0:00-15:20: Longtime beat reporter Shannon Drayer was kind enough to call in and give us the low down on Spring Training. What’s it like to be one of the few people who’s actually on the ground watching this stuff happen? How do the players seem to feel about it? Shannon tells us that with so few people in the stadium, managers on the field can hear writers in the press box talking about them. She also acknowledged that even though last season was only 60 games, there was an unquestioned element of fatigue when it was over.
15:25-35:55: A firsthand story of what it was like to be at Spring Training last year when the initial shutdown happened. Some gabbing about Kyle Seager’s pandemic looks open us up for a larger conversation. Shannon shares her thoughts on the Kevin Mather situation, and how much it’s still lingering over camp. Kate asks straight up if Marco Gonzales is boring.
36:55-51:15: Let’s talk about some of the personalities on the Mariners that we haven’t been able to see yet. There’s a relief pitcher who, according to Shannon, threw himself into the leadership van’s driver’s seat. We get some fascinating insight as well into the young players and how they gather like moths around certain veteran lights. One thing about Lookout Landing dot com, Julio Rodríguez gonna come up.
51:20-1:07:45: Shannon helps us figure out these final roster spots! Dunn or Margevicius? Who goes to the bullpen? What does the back end of the bullpen look like, both in terms of usage and in terms of stuff? How close is Logan Gilbert, who we’ve already seen punch Mike Trout out? We all have our own opinions about the rugrats and when they should make their big-league debuts. What does the actual organization that makes those decisions think, though?
1:07:50-1:15:00: We get some very heartening news when Shannon Drayer, queen of the Mariners’ beat, admits that even she struggles to recognize some of these guys. One guy who is always recognizable, though, is Ichiro. What’s it like watching him transition from legendary player to legendary quasi coach?
Music: “Somthing’s Missing” by The Internet // “Miles From Nowhere” by Cat Stevens
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