Low & Outside: AL Notes

After a recent loss, Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi ordered that no postgame food or towels be put out, thus forcing his last-place Mariners to actually stand by their lockers for media interviews.

After Seattle defeated the Red Sox, 8-0, on Friday night, M's centerfielder Ichiro Suzuki said (through an interpreter) that revoking those privileges was "kind of cute, actually. It's something a parent would do to a young kid and that's basically my emotion."

Suzuki added that the M's brass should "find something that is not temporary and change that," then refused to go into detail (through an interpreter) about what those permanent changes might be.

This is a sad commentary on the state of the lowly Mariners, but also, Low & Outside wants to know, how many years must Ichiro be in the league before he can speak without an interpreter?

With David Ortiz nursing an injured wrist, MLB and State Farm have shifted gears on their "Call Your Shot" promotion that, at next month's All-Star Game festivities, was supposed to feature Ortiz trying to bash a home run to the location chosen by a lucky fan. The new plan calls for the eight Home Run Derby competitors - still unchosen, as are the all-stars - to compete to be the two finalists. Those two big bashers will then try and hit a home run to the fan's chosen location.

Chase Utley, who leads the majors with 21 home runs, is expected to be one of the eight players invited to compete.

Don't expect to see the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez in the event as he is not "fond" of participating in derbies. Such revelations make the public not so "fond" of Rodriguez.

The White Sox drafted Kenny Williams Jr., son of general manager Kenny Williams, with the 180th overall pick of the MLB draft.

"I had some reservations about selecting him," said Williams, the elder. "At one point I told our guys to just let him go elsewhere so he wouldn't have to deal with whatever he's going to have to deal with."

Interestingly enough, manager Ozzie Guillen's son, Oney, was a late-round pick (1,102d overall) of the White Sox.

Guillen, the elder, said it's "a lot of pressure when your kid is playing in the organization and you're the boss."

Unlike most people, Frank Thomas is in Las Vegas looking for some quiet, some relaxation, a little rehabilitation.

The 40-year-old slugger is at his home in Vegas for about a week to recover from a knee and leg injury suffered May 27 - coincidentally also his birthday. Perhaps Thomas will be back for the A's homestand against the Phillies, June 24-26.

Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells returned yesterday, less than a month after fracturing his wrist making a diving catch. Wells is in the first season of a $126 million contract. He was batting .281 with 24 RBIs before his injury. . . . Tigers righthander Jeremy Bonderman is likely to miss the rest of the season after undergoing medical procedures related to a blood clot.