Mariners news

3 notes about the Mariners horrible season.

1. Congratulations to the great Ichiro for ending with a major league record 262 hits. Is he as amazing as many Mariners fans think? Probably not. But he is one of the most exciting players in the major leagues. And he is certainly better than his detractors give him credit for. A friend of mine heard a really stupid argument maybe a month ago or so saying that Mark Kotsay was as good as Ichiro because their OBP were similar. Well that's just a stupid argument. Ichiro probably should walk more and I suppose Kotsay is something of an underrated player but to say that they are near equals is the Moneyball idea gone bad. Because not only is Ichiro better, he is more exciting to watch which puts fans in the seats with Ichiro jerseys on their backs. And that means more money for the team to spend on players. If Moneyball really means winning while using your resources as efficiently as possible, I'd say that the revenue a player generates is pretty damn important and Kotsay ain't generating any.

2. Congratulations to Edgar Martinez for a really great career. Is he a hall of famer? Probably not. A great player and a great hitter. But I don't really think he's one of the truly great players of his generation, which to me is what matters much more than numbers. It's stupid that being a DH should count against him, but I'm sure it will for many voters, particularly those from NL towns. But is his career better than a dozen other marginal candidates for the HOF, I don't know. Regardless, he is the greatest Mariner ever and I hope they at least retire his jersey soon.

3. I'm sad to see Bob Melvin go. I don't know if he's the greatest manager, but it sure as hell isn't his fault that the Mariners were ancient, that they traded Carlos Guillen for Ramon Santiago, that they signed Rich Aurilia, Raul Ibanez, and Scott Speizio, or that Rafael Soriano was hurt all year. He may be taking the fall for this but it's Bill Bavasi who should go. I guess the only advantage to this is that when they suck next year it's Bavasi that will have to take the blame. And only when he goes and the Mariners hire a decent GM will they again compete in the AL West. We should start a bad Bavasi contract Hall of Shame. His Mo Vaughn contract is clearly the first inductee, but Rich Aurilia isn't far behind.