Rhodes To The Rescue!

Omar Vizquel is long gone from the American League, but those shiny lobe-trotters that caused a lifelong rivalry are back as Arthur Rhodes agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners yesterday. Don't recall it? It's the moment that made Rhodes famous back in 2001. No, not his 1.72 ERA that year, but his ability to get ejected over a refusal to take off a pair of earrings at a baseball game.
I'd counter that Bavasi has reached a new low, but in this case, I think he's making a good move. Yes, I used the word "Bavasi" and the phrase "a good move" in the same sentence. Don't worry, it's not all good news, because I think Rhodes is perfect because our recent signing of Reitsma is a flop just waiting to happen. We need another lefty in the 'pen and George Sherril, the one man wonder, just isn't going to cut it.
Is he 36? Yeah. Is he past his prime? Probably. But Bavasi understands one thing that most Mariner fans can't grasp: the more, the merrier.
Let's say Ichiro is a 10 out of 10, and Horacio Ramirez is a 2 of 10. Which is better? Ichiro, of course.
However, if we have 6 Horacio Ramirezes, then that's 12 out of 10. It's simple math, folks.
We may not have 5 good players to string together, but we have about 50 lousy ones. And as any good baseball fan knows, it's not about losing as a single player, it's about losing as a team. And for the M's this year, suck is something they may all be able to do together.

Sims, Blowers Additions Not Enough to Save Season

Most Mariner fans woke up this morning, checked the official website, and hoped that we had traded for some big ace. We had all hoped for some new reason to look forward to what could be a dismally long season in 2007. So what did the club do today instead?

We signed a rookie with more experience in football and basketball than baseball, and gave a dodderingly ancient third baseman a contract extension. Let's have a closer look at these two moves:

Dave Sims has gotta be around 6', 220 lbs, and while he might be able to call it all day on the gridiron, he's simply too big for baseball, and from what I've heard, he simply doesn't have enough pitches to make it even in Seattle's desperate rotation. His previous experience is nill, although he does have a radio show with Duke's Coach K, who, as everyone knows, knows everything about everything.

As for Mike Blowers, he's 41, which in today's baseball isn't too old, but his career .257 average just isn't going to cut it on this squad. And besides, our offense isn't horrible, what we really need is a good starter and a setup man to replace Soriano whose name doesn't rhyme with "Eats Muh." Unless Mikey's holdin' back a low 90's fastball and a killer splitter, I just don't see what the M's are doing signing him back on for another season. I mean, c'mon, the Beltre trade rumors are flying now that we've got two thirdbasemen!

I give up, folks. I just don't know what's going on anymore.

Why Does Next Season Matter?

There's a lot on the line for the 2007 season:

Bavasi and Hargrove are on their last legs.

Four new players have been signed/acquired.

The "kids" of last year are all looking into their true sophomore seasons.

But one agenda trumps them all next season...

Ichiro.

And so as we laugh at the hurried misdealings of Bavasi and look forward to a franchise without him, we neglect the most important problem in coming up short this winter : an unsigned contract extension with Ichiro.

Will he sign? Will we trade him? Can any true Mariners' fan picture Ichiro outside of the northwest? Will he play for a team that can't win?

Sure, we all assume with Nintendo at the helm and a vast number of Japanese sponsorships on his shoulders that Ichiro will sign, that we'll give him as much money as he wants, that he wouldn't ever leave the team that brought him to America.

But he could.

He might.

He wouldn't.... would he?

Don't worry, though, Ichiro fans, with Bavasi at the helm, what could possibly go wrong?