thoughts on the Mariners, MLB draft, and more homelinksdraftabout me

Japan Series Recap

I like to write a game recap for the season opener. This isn't a blog that really does game-by-game analysis, but one game out of the year is fun. With a couple games (both in the wee hours of the morning), why not recap the "series" as a whole? Here are some unassorted bullet points, particularly if these games were just box scores for you:

Non-Roster Race 2012 - Final Prices

Six weeks ago, I debuted the non-roster invitee fantasy challenge. It's time to wrap it up. Here are the final prices, with change from the opening price in parentheses:

The Difference Between Roger Goodell and Bud Selig

A recent story in sports has the hamster wheel in my head spinning and it has nothing to do with baseball.

The story involves NFL coaches and administrators with the New Orleans Saints instilling a bounty program that paid players thousands in bonuses for injuring opposing stars. In recent days, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell brought the hammer down on those involved. He suspended the Saints head coach, Sean Payton for a whole season without pay, General Manager Mickey Loomis for eight weeks of the regular season, former assistant coach Joe Vitt six games, and suspended defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely.

I want to reiterate that last one, Goodell basically banned defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for as long he sees fit. This is the equivalent to Pete Rose or the Black Sox being banned from baseball. He may well have coached his last NFL game. Williams isn't even with the Saints' organization anymore, so the team he was set to coach with this year, the St Louis Rams, will have to suffer without him. That how serious Goodell is about punishing those involved.

Podcast I

Yes, the inaugural Seattle Mariners Musings podcast is worthy of a roman numeral! My good friend Allen Schliebe joined me a few weeks ago to record this podcast (and another one coming in the near future). He will be joining the Musings as a contributor, and his first piece of writing will hit the blog in a matter of hours! In the meantime, check out the podcast at this link. A podcast feed and an iTunes listing are still to come (hopefully in the near future). Podcast recorded March 12, 2012.

UPDATE (4/1/2012): Podcasts are on iTunes! Also, you can listen to the podcast with the media player below:

Expand Free Agency

The hot, new trend in baseball is to sign guys super young.

The Indians signed Grady Sizemore to a 6-year deal in 2006, with a team option in 2012 (that they ended up declining). At the time, the deal was the largest ever for a player with less than two years of experience.

Since Sizemore, several other young players inked big deals.

Non-Roster Race 2012 - Week 5

Five weeks ago, I debuted the non-roster invitee fantasy challenge. The Mariners a week away from Japan, and most of the non-roster invitees are in minor league camp. It is almost time to focus on the 25-man roster, but not quite yet! One more week remains after this one in the non-roster invitee fantasy challenge. See what the prices look like this week:

Non-Roster Race 2012 - Week 4


Four weeks ago, I debuted the non-roster invitee fantasy challenge. Prices continue to move, and promise to move much more with waves of roster cuts happening. Where do prices stand now?

Non-Roster Race 2012 - Week 3

Three weeks ago, I debuted the non-roster invitee fantasy challenge. Prices continue to move. With a couple games in the books, how do prices look?

Mariners Preview Podcast

Brian Sullivan over at fansportspodcast.com invited me to do a 2012 Mariners preview podcast. I'm thankful for the opportunity, and there is a good chance that I record more podcasts. Sullivan is in the process of recording previews for every MLB team, so check his site out for other, similar podcasts for other teams: