Derek’s Nitpicking Department:
From the Tribune story:
“This team busted it’s (tail) all season, all season!” he told Gillick.
It doesn’t take an apostrophe in the possessive. It should have been “its” and I’m surprised this managed to get all the way into print w/o anyone — copy editors, whoever — catching it, since it’s one of the most common and annoying mistakes people make.
Also, I want to point out how hard it is to get exact quotes down. Trib:
“I agree with Edgar, these guys busted their butts for Bob Melvin all year. But today, we looked like it was the last game of spring training.”
PI:
“Edgar’s right. These guys have played their asses off all year. But we played this one like the last game of spring training.”
I saw this happen all the time when I was doing WiQ for Baseball Prospectus: people would submit some funny Tony Muser quote, but everyone there would report it slightly differently.
What’s really hilarious about this is Gillick acting like he’s without blame here. “Oh, you guys weren’t really trying, because you lost quickly.”
Edgar should have said “You weren’t really trying, because you were in Toronto moving instead of working the phones at the trade deadline. (insert standard USS Mariner rant here, with cool Edgar accent).”
So, Pat Gillick and Edgar Martinez got into it last night. I say, good for Edgar. Frustration with the team is natural, but forcing the team bus to leave early is a childish move that wouldn’t work on a group of 5th graders, much less millionaires with children of their own.
For most of the season, Gillick was an absentee GM. He maintained that his results were what mattered, and the appearance of his apathy could not be taken at face value. However, that apparently does not hold true for the players, who not only have to perform well, but give the impression of effort when it is not genuine. I don’t totally disagree with Gillick; the Mariners are an entertainment industry, and the fans who paid their money to watch them play deserve to see a major league ballgame. But for Pat Gillick to chastise someone like Edgar Martinez for not working, not caring, and not putting out an entertaining product for the fans, well, thats the entire kitchen calling the kettle black.
Thankfully, Pat Gillick’s tenure as the GM of the Seattle Mariners ends this weekend. To which I say hooray.