Great post, Maui. Aqualung, was a Horse Badorties character if there ever was one. Sign me up for the M's fan lawsuit. Is this how you envision your consummate plaintiff?

Sitting on a park bench
eyeing little girls with bad intent.
Snot running down his nose
greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
Drying in the cold sun
Watching as the frilly panties run.
Feeling like a dead duck
spitting out pieces of his broken luck.

As RAUUUUUUL would say, ScottM , "hit the nail on the head"

My thoughts exactly.

uhhhh Go M's?

Any team that has a manager that's dumb enough to insert Cairo and his .000 average in the 2-hole, doesn't deserve to win. Also, a team with a GM that keeps Cairo over Norton on this team doesn't deserve to win. Furthermore, a team with top brass that apparently doesn’t know anything about baseball, and therefore can't see any of this doesn't deserve to win. There are countless other bone-headed moves that could be mentioned, all with a sub-standard GM as the common denominator.

The only thing Mac has done right since becoming manager is to hire some outstanding coaches. If this is all he can get out of the team, he should be replaced.

You can’t even refer to the M’s as “lovable losers”… “Losers” will have to suffice.

I am totally convinced that this team is going absolutely nowhere until changes are made at the top. Until that happens, I am done expending energy on following this bush-league operation.

After the game Mac takes full responsibility for how the team is playing, as he should.

If this doesn't turn around almost immediately I'm not sure Mac is even going to get the curteous imfamous 'Vote of Confidnece'.

If the same thing happens tomorrow we should here about a vote of confidence on Monday, or we may not here of one at all.

One note: in the past two games everyone has botched a play in the field other than Richie, Kenji (only one game), and the two kids. Would that be making a statement?

I am going to play MLB the show on my PS3. At least I can score more than 1 run / game.

Wow Geoff...what's next??!!

Ironically everybody, including myself, have been promoting trading for Griffey AND/OR Dunn!

But even Dunn is batting a mere 212BA and only 4 HRs, Griffey is not doing much better in 2008...THUS the interest the Reds have in trading them.

Thome is another one that has been dissappointing.

I know Dunn will be hitting 40+ HRs, and JR will hit 30+, and Thome will hit 30-40.

I'm honestly out of ideas...except just let them play and figure out how to adjust! Clement & Wlad were a start, but they BOTH are going to go through ups-and-downs in 2008.

I know, I know. Hear, not here. My proof reading is as bad as this team's defense. I guess it is contagous.

McLaren's mood seems depressed and defeated. That is NOT the type of leadership this team needs! I want to see him pissed off, angry, and speaking with fire. The players need a kick in the butt every once in a while and I don't see him doing that. 13-18 is not insurmoutable, but this team needs to find some pop and it begins with their manager.

Well, at least Ichiro's chosen managed had the sand to take responsibility for his failings. I don't believe that he is a competent manager, but at least he's not going with the "why can't I just eat my waffle" way of thinking. He's just in way over his head. I'm looking forward to the day when he can be a bench coach again.

This team is boring to watch, which is bad for business. There isn't much that can be done now, which is why this season could turn into a disaster in a hurry. For as much as the team overachieved last year, it appears they are going to do the exact opposite this year. Where would this team be without its starting pitching. This is UGLY

ya Mac brought in alot of great coaches, he also kept one (pentland) who coaching the team about as good as a retard

Ichiro's chosen manager, that is.

The sooner this club jettisons Richie Sexson, the sooner it will be on the path toward respectability.

McLaren seems like he not ready for the job. His lineups and use of the bullpen are curious.

I'd like to see Vidro at first, or Clement groomed for the job.

This team also needs left handed power, and a lineup that does not get psyched by hitting in Safeco, and then it carries over when on the road.

In addition, when they let Guillen go, they lost a fire and toughness that is now sorely lacking.

I think that rather than trying to patch the team up with some more aging veterans (like Griffey), maybe they should realize that this isn't going to be the year, and trade a few veterans for prospects. As in, rebuild.

I know everyone hates rebuilding, but if you aren't going to contend it's more fun to watch prospects play than old broken down veterans.

In the meantime, people should note that having a good starting rotation is not necessarily enough to contend.

since the season's now over, what would the angels/red sox/yankees/indians etc give up for bedard in terms of prospects? could we actually get more than we paid in jones and company? bedard to either anaheim or boston would pretty much guarantee them the ws.

how many prospects would they give up for ichiro?

seattle wins the WS in 2011 baby!!!

Bring back Norton and Jimerson. Unload Cairo or Bloomquist and/or Burke and/or 12th pitcher. Norton can play some 1B when Sexson needs to sit. DH when Clement catches. Jimerson replaces the speed of Cairo and can relieve Balentin in right when the rook needs to sit. Norton and Jimerson have decent power and would be a very reasonable upgrade to an offensivley weak bench.
Norton is a proven switch hitting pinch hit specialist and Jimerson has speed and defensive skills. Why not?

"We put their names in the lineup and it's up to them to hit. If that doesn't work, we'll look at other options."

Barry Bonds had a nice chuckle at that comment.

This team needs the players to care about winning. They can "say" they care, but don't say it, SHOW IT!!! If you're not hitting and are frustrated, take a bat to the water cooler in the dugout! If you're missing your pitches, throw your glove around in the dugout!! Come on team . . . SHOW US YOU CARE!!!!! WE do as fans, but we can't do anything except type in all caps to show our frustration! Let it go! Show your colors! A little . . . no a LOT OF FIRE on this team is what is needed!!!

The problem in baseball is it's not as much an effort/aggression sport like football or basketball.

In those two sports it's easier to "light a fire" because the player/team can "get amped" and take charge on the playing field.

Baseball is more of a skill/talent/finesse sport where extra aggression will just cause more problems.

By Mac yelling at the boys this afternoon doesn't mean Sexson and Vidro can go up to the plate tomorrow more "amped up" and start knocking the ball around.

So though it may look good, I don't think a manager lighting a fire under a team does anything.

Maybe this team snaps out of it's offensive funk tomorrow, but saying it was Mac's yelling would be incorrect.

Thoughts, Geoff?

Zona is the one who hit the nail on the head. You can add "Any org that signs Johjima to a 3 year deal when they have Clement ready to play in the majors" to your list of organizational incompetencies. Plus: when are they going to realize that playing the MLB's least rangy LF in the MLB's most spacious left field is a recipe for disaster?

Here is an idea. Nick Johnson is in a slump right now for the Nationals. Yet, he is probably far from done as a hitter. He has plenty of line drive, extra base power and is as patient a hitter as the rest of the M's are not. trade a couple of B/C grade prospects for him. Bring up Jeremy Reed to play LF. Employ a DH platoon of Raul against righties and Richie against lefties. This maximizes their offensive strengths, limits their weaknesses and eliminates their inability to play effective defense. Reed and Johnson are both above average to plus defenders and should hit better than Vidro or a full time Sexson. Oh....Vidro becomes a plus pinch hitter who can spell at DH or 1B plus his insane 9 million dollar option for 09 wouldn't vest.

Also, lets hope Jarrod Washburn strings together 3 good starts in a row so we can jettison his arse to a contender with a weak rotation for a useful bench part/mid-level prospect and put either Baek or Dickey in the 5 spot.

Wait...these moves make sense. Of course, they won't get done.

"Also, lets hope Jarrod Washburn strings together 3 good starts in a row."

Reality had a nice chuckle at that comment.

You really have to watch a manager and the decisions they make to evaluate how good they are. Watch how they present themselves to their respective teams, and the media. From Pat Riley to Don Shula in their prime, to Lou Piniella. A leader stands out among a crowd.

Mac really is drowning here, he's not assertive of his decisions, he is soft-spoken and too passive to be in a position of leadership. He appears more comfortable if he were in the back of the room away from the spot light. Bavasi yet again, made a poor hiring.

The lack of discipline from the manager has been apparent from the passive no-sense of urgency play by the team. Mac isn't the lone person to blame, but he is part of the problem. I understand he is unaccountable for his game strategy by the media, but most fans understand Mac is over his head.

Ah, who cares? This team isn't worth watching anymore. Summer's almost here, and this means I won't have to spend time, energy and/or money on the baseball team. Yes, I've passed from anger to antipathy. BABVA, M's owners.

Posted by Not Happy

You don't think so?

Remember two years ago when Jim Leyland ripped into an underperforming Tigers team, publicly? They immediately turned it around and wound up with the best recored in the AL.

Remember Sweet Lou ripping into his players publicly last year? They immediately turned it around, won the NL Central and went to the playoffs.

Managers, good mangers who understand leadership and how to puch buttons can indeed fire up a team, turn it around and turn losers into winners. Unfortunately, Johnny Mac ain't one of them. You would have thunk the Ms would have figured out why he had been a bench coach all those years and never been offered the #1 job. Looks like every other team, including the Ms when he was here before had him figured out. Good bench coach that spoke when spoken to, bad manager.

if mac was smart he would be starting bloomquist. power to the alleys is what we need, the vet leadership by perlozzo is enough.

Swinging at bad pitches is just sloppy baseball plain and simple.

This team helps the other pitcher out way too often. Ichiro's OBP says it all. The offense won't get any better until somebody connects the dots.

BTW- This team is dull, no visible leadership. Guillen's role was understated. Yes, vocal leaders can help in baseball.

"I'd like to see Vidro at first, or Clement groomed for the job." --- ErikD

Actually, Clement hasn't looked so bad behind the plate so far. Then, again, no one has had reason to run on him.

Still, no position switches until next ST. Mid-season is not the time to switch guys around. Not at the major league level, anyway. Let's see how he does.

And, Vidro isn't going to be around next year, anyway. Unlikely Sexson, as well.

Where's the box score?

If we want to make in impact this season, lets put Ichiro on the trading block.Take all offers, but no players over 28 years old. Throw in any position players except Raul,and don't deplete the minor league system. Deal from a position of strength, not weak like we always do. Now is the time to completely revamp the look of the team. If not, I'm calling for a Boycott of the M's.

Not time to throw in the towel. We need to get an outfield bat so we can send Balentin back down to get more work in AAA. He is not ready and won't help us out right now. The next ten games after tomorrow are HUGE! We play 7 out of 10 vs Texas and 3 vs CWS. We could very easily win 7 or 8 of those games. I wish JJ would have thrown an inning. Just get him some work to where he will get back to his old self. I don't think we are in panic mode yet, the next 10 games will be huge for us.

If we can go out and get a Griffey or a Dye, it would be a huge help for this team. We need some leadership and although Griffey isn't Mr. Leader, he is much better than what we have now. He also can still get the job done, last year having an OPS of .870. Manny Ramirez had a .880 OPS last year. Junior's OPS last year was better than any Mariner, including Ichiro and Raul. His OPS is down this year, but it is early. I just think overall it would be great to bring Griffey back. Not to mention how much the average Seattle fan would love it. It would sell the seats, which in turn means more money for payroll. Well, I take that back because the Mariner organization tries to run a baseball team like Starbuck's. It would be great for the Mariners to be the Kid home. He can still turn it on and is a gamer, as shown by last year's series at Safeco hitting 2 bombs and picking up a few other hits. Pitchers are also very fearful of Junior. We need a left-handed outfield bat and it simply makes sense to go get him. It shouldn't cost too much in prospects, and Cincy wants to make the move to make room for their young stud Jay Bruce.

I understand the frustration. I am as angry as anyone. It is heart-breaking seeing us lose these close games. It was antagonizing seeing JJ blow it.

It is a marathon, not a sprint. Just ask the Oakland A's from 2002-2006.

So Cairo 7-28 against Mussina didn't correlate into a 4-4 game? Huh. I could have never guessed he'd go 0-4. I think if Mac yells at Cairo specifically that Cairo will morph into a .400 hitter and our starting center fielder. Mac has magic beans too.

Since being a Mariner, Ritchie has always gotten off to a horrid start:

Avg through May 3:

2005 - .233 6HR 19RBI
2006 - .206 3HR 16RBI
2007 - .150 4HR 15RBI
2008 - .223 6HR 17RBI

So far this year is mirroring 2005. Let's just hope the big guy can get hot and get close to .263-39-121, the final numbers he posted in 2005.

Also, would the Mariners please can Dave Simms!!!!!!!!!! It is so hard to only have Niehaus for 3 innings this year.

Doug ...nice racism and profanity...FIGURE OUT YOUR ANGER AND HATRED AND TAKE IT ELSWHERE

Doug, you are simultaneously offensive and lack knowledge of baseball. I

f you honestly believe that Griffey in 2008 is better than Ichiro in 2008, you are simply wrong.

And while others already know this, "orientals" is an offensive term laden with a racist and colonialist ovtertones.

Justin thanks for keeping me grounded. You are right, it is still early. We just have to do something. Hopefully, we will get Griff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The next 10 games are HUGE. I think 8 games out of 10 isn't out of the question.

Doug sounds more like a NBA fan than a baseball fan. Most baseball fans are a bit more literate than Doug's posting. Maybe he is posting from OKC!

"if mac was smart he would be starting bloomquist. power to the alleys is what we need, the vet leadership by perlozzo is enough."

Is this a joke or a troll? Bloomquist is not only a crappy hitter, but doesn't have any special power to the alleys. He has 1100 career abs, and has hit 259 with a 639 OPS. 6 career home runs. He is 30 years old, so it's only downhill from here. His only use is as a utility player. Get over thinking he's a great player, because he just isn't.

Someone please explain to me why they think that Griffey is going to come gimping over here on his bad hamstrings, dragging his 248/333/410 numbers on his 38 year old back and save this team? I really don't see it.

At least after we trade our two or three remaining prospect to get him, he won't be blocking anyone. Then next year we can watch the M's peacefully circling the toilet bowl without having to worry about the future since they won't have one.

Seriously, I don't mind people being optimistic for this year, but we really need to start thinking in terms of youth if we're ever going to actually be good again.

This is the same crap you hear from the fans...

Justin H....Seriously. You cannot plan a team around last year. Things change. Seriously.

This team is nowhere near a contender. And trading the franchise to get a hitter is stupid. Griffey is not the answer.

And I love the eternal hope that Sexson is going to come around....Didn't you wait all year last year for that? Kudos for your hope!

Let's not get older to try and win. This is just a bad offensive team. It is old and slow with little to no power.

Pitching is great but I remember all the Geoff Baker's of the world talking about how we were going to win a bunch of low scoring games. Well, you got half of it right!!

As far as i'm concerned, the team we're putting on the field isn't any better than .500. so if the mariner FO is serious about winning the ws one day, we need to start talking about what our future team is going to look like, and who should be kept and become a part of that team. here's my suggestions:

- Felix is key. the guy is unbelievable and we need to lock him up longterm now while his price is still reasonable

- Ichiro has peaked, but is still far above league average, so lets trade him for some legitimate prospects

- bedard in retrospect was a bad acquisition as we don't have the stuff to win this year or next. but boston/anaheim could really use someone with his talent, and we could probably get them into a bidding war, since an extra ace in their hands may be enough to win the ALCS.

- silva/ibanez are performing well, and are probably worth a couple of legitimate prospects each from any 2008 contender

- kenji/batista are both above league average, and are probably worth some high-ceiling prospects

- sexson/vidro/washurn/etc are garbage, and we should trade them for whatever we can get

So there it is. 2008 is not going to happen- sorry. Probably not 2009 either. Lets focus on 2010 and on, and put together a WS caliber team centered around felix, balentein, betencourt, clement, morrow plus a dozen other high-ceiling prospects. THAT is how you win a championship, not by over-paying for aging, past-their-prime, stop-gap players.

Ms need to clean house starting with Chuck Armstrong. Then he can write a book about how he kept his job while running an historically bad franchise for dozens of years.

Everyone calling for Mac's head right now needas to look back at last year. A lot of people started calling for his head almost as soon as he had taken over, and after seeing the results of some of his in-game decisions. I waited until after the big collapse in August, but many people argued that this really isn't his team and you have to give him the rest of the season. At that point, I didn't agree with that argument, but that argument won out.

Now it's a new season and it's his team. Think about it. If he is fired tomorrow, then no matter what happens from here on out, it will be just like last year. Whoever replaces him will avoid accountability, and we will have that same argument thrown in our faces again; "It's not really his team"!

So with that in mind, as long as we have to suffer through this crap, so should Mac. Let him sweat it a while longer. He knows he's accountable now. If he wants to keep his job, then he will have to do everything in his power to get this team straightened out by any means necessary. As much as I find some of his decisions to be mind-boggling, I'd rather have a manager in that situation, than one who knows he won't be held accountable.

McLaren sweating it right now, guarantees shake-ups among the players and possibly hitting coach, as long as they are not performing. Mac yelling at them and lighting a fire under them may not miraculously lead to better hitting, but it sure can't hurt. As long as everyone knows he's accountable, they know thay're accountable.

Is this a slump or a habit??

From "The Natural"

"...which are so

inherently symptomatic...

...of a losing team.

The mind is a strange thing, men.

We must begin by asking it...

..."What is losing?"

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as polio.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as syphilis.

Losing is a disease...

...as contagious as bubonic plague...

... attacking one...

... but infecting all.

But curable.

Now, I want you to imagine...

...you are on a ship at sea...

...on a vast...

...gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

Gently rocking.

Gently rocking."

Guys, please pull yourselves together.

I can't wait untill the mariners put together a win streak and everyone comes flooding back onto the bandwagon. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.

For the short-term (2008), I like TwoForty’s comments: ‘bring back Norton and Jimerson.’ I’d add: unload Cairo and Burke, keep Bloomquist and Clement. Balentin’s not ready – send him back down for now.

I like Shawnuel’s post, too: ‘bring up Jeremy Reed to play LF. Employ a DH platoon of Raul against righties and Richie against lefties.’

On the ‘Griffey front’ – while bringing him back doesn’t make good ‘baseball sense,’ I think it WOULD help M’s fans for the ’08 season (ticket sales, etc.). Just make sure we’ve got the right long-term needs in mind. It would be great to have Junior ‘retire’ here, but he won’t erase the underlying issues and problems.

Pentland has to go. NOW. What he’s doing (NOT doing) IS NOT WORKING and WILL NOT WORK. Hello!?

Long-term, I say ‘ditto’ to tallahassee-mariner's fan’s post.

Finally, it’s interesting to watch moments when J-Mac and Stottlemyre are chatting in the dougout during games – Mel looks more like the Manager to me . . .

Character is the only thing that can pull a team out of a rut. Passion for the game will cause them to rise above their limitations. This team appears to have neither character or passion.

It's not too late. Gut check: Look inside and find what you need to overcome. Look at each other and find the confidence in each other to work it out together.

Leaders, rise up. The manager has to get vocal and directive instead of just seeing what happens. He has to take note of details and show he cares about what they're doing. Pinella was never afraid to point out details.The players have to see some passion and direction from the manager, or the team never will.

Now pull yourselves together is right.

I think it's good that McLaren finally said something. This has gone on WAYYYY too long. Something needed to be said and someone had to let this team know that they are playing like a bunch of wusses. Finally, Mac did something that I agree with. Now let's just hope his speech has an impact...

Why Griffey?

The team needs vocal leadership.

We have guys that lead quietly, by example. Ichiro, Beltre, and Bedard are some that come to mind. They go out and do their work. They don't say much.

We need somebody to step in and get these guys excited about baseball again. Griffey is a Hall-of-Famer who still loves the game.

I think Griffey can do for the Mariners what Thomas has done for the Athletics, and that is to help them find their joy again. Help them remember why they love the game so much that they've given their lives to it.

When these guys remember why they love the game, they'll come around.

Griffey won't help us win the pennant with his bat or his glove. He'll help us win by helping us rediscover the joy and enthusiasm that we seem to have misplaced.

Mac is in no position to yell at his players after putting Cairo at the 2-hole and then not subbing him with two(2) runners on base.

Subsequenly, Mac belongs on the bench (as a coach) and Bavasi belongs as an asst. GM somewhere. Hey, I heard the Padres are hiring.

Who didn't see an offensive (offensive it sure is) futility this season when they had Wilkerson at right and Vidro as a DH?

Did we expect .285 25 80 from Wilkerson and anything more from Vidro?

Did we really not see this coming? Not to mention Willie and Cairo as your bench?

PATHETIC!

MOJOS DEAD!

the m's have no soul, no heart, no fire no leadership, no nothing...the MOJO is indeed dead!

I have no become an official Tacoma Rainiers fan. At least the Rainiers play for something, the M's seem to play for jack. What a woefull team to watch. They got their cash, they don't care. Is there even a leader on this piece of crap team? Pathetic, just flat out LAME! LOSERS!!!!!!!!!

Excellent! Had to work today and when I saw the headline Mac goes off on team I could not have been happier. These guys needed a kick in the ass. The reason why they are losing is because they don't want to win as much as their competition. The have a good roster, they just aren't performing. Most of these guys are used to being yelled at. That is what managers do. Then you get to the bigs and the manager sits with his hands down his pants! I don't get it. This may not help, but it can't get worse. God knows its worked with Lou a lot. And it definitely paid off for Leyland a couple years ago. These team need to get a kick in the pants. Way to go Mac!

It's sad. When Richie comes up with runners on and less than two out, I hope for a walk. If he can't get a walk, I hope for a strikeout. Sometimes he does, sometimes he HITS INTO A DP...

byebye

I sometimes wonder if I would like Dave Sims better if he wasn’t given all of that promotional stuff to read. Right now he is a 2-hour-plus commercial with frequent breaks for clichés. When I have the game on TV, I almost always have it on mute. It is hard enough to watch the games now with the team being in the funk that they are in; listening to Dave Sims makes them unbearable. But, I don’t think it is all his fault – his producers get some of the credit. And it doesn’t help having to listen to the gushy-gushy pre-game crew.

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That's what the implied agreement is to post. I hope we can agree and follow it Thanks

this is a player thing. they need to hit the dang ball and they need to field it too. i played better defense in high school. it's been annoying to watch the last two games.

Moderator - change your handle to HALL MONITOR Dudley Dooright
get over yourself it's called the1st amendment biatch!!!!!

We need to get an outfield bat so we can send Balentin back down to get more work in AAA. He is not ready and won't help us out right now.

JustinH-suggesting Balentien needs more work in AAA based off 4 games is a poor way to evaluate a player. Thankfully, Wilkerson was DFA'd, so the team will allow Balentien and Clement an opportunity. Nothing I have seen so far shows me any red flags that they need to be sent immediately back down to Tacoma. Balentien is not the problem with our offense, it's our middle of the order best hitters getting paid big money.

The recent main problem is our offense:

Ibanez has 1 extra base hit the past three games, hasn't hit a home run since April 12th and he's our 3-hole hitter reserved for the best impact hitter on your team. Ibanez does not size-up with the David Ortiz and Vladimir Guerrero's of the American League contenders.

Beltre is .083, .154 OBP, and 1 hit in 12 at bats, 1 hit the past 4 games! Beltre is an overpaid medium power third baseman, who as a #4 hitter, does not size-up with the Magglio Ordonez's, Victor Martinez, Justin Morneau's of the American league contenders.

Sexson has hit .226/.324/.441 for the month of April. Sexson has 2 hits the past 3 games, hitless the past 2 games. As a #5 hole hitter he does not size-up with the Miguel Cabrera's of the A.L. contenders.

Bill Bavasi constructed this team poorly. These three key players have not lived up to their expectations for a few years now. Sure Beltre has put up decent numbers in the past but he's never been that Miguel Cabrera impact hitter he was billed as. Sexson has been a flop going on 2 years now, and Ibanez is as league average as he can be. Sure he gave us one nice career year 2 years ago but that won't ever happen again.

The manager needs to push some buttons. Be creative, mix up the line-up from lead-off all the way down to the #7 spot, then keep the rookies at the #8 and #9 spots.

If it were up to me I would wait until the end of May, then
get rid of Sexson, call-up LaHair, trade Washburn, trade Ibanez, trade Johjima, for prospects, and go in the direction of rebuild on June 1st.

Going after a Jermaine Dye would then set-off a chain of events like re-signing Sexson and then ibanez which would be prolonging more years of suffering for fans.

Don't look now fans but the Rangers are up on the A's 3-0. If they hold that lead we will be tied for Cellar Dwellers in the AL West...

Long way from being a front runner eh Geoff...

What a Frigging Fiasco.....

Lets make a little friendly wager. Mac and Bavasi are panicing, that is not conducive to young talent flourishing. I project large strikeout numbers and poor averages for both kids as they continue to press in their first legit oppotunity to be in the Bigs. This entire team is feeling the heat of not scoring runs and that will result in additional pressure on everyone in the lineup each and every at bat. Is that the enviroment for young players? The confidence that you have in these youngsters is admirable but may not be realistic. I hope I'm wrong, but I believe one and maybe both will become casulties of this pressure.

Griffey was never a vocal leader here before why would he start now?

How can the team 'rebuild' when they traded away a good chunk of their future to win now with Bedard?

do the corresponding and respective non-English translators yell at the players?? what i mean, is the interpreter bending over and yelling McLaren's tirade into Johjima's ear?

this whole organization needs a Pop Rocks enema.

if Japanese businessmen sitting in a karaoke/strip bar 4,800 miles away can order a 3 year extension on an under-achieving milquetoast - God help us all.

"Griffey won't help us win the pennant with his bat or his glove. He'll help us win by helping us rediscover the joy and enthusiasm that we seem to have misplaced."

How can you possibly know that? And if he has this power, why are the Reds in last place?

24 Errors in 30 games, only Texas and Oakland are worse in the AL. I can understand hitting going in a slump, but fielding?

In the preseason both Silva and Bedard mentioned they liked Seattle's defense. What happened to those guys? Even gold glovers like Beltre and Ichiro are making errors.

I'm glad McLaren yelled at the players after the game, they deserved it. Shows a little fire and leadership. Let's hope the bats explode tomorrow and they get back on track. They aren't this bad, but it's time for them to figure that out.

It is about time...
This is B. S....

On paper, the Mariners could be a contending team.
On the field, however, it is clear that they lack the energy and discipline to contend.

The most telling statistics are the one-run losses and the failure to rally from deficits in early innings.
It another time, they would be called quitters.

When the team returns home:

Bavasi should be dumped. McLaren should be replaced by Riggleman or Perlozzo. Ibanez, Sexson, Johjima and Washburn should be traded for whatever young talent they can bring. All have value now they are unlikely to have at the July trading deadline. Cairo should be released outright. Reed should come up from Tacoma. A new GM should be hired on the basis of his track record in judging major-league-level talent.

This team is careless and flat. McLaren clearly does not have the capacity to motivate them. He is barely able to express himself clearly in answering the simplest media questions.

Lincoln and Co. are not likely to act on any of the above until and/or unless fans stop coming to Safeco Field. That might grab their attention.

Wow, we're not even 20% of the way through the season and you're all writing it off already.

Sure, let's trade Ibanez and while we're at it, why not Beltre and Betancourt, too?

And nothing would serve this team better than to trade Bedard to our division rival.

Think we could package Putz and Clement together for some mid-level prospects?

Yeah, the offense needs to kick into gear and the defense needs to get their heads into the game. But all the elements are there. This team WILL get it together. And I think that it will pretty soon.

Win 6 of our next 8, which is certainly possible against Texas and Chicago, and this team is right back to .500.

It's easy to look to external sources to fix these problems, but this team has the talent to win the Pennant. Maybe a strategic move or two will help, but all of the ingredients are there.

"if you ain't got a bullpen you ain't got nothing."

yogi

Your attitude stinks Doug!

I love all of the past Mariners posting names from the last thread such as Scott "Take it to the Bank" Bankhead, Mike "The Ace" Schooler, Mike Moore, and Greg "Pee Wee" Briley.

Any other favorite good or not-so-good M's from the past?

After reading all the coments to this point.....lets wait and see what this big butt chewing does for the team......its still early.... I sense things will turn around at some point....a big win could be the start of something......whatever has this team in a funk....it needs to be addressed....we have good coach's and good players.....but nobody seems to be themselves lately....I'd say it more time before guttin the team.

SICK56 go to juvenile school - its your natural level.

Putzy - You wouldn't know the inside of a bullpen if it was covered in manure - go catch a shaving cream pie in the face

I want bonds,griffey or both of them . this team needs just a little more pop, not alot because with their pitching they can win almost every game if they could just score 2-4 runs every game. This team is definetly a contendor becasue you saw what they did last year and they pretty much have the same team except a better pitching staff and guillen left which is why we need griffey to fill in right field. it's early and if they can get it together and win 7-8 out of the next 10 (7 of those against texas, 3 with chi sox) they'll be back in the hunt. Remember what yogi said it aint over till it's over. Oh by the way what's with the orioles playing us like the A's used to, every time we play them we start to slide.

Did anyone notice how Ichiro always tries a little harder in front of Yankees management? If he ever wants to win he'll need to be traded and methinks he wants to be a Yankee.Does Oklahoma need a baseball team too?

That bump you just felt was the Good Ship Mariner hitting bottom. Texas just beat the A's, 6-3, to put us in a tie for last place in the AL West. Not exactly what I had in mind for the Opening Day of Boating Season...

How far can the ship sink?
"Sky's the limit".

PUT A TENT OVER THIS CIRCUS......

This is circa 1977 all over again. I don't think I've ever been as embarrassed of the Mariners as I am right now. At least in 1977 we had a bunch of stiffs in our inaugural season and there was an excuse. There is no excuse now. Not when you're paying Top 10 money - $117 million.

I didn't see Friday night's game, but I saw the replay of another little league catch (no catch) and tag attempt by Lopez. How many times is that going to happen this year? It's like he's afraid of contact and he takes his eyes off the ball. What a wimp!

And today, the Bad News Bears all over again. Two errors in one inning - by the outfield, and they weren't even on bad throws to the plate. When's the last time you've seen a major leaguer 'spike' a ball like that? I'm having a hard time remembering something like that even happening. Then Ichiro overuns a groundball basehit.

The offense this season was already enough to get me to jump off the cliff, but now with the defense, I don't know what I'm going to do. What a joke!

The 'Stat Gods' have caught up with the M's. They won too many games last year for the numbers to equate, so this year it's going the other way.

This is just a BAD baseball team. Straight up.

Throughout this blog there seems to be an agreement that the M's need to upgrade their offense, if they expect to have any post season opportunity. Some respond with a visceral emotional response calling for Bond or Griffey, who is a sentimental favorite, but I am sure there are others who would study other rosters and consider suitable players that might come available in coming weeks or months. It would seem that the latter approach might serve to be more informed, but the point is that the FO should be analyzing all trade possibilities so as to get a couple of good bats into this M's lineup. But in so doing they need to recognize that there is a non-recoverable financial loss based upon the poor decisions of the past years. The point is that the deadwood needs to be cut or traded with the ensuing losses written off no matter there extent. Players like Sexson, Vidro, Washburn, Cairo have no trade value - at best you might make a trade for a less than optimal prospect with these players as bait. As a result, there are only two options: trade the losers above with a covenant to eat their fat contracts, or simple DFA them and write off the losses.

To obtain the necessary offensive talent, it will require giving up some significant prospects, but with this pitching staff, there is still a chance to win some games and perhaps make the playoffs provided the FO makes some dynamic moves in the coming days or weeks. If Norton cleared waivers, which I am not sure, he could be added to the roster following a DFA of one of the losers - Cairo, Vidro, or Sexson. Certainly he is a better choice than Turbo, while Reed makes for a better back bench option than Cairo - Bloomquist can back up the infield. Shop Johjima for an offensive player, he may still have some trade value. Washburn might also appeal to some teams. A make over that improves the offense is essential if there is to be any remaining season - opportunity for a playoff.

Shouts and tirades will not change things, this team's offense has worn out - it won't come back anytime soon - so some dynamic trades are all that remain if there is to be a viable opportunity for this season.

Yelling at this team is like yelling at a bunch of 1st graders in order to teach them advanced calculus. It's pointless. If Mac wants to yell at someone I suspect he has Bavasi's number.

These guys weren't that good last year, just lucky. Why anyone thought they would get better as they got older is God's own mystery.

If the team fires Bavasi NOW they would have time to recruit Chris Antonetti from the Indians, and he would have time to shop Ibanez, who is our only marketable piece. I'd also like to see Antonetti try to sign Bedard to a long term deal but, if that can't get done, then he needs to be traded too.

Time to start rebuilding. Had we started this process 4 yea ago with competent management we wouldn't be in this spot today where we are one of the worse teams in the league.

Boy. The M's could sure use our bats right now!

Can anyone say larry Frickin Bowa!!!!!

SICKO

Yo mama so poor she was in K-Mart with a box of Hefty bags. I said, "What ya doin'?" She said, "Buying luggage."

So what are the players and coaches doing on Saturday night in NYC after losing 4 games in a row? Attending the filming of SNL? Taking in some Broadway shows?

Sick56 - This Mama talk, is that all you have? Perhaps I am wrong you wouldn't last a day in juvey. What.s that saying sonny? - Grow up! You are nothing but a clown.

YO MAMA

Bill - Probably they are playing with shaving cream pies and writing SICK56, Doug, Putzy notes on this blog that is when they can get their heads out of their behinds.

SICK56 - You have no imagination, just a vulgar little mind.

It's definitely getting harder to listen to M's games, but I don't think it's time to throw in the towel yet. I think it's too much of a luxury having Cairo and Bloomquist. Pinch running doesn’t seem to be the problem, timely hitting is. Hopefully Norton makes it through and takes assignment so we can call him back up to take Cairo’s place. If Norton doesn’t make it, call up Reed so we can move Ibanez around to 1 st base and DH. Then just shuffle the lineup around dependent on right and or left hand pitching rather than just based on life time average against that pitcher.

Idea for getting the hitters going, it might be time to call Edgar in for a special week batting camp during our next homestand or it might be time to do less in the batting cages. I remember in years past they cut the amount of BP and people started hitting better. Maybe they are just too worn out from BP by game time to be effective in the game at all.

It's good Mac went off on the players, they need to be woke up and realize the ball is in their hands and realize it take a whole team effort to go anywhere in baseball.

It’s probably was a blessing Gandma (die hard M's fan) passed away before the season started otherwise she would have had a couple heart attacks by now the way the team has been playing.

Maui Mariner!!! Jethro Tull and "Blazing Saddles" in the same post!

Lovely... thanks for referencing it, Scott, so I could check it out. Not much else on here (aside from Geoff) worth reading lately.

Downie, and everyone else taking pot shots at Geoff, please note his comments directed toward Adam in the last thread.

Texas won, so the Mariners are now tied for the worst record in the entire American League.

Here are some interesting posts from the past few days I'd like to respond to, instead of doing something healthy and productive (heaven forbid!):

Posted by thomas

11:31 AM, May 03, 2008

agreed, he is worn out and it shows. Also, his season so far indicates that he has his big contract and is going all shawn alexander on us. Hardly a surprise. Demanded to be put in CF for his contract year to garner a larger deal now half asses it all over the place. A real player like Jr. never woulda pulled this (deleted, obnoxious) garbage.

Posted by duckd

11:38 AM, May 03, 2008

Thomas, i think it has something to do with the japanese work ethic vs american. American ball players tend to play all out all the time like eric byrnes and aaron rowand while japanese players tend to dog it. have you EVER seen ichiro dive for a ball ? NO, he refuses to because it might cut his career short. They tend to be lesser physically and mentally while the guys who go through the american system are much more tough and tend to play through injuries (unlike ichi or kenji) and never give up on ground balls like they do. Cultural really.

Normally, I ignore this sort of thing, fitting it in the category of "you can't reason with irrational unreasonable ignorant and stupid people," but some of the comments here are so distortive of reality that I felt it necessary to respond.

Thomas, your comment on Ichiro "demanding to be put in CF" is goofy and ridiculous. Sometimes I've seen people here slam Ichiro for being reluctant to play CF after Reed's injury. Took a couple of weeks to convince him of it, if I remember rightly.

duckd, hmmm... where to start... well, how about: your comments are so wildly ignorant that they are normally the very kind I ignore. However, my empathy for the Japanese people, and East Asians, trapped in their culture, is such that I am forced to respond by dropping in this little quote: (First, here is the link: http://www.iht.com/articles/1992/02/07/work.php)

Akio Morita, chairman of Sony Corp. and one of Japan's most prominent businessmen, has been calling for an overhaul of Japanese labor practices, which he says have been outgrown.

"Japanese companies pay their employees less for longer hours worked," he said.

Japan, he added, "must reinvent itself."

But few expect the U.S.-Japan gap in labor practices to be narrowed anytime soon.

According to figures from the German Economic Institute, Japanese employees worked an average of 2,201 hours in 1990. That figure is about 300 hours more than the U.S. average.

By comparison, the Japanese work about 550 hours more than workers in the former West Germany, according to institute.

In fact, the gap in hours worked may be even larger. According to a poll by a private Japanese company, Recruit Research, business executives and civil servants last year averaged 451 hours of overtime, 200 hours more than that reported to the Labor Ministry. About 25 percent of Japanese said they were not paid for overtime.

Not only do Japanese work longer hours, they also must work more days of the year. With schools and government offices staying open many Saturdays, Japanese averaged only 114 days off during 1989, compared with 132 in the United States.

Moreover, the average Japanese is absent because of illness three days per year, half the U.S. average, according to the Japanese Labor Ministry.

Despite the longer hours, Japanese earn less as measured in real terms. According to figures compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, adjusted to account for purchasing power parity in 1990, gross domestic product per capita in America was $21,449 compared with $17,634 in Japan.

There is also a greater gender gap in pay and access to senior positions in Japan than in the United States. In Japanese companies employing more than 30 employees in 1990, men earned twice as much as women. In smaller companies, average pay was lower and the differential slightly wider.

Sorry, folks, couldn't allow that ignorant libelous slander to pass. (I know, I know, slander is spoken and libel is written, but this forum is sort of a written conversation, combining the two, so I thought I'd combine the terms.) That story, above, was pubkished in the IHT in 1992, and since the Japanese economy has been floundering since 1989 and has only recently started maybe kinda picking up, I really doubt anything has gotten better for the average Japanese worker.

Good night little trolls - SICK56, Doug, Putzy - maybe you can beat the big bad Yankees tomorrow then shaving cream pies all around,

Mariners Baseball: The Mojo is Plummeting....

Thanks Merrill, I am glad that at least a couple of people got it.

We can still pull this out but they have to get going soon.

Merrill, I hear ya. The tenor of thise comments lately leaves a lot to be desired!

I'm curious to see if Mac's rant has a tangible impact. Will the FO carry out their threat to cut or trade some players if things don't pick up in the next few weeks? Guys such as Cairo, Vidro, and Washburn (three may be too much to ask for).

Personally, I do care a lot about the team, though I'm not as invested in the M's going for the playoffs this year as I am in seeing the team get moving in the right direction with, well, rookies, if need be.

Besides ranting, which gets very old, doesn't seem like there's much to say about the games right now.

Also, duckd, we've discussed the "diving vs. running through" issue many times here. It is completely rational to NOT dive, and irrational to dive, for several reasons. I won't repeat them, since they apparently didn't dent your preconclusions and general imperviousness to facts, argument, discussion, and reason.

Adam, I can't let your distortion go unchallenged. Here is the meat of your post:

Posted by Adam

11:40 AM, May 03, 2008

Geoff, the point I was trying to make is simple: Great pitching alone does not a winning team make.

There were a lot of people who argued that the Bedard trade was necessary because "pitching wins championships." That's patently false, and the 2008 Mariners are a perfect example of that.

Boy, Adam, talk aboutcher straw men! You know very well that the argument is, "all other things equal, the team with the better pitching wins."

It sure is nice that, in general, starting pitching doesn't appear to be our problem, currently, because, as Geoff has pointed out, it is more difficult to correct than the hitters and defenders figuring out how to relax and stop pressing, and pull their heads out.

I think it's likely we can agree the relief pitching has been beset by a number of factors, including injury and the offensive ineptitude which has seen the end-of-game top guys fail to get their work in (Lowe, RRS, Morrow, Green, Putz).

Merril, brilliant response! Phew, I think the air is beginning to clear already!

Merrill, that would be the response re: the racist and idiotic tripe posted by a few fro a number of threads in the last week(s?)

Hear, hear, Maui and Nat...

Lots of unhappy M's fans, including me.

The team just looks like crummy right now.

Fortunately, us old baseball fans know that a team is never as bad as it look during a losing streak, just as it's never really as good as it looks during a winning streak.

Things will even out (i.e. regress to the mean, for you statheads).

What we have is a team that can't handle the pressure of expectations. Last year they weren't expected to do squat, but lo and behold, they managed just enough to stay in contention. But all of a sudden they looked up in mid-August and realized they were leading the wild card and in a position for the post-season if they could continue to win. Suddenly there were expectations of greatness. Remember what happened next? What, lost 15 out of 17 or something and disappeared from any post-season discussion.

This year they make the big trade for Bedard, sign Silva, sign a veteran to play right. Angels have some injury issues. Here come EXPECTATIONS. They were expected to contend in the west, then when Anaheim's pitchers went down many picked them to win the west outright. And you see how they've responded.

I don't know if you can pin this on Mac or Bavasi. They've fielded a team that on paper should be pretty good, not the '27 Yankees but a team that should be able to compete. But these guys can't do it on the field. I think what they're lacking from the players is something similar to intestinal fortitude. The word I'm thinking of rhymes with WALLS. I don't know how you can coach that or read it in a scouting report when looking at guys to sign to your team. There's just no mental toughness to these guys. At the first sign of difficulty (down two runs or more, 0-13?) they fold up like a cheap lawn chair.

Don't know what the answer is. But I bet once they're 10 games or more back in the west (EXPECTATIONS = gone) they'll pick it up and start playing well. But then it'll be too late.

Nat, thanks for the kind comments. You can see from the dates on the posts I referenced that they were from yesterday (the third of May). Haven't had time to read comments lately--that's not likely to change, to be honest--and when they're losing/sucking up a ginormous strom, I'd rather not, anyway.

I was just scanning for comments from people like ScottM, MauiMariner, yourself, Donovan, dare I hope--Oregongal?, Adam, Mike, Resin, Mr. X, etc., and came across those silly doozies.

KC, it looks as though you may be right, but I think handling expectations is a learned skill. They could learn it. We'll see.

KC- You might just be right about 'expectations!' Before I turned the tv off after the first out in the 9th inning, (and surprised I lasted that long) I was thinking the Mariners are 'performing' like high school guys trying to act cool with 51,000 fans watching the game at Yankee Stadium. When they got flustered what did we see? Error after error in these last two games. I think the Mariners need to go to war - war with each team they play - not trying to impress ANYONE.

Have they reached the bottom yet? Or do they need to sink down even further before they get mad! I think they need to get mad. Jose Guillen had that chip-on-his-shoulder-mad that was kind of insidious and egged the team on. Maybe Raul can get a mad on. I try to think about who else demonstrates that same kind of bulldog approach and I'm left shaking my head.

I don't know how many more games I can stand watching them play like this. Even Texas has decided they can knock off the Mariners this year.

I'm so sick of Mac..He puts cairo who hasnt gotten a hit this season. Granted he hasnt gotten much attempts but isnt he the same player as willie B????This is getting pathetic. Our relief pitching is terrible and WE need a BIG Bat in the line up....Bavasi sign bonds or your ass is gone.....Wake up we are still in this with out starting staff, just get a guy that can hit at least a double and we'll win some 1 run games.....Stop with all this griffey talk, it's not going to happen!!!!Didnt last year and it wont this year....Go and get bonds......Wake up he's the best available for cheap right now!!!!!It will also get us some games on ESPN!!!!

merrill,

thanks for posting those facts. many of us reading duckds comments found them highly-racist and indicative of ignorance and immaturity, and as a regular reader i appreciate having that garbage called out. i believe i speak for all readers when i ask geoff and the st to do a better job blocking inappropriate comments, maybe even to the point of blocking IP addresses and not just screen names, since screen names can literally be created out of thin air. its bad enough to follow a losing team without having to put up with all these garbage comments. get on it Seattle Times!

"he's not assertive of his decisions, he is soft-spoken and too passive to be in a position of leadership. He appears more comfortable if he were in the back of the room away from the spot light."

You mean, like Joe Torre? I'm not defending Mac, I think he's a terrible strategist, but you don't have to be a firey hot head to be a good manager.

"if mac was smart he would be starting bloomquist. power to the alleys is what we need"

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Bloomquist doesn't have power to anywhere. Not HR power, not power to the alley's. He has none. Willie Bloomquist has two assets. The ability to play multiple positions passably, and the ability to steal bases. He is a terrible hitter.

'- Felix is key. the guy is unbelievable and we need to lock him up longterm now while his price is still reasonable"

Completely agree. Felix is an extremely rare talent and the Mariners would do well to lock him up well into his free agent years. Normally I'm extremely wary of signing pitchers to long term deals, but Felix is so rare I think the risk is worth it.

"- Ichiro has peaked, but is still far above league average, so lets trade him for some legitimate prospects"

Completely disagree for two reasons. One; Every single year Ichiro goes through a dry spell in which everyone in the world is convinced that pitchers have figured him out, or he's lost something. And every single year he proves all of them wrong. Two; Ichiro posseses a skillset that ages EXTREMELY well. I fully expect Ichiro to put up a year right with his career norms.

"- bedard in retrospect was a bad acquisition as we don't have the stuff to win this year or next. but boston/anaheim could really use someone with his talent, and we could probably get them into a bidding war, since an extra ace in their hands may be enough to win the ALCS."

Meh. I deal Bedard for the right package, but I'd be asking the moon. He's under club control for a couple years, and he's almost as rare a talent as Felix. I'd be reluctant to deal him for anything less than a boat load of top talent.

"- silva/ibanez are performing well, and are probably worth a couple of legitimate prospects each from any 2008 contender"

To be honest if I'm looking long term I would deal Silva and Ibanez in a heart beat.

"- kenji/batista are both above league average, and are probably worth some high-ceiling prospects"

Maybe. Smart teams would understand Kenji's value. But most teams aren't smart. As far as Batista, I really don't think his trade value is as high as you think it is. Batista is a back of the rotations starter. And those really aren't that hard to find.

Resin,

You actually wrote these two sentences in the same post.

"JustinH-suggesting Balentien needs more work in AAA based off 4 games is a poor way to evaluate a player."

"Beltre is .083, .154 OBP, and 1 hit in 12 at bats, 1 hit the past 4 games!"

You've got to be kidding! Beltre has easily been the most productive hitter on the team and you have no problem using the last four games to try and prove your ridiculous assertion that he's some overpaid overrated third baseman.

Oh, and by the way, defense matters. Alot. Especially at a premium position like third. I kind of expected you to know this.

"Beltre is .083, .154 OBP, and 1 hit in 12 at bats, 1 hit the past 4 games! Beltre is an overpaid medium power third baseman, who as a #4 hitter, does not size-up with the Magglio Ordonez's, Victor Martinez, Justin Morneau's of the American league contenders."

Comparing players based on their position in the batter order is completely retarded. You compare them to their positional peers, and you take defense into account. You can easily change their position in the batting order. You can't easily change their position on the diamond.

"Boy, Adam, talk aboutcher straw men! You know very well that the argument is, "all other things equal, the team with the better pitching wins."

Well, that just isn't true either. Good hitting is just as likely to beat good pitching IMO.

Of course, good pitching beats good hitting. That's a baseball truth. However, there's little doubt if the M's were hitting 300 as a team with a 5 era and the same record they have today you would say the opposite..just for the sake of argument. And why exactly is 3B a premium defensive position? Compared to what? Not any other infield position, that's for sure. Beltre averages a whopping 2.5 chances per game.

Merrill - thanks for the good comments.
I'm sorry I didn't make your "good guys" list, but then, I haven't had too much to say recently.
The key is the teams's play today - Mac just used one of his silver bullets, and if it didn't work, he may be out of them.

I am complete agreement with the earlier post by Resin. Offensively, this team was/is VERY poorly constructed. Think about it, the majority of batters take very few walks, don't have great speed, don't have good/consistant power, and know seem to have forgotten how to play defense.

Pitching aside, this team is in serious need of a EXTREME makeover. Sending Wlad down or batting Clement 8th is not the answer. These guys are the future of this club. The fact of the matter is, that beside Ichiro, we lose position by position, to most other teams in the league. Just look at the Angels batting order - with great speed and defense at the top/bottom of the order and mashers in between. Our line-up consists of old, slow, moderately powerful guys who generally play poor defense. Furthermore, these guys are selfish! How many times do we see lead off doubles still standing at second come end of the inning? We don't bunt, steal, or advance people on the bases. I guess they are a baseball team, but they sure are not an enjoyable baseball team to watch.

Since the majority of our pitching is coming back next yr, my suggestion is this. This team has until mid-June +/-. In there are no signs of salvaging the season, then we become bigtime sellers. Besides Ich, Clement, and Wlad, anyone can go. And that means Ibanez, Beltre, Lopez, Yuni, Sexson, Joh. Restock the farm system. Plan for speed and D up the middle and at the corner OF. Make one big FA splash with a big CAPABLE bat (Teixera, etc) to build your O around.

Please Silva, be our savior. I have a feeling the M's may get three or four runs today. Silva will do his part. Can the BP come through? If we win today and sweep Texas, what would our record be? 500??? YETCH!

Who can play first and hit 250?

byebye

Don't agree with you Jeff:

McLaren is the boss and he should take responsibility. Its his team. And its about time he went off on them. Good leaders do that ocassionally. They are not just bad offensively, but defensively as well. It shows a lack of concentration!

We need an owner who lives in the state of Washington, who cares about the team and who has the good sense to get rid of the management including Bavasi and McLaren.

it all starts with the ownership, I am not crazy about steinbrenner, but if the yankees pulled this kind of sh!@t, heads would be rolling. we need someone who wants to win not just make a profit. it's gonna take 4 years to undo the mess bavasi has done. 100 million plus payroll and fighting for last place again....pathetic

Ownership is fine, except that they have kept dinosaur Chuck Armstrong & company around. Those are the folks that hire mediocre talent like McLaren and Bavasi and have no conception about money ball style analysis.

" You know very well that the argument is, "all other things equal, the team with the better pitching wins." "

Well duh. All things other things being equal, any additional advantage wins. If two teams have exactly eqaul pitching and hitting, but one has better defense, it will win. If two teams have exactly equal hitting, pitching, and defense, but one has better baserunning, it will win.

Justify losing all you want, McLaren. Yell and "go off" all you want. You are in charge of the team that is tied for the worst record in the AL. Tied with Texas, for the love of God. Pathetic.

I would be nice to have a break out game offensively today, but I am not planning on it. For the past two weeks I have had expectations that we would come back in the ninth during one of our one run deficits, Kenji would go 4-4 with 3 doubles and knock in 4, or Raul would get his stick going again. At this point I have no expectations today. I feel we have wasted almost every great outing by Silva lately and, like Felix yesterday, he is due for a non quality start sometime. I have just become very disappointed in the past two weeks, Losing games would be tough, but the way we are losing. Seriously fella's, we could easily by a couple games over .500. I am not losing the faith because I believe we do have the ability to right the ship. 7 of our next 10 games are against Texas and the other 3 are against Chicago.

Some have taken offense to me stating Balentin does not seem ready to play everyday at the major league level. If, indeed, we are throwing in the towel, play the kid. If that is the case, go get Lahair to play first base as well. I am simply stating Wlad's stats over the past 3 years, coupled with what many scouts have said about his swing, and watching the guy myself over the last couple of years, I do not think he is the answer this year. As one AL scout put it regarding Balentin, "The guy has talent. He can hit for power anytime. The problem I see is he has only hit for average one time, and it was not close to .300. Nor does the guy like to take a walk, which is needed from a guy who is likely to .230 - .250 with above average power.". I was, and still am, excited to see someone young play, but if we are to right the ship this year, I would rather have Griffey in right.

I love having Clement up. He looks great. He sees a ton of pitches, except for his first two ABs on Thursday, and looks confident. In a few ABs so far he has really fould off a lot of pitches and made the pitch work. We need someone who can take some pitches. Consistently, we are the worst team in regards to walking. Our average was about 25 points higher than Oakland last year, but they see pitches and had a high OBP. Also, does it not seem like we hit into at least 2-3 double plays per game! It is nice to see Clement come up and work it a bit.

In regards to everyone being up in arms about Ichiro, I get it. It is frustrating to see a guy look like he doesn't care. However, the takes a great approach to the game. He doesn't get too high or too low. It works for him, but I think others would like to see him get fired up. Do I think he is worth 20 million per year? No, but Japanese ownership wants to keep him, and obviously Johjima at all costs. Ichiro is still on his way to hitting .350 like last year. His average is higher than it was on May 6 last year (avg was .260). So, hopefully Ichiro will keep it up. He almost soley won Thursday's game for us.

Mac is frustrating. The main thing that I don't understand is how he is using the bullpen. No one knows their role it seems. In terms of batting, what can you do? You have to try and mix it up, and he is. I think the guy is in a bad spot. I will say I don't know if he has the pulse of the team. Something that worries me about this team is the comradre. When Sherrill came back with Jones, they both said how much mor friendly and fun Baltimore's clubhouse is. At first I threw that out saying Baltimore doesn't have to win this year, but I think there is something to it.

I have no expectations today fella's.

The MOJO is in "Freefall"!!

There have been many heart breaking loses by one run! It takes it's toll on a team. When the team does put up some runs the bull pen has blown alot of leads. JJ being hurt has not helped. Errors are now creaping into their play. I don't think the Mariners as a whole can play any worse. I have been on teams that you wonder what else bad can happen. Every pitcher you face seems to be on their game. Every important at bat ends up in a DP or a strike out. It is a terrible feeling as a player. Law of averages shows teams are never as bad as when they are playing poorly.

I am counting on Mac and all his experienced coached to get this funk turned around. Ichiro seems to be uping his game. And the starters are
doing their job. Let's get the rest of the cylinders running on the Mariners team. We've seen how badly they can play I'd love to see how good they can play!! What ever it takes, TEAM YOGA maybe?
Come on guys! We fans are counting on you guys to turn this around.

GOTTA LUV THESE GUYS!! GO MARINERS!

It is hard to see such good players do so poorly...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! is there something clogging the air that we can't see on the tube? is there a problem in the clubhouse?