Mason manager in York

From the York Revolution website:

ANDY ETCHEBARREN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AT SEASON’S ENDMarks end of 51-year career in uniform for “Etch”Pitching Coach Mark Mason to become Revolution Manager

York Revolution manager Andy Etchebarren has announced he will retire as manager at the conclusion of the 2012 season. His retirement marks the end of a 51-year career in uniform in professional baseball. Following his retirement, “Etch” will remain with the organization as a special assistant to chairman Peter Kirk. In a related announcement, the Revolution named Pitching Coach Mark Mason to succeed Etchebarren as manager when his retirement becomes effective.

Etchebarren directed the York Revolution to their first two Atlantic League Championships in 2010 and 2011, becoming just the second Atlantic League franchise to win the title in back-to-back seasons.

The appointment of Mark Mason to Manager will make the transition to 2013 especially smooth. Mason, who has managed more than 400 professional games in the Frontier League, has been at Etchebarren's side the last three seasons as York’s Pitching Coach. Mason came to York after a successful stint as both a pitching coach and manager in the Frontier League, beginning in 2002. That season he joined the Washington (PA) Wild Things as pitching coach, where he remained for three seasons. In 2005, he was named Frontier League Manager of the Year in his lone season at the helm of the Ohio Valley Red Coats. He also managed the Chillicothe Paints, also of the Frontier League, for two seasons, and then returned to Washington as Manager before coming to York for the 2010 season.

Mason's pitching staffs led the Frontier League in wins in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2006. He is very well-versed in all aspects of the job, from managing the club between the lines, to player acquisitions and transactions throughout the season and scouting for talent throughout professional baseball, all of which are keys to building contending baseball clubs from the ground up. As Etchebarren's top adviser the last three seasons with York, Mason's connections to and knowledge of the professional baseball landscape have proven to be invaluable to the York Revolution's successes on the field. Before joining the pro game, Mason spent 16 seasons from 1987 through 2002 as the head baseball coach at Washington & Jefferson College inWashington, PA. As a player, Mason pitched in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system, ascending as high as the Double-A Lynn (MA) Pirates of the Eastern League.

“I’m excited for us and for Mark as he assumes the Manager role,” said Menzer. “He’s been a critical part of our success, and he’s also a proven winner. Mark has made York his permanent home, and he has the same feeling about our fans and our town as Andy has.”

“I am honored to be the next field manager for the York Revolution. I want to thank the owners, Eric and Etch for this great opportunity. I will do everything possible to continue the high standard of excellence that we have set here for our loyal fans,” said new Revolution Manager Mark Mason.

Keeping up with Mark

Former Wild Things manager and pitching coach Mark Mason is three wins away from a championship.

Mason, who managed the Wild Things in 2009 and spent four years as an assistant with Washington, is the pitching coach for the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League. York is managed by former Baltimore Orioles catcher Andy Etchebarren.

The Revolution defeated Somerset 3-2 in the best-of-five semifinals and will play Bridgeport in the championship series that begins Wednesday night in York.

York won Game 5, 1-0, Sunday behind the pitching of former major leaguer and Marietta College standout Matt DeSalvo.

Here's a story about Mason and his pitcher from the York Daily Record:

Read the story here.

Mason joins the Revolution

The Wild Things will have a new manager - their fourth in as many years - when the 2010 Frontier League season begins.

It was announced today that Mark Mason is leaving the Wild Things to become the pitching coach for the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League. Mason started his pro coaching career in the Atlantic League with the Atlantic City Surf in 2001.

Mason guided the Wild Things to a 43-53 record and fourth-place finish in the East Division last season. A Waynesburg University and Canon-McMillan High School product, Mason managed four seasons in the Frontier League, two with the Chillicothe Paints (2007-08) and one with the Ohio Valley Redcoats (2005). While with Ohio Valley, one of Mason's pitchers was Chris Jakubauskas, who was was picked up on waivers Friday by the Pittsburgh Pirates after winning six games last season for the Seattle Mariners.

Mason also spent four seasons (2002-04 and 2006) as an assistant coach with the Wild Things and is a former head coach at Washington & Jefferson College.

Mason followed Greg Jelks (2008), John Massarelli (2004-07) and Jeff Isom (2002-03) as Wild Things managers.

York had a 53-87 record last year and its 4.88 ERA was second-worst in the league. York's manager is former Baltimore Orioles catcher manager Andy Etchebarren.

Mason hired by UPG

According to the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg's athletic website, Mark Mason has been hired as an assistant coach for UPG's baseball program. I don't know how this impacts Mason's future with the Wild Things (he was working on a one-year contract). The head coach at UPG is Adam Jack, a former Waynesburg University player.

Here is a portion of the press release:

GREENSBURG, PA- Head Baseball Coach Adam Jack is pleased to announce the hiring of new assistant coach Mark Mason. Mason brings to the Bobcat Baseball Program more than 20 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience and is currently the manager of the Washington Wild Things in Washington, PA.
"We are very pleased to add Mark Mason on our coaching staff this season. He brings a tremendous amount of experience that will valuable in developing this very young team." said Jack

Six-man rotation?

The Wild Things have used six starting pitchers - Andy Schindling, Jason Neitz, Zach Groh, Brian McCullough, Aaron (A.J.) Jenkins and Craig Snipp - since the all-star break. In those starts, the six have combined for a 2.40 ERA, which is a large reason why the Wild Things are 6-1 since the break.

But can a team go with a six-man pitching rotation? Washington doesn't have a pitcher who can be considered an ace, so why not try a six-man rotation?

Manager Mark Mason says that's not a possibility, at least next month.

"If we did that, it would be almost like a seven-man rotation in August, when we're off for four consecutive Mondays," Mason said. "Not enough rest is bad, and sometimes too much enough rest is bad too."

Mason did say that he'll likely continue with the six starting pitchers for one more trip through the rotation.

"We might have to do that because of the rainout and doubleheader we had at Southern Illinois," Mason said. "If we go with a five-man rotation, we'd have to bring someone back on short rest and I don't want to do that."

So who gets dropped from the rotation late next week? The most likely candidate is Jenkins because he would give Washington a left-hander in the bullpen. Another possibility is McCullough, who pitches exclusively from the stretch position and has extensive experience as a reliever.

Here's guessing that Jenkins goes to the bullpen, but if he makes another strong start it will make the decision doubly difficult.

On the Mark

During the Wild Things' game Tuesday against Southern Illinois, Wild Things manager Mark Mason made some interesting decisions that paid off with a 4-1 victory.

One of those decisions was to replace starting pitcher Andy Schindling with one out in the 8th inning, though Schindling had allowed only one run (unearned), four hits and one walk. The pitching change wasn't popular with the crowd at Consol Energy Park, but Mason explained that Schindling was bascially in his private no-man's land. he was a reliever for 4-plus years in the Baltimore Orioles' system and didn't pitch more than nine innings as a high school player. Pitching in the eighth inning was new to Schindling, and Mason wanted a pitcher with more experience in the game at that point with a tie score.

"I was debating whether to send him out or not there for the eighth inning," Mason said. "He had done a good job against their 9-1-2 hitters all night, so I let him go back out there and face the No. 9 guy (Travon Jackson). Once they turned the order over, I said that was it."

Mason didn't replace Schindling with one of his regular relief pitchers. He went with Keith Meyer, a Pittsburgh native who had signed with the Wild Things earlier in the day. It's risky, when the game is tied 1- in the 8th, to bring in a guy who you haven't seen pitch in a game.

"The guys we had in the bullpen were overworked last week," Mason explained. "Even with the day off Monday, it still wasn't enough rest. We had some guys throw more than two innings at Kalamazoo and some pitch two days in a row. I wanted to see someone new at that point. of the guys we brought in, Meyer's the most experienced."

Meyer retired five of the six batters he faced to get the win.

Mason also mentioned that he has pushed for outfielder Phil Laurent to be one of the manager's additions to the East Division all-star roster and that infielder Chris Raniere will be activated from the DL sometime this week. Raniere is eligible to be activated today but Mason said he hasn't ruled out giving Raniere another day or two to recover from a hip flexor injury.

UPDATE: There was a note on here earlier in the day about a telephone call I received. I was told that Consol Energy Park is being sold to a group in Pittsburgh. That is NOT true. That much has been confirmed to the O-R by BSI's attorney. The ballpark is not for sale. However, my guess is the tipster to the O-R was confused on what is being purchased. I wouldn't be surprised if the mentioned Pittsburgh company – which has ties to Major League Baseball - is interested in buying into the Wild Things' ownership group. Stay tuned. And no, it's not Mylan.

Troubled times

One overused saying that coaches in all sports rely on is this: You are what your record says you are.

Today, the Wild Things are the worst team in the Frontier League's East Division with a 2-7 record. Only Rockford (2-8) in the West Division has a worse record.

That doesn't mean much when you're nine games into a 96-game season. Yes, 2-7 is lousy. No one wanted or expected this kind of start, but it's not predictive of anything. The season is not over. Keep in mind that Washington started 1-5 during its inaugural season (2002) and ended up setting the league record for wins.

Is this a team that can rebound from a 2-7 start to be a playoff contender? Can it even play .500 ball? We don't know. It's too early to draw any definitive conclusions. There are, however, some alarming numbers and trends that indicate things that must change in a hurry. For example:

* The 2-7 record is the Wild Things' worst after nine games. In other words, this is the worst start in franchise history.

* Prior to today, Washington has been five games under .500 for only one day (May 28, 2008) in its eight-year history. The Wild Things have never been six games under .500.

* The recent six-game swing to the St. Louis area ended with a 1-5 record. It was the 27th six-game road trip in team history. It was the first time the Wild Things have failed to win at least two games on a such a trip (that the Wild Things went seven years with no worse than a 2-4 record on six-game trips is an amazing statistic that is probably unmatched in league history).

* The current five-game losing streak is tied for the longest in team history. Washington lost five in a row back in 2005 (Aug. 29-Sept. 3) but that was after the club had clinched the East Division title and was simply playing out a string of meaningless games.

* Washington's pitching staff has been - insert your favorite adjective here because there is no sugar-coating it - bad, awful, putrid, etc. You get the idea. Washington has given up 50 walks in nine games. Only Gateway (54) has allowed more, but the Grizzlies have played one more game. The Wild Things also are tied for the league lead in hit batsmen with nine. The 6.63 team ERA is next-to-last. Again, only Gateway is worse.

* Washington's hitters lead the league in strikeouts and are next-to-last with only three stolen bases, but offense hasn't been the problem. Washington's hitters have done enough to win seven games.

* The bullpen is 0-for-3 in save opportunities.

It all adds up to an ugly start, which will make for some interesting decisions for manager Mark Mason during the homestand that begins Tuesday against Gateway. The Wild Things' track record indicates that no major roster overhaul is in the works. The philosophy in Washington has been to stick with the core group of players and add a couple of former college guys following Major League Baseball's draft. You don't blow up your roster after nine games.

However, there will surely be some moves made this week. Pitcher Aaron Fuhrman will come off the disabled list during the homestand. He could trade places with pitcher Kedrick Martin, who left Sunday's game with an injury.

Another candidate for the DL is closer Jon Lewis, who was brought in during the offseason to solve the bullpen woes that plagued the Wild Things all last year. Lewis has pitched 1 2/3 innings and given up 10 walks and thrown three wild pitches. Saturday at River City, Lewis walked six batters in just 2/3 of an inning. Only 12 of his 40 pitches were strikes. Keep in mind that Lewis walked only 11 batters in half a season with Evansville last year, and in his previous 82 pro games walked more than two hitters only once.

When a pitcher with that kind of track record goes Steve Blass, it has to be because of an injury or a major problem with his mechanics. Either way, a trip to the DL is likely.

Not all the struggles have been on the pitchers' mound. There were concerns before the season about outfielder Chris Demons' ability to hit. He was only a .232 career hitter in two pro seasons, but the Wild Things love his speed and arm. Demons might be the fastest player in the league. But he's also 2-for-26 (.077) with 13 strikeouts. Starting the season with only four outfielders (including DH Jacob Dempsey) was a gamble that hasn't worked. Mason probably has several outfielders on speed dial.

How long will the Wild Things wait to shuffle their roster? The draft is June 9-11, which also is the beginning of a nine-day road trip for Washington. The Wild Things don't like to make roster moves while on the road, which means if things don't turn around this week the earliest the roster can undergo a makeover is June 18.

Up in smoke

The Wild Things awaken today with a 2-4 record and without a series win. They should be 5-1 and coming off their second series win.

The reason for the three-game difference can be summed up by two words: relief pitching.

After tying for the league lead in blown saves last year with 15, the Wild Things have failed to convert three save opportunities in the last four games, including both games of a doubleheader Thursday at Gateway. In Washington's last three losses, the opponent scored the winning run in its final at-bat.

The bullpen received a major overhaul in the offseason, but it seems the more things change the more they stay the same. Jon Lewis was brought in to be the closer, but he has two blown saves in as many opportunities, including Game 1 Thursday, when the winning run scored on a wild pitch. In the nightcap, Washington had a 7-4 lead in the seventh inning (doubleheaders are seven innings) but gave up three solo home runs that forced extra innings. Chris Demons homered in the 8th to put the Wild Things back in the lead, but Gateway scored in the bottom of the eighth and won the game on a bases-loaded hit batsman in the ninth.

For the season, Washington relievers have pitched 20 1/3 innings and given up 18 hits, 20 walks and hit four batters for a 6.21 ERA. They have a 1-3 record.

Manager Mark Mason left himself open to some second-guessing during the doubleheader. In the opener, he took out starting pitcher Zach Groh after six innings. Groh was throwing a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts and just one walk. In the second game, Matt Maradeo, who has been Washington's best reliever to date with 4 1/3 scoreless innings and no walks, was taken out after throwing two perfect innings and the game heading to the bottom of the seventh.

I wrote about this last year, but it's worth mentioning again: To me, the most impressive season by a Wild Things player was not Josh Loggins' MVP year in 2003, but Robert Garvin's 2002 season. Garvin began the year as just another arm in the bullpen but won the closer's job early in the season. He went 2-2 with 18 saves and a 2.20 ERA in 33 games. Those numbers are good, but not great, right?

Looking deeper into Garvin's season you'll find that he converted 18 of 20 save opportunities, including 18 straight. His two blown saves were in his first appearance of the year (in middle relief) and in his last outing of the regular season which, as it turned out, was a meaningless game because the Wild Things had clinched the division title only minutes earlier because of Richmond loss.

The most impressive aspect of Garvin's season was that he pitched 47 innings and issued only four walks. Think about that for a moment. Four walks in 47 innings. During one stretch, Garvin went 15 consecutive outings and 17 1/3 innings without walking a batter. Over that span, Garvin struck out 24 batters. Twenty-four strikeouts to zero walks. You think the Wild Things would like to have someone with those numbers today?

Another note from the doubleheader is Washington catcher Alan Robbins is facing a suspension after bumping the home-plate umpire following the game-ending wild pitch and play the the plate. It's never a good idea to make contact with an umpire, but it's even worse to do it when the league commissioner is in the ballpark.

Looking back: Game 1

A few very random thoughts and some leftovers from the season opener Friday night:

* Grant Psomas can hit. It looks like it didn't take long for Psomas, who played 180 games in Double-A and seven in Triple-A the last two years, to figure out the Frontier League's style of pitching. Even before his two home runs Friday, Psomas' swing reminded me of Josh Loggins'.

"Adjusting to the fastball is the big thing for Grant," manager Mark Mason said. "He's used to seeing it at a higher range, so he was out in front. He's made some adjustments. He's seeing the ball deeper now."

* That was a game the Wild Things gave away. A classic we-don't-want-it, you-take-it game. You can't walk the bases loaded in a 4-3 game and drop a fly ball in the ninth inning and expect to win. Of Lake Erie's last six runs, four reached base on walks and two were unearned because of a dropped fly ball.

* I hate home openers. Some baseball person a long time said something that rings true with me: "The real baseball season begins with the second game of the season." I agree. Nothing about the opener is routine.

* Judging by the people I spoke with, I'm probably in the minority when I say I didn't mind the purple jerseys. I've been told they will be worn for Sunday home games. But, if they were going to wear a colored jersey, I prefer red. They wore a red jersey in one game last season (think it had something to do with a Washington Hospital promotion) and those were the best-looking colored jerseys they've had.

* Washington starting pitcher Craig Snipp was spectacular for 3 1/3 innings, striking out seven, including four in a row at one point. After giving a one-out triple to Gordon Gronkowski in the second inning, Snipp struck out the next two batters to strand the runner and keep the game scoreless. Lake Erie, however, figured out something about Snipp the second time through the order.

"We got beat by the 7-8-9 hitters in the fourth," Mason said. "Other than, I thought Snipp did a good job. He was outstanding the first time through the order."

* The one lasting vision I have from opening night is this: When pulling into the parking lot and seeing the large roped-off area, I thought this might be reserved for WJPA Radio's Bob Gregg, based on his vote on the tax-for-turf issue Thursday. Nope! I saw Bob getting out of his car, and it was parked somewhere closer to Greene County than the ballpark.

Roster musings

Some thoughts and notes after watching two exhibition games Friday against Lake Erie, the latter of which ended in a 3-3 tie after 10 innings:

- The Friday games did little to help manager Mark Mason figure out who to keep in his bullpen. For example, lefty Dan Horvath was the only consistent reliever on the team last year (with the exception of one puzzling outing against Traverse City) but he gave up six hits, two walks and hit a batter in one inning of the day game. Do you judge Horvath on what he did last year or do you write off Friday's outing as just one of those days?

- Sidearmer Kyle Heyne gave up a home run but it was a swing-late fly ball down the left-field line by a left-handed hitter that ended up in the visitors' bullpen. More of a wall-scraper than a blast. Otherwise, Heyne threw strikes. He also has a track record of pitching well in tight situations - he's the all-time saves leader in the Mid-American Conference.

Kedrick Martin walked three over 2 1/3 innings but retired five in a row (two on strikeouts) at one point.

Josh Eachues, Kalen Gearhart and Michael Lucas combined for four scoreless innings (two hits and one walk allowed) in the opener. Each helped his case for a roster spot. My guess is that only Kris Rochelle and Alan Wiggins will make the team as catchers, so does Eachues' value increase because he can be a third catcher? I don't know because I haven't seen him catch this spring. I guess that means no.

- Second baseman Michael Parker went 3-for-4 with a walk in the night game. It looks like he will be an impact newcomer.

- Rob Hedrick is creating another difficult decision for the coaching staff. They like the former California University player's arm strangth as a pitcher, which was not his primary position with the Vulcans. Hedrick played second base in the day game, then pitched a perfect 10th inning in the night game, retiring Lake Erie's 3-4-5 hitters. If Hedrick makes the team it will be as the 24th man, a utility guy who can be worked with all year to refine his pitching mechanics.

- Heyne probably made the team Friday night and Horvath lost a spot on the roster.

- It seems that three pitchers who have locked up spots in the starting rotation are Rick Austin, Craig Snipp and Eric Evans.

- The three pitchers with no pro experience (Michael Mondesir, Brian Honeyman and Hedrick) began the spring at the bottom of the depth chart but tossed a combined eight scoreless innings against Lake Erie.

- Right-hander Jace Smith arrived in Washington Friday night, which brings the number of pitchers in camp to 21. Smith will pitch in tonight's exhibition game.

- Mason has said he wants to trim the roster to 24 or 25 players by the end of the weekend.

Trying out some notes

Some notes, thoughts and observations from the Wild Things' tryout camp:

* Kalen Gearhart, the pitcher the Wild Things signed Saturday, certainly has a chance to make the team. He's not your typical player who shows up at a tryout camp in that he has four years of pro experience. Gearhart, who is only 23, spent four years in the Los Angeles Dodgers' system, pitching in 67 games (all in relief) and compiling a 5-3 record with a 3.81 ERA.

* The most impressive thing about Gearhart's career statistics is he walked only 27 batters in 106 innings in pro ball. The guys throws strikes.

* Wild Things manager Mark Mason said 12 pitchers will compete during spring training for five spots in the rotation.

* You can get a sunburn when it's overcast.

* Gearhart also uncorked only one wild pitch in his last three seasons with the Dodgers.

* Two Washington players - catcher Steve Pickerell and pitcher Jace Smith - will be late arrivals for spring training. Mason said Smith will be one of the candidates for a starter's spot and would be surprised if he makes it, even with a late arrival to camp. With Pickerell being delayed, you can count on the Wild Things selecting a catcher Tuesday at the Frontier League draft.

* The drainage in the outfield at Consol Energy Park isn't any better than it was last year.

* I feel like I've heard of as many colleges and universities as anyone out there, but tryout camps usually bring players from places I've never heard of. Saturday's where-is-that schools were Danville Community College and Southern Wesleyan University. Each of those schools had a player at the tryout. Danville Community College is in Danville, Va., and Southern Wesleyan is in Central, S.C.

One more update on a former Mason pitcher

The following is from a Seattle Mariners blog by Geoff Baker, the beat writer for the Seattle Times. It's an update on Chris Jakubauskas, the pitcher in the Mariners' organization who spent three seasons in the Frontier League including one with Ohio Valley, where his manager was Mark Mason. Jakubauskas, who spent three seasons in the Frontier League, is a non-roster invitee in the Mariners' camp and has been one of the feel-good stories of spring training. He started today for Seattle against Cleveland and gave up one run and four hits over five innings:

Jakubauskas, Branyan star in rout

There wasn't much more Chris Jakubauskas could do today as he tries to convince the Mariners to take him north. Jakubauskas gave up a lone run over five innings, needing just 61 pitches to get through the Cleveland Indians en route to a 12-4 win.

"We have a tough decision," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said moments ago.

I asked Wakamatsu what will play into that decision.

"I think you've got to look at history and what he's done in spring training," he said. "And then, make the right decision."

Jakubauskas spent four-and-a-half years in independent league baseball before the Mariners signed him in 2007. He's a former hitter, who, when his bat bottomed out in college, reverted to pitching again for the first time since high school. Now, he's one head-nod by Wakamatsu and company away from heading to the majors.

"I was thinking about that a couple of days ago and I didn't want to get my mind dwelling on how this was a huge start," Jakubauskas said. "Obviously, it was for me. My last one of the spring. I wanted to keep it the same as I kept it all spring. Going through the same routine and trying not to think about it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't a little bit, but I tried to get myself out of that real quick and just focus on throwing five strong innings again today."

Update on Mason's former pitcher

Here's a story from mlb.com about Chris Jakubauskas, the pitcher in the Seattle Mariners' organization who spent three seasons in the Frontier League including one with Ohio Valley, where his manager was Mark Mason.

Jakubauskas, who has only 12 games of experience above Double-A, is still in the Mariners' major league camp. On Monday, Jakubauskas pitched five innings in a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants and allowed only three hits and one run. Jakubauskas remains a longshot to make the opening day roster, but it's still amazing that a guy with a 9-15 record in the Frontier League has made it this far into spring training.

Read the story here.

It wasn't good Monday for two other former Frontier Leaguers, including ex-West Allegheny High School pitcher Scott Patterson. The Padres sent Patterson and lefty pitcher Joe Thatcher to Class AAA Portland. Thatcher, who played for River City, holds the distinction of being the first guy to play a game at Consol Energy Park and go on to play in the major leagues.

Coaching staff complete

Manager Mark Mason has completed his coaching staff for the 2009 season. Former Washington shortstop Jon Cahill, pictured, will return to the organization as the hitting coach and Larry Wayman will be back for his second season as pitching coach. Also returning is coach Bob Bozzuto.

This will be Bozzuto's fourth season with the Wild Things. He was the third-base coach last year under manager Greg Jelks.

Cahill spent the last two years as manager of the Frontier League's Traverse City Beach Bums. In 2005, Cahill was an assistant coach under Mason with the Ohio Valley Redcoats.

Cahill's return had been rumored for a long time. The return of Wayman, however, was somewhat of a surprise to me. I expected Mason to bring in someone outside the organization, especially after the Wild Things' pitching struggles last year. One reader of this blog mentioned that Wayman never seemed to connect with the pitchers last year, which got me thinking (I do that once every two weeks). He/she might be right. Not one pitcher mentioned the pitching coach during interviews all season, which was a first.

Mason must think Wayman is the right guy for the job, and with all the injuries and youth in the bullpen last year we'll surely get a better evaluation of the guy this year.

Mason's connection to majors

Major league spring training begins in less than two weeks, and while there are no former Wild Things in the big-league camps there is one connection to Washington manager Mark Mason.

Right-hander Chris Jakubauskas, who was a pitcher for the Mason-managed Ohio Valley Redcoats in 2005, is a non-roster invitee in the Seattle Mariners' camp.

Jakubauskas spent three seasons (2003-05) in the Frontier League with Florence and Ohio Valley. He had a 9-15 record. Against the Wild Things, Jakubauskas was 2-3 with a 4.55 ERA. Jakubauskas, who played in college at Oklahoma, was selected by an awful Florence team with the No. 1 pick in the 2003 Frontier League draft.

In his one season with Mason, Jakubauskas had a 5-4 record that included one win over the Wild Things.

After leaving the FL, Jakubauskas spent time in two other independent leagues before being signed by Seattle in 2007. He made it to Class AAA last year, going 5-1 in 12 games (nine starts).

Also among the Mariners' 17 non-roster invitees is first baseman Chris Shelton. You might remember him as one of the players the Pirates lost in the Rule 5 draft purge of 2004. That was the year when five of the first six players chosen in the Rule 5 were players left unprotected by the Pirates. There was a big stink in Pittsburgh about losing Shelton because he was the Pirates' minor league player of the year the previous season.

Managerial musings

To put it in baseball terms, the Wild Things' announcement earlier this week that Mark Mason will be the team's manager for the 2009 season was the equivalent of a squeeze play.

It was a surprise offering, like every well-executed squeeze play. With Mason's contract with the Chillicothe Paints expired after last season, you had to expect that the Prosperity resident would be back with the Wild Things in some capacity. Pitching coach seemed the likely position.

Still, the announcement seemed to catch many off guard, like a perfect bunt down the third-base line.

As recent as seven weeks ago, the Wild Things were saying they expected Greg Jelks to return for a second year as manager. In the only season under Jelks' watch, Washington finished with a 48-48 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Jelks worked on a one-year contract.

I found it odd that Jelks would return after the season to his home in Australia without having signed a contract for 2009. When asked about Jelks' status, a Wild Things official said Jelks was expected back for a second season but a contract had not yet been sent to him. It was only a matter of time until a deal would be put in writing.

At an informal press conference Monday, general manager Ross Vecchio was asked what had changed in the last few weeks to lead to Mason's hiring. Vecchio said it simply made more sense to have Mason as manager. In other words, Mason is a local guy, he's managed for three years in the league under some less-than-ideal circumstances (Ohio Valley as a road team in 2005 and Chillicothe last year when the Paints had one foot out the Frontier League's exit door), and he can be available at any time.

Jelks had to know there was always the possibility he could be squeezed out of the organization and replaced by Mason. It's just like the squeeze play is always a possibility, though a remote one, when a runner reaches third base.

One area having Mason as manager helps the Wild Things is in scouting college games. In the Frontier League, you need a manager who is more like a college recruiter than pro baseball coach. You need to talk to college players and sell them on your team. Jeff Isom, the Wild Things' first manager, had a connection to almost every major college program in the country. His successor, John Massarelli, knew and scouted the Mid-American Conference and some NAIA leagues.

With Jelks in Australia, it was impossible for him to watch Pitt, West Virginia, Ohio State and several Division II teams play in one week. Now the Wild Things can, if needed. This is one benefit of the hire.

Mason also is well-connected with scouts in places like Texas and the West Coast, two areas the Wild Things have rarely pulled players from. And, Mason is one of the most well-liked and respected people in the league.

While Jelks did fall victim to having the weakest Washington team to start with (the lack of pitching depth was obvious as early as the exhibition games), the injuries and poor relief pitching were his undoing. With a little luck and a reliable bullpen, Washington could have made the playoffs.

It's interesting to note that Mason could have been the Wild Things' manager as early as 2005. Here's how:

When Isom left following the 2003 season to manage Joliet in the Northern League, Kent Tekulve (above with Mason) wanted to take the manager's job for only the 2004 season and "groom" a manager to take his place the following year. That person was to be Mason.

As it turned out, Tekulve lost, for the lack of a better term, a power struggle for control of the baseball operations. He left the organization and Massarelli was hired.

Mark of discipline

The Wild Things announced Monday afternoon that Mark Mason will be their manager for 2009, replacing Greg Jelks, who had a one-year stint. The announcement came at a low-key press conference held in the Wild Things' clubhouse.

I was stunned that one of the the first two questions asked - and it wasn't by me - was about readers of this blog being upset with some of the on-field antics of players last year and how would Mason handle such things. Here is Mason's response:

"I will discipline that. I disciplined that in Chillicothe. We won't have any part of that. ... I tell my players that I'm not going to babysit you. I'm not afraid to make an example of anyone. I never had problems with any of my teams, though I did suspend two players while at Chillicothe when we were on a road trip. The were late. If I didn't suspend them, then it wouldn't have been fair for those guys who were sitting on that bus on time.

"That was embarrassing. The players know what I expect of them - play hard and be on time. They know where I stand."

Mason went on to tell the story of how a Chillicothe player, after making an out, threw his batting helmet off the bat rack. The helmet bounced back and hit Mason in the leg. Mason didn't immediately say anything to the player. He waited until the Paints took the field for the next inning and, just as the first batter was stepping into the box, Mason jumped out of the dugout, got the umpire's attention and called the helmet-throwing player off the field. Mason then sent out a substitute.