Plan To Make The M’s A Contender (‘07)

Okay I’m posting this in response to Churchill’s call to make an in season plan to make the Mariners a contender. I’ll detail all the moves, even the small ones, that I’d make as GM. I know they aren’t the one’s the organization would make, but screw them and there horrible decision making. Here goes…

Low Impact Moves

1. Release Rene Rivera

He’s downright terrible. The Mariners have 3 good catching prospects (if you count Clement), so Rivera has no future here. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but it clears up a spot on the 40-man roster in case we need it. It makes NO sense having Rivera on the 40-man roster. None. Zero. Bye bye.

2. Release Jeff Weaver

He’s the worst M’s pitcher ever. If you have to have this explained than you’re damn near hopeless.

3. Get Jason Ellison of the major league roster

Either send him down, trade him to some other team for basically nothing, or if it comes to it, just release him. There’s no point in wasting a spot on the roster for a guy who is a rarely used defensive sub. This is so that you can…

4. Deal Horacio Ramirez to an NL team

While he’s proved he can’t pitch in the AL, I’m sure there some NL team out there willing to give up a player to be named later for him. So do it.

High Impact Moves

5. Call up Adam Jones

The kid is ready to play on a major league level. Put him on a platoon with Ibanez immediately. He’d be a huge defensive upgrade. (Side note: I’d trade Ibanez for more pitching help, but it won’t happen so I’ll end the discussion there.)

6. Make Morrow a starter

Look, he’s fantastic as a set-up guy, but you don’t draft a set-up man with a top 10 draft pick. Move him to the rotation where he can make a significant impact. When Reitsma comes back he can handle the set up spot. I’m sure Morrow would get knocked around a bit in his first couple outings trying to rediscover his off-speed stuff, but I think he knows he can get big league hitters out and the bullpen guys support him, so I think he’d get through it. If this team wants to make the playoffs they’re gonna have to make a few gambles. This would be one of those.

7. Trade for Mark Buehrle

Sure I’d rather deal for Dontrell Willis or Carlos Zambrano, but the M’s don’t have the chips to make a deal like that. So here’s the deal I’d make. Ship Wlad, Sean White, and Ryan Rowland-Smith. Buehrle isn’t an ace by any stretch, but he’d be a HUGE improvement at the #3 spot. I think we could get him at that relatively cheap price because he and the Chicago front office aren’t friends to say the least. Plus they’re dying for an outfielder. I’d be willing to give up a bit more (maybe Feierabend?), but why if you don’t have to?

Roster:

Starters:

1. Felix Hernandez
2. Jarrod Washburn
3. Mark Buehrle
4. Brandon Morrow
5. Miguel Batista

Bullpen:

Closer: J.J. Putz
Set-up: Chris Reitsma
Lefty Specialist: George Sherrill
Other RP: Jason Davis, Sean Green, Cha Seung Baek, Eric O’Flaherty

Starting Lineup Vs LHP:

CF- Ichiro
C- Johjima
RF- Guillen
1B- Sexson
DH- Vidro
3B- Beltre
SS- Betancourt
2B- Lopez
LF- Adam Jones

Starting Lineup Vs RHP:

CF-Ichiro
C- Johjima
RF- Guillen
LF- Ibanez
1B- Sexson
DH- Vidro
3B- Beltre
SS- Betancourt
2B- Lopez

Bench:

C- Burke
1B/LF- Broussard
Utl- Bloomquist
Plus either Jones or Ibanez depending on the day.

Review- Maybe I’ll Catch Fire by Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio’s 2000 release, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, is not there best work, but it is still a CD that is worth listening to.  It is another chapter of delightful darkness for one of the most under appreciated bands out there.

One thing that catches you right off the bat is the sound of the album’s production.  It manages to sound like it was cheaply recorded, but still is extremely tight and “clean”.  It’s hard to explain but one listen to any of the tracks and one instantly is able to recognize the effect I speak of.  I absolutely love it, it might have my favorite production sound of any album.

Matt Skiba, Alkaline Trio’s guitarist/lead singer, is one of the most brilliant lyricists in music.  Some may shy away from his stylings as being too focused on dark imagery.  Others may write him off for trying to make every verse and chorus so  damn catchy, but if that’s a bad thing than music has no chance.

The album kicks off at full gallop with Keep ‘Em Coming.  The third track You’ve Got So Far To Go is a terrific tale of love, smoking, and booze carried by bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano.  It the type of song that other bands often try and fail miserably at pulling off, but these guys always seems to get right.

Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, more than any other Alkaline Trio disc, showcases Skiba’s unique ability to sing even the most terrible things in a inviting and pretty way.  This style is clear on the title track Maybe I’ll Catch Fire and Fuck You Aurora.

The album ends with it’s best track, the bipolar bliss of Radio.  The song starts with with a soft and simple guitar intro that is  ridiculously hard to get out of your head.  Skiba matches this with a soft almost crooning vocal about revenge.  Just when the listener is getting lulled into a sense of peace, the chorus hits like a bag of bricks to the side of the head.  The guitar suddenly turns harsh and Skiba bellows at the top of his lungs about his wish for an ex to take her radio into the bath.  It’s such a good track.  If nothing else, go download this song.

Peaks and valleys are the biggest problem with this album.  While there are no bad songs on this album, some just don’t live up to the others.  While it’s not to the point where one must reach desperately for the skip button, I sometimes find waiting for the best tracks to come along and tuning out others.  But overall it’s not a huge problem, and the album does keep you coming back for more.

Score: 8.4/10

Site Plans (NEW PROJECT)

Okay, so I’ve strayed away from real writing for some time. My bad. Anyway, I’m gonna have some (i.e. massive amounts) of spare time this summer so I’ve decided to start a new project. I’m gonna start working through my musical collection and reviewing all the CDs I have. It’s quite ambitious, and I’ll probably fail. But I’m gonna give it a shot. There will be no rhyme or reason to what I write about and when, but I’m gonna go for it.  I guess I’ll probably start by expanding previous reviews that I’ve done.  Wish me luck.

NFL Mock Draft 2007- Ver 6.0

—Round 1—

1. Oakland Raiders – JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
2. Detroit Lions – Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
3. Cleveland Browns – Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
5. Arizona Cardinals – Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
6. Washington Redskins – Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
7. Minnesota Vikings – Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
8. Atlanta Falcons – LaRon Landry, FS, LSU
9. Miami Dolphins – Alan Branch, DT, Michigan
10. Houston Texans – Levi Brown, OT, Penn State
11. San Francisco 49ers – Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
12. Buffalo Bills – Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
13. St. Louis Rams – Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska
14. Carolina Panthers – Greg Olsen, TE, Miami
15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Lawrence Timmons, OLB, Florida St.
16. Green Bay Packers – Marshawn Lynch, RB, California
17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Reggie Nelson, S, Florida
18. Cincinnati Bengals – Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh
19. Tennessee Titans – Ted Ginn Jr., WR/RS, Ohio State
20. New York Giants – Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State
21. Denver Broncos – Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan
22. Dallas Cowboys – Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC
23. Kansas City Chiefs – Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee
24. New England Patriots - Patrick Willis, MLB, Ole Miss
25. New York Jets – Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas
26. Philadelphia Eagles – Michael Griffin, S, Texas
27. New Orleans Saints – Aaron Ross, CB, Texas
28. New England Patriots – Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU
29. Baltimore Ravens- Jarvis Moss, DE/LB, Flordia
30. San Diego Chargers – Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina
31. Chicago Bears - Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee
32. Indianapolis Colts - Jon Beason, LB, Miami

—Round 2—-

33. Oakland Raiders – Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn
34. Detroit Lions – Eric Wright, CB, UNLV
35. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Anthony Spencer, DE, Purdue
36. Cleveland Browns – Marcus McCauley, CB, Fresno State
37. Chicago Bears - Zach Miller, TE, Arizona St.
38. Arizona Cardinals – LaMarr Woodley, DE/OLB, Michigan
39. Atlanta Falcons – Tim Crowder, DE, Texas
40. Miami Dolphins – Trent Edwards, QB, Stanford
41. Minnesota Vikings – Steve Smith, WR, USC
42. San Francisco 49ers – Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami
43. Buffalo Bills – Michael Bush, RB, Louisville
44. Atlanta Falcons – Justin Blalock, G, Texas
45. Carolina Panthers – Tony Ugoh, OT, Arkansas
46. Pittsburgh Steelers – Arron Sears, G, Tennessee
47. Green Bay Packers – Craig Davis, WR, LSU
48. Jacksonville Jaguars – Turk McBride, DT, Tennessee
49. Cincinnati Bengals – Tank Tyler, DT, NC State
50. Tennessee Titans – Antonio Pittman, RB, Ohio State
51. New York Giants – Jonathan Wade, CB, Tennessee
52. St. Louis Rams – David Harris, LB, Michigan
53. Dallas Cowboys – Josh Wilson, CB, Maryland
54. Kansas City Chiefs – Daymieon Hughes, CB, Cal
55. Seattle Seahawks – Brandon Mebane, DT, Cal
56. Denver Broncos – Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Ohio State
57. Philadelphia Eagles – Tanard Jackson, CB, Syracuse
58. New Orleans Saints – Quentin Moses, DE/OLB, Georgia
59. New York Jets – Ikaika Alma-Francis, DE/OLB, Hawaii
60. Miami Dolphins – Josh Beekman, G, Boston College
61. Baltimore Ravens- James Marten, OT, Boston College
62. San Diego Chargers – Brandon Siler, LB, Flordia
63. New York Jets – Jason Hill, WR, Washington St.
64. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Ryan McBean, DT, Oklahoma St.

NFL Mock Draft 2007-Vol 5.0

1. Oakland Raiders – JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU
2. Detroit Lions – Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
3. Cleveland Browns – Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech
5. Arizona Cardinals – Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
6. Washington Redskins – Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
7. Minnesota Vikings – Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas
8. Atlanta Falcons – LaRon Landry, FS, LSU
9. Miami Dolphins – Alan Branch, DT, Michigan
10. Houston Texans – Levi Brown, OT, Penn State
11. San Francisco 49ers – Ted Ginn Jr., WR/RS, Ohio State
12. Buffalo Bills – Marshawn Lynch, RB, California
13. St. Louis Rams – Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville
14. Carolina Panthers – Patrick Willis, MLB, Ole Miss
15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Lawrence Timmons, OLB, Florida St.
16. Green Bay Packers – Greg Olsen, TE, Miami
17. Jacksonville Jaguars – Reggie Nelson, S, Florida
18. Cincinnati Bengals – Leon Hall, CB, Michigan
19. Tennessee Titans – Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC
20. New York Giants – Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State
21. Denver Broncos – Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska
22. Dallas Cowboys – Darrelle Revis, CB, Pittsburgh
23. Kansas City Chiefs – Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee
24. New England Patriots - Michael Griffin, S, Texas
25. New York Jets – Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas
26. Philadelphia Eagles – Jon Beason, LB, Miami
27. New Orleans Saints – Jarvis Moss, DE/LB, Flordia
28. New England Patriots – Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU
29. Baltimore Ravens- Eric Wright, CB, UNLV
30. San Diego Chargers – Sidney Rice, WR, South Carolina
31. Chicago Bears - Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan
32. Indianapolis Colts - Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn