Where do you stand on the FRE?
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Watching the M's many times the past couple years has been, well, an experience. The Fernando Rodney Experience. Read on.
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• How do you come down on Rodney, the imaginary-arrow-shooting, hat-sideways-wearing, multi-million-dollar closer of the M's? There are a lot of ways to look at his appearances on the mound, and not all of them good. And not all of them true, either.
He blows a lot of saves: Well, not really. Yes, he blew a save last night, giving up two runs in the bottom of the ninth as the Dodgers rallied past the M's 6-5. It was his first blown save since July 20 of last season. Yes, I know I'm parsing things here, because Rodney blew a four-run lead the other day in Oakland, but that wasn't a save situation.
He walks a tightrope every time he enters the game: Yes he does. The 1-2-3 save rarely seems to be in his repertoire. A walk, a hit, a wild pitch, now those are always in his back pocket. Despite that, 48 out of 51 times last season he finished a save, giving the M's the victory by recording the final out. And baseball, like all professional sports, is a results-based business. Style points don't count. Did he do the job or not? If he does, then keep him in the spot. If he doesn't – and he didn't last night – then make a change.
He's off to a poor start: Ya, his last week hasn't been his best. And he's 39 years old, near the end of the line for a power pitcher. It's worrisome, certainly.
He's a clown: Ya, he is, isn't he? The hat, the arrow, they all are bothersome – when he's failing. When's he putting together 10, 12, 15 saves in a row, all the odd stuff doesn't seem so bad.
He gives me heartburn: That's your problem, not his. Yes, when he comes out of the pen, walkup music blaring, you know it won't be easy. The first guy may line a single to right. The second guy may walk. The third guy may hit into a 6-4-3 double play. The fourth guy may drive a ball just foul down the left-field line before striking out on a splitter in the dirt. But 48 out of 51 times last season Rodney was successful in doing what he is paid to do, get the 27th out in an M's win. Results matter. And those results are pretty darn good. Last night he wasn't successful. As the photographs above show, Howie Kendrick just blistered the game-winning hit. OK, so he was sawed off so badly the bat split into two. But the bottom line is Kendrick dumped in a two-run single and the Dodgers won. Rodney failed. If it keeps up, he's going to lose his job. And the M's may just be in trouble.
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• WSU: For some reason the offense struggled yesterday at the Cougars' spring football practice. Jacob Thorpe detailed the troubles in this blog post, then zeroed in on freshman running back Keith Harrington in this story. ... Jacob also has a morning post today with links.
• Gonzaga: One more thing from Jacob. He has his weekly college baseball notebook and he writes about Gonzaga's recent successes.
• EWU: Jim Allen takes a break from his position previews this morning to check in on the quarterback competition.
• Preps: Despite the rain – and hail and other frozen stuff – we received yesterday, the softball showdown between Mt. Spokane and U-High took place. Chris Derrick was there and has this game story. ... Chris also has his softball notebook.
• Seahawks: Russell Wilson is in Hawaii. So are a bunch of his teammates. They are working on team building. And their hula dancing. And making we-are-all-friends videos. But Wilson's agent and the Hawks aren't getting much closer on a contract, so it seems.
• Mariners: If you are looking for the silver lining in the 6-5 defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, then it could be the way the M's, no matter what lineup they've been throwing out there, have been hitting the ball. To be fair, though, they haven't faced the Dodgers' best starters. ... Personally, I'm just as worried about Hisashi Iwakuma as I am Rodney. The starter has been struggling for a long time now. ... Today is Jackie Robinson Day around the big leagues and the M's are playing the team Robinson played for.
• Sounders: It was an odd week in the MLS, with the good teams losing and the bad teams winning. Or seemingly so. ... The Sounders just want to get their stars back in the lineup. ... When the U.S. and Mexico play tonight, one Sounder will be in the broadcast booth. ... A young player is starting to make an impression.
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• Another day, another day on the radio. I'm back with Dennis Patchin and Rick Lukens on 700 ESPN this afternoon at 3 p.m. We end at 6. You can listen here if you want. Until then ...
