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Tuesday, July 31st, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 10:23:26 pm
In the wake of a lopsided loss to the Angels, this is not likely going to cheer Mariners fans who have been lobbying hard to get outfielder Adam Jones to Seattle. “Adam will be here one day, and for a long time,” manager John McLaren said. “He’s a multi-talented player, a great athlete with power and a marvelous arm. But right now, the mix we have here is doing the job.” McLaren knows the kind of breakthrough season Jones is having for Tacoma, but he is loathe to bring up a rookie in a pennant race and bench a veteran – either left fielder Raul Ibanez or designated hitter Jose Vidro. “It’s like what I told Bill (Bavasi) about trades,” McLaren said. “I don’t want to do something just to have a different name in the lineup. I don’t want to go to a player whose been here fighting with us since spring training and say, ‘You’re going to sit’ unless I believe someone we have is clearly better.” The Mariners won’t say when Jones is coming, but suggest they’ll have their most talented players on the roster – and Jones would seem to fit on that group. Nearly as frustrating to some fans will be the team’s decision to stick with first baseman Richie Sexson, who is now batting an even .200 for the year. There are obvious options at the postion, from Ibanez to Vidro to Ben Broussard. The team is sticking with Sexson. That, of course, could change quickly if the Mariners don’t play well in the finale against the Angels or against Boston this weekend. For now, the Mariners theory is simple: This group got us here, this group deserves the chance to continue.
Categories: General
• 14 comments
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 02:50:45 pm
 The deadline came, the deadline passed, and the Seattle Mariners parted with a veteran right-handed pitcher that might have been as good a middle reliever as there was on the market – Julio Mateo. After looking and not finding pitching help they were willing to give up talent to get, the Mariners sent Mateo – and his pending spousal abuse case – to the Philadelphia Phillies for an infielder unlikely to make their roster. Why? It depends which side of the debate you’re standing on. Either the team was foolish and gave up talent for nothing, or it’s a major league franchise with a high moral standard. Mateo broke team policy and teammates hearts this spring in New York, eventually turning himself in to police for abusing his wife in the team hotel. He never threw another pitch Seattle. He never will. The Mariners followed two policies at the deadline. First, they did no harm to their roster or their future. And second, they backed their off-field rules with actions – they moved a man who, under most any other circumstances, they’d have called up for the stretch run.
Categories: General
• 6 comments
Monday, July 30th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 10:45:46 pm
Interesting thoughts on the trading deadline, and here are a few explanations or answers: • If the Mariners got a better starter than Miguel Batista – and that’s not likely to happen – he would move to setup man because he’s good at the job and has done it before. Moving someone like Horacio Ramirez wouldn’t make sense. He’s never been effective in relief. • Dumping Richie Sexson for minor leaguers? Not possible. The only teams interested in Sexson are those who want to move a high-salaried player who’s not performing for them. And the Mariners would have to pay much of Sexson’s deal and whoever they picked up. Not going to happen. • Snaring a relief pitcher better than what Seattle has. What The Mariners think is that Sean Green, Brandon Morrow, Mark Lowe and George Sherrill can probably handle the eighth inning in a pennant race. If they could land, say, Octavio Dotel, they’d have someone they’d actually seen do it. That’s a huge difference. • Moving the best players in the minors? The Mariners have said Adam Jones is untouchable, and that Jeff Clement is all but. They’re willing to move other players in trade, but teams don’t seem to want other players. • There are lots of names being bandied about, but most are either a) unavailable despite rumors, b) no better than what the Mariners already have or c) not worth what teams are demanding for them. Bottom line? The Mariners almost certainly don’t have a big move to make, and may not do anything. That might not please fans, but this team, it’s manager and its front office think doing nothing is far better than doing the wrong thing. GM Bill Bavasi and his staff have taken the oath of the medical profession – First, do no harm. And yes, when the dust settles after the deadline, there's a very good chance Mr. Jones will be arriving in Seattle.
Categories: General
• 16 comments
Sunday, July 29th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 06:23:17 pm
It’s hard to say what Seattle fans are looking forward to most – the three-game series with the Angels that begins Monday night or the trading deadline, which falls Tuesday afternoon. Both could play significant roles in the rest of the season. Once the deadline passes, Adam Jones will likely be brought up from Tacoma and pressed into service. But what else might the deadline provide? The Mariners are looking for pitching, pitching and pitching, with the faint hope of adding a veteran bat to the bench. If the pitching comes in the form of a top-of-the-rotation pitcher, Seattle might move Miguel Batista from the rotation to the bullpen as a setup man to J.J. Putz. If they find a reliever, they’ll be looking for one who can pitch the eighth inning and get to Putz. What are the chances of getting one or the other? Not bad – the Mariners have a lot of interesting young players to offer. On the other hand, what everyone wants is Jones or Brandon Morrow. Those two are untouchable. Relievers, however, are on the market. Good starters are more difficult to find. Dontrelle Willis, for instance, isn’t today although he might be by Tuesday’s deadline. The Mariners aren't wild about the reports they've gotten on Willis. Similarly, the White Sox aren’t sure they want to move Jon Garland. Lots of names being bandied about, but here’s a deal that would change Seattle’s roster – teams are interested in Richie Sexson. Moving him would break up a log jam, allowing Raul Ibanez to move to first base and Jones to play left field. Will Sexson be moved? Probably not. Teams want Seattle to eat a lot of his salary, and that includes the $13 million Sexson is due next year. In return, the Mariners would get someone else’s overpaid problem. Stay tuned.
Categories: General
• 7 comments
Saturday, July 28th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 04:58:53 pm
 For the first few months of the season, then-manager Mike Hargrove said he hadn’t quite put his finger on the identity of the 2007 Seattle Mariners. “You look at other teams in division races, I don’t think any of them have had three losing streaks like we have,” Jarrod Washburn said. “We’ve lost six games in a row twice, then another seven-game losing streak? As of Saturday, after their 4-3 victory over Oakland, the Mariners were four games behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and in the thick of the wild card race. They have stayed in both by sheer will and and the ability to come back from most anything. Want the poster boy of the Mariners comebacks? How about shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who has hit five home runs this season in 349 at-bats. What’s so special about that?
Categories: General
• 5 comments
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 05:54:08 pm
 When they took the field Wednesday night, the Seattle Mariners were the cleanest-cut team in the majors. Would-be barbers J.J. Putz, Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre convinced everyone on the team except bullpen coach Jim Slaton, batting coach Jeff Pentland and pitcher Jeff Weaver to get a haircut. A short haircut. They even convinced manager John McLaren to join them. And the two oddest cuts belonged to Jose Vidro and Ben Broussard. Vidro decided it was all or nothing – so instead of a crewcut, he shaved his head. As for Broussard, he wound up with a a Mohawk, hoping to court the fans of punk music. Now, let’s see if short hair wins.
Categories: General
• 2 comments
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 09:30:16 pm
 From the voices of talk radio to the plaintive cries of fantasy baseball managers everywhere – to say nothing of angry e-mails – come two words to save the Seattle Mariners. Adam Jones. To which baseball logic and the team itself have two words. Not yet. Watching the five-game losing streak develop and grow hasn’t been fun for anyone in the organization, from GM Bill Bavasi to manager John McLaren to the players who suddenly have slumped as one at the plate. Fans get the luxury of panicking. Teams rarely do. Bring Jones up today and the Mariners would have to designate a player for assignment – release him – to make room. That would be Jason Ellison, a popular player in the clubhouse and a valuable utility outfielder. And if the Mariners do that, then make the moves that force him into the starting lineup, and Jones doesn’t hit? Then what? Race on to Plan C? For now, Seattle is going to keep the players that got them this far in the lineup with the expectation they’ll return to something approaching the first 2 ½ months instead of the last two weeks. Jones is the future, but forcing that future might do him and the team more harm than good. Asking him to be a savior is unfair. Expecting him to be one is worse, it’s foolish.
Categories: General
• 18 comments
Monday, July 23rd, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 10:13:30 pm
 Barry Bonds is bearing down on history and Bud Selig is making a fool of himself. Both speak volumes about the state of major league baseball. For years now, Bonds has been investigated for everything from taking illegal substances to income tax evasion, and grand juries have even been asked to nail him for perjury. So far, nothing – and on the field he has continued a career that leaves his peers shaking their heads. Selig is the commissioner of baseball, a man who insisted in the late ‘90s that steroids wasn’t an issue. He has brought in George Mitchell to investigate and put in penalities for abusers – all far too late to save the game’s image. Now, Bonds is on the brink of catching and surpassing Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record, arguably as big a record as there is in the game. And Selig insists he’s ‘not sure’ if he’ll be on hand to watch it. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And avoidable. What the commish could easily have done is, say, visit San Francisco the next few games. If Bonds didn’t do the deed, he could explain that – much as he’d like to stay – he simply could not follow one man or one team for an extended period of time. It would have been gracious, the kind of sentiment baseball is in need of today. Instead, we have what’s viewed in public as a feud between the man who runs baseball and the player who should own it, but probably never will. Way to screw up the moment, guys.
Categories: General
• 6 comments
Sunday, July 22nd, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 02:18:11 pm
 What do you do with an ace who has emotional problems? If anyone should know, it would be the Seattle Mariners, who have specialized in that species over the last two decades. Think Felix Hernandez lost his focus Sunday and cost Seattle a game? Randy Johnson did that for two years before harnessing what became a Cy Young Award-winning career that will land him in the Hall of Fame. Freddy Garcia won’t get to the Hall, but he would storm around the mound after bad calls, scream at teammates after bad games and – occasionally – finish off a few 44-ounce margaritas after absorbing a tough loss. Bet Felix will, too – but not before completely growing up. At 21, it’s easy to say he should be a complete pitcher now, but anyone who’s ever been 21 knows that it can be an age where you only think you’re mature. Now add in these factors: You’re young, you’re adored by family, friends and the Mariners nation. And now you’re asked to deal with things like bad calls behind the plate and teammates who cover the wrong base on bunt plays. Roy Halladay out-pitched Hernandez on Sunday, although that may not be as easy the next time Hernandez gets matched up in one of these pitching duels. Winning games isn’t simply a matter of talent – Hernandez threw 98 mph fastballs, biting sliders, knee-buckling changeups against Toronto. The difference was simple. Halladay was unflappable on the mound, whatever the situation. Hernandez wasn’t. A bad call went against him, a third strike that could have totally changed the game had it been called. It happens. What shouldn’t happen next time is what followed – Felix coming unglued, grooving two pitches and giving up five quick runs. No one has to remind Hernandez what happened, although oth his manager and pitching coach did so. What Hernandez needs isn’t another pitch. What he needs is to leave behind that part of his youth where emotions roam freely – from joy to outrage. It’s nothing any of us enjoy losing, that freedom. But no great pitcher ever became great until he did it.
Categories: General
• 12 comments
Friday, July 20th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 08:11:23 pm
The Seattle Mariners remarkable run through their first 93 games – they’re now 54-39 and one game back in the American League West – is all the more stunning when you consider how they’ve gotten this far. Their manager resigned. Their opening night pitcher and staff ace has six wins. Their opening night cleanup hitter is batting .203. The man brought in to be their eighth inning setup man has an earned run average of 5.40. Oh, and even their most optimistic fans were thinking anything over .500 would be a stretch. For every Mariners who has struggled this season, another has delivered more than expected. Miguel Batista, who has never won more than 11 games in a season, now has 10. Relievers like Sean Green, Eric O’Flaherty, Brandon Morrow and George Sherrill haven’t just been good, they’ve been fabulous – and J.J. Putz, in his first full year as a closer, has been perfect. This is a team that had to convince itself, then its fans that it was a team capable of contending, and that faith came slowly. Now, the rest of baseball is catching on. There’s nothing traditional about the way these guys are winning games. An inexperienced bullpen is lights out. A kid still learning the game, Yuniesky Betencourt, leads the Mariners with nine game-winning RBI. Remarkable.
Categories: General
• 6 comments
Thursday, July 19th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 12:58:48 pm
When Jose Canseco became the official whistle blower in what has become baseball’s embarrassing steroids scandal, most folks thought his book was a case of a big-mouthed player doing what he’d done for years. Offend people. Turned out, of course, Canseco had more credibility than all those folks in the commissioner’s office who insisted they didn’t know what a steroid was – but were sure it wasn’t a problem in baseball. Now comes Gary Sheffield, a guy most folks love to hate. Last month he threw a bat in disgust and plate umpire Greg Gibson filed a report with MLB, insisting Sheffield had intentionally thrown the bat at him. This week, commissioner Bud Selig praised umpires and fined Sheffield for insinuating that Gibson – and other umpires over the years – had simply lied in his report. Sheffield, who will talk to anyone about anything, is absolutely right this time. Umpires do stretch the truth to make their case stronger in reports filed with the league. And what they say is almost universally accepted. In the ‘90’s, then-Mariner Alex Diaz argued calls at the plate so often in one series, an umpire told him – with two other players in earshot – that if Diaz didn’t shut up, the next umpiring crew would find a note waiting for them when they arrived at the Kingdome. “We can bury you,” the umpire said. And despite rules prohibiting umpires from seeking autographs from players, it’s done all the time. Umps routinely get signed balls and can be seen carrying them out of ballparks after games in plastic bags. After an umpiring crew chief showed up in the pre-game clubhouse and got Ken Griffey Jr. to sign a half dozen items, it was mentioned in the News Tribune one season. The commissioner’s office ‘looked into’ the matter – but the umpire denied it had happened. In other words, he lied. Two weeks ago in Oakland, the umpiring crew told manager John McLaren to pick a player to be ejected or have Ichiro tossed. McLaren looked around and picked Miguel Batista. The report on the incident said umpires had seen Batista inciting a brawl. They lied. One of baseball’s not-so-secret issues is that umpires consider themselves not just infallible but above being questioned. Complain too often, your strike zone grows or – if you’re a pitcher – shrinks. And when it comes down to explaining calls to the media or to the league, too many umpires do precisely what Sheffield suggested last month. They lie. And they get away with it.
Categories: General
• 11 comments
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 03:41:04 pm
 For all players, there comes a time when, as Lou Piniella once said, ‘you feel like you’re never going to get another hit.’ Mike Hargrove sat him. John McLaren has dropped him in the lineup. At issue is, does the team need to begin re-thinking what to do at first base? Ben Broussard lacks what has traditionally been Sexson’s strength – power – but he’s batted .284 in the thankless role of reserve outfielder, first baseman and occasional designated hitter. Against tough right-handers, should Broussard be starting? If, all along, he’s been insurance, what more insurance does Seattle need? Sexson had a marvelous second half last year after hitting .218 before the All-Star break, but this year, his skid has been even more profound. Pitchers no longer fear working to him. Rallies tend to end, not begin, with his at-bats. Virtually untradeable, Sexson is due another $12 million in 2008. Perhaps in the next two months, he’ll hit well, salvage a season and help the Mariners make their post-season run. Just as likely, this is going to be Sexson’s worst season when healthy. Is it time to platoon the man who’s hit 73 home runs and produced 228 RBI over his first two seasons? It’s certainly time to do more than ponder the possibility.
Categories: General
• 21 comments
Monday, July 16th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 03:35:31 pm
As the July 31 trade deadline creeps toward us, fans across the majors whose teams are in contention set their sights on the bigger names in the game and find ways – or try – to acquire them. It’s what separates fantasy baseball from the real thing. The reality appears to be this: The Seattle Mariners will likely have Jeff Weaver and Horacio Ramirez in their starting rotation the rest of the season, barring injury. And the odds of a big hitter coming over are as slim as that No. 2 starting pitcher. The Mariners have quietly decided that outfielder Adam Jones, pitcher Brandon Morrow and catcher Jeff Clement are untouchables – and those are three prospects virtually every team that’s contacted them has asked for. No combination of any other minor league players is going to bring anything better than what Seattle already has. Moving first baseman Richie Sexson? Pipe dream – no one wants what he’s done this year, or what they’d have to pay him next season. What the Mariners have on their immediate horizon is the likely return of right-handed reliever Mark Lowe and the eventual callup of Jones. Other than that, this over-achieving team is going to try to surprise the opposition and its own fans. These are your Mariners. Might be time to appreciate what they’ve done, not what they might have done at the deadline.
Categories: General
• 13 comments
Friday, July 13th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 04:43:00 pm
For a private man rarely given to introspection, Ichiro Suzuki took the occasion of announcing his five-year, $90 million contract extension to give people a peek into how he made the biggest decision of his career. “I was moved when fans asked me to come to their cities,” Ichiro said. “When I came back to Seattle, the fans here asked me to stay. That moment meant the most to me. That was when I decided to stay.” Well, that and the advice of his dog, Ikky. “He said ‘woof, woof, woof,’ which meant ‘stay, stay, stay,” Ichiro said through translator Ken Baron. “Of course, I listened.” Now the highest paid player in franchise history, Ichiro probably didn’t listen to his dog as much as to the fans who’ve always treated him with respect in Safeco Field. No, he doesn’t dive for fly balls or crash into walls. Nor does he steal bases late in close games. What Ichiro does have is an extraordinary ability to hit – more so than anyone in the history of the game. That single-season record of 262 hits? Consider this. In his first six big-league seasons, Ichiro averaged 226 hits a year, and is on pace this season for 248 more. If fans touched Ichiro, he has touched them back. Seattle offered Alex Rodriguez a five-year, $95 million deal years ago and he walked away from it. Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson both left lucrative deals on the table to leave Seattle. In Ichiro, the Mariners have a star who stayed, and will be here at least through 2012. What then? “I hope to play another 10 years beyond that,” Ichiro said. Was he kidding? Ask Ikky.
Categories: General
• 8 comments
Thursday, July 12th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 06:27:27 pm
 When Ichiro Suzuki visited the Seattle Mariners spring camp in 1999, one of the first relationships he formed was with Ken Griffey Jr. One of the longest lasting friendships began that spring, too – Ichiro and then-coach John McLaren. In the years since, the two men have remained close, and no one in a Seattle uniform ever showed Ichiro more respect than McLaren. So 10 days ago, when McLaren replaced Mike Hargrove as Mariners manager, and Ichiro was asked how he felt about helping McLaren win his first game. “It was an honor, and I hope to help him win many more,” Ichiro said. On Friday, the Mariners will announce they’ve agreed with Ichiro to a five-year contract extension and, no matter what that deal is worth, it’s likely to come as a huge relief to Seattle fans. On Thursday, Ichiro was asked if McLaren’s presence as manager changed the tone of his negotiations last week. Ichiro smiled. “Ask me that question tomorrow,” he said.
Categories: General
• 6 comments
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 12:11:33 pm
Adam Jones in a phenom enroute to the big leagues, but his star won’t arrive quite as quickly as the internet would have you believe. Which says something about the internet, about Jones and about the Seattle Mariners. No one would argue that Jones and his Tacoma numbers - .309, 21 home runs and 74 RBI in 81 games – aren’t precisely what major league teams covet. Seattle could trade him today and likely land something they want. They won’t. Neither will they bring him up today. Being 2 ½ games out of first place in the American League West, the Mariners won’t tinker thoughtlessly. To make room for a rookie outfielder now, they’d have to move Raul Ibanez from left field to designated hitter, Jose Vidro from DH to the bench and perhaps even Jose Guillen from right field to left. Doable, yes. Good idea? Not just yet. The Mariners are on a roll, having closed the gap in the division from eight games on June 24 to 2 ½ today. Changing your entire lineup to get a rookie in simply isn’t done like that on contending teams. Sooner or later, they’ll slide Jones in. But if he arrived today, went 0-for-the-series against Detroit starters Andrew Miller, Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rogers and Justin Verlander – and the Mariners were swept – what would that do for Jones or the team? Not much. Seattle is playing well. In changing anything, teams weigh risk vs. reward. Jones will improve the Mariners defense and, eventually, the offense. It’s unfair to expect him to show up, suit up and do what he’s done in Tacoma. If he did less, however, the team might be worse in the short term, and losing games and ground to the Angels is not what the Mariners or their fans want to see in the next few weeks.
Categories: General
• 21 comments
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 04:58:34 pm
No matter what happens today, the Seattle Mariners head into the All-Star in far better shape than they were in a year ago – and much better team that most folks thought they’d be this spring. Team president Chuck Armstrong, always an optimist, told folks in March he thought the Mariners would be seven games over .500 at the All-Star break. Going into the last game of the traditional first half, they’re 12 games over. A year ago, the Mariners were 43-46 at the All-Star break, and didn’t get win No. 48 until the 99th game. This season? They picked it up in Game No. 84 When they start the second half next week against Detroit, John McLaren’s starting rotation will break down like this: Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Jeff Weaver. The fifth spot wasn’t announced, but it’s either fill-in Ryan Feierabend or lefty Horacio Ramirez. If Seattle wins today, it finishes its first week under John McLaren 4-3, and that would be remarkable, given the unexpected and emotionally draining way in which the managerial change came about. Either way, however, these Mariners have made a statement over their first 84 games. They can play well at home (27-15) and decently on the road (21-21). They’ve mangled the American League East (15-7), edged the AL Central (10-9) and proven they can handle nemesis Oakland. Not a bad first half.
Categories: General
• 4 comments
Thursday, July 5th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 05:16:45 pm
Veteran Chris Reitsma walked into the Seattle Mariners clubhouse early Thursday afternoon – and a handful of young pitchers began to sweat. It’s a scene that will be repeated several times over the next few weeks as, one after another, a group of ailing pitchers get healthy and rejoin the major league team. Each time one does, someone else has to leave. Reitsma was signed to be the setup man to closer J.J. Putz, and by Friday night he’ll likely be back in the bullpen. Rookies Ryan Rowland-Smith and Eric O’Flaherty noticed his arrival. So did Brandon Morrow and Ryan Feierabend and Sean Green. All of them have pitched well – certainly better than the team had any reason to believe beginning the season. All have stepped up, pushed by expediency and opportunity, and none want the chance to end. It’s the way the game works. Rookies, no matter how well they perform, rarely wrestle jobs away from injured veterans. The vets come back, the kids return to the minors and long bus rides, crowded clubhouses and considerably less money. Reitsma is back, and Horacio Ramirez is close. A phenom from last summer, Mark Lowe is on pace to rejoin the Mariners after the All-Star break. For each, there will be a roster move and lifestyle change. It’s why rookies always sit at their lockers facing the clubhouse door. They know, depending upon who walks in, they may be walking out.
Categories: General
• 3 comments
Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 01:32:33 pm
At the midway point of their season, the Seattle Mariners are sitting in a loftier seat than expected by their fans, but like all teams, they have issues. One of them is Brandon Morrow. A kid with 16 innings of minor league experience – and a 97 mph fastball – Morrow was penciled in to a Class AA starting rotation this spring until he kept getting outs in relief. That arm and the head attached made the team, and Morrow made this a better team with his early work, which eventually came in the role as J.J. Putz’s setup man. But as rookies often do, Morrow had issues with consistency. Control problems early on were overcome by that velocity. Hitters simply didn’t catch up to Morrow’s fastball. Now, that’s changing. Morrow’s control problems have continued, and the league now has a simple scouting report: Sit fastball. Unable to throw a first-pitch strike most days with anything but that fastball, Morrow can’t get ahead often enough to make hitters chase. And in this league, at this level, not even 97 mph is enough if everyone knows it’s coming. If the Mariners can get Chris Reitsma and Mark Lowe back from the disabled list, Morrow would be better served spending at least part of the second half in Tacoma. Starting games, he could use all his pitches and reclaim his command. Even though Morrow relieved more often than he started in college, the role in Seattle’s bullpen is more than he can handle right now. That wasn’t the case when he had control of three pitches, and it won’t be the case once he regains that. Forcing him to face major league hitters who know what’s coming isn’t something the Mariners want to do much longer. Morrow did what they needed in April and May. Now they need to do what’s best for him.
Categories: General
• 9 comments
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 05:22:07 pm
Since the Seattle Mariners remain hunkered in contention in the American League West, fans are beginning to look ahead toward the trading deadline and ways to improve the team. There are a couple of problems looming. For one thing, their two rivals in the West – the Angels and Athletics – are probably going to find it easier to improve than the Mariners. Why? They’ll be looking for offense, which is always available. The Mariners need pitching, which is harder to come by and usually requires giving up more talent to get. By the deadline, high-salaried hitters having good years on bad teams – Alex Rodriguez, anyone – suddenly appear on the market. Teams want to dump salary and grab talent for next year. Pitching? Great arms on the market are few, and the competition for them is both fierce and clostly. The Mariners could improve simply by getting healthy. If veterans Chris Reitsma and Horacio Ramirez return, along with young arms like Mark Lowe and Jon Huber, the team gets deeper fast. The issue of who to trade for what is always more complicated for teams than for fans. Wladimir Balentien, for instance, is having a breakout year in Tacoma – but he’s striking out more than 20 per cent of the time against AAA pitching. Jeff Clement has never quite shown the can’t-miss qualities. Jeremy Reed is the fourth outfielder most teams already feel they have. What other teams want in a deal is Brandon Morrow, Adam Jones - or both. And then, there’s payroll. The team budget is already at $111 million, the highest in franchise history. How much can GM Bill Bavasi take on, if any? There’s no assurance the Mariners will get the help they need at the deadline, or that other teams will have interest in what they’re willing to trade. What you see with the Mariners might well be what you get after July 31.
Categories: General
• 5 comments
Monday, July 2nd, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 02:55:06 pm
The game moved on Monday, and swept the Seattle Mariners with it. As some still struggled to understand why manager Mike Hargrove resigned, manager John McLaren sat in a manager’s chair for the first time with meaning, made out a lineup and probably didn’t give a thought to the first piece of criticism he’ll receive. Shouldn’t take long. McLaren has done everything but manage in the majors, and he’s a man with ideas. If the Mariners go 3-4 on this last trip before the All-Star break, there will be some who begin calling for his head. And it could happen. The truth is, teams get hot – but they don’t run the table. Seattle is likely going to lose a game or two the rest of the way. Maybe even in a row. Teams do that and so do managers, new and aged. No matter how aggressive McLaren is this week, and it’s likely he’ll be an aggressive pilot from the dugout, his team may lose. So be a fan of good faith and give McLaren a bye this week. There’s going to be an emotional fallout from Hargrove’s departure. And in Kansas City and Oakland, the Mariners are facing two teams that need to win more than Seattle does. That doesn’t mean the Mariners won’t be trying, or that they don’t consider every game important. What it does mean is that the Royals and, particularly, the Athletics, see their whole season floating away before the break. The Mariners, no matter what happens this week, have had a marvelous first half. Forget the managerial shuffle for a moment. If you knew in spring training that Felix Hernandez would have four wins by July, that Richie Sexson would be hitting .211, that the staff ace would be Miguel Batista, that Jeff Weaver would have one win, that the bullpen would be filled with rookies … Where would you have picked this team? McLaren inherits a team that remains a work in progress. What he gets out of it, and how he makes it over in his image – as all managers do – will take more than the last week before the All-Star game.
Categories: General
• 6 comments
Sunday, July 1st, 2007
Posted by Larry LaRue @ 01:23:56 pm
Mike Hargrove went out his way. For most folks, let alone major league managers, that is rarely the case. We tire of our jobs but keep slogging or, in managerial positions, someone higher up the food chain tires of you. Every time the Seattle Mariners lost two games in a row this season, someone would call a radio station or email a newspaper and explain the reasons Hargrove should be fired. On this blog, readers wanted him gone even when the team was winning. When he pulled the pin Sunday morning, Hargrove had this team 11 games over .500 despite a patchwork starting rotation, one of the youngest bullpens in the game and a lineup in which cleanup hitter Richie Sexson has worn the Mendoza line like a belt all year. Maybe you didn’t like Hargrove. Maybe he didn’t care whether you did or not. He managed his way, and his way meant weeding out the roster he inherited, not losing his mind with the mistakes of young players and dealing with egos as diverse as those of Ichiro and Eddie Guardado, Sexson and Carlos Guillen. To take him at his word, there are no family illnesses to deal with, no medical emergencies, no desire to move closer to home rather than deal with loved ones from afar. Bottom line: Hargrove had higher expectations for himself than even his sharpest critics, and when he suspected he might not be able to meet those, he stepped down. Chalk up one for grace and integrity. That tough Texan didn’t blame a soul on his way out of town, praised the region, the organization, his coaches and players. If only we all had such horse sense. In going out his way, Hargrove may even have earned the respect of those who wanted him gone. If not, it says more about them than about him.
Categories: General
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Mariners Insider
Ryan Divish has been with The News Tribune since 2006, covering the Tacoma Rainiers and high school sports. Divish played baseball at Dickinson State University and also earned a journalism degree from the University of Montana. You will find news, observations, anecdotes, analysis and photographs on this blog. The purpose is to keep readers informed, but also give them a feel for the team and its players, and a place to go to read about baseball. Category
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