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With baseball announcers getting old in recent years, it shouldn’t be surprising to see them dead. Baseball lost Bob Murphy, Harry Kalas, Herb Carneal and Ernie Harwell to death.

Yesterday, the sport lost another one. Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus passed away yesterday afternoon. No one knew how he died.

This loss is not only devastating to the Mariners and the state of Washington, but baseball is going to feel the loss of this announcer. This death was like losing a best friend or a good confidante. Niehaus proved to be an influence to a good fanbase.

It’s not going to be same listening to Mariners baseball on the radio or television next year without Niehaus. That’s just the way it is. Rick Rizzs and Dave Sims can call a great game, but it’s won’t replace the enthusiasm Niehaus displayed.

Whenever this baseball fan took in a Mariners game on the Internet via MLB.TV, he enjoyed the voice of Niehaus late at night. There was nothing soothing than hearing the Mariners announcer on his way to bed.

He called a great game every night. Unlike most sports announcers today, he did not need to draw attention to himself. He let the game do the talking, and he painted the picture well in describing what was going on.

He made his colleagues better when he was working with them. He had a great chemistry with Rick Rizzs, Ron Fairly and Dave Blowers. That’s hard to do when one realizes the lousy personality Rizzs, Fairly and Blowers had.

He had his catchphrases, but it was infectious. Whenever he said “Fly Away” or “My Oh My,” he said it from the heart. He was like a fan that enjoyed what was going on.

Rarely folks see opposing team’s announcer praise the other team, but that was not the case with Niehaus. He talked up about the other teams all the time, and he raved about the talent of the other player.

He wasn’t a cookie-cutter announcer. He spoke with emotion. He drew people to watch Mariners baseball. During seasons when the Mariners stunk, he was the only reason to watch baseball.

He had a way with people. He wasn’t aloof. He wanted to get to know others as people, and he took the time to talk to others.

That attitude is missing with people nowadays.  If people can learn something from Niehaus, it’s having an infectious personality. That personality can rub people off well.  It certainly did for this writer.

Here’s what stood out about Niehaus as an announcer. Even in his 70s, he was effective at what he did. That’s impressive when one realizes it’s hard to be at the top of their game when they get older.

Niehaus’ work and personality made him an icon in the Pacific Northwest. It also made him a Hall of Famer in Cooperstown.

Talk about all the great Mariners players the franchise had, but Niehaus was the franchise. Players come and go, but not this announcer. He was there from the day the franchise as born, and he never left his job. He earned that status.

It would have been nice if he saw the Mariners win a championship or go to the World Series. The Mariners had their chances in 1995, 2000 and 2001, but they didn’t get it done in the American League Championship Series.

Still, this does not taint the career he had. He saw the team grow up from their expansion year in 1977. He called many playoff games for their franchise. He received an opportunity to cover Ichiro, Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez.

He was in the Mariners Hall of Fame. He won awards as a sportscaster in Washington.  He threw the first pitch in the opening of Safeco Field in 1999.

Anyone would be willing to trade places with him in a heartbeat. In fact, Niehaus would tell people this is the best job he ever had in doing play-by-play.

He had fun in doing his job. Imagine that. Rarely, folks talk about the time they have at their job. To them, it’s just them trying to get by and pay bills.

Anytime someone has fun doing their job, it makes their job easy. The passion and the knowledge come automatically when someone enjoys their job.

There won’t be an announcer like him. Times changed. Most young announcers are thought to be bland instead of showing emotion. Often times, baseball telecasts are known to be public relations of that particular team. That’s not how it should be.

Most announcers are better off paying attention to how Niehaus did his job. Of course, it’s easier said than done. The personality has to come through for that to happen, and sadly, that doesn’t happen anymore.

Vin Scully is the last breed of fine announcers, and who knows how long he will live? Baseball fans should appreciate him more than ever.

Watching the Mariners games this year will not be the same. Every time this viewer watches a Mariner game, his mind is going to focus on Niehaus. The memories of that fine man will creep into his mind. It’s a good bet Seattlites will have that same feeling.

Niehaus lived a good life, and now he’s in a better place. For the rest of us, we are in mourning of a fine person and a fine announcer.

It’s just another day where another great announcer dies.

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The Seattle Mariners had a historically bad season in 2010.  They saw almost every position player on the roster perform at career-worst levels, they scored less runs than they did in a strike-shortened 1994, they fired manager Don Wakamatsu and lost 101 games just one year after winning  85 games. 

The Mariners are in desperate need of a turnaround similar to after the 2008 season in which they had an identical record as they did in 2010 (61-101).  Luckily for us Mariner fans, the oft-criticized club President Chuck Armstrong and his partner in crime CEO Howard Lincoln chose to keep general manager Jack Zduriencik on for 2011. 

Jack Z., as we so fondly call him in the Northwest, was the architect of the 2009 Mariners turnaround, and if Seattle is to do the same in 2011, he will need to make strong moves this offseason, and continue to let his fabulous draft choices mature and approach the start of their MLB careers.

The Seattle Mariners have several holes to fill before 2011 if they are to avoid a third 100-loss season in four years.  The holes include: a starting pitcher (or possibly two), an infielder, a DH (designated hitter) and lastly a fourth outfielder. 

Now the reason I said that the Mariners may need two starters is that top prospect Michael Pineda may or may not be ready to start the 2011 season in the Majors with the big boys.  Already the Seattle Mariners have found their new manager Eric Wedge, and he has assembled his staff.  So, all that is left now is to shape our roster for 2011. 

Unfortunately, GM Jack Z. has only moderate resources to put towards improving for 2011.  They have about $16 million to hand out in contracts (actually a little less because of arbitration raises and a raise to Felix Hernandez), and a few players who they could trade. 

For example look for closer David Aardsma or set-up man Brandon League to be traded, perhaps Jose Lopez or Chone Figgins could be moved as well. In what will be a multi-part series, I will go over the personnel options that the Mariners face and give my opinion on who is the best fit.  Today is infielders.  

The free-agent market for infielders is very weak this year, however, the Mariners do not need an All-Star or even a multi-year fix.  You may be wondering why the Mariners need an infielder at all.  When you look at their current roster, which has Jack Wilson, Chone Figgins, Jose Lopez, Josh Wilson and Matt Tuiasosopo it seems that the infield is full.

The reason that they need an infielder, however, is that the Mariners are expected to move Figgins back to 3B, where he is strong defensively, and release the former 3B Jose Lopez.  Now you might be wondering why the Mariners would release Lopez and that is simply because he is not the type of baseball player that good teams employ.  His failures are well documented; he makes continual mistakes on the base paths, has unreliable power, is perceived as lazy and fails to work counts or draw walks.

So with that in mind let’s look at the criteria for the man who will start at 2B next year in Seattle. 

1. He needs to be cheap.

2. He needs to be able to handle 2B and SS with at least passable defense.

3. He needs to be benchable, for the time when phenom Dustin Ackley is ready to take over at 2B for the M’s.

4. He needs to be willing to sign a one-year deal.

So, with those criteria in place, I can narrow the market down to just a few names.

The first guy that Seattle should look at is Christian Guzman.  Who last year played SS primarily, with some innings at 2B and in RF for the Nationals then the Texas Rangers.  As far as cheapness goes, Guzman will cost little more than $1 million.  He also fits the bill in respects to being able to handle 2B and SS, even if it is only passably. 

In 2010 he posted negative UZR/150 ratings.  UZR/150 is used to judge a player’s defense in terms of runs prevented.  At SS he posted a -5.9 (so in a 150 games he would cost the M’s six runs on D), and at 2B he recorded -5.3 UZR/150. 

In no way are these numbers terrible, but the M’s will likely try and do better.  Guzman is also easily benchable, as he rode the pine for the Nationals and then spent most of his time in Texas on the pine.  Guzman can also be expected to be had for one year.  Last year he hit .266 so he has a little bit of upside with the stick.

The second infield option the M’s will consider is Nick Punto.  Punto has spent his entire MLB career to this point with the Minnesota Twins and the Phillies.  Punto profiles as a completely opposite player to Guzman.  He is a “defense first” type guy.  He posted solid UZR/150, and would profile as a Gold Glove-caliber defender according to this metric. 

At 2B Punto posted a 13.7 (that means he would save almost 14 runs per 150 games) and at SS he was even better.  In 2010 at SS he posted a 22.2 UZR/150.  As far as cheapness and contract length Nick Punto would probably be more expensive than Guzman but still affordable: a one-year player at $4 million-plus.  He doesn’t hit much either, hitting just .238 in 2010 with absolutely no power.

The third serious candidate would be the most costly, and the mostly likely to have multi-year contract offers.  Juan Uribe was a big contributor for the 2010 champion San Francisco Giants.  He brings something to the table that no other free-agent option does: real pop. 

In 2010 Uribe smashed 24 home runs in a park that is similar to Safeco, meaning it is a major pitchers park.  His UZR/150 numbers are solid as well, being a 16.0 defender at 2B and a 3.3 defender at SS.  Uribe will likely cost around $6 million a year, and require two years, but is a significant upgrade. 

He, however, does not fit in with the requirement that he can be easily benched when Ackley arrives.  Though if the M’s went the Uribe route he could just as easily start every game at SS once Jack Wilson goes to the DL, as is inevitable.

In conclusion, I feel that the best infielder fit in Seattle for the 2011 season is Nick Punto.  The only reason I think he is a better fit than Juan Uribe is that ultimately he is more affordable and the M’s have several more pressing needs, such as DH.  However, if the Mariners choose to go with Uribe, who could blame them?  His bat has to appeal to a team with such offensive woes.

Nick Punto does all the small things right, which helps profile him as the type of infielder Jack Z. prefers, just look at Jack Wilson.  When rating the likelihood that one of these guys starts in 2011 for the Mariners it would be Punto, Guzman, then Uribe.  However, when you look at improvement that they would bring to Seattle, Uribe tops the list by a great margin.

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Dave Niehaus, the Seattle Mariners’ legendary broadcaster, died today at age 75, according to team reports. Niehaus, who was awarded the Ford Frick Award at his Hall of Fame induction in 2008, has been the Mariners voice since their inaugural year of 1977.

He was always an enjoyable voice during baseball games, whether the Mariners won or lost. He made famous catchphrases like “Grand Salami” and “It will FLYY away.” His greatest moments undoubtedly came during the historical Mariner run to end the 1995 season.

Dave will be missed by Mariners fans and baseball fans across the country. I know I certainly will.

The team is expected to make a statement on his death shortly.

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This has just come across the wire, but legendary and Ford C. Frick winner Dave Niehaus has passed away today.

Niehaus was the voice of the Seattle Mariners since their inception in 1977. He is famous for numerous catch phrases such as “My, oh, my!” “Fly, fly away” and “Break out the rye bread and the mustard, grandma! It’s grand salami time!”

Dave Niehaus was one of the great voices in Seattle sports and it truly a shame that he never saw the Mariners bring home a world championship.

Dave Niehaus will never be able to be replaced as the voice of the Mariners, and right now I know everyone in Seattle and who supported the Mariners and listened to Dave call a game is deeply saddened.

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On November 5^th, two days before free agency begins for hundreds of MLB players, bidding for Japanese baseball player Hisashi Iwakuma ended. Hisashi Iwakuma was “posted” by the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese baseball league. To those unfamiliar with the posting system, I will give a brief overview of how it works. 

Professional baseball players in Japan who want to jump across the Pacific Ocean and play in the Major Leagues must go through a procedure called being posted. The first step in the process is requesting that their current Japanese team allow them to leave for the States (only when the player is still under contract).

After all of that is squared away, the Japanese ball player will be presented to Bud Selig and all 30 MLB teams. During the next four days, in this case November 2^nd through the 5^th, all of the interested teams will make bids, amounting to tens of millions of dollars.  As with all silent auctions, neither the individual teams nor their Japanese Pro team will know who the highest bidder was. 

Once bidding has ended, the player’s team has a few days to decide if the offer is high enough. And then, if it is, will accept the bid. The record winning bid is over $51 million dollars by the Boston Red Sox to acquire Daisuke Matsuzaka. After the bid is accepted, the Major League Baseball club that bid the highest will negotiate a contract with the player until a deal is reached.

Iwakuma finished the end of last season with 10-9 record and a 2.82 ERA and is one of the top pitchers in Japan behind Yu Darvish. He starred on the 2009 Japanese World Baseball Classic championship team, making hitters with real MLB service time look like fools.

Iwakuma was born in 1981 so he is still relatively young and has a number of good years left in his arm.  In Japanese NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) league play, he has a career record of 101-62 with a 3.32 earned run average. He also sports a career 3.36 K/BB ratio, which is very solid.

It is rumored by mlbtraderumors.com that the Seattle Mariners won the bidding for Iwakuma with a $13 million bid. Seattle would be a logical destination for Hisashi Iwakuma for several reasons.

First off, the Mariners are owned by Nintendo, which as we all know is a Japanese company. Secondly, Seattle has, in the past several years, been home to many Japanese born baseball players such as Ichiro, Kazuhiro Sasaki and Kenji Johjima. Not only have the Mariners had many Japanese ball players suit up with them, but they have acquired one of them through the posting system.

Ichiro was acquired straight from Japan via the posting system, with a winning bid of over $13.1 million. The third reason this would make sense is that Iwakuma has stated his desire to play on the West Coast, and mlbtraderumors.com has stated that neither Los Angeles team made a bid.

However, the Rakuten Golden Eagles still have to accept the bid and the Seattle Mariners would have to work out a contract with Iwakuma before anything is official.  Only the Golden Eagles accepting the bid stands in the way, as it was rumored that they wanted over $15 million dollars for Iwakuma. No matter the case, in the next few days we will know if Hisashi Iwakuma is going to be the newest face on a Seattle team that needs them.

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The Mariners have a lot of talent in their farm system, much of which has been acquired by Jack Zduriencik, or had their development tweaked for the better by the present regime. Last week, I detailed 20 guys that didn’t quite make the cut for the Mariners top 20 prospects, and in this installment, we look at prospects 20-16.

20. Anthony Varvaro, RHP, 25 years old

2010 Minor League Stats: 65 IP, 4.02 ERA, 10.0 K/9, 4.8 BB/9

Varvaro is a prospect who has been in the Mariners’ system since 2006, and has had a very up-and-down career in terms of prospect status. Varvaro was originally slated as a starting pitching prospect, but after an ineffective 2008 at High Desert, Varvaro was sent to the bullpen.

The transition has worked well for Varvaro, who has averaged 10+ K/9 in each of the two seasons he’s been a reliever. Like many starters-turned-relievers, Varvaro battles his own command and control from time to time. At nearly five walks per nine innings, Varvaro’s strikeouts will have to translate to the majors for him to be successful.

He’s probably an adequate middle-reliever in the bigs, though his history of higher pitch counts certainly lends to flexibility for the 25-year-old right-hander.

Estimated 2011 Level: AAA

MLB ETA: Mid-2011

19. Mike Carp, 1B, L/R, 24 years old

2010 Minor League Stats: .257/.328/.516, 29 home runs, 17 doubles

Carp was a part of the J.J. Putz trade that brought Franklin Gutierrez and Jason Vargas to Seattle also. Though Carp hasn’t been universally panned in prospect circles, he’s never profiled as a guy who would have an enormously productive major league career at the plate.

However, Carp showed some pretty significant improvement in 2009, as he sacrificed doubles for home runs without striking out much more often. A .259 BABIP is basically entirely responsible for his lower batting average in 2010, as he’s generally sat around the .300 in the minors so far. His .110 ISO in 106 MLB plate appearances is uninspiring, and could potentially represent a true talent level despite a small sample size, as Carp’s power has been limited in the minors until this year.

If Carp’s bat is truly developing, he could make an interesting platoon partner at DH, or first base if Justin Smoak doesn’t pan out. But an average defending, average hitting first basemen isn’t particularly useful on a team lacking power.

Estimated 2011 Level: AAA

MLB ETA: 2012

18. Greg Halman, OF, R/R, 22 years old

2010 Minor League Stats: .243/.310/.545, 33 home runs, 21 doubles, 4 triples

Halman is a very polarizing prospect among Mariners fans. If one were selling baseball action figures without stats to accompany their physical credentials, Halman would be a great choice to design them after.

However, despite looking the part of a top prospect, Halman has some enormously glaring weaknesses.

Halman has power that even Safeco Field can’t hold, but he also has really struggled to make consistent contact. Halman, however, isn’t a “three true outcomes” kind of guy, as his walk rates aren’t high enough to support a strikeout rate which has hovered at almost exactly 40 percent for the past two seasons.

A tremendous all-around athlete, Halman projects as a guy who could play plus defense in the pros, and his total zone rating in the minors has him at about average in center, well above in right, and about average in left field.

Ultimately, Halman will have to figure out how to make more consistent contact to have a long big league career, but for now, he’s simply an undisciplined hitter with massive, unfulfilled potential.

2011 Estimated Level: AAA

MLB ETA: 2013

17. Gabriel Noriega, SS, B/R, 19 years old

2010 Minor League Stats: .227/.280/.283, 15 doubles, 28.9 K%

Noriega received some serious attention after a strong 2009. In his second run at Rookie ball, he improved his numbers almost across the board. An aggressive promotion to A ball in 2010, and a return-to-earth for Noriega’s BABIP (.417 in 2009), have really indicated that Noriega’s offense isn’t quite as promising as we may have thought going into 2010.

However, Noriega’s frame lends itself to growth, and power potential. And at 6-foot-2, Noriega may fit the mid-90’s paradigm for offense-first shortstops, but unlike Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra or Miguel Tejada, Noriega is a switch hitter. Also, his defense should let him stay at shortstop for a long time, while only Jeter remains, or has remained at the position his whole career.

Also, Noriega was two years younger than the league-average A-ball player. If Nick Franklin receives a promotion from AA to AAA or the Majors, Noriega’s numbers will likely represent true talent, but Noriega seems like an ideal candidate to have inflated numbers at A+ High Desert.

Estimated 2011 Level: A+

MLB ETA: 2014

16. Joshua Fields, RHP, 24 years old

2010 Minor League Stats: 28.2 IP, 28 K, 18 BB, 0 HR Allowed

Fields represents the last draft-blunder of Bill Bavasi’s much maligned career. Fields was the Mariners top pick in 2008, and didn’t sign until mid-2009. With two small samples so far to his credit, Fields has put up good peripherals, but inconsistent results. His 3.14 ERA in 2010 is promising, but he seemed unlucky in 2009, posting a 6.48 ERA despite a 3.89 FIP.

Fields may have a hard time becoming the Mariners future closer, as guys like Dan Cortes, Brandon League, and David Aardsma probably hold spots much higher on the depth chart. However, if Fields proves that he can actually succeed in a late-inning, high-leverage role, he may make nice trade fodder.

Maybe Fields best comparison is Chris Perez, once a St. Louis Cardinals farmhand who was traded for Mark DeRosa at the height of DeRosa’s value. Perez has had considerable success in his two years with the Cleveland Indians, and strikes out about a batter an inning.

Even if Fields isn’t attractive in a trade, having a polished late inning reliever with two plus pitches holds some value for the Mariners in the future, even if only in future negotiations with the latter three relievers. If Fields becomes one of the three top relievers in the Mariners organization expendable, he’ll have equaled Perez’s value.

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To see 20 guys that didn’t make the cut, click here.

For Fixing the 2011 Seattle Mariners profiles, check out the following:

Ted Lilly, Ramon Hernandez, Michael Saunders, Colby Rasmus, Adam Dunn, Chone Figgins, Dustin Ackley, Felipe Lopez, Willy Aybar, Jack/Josh Wilson, Yu Darvish

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In no particular order, here are the factors that led to the end result in Game 2 of the World Series.

1. Bruce Bochy is pushing all the right buttons.

2. Ron Washington doesn’t even know where the buttons are to push.

3. The Texas Rangers’ bullpen had a complete meltdown.

4. Matt Cain.

5. The San Francisco Giants have some serious mojo working.

All of these factors led to the Giants pummeling the Rangers for the second night in a row as San Francisco beat Texas 9-0 and now the Giants hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series. While at first glance this game seemed to be a blowout from the start, that wasn’t always the case.

It wasn’t the case until Ron Washington thought he was managing a game in July against the Seattle Mariners instead of Game 2 of the World Series.

This game was a great pitchers duel up until the bottom of the eighth inning. Both Cain and C.J. Wilson were very good in this game. Believe it or not, I thought Wilson was a little better in this game than Cain. However, Cain was able to avoid major mistakes, while Wilson made just two, but it cost him.

In the bottom of the eighth, Darren O’Day got the first two batters of the inning in relatively easy fashion and it looked like the Rangers were going to get a chance to hit while they were still in the game. Yeah, that never happened.

O’Day served up a single to Buster Posey and Washington went to his bullpen and summoned Derek Holland. That’s when all heck broke loose.

Holland walked Nate Schierholtz on four pitches. Then he walked Cody Ross on four pitches.

For whatever reason, Holland had a complete meltdown. With the score still 2-0, Washington needed to go another pitcher. More importantly, he needed to go Neftali Feliz.

Instead, Washington stuck with Holland and Holland proceeded to walk another guy. He did show improvement however by actually throwing a strike to Huff. The 3-1 pitch to Huff was probably a strike, but when a pitcher throws 11 straight balls, there ain’t no way he is getting a close call.

Washington finally pulled the poor kid, but brought in Mark Lowe. Really? Mark Lowe, Ron Washington? Really?

The same Lowe who only pitched three innings in a Rangers uniform in 2010. The same Lowe who had an ERA of 12 of those three innings. I am pretty confident in saying Lowe probably isn’t the guy Ranger fans wanted pitching high leverage innings in the World Series.

With the score 3-0, Washington has to keep the game close. Going to the 11th man in your bullpen instead of your first, makes zero sense.

Washington has a very bad habit of only using pitchers in their defined roles and never, ever deviating from them. That’s okay when it’s the middle of July and you are just trying to get through the regular season, but in the World Series, it’s all hands on deck no matter what.

Washington went with Lowe and he get shelled. He walked Juan Uribe, an almost impossible task, and then gave up a two-run single to Edgar Renteria and this game was over.

The Giants scored three more runs off of Michael Kirkman to really add insult to injury. This game went from a nail biter to a clown show in a matter of minutes.

Here are some other observations from Game 2

Cain has pitched 21.1 scoreless innings to start his postseason career. He is pitching at a very high level right now and with him is Tim Lincecum, the Giants have a ridiculous one-two punch.

Bochy can do no wrong. In the top of the seventh, he inserts Schierholtz for defense and puts him in right. Of course, the second batter of the inning rips one to right center that Schierholtz runs down. Chances are Cody Ross, who moved from right to left, doesn’t get to that ball.

Giants have some serious mojo working right now. Ian Kinsler hit a bomb to center field in the top of the fifth that hit off the very, very top of the center field wall and somehow bounced back into the field of play.

The ball almost defied logic. Instead of a 1-1 game, Kinsler was standing at second and he never scored.

Rangers had second and third with one out in the sixth and didn’t score. If the Rangers continue to go 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, they might be looking at a sweep.

Wilson made one mistake and that was to Renteria in the bottom of the fifth. That ball was crushed.

The Giants featured Tony Bennett and Steve Perry in the two home games. That is going to be hard for the Rangers to beat.

The pitch for Cain all night was the slider. He threw 25 of them and Ranger batters for 1-for-6 against the pitch.

The most unbelievable part of Holland’s meltdown in the eighth was that nobody came to the mound until the 10th ball out of the strike zone. Elvis Andrus finally went to the mound to attempt to calm down Holland after the 10th ball. Talk about an entire coaching staff falling asleep at the wheel.

The Rangers are in a hole, but not an impossible one to get out of. I do think they need to sweep in these next three games at home in order to win the series. Can’t see them being down 3-2 in the series and winning the final two games in San Francisco.

Game 3 will be Saturday night in Texas and the pitching matchup will be Jonathan Sanchez against Colby Lewis.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Ichiro Suzuki recently proved he is the greatest hitter in Major League Baseball history. He had his 200th hit for the 10th straight year in the United States. This is a feat no hitter has ever achieved.

Pete Rose is the only other player who had 200 hits in 10 years, which took him 15 years to accomplish. All other great hitters line up behind Suzuki, including Ty Cobb, whose AL record Suzuki shared until this year.

Had he been hitting in the Major Leagues over the entire course of his career, he would be the all-time hits leader by now. And there is mounting evidence that Suzuki will live in the shadow of the Mariners.

Suzuki has been lost beneath a perennial doormat in the American League. Banished to the Pacific Northwest, where time and place make him a baseball treasure few see or appreciate, even over television.

This is perhaps the greatest tragedy in the history of baseball. Great stars have been pulled to great teams where they have toiled in the spotlight of the world.

Many in baseball enjoy far less ability but a much larger audience because of the team and geography.

Few statistics stand out more than hitting. Of the many great hitters, most have been belittled for “hitting for average.” Suzuki is no exception.

Yet what does this really mean? Is it not the goal of most baseball teams to get players on base?

There are a few exceptions. Among others, one has to hit sacrifice flies on occasion. But let’s get real. A hitter like Suzuki could go on forever.

Whatever his legacy, he is clearly one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever seen.

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One of the major themes of the Seattle blogosphere this offseason, at least as it pertains to any potential managerial hiring, is quite simply that we don’t have enough information as fans to form a quantitative opinion of the guy they hired.

The Mariners hired Eric Wedge to be their new manager, and the move was met with a mass consensus of indifference among Mariners fans.

I’d be willing to bet that only Wedge’s close relatives are sitting at home going “Hell Yeah! Eric Wedge is the Mariners new manager!” By the same rationale, there are likely very few fans contemplating jumping off the Narrows ridge as a result of Wedge being put in charge of their favorite ballclub.

As fans, we have a very limited arsenal for evaluation of managers, in reality. While many sabermetricians may break down win probably gains compared to probability risked based on in-game strategic decisions, typical perception is that managing a baseball team requires a lot more than sound sacrifice bunt strategy.

So what do we know about Wedge?

He’s got a near-.500 record (slightly below), managed one of the most physically talented young teams in baseball through the mid-2000s, and came within a game of the World Series in 2007.

Wedge oversaw the development of guys like Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Shoo Choo, Travis Hafner, Cliff Lee, CC Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Victor Martinez and countless other once-or-current Indians farmhands.

Many of those guys he managed at multiple levels, as Wedge got his start coaching in the Indians farm system.

We know that in the year since Wedge left, the Indians have been pretty awful. We also know that in 2008 and 2009, the team dealt two consecutive former Cy Young Award winners.

So, how much credit do we give Wedge for those players development? How much do we give him credit for their continued success? How much do we blame him for their failures?

The real answer is that we don’t know.

We do know that Milton Bradley hasn’t always had the highest opinion of Eric Wedge; we also know that Milton Bradley has made himself look like quite the asshole on several occasions. And we know that both of them are saying the right things right now.

We also know that at his press conference, Eric Wedge looked like a door to door vacuum salesman who moonlights at your local dive bar hitting on girls half his age.

We know that Eric Wedge was a catcher during his playing career, as was Don Wakamatsu, as were Mike Sciocia, Joe Torre, and Joe Girardi.

Catchers, by virtue of their involvement of so many aspects of the game are often regarded highly as managerial candidates; we also know that Lou Piniella was an outfielder, Terry Francona was a first baseman, and Ozzie Guillen played shortstop.

We also know that apart from Wedge and Wakamatsu, every one of those managers has won a World Series.

We know that former Indians general manager Mark Shapiro came out in support of the Mariners hiring of Wedge. We also know that Shapiro fired Wedge.

Wedge isn’t Wakamatsu, we know that. We don’t know if he will yield better results as a manager either.

We know that there is a common perception that Wakamatsu’s handling of Ken Griffey Jr. led to some discontent in the Mariners locker room, but we don’t know how much better Wedge’s managing style will gel with Mariners players or how it will manifest itself into results.

One thing that we can have faith in, however, is that Jack Zduriencik is adaptable when it comes to personnel acquisition.

He seemed enamored with high level physical tools at the plate and on the mound in Milwaukee. Zduriencik drafted several players with high-90s fastballs and off-the-charts power.

In Seattle, when building a team for Safeco Field and Wakamatsu, Zduriencik acquired good defensive players and finesse left-handed pitchers who could use the cavernous ballpark to their advantage.

Wedge had a ton of talent at his disposal when he was successful in Cleveland, and he hasn’t managed anywhere else. We don’t know what was really at work when Cleveland had its success under Wedge, but we know that his boss will work to give him a deep arsenal.

If Eric Wedge is in fact a good manager, he’ll have success in Seattle. If he’s a bad-mediocre manager and the Mariners young prospects are as talented as we think, Wedge may still have success in Seattle.

But until he steps into the dugout in 2011, we won’t really know.

Fixing the 2011 Mariners player profiles:

Ted Lilly, Ramon Hernandez, Michael Saunders, Colby Rasmus, Adam Dunn, Chone Figgins, Dustin Ackley, Felipe Lopez, Willy Aybar, Jack/Josh Wilson, Yu Darvish

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This week, the Seattle Mariners rebuffed fan demands and shunned fan favorite Bobby Valentine in favor of former Cleveland manager Eric Wedge.    

Perhaps it’s not the end of the world, because the last time the fans had a favorite, it was for the bench-riding, manager-in-waiting Joey Cora of the Chicago White Sox. Not exactly a household name known for multiple pennants, and not someone other teams have jumped to hire, Cora is known more for cute pins on his baseball cap than his management prowess. 

In Seattle, most fans feel they know more about hiring baseball managers than the Mariners‘ team management does.  

Long-suffering Seattle fans have been very patient with their sports teams, but that patience seems to be wearing thin if initial reactions to the hiring of Eric Wedge is any indication.  Most were aghast with worry, with some older fans still gnashing their teeth at the bad-luck loss of the beloved and cherished Lou Piniella nearly a decade ago.  Nobody seemed to be in a mood for parades or celebrations.   

Yes, we all giggled at the press conference yesterday, with all the witty comments made by kiss-up pundits.  

Yes, we patted Chuck and Howard on the back and thanked them for saving baseball in Seattle and their wonderful two decades of stellar leadership.  

Yes, we acknowledged the seven years of Cleveland bliss under Eric Wedge.  

Yes, we heard all of the futuristic comments of what winning will be like. 

But nevertheless, fans clearly are not buying the sales pitch like they have in years past.

Now I gotta admit, neither was I, which is very odd because normally I’m such a positive guy budding with optimism.  When a used car salesman tells me “this car was driven by an old lady to church”  in spite of the clearly tampered-with odometer on the dented 1973 Dodge Dart, I celebrate!   

When Bill Clinton said he “did not have sexual relations with that woman” and that he used the cigar for smoking and not for—well, you know—I believed Bubba. 

When George W said the “Mission was Accomplished” and the troops would soon be home soon and the world was saved from unsavory terrorists with WMDs, I believed that too! 

When Obama promised the new health care bill would cover everyone in this country and possibly others for “not a dime more than we’re now spending,” I was so very happy!    

Why? Because I am an optimist. That’s just how I am. I believe what most people tell me.

But with this new managerial change for the Mariners, like most fans, I’m finding myself just a tad bit skeptical.   Perhaps it’s because I’ve heard this so many times before? 

Half a dozen times since Lou, we Seattle fans have been told the same thing: that the losing days of old are gone, that the culture will be changed, that this is the guy who will lead us out of the wilderness and into the promised land of milk and honey and World Series rings.

Yesterday, the mystified Mariner management seemed dumbfounded over public skepticism. “Why would they not trust us, we of incredible baseball wisdom long since demonstrated?” And as radio hosts and newspaper columnists danced on tables and were downright giddy over the Eric Wedge hiring, we fans…not so much. There was a muted suspicion of being conned once again, with most fans saying they would wait to pop the corks until they saw what this guy actually did. No, they were not pronouncing judgment of impending doom, but they weren’t caught up in yesterday’s hoopla either.  

Now why would fans be skeptical?  Well, let’s take a look at the press conferences of the last seven managers hired and you might see a pattern:

On November 16, 2002, the Mariners hired 41-year-old Bob Melvin, saying “We think we’ve got a real gem in Bob, as you’ll all learn when you get to know and respect him. He’s going to bring us a winning team and a championship.” 

The local press speculated that Melvin was more even-tempered than the fiery Piniella. Mariners chairman Howard Lincoln said, “He brings to this position not only baseball expertise but high energy, good judgment, intelligence, leadership and communication skills.” Others noted that since he was a catcher and was so much younger than Lou, he would communicate better with the players.  

Less than two years later they fired him.

On October 20, 2004, the Mariners announced the signing of Mike Hargrove, who had led the Cleveland Indians past the Mariners in the 1995 ALCS. 

Mariner management said, “We went for an impact manager, one who can have immediate success on the field.” Others wrote that Hargrove “is saltier, a more savvy figure than Melvin, more along the lines of Lou Piniella, who will be the gold standard for all subsequent Mariners managers.” Still others penned, “As with Piniella, he sees season-long clubhouse management as his top priority.” 

Turns out Hargrove shared one other trait with Piniella.  He was burned out, tired of managing, and thus drove out of town in a red pickup during an eight-game winning streak on July 1, 2007.

Hargrove was succeeded by 55-year-old John McLaren, who the Mariners were again very optimistic about.   Upon accepting the job, McLaren said, “I am really looking forward to the challenge of taking over this club and continuing to build on what Mike has established here. When I came back I said I wanted to be a part of taking this team to the postseason, and back to what our fans expect and deserve. That’s still the case. My focus, and the focus of every one of my coaches is to help these players achieve what they are capable of, and that’s getting this team back to the postseason.”

McLaren had managed in the Toronto minor league system for eight years prior to working as a major league coach. He made his managerial debut with Medicine Hat in the Pioneer League in 1978. He guided Kinston to the first half title in 1981 and managed Southern League Championship clubs in 1984 and 1985. He was named Co-Manager of the Year in the Southern League in 1985. 

But on June 19, 2008, he too was fired by the Seattle Mariners, replaced by Jim Riggleman. 

What did the Mariners say about Riggleman when he got the job? “Jim’s going to bring what we think is a different style than Mac had.  Just the depth and breadth of his experience and how he presents himself.  We’re happy to have Jim!” Others in the community wrote, “He’s a pretty standard-issue manager. It’ll be a huge improvement in terms of consistent lineups and bullpen usage.”  

But apparently experienced standard-issue managers were also not what the Mariners wanted, and he too was fired at the end of the same season, replaced by then 45-year-old and relative unknown Don Wakamatsu.

Wak had no major league experience as a manager.   He had spent five years as a bench coach and third-base coach in Texas, then one year as bench coach for the A’s before Seattle called.  He had never managed above Double-A prior to the Mariners hiring him.  In fact, none of the six candidates interviewed by the Mariners had big league experience as managers.

Nevertheless, pundits exclaimed how Wakamatsu was the first Asian-American manager in major league history, and how he was the first significant hire in the new era of new general manager Jack Zduriencik. The New York Times wrote a special article celebrating how his family had overcome unjust internment during World War II and noted his heritage.

Wakamatsu himself said, “I welcome the challenge here to bring a world championship to Seattle and the fans of the Mariners” and added that “communication and leadership will be key and this will carry over to the team.”

Observers, mostly quite pleased with the hire, noted that the Mariners had a league-worst offense in 2008 and that Wak “had a daunting task to reverse the culture and performance of a team that last season became the first to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll.” 

In his first year as Mariners manager, the team put up 85 victories, of which a MLB season-high 35 were one-run triumphs, as well as 13 walk-off wins.   Everyone was optimistic and giddy. 

During the spring of this past year, general manager Jack Zduriencik gushed about his own confidence in the Mariners’ clubhouse culture.  “Don Wakamatsu lets players be themselves, and the veteran Ken Griffey Jr. keeps teammates loose with biting humor and nearly nonstop commentary on everything that crosses his line of vision.”

Don Wakamatsu was fired this past August 9th because of the clubhouse culture.  This month team philosophy apparently reversed once again, and now is focused only on experienced managers with a depth of big league experience, according to the same yet unhired Joey Cora.   The Seattle Mariners have settled on Eric Wedge in spite of wailing from the fans yearning for the four decades of experience offered by Bobby Valentine.

Yesterday at the press conference, questions were fired off by hundreds by writers and TV personalities, all skippy and happy (or at least putting on a good act). Optimism was flowing. We the fans are told we should jump for joy over this wonderful new hire for the Seattle Mariners. Things will change. You’ll see. This time it will be different!

Yes, and perhaps that flat-white, dented Dodge Dart did actually only have 10,000 miles on it.

But with a league-worst offense and a spotty pitching staff, surrounded by bad-attitude underperforming free agents with multi-year contracts, this team again looks to be in trouble, and no manager is going to change that without serious help from the front office.   Like years past, and it probably wasn’t a manager issue in the first place.  

Perhaps the team is cursed by a field built over an ancient burial site? 

Whatever the problem is with baseball in this city, I wouldn’t bet your house on the Seattle Mariners going to the World Series with Eric Wedge at the helm.  And I’m sorry if that sounds negative and pessimistic, but we’ve been down this road six times since Lou.

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