But can he turn the double play?

You should see his slider: The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader, is scheduled to speak April 12 at Qwest Field.

The Buzz hopes the holy man will wrap up his speech, walk across the street to Safeco Field and pitch a few innings in relief for the Mariners, who face the Angels that night.

Cherry my ferry: State officials are considering a proposal to chop off the top halves of its Steel Electric ferries and weld them to new hulls.

It's a nice start, but the state's missing a great opportunity here to hand over the ferries to Xzibit and the GAS crew at MTV's "Pimp My Ride." For starters, how about an in-cabin theater, leather-clad reclining deck chairs, a monster sound system to replace the fog horn, and sequin-studded life vests?

This just in: The Everett School District has fired a popular Cascade High School teacher who it alleges provided improper assistance to an underground student newspaper.

The Buzz, which in his younger days was a staffer for the Everett High Kodak, thinks the district is teaching its student journalists a valuable lesson about the First Amendment: Say what you want; just don't let your boss find out.