Mariners A Sinking Ship

Allot is being said right now about what is wrong with the M's.  M. Hargrove is to nice and cannot motivate his players, like Lou Piniella could in the glory days.  Bavasi is doing his best to ruin yet another major league ball club, and the Youth movement needs to truly begin in Seattle.

I am a fan of the team, but more important a fan of baseball.  Hargrove is a great manager if you are in a rebuild mode, example Indians.  If you want him to work with veterans and get them going he is lacking in this respect, example Baltimore and Seattle.  His signs from the dugout to his 1st and 3rd base coach have been horrid.  Missed calls, wrong calls have cost the team runs and wins.

Bavasi has spent money and tried to bring in winners.  But Bavasi has always liked to spend but never in the right place or on the right people.  Example Mo Vaughn to a six-year, $80 million contract.  A. Beltre who with only one good season got his 5 year 64 Million Dollar deal and is back to his lackluster ways.

Ownership is willing to spend the money in hopes to just contend and fill the seats.  But with moves on there end of signing 2 Managers not suited for what they want to do, and replacing Gillick with a anti baseball genius like Bavasi has hurt them allot.

So the question now becomes what should the M's do?  Rebuild, make trades and start looking to the future and stock a bad minor league system?  If they do this Keep Hargrove and Dump Bavasi don't let him make deals for the future when he has none.  Hargrove on the other hand is great with young talent.  Were they have the drive because there young and wont to stay on the big league roster.  As apposed to being a babysitter to a bunch of over paid primodanna's. Or,stick with what they have been doing keep dolling out the cash and hope you can get it to work.  If so you need Hargrove gone and bring in a Piniella, LaRussa type who can light a fire under those type of guys.  You still need to get rid of Bavasi.

Last option one that scares me they keep Bavasi, let Hargrove go  and we have to sit and watch Bavasi make more bad deals.  Resulting in sitting and watching the M's turn into the the Royals or Pirates.

Story By:

James W. Foland

Roids and Pitchers

Pitchers over the last few years have been the ones overlooked when it comes to steroids.  But a couple weeks ago a Arizona minor league pitcher Angel Rocha was the 1st to get the 100 game suspension penalty from the league office.  Just today another pitcher Yusaku Iriki 33 who signed a $750.000 deal with the Mets reseaved a 50 game suspension.  This opens the big question that has been avoided since the steroid issue has come up.  How many pitchers are on the juice?  More and more pitchers are being tested positive in the minors for using illegal substances.  Is this coincidence or the start of a bigger outlying problem for baseball.

Listening to my local sports radio station morning host Mitch Levy with guest baseball expert ESPN's own Jason Stark.  They eluded to a top flight hall of fame pitcher who has been rumored among writers as a steroid user.  But do to who he is and what he has done and lack of evidence they have not called this pitcher out.  Who could this mystery man be?  I for one am tired of it looking like it is all about Barrybalco and would like to know who this is.

Needless to say will we may never know who this mystery person is, maybe not.  But Barry tho a huge symble of the greater problem with baseball's ability to turn the other cheek and look the other way.  Be it drugs for recreational fun or drugs for sports inhancement.  They need to get upto par with the other major sports.  This would solve allot of baseball's problems in the future.

Story By:

James W. Foland

Carlos Lee Traded?

Carlos Lee becomes a free agent at years end.  Allot of teams going down the stretch would love to have his bat in there line-up.  The Milwaukee Brewers are prepared when he leaves and maybe looking to deal the hard hitting outfielder.  Brewers have a great young talent wanting to make it to the majors Nelson Cruz.  Cruz 25 years old is playing for Triple-A Nashville  he has 7 home runs and 19 RBI to go with a .625 slugging percentage and .374 on-base percentage.  He has a group of guys ahead of him right now besides Lee, Corey Hart and Gabe Gross are all viable guys to take Lee's place.  Hart maybe on the outs and up for trade bait along with Lee.  The Yankees have been rumored to have interest in Lee and feelers have been sent to see what can be made of it. 

Story By: James W. Foland

Papelbon Is Human!

Papelbon was named the American League's Rookie of the Month for April on Tuesday. He hasn't allowed a run since Sept. 19, working through 21 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings.  However today he proved to be human pitching against Toronto going 1 inning, 3 HA, ER, 9.000 ERA, 3.000 WHIP, L it was abound to happen.  Papelbon is still the best closer in the AL right now.  He has also been rumored to be moving to the starting rotation.  Allowing Craig Hansen to be promoted to the pen and setting up Kieth Foulke.  It would still be only a temporary move, Hansen is the top permanent candidate to be the Red Sox closer.

Story By: James W. Foland

Lowry To Have Last Start.

Noah Lowry will be making his last rehab start today. Facing the Tucson Sidewinders of the Pacific Coast League.   Lowry didn't give up a run and struck out nine in his 4 2/3 inning start with San Jose last week.  This is great news for the Giants and for fantasy owners of Lowry.  When he comes back next week be sure he can give a major boost to any pitching staff.   If you reserved him or released him get him back now while you can.  This man is a strike out machine these are his projected totals for 06…

INN

GS

W

L

S

K

BBI

HA

ERA

WHIP

Projected 2006 Totals

SF

211.0

31

16

9

0

195

70

202

3.692

1.293

Story By:James W. Foland

Tampa Bay’s Wild Bunch!

Elijah Dukes was removed from the team at Triple-A Durham because of an altercation with coaches last week.  Dukes, who has a long history of problems is working out in Florida.  In 2005 Dukes was ejected from 5 games during the season that also resulted in a 3 game suspension by the team.  He also last year spent 4 days on a temporary inactive list for reasons not given by the team.

This also follows triple-A Durham's Delmon Young being suspended indefinitely by the International League.  Following an incident  in which he flipped a bat at the home plate umpire.  Tampa Bay loves finding that great young talent, but needs to also start looking at the character of these players.  My hope is with Young that his older brother major league outfielder Dmitri Young of Detroit can sit and help  Delmon realize that it takes more than talent to get to the top and stay there.

Story By: James W. Foland