Worst Seat In The House: I remember him...

Is it my imagination or have all of the really great Mariner highlights come to an end? The team that started out 13-2 with what seemed to be a 5 game lead over their AL West rivals are now mired in a major slump slotted in third place but by the time you read this the M’s could fall all the way to the bottom of the heap.

I know we got excited when the Mariners were smashing home runs on a daily basis and manhandling opponents. But scouting reports can help teams adjust and turn home run hitters into strike out kings.

The lineup has changed considerably this year with trades and management signing free agents and picking up youngsters and a few veterans that have a spark or two left in their bats. But if there is one thing that is troublesome to me is when the announcers will say something like, “Now batting for the Texas Rangers, right fielder and former Mariner Sin Soo Choo.” How many former Mariners are doing well around the league?

There are so many former Mariners that are playing well for other teams that they could probably field a team by themselves and have a lot of success. Yes, I understand how today’s game works and how hard it is to keep good talent.

It seems that we have heard stories of how well the young talent is progressing in the minor leagues only to be disappointed with how slow the kid adjusts to Major League pitching or the challenge of playing in prime time. It’s a shame that having a beautiful baseball stadium like Saf…. excuse me I mean T-Mobile Park doesn’t lead to above average teams every year.

Sometimes I think that Seattle is satisfied with a team of players that finish in the middle of the pack because that it what everyone is used to. The last time the Mariners were in the playoffs they won 116 games. They only lost 46. To date only one player from that team is a Hall of Famer, Edgar Martinez, who will be inducted this summer. Ichiro will be the second. I personally believe that John Olerud had a Hall of Fame career but I don’t get to vote.

What this means is that General Manager Pat Gillick put together a team that had lost super heroes Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr. and yet the Mariners were able to win day in and day out. It was amazing and the team was fun to watch.

People that didn’t know anything about baseball started talking about the Seattle Mariners that year. Of, course all good things must come to an end and it only took a couple of seasons and the team and Manager Lou Piniella were gone and here we are longing for winning baseball again.

Who knows, maybe these kids can snap out of it and start winning again. Maybe Kyle Seager will be able to start playing again and be able to get a few timely home runs and defend the hot corner like he has done so well in the past.

I’m a patient person but it is tough watching these guys sometimes. I think the only job tougher than being a Mariner fan would be to manage these guys in a blowout loss, or sitting in the announcer’s booth coming up with stories that might keep the audience interested before they switch it over to a hockey playoff game or a soccer match.

I know that the management team is trying to bring in people that can be developed in the next couple of seasons to get on a winning cycle. I hope that the team can come together and start having fun again. We’ll definitely be seeing some of the veterans leaving come trade deadline the end of July. Maybe the M’s can pick up a couple of good prospects that can help in a season or two.

My biggest fear is that a trade will be made that will help the other team and not the Mariners. I’m a bit tired of seeing a guy like Adam Jones hitting and running down fly balls in the outfield for teams other than Seattle. I not only remember him but I remember how upset I was the day the Mariners traded him to Baltimore!