Arrow-right Camera
Subscribe now
Seattle Mariners

Grip on Sports: Motivated Felix key to M’s success

The slimmed-down version of The King – Felix Hernandez – has extra motivation this season. (Associated Press)
A Grip On Sports

Monday:  I’m not sure whether it’s the weather – it’s been warmer than normal all month – or what, but I’m excited about baseball this season. Specifically, I’m excited about the Mariners.

I’m not excited about the M’s because I think they can win it all – though I do, if about 101 things break right. And I’m not excited because they spent more money over the offseason. No, I’m excited because they seem to have a team that can compete all summer long. And probably into the fall. That’s really cool. So my excitement level was ratcheted up to 11 long ago. Then, this morning, I was reading Ryan Divish’s Seattle Times blog post from Peoria on yesterday’s conversation with M’s manager Lloyd McClendon. This was the last little section:

One of those starters who has a spot locked up is Felix Hernandez. The Mariners’ ace showed up having dropped some weight in the offseason through conditioning and leg strengthening. Not bad for a guy that traveled all over the world  (It’s good to be the King).

“I was just shocked at how slender he looked,” McClendon said. “He’s really worked hard this offseason.”

It was mentioned that Hernandez has an impressive career resume and only the postseason seems to be missing, McClendon replied: “I think that other Cy Young is missing from his resume too. He’s a little (ticked) off about that.”

McClendon wasn’t finished. “Not to take anything away from the kid in Cleveland (Corey Kluber), he had a fantastic year, but, my god, Felix doesn’t win the Cy Young?” he said. “With the numbers he put up? If you really think about 17 starts with at least seven innings and two runs or less in a row, that’s phenomenal.”

Asked if that might be a motivation for Hernandez this year? McClendon said: “He’s motivated.”

One of the lessons I learned growing up in the early 1960s, is how an ace of a staff can set the tone for the rest of the team.

You think the Dodgers of the early ’60s had great pitching staffs by accident? Sandy Koufax was the reason. He was the best pitcher in baseball. He set a tone. The rest of the staff followed.

Right now, there are a lot of really good pitchers in baseball. Clayton Kershaw. Kluber. Felix. Who is the best? It sounds as if one of them – the M’s guy – is motivated to prove he is.

He’s in his prime. He’s fit. He’s going to have a monster season. And, just possibly, pitch the M’s into the World Series.

• The toughest job in college football?

How about Nick Saban’s PR guy? Or the guy who charts Ohio State’s quarterback competition? Oregon uniform cleaner?

Well, the toughest coaching job in the Pac-12 is easy. USC head coach. Way too many expectations in that job. Win “just” 10 games, lose your paycheck. For some reason  ESPN.com’s Pac-12 blog picked Washington State as the toughest coaching position.

Really? Anyone can win there. If by winning you mean going to a bowl game every three years or so. That’s seems to be enough these days. We’re just kidding, of course. It is a tough place to win consistently.