For just a moment I looked away and what happened? The Tigers are in first place, a nice surprise. I watched a Mariner's game with Ichiro leading off, blinked, and there he is in Yankee pinstripes! It must be the time of year when time is warped by the baseball gods.
The Tigers are finally performing as everyone predicted. Prince Fielder has done more than hold up his end of the bargain, now others are chipping in. Looks like a race to October.
I have long thought of the Mariners as a feeder club for the rest of the major leagues. But now they seem to have accepted a role as part of the Yankees farm system. Watching a recent game, there were three former M's starting for the Yanks. Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, and starting pitcher Freddy Garcia all were in the lineup for the league-leading Bronx Bombers.
I know I'm doing it again, counting the number of ex-Mariners having great years with other clubs, while the Mariners find themselves in their usual spot, last in their division. But can you blame me, this trend just seems to go on and on.
Mariner owners, Nintendo, need to take a long look at management and scouting and shake things up. Their usual tact is to fire the manager, a guy who is trying to do the best with what is given him. Not his fault! What is former Seattle Mariner manager Bob Melvin doing these days? Oh just leading the Oakland A's to a record that may place them in the top Wild Card spot in the A.L.
I feel for the current crop of Mariner up n' comers, I wonder if they secretly hope to go to another club where the bad juju of Safeco is flushed from their system. I see great potential for several players, Dustin Ackely, Kyle Seager, Jason Saunders, and Mike Carp have shown flashes, but will their development climb or plummet? Justin Smoak, once their prized trade acquisition for Cliff Lee has been sent down to AAA, batting a paltry .189!
Free agency has not been their friend, signing Chone Figgins has resulted in a bust. Figgins is currently hitting .189 and the Mariners still owe him $17 million.
Time for change in the Emerald City, c'mon can't the Mario Brothers see the need? I could go on, but the following link is a better illustration of the Mariner front office's ineptitude. 10 Worst Trades In Mariner History
Hey, anybody miss me?
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