Ichiro To Return Wednesday
by Matthew on Apr 13, 2009 12:35 PM PDT
in Seattle Mariners News, Good
Email
PrintSEATTLE -- Ichiro Suzuki says he's returning to play on Wednesday.
...
He said he felt so good it was "annoying" him.
what?
So with Gutierrez struggling and Chavez smoking, do you think Chavez slides in at two in the lineup, or what?
192 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Seriously
My guess would be Chavez to ninth and Lopez to second if they were going to panic with the order.
I dont think they'll give up on Franklin that easily
He was the “centerpiece” of the trade that jettisoned J.J.
by oneseasoncom on Apr 13, 2009 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions
No one said anything about giving up on Gutz.
He’s a freak out there in center. It just might be a good idea to move him down in the order if we have better options to hit second.
Since they're kind of a wash in terms of hitting ability
I’d prefer Yuni 8th because it’s at least theoretically possible for him to get an extra-base hit. I also like the idea of Chavez and Ichiro being on base at the same time.
by Aaron Campeau on Apr 13, 2009 12:42 PM PDT up reply actions
I think he's annoyed
because he feels good enough to playalready , but he can’t come off the DL until Wednesday.
"Of course, I got to see the results, and it made me very happy. I guess I'm a little upset we lost two games."
Ichiro, I love you as much as a heterosexual man can non-creepily love another man playing a professional sport for their hometown team can, I think.
by lemonverbena on Apr 13, 2009 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Under normal circumstances I would put
Betancourt at 8 and Chavez at 9, give Gootch some time to settle in at #2. But…yeah I dunno, with N D raking it’s hard to bump him down that far. But then, looking at their career numbers and projections, it’s tough not to do that. Endy is just unsustainably hot right now. I guess if they want to go with the “hot hand” argument, for what that’s worth.
His BABIP is .400. His LD% is 16%.
He’s not hot in the sense that he’s hitting the ball well, he’s just getting lucky.
by Aaron Campeau on Apr 13, 2009 12:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Even the balls he hasn't hit on a line he's hit hard though
I’d argue that he’s been lucky, but not overly lucky. It’s certainly not sustainable, but he looks pretty decent up there at the plate.
by seattlebruin on Apr 13, 2009 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think Endy is as bad as he's looked the past few seasons, honestly.
He has looked good and I think that he’s a lot closer to being a .315 wOBA hitter than a .295 wOBA hitter. But the fact still remains that his BABIP is .103 higher than his career average.
by Aaron Campeau on Apr 13, 2009 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Then his entire career has been absurdly unlucky.
by Aaron Campeau on Apr 13, 2009 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
Is it a meme if he actually has been unlucky?
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Apr 13, 2009 11:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, I don't get this.
Talking about how horribly unlucky Beltre has been isn’t a meme. It’s fans analyzing and trying to find answers to the way this game works. If pining for Beltre to get his due is a dead meme, then kill me now, for my soul is also dead.
He meant the "See:" part
At least I hope he did. Otherwise, I have no idea.
by Mariner John on Apr 13, 2009 11:27 PM PDT up reply actions
ATleast it wasn't: See Beltre, Adrian
That annoys me so much more.
That reminds me
i have to get some of those Ichi-rolls when I come up to a game this year…Naw, I love the guy, GO M’s!
Proud member of Duck nation!
One of the world's most entertaining jobs: Ichiro's translator.
I’d leave Gutierrez in the 2 hole as he has shown a greater willingness to be patient, and Ichiro deserves as many chances as possible to gauge the pitcher’s delivery. I’d leave this way as long as if Endy does no better than only slightly out-wOBAing Gutz.
I actually know Ken Barron
And have talked with him at length over beers about his glorious job. Needless to say he knows he has it damn good.
"I call the big one Bitey."-Homer J. Simpson
by Willie Mays Haze on Apr 13, 2009 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Can we settle the Guitierez nick name problem once and for all?
Gooch, Gutz (Pronounced “guts”), Guitz, F-Gut, Porn Star, Gazelle, Guitar Hero….
DFT?
Throw the snacks in the bag and I'm ghost like Swayze!
Preserved In All His Greatness - R.I.P. The Reignman 1989 to 1997
Where does that come from again?
Throw the snacks in the bag and I'm ghost like Swayze!
Preserved In All His Greatness - R.I.P. The Reignman 1989 to 1997
I firmly believe Safeco's centerfield should be called "The Valley of Death"
although if I keep talking about this I will probably be mocked and shouted down.
I really like this one, even for the whole outfield.
College friend called them the Flying Circus the other day, as in the WWI German air group. That one clicked and led to us calling the bullpen the Ministry of Silly Walks.
by Kermit. on Apr 13, 2009 9:24 PM PDT up reply actions 9 recs
ONE THOUSAND RECS FOR "MINISTRY OF SILLY WALKS"
Holy Christ on a shoestring Kermit, you’ve just come up with the most awesomely perfect nickname for the bullpen EVER.
I will be brutally disappointed if this nickname has been used on relief staff before, but still…we gotta make this stick.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
by esoteric on Apr 13, 2009 11:41 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Don't forget to mention that the skit was all the awesome.
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Apr 13, 2009 11:43 PM PDT up reply actions
This goes without saying.
But again…man, that nickname is JUST SO PERFECT in capturing what Mr. “BRB Gotta Go Walk The World” and The Aaaaaard and Lowe, et al., have been up to so far.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
I had to hunt this down. Hilarious.
For being the Mr. Show fan that I am, I am embarrassed to admit how little Python I’ve seen.
You seriously had never seen the Ministry Of Silly Walks sketch before now?
AND you’re a huge Mr. Show fan? Weird. That’s like saying you’re a huge fan of Paul McCartney & Wings but you’ve never really heard anything by his earlier band….what was it called again?
That sketch in particular is like one of the most famous pieces of television comedy in history.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
My standard disclaimers:
- I’m 26 and grew up on a tiny island with very little culture outside of marijuana and hippie paintings. I missed out on a lot of stuff.
- The little bit of Python I saw as a kid went over my head, so I never had the impetus to continue exploring it.
But yes, Mr. Show is so obviously influenced by Python that I owe it to myself to go watch some stuff.
Did you guys set fire to a giant wickerman on this island???
The bees!!! They’re in my eyes!!!
Great Monty Python site, this guy has links to all the great bits, and cuts from the movies.
Site. Ministry of Silly Walks, I’m trying to make a GIF of this thing from the 3:20 mark. Not quite as good as the weirdo walking around with an egg on his head, but pretty good.
Recommendations: Lumberjack song, sit on my face, dead parrot skit, spanish inquisition. I prefer some of the live stage versions quite a bit more.
That's right - I remember you saying you were able to relate to Jesus Camp...
I’ve got that movie on my Netflix Roku cue, I’ll have to watch it.
I’m certain you’d get a kick out of Life of Brian…
This signature space for rent.
by PositivePaul on Apr 15, 2009 12:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Awesome!
Also, the Thumbs Up is a new touch.
As do I
Just noticed it yesterday. I miss the ol’ green splotch that used to be there
I want to poop at your house - Thingray
by tootthekazoo on Apr 14, 2009 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
I think the thumbs up would work better if most of highly rec'd comments were of the informative nature.
The thumbs up is dopey and does make any sense next to a single one of Robert’s insanorama threads
Thinking about doing it on my home machine
But I’m stuck with IE here at work so it’s not an option.
I want to poop at your house - Thingray
by tootthekazoo on Apr 14, 2009 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Oops, just realized my phrasing didn't work, "I really like this one", I meant Valley of Death.
Good nickname for centerfield, tucks in nicely next to Area 51.
Death to flying things
was a nickname first given to Bob Ferguson. Niehaus has used it (sparingly) for others, including an early Ichiro catch
It's an oldie, IIRC, but a goodie. Very appropriate for Frankie.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
I've always been a fan of Gootch
But do we really need to standardize it? It’s not like anyone’s going to be confused if you use any of the above (although I hadn’t heard Guitar Hero and I don’t think it really fits).
by appleshampoo on Apr 13, 2009 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions
I like Gootch too.
although it reminds me mostly of a three legged dog in a trailer park.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 13, 2009 1:33 PM PDT up reply actions
This needs to be his nickname.
I will smash your face into a jelly.
by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 13, 2009 1:27 PM PDT up reply actions
'B' is right next to 'N' on the keyboard.
I will smash your face into a jelly.
by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Apr 13, 2009 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
May as well go for
Grabkill. But no, Frabklin is actually kind of nice
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 13, 2009 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Why does everything I say sound Irish?
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
Dr. Zoinks stuck so I don't know why these wouldn't
by JI on Apr 13, 2009 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions
That's a good one.
I’ve also heard Lance Hardwood.
Throw the snacks in the bag and I'm ghost like Swayze!
Preserved In All His Greatness - R.I.P. The Reignman 1989 to 1997
I say either Gunther or Brandon St. Randy.
by Aaron Campeau on Apr 13, 2009 1:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Guitar Hero seems like a stretch.
Plus Joel Zumaya has the market cornered on that.
by Mariner John on Apr 13, 2009 7:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Whatever the nickname
I think his official song needs to be “It Ain’t Easy Being White or Brown”
In the interest of balance
It makes the most sense to bat him eighth, especially against RHP. Then when you come around to to the 7 spot you could theoretically see something like
7. RH Johjima
8. LH Chavez
9. RH Betancourt
1. LH Ichiro
2. RH Lopez
3. LH Griffey
4. RH Beltre
etc.
excuse me
…
1. LH Ichiro
2. RH Guitar Hero
3. LH Griffey
…
Guitar Hero?
"The dark secret of LL is that it only exists so I can one day moderate Graham" ---Robert
by .Taylor on Apr 13, 2009 5:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Right.
"The dark secret of LL is that it only exists so I can one day moderate Graham" ---Robert
by .Taylor on Apr 13, 2009 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions
No, up
I want to poop at your house - Thingray
by tootthekazoo on Apr 14, 2009 8:33 AM PDT up reply actions
This is good
“I do know that Griffey has been playing right field, but I also heard that he is not threatening to me. That’s what I heard,”
I guess it’s out in the open then.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 13, 2009 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Goddamn, Ichiro
This is wonderful
I want to poop at your house - Thingray
by tootthekazoo on Apr 13, 2009 2:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Most gnomic Ichiro quote:
In retrospect, was going on the DL the right decision: “I don’t feel that way at all. I wish I would have played. Now the team owes me. Now I can get a favor in the future from the team.”
Anyone want to venture a guess as to what that one means, exactly? So going on the DL was a favor to the M’s? But Ichiro’s not a gamer!
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
This has always been one of my favorite shop jobs to come from this site.
You can't hide from the omnipresent eye.
In other random news, Raul made a sliding catch today at Nationals Park.
Since I wasn’t watching, I can’t tell you whether it was actually a good catch or whether it was another statuesque shamble towards a ball that any other LF would have had easily. But you can guess how I’d bet on the matter.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
DFT makes the routine look cool.
Raul fucked up the routine more often then was needed.
Throw the snacks in the bag and I'm ghost like Swayze!
Preserved In All His Greatness - R.I.P. The Reignman 1989 to 1997
DFT makes the routine look far too easy, not cool.
That’s why defensive players are underrated. He makes the hard look routine, and the impossible look hard. :o
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Apr 13, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Statues cannot shamble...
But I applaud this thought anyway. If anyone can become a real-life, living and breathing mixed-metaphor of awfulness, its Raul.
In other random news, HOLY FUCKING SHIT I had no idea how great a start Evan Longoria has gotten off to.
His slash line: .481/.481./1.185.
Yes, that’s right, Longoria is currently slugging 1.185, with 4 doubles and 5 homers. Good for a middling-to-mediocre OPS+ of 320. His ISO is a mere .704.
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
Same here.
I just read on FG that he hit 5 HR during the opening week. I don’t know how I missed that. Longoria is a beast.
I read that as "Longoria is a breast."
But regardless of whatever form he takes, 1.185 slugging…holy crap!
by Frosty Raptor on Apr 13, 2009 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Out of the loop on that one
Sincerest apologies
by Frosty Raptor on Apr 13, 2009 2:37 PM PDT up reply actions
No worries
in three weeks everyone will forget it’s a dead meme and you’ll be good to go. The dead meme list just came out.
Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.
Holy pandas, that's ridiculous. Even for SSS.
"The dark secret of LL is that it only exists so I can one day moderate Graham" ---Robert
by .Taylor on Apr 13, 2009 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Count me among those who missed this.
This morning I was thinking to myself, “I wonder how Longoria is doing.” And then I find out about the 5 HR on fangraphs.
angels fan in seattle
Pujols
Longoria at his best is maybe a 7 win player. He simply isn’t in the same class of a hitter as Pujols. His fielding is incredible though. Pujols has been a 7+ WAR player for 5 years and has been 9 WAR in two of those. You shouldn’t trust me to be unbiased though.
St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008
by vivaelpujols on Apr 13, 2009 6:31 PM PDT up reply actions
That could be right...
…it’s not exactly clear to me what Longo’s ceiling is as a hitter. Or at least what a realistic ceiling is for him. His OBP’s gotta be much closer to .400 than .350 if he’s really going to give Pujols a run for his money.
If you’re asking the question over the next five years, I guess you also have to consider whether or not Pujols’ elbow is going to be a problem.
I think if you assume that both will stay healthy,
you gotta go with Pujols. That’s a big assumption though. I think the decision comes down to how large a production gap you project between the two and weighing that against Pujols’ greater injury risk.
I'd like to nominate this for dead memedom
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Apr 14, 2009 2:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Radical suggestion:
1. Endy (until he cools?)
2. Lopez
3. Ichiro!
4. Beltre
5. Griffey/Branyan (RHP/LHP)
6. Sweeney/Griffey (RHP/LHP)
7. Gutz
8. Kenji
9. Yuni
by Woodinville_12thMan on Apr 13, 2009 2:31 PM PDT reply actions
The thing is
hot streaks don’t mean anything about how the player is going to play in the next 1 or x number of games.. So for me personally, I want Ichiro at the top of the lineup when he comes back, right away.
This is fascinating
I’ve just scratched the surface on probability theory, but as I understand it, what could be defined as “hot” and “cold” are actually random fluctuations and have no bearing on future performance. Endy Chavez will be Endy Chavez in his next at bats, he won’t be “hot” or “cold” Endy Chavez.
by Frosty Raptor on Apr 13, 2009 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions
I approve of this
because couldn’t Ichiro be a good 3rd spot hitter, since he could be good at driving in runs rather than focus on getting on base?
Ya
I think that this lineup does not have one stand alone number 3 guy and since Ichiro is the best pure hitter on the team I would like to see it at least as a test. The worst thing that can happen is Endy falters and when/if that happens Wak can just tinker the line-up again.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Apr 13, 2009 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Endy will get on base less frequently than Ichiro, and the leadoff man sees the most ABs overall.
Ichiro is the better choice.
I don't see Endy continueing as lead off.
The problem with “until he cools” is like selling a stock before it starts to go down. You never REALLY know if you’re selling too early or too late. So you base your buy/sell on how good the company is, not whither it’s a hot/cold streak (or at least that’s what I get from Benjamin Graham).
As such, Ichiro is the far superior player/lead off, and it should help us more to play him lead off every chance we get.
I am not a fan
The most important part of a lineup is the 1-spot.
I want Ichiro! in the most important part of my favorite team’s lineup.
Via LS on Baker's blog
Wakamatsu said, by the way, that Ichiro will hit leadoff, despite the hot start by Endy Chavez.. He’s mulling over whether to bat Chavez second or ninth.
Link
If Endy bats second, I wonder if Gutz gets bumped to 9th, creating a track-meet-on-the-basepaths sort of situation at the 9-1-2 spots (which would be preserved even if Endy bats ninth). So what we end up with is:
1. Ichiro
2. Endy
3. Beltre
4. Griffey/Branyan
5. Sweeney/Griffey
6. Lopez
7. Yuni
8. Kenji
9. Gutz
?
I can definitely see the points that you guys are making.
It just seems to me that Wak is not afraid to change around line-ups and it would be interesting to see Ichi in the 3 hole and to see how our order functions with him there as opposed to leading off.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Apr 13, 2009 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Interesting? Sure.
But it would be a poor decision. Being unafraid of hitting Endy Chavez leadoff is not a good thing. He simply does not get on base. He’s no better today than he was two weeks ago. He has a .407 BABIP despite not hitting any line drives.
I like Wakamatsu’s flexibility in setting lineups, but maximizing the number of at-bats Endy Chavez gets would be bad for the team.
It looks like Gutz is this year's main #2 hitter.
Wak might leave Endy the 2 spot for a series or two to try to ease Gutierrez into the sport mentally, but I think Wak has a pretty good sense that “going with the hot hand” is like betting on a low-probability red spot in roulette wheel because the last three turns came up red too.
Despite citing the reviled BA stat, Baker makes a pretty good case for Endy in the 2 spot
while sliding Gutz down in the order.
by lemonverbena on Apr 13, 2009 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I guess I fail....
Just throwing the idea out there. But I guess Endy in the lead-off spot long term might not be the greatest thing for the team.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Apr 13, 2009 5:26 PM PDT up reply actions
No, you didn't fail.
It’s almost always worth it to explore how to make the team better (with reason, unlike F’nA’s – and you contributed a worthwhile thought). It’s just that the M’s blogosphere has been over both the line-up and the hot hand issue pretty exhaustively, and almost everyone here agrees about the conclusions. But don’t be scared to ask questions and make suggestions here that get shot down. It happens to everyone. Even the “Sexy People” (see bottom of the page) are usually nice to people who present a stupid thought if the thought is expressed respectfully and coherently.
Oh wait, you're not new.
I saw April 7 and then April 13 and somehow didn’t process the 2008 and 2009, so I assumed this was your first week, so you probably already have a sense of this. But no worries.
It's all good!
Thanks for the support.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Apr 14, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Trading selfish Ichiro! is not an option? ;-)
He’s going to bat leadoff and I don’t see a situation where he doesn’t bat lead off in a game that he is playing in.
You got slurved bitch.
Did we say "selfish Ichiro" was a dead meme?
I could’ve sworn it was, because I felt sad and guilty as hell a couple days ago for saying “Selfish Matthew hurts the team” during his and JIs Gutierrez GIF wars because I thought I’d violated the meme rules.
I feel like one day soon calling out dead memes
is going to become a new dead meme. Only on LL!
I actually agree with this
Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.
by BrettJMiller on Apr 14, 2009 2:42 AM PDT up reply actions
That's fine.
I asked not because I was trying to be a dick but because I genuinely couldn’t find the answer to this. Zap my above comments if you like.
NIck Swisher relies too much on his changeup.
See: Gameday.
Well if anyone is up at 12:30 am, and has mlb network.
There is a Cathedrals of the Game about Safeco Field.
Generic clueless hottish is covering it IIRC
by Mariner John on Apr 14, 2009 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Funny how the no chatspeak rule does not apply to things like
IIRC, WRT, FTW etc. Not that I mind, and I do also find LOL very annoying but all the same.
by Bearskin Rugburn on Apr 14, 2009 5:46 AM PDT up reply actions
We rarely say any of those
and exceptions are generally made for simple abbreviations
by seattlebruin on Apr 14, 2009 8:26 AM PDT up reply actions
2008 GIDP by Mariners, 139. Right in the middle of the AL, this surprised me.
Rangers/Indians tied for last with 160, Yankees/Blue Jays the fewest with 111.
Mariners 2007, 140! Consistency! Here’s the biggest culprits, and Beltre surprised me. Probably because I like him, he plays 3rd base, and he produces with the glove, vs. Ritchie who was just a 1b, and was just Ritchie.
’08 ’07
Kenji 12 22
Yuni 23 10
Ritchie 8 12 (career high 20 in ’01 with the Brewers).
Raul 13 14
Lopez 14 16
Beltre 18 11
Is there info on GIDP per opportunity?
Not sure it would be an analysis tool, but my guess is we would rank high on that list in 2008.
Yeah, not sure how to sort that one out.
I feel lucky to have found GIDP by team and players. Seems like Ritchie always pulled it off when we were down, never when we had the lead. My perceptions of that guy were so biased there was no chance of him ever recovering.
*Urks
I want to poop at your house - Thingray
by tootthekazoo on Apr 14, 2009 1:51 PM PDT up reply actions
We probably have too many OF with Ichiro back now
but Delwyn Young was DFA by LAD. He’s hit pretty well through out the minors and never really had a chance in the crowded LAD OF.
by Edgar for Pres on Apr 14, 2009 10:33 AM PDT reply actions
No they aren't they signed Manny Ramirez
I want to poop at your house - Thingray
by tootthekazoo on Apr 14, 2009 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions
They should have signed Derek Lowe instead
St. Louis Cardinals... defying win expectancy since 2008
by vivaelpujols on Apr 14, 2009 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
Ned Coletti and the Juan Pierre signing strike again
The reason Delwyn never got any consistent playing time was because of Juan Pierre, and yet before Manny came over the Dodgers needed another RH OFer so for some reason it became Delwyn. Terrible short sighted Ned Colletti roster management strikes again.
Still not as bad as Casey Blake for Carlos Santana though.
You know what? Fuck you Sports Gods, fuck you.
Lastings Milledge was just optioned to AAA Syracuse by the Nationals
Want a lazy, defensively-incompetent CF with a lot of raw talent and an entitlement complex?
Patriotism, Pepper, Professionalism
Watching Milledge yesterday was difficult.
Focus is his obvious problem. He wants to force amazing defensive plays with his laziness in the outfield and he wants to hit a home run every time at the plate.
He would be a frustrating player to watch everyday.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Lookout Landing
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Will Bryce Harper start the season with the Nationals?
- Mitch Mustain puts football behind him, signs reported rookie deal with White Sox
- Robinson Cano and Denzel Washington face off in Jay Leno’s Yankees trivia contest
- Shane Victorino lands role on ‘Hawaii Five-0′
- Have you criticized Hanley Ramirez on Twitter? Your name may be on his bat!
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
