Current Mariners Ownership Has Its Head in the Clouds

After losing six straight games for at least the second time this season to make it 19 losses in the last 24 games, Seattle Mariners ownership and management apparently plans no corrective action.

Mariner president Chuck Armstrong on Friday (before the last two losses) said, “We have given no thought to making any changes in managerial personnel.” Apparently, that means general manager Bill Bavasi and field manager John McLaren have some job security for the moment.

In my opinion, this is not the way championship teams operate. With winners, if you have a problem, you fix it. Do you think that George Steinbrenner or John Henry would sit by and do nothing if the Yanks or Red Sox were in a similar malaise? You bet not.

Bavasi said yesterday that his analysis of what’s wrong is that the current ills are more of a player issue than a field managerial issue. He cited an overall lack of player leadership and a clubhouse that can’t “police” itself. Well, if Bavasi and McLaren are not the problem, and will continue to be coddled by spineless ownership, many of us fans think that something – anything – needs to happen.

Here’s my humble suggestion: Trade somebody quickly (or get rid of them, if untradeable), eat their contract, and make a statement that more heads will roll unless things change. Names like the lackluster Richie Sexson or the inept-so-far Miguel Batista come rapidly to mind. Continuing to wallow in the murk of the status quo is foolish and ridiculous (assuming one wants to win).

Out of Spring Training this team was touted (by this same management) as potential division winners. Right. How does the worst record in MLB, as of today, sound?

The problem also is that the Mariners brass could be as bad a judge of talent as there is in all of baseball. A journeyman team could be fielded with current ex-Mariners. Gil Meche and Joel Piniero are in starting rotations for the Royals and Cards. George Sherrill is developing into a great closer for the Orioles (he was a set-up guy here). Miguel Olivo and Jorvit Torrealba are hitting walk-off home runs for Kansas City and Colorado. Adam Jones is a hit with the Orioles (he's hitting over .300 at home -- quite a bit less on the road), and Randy Winn is doing just fine with the Giants. Even older cast-off Jamie Moyer, for crying out loud, is still starting with Philly. And that excludes, in years past, giving up Junior and Carlos Guillen in trades, and losing A-Rod to free agency (all of which could be argued, admittedly, as decent transactions for the M's at some level). To cap things off in the talent mis-judgement category, the M's did not draft pitcher Tim Lincecum (6-1 so far this season with the mediocre Giants) out of their own backyard at UW two years ago (they took Brandon Morrow from Cal instead).

Should we go on?

I’m aware that living in the past does no good either. All we can do is change the future. But it requires some decisions and some action.