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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Evergreen Speedway: Manual not included 7/9/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 Frogs, M's and other assorted musings Let Raben stay; get off Ichiro's back; dump on Bedard; praise pro tennis, the Silvertips and native son Grady Sizemore By John Sleeper Herald Columnist Time to clean out the files and toss away some mental clutter: As hot as the AquaSox outfielder Dennis Raben is hitting (10-for-12 going into tonight), the crime for local fans is betting the over-under on how long the Seattle Mariners second-round draft choice will stick around. An ominous sign was the presence of Mariner scouting brass Monday. Sigh. Many complain that Ichiro Suzuki hasn't had a typical Ichiro Suzuki year, but he certainly belongs in his eighth All-Star game. He's on pace for 205 hits and probably will break Harold Reynolds' team-record 60 stolen bases. In eight years in the majors, he has the most hits of any player with that kind of time in the bigs. Sometimes, we take him for granted, which is a big mistake. Speaking of the All-Star games, am I the only one who thinks that it's a terrible waste of a wonderful opportunity that a manager has never been tossed from one? Can the media please spare us every little detail of Alex Rodriguez's marital problems? Sheesh! Let's hope Brett Favre follows ABBA's wise move and decides against a comeback. Reports are rampant that the Phillies are interested in Erik Bedard and that the Mariners are interested enough to listen. Although Bedard hardly has fulfilled M's hopes for him, especially considering what they gave up to get him, the Phillies do have some prospects they may be persuaded to part with. One is pitcher Carlos Carrasco, ranked as the Phillies' No. 1 prospect by Baseball America in November. He reportedly pitches deep into games and has a good fastball and changeup. But he's fairly erratic and projects as a mid- to back-end starter, maxing out as a No. 2 guy. Another name mentioned is Greg Golson, 22, who reportedly is a great athlete with blazing speed, a great arm in center field and very good range. He's only in AA right now because he constantly strikes out. Seems he can't read a breaking ball, which helped make him the strikeout king in all of the minors last season. Speaking of Bedard, what if he'd been Red Sox pitcher and cancer survivor Jon Lester May 19, when Lester threw a no-hitter at the Royals? Lester needed 130 pitches that night. Would Bedard have pulled the usual and shut it down when he neared 100? The anticipated mixed martial arts rematch between light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson should break all Pay Per View records when it happens. Both are terrific, classy fighters with appealing personalities and they put on a memorable show Saturday night. Kudos to Quil Ceda Creek Nightclub and Casino for putting on the telecasts. MMA fans can get in without a cover charge, drink free Cokes all night and watch the bloodbaths. It edges out the fountains at Bellagio for the best deal in the country. So Rafael Nadal opted out of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart this week because of a sore knee. After Sunday's incredible, five-set victory over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon men's singles final that took nearly five hours, I'm surprised Nadal's left arm is still attached to his body. Tennis never gets its due in the U.S., but that match has to be in the top five athletic events in history, and I'm not sure what the other four would be. The fifth annual Everett Silvertips Preseason Tournament, which signals the beginning of the local hockey season, starts Aug. 29. That's about 61/2 weeks away, which seems more like 61/2 years. Is Lofa Tatupu's DUI simply a brainless mistake by an otherwise good guy, or a red flag? It's got to be good to be Cascade grad Grady Sizemore right about now. Fifth year in the majors and just made his third All-Star game. He's 25, the most cherished pro athlete in Cleveland not named LeBron James and has a listed annual salary of more than $3.1 million. Guess he made the right move turning down the UW football scholie offer. Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper's blog, "Dangling Participles," go to www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.

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