John Hickey | Sportspress Northwest

John is a longtime West Coast-based baseball writer who covered the Oakland As for two decades with The (Hayward) Daily Review and the Oakland Tribune.

He headed north in 2000 to cover the Mariners for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, starting on the day Ken Griffey Jr. was traded to Cincinnati. After the print P-I closed in 2009, he joined the national sports staff of AOL FanHouse and contributes to Seattlepostglobe.org. He is a longtime baseball correspondent for the Tokyo Chunichi Press.

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) for two-plus decades, Hickey is a Hall of Fame voter. When hes not covering baseball, he has written about pro football, college sports, tennis, golf and winter sports.

A University of California grad, Hickey is a fan of rock and jazz music, traveling, reading and cooking. He proved in high school that hes no athlete, but he does like to ski.

Hickey and his wife live in Seattle in a house ruled by two magnanimous cats.

Figgins cold, but not repeating 2010 mistake

BY John Hickey 06:27PM 04/22/2011

There may be no one in a Mariners uniform pressing harder than Chone Figgins.

The third baseman got off to a horrible start in 2010 and it took a great second half just to make his final numbers look mediocre -- .259, 63 runs, 42 steals.

Hes gotten off to a terrible start in 2011, too, with a .169 average, seven runs and two steals.

There may be better news ahead, however. If you watched the Mariners series in Kansas City last weekend, you saw Figgins driving the ball with considerably more force than at any time since the best part of the last two months of the 2010 season.

The Seattle third baseman was just 2-for-18 in the series but he could have had as many as six hits with any kind of luck that wasnt bad.

The thing is, Figgins didnt do what he did last year when hed hit the ball hard. He didnt come up the next at bat and attempt to hit the ball through the outfield wall.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Hernandez dominates A's again

BY John Hickey 09:34PM 04/21/2011

From his vantage point in the Seattle bullpen, Jamey Wright turned to his buddies in the pen after watching Mariner starter Felix Hernandez face just a handful of batters Thursday.

"In the second inning, he said, "I said, 'Felix is on. I could have worn my shower shoes (instead of his spikes) out here today.

As it turned out, Wright was right. And wrong. Hernandez was on top of his game, but he did need a little bullpen help to post a 1-0 win over Oakland Thursday. Wright needed his spikes on long enough to get one out with one pitch to strand two runners in the eighth.

Then closer Brandon League scuttled the last Oakland rally attempt to give Seattle the win.

"I was on tonight; I felt good, Hernandez said after bringing his personal two-game losing streak to an end with a 126-pitch night. Hes 4-0 against the As since 2009 and hes won 10 of his last 12 decisions against them. Both of his 2011 wins have come at Oaklands expense.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Mariners may push back Bedard

BY John Hickey 06:17PM 04/21/2011

The Mariners are likely to push left-handed starter Erik Bedard back a couple of days before his next start.

Bedard, who has made four starts and taken four losses on his come back from three shoulder surgeries the last three years, would normally pitch Tuesday's road trip opener for the Mariners in Detroit.

But because Monday is a day off, that Tuesday also is the fifth day for staff ace Felix Hernandez. And the Mariners would like to see Hernandez keep as regular a schedule as possible.

When Hernandez made his third start, against Toronto, the club pushed rookie Michael Pineda back a day. Now its Bedards turn.

"Thats the way were thinking right now, manager Eric Wedge said of the move, which would cause Bedard instead pitch on Wednesday against the Tigers, creating six days off between starts, two more than usual. "We want to keep Felix going on the fifth day if we can.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

M's may find leadership in Cust, Ryan & Kennedy

BY John Hickey 02:00AM 04/21/2011

Another game Wednesday, another loss for the Mariners, this one 3-2 to Detroit.

After the game, three of the Mariners gather as they often do DH Jack Cust, shortstop Brendan Ryan and utility infielder Adam Kennedy.

They sit in chairs on the north side of the clubhouse, Cust in front of his locker, Ryan in front of his locker and Kennedy, whose locker is on the south side, pulls up a chair and sits in front of the empty locker between the other two.

They talk in quiet tones. Teammates occasionally file by. When reliever David Pauley, who threw four shutout innings, or starter Erik Bedard, who took the loss after an adequate start No. 4 of the season, walks by, the conversation stops and they salute each for his efforts.

Then the quiet talks continue.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Theme song does Aardsma in

BY John Hickey 01:39PM 04/20/2011

The adrenalin that David Aardsma counts on was still there after not having pitched in a game since last year.

The Mariner closer knew it when he came out of the bullpen in Tacoma Tuesday in the eighth inning with the Cheney Stadium loudspeakers blaring Salivas "Ladies and Gentlemen.

Its Aardsmas theme entry song, played every time he enters a game at Safeco Field. For once, however, it did him wrong.

"It probably got me too amped up, Aardsma said Wednesday in describing his return to game action Tuesday after Januarys surgery on his left hip. `"It got me wanting to throw too hard, do too much.

Its not that Aardsma needed all that much help. He spent February and part of March on crutches, and only recently began a full throwing regimen.

"I was nervous and excited, he said of his return. "It was important to get the anxiety out of the system.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Fister, big offense bury Tigers, 13-3

BY John Hickey 10:44PM 04/19/2011

It was a bitterly cold Safeco Field evening, a night made cooler still for the home team by the news that first baseman Justin Smoaks father passed away. Smoak had been granted bereavement leave early in the day to go to his father and family.

The 6-foot-8 Fister, who has to pitch down in the zone and peck at the corners of the plate to be successful, did just that for six innings, all the while being just about the only guy in the place wearing short sleeves. He doesn't like long sleeves when he pitches, and a cold Safeco night wasn't going to change that.

"I have to feel comfortable out there,'' Fister said. "It has to be pretty brutal for me to wear sleeves. When I'm out there, it's always the middle of summertime.''

Fister's lone walk to open the second inning gave the Tigers a run, but otherwise Detroit had a difficult time getting a read on what he was throwing.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Mariners bring up Peguero

BY John Hickey 06:46PM 04/19/2011

But as Wedge said, "weve seen guys parlay a chance like this into sticking in the big leagues.

Peguero was off to a fast start with Tacoma, hitting .311 in 12 games with three doubles, two homers and seven RBIs. He hit 23 homers with Double-A West Tennessee last year while averaging .254 and driving in 73 runs, and two years ago he dominated California League pitching with 31 homers and 98 RBIs while playing for High Desert (San Bernardino).

"This is one of the best days of my life, Peguero said. "Im excited about it. My whole family and friends are excited about it.

Peguero said his first telephone call was to his mother back in the Dominican Republic. His first words were to the effect "mom, youd better sit down.

He followed that with, "Mom, Im in the big leagues.

"She was so excited she was crying, Peguero said. "We were both crying. Its an exciting time.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Wright earns new stature in Mariners bullpen

BY John Hickey 10:45AM 04/18/2011

The Mariners start their second homestand of the season Monday night against the Tigers with one-tenth of the season elapsed.

Already it seems there has been a subtle but significant shift in the way Seattle manager Eric Wedge is doing things in the wake of a 5-11 start to the season.

For the first two weeks or so of the season Wedge seemed willing to let Chris Ray to do the setup work for Brandon League, leaving Jamey Wright to fill in the gaps.

That plan may have been scuttled. Last Wednesday Wedge used Wright against Torontos Jose Molina with the Mariners holding a 2-1 lead. Wright got the strikeout to end the seventh inning, but then the manager opted to have Ray start the eighth. Toronto scored five times off Ray and the Mariners lost out on a chance to sweep the Blue Jays.

The opportunity to use a setup man didnt come again until Sunday, and neither Wright nor Ray had pitched since then, so both were ready.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Pineda gets Mariners on winning path

BY John Hickey 05:21PM 04/17/2011

At least the flight home will be a little more fun.

After four consecutive games in which the Mariners played so poorly that their manager took them to task Saturday in a closed-door meeting, the Mariners rallied behind rookie right-hander Michael Pineda to score a 3-2 win in Kansas City Sunday.

Pineda threw six innings against the Royals, shutting Kansas Citys offense down on three hits and one run and waited long enough for the moribund Seattle offense to scrape together three runs against Royals lefty Jeff Francis.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Wedge lectures M'S after latest tumble, 7-0

BY John Hickey 04:01PM 04/16/2011

The Mariners bats were silent once again Saturday in a 7-0 loss to Kansas City.

Eric Wedge, who has mostly held his tongue in the midst of a miserable start to the season for Seattle, wasnt.

He used one of his managerial prerogatives after the game to keep the clubhouse closed while he roasted his players with more than a couple of curt observations.

"I had a few choice words for them, Wedge told the media after the clubhouse opened to the media. "Im not real happy right now. I made it very clear as to how were going to go about our business.

Theres not much for Wedge to be happy about. His team is on a four-game losing streak and has already had a seven-gamer to its discredit.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Hochevar latest to mow down Mariners

BY John Hickey 09:16PM 04/15/2011

Seattle hitters continued to make it look too easy for Major League starting pitchers Friday night in Kansas City.

The Mariners have done reasonably well against bullpens, including Friday when they scored four runs combined in the eighth and ninth innings.

For the first seven, however, the Mariner hitters once again did nothing the 14 pitchers who have started against Seattle have combined for a 2.01 ERA in those games and Seattle starting pitcher Erik Bedard got knocked around again.

The end result was a 6-5 loss to the Royals, a game that was nowhere near as competitive as the final score would indicate.

Seattle (4-10) scored three times in the ninth to close the gap, and Chone Figgins bid for a game-tying hit turned out to be a hard liner that died in the glove of Kansas City third baseman Mike Aviles.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Same old story for Fister, no support in loss

BY John Hickey 09:14PM 04/14/2011

It doesnt seem to matter who the Mariners are playing when Doug Fister is the starting pitcher.

When Fister starts, the Mariners dont score for him. True, that was the case last year, but this year things are, if anything, worse.

Make no mistake, Fister was far from being at the top of his game in the Mariners eight-inning, rain-shortened 5-1 loss to Kansas City Thursday, but he didnt get much help. He never does.

He got six hits and one run on his behalf Thursday. In his other two starts the Mariners gave him six hits and one run April 3 against the As and six hits and one run April 9 against the Indians.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Mariners humbled in Safeco Field

BY John Hickey 05:34PM 04/13/2011

Safeco Field handed out lessons in humility this week with the Mariners dropping an 8-3 decision to Toronto as the chance for a series sweep fell away.

The first was that winning two games in a row doesnt mean much when youve lost seven straight before that. So twice in three days the Mariners established new all-time Safeco Field attendance lows, including the new record, 12, 407 Wednesday.

The second was that its tough to hit a ball out to left field. Justin Smoak hit a ball out in that direction Wednesday in the sixth inning to put Seattle up 2-1. Smoak wasnt all that impressed.

"I hit a ball (Monday night) much better than that, Smoak said as the Mariners packed up in preparation for the Wednesday night flight to Kansas City for a brief four-game road trip. "The difference was today the roof was closed.

"The roof was open (for Mondays fifth-inning double); that was the difference. Its hard to hit one out in that direction here.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Gutierrez ready for rehab assignment

BY John Hickey 02:30PM 04/13/2011

Is there any correlation to the Mariners having won two games in a row at about the same time center fielder Franklin Gutierrez has returned to the team?

You could make an argument that since Gutierrez is still on the disabled list, there is no correlation at all.

On the other hand, having Gutierrez with his big smile and happy-to-be-here disposition around may have served as a tonic for Mariner players dragged down by the seven consecutive losses that preceded the consecutive wins over Toronto.

And it seems now that the Mariners may be close to getting Gutierrez back in the lineup and not just in the clubhouse.

His stomach problems under control if not solved, Gutierrez played in a simulated game thrown by disabled closer David Aardsma Tuesday, worked out Wednesday and will work out again Thursday. On Friday he starts an injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Tacoma.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Olivo shows the edge of Mariner toughness

BY John Hickey 01:52PM 04/13/2011

Its hard for a baseball enthusiast not to love box scores. They break a game down into its separate components the way football and basketball stats never can.

Given a good look at a box score, its a Rosetta Stone for what happened. Work at it, and you can decipher a game played last week or last century.

There are exceptions, however, and the box from Tuesday nights Seattle-Toronto game was one of them.

Seattle catcher Miguel Olivo went 0-for-4, struck out twice and, while trying to deliver a sacrifice fly, instead hit into a right fielder-to-catcher double play. He tried to throw out Corey Patterson of the Blue Jays on a steal attempt, and instead threw the ball away, allowing the tying run to get to third base.

Yet Wednesday morning Mariner pitching coach Carl Willis and backup catcher Chris Gimenez both went on record as saying Olivo was the MVP of the 3-2 win.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Pineda dominates on way to first win

BY John Hickey 11:11PM 04/12/2011

Ryan Langerhans looked at Michael Pineda and laughed.

Chone Figgins looked at Michael Pineda and laughed.

Both men were laughing with Pineda, not at him.

"Are you serious about that guy? Langerhans said, asking a question of no one in particular in the wake of Seattles 3-2 win over Toronto Tuesday.

Langerhans hit the two-run third-inning homer that put the Mariners ahead to stay, but he didn't want to talk about that, or the fact that he leads the Mariners in homers (three) and is tied for the lead in RBIs (five).

"Hes throwing 97, 98 (mph) and he isnt even using the middle of the plate,'' Langerhans said, shaking his head. "Its good for us to win this one, but this one was all about the big guy on the hill.

"Hes throwing the ball hard, but usually guys who do that are in the middle of the plate. Hes not. Hes on the corners all the time. Thats tough to do.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

What role for Aardsma when he returns?

BY John Hickey 08:44PM 04/12/2011

The Mariners had some good news before Tuesdays game.

Closer David Aardsma threw in a simulated game, and hitters made solid contact with only a couple of his two dozen-plus pitches.

Aardsma says hes feeling great and he looks good. The Mariners are thinking he will get another simulated game Friday in Kansas City, then they will make a decision about sending him out on an injury rehabilitation assignment.

Thats all good as far as it goes. What it doesnt address is what happens after hes proven to be healthy following his January hip surgery. When Aardsma comes back, does he come back as the Seattle closer or does he come back as just another member of the bullpen?

Manager Eric Wedge is leaning heavily toward having him come back as the closer.

"His is a closers mentality, Wedge said Tuesday. "Were not going to mess with that.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

The future looks grim for 2-7 Mariners

BY John Hickey 06:07PM 04/10/2011

They say that losing can help build character.

If thats the case, the Mariners will soon be challenging St. Francis of Assisi and Dr. Albert Schweitzer in the character derby.

After starting the season with consecutive wins in Oakland, Seattle has now lost seven games in succession after a late rally Sunday couldnt avert a 6-4 loss to Cleveland. No one can see just how deep the yawning cavern swallowing Seattle is.

The Mariners have fully encamped in last place in the American League West, and theres no telling if there is any path that will lead to prosperity from where Seattle sits now.

Only Boston and Tampa Bay came into Sunday with fewer wins than Seattles two, and in both instances you can make a case that its just an early-season stumble and that things will get better for the Red Sox and Rays, both of whom could contend.

Its not at all clear you can talk about the Mariners that way.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Indians pound Bedard; M's losing streak at 7

BY John Hickey 04:07PM 04/10/2011

The Mariners made an effort to rally from a big deficit, but the six runs allowed by starter Erik Bedard Sunday were too much and Seattle took a 6-4 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Indians that has Seattle at 2-7 through their first nine games.

Held to two hits and one run on a sacrifice fly by Justin Smoak through six innings, the Mariners finally knocked Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin around in the seventh. A walk to Jack Cust and a Ryan Langerhans homer with one out did most of the damage, and with two out, Cleveland manager Manny Acta asked right-hander Chad Durbin to pitch.

Michael Saunders then stretched his streak of games with an RBI to five with a solo homer to left that cut the deficit to 6-4.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

Wedge scrambles Mariners' lineup, then hopes

BY John Hickey 02:38PM 04/10/2011

Sundays Seattle lineup was like none of the eight that had preceded it.

Adam Kennedy was at second base, batting third. Luis Rodriguez was at shortstop, batting seventh. Backup outfielders Ryan Langerhans and Michael Saunders were in center and left, respectively. Chris Gimenez was catching for the first time in his Mariner career.

Part of the new look, manager Eric Wedge said, was to get players who havent been in there much a chance to play.

Beyond that, however, theres the not-insignificant problem that the Mariners regular lineup is doing nothing. Coming into the final game of the Cleveland series, Seattle was 11th in the 14-team American League in batting average (.220), tied for last in home runs (two) and 11th in runs scored (25).

"Its a good day to mix it up, Wedge said, putting as positive a spin as he could on an offense that is almost unspinnable.READ MORE»

COMMENTS

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