Worst intro song ever

When ballplayers are about to come to the plate for their turn at bat, the PA announcer will say their name and usually music is played as they approach the plate and prepare to hit. Innocuous examples include “What a man” by En Vogue for Dan Wilson or “Bad to the Bone” for Jay Buhner. None of these are inappropriate in any way, you want an inappropriate intro song? Listen to the song the Mariners production crew plays for outfielder Jeremy Reed when he steps to the plate. Pearl Jam made the song famous years ago, yeah “Jeremy” the song about the kid that hates his life so much he shoots himself in front of a class full of fellow students and his teacher.  I have called the Mariners and complained about this musical choice but NOBODY CARES.  Truth to tell, I think it’s funny.  Inappropriate for sure but also pretty funny.

Another take on Monahan

Larry LaRue at the Tacoma News Tribune on Monahan’s recent admission:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/mariners/story/247082.html

Shane Monahan is a fool

A few weeks ago former Mariner Shane Monahan made some statements about the rampant steroid-use in the Mariners clubhouse while he was with the team in 1998-99. Monahan wasn’t around much, he wasn’t a very good ballplayer, and I think he is a liar too. I was actually working in the Mariners mail room the summer of 1998, I delivered packages and boxes to players in the clubhouse that season.  It was almost ten-years ago but I have no recollection of delivering items to Shane Monahan, maybe he got it sent to his home, or directly to the Kingdome. My hunch is that Shane Monahan misses being a Major Leaguee ballplayer.  He misses the fans, the groupies, the life and who wouldn’t? Last I heard Shane Monahan was delivering packages for UPS, I think he thought he could get a little press, maybe fifteen more minutes of fame (not even fifteen).  I remember thinking it was odd that the team provided the players with chewing tobacco, seems so innocent now.  If steroid-use was as widespread as Shane Monahan claims it was, I am confident I would have noticed or heard about it.  I do remember eating lunch in the clubhouse one afternoon while watching the television. It was an off day, but Monhan showed-up anyway. He had been a major-league ballplayer for a month or two and was full of himself, he bragged to those of us in earshot about how good he was and what a bad-ass he was in college.  Dude was a fool then and is apparently a fool now.

Ticket price-increase

Yesterday afternoon the Mariners announced they were increasing the price of tickets for the 2008 season. Details here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/343969_maritix18.html

In the article by John Hickey he talks about the club needing more money to pay for the off-season acquisitions that they have not yet made. This worries me because I feel they have backed themselves in to a corner when it comes to spending money this off-season. If are unable to get a deal done for Erik Bedard, I worry they will throw way too much money at Carlos Silva or Kyle Lohse and say “Look, we made an upgrade in our rotation, this justifies the ticket-price increase.” This organization is not hurting for cash, they recently announced a new twelve-year deal with Fox Sports Northwest for over $400 million, details here: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/baseball/338798_maritv08.html

This organization cares about one thing: money. They could care less about winning the American League West, let alone the World Series. Should not come as a surprise, it is at the end of the day a business.  I just wish this club was as committed to winning as it is to making as much money as possible.

Baker Blog

I gave props to the Seattle Times national baseball reporter, Larry Stone the other day. Today I have to do the same for Times Mariners beat reporter, Geoff Baker.  Fantastic reporter, a native of Canada where he covered the Blue Jays for a while, made the move to Seattle towards the end of the 2006 season and has been a pleasure to read. During the season I check his blog at least three times a day and frequently post comments.  Geoff has been posting again lately with the hot stove league heating-up and off-season rumors at a fever pitch.  During the winter meetings last weekend in Nashville, I was checking Geoff’s blog every twenty minutes or so…which having written, sounds borderline obsessive.  Geoff has a long post up, lots of stats and a look at what the M’s have to do to get better. http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mariners/index.html#020712

Geoff thinks the M’s should make the deal for Bedard, and while I disagree, he makes a good case for closing the deal with Baltimore.  My thinking is that the M’s are not one player away from being able to seriously compete with Anaheim in the AL West. If they has the pieces and were one pitcher away I think I would be okay with the deal, they are more then one Erik Bedard away from being a competitive ballclub though.  I would much rather they play Adam Jones, and Balentien in the outfield and let Morrow and Rowland-Smith start then giving up the farm for Bedard and still being an 82-87 win club. 

Will be back soon

Not enough time over the weekend to write anything real substantive, I’ll get something up this week but I will link to one of the best baseball reporters working today, Larry Stone. Pretty amusing piece on the winter meetings: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/larrystone/2004061217_stone09.html

Bummer news

Larry LaRue of Tacoma News Tribune is reporting that the M’s are not going to be able to move Richie Sexson due to the amount of money remaining on his current contract ($14 million).  I thought going in to the winter meetings that is was crucial for the M’s to move him to another team, I figured they would have to eat a large portion of his salary and was okay with that. Sometimes guys just need a change of scenery, I feel that is the case with Richie.  Towards the end of LaRue’s post at Tacomanewstribune.com, he states that the Mariners believe Richie will turn it around and be that slugger they are paying him to be.  I am not so sure.  This is a guy they said was going to turn it around from May until the end of the season AND HE NEVER DID.  What happens if the first week of the season Richie goes 2-25?  Does he get down on himself then start over-thinking his approach at the plate, his swing, etc?  This club cannot compete with Richie Sexson hitting in the low .200’s for the majority of the season. If he rebounds and has a decent year offensively, terrific. Big if though, big if.

Bavasi’s master plan

Baseball Winter Meeting start Monday in Nashville, look for Bill Bavasi to try to acquire a new bat boy in exchange for an assistant clubhouse manager

to be named later. Bavasi also hopes to hit the hot front desk agent that works the morning shift. Redhead with really nice tits. When asked about his

goals for the upcoming gathering of baseball’s top executives Bavasi said “Most of the teams here are looking to get better on the field, I am gonna focus on getting

some serious talent up to my hotel room and we’ll go from there.”

Goodbye Paint Dry Ty?

Quite a few of my friends believe Tyrone Willingham is not getting the job done at the UW.  John McGrath at Tacoma News Tribune agrees: http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/215003.html

Steve Kelly at the Seattle Times agrees: http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/215003.html

McGrath’s piece is better and actually made me laugh out loud and may have crystalized my thoughts on Willingham. The part where he talks about talking with Willingham during his 18 hours of self-introspection was hysterical. This guy is a football coach at a D-1 school with a history of outstanding football teams, COMPETITIVE football teams. Under Tyrone Willingham they have been neither, they have been bad. Outplayed and under-prepared.  I am hesitant to say he should be fired, but really, what has he done for us lately? Not a whole lot.

Goodbye Coach Doba

This is for the most part a baseball blog, not a whole lot of baseball news though so I thought I’d comment on Bill Doba’s departure/forced resignation as Head Coach at Washington State University. I attended WSU for two miserable years in the late 90’s and root for them quietly.  Never met Coach Doba but did cover the football team during the ’98 season for KUGR the student-run radio station. Never heard a bad thing about Doba, never.  His name would always come up when talking about qualities you would look for in a head coach. Honorable, kind, respectful, passionate, an all around good guy. Rumor is Mike Price is the leading candidate to replace Doba, always thought of Mike Price as a used-car salesman…no, that is not a compliment. If Price returns, they will face the age problem in four or five years, Doba is 67 and Price is 61. Doba’s older age was given as a reason a recruit may choose to attend a different school, the coach that originally recruited them may not last.  I will say one thing about Mike Price returning to Pullman, if he does, the strippers in Spokane will be thrilled.