THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Naked buzz, and the gap between pitching in the majors and Triple-A

Indeed, it’s time we got around to doing another helping of notes and quotes.

Before we start, though, a question…

Did you know that bees are critical to the ecology and food supply of this fragile planet we happen to be renting?

That has led to a drive to encourage more young people, especially women, to pursue a career in raising bees.

Now, National Geographic wanted some cool photos for its bee feature, so surely they could have asked me to pose with a couple of bees on my hat.

But…

No.

Instead, the drive to find new beekeepers is starring Angelina Jolie.

To get big-time attention, Jolie was photographed nearly naked — and covered in bees.

OK, back to sports, assuming you can forget that visual of Angelina and the bees.

We’re off…

ITEM: How much more advanced is big-league pitching, compared to what hitters face when they’re just one step away?

Well, the Mariners’ plan to get prospects Jarred Kelenic (you know the story), Evan White (hip injury rehab), and young Cal Raleigh (switch-hitting catcher) swinging the bat with some gusto appears to be bearing fruit.

Yes, yes, we’re talking about at-bats at AAA-West Tacoma, and the difference in what hitters see just one level removed from the majors is…

Gulp…

Stunning.

Kelenic, who couldn’t buy a hit in Seattle and finally was demoted in the midst of an 0-for-39 nightmare, homered in back-to-back games for the Rainers last Sunday and Monday.

White likewise hammered a pair of deep ones in two of his first three AAA games while rehabbing at Tacoma, and Raleigh — the Mariners’ future behind the plate — was riding a 21-game hitting streak through Monday night.

Switch-hitters naturally get more action from the left side, and Raleigh is hitting a nice .306 as a lefty.

Swinging from the right side, though, Raleigh was cruising along at exactly .500 (15 for 30).

Plus…

Remember Jose Marmolejos, the left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder who started the season in Seattle?

Marmolejos is hitting .333 through 54 ABs in Tacoma, with five homers and 13 RBIs.

For some context here, Marmo was stuck on a .139 batting average with the Mariners, White had slid down to .144, and Kelenic…

Mr. 096?

Uh, we don’t need more on that horror show.

ITEM: You always love it when good things happen to good people.

Former Idaho basketball star Alyssa Charlston has been doing various types of sports media work — including a role most recently as the digital content creator for Gonzaga. Now, she’s moving across the state.

Alyssa recently was named to a neat gig as a reporter and on-air personality for Q13 FOX in Seattle.

A UI grad in 2014 (and an academic All-American), she’s originally from Sammamish, so she’s basically going home for a dream job.

Backing up just a sec, though…

Charlston was right in the middle of Gonzaga’s run to the NCAA national championship game last season.

In fact, we had some laughs because of her role.

Alyssa handled the Zags’ post-game Zoom sessions, which basically called for her to introduce whoever was being interviewed, and then recognize the various media people to keep the event moving along.

If you haven’t ever done a Zoom interview, it’s supposed to be fairly simple — since normally there’s a function on your computer or tablet that says: “Raise hand.”

So, you raise your digital hand, a moderator like Alyssa sees it and, like a third-grade teacher, calls on you to speak.

Except…

For some reason I’ll never quite grasp, I did NOT have a “Raise hand” function on my Zoom set-up — at least not with Gonzaga.

(I had no trouble at all with Washington State or various other organizations).

I might have been completely stuck trying to get some serious Q-and-A going with Mark Few and various players last season, but Alyssa had a plan.

“Steve, forget what’s on the laptop and just wave your real hand,” she said. “I’ll watch for you.

“You don’t mind looking silly, do you?”

Sigh.

No, it’s been the story of my life, young lady.

Alyssa turned it all into good-natured fun, and she made sure I got my time with the coach and various players.

Maybe now, sometime down the road, I should pick a Seattle subject and get plugged in to a Q13 FOX show. And, you know…

Just start waving my hand.

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 which is published monthly during the offseason.