It could be worse

DMZ · May 21, 2008 at 5:04 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

Imagine how badly Washburn would have pitched if McLaren didn’t give him a catcher he felt comfortable working with, who could communicate well with.

Comments

41 Responses to “It could be worse”

  1. Tom on May 21st, 2008 5:15 pm

    You are so right Derek, because after all, we can’t mess up that all-important and all-telling TEAM CHEMISTRY. Even when you are dealing with a god-awful pitcher and a team that is god-awful.

    Fire McLaren and Bavasi fucking now. I don’t care if it’s against the rules of conventional thinking. Fire them BOTH now. And fire Chuck Armstrong and friends now as well.

  2. The Ghost of Spike Owen on May 21st, 2008 5:21 pm

    We were all tripping over each other to get here and make that joke first, weren’t we?

  3. north on May 21st, 2008 5:24 pm

    The 4 singles on 4 pitches in the third was especially scintillating.

    I feel for Cabrera and Rodriguez. They both had a swing and miss against Washburn. The shame.

  4. don52656 on May 21st, 2008 5:27 pm

    Karma can be a bitch sometimes, can’t it?

  5. PositivePaul on May 21st, 2008 5:28 pm

    I dunno — when Ray Kinsella pitched to Shoeless Joe, he didn’t have a catcher.

  6. donger on May 21st, 2008 5:30 pm

    I’m imagining washburn giving up a .500 BAA in pros vs joes.

  7. jspektor on May 21st, 2008 5:31 pm

    “Bavasi is doing an outstanding job” – Chuck ‘Knoblauch’ Armstrong

    “Best coaching staff we have ever had” – Knob Clock Armstrong.

  8. BillyJive on May 21st, 2008 5:33 pm

    Nice call DMZ…Hey maybe you could catch for Washburn….

  9. Red Apple on May 21st, 2008 5:34 pm

    It’s the Baseball Gods’ way of telling Washburn “STFU!”

    Four books about the M’s I’ve read lately:

    1. No Punch, by Elmore Leonard
    2. I is for Incompetent, by Sue Grafton
    3. No Country for Old Washed Up Ballplayers, by Cormac McCarthy
    4. Ichiro Shrugged, by Ayn Rand

  10. msb on May 21st, 2008 5:36 pm

    imagine how well Wash & Burke would have done if that umpire hadn’t been screwing him over ….

    what is the Japanese for [nelsonmuntz]ha-ha?[/nelsonmuntz]

  11. coasty141 on May 21st, 2008 5:38 pm

    With Joh behind the plate the tigers would have scored atleast 3 more runs. I think I can prove it too.

  12. BigB on May 21st, 2008 5:48 pm

    One of those “if we’re going to lose the game, I’m kind of glad it is happening like this” games, just to prove a point to Washburn. What a L7 weenie (to quote The Sandlot).

  13. Steve T on May 21st, 2008 5:52 pm

    You realize that’s not Washburn, right? It’s Kiefer Sutherland working undercover. No, he can’t pitch, but national security demands it.

  14. bermanator on May 21st, 2008 5:54 pm

    Maybe he’d pitch better without a catcher.

    By giving up hits on the first pitch, he wouldn’t even risk any passed balls. It’s a win-win!

  15. coasty141 on May 21st, 2008 5:58 pm

    Pitching without a catcher in his designated area is balk, FYI. I knew it was against the rules but I wasn’t sure about the penalty.

  16. bermanator on May 21st, 2008 5:59 pm

    Then put Ibanez there and Reed in the OF. Problem solved!

  17. JMHawkins on May 21st, 2008 6:02 pm

    So, five days from now, how about RRS get’s the start and Washburn is the long-guy in the pen? I’m sure RRS would be happy with anyone they ran out there at Catcher…

  18. bermanator on May 21st, 2008 6:05 pm

    RRS is demanding Clement behind the plate.

  19. jlc on May 21st, 2008 6:05 pm

    At what point is it so soul-destroying that Ichiro! walks out on his contract and goes back to Japan?

  20. bermanator on May 21st, 2008 6:06 pm

    At least Washburn will be able to understand Burke when he says “Hey Wash? You suck.”

  21. AuburnM on May 21st, 2008 6:08 pm

    Armstrong should fire all the baseball people tomorrow. All of them. Burn it down and start over.

    Fire them all. Now.

  22. gwangung on May 21st, 2008 6:16 pm

    Oh, I think Armstrong is part of the problem…

  23. scott19 on May 21st, 2008 6:30 pm

    You realize that’s not Washburn, right? It’s Kiefer Sutherland working undercover. No, he can’t pitch, but national security demands it.

    Actually, I wish Bavasi would sign Kiefer and put him in the starting rotation…he’d probably do a better job!

  24. scott19 on May 21st, 2008 6:33 pm

    Maybe he’d pitch better without a catcher.

    If Wash keeps going through catchers at this rate, he’ll have one of those pitch-back nets behind home plate before too long.

  25. skjes on May 21st, 2008 6:43 pm

    So where do we go from here? Fire sale on the players?

  26. Steve T on May 21st, 2008 7:05 pm

    We don’t go anywhere. We hang around the bottom. Lincoln and Armstrong need to go first.

  27. smb on May 21st, 2008 7:07 pm

    Where do you think we’ll go? We’re at rock bottom, so…

    Wait, is that Chuck Armstrong grabbing a shovel?

  28. jspektor on May 21st, 2008 7:09 pm

    Chuck is delusional. I don’t understand how someone can enjoy losing.

    Does Bavasi get some sort of sick pleasure out of this

  29. smb on May 21st, 2008 7:13 pm

    What looks like pleasure from Bavasi is just the satisfaction of complete and irrefutable job security. I’m sure this losing would have him shitting bricks if he knew it was his head about to roll, but it’s just a firing that seems imminent yet never happens.

    How would you like to be able to shit on your customers’ doorstep, take their money, and have your boss call the local radio station to say you’re doing an excellent job? I’d be smiling, too.

  30. jspektor on May 21st, 2008 7:23 pm

    29 – well put.

    I mean let’s be real … if a doctor succeeded in surgery at the pace the Mariners are winning at ….

    malpractice?

  31. Swungonandbelted on May 21st, 2008 7:34 pm

    DFA Washburn, fire Bavasi, and then take Bavasi’s remaining Salary owed, payroll deduct it, and use it to offset some of Burnbabyburn’s salary.

    Oh, and Baek was just DFA’d.

  32. jro on May 21st, 2008 7:47 pm

    Does the league permit something like this:

    Seattle Mariners — designated for assignment.

  33. Tom on May 21st, 2008 7:48 pm

    FIRE ARMSTRONG
    FIRE BAVASI
    FIRE McLAREN
    CALL FOR LINCOLN’S HEAD
    TRADE OR RELASE ANY UNDERACHEIVER WITH A BLOATED SALARY
    (Joh, Wash, Batista, Bloomquist, Sexson Vidro)

    Need I say more?

  34. bradguy on May 21st, 2008 7:57 pm

    Baek shouldn’t have been the one DFA. He’s better than Batista/Washburn for sure. Baek will get a job somewhere very quickly.

  35. tomas on May 21st, 2008 8:01 pm

    Worse, at this point, would be any sort of flukey ‘run’ of wins that would convince the donkeys that the ‘plan’ might work, they just need to give it time. I have become convinced that, given Seattle’s location, any plan that relies on free agents is not, and probably never will work. That means consistent success would be more likely with a Billy Beane-type approach. What are the chances of that, given the donkeys running this Titanic?

  36. tomas on May 21st, 2008 8:04 pm

    Chuck: “Hey Howie, the team’s doing pretty bad.”
    Howie: “Hmmm. Yeah. Let’s go get a steak at El Gaucho.”
    Chuck: “Good idea. You got a cigar?”

  37. jlc on May 21st, 2008 8:04 pm

    I’m happy if Dickey comes up, but DFA for Baek doesn’t seem to get to the root of the problem. More like the top branch of the crown.

  38. huhwhat on May 21st, 2008 8:09 pm

    Hope Baek does get a serious look from another team for a starting gig.

  39. Steve Nelson on May 21st, 2008 8:11 pm

    #9: Four books about the M’s I’ve read lately: …

    I saw a movie. “Let’s Throw Johjima Under the Train”

  40. bradguy on May 21st, 2008 8:28 pm

    Wilkerson goes 3 for 3 and gets the axe; Baek pitches effectively and gets DFA’ed. Big money guys Batista and Wash get shelled, they laugh all the way to the bank.

  41. edgar for mayor on May 22nd, 2008 5:22 pm

    40 – Wilkerson had long before lost his job they just waited to long to fire him.

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