Happy Friday for many of you! Once again the weather is amazing here today. But that is expected to change over the weekend. I’ve heard a “high” temp of 58 degrees for Sunday. Guess who didn’t bring anything with long sleeves for his nine-day stay? Which means I’ll be hitting up the mall for a wind breaker or something.

After yesterday which saw the first cuts of the camp, and Ichiro’s internationally acclaimed first hit of the spring, today has been pretty uneventful. Mac told us this morning that they pushed Willie Bloomquist back another day before he’ll see game action because of Bloomie’s sore quad.

A number of us reporters watched Mac called Jeremy Reed into his office this morning. Then watched other management walk in before closing the door. One would assume that didn’t bode well for Jeremy, who is having a fine spring, batting .462 with a homer, a double, five walks and 4 RBI. But its Mike Morse and Wladimir Balentien getting the attention in the battle for 4th outfielder. Justly so, as Morse and Balentien are 1 and 2 respectively is most offensive stat categories so far this spring. Mac told us that the message he had for Reed was to keep his head up, and keep battling hard, because he still has a very good shot at making the ball-club. Mac said from time to time all managers will do that with one player or another in spring training. Especially if he sees a guy dragging a little, or a guy with his head down. Not that Reed has done this at all. But as I mentioned, it’s been all about Morse and Balentien, and even Charlton Jimerson with his speed. Reed is still very much in the mix.

Click here to hear what Mac said about Reed this morning.

I spoke with Greg Norton for the pre game show. He’s a guy that’s easy to root for to make the team. A veteran that has developed a reputation as one of the better pinch hitters in the game. Mac told me that's the thing he has working for him the strongest to make the team. The ability to come off the bench and produce whenever called upon certainly isn’t easy. You get one at bat. That’s it. And it’s usually late in the game when you either need a run to prolong a rally, or an insurance run. That got me thinking about a guy many of you remember from the mid 90’s, Doug Strange. Mac agreed with that comparison. Strange had some big hits in ’95 and was productive in his two seasons here.

One other note, McLaren said the decision on whether to carry 11 or 12 pitchers is one they won’t make until the very end of camp. Ultimately, the needs of the big club will dictate that. But the competitions for long relief and lefty setup will make it an even tougher call. Yesterday, Mac called the competition in camp this year, the best he’s seen in a camp, in all his baseball career. That’s impressive.

Chik-fil-A follow up:

If you read yesterday's blog then you know I’m a fan. Fanatic, bozo, whatever, about Chik-fil-A. Well add a fan to the long list of Chik-fil-A. Hall of famer Dave Niehaus! After hearing me rant about them a few days ago he wanted to add to what’s become my daily run to the joint. He loved it!

That’s all I’ve got for today.