Mariners Podcast: Catching up with players and more during shutdown

As we maneuver our way through this shutdown, I wanted to find some ways to bring you baseball. We don’t have the game on the field right now, but perhaps baseball fans are better equipped to handle the loss of competition than any other sport. We have a complete second season where the talk takes over and while this clearly isn’t the Hot Stove season, there are endless conversations we can have about the game and the Mariners.

Mariners’ Sheffield on how a ‘reset’ at Double-A led to surge in confidence

From the old to the new, debate, and learning something here and there, baseball is meant to be discussed.

So kicking back into that gear there is a ton of content that I want to bring you. There are opportunities to have longer conversations with players, front office members, media members, everyone around the game. I will bring these to you in the form of posts, videos, vodcasts and podcasts and as the players are keeping themselves ready right now, hopefully that will keep us ready for the time when we can once again hear the crack of the bat and pop of the glove.

This week’s podcast/vodcast features a couple of stories you may or may not have read or watched and a couple that I have yet to put out before now.

We start out with a conversation with Mariners Radio producer/engineer/broadcaster Gary Hill who comes to us from his home in Seattle where he and his family are doing their part to flatten the curve. Gary has curated and put together the classic broadcasts you are hearing each night on 710 ESPN Seattle and he talks about that process and the opportunity to once again hear Dave Niehaus in something more than a highlight. We also talk about the impact a short season could have on the history of the game and hear about his check ins with the other broadcasters.

Up next is reliever Matt Magill, who after his acquisition last year became one of the more trusted arms in the pen and figures to play a prominent role when baseball resumes. As a 31st-round draft pick, Magill’s path to the big leagues is one of persistence and determination. He had a scholarship in hand to a good baseball program, but with playing professionally being his dream since the third grade, he chose to bet on himself and did some pretty extraordinary things when told no numerous times along his path. He’s a guy that we perhaps wouldn’t have much opportunity to get to know during normal times, but we’ve got some time now and I enjoyed his story.

Up next is Melanie LeGrande, MLB’s vice president for community responsibility talking about the “Summer Slugger” program. In light of the pandemic the program has been released early this year to give parents of children in 3rd to 5th grade an extra online educational resource while homeschooling. It’s a great program that I would love to see expanded.

Last up is the Mitch Haniger interview from earlier this week and a little bit more on the conversation we had about robo umps, or the electronic strike zone. Neither of us like the idea and we get into why.

You can listen to the full vodcast at the YouTube video near the top of the story. To listen to the podcast, visit this link or use the player below.

Follow 710 ESPN Seattle’s Shannon Drayer on Twitter.

Read Shannon’s Get To Know Your Mariners series

• How Marco Gonzales ‘became a different guy’ on the mound in Seattle
• Plenty to learn about the life of lefty reliever Taylor Guilbeau
• How Austin Nola found change he needed
• Patrick Wisdom has long history with Marco Gonzales
• Logan Gilbert’s swift rise up the ranks
• Dan Altavilla looking for healthy, productive 2020
• Cal Raleigh has been on the baseball path since Day 1
• OF Jake Fraley could be the gem of Zunino trade
• If anyone can relate to top Mariners prospects, it’s Taijuan Walker
• Julio Rodriguez looks the part of future superstar on and off the field

Follow @shannondrayer