I hate this
DMZ · May 16, 2008 at 11:02 pm · Filed Under Mariners
I hate this so much. I saw Hoffman finish off the M’s an hour ago. I keep thinking about that last inning even though it really wasn’t all that meaningful, just the capstone to another loss. Then I start going over all the other losses I’ve already seen this season. I don’t know, folks, this is just ridiculous. I’ve gone from horror to humor to a head-shaking resignation and today was nice and sunny and I got a nice ride in even though two cars tried to clip me today at Eastgate, separated by only about 20s (both Mercedes drivers). This was a nice day for me, and I feel like I’d have been better off not having seen the game.
I love baseball, and I don’t want to watch tomorrow.
I am so frustrated as a Mariners fan. But my boss gave me tix for sec 133 row 28 for tonight. How can I say no to that?
51 – similar story here, but my tix are for Sunday. Anybody else going to be there? I’ve given up hoping the Mariners will win any particular game. I’m still watching every game, although I’m often doing work at the same time, where before I was kind of obsessive about missing a pitch.
I figure that way I can enjoy Ichiro! and Beltre’ and Kenji, et al, and not get upset at the bonehead mistakes the guys make sometimes. It doesn’t bother me when guys get into slumps, but the stupid errors drive me nuts.
48 – I think Bavasi is a nice guy who lacks emotional intelligence. He refuses to adapt the innovations in evaluating baseball talent to his approach, and the M’s have paid the price during his tenure. His attitude reminds me of the recording and newspaper industries, who would rather crash and burn than adapt to a changing marketplace.
The thing that really bothers me about Bavasi is that he’s been given so much time with two teams and has nothing to show for it. After this season, he’ll have a perfect record in eleven seasons of missing the playoffs. That despite having healthy player payrolls and being in a four-team division. It’s certainly different than what happened with Paul DePodesta.
After Bavasi is let go, my guess is that the M’s hire another GM with an outdated approach and the team will continue to lose. I hope I’m wrong. It is odd that in this region with all these innovative tech companies, the M’s are about as anti-innovation as there is in MLB.
After 43 games of 16-27 cellar-dwelling baseball, the M’s have given me NO REGRETS about terminating my beautiful Sec 129, Row 33, Seats 1 & 2 40-game package. That’s $3500 I saved this year not paying to watch this train wreck. I’ve been a season ticket holder since 1996. I couldn’t spend another nickel to support Bavasi/Lincoln/Armstrong’s incompetence.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Go Rays!
What I’d like to know is when all the baseball commentators will stop offering the rhetorical “What’s wrong with the Mariners, a team that was expected to battle the Angels for the AL West title?” question. Who ever suggested such a thing in the first place? Must be because of the “Bedard-King Felix one-two punch” thing plus Ichiro and Putz. Guess they weren’t paying attention to our middle relief, offense, or team defense.
But, but, our defense is one of our strengths. Mac and the FSN boys still say so.
Anyone who has seen the team play would have to agree, in my opinion, that the team defense is below average. I’d like to see a discussion regarding where changes are most necessary. I think most everyone (except John McLaren) agrees that Ibanez plays a woeful LF. He tries hard, but just doesn’t have the wheels. Where else is the defense lacking?
Anyway, my vote is for the right side of the infield. I don’t know exactly where to start; most everything I’ve read on this site seems to favor the “Sexson is a terrible fielder” camp. I think Sexson lacks range, but he seems to have pretty good hands, and he handles the flip to the P covering competently from what I’ve observed. I actually question how good Lopez is at 2B. It seems to me that he cheats way toward 2B and leaves a huge hole between him and Sexson, and doesn’t have much range up the middle either.
If I were McLaren, I’d be screaming for Jeremy Reed to come up and play LF and move Raul to DH. Between Ibanez/Sexson/Clement/Johjima, you could set up some good platoons at 1B and C, and use one of the remaining two at DH. It seems that this would greatly improve the defense in LF and upgrade the offense at the same time.
I don’t know what to do about Lopez, though. Plus, I’m not sure I’m right about his defense. Comments, anyone?
RE 57: Well, I’m not as down on Lopez as you are but your ideas otherwise are good as anything else we could do. The problem, though, is the McLaren (and whomever else) doesn’t understand the basic concept(s)surrounding platooning. So even if they made your suggested personnel moves, the players wouldn’t be used properly to ensure maximum effectiveness. ‘heavy sigh’
Well, I’m as discouraged as the next guy but some generous (and affluent) friends gave us a couple of tix to the Diamond Club tonight so even if Bedard and Company blows up I’m taking a doggy bag and hauling home a couple of days worth of buffet.
I have been telling people for a month or so that the only way to get any pleasure out of watching this current Mariners team is to root against them. Looks like people are finally finding this out.:)
If this team is still 8+ games back by July, something drastic should be done. But I imagine the chances of that are about zilch. Nothing worse for fans than a team in denial. The high years are a bunch of ‘almosts’ and ‘what if’s and the lows are downright awful. Always more of the lows than highs of course.
A franchise run like the Mariners is like being stuck in baseball purgatory.