It ain't fair.

They say, life ain't fair.
I guess baseball isn't either.

Today, Don Wakamatsu, was fired as the manager of the Seattle Mariners ...
I know how it works.  When a team loses as many games as the M's have, you can't fire the whole team, and the manager is the one who is ultimately responsible for the team's performance.

Doesn't make it right.
Doesn't make it fair.

I mean, there are just a FEW extenuating circumstances here...

• an aging, future HoF'er as the DH to start the season who should have retired as he was carried off the field by teammates and cheered by adoring fans after the last game of 2009 but instead decided to quit in the middle of the season and seemingly leave a rift in the clubhouse something akin to the parting of the Red Sea
• a starting left fielder (better suited to DH) also no spring chicken, who had demons to exorcise that had nothing to do with this team, yet they took him under their wing in a commendable show of support
• another 'elderly' one who was great in the clubhouse and who tore it up in spring, but suffered from a balky back ... and, how many DH/1B types can one team use?
• a FA third baseman switching to second base (because the regular 2-bagger had limited range), not to mention second in the batting order, having a career worst year and taking it out on his manager in a very public display of insubordination
• one catcher not ready-for-prime-time and another fresh off two hip surgeries, one wrist surgery
• the regular second baseman switching to third base and, while the transition seemed to go OK defensively, his offense dropped off the map (and, he wasn't the only one ... the entire starting line up (as of mid-July) was hitting anywhere from 7-67points below their career average.

Those of just a few of the issues that faced Wak ... one or two?
Maybe "over-comeable"
Everything at once?  Not a chance.

Many say Wak wasn't tough enough, didn't show enough fire ...
Well, there were the "tie rules" and early indications last season that "slackers" would not be tolerated.  This year he was tossed three time (after 2009 where there was only one ejection all season - Ichiro) in support of his players, but he also, again, reiterated the necessity for effort.

I guess what hurts the most is the death of hope ...
From the beginning of his tenure, I was impressed with Don's story, with his demeanor
and that famed 'belief system'.   I really thought, "they have finally found their leader."

Needless to say, I'm very sad to see him go ...
While he doesn't need my pity, he certainly has my heartfelt gratitude for what he attempted to accomplish with this organization.  I hope that he learned a lot and had some fun along the way despite the undesirable ending.  I've no doubt he will manage again someday and, when he does, I'll be rooting for him to succeed and I will always remember his calm and sincere presence in the dugout and behind the podium and will try not to dwell on "what could have been".

Getty Images

Thanks again and Best Wishes, Wak

~ Rosy

This Skipper ain't from Gilligan's Island

He just looks so....

managerial.

Don't ya think?

(as opposed to "grand-fatherly" type, such as the M's have had in the past)
(photo courtesy: Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press


What do I know? I'm not in that clubhouse.  But, from what we as fans have been allowed to see so far during his short tenure in Seattle, despite his barely past rookie status, it sure seems as if Wak is the "goldilocks" of managers...just the right mix of encouragement and discipline.  He knows when to give a pat on the back and/or a kick in the butt.  He knows how to be a teacher who instills confidence and a boss who inspires full effort.  To me, it's very comforting to have a manager with this particular balance of personality traits and skill sets at the helm of our beloved M's. 

Wak says no walks....

Now there's a man after my own heart!

The M's skipper obviously feels the way I do about pitcher's walks (NOT a good thing) and is willing to scrape a little to come up with a positive from a somewhat less than stellar performance.

Actually, looks like Lowe, Pauley and Cordero faired pretty well in relief (only one earned run in 5 innings) and Milton laid down a bunt single AND didn's get thrown out (well, not by the umpire at least)

OK - that's all the rosiness I can muster tonight ... been a long day.

Oh, just a couple other things...

• Cliff Lee will throw tomorrow and be reevaluated
• Erik Bedard has some stiffness, M's say it's OK, they're just being cautious
• Time for someone, anyone, to step up....
• Junior knows he's needed for more than Kangaroo Court Judge...

They have reported...

Mariners.com

Seems all pitchers and catchers were present and accounted for in Peoria yesterday, where lockers were assigned/selected and physicals were taken. As Shannon blogs about here, some gear is even preceding its owners and everyone is revved up and ready to go. The first official Spring Training workout will happen today (still mostly pitchers and catchers - all others will report by Monday, if not before).

Health is always a major concern and this season is no different, with several M's still recovering/rehabbing from surgery - everything from Erik Bedard's labrum surgery last season, to Rob Johnson's THREE surgeries (both hips and a wrist) to Cliff Lee's minor foot surgery. Here's to full and speedy recoveries for all.

Wak is anxious to see what Jack Z has assembled for him...

“I visited with the staff yesterday and I told them there’s so many things we have to find out,” Wakamatsu said Wednesday. “Do we go with an 11-man pitching staff? If we’re going to go with an 11-man staff, who are the long-man candidates? With the lack of roster spots, are we going to be able to see everybody and give everybody a legitimate shot? There’s all kinds of stuff we have to find out in the spring.”

And, Jack Z is confident in his staff as well as the players...

“I have expectations. I have optimism. I trust our players. I trust the staff,” Zduriencik said. “And I know from my experiences from watching them last year that I know the kind of effort that they’re going to give. It is about a four-letter word called TEAM. It’s that simple. From that standpoint, they experienced what that means and what can be accomplished. Knowing that you do the things you have to do on a day-to-day basis, and when you left Seattle a year ago you were a part of that parade that went around the field. Many of these guys want to experience that again, and beyond.

“It’s going to be fun to watch them compete. Where it takes us, it’s going to depend on the outcomes, but the journey is fun.”

Yes indeed, baseball is in the air. And, if you're like me, you don't even have to be in Arizona to smell it (although I certainly wish I were!)

Random quote that gave me a chuckle (Greg Halman on his 14th tattoo) ...

“People say that when I get older it’ll look bad,” he said. “But when I’m 60, women won’t be interested in me anyway.”

Gotta think a bit more positively than that, Greg ;-)

Wak's big catch

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KEITH ROBBINS / A TAIL SPOT SALMON GUIDE SERVICE


Wak landed a a 17.2 lb king salmon in Puget Sound last Monday...

"I caught a flounder and a bullhead," said Wakamatsu, who was using a light six weight rod. "A half an hour later, I was casting, and ended up catching that king on a red-and-white clouser fly.

"It pulled a lot harder than that bullhead. To hook that thing and watch it come out of the water. This [fish] was taking my line out, and it took me almost to the end of the backing. One more run and it would have taken my fly line with him.

"I have been fishing a lot in the Sound, and didn't know that [catching a king this summer] was such a rarity at the time."

It took him 15 minutes to land the hatchery king that weighed 17.2 pounds.

"That was the biggest king I've heard of caught off the beach in Puget Sound on a fly," Robbins said. "It was just unbelievable to catch a king that big. He [Wakamatsu] was totally stoked.

Mariner Matters | 6.17

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bad news...
Erik placed on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflamation...

Bedard, 5-2 with a 2.47 ERA in 11 starts, has not pitched since June 7. The 30-year-old missed a start in Colorado last weekend with the inflammation before being placed on the DL retroactive to June 8.

He is scheduled to see Los Angeles Angels orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum on Thursday. Yocum performed shoulder surgery on Bedard in September.

"I'm hoping this is just precautionary. We backdated the DL, which bought us some time," general manager Jack Zduriencik said before the Mariners played the San Diego Padres.

"What we're hoping for is that he's ready to go next week," Zduriencik said. "That's our best plans for him and we hope that happens. We'll know a little more after tomorrow. Nobody wants to take a chance. We're close, we're right here and Yocum's very familiar with him and what's gone on in the past."

good news / sad news...
Mike Carp called up for his major league debut major league debut because Russell will be traveling to Georgia tomorrow for his grandfather's funeral.

It sounds like Carp might not be here much beyond, when Russell Branyan is going to be in Georgia at his grandfather's funeral. The Mariners are hoping that Branyan is back in time for Friday's game in Seattle, at which time Carp might be back with Tacoma.

"We're looking at short-term right now,'' manager Don Wakamatsu said of Carp's stay. "But it's a great opportunity for him. There's probably not a better place to come for your debut than San Diego."

Especially when your entire family is in nearby Long Beach. They hustled down for tonight's game; Carp left 28 passes.

fun news...
Wak headed to the All Star Game!

KANSAS CITY -- Joe Maddon has known Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu for more than 25 years. Maddon just met Royals manager Trey Hillman last season.

Both will be at Maddon's side when he manages the American League All-Star team at the 80th All-Star Game on June 14 in St. Louis.

Maddon, who earned the honor of managing the American League side after leading the Rays to the World Series in 2008, selected Seattle's Wakamatsu and Kansas City's Hillman as coaches for Midsummer Classic.

:::

Maddon said he met Wakamatsu in the early 80s, when Wakamatsu was playing at Arizona State.

"He was a catcher there and Jim Brock was the manager at that time. Actually, I was a young scout and a Minor League manager myself. Coach Brock invited me out to work with his catchers and one happens to be Wak," Maddon said. "I just thought it would be a great opportunity for him, being his first year in Seattle, to come to the All-Star Game. It should be, in some ways, beneficial to him and to that franchise."

:::

He coached in the 2003 All-Star Game while serving as the bench coach of the Angels. And he's happy to have Wakamatsu and Hillman on board as he prepares to fill the manager's seat for the first time.

"I've always been a big Wak fan and I've gotten to know Trey and I like Trey. I think that the relationship between St. Louis and Kansas City made it the right thing to do."

Congrats, Wak ~ 1st time All-Star!!!

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AP

Maddon selects Don!

Joe Maddon has known Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu for more than 25 years. Maddon just met Royals manager Trey Hillman last season. Both will be at Maddon's side when he manages the American League All-Star team at the 80th All-Star Game on June 14 in St. Louis.

Maddon, who earned the honor of managing the American League side after leading the Rays to the World Series in 2008, selected Seattle's Wakamatsu and Kansas City's Hillman as coaches for Midsummer Classic. Maddon's Tampa Bay staff, including third-base coach Tom Foley, hitting coach Steve Henderson, first-base coach George Hendrick, pitching coach Jim Hickey, bench coach Dave Martinez and
bullpen coach Bobby Ramos, will accompany Maddon to St. Louis as well.
Maddon said he met Wakamatsu in the early 80s, when Wakamatsu was playing at
Arizona State. "He was a catcher there and Jim Brock was the manager at that
time. Actually, I was a young scout and a Minor League manager myself. Coach
Brock invited me out to work with his catchers and one happens to be Wak,"
Maddon said. "I just thought it would be a great opportunity for him, being his
first year in Seattle, to come to the All-Star Game. It should be, in some ways,
beneficial to him and to that franchise." Wakamatsu said Maddon offered
him the job when the Rays visited Seattle earlier this season. "I've known Joe for 25 years, and was honored he'd ask me, especially a first-year manager," Wakamatsu said. "It's quite an opportunity. I'll bring my family with me and have them share it with me."

Wakamatsu' players were also excited to hear that their first-year skipper was headed to St. Louis. "[Ken] Griffey [Jr.] said the greatest thing about me getting picked is we probably won't have a workout [during the All-Star break]," Wakamatsu said.

Wak's message is clear, "Be prepared to play or be prepard to sit."

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On the pregame show today, Shannon said that Ronnie would again (for the third day in-a-row) be starting at SS. She felt this was a pretty clear message to Yuni and that is not so much about his offensive patience (or lack thereof, as it has actually improved of late) or his defense (though there's certainly a LOT of room for improvement there). From Shannon's own observation (backed by Wak's comments) it's all about Yuni's lackadaisical approach to preparation.

Saturday, when Betancourt didn't play again, it was clear the Cedeno factor wasn't the only one. Betancourt, who has irked the team in past seasons for his lack of preparation and work ethic, apparently hasn't changed appreciably.

"It has nothing to do with (anything) on the field," Wakamatsu said. "It has to do with preparation."

The Mariners have stressed to all players since the beginning of spring training the importance of physical and mental preparation needed to improve. Betancourt has been a season-long frustration. He is batting .249 with two home runs and 17 RBI, but also has a team-high nine errors.

Catch as catch can

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Catching can be harmful to your health...

• Starting catcher, Kenji is already on the DL with a broken toe.
• Backup catcher, Rob is extremely beat up, among other things, fouled a ball off his instep on Friday night and needs some rest.
• Backup to the backup catcher, Guillermo is now ALSO a bit beat up and you gotta have a backup, so....

M's have recalled Jamie Burke (he'll be catching EriK in today's game) - welcome back, Jamie!

To make room, Denny Stark has been designated for assignment - good luck, Denny.

Stark has undergone two Tommy John surgeries, missed the 2006 and 2007 seasons and this season is the first time since 2004 he pitched in the major leagues.

"Are you disappointed?" Stark asked rhetorically of the demotion. "Of course you are. Every player that's in Triple A right now, wants to be in the big leagues or on a big-league roster."

But he also was able to put the move in perspective.

"I take things in stride," he said. "I know where I was two years ago. I never knew if I would walk back into a big-league clubhouse. You just hold your head up high and move on, and take each day, and that's one thing, I've been grateful for every day that I got to walk into this clubhouse.

"The fact of everything that I had been through, I walk out of here with my head up high and the one thing that I've always taken pride is to leave everything on the field and go out there, and every game give 100 percent. I walk out of here today knowing I did that, and I didn't give away any outings."

Mariner Matters | 4.12

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Felix on the team after his sub-par start in Oakland...

Surveying the clubhouse scene around him, long forgotten in this latest Mariners victory, starting pitcher Felix Hernandez leaned over and whispered an observation.

"I think we're going to be better this year than everybody thinks," he said.

AP Photo/Ben Margot

Jose thinks it's a "beautiful group"....

"Everybody's talking about 'team' right now,'' he said. "We're running a lot, especially first to third. Moving the runner. We do little things to win the game. Play baseball right. Move the runner, bunting, like today in the ninth inning.

"We've got a beautiful group right now. In spring training, everybody was happy, everybody's together right now. Everybody's a teammate. We go to the dugout before the game and say 'Let's get a win, boys! Let's get a win! Let's play hard, let's play right.' Even if we get a win or a loss, let's play the game right.''

AP Photo/Ben Margot

Wak, liking the dislike...

“One thing I heard when we left Minneapolis was that the Twins were happy to see us go, and I’ll take that as a compliment,” Wakamatsu said. “We want to be a team others don’t like playing. That means doing a lot of things right.”


AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt

SKIPPER

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Monday it starts. Baseball for real.
And Don Wakamatsu will suit up as a big league manager for the first time for real . Not just a coach, not just a manager grinding through spring training with a bran-new team trying to get out from under the shadow of a 101-loss team, but a manager who is hoping that his consistant message will resonate with his players and culminate in good results.

"We've just gone through six or seven weeks of grind, but the message to the club from this day forward is still going to be, 'This is where you're at now. What do we need to work on?'" Wakamatsu said. "I'm trying to get everybody to understand that it's not just about April 6. It's about how much we can make these guys improve through the course of the year because some of them are young and they're going to be here a long time.

"I've told them, and I will continue to tell them, 'I want you to be the best player you've ever been in your life at the end of the season.' To me, that eliminates the, 'I've got to do it today' feeling. Not that I'm discounting getting out of the gate, but I don't subscribe to that. That's my philosophy in a nutshell, to try and get better and better and better and put any fires out that come along during the season."

And then there's a touching and interesting story about Don's heritage...
I so appreciate and admire those who had to struggle and fight and persevere to get where they are in life. And, while I wouldn't trade my own "easy and sheltered" upbringing, in some ways it makes me feel less deserving and certainly makes me want to ensure that my own children are reminded that not everyone was or is born with a silver spoon.

Mariner Matters | 3.29

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Pretty big news day today!

As some had speculated...

Jeff Clement was sent down to minor leagues. He's just not ready for prime time behind the dish (even his hitting hasn't be any great shakes this spring) and with the new emphasis on defense, he didn't really have a chance.

I've always had special respect for those who don the tools of ignorance and are able to do them justice. I guess that's because catching is, by far, the most physically demanding and mentally challenging position on the field. In other words, it ain't easy.

Best of luck figuring it all out, Jeff.


Then there was the rather unexpected news...

Brandon Morrow will not only start the season in the pen, it will be his permanent home. Apparently, after much soul-searching, research and basically gauging what his own body could handle (he is diabetic) he went to the M's to let them know that he feels he is much better suited to the bullpen. Brandon says it is much easier to regulate his blood sugar on a daily basis, for short stints than to try to get it just right every five days and sustain it for 100+ pitches.

While it is a big disappointment for most (who were looking forward to Brandon in the starting rotation) the logic of the decision can hardly be argued with. He knows his body better than anyone and the organization has his health and his ability to contribute his best effort to the team as top priorities. So, we go with it.

I, for one, thought it was pretty darned exciting last season when Brandon came out of the pen in the 8th or 9th inning and blew batters away. And, with a solid, designated role, who's to say that he won't get even better this season? There seems to be something about those bullpen guys, they just seem to perform better when the roles are set. I seem to remember that JJ only started to excel once he was actually named the replacement to Eddie (as opposed to just the 'fill-in closer').

Good on ya, Brandon ~ for being honest with yourself and the team as to your capabilities.

Here's some rather lively discussion on the topic over at Mariner Central (my favorite hangout :-)


Apparently, Brandon isn't the only diabetic in the pen..

Mark Lowe was diagnosed last season with type-2 diabetes and his "co-worker" was an invaluable resource and support for him.

"It was not fun knowing it's something you'll have to do the rest of your life, poking yourself with a needle forever," he said. "But you get over it and know it could be way, way worse. In the longrun, it's something that will help you -- staying in shape, eating right. You have to look at it in the big picture, and I think it's going to be a very positive thing."

That's the mindset both Lowe and Morrow hope all diabetics take in treating their conditions.

"Take it serious. It's a big deal and it's your livelihood," Lowe said. "As you get older, a lot of things can change and you've got to take care of it for the longrun."

"But," added Morrow. "Don' t let it hold you back. It's a serious condition but if you take care of yourself and monitor it, you can be as healthy as anybody else."

New Skipper asserting his power...

Some new rules in town ~ you will wear ties on the plane.

“The big issue in camp the last few days has been ties,” Wakamatsu said. “We’re going to wear them on team flights. Some guys have never worn them before, and they’re not happy. I’m not trying to be a hard-ass – I’d rather wear a sweat suit when we fly.
“Players used to have to wear suits. I’m just going with ties, and I’ve told the guys who’ve asked about it, ‘I’ll have a few extra ties on the plane in case you forget yours.’ ”
:::
“It’s discipline. We’re trying to establish something here. In some organizations, like the Yankees, there’s no facial hair allowed. When I was a player in the Reds organization, everyone had to wear their uniform a certain way. Those teams establish something throughout their system.
“In our clubhouse, there aren’t many players who have come up through the Seattle system. We’re starting something this spring, from how we play the game to how we represent the team.”

I think I like it.