Larry Stone

SEATTLE -- It's hard not to notice a hot new trend in baseball this season, and no, I'm not talking about offense being down (though it is again) or managers saying dumb things (though one, in particular, has again).

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ken Griffey Jr. arrived at Seattle Mariners spring training as he always does, in or out of uniform: Eager to chat about his kids, and a magnet for just about every stray person in camp.

And, yes, wisecracking up a storm. Junior is nothing if not a Hall of Fame needler. When Felix Hernandez emerged in the clubhouse wearing white Capri pants, Griffey was merciless, much to the amusement of everyone else. And Felix, too, for that matter.

SEATTLE -- Last year, in the absence of any Seattle presence in the postseason -- yet again -- Mariners fans were fixated on whether Felix Hernandez would win the Cy Young Award.

He did, in a vote that was interpreted as a sign that the staid Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) had seen the sabermetric light. Hernandez won despite a pedestrian 13-12 record, as the electorate correctly downplayed a win-loss mark that was the result of a putrid offense, and rewarded King Felix for his dominance in virtually every other realm.

A year later, the Mariners still aren't involved in the postseason, nor do they have a dog in the awards hunt. But it will still be fascinating to see how the vote goes in some races that are wide open.

The industry is buzzing about who is going to replace fired Jim Hendry as general manager of the Cubs.

Though the team is a mess, it's still a plum job. The payroll is always high, the fan base is passionate, and a lifetime of worship awaits the GM who finally gets the Cubs that elusive World Series victory.

SEATTLE -- Baseball's spring training, by its very nature, is a time of optimism and enthusiasm.

But this year, Arizona's Cactus League has even more bounce in its step than usual.

When pitchers and catchers begin reporting next month--including the Mariners in Peoria on Feb. 13 -- the league will have one more gleaming new stadium to unveil. It's one that Cactus League president Brad Curtis calls "a spectacular place ... a real gem."

Once again, the Cy Young voters of the Baseball Writers Association of America are being handed a test.

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ken Griffey Jr. is still the pulse of the Seattle Mariners' clubhouse, his voice invariably ringing above the rest, the laughter - his own, and those in his sphere, i.e. everyone - a constant soundtrack.