THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Talkin’ about cats, transfers, new M's and the twist
A lot of you seemed to like our multi-item chat last week.
So…
Let’s do it again.
I have to start with a personal note, though.
It turns out that there is a prestigious award called New Zealander of the Year, given to someone in that country who is responsible for special accomplishments.
Various dignitaries, including Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, have been nominated for the award — but so has Mittens, a Turkish Angora cat who has a Facebook page with 52,000 followers.
Apparently, Mittens has been nominated for wandering the streets of Wellington, the capital city, and generally amusing the population.
Well…
No offense to Mittens, but if some Kiwi kitty can receive such publicity — why don’t we have a local contest?
You know, of course, that Sammie the World’s Greatest Cat would swamp the competition.
On the other hand, I wonder if Sammie would even be bothered about the honor.
Only if it came with a bowl of Temptations treats, I suspect.
Moving along…
ITEM: One of the key players in all the Mariners’ recent wheeling and dealing was Ty France, a 26-year old infielder that GM Jerry Dipoto says “has hit everywhere he’s been.”
Indeed, France was the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2019, when he clocked an unbelievable .399 average before being called up to San Diego.
Yes, really, .399.
France got to Seattle on Friday, and promptly reached base three times and drove home a run in each of his first two games for the Mariners.
Naturally, the M’s broadcasting crew wanted to get him for a post-game interview after France contributed again Saturday night.
Eventually, they had to ask him the obvious question…
What did it feel like to be traded?
France responded, naturally, that it was surprising since it had never happened to him.
“I’m glad to be here, though,” he said, “because I know I’m gonna get a chance to play every night.”
Any problems with the deal, Ty?
“Only that I found out I was traded right in the middle of a team fantasy football draft,” he said.
For the record, the Padres voted to let him stay in their fantasy league.
ITEM: There could have been big problems, what with the state of Washington deciding that there would be no high school sports this fall.
Problems on this side of the border, I mean.
Idaho is letting kids play, with social distancing rules for fans — rules that naturally have been widely ignored.
Hey, it’s Friday night football.
The more serious issue, especially here in North Idaho, could have been a flood of players from the Spokane area looking for some sort of new “home” in Kootenai County.
Mark Nelke, the Press sports editor, has been following the possibility of new players showing up at local schools.
Mark’s verdict: Yes, we’ve had one or two athletes popping up at the 5A (largest class) schools, but the Idaho High School Activities Association has kept a pretty keen eye on all potential transfers — making sure they’re legitimate moves.
Panic avoided, then.
Coeur d’Alene High, ranked No. 1 in the state in 5A, did land a helpful transfer in junior Isaiah Griffin, a defensive back and kick returner who came over from Gonzaga Prep.
Are we surprised?
ITEM: I wondered if anyone would care, to be honest.
But it was worth a shot, and as things turned out, I got plenty of emails after publishing an item in which I explained the difference between a two-seam and a four-seam fastball.
TV broadcasters use the phrases all the time, and I thought perhaps average fans might not know how the pitches were different.
All those thank-you messages suggest that maybe we should explain a few other things you’re going to hear when watching baseball or football.
The Seahawks start this strange 2020 season on Sunday in Atlanta, so things like the nickel defense, 5-technique and Cover 3 probably need some translation for a lot of fans.
I know there’s a football mob out there, so we’ll do an entire column in an attempt to explain some of the mumbo-jumbo you’re going to hear on those Seahawk telecasts.
Anybody up for making sure Russell Wilson doesn’t get clobbered by a couple of defensive linemen doing a twist?
Or a stunt?
OK, then, we’ll have a special session, and if there’s a particular phrase that you’d like explained…
Just holler.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com
Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. “Moments, Memories and Madness,” his reminiscences from several decades as a sports journalist, runs each Sunday.
Steve also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball, once per month during the offseason.