Game 35, Rangers at Mariners
DMZ · May 7, 2008 at 6:17 pm · Filed Under Game Threads
Padilla v Bedard. Go Bedard!
I don’t have a lot left in me after that last rant. Oakland won today, Angels are losing.
And if you thought that the team was going to try and close the gap, well, they’re starting Willie Bloomquist Lite at first base.
First base. Our first baseman is batting ninth in the order. Screw you, McLaren, there is no way to reasonably defend that decision.
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Rants rule! One can only hope Bedard will rule today as well. We’re fast running out of days to be optimistic so I’m going full on optimistic today. Go M’s!
If everything breaks right, we could close the gap to 6 1/2 games back today. Go Mariners.
Let’s go Cairo!
…
Sexson is out (family issues). Cairo is taking his place.
Sucks it’s a family issue. I was hoping it was some kind of trade or roster move.
Hope everything is OK with his family.
So do I, but why put I Can’t Believe It’s Not Willie out there? It doesn’t make any sense.
Ummm, who else would we play at first tonight? Raul? Then play WFB in left, and have him bat ninth? Turbo? I don’t see a good way around this issue. Anybody they put in the lineup other than Sexson is going to bat ninth, given our craptastic bench.
BLOOMQUIST! At least you get a good glove at first base. Cairo’s defense at first is not good, and he can’t hit either. If you’re punting the position for a night, make the best of it.
Making Bloomquist available to do stuff like this is ostensibly why WFB Lite is on the roster.
In more appealing news, the Angels had a runner on third with no outs in the fourth… and didn’t score. Hooray for them having an offense like ours once in a while!
After all the moaning and groaning we all do on this site. It’s still baseball and a clean slate starts at 7:10. Of course by 9:00 we will be banging our heads against the wall again as the offense continues to stink with runners in scoring position.
Not being a stathead, could someone tell me the stat used to see a players value at hitting with runners in scoring position? All the Beltre and Ibanez 2-4 nights help pad the stats, but why does it seem those hits are always with no one in scoring position.
Another bizarro night in the making?
Ah, I see your point. Logic appears to be the on the wane in my area of life.
It isn’t like there aren’t lots of choices. Jason Botts just cleared waivers in Texas and will mash AAA pitching once more. Freely available talent, just saying.
For a player’s value in hitting with runners, and particularly in evaluating their clutchiness performance, check out WPA at fangraphs.com
Ummm, who else would we play at first tonight?
Norton! Where are you!
Geez. The team has four guys who, defensively, belong at 1B/DH and when Sexson is out, they have a utility infielder starting at 1B. For all their belief in roles, you’d think they’d give a little more thought to the “role” of “backup 1B.”
Thanks DMZ!
Oh yeah… Norton. It made a lot of sense to jettison him instead of Cairo. I really appreciate the work our F.O. is putting in, it’s top notch.
Clement has been working out at first base. Hopefully that’s it preparation for next season and they’re not going to throw him to the wolves this year.
You can’t use WFB at first base!!! Come on, who is going to be around sitting at the bench in case you cut that 10 run deficit to 1 run in the 9th inning and need someone to pinch run for Ichiro? See McLaren is just ten steps ahead of you.
“McLaren was asked what the addition of Cairo means for Bloomquist.
“It doesn’t affect Willie at all,” he said. “It’s actually a plus for Willie. He’s so versatile. He wears so many hats. It’s where do you pick the spots to use Willie. He and Cairo mirror each other. Both play infield and both play outfield. You can use one to pinch hit and run, and the other one on defense. I think it will probably help Willie get on the field more. You can use him in more situations.”
Cairo in the outfield? *Shudders*
Hey, Miguel Cairo owns Padilla. 2 for 3 with an RBI. Seems like we have heard something like this before.
I can’t believe Cairo is starting at first.
Does it appear Burke is Bedard”s personnel catcher?
Starting at all, actually.
My Dad would’ve beat me for chewing gum the way Balentin does
Balentien beats you for chewing gum?
Burke is Bedard’s personal catcher. Kenji had some problems with him in spring training, and Bedard usually likes to have his own guy.
Anyone else just watch Cliff Lee dominate the Yankees? Thing of beauty…he is on fire. If he continues at this pace no question in my mind he’s AL Cy Young.
Needs to take his frustrations out somehow.
LOL, I wish I knew had photoship skillz. That’s quite a picture.
knew or had, sorry
Other than the 3 run bomb hit by Wlad in the 8th inning of a 8-0 game, Cliff Lee has given up 1 run in 45 innings.
Clement is due for his first bomb of the year.
Where have you gone, John Olerud?
M’s fans turn their lonely eyes to you…
Michael Young is out of the game already.
That would be brutal.
not as brutal as this offense.
At least Lou would put on a good show when he was thrown out in the top of the 2nd.
well, that was interesting.
Okay, that was totally weird. How are they going to segue back to the autism PSA now?
Am I bad for laughing at Kreuger while he stumbled through his autism explanation?
I hope the 14,000 fans gave Mac a round of applause.
True…
Though to spin the saying just a little, maybe the beatings should continue until the morale improves.
God, that curve ball is a thing of beauty.
Filthy strike out pitches also rule.
Sure would be nice to have Norton on the roster right now, wouldn’t it? I can’t understand that decision for the life of me! What’s wrong with having TWO switch hitting guys on the bench like Vidro and Norton?
It’s these types of decisions that just make you go crazy. Norton was one of the few guys who was actually hitting and one of the few lefty bats and they cut him.
Rizzy just sounded as if he’d never seen a strikeout on a wild pitch before.
Apparently, he didn’t have a TV set back in the 70’s or 80’s when Nolan Ryan or Phil Niekro were still pitching.
I heard a few faint cheers.
They were thrilled to see that fire that will supposedly ignite this team right to the top of the division.
Tim Kurkjian said that one AL scout said Bedard was just as good as Koufax.
http://www.google.com/search?q=tim+kurkjian+bedard+koufax
Hey…that’s what we need as a promotion: another Music Demolition Night like the White Sox had back in about 1979!
Only instead of disco records, they could get some local air personality to destroy CD’s by American Idol winners!
I love for Bill Veeck’s ghost to own this team.
couldn’t write it up better…
A double play trivia question. Great karma, FSN. Just fantastic.
Haha, that’s not one of the most common.
Dairy Queen makes better commercials than food.
I bet that is one of the most common. 3-6-1or3, just not exactly how other teams do it.
I hope the 14,000 fans gave Mac a round of applause.
14,000 maybe the paid attendance, but there is about 11,000 there tonight.
Hey that’s what Miguel Cairo is for. Did you see the way he ran Murphy down? What a ballplayer!
Hmm, most common double plays… Let’s see. I would rank them like this.
1. Jose Vidro
2. Richie Sexson
3. Wladimir Balentien
4. Kenji Johjima
5. Yuniesky Betancourt.
Something like that.
Wow! I just tuned in…CAIRO is STARTING!!!
Nice to see the team addressing the weak bats issue…
*sigh*
Oh well…cheers everyone
Go M’s…
I think what he meant is to go 3-6-1 to get the lead runner is uncommon.
Cairo continues his torrid hitting.
58:
I laughed so hard, snot came out of my nose.
We have scored one run in the last 17 innings now.
We are making Padilla look like Pedro Martinez. And it seems that Bedard is getting squeezed really bad.
I bet I could throw slower than Bedard.
Rick Ankiel would’ve thrown him out
How do I know the dark clouds are over my head as an M’s fan?
I just thought to myself, “Well, one more run and this game is over.”
One more?
If you want the raw RISP-related stats you can go look at the splits at Baseball-Reference.com here is Beltre for this season, for example (scroll down to “clutch stats”). Small sample size applies, of course. And WPA is the best aggregate stat.
I’ve sometimes thought it would be kind of interesting to apply the WPA thinking to produce an RBI-like stat that actually means something. The thinking goes something like: for any given configuration of runners on base and outs in the inning, there’s an expected number of runs that should score (based on historical averages). Tango has this as Run Expectancy in The Book. So when a batter comes to the plate, there’s some expected RBI (plus the chance he bats himself in with a home run). At the end of that AB, there’s some actual number of RBIs. The ratio of these is something we could call RBI Effectiveness, or Potential Runs Actually Batted In, or something like that. Naturally that wouldn’t be a counting stat (and I’m not sure how you could turn it into one); and it’s not as easy to calculate as RBI since you have to go through each play and do the math based on the state of the baserunners — WPA requires that too, but it also includes things like “late innings and close score” etc, so it’s still a better stat. But it would be an interesting stat to throw back at the “RBI is the most important stat for hitters” troglodytes, who are never going to grasp WPA.
Explanation: Thought occurred upon Texas having just scored…and one more run would mean that we’d be down by two…and, evidently, we don’t comeback from being down by two runs.
Only down by one run? WE’RE STILL IN THIS, BABY!
(Thus, there are only dark clouds over my head…it’s not like the sky has completely fallen…right?)
The Mariner’s seem to have the ability to make opposing pitchers pitch far above their true talent level. I never knew Padilla could be so dominant.
WPA/LI is very close to what you’re describing. It’s basically run value linear weights, since leverage is removed from WPA.
Dave Sims criticizing the White Sox for having a high payroll and playing poorly…………………………………..
Is there a rule or some other reason why defenders in a rundown flee the basepath at a right angle after throwing the ball? To end the second, Cairo threw to Lopez, then ran away, and Bedard flew in to receive the ball and make the tag. Why doesn’t Cairo just stay at first? It’s a visual effect not unlike synchronized swimming, which seems superfluous.
Nono, I got it, I was saying one was enough for me
. Why doesn’t Cairo just stay at first?
Because he has to chase the runner. The defense has an advantage in a rundown because different players can repeatedly run the same direction, instead of having to change directions like the runner, which is slower.
If the defender obstructs the baserunner’s path to a bag and he doesn’t have the ball, the runner is awarded the bag.
It’s the same as if the 3rd baseman got in the way when a runner was rounding third. The runner would score.
Not eloquent, but this explains the rule.
Sorry if this has already been discussed, but I think I have discovered the secret to padillas success tonight(this year):
Has anyone else noticed how sweaty and greasy his hair is tonight. Its like 45′ outside and it looks like his hair is running a marathon. and every pitch, he goes to the hair. I think he may have some crisco on his chest too.
From a pdf on mlb.com:
Rule 7.06(a) Comment: When a play is being made on an obstructed runner, the umpire shall
signal obstruction in the same manner that he calls “Time,” with both hands overhead. The ball is
immediately dead when this signal is given; however, should a thrown ball be in flight before the
obstruction is called by the umpire, the runners are to be awarded such bases on wild throws as they
would have been awarded had not obstruction occurred. On a play where a runner was trapped between
second and third and obstructed by the third baseman going into third base while the throw is in flight
from the shortstop, if such throw goes into the dugout the obstructed runner is to be awarded home base.
Any other runners on base in this situation would also be awarded two bases from the base they last
legally touched before obstruction was called.
Game over.
How pissed is Bedard about his support the last two games? One earned run Friday and 4 errors, with no offense. And then tonight. Im sure he is aching to sign a long-term deal.
17,173
This one is over.. there is no way the Mariners can score a run, nevermind 2 runs.
The SP has exceeded expectations… and yet the Mariners still find ways to lose games 2-1.
Thanks, snowman. Eminently sensible.
“Losing is a disease…”
Hey guys.. maybe Cairo should start tomorrow too. After all, he isnt hitting, so lets put him back into the lineup until he starts hitting, even if it takes months.
84: I think that’s paid attendance?
NOW the game is over.
Denial isn’t just a river in Cairo. Or something.
planB: That is correct.
Way for Jose Lopez to come through..
Attendance has increased 50% from yesterday, doubleplus good!
Is it too early to start talking about the best prospects in the next draft?
so, Bradley seems to be all het up tonight … did someone tell him Erik dissed him en francais, or something?
Isn’t that Wade Boggs son?
wonder if Mac has a nice cold beer to go along with his feet up on the desk back in the clubhouse
Why was McLaren tossed? And can we bribe the umps to do this more often?
Maybe Bedard can throw a wild pitch — into the Rangers dugout and knock Padilla and his Crisco out of the game…
because it had such a good effect?
96 I think it would take something stronger to be the manager of this group
and now our pen is getting up, ready to turn a 0-1 deficit into a 0-6 deficit
99… small sample size. We need to have, like, fifty games without McLaren.
Ok guys… time for the Mariners to do what they do best. Put up crooked numbers in the late innings of close games to turn deficits into blowouts.
Oh my God, a walk!!!!
I’m optimistic that King Awesome has it in him! Otherwise this is my last act of optimism this year!
BOGGS (on first): Hey Cairo, no offense, but why are you on the M’s? They already have Bloomquist.
CAIRO: I’m here so the skipper can put Willie into the game more and still have a quality utility guy on the bench.
BOGGS: Huh. Well, that’s three outs, see you around.
(in clubhouse after game)
CAIRO (to Bavasi): I certainly wish you would have invented a more reasonable story. I felt distinctly like an idiot repeating it.
BAVASI: Don’t worry about the story’s goofiness. A sensible one would have had us all fired.
Seriously, at this rate how long before we start to see some heads roll?
I’m just waiting for Beltre to pull a buggs bunny swing– swinging three times at one pitch.
See, Mariners, THIS is what happens when you walk. You put yourself in a good situation.
Dual walks? Do my eyes deceive me?
probably not until we’re good and out of it, and have traded one or more of our prospects to get Griffey from the reds so the M’s can bolster sagging attendance numbers……
I think you pinch hit for Clement here.. but then I looked at the bench, and I realized that we have no one to pinch hit for him with. Sexson?? So what, he can hit into a DP? I mean, I think I would PH Vidro here… but that is debatable.
We get two runners on with no one out and all the announcers can think about is bunting.
“Big inning” is not in their vocabulary.
Is it just me or does Clement ALWAYS get REALLY raw deals on calls and has to end up swinging at terrible pitches?
This ump is horrible!!! Wow, 1st and 3rd were both way off the plate.
There is no fucking way he should have a K there, he should be 2-1.
ya mean like that?
Productive AB there… Vidro would have been better to PH, but McLaren didnt have the guts to do it… he would get criticized for not trusting Clement.
Dollar beer night, I am off to not be depressed by the Mariners.
I think that’s the rookie’s lot. The player has ‘to prove’ himself to the umps. Whatever.
Does Joe’s Tracer think ANY pitch is a strike? Clement had no business taking that last pitch.
YUNI!
Check gameday. Clement doesn’t have a chance with those pitches being called strikes. It’s happened to him more than just tonight, too.
M’s need that guy who hit really well in spring….what was his name?
wow.
here we go again…
He does like 3-run dingers.
Mike Morse was his name Dayve. He is out for the year. =(
Who was the Will Ferell look-a-like standing next to Petland in the M’s dugout?
Clement frequently takes the first two pitches? Tonight, 2 of 3 at bats saw him take the first two pitches. Is this good or bad for him right now? Pro: he learns pitch recognition. Con: he puts pressure on himself by being in the hole.
Go through previous gameday stuff and check out what pitches he takes and what pitches he doesn’t. He’s right far more often than the umpires.
nooooooo… game over.
Maybe next year.
“You can’t hit if you don’t swing!” – Ms batting coach
I’d rather see Clement taking pitches at this point, than hacking at any and every piece of junk that’s pitched to him.
.130 does not suggest that he is right, lailaihei.
107 – Don’t hold your breath. Didn’t you see Armstrong’s comments?
1st and 2nd no one out, down by two, and Yuni swinging for the fence. Then he takes strike three. We have zero discipline. I actually think Clement has a good approach, and that is about it. He got hosed on that last AB.
Sooooo….. so much for Bedard being our “losing streak stopper.”
His AAA stats and actual analysis of individual at bats can tell you a lot more than small sample size batting average.
Good point. He will reach his true talent level, but only after a period of struggling.
138: heh, 7 innings of 6 hit 2 run ball doesn’t count for a hill of beans with this O.
Yuni’s AB summed up a good deal about how are guy’s are thinking. 2 on, 1 out, bottom of 7, down 2, and swinging for the fence because if he doesn’t get a bomb, that is it. Guys are trying to do way to much.
This team went from “two outs, so what?” in 2001 to “two on, so what?”
That’s a good one haha =(
I have a bad feeling about this.
Two hits the entire game, so what!
Well, the bullpen will make this over before the Mariners even get to bat again. Rhodes is way past his prime.
Remember when the mariners won 116 games. Yeah that was good. And they won 90+ games until they got old quickly. And it’s been misery ever since. It makes me sad.
… and here come the Yankees, er, Rangers!
From a recent article by Jim Street on the M’s site:
Except, every male in North America can manage a baseball team better than John McLaren.
Why doesn’t he just say “We haven’t played well since opening day” ?
Considerate manner? Nice guys finish third.
I was at the damn ballgame tonight and wondered why the hell I keep going. These guys are so painful to watch its depressing. They dont give a shit about being in the majors and show no respect for the ballgame. They cant even score 2 runs in two games off the freaking rangers.
Give me back my money. I hate you Mariners.
How the hell did this team win 88 games last year?
It’s so brutal watching this team. Even if Bedard and Hernandez were to pitch perfect games every time out, I assume we’d still end up losing. I wish I was born in a different media market–or didn’t care. Ugh.
Why did you leave early?
“Why did you leave early?”
JSPEKETOR, you don’t have to answer that!
153 – I moved to AZ. D-backs are doing great and the Suns won’t be leaving town for Boise anytime soon.
uh, yeah.
LOL … one reason I left is because I started booing W-Lad… you know you have problems when you are booing a rookie with great potential. I am a liability at that stadium … getting hammered in the beer garden then booing our bullpen. I was booing everyone but Ichiro and Bedard tonight …
its always scary when Burke is followed by Cairo in the lineup.
Why is Burke hitting? Shouldnt Vidro or even Johima be PH here???
We face Gavin Floyd on Sunday. Yeah, the guy that has thrown two 8+ innings of no hit ball.
Woo hoo!
You know you are a Mariners fan when the count is 3-1, and you are praying for a walk, because you know that a walk is the only way the guy is going to get on base.
WFB could be a pinch runner. Seems like McLaren would do that.
Floyd vs Batista.
yup.
Oh God, their going to let Cairo hit, I think its management that doesn’t care. Just put the team in autopilot.
Shouldn’t we have pinch runners and hitters???!?!
Hey … mid centerfield power!
Way for Miguel Cairo to keep up his perfect BA.
I can only hope here for Levine’s rule… Leadoff man walks, comes around to score… unless he doesn’t.
The best part is some d-bag at the stadium asked me ‘Why Are You a Fickle Fan’ … instead of recalling the 972 + games I’ve seen us suck in over the past 7 years I just told him to go cheer for the F*ing Hydros and the Stupid Groundskeepers dance.
Then I thought to myself, thank god there is a site like SS Mariner, because otherwise I would lose all hope in this city being a baseball town. Our fans are moronic.
So let’s see. They let Cairo hit because… they don’t have a defensive substitute for the easiest defensive position on the team? God, that’s sad.
Member, minus a guy b/c Sexson is gone for personal reasons.
No Danno, that rule only applies when the Mariners are pitching.
I want Sexson gon for personnel reasons.
Just put the team in autopilot.
No autopilot program would ever start Cairo at 1st. This might be an improvement.
USS Mariner – “Keeping fans out of stadium fights since 2003!”
Anyone remember what Pirates fans did a year or so ago? They staged a walk-out to protest management.
who is on the bench? Willie and Joh, is that it?
Baker of course had broughtup his stat of “0-15 when the M’s trail by two or more at any point.”
172 – “Richie Sexson has decided to spend more time with his family.”
yeah, but they are only 0 – 1 when trailing by 10 runs.
Flowin-
Call it a converse corollary, or something.
Vidro. somehow forgot him.
not that he is a hitter.
179– Cant blame him, considering how the team is playing. I mean, for Pete’s sake… Richie Sexson is disgusted with the Mariners hitting! Pretty sad!
Knowing our crappy karma lately, Floyd probably will succeed in finally throwing that no-no on Sunday.
Silence // SS MARINER -
The question is when do we start wearing brown paper bags over our heads?
Here is an example
The Mariners have lost every game that they’ve scored 0 runs in. ’tis true.
USS Mariner. Thanks.
I hate the cameramen and Sims on that play. I actually thought we were going to be tied. Totally unfair.
185-
I prefer this style:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f194/UndeadFaith/OH_NOES.jpg
Say, that Cubbie bag is actually quite stylin’!
so do the guys get together before each game and decide who gets the 2-5 hits in that game… it seems that its always the same 2 or 3 players in different games who gets the hits with an occasionally run
186-
PMC otherwise known as Ron Fairly Obvious.
Don’t worry. The M’s are treating this as their World Series, Game 7. They shall not go down meekly.
well, they planned one, but unfortunately the Bucs actually were wining the game — hardly any one walked out, and those who did came right back.
Is it too much to ask that Cairo not hit in the 8th inning of a game we are losing by two runs? Do we really have no better options sitting on the bench? I realize Vidro isn’t a great hitter and that Sexson has a low batting average, but they aren’t better than Cairo? I would blame Mac, but he left the game early. DAMNIT!!!!!
M’s and World Series in the same sentence. I would settle for M’s get basehit at this point.
Sexson is not on the bench.
you have Joh, Vidro & Willie.
Brandon Morrow, relief pitcher for the Seattle Mariners (for reasons I don’t get), just allowed a base hit.
You’re welcome, of course.
Paperbags and whiskey flasks should be mandatory for all M’s games from now on for sure. Our lineup makes Rangers pitching look like Pedro in his prime.
Hopefully Griffey doesn’t waive his no-trade cause to come *here* of all places. Even he doesn’t deserve that fate.
Any word on the attendance tonight?
Can update this 2008 travesty to now include 8 of the 11 all-time smallest home crowds this year in just 17 games @ the Safe? Surely we can.
Way to go brass! Bright of you to raise prices on such an inferior product! Then again, you probably thought you would be competitive since NONE of you could judge talent to save your effing lives.
It’s a sad commentary when it’s more dramatic reading the sparse attendance #’s than watching the actual “action”.
Are Armstrong, Lincoln et al so culpable in Bavasi’s unparalleled wretched personnel decisions that they can’t/won’t get rid of him like they should FOR YEARS now?
The M’s have scored 1 run in the last 22 innings.
//caution: arbitary endpoints//
Walkouts hardly ever work. Pressure from the press is usually much more effective. But if you want to know what the press thinks the only thing you need to do is listen to Geoff Baker or Steve Kelley. They blame the players. They think the team is under performing. Which it is -but not by much.
You can’t blame these players any more than you can blame a leopard for its spots.
Actually, can you blame him? I’ll bet he got thrown out intentionally so he could take the rest of the night off and hit the bar.
I feel like the Mariners are PC in the Mac PC Commercials. Bavasi should be the PC guy.
Management put these players on the team.
Kurkjian was saying earlier tonight that he thought Griffey was likely to be moved– the Reds were done for, there were those ties to Seattle, and Jr would like to play for a contender. Gas did not then ask the obvious question, so why would he want to come to Seattle then?
This is like pulling a band-aid off, really, really, really slowly.
Be nice now.
He’s probably crying somewhere deep within the bowels of Safeco. Who can blame him? He’s been saddled with high expectation, low talent soldiers.
Attendance is so bad that I once put 2 Ms tickets on my windshield to get rid of my extras, only to comeback to a broken window and tickets to tomorrow’s game.
This umpire sucks.
Honestly, I really don’t care about batting lineups; I don’t care if our first baseman is batting ninth or if our pitcher is batting clean-up. Only the sum of the parts matters.
But really, mother-ufck this team. They’re not so bad to turn in the performances they have. They’ve either quit, or they don’t care enough. If someone hasn’t quit, shame on them at this point for not calling out their teammates. There is a line between supporting your teammates and demanding their best, and its time that line got crossed.
204: Hell, I think the M’s are more like an old Tandy or Commodore these days.
Maybe Mike Hargrove is about rested and ready to return. Hey at least we were winning a few.
Is this the same Ump that threw Johnny Mac out earlier in the year? I thought it looked like him … that first year ump I think it was that game where we were up 5-1 then proceeded to blow the game to the Orioles.
reaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllyyyyy slowly.
I just picked up Floyd for my fantasy team. Thanks for the tip.
Dave Sims should stick to football.
ne thing kids like is to be tricked. For instance, I was going to take my little nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old burned-out warehouse. “Oh, no,” I said. “Disneyland burned down.” He cried and cried, but I think that deep down, he thought it was a pretty good joke. I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but it was getting pretty late.
- Deep Thoughts
Here comes our comeback. Raul, Beltre and Clement coming up…
well, as a lot of the at-bats I’ve seen have been bad because the batter is trying too hard to make something happen, I think they really are this bad.
Quits on an 8-game win streak, I still scratch my head on that one, at least he managed the bullpen better and pretty much the rest of the team for that matter.
Deep Thoughts! clap for PMC
222: He quit about 10 days earlier, Bavasi asked to to stick around for the formal announcement.
ML / 218 -
So funny watching the game on mute, and your TV puts up the written transcript of the dialog and Dave Sims is talking. Phrases like:
Dave Sims: “NO WAY!”
Dave Sims: “GET OUT OF TOWN!”
Nice sweater Sims.
Bloomquist is going to pinch hit for Clement?
WFB hitting for Clement. %#^$
oooooOOOOOooooo Bloomquist
This ump’s strike zone is morbidly obese.
Willie -pinch hitter. Who hoooooo!
are you shitting me?
good move, you don’t want a rookie who doesn’t have clue in this situation.
nope, that was Casey Moser
I’m beginning this comment with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but I have confidence it will still be relevant when the game’s over.
This team is stuff-a-wet-cat-down-your-pants painful to watch. To quote Wierd Al, I’d rather spend eternity chewing shards of broken glass than watch the Mariners face an above-league-average pitcher.
The killer to me is the eigth inning. There’s no way on a team backed by a good organization that Burke hits in that inning OR that Cairo bats with a man on base down by two runs. If we had one of A) A GM who knew how to evaluate talent or B) A manager who knew his job…neither of those AB’s happens.
And now Ditto Willie in the ninth. Sweet baby Jesus.
FWIW, Hargrove won 45 games last year. Mac won 43.
Worst managed game of the year. McLaren is officially more clueless than Grover was. Am I the only one who sees Stottlemeyer (sp) on TV and thinks he looks, well, managerial? While McLaren looks like the rube who hangs out at the end of my local pub and drinks pitchers of PBR (rather than pints) so he has more money for pull tabs. Bedard must be wondering how the hell this team competed last year. This would be less depressing if anyone running the M’s seemed the least bit concerned. It’s all fire and brimstone from McLaren and he throws down the guantlet by trotting out Cairo and Clement. Brilliant. Maybe he’ll soon quit to drive a pickup across the desert, too.
You have to admit, it was a gritty strikeout. A rookie may have been intimidated by the umpire after the called third strike, but Willie stood his ground and made his case for two or three seconds. That’s what a veteran gives you.
Oops, I typed Clement when I meant Willie! Sheesh. I’m too riled up. Jamie Burke, Willie Bloomquist, and Miguel Cairo… LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, YOUR 2008 GO-TO GUYS! WHOO-HOO!
Wow, 2 hits against Padilla, Jouqain Benoit, and C.J. Wilson?
Are you kidding me?!?!
This team is going right down the crapper, I don’t know if this is just a good roster not producing and we are just a handful of players/a solid offseason away from getting this right or we really need to make some wholesale changes like Cleveland did a few years ago; but my god, where the hell are we going with this team?
This is not even close to a team that can win the West let alone be a team that can be .500. How pathetic. When are the excuses from this franchise going to stop and the changes that are necessary going to be made?
One of the KJR callers says that the Mariners need someone with heart, like Derek Jeter.
I was watching tonight and saw what looked like Arthur Rhodes and kind of freaked, because I don’t ever remember taking acid at an M’s game. I mean, this is 2008, right? I’m losing my grasp on reality.
Erik Bedard post-game interview: PRICELESS!
I wish there were more Benoit balls.
What did he say in the interview?
Hey, what’s the current over/under date for Cairo’s first hit of the season? Has anyone stayed with a team for a whole season and not gotten a hit?
Worst managed game of the year. McLaren is officially more clueless than Grover was.
So I guess it’s a good thing for him he wasn’t managing this game after the second inning.
I view this year’s version of the Mariners as a close friend, or maybe a relative, that has a drug addiction. Let’s say a meth addiction. You almost want to see them go all the way to the brink of death, just so they can have some kind of revelation and figure out that things really aren’t going to work out if they continue like this.
Yeah, that’s about right.
“So I guess it’s a good thing for him he wasn’t managing this game after the second inning.”
Precisely.
BurkeForPres:
Except, in this case, them going to the brink of death wouldn’t for sure stop their addiction. They’re that addicted.