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NEWS CLIPS February 26, 2011

Smoak’s days of being a surprise about over Posted on February 25, 2011 by John Hickey SportsPressNW.com PEORIA, AZ – At this time last year, was working out about 10 miles down the road in the ’ camp in Surprise.

And there were not going to be any surprises in his Surprise sojourn. He was coming off his first full year in the Texas organization, he’d only played 54 games at -A and the Rangers’ offense seemed set.

So in the first week of March, he was reassigned to the club’s minor league organization and he prepared for a full season at Triple-A.

Then the surprises started happening, and they’ve never really stopped. Three weeks into the season, the Rangers found themselves in need of a left-hander with power who could play first base. On April 23, Smoak, a switch-hitter with most of his power from the left side, was called up.

He struggled a bit, but he was basically a regular in the lineup of a team in first place in the West. He played 70 games for the Rangers, .209 and hit eight homers in 235 at-bats.

Just when it seemed the April surprise might lead to a date in the postseason, fate jumped up and smacked Smoak again on July 9. The Rangers sent him and three Texas minor leaguers – and and infielder Matt Lawson — to Seattle with the Mariners surrendering pitchers and in return.

One day later, after having been introduced in Seattle as the power source the Mariners had been lacking, Smoak was in the Mariners’ starting lineup. In his first 10 days, he hit .296, drilled a couple of homers and seemed to be fitting in. Then the wheels came off. The next 10 days saw him go 2-for-36 (.056), and by the end of the month, he was back in the minor leagues.

Talk about mood swings. In a different persona, Smoak could have been Jeckyll and Hyde. But the yo-yo of the 2010 season doesn’t seem to have permanently impacted Smoak, who is in Peoria this time around as the de facto Mariner first baseman, although Smoak is the first to admit that he doesn’t see it that way.

“There are a lot of guys in camp who can play,’’ Smoak said Thursday. “I don’t know what will happen. But I know I have to prove myself here. I have to go out and fight for a job or I won’t have one.’’

It’s a good attitude, to be sure, but the reality is that the Mariners need Smoak as much as he needs them. The club needs for Smoak to have some success so the trade of former Cy Young Award winner Lee won’t down as another in a series snafus in Trade Central.

He’s a former No. 1 draft pick (11th choice overall in 2008) of the Rangers with a big home swing. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt about his power, but there is some question whether he has sufficient bat speed to successfully hit for a significant average. And there is no telling yet how good he will (or won’t) be at first base.

Page 1 of 26 Those first 20 days in a Seattle uniform were tough on Smoak, as indeed they likely would have been on anyone who’d just been traded for one of the best pitchers in the league.

“The whole season was kind of a shock in some ways,’’ Smoak said. “I wasn’t expecting a lot of what happened, from getting to the big leagues so quickly to being traded when I was. It wasn’t as good a year as I wanted.

“At the same time, I learned a lot about my body and about what it is going to take to play up here. I’d never played more than about 100 games in a season before being around for 162 last year. I wasn’t hurt, but I did get tired. I think my work this winter should make me more ready to play 162.’’

NOTES: Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez, who went back to Seattle Wednesday night for medical tests, should be back on the field Saturday. Seattle should get the results of most of the testing done on Gutierrez in an effort to isolate the problem that has led to him having continued stomach troubles. … The Mariners’ annual intrasquad game went to Team over Team Jack Wilson, 3-1. Ichiro had a couple of singles while Luis Rodriguez and Miguel Olivo had RBI doubles. … Although manager Eric Wedge said he wouldn’t be putting any plays on, the Mariners ran on their own, which might be a good recipe for the season. There were five steals, including two by left fielder Michael Saunders, two by the other left fielder, Milton Bradley, and a steal of third by catcher Olivo with a head-first slide. Wedge said wanted his team to be aggressive, and he had no problem with Olivo going head-first. “I don’t want to see them going head-first at first base or at home plate,’’ Wedge said. “You see some really nasty injuries that way. But on the bases, it’s OK.’’ … Reliever Dan Cortes was the only one of the 10 pitchers who didn’t get in a full inning. He reached his pitch limit (25) before getting there. … Cortes and Josh Lueke, two young pitchers trying to impress enough to make the opening day roster, had the most trouble Friday.

John Hickey is a Senior MLB Writer for AOL FanHouse (www.fanhouse.com)

Last updated February 25, 2011 3:14 p.m. PT Kennedy impresses Mariners facing up to arrest By TIM BOOTH AP SPORTS WRITER

PEORIA, Ariz. -- During the middle of the night, while waiting to be released from a jail cell, Adam Kennedy decided he wasn't going to run from his arrest for investigation of driving under the influence.

"Anything you do in life eventually it comes to the forefront. You have to talk about it," said Kennedy, who's trying to win a utility infielder job with the Seattle Mariners. "So let's just do it you know and get it out of the way and worry about baseball being here. It's been nice to not have to talk about it here at all, just baseball."

Kennedy finds himself in Mariners camp with a real shot at leaving Arizona with the big league club. He's a veteran, a former American League Championship Series MVP who can play three positions in an infield that needs a utility player.

But aside from what Kennedy can possibly provide on the field, the way he handled his arrest left his new club impressed.

"For him to stand up and face the music like he did, take full responsibility for his actions, he handled it as professionally as you can handle that circumstance," Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said.

Kennedy was arrested on Jan. 26 while driving home from dinner in Newport Beach, Calif. It came just 16 days after signing his deal with the Mariners - far from the best first impression to leave on a new ball club. Page 2 of 26

If being locked up until 6:24 a.m. was bad, Kennedy's day only got worse. He couldn't get in touch with Zduriencik, who was speaking at a Mariners pre-spring training luncheon. TMZ.com broke the news of Kennedy's arrest, splashing it across the front of its website before Kennedy spoke with his new GM.

Zduriencik was notified of the story only minutes before he was asked by reporters to comment.

"By the time I got up to my office I had a phone call from Adam Kennedy and I thought that said volumes about him," Zduriencik said.

Kennedy didn't stop there.

After apologizing profusely to Zduriencik, Kennedy took the step of calling all the reporters who cover the Mariners to speak about his arrest. He was candid and apologetic, repeatedly saying he made a mistake.

"I didn't really have to say a lot. He said it all. He said it to me. He knew the consequences. He knew he started off on the wrong foot," Zduriencik said. "He knew this was something that embarrassed the organization, so we talked about what he wanted to do about it and he said he wanted to stand up and be a man about this thing."

Kennedy's situation isn't completely resolved. He had a court appearance scheduled for earlier this week postponed. Asked how he thought Kennedy handled his arrest, Seattle manager Eric Wedge said, "we're beyond that."

"He's here to make a club and that's what we're focused on," he said.

And that's where Kennedy is focused as well. He's playing on a minor league deal for the first time in his career after bouncing between St. Louis, Washington and Oakland the last three seasons. A year ago with the Nationals, Kennedy hit .249 and drove in 31 runs. On the offensively challenge Mariners, those numbers would have ranked fifth in average and eighth in RBIs.

In the field, his versatility is important, having played 51 games at first base last season and 82 games at third base in 2009 to go along with his natural spot at second base. Who ends up at second base is one of the unknowns in Seattle's infield, with young star likely to begin the season in the minors to get more experience playing the position.

"This is my first minor league deal so it is interesting and there are some good players on the minor league deals," Kennedy said. "It's good competition."

NOTES: Seattle held its first intrasquad game on Friday, a 3-1 win for the team with Ichiro Suzuki as its leadoff hitter. Wedge said he liked the aggressiveness of his runners, who stole a total of five bases in the five-inning game, including two by Milton Bradley and two by Michael Saunders. Suzuki was the only player with more than one hit. ... CF Franklin Gutierrez was returning to Arizona on Friday after undergoing tests for continuing stomach issues back in Seattle. Wedge said they were hoping to have some of the test results Saturday.

Originally published February 25, 2011 at 6:08 PM | Page modified February 25, 2011 at 10:46 PM Pineda and Ackley living up to prospect billing Michael Pineda and infielder Dustin Ackley are expected to be with the Mariners sometime in 2011. By Geoff Baker Seattle Times staff reporter Page 3 of 26 PEORIA, Ariz. — Mariners pitching prospect Michael Pineda had a tougher time proving he belonged in high school than he's likely to face showing his worth in the big leagues.

By age 14, Pineda had experienced a growth spurt that saw him shoot up to 6 feet 3. His high-school classmates in the Dominican Republic town of Yaguate didn't waste time kidding him about it.

"They kept asking me 'Are you sure you're not too old for high school?' " Pineda said. "They said 'There's no way you're only 14. You're a grown man.' "

Indeed, the now 6-foot-5, 245-pounder, as well as his team's other top prospect, second baseman Dustin Ackley, have grown up fast.

Both Pineda and Ackley are close enough to being finished minor-league projects that there's talk of them making the Mariners straight out of spring training.

But while the consensus is they'll arrive in Seattle sometime in 2011, certain obstacles remain in their immediate path. For one thing, the two prospects, both in the starting lineups for an intrasquad game Friday, might be held back to avoid starting their major-league service clocks a year early.

If the Mariners don't promote Pineda, 22, or Ackley, 23, to the majors until at least three weeks after the season begins, they can't become six-year free agents before the end of 2017. But if they break camp with the team and stay all season, they'd gain a full year of service time and be eligible for free agency after 2016.

Also, by keeping them off the active roster until mid-May, the Mariners could avoid having them qualify for arbitration a year earlier than the three full seasons it's supposed to take. Players in the top 17 percent of service time get so-called "Super-Two" status and can go to arbitration after only two-plus seasons, potentially costing their teams millions.

Though the practice of holding prospects back for money reasons is widespread, teams seldom admit to it because it leaves a sour taste in the mouths of fans. They instead cite other factors, like on-field development issues, which tend to be inevitably solved come late May.

In Seattle's case, there is some merit to the development argument with Ackley and Pineda. It's commonly accepted that Ackley, an in college, is still learning second base and that Pineda needs to work on his and .

But that common wisdom might not hold much longer. Ackley was named the most valuable player of the recent with a .424 batting average and said he feels far more comfortable at second base than he did a year ago.

"I wasn't really comfortable with ground balls, plays, things like that," Ackley said. "But now I have a really good idea after playing that full season, in the (Arizona) Fall League. I feel more comfortable there now than I probably would at any other position."

Ackley said he still needs to get more comfortable at things like taking the double-play relay from third base and making his pivot.

But Mariners bench coach Robby Thompson, who doubles as the team's new infield instructor, said Ackley is more polished than he'd imagined.

Page 4 of 26 "We look for actions," Thompson said. "How his hands and feet move together. How he moves around. Obviously, the pivot. His arm strength on the pivot. How he works around the back (of second base). For me, he's ahead of the game compared to where I thought he might be."

For now, Thompson adds, it's just a matter of getting Ackley more game repetition so his fielding movements become automatic.

As for Pineda, who gave up a double in a scoreless inning of work in the intrasquad game, he's trying to take some speed off a changeup clocked as fast as 90 mph. Pineda said he's slowing his arm action down "just a little bit" this spring to get the changeup closer to 86 or 87 mph so there's a greater difference in speed from his .

"When my changeup is too hard, the hitters can hit it hard," he said.

But Mariners pitching coach Carl Willis said he's not as concerned about the changeup as he is about Pineda's slider.

"I know there was some thought that his changeup was maybe a little too firm," Willis said. "But when you can gun that fastball in there the way he does — he can get it up to 97 or 98 mph — then that's still enough of a difference to be effective."

Willis said he feels both of Pineda's top pitches are major-league ready. He's more concerned with getting better movement on Pineda's slider, giving him a third bona fide pitch.

Mariners manager Eric Wedge said Pineda and Ackley are "in the mix" for jobs and that the service time is not a factor. The bigger issues, he said, are related to development and also whether — all things being equal — sending the pair to AAA would allow the Mariners to keep one of their nonroster veteran invitees.

Adam Kennedy for instance, is a nonroster infielder the team would love to keep, but there's no room for him if Ackley is brought in. Kennedy also has an out-clause allowing him to become a free agent if he doesn't make the squad.

No matter what happens on opening day, most agree it's just a matter of time before Ackley and Pineda are in Mariners uniforms.

"I'm ready for it," Pineda said confidently. "I've been ready for it all of my life."

Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or [email protected].

Cust impresses teammates with outfield skills Mariners designated hitter prepared to roam grass if called upon By Greg Johns / MLB.com | 02/25/11 3:11 PM EST PEORIA, Ariz. -- Yes, Jack Cust does have a glove. And no, he doesn't mind using it.

The Mariners definitely signed the burly designated hitter for his bat, but the 6-foot-1, 247-pounder drew some "oohs" and "ahhs" from teammates this week when he showed off a pretty good arm during outfield drills.

Page 5 of 26 Cust has started 219 games in the outfield during his eight seasons in the big leagues, compared to 326 at designated hitter. He started just 14 times in the field last year in Oakland, but he started 50 times in '09 and 82 the year before. So while his new Seattle teammates hooted and hollered a bit when he flashed his arm strength -- Milton Bradley even went for a chest bump at one point as they took turns in left field -- Cust takes pride in being able to play when needed.

"I was a baseball player first," the 32-year-old said. "No matter where they put me, I'm going to give 100 percent. No way am I the greatest outfielder in the world, but I try my butt off to get as good as I can.

"There are going to be days when I'm out there and I feel comfortable out there. I've been playing in the outfield for 15 years now, so I should be OK. I'm no Gold Glover, that's for sure, but I make the plays and I've got a pretty good arm, pretty accurate."

Cust said he has always taken part in outfield drills to keep himself ready.

"Just because I DH, I still go out and get in all my work," he said. "Before the game, I act like I'm going to play in the outfield. Not as much during the season, I get a little different approach mentally as far as the DH kind of thing. I have to get into a different kind of zone. But when I'm playing the outfield, I get as much work in as I can out there. And Spring Training is the best time to do it."

Cust looks like he might be more of a first baseman with his burly build, but he hasn't played there since high school. He shifted to the outfield once he was drafted by Arizona with a late first-round pick in 1997, the same outfield where his father played for Seton Hall.

"First base is too close to the action for me," Cust said with a grin. "I let the ball slow down before I catch it. These are big boys hitting the ball."

If Cust does see any outfield time in Seattle, he'll be joined by Gold Glove winners Franklin Gutierrez and Ichiro Suzuki -- a fact that provides some comfort.

"That makes it easier, when you've only got to cover a little space," Cust said. "I told Guti, everything to my left I'm expecting you to catch. I got everything the other way. Unless you can run all the way over here and you can get that, too ..."

Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of or its clubs.

Mariners aggressive in first intrasquad game By Greg Johns / MLB.com | 02/25/11 8:41 PM EST PEORIA, Ariz. -- Intrasquad games serve a purpose for Major League teams. They get things started in the spring, let the nerves out for some youngsters and knock the rust off for veterans.

But they also pit teammates against each other. Thus a positive -- like five stolen bases for the Mariners in their five-inning game Friday on the main practice field at the -- also means five stolen bases surrendered.

And patient hitters drawing walks means your own hurlers throwing too many pitches. So manager Eric Wedge took the good with the bad after a 3-1 victory by a team with Ichiro Suzuki leading off against a squad with Jack Wilson atop the order.

Page 6 of 26 Not every position player got to bat, but at least all players were in the field for a half inning -- and some played the whole way. Among those who went all five innings was left fielder Milton Bradley, one of the aggressors as he went 1-for-2 with a walk while stealing two bases. Bradley also got thrown out at third after getting picked off by Tom Wilhelmsen and caught in a rundown in the final inning.

Michael Saunders, the youngster competing with Bradley for the starting job in left field, also stole two bases and singled, drew a walk and scored a run. Catcher Miguel Olivo had the other , taking third after doubling off rookie Josh Lueke to lead off the second inning.

"I liked the aggressiveness," Wedge said. "I don't want them to be afraid to make mistakes. They've got that freedom to be aggressive, as long as there is a thought process behind it and a mindset to what they're trying to do. We won't have, by any means, a 100 percent success rate, but I want them to have that approach."

Lueke and Dan Cortes, two young hurlers battling for bullpen roles, struggled with control. Cortes gave up a run on a single and two walks in the top of the second before his inning was stopped with two outs after he'd thrown his allotment of pitches.

"He tried to be a little quick out there, but that's why it's good to have that intrasquad and let them run through some of those feelings here in this environment and setting," Wedge said. "He'll be OK. He's been throwing the ball well."

Lueke allowed three hits -- doubles by Olivo and Luis Rodriguez and an infield single off his glove by Ichiro -- and two runs with one walk in the bottom of the second.

Wedge acknowledged both pitchers were probably pressing.

"I don't think that's out of the norm when young kids try to do a little too much, too early, or are a little bit amped out there," he said.

Two more youngsters fared better in their starting roles. Michael Pineda gave up a double to Justin Smoak, but he escaped the top of the first with just the single hit and recorded a .

Blake Beavan pitched the bottom of the first and allowed a leadoff single to Ichiro before getting on a flyout to center and striking out Bradley and Adam Kennedy.

And, yes, Ichiro did what Ichiro does, going 2-for-2 in his first spring showing.

Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Gutierrez returns after tests for stomach issue By Greg Johns / MLB.com | 02/25/11 8:41 PM EST PEORIA, Ariz. -- Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez returned to Arizona on Friday afternoon after flying to Seattle for tests on a lingering stomach issue, but manager Eric Wedge said he wouldn't have any information until all the results were in on Saturday.

Gutierrez was not back in time to take part in Friday's intrasquad game.

Page 7 of 26 The Gold Glove outfielder was bothered by stomach problems last season and missed two games at the end of the season, but offseason tests didn't reveal any answers. When the issue returned early in camp, the Mariners elected to have Gutierrez examined by doctors in Seattle.

Wedge doesn't think the issue is a major concern, but he said the team wanted to be "proactive" and see if a solution could be found now rather than waiting any longer.

Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Rizzs arrives at camp before games begin By Greg Johns / MLB.com | 02/25/11 8:41 PM EST PEORIA, Ariz. -- You know it must be getting close to game time when arrives. The Mariners broadcaster checked into the Peoria complex for the first time Friday in advance of Sunday's Spring Training opener against the Padres.

Rizzs, working without longtime partner for the first time, will call the action in Sunday's charity game on Mariners flagship station 710 ESPN Seattle as well as the entire Mariners radio network. First pitch will be 12:05 p.m. PT.

The Mariners are going with a seven-man rotation in the radio booth this year, with former Niehaus partners Ken Levin, Ken Wilson and and former Mariners Dave Valle, , and splitting time alongside Rizzs.

Dave Sims partners with Rizzs on radio for the early Spring Training games, including Sunday's opener. During the regular season, Sims and will be the primary television announcers.

Ken Griffey Jr. is also expected to pop into the booth at times, but he won't be one of the regular broadcasters.

Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Mariners hold annual Peoria FanFest on Saturday By Greg Johns / MLB.com | 02/25/11 8:41 PM EST PEORIA, Ariz. -- About half the Mariners squad will head over to Peoria Stadium for the first time on Saturday to work out and sign autographs at the annual Peoria FanFest.

The club will work out from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. PT, with autograph signing available starting at 10 a.m. Admission is free.

The Mariners are then scheduled to kick off their Spring Training schedule on Sunday at 12:05 p.m. PT in the annual charity game against the Padres at Peoria Stadium.

Sunday's forecast calls for a high of 53 degrees and a 20 percent chance of rain, but things should look up in the near future as the high Monday is projected at 64 degrees. The rest of the week should see temperatures in the upper 70s as Cactus League play gears up.

The Mariners have five home games in Peoria the first week, with the charity game Sunday, a rematch with the Padres on Monday, the Rangers on Tuesday, the Reds on Friday and the Indians on Saturday.

Page 8 of 26 Greg Johns is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB as well as his Mariners Musings blog. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Lots of running, not a lot of runs LARRY LARUE; Staff writer Published: 02/26/1112:05 am The Tacoma News Tribune PEORIA, Ariz. – If tie games are like kissing your sister, intrasquad games are like kissing your cat: It may please you for a few moments, but you’re glad there aren’t a lot of people around to see it.

In the only scheduled intrasquad game of the Seattle Mariners’ spring, Team Ichiro beat Team Jack Wilson, 3-1, on Friday, in a contest marked by baserunning, pitching and the occasional timely hit.

“We wanted to kick the dust off a little,” manager Eric Wedge said.

When that dust settled, 10 pitchers had worked in the five-inning affair – and 29 position players got on the field, if not to the plate.

Ichiro had two hits, including a leadoff single against rookie Blake Beavan, who all but tipped his cap afterward.

“My heart was pounding pretty good when I got out there and saw I had to face four big-league hitters right away,” Beavan said.

And Ichiro?

“I threw him a 0-2 change-up in the dirt – and he hit it for a single,” Beavan said. “That’s the guy I grew up watching.”

Yikes!

No one went deep, but there were extra-base hits: doubles by Miguel Olivo, Justin Smoak, Luis Rodriguez and Adam Moore. There were five stolen bases, two by Milton Bradley, two more by Michael Saunders and one – a steal of third base – by catcher Olivo.

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Wedge said. “We’re not going to do anything … halfway. Today, of course, for every stolen base we had a pitcher who wasn’t holding a runner on very well. That’s the flip-side of intrasquad games.”

Two of Seattle’s young pitchers, Josh Lueke and Dan Cortes, looked like pitchers trying to make the team immediately. Cortes worked two-thirds of an inning, then was pulled when he hit his pitch count of 25.

Lueke allowed three hits and a walk in his inning, allowing two runs and getting tagged with the loss.

Who pitched well? Michael Pineda, Beavan, Fabio Castro, Chaz Roe, Jose Flores, Yoervis Medina and Tom Wilhelmsen each threw shutout innings.

No Mariner other than Ichiro had more than one hit.

GUTIERREZ UPDATE Page 9 of 26

Franklin Gutierrez flew back to Arizona on Friday, though not in time to visit camp. He’s expected in this morning, and the team hopes to get test results from his stomach exams in Seattle.

SHORT HOPS

Between innings, Ichiro trotted to the dugout, then leaned on the fence in front of it and stood without speaking to anyone. After one inning, he sat alone with his back against the fence. … During bunting drills, rookie outfielder Greg Halman – best known for home runs and – was as deft as almost anyone at laying down bunts. Only Michael Saunders looked better. … Rick Rizzs became the first member of Seattle’s broadcast team to come into camp. Rizzs and his mates will broadcast Sunday’s charity exhibition game with the Padres at noon (PST) on 710-AM. …

How rare was Olivo’s stolen base? Not very – he has 44 in his big-league career and 63 in his minor-league career, and he is considered by Wedge to be one of the best-running catchers in the game, even at age 32. … Wilhelmsen, the rookie right-hander trying to come back after five years away from the game, walked one batter and struck out two in the fifth inning. … Adam Kennedy started the game hitting fourth and playing first base for Team Ichiro – the first time in his career he has batted cleanup. … Today is Fanfest in Peoria, and the Mariners will work out from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Peoria Stadium, with fans admitted free.

[email protected] blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners

Published: Saturday, February 26, 2011 As games begin, Rizzs feels loss of Niehaus By Kirby Arnold, Everett Herald Writer PEORIA, Ariz. — Rick Rizzs sat at a picnic table at the Seattle Mariners' spring training complex Friday morning and looked toward the clubhouse.

“I still think he's going to walk through that door,” he said.

Nearly four months since longtime Mariners play-by-play broadcaster Dave Niehaus died, there's still a sense of disbelief.

“There are times when I don't really think he's gone,” said Rizzs, who was Niehaus' play-by-play partner for 25 years. “There are times when I want to pick up the phone and say, ‘Let's go to breakfast.'”

Friday was one of the tougher days.

Rizzs, play-by-play man and producer-engineer Kevin Cremin spent their first day at spring training Friday as they prepare for 20 spring training broadcasts. The first will be the exhibition opener Sunday against the .

“It's time to play some baseball,” Rizzs said.

Then he paused and his voice got a little weak as he thought of Niehaus.

“It's going to be strange,” Rizzs said. “His stamp is on everything. He was the best at what he did. He breathed life into this organization from Day 1. It's such a huge loss.”

Page 10 of 26 Niehaus had been with the Mariners since the franchise began in 1977. Rizzs joined him in 1983 and, except for three years in the 1990s when he broadcast Detroit Tiger games, had been at Niehaus' side in the Mariners' booth.

Niehaus, 75, died Nov. 10 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Bellevue. Rizzs will be the lead play-by- play voice for nearly all radio games in the regular season with several others who've called Mariners games over the years — Ron Fairly, Ken Levine, Ken Wilson, Jay Buhner, Dan Wilson, Dave Valle and Dave Henderson — joining him through the season. Sims will handle TV duties with Mike Blowers.

“I feel like I lost my best friend, my mentor. He was my rock,” Rizzs said. “He was always there for me and he was always there for the fans every day. Nobody painted a better picture than he did. To hear his booming voice and his jokes, he just made everything about this fun.”

For the first time since the Mariners held their first spring training in Tempe, Ariz., in 1977, Niehaus isn't with the team.

“We've done a lot of mourning back in November and December, and rightly so,” Rizzs said. “But during that time I always thought about this. We felt the pain and the sorrow in November when we found out he passed away, and then (at) the memorial on Dec. 11. But this is where we're going to feel the loss.”

Rizzs knows he'll be struck by reminders of Niehaus and their time together throughout the season.

Friday was one of those days, especially early in the morning when he sat at the picnic table outside the Mariners' clubhouse. That's where he and Niehaus would sit nearly every morning, reading newspapers and talking about baseball, their families and their baseball families.

“The hurt's going to be there every time we go someplace familiar,” Rizzs said.

Peoria Stadium on Sunday will be one of those places. It's where the Mariners begin their exhibition schedule in a game against the San Diego Padres, and it's a time when Niehaus has always delivered the opening words of the season.

“When you'd hear Dave's voice — ‘Hi everybody, welcome to Peoria, Ariz., for the start of a brand-new season.' — he gave us hope,” Rizzs said. “He would open it up and talk about the beauty of the desert and the rites of spring, the blooming of the cactus and the blooming of the players. He tied everything in. That was his beauty.”

Rizzs hopes his introduction to the fans Sunday will be a thoughtful tribute to his friend.

“The first thing I'm going to say is something to the effect that for the past 34 years, nobody painted a better picture than Dave Niehaus, talking about the ice-blue sky, the pinks, oranges and the purple hues of the horizon over Camelback Mountain. That's what I'm going to talk about, how great he was at setting the scene and making you see everything through your imagination. Nobody did it better than he did.

“I'm going to say that for the first time in 35 years, we're going to have to write a new chapter in baseball without one of the greatest announcers of all-time. This is where it all started right here, in the desert, feeling the warmth of the Arizona breeze. I can just feel it, everything that he said.

“How do you replace somebody who's irreplaceable? You can't do it. We're going to try our best. He left us with a lifetime of memories for 34 years, and I'm never going to forget him.”

Page 11 of 26 Published: Saturday, February 26, 2011 M’s play intrasquad game By Kirby Arnold, Everett Herald Writer PEORIA, Ariz. — In the Seattle Mariners first game of 2011, a five-inning intrasquad, the Mariners pulled off something Friday that came so hard to them in 2010.

They put runners on third base with less than two outs and scored them in what became a 3-1 victory by “Team Ichiro.”

Brendan Ryan hit a sacrifice fly and Luis Rodriguez an RBI double in the bottom of second inning, and Adam Moore hit an RBI double in the bottom of the third. Those runs followed Josh Wilson’s sacrifice fly in the top of the second for the “Team Jack Wilson” squad.

The Mariners weren’t bashful about taking an extra base or stealing one in order to set up scoring opportunities. The two squads stole five bases, including two each by Milton Bradley and Michael Saunders. Even catcher Miguel Olivo had a steal, swiping third base in the bottom of the second.

“I like the aggressiveness,” manager Eric Wedge said. “I don’t want them to be afraid to make mistakes. They’ve got that freedom to be aggressive.”

Right-hander Michael Pineda, competing for a spot in the rotation, pitched a scoreless first inning, allowing only a two-out double to Justin Smoak.

Right-hander Blake Beavan gave up a leadoff single to Suzuki in the first inning before retiring the next three, including Bradley and Adam Kennedy on strikeouts. Suzuki hit an ankle-high 0-2 changeup for a single, leaving Beavin so bewildered at giving up a hit on such a good pitch that pitching coach Carl Willis talked with him after the inning.

“Carl told him, ‘There’s only one guy in baseball who can do that and he’s on our team, so you’re OK,’” Wedge said.

Two hard-throwing bullpen hopefuls, Dan Cortes and Josh Lueke, wobbled. Cortes allowed one hit, two walks and a run in the top of the third, which was ended after two outs because he’d reached his pitch limit. Lueke allowed three hits, a walk and two runs in the bottom of the second.

Crutchless

Mariners closer David Aardsma walked into the Mariners’ clubhouse Friday morning and realized something. He’d left his crutches in his car.

Aardsma had used those crutches ever since surgery Jan. 3 to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. This week, however, he has depended on them less and less, and Friday he walked without them or any noticeable limp.

Asked if this has made him think more about throwing, Aardsma answered before the question was finished.

“I’ve never stopped thinking about throwing,” he said.

No firm date has been set for that because Aardsma must strengthen the leg.

“We want to make sure I’m strong and get the muscle developed so I don’t hurt it trying to rotate,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of strengthening stuff, one-legged things, lots of rotational stuff.” Page 12 of 26

Weight loss, power gain

First baseman weighed in at 209 pounds this week, the first time in a long time that he’s been less than 210 and a significant loss from the 225 pounds he weighed at spring training last year.

It’s early, but Carp says he already has noticed a difference in how his body feels after the first few days of camp. He hasn’t experienced the soreness or sluggishness that can happen when players are on the hard fields for the first time since the previous season, and he has noticed a difference during batting practice.

“It’s helped me at driving the ball to all fields,” he said. “I was a one-dimensional (pull) hitter last year, but I feel like I’m able to use the whole field now.”

Of note

Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez flew back to Arizona on Friday after being in Seattle on Thursday for tests on his troublesome stomach. Wedge said the team didn’t expect tests results until late Friday or today. ... Wedge won’t announce the pitchers for Sunday’s spring opener against the Padres until today. It won’t be Felix Hernandez or Jason Vargas, both being brought along slowly to protect their workload going into the season. ... The Mariners will split their team into two groups today, half of them working out in Peoria Stadium at the annual spring training FanFest, and the other half working out on their practice fields.

Read Kirby Arnold’s blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com/marinersblog and follow his Twitter updates on the team at @kirbyarnold.

Spring training ignites hope of baseball fans, Peoria officials by Sonu Munshi - Feb. 25, 2011 11:16 AM The Arizona Republic

One look at the Peoria Sports Complex's parking lot this week confirms what rolls around for one month starting at the end of February.

It's spring-training season for the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. As license plates show, fans from Washington and California are arriving to watch their favorites out of the 15 teams that make up the Valley's Cactus League.

Blogger Jeff Engels, who visited Peoria for the first time last year, flew in again this week from Seattle to enjoy the Arizona sunshine, catch some players up close and share his experiences online.

"It's like Disneyland for baseball fans," Engels said.

Peoria officials would love to reap the benefits of that kind of excitement.

Complex manager Chris Easom said tickets sold as of Tuesday were down 2 percent from last year, but season passes had climbed.

As of Tuesday, the Mariners had sold 699 season passes, 11 more than in 2010. The Padres were up to 188, compared with 166 last year.

Page 13 of 26 Easom said he's not too concerned about the dip in single-ticket sales as he has noticed more fans buy tickets on the day they attend a game.

In 2010, he said five games had more than 3,000 "walk-up" sales.

He speculated the increase comes as people more carefully price out their entertainment dollars and "realize how cheap watching a game can be, even compared to a movie."

Individual tickets cost between $6 and $23. Prices have not changed since 2008.

Easom expects to "pack the lawn" on Saturdays and during spring break, because, he said, "Spring training isn't just about the game."

"People come out to watch the game, enjoy the sun and just hang out," he said.

The city has lined up several special promotions to attract crowds - dogs included. Game-goers can bring their dogs to the game on March 6. Last year's dog day drew about 40 canines.

Popcorn lovers can gobble up 130-ounce bucket of popcorn for $5. "That's the biggest popcorn offering in the entire league," Easom said.

This is the second time in Peoria for Seattle residents Evelyn and Earl Robinson, huge Mariners fans, naturally. They said they appreciate the "well-maintained" fields. Their only quibble was that the walk from the parking lot to the fields is too long for the elderly or disabled.

"I wish it would be made more accessible," Evelyn Robinson said.

Others such as Charlie Taylor of Utah, at the complex with his sons, ages 6 and 8, described the facility as "fantastic."

Surprise resident Charlotte Porter said the newer ballpark in her hometown is "breathtakingly beautiful," but the Peoria complex has aged well. The ballpark off 83rd Avenue opened in 1994, the West Valley's first spring- training facility.

It was the first ballpark to host two teams, a trend that caught on with facilities that followed.

The Peoria complex holds the record for the top-attended game in the 2010 season between the Cubs and the Mariners, drawing 13,629 fans. It recorded the second-highest season attendance at 200,029, behind Camelback Ranch-Glendale.

Easom hopes to hit the 200,000 mark again this year.

February 25, 2011 at 2:34 PM Intrasquad final: Team Ichiro 3, Team Jack Wilson 1 Posted by Geoff Baker Seattle Times Blog The video above is not from today's intrasquad game. It's yesterday's video of Felix Hernandez throwing a live batting practice session. Took me two days to get it uploaded because of technical issues, but is worth the wait given the camera angles and proximity.

Page 14 of 26 Also, you see the same amount of hitting in that video as you would have watching today's intrasquad game, won 3-1 by Team Ichiro over Team Jack Wilson. Hey, I don't come up with the names. Go bug the Mariners about it.

Anyhow, the biggest thing of note today, for me, were the five stolen bases over five innings by both teams combined. Miguel Olivo nearly hit a triple off Josh Lueke, settled for a double, then stole third with a headfirst slide.

"He can run for a catcher,'' Mariners manager Eric Wedge said. "He's bitten us a few times over the years.''

Wedge was pleased with the aggressiveness shown. But he admitted nothing really stood out over the course of the game, other than the players finally getting their feet wet.

In the clubhouse, closer David Aardsma was seated next to Dan Cortes for a long, extended chat. Cortes looked real nervous out there today, going only 2/3 of an inning and giving up a run on a hit and two walks. Olivo had to try to calm him down several times before the M's finally pulled the plug on the inning because Cortes was nearing his pitch limit of around 25.

Lueke didn't do too well, either, taking the loss after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk.

Wedge was asked whether it was a case of both pitchers trying to win a job in the first intrasquad game and maybe coming off a bit jittery.

"I don't think that's kind of out of the norm,'' he said with a chuckle.

Milton Bradley got on base twice with a single and a walk and stole two bases. Michael Saunders did exactly the same. Wedge didn't get everyone an at-bat, but all position players made it into the game.

Tom Wilhelmsen, on the comeback trail at age 27, had a walk and two strikeouts in his lone inning of work. chatted with Michael Pineda after he got through the first inning with just the double allowed to Justin Smoak.

If you remember pre-game, pitching coach Carl Willis told me the team isn't too concerned with Pineda's change-up because he can get enough differential when he cranks his fastball into the high-90s.

But Pineda told me he's still working to cut down on the speed of his change-up. He'd like it to be at 87 mph rather than 89 mph or 90 mph as he's been known to throw it. Pineda said there were even times it his 91 mph.

How's he going to do that. He's trying to get better rotation on the ball and also cut down his arm action just slightly.

"Just a little bit slower,'' he told me.

Pineda can't slow the arm action down too much, or hitters will notice and be able to differentiate between when he's throwing a change-up versus a fastball. Right now, he has near idential arm movement for both pichers, leaving hitters unable to tell what's coming.

But you need to have a good 10 mph difference between your fastball and changeup for it to throw a hitter's timing off.

Page 15 of 26 The difference can be when a fastball gets up into the high 90s. That requires so much bat speed to catch up to that a hitter can't cheat as much and sit on a change-up -- even one that's 91 mph.

But when the fastball comes in at 95 or 96 -- since not all of Pineda's reach the high 90s -- that 91 mph changeup may look almost exactly the same and enable a hitter to crush it. So, it's a work in progress.

As we mentioned, he's also got to work on improving his slider, to give him the three-pitch arsenal he'd need as a major league starter.

February 25, 2011 at 1:12 PM Michael Pineda, Blake Beavan work out of jams in intrasquad game Posted by Geoff Baker Seattle Times Blog Not going to give you a complete blow-by-blow of what's gone on out there today, but both starting pitchers did have to work free of some jams. Michael Pineda got the first two batters he faced with a groundout by Jack Wilson and a called strikeout on Dustin Ackley.

Justin Smoak then doubled the opposite way to left field with two out, but Pineda got Jack Cust to fly out to left.

Blake Beavan then yielded a leadoff single through the left side by Ichiro, who eventually made it to second on a ball in the dirt. But Beavan got out of the inning with swinging strikeouts on Milton Bradley and Adam Kennedy.

Bradley later lined a single in subsequent innings.

Neither of the team's young bullpen prospects looked very good.

Dan Cortes seemed to get more jittery as time went by and was all over the place, giving up a single through the right side by Michael Saunders (photo above) and then walking a pair of guys to load the bases. Cortes then later yielded a run on a sacrifice fly Josh Wilson before the inning was called because of the number of pitches thrown. Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo had to go out to calm Cortes down a couple of times during the inning.

Olivo then helped make Josh Lueke a little nervous by doubling off him to start things off the next half inning. Lueke apparently wasn't paying enough attention to Olivo because the catcher actually stole third base. Anyhow, Lueke went on to yield a pair of runs.

Nothing to get too excited about. It's only an intrasquad game. Everyone's a little rusty and nervous and both.

February 25, 2011 at 11:59 AM Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda head into intrasquad game as nearly finished products Posted by Geoff Baker Seattle Times Blog Had a chance to chat today with Mariners coaches Carl Willis and Robbie Thompson, who are working closest with top Mariners prospects Michael Pineda and Dustin Ackley, respectively. From what they are saying, the two are pretty close to being about major league ready.

Willis and I discussed Pineda's change-up, which some observers feel comes in too hard at speeds reaching 89 or 90 mph. But Willis doesn't share the concern. Page 16 of 26

"I know there was some thought that his change-up was maybe a little too firm,'' Willis said. "But when you can gun that fastball in there the way he does - he can get it up to 97 or 98 mph - then that's still enough of a difference to be effective.''

Instead, it's Pineda's slider the team is most focused on. It also came in a bit too hard and flat at times last year.

Willis said the team is working with Pineda to get better rotation and movement on the ball so that it comes in more off-speed and less straight. Last year, hitters were teeing off on Pineda when he didn't get any movement on it.

You can't be a two-pitch starter in the big leagues. So, Pineda's ability to reach the majors will hinge largely on his slider at this point. We'll look for it momentarily in the intrasquad game.

As for Ackley, Thompson said his bat is the least of the team's worries.

"For a young kid, it's been a long time since I've seen a guy repeat that swing path as consistently as he does,'' said Thompson, the M's bench coach who doubles as the team's infield instructor. "And the way he takes the head of the bat -- whether the ball's down and away, or down and in - and can manipulate the bat to where it needs to be.''

Thompson didn't really know what to expect about Ackley's glove. But he did speak this winter with Indians AAA manager Mike Sarbaugh, who managed Ackley in the Arizona Fall League. Sarbaugh, a former infielder, told Thompson he had nothing to worry about.

And Thompson verified that pretty quickly this spring.

"We look for actions,'' he said. "How his hands and feet move together. How he moves around. Obviously, the pivot. His arm strength on the pivot. How he works around the back (of second base). For me, he's ahead of the game compared to where I thought he might be.''

Right now, he added, it's just a matter of getting Ackley more games under his belt, so that his actions at second come automatically. We'll see some of that this afternoon as well.

February 25, 2011 at 8:42 AM Around the Blogosphere Posted by Geoff Baker Seattle Times Blog We've got lineups for today's intrasquad game at noon PT. Check for them after the jump.

Franklin Gutierrez won't be partaking in the game. He's got a flight that gets him back from Seattle later today, but too late to play in the contest.

Looking around the blogosphere today, SoDo Mojo author Keith Myers starts a new feature that runs down spring training position battles. Myers groups players into categories at each spot, including "locks" guys "on the bubble" and others who "need work.''

I have to say, I agree with just about everything with maybe a minor quibble or two in the bullpen. But not much else. So, have a look.

Page 17 of 26 Over at Seattle Sports Insider, author Jeff Clarke continues his look at M's minor league prospects, with help from information in the Baseball HQ minor league analyst handbook. Today, there are a couple of third basemen, one of them being . Conclusions? Mangini will have a major league career, but likely not at third base. Not a bad conclusion. Check out the reasoning behind it.

Lookout Landing breaks the news to Mariners fans that they might as well get used to Doug Fister -- exactly as they've always known him. But it isn't as bad as that sounds, according to Jeff Sullivan, the site's main author. Sullivan points out that although Fister's ERA jumped from 2.45 before a shoulder injury to 5.24 afterwards, his performance was pretty much the same when it comes to peripheral stats like Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP).

Finally, over at Prospect Insider, they're previewing the upcoming June draft, profiling a bunch of players who could end up in Seattle. Besides the usual suspects, like Anthony Rendon and , there are a bunch of other top names you may not have even heard of. Som have a look.

Intrasquad lineups:

TEAM 1

RF Ichiro 3B Chone Figgins DH Milton Bradley 1B Adam Kennedy C Miguel Olivo CF Jody Gerut LF SS Brendan Ryan 2B Luis Rodriguez

RHP Michael Pineda

Team 2

SS Jack Wilson 2B Dustin Ackley 1B Justin Smoak DH Jack Cust LF Michael Saunders CF Gabe Gross RF Greg Halman C 3B Josh Wilson

RHP Blake Beavan

Notice that the M's have several players in unusual spots. Might as well find out who can really play where before you start making personnel decisions based on an ability to be handy at multiple spots.

A game that didn't matter is soon forgotten Posted By Larry Larue on February 25, 2011 at 2:38 pm Page 18 of 26 The Tacoma News Tribune Blog Intrasquad games are even worse than kissing your sister - for every good thing that happens on the field, something bad is happeningt to one of your players.

Team Ichiro beat Team Jack Wilson, 3-1, in a game touched by some solid pitching and aggressive baserunning that included five stolen bases, including two by Milton Bradley and a steal of third by catcher Miguel Olivo.

"We're going to be aggressive," manager Eric Wedge said. "We're not going to do anything half-assed or halfway. Today, of course, for every stolen base we had a pitcher who wasn't holding a runner on very well. That's the flip-side of intrasquad games.

Rookies Michael Pineda and Blake Beavan started and each worked a scoreless inning, though Beaven saw up close how crazy Ichiro can make a pitcher.

"I was ahead of him, 0-2, and he hit a changeup off his ankles for a hit," Beavan said. "They told me on the bench, 'The only guy who could do that is on your team, don't worry!'"

Pineda, meanwhile, threw all his pitches in one inning: "My slider, my change, my fastball. I threw them all down in the zone."

All told in a five-inning game, Wedge used 10 pitchers - including Dan Cortes, who hit his pitch limit of 25 while getting just two outs - and nearly every position player got on the field, if not to the plate.

"It was a game just to kick the dust off," Wedge said. "We watched, we took note, we'll talk about a few things with players."

Mariners vs. Mariners: Lineups posted Posted By Larry Larue on February 25, 2011 at 6:46 am The Tacoma News Tribune Blog The first intrasquad game of spring starts about noon (PDT) today, and manager Eric Wedge has promised to get as many players involved as possible - starting with a pair of lineups that get 20 men on the field.

Infielder Adam Kennedy took one look at the lineups and laughed - he was batting fourth for one team.

"I've hit everywhere in a big-league lineup except cleanup," he said. "I'll try to show (Jack) Cust how to do it. If guys are on base, I'll probably bunt 'em over."

Here's the lineups for your Seattle Mariners. Both of them!

Team One: Ichiro, RF Chone Figgins, 3B Milton Bradley, DH Adam Kennedy, 1B Miguel Olivo, C Jody Gerut, CF Ryan Langerhans, LF Brendan Ryan, SS Luis Rodriguez, 2B Michael Pineda, P

Page 19 of 26 Team Two Jack Wilson, SS Dustin Ackley, 2B Justin Smoak, 1B Jack Cust, DH Michael Saunders, LF Gabe Gross, CF Greg Halman, RF Josh Bard, C Josh Wilson, 3B Blake Beavan, P

And they're off and running ... Posted on February 25, 2011 at 5:17 PM Greg Johns The Mariners got things going on Friday with their only intrasquad game of the spring. And, yeah, we saw some things you'd expect. Like Ichiro getting a pair of hits on a single through the hole at shortstop off Blake Beavan and an infield shot off Josh Lueke's glove.

There was also the predictable wildness of youngsters Lueke and Dan Cortes, who were amped up in their spring debuts. And there was some unexpected base-running aggression with Milton Bradley and Michael Saunders each stealing two bases and catcher Miguel Olivo swiping third after hitting a double off Lueke.

Saunders and Bradley both got once each as well, something Eric Wedge said he could live with as long as players were smart about when to take chances.

"You can't have it both ways," he noted. "Guys aren't going to be perfect."

Nobody hit one over the fence at the Mariners main practice field, though and Johermyn Chavez both drove balls to the warning track in the deepest part of center field.

Justin Smoak, Luis Rodriguez, Adam Moore and Olivo all doubled as the Mariners totaled 10 hits in the five- inning game.

Starters Michael Pineda and Blake Beavan both looked good in their one inning of work, with Beavan striking out two. Tom Wilhelmsen also finished things off with a pair of strikeouts in the fifth.

Besides Cortes and Lueke, the other pitcher who struggled was 24-year-old lefty Edward Paredes, who gave up a number of well-hit balls, including Moore's run-scoring double and sharp singles by Bradley and Jody Gerut, as well as Tuiasosopo's deep shot that got hauled in at the wall by Gabe Gross.

Nothing spectacular, just a necessary first step on the way toward Sunday's Spring Training debut. Wedge said the pitching rotation for the first few games will be announced on Saturday and he's still penciling out the lineup as well, wanting to talk to a few more of the veterans about how much they like to play in the early going.

So we'll see how things roll soon enough. In the meantime, I talked to DH Jack Cust this morning about his outfield play, which is something that raised some hoots and hollers from his teammates during drills earlier this week.

Cust has a pretty good arm in left field and says he can play the position, though admits he's not quite on par with Gold Glovers like Gutierrez and Ichiro. He's a fun guy and I enjoyed that story, which you can read here. Page 20 of 26

And as living proof, I got a picture of Cust with his glove this morning. He really does do outfield drills and get himself ready, just in case, even though I doubt we'll see much of him out there this season.

Today's intrasquad lineups ... minus Gutierrez Posted on February 25, 2011 at 7:51 AM Greg Johns Mariners.com Here's the drama we've all been waiting for, the starting lineups for today's Mariners intrasquad game at 1 p.m. in Peoria. Don't read too much into these, but it is interesting to see who falls where right out of the gate.

The nature of playing against your own squad makes for some interesting choices. Adam Kennedy, for instance, has been playing second base in camp, but will be at first base today

Worth noting that Franklin Gutierrez is not in either lineup. He is not yet back in Peoria after flying to Seattle to have his stomach checked out by doctors on Thursday. I'll update as soon as we learn anything more on that.

Team 1

Ichiro Suzuki RF Chone Figgins 3B Milton Bradley DH Adam Kennedy 1B Miguel Olivo C Jody Gerut CF Ryan Langerhans RF Brendan Ryan SS Luis Rodriguez 2B Michael Pineda P

Team 2

Jack Wilson SS Dustin Ackley 2B Justin Smoak 1B Jack Cust DH Michael Saunders LF Gabe Gross CF Greg Halman RF Josh Bard Josh Wilson 3B Blake Beavan P

February 25, 2011 'Team Ichiro' runs its way to victory over 'Team Jack Wilson' By Kirby Arnold Everett Herald Blog In their first game of 2011, a five-inning intrasquad this afternoon, the Mariners pulled off something that came so hard to them in 2010. They put runners on third base with less than two outs and scored them in what became a 3-1 victory by “Team Ichiro.”

Page 21 of 26

Brendan Ryan hit a sacrifice fly and Luis Rodriguez an RBI double in the bottom of second inning, and Adam Moore hit an RBI double in the bottom of the third. Those runs followed Josh Wilson’s sacrifice fly in the top of the second for the “Team Jack Wilson” squad.

The Mariners weren’t bashful about taking an extra base or stealing one in order to set up scoring opportunities. The two squads stole five bases, including two each by Milton Bradley and Michael Saunders. Even catcher Miguel Olivo had a steal, swiping third base in the bottom of the second.

“I like the aggressiveness,” manager Eric Wedge said. “I don’t want them to be afraid to make mistakes. They’ve got that freedom to be aggressive.”

Right-hander Michael Pineda, competing for a spot in the rotation, pitched a scoreless first inning, allowing only a two-out double to Justin Smoak.

Right-hander Blake Beavan gave up a leadoff single to Suzuki in the first inning before retiring the next three, including Milton Bradley and Adam Kennedy on strikeouts. Suzuki hit an ankle-high 0-2 changeup for a single, leaving Beavan so bewildered at giving up a hit on such a good pitch that pitching coach Carl Willis talked with him after the inning.

“Carl told him, ‘There’s only one guy in baseball who can do that and he’s on our team, so you’re OK,’” Wedge said.

Two hard-throwing bullpen hopefuls, Dan Cortes and Josh Lueke, wobbled. Cortes allowed one hit, two walks and a run in the top of the third, which was ended after two outs because he’d reached his pitch limit. Lueke allowed three hits, a walk and two runs in the bottom of the second.

February 25, 2011 Adam Kennedy in the cleanup spot? Only in an intrasquad By Kirby Arnold Everett Herald Blog The Mariners' lineups for this afternoon's intrasquad game (1 p.m. Mountain time on Field 1 in Peoria) are taped to the clubhouse door, and on one side they've got Ichiro Suzuki, Chone Figgins and Milton Bradley batting 1- 2-3.

No problem there. But after that? Adam Kennedy is in the cleanup spot ... and playing first base. What? Are they trying to win?

Snarkiness aside, you've got to understand this is an intrasquad and lineups like this will happen when you've got 4 1/2 innings to try and get everyone into the game. There will be a lot of switching, probably every inning.

Also consider that if the Mariners couldn’t find a middle-of-the-order guy all last year, how tough is it to find two of them for an intrasquad?

But Adam Kennedy at first base, batting cleanup? Actually, he's done it before. Kennedy has made six starts at first in his 1,491-game major league career, including four last year with the Nationals. And he also has experience in the cleanup spot, starting once in 2006 with the Angels.

One other note: Center fielder Franklin Gutierrez isn't starting and isn't listed as a reserve for either team. He spent yesterday in Seattle having tests on stomach problems.

Page 22 of 26 Here are this afternoon's lineups:

Ichiro Suzuki, right field Chone Figgins, third base Milton Bradley, DH Adam Kennedy, first base Miguel Olivo, catcher Jody Gerut, center field Ryan Langerhans, left field Brendan Ryan, shortstop Luis Rodriguez, second base

Right-hander Michael Pineda, starting pitcher

Reserve position players: Matt Mangini, Johermyn Chavez, Sean Kazmar, Adam Moore, Matt Tuiasosopo, .

Reserve pitchers: Fabio Castro, Dan Cortes, Chaz Roe, Jose Flores.

Jack Wilson, shortstop Dustin Ackley, second base Justin Smoak, first base Jack Cust, DH Michael Saunders, left field Gabe Gross, center field Greg Halman, right field Josh Bard, catcher Josh Wilson, third base

Right-hander Blake Beavan, starting pitcher

Reserve position players: Mike Carp, Carlos Peguero, , Chris Gimenez, Alex Liddi.

Reserve pitchers: Edward Paredes, Josh Lueke, Yoervis Medina, Tom Wilhelmsen.

February 25, 2011 Intersquad notes... 710 ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer MyNorthwest.com Quick impressions from the intersquad game which Team Ichiro won 3-1 over Team Jack Wilson. Josh Lueke was the losing pitcher throwing 1 inning giving up 2 runs on 3 hits 1 walk 1 k...Eric Wedge said that he was just going to let the guys play then apparently the guys wanted to run as there were five stolen bases. Miguel Olivo had one, while Michael Saunders and Milton Bradley had two. Wedge confirmed after the game that they were running on their own. Wedge liked the aggressiveness.

"I don't want them to be afraid to make mistakes as long as there is a thought process and a mind set behind it," he said after the game.

Some managers like to have a firm command over the running game but Wedge said that if guys could run a lot of them would have the green light.

Page 23 of 26 "I have always got the option to put the handcuffs on them," he said. "Hitter to hitter pitch to pitch. Let's see how it goes and watch them and work from there. We have got a lot of irons in the fire right now in regard to what we are trying to do as a ballclub. Doing anything half assed or half way is not going help anybody so we are going to keep pushing them in that direction."

The two starters fared well with Michael Pineda giving up an opposite field double to Justin Smoak then getting out of the inning without allow a run.. Blake Beavan gave up a bloop single to Ichiro to lead off the game, popped up Chone Figgins then struck out Milton Bradley and Adam Kennedy.

Other highlights included the inning Yoervis Medina threw, the quickest inning of the game with Luis Rodriguez and Johermyn Chavez flying out to center and Matt Mangini grounding out to second. Before he took the field, Medina who I dubbed a Felix look a like on day one actually skipped over the line like Felix on his way to the hill. Medina has admitted to being a big Felix fan.

Lowlights, Dan Cortes, Edward Paredes and Josh Lueke had rocky innings. Dustin Ackley went 0 for 3 and the catchers as a group failed to throw anyone out.

Updated Feb 25, 2011 - 9:55 am Lineups and more... 710 ESPN Seattle's Shannon Drayer MyNorthwest.com Your first lineup of the spring, or actually two lineups as the Mariners will play a five inning intersquad game this afternoon...Leading off for the visiting Mariners will of course be Ichiro. He always gets the first .

Ichiro 9 Figgins 5 Bradley DH Kennedy 3 Olivo 2 Gerut 8 Langerhans 7 Ryan 6 Rodriguez 4 Pineda

Ja Wilson 6 Ackley 4 Smoak 3 Cust DH Saunders 7 Gross 8 Halman 9 Bard 2 Jo Wilson 5 Beavan

Do not read into too much here. Eric Wedge is just looking to get everyone an at bat. I am fairly confident Adam Kennedy will not be hitting clean up this year and Jack Wilson will not challenge Ichiro for the leadoff spot.

Page 24 of 26 As for the starters, Beavan and Pineda, Eric Wedge said that he wanted to go with a couple of younger guys who could benefit from getting the starts away from the spotlight. I interviewed Beavan who came to the organization in the Cliff Lee trade this week and if you missed the story you can find it here. He has an interesting story that I didn't get the first time when I talked to him early in camp. It was shortly after that I came upon a story about him in his early days in pro ball and shook my head because it was not at all what I saw in him here. Let's just say he was a little brash being drafted out of high school at number 17 in 2007. He learned his lessons quickly and was gracious (and good natured) enough to talk about it. His pitching journey has been just as interesting...

We had a little fun in the media room this morning...Greg Johns of mlb.com is new to the beat and as such will be required to carry the pink backpack.

As you can see we once again put Shawn Kelley (who carried the backpack two years ago and then burned it) to work again this time as Official Backpack Presenter. The pack was adorned with the appropriate accessories including an Elmo key chain and filled with everything a new reporter could need, a baseball kit, notebook and pens, rule book, snacks etc.

Kelley told Johns he expected to see him on the field with the backpack. Johns said he had done enough wearing it in the press room. A little attitude from the rookie? No worries, we have ways of dealing with that. Costumes...

Back to baseball...No sign of Franklin Gutierrez in the clubhouse as of yet. Jody Gerut and Gabe Gross will play centerfield today. Michael Saunders normally slides over to center when Guti is out but the organization already knows what he can do there. Gerut and Gross will be battling for a position and this is an opportunity to see them in center even if it is for just one inning.

Rick Rizzs and Kevin Cremin have arrived in camp ahead of the first radio broadcast which comes your way Sunday. Yes, you now have the distinct feeling that someone is missing. We should have seen Dave walk through the clubhouse doors this morning, walk through like he owned the place (and he did, he was king) and excitedly ask "now who is this guy, and this guy, and did you see the size of him? What do you think?" He then no doubt would tell us the story of the jacket or hat he was wearing on that day, say his hellos to the players then head out the back door to read the clips and have a cup of coffee at the picnic table just outside the clubhouse. He is missed.

I will give you updates from the game. Looking forward finally seeing some game action.

Originally published February 25, 2011 at 9:29 PM | Page modified February 25, 2011 at 11:36 PM Torre reportedly will help Selig By The Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Joe Torre has been hired as Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations, a person with knowledge of the appointment said.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because commissioner Bud Selig wasn't expected to formally introduce Torre until Saturday.

MLB said Selig would make a major announcement at the new Salt River Fields ballpark, the spring facility for the and .

Page 25 of 26 The 70-year-old Torre won four World Series titles for the in a 29-year career as a manager, retiring after last season after three years with the . He played at least parts of 18 seasons in the major leagues.

Even when Torre stepped away from the dugout, he insisted he would always stay involved in the game to some extent — though many figured that might be in television or that he would take another managerial job elsewhere.

Torre likely will help Selig in a variety of roles. MLB lost chief operating officer Bob DuPuy last fall after he spent 8 ½ years as the commissioner's top aide.

Lincecum has tough day

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tim Lincecum had butterflies, admittedly nervous taking the mound with the added hype as a World Series winner.

The former Washington Huskies standout pitched for the first time since going eight innings in the ' Game 6 victory Nov. 1 in Texas that clinched the franchise's first World Series title since the New York Giants triumphed in 1954.

"When they say, 'Your world-champion San Francisco Giants,' that gives you the tingles," Lincecum said.

Lincecum, 26, threw 33 pitches in 1-2/3 innings, leaving after being tagged for three runs and five hits. He had one strikeout in a 7-6 victory over Arizona in the majors' first spring-training game of the year.

"I felt like I threw a lot of quality strikes," Lincecum said. "Obviously it's not the outcome I wanted."

Notes

• Adrian Beltre, the Texas third baseman who played for Boston last year, will miss at least the first week of exhibition games because of a strained right calf that is still bothering him.

"It's better to happen now than the season," ex-Mariner Beltre said.

• Hounded by a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the trustee trying to recover money for victims of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, the acknowledged they received a loan from MLB in November to help cover expenses. The New York Times and Daily News reported the loan amount was $25 million.

• A congressional panel and law firm that investigated performance-enhancing drugs in baseball have agreed to respond to subpoenas issued by former standout pitcher Roger Clemens in the next three weeks.

Prosecutors have charged Clemens — who has insisted he didn't use such drugs — with lying. A trial is scheduled to start July 6 in federal court in Washington, D.C.

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