Okay, maybe not a poacher, but he's still busted:

http://www.theolympian.com/sports/story/450508.html

At $50 it was probably one clam too many. Shoot last weekend digging steamers I had the boys count em after 20 minutes. I said put em into piles of 10 and let's count em up. We had 60 too many! We burried the excess but could of gotten nailed if a gammie would have walked up on us in the process.
While Willie has a cold bat I think it's cool he takes one his rare day's off to go clamming.

As a side note, this fine for Willie is $30 *more* than the fines for the tribal whale killing. How delightful.

They fined him about the same as his batting average.

They had him on the radio. He said he was 2 over. He and buddy were digging razors in the wine, rain and cold and knew they were close on their limit and decided to take them up to the truck and count them. Willie was two over right when the WDFW officer walked up. Willie said, I told the guy I was two over. I broke the law and he gave me ticket, that is fine.

Yikes, as seastrike stated....steamers can get a little crazy. We dig like hell and then count when we think we are close. Not a great way to do it I know but we just bury the excess back. I have heard that in the bucket and it is a ticket every time though. Probably need to change the way I do things. Feeling for ya willie even if you cant hit.

how do you expect the guy to hit well when he gets his chance every 5th or 6th day again the other teams closer.
A bench player is one of the toughest positions out there to be successful. Willie does a great job for what they ask him to do. Sure he could hit better but it is damn tough to get to the point where you are seeing the ball well with such inconsistant play.

+1

I got to see his first game. As I recall he went 3 or 4 or 4 for 4 getting on base. Pretty cool.

What he does do is sit on the bench for four days, and then in the 8th when we're down by a run they pinch run him and he steals second, scores on a base hit, and ties the game...

That assumes, of course, that we're actually within one run in the 8th, and can put together enough offense to get a guy on base first, and then get a hit three or four pitches later, and that's not been happening much.

Not a bad fielder for someone who plays six positions, either.

Fish on...

Todd

we went to last nights game. Willie came in in the 9th. "Steal second like a clam" and he did. another disappointing loss though.

"like a clam"

Eighteen years of playing ball through college, and three years of umpiring college ball, and I have yet to hear that one...

Fish on...

Todd

todd that's cool, my son attended the umpire academy in Florida last year. Came up lame and missed his shot by two votes. Now he his back to doing what he loves , coaching. Can 't be a fan and an umpire anyway.

That's too bad...umpiring was a kick...

So what does "like a clam" mean? Clams that I've known don't steal much

Fish on...

Todd

I can't believe you guys are all fans of Willie "gritty" Bloomquist... He's a *fine* defensive utility guy, and can steal a base. But to me he is the walking definition of "replacement value player" -- meaning the random guy you can find in the minors or on the waiver wire for the league minimum. We're paying him 500K over the league minimum for reasons that defy logic.

Todd,
Willie should steal second just as he steals clams.

One of the reasons once given for Willie not getting a lot of playing time was that he plays TOO hard is liable to burn himself out. He is not a random guy.

Richie is a random guy .262 avg. and a $15,000,000 price tag

.262?? try .197

The major league record for striking out in a single season is 197. Could Big Sexy set the dubious distinction of setting the new record while have a batting average that is less than the new record???????

he wouldn't stike out as much if umps would notice that his knees are 6 inches higher than everyone elses

.262 is lifetime

.262 is lifetime

Ah...stealing clams, stealing bases...I guess I should have figgered that one out myself!

Fish on...

Todd

Not sure about your "logic" but............I bet everyone on here would trade places with Willie to play pro ball for that kind of cash......there are a ton of sh!tty players making way more who do far less than he does..........I played Big 10 ball for one year, was told I'd never play beyone AA (true, I turned triples into double with regularity )and our stars could not lick the cleats of these guys who ride the pines in the majors. The difference is THAT big between "big time" college and major league ballplayers. Just lasting one season is a major accomplishment.....I love watching that dude play ball. Go Willie!

Willie B. is gritty. Clams are gritty. Therefore, Willie B. should not be held to the same grittyness standards as the rest of us. Free Willy!