M’s fans pessimistic

JMB · December 16, 2008 at 5:20 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

On the MLB page over at ESPN.com right now, the poll question reads: “Do you expect your favorite MLB team to be competitive in 2009?” I clicked “no” and then submit so I could see the results.

As you might imagine, the entire country (as well as international voters) are bullish on their teams. With nearly 15K votes cast, 83% of people expect their team to be competitive. Except for those in Washington, who are currently voting 50/50 in the poll.

No other state sits at less than 68% yes.

Comments

38 Responses to “M’s fans pessimistic”

  1. Uncle Ted on December 16th, 2008 5:25 pm

    Does this make us one of the more well informed fan-bases, or is it just that SAD is setting in for the year?

  2. Boy9988 on December 16th, 2008 5:33 pm

    This just makes us realistic.

  3. wokster on December 16th, 2008 5:33 pm

    I’m going to be optimistic and say it’s that we have a well informed fan-base. 🙂

  4. mikeym on December 16th, 2008 5:34 pm

    It’s kind of weird seeing an election-style map with Washington being the sole red state.

    And what’s up with Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana all feeling so positive? Does that mean the M’s regional market has shrunk?

  5. ChrisK on December 16th, 2008 5:41 pm

    If we sign Bloomquist and Griffey, those frowns will turn upside down in a heartbeat.

  6. mariners23 on December 16th, 2008 5:45 pm

    Now its at 53% “no”, but I see this as a positive because it means that there are actually a few fans that know a good team from a bad team.

  7. HerseyChris on December 16th, 2008 5:58 pm

    At least we’re realistic. Not sure what Washington, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or KC fans consider ‘competing’? I guess maybe just fielding a team with 25 players is competing?

  8. JWay on December 16th, 2008 6:02 pm

    We lost Raul and Putz, what’d ya expect? Us to get better?!?

  9. Graham on December 16th, 2008 6:16 pm

    We lost Raul and Putz, what’d ya expect? Us to get better?!?

    Yes?

  10. Dave on December 16th, 2008 6:18 pm

    The team is better, right now, than it was a year ago headed into spring training. I’m serious.

  11. CCW on December 16th, 2008 6:26 pm

    I actually think the team might be “competitive”, in that it’s starting to look like a .500 team in a division with no great teams (the Angels are looking overrated at the moment). There are two huge question marks – Bedard and Morrow – but if those two live up to their potential, the M’s could be even better than that. Obviously, there’s a lot of downside in those two arms as well, but this is a team with potential. The 2008 M’s were all downside, no upside.

  12. shemberry on December 16th, 2008 6:28 pm

    The team is better, right now

    The absence of Turbo alone makes that statement true.

  13. Graham on December 16th, 2008 6:30 pm

    The team is better, right now, than it was a year ago headed into spring training. I’m serious.

    Hooray competence.

  14. Mat on December 16th, 2008 6:36 pm

    Yeah, taking a quick glance at the Mariners’ VORP at the plate last season makes it look pretty plausible that they’ll be better this year. They had essentially 6 players with a positive VORP, and Raul/Yuni gave most of that back on defense.

    It really shouldn’t be hard to do better than that.

  15. CCW on December 16th, 2008 6:48 pm

    The M’s weren’t as bad as their record last year and, even though I got reamed for saying it in a past thread, the fixes to their two biggest problems are relatively simple: 1) Don’t absolutely suck at 1B and DH; and 2) Don’t field one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Seems like Z is addressing these issues and will continue to address them.

  16. joser on December 16th, 2008 6:55 pm

    Putz was a non-factor last year — even when he wasn’t hurt there just weren’t many save opportunities for him; so a team this year without him is no worse than a team last year that couldn’t use him. And Raul took back in his defense what he supplied at the plate.

    And what’s up with Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, and Montana all feeling so positive? Does that mean the M’s regional market has shrunk?

    Or they’re just not paying close attention, and/or are simply delusional. Just like the folks in Pittsburgh or KC or Washington metro. Speaking of the delusional, the team doesn’t have one of those for a GM anymore. That’s already an improvement.

    The team is better. They actually weren’t as bad as their record last year (just as they weren’t as good as their record in 2007), and they’ve made a huge upgrade in outfield defense (which effectively upgrades the pitching) and improved at 1B too. And while the offense is a bit light at the moment, I doubt Zduriencik is done yet. No at-bats to Sexson or Vidro.

    That said, I don’t expect them to be competitive with the Angels this season. I think 2nd in the division in ’09 is an ambitious but plausible goal to aim at; ’10 is the year things get really fun/interesting. That gives the M’s two seasons (maybe more, with the economy) to build before the A’s new stadium revenues kick in. (I always worry that the Rangers will get it together some year, but it never seems to happen.)

  17. JWay on December 16th, 2008 7:00 pm

    Graham, I was being sarcastic.. Of course our team has all sorts of room for optimism. 🙂

  18. Graham on December 16th, 2008 7:14 pm

    I probably should have realised what with all the punctuation. Whoops

  19. longbeachglenn on December 16th, 2008 7:16 pm

    As much as I am pleased with the progress being made by Dr Z and and his cohorts, any team with Bautista, Washburn and Silva on their roster (not to mention Kenji, Yuni and Lopez can hardly be doing handsprings.

  20. Slurve on December 16th, 2008 7:41 pm

    But the only way we can become competitive is if we sign Dunn to a 5 year deal and we bring back Griffey!

  21. Desmond on December 16th, 2008 8:07 pm

    This is interesting. I’m not usually pessimistic, but for once I’m proud of that characteristic!

    Does it get under anyone else’s skin when looking at the optimism of the Northeastern states? Would you consider 95%-99% realistic, or, so I would like to think, arrogance? Maybe I should calm down, afterall, we know which three teams they have in mind when voting… when in the company of any of those fans, there is no greater arrogance.

  22. JMB on December 16th, 2008 8:21 pm

    Re: the Northeast…

    Yeah, but who are the teams? Yankees, Red Sox, Mets? Who doesn’t expect those teams to be competitive?

  23. Edgar For Pres on December 16th, 2008 9:11 pm

    Maybe this means we are actually good fans and stick by our team instead of defecting to become a bandwagon Red Sox fan or something like that.

  24. JWay on December 16th, 2008 9:23 pm

    I probably should have realised what with all the punctuation. Whoops

    I guess I could have thrown in a smiley, but I don’t like super obvious. Anyway I’m looking forward to getting MLB extra innings again!

  25. Beniitec on December 16th, 2008 9:31 pm

    Well I don’t share the optimism yet. Sorry… You just lost your best hitter to FA and your closer and one of your better bullpen arms..you haven’t got any new pitchers that are an improvement over what we’ve got or any offense.

  26. bigred on December 16th, 2008 9:32 pm

    Screw all this realism bullshit. We’re going to be a hell of a lot more than just competitive this year.

    We’re going to win the division, and then Ride Felix and Bedard all the way to World Series. Write it down.

  27. WestSeattle on December 16th, 2008 10:48 pm

    A month and a half into last season, I assumed it was going to take 2 to 3 years for the M’s to be a .500 club again. Of course, I’m no expert and I’m still studying the orientation here, but for the first time in years I like the changes and I think those changes may bring us to that mark sooner than I thought. I honestly enjoy watching the players that aren’t that well known in the main stream. Sure they might not get us far, or maybe it will. But it’s honest baseball in my opinion. Granted, I would love to see a WS here in Seattle. I’m gullible, so I’m always optimisic going into the new season. I don’t give predictions, they go against my superstitions. But I stay optimistic…LOL.

    GO M’S!!!!!

  28. xxtinynickxx on December 16th, 2008 10:58 pm

    SIGN ROCCO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

  29. zzyzx on December 17th, 2008 6:14 am

    Not sure what Washington, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or KC fans consider ‘competing’?

    DC has a lot of transplants and it doesn’t say the local team, but rather your favorite.

    PA has the World Champion Phillies and MO has the Cardinals so those are going to bias the results for those states. No clue about MD though…

  30. jjracoon on December 17th, 2008 6:32 am

    Optimism comes with seeing change plus potential.
    The Mariners now have an everyday CF.
    Beltre had surgery to fix his hand and is in his last year.
    Sexson isnt here!!
    Rumors are that Silva has lost weight.
    While everyone hates Bedard, he is a no 2 pitcher when healthy and is also in a payday year.
    Catcher cant give us less next year.

    Only real big negative I see is this team still doesnt have that 3 hole sure thing player and no matter how hard I try to put Griffey in it he just doesnt work anymore!!

    I see a 81-81 record which isnt trully competitive but at least I wont cring during
    each and every game!!!1

  31. galaxieboi on December 17th, 2008 7:45 am

    to build before the A’s new stadium revenues kick in.

    That whole thing looks dead for the moment…

  32. JMHawkins on December 17th, 2008 9:02 am

    The M’s weren’t as bad as their record last year and, even though I got reamed for saying it in a past thread, the fixes to their two biggest problems are relatively simple: 1) Don’t absolutely suck at 1B and DH; and 2) Don’t field one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Seems like Z is addressing these issues and will continue to address them.

    I agree those were the two biggest problems. Unfortunately, addressing them moves us from a 70-75 win team to a 80-85 win team, which still isn’t “competitive” if you describe competitive as likely being in a pennant race come late September.

    But I agree we have a much better upside this year. If Zduriencik upgrades our middle infield, Morrow and Bedard pitch well, and Silva regains some mediocrity, we could be surprising.

  33. gwangung on December 17th, 2008 9:28 am

    Well I don’t share the optimism yet. Sorry… You just lost your best hitter to FA and your closer and one of your better bullpen arms..you haven’t got any new pitchers that are an improvement over what we’ve got or any offense.

    And the defense?

    Apparently, you’re not looking at the whole deck.

  34. SCL on December 17th, 2008 9:46 am

    The team is better, right now, than it was a year ago headed into spring training. I’m serious.

    Dave, you projected the 2008 team to win 83 games. And when the Angles’ pitchers got injured, you upped to 84 games on KJR. Do really project the 2009 team (as is) to win 85+ games? That would be really cool!

  35. Paul B on December 17th, 2008 9:54 am

    Maybe this means we are actually good fans and stick by our team instead of defecting to become a bandwagon Red Sox fan or something like that.

    Yes, as others have pointed out, the survey says “favorite” team. So places that have a team that has been bad for a long time probably have a lot of people who follow other teams.

  36. Beniitec on December 17th, 2008 4:09 pm

    Defense is improved in the OF…I agree with that. But that’s not going to improve your offense. You have to score runs…and while you’ve improved the defense, you still don’t have any power. The improved defense “may” help the pitching staff. While Beltre “may” heat up… you really don’t have an improved team. You have an improved outfield. That’s it really… With the loss if Putz and Raul, and gaining 1 starting defensive outfielder and one 4th defensive outfielder, and a mediocre arm, we’ve improved the team? Sorry, I find it really hard to be optimistic. Given a new season, everyone on the team “may” get better, however, they may not. I sure hope they do. And I think I’m as optimistic as they come.

  37. TomTuttle on December 17th, 2008 9:47 pm

    Knowing that Seattle sports are down the crapper right, I think the pessimism is understandable.

    I just hope SOMEBODY will start to change the losing culture soon enough.

  38. gwangung on December 18th, 2008 10:02 am

    Defense is improved in the OF…I agree with that. But that’s not going to improve your offense.

    Au contraire. Guiterez, even last year, was a better offensive performer than anybody outside of Ichiro.

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