I’m just thankful they didn’t hire Randy Smith or Cam Bonifay.

Amen, brother — that would’ve really been sinking the team down to the level of the Arizona Instructional League!

Arm/Linc maybe saying they want a long rebuild (which previously has been the thing they’ve always insisted they would never do) but will they be able to stomach it?

Who cares if they’ll be able to stomach it. Can WE stomach it? This hire is Howard and Chuck’s scheme that allows them to keep their jobs with no questions asked for quite some time. “Hey everyone, don’t expect anything for awhile, we’re rebuilding.” It’s a brilliant move for Chuck because he gets to hang on to this great gig for at least another 4 years with no real pressure. And when nothing comes to fruition in a few years then he’ll be back on the famous Mariner’s “hotseat” As it turns out, that seat really never gets that hot.

Fired John McLaren (good), released Richie Sexson (double good), Released Jose Vidro (hallelujah), traded Arthur Rhodes for Gaby Hernandez (widely considered a good move), Got RRS and Morrow onboard the starter train (about time), and – from all accounts – tried to unload Washburn but was simply shot down by Armstrong and his intimate knowledge of baseball.

So a reporter – not the FO – mentions that he’ll probably go back to his old job (and that’s assumed to be until further notice)… Big friggin deal.

Lee’s P’s position doesn’t matter right now, and Jack Z’s hiring is a step forward.

Well, let’s see . . . we have an Ng fanboy assuring us that Zduriencik won’t have the credibility she would have had (justification?), a whole lot of people dismissing the man as a hack (justification?), and a whole lot more shorting out because Lee Pelekoudas wasn’t unceremoniously fired, and therefore sure that he’s going to be the puppetmaster or something (justification?). For crying out loud, Pelekoudas was the business-side guy; him sticking around means nothing. (This is especially true given that Zduriencik isn’t a 30-something wunderkind, and thus not subject in L&A’s eyes to any experience bias.) This is a guy who has great credibility around MLB, and who’s earned it the old-fashioned way: by being very good at what he does, and (better yet!) by doing so in a way that makes people love to work with him.

Is he going to be brilliant? Who the heck knows? Who ever knows? When Bavasi traded the Chief, it was a coup . . . until it wasn’t. You make your best predictions, but there are always too many imponderables to be sure. On the percentages, was he the hire likeliest to turn the M’s into a powerhouse? No, I don’t think so. Could he do it anyway? Absolutely. We could become the Atlanta of the AL West. Should we be writing his epitaph when most of us still can’t spell his name? No way. Let’s at least wait until the guy screws up before we bury him, shall we? (And no, Pelekoudas not being immediately and publicly defenestrated doesn’t count as a screwup; Zduriencik doesn’t even know the guy well enough to make that decision yet.)

Today, via a press release, we wish to tell you about our latest effort to put lipstick on a pig. Our new hire is not Bill Bavasi! Our new hire is not Wayne Krivsky! We can’t pronounce his name either but please rest assured that though he’s new, he’s every bit as old school as we know in our hearts a Mariner GM needs to be. We just haven’t been trying the approach hard enough the last 5 years. We’re confident that with new found vigor and commitment to a traditional approach, we’ll succeed at succeeding rather than succeeding at sucking at succeeding. All we need is good bodies (our youngsters just haven’t been good enough the last 5 years-in other words it’s clear that we scouted our way in to this mess so we have to scout our way out of it too) and we can take care of the rest at the major league level. Please trust us with the roster-we assure you it’s in good hands.

Thank you and remember we and the Moose hope to see your children at the park next season!

Mgmt

Arm/Linc maybe saying they want a long rebuild (which previously has been the thing they’ve always insisted they would never do) but will they be able to stomach it?

Bottom line: Lincoln and Armstrong are still with the M’s. Thus, we are still doomed! We can talk all day long about Zduriencik’s scouting ability and about what he brings to the table. It’s all irrelevant. In the end, Jack still reports to, and runs decisions by men who have a fundamentally flawed view of how players are evaluated.

I could get kind of excited about this hire if it was in conjunction with Chuck and Howard being shown the door. Until then, we are just going to have to settle for being a poor to potentially mediocre team.