So let’s play him on with the music of a kindred spirit. You are not alone, Michael.

Jesus Montero
“C is the Heavenly Option” by Heavenly (featuring Calvin Johnson), from De Jardin de Heavenly (1992)
[2:35-2:45]
The subject matter of this song–lead singer Amelia Fletcher and Calvin contemplating what to do with their disappointing significant others–has nothing to do with baseball. But its titular chorus might help motivate Montero to get in front of those passed balls and ward off recent draft pick Mike Zunino on his way to becoming the power-hitting franchise catcher the Mariners had hoped he would become when they acquired him from the Yankees in the offseason. Plus, I hear manager Eric Wedge loves a little shimmying twee pop and it would be nice to see him smile every once in a while.

Dustin Ackley
“#1 USA” by Love as Laughter, from #1 USA (1998)
[3:26-3:36]
I have long been a proponent of Ackley dropping Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ode-to-humility “Simple Man” as his warm-up music. Yes, you are a simple man, Dustin, and we love you for it. But you are a professional ballplayer, sir, and that requires a little swagger. This track from K’s best-ever melodic garage rock group is dripping with infectious riffs, hand-claps and tons of slump-busting attitude. I mean, look at the title, man!
(there’s no full version of this song online; there is a sample here.)

Justin Smoak
“It’s All In Your Mind” by Beck, from the One Foot in the Grave outtakes (1995)
[:20-:30]
Yeah, this song is super depressing, but honestly so is Justin Smoak. He was supposed to be a great steal from our division rival Rangers. But every time he comes up to bat, I just know that he’s going to pop up to shallow left. I don’t know what his current walk-up song is, but it’s not working. Why not give a lo-fi indie rock gem a try? There could be worse things to hear, as you’re preparing to hit that damned ball, than Beck’s languid voice repeating, “It’s all in your mind.”
(this version is a rerecording from Beck’s 2002 album Sea Change)

Kyle Seager
“Virginia Reel Around the Fountain” by Halo Benders
[:00-:10]
This is my favorite song in the K catalog, a performance of epic proportions filled with guitarist Doug Martch’s meandering guitar parts and pinched tenor, contrasted with Calvin Johnson’s sonorous, monotone baritone. I am bestowing it upon Seager, currently my favorite player on my fantasy baseball team, in hopes that it will inspire him as it has inspired me. If it doesn’t, I’m going to have to start Pedro Alvarez in his place.

Franklin Gutierrez
“Free Again” by Teenage Fanclub, from “Free Again”/”Bad Seeds” 7” (1992)
[:07-:17]
A boisterous cover of Alex Chilton’s classic pop track from 1970, “Free Again” returns over and over to the joyful refrain: “I’m free again, to do what I want.” I have to imagine that that is exactly how Guti feels every time the injury-prone center fielder is fortunate enough to step into the batter’s box. Sure, he will eventually be stabbed in the shoulder by an errant broken bat and locked up in rehab, but for now, he’s free!

Miguel Olivo
“The Glow pt. 2” by the Microphones, from The Glow, Pt. 2 (2001)*
[:00-:10]
This song is a masterpiece of indie rock. It is discordant, melodic, hard-hitting and nuanced; the most sophisticated piece of music ever to appear on K. It is also fraught with trepidation and hope, somewhat unpredictable but always engaged, and never taking itself too seriously while delivering till the end. These are the attributes the team need in its leadership. Olivo is the closest thing the Mariners have to a veteran leader (in the field), so he will be the one walking out as the rattles, rumbles, and buzzes that kick off the song fill Safeco with electricity.

Brendan Ryan
“Connect 5” by KARP, from Suplex (1995)*
[:00-:10]
One of the few actual sports songs in the K catalog, “Connect 5” is about a roller derby great named Bobby Fever, “the master blaster from the past” who is a lot like our spunky shortstop. “A pirouette to please his fans,” sings Chris “Slayer” Smith. “He’s pumpin those adrenal glands.” Ryan will step into the batters box just as the song’s plaintive guitar line gives way to a bombastic beat and a grungy guitar riff worthy of whatever creative facial hair is festooning his mug at the time.

Felix Hernandez (National League parks only)
“What Was Me” by Calvin Johnson, from What Was Me (2002)*
[:30-:40]
On the face of it, this song—a strummy acoustic number—is a bit of a downer. But it is a perfect fit for Felix, a ballad for the king of K’s from the king of K. “When I’m done you’ll find an Illiad, believed in every heart and known in every head,” Calvin sings. “And that will be me.”

*These songs are available on Love Rock Revolution: A Book Soundtrack, available for free from K Records until July 17.

Eats, Food, News, Sports, Travel

A Field (Trip) of Dreams: 30 Baseball Stadiums in Less Than 3 Months

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College student Kyle Friedman (disclosure: my nephew) recently rolled through town with his father, taking in a Seattle Mariners game as part of a summertime tour of all 30 baseball stadiums. That’s a lot of hours of baseball. While Kyle is blogging his entire experience, I had a chance to interview him to get the inside story of his spectacular trip, and specifically about his stay in Seattle and thoughts about Safeco Field.

How did you get the idea for stadium-touring?

When I was home from spring break, my dad and I were thinking about traveling to some of the stadiums we hadn’t been to yet. We were originally thinking of doing 8-10 max—some of the Midwestern ones—then when I went back to school, my dad thought about it and said that if we were going to do it, we might as well do it right and try to do all 30. I was all for the idea.

What’s it like traveling with your father?

We’ve always traveled together, but it’s weird because we’ve never done any traveling without my sister. It’s only the beginning right now, so I guess we’ll have to see how it goes, but I think it will be good.

Which places are you most looking forward to visiting?

Stadium-wise, I’m definitely excited to see San Francisco’s park. And there are a few others I’ve heard are nice, like Milwaukee. There are a bunch of other places we’ll stop in between, like New Orleans, the Field of Dreams in Iowa, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I’m pretty much excited about every city I haven’t been to yet, and every stadium, as I know each one will be really unique.

It has to be pretty complicated to figure out the travel schedule. How do you make a plan like this?

All that credit should go to my dad. I remember when we were first thinking about the plan, I had my computer out and he had his, and we would look at the schedule on the MLB website. I would list, day-by-day, which teams are home and he would make a little spreadsheet to figure out which order we could go. My dad definitely figured out the best routes to take. We have three big trips planned where the teams line up well….It was definitely tough. For cities with multiple teams like Chicago and LA and NY (well, not NY, since we live in that area), we had to make sure to choose back-to-back days when the teams would switch being home, because they’re not usually home at the same time.

This is a big commitment with a lot of baseball. What do you like about baseball? After all, some people find it boring to spend three hours at one game, let alone this many games.

I hate hearing that. I’ve played baseball pretty much all my life, and I think anyone who plays will appreciate it more than anyone who hasn’t. I appreciate how much skill is needed for every aspect, from fielding to pitching to hitting. Think about hitting: It’s the hardest thing to do in all of sports, where succeeding 3 in 10 times is considered good. That’s something you can’t take for granted.

What about watching baseball live?

It’s just a completely different atmosphere. I can watch it on television all day long, but being in the stadium seeing it live—I don’t want to be cliché—but it’s America’s pastime. What’s exciting is the whole environment…everyone interested in the same thing, especially when it’s the team you’re rooting for.

What’s been especially interesting or unique?

Fenway Park. How old it is, how much history it has—it’s 100 years old this year—the whole layout of it. How it’s right in the middle of the city…that’s one of the coolest things about it I love. In Baltimore, it’s the warehouse in right field, which is such a staple landmark of the ballpark and the city, too. It’s cool to see how big of a factor a baseball stadium is in a city, and how people love to appreciate their stadium.

This is your first trip to Safeco Field. What excites you?

It’s the first stadium with a retractable roof, so that will be really interesting to see. I can’t really tell from television how high it is, and I think no one’s ever hit the roof. I’d love to see how the roof actually retracts, how that technology really works. How did they get to the point of making that?

Even though they haven’t been the best team over the past decades —maybe I shouldn’t say that here—I’m looking forward to seeing the Mariners. I’m really excited to see Felix Hernandez pitch. And Ichiro. I always appreciate how hard of a worker he is and I think it will be great to see him play. You and I saw him together when the Mariners came to play in New York, and I remember you pointed out how he’s always stretching between every single pitch and getting ready for whatever happens next. That’s something I really appreciate, especially compared to many American professional athletes.

As a food writer, I’m curious about the food at the ballparks. What’s been interesting?

Food is my favorite part of this experience. At the New York Yankees game, I had an awesome prime rib sandwich which was amazing. But the thing that grossed me out and made me curious about the taste was the Yankee Donut Burger. It’s a cheeseburger patty but instead of a bun there are two glazed doughnuts. Unfortunately, I was already full, otherwise I would have loved to try it. I’ll have to go back to Yankee Stadium to eat it. And it’s not just the food at the parks. We try to get a little bit of the city into each visit, so in Baltimore we stopped to get blue crabs after the game. We were there for almost two hours eating two dozen crabs covered in Old Bay seasoning, and that was some of the best food of the trip so far.

What do you find yourself learning most during this trip?

I’m learning to appreciate the game for what it is, more than just rooting for a specific team.

Post-game postscript from Seattle: How was Safeco?

Even though the stadium was almost completely empty, I still got the feeling of intense devotion from a good number of the fans, especially the “King’s Court” crowd [of Felix fans], which was pretty fun to watch. And it was awesome to get a chance to see the roof actually retract…I’ve never seen such a massive piece of machinery move like that…that was definitely my favorite aspect of the stadium itself. And as for the food, I had to wait until the later innings because of how full I was from dinner at your house, but I tried a grilled salmon sandwich from Ivar’s which was surprisingly great.

And my own postscript: These guys were lucky enough to be at the stadium in San Francisco last night watching Matt Cain throw a perfect game!

Photos courtesy of Scott and Kyle Friedman.

Business, News, Sports

Wedge/Hernandez Comedy Team Returns in New Mariners Commercials

The Seattle Mariners and their ad agency, Copacino+Fujikado, are back with a new round of funny commercials highlighting members of the team.

The winning combo, once again, comes from the comedy team of Felix Hernandez and Eric Wedge. When last we saw them, straight man Wedge was dealing with Hernandez’ comical attempts to pitch more frequently. Now we find Wedge, once again showing a deft straight man touch, as goofy Hernandez shows off his new hobby. (And, yes, Larry is back, if briefly.)

Eric Wedge, comedy genius. Who knew?

Four other commercials round out the set, of which I judge the best to be “Impressions,” featuring Brendan Ryan and Ichiro. This commercial is worth watching if only to hear how Tennessee-born reliever George Sherrill pronounces “Brad Pitt.” I always thought “Brad Pitt” was a two-syllable name but apparently there are about 9, when the deep-voice Sherrill lets loose his drawl. George Sherrill may have a future as a villain on Justified.

Watch all the commercials (and a blooper reel) here!

News, Sports

Ichiro in a Nosedive

Ichiro at bat

Last Friday, I went around the office and gave seven random people a simple prompt: “Name a player on the Mariners.” The responses:

1 – “Ichiro.”
2 – “Ichiro!”
3 – “Ichiro.”
4 – “Does Erik Bedard still pitch for the Mariners? I was purposefully not saying Ichiro.”
5 – “Alex Rodriguez? The Mariner Moose?”
6 – “Isn’t there some guy named Felix Hernandez?”
7 – “Ichiro.”

For most Seattleites–and especially for casual fans–Ichiro is the Mariners. Certainly he has been one of the few seaworthy salts on the ship, with enough Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers in his 11-year Mariner career to turn a pirate green. Or a Pirate. This season, though, Ichiro has been titanic. I mean, Titanic.

After an Ichiro-like April, the hit king’s production has plummeted. Coming into the season, Ichiro had a career .331 batting average–that is, non-sports-fans, he got a hit in 33 percent of his at bats. This year, Ichiro’s batting average is just .262. More ominously, he doesn’t have a single home run.

Power comes from bat speed, and Ichiro’s homerlessness indicates that his bat may be slowing. A slower bat doesn’t just keep your fly balls in the park, it also sucks the sting from your line drives. Which brings us to another troubling stat: Ichiro’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP). This stat tells us how well a hitter does when he hits the ball at fielders (that is, when he doesn’t hit a home run or strike out). Ichiro, because of his speed and scorching line drives, is usually near the top of the league. This year he’s sixty points below his career average.

Sometimes, cratering BABIP indicates a player is just having bad luck. (As Kevin Costner’s Crash Davis put it in Bull Durham: “Baseball is a lot like life. The line drives are caught, the squibblers go for base hits.”) But other times, as in the case of former Mariner Richie Sexson, it indicates a toxic loss of bat speed. And for Ichiro, who gets many hits by beating the tardy throws of infielders, it may indicate that his foot speed is declining as well.

Enough tacking, let’s get down to it: Is Ichiro finished? Of course, there’s no way to tell.

In July of 1995, the 38-year-old future Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor was hitting just .224, more than 80 points below his career average. Molitor was openly considering retirement. The next year, after signing with his hometown Minnesota Twins for what was expected to be a one-year farewell tour, Molitor batted .341 and smacked 225 hits, the most in his MLB career.

At age 36, future Hall-of-Famer (and former Walla Walla Padre!) Tony Gwynn hit just 3 home runs, his worst output in 13 seasons. The next year a 37-year-old Gwynn pounded 17 home runs, a career-high. He then totaled double-digit homers at age 38 and 39.

Then again, there’s Pete Rose, who suffered his power outage at age 38. Rose went into a slow decline from there, holding a job mostly because of reputation and his ongoing (ultimately successful) chase of Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record.

I think Ichiro is going to pull out of this slump. He’s in terrific shape, and we’ve seen players like that last longer and longer in baseball. He seems to be heating up, with two hits in each of the past four games. Still, there’s no Doppler radar for the rough seas of the baseball world. We’ll all just have wait and see what’s over the next wave.

News, Sports

Debate Rages: What Are the Mariners Worst At?

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It's certainly not Felix's fault. All he needed against the A's last night is one run.

Sitting at a Mariners game, watching the players’ averages flash on the scoreboard as they come to bat, you might be excused for believing that poor hitting is to blame for the Mariners’ league-worst 7-13 record. Starters Chone Figgins, Jack Cust, and Miguel Olivo are all hitting below .200, and even Ichiro is batting an underwhelming (for him) .274.

Hold on, buster. Those who follow baseball full-time say that scoring runs isn’t the biggest problem. What about pitching with runners on base? Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariners writes that M’s pitchers are doing a terrible job of clutch pitching, allowing 40 percent of runners who reach base to score. But Cameron says that this number isn’t “predictive,” meaning that it may just be the product of bad luck.

What’s not bad luck is the Mariners’ defensive performance. The Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker whips out some advanced baseball stats showing that the M’s have the worst defense in the league. Clearly, concludes Baker, the team misses centerfielder Franklin Gutierrez, winner of a Gold Glove last season, who hasn’t played yet due to a mysterious stomach illness.

Other culprits abound: Starting pitcher Erik Bedard is 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA. Relievers Josh Lueke and Chris Ray, expected to be the primary set-up men, have been even more atrocious, combining to allow 19 runs in just 10.2 innings pitched. And nothing has been done to reverse the Curse of Pete O’Brien, which I just made up so this paragraph would have the three sub-points my 11th-grade history teacher Mr. Creighton always insisted on.

Hitting, fielding, starting pitching, relieving. All bad. The only thing the Mariners are doing right is beyond the fences, at the new “The Pen” food court and patio just over the left-centerfield fence. It’s pleasantly lit, spacious, permits close-up views of both bullpens and has a huge variety of beer and food. I recommend the 1/3-lb., grass-fed beef burger at Ethan Stowell’s Hamburg and Frites. Just $8.50! And the best part is this: From most of the tables, you can’t see the game.

News, Sports

Five Reasons Why Mariners Games Will Suck Less This Year

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You’ve been going to fewer Mariner games the last several years, haven’t you? No, I’m not psychic, I just extrapolated from the Mariners’ total home attendance numbers. To wit:

Mariners Attendance 2002-2010

Like any business that puts out an increasingly inferior product, the Mariners have seen their customer base drop along with their win total. Who wants to go see a losing team? Much less a boring one: Even us serious baseball fans like a home run now and again, and the Mariners failed to homer in 52 of their 81 home games last year.

But behold! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people! That is, five ways in which 2011 Mariner games will be better than 2010 Mariner games.

1) The Offense Is Better
The Mariners did not spend wildly on a big-name free agent this offseason. Instead, they made a few small moves to upgrade their offense at catcher, designated hitter, and shortstop. And last year’s big ticket free agent, Chone Figgins, is bound by the laws of regression toward the mean to improve on his dismal 2010 performance.

2) One of the Most Exciting Rookies in Baseball
Just reading the numbers about Michael Pineda is fun. He’s 6-foot-5, 255 lbs. He can throw a baseball 98 mph. He’s only 22 years old. So I’m really looking forward to seeing this mountain of a young adult unleash his prodigious talent on the American League this season. Pineda was supposed to start the season in the minors, but after striking out 15 batters in 17 spring innings, he won the 5th starter job. Next Tuesday night Pineda makes his major league debut against the AL champion Rangers, and it will be one of the most-watched games by the national baseball cognoscenti.

3) A Fun New In-Joke/Meme!
If you haven’t seen the new Mariners commercial with Felix Hernandez, go watch it. It’s for real funny. I’ll wait.

Okay. Ha! Right? “Larry Bernandez.” And it’s already becoming a meme. There’s a Larry Bernandez Twitter feed, calls for a Larry Bernandez bobblehead, and I’m working on a T-shirt. (Really!) Rally fries has gotten old, and “Two Outs. So What?” is a distant memory. We needed something fun like “Fear the Beard” for Giants fans last year.

4) Balls Hit to Centerfield Will Be…Interesting
Gold Glove winning centerfielder Franklin Gutierrez will start the season on the disabled list with…well, nobody knows. Gutierrez has suffered from stomach pain since last summer, and M’s doctors still don’t know why. (Though they have presumably ruled out pregnancy.) This means that Michael Saunders and Ryan Langerhans, who are about as likely to mount a successful Gold Glove candidacy as Larry Craig is to mount a successful Republican one, will share the centerfield duties. The Mariners have been blessed with fantastic centerfield play over the past two decades, from Ken Griffey Jr. to Mike Cameron to Randy Winn to Ichiro to Gutierrez. Until Gutierrez is healthy, all balls hit to centerfield will be a little adventure, like letting a ten-year-old drive.

5) Ichiro Marches On
Okay, okay, this isn’t new, but Ichiro still is one of the few baseball players on the planet who you stop to watch hit every time. When I’m at M’s games, I plan my bathroom trips around his at bats (sometimes with hilarious consequences!). Seriously, he truly is one of the most remarkable players in baseball history. As unlucky as we are to have endured nine post-season-less years, at least we have him.

So, there you go. I’d tell you to jump on the bandwagon, but I don’t think there really is one yet. More of a Radio Flyer. The M’s begin their 2011 season Friday night in Oakland. Opening Day at Safeco is a week from Friday (the 8th), and there are 83 home games after that. Good seats still available!