Reese still out, other stuff
Seattle PI and others report that Pokey Reese’s arm is still sore. He’s headed back to Seattle for further examination. In the same notebook, the PI also talks to Nelson about his lack of work —
“I could use more work, but I think it’s tough for them right now,” Nelson said. “For me to be really helping the team in short relief, I need to pitch more, but I think the same can be said for Shiggy (Shigetoshi Hasegawa) and J.J. (Putz).
“It’s tough for them right now with 12 pitchers and the starting pitchers getting deeper into games. But it’s tough, too, to have to come into a critical situation when you haven’t pitched in four or five games.”
This, folks, is why the 12-man pitching staff is pointless. You don’t think the M’s could use some random AAA all-hit bat on the bench instead of having three, four right-handed relievers biting each other for table scrap innings?
But then, if Choo is up and they’re not going to even try to use him, what’s the point in caring either way?
Incidentally, touching on an issue that came up in discussing Strong’s suspension, the Times had this in Finnigan’s article:
The eight other Seattle players, including catcher Ryan Christianson, were suspended for 15 days because that is the policy regarding minor-leaguers. Strong’s penalty was less severe because he is on the Mariners’ 40-man roster.
And in the PI piece:
The major league program calls for a 10-day suspension for a first offense. For purposes of the testing, Strong is considered a major leaguer even though he’s playing for Tacoma because he’s on the 40-man roster.
It was cool to see both papers offer a reasonably succinct explanation of why Strong’s supsension was 10-day. The PI also gets mixed up on the game/day length of the suspension on the first mention, but they’re not the only people — I have trouble remembering that the ML one is 10 days but the minor league one is 15 games.
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70 Responses to “Reese still out, other stuff”
#45 Too bad they are behind the rest of the MLB on preventing these things from happening.
I think that the negligible benefits of having him learn where to go etc. is negated by using up one of his options
The team already used an option year on Choo when he was sent to Tacoma prior to the start of the year. Having him sit on the bench doesn’t effect his option status at all. He is accumulating service time towards arbitration and free agency, but likely not enough to matter.
Dobbs or “Doyle†or both? I’ll take both. Having more left handed bats is never bad.
Neither. Dobbs is awful, awful, awful, and Doyle needs to just play regularly for 4 months.
There’s also no point in having any more lefty hitting outfielders. The team could use a RH lefty masher like Marcus Thames in a pretty bad way, though.
I think Hargrove has been trying to put Choo in games but every time he does Baylor just says “gesundheit”.
Thanks folks. I’ll be here all week.
We all knew the bench was going to be a major weak spot going into the season, why all the grief now that they’re not getting enough use? As far as I’m concerned, the less use this bench gets, the better.
If a RHP out of the ‘pen were cut loose, who could be called up that would fill a hole that actually needs filling? Doyle might see some action, but he would replace Choo. If Leone is called up, he just replaces Dobbs. IOW, sure, there are guys who fills holes better than what is being used right now, but they already have a backup at every position (thank you Willie), and, Twins philosophy aside, carrying a #3 catcher or a #5 outfielder or any other deep, deep backups is no better than carrying a 12th pitcher.
When Bucky is well, there will be a spot to carry a full-time power PH/DH type, but since there’s really nobody else in the system suited to that role, it’ll have to wait.
#1. It is obvious NO ONE knows what is going on with Pokey, it is increasingly looking like he and Bobby M. will be bunkmates down in Arizona rehabbing until 2006. #2. Has anybody watched Jeff Nelson pitch recently? My goodness, this isn’t 1999 Jeffy. Of course they will release him, finally, around July 30th so he can make some headlines…complaining. He is still at the top of his form at that.
Pokey is this year’s “dead arm”. My, the Carlos Guillen for Ramon Santiago trade just gets better and better over time, like a fine wine.
#56 So does watching that overpaid SS in Baltimore.
#56/57: The whining from the fans has been keeping pace as well…
RE.55
I’ve been out of the country much of the season. Just how bad is Nelly these days?
I think the biggest problem with Nelson is that Hargrove doesn’t know how to use him. He still has that nasty slider but his command is not what it used to be. He needs to only face righthanders if possible. He’s been facing way too many lefthanders.
The other day Hargrove brought him in to face a righthander and then left him in for the next three lefthanders.
#58 Thank you all knowing one who knows so much about me.
Pokey won’t be around for 2006 (or at best he’ll be a NRI) if he sits for all of 2005- his deal’s one year with a 2.6 million dollar option, and the M’s would have to be insane to take the option.
Speaking of Boston and World Series Champs, I wonder about this– What is it about winning the World Series that gives the Boston players the impression that they are the chosen world mouth offs? Did you see Schillings comments about Lou Pinella? Curt dear, Sweet Lou has not forgotten how the game is played but you clearly do not have a clue!!Perhaps you should worry about your own team and while you are at it suggest that they use some of that series money to get haircuts so they look like real human beings.
#40-“Does anyone else have better information on their evaluation of his injury during spring training? I bugged me then, and it bugs me more now.”
timeline per the PI:
Mar. 27, came out of game with ‘sore shoulder’, examined.
Mar. 29, to be re-evaluated by medical staff
Mar. 30, “Shortstop Pokey Reese, who hasn’t played since Sunday because of a sore shoulder, will need at least one more day before he’s ready.”It’s getting better,” Reese said, “but it’s not quite there.”
Apr. 2, “Reese warmed up for last night’s game at Cashman Field like everybody else. Reese seemed to have trouble getting his shoulder loose, but said, “I feel fine.””
Apr. 6, “Seattle shortstop Pokey Reese had an MRI exam on his injured right shoulder yesterday. The MRI, read by the Mariners’ medical crew before last night’s game, revealed a strained right shoulder.”
Apr. 27, “Shortstop Pokey Reese, was recalled from his injury rehabilitation assignment at Class AA San Antonio. Reese, his right shoulder still sore, flew back to Seattle yesterday. Team medical director Dr. Larry Pedegana will examine Reese today.”
Apr. 27, “An exam Wednesday morning disclosed a problem in the AC joint, which is located near the clavicle.”
But the key is: When was the injury ever “honored”? We don’t yet have a date on that.
Don’t you miss Lou’s ability to get the bench playing time without doing asinine stuff like starting WB in actual games?
#63: Curt Schilling was never one to keep his opinions quiet. This did not start with his trade to Boston or with his winning the World Series there or in Arizona.
When one of Lou’s pitchers throws at Curt’s teammate’s head (and one with a nice haircut, since you consider that to be germane to this discussion) and Curt has something to say about it, that would seem to qualify as Curt’s “worrying about his own team.â€Â
Tony Conigliaro was a Red Sox star-in-the-making hit in the face by a fastball at the age of 22 in 1967. It ruined his career.
There’s pitching inside, and there’s headhunting. Lou’s comments immediately after the game (“maybe those pitches slipped, maybe they didn’t”) do not paint him in a very positive light.
The News Tribune is reporting that Pokey will almost certainly require shoulder surgery.
The common denominator in the beaning sequence was Arroyo and not a Tampa Bay pitcher… But besides that, there is no excuse for callying another teams manager an idiot in public nor is there any for suggesting a man like Lou Pinella has “forgotten how the game is played.” Indeed, it was a public attack on the persona of Lou Pinella and it is not acceptable. Schilling should apologize if he really is a champ.
You and I could not have watched the same game. The “common denominator†was that, in the space of three minutes in the 7th inning, Lance Carter threw at Manny Ramirez (and the ball went behind him), Ramirez homered on the next pitch, and two pitches later he launched a fastball at David Ortiz’ head.
Schilling didn’t call Piniella an idiot; he repeated what TB players said about their own manager. But when Sweet Lou called a team meeting and asked them who said that, they all denied it. I guess that settles the issue.
If Schilling is not a champion, there are no champions. Did you miss ALCS game 6 and World Series game 2? When Seattle gets players like Curt Schilling, they might actually win something.