But now, I really mean it!
Patience is a virtue...
I been up against fans, in both personal and online discussions, who are just so tired of waiting and, from their perspective, not even seeing progress with their Mariners. While I can understand their frustration, I also recognize that having lived through the Bavasi years before getting to the Zduriencik years is likely a contributing factor to their heightening impatience. But, at some point you have to stop starting over - let's give Jack a fair and full chance
Endurance is patience concentrated.... (Thomas Carlyle)
I have argued that Jack Z has made a ton of progress. Let's face it, he had his work cut out for him taking over an organization whose farm system had been decimated by the previous regime and whose big league roster had a lot of high-priced, low-level talent. He has done a tremendous job of replenishing that farm system at every level, as well as, stock-piling cost-controlled talent on the big club.
Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience... (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Jack Z has a plan and I truly hope we get to see him carry it through to fruition. Rebuilding doesn't happen over night, over a season or even over a couple of seasons. It is an extremely long and tedious process. Even when abysmal seasons net high draft picks, it can take years for even the best young players to make it to the Show.
Genius is eternal patience... (Michelangelo)
Jack Z is doing it the right way, with the intent of building a solid foundation that will be strong and sustainable for years to come. Think about it, back in the mid-late 90's when the Yanks started going on their run (that, by the way, they haven't stopped) they had a few high-priced players (like the M's have Felix and Ichiro now, for instance) but, their home-grown, "core four" were just coming up together. That turned out pretty well, didn't it? Is it so out of the realm of possibility that the likes of Ackley, Carp, Montero, Seager, Smoak, Wells, Hulten, Paxton, Noesi and Walker can be successful? Sure, the likelihood that they ALL exceed expectation is not high but, even if a few of them succeed, just think how long they could stay together and the foundation they would lay.
Then there was the little matter known as the nightmare of 2010...
It literally came out of the blue after the Kumbaya year of 2009. I won't rehash the hideous details, suffice it to say everything that could go wrong did (with the exception of Felix being exceptional and winning his first Cy Young award) and proved to be a serious set back in Jack's plan. I doubt we will ever know the whole, ugly truth of that season (not sure we really want to) - whether it was Wak's inexperience, Junior's frustration with himself, Figgy's attitude toward just about everyone, Milton's issues or just a convergence of all things flammable. Jack deserves a mulligan on that whole ordeal.
And another thing...
What about Wedge?!?!
My thoughts drifted to his potential impact on this young, rebuilding team going forward as I listened to a couple of different interviews he gave tonight (I was flipping back-and-forth between the two sports talk radio stations as they were both interviewing every sports figure in town and their brother ~literally~ due to the Seattle Sports Star Awards held at Benaroya Hall). Wedge has been through this process before and come out on the winning end. Granted, the dynamics of each situation, each organization, are different but, it stands to reason that his experience is an invaluable asset to the process.
Last year, Wedge laid back a bit, admitting that he felt it was vital that he get to know the vets and kids alike. Now that he has a plan formulated based on the talent, personalities and attitudes he observed both on the field and in the clubhouse, he has made no bones about the fact that the team will see a much different Wedge. He's just getting started and deserves the time to let it play out.
1/26 UPDATE: after Thursday's Media Day - this from Wedge about last season on Larry Stone's blog...
"What we're going to do is make sure we put out the best possible lineup to score more runs. It's not acceptable the amount of runs we've scored the past couple of years. Last year, I sat back, and I bit my tongue off more than once, but it was the right thing to do. My wife was proud of me, let's put it that way. This year's going to be a little different, but you don't go from zero to 60. We're going to let it out a little more this year, and raise the bar a little bit."
So, there you have it. Mark my words, patience will pay off.
In spades.
oh - btw, more evidence of a bright future...
FIVE M's make MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects List ~ Montero (12), Hultzen (16), Walker (18), Franklin (52), Paxton (77)
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ReplyDeletesorry you deleted your comment, tommy. I saw it briefly earlier today when I couldn't respond. I believe you agreed with some of my points (about the importance of having a young core) but you don't like Wedge as the manager. To each his own but I still say Wedge is the perfect guy for the job. He's been there, done that with a young team. I love how he had the nine players report in this winter. He's all about accountability and I think he's going to have a huge impact on this young team growing together. Here's a quote by him from today's Media Day...
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And, on the message he gave to nine core players who came to Seattle recently for a minicamp of sorts:
"I told them all, if you guys can just believe half of what I believe, not just in this organization, and this plan, but in yourselves, then we're golden. Just get to that point. And if you get halfway there, you can finish it off yourselves. That's how much I believe in these young kids."