Tag Archives: Seattle Mariners

Former Sonics Fans Pick: Nostalgia or Actual Basketball?

Among people who used to attend Sonics games, there were two general groups: Fans of basketball, and fans of the Sonics. Both felt the sting of the team’s departure, but the former group of fans have continued to follow the NBA just as passionately. The latter group follows the NBA with about as much passion as they follow Major League Lacrosse.

Two events in the next ten days should be getting both groups of fans’ mesh shorts in a bunch. This Saturday is the Hoops 206 Charity Basketball Classic, an exhibition at KeyArena that will pit Seattle’s best against a roster of current NBA players.

Then, on July 29 (that’s a week from Friday), the Mariners will host Sonics Celebration Night at Safeco Field, with a pre-game ceremony featuring more than 20 former Sonics.

Both events have attracted big name participants. The charity game has Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford, and Isaiah Thomas playing with the Seattle team, and Michael Beasley, Brandon Jennings, and Klay Thompson going for “The League.”

The Sonics Celebration will be MCed by former Supes play-by-play man Kevin Calabro, with appearances by stars from all eras of the Sonics’ existence, including Gary Payton, Dale Ellis, Gus Williams, and Spencer Haywood.

So which kind of fan are you? For those who just love basketball, seeing NBA players up close again at extremely reasonable prices ought to be the most appealing. For those diehard Sonics lovers, reveling in the team’s glory years (for around the same cost) is more of a draw.

I would probably choose the charity game, but I’ll be out of town this weekend. My basketball fix for the next 10 days will be cheering on the Storm this Thursday night against San Antonio (very reasonable tickets available for this event as well). The Storm went 0-3 on their recent road trip, they could use some home crowd love.

Among my own friends (mid-30s, raised in Seattle), seems like the Sonics Celebration Night is generating the most interest. One friend, a former Sonics season ticket holder, is organizing a group to go.

The Hoops 206 Charity Game FB page has 1,325 fans, none of whom are friends of mine. Possibly that crowd will be younger, or made up of transplants. Or people who want to donate to the nascent A Plus Youth Program headed by Seattle native and Lakeside High coach Tavio Hobson.

If none of this appeals to you, you might consider checking out the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am League, where you can sometimes see incredible sights like UW recruit Tony Wroten breaking John Wall down off the dribble. The league plays most weekend days from now through August at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls club. Check the league’s Facebook page before you go for updated schedules.

Charity games, pro-ams, celebrations and the Storm. Seems like in Seattle, basketball is now a summer sport.

It’s True! Mariners on Another Winning Streak

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: After winning six games in a row, the Mariners are just one game below .500 and…ah–stop, you say?

The Mariners started the season by losing 11 of their first 15 games. “Barely two weeks into the year, the Mariners (have) already basically played their way out of possible contention,” wrote stellar M’s blogger Jeff Sullivan.

Not so fast! After a scolding from new manager Eric Wedge, the M’s won 12 of their next 18. On May 6, the M’s were just one game below .500. You started getting emails and texts from your friends about the team again. Lunchtime conversations with co-workers went from containing the phrase “maybe next year” to the phrase “if we could just get one more hitter…” In short, hope had returned to the 2011 Mariners season.

Then they lost six games in a row. Back to lamentation and imprecation.

But now, behind a streak of starting pitching excellence not seen in 20 years, the Mariners have ripped off another six-game winning streak. Last night’s win against Minnesota was the biggest thrill–down 7-4 in the eighth inning, the M’s clawed back to tie the game in the 9th, and win it in the 10th.

Once again, the M’s are a game below par at 23-24. Better yet, they’re just 1.5 games back of division-leading Texas in the mediocre American League West.

Young pitching phenom Michael Pineda tries to extend the M’s winning streak. The 22-year-old gentle giant has been the best of the M’s starters, with 16 strikeouts and 0 runs allowed in his past two starts. The game is at 5:10 p.m.

Debate Rages: What Are the Mariners Worst At?

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.

Hope Notes: Michael Pineda Debuts for Mariners

Comet Tavern Watches Michael Pineda Debut
Comet Tavern Watches Michael Pineda Debut

First, the facts: 22-year-old Michael Pineda pitched his first major league game tonight in Texas. He started, threw 6 innings, allowed 3 runs (all earned), and 5 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 1. He threw 85 pitches, about 60 percent fastballs, 30 percent sliders, and 10 percent change ups.

Now, the impressions. Michael Pineda dominated Texas for five innings tonight, firing 94-97 mph fastballs past what’s maybe the best lineup in the major leagues. He would’ve held the Rangers hitless his first time through the lineup had his centerfielder not misjudged a fly ball. He spotted his fastball well, and had enough confidence in his slider to throw it on full counts. He absolutely clowned 2010 MVP Josh Hamilton on a change up in the first inning. Michael Pineda’s change up is his third-best pitch, and he struck out last year’s MVP on it. Michael Pineda’s future is bright.

I watched the game at the Comet Tavern, the generations-old bar on Capitol Hill. A small cluster of us were bellied up to the bar for the first pitch at 5:05, chatting about Pineda. Seventy years ago, the same bar probably heard a similar conversation about Franklin High star Fred Hutchinson, who debuted with the Tacoma Rainiers at age 18 in 1938. Forty years ago, flies on the wall would’ve heard fellas assessing the chances of Seattle Pilots opening day starter Marty Pattin. Five years ago, the talk would’ve been about Felix Hernandez, the last Mariner pitcher anyone gathered to watch.

“I hope his nickname doesn’t become piñata,” joked one barfly. Might could if Pineda faces only lefties, if I may return to serious baseball analysis. After an encouraging start against lefty Hamilton in the 1st inning, Pineda allowed an RBI triple to lefty Mitch Moreland in the 2nd (the aforementioned misplay, but it was hit to the deepest part of center field), a double to Moreland in the 5th, and an RBI double to Josh Hamilton in the 6th.

What became clear is that Pineda does not yet have the variety of pitches to defeat quality major league hitters. Good to great hitters will be able to sit on Pineda’s fastball and hit it hard. But most major leaguers won’t. So Pineda should be an effective fifth starter. If he develops his secondary pitches–that is, gets to the point where he can reliably throw them for strikes–he can be the M’s second ace.

Interesting to compare Pineda’s first start with Felix Hernandez’ six years ago. Like Pineda, Hernandez pitched well enough to win, but was sabotaged by a substandard offense. The Mariners had a small rally going in the 7th inning–down one run, bases loaded with one out–when “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” came on the Comet iPod queue. We didn’t get what we wanted: Chone Figgins blooped softly to short and Milton Bradley lined out. This left Pineda in line for the loss–the game’s outcome at time of posting was still in doubt.

19-year-old Felix Hernandez threw 81 pitches in his major league debut. He started, threw 5 innings, allowed 2 runs (1 earned), and 3 hits. He struck out 4 and walked 2. He threw 81 pitches. Of course, you know the rest of the story–so far. Can’t wait to watch Pineda write his.

UPDATE: We lost.