Among the coaches let go after the season ended was Art Howe, the former Mets and Athletics manager who spent his last few seasons with Texas.

That immediately makes him a candidate to manage in Seattle.

Why?

It’s the off-season, and job candidates are named in rumor, not reality.

No one really knows who the Mariners Top 10 is in their search for a GM, but if you read the papers or check the blogs, the same names apear everywhere.

Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong will interview most of the obvious candidates, but believing they

Read more »

I don’t really know what to say about this past season. I know the 1978 season had more losses than this year, but this team had expectations, postseason expectations. And instead they finished 40 games out of first. Unreal.

If you noticed we used Monday’s paper to take a look back at the season that was.

* Here’s our main piece that looks at a several of different things that went wrong with the season, and believe me there was many.

* The game story from Monday

Read more »

The Mariners begin what promises to be a busy off-season today with a search for a new general manager.

One thing that GM will inherit is nine players under contract for $75.9 million. And that doesn’t include either Felix Hernandez or Erik Bedard, who are arbitration eligible.

It also doesn’t include a left fielder, center fielder, designated hitter or a first baseman who wants to play the position.

Here’s a look at what Seattle has under contract.

Read more »

It’s official the Phillies defeated the Nationals today 8-3.

Why is that important? Well, if you don’t know, then you haven’t followed the Mariners the last month.

With the loss, the Nationals will finish 59-102 (.578) so even if the Mariners lose today they would finish 60-102 (.588). That means bye-bye to Strasburg for the M’s hello to the second pick in the draft.

Now, we were talking about the rare possibility of the Nationals not taking Strasburg with the first pick next year because of financial reasons.

Read more »

Knuckle baller R.A. Dickey on the mound, Kenji Johjima behind the plate – meaning few pitches will actually be caught.

Yes, it’s Game #162 for the Mariners, many of whom have evening flights out of town. How many of those will be coming back?

Impossible to say without knowing who the new general manager is, but bet this: Raul Ibanez is playing is final game as a Mariner today.

He’ll be missed. This season? Not so much.

And we’re off.

Travis Buck hit one off the base of the right field foul pole, his first

Read more »

Yep, no game thoughts yesterday for various reasons. But I’m back with them today.

Not much went on in the pregame session with Jim Riggleman. I did ask about Luis Valbuena’s progress. In yesterday’s win, Valbuena had three hits thanks to some quality at-bats.

“He’s gotten a good at-bat almost every at-bat,” Riggleman said. “It hasn’t always resulted in getting on base. But there have been very few at-bats where within a pitch or two it’s over. There’ve been a lot of pitches thrown to him. He’s made tough outs when he’s made outs. He’s drawn

Read more »

Ok, all of the local beat writers just got a nice little group sitdown with Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln.

Basically it was to do some interviews for our season-ending wrap up stuff.

But I’ll give you a few of the highlights since I have some time to kill before game time.

First of all any of you hoping for the either of them to resign, retire or be fired, I hate to crush your hopes, but I don’t think that’s happening.

“In fact, I

Read more »

Erik Bedard underwent surgery yesterday on his shoulder to remove a cyst as well as to see how much what other damage was there.

According to a release issued by the Mariners, there was no tear to Bedard’s labrum or rotator cuff.

Dr. Lewis Yocum removed the cyst from the shoulder and performed a minor minor labral debridement (clean-up of some fraying). But in the search for any major structural damage, none was found.

This sort of goes against what Bedard told reporters in Kansas City. He

Read more »