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Geoff Baker covers the Mariners for The Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout spring training, and during the season.

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April 8, 2007 10:22 AM

Don't bank on tomorrow

Posted by Geoff Baker

Just got back from Jacobs Field, which is sitting under more than a foot of snow. The grounds crew is nowhere in sight, not that it matters, because it has yet to stop snowing. It apparently took all of yesterday just to clear two to four inches of snow from the field. Now, there is at least three times that amount on the grass. You do the math.

The Mariners did the usual snowball throwing and snowman building stuff. They all posed for pictures in the snowbound visitors dugout. But they are not thrilled by the turn of events. They took indoor batting practice in two cages while the pitchers threw bullpen sessions.

Jeff Weaver, who is to start tomorrow's early game, played catch with Jarrod Washburn. Felix Hernandez, who turned 21 today, will still be working the late game. Mariners manager Mike Hargrove plans to continue with the same rotation order for now. If tomorrow's games get called and then another one get put off in Boston -- where cold weather and rain is expected for Tuesday -- then he might look at something different.

Hargrove drew the biggest laughs today when he tackled pitching coach Rafael Chaves in the snow and made sure to rub his face in the white stuff so he was covered from head to toe. Chaves had spent the past hour running around giddily throwing snowballs at anyone in the vicinity.

Third base coach Carlos Garcia also drew howls of laughter, though this could have been a serious problem, when he slipped walking down the dugout steps and wound up flat on his back. Garcia was wearing only a t-shirt at the time. Someone has to tell these Venezuelans about the downfalls of snow. Right now, they're having a blast. But the ones without coats on might soon find out how easy it is to catch a cold rolling around in it in near-freezing temperatures for more than a minute or two. Anyway, I digress. As long as Garcia can still wave his arm like a windmill or put up a "stop'' sign, the sniffles won't keep him out of action.

No word on TV yet. Rumor is, FSN will televise the first game and not Hernandez's nightcap. But that's yet to be confirmed.

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