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?