In fact, this whole search process could be wrapped up even quicker than the team expected. Looking down the list of interviewees, I'm pretty sure the team already has its four finalists. On the face of it, there isn't very much to choose from in the threesome of Jerry DiPoto, Kim Ng and Tony LaCava and maybe even Peter Woodfork if you want a top-four. All four are, after all, assistant GMs with a track record of success. I'd say Ng, Dipoto and LaCava have the edge based on years of experience and the three or more organizations apiece that they've worked for.

Many of you have emailed asking me what I thought of this past weekend's news that David Forst, Jed Hoyer and Rick Hahn would not be interviewing with the M's. Based on what I wrote in the previous paragraph, I don't think it's anything that any of you should be sweating. I know I won't.

The more devastating dropouts, we've known about for some time. Brian Cashman and Kevin Towers are both established GMs, still fairly young and possess a track record of proven success. Proven as in still employed at the GM position. This is different from a John Hart, who has been out of that spot for a few seasons and has not won as a GM since leaving Cleveland at the beginning of the decade.

Doug Melvin would also have been a very strong candidate, if not the top choice, had he made himself available for the Mariners job. But Melvin already has a job and is expected to sign an extension. That's life. Same with Cashman. When you're the GM of a winning team and that club wants to re-hire you, very rarely will you leave that spot. Even if you have some differences with your team's owner. In Melvin's case, he just made the playoffs. He isn't about to get fired, so his debate about leaving was strictly about differences with his boss that could (from the face of it) be worked out. Cashman was a little different, in that his job security was an issue. Not any more (by New York standards anyway) with the extension. In the case of Towers, his boss wasn't going to let him interview. Happens all the time and you learn not to sweat what you can't control.

With all due respect to Bob Engle, a trailblazer in Latin America and one of the most valuable assets in this entire organziation, the Mariners can't afford to hire someone from within. Sure, that's unfair to him. But this team is a disaster and anybody already associated with it getting the GM job would ensure howls of outrage from the fanbase. This is why Lee Pelekoudas also won't get the job. Engle is brilliant at what he already does on the international scouting front. But this is also about PR. And from a PR standpoint, he'd be a tough sell.

So, back to candidates dropping out of the race.

If this was a case of candidates being frightened away from the Mariners by an overbearing executive branch, then I would understand some teeth-gnashing. But that doesn't appear to be the case here. Maybe a tiny bit with Cashman, who may have ultimately felt it was better to dance with the devil he knew in New York. But when you're the GM of the Yankees, with money to fix problems on a team that still won 89 games this year, it's tough to leave that for any team under any circumstances -- let alone a 101-loss squad.

And let's remember, Cashman made his choice before Mariners president Chuck Armstrong made this statement to MLB.com last week:

"If your management style is not collaborative and inclusive and you want to fly solo and do this on your own, you are not going to be our GM," Armstrong said. "That's not going to work here.

"We think the most successful form of management is one that major decisions are not made in a vacuum by one person. When ideas are discussed as a group, so that everybody in upper management has had a chance to have their say, then the best decisions can be made."

That statement can be taken a couple of ways. As the story later points out, no team gives its GM absolute autonomy. Especially a first-year GM still learning the ropes. Cashman would likely tell you the exact same thing, given his experience with the Yankees. I can still remember the night George Steinbrenner bypassed Cashman completely and made an absolutely stupid deal to acquire Raul Mondesi and his huge contract. Our jaws dropped in the pressbox when we heard the Yankees had actually gone for that deal.

So, ownership often sticks its head in the way of even the best GMs.

In Seattle's case, it probably would have helped the team had Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln given Bill Bavasi a little less autonomy. Horacio Ramirez anyone? Eduardo Perez?

But then again, a GM has to be able to make moves. If Armstrong continues to tie the new GM's hands by insisiting on "value'' that may not be there in a Jarrod Washburn deal, it could become a problem. It depends on the degree of the "collaboration" from upstairs. But I would expect added "guidance" from above if a first-time GM is coming in. And based on Armstrong's statements, I have to believe his choice is going to be a first-timer. Not someone experienced like Melvin.

Now, as for the remaining candidates, I think the M's have already spoken with the best ones.

Hahn isn't any more experienced or credentialed than the DiPoto-Ng-Lacava trio. And his team did not give the M's permission to interview him. Was this an excuse? Would the White Sox -- as has been rumored -- really have given Hahn permission if he truly wanted the job? Maybe. Was he frightened off by Armstrong's comments, as some have whispered? I find it hard to believe that latter bit. That a guy would balk from an interview based on an MLB.com story rather than try to address such an issue face-to-face. You'd expect stronger stuff from any GM candidate, so I doubt that's the reason.

In Forst's case, he knows he will take over from Billy Beane in Oakland once the latter steps down in another year or two to become team president. Forst is already being groomed for the job and -- let's face it -- would have a much easier time in Oakland than starting over new someplace else. He knows that team inside out and his relationships there are already intact, without having to relocate his family, or, frankly, move from a winning organization to a losing one.

And then, there's Hoyer. He turned the M's down, yes. But did he really have a shot at the job? Not finishing in the top-five, but really winning it?

There is a fine line in baseball between being perceived as an up-and-comer and being labeled as yesterday's man (or woman). Start getting turned down after too many GM interviews and that's what can happen. Hoyer is a ways away from that being the case, but it's never a good idea to throw your hat in the ring too often unless you're pretty sure you might get the job.

I think this is certainly true in Hoyer's case.

He lacks the experience that the Ng-DiPoto-LaCava trio bring to the table as far as working for multiple organizations goes. They are all still relatively young but also between five and 14 years Hoyer's senior. And when that's the case, all else being relatively equal, a good team will go for the added experience. Did Hoyer bring anything extra special to the table compared to the others? From an off-field perspective, nothing jumps out. Sure, he played Division II college ball, but DiPoto pitched in the majors. LaCava was a pro ballplayer in the minors. Ng didn't play professionally, though she was a college softball player. Not saying the on-field stuff will matter much, but it's been touted as one of Hoyer's assets. In this case, though, it's an asset clearly trumped by others in this M's race. To summarize, Hoyer wasn't going to be the next Seattle GM. At this stage, having already seen his name "out there" in the media, he has little to gain by actually entering a race he's destined to lose.

Hoyer will live to fight another day. But better to do that with a "clean" record than a pile of rejections. You can afford a few, but not a pile. And might as well not start the pile when you can avoid doing so.

By that logic, the latest three rejections don't hurt the quality of what the M's are going to end up with. They've gotten their hands on some of the brightest assistant GMs in the game and that's a huge step up from where they were five years ago. From here, one of those picks will get their shot. It may even be Woodfork, though, as I said, all else being equal, I don't see why the M's would take him when the other three candidates offer the same fresh look with added experience.

After that, once the hire is done, it's really up to the GM pick to shine. You never really know who will meet expectations until they are thrown into the fray. As a starting point, though, the three latest dropouts likely weren't bringing anything to the field of candidates that wasn't already there.

And when you're the Mariners, any absence of truly bad news is always good news.

For all of you in need of a new blog post, we'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on the GM situation. No, the Mariners are not about to make an announcement, but things are moving along.

(The Caribbean island of St. Kitts, for those who asked).

We can all cross Brian Cashman off the Mariners GM list, as he just signed a three-year extension with the New York Yankees.

One name you can certainly add to the list? That of Tony LaCava, the assistant GM of the Toronto Blue Jays. I hear the Mariners already contacted the Blue Jays over the weekend to seek permission to interview LaCava and have received it. Perhaps they wanted to get a head start on their Toronto calls, considering team president Paul Godfrey announced yesterday that he was stepping down. The Mariners might have been tipped off in advance that this was about to happen and likely wanted to take care of business before things got complicated. By the way, former Mariners GM Pat Gillick is among the leading contenders to replace Godfrey (see chart to the right of story). We already told you last week that Gillick wasn't coming back here.

Been getting some feedback on a Baseball Tonight appearance I made on Sunday on ESPN, in which I talked about voting Roy Halladay ahead of Cliff Lee in the AL Cy Young Award ballot I have this year. I often read a lot of speculation about what goes into writers' award choices, so I figured I'd share my thought process with you as a point of future reference.

Yes, I am taking Halladay over Lee, but not for the reasons some of you suspect. I was all prepared to vote for Lee, then Halladay, then Daisuke Matsuzaka third. No, I'm not taking K-Rod. Give me a break. But anyhow, I changed my mind in taking one final look at the numbers on Sunday. Many of you know I'm a big Halladay supporter, but hey, I'm not about to make a fool of myself nationally by picking him just because I used to cover the Blue Jays. Believe me, I know full well I might be the only BBWAA writer picking Halladay first. The easy thing to do would be to take Lee like just about everyone else (including John Kruk, Steve Phillips and everyone else on Baseball Tonight). But, well, I just couldn't do it.

The big thing that kept gnawing at me was the whole "wins" thing. Everybody I spoke with, who mentioned Lee being a "slam dunk" for the award kept mentioning his win total and winning percentage. Now, I'm not one of those who automatically dismisses wins as useless. I think that winning is important and that pitchers who win 20 or more tend to be very good pitchers. But there is an element of luck involved, as anyone who followed Felix Hernandez and the Mariners this season could attest to. Was Hernandez really only three wins better than Roy Corcoran?

In this case, Lee won 22 and Halladay 20. So, we can assume they are both excellent pitchers. Because of the luck factor involved in wins, I'm not going to say Lee is the better pitcher just because he won two more games. So, for me, the whole "winning'' thing as Lee's edge is sort of invalidated.

Yes, Lee had the better ERA (the next thing writers always look at) with a 2.54 compared to Halladay's 2.78.

Both totals are still excellent. But we all know that ERA is not the be-all, end-all stat either. I would never pick a Cy Young winner strictly on ERA. So, now let's do some real research.

Thanks again for all of the kind words everyone has thrown out here. To answer a question, no, I do not return to Toronto in the winter. Seattle is my home now. Has been for the past two years. If I was to return anywhere in Canada for a visit, it would be Montreal, where most of my family is, or Vancouver, where my brother is and where I spent Saturday night before returning for the final game. As for the question about my earlier phrase "That's why they play the games" from spring training. Yes, that's why they play them. We now see what happened to the 2008 blueprint. It's up in smoke. And when that happens, you look for reasons, move on and build the next blueprint. They played 'em and it was a disaster. My pick, the team's blueprint, all of it. That's why they play the games. To put theory into practice.

The Mariners win, 4-3, over the Oakland A's to cap their first home series sweep all year. Yes, you heard that right. They could have used this one quite some time ago.

A look below at Raul Ibanez as he struck out in the seventh inning in what may have been his final at-bat for the Mariners.

"I love this franchise, I love the fans here, I love the city,'' Ibanez said. "We'll see what the future holds. Sure, I'd love to be here, but I'd love to be in a competitive environment.''

A class act. He'll be taking Yuniesky Betancourt with him to a training facility outside of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. this winter to partake in the grueling training regimen he puts himself through each winter. Betancourt could use the discipline -- both physical and especially mental -- and the added strength and endurance. Jose Lopez had it this year. Betancourt did not. Whether or not Betancourt and Ibanez are training as teammates remains to be seen.

Ichiro scored two more runs, finishing with 103. He spoke of what Ibanez meant to him personally. Of all the people in Seattle's clubhouse, Ibanez may have been Ichiro's closest friend.

"He's not just a friend to me,'' Ichiro said. "Ever since I've come over here, the last five years, he's been of huge support to me. Whether it be emotionally, the approach to baseball, the way he absorbs things. In all these ways, he's been of huge support. He's more than a friend to me.''

More of a friend than some in that clubhouse, to be sure. But no two players in that clubhouse work harder at pre-game preparation.

I'm well past caring who actually won this game today. It's been a tough year to cover baseball. Nobody ever wants to cover a 100-loss team, especially one picked to do a whole lot better. Especially when you're the one doing that picking. It makes for a very long year after those first two months. By June, you run out of words to describe what you're seeing on the field. But I've long believed that it's not enough to say that a team "stinks'' or "sucks''. It's about figuring out why.

I buy the notion that this team couldn't hit or pitch enough. Clearly it could not. That it lacked talent in some key spots. Clearly it did. That alone was enough to ensure the team would not contend for a playoff spot. But I don't think the analysis can stop there when a team loses 100 or more. If this was an 80-win team, you could chalk it up to a lack of talent, a regression to the mean, then go out and fetch some talent next year and take another run at things.

But today, we have a situation where the front office is clearly looking at blowing this team up and starting over to the best it can (with all the big contracts floating around). You've seen wholesale changes to the starting nine and more are sure to come. You've seen firings of a GM and manager. Clearly, this is more than a case of a handful of missing talent pieces fixing the whole mess. I think that injuries did play a key role in what happened to this team early on. That injury to J.J. Putz threw the entire team off. There were some games that the 2007 Putz would have nailed down early in April that might have changed the outlook of this club from the start. Would it have made the difference? For a while, it might have. Had Erik Bedard been healthy a full season, I don't think the season would have ended in May, or in 100 losses.

And I also think, judging by what's been presented in the five-part series just completed, that issues of character, or a lack of it, also helped torpedo this season before it ever got off the ground. As Jim Riggleman keeps saying, it's when times are tough that you find out what players are really made of. Well, we sure found that out in April and May, didn't we?

As Ryan Rowland-Smith said last week, once the M's lost that series in Baltimore, everybody panicked. The finger-pointing began. Yes, a poor clubhouse is almost always a symptom of losing. But good clubs find a way not to lose their minds over a bad start in April. They learn to overcome their personal differences and win. The Mariners never did. They let a bad start "snowball'' as Rowland-Smith put it. I had a nice chat with Rowland-Smith today. He's his own man and stands behind his words. He wasn't thrilled with his outing yesterday, but is looking forward to getting the chance to start for a whole season next year. He's a mentally strong kid. This team needs a little more mental strength. It can't panic and bail the minute something goes wrong. And that will matter down the road, once this team compiles the needed talent to contend.

There's no point having talent on a team that loses its composure at the first sign of trouble. This team has to learn how to win when it matters, and when the pressure to win is there. It wasn't there in 2004-2007. It was there this past April and this team fell apart.

The Mariners also have to learn how to lose. No jokes, please. They have to learn how to lose, when something's at-stake, without growing despondant.

Everyone talks about those great Oakland A's teams and Yankees squads of the 1970s that did not always get along but still managed to win. It's worth remembering that those clubs existed 30 and nearly 40 years ago. Since then, baseball history has been littered with talented teams that came apart amidst personality conflicts when it mattered. Think about last year's Los Angeles Dodgers, for one.

The one thing those Yankees and A's of the 1970s had, which can't be overlooked, was an ability to win when it mattered. To step up to the plate, Reggie Jackson style. Hardly a coincidence he played for both teams. Yes, they had talent. But that talent could win with something on the line. And it could lose without going to pieces. Jackson's Yankees were up against it against the Kansas City Royals in a best-of-five ALCS in 1977, trailing 2-1 and facing elimination at Kauffman Stadium. But amidst clubhouse turmoil well-documented in The Bronx is Burning book and movie, they still found a way to put that aside, focus on the game, and win two in a row when it mattered. That's why Reggie even had the chance to step up and hit three home runs in the decisive game of the World Series that year. Those Yankees could overcome their personal squabbles, their panic. The 2008 Mariners let both things eat them up and throw them off.

It takes all kinds of factors going right to win at baseball. These Mariners have to import more talent before they can win anything, that's for sure. And this organization has to create a winning culture, where players expect to win when they take the field. Where panicking at the first sign of trouble is not an option. Where players speak their minds and get in each other's faces early on in a season when the game is not being played the right way.

These Mariners came up short in all aspects of the game.

Before they ever win anything meaningful again, they will have to improve in those aspects. Not just one. And not one at the exclusion of another -- by importing otherwise useless "character'' guys. They need to look for the whole package in their players. Talent, yes. But the character to go with that talent.

This city, with all the hard times we've been through lately, with the sale of Safeco Insurance, the takeover of WaMu, the departure of the Sonics and the abysmal decline of our remaining sports teams, has remained highly supportive of its sports representatives. Seattle fans deserve better than what was put on the field by the M's this season.

Here's to hoping for something better in 2009.

2:34 p.m. The Mariners have just one hit in their last 12 at-bats, and Betancourt is the only man to reach base in that period. Meanwhile, RRS is taking the mound with 89 pitches through five.

1:50 p.m.: Yuniesky Betancourt draws his 17th walk of the season -- which ties a career high -- but then he goes and gets caught daydreaming off first base. M's lead 6-1.

1:34 p.m. Wladimir Balentien (2-run single) and Kenji Johjima (3-run home run) have put the Mariners ahead 6-0. That's the highest-scoring first inning for the M's since July 30, 2003.

Oakland

Buck RF
Cunningham LF
Suzuki C
Cust DH
Denorfia CF
Barton 1B
Crosby SS
Baisley 3B
Pennington 2B

LHP Smith

Mariners' lineup:

Ichiro RF
Betancourt SS
Ibanez LF
Lopez 2B
Cairo 1B
Balentien CF
Johjima C
Tuiasosopo 3B
Johnson DH

RHP Ryan Rowland-Smith

-- Mariners minority owner Chris Larson dispells all rumors that he's been negotiating to buy a controlling interest in the team, or that he will do so shortly

-- Former Mariners GM Pat Gillick, currently the GM of the Phillies, will not be coming here to replace Chuck Armstrong as team president. Armstrong says he plans on keeping his post for some time to come, making it a personal challenge to help this team recover from this disastrous season

-- Armstrong has been chatting by phone with Gillick on a weekly basis. Gillick has offered Armstrong suggestions on Mariners GM candidates, but Armstrong insists this is just two friends talking on the phone and there are no plans for Gillick to come here.

-- Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln says there are no plans to alter the team's ownership structure moving forward and that he and Armstrong will pick the next GM of the club as a two-man selection committee

-- Lincoln and Armstrong say they are both well aware of increased fan hostility and resentment towards them and understand where it's coming from

I know that some of you are not going to be pleased with this news. But this is what's taking place. I can tell you, that, having engaged in dialogue with many of you via this blog, patience in this city for the Armstrong-Lincoln duo is at its boiling point. They have to get this GM hire right. If not, they likely won't be sticking around to make another one. I think, from talking with them these past few months, that I detect a greater openess. Less rigidity within the organziation.

They keep speaking of wanting to be open to new ideas and look at things differently. I think they realize how important it is for them to make the right call here and get this thing turned around in a hurry. They speak optimistically about loyal fans, but see attendance dropping. They listen to the radio, read the blogs. They read this blog a lot and know how many of you feel. No, they still are not the most open organization around. As witnessed by the team declining our request to interview owner Hiroshi Yamauchi in Japan. But they are starting to act a little more openly than I saw them do upon my arrival late in 2006.

This season was a huge slap in the face for them. A serious wakeup call. I get the sense they understand that failing to heed it and change some of the way they operate could prove their undoing.

Lopez said the best part of the whole thing is, he gets to play two more games to try to up his season total of 17 homers, 89 RBI. Got to hand it to him, he has not let up at all this year. He's played a complete season after fading badly the past two years.

"I think next year's really the big one,'' he said.

He still doesn't know what position he'll be pencilled in at. Clearly, he has power. But does he have enough for a corner infield spot?

Brandon Morrow had shakier command of his fastball today than his breaking stuff. Somewhat of a reverse from his previous time out. He said he was "flying open'' mechanics-wise on the mound all night.

"With spring trainings and stuff next year, I'll just be able to work,'' he said. "Bullpens and stuff are so crucial.''

This September stint was just a taste for him. His real development as a starter will begin next year. By the way, Ryan Feierabend has tenderness in his arm and won't work Sunday's finale. R.A. Dickey will start in his place.

Part IV of our Rebuilding the Mariners series hits the internet in about an hour. Here are some of the highlights:

-- Mariners minority owner Chris Larson dispells all rumors that he's been negotiating to buy a controlling interest in the team, or that he will do so shortly

-- Former Mariners GM Pat Gillick, currently the GM of the Phillies, will not be coming here to replace Chuck Armstrong as team president. Armstrong says he plans on keeping his post for some time to come, making it a personal challenge to help this team recover from this disastrous season

-- Armstrong has been chatting by phone with Gillick on a weekly basis. Gillick has offered Armstrong suggestions on Mariners GM candidates, but Armstrong insists this is just two friends talking on the phone and there are no plans for Gillick to come here.

-- Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln says there are no plans to alter the team's ownership structure moving forward and that he and Armstrong will pick the next GM of the club as a two-man selection committee

-- Lincoln and Armstrong say they are both well aware of increased fan hostility and resentment towards them and understand where it's coming from

That's what I'll tell you for now. Enjoy the read.

Times baseball writer Larry Stone, president of the local BBWAA chapter, presents Raul Ibanez with his team MVP award, as voted on by local writers, prior to tonight's game. Felix Hernandez was chosen as Pitcher of the Year. Roy Corcoran was voted the team's Unsung Hero by the coaching staff.

Rob Johnson just tagged reliever Jerry Blevins for a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, making it 10-6 for Seattle in a game that's been terribly pitched but has to be a treat for fans fond of offense. Miguel Cairo doubled in the go-ahead run that inning. The A's are tripping all over themselves in the field tonight. Brandon Morrow, believe it or not, now stands to win this game.

He trailed 6-5 upon leaving the game a half-inning ago. You know what he learned tonight? The valie of making every pitch count. Morrow could have bowed out after 4 2/3 innings, but he got that last out on his 114th pitch to get through the regulation five. Now, instead of a reliever vulturing a win, he stands to be the winner. Out of all the bad stuff for him tonight, that's a positive and an important lesson to carry forward.

Chatted with team president Chuck Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln prior to the game. Don't miss Part IV of our Rebuilding the Mariners series tomorrow, in which I'll take a closer look at the ownership situation many of you have asked me about. I'll give you a hint: those Chris Larson rumors you've been reading all summer? Don't go betting the farm on them.

Anyhow, tonight, the topic turned to Erik Bedard, and his successful and less serious than expected surgery. I'd assumed this automatically meant the Mariners would be tendering Bedard a contract. Maybe, maybe not.

Lincoln greeted the surgery's results as good news, and said Bedard could be a crucial pitching component for the club next year. But when asked about any decision to hang on to Bedard, Armstrong said he'd leave that up to the incoming GM. He then gave a very cryptic-sounding analogy.

"It's like trying to invest in the stock market,'' he said. "If you make a bad stock pick, you don't go back and...well, some people do, but you have to teach yourself. You don't hold on to it hoping it's going to come back. If it's a bad one, you move on.''

It was suggested that Armstrong had exactly that choice -- to dump Bedard instead of spending more money to bring him back and try to recoup some prospects in a trade.

"You're right, we have that option,'' Armstrong said. "And again, these types of player questions, for the most part, are premature.''

Actually, for Dr. Naka in the comments thread, we tried to interview team owner Hiroshi Yamauchi and offered to fly to Japan to do so. The Mariners turned us down. He's a billionaire, so you can't just show up and knock on his door. He would have had to agree to it in advance. The team nixed the request.

But a medical update issued by the team this afternoon revealed no tears of either the labrum or rotator cuff.

In other words, under normal circumstances, he could recover from the surgery in six months. And actually, to correct what I'd written earlier, a team spokesman, Tim Hevly, just told me that the initial six-month estimate is for a full recovery in which he'd be ready to pitch in a game.

That means Bedard would be ready to start the season on-time. In fact, he could be ready even sooner than the six-month projection, since today's operation essentially found nothing structurally wrong with his arm. This is very different from what was being said last week. Not sure where the confusion about a labrum tear came from. A debridement is usually done when there's some fraying of the labrum -- in other words, to trim any loose, damaged tissue. But that's more maintenance than anything, something done as a sort of "might as well, since we're already in there'' approach.

In any event, the six months recovery is normally the bare minimum for thsi type of surgery -- the price of essentially cutting into the arm in the first place. Perhaps it was the cyst causing all of Bedard's pain. We'll find out when he throws again.

Team trainer Rick Griffin said he could not speak about anything related to the surgery since Bedard has not signed a release allowing him to comment on the medical situation to the media. He would have been asked to sign one back when the injury occured. Adrian Beltre signed off on his, which is why Griffin and others have commented about his injury.

Last week, Bedard himself (not reporters) stated that a previous MRI had shown he had a labrum tear. The team had actually stated after taking an MRI in July that Bedard had no structural damage. So, there's some confusion here. But I'm not a doctor. Sometimes, a small line can show up on a scan that may cause something to look like a tear. Perhaps he had another MRI taken on his own. I have no idea.

Mariners manager Jim Riggleman, who greeted the news with cautious optimism, shrugged when asked about the apparent confusion.

"I guess it's not an exact science,'' he said. "It's like making those bullpen changes. It's not an exact science.''

Funny guy, that Riggleman.

But hey, given that Bedard is now expected to be ready for the 2009 season, rather than missing any of it (remember, that's just a very preliminary outlook) it sure does change a few things. It makes it more likely the Mariners would tender him a contract for next season and perhaps, if the need arises, gain some prospects back for him in a mid-season trade. We'll know more, obviously, next spring.

Ichiro is very very respected in the clubhouse, yes as a player but most of all as a teammate. He is a class act, a true professional, and has so much respect for the game of baseball. Any player who gives you 200 hits every year, who is never on the DL , and who plays amazing defense is hardly selfish. And any teammate of a guy like that who has a problem needs to seriously step back and look at what they're saying. I just can't picture any one of my teammates feeling what was said in that article, and it is a real shame that the public has a reason to feel negative about a player like that . A guy who could never ever be replaced on any team.

Also when you're losing 100 games and fans still want to come to Safeco to watch us play, chances are its to watch a ONE OF A KIND like Ich.

We'll see whether his teammates take his suggestion.

ADDITIONAL COMMENT (6:20 p.m.): And for Babbcock, in the comments thread, just FYI, we linked to the RRS blog after the CEO of Prolebrity pointed it out, emailed the link to us, and asked for the publicity. Just as they've done every other time we've published his blog before now. Hope that clears up any confusion you might have.

And for Finn, yes, it's real cowardly. Next time, we'll do the brave thing and just sit on stuff and let you go on fantasizing that the clubhouse is one big happy place and has been all year.

For Savmannah, nope, not worried at all. I completely trust what the source told me and know what was said about Ichiro was true. Not sure why you're so angry at me. If you think every sports story of import in this country is going to have all named sources, you're either still living in the 1940s or haven't gotten around much. Or, you're from a place where you've never had any serious sports reporting. I don't think I've led any of you astray before with anonymous sources that turn out to be bunk. So, please, if you don't have the stomach for it, go read MLB.com. If you want to read a fan site, you can always go to USS Mariner. We're not a fan site. If you don't like what I'm writing simply because Ichiro is the subject, go read someone who will tell you what you want to hear. LOL!

Among the noteworthy items:

-- Riggleman is most impressed with Rowland-Smith's ability to deliver nearly seven innings every time out, at least during his run of seven consecutive quality starts

-- The coaching staff feels Rowland-Smith is ahead of Brandon Morrow at this stage

-- Rowland-Smith, in a blog entry, and later during an interview, states that Jose Guillen had an impact on the clubhouse last year that was sorely missed when the team fell apart early on this season

I thought I'd go into this a little deeper this morning. When I write so much in one day, working this blog, finalizing stories for this series, not to mention following up on the whole Ichiro thing yesterday, I find that I wind up forgetting what I put where.

I had meant to get into today's story on Rowland-Smith that he does think that Raul Ibanez and Adrian Beltre are crucial towards clubhouse leadership and have to be brought back. This is important, because Rowland-Smith is probably going to take some heat for his criticisms of the lack of leadership earlier on in the season when the team fell from contention.

His main reason for writing the blog post, as we mentioned in today's story, was that he feels the team has gained some positive momentum moving forward. Feels that it is not in the same leaderless, dire straits that it was earlier on in the year. He likes the changes that have been made and feels the younger players coming into the club will make it stronger as it moves ahead.

But yes, he does feel Guillen was important. And he does feel the clubhouse was in turmoil early on, beset by finger-pointing and panic. That there was a leadership void early -- if not now. And that it proved costly. I know some of you here, and on other sites, don't agree. But everyone's got an opinion, don't they?

Rowland-Smith's blog has since been taken down by Prolebrity.com. I don't know why and won't speculate, but I'll try to find out.

Anyhow, we've tried to give you a better idea of what's been going on with the team. Mostly via named sources. In fact, almost entirely via named sources. We put the "clubhouse insider'' comments in there yesterday after wrestling with it. The Ichiro sentiment in the clubhouse did not begin this season and has existed in Seattle for some time. We could have kept quiet about it and not told you what's been going on. But then we'd just have press passes and access without using that to go deeper. The rote denials from the team are to be expected in this case. They are as predictable as the team saying that things are looking up heading into next year. Any of you actually believe that to a significant degree? Any of you content to leave things just the way they are? Maybe you are.

But you'll just have to trust me on the anonymous source. Some of you won't, I realize. It's OK, I can take the heat. Won't be pressured into giving the person up by fan blogs or anyone else. All I'll say is, I would never have gone with those paragraphs of the story if I did not believe in what was being told and had not verified it elsewhere. Yes, I picked the Mariners to finish in first place and have spent the entire season trying to figure out why they've become a 100-loss team. I've listened to some fans try to argue all year that there were no clubhouse problems, even as player after player, then the former GM and the former manager said otherwise. As each and every one of those offering on-the-record clues about strife have been dismissed outright by some fans as not reliable enough. Who exactly is reliable on this team? One or two people deemed popular enough? Sorry. The real world doesn't work that way.

You can either believe what I've been trying to tell you about internal troubles -- corroborated in part by Rowland-Smith and others before him -- or you can keep on believing your own version of what's happening in the clubhouse. Maybe you know more than I do. It's always possible. I don't claim to have a monopoly on the truth. Just trying to keep you all informed. Almost always via named sources. This time with someone not named and for obvious reasons. That person will want to have a future. You don't get to have one by calling out colleagues on a team in public. I am sensitive to that.

So, if you want to go on believing that Ichiro is loved and worshipped in his clubhouse, by all means, do so. I'm telling you there have been problems in this area and that they pre-dated this season. And that they were there during this season when things came apart.

And that's it. Some of you want a media that writes what the team tells them is OK to write. And that prints only the official version, or stuff which the team's hierarchy corroborates. You won't find that here. But you can't have it both ways. If you don't want to read stuff that "stirs up trouble'' from time to time, then you obviously want more of the toe-the-line stuff. And that's your right. There are other places, I suppose, where you can find that reporting. But not here.

Here, we try to tell you what's going on. Whether the team likes it, or not. And sometimes, though preferably not often, it involves anonymous sources. You'll have to live with it. Or, go read someone else. But hey, this team has already lost 101 games. At some point, even the greatest dissenters among you will have to admit that it's not all about the stats. That this team, for whatever reason -- stats, makeup, injuries, chemistry all included --just didn't mesh.

Sorry I haven't been updating more tonight. It's been a busy day, as you can imagine. Besides working on tonight's story and reaction to today's Ichiro story. We've also got Part III of our five-part series on the Mariners running tomorrow.

Putz said after the game that he threw a fastball that ran in on Guerrero's hands. It's a pitch he's used on him before with some success. Not this time. I asked him whether there's such a thing as making a pitch that Guerrero can't get a hold of and he told me there wasn't.

"He can be completely fooled by a curveball that's an inch off the ground and he'll still hit it,'' Putz told me. "That's how good he is.''

Putz added: "You can't really throw him a pitch that he doesn't like. That's what makes him so strong. He's a tough guy to pitch.''

Mariners manager Jim Riggleman said afterwards: "He's been real good against us.''

"As much respect as we have for (Torii) Hunter hitting behind him, we still try to pitch around Guerrero. But there was no open base there.''

No, there wasn't.

In response to some of the stuff that's been asked tonight, namely, do I trust my source on the Ichiro story? Absolutely.

I tried to ask him about it after the game and he politely said, through interpreter Ken Baron, that he "wanted to pass.''

First time in my three partial seasons here that Ichiro has declined an interview request. As I've mentioned before, he's always been accomodating to me. He didn't talk to anyone from the American press today and I can't say that I blame him. He's in a no-win situation here on this story. But I tried.

Back to the story...

I'm sorry my "clubhouse insider'' source has been the bearer of news some of you did not want to hear. I understand that. It's OK to be upset at what's come out. It should be clarified, however, that this source is actually an Ichiro supporter. Thought I'd made that clear earlier today, but some of it seems to have been lost in translation, judging from the comments I've seen here and on other blogs. Not to mention comments from Jim Riggleman and J.J. Putz.

There is no "coward'' here calling Ichiro out. It was somebody who actually appreciates his style of play, but knows there are others in the clubhouse who do not.

Somebody asked whether the "clubhouse insider'' is lying, or whether it's Putz or Riggleman not telling the truth. I actually think they all might be telling the truth. Earlier today, I was talking with Larry Stone about this and we were trying to figure out how a team meeting might have been called to specifically address Ichiro.

It's not like you could begin it with: "Now, we know some of you want to beat Ichiro up, but you can't..."

Kind of awkward, no? It's possible the team had meetings and addressed the subject of player jealousy in very general terms. We already know they had plenty of meetings. It's entirely possible somebody got wind of the "knock him out'' comment and called a player meeting that went over stuff in general terms without naming specific names of victims or calling out the aggressors.

We know that on the day after he was fired, former manager John McLaren had this to say about internal clubhouse bickering:

"The tension and jealousy has been there, and (it is) crystal clear,'' he said. "The only reason I mention that, not to deter any criticism from myself, but to make this team better. If they can get in that room and work some issues out, they'll be better off. Sometimes we get caught up in our own world.''

Here's a story from that day, mentioning that McLaren had team meetings to try to fix the problem.

I've always wondered who he was talking about as the target of that jealousy. Was it Ichiro? Kenji Johjima? It was somebody, but we don't know who. Have spent much of the season trying to figure it out by actually talking to folks. That's our job. I'm sorry if it has some of you bent out of shape. You either want people to figure out what's going on in the clubhouse or you don't. Sometimes, you may be surprised at how different some opinions are from your own.

Do any of you honestly expect anyone to go on the record with anything about Ichiro? Especially after today?

Here's some more of what Riggleman said earlier today, in regards to any meetings on Ichiro.

"I've had talks with everybody on the team, at some time or another, about something in their game -- whether it's a pitcher or whether it's a position player,'' Riggleman said. "Almost everybody on the team, at some time or another, I've said 'I'd like to see you do a little more of this, a little less of that.'

"Some of that is based on vibes you're getting from the team, that maybe they feel like somebody should do more of this or more of that. And you're somewhat in agreement. You try to nip it in the bud. You don't want the sniping. And I've talked about it with just about everybody on the team at one time or another. But has there been a meeting to address that? No.''

I was told that Ichiro was made aware of the way some of his teammates felt about him. Has it changed since this all blew up in April and May? I guess we'll see. A lot of people have been moved in and out since last year. Some are still here. We'll see who's left in 2009.

But for those who don't want me writing this stuff, sorry, that's what we do. We're not the same as a fans (or as fans, for that matter, LOL). I know many of you are upset by this. You should be upset. This team has lost 101 games.

A shot of Ichiro, taking batting practice today. He waited in a back room until shortly before BP, then emerged and headed straight to the field without talking.

The Mariners have a 2-1 lead as we head to the fifth inning on a chilly night at Safeco Field, with only 16,939 as the announced crowd. Randy Messenger is now on the mound for the M's, with Cesar Jimenez surviving a walk-filled 3 1/3 innings with just the one run allowed. Seattle is actually out-hitting the Angels 6-2, but a lack of capitalizing by the M's has kept the Angels in the game.

Seattle had runners at the corners with none out in the second inning, but Ichiro took a called third strike and Yuniesky Betancourt grounded into a double play.

Ichiro got a two-run rally started in the first inning with his 1,800th career hit, a single. He took second on a walk, then scored on a Raul Ibanez single to center. Ibanez later scored on a two-out double down the left field line by Wladimir Balentien.

M's manager anager Jim Riggleman, during his regular pre-game press briefing, was asked all about Ichiro and today's quotes from a clubhouse insider who'd feared a group of players might go after the leadoff man and try to hurt him. Riggleman said he had no knowledge of any specific instance of players wanting to hurt anybody. But he also said, "We've had such a tough year, we've lost so many games, that these types of things surface. When you lose a lot of games, you're going to have some griping, finger-pointing and stuff like that.''

"People saying those things anonymously, a lot of those people who say those things need to look in the mirror at their own performances instead of putting it on somebody else. That comes with losing a lot of games, you get a lot of negativity. The only way to fix that is not to lose a lot of games and that's part of our plan for the future.

"I can tell you,'' he added. "Everybody has got some defficiences, starting at the top. We all have some defficiencies.''

Riggleman went on to laud Ichiro's preparation, comparing it to that of Raul Ibanez.

"If everybody worked as hard as ichiro and Ibanez,'' he said. "We probably would not have lost as many games.''

Riggleman said he'd have preferred if players had brought such gripes to him.

"To just snipe at each other and stuff like that, it's just junior high and rumoring and cliques and stuff. You just can't have that.''

Remember, though. Riggleman was not the manager earlier on this season. He also wasn't around at all last year, when the team had a meeting at Tropicana Field to discuss gripes, including some directed as Ichiro.

But Riggleman clearly did not appreciate having to respond to today's story.

"Rats are the first one of the ship,'' he said. "When the ship is sinking the rats are the first ones off. They're the ones scavenging everything on the ship when it's floating good and going good, but when it's sinking the rats are the first ones to abandon the ship.''

And then, he threw in a shot at the team's pitchers.

"Out of 14 teams, we're 11th in pitching,'' he said. "And I'll guarantee some of those people pointing fingers are pitches, some of the sniping is going on it's pitchers and then we're 11th in pitching. I'd keep my mouth shut if I was somebody saying something and a part of that staff. Eleventh in the league in pitching, I don't think I'd be saying too much.''

I'd love to comment further, but as I said earlier today, I'm not going to name anybody. Nor confirm whether or not what Riggleman said is accurate. But he might want to broaden his scope a little, rather than shoot for the seemingly obvious.

Here's his take on clubhouse leadership:

"Our team this year lacked much needed leadership . We had great veterans on our team but just never seemed to speak up in front of the team when it was really needed. Say what you want, or read what you want about Jose Guillen but if you were doing something you weren't supposed to do on or off the field, he wouldn't sit around and gossip to other guys, he would get in your face and let you know about it. He had no problem speaking up in front of a group either . He played the game hard everyday and took every loss to heart. He didnt take any sh*t from anyone and he had some kind of relationship with every single guy on the team. So, hopefully a vet steps up when needed, kicks someone's ass for not playing hard and that'll set the tone!''

Sounds familliar.

Here's more:

"It's just funny looking back 6 months ago, we were about one week into the season, just 6 games out of spring training and everyone was acting like we were Screwed. It just snowballed, next thing you know, we're 2 months into the season, and we were screwed. So many successful teams have gotten off to a bad start and worked through the growing pains but we never did.''

NOTE (12:20 p.m.) The original post by Rowland-Smith had a paragraph stating the team needed to "grow some balls!'' This phrase was highlighted to me in an email put out by Prolebrity's PR people. The post has since been edited to say the Mariners need to "keep on grinding!''

So, that explains any confusion some of you may be having.

Established: Sept. 24, 2008

Founder: Seattle Mariners

Chairman: Seattle Mariners

President: Seattle Mariners

Members: Seattle Mariners

2008 Membership dues: $117.6 million

Never thought that a blog written back in June, when I was having trouble coming up with a topic for that morning, would take on a life of its own. As one of you wrote, this "club'' has since been mentioned on ESPN's Baseball Tonight. I heard the local KOMO TV news and sports anchors chatting about it last night as I readied for bed. Our pals over at USS Mariner have noticed the significance of it all. Yes, the sad concept of the 100/100 club has become reality. The Mariners are the first team with a payroll of $100 million or more to lose 100 games or more. This club will surely gain more members as inflation kicks in and more teams achieve three-digit payrolls in the millions. But probably not for a long time. It just is not that easy to spend so much and achieve so little. It takes more than disappointing stats. It takes a group of players who simply cannot meld together. We touch on some more of the Mariners' clubouse problems in Part II of our Rebuilding the Mariners series this morning.

Here are some of the key points of today's installment:

1. Raul Ibanez says the 2008 season has been "miserable'' and "emotional'' and that playing on a winning team will be a priority as he decides where to sign as a free agent. Ibanez will put a phone call in to Mariners HQ soon after the season ends and gauge where the team is headed competition-wise

2. A clubhouse insider -- sorry, can't get more specific than that, but the source is golden and others have confirmed his account -- says animosity towards Ichiro by teammates was so heavy in the first few months of the season that he feared the Japanese leadoff man was going to be physically attacked in the clubhouse. The coaching staff intervened and called a team meeting to clear the air over allegations Ichiro was a "selfish'' player. A similar meeting was called in May 2007 at Tropicana Field because of internal grumbling by players about Ichiro.

3. There are few power-hitting replacements waiting in the wings to replace Ibanez, or Adrian Beltre, should the former leave and the latter get traded. The outfield power shortage could be particularly damaging should Ibanez leave, Ichiro remain in right field and the M's not import a power-hitting center fielder via free-agency (which will cost big bucks the team already said it won't spend).

In other words, the possibility of a 100-loss season for 2009 is as strong as ever. One of you wrote in, asking whether a team has ever had consecutive 100-loss seasons. Yes, it's happened before. From 1938 through 1942, the Phillies had five straight 100-loss seasons, compiling a .299 winning percentage over those five years (no wonder their fans are so grumpy). Others have endured conseuctive 100-loss seasons throughout history. More recently, the Tampa Bay Rays lost 100 games in 2001, then 106 games in 2002. And you thought they built this year's playoff team with a couple of shrewd moves? Well, OK, they made some great moves. But they also had the foundation of a decade of losing and top draft picks to build off of.

So, maybe the title of this blog is wrong? Maybe membership does have its privileges? Hey, there's an upside to everything. After all, the M's will have $117.6 million to split between them this winter as they hit the golf courses and ponder what went wrong -- on the field and in the clubhouse. But can this 100-loss season be repeated? Right now, I'm actually wondering how they're going to avoid that happening. This team is a train wreck, through and through.

ADDITIONAL NOTE (10:25 a.m.): For those of you who are already speculating (here and on other sites) as to the names of those who had a problem with Ichiro earlier this season, I can tell you the full answer would shock many of you. I'm not going to throw particular names out there, because it isn't limited to one person and would not be fair to include some names while omitting others. I know that's rough and that your curiosity is heightened. But my goal here was to highlight that there was a problem. I've been hearing from some of you all season that clubhouse chemistry is not important and that we were overstating the internal strife within the team. This story today should emphasize that there was more going on than meets the eye from an outside perspective. Did we have an inkling of what was going on throughout the year? Of course we did. But there is a time and a place for every story. We tried to address issues throughout the season as they became apparent. And it often takes time, as a season progresses, for people to open up and be forthcoming about what really went on. Not just locker room whispers, but details, corroboration, all the important stuff. As you can see, folks still won't go on the record. And who could blame them? The key point is, Ichiro had an image problem in his own clubhouse. And not just with one or two players. And not just this season. And it gets to a point where, it doesn't even matter what the reality is. When the perception, rightly or wrongly, becomes the reality, you either address the perception or it can become a distraction. In this case, it did. The coaching staff tried to address it. From what I hear, the results of their efforts were not entirely successful. Although Ichiro is still in one piece, so we can assume they were partly successful.