Absolutely no connection that I know of, but that is what I am writing about today!

There have been plenty of reports that the Mariners and Orioles could be close to a trade but the Orioles are denying this. Indications are that the two teams are talking but the Baltimore Sun reports Orioles GM Andy MacPhail as claiming that nothing has changed, nothing has escalated on the trade front.

Things to keep in mind. As I have stated many times, Baltimore does not have to deal Eric Bedard. The Orioles could hold out until the trade deadline and perhaps get a bigger return. Bill Bavasi on the Hot Stove League Show this week said that if he were in a similar situation he would be inclined to trade his star player rather than take the risk that player could get injured or under perform. My thinking is, with two years left on the deal it wouldn’t be a huge risk. Barring a catastrophic injury, with the demand for pitching what it is now, Bedard could still pull down a nice price with just one year left on the contract.

So will this deal go down? Well there are a couple of things to keep in mind and keep an eye on. First off, don’t panic about the names or numbers of names that you may have seen reported. Of course Baltimore is going to be interested in the best that Seattle has to offer. That doesn’t mean that Seattle in fact will offer it. Adam Jones appears to be the centerpiece. Brandon Morrow appears to not be made available by the M’s. The names Sherrill, Clement, Triunfel, Tillman, Butler and Tuiasosopo have all been listed as possible trade pieces. I can pretty much guarantee that they all aren’t being shipped to Baltimore. We flat out don’t know which ones or how many will be included in the deal if it goes down, so don’t panic yet!

Another thing to keep in mind is that this deal will have to be signed off on by team owner Peter Angelos. Angelos has been hesitant to part with the home grown and bigger stars on this team and there has been speculation that he would not want to let go of Bedard. This would be a mistake. If Baltimore is rebuilding, they should go all out and get it over with. Their fans aren’t going to take much more of what has been going on there the past ten years. Two years ago when we were there they attempted a walkout to demonstrate just how many of them wanted to oust Angelos. Another reason he needs to approve sending out Bedard is because he has a new hand picked General Manager. It would not make for a good relationship to not let him structure the team and its future the way he wants to.

Cub fans are dealing with a similar situation as Mariners fans right now. The Cubs are trying to pull off a deal for Brian Roberts; the O’s All Star second baseman who like Bedard has two years remaining on his contract and is an Angelos favorite. The feeling is, if one of them gets traded, the other won’t be far behind. There have been similar reports in Chicago this week that a Roberts deal is “one player away”. Something to keep an eye on.

One other thing to watch, and I don’t think it would swing things too much, but the Orioles fallback plan in centerfield should they not land a prospect via trade is Corey Patterson who is still available as a free agent. There are other teams who are interested in him and if he is all of a sudden off the market that may force the O’s to have to spend more on the outfield if they do not make a trade.

So a lot going on. Add to this the fact that the Mariners, like the O’s do not have to make a trade and your guess is as good as mine if it will get done. There are no guarantees when it comes to trades.

One last O’s note, when reading about what has been going on in Baltimore I came across a familiar name. Ben Davis. Yes, Big Ben after bouncing around various minor league teams and an independent team will compete for the back up catcher spot in Baltimore. Remind me around Easter to tell you my favorite Ben Davis story.

On to Lambeau. I wish! I know this is a baseball page but my thoughts have been wandering off to the frozen tundra all week. While baseball is my passion, since becoming a sports reporter I have developed an appreciation for the NFL. College football had been my second favorite sport until I spent some time covering the Seahawks years ago. The League is so professional in its structure. Everything moves like clockwork the week before a game. The players, for the most part, very down to earth. There are a lot of good guys in the league. The game itself, well let’s just say that it is refreshing to see tackles made and balls caught on Sunday’s after suffering through mistakes on Saturday’s. And the speed. Wow. Standing on the sideline of a NFL game is like standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier as the planes are taking off. If you ever have the opportunity to do either, go for it. It is awesome.

So four years ago when the Seahawks won the final game of the season and all the pieces fell into place to send them to Lambeau Field to face the Packers I didn’t even hesitate. I went straight to the computer and booked a flight and hotel to Green Bay. I figured that I could get a credential and cover the game. There was no way that I was going to miss out on the chance to perhaps see Brett Farve’s last game (ha!) no seriously, that was part of my thinking, or miss the chance to make the trip to the Mecca of professional football.

The whole experience was unbelievable, matched only perhaps by finally setting foot on the field at Wrigley this year. The town itself is great. Imagine putting a NFL stadium in the middle of Pullman or perhaps more accurately as Eric Johnson put it this morning, Moses Lake. A tiny town where everything is directed towards their beloved football team. Every house flies a Packers flag. Every business sign is adorned with a “Go Packers!” or “God Bless the Pack”.

The stadium is smack dab in the middle of a neighborhood. Residents sell parking spots on their yards and brats and cheese curds on the sidewalk. There are a ton of establishments in the area serving pre game brunch or brats and beer. It is one giant and surprisingly not too drunk party.

When you get to the stadium there is a museum that is well worth visiting. There is also a giant atrium to gather with other fans with food and beverage available as well. When you walk into the stadium itself you see how perfect it is. Just a giant bowl with the ghosts of packers past as well as the pride of packers (and their fun accents) now in the air. The day I was there it was clear and cold. Very cold. Everyone was dressed in either Packers green or hunting orange.

I spent most of the game in the press box but per NFL rules was allowed down on the field during the final two minutes of the game. As a reporter, you try to stay “professional cool” regardless of the situation, but I could not stop jumping up and down. Partly because it was COLD, but mostly because I WAS ON THE FIELD!!!! MY FEET WERE ACTUALLY TOUCHING THE FROZEN TUNDRA!!!! My immediate goal while on the sideline was to get to a spot where I could look into Brett Farve’s eyes as he made a play. Watching him was like watching Jordan. I got to a good spot and accomplished this.

Then we were rewarded with overtime. Bonus time on the field! The captains met at the middle of the field for the coin toss when Matt Hasselbeck delivered the fateful line. Mike Sando of the TNT and I turned to each other and asked “Did he just say what I think he did?” My cell phone ringing off the hook confirmed this. Everyone I knew called to see if I had heard it. We want the ball and we are going to score. Awesome.

Overtime began and I went about my job of following the plays, walking up and down the sidelines as the chains were moved up and down the field. Every now and then I would encounter a reporter from Seattle and I would say something to the effect of “Is this unreal or what?”

Hawks got the ball first and failed to score. Green Bay got the ball and the Seahawks held them. The game to that point could not have been any better. I settled into a spot about 15 yards up from where the ball was placed. I had Dave Mahler from KJR on one side and Kenny Mayne on the other. Again, very cool. Then it happened. From where we were standing we could see the whole thing unfold. I looked the ball right from Hasselbeck’s hand into the hands of Al Harris. I think that if you look closely at the tape in slow motion you can see me in the background shouting “Nooooooooo!!!!!”

My first reaction was to grab Softy to make sure that he did not run out on to the field to make the tackle. I’m not kidding. He flinched and he jokes to this day about failing to make the play. In my reality, it could have happened. It was a possibility at the time.

The sad reality was, game over. The snow which had held off all day began to softly fall as the Seahawks silently walked towards the locker room. It was a tough way to end what was otherwise a perfect game. After doing my interviews I walked back upstairs to wait for my ride to finish writing his story. It was now dark. The stadium was empty and the snow continued to fall turning everything that was green hours ago white. Untouched white surrounded by the beautiful brick of Lambeau Field. There was only one thing left to do. Run down to the field and make a snow angel!