Leads, walks, and whiffs.

Just a quick shot this
morning.

 

Which is more mind-blowing?

 

That ESPN SportsCenter led off this morning with the Texas
Rangers, even though at least one local sportcast (and I bet more) led off last
night with the Cowboys’ blue jeans party in San Antonio?

 

That Justin Smoak, who despite his offensive struggles drew
38 walks in 70 games with Texas, has played every inning of every Mariners game
since The Trade and is up to 44 plate appearances with that club, but didn’t
draw his first Seattle walk until last night (in what was Josh Beckett’s first
big league inning in more than two months)?

 

Or that C.J. Wilson (104 pitches, 63 strikes) didn’t register
a strikeout last night until the seventh inning, when he set Bobby Abreu and
Torii Hunter down on strikes, and then in the eighth, when he ended his own
night by punching Maicer Izturis out on strikes . . . and that those three strike three’s were the only three
swinging strikes he recorded all night?