Wedge Storms, Won't Take Ackley's Name In Vain

All that was missing from Mariners manager Eric Wedge's tirade was Dustin Ackley's name,  but he hardly needed to say it.

"I sure as hell am not going to continue watching this!"  Wedge warned reporters after his team upset western division rival Los Angeles but could only scratch out three runs against an unusually wobbly Jeff Weaver in the shutout.  "We are going to get better and we are going to do everything that we possibly can to get better."

Wedge's focus was his 25-man roster,  particularly the performances of  outfielders Michael Saunders and others,  whose efforts have left the team ranked 29th out of 30 in major league hitting. But how far away can an offensive infusion from Triple A Tacoma be  if Wedge is serious about his declaration that "we need something?"

Ackley, 21, a second base prospect relegated to Tacoma after a mediocre spring,  started out slowly this year as evidenced by his .280 overall  average.  But he has begun pounding on the door more recently,  going 19-41 for a .463 average with a bag, eight RBI and two homers over his last 10 games.

The No. 2 overall 2009 pick,  sometimes described as a left-handed version of all-time hits leader Pete Rose, was named the Arizona Fall League's most valuable player last year after hitting .315.  He projects as a high-average competitor with gap power,  but his glove is thought to lag behind his bat.

Fans and other observers are looking for his arrival sometime after the start of the super-2 arbitration clock,  which this year may occur during the first or second week of June,  but Wedge has refused to say much about the time for his callup.

Super 2 or no super 2,  the team claims Ackley's arrival has nothing to do with salary arbitration eligibility.  Little wonder;  Ackley's agent is Scott Boros,  whose track record suggests he will balk at Ackley signing an early contract extension under any circumstances.

Trial Continues for Punchless 1B Kila Ka'aihue

The Kansas City Royals trial by immersion continues for struggling prospect Kila Ka'haihue -- whose vulnerabilities have been laid bare by left-handed pitching as evidenced by his .154 average against them over the first eight games of the season.

Ka'aihue, a late bloomer at age 27, was made to look ridiculous in a recent confrontation with Tigers lefty Phil Coke, who fed him a dozen curve balls that held the so-called "Hawaiian Punch" punchless with three swinging strikeouts, all on pitches that cut the plate. Not a fastball in the bunch, and all from a hurler who is not exactly Sandy Koufax.

Now the six-foot-four, 235-pound first baseman's challenge intensifies as he must face three lefties this week, Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano of the Twins, and Eric Bedard of the Mariners. By the time they get through with him, he might be happy to see a righty except for one thing: It will be Bedard's teammate Felix Hernandez, the fireballing ace. Though Ka'aihue has impressive minor league numbers, he put them up in the hit-happy Pacific Coast League, where today rival Eric Hosmer is off to a hot start, hitting 3-6 in the early going. The 50th state native must turn it up now if he wants to be considered anything more than a place-keeper until Hosmer arrives around June 1.

Russell Branyan Left Naked in Mariners Lineup

Just when Mariners slugger Russell Branyan had remade himself from a swing-and-miss whiff machine into a .300 hitting power slugger -- and was on pace to hit more then 40 homers -- he has been left naked in the lineup due to the departure of third baseman Adrian Beltre for shoulder surgery.

Without Beltre's big bat behind him, Branyan will be lucky to see anything to hit for the rest of the year. It will be very telling if Branyan fails to swat any longballs during the Mariners upcoming visit to the New York City wind tunnel known as new Yankee stadium.

Pity that the Mariners front office this year was more interested in playing travel agent for Ken Griffey's feel good farewell tour and dog-and-pony show than putting a winning team on the field.

No Lingering Effects for Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre

Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre -- coming off variety of aches, pains and various infirmities -- suffered no day-after effects following a full-day of play in the field and at the plate, but the team still denied him his request to appear for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

The team opposed his participation based on an assessment of his condition following surgery.

Beltre tested his arthoscopically repaired shoulder by deliberately swinging as hard as he could at the first pitch he saw in Friday's tilt with the Dodgers in Peoria, Ill. He missed the ball, but feeling no discomfort went on to perform without reserve as he banged out two hits, including a double plus three RBI in his team's 18-2 romp.

Though Beltre said his back was "a little stiff," he had no complaints about ailments to his injured thumb and shoulder, and especially the shoulder, over which he was most concerned, he told KONO-1000 Radio in Seattle. Though withheld from the WBC, his outlook remains excellent for opening day.

Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre Plays in Peoria

Despite being tentative over a number of aches, pains and infirmities, Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre swung as hard as he could at the first pitch he saw in Friday's Cactus League tilt at Peoria, Ariz., against the Dodgers.

Feeling no pain, Beltre said he went on to play without reservation as he went 2-for-3 with a double, one run and three RBI in the Mariners' 18-2 victory.

Though he said his back was "a little stiff," he had no complaints about ailments to his thumb and shoulder, and especially the shoulder, over which he was most concerned, he told KONO-1000 AM radio.

"However, he remained reluctant to commit himself to play for the Dominican Republic in the coming World Baseball Classic.

"(I'll) wait until tomorrow to see how my body reacts," Beltre said.

Whether Beltre plays tomorrow for a consecutive day in the field or appears as designated hitter will say much about his condition. Management opposes his participating in the WBC for fear it will put him at extra risk.

Griffey In the Dark on Mariners Talk

Ken Griffey Jr. is playing golf this week in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. According to various reports, his agent and the Seattle Mariners are in stepped-up discussions about Griffey returning to the place where his career began.

What does Griffey have to say about it all? He's in the dark. He told the Association Press:

"We don't know what we're doing next year with respect to Seattle. It's all rumors," Griffey said Thursday after finishing his round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.

... Griffey said he was in the dark on where the talks now stand.

"I really don't even know. My agent is handling," he said moments after stepping off the Poppy Hills course.

When asked if he still wants to play despite knee surgery last October, Griffey said: "As long as it's still fun, I want to keep playing."

Report: Mariners Closing In On Griffey

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick is reporting, citing two anonymous sources, that the Mariners are now focused on bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back to his baseball home:

The Seattle Mariners have stepped up the pace in negotiations that could bring Ken Griffey Jr. back to the city where he spent the first 11 years of his major league career, two baseball sources told ESPN.com.

Although it's unclear whether the Mariners have extended a formal offer, two sources said the team made significant progress this week in talks to bring back Griffey. Several reports this winter have indicated that Griffey is seeking a one-year deal for a base salary in the $5 million range.

Any new sense of urgency the Mariners feel may be in reaction to the deals of Bobby Abreu (Angels) and Adam Dunn (Nationals) the past couple days. In the free-agent game of musical outfield positions, Griffey and Garrett Anderson are still standing.

As noted a few days ago, the Reds' team doctor is convinced that the 2009 model of Griffey will look more like the 2007 version (.277, 30 homers) than the 2008 one (.249, 18 homers). His prognosis is based on Griffey's recovery from the latest in the long string of leg problems that plagued The Kid after departing Seattle for Cincinnati.

Griffey is playing golf this week in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. So his knee must be feeling fine; you can't swing free in golf with a bum knee, any more than you can in baseball.

Abreu Deal May Force Adam Dunn's Hand

(Update: That was quick. Dunn has agreed to play for the Nationals, according to the Washington Post.)

Bobby Abreu has agreed to a 1-year, $5 million (plus incentives) deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are thinking they got a steal. The Rays are thinking they overpaid Pat Burrell at $8 million. The Phillies are thinking they really overpaid giving Raul Ibanez $10 million.

And somewhere, Adam Dunn is stretched out on a couch, thinking, "Maybe it's time to consider a few things I haven't been willing to consider before."

Things such as a one-year deal. Earlier in the free-agent season Dunn's agent was Adamant that a multi-year contract was what his client wanted. (No surprise there.) But even after the market clearly shifted, Dunn's agent has not indicated whether his client will consider 1-year deals. Abreu didn't want (or deserve) a 1-year deal, either, but his agent isn't whining about it: He says Bobby will win the MVP for the Angels and go back on the market in 2010.

Things such as moving to first base. Dunn is set on remaining an outfielder, even though his poor outfield defense is a major part of the problem he's having finding work. If he indicates a willingness to move to first, he'll find more teams to negotiate with.

Things such as teams he has previously discounted. Dunn wants to play for the Dodgers, but so far the Dodgers haven't shown much interest (they're busy trying to wait out Manny Ramirez). The Nationals have shown plenty of interest, but Dunn isn't reciprocating. The Mariners have indicated a willingness to talk to Dunn, but Dunn hasn't returned the favor.

If Dunn is willing to go to first base, and sign a 1-year, $5 million deal, you know which team might take a run at him? The Los Angeles Angels. Two sluggers for the price of one.

The best possible place for Dunn at this point may be his old team, the Reds, even though the Reds have maintained all along they don't want him back (because who wants 40 homers and 100 walks when you can sign Willy Taveras?). But a 1-year deal with Cincinnati would mean another season in Great American Ballpark, and Adam Dunn at GABP means another guaranteed season of 40 home runs. If I'm Adam Dunn's agent, I make that call to Walt Jocketty, make an offer he can't refuse, and try this again next offseason. Not gonna happen, but I'd still try.

Amber Alert: Ken Griffey Jr.

(Update: Griffey to the Mariners looking like it will happen.)

Is Ken Griffey Jr. retired? And if so, is that voluntarily or because no team in baseball wants him?

The only job Griffey has right now is the largely ceremonial one with the title of American Public Diplomacy Envoy. He was named to the position last year by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And considering the lackluster reaction to Griffey's baseball free agency, Condi may be getting more interest in front offices than Griffey is.

But that could soon change. The Mariners are known to be mulling over a Griffey homecoming, and Griffey's former Seattle teammate Harold Reynolds has been quoted as saying that Griffey wants to head back to Seattle.

What might Griffey get? At age 39, coming off another injury-addled season in which he batted only .249 with 18 homers for the Reds and White Sox, Griffey isn't asking for much: a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

And what might a team that signs Griffey get? He's a poor outfielder now, and needs to go to the AL and DH. But at least one person is convinced Griffey will be much better on the field in 2009 than in 2008, assuming a team comes along that's willing to put him on the field.

Reds team doctor Tim Kremchek is quoted thusly in the Cincinnati Enquirer (he was actually talking to ESPN's Buster Olney when Kremchek gave this quote):

"I told the Reds this - he's going to be a different player (in 2009) than he was last year. He's got a lot to prove to people, that he can still put up good numbers and help a team."

In 2007, Griffey batted .277 with 30 homers, a quite respectable season. Dr. Kremchek's contention is that Griffey can put up those numbers again now that the meniscus and cartilage damage Kremchek repaired in October has healed. (But what part of Griffey's body will give out next?)

If Andruw Jones can still find a job, then surely somebody will take a shot in the dark with Griffey, too.

Brandon Morrow to be Added to Mariners Rotation

The Mariners will add 24-year-old righty Brandon Morrow and his 100-mph fastball to the five-man rotation Monday, with his first start anticipated by Friday or Saturday when he looks to replace one of the team's struggling starters.

Morrow -- being converted from a relief role -- will appear in his sixth game for the Triple A Tacoma Raniers on Sunday before being promoted to watch Carlos Silva pitch in what may be among the last of Silva's appearances as a starter this year.

Silva is finally healthy after coming off the disabled list.

As part of a conditioning program to enable him to pitch deeper into games, Morrow has been stretched out to some 70 pitches in previous Pacific Coast League appearances, and has been given a minimum target of 80 pitches for his final minor league tuneup, the team told MLBnewsonline.

So far, Morrow has been hammered at Tacoma, where he has failed to reach the fifth inning in five appearances while sporting a 6.75 ERA with two losses. His strikeouts have been consistent, however, and the team prefers to believe that his 1.47 ERA in 36 innings of relief with the Mariners more accurately reflects his ability.

Morrow pitches fluidly in the high '90s, his fastball occasionally touching triple digits. His fastball is deadly when matched to a changeup clocked in the low '80s, and has enabled the team to project him to eventually become half of a deadly one-two power punch when paired with fireballing ace Felix Hernandez.

The decision to promote Morrow effectively locks him into the expanded, 40-man roster, along with fellow Raniers teammates Jorge Sosa and Ryan Feierabend. Feierabend has already made the rotation.

Silva -- a Twins castoff -- had been signed with an anticipation that he could offer the team complete games, eating up 200 innings for the season. With an ERA topping 6.00, however, Silva frequently has seen an early hook and will be fortunate to tally even 150 innings for the season, a major disappointment.

Silva -- a sinker baller who has been brilliant when able to hit his spots -- likely will be given a few more shots to prove he is worthy of his rotation slot for the remainder of the season, with starters Miguel Batista and R.A. Dickey also potential candidates for demotion to the bullpen to make room for the debut of youngsters, depending on whether lefty Jerrod Washburn is traded.

Silva gave up nine earned runs in fewer than four innings in his last outing, then complained of right triceps tendinitis.

Mariners' Brandon Morrow Plays Musical Chairs

Minor leaguers Jake Woods and Ryan Rowland-Smith stand to be the primary beneficiaries as the Mariners prepare to trade starter Jerrod Washburn and convert former top closer prospect Brandon Morrow into a starter.

At the same time, former starter Miguel Batista has been demoted to the bullpen, leaving a total of three holes in the Mariners rotation with the loss of injured ace Erik Bedard. Look for Wood or Rowland-Smith to claim at least one of the spots, though Woods seems to be holding down a bullpen position for now.

The spate of personnel moves appear to set the stage for the trade of Washburn to the Yankees, or perhaps to another suitor as other teams may try to claim him.

Though the non-waiver trading deadline has passed, Washburn would ordinarily have a high probability of going unclaimed because he is owed one more year on his four-year $37.5 million contract, which initially had been worth more than $50 million with incentives.

But any number of teams might find room for him -- not only to block the Yankees -- but to take advantage of the veteran lefty's recent rounding into form, as Washburn has a 3.24 ERA over his last 10 starts, games in which even the underperforming Mariners have managed an impressive six wins.

Washburn's career mark stands at 98-97.

Morrow -- the former UCLA starter whose fastball occasionally tops out at 98 mph -- is a major puzzle piece in the team's effort to fill the vacuum to be left by Washburn, with Wood and Smith-Rowland also looking to advance from Tacoma as the 25-man roster revamped before expanding to 40 players Sept. 1.

The team anticipates Morrow will be ready to start for the parent club well before the end of next month, though he has yet to throw more than 50 pitches in any of his minor league appearances.

Bedard meanwhile is expected to miss time for at least another three weeks. Though the Mariners have maintained loyalty to rotation mainstay Carlos Silva, it would appear the team would have little to lose by sitting Silva in favor of offering youngsters more chances to pitch, leaving yet another opening in the rotation, even if just for a start or two.

Lefties are hitting .344 against Silva, righties .300, as he has failed to last more than six innings in two of his last three starts.

Yankees, Mariners Faceoff Over Jerrod Washburn

The Yankees and Mariners stand face to face in a standoff over, with the first one to blink likely to be the lose the services of left-handed, flyball starter Jerrod Washburn.

A decision must be made by the July 31 trading deadline, or both teams come up empty.

The Mariners desperately need to dump the remainder of Washburn's approximate $50 million, five-year contract but are holding out for a prospect, and the Yankees are refusing to give up anything of significant value but cash, according to WFAN 660 Radio reporter Sweeny Murti speaking live from Yankees batting practice Tuesday for the SNY television network.

Meanwhile, various other media outlets speculate that crafty, left-handed Japanese strikeout artist Kei Igawa -- so far a bust against major league pitching but currently pitching relatively well for Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre -- is the most the Yankees would be willing to give up, plus pay part of his contract.

Yankees Reported to be Persuing Richie Sexson

First, be disabused of a certain, unsavory rumor that out-of-work slugger Richie Sexson has moved into a tree house at the top of a Pacific Coast redwood in protest of his being cut by the Mariners. More to the point, Richie Sexson IS a Pacific Coast redwood tree.

The lumbering, 6-foot-8, 245-pound Northwest native -- tallest position player ever to play in the major leagues -- intends to make a comeback with one of several teams reportedly making offers to him, including the Yankees, according to the New York Post.

"I can tell you we are interested," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was quoted as saying.

Sexson has struggled all season, hitting .218 with 11 homers and 30 RBI in 74 games, but is crying all the way to the bank considering he will collect from the Mariners $14 million guaranteed in the last year of his contract.

Pitchers Keeping Ichiro Suzuki Close to the Bag

Speedy Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has stolen only one base in more than two weeks, as opposing pitchers are holding him close to the bag, according to manager Jim Riggleman.

"When you steal enough, at some point the other manager won't let you," Riggleman recently explained to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "They change how they pitch. Right now they're not letting Ichiro run. They're...about 1.2 seconds to the plate. When other guys are on base, they pitch. When he's on base, they make sure they slow down the run."

Riggleman largely discounted what apparently is a minor hamstring issue.

Suzuki has 33 steals for the season.

Logan White To Interview For Mariners GM Job?

For all the Dodgers deficiencies, they seem to have one thing down pat: drafting good young players.  Logan White has run the Dodgers scouting department for the last seven years and is largely responsible for the drafting of budding stars such as Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, Chad Billingsley, James Loney, and Clayton Kershaw.  And now the Dodgers have given him permission to leave.

The Dodgers are well known for trading away superstars such as Pedro Martinez and Mike Piazza.  They tend to make brilliant trade deadline moves such as trading future all-star first baseman Paul Konerko for scrub closer Jeff Shaw, just as Eric Karros' age was creating a need for a first basemen.  The Dodgers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on injured pitchers.  From Darren Dreifort to Jason Schmidt to Kevin Brown, whichever GM has not been around long enough to get fired finds a way to challenge common sense.  

If the Dodgers are in such a charitable mood this summer, perhaps they should let White take James Loney or Matt Kemp with him.  They need to make room to sign another washed up veteran anyway.

Mariners Finally Address Bill Bavasi's Incompetence

Bill Bavasi's amusing run as general manager of the Seattle Mariners has ended. Hired before the 2004 season, Bavasi managed to assemble only one team that did not finish last in the AL west -- the 2nd place finishing 2007 team. The current squad is not only in last place, but its 24-45 record is the worst in baseball.

Some of Bavasi's questionable moves during his tenure:

• Signing Richie Sexson for four years $50 million
• Trading top prospect Adam Jones, George Sherrill (now Baltimore's closer), and three pitching prospects for Erik Bedard
  
• Signing Carlos Silva for 4 years $48 million. Silva is 3-7 with a 5.79 ERA

This list is kind of a waste of time because you can trace just about every Mariners player to a questionable signing or trade. The Tacoma News Tribune has Bavasi's lengthy rap sheet here.

The Mariners are going nowhere this year and probably nowhere next year or the year after, but this firing could set the stage for an Erik Bedard trade.

The new GM will have no attachment to Bedard and it would make sense to trade the team's most valuable commodity. The Yankees might be interested, now that Chien-Ming Wang is out for six weeks. The Cubs and Blue Jays have also shown interest in the past.

Pitcher Erik Bedard's Status? Vexing

Seattle Mariners superstar southpaw Erik Bedard -- the American League's 2008 Cy Young recipient-in-waiting -- is on the trainer's table again with a bum hip, doubtless receiving a wide variety examinations, radiological imaging studies and physical therapy modalities followed by a raft of anti-inflammatory injections, oral medications, potions, liniments and incantations.

The Mariners medical staff (along with a sizable representation of the Mariners Nation) likely would take a dead cat to a graveyard at midnight under a full moon and swing it three times if they thought it would do any good. Heck, manager John McLaren would probably sacrifice a virgin if he could find one.

What's most troubling is that Bedard (1-0, 3.27) has had his left hip chirp at him before, and it may very well be that it is worse than the team describes it. Certain things do not add up.

Remember the report that the injury was holding up the trade with Baltimore? Yet McLaren says the injury occurred when Bedard was "throwing in the outfield." Then Bedard was quoted as saying he woke up with the problem. Well, which is it? And why was he throwing on flat ground in the outfield?

Some fans may be reassured because Bedard's problem is in his hip and not his shoulder or elbow. But it would be foolish to think his lower extremities are unimportant.

Look at the action photo of Bedard. Yes, he knows how to pitch, and he has a lightening bolt coming from his shoulder joint. But look at his left leg! His power is largely generated from his legs. All hard throwers will tell you the secret to their heat is in the legs.

Now, is it possible that his is a new, true-true-and-unrelated injury related to casual throwing in the outfield? Possible -- but doubtful.

There is some loose talk about that Bedard is suffering from an "impingement" syndrome of the hip. What's that? Perhaps he has ileotibial band syndrome or simple trochanteric bursitis -- not dissimilar from what Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado was complaining about a few weeks ago. If Bedard is feeling a snap or a click, it may not be the hip joint at all, but inflammation of the musculoskeletal structures about the hip joint.

Regardless -- all the miracles of modern sports medicine notwithstanding -- Bedard is just going to have to rest, and with that, his arm will unavoidably wither.

Bedard can perform physical therapy, lift weights or participate in long toss, but to be a sharp pitcher, on his game, he has to pitch. He is just going to have to take a break. He'll be back, but it's a good bet he won't get 20 starts this year. Bye, bye, Cy Young. See you in 2009.

Book on Richie Sexson Sad, Sad Tale

A new autobiography is being written by Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson and it's for pitchers only. Whether it turns out to be truth, fiction or slander is yet to be determined, because only Sexson will be able to tell the ending.

But essentially, the point of the new book on the 33-year-old, 6-foot-8, slugger is that he no longer can get around on an inside fastball -- an assertion that proven true might explain his .205 batting average last year.

Though ESPN baseball commentator Buck Martinez and others have predicted a comeback for Sexson, one thing is certain: he will see a steady diet of fastballs until he demonstrates he can hit them the way he used to.

Though Sexson notched his first hit of the season in his most recent outing, he also struck out three times in that game, once on just three pitches from Texas Rangers right-hander Vicente Padilla.

Though Padilla is not especially known as a hard thrower, in that particular at-bat he simply reached back to throw a 97 mph fastball over the plate, all but screwing Sexson into the ground and he flailed at it helplessly.

The Mariners waited all last season for him to come around, but to no avail. It will be interesting to see how long the team will wait this year before running out of patience. A costly but simple solution would involve Raul Ibanez taking over at first base, giving Wladimir Balentien a shot to play the outfield on a regular basis.

Injury Analysis: Adrian Beltre

An old injury, just revealed by the Mariners, Adrian Beltre has evidence of an injury to the radial collateral ligament at the base of the left thumb. Since Beltre throws right, I suspect he suffered this injury from one or more fielding attempts where the thumb of his glove struck the ground forcing his thumb toward the index finger.

If you are paying attention, Andy LaRoche just had surgery and will miss at least a couple months (and in all probability not be right for the balance of the 2008 season) for an injury to the ulnar collateral ligament of the base of the thumb - the opposite side of the joint where the base of the thumb is attached to the bone of the hand (first metacarpal) where the mechanism of injury is the opposite of Beltre's (the ligament in the webspace between the thumb and the index finger is the ulnar collateral ligament, while the ligament on the outside of the thumb is the radial collateral ligament).

LaRoche's injury is colloquially referred to in medical parlance as a "Gamekeeper's Thumb." No, not an injury to soccer's goaltender, but an injury to bird-handlers (in old England, as a matter of fact, where the malady was first described) who raise and harvest various birds for human consumption (chickens and game hens for example) and the "Gamekeeper" would sacrifice the bird by snapping its neck with their hands. When the maneuver is performed hundreds of times, the stress on the ligament at the base of the thumb became evident because the condition was so disabling to the gamekeeper and they complained about it to observant doctors.

The injury is also called a "Ski Pole" injury which is what happens to skiers when the ski pole is violently loosened from their grip in a fall when their hand is around the handgrip of the ski pole and the wrist is fixated in the pole's strap, ostensibly as a tether so as not to lose the pole in a fall. The thumb is taken violently beyond its normal range of motion, rupturing the ligament.

It's important to recognize that the thumb (along with the index finger) is responsible for about 90-percent of the function of the hand. The ulnar collateral ligament (LaRoche's injury), clinically, is far more important to the function of the thumb than the radial collateral ligament on the opposite side of the base of the thumb (Beltre's injury - which now chronic and likely healed).

If one examines Beltre's performance both before and after this ailment is believed to have originated, which has been done elsewhere (The Fantasy Hot Sheet presented by The Roto Times: Beltre, Granderson, Rolen and more, March 25, 2008, by Rick Wilton), you'll notice that his productivity is about the same, indicating that, while he has pain and perhaps some mild disability from that old injury he can still play and still produce.

All athletes, especially professional athletes, play with some degree of pain and disability. Just because something is found on an MRI and the athlete has some discomfort in that area does not necessararily mean that that finding is the cause of the problem and certainly not one that requires fixing. One third of the population taken at random off the street, for example, on an MRI has one or more bulging intervertebral discs in their back - and no symptoms, no disability.

When somebody has back pain or a back injury and an MRI is indiscriminately ordered, select unknowing (or unscrupulous) medical practitioners will ascribe their patient's problem to the disc and recommend surgery. The results of disc surgery (discectomy and/or laminectomy) are well known postoperatively: one third get better, one third get worse, and one-third are exactly the same as before the surgery. In well-controlled studies, randomized to surgery versus no surgery, two years after the diagnosis of disc disease producing back pain is made, the outcome of patients in both surgical and conservative management groups is precisely the same - the same number are better, the same number are worse, the same number are just the same.

Clearly, it's possible that the abnormal disc that is imaged by MRI may have nothing to do with the back pain. Along with lots of things MRI imaged in MLB players, so it could be true with the radial collateral ligament of Beltre's thumb. I would like to see a study where a series of asymptomatic baseball players undergo MRI of the thumb. I suspect there would be a significant number with evidence of old functional injuries not dissimilar from Beltre's, and this could all be much ado about nothing.

Starter Carlos Silva Hardly a Bargain at $48 million

Sure it's just one game, and maybe starter Carlos Silva was just wasting a few innings of exhibition play to try to get his newly developing cutter to cut more like a cutter. Still, he gave up a lofty 13 hits and 10 runs in the Mariners recent 17-3 loss to the Brewers at Peoria, Ariz., and has a little explaining to do.

One cannot draw too many conclusions from one spring outing, but a cloud hangs over the head of the Mariners $48 million, No. 4 starter not only because of his more than 9.00 spring ERA, but because questions linger as to why Silva was unable to re-sign with the Twins when he practically begged them for a contract renewal at a fraction of the Mariners cost.

Silva offered the Twins a sweetheart deal because he married a Twin Cities woman and only recently completed building a multimillion-dollar home in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area. But as a finesse pitcher who all too frequently has been unable to hit his spots with his sometimes shaky sinker, the Twins said thanks, but no thanks.

The Mariners willingness to spend $52 million over five years to sign pitcher Jerrod Washburn and his now 18-29 Seattle record was one thing; Silva's four-year deal is quite another considering Silva's 24-29 mark and more than 5.00 combined ERA over the past two years.