I'm trying to avoid making this blog a pass-through to other reporters' good stories, but in my early morning news round-up, I came across one that says a lot about Kyle Seager, the Ms and modern baseball.
It's from one of my favorites, Shannon Drayer of sports.mynorthwest.com and KIRO-710 radio. She's one of the best. And she stays close to the team so her stories, like this one, have a kind of compelling, insider's feel.
She reports today that Seager's broken toe, which presumably contributed to his significantly diminished performance at the plate last year, did not come from a foul tip off his foot. It was, instead, actually the result of a stiffness in his joints that caused the toe to snap. Drayer goes on to say that a combination of hard work "an anti-inflammatory diet, stretching and the correct exercise," and special coaching helped Seager get ready to bounce back this sesson.
Neither Seager or Drayer says this, but it is reasonable to assume Seager's physical joint tightness has its psychological equivalence in his approach at bat. Seager has always brought an impressive intensity to the plate and it has become uncomfortably harder to watch him struggle to fight through, with limited success, the extreme defensive shifts thrown up by other teams. Makes you wonder how much of the "tightness" has been in his head.
This is modern baseball if not at its best, certainly most modern. The Mariners have shown a willingness to deploy innovative resources, often drawn from professionals outside of baseball, to help their players on and off the field.
I can't wait to see the new, more flexible, Kyle Seager hit. First game tomorrow!
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