Melvin checks in, logs on

PEORIA, Ariz. -- It took about 15 seconds yesterday morning for new Mariners manager Bob Melvin to distance himself from the former holder of that position.

Melvin walked into the manager's office in the Mariners' complex at the Peoria Sports Complex, put down his bag, opened it, pulled out his laptop and set the computer up.

Lou Piniella did many things in his 10-year run as Mariners manager, but using a computer was never one of them. Piniella was classic old school -- the computer couldn't hit or throw, so it had no intrinsic value in the baseball universe.

Melvin, on the other hand, is part of a newer age, an age in which players, coaches and, yes, even managers, never hit the road without their laptops. It's a bad day for the new breed when they find themselves in a locale without DSL service and settle for the pokey ol' 56K modem.

"How can you not have a computer?" Melvin asked. "For me, it's such a resource. You can get so much information. I can read all your articles."

Pause.

How many managers, even the computer-literate ones, will admit to searching what the local writers have to say? Piniella, for one, read as little as possible about the Mariners. And he was marvelously successful doing it his way -- the Mariners went to the post-season four times during Piniella's tour and averaged 100 victories the past three years.

It remains to be seen if Melvin can carve out that kind of success while conforming to his style. Starting today, it's his show. Pitchers and catchers, some of whom have just met Melvin in the past few days, are on the field this morning at 9:30 (MST) for the opening of spring training, Seattle-style.

Melvin plans to have brief opening remarks for the 35 or so players who will be on hand today. He'll save the big talk for Feb. 17 when the remaining squad is scheduled to show. He has agonized over just what he will say today and next week.

"Originally, I was going to be more extreme than I'm planning to be," he said. "I was going to try to put all my points across on Day 1. That's not the way to go. This will be more of an introduction. We'll ease into things."

So these talks will be more like movie previews than the whole movie?

"Exactly. Most of these guys are in a familiar place," he said. "I'm the one who's new here. There are still points you want to get across and maybe an underlying theme, but that will work itself out over time.

"I'm the new guy."

As such, Melvin will be under the spotlight reserved for all new managers. Its glare may be particularly bright given that, as new managers go, he hasn't had to wait that long. He's just 41, barely a year older than two of his senior team leaders, Edgar Martinez and Jamie Moyer.

"I watched when Bob Brenly was the new guy with the Diamondbacks (in 2001)," Melvin said. "I remember that talk as much as any one I ever heard. He loosened up the guys, made a real big impression.

"He was in a situation quite a bit similar to the one I'm in now."

Brenly made the spotlight no issue. The Diamondbacks won the World Series that year.

Now it's Melvin's turn. He's ready to answer the call of his new profession and do what's necessary while basking in the glow of that rather unforgiving eye. He fiddled with putting his new uniform (he'll wear No. 3) on Saturday and put the jersey top on yesterday. Today, he'll go for the total package.

"I'm really looking forward to putting on the uniform for the first time, stepping out on the field," he said. "That's what it's about. It's an advantage that we have just the pitchers and catchers here for the first week. That gives me a chance to get around, talk to them one-on-one.

"It's better for me to have some time with them now rather than having the whole group arrive at once."

Melvin ran the spring-training camp with the Diamondbacks. With the Mariners, he won't. Mike Goff, in charge of coordinating minor league instruction, is in charge of running the camp. That will enable Melvin to meet and greet and teach and learn.

It seems like a good way to start.

P-I reporter John Hickey can be reached at 206-448-8004 or johnhickey@seattlepi.com

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