“I always played the game as hard as I could. My attitude was, bust your ass so that no one can say they got cheated because you didn’t play hard, or didn’t try. Some of the younger players today just don’t care as much about the game and their team as they do about other things. I don’t like that.” -Tom Lampkin, Portland Tribune, May 28 2004.

I like your Arthur Rhodes anecdote much better than this article.

Is Bedard that bad? Yes, he is. The reason is simple – He operates under his own set of rules, and he places himself above and beyond the needs of his own team. That is the reason Baltimore fans never really warmed up to him. The result for Seattle is that a clubhouse that looks like it is already fractured has split asunder completely.

Any move by Seattle at this point should include shipping Bedard out. He may have talent, but he has a ten cent head, and he is a clubhouse cancer. It is not coincidence that Baltimore has played well this year without him around.

Good luck the rest of the way, guys, and hang in there.

89JerBear said:

Also, Lordles,

Hit the “bquote” button

Highlight, copy, and paste your quote

Hit the “/bquote” button.

No snark intended, just being helpful.

SWEEEEET! THANK YOU! I felt kinda stupid not knowing the right way to do the quoting.

“Pitching through the pain” and “gutting it out” doesn’t make you a hero; it makes you an ass.

See Ibanez early 2007.

You are making that claim about the coaches quoted in the article?

If they think the team is bad because Adrian Beltre won’t play pepper with them, then yes, I am making that claim about the coaches in the article.

EXACTLY! THANK YOU! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! NEITHER OF US KNOWS, AND NEITHER OF US HAS ANY CLUE TO THE TRUTH!

If people want to think that Bedard is lazy and selfish for only throwing 100 pitches, that’s their prerogative. I just think it’s far more likely that, given his injury history, he’s aware that pushing it is going to end badly. Pitchers shouldn’t throw more pitches than their body can handle. “Pitching through the pain” and “gutting it out” doesn’t make you a hero; it makes you an ass.

Hit the “bquote” button

Highlight, copy, and paste your quote

Hit the “/bquote” button.

No snark intended, just being helpful.

1: are tired of losing and want to put responsibility on certain players,

2: are trying to save their jobs,

3: or are simply trying to correct McLaren’s “misinformation”

>4: Don’t really understand the things that are >important about winning baseball teams.

You are making that claim about the coaches quoted in the article?

Maybe Bedard is simply protecting his arm for the BIG PAYCHECK.

>Or maybe he’s smart enough to know his limits.

EXACTLY! THANK YOU! FINALLY SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS! NEITHER OF US KNOWS, AND NEITHER OF US HAS ANY CLUE TO THE TRUTH!

Besides all that, the one thing I don’t hear is enough people saying something like Pinella/Buhner and others would say: “BALLHOCKEY” (changed for your innocence).

>And there it is…the 1995 guys save us again.

Oh please! I say that not as a reference to winning but as a reference to a winning manager.

If I wanted to reference cocaine, I’d mention Maurie Wills. Not the other way around. LOL!

SNIP

>>Because “Bedard’s relationship with the media…” >>is all we have about the current situation.

>Then we shouldn’t worry about that.

Ignorance as bliss.

>Kinda >irrelevant, really, to what he does on the >field.

I suggested otherwise in my post.

>>“Bad Teams Blame Their Best Player” (God that is >>good!)

>Should be. Bill James said it a lot (and he’s got >a couple rings to back it up to those who don’t >kindly of statheads). And it really makes a whole >lot of sense. Good teams focus on their >weaknesses–i.e., their bad players. And they >fix ‘em or get better ones.

Or they continue to suck. I was dissapointed when Boston hired Bill James (he went to a competitor). I didn’t understand why he wasn’t picked up earlier. But then, as I say, I am just a fan. And not one trying to pick a fight.

>Hm. What do the Mariners do?…..

Suck caca, over and over again.

June 22nd, 2008 at 12:31 am

I think that coaches, who in this case seem to driven to comment, that (pick your favorite):

1: are tired of losing and want to put responsibility on certain players,

2: are trying to save their jobs,

3: or are simply trying to correct McLaren’s “misinformation”

4: Don’t really understand the things that are important about winning baseball teams.

Maybe Bedard is simply protecting his arm for the BIG PAYCHECK.

Or maybe he’s smart enough to know his limits.

Besides all that, the one thing I don’t hear is enough people saying something like Pinella/Buhner and others would say: “BALLHOCKEY” (changed for your innocence).

And there it is…the 1995 guys save us again.

Look, Lou was a lot of fun, and Jay was fantastic to watch, hit well, played some defense and says some funny stuff. That doesn’t make them baseball prophets. The M’s suck because their roster sucks. It’s not because people aren’t taking extra BP, it’s not because pitchers refuse to pitch through the pain, and it’s not because old-school guy aren’t kickin’ people in the behind and rubbin’ chaw in loafers faces. THEY’RE BAD BECAUSE JOSE VIDRO IS BATTING IN THE TOP HALF OF THE LINEUP, RICHIE SEXSON HAS NO BAT SPEED, RAUL IBANEZ CAN’T FIELD, THEIR DEFENSE IS AWFUL AND THEIR PITCHING STAFF IS MEDIOCRE. Why is this so hard for people to understand? It isn’t rocket science.

Look, I’m not trying to be a jerk. Really, I’m not. I know that people are angry, and want a winning team. Believe me, I do. But the Mariners are bad for some pretty simple reasons. They lack talent, they’re bad at finding better talent, and they value the wrong things in their attempts to get better. Nothing the coaching staff, front office, beat writers or players can say is going to change my mind. There are simple solutions. I don’t doubt that the clubhouse is a disaster area; I just doubt that it matters all that much. Put a talented group of players in the clubhouse and watch the chemistry issues become all but irrelevant.