Thursday, September 2, 2010 @ 2:54pm
Safeco is huge. But do players adjust their behavior because of it?

By Mike Salk

Editor's note: This is Mike Salk's latest story for USS Mariner. Dave Cameron of USSM writes a weekly column for the Brock and Salk blog focusing on baseball from a statistical perspective.

A few weeks ago, I walked into the visitor’s dugout at Safeco Field and bumped into a player I had covered when I was reporting on the Red Sox. He asked me how I liked Seattle and then started talking about how great the city is and how much he liked the park.

“This place is great,” he told me. “But they need to move the fences in.”

He went on to tell me about an at bat he had had at Safeco where he hit “right on the screws.” Of course, he pulled it to left field and the ball ended up just making the warning track.

“I crushed that ball,” he said as he shook his head. “Unbelievable.”

That’s a quick anecdote to reinforce what you already know: Safeco is huge. And its dimensions, specifically the deep fence in left field (331 feet down the line and 388 feet to the left-center alley) can change the game. I’m sure you’ve seen tons of hard data on how hard it is to generate offense in Safeco, specifically for a right-handed pull hitter. Clearly, the players all know that Safeco is a little different from other parks.

But do they change their behavior because of it?

To read the rest of Salk's story, go to USS Mariner.

Thursday, September 2, 2010 @ 12:40pm
Sept. 2 show wrap: Reaction to the Josh Lueke story and what to do with Aaron Curry in tonight's exhibition finale

In case you aren't familiar with the Josh Lueke story, here's a rundown:

When the Mariners acquired him in the Cliff Lee deal, the team claimed they knew nothing about his legal issues, which included felony charges in a rape and sodomy case. Lueke later pleaded no contest to a lesser charge. But Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times wrote today that new information contradicts the team's claim about the extent of their knowledge of Lueke. According to Baker, former Mariners pitching coach Rick Adair, who was fired in August along with manager Don Wakamatsu and two other coaches, said he informed general manager Jack Zduriencik about Lueke's legal issues well before the deal was made.

You can download the Brock and Salk show podcasts here.

Thursday, September 2, 2010 @ 8:33am
Another basebrawl!

Here's video and a photo of last night's Nationals-Marlins brawl.

Thursday, September 2, 2010 @ 7:55am
Remember May?

By Dave Cameron

(Editor's note: Dave Cameron of USS Mariner writes a weekly column for the Brock and Salk blog focusing on baseball from a statistical perspective. Salk will be writing for USS Mariner as well, and actualy finished a post that will be up there shortly.)

Let's play a quick game called "Remember May?", though I make no promises that this game will be fun for anyone involved.

Even though the team fell apart that month, three players on the team were highly productive. Here are their lines in May:

Mike Seweney: .310/.349/.555 (BA/OBP/SLG), 63 PA
Franklin Gutierrez: .264/.396/.396, 111 PA
Josh Wilson: .300/.364/.413, 88 PA

Sweeney provided the power, launching six home runs while spending a decent amount of time at DH. Gutierrez provided the patience, drawing 20 walks in a single month. Josh Wilson provided surprising offense from the shortstop position, knocking six extra base hits and drawing seven walks. All three players were hailed for their offensive surges. In the case of Gutierrez, I was right there with everyone else, talking about how his new found patience could be a legitimate step forward and something that could make him a more valuable offensive player going forward. Others were sold on Sweeney or Wilson, arguing that they just needed regular playing time to prove what they could really do.

Well, here's how those three have performed since June 1st.

Mike Sweeney: .230/.299/.311, 67 PA
Franklin Gutierrez: .221/.258/.319, 320 PA
Josh Wilson: .227/.278/.278, 209 PA

Sweeney stopped hitting for power, as he has one home run since May ended. Gutierrez stopped walking - 11 unintentional walks from June through August. Josh Wilson stopped doing anything useful at the plate. Not only did they not carry forward their newfound gains, they took dramatic steps back, even from what they had been previously. Their performances in May were, in reality, illusions. Gutierrez still hasn't figure out how to lay off the breaking ball away. Sweeney still doesn't have any power. Josh Wilson still can't hit major league pitching.

For one month, they made people think that something was different, that they had magically improved their abilities in a short period of time. It wasn't real, though. It was just the normal variance you see over the course of a long baseball season. Guys go hot and cold, and they do so for no reason whatsoever. Once we are all able to accept that not every hot or cold streak has a cause or an explanation, the better we'll be able to figure out what to expect in the future.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 @ 12:16pm
Sept. 1 show wrap: Kirk Herbstreit on Steve Sarkisian and why the Seahawks traded Josh Wilson

You can also download the Brock and Salk show podcasts here.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 @ 9:28pm
Wilson must not have fit

By Mike Salk

When new coaches take over, they often turn over a roster to make sure they have their own guys. Some players will survive the purge, but that usually means that either the coach thinks they can fit in the new system or the coach can't get rid of them. Somehow, it appears as if Josh Wilson does not fit into Pete Carroll's new system.

How else do you explain the trade of one of the Seahawks' most productive defensive players from last season?

Wilson is undersized and might not have the greatest cover skills in the league. But he always seems to find a way to be around the ball. And when he gets ahold of it, he knows how to take it the other way in a hurry. Twice last year he was able to return interceptions for touchdowns. The Seahawks secondary may be better this season thanks to the addition of Earl Thomas, the departure of Deon Grant, the improved health of Marcus Trufant and the increased playing time for Lawyer Milloy. But as Wilson battled Kelly Jennings for the second corner spot, I would have thought the player with the better ball skills and play making potential would have been the winner.

He wasn't.

The Seahawks plan to play more press coverage this year, meaning their cornerbacks will start closer to the line of scrimmage and bump the receivers off the line. That requires a slightly different skill set from the schemes they've used the past few years. To play press, a corner must be physical enough to bother the receiver, but fast enough to turn and run with him. Jennings is fast whereas Wilson is more instinctual and plays better in space. By that description, Jennings is a better fit. But we've also seen what happens when Jennings finds himself in those "moment of truth" situations where the ball is in the air and he and the receiver each have a shot at it. Too often, he has failed to get his hands on the ball. Too often he has lost those toss-up battles. And in today's NFL, getting your hand on the ball is imperative. Turnovers win ballgames.

I have reservations about this deal. The Hawks gave away a productive player for a late round pick. In effect, they didn't get much more back for Wilson than they gave up earlier in the day when they acquired tackle Tyler Polumbus who they could have had for free less than a week ago when he was on waivers! (It's been pointed out to me that the Hawks couldn't get Polumbus off waivers because Detroit had the first shot at him) And not only does Wilson seem to be worth more than that, he also seemed to be a more productive player than the one they've chosen to replace him.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 @ 1:03pm
Aug. 31 show wrap: Would an elite qb make the 2010 Seahawks a playoff team?

In case you missed Salk singing "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood, here it is.

You can also download the Brock and Salk show podcasts here.

Monday, August 30, 2010 @ 12:33pm
Aug. 30 show wrap: Seahawks-Vikings game thoughts and the possibility of cutting Housh

You can also download the Brock and Salk show podcasts here.

Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 12:38pm
Aug. 27 show wrap: What Kasen Williams would mean to UW, concerns about protecting Hasselbeck and Strasburg's injury

You can also downloand the Brock and Salk show podcasts here.

Friday, August 27, 2010 @ 10:45am
Little Brock and Salk: Salk as a Bridesman and Brock dunks on girls

Listener Chris Sheridan checks in with his latest installment of the Little Brock and Salk comic strip, which is based on an on-air conversation this week...

Mike took a trip to Boston to visit family and friends. He told us how he's been spending time with his best friend since seventh grade, who happens to be a female. Salk dug himself into a hole with texters when he said that she was a Grooms-woman in his wedding and he was a Brides-man in hers.

In response to Mike's revelation, Brock said that when he was in seventh grade, he wasn't making friends with girls. He was too busy dunking on them in games of one-on-five.

You can check out the rest of Chris Sheridan's comics on his blog.