Clement wins award

First-round draft pick Jeff Clement has won the 2005 Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top catcher.

He beat out Arizona's Nick Hundley and Texas catcher Taylor Teagarden.

Clement has yet to reach a deal with the Mariners, but the team has signed 16 of its selections so far.

Olivo recalled

Miguel Olivo has been recalled from Tacoma.

To make room on the 25-man roster, catcher Rene Rivera has been optioned to San Antonio.

Don't think anybody saw this one coming. Olivo was only hitting .233 with the Rainiers.

1995 ALDS - Game 5

Some thoughts as I watching tonight's replay:

· Would anybody recognize Don Mattingly or Wade Boggs without a mustach? (Note: This line has been changed since original publication)

· David Cone threw 147 pitches in this game. I don't think there is any way a pitcher would be left in the game so long these days, especially after walking a person on pitch 141.

· Speaking of that walk, when was the last time you saw an infielder come to the mound by himself on a 3-1 count to settle the pitcher down?

· Would this game have ended differently if Mariano Rivera was brought in one batter sooner?

· Just whose bright idea was it to build the Kingdome?

· It's a little weird to watch a game without the score striped across the top of the screen all the time.

· How can you not love Randy Johnson's mullet?

· Here's the box score from the game.

Weekend wrapup

Another series, 2 more losses. It's becoming all too familiar. They even lost to bunch of bench players.

· The hot topic during the upcoming weeks will revolve around who does or doesn't stay in a Mariners uniform. Will Bret Boone be traded? Jamie Moyer? Randy Winn?

The San Diego fans seem to have mixed feelings over a Boone trade.

· Ichiro has put up a paltry .235/.255/.581 line June. His on-base percentage from the year has dropped to .333, not exactly what you want out of your leadoff hitter.

· Scott Spiezio is hitting .349 after 11 games in Tacoma. Expect him to return to the team very soon.

· It's been a year since Freddy Garcia was traded to the Chicago White Sox. He doesn't seem to miss much about Seattle.

· Another year of Jeff Nelson? I'm not sure I could take it unless he was only allowed to face right-handed batters (.521 OPS vs RH, .932 vs LH).

· The 1995 ALDS is being replayed tonight on FSN at 6 p.m.

Sexson suspended

Richie Sexson has been suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed amount for throwing a bucket of baseballs on the field after being ejected in last Saturday's game against the Mets.

Update: Sexson did not begin serving his suspension tonight.

M's sign two more

In addition to signing Derrick Ellison from the Frontier League's Rockford Riverhawks, the Mariners also snagged LHP Donny Langdon and RHP Justin Jordan from the Evansville Otters.

Both pitchers are expected to join the team's A-class affiliate in Wisconsin.

· Safeco Field did not rank in the top 10 hot dog eating stadiums.

· Adrian Beltre has posted a .310/.394/.414 line so far in June. He hasn't hit a home run, however, since May 21.

Leone update

Justin Leone made his return to the Rainiers last week. He's missed the last two months with a hand injury. The Olympian caught up with the him yesterday to talk about his progress.

Leone is 6-for-26 with three doubles since returning.

· Felix Hernandez will probably miss at least one more start because of bursitis.

· The Mariners need a win tonight to stay out of last place.

· With Pedro Martinez moving to the NL, will Rich Harden replace him as the designated Mariners-killer (Rafael Palmeiro takes that honor for hitters)? He's 2-0 with a .75 ERA against the M's this year.

I'm still here

After a nice vacation (except for the United States Grand Prix part of it), I've returned to talk more baseball.

· I think everybody knows by know that Felix Hernandez is suffering from bursitis in his shoulder. But do you know what bursitis is? If not, check out this informative page from the Mayo Clinic.

· Want to buy a seat from Cheney Stadium? Now you can. The team is selling the old wooden seats as they are being replaced over the cource of the season.

· Is there anybody that doesn't cringe when Jeff Nelson comes into a game?

· Although I have mixed feelings about the World Baseball Classic (the World Cup-style tournament scheduled for next year), it would be a shame if Japan skips it.

· The Quad Cities Times has some thoughts from Matt Tuiasosopo. He'll be playing in the Midwest League All-Star Game tonight.

Mets' injury list

AP is reporting that Mets OF Mike Cameron "hopes to play sometime this weekend against his former team in Seattle" after being given another day off Thursday in Oakland to allow the swelling in his right knee to subside. Also, A's catcher Jason Kendall slid hard into second baseman Kaz Matsui on a game-ending double play; Matsui had to be helped off the field and had ice on his left knee afterward, but said he would try to play Friday in Seattle.

Meanwhile, on a totally unrelated note, the Mets signed catcher Benito Santiago to a minor league contract.

Mets on the mind

The fabulous Jon Paul Morosi will have two stories in Friday's P-I (online by midnight tonight) resulting from his trip to Oakland this week to scout the Mets. First, he'll have a profile of Mike Cameron, who is emotional about his return to Safeco Field for the first time since leaving via free agency. Then, he'll take a look at the Mets themselves -- including Pedro Martinez, Jose Reyes, Mike Piazza, Kazuo Matsui and Carlos Beltran -- as they come to Seattle for the first time.

Links:
- Cammy comes home
- 'New Mets' withstanding intense scrutiny

Ichiro's 'slide'

In his latest "Off the Wall" column, Derek Zumsteg tackles the question, Is something wrong with Ichiro?

Ichiro's batting average has dropped below .300, and many fans are wondering if it's time to be concerned. Because Ichiro doesn't hit many home runs, like an average right fielder, and doesn't take a lot of walks (without which he can't steal as many bases), he's only helping the team defensively without a high batting average.

But, with the help of his handy RoboIchiro 2000® simulator, Derek shows that the seeming drop-off in Ichiro's game can be chalked up to random variations and the vagaries of statistics.

Fickle fans

(Mike's off for a few days so the rest of us are filling in here.)

A winning baseball team -- and nobody cares? Somehow I don't think you'd see this in Seattle:

The Chicago White Sox have the best record in baseball, and their best chance in years of ending an 88-year drought of World Series championships. But here in one of America's great sports towns, hardly anyone seems to care.

The team has tried almost everything to lure fans, including half-price tickets on Mondays, $1 hot dogs, and roving bands of cheerleaders who give free tickets to anyone who happens to be wearing a White Sox hat or jersey. Still, the Sox are averaging only 23,000 fans a game -- a tad more than half the capacity of their South Side home, U.S. Cellular Field. When the Sox recently faced another first-place team, the Los Angeles Angels, only about 20,000 showed up, despite delightful weather and a 2-for-1 ticket special.

Get the full story from the Wall Street Journal (no pesky subscription needed in this case).

New M's blogs

With the start of a new season, more M's blogs have popped up:
· Mariners RoundTable
· Mariner Housewife
· Mariner Magic

They should all be included in the sidebar soon.

AA All-Stars

Jesus Guzman and Bobby Livingston were named as 2005 Texas League All-Stars.

Yuniesky Betancourt and Sean Green were also named, but they have been promoted to Tacoma.

The game will be played on June 21 in Frisco, Texas.

M's select LHP with second pick

The Mariners have selected LHP Justin Thomas from Youngstown State with their second pick (fourth round, 113th overall).

Thomas was named 2005 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year.

· Bio
· Highlights
· MLB scouting report
· Photo gallery
· Interview with The Jambar (YSU student paper)

Fifth round
The team took RHP Stephen Kahn from Loyola Marymount. He was the 2004 WCC Pitcher of the Year, but he had a disappointing junior year (5-6, 5.60).
· Bio
· MLB scouting report

Sixth round
Although MLB.com is listing the pick as Michael Lynn, I believe they drafted Lance Lynn. He's a RHP from Brownsburg, Indiana who has signed a letter of intent with Ole Miss. This may be the pitcher that threw 189 pitches in a game during his junior season that Rob Neyer is referring to.
· MLB scouting report

Later picks
· Seventh round: LHP Robert Rohrbaugh, Clemson (bio - scouting report)
· Eighth round: LHP David Asher, Florida International (bio - scouting report)
· Ninth round: 1B Bryan Sabatella, Quinnipiac (bio)
· 10th round: 3B Ronald Prettyman, Cal St. Fullerton
· 11th round: CF Brian Contreras, Puerto Rico BB Academy HS
· 12th round: RHP Anthony Varvaro, St. Johns (bio)
· 13th round: 3B Reed Eastley, Niagara (bio)
· 14th round: 3B Bradley Boyer, Arizona (bio)
· 15th round: RHP John Holdzkom, Rancho Cucamonga HS
· 16th round: RF Grant Gerrard, Southern Illinois (bio)
· 17th round: LHP James Russell, Navarro College
· 18th round: 1B Curtis Ledbetter, Nebraska (bio)

Local athletes
· Travis Buck, Richland: 36th overall pick by Oakland
· Zach Simons, Everett CC: 55th overall pick by Colorado
· Nick Hundley, Lake Washington HS grad: 76th overall pick by San Diego
· UW's Brent Lillibridge: 121st overall pick by Pittsburgh
· Reid Hamblet, Olympia HS grad: 153rd overall pick by Baltimore
· Scott Deal, University Place: 161st overall pick by Oakland
· Aaron Cunningham, Everett CC: 185th overall pick by Chicago White Sox
· Jacob Butler, Yelm HS grad: 236th overall pick by Toronto
· Dionisio Muyco, Richland HS grad: 250th overall by Chicago Cubs
· James Zink, Everett CC: 258th overall pick by Boston

M's draft catcher

The Mariners selected catcher Jeff Clement from USC as their first round pick (3rd overall).

"We think Jeff is a player that we not only feel deserved to be in the top part of the draft, but fortunately for us, also could fill needs within the organization," Bob Fontaine said. "Catching is very hard to find and a left-handed hitting catcher at that."

Clement hit .347 with 13 home runs and 60 RBIs last season. His 44 career home runs rank him third all-time at USC, trailiing only Mark McGwire and Geoff Jenkins.

Tidbits
· Rated by Baseball America as the "Best Power Hitter" among college prospects
· 2005 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Finalist
· 2005 Johnny Bench Award Finalist
· Three-time All-Pac-10 selection
· Named first team All-American by USA Today Sports Weekly and Collegiate Baseball

Links
· Bio
· Baseball America First Round coverage
· Dave Cameron's take

Rating the infielders

Baseball America's Daily Dish takes a look at the stockpile of infielders the Mariners currently have a Class A Wisconsin (though all reports from outside the organization indicate that Matt Tuiasosopo's days at shortstop are numbered).

· Speaking of players in the minors, Dave Cameron has updated his Future Forty list.

· J.B. Tucker, a senior catcher at Wake Forest, signed a free agent contract with the Mariners over the weekend. He's scheduled to play for the AquaSox after reporting for mini-camp in Peoria. Here's more on Tucker from the Bradenton Herald. In case you were wondering, fifth-year seniors can sign before the draft.