Well, Fister had some stuff going for him, but an error by Ryan Langerhans in left field helped put Boston over the top in this one. It's sad, because while the infield has been dreadful all year, the outfield has been usually reliable. Of course, Langerhans was filling in for Saunders, who is awaiting MRI results. Lame..
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Figgins had 3 hits as he continues to flirt with a .250 batting average.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Game 124 Summary: YANKEES 10, MARINERS 0
Wow, now yesterday seems like beautifully played game in comparison to this mess. Included was a 1 hour rain delay, but that didn't bother Sabathia. Only 6 hits, plenty of runs given up and 3 errors on the field that just made the team want to high tail out of here.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Nope...
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Nope...
Game 123 Summary: YANKEES 9, MARINERS 5
An ugly outing for Jason Vargas, who gave up 7 earned runs and took the loss. Kotchman's error free streak finally ended and most upsetting of all was a 2 homer effort from Ichiro that went to waste along with a Branyan homer. I guess thats what happens when you shut out the Yankees the previous night.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro for the 2 blasts and for calmly watching his chances of ever reaching the World Series slip away with each passing year.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro for the 2 blasts and for calmly watching his chances of ever reaching the World Series slip away with each passing year.
Game 122 Summary: MARINERS 6, YANKEES 0
Now, I accept the loss in Felix's last start for this kind of an outing. A 4 hit shutout of the best team in baseball with 11 strikeouts backed by 2 homers from Russell Branyan and stolen bases from both Figgins and Ichiro. Outings like this alone are what should help Hernandez when it comes time to vote for the Cy Young.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix of course.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix of course.
Game 121 Summary: MARINERS 6, ORIOLES 5
An up and down game that led to David Pauley's second win of the season, but once again, it was Tui that brought the offense with a 3 run homer. Aardsma got his 24th save and they managed to hold onto this one.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Tuiasosopo, because who knows if he will ever have another stretch of consecutive homer games in his career.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Tuiasosopo, because who knows if he will ever have another stretch of consecutive homer games in his career.
Game 120 Summary: MARINERS 4, ORIOLES 0
Well, Luke French 3 hit the Orioles for 7 2/3 innings and then Brandon League took over for his 3rd save of the year. Meanwhile, Matt Tuiasosopo brought the offense with a homer, a double and 4 runs batted in. Ichiro also swiped a base for his 30th steal of the year, padding his lead as all time stolen base leader for the Mariners.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
French and Tui share this, as they put out solid outings.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
French and Tui share this, as they put out solid outings.
Game 119 Summary: ORIOLES 5, MARINERS 4
Fister had a pedestrian outing, going 5 and giving up 3 runs in this first game in Baltimore. The power game was in play as Branyan, Adam Moore and Jose Lopez all hit home runs, with Branyan's and Lopez's coming back to back. Moore's homer put the team ahead and setup David Aardsma, but unfortunately he gave up the tying run in his half inning of work. Then Adam Jones pulled off a bunt single in the next inning to put the Orioles over the top.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Adam Moore, as his homer came in a clutch situation and he had 4 hits. Hopefully, he continues to improve and maybe, becomes that everyday catcher the organization has hoped he would.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Adam Moore, as his homer came in a clutch situation and he had 4 hits. Hopefully, he continues to improve and maybe, becomes that everyday catcher the organization has hoped he would.
Game 118 Summay: INDIANS 9, MARINERS 1
The King was dethroned by one of his own, as Figgins made a key two out error that eventually led to a grand slam by aging slugger, Travis Hafner. Felix k'd 7 and this one was winnable, except this defense we setup to be one of the best in the league broke down at a key moment that broke this one open. Especially when the anemic offense could only muster 3 hits and 1 run in response.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Hernandez, for showing a lot of maturity and not killing Figgins for the error.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Hernandez, for showing a lot of maturity and not killing Figgins for the error.
Game 117: MARINERS 9, INDIANS 3
Now, this is much more enjoyable. A victory with a lead of more than 6 and another great effort by Jason Vargas for his 9th win of the season. However, tonight's hero was Josh Bard, who went 4 for 5 with a double and a grand slam, raising his average to a respectable .256. Branyan and Kotchman also homered and all starters had a hit, except Michael Saunders. Again, it came against a weak team, but still, a thing of beauty.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Josh Bard, slugging it like the best for one night.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Josh Bard, slugging it like the best for one night.
Game 116: MARINERS 3, INDIANS 2
Into Cleveland and it was average offense with good pitching that won this one. Anytime a team can reach 10 hits, they're doing some right, but usually, it should be complemented by more than 3 runs. Luckily, David Pauley had good stuff through 6 innings and then the bullpen held it down for the win. However, it's not too much to be excited about, as Cleveland is one of the worst teams in the league and would usually be resoundingly crushed by a superior team. I guess a win is a win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
David Pauley, making some kind of case for a back end of the rotation spot next year.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
David Pauley, making some kind of case for a back end of the rotation spot next year.
Game 115 Summary: ATHLETICS 5, MARINERS 1
The series win was in the bag, but the sweep was snapped off at the broom handle. Unfortunately, nobody on the M's did anything remarkable or noteworthy. French pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 runs, the M's only managed 4 hits and 1 run. It's irritating to watch games like these, where the team just seems to weak to play at the major league level, but hopefully the rebuilding process at Tacoma is on its way.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro, another hit closer to 200. Pedestrian sure, but the only thing I could pull out.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro, another hit closer to 200. Pedestrian sure, but the only thing I could pull out.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Game 114: MARINERS 2, ATHLETICS 0
And now, that's two series wins in a row at home! All because whatever Doug Fister can do, Felix can do better! The King set a career high mark by striking out 13, and he managed 8 innings only giving up 5 hits and 1 walk. David Aardsma threw a perfect 9th for his 3rd save in as many days. Sure, the run support wasn't great, but it was better than what Felix is use to and it was more than enough.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, duh.
Some fun facts for franchise fanatics:
-Tonight's Win ties Felix with pitcher Mike Moore for 5th all time in franchise history (66).
-The lack of runs allowed Felix to further pad his lead as the all time Mariner's ERA champ (3.35)
-With 48 games left to play, and Felix pitching 9 of those barring an injury or other mishap, he should pass Freddy Garcia as #5 innings pitched, (Only 9 1/3 to go) and #5 in games started (8 more)/
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, duh.
Some fun facts for franchise fanatics:
-Tonight's Win ties Felix with pitcher Mike Moore for 5th all time in franchise history (66).
-The lack of runs allowed Felix to further pad his lead as the all time Mariner's ERA champ (3.35)
-With 48 games left to play, and Felix pitching 9 of those barring an injury or other mishap, he should pass Freddy Garcia as #5 innings pitched, (Only 9 1/3 to go) and #5 in games started (8 more)/
Game 113 Summary: MARINERS 3, ATHLETICS 1
Darren Brown showed up to Safeco a bit bleary eyed and not knowing what to expect for his first game as interim manager. Little did he know that in addition to getting his first win as a big league manager, he'd also witness the first Mariners triple play in 15 years. While the offense wasn't overpowering, the pitching was spectacular as was the defense. Doug Fister pitched his way through 6 innings and picked up his first win in more than a couple of months. League and White each held down for an inning for some holds and David Aardsma picked up save 21. All in all, it was a great night that ended in a beer shower for the new manager, and unfortunately for Wak, one that helped forget the old.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Doug Fister, getting back on track. Let's see those quality starts rack up!
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Doug Fister, getting back on track. Let's see those quality starts rack up!
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Ultimate Wak Off
So, today ends the era of "Believing Big." Already many people have speculated over the firing of Don Wakamatsu and many have come to his defense. After all, he was a popular enough guy and many felt that he wasn't given much of a chance as a second year manager. A lot of people felt he was thrown under the bus in the Griffey situation and that he was left to manage a team destined to fail.
I STRONGLY DISAGREE. I understand the arguments about his lack of veteran seasoning as a manager, but when I wrote that irritatingly long blog a week ago, something like this is kind of what I had in mind. This is the kind of move that I hope will separate the Mariners of the future from the unstable mess of a team for most of the post-Lou years. It's cold, it's calculated, and it's abrupt, but hey, it might just be what we need. After all, it kind of stinks of a Steinbrenner-esque move.
A lot of what Jack Z said during the press conference, I totally agree with. I lacked the confidence in this team's now former field management for creating a plan that sees us building towards anything positive. With all the accountability talk, I didn't see anything changing and if Wak had held this job, it seemed as if a lot of player issues would have remained swept under the rug to fester over time.
Now, I'm not defending players like Chone Figgins or Ken Griffey Jr. or Milton Bradley, but a manager has to deal better with these issues and from what I saw, Wak did his best to ignore them until they blew up and became public. Then, after all the fans already were aware of these issues, Wak still seemed content to remain non confrontational and offer no resolution. Sure, I didn't expect the guy to air all the dirty laundry and have a media war with members of his own team, but what I took away from it all is that Ken Griffey Jr. was benched and ignored until he gave up and Chone Figgins was allowed to fight in the dugout and be unrepentant to the media but still play the next day. In fact, a lot of players were allowed to play poorly day-to-day until they either managed to injure themselves.
I mean what were the plans here? From what I've seen, I expected that Ryan Rowland-Smith would have returned to the rotation to probably lose as many as 15 games with Wak's response saying something about us misreading the numbers and how much his delivery has improved from the last outing. I expected more guys to be picked off third and more loafing in the field. I expected to Lopez, Figgins, Kotchman, and Jack Wilson to all hit under .260, but keep their playing time. In a lot of ways, it just seemed like this team went on autopilot.
In a lot of ways, that is what happened last year. A great example is that we played Yuniesky Betancourt at shortstop until he was traded and then had Ronny Cedeno start there until Jack Z traded for Jack Wilson. Sure, Cedeno has improved offensively and defensively in Pittsburgh enough to be a starting a shortstop on one of the only teams worse than ours, but he was dreadful, positively dreadful here. It was easy enough to ignore, because we were winning, but had the Mariner's been a losing team, it definitely would have been talked about and should have been addressed. After all, who starts a position player on a regular basis that bats .167?
Then, there were the issues with Johjima. I will still stand by that he was overpaid, but his defense was many times better than either Rob Johnson and Adam Moore. Even his offense, while in decline, was better than theirs, but he became the backup. Sure, we were winning last year and Felix was pitching so great with Johnson it was easy to ignore, but we could have used him this year. Again, maybe there could have been intervention, maybe Wak could have worked to create better communication between Kenji and the pitchers, but in the end, Johjima felt slighted and moved on.
Now, I understand that maybe my view of a manager is a bit off. Maybe watching too many sports movies has put this vision in my head where these guys spend a lot of time keeping everyone on the same page and making difficult decisions, but managing to keep overall peace in the clubhouse, but shouldn't it be that way? Shouldn't everything be out in the open, (at least between the players and manager), and shouldn't there be solutions?
I mean, I have a hard time believing that Wakamatsu approached Griffey and said, "Hey man, you aren't producing as well as you used to, so I'm going to need you to be willing to accept a lesser role on this team. I know you are a true asset to this organization and to this team, but right now, I need you to be more of a leader on the bench." Maybe it did happen, but it seems doubtful, because of how Griffey left Seattle.
Also, Wak should have benched Figgins. A lot of people think that his hands were tied and that upper management forced Wak's hand, but my question would be, how can Wak bench Griffey without being able to bench someone of Figgins' stature?
Again, these are all small examples, but I believe they show a window into what we may have seen in the future. A manager willing to let problems remain unsolved. Sure, it never reached the heights of the 2008 season, but over the course of a few seasons, who knows what could have happened. We need a manager who can call guys out whenever they are out of line, but also mediate concerns among veteran players. Essentially, "Manage" the players.
Too bad, for the other guys, (Adair, Burkleo), but a house cleaning is necessary for this team to build a contender.
I STRONGLY DISAGREE. I understand the arguments about his lack of veteran seasoning as a manager, but when I wrote that irritatingly long blog a week ago, something like this is kind of what I had in mind. This is the kind of move that I hope will separate the Mariners of the future from the unstable mess of a team for most of the post-Lou years. It's cold, it's calculated, and it's abrupt, but hey, it might just be what we need. After all, it kind of stinks of a Steinbrenner-esque move.
A lot of what Jack Z said during the press conference, I totally agree with. I lacked the confidence in this team's now former field management for creating a plan that sees us building towards anything positive. With all the accountability talk, I didn't see anything changing and if Wak had held this job, it seemed as if a lot of player issues would have remained swept under the rug to fester over time.
Now, I'm not defending players like Chone Figgins or Ken Griffey Jr. or Milton Bradley, but a manager has to deal better with these issues and from what I saw, Wak did his best to ignore them until they blew up and became public. Then, after all the fans already were aware of these issues, Wak still seemed content to remain non confrontational and offer no resolution. Sure, I didn't expect the guy to air all the dirty laundry and have a media war with members of his own team, but what I took away from it all is that Ken Griffey Jr. was benched and ignored until he gave up and Chone Figgins was allowed to fight in the dugout and be unrepentant to the media but still play the next day. In fact, a lot of players were allowed to play poorly day-to-day until they either managed to injure themselves.
I mean what were the plans here? From what I've seen, I expected that Ryan Rowland-Smith would have returned to the rotation to probably lose as many as 15 games with Wak's response saying something about us misreading the numbers and how much his delivery has improved from the last outing. I expected more guys to be picked off third and more loafing in the field. I expected to Lopez, Figgins, Kotchman, and Jack Wilson to all hit under .260, but keep their playing time. In a lot of ways, it just seemed like this team went on autopilot.
In a lot of ways, that is what happened last year. A great example is that we played Yuniesky Betancourt at shortstop until he was traded and then had Ronny Cedeno start there until Jack Z traded for Jack Wilson. Sure, Cedeno has improved offensively and defensively in Pittsburgh enough to be a starting a shortstop on one of the only teams worse than ours, but he was dreadful, positively dreadful here. It was easy enough to ignore, because we were winning, but had the Mariner's been a losing team, it definitely would have been talked about and should have been addressed. After all, who starts a position player on a regular basis that bats .167?
Then, there were the issues with Johjima. I will still stand by that he was overpaid, but his defense was many times better than either Rob Johnson and Adam Moore. Even his offense, while in decline, was better than theirs, but he became the backup. Sure, we were winning last year and Felix was pitching so great with Johnson it was easy to ignore, but we could have used him this year. Again, maybe there could have been intervention, maybe Wak could have worked to create better communication between Kenji and the pitchers, but in the end, Johjima felt slighted and moved on.
Now, I understand that maybe my view of a manager is a bit off. Maybe watching too many sports movies has put this vision in my head where these guys spend a lot of time keeping everyone on the same page and making difficult decisions, but managing to keep overall peace in the clubhouse, but shouldn't it be that way? Shouldn't everything be out in the open, (at least between the players and manager), and shouldn't there be solutions?
I mean, I have a hard time believing that Wakamatsu approached Griffey and said, "Hey man, you aren't producing as well as you used to, so I'm going to need you to be willing to accept a lesser role on this team. I know you are a true asset to this organization and to this team, but right now, I need you to be more of a leader on the bench." Maybe it did happen, but it seems doubtful, because of how Griffey left Seattle.
Also, Wak should have benched Figgins. A lot of people think that his hands were tied and that upper management forced Wak's hand, but my question would be, how can Wak bench Griffey without being able to bench someone of Figgins' stature?
Again, these are all small examples, but I believe they show a window into what we may have seen in the future. A manager willing to let problems remain unsolved. Sure, it never reached the heights of the 2008 season, but over the course of a few seasons, who knows what could have happened. We need a manager who can call guys out whenever they are out of line, but also mediate concerns among veteran players. Essentially, "Manage" the players.
Too bad, for the other guys, (Adair, Burkleo), but a house cleaning is necessary for this team to build a contender.
Game 112 Summary: MARINERS 3, ROYALS 2
Ah, the "rubber game." We use to win a lot more of these last year, so it was nice to see a return to "vintage" 2009. Vargas goes 6 and picks up number 8, while 8 hits and 3 runs appears to just be enough.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Jason Vargas, because he's done everything right this year.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Jason Vargas, because he's done everything right this year.
Game 111 Summary: ROYALS 2, MARINERS 1
The law of the 2010 Mariners: if more than 3 runs are scored the previous night, the odds of scoring more than 2 the next are slim to nil. Yep, Bruce Chen, Bruce Freakin' Chen, 3 hits the boys and only allows Branyan's homer for an earned run. Pauley had a good outing, but where were his Hits?!?!
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
The Moosle, Branyan, for at least jacking one out of there an earning his paycheck.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
The Moosle, Branyan, for at least jacking one out of there an earning his paycheck.
Game 110 Summary: MARINERS 7, ROYALS 1
Nice to see some other than Wakamatsu's Mariners suffering a sophomore slump as the M's tagged last year's Cy Winner, Zach Grienke, for 6 of the 7 scored runs. Chone Figgins of all people drove in 3 and the not-so-often used Ryan Langerhans homered for the 3rd time this year.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Luke French, a guy I didn't think go a whole 8 innings and only allow a run. Maybe there's a future here.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Luke French, a guy I didn't think go a whole 8 innings and only allow a run. Maybe there's a future here.
Game 109 Summary: RANGERS 6, MARINERS 0
Well, not much to write home about. Felix held it for 6, got nothing, gave up 3 and then was matched by Jamey wright as Texas made this one impossible for the last at bat in the 9th. Ichiro doubled twice, but to no avail. It's games like these that have me hoping that the top Rainiers are making solid progress.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, the guy who can't catch a break despite keeping that ERA under 3.00 and having 150+ strikeouts.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, the guy who can't catch a break despite keeping that ERA under 3.00 and having 150+ strikeouts.
Game 108 Summary: RANGERS 11, MARINERS 6
Well, this got out of hand and as the slumbering Texan lumber from the night before showed us what it was made to do: put runs on the board. Fister got leveled for 7 runs in less than 5 innings and Garrett Olson gave up a late grand slam to Michael Young that put this one out of reach. There were a few positives: Ichiro stole 4 bases and Adam Moore showed a big league swing for his second homer of the season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro. Anytime a man of 35+ years not named Rickey Henderson can steal 4 bases in a game, he's earned it.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro. Anytime a man of 35+ years not named Rickey Henderson can steal 4 bases in a game, he's earned it.
Game 107 Summary: MARINERS 3, RANGERS 2
Vargas was solid and the bullpen held this one. We also got a nice homer out of Guttierrez to finally have a Mariner reach the milestone of double digit home runs with about 1/3 of the season left to play. Eleven hits was a nice way to stick to Colby Lewis and 4 hitting the Rangers is never a bad ay to take it.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
While Vargas was definitely an asset for this game, I give it to Gutierrez, who has struggled recently, but for a large chunk of the season, has been one of the only offensive weapons on the team. This from a guy we signed for his outstanding defense.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
While Vargas was definitely an asset for this game, I give it to Gutierrez, who has struggled recently, but for a large chunk of the season, has been one of the only offensive weapons on the team. This from a guy we signed for his outstanding defense.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A Long, Frustrated and Obnoxious Rant from a Fan
There are 56 games left this season. We need at least 24 of those games to avoid another 100 loss season. Only the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates have lost more games than the Mariners at this point. As a team, the Mariners are last in the major leagues in batting average, runs, hits, home runs, doubles, rbis, and slugging percentage. While some of our starters have been excellent (Cliff Lee, Felix), and others good (Jason Vargas, Doug Fister), the rest of our pitching staff has been weak to abysmal. Our defense has struggled, with the exceptions of Gutierrez and Kotchman, and our base running has been foolhardy.
While I lay this all out there, I want to be clear that I do it with a lot of love for this team. I plan to attend at least several more home games this year. I plan to listen 710 religiously, be it a live game or mere rumor chatter from Brock and Salk. I plan to flip on FSN when I get home from work to catch either the end of of a 5 PM road game, or the start of a 7 PM home game. I even plan to finish this blog with at least brief summaries and thoughts about every game to the end of the season. Finally, I plan to still spend a countless amount of hours chatting with fellow fans, friends, and just about anyone else about everything Mariners. And while, I'm keeping the faith and Believing Big, err Adequately, I'm frustrated as Hell like most of Mariner Nation.
Now this is an obvious conclusion for any sports fan dealing with a catastrophic losing season that still has a third of its games to play, but the worst part of it, is not seeing the light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. Right now, I don't feel like this team is on the road to recovery and I'm at a loss a how a lot of the giant problems surrounding this organization will be solved. Right now I need some Accountability, because while that word has been tossed around a lot this year, as a fan, I'm not seeing it.
I am a bit disappointed with a few of the 710 reporters that cover the Mariners, because I'm growing weary of stories that attempt to endear these athletes to us. Ryan Rowland-Smith gives up 11 runs and receives his 10th loss, and Shannon Drayer stands up for him by enlightening readers about how he made a day special for a teenager with lymphoma. While listening to 710 AM, the trade deadline winds down as the Mariners decide to not make a move, but Drayer and Matt Pittman point out that there is some random 7 year-old David Aardsma fan that can rest easy.
Sure, it's good to hear that some of these athletes are wonderful people and have warmed the hearts of the children, but it comes off as defensive and even insulting. I'm irritated that my team is losing, which has nothing to do with the integrity or character of someone like Ryan Rowland-Smith. For whatever reason, his pitching just isn't at the level it should be to compete in the major leagues at this time and after consistently bad outings, it was aggravating to still see him taking the mound every 5 days. I'm sure he's the world's greatest guy, but I don't want to watch a guy continue to struggle like that and then on top of it, have reporters attempt guilt me into accepting the situation because he's a great guy. That's kind of low.
Especially in Seattle, the world's most forgiving city when it comes to sports franchises and their players. This is the place where Matt Hasselbeck jerseys are still worn like crazy even though the guy has had two awful seasons and probably won't be able to remain healthy for a third. This is the place where Ken Griffey Jr. can have a mediocre 2009 season, become an inspiration, be offered a second contract, have an awful 2010 season, and quit the team mid-season, but have most fans convinced the manager was the bad guy despite poor play and him leaving the M's without a leader in the middle of a season. This is the place where opposing players that perform well receive applause and boos tend to be limited to A-Rod and bad calls from the umpire. So, to attempt to endear athletes to the city of Seattle is like telling a hippie to hug a tree harder.
Right now, what I want is something to show me that the front office, players, coaches, Don and Jack Z have something planned to right the course, if not for this year then for next season. Yes, I like the pickup of Justin Smoak, but you are going to have to give me more than that. I'm sure when September rolls around, people like Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda will be brought, get broken in and prepare for their spots last year. It's been rumored, but in the spirit of accountability, I need to see it happen. I need evidence that these guys are the future and will be used as such.
The Figgins debacle also needs to be solved. He either needs to speak up, Wak needs to something, or he needs to be traded or whatever. I find it unsettling that while I read positive stories about the actions of other Mariners, I know that there is either a lingering dispute between Figgins and Wak, or they decided to drop everything, but leave the fans in limbo. You can't do that, because it makes the front office look bad by being involved in talks with the Braves as a passive aggressive way of telling Figgins to shape up. Be accountable and clear the air: if Figgins is remorseful for his action, have him address it, if not, put him on waivers and then address it. I know what happens in the clubhouse stays there, but when you're dumb enough to brawl in the dugout and the entire fan base sees it, you can't hide in the clubhouse anymore.
Finally, the entire Mariner's organization needs to stop telling everyone about how bad they feel about losing and how tough it is for them. I mean that's a no brainer to start, because any other reaction to this situation would be ludicrous. Secondly, it reiterates a position of helplessness towards actually fixing the problems and actually is counter intuitive to creating sympathy amongst the fan base. I know everyone is working hard and doing their part, but constantly reading it and hearing it from members of the organization will make people question it if there is nothing to prove it. I know that the team can't simply turn a switch from "lose" to "win", but do something progressive rather than just telling me that your trying. Make a move, promote a guy, give some hints as to what you seek to accomplish for the rest of the season other than trying to win few games. Anything, be bold! Some of this will be accomplished with the September call ups, off season moves, and what have you, but we just started the month of August and I'm curious to see if the next chapter in Mariner Baseball will start sooner than later.
Which in the end, I'll still be at games, writing my hardly read blog, talking up a storm, and doing all things a Mariner Fan would do. With all my frustration, I love this team and want nothing more than it to succeed as an AL West Champsion, an AL Champion and eventual World Series champion. I want to see that happen and while I'm resigned to waiting many games, seasons, and years, I'd love to see it sooner than later. That's all.
While I lay this all out there, I want to be clear that I do it with a lot of love for this team. I plan to attend at least several more home games this year. I plan to listen 710 religiously, be it a live game or mere rumor chatter from Brock and Salk. I plan to flip on FSN when I get home from work to catch either the end of of a 5 PM road game, or the start of a 7 PM home game. I even plan to finish this blog with at least brief summaries and thoughts about every game to the end of the season. Finally, I plan to still spend a countless amount of hours chatting with fellow fans, friends, and just about anyone else about everything Mariners. And while, I'm keeping the faith and Believing Big, err Adequately, I'm frustrated as Hell like most of Mariner Nation.
Now this is an obvious conclusion for any sports fan dealing with a catastrophic losing season that still has a third of its games to play, but the worst part of it, is not seeing the light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. Right now, I don't feel like this team is on the road to recovery and I'm at a loss a how a lot of the giant problems surrounding this organization will be solved. Right now I need some Accountability, because while that word has been tossed around a lot this year, as a fan, I'm not seeing it.
I am a bit disappointed with a few of the 710 reporters that cover the Mariners, because I'm growing weary of stories that attempt to endear these athletes to us. Ryan Rowland-Smith gives up 11 runs and receives his 10th loss, and Shannon Drayer stands up for him by enlightening readers about how he made a day special for a teenager with lymphoma. While listening to 710 AM, the trade deadline winds down as the Mariners decide to not make a move, but Drayer and Matt Pittman point out that there is some random 7 year-old David Aardsma fan that can rest easy.
Sure, it's good to hear that some of these athletes are wonderful people and have warmed the hearts of the children, but it comes off as defensive and even insulting. I'm irritated that my team is losing, which has nothing to do with the integrity or character of someone like Ryan Rowland-Smith. For whatever reason, his pitching just isn't at the level it should be to compete in the major leagues at this time and after consistently bad outings, it was aggravating to still see him taking the mound every 5 days. I'm sure he's the world's greatest guy, but I don't want to watch a guy continue to struggle like that and then on top of it, have reporters attempt guilt me into accepting the situation because he's a great guy. That's kind of low.
Especially in Seattle, the world's most forgiving city when it comes to sports franchises and their players. This is the place where Matt Hasselbeck jerseys are still worn like crazy even though the guy has had two awful seasons and probably won't be able to remain healthy for a third. This is the place where Ken Griffey Jr. can have a mediocre 2009 season, become an inspiration, be offered a second contract, have an awful 2010 season, and quit the team mid-season, but have most fans convinced the manager was the bad guy despite poor play and him leaving the M's without a leader in the middle of a season. This is the place where opposing players that perform well receive applause and boos tend to be limited to A-Rod and bad calls from the umpire. So, to attempt to endear athletes to the city of Seattle is like telling a hippie to hug a tree harder.
Right now, what I want is something to show me that the front office, players, coaches, Don and Jack Z have something planned to right the course, if not for this year then for next season. Yes, I like the pickup of Justin Smoak, but you are going to have to give me more than that. I'm sure when September rolls around, people like Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda will be brought, get broken in and prepare for their spots last year. It's been rumored, but in the spirit of accountability, I need to see it happen. I need evidence that these guys are the future and will be used as such.
The Figgins debacle also needs to be solved. He either needs to speak up, Wak needs to something, or he needs to be traded or whatever. I find it unsettling that while I read positive stories about the actions of other Mariners, I know that there is either a lingering dispute between Figgins and Wak, or they decided to drop everything, but leave the fans in limbo. You can't do that, because it makes the front office look bad by being involved in talks with the Braves as a passive aggressive way of telling Figgins to shape up. Be accountable and clear the air: if Figgins is remorseful for his action, have him address it, if not, put him on waivers and then address it. I know what happens in the clubhouse stays there, but when you're dumb enough to brawl in the dugout and the entire fan base sees it, you can't hide in the clubhouse anymore.
Finally, the entire Mariner's organization needs to stop telling everyone about how bad they feel about losing and how tough it is for them. I mean that's a no brainer to start, because any other reaction to this situation would be ludicrous. Secondly, it reiterates a position of helplessness towards actually fixing the problems and actually is counter intuitive to creating sympathy amongst the fan base. I know everyone is working hard and doing their part, but constantly reading it and hearing it from members of the organization will make people question it if there is nothing to prove it. I know that the team can't simply turn a switch from "lose" to "win", but do something progressive rather than just telling me that your trying. Make a move, promote a guy, give some hints as to what you seek to accomplish for the rest of the season other than trying to win few games. Anything, be bold! Some of this will be accomplished with the September call ups, off season moves, and what have you, but we just started the month of August and I'm curious to see if the next chapter in Mariner Baseball will start sooner than later.
Which in the end, I'll still be at games, writing my hardly read blog, talking up a storm, and doing all things a Mariner Fan would do. With all my frustration, I love this team and want nothing more than it to succeed as an AL West Champsion, an AL Champion and eventual World Series champion. I want to see that happen and while I'm resigned to waiting many games, seasons, and years, I'd love to see it sooner than later. That's all.
Game 106 Summary: TWINS 4, MARINERS 0
Another day, another 4 -0 loss to Minnesota. Uglier was the 15 strikeouts, 11 coming from Francisco Liriano. Luke French, starting in place of the injured Rowland-Smith, went 6 innings and gave up 4 runs while watching his offense die like poisoned rats. Horrible roadtrip: 0-7.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
...
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
...
Game 105 Summary: TWINS 4, MARINERS 0
It started off rocky, with Minnesota scoring 3 off Felix in the 1st, but the King settled down and pitched a total of 7 innings without giving up anymore runs. His offense did not show up though, as the Mariners only scratched across 4 hits for the entire game. Embarrassing.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, for pitching with nothing to work with. Yea, he even caused an error, but he isn't always going to be able to hold the other teams to 3 runs and pitch 7+ innings. Offense needs to show up.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, for pitching with nothing to work with. Yea, he even caused an error, but he isn't always going to be able to hold the other teams to 3 runs and pitch 7+ innings. Offense needs to show up.
Game 104 Summary: TWINS 5, MARINERS 3
Well, Fister went 5 innings again, absorbed another loss while only giving up 2 earned runs. The other runs came at the expense of our defense, which was heralded as one of the best at the start of this season. Chone Figgins and Josh Wilson each bobbled a few that were brought in by Minnesota homers. Figgins did get 3 hits, but I'd rather trade one for one less error.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Franklin Gutierrez. He drove in the first Mariner run, stole a base and then scored as the second.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Franklin Gutierrez. He drove in the first Mariner run, stole a base and then scored as the second.
Game 103 Summary: WHITE SOX 9, MARINERS 5
Nothing says sour like being beaten by former starter, Freddy Garcia. Especially when he has 4 homers to support his cause. Yeah, the Mariners stole 3 bases, Ichiro had 3 doubles, and the team got 5 runs of their own, but it just wasn't enough against the powerful South Siders. The only pitcher to go unscathed was David Aardsma, who pitched a garbage 9th.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro, because of the doubles.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ichiro, because of the doubles.
Game 102 Summary: WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 5
Well, this one was better than the previous night, but to no avail. Vargas had a short outing and threw a lot of pitches, but he's allowed some pedestrian starts on occasion. And hey, the offense should have been sufficient enough to win, especially with the lead coming early, but a mediocre outing by Vargas and the go ahead run was given up in the 7th.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Figgins, who got his first homer of the season and stole another base. Maybe the more trouble he causes, the better he plays.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Figgins, who got his first homer of the season and stole another base. Maybe the more trouble he causes, the better he plays.
Game 101 Summary: WHITE SOX 11, MARINERS 0
Wow. 11-0. Obviously, I wasn't overjoyed to see Ryan Rowland-Smith take the mound, but I didn't think it would be so bad that he would end up tying the Mariner's record for most earned runs in a single ballgame. Let's pass out some more blame to the offense of course, for doing nothing as usual, but 11 runs is deafening enough to make any response feeble whether its 0 runs or 8 runs.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Nobody this time.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Nobody this time.
Game 100 Summary: WHITE SOX 6, MARINERS 1
We headed into Chicago and immediately got slapped across the face. Felix, our ace, wasn't stellar, but if he had an adequate offense and bullpen, he pitches well enough for us to win. Only 6 hits and 1 run of support is unacceptable. Sure, Felix walked a few and gave up some walks, but only one extra base hit in an entire game is the definition of offensive stagnation.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, because nothing else really happened.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Felix, because nothing else really happened.
Game 99 Summary: MARINERS 4, RED SOX 2
Well, it was nice to win a series against a team like the Sox. Doug Fister had his best start since returning from the DL, only last 5 innings, but only allowing 2 runs. It was a close 2-1 game looking all but lost until Michael Saunders singled in the tying and go-ahead runs in the 8th and Milton Bradley adding another as insurance.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Again, Saunders. Maybe he is the future.
PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Again, Saunders. Maybe he is the future.
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