FIRST place in the NFC West?!?

I finally got to attend my first Seahawks game of the season today!
(my son's soccer team, that normally plays on Sundays at 1pm, had a bye today)

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES
I am really liking Mr. Earl Thomas...

't wasn't very pretty, but the fact it put another tally in the WIN column was a thing of beauty!

Somewhat less than stellar....

-Russell left in the first quarter with another ankle injury

-WAY too many penalties (especially in the red zone)
-Matt was sacked FIVE times and fumbled ONCE

And the sparkly good...
-Lookie here - we have a BIG receiver!
-And, over here - we have an UPHILL rusher!
-FIVE Cardinal turnovers lead to THIRTEEN Seahawk points
-Olindo made NINE field goals ... okay, only FIVE actually counted

Seattle didn't make anything easy on itself. Not even the field goals.

There was one comical stretch in which Mare made three kicks, each attempt 10 yards longer than the last, before finally making one that counted from 51 yards.

"What in the heck was that?" Carroll asked jokingly afterward.

The first two attempts, from 31 yards and then 41, were nullified by holding penalties against tight end Cameron Morrah. But Mare kept making them just as he has for more than a year now, and he converted from 51. That was one of five field goals, extending his franchise-record streak to 30 in a row.

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Third time's the charm (holding penalty not once, but twice!)

How fitting though, that for the first time ever, it was Special Teams that was introduced before the game (usually just alternates between the offense and the defense - Rusty Tillman would be proud ;-))

DEAN RUTZ / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Sad and wet Card fans...

Work. Wait. Win.

Congratulations to the 2010 AL Champion Texas Rangers!
Now, go do the AL West proud!

As I was perusing through some of the scads of articles on what seems like their "year of destiny" this one in particular got me thinking...
NY Times | A lesson in teamwork the Rangers can't forget

Of course I tend to read everything through lenses of navy and teal, and this is no different.  While the piece is mostly about Washington's ability to overcome some personal demons and lead his team to the post season (although it was written prior to the Rangers game 6 victory) it was the last few lines that really struck a chord....

"But why did it take four years?" a reporter asked Washington on the eve of Game 6.

"Because I'm no miracle worker," he replied evenly. "Everyone takes time to develop and understand what's right and what's wrong. If it was that easy, I think everybody would be able to go out there and create something.

"But it don't happen like that," he added. "It's a process." 

He is SO right.

Of course it takes talent to succeed (and, unfortunately, save for a handful, the M's have been severely lacking in that category in recent years).  But, especially when coming from near epic failure, it also takes time and consistence.
________________________

Dear Mariners Organization ~

Please consider Ron's sentiments and situation.  Despite some pretty dicey circumstance, he was shown patience and given continuity in order to develop his process.

You have your people in place, now...
Show them patience, provide them continuity and, in time, their process will develop and their plan will come to fruition.

In other words, let them do their jobs.

Work. Wait. Win.
~Rosy

Welcome Skipper Wedge!

Well, since Lou left the M's have had as their field manager a Bob, a Mike, a John, a Jim, a Don and a Daren.  Now, it's Eric's turn - here's hoping that turn lasts a  l o n g  time.

Jack Z introduces another "W" (AP)

Official Press Release

Drayer | My Northwest.com

How did he get here? In lightening-quick fashion it turns out. Jack Zduriencik started out with a list of 59 names. He was looking for someone who had experience, someone who had won before, someone who had leadership ability and what he called a no-nonsense approach. He did his due diligence, spoke with trusted allies, former players and Wedge’s former general manager, Mark Shapiro. Then he spoke to Wedge himself. In addition to having the qualifications he was looking for, Zduriencik saw something else.

"When you're sitting across from someone you want to see who they are, you want to feel the accountability, the work ethic, the passion and the character," Zduriencik said. "Quite frankly, that is what I saw."

Zduriencik added: "He's not going to be me and I am not going to be him, but the passion I think is there for both of us. Where we are going, there is a process to get there. We both understand it. There are going to be times when I will judge him and say, 'OK, I understand your point, we will go with it.' There will be other times when he will have to say, 'OK Jack, you have the bigger picture than I do. I get it.' His experiences and my experiences are different and that's good. He said that in the interview process that he did his homework on me, who I was, where I came from. Now, does it work? Is the ability there to come together? At the end you think it works and you go with it."

LaRue | The News Tribune

“When Eric left to fly home, we talked it over and I called him just as he was walking in the door,” Zduriencik said. “I asked him if he’d enjoyed the visit, liked the city, had a good time.

“Then I asked him, ‘How would you like to be our manager?’ He said, ‘Jack, I haven’t put my suitcase down yet.’”

About to start his third year in Seattle, Zduriencik found in Wedge all the criteria he’d listed when the search began.

“I wanted experience, a winning track record. I wanted toughness, I wanted someone with discipline, a leader,” he said. “I was looking for the kind of leader to turn our players over to, and we found him.”

Wedge, 42, had interviewed with three other teams and was considered a finalist for two, but when the Mariners offered the job, he didn’t hesitate.

“For me, it just felt right. I can’t put it into words. It was just a good feeling I got here,” Wedge said. “I love the energy of the city, of Safeco Field. I’ve seen it from the other side. It’s electric.”

Brewer | The Seattle Times

The Mariners are finally committing to the kind of solid rebuilding plan that the people have clamored for forever, but they arrived at this eureka too late for anyone to acknowledge it. There's a statute of limitations on doing the right thing, apparently. The Mariners are so tardy to the party that they're forced to reason with a crowd drunk on outrage or, worse, apathy.

So, there has been only a tepid response to the hiring of manager Eric Wedge, even though his track record suggests he can develop those young players that fans are desperate to see mature. And general manager Jack Zduriencik, who just completed a bad but not devastating season, is a polarizing figure, even though he's mostly building the team in the proper manner. And the Mariners will likely have one of their youngest, but most precocious, rosters in 2011, but assuming they don't win a lot, it will be difficult for fans to chase their frustration with patience.

Melancholy Mariner Matters

Yes, it was indeed a backward season...

Unfortunately, being swept in the last home series was a fitting end to one of the worst seasons in Mariners history.  There was so much hope after the rather remarkable turnaround last year from the 101 loss season of 2008.  During the 'winter of our content' Jack Z snared Cliff Lee for a song, rid the rotation of Carlos Silva (even though acquiring Milton was a bit of a risk), signed Figgy who was sure to provide more speed on OBP at the top of the lineup.  And then there was Junior - yeah, his 2009 season wasn't great, but his presence seemed vital to the clubhouse kumbaya.

But then it all went horribly wrong...   
~ Cliff was out with an injury for the first month of the season and while they were able to tread water at 11-11 during his absence and fans and players alike were dazzled by his outings in his short but sweet stint with the M's, run support wasn't only hard to come by, it was nearly impossible - for Cliff and every other M's hurler.
~ Milton's emotional problems weren't hidden for long and soon he was on 'restricted status' (a status few even knew existed) while undergoing therapy (meanwhile, Silva was tearing it up for the Cubbies) and even when MB returned, he was unable to contribute and was eventually placed on the 'normal' DL
~ Figgy's bat dropped off the planet as it never had before and the dream of two lead-off hitters became a nightmare - especially after his blowup in the dugout when he was benched during a game vs. the Red Sox in which Wak didn't appreciate the perceived lack of effort on a ground ball.
~ And, then there was the Junior situation.  It started with nap-gate and ended in a way no one could have imagined at the start of the season - with a call to Chuck from Montana on his way home to Florida - for good.
~ Then there were the many players who were playing so far below their career norms, it was unbelievable that the team collapse could be so ... complete.
~ The bullpen dominos began to fall beginning with Mark Lowe (injury and subsequent surgery, then traded with Cliff Lee to the Rangers).
~ Fundamentals seemed to be a thing of the past - defensive miscues and base running blunders were almost the norm instead of the exception.
~ All this and then, firing of the manager.  The one who a year before was heralded for his calm, direct leadership and praised for his handling of superstars and rookies alike.

What a difference a year makes.

But, I wouldn't be Compass Rosy if I didn't point out that amid the horror that was 2010, there were actually some bright lights.

Felix
Our "King" is contending for the Cy Young award despite the abysmal performance of his team.  It IS an individual award, after all.  And, even some of the old school national guys are coming 'round to the the reality that "pitcher wins" are NOT the end all be all.  In fact, wins are something out of their control - particularly Felix's - as he had the LOWEST run support in the MAJOR leagues (93rd of pitchers with at least 160IP)

Ichiro
Another 200-hit season.
The first player in major league history to record at least 200 hits in TEN straight seasons.

Guti
While his bat wasn't up to par, his defense shown more than ever.
He became the major league record holder for an outfielder with the most total chances (415) without an error.  Death to Flying Things, indeed.

Jason
Like Felix, Jason was not blessed with run support (he is 88th on that same list).
But, this was really his first full, healthy season in the bigs and seemingly he made great strides.  He pitched more than double the innings than ever before and gave a lot of credit to Cliff Lee whom he learned a lot from in the short time they were teammates.

Some parting photos of my last day at The Safe....

Goodbye Section 331, Row 8, Seat 15 - see you next year!

Filing out of Safeco Field for the last time in 2010

Our fair city from the upper concourse

please, Please, PLEASE, Jack .... get a supporting cast for these characters!

g162 | and that's a wrap

Mariners 3 | Athletics 4


And the Athletics finish SECOND in the AL West by earning their FIRST ever FOUR-game sweep of the M's in Seattle.

Ryan looked a bit better...
Hopefully something to build on over the winter - he threw SEVENTY-THREE pitches in FIVE innings giving up TWO earned runs (maybe taken out before the SIXTH after the M's tied it up to ensure he wouldn't take the loss?)

The bullpen was just so-so...
 giving up another couple of runs over the last FOUR innings

The bats had lots of hits...
But only one for extra bases (Ichiro's TWO-run double in the FIFTH)
Nice to see Justin finish on a good note - his RBI single in the EIGHTH gave him a career high TEN-game hitting streak to end the season.

Some photos of the last day and retrospective of the season coming soon...

g161 | 100 is a very round number

Mariners 3 | Athletics 5


Well, at least this one was a bit more competitive ...
but, didn't matter in the end, at least 100 losses on the books for the 2010 M's

David made it interesting through 3.2 ...
retiring the first ELEVEN A's he faced but, with TWO out in the FOURTH gave up back-to-back solo shots to Mark Ellis (who ALWAYS seems to kill the M's over SO many years - even though he still looks about TWELVE) and Jack Cust.  Davis still had a decent outing, going SEVEN innings and giving up THREE homers (the other a 2-run jack by Chris Carter)

Nice to see some extra base hits from the young ones ...
Michael with his TENTH homer, Justin with TWO doubles (ONE rbi) and Adam with a double

g160 | and the hits just kept on comin'

Mariners 0 | Athletics 9


Luke's last start less than lackluster...
after giving up TWO homers to Barton, including a grand slam, he was done after FOUR innings and SEVENTY-SEVEN pitches.

The bullpen wasn't horrid...
only giving up a combined TWO hits, ONE run and THREE walks over the last FIVE innings

But, the bats and bases were abysmal...
ZERO extra base hits, TWO dp's turned against them and ONE pick off made for a sad last Friday night at The Safe