Good morning everyone! This isn’t baseball related, but still interesting: Jane Brody at The New York Times wrote a very interesting piece about cell phone usage.
As you probably know by now, people tend to be addicted to their smartphones. My generation in particular is guilty of that — or so the stereotype goes. But over the past several months, I’ve done my best to start trimming down how much I actually use my device.
I’ve found — unsurprisingly — that I’m more likely to use my phone if I’m alone or with people who I see more frequently, those I’m more comfortable around. But perhaps I should start even cutting down on that. Besides, I’ll probably have this little device glued to my hand for the rest of my life. Just something to think about.
But before you put that phone back in your pocket, check out the latest stories from around the baseball world.
In Mariners news...
- We all know that Jerry Dipoto makes a lot of trades. But just how many trades does he make compared to other GMs? Jeff Sullivan takes a look at this in his latest piece.
- Marc W at U.S.S. Mariner wonders if the M’s are putting Jarrod Dyson’s and Leonys Martin’s defensive skills to waste.
Around the league...
- Our favorite major league Canadian outfielder (for now) — Michael Saunders — just agreed to a deal with the Phillies.
- Former Mariners prospect Ji-Man Choi has agreed to a minor league deal with the Yankees.
- The Big Contact Extension of the Day Award goes to the Royals and Danny Duffy. The two parties agreed on a new five-year contract.
- It looks like Jose Bautista has finally found a landing spot: back home with Toronto. The slugger is reportedly close to signing a one-year deal with a mutual option for a second year.
- A big change is coming to Hall of Fame balloting soon. All ballots will be made public at the end of each HOF election. Jayson Stark wonders how this could impact the way people cast their votes.
- Justin Verlander has no interest in being part of a rebuilding effort should the Tigers decide to go down that path. The good news for him is that as long as the team is owned by Mike Ilitch, they probably won’t.
- Travis Sawchik at Fangraphs thinks that scouting more overseas might provide the upper hand teams need now that there’s an international signing cap.
Anders’ picks...
- Nathan Hale High School’s boy’s basketball team — coached by UW legend Brandon Roy — defeated the famed Oak Hill Academy yesterday by a score of 80-77. Nathan Hale has broken onto the stage this year thanks to the arrival of the Porter brothers, both of whom are committed to play at the University of Washington.