A New Feature

Miguel Olivo prudently watches his back

Always eager to provide a public service, we here at Expecting Rain present "Seattle Mariners' Catcher Roulette." As a former catcher myself (perhaps the only left-handed one in little league history), I have a special affection for the pitch callers. With a spate of injuries in the past month, it may be difficult to tell who's squatting behind the plate in Seattle (the mask doesn't help either). Here's an update for the catchers who have appeared in a Mariner uniform as of May 16, 2005:

• Dan Wilson: torn ACL, out for the season (possibly career?)
• Rene Rivera: AA catcher promoted last night. Major League batting average of .000, but cute as a button.
  
• Wiki Gonzalez: Definitely has the best name of Mariner catchers, but not the best hamstrings(!)
• Miguel Olivo: healthy (after debilitating kidney stones in '04), but batting a sickly .155
• Ryan Christianson: back after a steroid suspension, good prospects for health barring Giambi-esque thyroid condition.