All I have to say is, "Thank goodness Mariner baseball doesn't completely engulf my life." At least I have classes, research, homework, the NBA playoffs, running (marathon on Sunday), etc. For all the fans out there who are forced to live and die with every Jeff Weaver meatball, every Willie Bloomquist flare-out, every Yuniesky Betencourt fumble-bumble, I am sorry.
This team just seems to suck the life out baseball season. I catch at least snippets of every game and every time I click over, something bad is happening. Either the opponent's lead has increased, the opponent is in the middle of a rally, the next pitch is smacked to wherever, or some combination of all of these plus the deflated feeling of seeing Julio Mateo warming up in the bullpen just for good measure. This is pretty much a microcosm of what happened during yesterday's game as I tried to focus on the Lakers-Suns game while simultaneously harboring depressed thoughts of what is probably taking place over on Fox Sports Seattle. It was a hopeless feeling that allowed for no enjoyment of a ridiculously entertaining Game 1 in Phoenix.
I knew things were going to turn for the worst after I received a text-message (seriously, why couldn't he have just called me or something? Since when are we forced to resort to one sentence back-and-forths with awful grammar to communicate?) from my Dad which read "I think it's time people start taking this Mariner team seriously." I didn't write back, preferring to instead allow the next week's performance to be my response, though I couldn't have expected they would lose EVERY SINGLE GAME!
I know I stated earlier that Jeff Weaver was a harmless fifth starter and I sort of stand by it. I mean, we only have to put up with him for one year, and every time he starts we get to see one of our rule-five minimum-wage hacks like Sean White get a few innings in because Weaver can't possibly figure out a way not to get lit up (I probably shouldn't call Sean White a hack. He is able to perform a task that I couldn't fathom doing. If you are pitching for an MLB squad, you are a talented cat). The problem with the "Weaver is harmless" theory is that Hargrove doesn't subscribe. He yanked the kid after three innings, three runs, and 68 pitches! That doesn't totally blow but it is a marked improvement from his last two bombshells. Apparently, Weaver is now officially in the dog house which may eventually lead to him coming out of the pen. Frankly, what's the difference? If he starts, he gives us 3-5 innings with 3-7 runs. If he's in the pen, he gives us 1 inning of 1-2 runs. It's basically the same thing. Plus, we already have a couple of guys who are perfectly capable of doing what Weaver would do in a relief role. Every team needs that one guy who is going to lay an egg once every five days so that guys who can't be trusted to pitch in winnable games can get some time to prove whether or not they deserve an invite to Spring Training next year. Weaver's our guy, an essential cog in the rotation of a doomed franchise with no direction and no chance of keeping arguably the franchises best-ever player around for the long-term.
This reminds me, I did want to touch on Ichiro. Sure, he isn't lighting it up but he is getting his hits and playing his solid outfield (he hasn't gotten a chance to play spectacular outfield because every time a ball is headed his way it's usually over the fence, meaning there's no opportunity to be spectacular). Why isn't he reeling off five-hit, three-stolen base games? Because he sees the writing on the wall like everybody. The situation is dire. Yeah, it's a contract year and a big season could mean more cash, but he is going to deservedly get his huge contract no matter what. Everybody knows he can play. It's just that at this point, the motivation has been sucked out of him. It's not just this year, but a combination of the last 3-4 years of futility. It's wearing him down. There are examples of similar situations in which big-time players see there production wane amid hopeless circumstances. Take Todd Helton in Colorado. He's been there his whole career but his numbers are noticeably less fantastic in the last few years, mainly because Colorado is in an endless suck vacuum of last place-ness. Same with Miguel Tejada in Baltimore (although the O's are actually relevant this year, which I envy. How sad is it that I am envious of a team's simple relevancy, while the Mariners are lightyears from that status?). No matter what we hear about loyalty or whatever, Ichiro will not be a Mariner next year. Who is going to blame him for jumping ship? Nobody. The issue won't be money. The M's will offer a respectable deal, plus Ichiro isn't going to gold dig like that. He wants to win, which is evident in statements he has made in the past. He has got to be tired of this franchise's futility and realizes it's time to move on. I wish him luck.
I can't believe I just wrote a bon voyage to the team's best player just 14 games into the season. There is a chance this thing will turn around. Maybe Felix comes back 100%, maybe Ichiro goes on one of his patented season-long tears, maybe one of the four fifth-starters in the rotation discovers his inner stud and pitches at least on an average level for the rest of the year. Maybe. But not likely. In fact, not possible. The team sucks. They made numerous moves and acquisitions in the off-season and not one made the team better. On the bright side, Bavasi is gone after the year (we hope) and maybe somebody with a vision or talent or something will be hired. Maybe. But not likely. In fact, not possible.
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