Best Win Of The Season

It's 12:30 in the morning, east coast time and I just throttled my poor sleeping cat in excitement after Franklin Gutierrez's momentous game-winning shot to left center and Aarmdsma's lucky rebound from last night. Holy shit! M's win!!! M's WIN!!!! 

I think this blog's been silent lately because no one quite knows what to write about the Mariners this year. Every time you want to believe they're legit contenders, they stab you in the neck with back-to-back losses to the lowly O's. And every time they do that, they come back with a huge, and  for seven innings, seemingly unlikely, victory. 

The last three games represents the epitome of this Mariner baseball club. 

But I'll tell you what, the M's looked more pumped and fired up about this comeback then I've seen them in years. Since 2000-2001, for sure. And this team has a youthful talented spirit, much like our mid-90s teams. They have swagger. Swagger. It's such a vague, almost undefinable term, but you know it when you see it. Ichiro knows nothing but swagger.Griffey was born with it and still exudes it. He earned that 8th inning walk with swagger. 

 And I see it in Felix and Franklin and its rubbing off on others like Lopez and Aardsma and even Cedeno -- the most swaggerly .130 hitting player in the history of Mariner baseball. I hate him, but I somehow think he'll come through. It's weird.

As you can tell, I'm a tad bit excited. I can't help it, I'm a believer. I sat here watching the game getting more pissed with every swing and miss, every feeble dribbler to second. But I kept with it, kept thinking Ichiro or Griffey or, most definitely, the talented Mr. Guti. I believed. And I believe we'll take two out of the next three from Texas. Momentum and swagger are decidedly on our side. 

One last thought. My friend Graham, an admitted and mildly self-loathing Yankees fan (one of my top three favorite Yankee fans), slapbet (when the loser of the bet gets slapped, for those not familiar with the term) one of his friends that the M's would win the West. At the time, the M's were playing out of their minds toward the end of April. I still thought it was a bad bet. And probably a bet made under the influence of obscene amounts of alcohol. 

My initial thought was reinforced with steel by our putrid play at the end of May and beginning of June. But we're back, Baby. And playing better than ever. We've improved. We've got swagger. Graham, you may yet become the slapper. 

Mariner Optimism

I am and always have been a Mariner optimist. Before every season, even with a lack of talent, I believe through some sort of wizardry the Mariners can win the American League West.

Don't ask me why I feel this way, especially in the years when Jamie Moyer was our staff ace. You shouldn't expect to make the playoffs when your best pitcher is only a 10-15 game winner every season. Still, I expect to see a new banner hanging every year in the best stadium in America. Safeco Field!

Halfway through the season, the Mariners are fighting for every win and find themselves just a few games back in the West. Am I an optimist to believe the M's can make the playoffs? Beltre is out for 6-8 weeks and being replaced by an aging veteran, Chirs Woodard, and a guy who never sees first base in Cedeno. The bottom of our lineup is plagued with guys hitting barely 200. We have some of the worst hitting catchers in the league in Jojima, Johnson, and Burke.

Nonetheless, I still believe the Mariners can make the playoffs. Bedard can come back and give the rotation a shot in the arm. Olson can pitch the rest of the year like he did in Dodger Stadium. Griffey can get hot and hit a few more homers. Jose Lopez is crushing the ball and will end the year around .280-.300. as usual. In other words, anything can happen.

I am leaning towards the Mariners buying come July 31st trade deadline if we are still in the playoff picture. But I want the M's to buy smart. I am not willing to trade away the future for a run at the playoffs today. We just don't have the pieces to do that yet.

I'm proposing we add a bat for cash. Most teams in the Major Leagues want to dump payroll come trade time. The Mariners can take advantage of the current market, add a bat for cash, and not give up any prospects. Instead of trading Washburn and Bedard for below average prospects, since MLB "insiders" don't believe teams will give up much come the deadline, the M's can stockpile draft picks by letting their class A and B prospects leave in free agency.

The Mariners have options, and July is going to be a fun month for baseball in Seattle!

Monday Evening Musing: Vegas Style

I did have some decent Pacific Northwest-related sports insight to offer here, but I'd be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to congratulate one of the Wetland bloggers on his recent engagement, which I'm convinced he engineered just so he would have an excuse to spend a weekend gambling and otherwise debauching in Las Vegas. 

Here's to you, Matty Witt! You're life just ended! How does it feel to be spiritually and sexually dead, at least on the inside? Just kidding. Kind of. 

We'll talk more about that later, while drinking very strong whiskey and chain smoking cigarettes. But, for now, back to the bachelor party.  

By the way, Erika, if you're reading this, nothing crazy ever happens in Vegas despite what Bradley Cooper might have you believe. And if your boy blacks out from too many Jager bombs and blow and ends up accidentally marrying a hot but kind of smart escort working on her masters in exercise science at UNLV ($117) who just happens to love fantasy football, we'll definitely do our damnedest to get it annulled immediately. Well, okay, at least right after we eat something and drink beer in the pool to take the edge off our hangovers.   

Anyway, I'm voting for a high intensity sports weekend for the date, but not too intense that we'll get priced out of a decent hotel. My Vegas bachelor party fell on a decent weekend, almost exactly a year ago. 

It was the middle of the lop-sided but still entertaining (because Kobe got his ass handed to him) Celtics-Lakers finals, the European soccer championships were in its early, games-all-day stage, baseball was heating up and the Mariners were already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. It was also the U.S. Open. More on that in a minute. 

Most of the weekend was a drunken blur. Here's another piece of advice: never spend more than two nights in Vegas. It's just not good for your health. By the third night, its a battle of attrition. 

There's only two ways the third night ends.  

One, guys come down with mysterious illnesses and coming up with incomprehensible excuses that sound something like "aaaaummmapuuusssy" for staying in the hotel room. 

Or two, guys go way too hard, forget to take into account the fact they haven't slept more than 4 hours combined the previous two nights and are purely running on the copious amounts of oxygen pumped into Vegas casinos, end up drinking too much too quickly, getting in a fight at the strip club because a stripper with three kids tried to charge you for a lap dance you didn't ask for and you flip out like Madonna at a Malawi adoption agent who tries to deny her a new baby and then finally vomiting outside of Fat Burger while your buddy fleeces your Fat Fries. 

Either way, it's not pretty. Two nights. That's it. No human being should ever attempt more than that. 

I'll remember a few things from last year's madness. And that's it. The rest you'll have to read in the book, which I will fictionalize so I can deny everything to my wife. Actually, let's just keep this sports related. 

1) My brother, who lives in Philly, put down $10 on the Phillies winning the series at 10-1 odds. Good call. Bad bet. 

2) The Mariners lost every game they played. Okay, I don't remember any of those M's results, I'm just assuming that was the case. 

3) On Monday, after three nights of heavy partying, my brother and I still had a whole day to kill. Luckily, one-legged Tiger had come back to tie big-assed Rocco Mediate in the Open, forcing an 18-hole playoff and giving us an entire morning of relaxing, easy to watch sports entertainment. 

Which led to this epiphany: If you've spent one too many nights partying way too hard and drinking way too much in 115-degree Vegas, golf is the absolute perfect sport for viewing consumption. I recommend it with a cold Coke and 7 Advils. 

This is why, whatever date we choose, may it fall on weekend where there's a major golf championship. And I don't even like to watch golf. Normally. 

Monday Morning Musing, June 22

Due to unscheduled technical difficulties (i.e. laziness), the full girth of MMM will not be available until later this evening. Here's a quick preview:

-HOW BOUT THEM MARINERS!!!!

-Intriguing Seahawk news and analysis from the past week.

-Why the NBA draft sucks now for Seattle sports fans.

-Original reporting from the Sounders game in New Jersey on Saturday.

Check back here around 7 p.m. pacific time for all the action.

Erik Bedard: Keep or Trade?

Now that the M’s are back to only one game under .500 and only 5.5 games out of first place in the AL West, the pressure on Jack Z to sign or deal Bedard is at an all-time high.

Fans seem to be in one of two camps: either trade the lefty to the highest bidder or lock him up to a long term deal. Bedard is like Two-Face in Batman—there are two different sides to him. You either love or hate the guy.

The Seattle Times ran an article a few days back about Bedard stating that he really does want to play for the M’s long-term, saying, “I love Seattle. I can’t complain– the city, the fans, the stadium, all of the new coaches we got, the players. It’s a lot of fun. I love it here.”

Is this posturing by Bedard or truly genuine? The same article also mentioned how Bedard and Jay Buhner have formed a friendship over fishing and Bedard typically fishes at Buhner’s house in Issaquah a few times a week when the M’s are in town. Should this make any difference to the M’s?

No, but it is worth examining further.

Bedard, never one for the limelight or big city, may actually like it in Seattle and may even be pitching better to stay here. Or in an effort to make a crap load of money elsewhere. Who knows? Let's look at what you get from the Candadian lefty.

Here are the positives:

-Bedard owns the sickest left-handed hook in baseball. Period.

-He is also 5-2 with a miniscule earned run average of only 2.47 (This is the American League people!!) His win/losses would be even better if not for the anemic M’s offense.

-Having an all-star season—should have more wins to show for it.

-In 65 innings of work, Bedard has only allowed 54 hits and has struck out a whopping 65.

-Left-handers are only hitting .203 against the dominant south-paw.

-He has allowed no more than 3 runs in any of his 11 starts.

Here are the negatives:

-Has only gone more than 7 innings in two starts.

-Highly injury prone—weak back and hip.

-Tendency to leave games early after hitting self-imposed “100 pitch limit.”

-Will never live up to magnitude of the Adam Jones trade

-Poor attitude (reminds me of Grumpy Smurf: I hate baseball)

While Bedard is truly pitching like the ace we all expected in the trade last season with the Dirty Birds, he is also the hottest commodity on the trade market. The Phillies obviously need another horse in the rotation and Bedard could be their man. Jack Z would be silly not to demand the farm in any trade for the south-paw and should explore all avenues.

If the M’s decide to lock him up long term, they would have a dominant 1-2 punch for the next three to five years. With any additional offense in future Jack Z trades, King and Bedard just might be the most feared 1-2 punch in baseball. These two arms in the starting rotation can win playoff series by themselves. With ANY offense, these two could win 20 games apiece. Easily.

In the end, I tend to bounce back and forth on what to do with Bedard. One minute I hate him, the next I stand up and yell when I watch that 12-6 hook absolutely freeze left handed hitters.

I’m putting my faith in Jack Z on this one to do the right thing whatever that is…

What does everyone else think?

Keep or Trade?

Monday Morning Musing, June 8

As always, these are random thoughts to get your week started on the right and/or wrong foot. Prepare to be spellbound. Or at least mildly amused.

I just can't contain my excitement any longer. The Seattle Mariners are on fire!!! 

Who cares if our offensive scoring prowess is worse than the two dudes from Superbad? So what if 40 percent of our starting rotation should be taking buses to games in small towns with names that end in "ville"? 

Right now, this team of thrown-together misfits, castoffs, underachieving middle infielders, over-the-hill Hall of Famers, aloof Asian superstars and over-priced free agent mistakes is positively scorching the earth like the climax of a Michael Bay film. 

Relatively speaking. 

In fact, the M's have won two in a row (shoula been three, Wladamir!) taken three straight series against solid competition (Angels, Orioles and Twins) and sit just one game under .500. Not bad, but not awesome. But here's the kicker. We're improving. That's right, the Mariners are getting better. 

The starting pitching has been fantastic. The new lineup, with Branyan hitting second, has been increasingly productive. 

But the most impressive wrinkle in this delightfully unpredictable season is that this team is coming to play every night  or afternoon. We lose focus and games, some that we shouldn't, some that we blew. Regardless, we're coming back the next day and playing hard. 

I credit Wak and I credit our cooky veterans. 

Wak, because he's willing to make changes (brilliant on the Branyan shift) and holds his players accountable for making preventable mistakes (Jose, Yuni, even Felix have all been taken to task for mental errors).   

By cooky veterans, I mean Griffey and Sweeney. These graybeards are keeping this team focused and in stitches. The major league baseball season is long and arduous. You need to have a short memory to keep coming back day after day and act like nothing (good or bad) happened yesterday. And what's the best way to forget about your troubles: laughing. Comedy as cure-all. 

When Griffey's gone, sadly, the Mariners will need to hire Zach Galafianakis to fill the comedic void. "The Hangover" star probably couldn't hit much worse. It hurts just to write that, but I'm sure, if he read that surprisingly topical joke, the new ego-less Ken "Cosby" Griffey would probably be laughing. When isn't he? 

Anyway, I'm enjoying it. 

Other musings: 

-This Bedard renaissance is a sham. He's a mercenary, plain and simple. If someone were to play him in a movie, it would be Jean Claude Van Dam. 

-He's also re-established himself as one of the top 5 nastiest pitchers in the American League. Scouts are watching. Too bad we still won't get half of what we gave up for him. 

-Seahawks starting tailback, Michael Vick. Sounds good, doesn't it. 

-If you saw Pau Gasol on the street, wouldn't you wonder why someone that tall had fallen so far and wasn't playing in the NBA? Wouldn't you point him to the nearest homeless shelter, keep walking and then make a (Chappelle) Rick James joke? "Cocaine is a helluva drug."

-I really hope the Magic win a couple of games against the Lakers, just to prolong the series. Aside from Rescue Me (best season yet and it goes all summer long) and the occasionally train-wreckish fun of crappy reality shows, TV is terrible this time of year.   

M's Need to Make Moves: Who's Going, Who's Staying

With the Mariners likely falling out of contention well before the trade deadline, they would be well-advised to start lining up potential trade partners and begin to assess their opponents’ minor league prospects.

Again, my biggest fear is that the M’s will deliver false hope and remain in contention thereby making it more difficult to justify trading veterans for prospects. It’s a tricky balancing act. The M’s need their trade chips to play well enough to increase their value but for the team to remain far enough outside of the race in order to necessitate said trades.

It would be suicide for the M’s to fail to move their assets only to see them walk away for nothing as free agents. If you have followed my posts over the past two months, you’ll see that I have been consistent in my advocacy of how the team should be demolished as well as how it should be re-constructed. Here are the likely moves:

Pack your bags:

1. Jarrod Washburn

With an improved defense, Jarrod has pitched well enough to warrant interest from several teams. He can help another team as a fairly decent 3rd of 4th starter and can pitch well into ballgames. Some say he's developed a "cutter." Whatever. Although, he’ll cost around $5 million for the stretch run, Wash has a lot of value as a lefty innings eater and can occasionally be brilliant.

Destination:

The Twins, Yankees, Phillies, Angels, Rangers, Breweres, White Sox, and Cubs, will all have interest. Unless packaged with another player, the M’s will likely receive only a low level “B” prospect or two.


2. Erik Bedard

Bedard has been spectacular in 2009 and hasn’t given up more than 3 runs in any of his starts. The team’s crappy hitting has held down his win totals but that doesn’t matter. Owed less than $4 million after July, Bedard will be seen as a classic rent-a-player who can help carry a team to the playoffs.

Destination:

The Yankees, Phillies, White Sox, Cubs, Red Sox, Tigers and Dodgers are all interested. The M’s should net at least one impact minor leaguer and several B level prospects. If the failed Jake Peavy trade to Chicago is any indicator, teams are wisely holding onto their prospects and not giving much up in return. The Yanks have outfield talent to spare while Philly has solid AA pitching. Look for Jack to make the best possible haul – with Philly matching up the best for the M’s.

3. Adrian Beltre

Beltre will undoubtedly heat up in the next 30 days – hopefully increasing his trade value. He's been awful so far. As a type “B” free agent, Beltre is in no-man’s land. He’s not valuable enough to keep (M’s won’t get a 1st round draft pick for him) and he wants out. Teams will value his defense and will gamble that his stats are deflated by playing in a pitcher’s park.

Destination:

Chicago Cubs. Also looking: Dodgers, Minnesota, White Sox, Philadelphia, and Angels. The Dodgers are said to want him back but Casey Blake is playing well. The M’s would’ve gotten more for him last year but will have to settle for a couple of “B” prospects. Perhaps Jack Z can package Beltre with some pitching (Brandon Morrow?) for something even better.


50-50 chance of being moved:

4. Yuni Betancourt

Management doesn’t like him. Coaches can’t stand his plate approach. Even the fans are getting wise to his crappy OBP. He’s a goner and the M’s will move him for whatever they can get. Don’t be fooled by seeing him bat in the #2 hole. It’s just to showcase him and pump his BA up with better pitches. Some team will trade for him (and move him to 2nd base) on the promise that he can be taught a new approach without being in a pitcher’s park. Good riddance.

Destination:

Minnesota. Also looking: LA Dodgers, Detroit, Philly. M’s won’t get much of anything and will have to eat some of Yuni’s salary just to get a “B” prospect or two.


5. Jeff Clement / Russell Branyan / Mike Carp

One of these 3 players must be moved. Bet your house that Jack Z will see if he can get something worthwhile for moving Branyan. Jack won’t let The Muscle go for nothing, and might try to sign him to an extension. The Muscle fits the organization’s philosophy of patience (.400 OBA) but is over 30, might want $7-10 million per season and has never been this good before. Clement is too hurt to play catcher and doesn’t hit enough to unseat Branyan at 1st base. The organization is all for giving talented young players a chance to play but seem hesitant to let Clement take Griffey’s spot as DH. Carp is the best long-term solution at 1st/DH and is young. Something tells me that Clement will be the one to get moved. Stay tuned.


6. Endy Chavez

Little Endy started hot and has cooled off back to reality. Of course, he wasn’t really a .300 hitter to begin with. He’s fine as a 4th outfielder but is a poor long-term fit on a club that has some outfielders who are burning to play (Raben, Saunders, and soon-to-be-drafted Dustin Ackley). By the way, did anyone notice that the team won more games with Endy batting leadoff rather than Ichiro? Rumors persist that he can be had. Perhaps he’ll be part of a package.


Probably not going anywhere:

7. Jose Lopez

Lopez is a head scratcher. At times, he plays like an All-Star, at others he completely vanishes. Once Yuni goes, fans will target him next. How much longer can the team watch Lopez bat .250? Is he regressing? He has too much potential and the team has no infield talent to replace him. If Lopez gets his act together, the 3rd base job could be his. No way he’s the starting 2nd bagger in 2010 or 2011. He should be the type of player that hits 20 HR, 90 RBI and bats .275+. If. If. If.

8. David Aardsma

Aardsma was a superb pickup for the M’s and has filled the setup man/closer role admirably. Although Aardsma has a power arm, he’s been prone to wildness which led the Red Sox to give him away. With so many relievers coming up in the next couple of years, Aardsma seems to be a likely trade candidate. However, there is no need to move him because the M's control his rights for the next several years. Jack Z would be wise to see what he can get anyway.

Not going anywhere:

9. Carlos Silva

After the M's took him out of the starting rotation, they stopped hemorrhaging losses. Fatty needs to follow Ty Willingham out of the state but he has $30 million reasons not to leave. Unless the M's can move him for another bad contract, or release him, he's probably the mop up guy.

10. Ken Griffey

Yes, he's done. He's not the guy we remember when he carried the M's to high heights and put the city on the map. Kenny built Safeco field with his black bat, bare hands, and hey-o attitude. Every night I'm at the game, I just want to see one more highlight to remind me of what life was like back in 1995. The team will probably call up Clement to share some ABs with the kid any day now.

Phillies Shaping Into Bonafide Suitor

At least 6 Mariners are on the trading block now that our boys of very early spring have caused our front office to reach the inevitable realization that we will not be competing for a World Series championship (despite all of our hopes and prayers), says SI.com's prolofic baseball writer Jon Heyman.

Heyman says underachieving Canadian mercenary Erik Bedard will be the top target for a handful of clubs, with the Phillies shooting up the list of possible suitors after finding out that Brett Meyers may miss the rest of the season.

Others mentioned were the usual suspects: Adrian Beltre, Jarrod Washburn, Yuniesky Betancourt, Miggy Batista and Russell "the Muscle" Branyan.

Phillies will also be targeting the ultra-talented Jake Peavy. But Peavy already turned down a trade to the White Sox and may not be willing to accept a trade to any team except the water-treading Cubs who still insanely harbor World Series aspirations despite being only a couple of games better than the M's. This leaves Bedard as the Phillies number one option.

And we all know how Bedard feels about being in Philly over Seattle. Jerk.

I'm not sure who the Phillies have on the farm, but I think we should start scouring it for new Mariners.

Monday Morning Musing, May 18

Let's get right down to business, including my latest obsession.

-Mike Vick is getting out of prison this week. He'll be transferred to a half-way house, be given a construction jobs paying $10 an hour and wait to hear from the NFL on whether and when he'll be reinstated. The Falcons still retain the rights to his services, but owner Arthur Blank has pretty much ruled out any chance they'll hang on to him.

Making any moves to go after Vick will undoubtedly bring the wrath of the PETA police, but any team that makes a play for him also has a pretty good explanation: the guy did his time, he's broke and, of course, we desperately need a RB or else my fan base will revolt. Seriously, guys, it's either Vick or we go into the year with Julius Jones as our starting RB. Julius Jones! He's beyond terrible. He runs like a beat-up VW Bus.

I will continue to bang the drum on this until he ends up on Cowboys or Raiders and the Seahawks once again fail to do anything remotely resembling a risk.

-The Mariners once again finding a way to eek out wins with no offense. Keep hope alive! At least it makes this Angels series starting tonight much more interesting. And taking two of three against the BoSox is always an accomplishment, even at home where the crowd is still only 50-50.

-Forget confidence or more work in less pressurized situations, what Brandon Morrow really needs to be an elite closer is some really awesome facial hair. I vote for either a Rod Beck-like fu manchu or a hockey playoff beard. Speaking of hockey, maybe if he were missing a couple teeth, he'd look more intimidating.

-My Celtics went down last night. Hated to see them lose, but definitely think the Magic have more talent and athleticism (or as Hubie Brown would say, "ath-ah-letlicism") than the Celtics, especially with no Garnett, and they'll prove a tougher out against the Lebrons. Having said that: Cavs in 5. Lakers in 6.

-When I first watched those Kobe-Lebron puppet commercials I thought they were just dumb, but they're growing on me. Now, I've done complete 180 on this and think they're brilliant.

Savoring A Win and the Ride

Well, it was fun while it lasted. Our beloved Mariners came out of the gate scorching (at least relatively speaking), taking series after series. Felix and Bedard were dominating. Washburn, in his walk year, was going deep into games (but still not getting any run support). Carlos Silva even won a game. And the offense was doing just enough to win. Life was good. 

But just as soon as the M's started getting noticed -- shooting up power ranking lists, showing up in ESPN.com columns about surprising starts, getting a rare cameo appearance on SI's Hot List -- they almost instantaneously fell apart. It was like Britney Spears' career.

The Mariners were 15-10 on May 3 after a thrilling 8-7 win over genius GM Billy Beane's latest edition of the A's. By the time I received my Sport Illustrated copy (the one where we showed up on the Hot List) three days and three losses later, we were already free fallin' like Tom Petty. We're 2-9 since May 3, highlighted by 6 game losing streak. 

No one, and I repeat no one, saw the Mariners hot start coming. And the fall, while frustrating hasn't been surprising. 

But let's keep this in perspective. That five weeks of contention was five weeks more fun than we had all year, when, according to my memory banks, we were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention by May. 

After last night's Ichiro-powered win, the M's are 17-19 and 4.5 games behind the Rangers. Morrow doesn't blow those final two in Arlington and we're 19-17 and just 2.5 back. 

The Mariners are not as good as their start, but definitely not as bad as this last stretch. 

There should be no doubt that, despite losing our best hitter and our closer in off-season, we're better than we were last year. 

Good enough to contend? Probably not. But good enough to finish .500? I think so. I say that knowing that we should and hopefully will trade Bedard, Washburn and Beltre to restock the depleted farm system. 

(On a relevant side note: A little piece of me dies every time I see Adam Jones hitting a home run or Chris Tillman rising to the top of prospect rankings. Bavasi, your ineptitude has scarred this city's sports landscape more than anyone not named Howard Schultz. If I see you on the street, we'll have problems. I've already alerted my lawyers to the possibility.) 

For me, the Mariners' start was like hooking up with a really hot girl you know is way out of your league. You know it won't last, but you enjoy it while it does. And, more importantly, it will give you confidence in the future. 

Well, I guess it's either that, or it crushes your soul and you turn into the Green River Killer. In any case, the point is, things have changed for the Mariners, for the better, and I'm enjoying the ride.  

 

I Told You So: Losing All Part of M's Plan

A lot of panic in Marinerland today. Three losses to division leading Texas; two more blown saves by Brandon Morrow. Mariner blogs are in flames. For most of the past month, many writers here and everywhere proclaimed the M's to be a contender. Heck, even national sages like Ken Rosenthal posted last week that the M's won't be sellers.

Not me.

The tide bobs up and down, but I, The Doubter, keep telling you, "75 wins." The plan was never to win this year. Honestly, the plan doesn't include contending in the year 2010. This year is about:

1. Seeing who can play (Gutierrez, Lopez, Morrow, and a few of the relievers)
2. Restocking the farm system through the draft
3. Making trades to increase overall talent (The July 31 Trading Deadline)
4. Developing the kids already on the farm (Raben, Saunders, Carp, Tui, etc.).
5. Shedding payroll

It would have been nice (but a pipe dream) to contend. However, contending would've complicated Jack Z's plan and might have been a public relations disaster. The M's would have to consider foregoing potential trades in order to stay competitive. While no one wants to lose, I am sure that Jack Z isn't that upset that the M's will probably be 10-20 games under by August.

It was fool's gold that the M's were contenders in the 2007 season. As a result, management made one of the worst trades in franchise history serving up Adam Jones (top 10 hitter in the AL and possible All-Star) + George Sherill (All-Star closer) + 3 high ceiling pitching prospects in exchange for malcontent loser Erik Bedard. The M's will regret that deal for the next 15 years. How much better would the M's be if they hadn't performed surprisingly well in 2007?

This time, let's build something right. Let's trust Jack Z to go out and build the core of a winning team. Remember the M's in the mid 1990s? A lineup that featured monster hitters like: Griffey, Buhner, Martinez, Tino, Blowers, Wilson and Cora (and A-Rod for a little while). We need to get back to that model.

So, rather than have any expectations or hard feelings, let's just enjoy summertime baseball with the knowledge that we aren't on a train to nowhere like last time. This time, we're going to play Moneyball and build our club around:
* Starting pitching
* Young hitters
* Philosophy of patience and OBP
* Cheap bullpen help (high-priced closers are overrated)
* Assets, assets, assets

Patience. It's all part of the plan.

Mariners Need More Juice; Otherwise Known as My Ambivalence About the Steroid Era Essay

Calm down. Of course I'd never advocate cheating. Okay, maybe I am, kind of, in a way, but not really.  

Look at the Mariners walking-corpse of an offense and raise your hand if you'd rather have the 2005 Adrian Beltre, even if you knew he was on the juice? Who wouldn't like to see Popeye-armed Bret Boone, circa 2001, hitting in the Mariners' 3 slot? 

I think lots of people have a difficult time talking about steroids, aka, "the juice." It gets in the way of us focusing on, and enjoying without distractions, the games, the results, the standings, and, of course, the statistics. 

I love stats. I know more useless sports stats than I know anything else. I'm not proud of this, it's just who I am. Stats are like a big bowl of cookie dough ice dream to me. Sports junk food at its best. Growing up, I'd spend hours, face pressed to the Seattle PI (RIP!) sports page, looking through every box score, starting with the Mariners and then moving on to my other favorite teams, most of them smaller market teams in the Senior Circuit -- the Pirates, Expos, Brewers and Reds. (I've always like the Twins too. What can I say? I'm a sucker for the underdog.) 

And baseball's the best, because it's new stats daily, like a little Christmas present waiting for you every morning -- or now, in the internet age, whenever you want them. (I just looked up Edgar's yearly stats and started to cry). 

I deeply lament the fact that steroids has completely perverted our view of statistics. (RIP baseball's ability to compare players of different eras!)

It's not a stretch, or in any way blasphemous for me to say that I believe a majority of big leaguers were or are currently using performance enhancing drugs. Forget about Manny, Rocket, Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, I could have guessed about those guys. (Though I seriously believed Manny wasn't smart enough or was too lazy to even try steroids. I guess Scott Boras is more persuasive and devious than we could have ever imagined. Snap.) 

But what really blew my mind was looking on an ESPN ticker one night and seeing Ryan Franklin suspended. Ryan Franklin? Seriously? Busted? Are you sure it wasn't for walking too slowly off the mound every inning? If Ryan Franklin was juicing to be a solid, but admittedly overachieving fifth starter, then anything was possible. 

So what now? Our kinds and our grunts have been busted. What are we to think about the stats? What do we think about our beloved hometown heroes who may been taking testosterone or HGH or The Clear or feminine fertility drugs? Why can't I stop ending every sentence with a question mark? 

The reason I can't answer any of those questions is because they just lead to more questions. There's no easy answers. It makes my head hurt just thinking about it. It makes my love of sports die just a little every time I'm forced to think about it. (Luckily, our Local sports writers have Griffey around to put a positive spin on all negative implications whatever the most recent revelation brings about.)

But we have to talk about it, we've been talking around it for at least 15 years. We've avoided the conversation for so long we can't even wrap our brains around it. 

In my brain, there were two camps among fans in baseball: those who took a technical approach to answering the questions andd those who went with their gut and their eyesight. 

The technical people will tell you that you can't assume someone's been using roids unless they test positive. Back in 2003/4, loads of fans, especially those in the Bay (the technical approach is always easier when talking about your hometown players), said to themselves and other haters, "Sure Barry went from never hitting 40 bombs in a year to destroying the single-season home run record while being intentionally walked every other at-bat, looks like Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler and his head appears on the verge of explosion." But he's never tested positive. Hogwarts, I say. Everyone knew it, some just just chose to ignore it. Basically, what I'm saying is that whatever approach you took, you knew. Some just to chose to ignore it. 

Others, like me, just kept on rolling with the punches. It's still just a game. And as that wise sage Omar from The Wire would say: It's all part of the game. 

I remember watching Boonie in 2001, his arms looking like they were filled with cantaloupes, his legs a pair of short Redwoods. Everything he hit literally jumped off his bat -- into gaps, over fences. He went from a decent to mediocre hitter to a monster. He turned in the greatest season a second baseman probably will ever have. It was my favorite time following the team since 1995.

We watched and cheered and never questioned why, at 32, Bret Boone had instantly turned into one of the most dangerous mashers in the game. We loved the bat flip, the inside out back pockets, the fact he danced on tables with 19-year-old chicks at Tiki Bob's. 

But more than that, we loved that the Mariners team and the fact they won more games in a season than all but one other team in more than a century of major league baseball. And Boone was the straw that stirred the drink.

Boone put up two more almost as impressive seasons, then fell off in 2004 and then jumped off a cliff wearing concrete boots in 2005 and that was it. 

Toward the excruciatingly painful end, my friends and I half-jokingly remarked after every warning track fly ball: "Obviously, Boonie needs to get back on the juice."

And by half-joking, I mean we were dead serious. Just don't get caught. 

I'd rather steroids were not part of the equation, but since they are, that's how I feel about them right now. I can't help it. I still love following the Mariners and baseball. Nothing fazes me any more. 

Yo Adrian, I know this guy at my gym. Call me. 

  

Sweeney's classy, Ichi won't dive

Great two-part blog yesterday from Mariner Reporter Shannon Drayer of 710 KIRO.

For those who are adamant about the insignificance of "clubhouse guys", there's a great entry in there about what Mike Sweeney brings to the whole team concept -- off the field. Just another great example of what leadership means to a young team trying to find itself. When times like now are tough, it's great to hear stories like this versus stories of how the team is fractured. I know, I know, it's all about wins and losses...

The blog goes on to speculate on why Ichiro seemingly will not dive for a ball and debates the actual effectiveness of diving with some great quotes from Junior.

For the record, I have NEVER seen Ichiro dive. And I don't care what physics state, I've played outfield for many, many years, and I can tell you with 100% confidence there are balls you can only get to by diving for them.

Enjoy.

Tuesday Top 10: Greatest M's plays

There sure are a lot of them in the Mariners' relatively short history, but today's Top 10 is my version of the greatest plays in the team's history. The idea behind these was what individual plays really stand out, not to be confused with the top greatest moments in Mariners history, like the record-breaking wins of 2001, etc.

With that in mind, here are my best individual player moments:

10. Junior goes full-tilt into the wall to make catch, breaks wrist: Until you've played baseball -- and outfield at that -- you really can't appreciate how remarkable it is to see a player go full speed into the wall to make a catch. It's next to impossible to not have the instinct to let up, but Junior's catch on May 27, 1995 robbing Kevin Bass' seventh-inning fly ball to deep center proved the Kid was willing to do anything to help his team in that magical year. The Ms won that game over the Baltimore Orioles 8-3, but on the play Griffey fractured his wrist and was out for three months. One of the greatest catches I've ever seen.

9. Mike Cameron robs Jeter's home run: Cameron's snagging of a Derek Jeter home run from over the fence was a fitting introduction to Mariner fans still reeling from losing Junior, as it occurred on April 7, 2000, Cammy's first season with the Ms. I can remember it as if it was yesterday -- Cameron scales the wall and robs both Jeter and a drunk guy in the beer garden in perfect position awaiting the souvenir.

8. Ichiro throws out Terrance Long: Much like the previous play, this play was really Ichiro's introduction to (in this case MLB) that he wasn't just a slap-hitting Japanese speedster, he also had arguably the most lethal arm in baseball, something not everyone may have known. The play occurred in April 2001 -- right at the beginning of Ichiro's first season with Seattle and from that moment on, few tested his arm. The throw came in Oakland when Long was trying to stretch a ground-ball single from first to third when #51 threw an absolute bullet from mid-right field on a frozen rope to a waiting David Bell right on the bag for an easy tag. Said Ichiro on the throw: “The ball was hit right to me. Why did he run when I was going to throw him out?” My thoughts exactly, Wizard.

7. Felix Hernandez grand slam at Shea: Impressive because a) He was the AL first pitcher to hit a grand slam in 37 years and the only Mariner pitcher to ever go deep, b) Felix was an AL pitcher that never got ABs, and c) it was off Johan Santana. Unfortunately for Ms fans, it typified the team's offensive struggles as the June 23 highlight was only one of a handful last season.

6. Griffey Jr. & Sr. go back-to-back: A moment that had never happened before and probably won't ever again due to the stars that have to align. The Griffeys had already become the first father-and-son tandem to play on the same big league team, and on September 14, 1990 in Anaheim, Senior came to bat in the first inning with a runner on base and none out. He sent a Kirk McCaskill pitch over the fence in left-center field for his third home run of the season. There to greet him at home plate was the on-deck batter, Junior. "That's how it's done, son," Senior said. Junior stepped to the plate and hit a ball to almost the exact same spot in left-center for his 20th home run of the season, becoming the first father/son tandem to go deep back-to-back.

5. Carlos Guillen's bunt to win ALDS: October 6, 2000. Guillen lays down a magnificent bunt in the bottom of the ninth to score Rickey Henderson with the winning run to defeat the the White Sox 2-1 and sweep the series and advance to the ALCS.

4. Mike Cameron's fourth homer of the game: On May 2, 2002 in Chicago, Cameron tied a Major League record when he hit four home runs in one game. Interestingly in his fifth and final at-bat, he hit it to the warning track, just missing what would have been the MLB record.

3. "The Catch": April 26, 1990, Yankee Jesse Barfield hit a Randy Johnson offering that traveled deep to left-center field, destined to become his 200th career home run. But Junior sped to the fence, leaped, and made a sensational catch. It left those watching in suspense until he took the ball out of his glove and showed the umpire it was indeed an incredible home-run-robbing catch. The image of Griffey sprinting off the field wearing the famous grin of his is indelible.

2. Ichiro's 258th hit: October 1, 2004. Ichiro gets his 258^th hit of the season to break George Sisler's 84 year-old single-season record for most hits, driving a 3-2 pitch up the middle off Texas pitcher Ryan Drese. It is widely considered the most important historic achievement ever by a Seattle Mariner. Ichiro would end the season with 262 hits total.

1. Edgar's double: Not much suspense here, the shot heard around Seattle is widely thought as the greatest moment in Mariners' history and one of the tops in the city's history for all teams. The Mariners would go down 0-2 in New York, and when the series went back to Seattle the Ms would battle back to win the next two games to force a decisive fifth game. That game would go into extra innings with the Yankees taking a one-run lead in the 11^th inning. In the bottom half of the inning, Gar would win the game for the Mariners with the game-winning double to drive in Junior, giving the Ms the series win 3-2 and a spot in the ALCS.

Monday Morning Musings, May 11

The Muse Man spent most of Sunday drinking, hoping the M's would win (but Bedard wouldn't; he was on an opponent's fantasy squad), getting sunburned in several odd places (the inner knee is quite painful), watching a cheap comedy show in Brooklyn (saw the Daily Show's Wyatt Cenac trying out some new material and a duo called the "Boston Boys," one of whom wasn't from Boston, and that was their whole schtick) and then finally watching Glen "Big Baby" Davis sink the Magic on a last-second 17-footer from the corner. Dude looked like a swollen, gravity-bound Keith Smart.

Anyway, like most people on Mondays, I'm starting out the work week exhausted. This must be why our economy stinks and America is fat -- we spend our Sundays drinking, getting sunburned and watching sports. But hey, at least we enjoy ourselves.

Here's what I'm thinking this morning:

-The Celtics-Magic (or as I like to call it, Ray vs. Rashard) and Rockets-Lakers (A Bunch of Scrappy Dudes vs. Bitch-ass Kobe) are both going 7 games. I'm going with the Cs because of experience and because their best player is now a guy named Big Baby. And I'm picking the Rockets, just because I hate Kobe. And Sasha Vujacic. And Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Pau Gasol's gaping mouth. And I think Phil Jackson is a self-absorbed jerk who wrongly thinks he's the god-damn Buddha or something. Oh, and all Laker fans are dicks.

But it won't matter. In the end, the Lebrons will win the championship.

Funny, I talked to a Knicks fan the other day (and I'm 98% sure this is how all Knicks fans are thinking right now) who told me he really hopes the Cavs win the title so Lebron and Cavs fans won't feel so bad when he signs with the Knicks after the 2010 season. It's going to happen. Then the NBA will move the Cavs to Seattle. The NBA, where fan suicide happens.

-The Muser is admittedly a glass half-full kind of guy. Which is I have no problem with the M's being .500, 16-16, at this point in the season and still hold on to hope that we can hang around in the West. If anybody had told me in March that the M's would be .500 through mid-May, I'd take it and be happy.

-Positive signs from this weekend: Beltre, Junior and Lopez all starting to swing the bat better. Closer Brandon Morrow is back, albeit a little shaky in his first action.

-Signs of pending doom: Bedard went less than 5 innings. Yuni still swings at every pitch he sees. Branyan looking much more like the player no one was willing to play every day for the first 12 years of his career. Felix hitting the skids. I could go on, but want to continue keeping up the illusion that there's hope is still alive.

-You heard it here first: The Seahawks should sign Michael Vick and make him our starting running back. I will flesh this out later, but think about for a minute. The Hawks need a RB. Vick needs a job. He's probably all buffed up from jailhouse workouts. Prior to incarceration, he was unquestionably the most dynamic runner in the NFL since Barry Sanders. He needs a position switch: his potential as a championship QB was in question even before going to prison. Mora knows Vick than any coach outside of Frank Beamer. Seattle's a very forgiving town. Imagine possibilities.

5 Random Thoughts About the Game Last Night

Here's a handful of random thoughts and observations from last night's 6-5 loss to the Rangers. Enjoy.

1. Has anyone sat out of a game before due to an "inflamed colon?"

Here's Griffey's explanation:

"I know exactly what it is -- inflamed colon. It can range from things you eat, to mood swings, loss of a little puppy. It is just sore. It will be all right. It just comes on when it wants to. It started this morning."

2. I almost spit up my chicken BBQ sandwich in the 9th inning when Yuni walked for the first time in 97 at bats. People in the crowd were actually chanting, "Don't swing!"

3. Franklin Gutierrez is a player. It is time for Wak to think about putting Guti back in the two hole and switching Chavez into the 8 or 9 spot in the lineup.

4. Is Beltre ever going to go deep again? Clean-up hitters should NOT have zero homers in 106 at bats. I realize the guy is gritty, plays injured and mans the hot corner without a cup but enough already! Let's go Adrian!!

5. Branyon is a stud. They don't call him "Russell the muscle" for no reason. The guy is hitting a cool .320 with 7 HR's and 15 RBIs in only 75 at bats. He is the only person in our lineup opposing teams are pitching around.

Cut Fatty Now

No one hates Carlos Silva more than I do.

I hated him from the moment the M's signed him in December 2007. The Twins considered DFAing Silva after he was awful from 2004-2006. During that time, opponents were hitting .300+ against him. Silva shocked the world by putting together a decent season in 2007, shockingly, his walk year to free agency.

Somehow, Silva's agent defrauded the M's into believing that Silva was an "innings eater" who would perform even better outside of the Metrodome. Bill Bavasi drove a truckload of money to Silva's house and was easily the high bidder when no one wanted him. Not surprisingly, the Twins made no effort to re-sign Silva and called up a AAA starter instead.

Carlos Silva must be released as soon as possible.

He can't pitch, teammates don't like him (he affects so-called "team chemistry"), reporters don't like him, and he's preventing better, younger players from showing their stuff. We'll never know if Jason Vargas or Garrett Olsen can pitch unless we open a slot for them -- Silva's slot. At the very least, the club will improve simply by not having him pitch.

Jack Z, for the good of the ballclub, please put Carlos Silva out of his misery. And do Miguel Batista next.

Monday Morning Musings, May 4

The Muse is tired from a weekend filled with Mint Juleps and Mariner marathon comebacks. We're like a fat kid after too much cake -- we need a nap. Nevertheless, our somnolent state will not prevent us from randomly musing about sports this, and every, Monday morning.

-Hummer stretch limo-sized win for the Mariners last night. Jose Lopez continues his tradition as the "Even Steven" of the team: for every terrible play he makes in the field, he gets a game-winning hit. I'll take it.

What I'm gathering from watching this team, from what's being written by print columnists and bloggers (even The Doubter isn't so doubtful anymore!), is that this team is mentally tough and hungry. And what's more: they actually like each other. Crazy, right? Just look on the front page of the Times sports site. Ichiro looks as giddy as a Japanese school girl (and is about the size of one) jumping into what looks like the beginning of a massive man-hug between Lopez and Beltre. Inspiring? Definitely. Slightly homoerotic? Absolutely.

-The Seahawks signing of Leroy Hill gives us the best linebacking trio in the league, period. But without pressure from the front four -- Hello undnerachieving Lawrence Jackson, Kearney "the Gurney," Daryl (Un)Tapp(ed Potential) -- they will still have trouble stopping teams on third down.

-Spent Saturday afternoon working on a column about my obsession with the Bulls-Celtics series, but then the Kentucky Derby and a bottle of Maker's Mark happened.

Horse racing is not something we usually write about here, mostly because none of us know anything about it, but, if you missed it, Saturday's race was fascinating and thrilling. Mine That Bird was nowhere to be seen until the last turn. From that point on, Bird looked like he was moving in fast-forward while the rest of the field was in slow mo. He darted in an out of the pack like Barry Sanders and absolutely crushed the competition.

-Bulls-Celtics, bottom line: Best. Series. Ever. If nothing else exciting happens for the rest of the playoff, at least the NBA gave us this.

-Blazers were manhandled by the Rockets. Hit the weight room this summer kids.

-My English mate, James, paid $15 to get into a bar to watch his fellow countryman, Ricky Hatton, get his face turned into Shepherd's Pie by Manny Pacquiao. I felt he got ripped off, but James said Pac Man was so impressive it was worth it. When Pac Man fights Pretty Boy Floyd Mayweather, I might even shell out the $15 to watch it.

-Thanks to a gift from my sister, I'm once again a Sports Illustrated reader. They've rewarded me with a great story on Ken Griffey Jr. two weeks ago and brief about the Sounders last week. I don't care what people say: SI still has the best writing in all of sports media.

Tuesday Top 10: Worst Seattle team uniforms

Remember that glorious Chicago summer day in 1976 when, if you were one of the privileged few to take in a game at Comisky you witnessed your beloved White Sox trot onto the field with collared jerseys and SHORTS?

Those uniforms will go down in infamy, as will these local favorites we've had to endure over the years:

1. Mariners "Futuristic Night" in 1999. MLB's "Turn Ahead the Clock" promotion, which featured 20 big league teams wearing futuristic uniforms over the course of 14 games during the summer of '99 will be a source of uniform ridicule for years, the Mariners included. The series was actually sponsored by Century 21. Coincidentally, there's a former Century 21 marketing executive now doing infomercials for food dehydrators in Alaska.

2. Lambright's purple helmets. Talk about breaking tradition. I actually know a guy that played at UW during this era. The cool thing about being a player is you get to keep your helmet after you graduate. The shitty thing is if you're a former UW player in your early 30s, this giant grape is most likely what adorns your mantle.

3. Sonics, mid-90s. Or should they have been called the "Comics" as that's what the lettering resembled. And can anyone explain adding crimson to their color palate? Maybe they should have considered bringing it back years later, as those unis were the last to see an NBA final.

4. Seattle Thunderbirds Halloween jerseys, 2002. I can't figure out if the T-birds were trying to be clever or sell Fruit Loops with these.

5. The teal Mariners' alternate jerseys of the mid-90s. Let's face it: Teal went out with the Unit's mullet a long time ago.

6. The Purple People Eaters. Apparently in the mid-80s, UW forgot gold was the school's other color.

7. These radioactive Hawks' jerseys...if they ever see the field. Cough cough "Sounders ripoff" cough cough.

8. UW basketball, circa late-90s. I'm not so against the uniform itself, although the script "Huskies" looks a bit sissy. But the redundant "Dawgs" on the shorts was unnecessary.

9. The Hawks jerseys of the late 80s. Rude mesh. Actually, I just wanted to link a pic of the Boz.

10. The new Sonics uniforms. Weird...they got the colors, and the city name wrong?

Monday Morning Musing, April 27

Happy Monday and welcome to the latest installment of Monday Morning Musings, where we rip and riff on Seattle sports and all things related.

-Lucky, interesting and productive draft for the Seahawks.

Lucky in that stud LB Aaron Curry, perhaps the best player int the draft fell to them at number 4.

Interesting in that it allowed the team to remove the franchise tag from the disgruntled and oft-injured LB Leroy Hill. Hill still might re-sign with the team, but if he doesn't, it frees up $8.3 million to go after a free agent, like a safety who can actually tackle (Yes, I'm talking to you Brian Russell) or cover somebody (Mr. Grant, you're old and slow and your days are numbered).

Productive in that we picked up speed at receiver in Deon Butler, a versatile center in Max Unger to push Chris Spencer (or replace his underachieving ass altogether), a tough, athletic and smart QB prospect in Mike Teel (he willed Rutgers to a bowl game this year after a 1-5 start). Plus, they picked up an additional 1st round pick next year.

Well done, Ruskell. How many days till training camp?

-By the way, Max Unger will also be the name of the new death metal band I'm starting with Nirvana's Krist Novaselic, the old guitarist for Soundgarden, Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie and the two bald dudes who played two-stringed guitars from the Presidents of the United States of America.

-That's the old Washedupburn we've been missing all season. Good to have you back and keeping our expectations low.

-Great pro hoops yesterday, starting with an absolute thriller of a double-OT game between Celtics and Bulls (Ray Allen = clutch; Paul Pierce = half-clutch, for every time he come up big, he blows it) and then ending with a tough loss for my Blazers in Houston, bringing B-Roy and Nate to the brink of elimination.

-I'm trying to be a Sounders fan. Really, I'm trying. Why is this so hard! They won again on Saturday and Kasey Keller is dominating betweent he pipes at the age of 57. Not sure if this reflects well on Keller and the Sounders or badly on the state of talent in the MLS. (This week, Wetland promises to investigate the Sounders blogosphere and get all the inside goo on our city's newest pro franchise. We'll publish our findings on Saturday.)

-Despite the wishy-Washy performance last night, I believe the M's can win the division if Felix and Bedard stay healthy and productive all season, mostly because the rest of our division sucks. But also because Griffey has reinvented himself at 39 as the team's dirty old uncle, keeping the team loose and well-stocked with porn and cheap beer for the rest of the season.