Game 162: Athletics at Mariners
JMB · October 2, 2005 at 12:42 pm · Filed Under Game Threads
LHP Joe Kennedy vs. RHP Felix Hernandez, 1:05pm, FSN & KOMO.
The 2005 season has come to an end for your Seattle Mariners. It’s fitting, I think, that King Felix take the hill today. Not only was he one of the few bright spots in an otherwise miserable season, but he’s also going to be a big part of the team returning to respectability next season.
RF Ichiro!
SS Betancourt
DH Ibanez
1B Sexson
3B Beltre
LF Morse
2B Lopez
CF Bubela
C JoeJessica
Comments
168 Responses to “Game 162: Athletics at Mariners”
Jim Thomsen said:”A lot of talk, based on clubhouse interviews, on the post-game show about an unnamed poison presence on the team who needed to be confronted by player-leaders. Who could it be? ”
actually, there was a lot of Tom Glasgow speculation about someone needing to be spanked, based on an Ibanez comment about leadership & confronting anyone not in there for the team, which was then quashed by Drayer saying that Raul had not talked in specifics.
Thanks for the Stone/Bucky/joke clarification. I remember the Bucky game well, and as an ardent Red Sox hater at the time growing up in Hartford, that was my biggest thrill in baseball to date. Not until the other Bucky (Buckner) was I as uncontrollably giddy because of a single play in a baseball game.
Obviously a 12 year old wouldn’t get it, but maybe it makes a good history lesson for him.
“You watch, when this team gets good again, he will not spend money, and he will deny it.”
Right now, I am more worried about *how* the money is being spent, than the willingness to spend it. From where I sit, the issue is not payroll, it’s the quality of management.
“Lincoln is 75-80% about running a business.”
If he were really about running a business, then I think the Mariners would be in better shape than they are. The problem is that the management is too focused on things that don’t really matter to the quality of the team, or the business.
The fact that Howard Lincoln takes it upon himself to get involved in the “don’t call Felix King” decision is proof that his priorities are all messed up. CEO’s are best focused on the big decisions. They don’t get involved in details like this. Lincoln is so obsessed with the “family image” of the Mariners (he went on ad nauseum about the branding of the Mariners) that he goes ballistic on the idea that a young player might get a big head and therefore not be family friendly. To me, it’s truly stupid. But it’s just my opinion.
#154 – So David Wells would be right out, then?
To the USSM guys: This was my first year of reading this blog, and it was a mixed bag of everything: sometimes educational (discussions about stats I never took seriously befiore like VORP and FiERA), sometimes entertaining (all the game threads), sometimes maddening (steroids threads), but all about passion.
The best thing about you guys is you care enough about this team to tell it like it REALLY is as opposed to some of the things that have come out of the mouths of Rick Rizzs and his partners named Dave, and especially Matt Morrison. Without this thread, watching the Mariners in 2005 would have been such a numbing experience that I wouldn’t have bothered after Aug. 1.
At the end of this year, I am moving back to my hometown of New York City from my current residence of Ellensburg. To be honest, most of the time I devote to watching baseball in 2006 will be spent following my beloved New York Mets. Still, USSM will be a site that I bookmark on my computer in NYC and I look forward to reading everybody’s thoughts on the Mariners next year; perhaps I’ll be able to contribute some posts as well.
Derek, Dave, Jason, Jeff, and Peter, and my fellow posters: thank you very much for providing some great alternative opinions to what I usually hear when it comes to baseball. It’s made me a better fan, and I didn’t think that was possible. Keep up the excellent work, and here’s hoping that this year will better than the last two. Goodbye baseball saying goodbye for now.
How did the Mariners end up? I quit watching them back in May.
I said this year will better than the last two. Had the Counting Crows song “A Long December” with the lyric “Maybe this year will be better than the last” stuck in my head. I meant to say here’s hoping that NEXT year will be better than the last two. Bye all.
We may have to organize a NY USSM gathering next year.
jason
Well my friends,
It all ends until next April the 3rd when we play the Anaheim Angels at SAFECO Field.
It can’t come soon enough.
TTFN,
Ta Ta For Now
Well, as far as I’m concerned, Howard Lincoln is a goddamn imbecile; he should immediately resign from his job as chief executive officer of the Seattle Mariners.
Whoa, Deanna.
I had /no/ idea that I had the same birthday as Eddie Guardado. Freaky!
Other notable October 2nd birthdays:
Gandhi, Groucho Marx, and Sting. Probably a few others I’ve forgotten.
The most interesting question in the Lincoln interview was one about the Oakland Athletics. Lincoln acknowledged that the success of the Athletics was embarassing, and that it underlined the importance of the farm system.
Just taking today’s game as an example, I am continually amazed at how many decent rookies the As can field on a given day. Dan Johnson seems destined to be a significant contributor either at 1st base or DH next year. Houston Street will probably be Rookie of the Year one year removed from college. Swisher hasn’t hit for average, but seems to have decent power. Then there is Blanton, Harden, Herren.
Given the possibility of injuries (Atchison, Mandritsch, Bucky) backsliding (Meche, Piniero), Veteran Collapse (Boone, Spiezio), I’d think the Mariners need to be closer to finding 4-5 quality rookies a season than the current 2 (Betancourt, Felix) to enable rapid improvement.
Looking at the most recent successes, it seems like the best prospects are coming out of international (Betancourt, Campillo) or independent league signings, with very little coming out of the draft. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I see next year’s Tacoma Rainers, but at the moment I’m not very enthuasiastic about the potential lineup (Cabrera, Garciaparra, Rene Rivera, Brown?) with the possible exception of TJ Bohn.
Well, that was kind of unexpected.
“Price Resigns as Mariners Pitching Coach”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2002536128_price03.html
Thanks for the good years and tough Price. You may have been over-hyped at first, but I think people put to much blame on you the last few years. Your talent as a pitching coach probably lays somewhere in the middle. Good luck to Price in his future positions.
So Lincoln admits the success of the farm system is important? So why did he make the draft director (arguably the most important feeder for the farm system) the director of player personnel?
I’m afraid that he’s going to can Bavasi in a year or so, and leave all the incompetents still in charge….
I went yesterday. Felix was awesome, too bad the rest of the team sucked.
I was sitting where the mascots came out during the seventh inning stretch. I have to say, the Royals mascot design is pretty lame.
Sherril’s perfomance this year was significantly better than replacement level. He was arguably our third best reliever (after Mateo and Putz).