Cover Major League basball for 28 years and there are two questions asked by family, friends and fans – who was the best player you ever covered, and which one was your favorite.

For me, the answers go both are the same: Ken Griffey Jr.

There wasn’t much he couldn’t do on a baseball field, and what he couldn’t do he figured out and did that, too. Junior was as athletic an outfielder as anyone who ever played, and absolutely fearless.

Watching him grow up was a joy, and his passion on the field was matched by a personality that could charm anyone – and drive them crazy – at the same time.

Behind the front he often threw up, Ken was compassionate. Although he and Patrick Lennon clashed the first time they met, when Lennon later ran into off-field problems and wound up briefly in jail, Griffey was the only player who contacted him.

A high school graduate, Junior was a quick study. When Nike wanted to put out his signature shoes, Griffey did his homework.

One day in spring training, he walked over to the three beat writers in camp and began looking at their feet. We asked what he was doing, and he said he’d done so much research on shoes that he bet he could tell each of us – within five dollars – how much our shoes cost.

Bob Finnigan of the Times wore Nikes, so he was easy. Junior nailed it. Jim Street of the PI was wearing another popular brand, and Griffey got the price right on those, too.

Then he got to me, and I was wearing – I swear – a pair of athletic shoes made by Voit. Even I didn’t know they made shoes.

Junior looked down and laughed, then not only told me exactly what they cost but what national chain store sold them.

Over his years in Seattle, we watched Junior go from a talent to a superstar, saw him marry and have children, smiled as he tormented good friends like Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner. There weren’t many days he couldn’t stun you on the field or make you laugh in the clubhouse.

In the years since his departure, he’s run into life – injuries on the field, cancer to both parents off. He’s handled both with grace and class.

Now, he’s a free agent, coming off a season in which he batted .249 with 17 home runs and 71 RBI. He’s a left-handed hitter, and the Mariners need an outfielder/DH.

Is it time for Junior to come back?

My worry is that playing again for a team that figures to be mediocre at best in 2009 would wear on him, as would any role that didn’t involve playing fulltime.

My fear is that Seattle fans might expect the young Junior, not the Griffey of today.

Scouts say his bat speed has declined and that Griffey must now cheat to catch up to good fastballs. In the outfield, he looks like what he is – a soon-to-be 39-year-old, not the young Griffey Mariners fans remember.

Is Junior a match for a young, rebuilding team?

When we talked in Chicago in September, Griffey said he was going to play beyond 2008 for the purest of reasons. He still loved the game. Whatever concerns any of us has about his declining abilities, Junior has earned the right as a Hall of Fame player to decide how he wants to go out.

The Mariners are in Seattle in large part because of Griffey, who won hearts and minds here through his play and by being, well, Junior.

So, kid, I look forward to seeing you again in 2009. I don’t expect it to be as a Mariner, but worse things could and have happened to this franchise.

And when I wear athletic shoes in spring training these days, they’re from Costco …

Anyone who watched more than a couple of Seattle Mariners games last year likely saw Adrian Beltre make a sensational play at third base.

Coming off his 2007 Gold Glove award, Beltre has been honored now as the best-fielding third baseman in Major League baseball by the folks at the Fielding Bible.

That's no small award - it comes from a panel of 10, including Bill James, and is chosen based on numbers, not popularity.

If you want to know the other winners, how the awards were chosen and who voted, here's the website.

Congrats to a sweet fielder.

When the Mariners fired Bob Fontaine, then offered Benny Looper a job they were all but certain he wouldn’t accept – and watched him walk away – they lost two good baseball men.

Chances are, before new general manager Jack Zduriencik completes his remake of the Seattle front office and major and minor-league coaching staffs, a lot of other good baseball men will go, too.

That’s not a bad thing.

When Pat Gillick stepped down as Mariners GM, he hadn’t lost his passion for the job or – as the Phillies proved with their championship Wednesday – his ability to do it well.

Sometimes, though, change in baseball comes about for its own sake. In Zduriencik’s case, he has people in mind for certain roles. New people.

The Mariners said they wanted new blood and fresh ideas in a new GM, and they’re getting it. Solid baseball men like Looper and Fontaine won’t be unemployed long, and Zduriencik has gone out of his way to say the organization’s state of disrepair had little to do with either of them.

In this game, players change teams routinely. Managers and entire coaching staffs get rolled over with regularity.

Not because they couldn’t do the job, but because when a franchise struggles – and all of them do at times – something has to change. In the Mariners front office, good baseball men like Looper and Fontaine and others have, as Gillick said, had their kicks at this cat.

They will have more kicks, and both deserve them. Nothing either did caused a 101-loss season in Seattle.

Zduriencik was brought in as an agent of change, and the transformation has begun.

More good baseball men - and players – will be swept up in it.

The shuffling within the Mariners front office continues. GM Jack Zduriencik announced that longtime Mariner executive Benny Looper has decided to no longer remain with the organization.

As part of the restructuring Looper, who was vice president of player personnel, was offered a job in the pro scouting department. However, he declined the position switch and opted to look elsewhere. Here's the release from the Mariners including quotes from Zduriencik and Looper.

BENNY LOOPER DECLINES OPPORTUNITY TO REMAIN WITH CLUB

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that Benny Looper has declined an opportunity to remain with the Mariners.

"As a part of the restructuring of the Mariners baseball operations department and in an attempt to upgrade our pro scouting efforts, with Benny relocating to Oklahoma he was offered a position in our Pro Scouting department," Zduriencik said. "He has declined the opportunity and determined that it was time for him to move on. I had truly hoped he would stay with the organization, but respect his decision and, on behalf of everyone here, thank him for his many years of service to the Mariners."

Looper spent 23 seasons with Seattle, beginning his Mariners career in 1987 as a part time scout. He served variously as a fulltime scout (1988), scouting supervisor (1989-91), national cross checker (1992) and national supervisor and special assignment scout (1993-97). He was promoted to Director of Player Development at the end of 1997 and to VP of Player Development in 2002. He took on additional responsibilities as Vice President, Player Development & Scouting at the end of 2003, and was promoted to Vice President, Player Personnel following the 2006 season.

Benny's son, Aaron, pitched in the Majors with the Mariners in 2003 and is currently a fulltime scout with the St. Louis Cardinals. Benny's nephew, Braden, pitches for the Cardinals.

"I've always loved the Mariners organization," Looper said, "but more than that, I'll miss the people with whom I've worked and become friends. I wish the Mariners nothing but the best."

Anyone who remembers Greg Dobbs as a Seattle Mariner has to be delighted by his success in Philadelphia - he was a guy who worked hard, never complained and took his lumps here.

And when he got a chance to play for Pat Gillick and the Phils, he made he most of it.

This was a guy who worked with outfielders on the off-chance he might be used there, and who copied every one of Adrian Beltre's drills at third base one spring.

Dobbs didn't figure to play in Beltre's spot - he simply wanted to be the best he could be at third base if the opportunity arose.

Seattle never quite figured what it could do with Dobbs, let alone what he might have done for them.

So he went to Philadelphia, became a more-than-qualified left-handed hitting third baseman and a marvelous pinch-hitter. And he helped get his team to the brink of a World Series title.

In Philadelphia, he's beloved - and at least one fan has begun putting up YouTube tributes, highlghts and a three-part interview.

If you're a Dobbs fan, why not become a 'Gregulator' for a few minutes. You can wet your obsession right here.

Sat down for the first time today with new general manager Jack Zduriencik, and learned he’s been a busy man.

In less than a full week on the job, Zduriencik’s fired scouting director Bob Fontaine and hired two men he worked with in Milwaukee, Tony Blengino and Tom McNamara.

And two long-time Mariners executives, assistant GM Lee Pelekoudas and director of international operations Bob Engle have agreed to stay on.

“The process of reorganizing the Mariners baseball operations staff is on-going,”Zduriencik said, and will probably take at least another three weeks. As a part of that process, I am excited to be able to add individuals the caliber of Tony and Tom to our staff, and pleased that Lee and Bob will continue with us. Exact titles for Tony and Tom will be determined once the structure of our department is finalized.”

To read a bit more of the details and see what Fontaine had to say about his dismissal, check the online story here.

Sorry, I didn't get this up sooner, but I was away from my phone and laptop for an hour or so (dentist).

Anyway, Jack Zduriencik has relieved Mariners vice president of scouting Bob Fontaine of his duties. Here's the official press release from the Mariners.

MARINERS VP OF SCOUTING BOB FONTAINE RELIEVED OF DUTIES

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jack Zduriencik announced today that Mariners Vice President of Scouting Bob Fontaine has been relieved of his duties.

"On behalf of the Mariners, we thank Bob for all of his hard work and we wish Bobby the best in his future endeavors," Zduriencik said. "As we move forward in was my determination that a leadership and direction change was necessary."

"Bob is an outstanding person, and an outstanding professional," Zduriencik added. "Decisions of this nature are never easy."

Fontaine was named Vice President of Scouting with the Mariners on Dec. 5, 2003. He was previously the Chicago White Sox Director of Player Development (2000-2003) and has also worked the San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos and Anaheim Angels.

"I understand that when a new General Manager comes in he often brings his own scouting people with him," Fontaine said. "Seattle treated me well and I'm very appreciative. I enjoyed my time here."

A new scouting director will be named at a later date.

The day the Seattle Mariners hired Bill Bavasi, he got a cryptic telephone call from his brother Peter.

“Congratulations,” Peter said. “How does it feel to be the future former general manager of the Seattle Mariners?”

Both men laughed, but each knew reality when they heard it. The same day Bavasi’s hiring was announced, a new website appeared on the internet – ‘FireBillBavasi.com’.

Jack Zduriencik is the Mariners new GM, and while there isn’t yet a website calling for his demise, some columnists, bloggers and talk radio callers have been luke warm at best in their reactions.

And when the team loses a few games in a row next season, as it surely will, there will be immediate criticism.

Zduriencik probably suspected that when he took one of the 30 such jobs in the game. What he knew for certain was that he’d inherit a franchise much like the country the new President will walk into.

The issues in Seattle go well beyond a team that lost 101 games, and Zduriencik has already begun addressing some of them.

The Mariners have been a rudderless ship since the departure of Lou Piniella, and if you disagree, consider this:

Ichiro Suzuki joined the team in 2001, and since then has played under three general managers – four if you count Lee Pelekoudas – five managers and six hitting coaches.

Think Ichiro knows what ‘Mariners baseball’ is?

And the best pitcher on the roster, 22-year-old Felix Hernandez? In the last three years of his development, Felix has pitched for three managers and three pitching coaches.

Think Hernandez knows what ‘Mariners baseball’ is?

One of Jack Zduriencik’s first challenges, then, is to establish what it is Mariners baseball is – and then hire those who can teach it.

That means accountability, and Zduriencik has already begun wielding that commodity.

Bavasi’s failures were never solely his. There were advisors who over rated prospects like Clint Nagotte, Travis Blackley and Brett Johnson – none of whom produced here or elsewhere.

There were assistants and scouts who pushed the trades and signings that produced Horacio Ramirez, Scott Spiezio, Richie Sexson and others.

Zduriencik is evaluating his staff man by man, and his first move was to fire one of Bavasi’s right-hand men, vice president of scouting Bob Fontaine.

There will be more change to follow.

There will be the hiring of a manager and his staff, and alterations to the way the minor league system is run.

Zduriencik is charged with turning a franchise around, but that goes far beyond the 25-man roster the Mariners will field opening day. Easily as difficult as finding talent on the field is bringing in those who recognize that talent and those who can get the most from it.

‘Mariner baseball’ doesn’t yet have a definition. Under Bavasi, it never did.

Zduriencik’s vision obviously starts with accountibility.

During today's press conference at Safeco Field, new Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said that Jim Riggleman, who managed the Mariners for the last half of the season after John McLaren was fired, would be a candidate for the job.

And Riggleman told MLB.com that he wanted to come back and manage the Mariners again.

But it looks like he hedged his bets a little by accepting a job as bench coach with the Washington Nationals. Here's the story from the Washington Post.

I'm not sure where that leaves Riggleman as a candidate. I guess he could have made some caveat with the Nationals that would allow him out of the contract if another Major League team offered him a job. He and Zduriencik have already talked about the Mariners, so perhaps he got the feeling that he wouldn't be back.

If not, Zduriencik talked about former Brewers manager Ned Yost, who he worked with in Milwaukee. But look for there to be several other names to pop up over the next few weeks as viable candidates, ranging from Joey Cora to Bobby Valentine.

If you missed the introductory press conference for new Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik, you can listen to it by clicking HERE

Here's the video stream of it, if you would prefer to watch it.

I'll offer some thoughts a little later.

Yep, we're still coming live to you from Havre, MT (above) where the wind never stops blowing. Obviously, I'd love to be at the World Series, but I guess this is a close second.

Ok, let's to get the links from yesterday's announcement of Jack Zduriencik becoming the new general manager of your Seattle Mariners.

Here's my story from today's paper.

Here's Kirby Arnold's story from the Everett Herald.

Columnist Dave Boling asks a relevant question, "If Zduriencik is so good, why would he choose the Mariners?"

Art Thiel's column was a reminder that Bill Bavasi came along with much of the same hype.

The local blogs have some good stuff. The USS Mariner has plenty of information and analysis, including a look at Zduriencik's resume and some thoughts from a Brewers blogger.

Here's a good break down of Zduriencik's draft history by Seth Kolloen.

Out in Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt has this story with a few brief comments from Zduriencik and Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who are waiting to comment more on Friday.

Brewers MLB writer Adam McCalvy has this story, including some player reaction.

The Wisconsin State Journal also has this story on the hiring.

Other Mariners stuff ...

Baseball America breaks down the international signings by teams in the AL West. Here's what they had to say about Seattle.

Seattle Mariners

Six-figure signings: OF Julio Morban, Dominican Republic, 16; RHP Francisco Valdivia, Nicaragua, 16; 3B Jose Martinez, Dominican Republic, 16; RHP Junior Nunez, Dominican Republic, 16

Top Bonus: Morban, $1.1 million

Summary: The Mariners are a perennial big spender in Latin America and didn't shy away from spending big money on players this year. The best player of the Mariners' class is Dominican outfielder Julio Morban, who has an advanced bat with a good swing and a good feel for hitting. While the 5-foot-11 Morban lacks the raw tools of fellow Latin American outfielders Rafael Rodriguez and Yorman Rodriguez, scouts say Morban is a better bet to at least reach the big leagues because of his ability to handle the bat.

Valdivia has a low-90s fastball and was the best prospect available this year from Nicaragua. He has a projectable 6-foot-3 frame and complements his fastball with a slider. Nunez, a physical 6-foot-3, 210-pound righthander, was invited to the team's fall instructional league.

The organization also inked Dominican third baseman Bertin Sanon for $180,000 in March and Dominican third baseman Oliver Garcia for a slightly lower bonus in November. Sanon, now 19, batted .211/.336/.316 in 42 DSL games. Garcia, 18, batted .178/.315/.260 in 73 at-bats in the league.

MLB.com's Jim Street has this update on Mike Morse's progress in recovering from shoulder surgery.

Elsewhere ...
Obviously the World Series is going on, and I might add some more relevant links if I find any. My thoughts? Cole Hamels is good. Ryan Howard can't get a hit with a runner on base and the Rays will still make this a seven game series. Oh, and the Backstreet Boys rendition of the national anthem made me want to take ice picks and jam them in my ears so I wouldn't have to listen to another second of it.

Philly columnist Bill Conlin has this column on Pat Gillick, who's been getting much media love in past weeks.

Also Cubs manager Lou Piniella wants a left-handed bat. Obviously, Raul Ibanez meets that criteria quite well. His name is mentioned in the story.

UPDATE 1:47: Tom Haudricourt, the Brewers beat writer, wrote this story on Zduriencik for Baseball America back in 2007, pretty interesting stuff in there.

UPDATE 12:49: Ok, so I've been on the phone for the last hour or so trying to get some comments about Jack Zduriencik, who was announced as the Mariners new general manager this morning. There won't be an official press conference till Friday, so I don't know exactly where that leaves us.

I put in a call to the Brewers and general manager Doug Melvin is refusing to comment about Zduriencik's hiring until Friday, following the media and news embargo that Commissioner Selig orders during the World Series.

But I have talked with a few people just about Zduriencik and everything I hear is pretty positive. First thing, they all say is that the guy is first-class person, honest, hardworking and very personable.

First of all, unlike Melvin, who's extremely open and candid about many things, Zduriencik plays things "a little closer to the vest." It's not to say he's going to be like how former GM Bill Bavasi was - totally unwilling to comment on anything and a master of talking for 20 minutes and saying nothing, and coming off totally condescending while doing so - but Zduriencik is just careful in talking about certain aspects and decisions. Nothing to fault there.

As has been mentioned before, his strength has been in identifying and developing talent. The Brewers team that made the playoffs this season was mostly home grown. If you go around the diamond, most of his players like Prince Fielder, Ryan Bruan, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy and Corey Hart were all his draft picks.

He's been in charge of the Brewers draft since 2000, and while he's had a few busts - Dave Krynzel as Brewers first-round pick in 2000 - he's hit on more than he's missed.

One thing if you notice though - he does like his hitters. And if he's looking for a hitter, it doesn't matter how good they are defensively at the time - mainly thinking they can teach them defense along the way. Fielder, Braun, Hart, Weeks and even Hardy are far from gold-glovers. So Zduriencik should feel comfortable about inheriting a poor fielding team in the Mariners.

To some people around here, it's surprising that Zduriencik got this job, because he really wasn't mentioned much in the weeks leading up to the decision. However, people around Milwaukee aren't surprised. Their only surprise was that Zduriencik wasn't a GM already. Last year, he interviewed for the then-vacant Pirates GM job. It seemed like a perfect fit because Zduriencik is a Pittsburgh native and a person who has the skills to rebuild an organization. But the Pirates opted for Neal Huntington.

"He really wanted that job badly," a source close to the Brewers said. "If you're looking to rebuild a team, he's the guy."

When he didn't get the job, Zduriencik stayed professional despite the disappointment, never criticizing the Pirates or coming off too disappointed. The Brewers also upped his role this season - giving him the title "Special Assistant to General Manager for Player Personnel." That means that Zduriencik was more involved with major-league level decisions and meetings. He even was part of the C.C. Sabathia trade negotiations.

From the press release ...

SEATTLE, WA - Seattle Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln and President Chuck Armstrong announced today that Jack Zduriencik (zur-EN-sik) has been named the Mariners new Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations.

"Today is a very exciting day for the Mariners," Armstrong said. "We have spent the past several months looking at a very complete list of potential candidates to become our new General Manager. The individuals we interviewed for the position were excellent. We believe Jack is the best person to provide a new approach and to lead our baseball operations. He has a proven track record of recognizing talent, both on the field and in the front office."

"Jack is extremely well-respected throughout baseball," Lincoln said. "His track record in recognizing and developing young talent in Milwaukee was instrumental in the Brewers steady improvement over the past several seasons. I am very excited about the passion and leadership he will bring to our organization.

"I would like to thank Lee Pelekoudas for his efforts as interim general manager since June 16. He did an excellent job of keeping the organization moving forward." Lee was named interim general manager on June 16, 2008, when Bill Bavasi was relieved of his duties.

Zduriencik, 57 (born January 11, 1951), becomes the eighth full time General Manager in Mariners history. He spent the past nine seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was promoted to VicePresident - Special Assistant to the G.M. for Player Personnel on Jan. 15, 2008. He spent the previous two years (2006-2007) as Special Assistant to the G.M./Director of Amateur Scouting after being hired by the Brewers as Director of Scouting on Oct. 25, 1999.

Following the 2007 season, Zduriencik was named Executive of the Year by Baseball America, becoming the first non-GM to ever win the award.

"I am very excited by this opportunity," Zduriencik said. "Seattle is an outstanding organization with great fans, a great ballpark and an ownership group committed to the goal of bringing a World Series to the Northwest. I believe that working together, we can make the Mariners a model franchise. I am looking forward to getting to work immediately, and developing a plan to reach our goal."

A 25-year veteran in Major League Baseball, Zduriencik worked with four MLB organizations prior to joining the Mariners. In addition to the Brewers, Zduriencik was Director of International Scouting & Special Assistant to the GM for the LA Dodgers in 1999. Zduriencik spent two stints with the New York Mets, beginning his career in New York as an area scout (1983-89), scouting crosschecker (1990, 1994-95), Minor League Operations Director (1996-97) and Special Assistant to the GM (1998). He also worked as the Mets Advance Scout during its playoff runs in 1986 and 1988. Between stints in New York, Zduriencik was Director of Scouting for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1991-93.

Milwaukee's Opening Day line-up this season had eight starting players that came up through the Brewers minor league system, and the Brewers AA affiliate (Huntsville) has been widely touted as one of the most talented club's at any level in recent memory. The Brewers farm system was recognized nationally in 2003 when it was named the Topps' Organization of the Year.

Prior to beginning his work in Major League Baseball, Zduriencik coached football and baseball at Clairton High School in Pittsburgh from 1977-80 and at Tarpon Springs High School in Florida from 1980-82. He coached football and baseball at the collegiate level at Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, TN) from 1975-77.

Jack and his wife, Debbie, have one adult daughter, Kimberly, who is a nurse in Pittsburgh. Zduriencik has a bachelor's degree in education from Cal-State Pennsylvania and a Masters Degree in physical education from Austin Peay State University. Zduriencik is a member of the Pennsylvania American Legion Hall of Fame and the Lawrence County (PA) Hall of Fame.

Greetings from Havre, Montana, where the land is flat, the weather is cold and the wind never stops blowing. I've been meaning to get people caught up on what's going on in the winter leagues.

The Mariners have players in the Arizona Fall League and in the Caribbean League, playing in Venezuela.

Down in Arizona, the Peoria Javelinas, who are managed by Rainiers manager Daren Brown, are 5-7 with a handful of players of Mariners players on the team along with players from the Yankees and Reds.

Here's the team's individual stats ...

If you look closely, outfield prospect Greg Halman (below) is off to a good start. In nine games, he's got 11 hits in 35 at-bats, including three doubles, two triples, a home run and 7 RBI. He's hitting .319 with a .333 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage. The only negative is the that Halman as 12 strikeouts and hasn't drawn a walk.

Infielder Carlos Triunfel is also having a good showing, playing in nine games and picking up 11 hits in 39 at-bats, scoring 11 runs, with four doubles, a homer and six RBI. Triunfel has an OPS of .787.

Triunfel and Halman have played well enough to make the Arizona Fall League showcase, which is sort of an all-star game for the league. Here's the rosters for the game.

ESPN.com's Keith Law was down taking in some games and had this blog post. Here's what he had to say about Triunfel and reliever Stephen Kahn in that post.

• Seattle second baseman Carlos Triunfel is one of the best hitting prospects in the league, perhaps the best if we exclude recent college products like Matt Wieters and Justin Smoak. Triunfel, who won't turn 19 until after he reports to spring training in February, has gotten stronger since the start of the season, so the ball comes off his bat even better than before. He still concentrates mostly on hitting line drives to all fields, although he just missed pulling an 88 mph fastball in toward his hands out of the park Saturday night, just barely hooking it foul. He's an average runner and has had no trouble moving to second base. Mariners right-hander Stephen Kahn, who hasn't pitched in two years because of two separate ACL tears (one in each knee), was at 93-95 with a good curveball and a solid changeup, although his arm action is terrible and he might never have even average command or control.

Catcher Rob Johnson is also in Arizona, he's played in seven games and has five hits in 25 at-bats with a homer and a double. Pitching wise the Mariners players haven't been great, Gaby Hernandez, who was acquired from the Marlins in the Arthur Rhodes, posting a 7.71 ERA in two games. Pitchers Joe Woerman and Doug Fister are also down there.

Down in Venezuela, the Mariners have eight players currently playing for the Lara de Cardenales. And will have more than a few more as the season goes on.

Here's the Lara stats ...

Right now, they are only five games into the league so there isn't a huge sample size. Second baseman Luis Valbuena, who surprised several people with his play during his September call up, hit a pair of doubles on Sunday to help Lara get a win. Valbuena has four hits in 18 at-bats. Third baseman Matt Tuiasosopo has just two hits in 18 at-bats. Pitching-wise, most of the pitchers there are relievers. However, Andy Baldwin, who was in Tacoma this season, and came to the M's in the Jamie Moyer trade, put together a decent outing, going five innings and allowing just one run on five hits while striking out five.

Left-handed pitcher Justin Thomas is writing a blog for MLB.com and here's his first entry.

Greetings from the Wheatland Inn in Colfax, Washington. It's 10:40 on a Friday night and they say the life of a sports writer and a rock star are the same. While anxiously await Saturday's USC-Washington State football game - the same one in which WSU is a 43.5 point underdog - I thought I'd throw up some links.

Be honest, how many of you gave up on last night's Red Sox game? It's understandable. Is that loss the type of loss that the Rays can't recover from?

Red Sox fan and ESPN Page 2 columnist Bill Simmons offers his thoughts on the game.

How good was the game? It made a sabermetric believer like Baseball Prospectus' Joe Sheehan, for a moment, question all of that analytical thinking and believe in the magic of chemistry and other things that saber guys hate.

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan offers up his column on the game.

St. Pete Times columnist Gary Shelton says the loss is just a bump in the road for the Rays.

Tampa manager Joe Maddon just wants his team and everybody else to "move on."

The Mariners asked for permission to speak to Cubs GM Jim Hendry, they were not surprisingly denied.

Why? Because they were giving him a contract extension.

Tigers assistant GM Al Avila, who the Mariners wanted to interview but we're denied permission, is happy with where he's at.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who some were hoping might be a late and darkhorse candidate for the M's job, signed a contract extension and then decided not to rehire Dale Sveum.

From the NLCS ...

Speaking of general managers for the Mariners, former M's GM Pat Gillick thanked former Phillies GM and current Astros GM Ed Wade for laying the foundation for the NLCS winning team the other night, this column by Richard Justice goes into it further.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel left from the celebration LA to go to his mother's funeral.

This column by Phil Sheridan talks about Jamie Moyer's long journey to reach the World Series.

Elsewhere ...
Randy Johnson would like to stay with the D'backs but Nick Piecoro's story said it's not that simple.

The list of people that dislikes Scott Boras is pretty lengthy and has my name on it, you can add Gary Sheffield's to it now.

The search for a new general manager has led to the selection of four finalists, and the Seattle Mariners could complete the process in time to announce their decision before the World Series begins next week.

That list of finalists is Jerry DiPoto (Diamondbacks), Kim Ng (Dodgers), Tony LaCava (Blue Jays) and Jack Zduriencik (Brewers).

All come with immense potential and solid resumes as assistant GMs, and Zduriencik (pronounced Zur-en-sik) has as intriguing a background as any.

Now 57, he was named Baseball America’s Executive of the Year in 2007 as the Brewers scouting director, and is credited by GM Doug Melvin for the drafts of Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and Rickie Weeks.

A former high school football and baseball coach, Zduriencik began his scouting career with the New York Mets, and has worked with the Dodgers and Pirates before joining Milwaukee.

The second round of interviews with both president Chuck Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln doing the questioning, began Thursday in Seattle. If the team wants to make a hire – and an announcement – before the World Series begins, that gives them until Tuesday.

Making the hire before instead of after would give a new Mariners GM an extra 7-10 days on the job.

Some background on the other three finalists:

DiPoto, 40, has worked for Boston, Colorado and Arizona after an eight-year major league career as a relief pitcher. One of Theo Epstein’s right-hand men during Boston’s run to the World Series title in 2004, he’s been considered a GM-in-waiting since going to the Diamondbacks.

Ng (pronounced ‘ang’) is 39, and has worked for the New York Yankees, the MLB front office and the Dodgers, working her way through most departments under the control of a GM. Her expertise is in player development and handled arbitration cases for New York. She would be the first woman GM in Major League history.

LaCava, 47, has worked for the Braves, Angels, Expos and Indians before lighting in Toronto, and has a strong history in scouting. Has been a finalist in several GM searches, including last year in Pittsburgh and Baseball Prospectus has named him among the top five GM candidates in the game this year.

CEO Howard Lincoln, contrary to online reports and talk radio pronouncements, is not Satan. Neither is president Chuck Armstrong.

That will be hotly debated, but the rage aimed at two executives atop the Seattle Mariners after the teams 101-loss season is as misguided as it is futile. Lincoln and Armstrong aren’t going anywhere.

And around Major League Baseball, that’s the norm.

It’s not unfair to blame one or both for the fact that the team hasn’t been in the post-season since 2001. Fans in every big-league city feel the same way about their club when disappointed.

No one said much about Lincoln and Armstrong when the team won 116 games in ’01. That, too, is the nature of sports.

But as Lincoln and Armstrong go about the business of picking the next Mariners general manager from a field that holds great potential, there are a few things that need pointing out.

One, no candidate yet has withdrawn from the process because of anything said in Seattle.

And two? Neither Lincoln nor Armstrong is considered a laughing stock by other big-league owners.

Having hired GM Bill Bavasi wasn’t viewed by others in the game as a disaster, and what followed – though it certainly didn’t help Bavasi’s resume – kept him out of baseball for less than a month.

The theory that Lincoln and Armstrong have somehow interfered and run off Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson and Alex Rodriguez doesn’t hold water or fact. Junior remains close with Armstrong, and neither the Big Unit or A-Rod left because of management.

They left because they had grand plans that didn’t include Seattle.

Lou Piniella? Lou left because he was frustrated by not getting more hitting – something he has asked for every year of his managerial career. He wanted another bat in the spring of ’01, and he asked for more hitting in July of this year.

Lou’s never satisfied, and that’s part of what makes him such a great manager.

But Lincoln and Armstrong are hardly among the league leaders in front-office inteviention.

One of the reasons Pat Gillick left Baltimore was that owner Peter Angelos continually shot down his deals – including one that would have brought a young Vernon Wells to the Orioles for next to nothing.

George Steinbrenner ignored his GM and manager and acquired the contract of outfielder Raul Mondesi, embarrassing Brian Cashman and forcing Joe Torre to find a place to play the outfielder.

Interference from on high includes smaller decisions, like hiring coaches.

When Piniella took the job with the Cubs, one of his first hires was going to be Lee Elia. Cubs ownership told him that wasn’t an option.

No GM has full autonomy on the job, and no candidate for the opening in Seattle expected it here. No one has turned down an interview because of Armstrong or Lincoln, or because the Mariners job description turned them off.

Those in the game aren’t nearly as critical of the Mariners as their most vocal fans have been. That doesn’t mean Lincoln and Armstrong have great jobs.

It does mean neither is considered a fool or demon, a joke or a pariah.

That’s for fans and the media.

The search for the next general manager continues for the Seattle Mariners, although a finalist from their 2003 search won’t be a contender this time around, but whoever takes the job is going to find themselves busy.

This isn’t just a team coming off a 101-loss season.

The Mariners are a team without a regular center fielder, almost certainly without a regular left fielder and their best minor league outfield prospect – Wladimir Balentien – hit .202 in 243 at-bats last season.

The team doesn’t have a regular first baseman or designated hitter, and has two catchers who aren’t good defensively and who both managed to hit .227.

The Mariners have the makings of an intriguing rotation with Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, Brandon Morrow and Ryan Rowland-Smith. They also have more than $30 million invested in Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista next year.

They have a closer coming off a dreadful season, and no left-handed specialist or dominant setup man.

So the fact that Detroit became the latest team to deny the Mariners permission to interview an assistant GM – in this case, Al Avila – is hardly the issue. The Mariners have enough candidates.

The question is, how long will it take to turn this team into a legitimate contender once someone gets the job?

Looking ahead, what are your expectations? What’s the best and worst-case timeline, no matter who the next GM is?

When the Seattle Mariners report to Peoria, Ariz. for spring training next year, there will likely be one of their former managers there - Jim Lefebvre.

Lefebvre, who managed the Mariners from 1989-91, is the front-runner to become the San Diego Padres hitting coach.

As is the way in the majors, it's Lefebvre's connections that will allow him to replace Wally Joyner.

Before - and after - managing the Mariners, Lefebvre was the batting coach in Oakland under then-general manager Sandy Alderson.

Alderson is now the CEO in San Diego.

If you'd like to read a bit more, the San Diego Union Tribune has a story.

The Seattle Mariners have interviewed a half dozen candidates as they narrow their search for a new general manager - but the field continues to shrink on its own.

Less than two days after Oakland assistant David Forst declined to interview, the Boston Herald reported that Red Sox assistant Jed Hoyer passed, as well.

If you're keeping track, that's three highly-considered assistant GMs - Cleveland's Chris Antonetti, Forst and Hoyer - who have said 'no thanks' to the chance to be one of 30 GMs in the game.

Each has cited personal reasons and a desire to stay with their team, but it's hard to imagine them doing the same if offered the chance to interview with, say, the Minnesota Twins or Arizona Diamondbacks.

There are plenty of people in the industry willing to work in Seattle and take on the challenge of turning this franchise around.

Still, it may be telling that at least three young executives weren't.

Pat Gillick has always been his own man, which is another way of saying he's a bit of an odd duck.

When he was the general manager of the Seattle Mariners, for instance, he was fond of mixing Hawaiin shirts and cowboy boots.

As the GM in Philadelphia, his fashion sense hasn't changed, nor has his ability to get the most from his staff.

Gillick's successes and failures are unique in the game for two reasons. When he succeeds, he credits those he works with - from assistants to secretaries. And when he fails, he takes the full heat alone.

The New York Times had a wonderful story on Gillick today, and you can read it here.

Yes, he'll be back in Seattle next month, whether his Phillies win the World Series or lose in the National League Championship Series.

No, he won't be the Mariners GM.

Gillick is a man worthy of admiration - from those floral shirts to his snakeskin boots.

He'll be missed in Philadelphia has much as he was everywhere else he's ever been.

The Seattle Mariners have lost another candidate in their search for a general manager – Oakland assistant GM David Forst has decided not to interview for the position.

Susan Slusser, the solid beat writer with the San Francisco Chronicle, broke the news Friday on her blog, which you can read here.

Forst, 31, is a Billy Beane disciple solidly entrenched in both scouting and player development, and considered one of the top young assistants in the game.

Coming less than a week after Cleveland assistant Chris Antonetti declined to be interviewed in Seattle, the loss of Forst as a candidate is yet another blow to the Mariners search.

Along with the withdrawal of Forst and Antonetti, the Mariners have had permission to speak to candidates with the San Diego Padres declined.

While watching your 401K disappear, worrying about the next general manager or next months mortgage, it might help to know some people have it even worse.

Take the Chicago Tribune.

Owners of the beloved and cursed Chicago Cubs, the Tribune spent money and time rushing out a book about that team's post-season run for the World Series it's been missing for, oh, 100 years or so.

The result was a book you can still buy for under $14 - if you hurry.

Currently, 'This Is The Year' ranks near the bottom of the top 2,400 books sold in October.

It would make a fine holiday gift for your favorite Cubs fan. Or not.

A little absence for me and the links, but we'll get some out there.

First of all, as most of you know, it has been reported that five GM candidates are coming in this week.

The first interview is supposedly today with Mets assistant GM and former Mariner player Tony Bernazard, according to the NY Daily News.

The Toronto Globe and Mail is reporting that the Blue Jays have confirmed that the Mariners have contacted them about Tony LaCava.

So that leaves Kim Ng of the Dodgers, who is scheduled to interview in the next few days, and two members of the Diamondbacks: Peter Woodfork and Jerry DiPoto.

The USS Mariners has a link to an NPR interview Ng did a while back.

More audio: Buster Olney also offers up some info on the Mariners GM situation in this interview with KJR.

That doesn't mean that these are the only candidates. They are the first five. Expect at least five to seven more candidates to have interviews.

One of those possible candidates, albeit a longshot, Brewers GM Doug Melvin is looking at a contract extension before he makes any further decisions.

Speaking of the D'Backs earlier. You would think that if Woodfork or DiPoto were to get the job, there might be the possibility of them bringing Arizona pitching coach Bryan Price back to Seattle as the manager, but that might not seem as likely now since Price signed a one year contract with the D'Backs.

Speaking of former Mariners staffers, former M's GM and current Phillies GM Pat Gillick is getting ready for tonight's NLCS. Here's a column on him from the Philly Inquirer. And here's another story on Gillick from the Wilmington News Journal.

Here's a column by Gary Shelton on young Rays GM Andrew Friedman.

As much as I dislike the Yankees, I wouldn't mind seeing this former Yankee come up and manager the Mariners next year. Maybe if Kim Ng gets the job she can bring Don Mattingly with her.

Speaking of people I dislike greatly, here's a story on Satan, er, Scott Boras from the NY Times.

Here's a story on Dustin Pedroia, one of the few players in MLB I'm taller than. The list also includes Chone Figgins, ERick Aybar and David Eckstein.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia stands by his decision to call for a squeeze bunt against the Red Sox.

Rangers president Nolan Ryan thinks the Rangers need to be tougher on their pitchers.

Saying you saw Willie Mays play makes you a dinosaur in the age of 24-hour sports televison and blogging.

But, back when the earth was cooling, Mays was as much myth as man - in part because if you didn't see him play live, you rarely saw him at all.

There weren't nightly highlights on cable. There wasn't even cable.

So when an aging Mays made it to the post-season in 1973 with the New York Mets, it was a rare chance to see him on TV.

And it was a disaster.

Mays was 42, and a part time player with New York, and in that post-season what America saw was a 42-year-old man impersonating a legend.

He dove for balls that fell far in front of him, was fooled by pitches - and pitchers - he'd have crushed even a few years earlier.

It was like a Shakespearian tragedy, watching Willie struggle, and that off-season he retired.

All that came to mind last weekend, watching Ken Griffey Jr. strike out to end the final game of the White Sox-Rays American League Division Series in which he batted .200.

Like Mays, Junior needs no one to defend his career. He's a no-doubt, first-ballot Hall of Famer, and a happy memory for those who watched him grow up on Seattle teams.

But watching your favorites play like mortals is disheartening, although it may say as much about us as it does about them.

We see greatness and we expect it to remain unchanged. We age, but our heroes are not supposed to.

When they do, perhaps it is too clear a reminder of time moving on, too painful to have memories dashed by reality TV.

For anyone who saw Mays or Junior play in their prime, it was the chance to watch the best in the game.

To watch Willie in '73, or Ken in '08, was a reminder that no one can maintain that level of athletic achievement and grace forever.

As the Mariners search for a general manager, the four men who built the teams now playing in the League Championship Series should remind Seattle and its fans that there is no one kind of candidate to fill the job.

Take a look at the GMs whose teams are now four wins away from a World Series and it would be difficult to get four more diverse.

Pat Gillick is 71 years old, and stepping down in Philadelphia on Oct. 31 – the day after Game 7 of the World Series would be played. Among his first moves with the Phillies was trading away Jim Thome and saying, in 2006, that the team likely wouldn’t be a legitimate contender until 2008.

Andrew Friedman is 31, but was just 28 when the Tampa Bay Rays named him GM. His background? He’d spent two years working for Bear Stearns before leaving the banking industry to try baseball.

Ned Colletti is 53, and was a San Francisco Giants assistant when hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2005. A lifetime baseball man, he began his career in public relations with the Cubs in 1982

Theo Epstein is 34, but was 28 when the Red Sox hired him. Like Colletti, Epstein’s baseball career began in the public relations department, although within three years he’d moved up in the Padres’ organization and become San Diego’s director of player personnel.

Two young turks, untested when hired. One elder statesman, a veteran of three previous teams with two World Series rings. One middle-aged executive who’d never been given the chance to run a franchise.

The secret is getting the right man, not finding one who fits the mold.

If you could land the clone of any of these four GMs, which man would you copy?

Jamie Moyer left Seattle three years ago for two minor league pitchers named Andy, a 42-year-old soft-tossing southpaw with 211 career wins.

He’d run out of patience with a Mariners team he saw as constantly rebuilding, and Seattle didn’t see much of a future building around a man who survived on his changeup.

Moyer has muddled along without the Mariners.

He’s in the National League Championship Series with Philadelphia this week, and it’s not as if they carried his old bones to the post-season. Moyer, who will turn 46 next month, went 16-7 with a 3.71 earned run average for the Phillies this year.

If you’re wondering, that’s 35 games he’s won since leaving Seattle.

He worked 196 innings this season, 199 innings last year – so obviously, age is catching up with him at a rate of about three innings a year. For all that, he earned $6.5 million, on a deal he negotiated without an agent.

Mr. Moyer will become a free agent once the post-season ends.

If you didn’t know his age or what he threw, would there be a market for a left-hander coming off a 16-win, 196-inning, 3.71 ERA season.

Oh, probably. In fact, if the Seattle Mariners could, they’d likely trade Carlos Silva, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn for him.
When he starts against the Dodgers in the NLCS, tune in. He'll look familiar. He hasn't changed how he throws, or who he is, since his Mariners career ended.

Talked to Erik Bedard by telephone from his Canadian home, and you can read that story here.

Bedard was cheerful, happy to be starting rehab on Tuesday and relieved that his shoulder surgery wound up being the best case scenario - no major damage - rather than the worst.

Bedard expects to be fully ready for spring training, and fully healthy for the start of the 2009 season.

No matter what you think of the trade that brought him here, that's good news for Seattle.

The American League voting for post-season awards wasn't exactly overwhelming, so let's try the National League.

Feel free to vote for:

Most Valuable Player

Cy Young Award

Manager of the Year

Rookie of the Year
If all else fails, toss in your ballot for Presdident ...

Today, you're all honorary members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and you're getting your awards ballots.

All the awards are voted on before the post-season begins, so toss out anything you've seen in the playoffs.

But, based solely on whatever you want the criteria to be, here's the awards - we'll do the American League today, the National League tomorrow:

Most Valuable Player

Cy Young Award

Manager of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Vote early, vote often.

It's free.

Had the chance to interview Mike Morse this morning on the telephone from Peoria, where he’s playing in the Arizona Fall League, and that story can be found here.

When the Mariners get around to putting their team together next year, they could do worse than put Morse at first base.

In fact, they have done worse – any number of times.

Cycling through veterans like Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro and Miguel Cairo led them to a disastrous ’08 season and to a non-productive stint from the left-handed hitting Bryan LaHair.

Morse is an intriguing possibility, a big, strong athletic player who, at 26, is out of options and can’t be sent to the minors again. That fact alone may get him a long look in spring – that and the fact that after missing most of the year with an injury, he’s now healthy again.

Morse and Jeremy Reed are the remnants from the 2004 trade of Freddie Garcia, and Morse has a career average of .302 in the big leagues – rarely playing regularly over parts of three seasons.

Last spring, he won a job with his bat, and the team made Morse, a lifetime infielder, an outfielder. That failed miserably and ended when he dove for a ball in April and badly separated his shoulder.

Now, he’s healthy again and playing in the AFL, with plans to go to Venezuela for winter ball in a few weeks.

He has overcome much – from steroid use early in his career to heal an injury to years of never quite sticking with the big club – and remains one of those players whose love of the game is obvious.

It’s impossible to know Morse and not hope he gets the chance to play.

It hasn’t been the best week to start a search for the next general manager of the Seattle Mariners.

After Bill Bavasi was fired in June, Mariners president Chuck Armstrong began compiling names of a possible successor, and vetting those on the list. At one point, that list was 59 names long.

By the start of the off-season, it was down to between 15-20 names.

Today – before an interview has been conducted – it’s between 10-12 names.

“There are people we want to talk to who have signed contracts with their current team that don’t allow them to seek another position,” Armstrong said. “We’ve called a number of clubs to seek permission to interview one of their employees and run into these contracts.”

That kind of deal goes against the baseball norm, whether it’s a coach asked to interview for an open managerial job or a front office type given a shot at moving up the ladder.

In fact, commissioner Bud Selig apparently hadn’t heard of such contracts, and his office is looking into the matter.

In the meantime, things happen. Brian Cashman, whose contract with the New York Yankees was up after the regular season, signed an extension days after the Mariners asked permission to interview him.

Among those the Mariners wanted to talk to – but won’t be able to – are two men with San Diego and another with Cleveland.

That’s four names off the list before Seattle can get started, but that doesn’t mean the list is now without promise.

“The number of candidates has been reduced, but we’re only going to interview the candidates we’d perceived to be the best,” Armstrong said. “We’re not going to expand it. We’re moving ahead on schedule, and the interview process will begin next week.”

There is another irony at play in all this – the media.

Because the team declined to name anyone on its list, the press began speculating, piling up names of former GMs (John Hart), current GMs (Theo Epstein) and a dozen of so hot young assistant GMs (Kim Ng, Al Avila, David Forst, et al).

And now, we in the media are ‘eliminating’ candidates that we, not the Mariners, said were on the short list. In simpler terms, accuracy isn’t the biggest factor in any story on the next Seattle GM.

“Not everyone mentioned in stories was a candidate,” Armstrong said, “and there hasn’t been completely accuracy on candidates who’ve been eliminated, either.”

As the playoffs begin today, the Seattle Mariners are so well represented that the post-season is like a lottery for ex-Mariners.

No matter who wins the World Series this year, at least one former Mariner is going to get a ring - unless it's the dreaded Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, United States, etc.

The Angels, apparently, don't allow ex-Mariners.

The team with the next fewest ex-Mariners is Tampa Bay, which has only one: former Mariner Steve Henderson (1983-84) is a member of the Rays coaching staff.
The Red Sox, Dodgers and Cubs have three former Mariners, the White Sox, Phillies, Brewers four apiece.

Here's the breakdown:

The Dodgers have Derek Lowe (1997) and coaches Larry Bowa (2000) and Rick Honeycutt (1977-80).

The Brewers have Mike Cameron (2000-03), Salomon Torres (1995-96), and coaches Mike Maddux (1997) and long-time minor league coach Jim Skaalen.

The Red Sox have Jason Varitek, who never played a game for Seattle but was in their minor league system until his '97 trade, Mike Timlin (1997-98) and David Ortiz. For those who don't remember, Ortiz - then going by the name David Arias - was a Seattle minor leaguer sent to Minnesota for Dave Hollins in 1996.

The Cubs have manager Lou Piniella (1993-2002) and coaches Matt Sinatro (1995-2002) and Gerald Perry (2000-2002).

The White Sox have Ken Griffey Jr. (1989-99), Matt Thornton (2004-05), Horacio Ramirez (2007) and coach Joey Cora (1995-98).

Change your feelings about which teams to root for?