Opponent: Chicago White Sox
When: 7:05 p.m. today and Saturday, 5:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: Safeco Field
TV: Fox Sports Net (cable) today and Saturday, ESPN (cable) Sunday
Radio: KIRO (710 AM), all three games
Pitchers: Today – Seattle right-hander Aaron Sele (12-3, 3.56 earned run average) vs. right-hander Jon Garland (4-4, 3.84). Saturday – Right-hander Paul Abbott (12-2, 4.23) vs. right-hander Dan Wright (2-0, 3.14). Sunday – Right-hander Joel Pineiro (2-0, 0.86) vs. right-hander Gray Glover (3-1, 4.44).
NOTES
Who’s training whom? The conversation in Lou Piniella’s office often turns into an animated story from the Mariners’ manager, and the one he told Wednesday left a group of reporters howling in laughter.
It started with Piniella explaining the offseason conditioning regimen of players in his era.
“I was like a bear,” he said. “Put on a little weight in the winter and hibernate. You used spring training to get in shape. That’s probably why I never made a team of spring training early in my career.”
One winter, however, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner decided Piniella didn’t need to hibernate so much.
“I’m at home sleeping at 7:30 in the morning and there’s a knock at the door,” Piniella said. “It was the strength coach and he’s got the bags, shoes, warmup shirts and everything else. He said, ‘Don’t get mad, but I’ve got to get you in shape before you go to spring training.’
“He had it all planned out for me. We went over to South Florida, to the obstacle course, and I’m supposed to finish it in a certain time. I was way over that time and the strength coach said, ‘Even I can do this.’ I said, ‘Well, I bet you can’t.’
“The next 14 days we went out and I was timing him. I just sat in the van and drank my orange juice and read the Wall Street Journal.
“He finally got it done. I got the strength coach in shape.”
The top Martinez: Mariners designated hitter Edgar Martinez not only reached a personal milestone with his 1,000th career RBI Wednesday night, he made major league history as well.
He became the first Martinez to reach the 1,000 RBI mark. The rest of the top five are Tino at 975, Dave 577, Carmelo (Edgar’s cousin) 424 and Buck (Toronto’s manager) 321.
Edgar hasn’t exactly pummeled pitchers named Martinez, however. He has two RBI off Dennis Martinez, one off Ramon and none off Tippy, Dave, Willie and, of course, Pedro.
No running: Jay Buhner didn’t run the bases as planned on Thursday because he didn’t have access to the field.
“We had a meeting and there was no batting practice, so we couldn’t get on the field,” trainer Rick Griffin said.
Buhner, recovering from surgery to the arch in his left foot, ran the bases on Wednesday for the first time since spring training. He was to run again Thursday, meet with a doctor today and leave on a minor league rehabilitation assignment this weekend.
“We’ll just do it (today) and he’ll be ready,” Griffin said. “He’s’ going.”
Kirby Arnold
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