And not all singles…

Wow is it muggy! Don’t say that too often here. Even some thunder and lightening during the game. Why not. Everything else has been different lately, so why not the weather too.

This is going to be short. I have been working on a couple of things that I hope to get out during the road trip and they are taking a lot of my time. Couple that with two days off in twenty-three, and I just haven’t had time to write. Did I mention I am looking forward to the All Star Break? And no, I will not be going to the game, I prefer to take the Break!

So some quick hits…

So far so good with Jim Riggleman. It’s early of course, but I have seen and heard a lot that I like from him. Will get more into that when they get a few more games under their belts with the new system. And yes, things are different.

Can we stop the Sexson watch please? Honestly, people have been all over this for at least a month to the point where they are looking to see if he is on flights or not. I can tell you, this is angering some of his teammates. They are solidly on his side, not because he is a teammate and they should be but because they see him put in the work and because he is a good guy. Several have pointed this out to me as well as the fact that this must be hell for his family. He’s handling it gracefully, although some will grumble if he doesn’t come out and talk whenever requested. He is there most of the time. Good enough for me. It can’t be easy and sometimes honestly, he can’t win with whatever he would say.

Here’s the deal though. Why do you cut him? There is no one who is pushing for his position. If there was a hotshot prospect ready to go, maybe you would need to move him out. He is handling it when he is benched. He has not by my observation or by what several of his teammates have told me, been a bad influence in the clubhouse. There could be bad feelings if he was cut. There were players who were upset when Brad Wilkerson was let go and he had only been with the club for a few months! If you can trade him, great. But just letting him go to let him go might not be a good idea. Says me.

Okay, the real reason for this post is to share something with you if you are interested. One of my absolute favorite things about this job is getting the opportunity to talk with people who were part of baseball history. Sharon Robinson, Buck O’Neil, Don Newcombe and today former Negro Leaguer John “Mule” Miles. The eighty-five year old Miles who played for the Chicago American Giants from 1947 to 1950 was at the park today to throw out the first pitch after being “drafted” by the Mariners in the ceremonial Negro Leagues round of the past draft. He is a delightful man who played in an historic time. He had stories to tell and unfortunately I will not be able to play the full interview during our Mariners programming. I did however post the full interview on the Beyond the Baselines section of the myohmy.us if you would like to hear it.

The interview strayed a little bit off course and did not focus as much on baseball as I would have liked it to, but with a subject like this one, I chose to just let him take it where he wanted to. The stories are rich and his outlook is bright. I felt very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend some time with him. Check it out if you would like.