Ceis was irritated by Licata's criticism. "I don't poke around and ask questions about Nick's personnel and the council's personnel. I don't think it's any of their business about how we deal with personnel issues in the mayor's office."That's Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, not sounding as nearly agreeable as Michael J. Fox, as quoted in the Seattle Times story on the kerfluffle over new communications director Robert Mak's salary. At the risk of stirring......

It's always good to be reminded that here in the other Washington, our Republicans are just as nutty, corrupt and paranoid as their cousins in D.C. Today, David Postman over at the Times reports on his blog that state Sen. Joe Zarelli recently hosted right-wing Israeli politicians and others at a two-day conference down in Vancouver, to fan the flames of Islamophobia. Known as the Convergence Northwest conference, Zarelli invited "[m]embers of Israel’s Knesset, former......

Majestic America is a Seattle-based company and the Empress of the North sailed out of Seattle before hitting a rock and drifting near Juneau--We just can't be satisfied with "it hit something during a turn." Last week while Seattlest was bitching about the lack of information on the grounding of the Empress a commenter suggested we check the gCaptain blog. According to gCaptain the grounding took place during a Third Mate's watch, Third Mate being......

Vitals: Scott Edward Kazmir, 23 yo LHP. Born in Houston, Texas. 6-0, 170. 24-22, 3.75 career. 2-2, 3.83 in 2007. $424,300 salary. Arsenal: Mid-90s fastball, a slider he'll throw to both sides of the plate, and a change. Recent Battles: Last May Kazmir shut the Mariners out for seven innings, allowing just three singles and striking out nine. Our Best Weapon: Nobody has more than 10 at bats against Kazmir. The Mariners have hit lefties......

Vitals: Carsten Charles Sabathia, 26 yo LHP. Born in Vallejo, California. 6-7, 290. 87-57, 3.94 career. 6-1, 3.65 in 2007. $8.75 million salary. Arsenal: A 92-93 mph fastball with wicked movement that he can amp up to 96 when he needs it. Lefties must look for a sharp breaking slurve, while righties must look for the slurve and a straight change. Recent Battles: Sabathia faced the Mariners once last year, he went eight innings and......

Vitals: Justin William Germano, 24 yo RHP. Born in Pasadena, California. 6-3, 205. 2-3, 5.71 career. 1-0, 0.69 in 2007. No salary info. Arsenal: Germano's a sinkerballer--he'll throw that pitch lots. He also mixes in a fastball. Recent Battles: Germano's never faced the Mariners. Our Best Weapon: George Costanza rule: Whatever the M's did against the last sinkerballer they faced, Chien Ming Wang (when they didn't get a hit until the 8th), they should do......

Vitals: Gregory Alan Maddux, 41 yo RHP. Born in San Angelo, Texas. 6-0, 180. 336-205, 3.07 career. 3-2, 3.20 in 2007. $10,000,000 salary. Arsenal: Fastball and a changeup. Neither are as fast as they once were, but they get the job done. He mixes in a slow, tight curve and a slider. Recent Battles: Only one of Maddux' 685 career starts has come against the Mariners. In 2003, while with the Braves, he struck out......

Vitals: Christopher Ryan Young, 27 yo RHP. Born in Dallas, Texas. 6-10, 260. 30-17, 3.84 career. 4-3, 3.11 in 2007. $600,000 salary. Arsenal: Low 90s fastball, a curve that he changes speeds on, and a change. Terrible at holding runners on, he allowed 41 stolen bases last year. Recent Battles: Young started once against the M's in interleague play last year. He allowed three runs in six innings, all on solo homers by Sexson, Lopez,......

Vitals: Bartolo Colon, 33 yo RHP. Born in Altamira, Dominican Republic. 6-6, 245. 144-87, 3.97 career. 4-0, 3.66 in 2007. $16 million salary. Arsenal: Mid 90s fastball, high 80s slider, and a change. Throws nearly 80% fastballs, a pretty high percentage. Recent Battles: Colon beat the M's on April 21, allowing 7 hits and 1 run in 7 innings. He didn't overpower the M's though; he recorded only 1 K. Our Best Weapon: Getting guys......

Sorry about the two sports posts in a row. Hope you non-sportballers have scrolling capability. Vitals: John Derran Lackey, 28 yo RHP. Born in Abilene, TX. 6-6, 245. 65-52, 3.94 career. 5-3, 2.70 in 2007. $5.8 million salary. Arsenal: Low 90s fastball, a nasty, late-breaking curve, and a change. Recent Battles: Lackey was 1-2 with an 8.44 ERA in five starts against the M's last year. The M's had 46 hits off of him, and......

Vitals: Kelvim Jose Escobar, 31 yo RHP. Born in La Guaira, Venezuela. 6-1, 230. 87-84, 4.20 career. 4-1, 2.21 in 2007. $9 million salary. Arsenal: 92-97 mph fastball, hard slider, splitter and change. Recent Battles: In two August starts against the M's last year, Escobar totaled 16 Ks. On the 17th, Escobar beat Jamie Moyer in Moyer's last start as a Mariner. On the 28th, Felix Hernandez (today's M's pitcher) beat Escobar 2-0. Our Best......

Via True Hoop, the News Tribune's Frank Hughes reports today that the Sonics' organization is "enveloped by a cloud of paranoia, mistrust, distrust and, now, anger." The lowlights: --Clay Bennett fired Bob Hill just two hours after Hill returned home from having hernia surgery. --Bennett didn't have a news conference to announce the firings because he's "mad at the media." --Bennett believes he was misled about the Sonics' chance of getting an arena--that then-CEO......

Vitals: 26 yo RHP. Born in Carson City, NV . 6-3, 210. 4-3, 3.61 career. 1-1, 2.75 in 2007. $384,523 salary. Arsenal: A high 80s fastball, a mid 80s change, and a big 12-6 curveball he throws in the low 70s. Very hittable stuff. Recent Battles: Rasner baffled the M's last Sunday, allowing three hits and no runs in 5.2 innings. Our Best Weapon: Vidro had two of the three hits off of Rasner on......

Vitals: 24 yo RHP. Born in Manakin Sabot, VA. 6-5, 200. 19-12, 3.66 career. 2-1, 2.75 in 2007. $1.03 million salary. Arsenal: Mid to high 90s fastball, sweeping curve, changeup. Recent Battles: Beat King Felix last April in a much-touted battle of young fireballers. Held M's to 4 hits in seven innings. Our Best Weapon: Beltre's our best fastball hitter. Hopefully he can lay off of Verlander's soft stuff and gear up for the heater.......

Vitals: 29 yo LHP. Born in Wichita, KS. 6-2, 225. 36-43, 4.44 career. 3-1, 2.48 in 2007. $3.26 million salary. Arsenal: Low-90s fastball, slider, change that runs away from righties. Recent Battles: Robertson held the Mariners to one run in seven innings last September, beating Jarrod Washburn. Our Best Weapon: Righties hit Robertson well. If Ibanez needs a day off, this might be a good game to start little-used Jason Ellison. The Internet Says: Robertson......

Vitals: 24 yo RHP. Born in Kennewick, WA. 6-2, 220. 46-53, 4.67 career. 1-0, 3.69 in 2007. $4.5 million salary. Arsenal: Mid-90s fastball, nasty slider, change. Recent Battles: The M's faced Bonderman last on September 5th, knocking him out of the game with a three-run fourth. This game was notable for being Joel Pineiro's 58th, and last, win as a Mariner. Our Best Weapon: Ibanez is 8-17 career against Bonderman. The Internet Says: In 2002,......

Vitals: 26 yo RHP. Born in Carson City, NV . 6-3, 210. 3-3, 4.10 career. 0-1, 3.86 in 2007. $384,523 salary. Arsenal: A high 80s fastball, a mid 80s change, and a big 12-6 curveball he throws in the low 70s. Very hittable stuff. Recent Battles: Rasner has never faced the Mariners. Our Best Weapon: Nobody on the M's has faced Rasner, but Ibanez and Ichiro would seem to be the most likely guys to......

Vitals: 27 yo RHP. Born in Tainan, Taiwan. 6-3, 225. 27-13, 3.84 career. 0-2, 5.84 in 2007. $489,500 salary. Arsenal: A hard-sinking mid-90s fastball that's so effective, he throws it 75% of the time (most pitchers throw about 65% fastballs). Wang's almost a two-pitch pitcher, because he throws his slider almost exclusively to righties, and his change (a forkball) almost exclusively to lefties. Wang's hard-sinking fastball gave him the highest groundball/flyball ratio in the American......

Vitals: 27 yo LHP. Born in Oarai, Japan. 6-1, 212. 86-60, 3.14 in Japan. 2-1, 6.08 here. $4 million salary. Arsenal: An 88-92 mph fastball, a low-80s slider that he throws mostly to lefties, and a pretty good low-80s change. His stuff is a lot like Jarrod Washburn's. Recent Battles: The M's have never faced Igawa. Ichiro probably did, in Japan, but we couldn't find any Japanese batter/pitcher stats. Our Best Weapon: Vidro usually has......

Vitals: 26 yo RHP. Born in Tokyo, Japan. 6-0, 187. 94-45, 2.99 in Japan. 3-2, 4.36 here. $6.3 million salary. Arsenal: Dice-K throws six pitches--three fastballs: a mid 90s four-seamer (rides high), a low 90s two-seamer (moves down), and a cut fastball that moves away from righties, and three off-speed pitches: a slow 11-7 curveball. a mid-80s slider that he tries to back-door lefties with to strike them out, and his change-up, which is considered......

Vitals: 22 yo LHP. Born in Austin, TX. 6-1, 200. 0-3, 5.32 career and 2007 (he's a rookie). Acquired via trade from Texas (Brandon McCarthy) before this season. $380,000 salary. Arsenal: Same was Barry Zito's. He's got a 88-91 fastball, a 80 mph change that he appears to locate well (and likes to use with two strikes) and a big looping curve--which, from what I've seen, isn't as big and looping as Zito's is. Recent......

Vitals: 30 yo RHP. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. 6-1, 210. 102-105, 4.34 career. 2-0, 3.75 this year. Acquired via trade in 2005. $13 million salary. Arsenal: Four pitches. A fastball from 89-94, a slider, a curve that he throws mostly against RHB, and a splitter that he throws lots against LHB (especially when he's behind in count). Recent Battles: Vazquez stymied the M's in two starts last season...well, 1.9 starts. In a must-win game......

If your significant other’s a shameless grunge geek and has big, blank walls at home, here’s a fine birthday/anniversary/no-real-reason gift idea: an "archivally processed gelatin silver" Charles Peterson print. This one, we think, is a particularly nice choice. Peterson (and Lance Mercer, of course) chronicled the wonder years of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam in incredible candid (and on-stage) photographs. And now, via some New Mexico outfit called Soulcatcher Studio, you can own some......

Vitals: 32 year old rhp. 6-4, 230. Born in Gastonia, NC. 124-88, 3.24 career. 1-1, 4.91 this year. Signed as a free agent, 12/05. $8.3 million salary. Arsenal: Mid 90s 4-seam fastball, with a low 90s two seamer that tails in--he'll use this as a back door pitch to lefties. He throws a curve and a slider--he has better command of the slider, so he uses the curve as an out pitch. Recent Battles: Millwood......

Vitals: 40 year old RHP. Born in Melbourne, FL. 6-2, 204 lb. 151-135, 4.21 career. 0-1, 1.50 this year. Signed as a free agent in 1995. $4 million salary. Arsenal: Knuckleballs, almost exclusively. He'll only throw his low-80s fastball if he's ran to three balls on a hitter. He has a curve, but he almost never throws it. Recent Battles: Back when Josh Bard was still trying to catch Wakefield, the M's played him.......

Vitals: 27 year old RHP. Born in Spring, TX. 6-5, 220lb. Acquired in 2005 from the Marlins via trade. 58-45, 3.84 career. 1-0, 1.80 in 2007. $6.7 million salary. Arsenal: Mid-90s fastball, 12-6 curve, and a rapidly-improving change that he throws mostly to lefties. Recent Battles: Beckett's only faced the M's once--it was last April. He went seven innings, gave up six hits and one earned run, and got a win. Our Best Weapon: Ben......

Vitals: 36 years old, born in Louisville, signed as a free agent by the Indians in '05. 82-73 career record. $7 million salary. Arsenal: A below average (84-89mph) fastball. To lefties, he'll work up and away with the fastball, a 12/3 looping curveball and a change. To righties, he'll work low and away with the fastball and a slider. Recent Battles: Triumphant! The M's knocked Byrd around in his one start against them last year,......

Bob Condotta of the Times was there, and has the scoop on his blog. The basics are these: --Hawes will declare for the draft --He will not hire an agent --Thus, he can pull out of the draft (the deadline is June 21) and return to school. NBA rookie salaries aren't negotiable, they are automatically pegged to draft position, so Hawes could base his decision on whether he wants to stay a year and improve......

M's lefty reliever George Sherrill got shredded by Cubs hitters today in a brief relief appearance. Not only did he give up three runs, including a broken bat homer by Aramis Ramirez, even his outs were line drives. Sherrill's spring ERA is 13.00, opponents are hitting .452 against him. We've only seen him pitch this once, but this isn't a case of bad luck--he's legitimately tossing batting practice out there. The M's may have another......

Coming in at #4 on the PI's list of "most read" stories today is the sad situation of a UW pharmacology prof who dumped some seriously nasty stuff down the sink to avoid the $15,000 in clean-up fees his lab would have had to pay to dispose of it properly. I'm not defending what he did, but feel compelled to point out something that those not in academia may not be aware of: for a......