Bown Down to Willingham book review

By Kshell

"Without history we are doomed to repeat it"-George Santayana(1863-1952)

This quote applies to the book that I recently purchased by author Derek Johnson Bow Down to Willingham. Johnson is the author of Husky Football in the Don James era and War of the Roses which was about the 2000 Rose Bowl championship season. I enjoyed both books and in the past few months have had some good football related talks with him while on facebook. In fact in my book Johnson wrote me a personal message in there which was pretty night and that meant a ton to me. Now for those wondering why I would read such a book about the worst era in Washington Huskies football history? Well as the quote says without history we are doomed to repeat it. I also read it because I was curious what really happened behind the scenes to cause the football program that is my favorite sports team in all of sports to go 11-37 in a four year period. In this book Johnson touches on how race played a huge role in why head coach Tyrone Willingham was brought back for year four. I already knew that but what I didn't know was how mean of a coach he was to his players and how he disrespected the greatest Husky football player in the last 50 years.

Now I'll do my best to review this book without giving away too much. The part I found most alarming was the way Willingham treated not only his current players but former players. At a school with so much tradition like what current head coach Steve Sarkisian does is he embraces the tradition. While Willingham made most former players feel like outcasts to the program and was especially disrespectful to former #1 overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft Steve Emtman. Emtman a two-time all-ammerican was the assistent strength and conditioning coach for the Huskies. Willingham demoted him then let him go. That wasn't a very smart way to win over fans right off the bat. I don't understand Willingham's motives at all to be so disrespectful towards a Huskies legend. If you noticed in Willingham's years the offensive line was all fat and out of shape. The team often showed no strength at all and perhaps having a guy like Emtman around could have produced a few more wins. As Johnson shows throughout the book it the Willingham way or the highway(Sadly he would refer to himself in the third person). For Willingham though the losses kept creeping up as did the excuses.

The book does a good job illustrating the pain all the former players who Willingham constantly threw under the bus suffered. I was born in 1985 so up through my high school years the Huskies had never suffered a losing season and that streak started eight years before I was born. So for my father and myself to experience that run of crap from 2004-2008 was just down right dreadful. At least my grandpa passed away in 2004 to miss this run of shittyness that hadn't been seen ever before. Willingham was also a wimp as a coach as the book talks about how he didn't allow swearing. Now I'm not saying every coach needs to be like Rex Ryan but this is football last I saw. His wimpy philosophy showed on the football field as the Huskies were often punched in the mouth under his watch. The players without any reason even to them would find themselves in Willingham's doghouse. Once a player was in there he was stuck there forever as Johnson pointed out. Willingham was a prick to his players but that isn't a crime his worst offense was his shitty record including his 0-12 last season.

Back in 2007 there was a huge divide over to keep Willingham or not. I have never seen a fan base more divided on such an issue before. At the time Willingham had completed his third season which saw the Huskies 11-25 and Willingham had seen his teams take last place, second to last and last place in the conference. This is when the "doogs" got their wish and Willingham was brought back. You can often seen this "doogs" on Softy Mahler's facebook page. These are the people who will support their team and all their decisions no matter what. These people will clam you aren't a "true" fan if you disagree with any moves. Softy Mahler himself during that time supported Willingham to be brought back so keep that in mind when he talks about if a Husky football coach should be retained. Now this book does a great job of painting you back in that time. Johnson brings up the dawgman message boards, other message boards that were created due to Willingham being brought back, talk show hosts and newspapers. I felt like I was back in 2007 he illustrated that time period so well.

After reading this book I'm not surprised the Huskies went 0-12 in 2008. In fact I'm surprised they didn't do to Willingham what happened in Varsity Blues to Bud Kilmer where they ditched the coach at halftime. In fact had the players did that in the 2008 Apple Cup they probably win that game. Willingham is the only coach in the last 60 years to have a losing record to the bottom feeding Washington State Cougars. That is when you know you've hit rock bottom when you can't even beat the Cougars and was 0-2 at Husky Stadium. The book in more than a few chapters talks about the 2007 apple cup which was strange. Willingham who lost the game kept his job while the Cougars fired their coach Bill Doba. It was scary time for the true Huskies fans as they realized the Cougars had raised their expectations higher than the Huskies. Thankfully now the Cougars one upped the Huskies by bringing back Paul Wulff and his 5-32 record so I can sleep easy knowing that.

This book I think also shows why the Huskies are in good hands with Steve Sarkisian. I know I was critical of Sarkisian during his 3-6 start in year two. I mean the same people who were responsible for the Willingham disaster had their hands on the Sarkisian hire so it was hard to not be skeptical unless you blindly support your team no matter what. You soon realized that Sarkisian didn't necessarily take over a team void of talent but mainly a team who was mentally beaten up. The Willingham coaching staff taught the players absolutely nothing while breaking their spirit. The Huskies players weren't allowed to be college kids as Willingham would spy on their myspace pages, who they hung out with, would go to various bars making sure his players who were legally old enough to drink weren't served, etc. Willingham destroyed their college experience while not producing any wins at all. The players were poorly developed as there have been several players who went undrafted who remain in the NFL today from the Willingham era. Sarkisian has built his players spirits up and most importantly made football fun. Now the Huskies are winning games especially the close games this past season. The Huskies care for their head coach and he cares for them which wasn't the case in the Willingham years.

In conclusion, when I picked up this book I couldn't stop reading it. Chapter after chapter you hear a player who was screwed over by Willingham. Yet the press who was there on the inside supported him to be brought back for his fourth year. Like Johnson states when Keith Gilbertson was fired after just his second season there wasn't a controversy it was just another failed coach. With Willingham like the O.J. Simpson case it turned into a race war. People wanted Willingham to be successful because he was the first black coach in Huskies history and they ignored his constant late game mismanagements. I give Johnson credit for taking on the race issue head on. I've read mixed comments on the dawgman pages(probably bitter fans who were wrong about bringing back Willingham) about this book. This book was a fun read and it was definately worth my money. I look forward to his next Huskies football book as so far he is three for three on very enjoyable books to read.








For those who want more information on Johnson's book here is the site link. Derek Johnson Books: Bow Down to Willingham

Seattle Mariners weekly review: June 27th-July 3rd edition

By Kshell

This week the Seattle Mariners completed another 2-4 week which saw them get swept at home to the Atlanta Braves but recover to take the San Diego Padres two out of three. The Mariners aren't playing well having lost 15 of their last 25 games including going 4-8 the last two weeks. The Mariners once again saw their starting pitching pitch great and yet received no wins. The Mariners hitters were silent once again and in particular two hitters have been killing them this season. The fans have been riding one hitter but have given the other hitter a free pass which I won't be doing with this weekly review. The Mariners were swept to the Braves despite throwing Erik Bedard who later landed on the DL, all-star hopeful Michael Pineda and all-star Felix Hernandez. Then against the Padres the Mariners saw their starting pitching throw 25 innings while allowing just two earned runs yet only won two of three games. So like I do in a losing week I'll go over the good(starting pitching), the bad(hitting) and the ugly(more hitting).

The Good:

This week the Mariners went just 2-4 but not everything was bad. The starting pitching the last two weeks has been pretty good despite the poor record. Against the San Diego Padres this season the Mariners went 5-1 with a 0.50 ERA in six games. The pitching like it has all season long has carried the team. The Mariners did see rookie sensation Dustin Ackley once again do well even though he had to sit out two games due to a bruise rib. The Mariners also saw the return of Jack Cust who hadn't started a game in over two weeks due to interleague play. The Mariners this week also saw the major league debut of Blake Beavan who was acquired in the Cliff Lee trade and he pitched terrific getting the win in his major league debut.

Good Hitting:

Dustin Ackley: 4-13(.308), HR, 4 RBI's, run, SB, .400 on base percentage
Jack Cust: 3-12(.250), HR, 4 RBI's, run, .400 on base percentage
Brendan Ryan: 6-22(.272), 4 runs, 3 SB's, .384 on base percentage
Greg Halman: 3-11(.272), SB

Good Pitching:

Jason Vargas: 1-0, 9 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 7 K's
Doug Fister: 0-1, 9 IP, 1.00 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 7 K's
Blake Beavan: 1-0, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 4 K's
Erik Bedard: 0-1, 7 IP, 3.86 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 5 K's
Brandon League: save, 2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 2 K's

Jason Vargas now leads the American League with three complete game shutouts as he shutout the Padres 6-0 on friday night.

Dustin Ackley has reached base in all 13 games he has appeared in. For the year Ackley is hitting .302/.367/.558 on the season.

The Bad:

The Mariners aren't winning games anymore due to a lack of offense. The Mariners this week saw three regular hitters slump terribly. In the case of all three hitters these slumps have extended now for two weeks. For two of those hitters it has happened the entire season. The Mariners also saw their two best pitchers Felix Hernandez and Michael Pineda get roughed up a bit by the Braves. In the case of Pineda he tied a career high with five walks while Hernandez allowed 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings while throwing 127 pitches. The Mariners manager Eric Wedge also made another mistake(He's had a terrible three weeks by the way) when he didn't argue a walk which should have been only three balls in Saturday's 1-0 loss. That walk that shouldn't have been was a big deal since he scored the only run of the game while nobody on the Mariners bench caught that mistake. The Mariners have pitched well the last two weeks but are just 4-8 because the hitting has failed them yet again.

Bad Hitting:

Franklin Gutierrez: 1-17(.058), run, 5 K's, 1-21(.047) slump dating back
Justin Smoak: 1-20(.050), RBI, 2 runs, 5 K's, 1-29(.034) slump dating back
Chone Figgins: 1-10(.100), SB, 2 K's, 1-23(.043) slump dating back

Bad Pitching:

Michael Pineda: 0-1, 6.1 IP, 5.68 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 5 K's
Felix Hernandez: 0-1, 7.2 IP, 5.86 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 6 K's

The Mariners offense this week averaged just 2.8 runs per game this week as they fell to 2-4 on the week. The Mariners completed interleague play going 9-9 which was helped by going 5-1 against the Padres.

The Ugly:

The Mariners are getting nothing from Chone Figgins and the fans are noticing by booing him every time he records an out. On the other hand Franklin Gutierrez I feel is getting a free pass with his poor hitting as are a few other hitters. The Mariners pitching staff has been pitching great this whole year but the offense once again has been terrible this season as the Mariners fall to third place in the division for the first time in over a month. The Mariners also have a tough schedule coming up so they could find themselves completely out of the race by the trade deadline if they don't make a trade.

Bad Hitting:

Chone Figgins: On the season is hitting .185/.230/.246 in 260 AB's
Franklin Gutierrez: On the season is hitting .183/.219/.229 in 131 AB's
Mike Carp: Hitting .200/.333/.257 with ZERO RBI's or runs in 35 AB's
Carlos Peguero: Hitting .206/.265/.405 in 126 AB's with 43 K's to 7 BB's

Seattle Mariners: Hitting .226/.294/.336 as a team on the season which is pathetic.

The Mariners currently rank dead last in batting average, on base percentage, runs scored, and base hits. The Mariners rank second to last in slugging percentage, and RBI's while ranking third to last in doubles. In other words the Mariners offense is the all around worst offense in all of baseball. The Mariners on the season are averaging just 3.4 runs per game for the season. The Mariners offense has gotten worse as the season has gone on due to manager Eric Wedge's agressive approach towards hitting. Wedge would rather see you be a hacker(Peguerro) than a guy who takes pitches(Cust or Carp). The value of the walk is lost with this team which is too bad to see.

AL West Standings:

Texas Rangers: 44-41, Tied First Place
L.A. Angels: 44-41, Tied First Place
Seattle Mariners: 41-43, 2.5 GB
Oakland A's: 38-47, 6.0 GB

In conclusion, the Mariners completed a rough stretch where they have lost 15 of 25 games. The schedule isn't any more friendly as the Mariners play 16 of their next 20 games on the road. In fact the Mariners have a tough schedule for their next 45 games which if the offense remains the same will most likely kill their slim chances of the playoffs. The Mariners play the Angels on the road for four games which is huge going into the all-star break. Wedge has had a rough last couple of weeks especially with his hitting lineups like the game I went to on Saturday when he had Gutierrez bat third despite Figgins and Jack Wilson also playing. The Mariners pitching has been great but if the pitching ever decides to be average for a week it could be an ugly week for the Mariners. This week the Mariners play seven games against their own division this is their sink or swim week that is for sure. The Mariners better get some hitting or else they'll be sinking this week.

Seattle Sounders FC vs Los Angeles Galaxy preview

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders head down to the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, not only to keep their 3 game winning streak alive, but also to put an end to a 5 game losing skid against their opponents, the Los Angeles Galaxy. Last week, the Sounders finished off the month of June with a 2-1 win at home against the New England Revolution, their 3 game win streak has put them a step closer from 1st place in the Western Conference. As of right now, the Sounders are 4 points back of the Galaxy for 1st place and are 3 behind FC Dallas for 2nd place after Dallas defeated the Columbus Crew 2-0 last night. The Galaxy are coming off a 0-0 draw to the San Jose Earthquakes but they lost starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to an ulna fracture on his left arm, and backup goalkeeper Josh Saunders after he picked up a red card in that same game. These two teams met in the season opener in Seattle on March 16, where the Sounders had loads of chances, but the lone goal by Juninho and great goalkeeping by Josh Saunders prooved to be the story in LA's 1-0 win. Main focus for this one is who Sigi Schmid will start up front and what his plan to shut down LA's attack is.


Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - For the Seattle Sounders, well it's been tough for them, two months now without Steve Zakuani and O'Brian White. White is currently working his way back to full fitness. Sigi said that he's expected to start practicing with the first team after this match. There's a chance O'Brian White will be back for the rivalry match in Portland next Sunday, if not, the Sounders next home match on the 16th against the Colorado Rapids. Fredy Montero missed the last match on Sunday with a quad strain, as of right now, he's listed as probable. My fingers are crossed, hoping he'll play in this match. Brad Evans has been missing for quite a while as well with a strained hammy. He's also listed as probable.

Los Angeles Galaxy - For LA, Defenders Sean Alvarado and Leonardo are out with Right knee surgery. And as I said earlier, goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts has a fractured ulna on his left arm and is out. David Beckham, who fucked up a Royal Wedding about a month ago, has back spasms and is listed as questionable. From what I'm hearing, he's not going to play tomorrow. And finally, Frankie Hejduk is listed as questionable with inflammation on his right ankle.


Suspensions:

There's only one player suspended for this match and that is LA's backup goalkeeper Josh Saunders, who did very well against us in the 1st match of the season. So now all the Galaxy have is their #3 goalkeeper Brian Perk who played 1 game for PDL Club Seattle Wolves in 2009. My guess is the Galaxy will bring in Kevin Guppy who is under contract with the MLS League-Wide reserve goalkeeper pool.


Key matchups:

Alvaro Fernandez vs Sean Franklin - Keep an eye on this matchup on the left wing with Fernandez who has been involved in a lot more attacking plays lately and scored last week. He's going to go up against Sean Franklin who has been a brick wall for left sided midfielders and is also an attacking option for Los Angeles.

Landon Donovan vs James Riley - Landon Donovan is making his return to the Galaxy after USA's disappointing 4-2 loss in the Gold Cup final to Mexico. I think Bruce Arena will put him at left midfield which would set up a matchup with him and James Riley. Right now this matchup would favor Donovan.

Two Seattle Mariners picked for the all-star game; no Ichiro first time of career

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners for the first time since 2003 will be sending two pitchers to the All-Star game. The Mariners for the first time since 1983(LHP Matt Young) will have no hitters in the all-star game. The Mariners will be sending 2010 Cy Young award winning pitcher Felix Hernandez and closer Brandon League to Phoenix, Arizona for the all-star game. For Mariners fans at the start of the year Hernandez making the all-star team comes to no surprise but for League this is a huge surprise. Then after League blew up one week and was in danger of losing his job it was a huge surprise. League since that blow up has converted 13 consecutive saves and has exceeded expectations so far. The Mariners could be adding some more all-stars due to injuries and pitchers pitching on sunday not being eligible. When those players are selected I'll talk about them. For now the Mariners will be sending two pitchers to the game which is fitting since the pitching has been carrying them all season long.

The Mariners will be sending two pitchers to the all-star game including staff ace Felix Hernandez. Hernandez isn't having a typical Hernandez season but he is still pitching pretty well. Hernandez despite winning the Cy Young last year was snubbed from the game so maybe this was a make up call. Hernandez on the year is 8-7 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He has 124 strikeouts in 129 innings so far. Hernandez is currently fourth in innings pitched and third in strikeouts. Hernandez has been a horse for the Mariners this season averaging over seven innings a start for the Mariners. Hernandez has had an up and down first half but is still one of the games best pitchers. I don't mind Hernandez being selected to the all-star game he's paid his dues and sadly in baseball that matters quite a bit. Hernandez made it over pitchers more deserving but same thing happened to him last year so this was a make up call.

The other all-star selection for the Mariners is closer Brandon League. For Jack Zduriencik he has to feel vindicated by League making the all-star team as he was criticized for trading former top five draft pick Brandon Morrow for League. League last year had an average year and many sports personalities loved to rag on him. Although League in the second half didn't pitch that bad. With League making the all-star game despite his one poor week shows how much confidence he has in himself to bounce back. On the year League has 22 saves in 25 opportunities(88.0%) with an ERA of 3.38 and a WHIP of 1.04. He has thrown 34.2 innings with 23 strikeouts on the season. League is anchoring a bullpen that is a big reason why the Mariners are contending for the playoffs. The Mariners play so many close games that the pitching of the bullpen has been critical to the teams success. League is a reason why you shouldn't judge a trade until a few years down the road.

In conclusion, today was a bittersweet day for me. I was happy to see Hernandez and League make the all-star team. I was sad to see Ichiro's 10 consecutive all-star game streak snapped. Ichiro doesn't deserve it but still sad to see such a great streak end. I was also disappointed to see Michael Pineda and David Pauley not make the team. In my opinion those two of Pineda and Pauley are more deserving than Hernandez and League. Hernandez pitches the Sunday before the all-star game so he won't be eligible to pitch in the all-star game so hopefully Pineda takes his spot. It was good to see the Mariners have two pitchers make it as they have carried the Mariners all season long. The all-star game in Arizona should be fun and hopefully the Mariners will be adding another arm to the team. At the end of the day though I'm glad the Mariners will be having two all-stars in uniform at the all-star game this year.

What do we got going on around the world in soccer? The transfer window has officially opened and almost a week into the FIFA Women's World Cup.

By Money Mike

So the first time we've hit the globe, we were talking about the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga titles being won, as well as the promotion/relegation fight. But fuck that, let's talk about the present. The summer transfer window has opened today, so lots more moves will be made through August 31, which is where I'll bring up the Seattle Sounders after the ridiculous reports about them making an offer to bring in Djibril Cisse. And hey, the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany got underway on Sunday so we'll go back and see how it's going up to Friday. But before that, let's talk about the transfer period.

Summer transfer window has officially opened:

So the summer transfer window has opened which means you'll see more reports of players packing their bags and leaving for their new club or you'll see reports of teams rejecting offers. Every summer, the stupid media would just talk about the same thing every single time. The rumor about Samir Nasri leaving Arsenal for Manchester United is annoying so why dont everybody just shut up and quit talking about it.

The Seattle Sounders were reportedly on the move to bring in Djibril Cisse after he opted out of his contract with Panathinaikos. However, his agent has denied reports that the Sounders have made an offer of any kind for Cisse. Cisse did say that he would like to play in MLS someday, but at this point, we don't know for sure it will be in 2011. We have Lazio also perusing the French striker. There were also reports that the Sounders have reached an agreement with Austrailian defender Lucas Neill who formally played for Milwall, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Everton and Galatasary. But there are others that say the Sounders are interested in picking up Neill. So it's like I'm starting to fall for some stupid reports.

Women's World Cup:

So the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup kicked off about 6 days ago with France defeating Nigeria 1-0 along with Germany defeating Canada by a count of 2-1 in Group A. All 4 teams in that group have played 2 matches each and Germany and France will be the teams moving onto the Kockout stages and Canada and Nigeria are out. In Group B, Japan have booked their place into the Quarterfinals with four points and sadly for New Zealand, they are out. England and Mexico are still tied for second with 3 points. In Group C, the United States and Sweden are both 1-0 after winning their respective first matches. USA will play at 8:30 am today against Colombia. North Korea are in this group as well, they will play Sweden before our match. USA has made it to at least the semi-finals in six straight World Cups. Of course we know what happened in 2007. Prior to that match, starting goalkeeper Hope Solo was questoinably dropped to the bench for Brianna Scurry which was bullshit. Greg Ryan was the coach in the 2007 World Cup, and that move there, benching Solo was a godawful decision because the next day, the United States loses 4-0 to Brazil. Solo had every right to call him off. Greg Ryan is a Fuckin Punk for doing that crap. You can't live through the past every time, you have to start thinkin about the present. Since that incident, Solo made it back on the pitch and the U.S. defeated Brazil in 2008 to win the Gold Medal in China. Will Hope Solo continue where she left off in 2007? The answer is yes. That was a look around the World in Soccer.

The Mariners reoccuring car problems

By TheInsider Steve

Something just dawned on me while I was writing this piece about the wheels coming off of the 2011 Seattle Mariners. An epiphany really, those do not happen very often, but right in the middle of a thought, it hit me like a bat to the forehead (sorry Nick Franklin). The wheels have completely come off this franchise, and it’s now sitting atop of concrete cinder blocks in some dank back alley.

How the hell did this happen so fast? Seriously! Wasn’t it just ten years ago that we were in the midst of the best stretch of baseball in Franchise history, with 393 wins, and two LCS appearances in four years? I remember telling a good friend of mine at the time, the days of 90+ loss seasons were over for good. Even if the Mariners were to have a losing season, it wasn’t going to be anything worse than 82 losses. That was back in 2002 after the A’s caught the Mariners in September. I was 22 at the time and feeling a little good about our baseball team. Flash forward now, I am 30-years-old and a father of a four-year-old (good god am I old), and still feeling the sting of 478 losses spread out over five losing seasons since 2004.

Anyways, sorry about that rant. This team has that kind of effect on me. As I was saying about the Mariners being on cinder blocks, I’m going to take you back to a time when the Seattle Mariners bought their first new car. I think everyone can relate to this. It’s stepping out as an adult for the first time; making that financial commitment. It’s scary as hell, but in the end you know it will be worth every penny. The same can’t be said for the Mariners. They couldn’t afford to buy a new car, and they knew it. Sometimes people make rash decisions to fix a situation they are in at the time, and it’s completely understandable. Most people actually do their homework before making a huge purchase, but not the Mariners. They bought their new vehicle purely on hype, and it’s a shame too. Can you imagine what would’ve been had they started off on more of a practical foot? They would’ve had a much smoother ride.

It’s a good thing when someone purchases a new car. The best part about buying a new car is all the goodies that go along with it, the new car smell, all the gadgets, and let’s not forget the fake leather upholstery. That’s what Seattle was talked into buying back in 1977; a Ford Pinto. No matter how hard the Mariners friends kept telling him he had bought a Lemon, the Mariners were convinced they had a gem. The Mariners realized quickly though that his prized Pinto started to fall apart. He started having radiator issues, a starter here and alternator there. Pretty soon his timing belts started to go and it wasn’t long before the Mariners had to take it into the shop to have it fixed; the 70’s and 80’s.

It’s a funny thing when somebody tries to put lipstick on a pig. You have to give the mechanic credit though; he put some really good parts underneath the hood of that pinto. The mechanic put in an Edgar Martinez, a Jay Buhner, an Omar Vizquel, and even a Tino Matinez for good measure. He swapped out an old spark plug, Mark Langston, for a new one, Randy Johnson. When the Mariners took their Pinto home from the shop, they took it to a nearby car stereo shop and outfitted that Pinto with the newest, shiniest stereo they could buy, Ken Griffey Jr. Can you imagine the Mariners driving down First Avenue in that Pinto blaring Naughty BY Nature out of the windows in 1991-92? That would be a funny picture to see, as I was saying though; you can only fix a car so many times before it gets long in the tooth. The good news for the Mariners was that they got a raise at work in 1990 and they began saving for a new car. They knew it was only a matter of days, months, or years before that Pinto would be found dead on the shoulder of I-5 with a blown head gasket.

It only took them 16 years, but in December of 1992 the Mariners decided it was well overdue, and bought a brand new Ford Taurus, Lou Pinella. Before they decided to scrap that Pinto, they brought it to that same mechanic who then took all those new parts and put them into that brand new Taurus. What a sweet ride that was to the Mariners. Finally the Mariners could strut a little in front of all his AL West friends. Do you know what the best part is about owning a Taurus? It’s dependability. No matter how good your life is (’95 and ’97) or how bad (’94, ’98, and ’99), you will never have to worry about car breaking down on you.

It is amazing how things in life sneak up on you. Sometimes you receive things because you earned them. On other occasions sometimes you receive things because you’re just damn lucky. To this day I still don’t know how the Mariners got that promotion (Safeco Field), but they did. I’m still convinced there were some back door shenanigans going on. In any case, with that promotion came a fat raise and that trusty Taurus was no longer needed. Can you imagine showing up to your new gig and parking a Ford Taurus in a spot designated for the VP? I know right. You know how it goes in the corporate world; you have to look like you have been there before. The Mariners traded in that dependable Taurus for a sleek and sexy Cadillac, Pat Gillick. We all know what happens when someone pulls up in a brand new Caddy. We collectively rise are thumbs up, let out a whistle, followed by the standard “she’s a real peach”. Okay so maybe I’m the only one that does that, but the Mariners all of a sudden became very dapper. The new standard of excellence, they became the envy of all their friends, and for good measure too. Hadn’t they Mariners paid their dues? Things were starting to look up for the Mariners. You had the sense that all the troubles of the past were in the rear view mirror.

You hear all the time how money changes people and the Mariners were no different. Just as quick as the Mariners popularity had begun to rise, it fell just as quick and even harder. There have been many variations to the story of what happened on that fateful night in the fall of ’03, but allegedly the Mariners had been drinking and gambling too hard with the Angels. You know how cocky, drunk people are? They feel like they are completely untouchable. Well, this turned out to be a little bit different than usual. Instead of the Mariners dominating everything, the Angels were taking advantage of the Mariners mistakes that night, and in one act of frustration and desperation the Mariners decided put that Cadillac up against a similar Ford Taurus (Bill Bavasi) the Angels still laying around in their back yard. That one solitary act of desperation changed the Mariners for the worst.

As I mentioned earlier, the best thing about a Ford Taurus is its dependability. Well, that all changes when that Taurus is ten years old and had been sitting for pasture. The spark plugs don’t fire off correctly, the transmissions timing is all out of whack. The car runs, but it’s nothing close to the reliability of the Cadillac. The problem with that particular Taurus was you had no idea if the damn thing would blow upon you or would not start for you. The sad part about that Taurus was all the parts were just too old. That mechanic, who knew how to make your last Taurus really go, moved his shop to Tampa. The Mariners all of a sudden became very irrational and spontaneous. They were stuck with an unreliable mode of transportation that constantly needed a tune up. They were throwing money at that car left and right. No matter much money they tried to throw at a problem, nothing got fixed.

That ten-year-old Taurus was the worst thing that ever happened to the Mariners. They knew it too, but unfortunately pride will never let the Mariners actually admit that out loud. In the fall of 2008 the Mariners had what alcoholics call “a moment of clarity”. They looked back at all their good times in the 1990’s and the early 2000’s, and realized a truth. It doesn’t matter what car you drive, all that’s important is if that car is reliable, dependable, and gets the job done. At that point the Taurus had broken down, so the Mariners hopped on a Metro bus and headed to a dealership and bought exactly that, a piece of solid American dependability; a Chevy truck, Jack Zdureincik.

In the end, reliability and dependability is exactly what I think will get the Mariners what they really desire, a World Series title. Knowing you have that steady rock behind the wheel, Eric Wedge, is important as well. Needing the direction and the ability to have the patience to see it though is so crucial nowadays. I think that the Mariners have learned their lessons. I don’t see them repeating the mistakes from their past. It would be too costly. Their reputation and credibility is so shot that repeating mistakes would bring a death sentence. Then again you never know with Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong running around. When something that resembles desperation creeps in, those two freak out and desperately try and fix things. The problem with that is they do it cheaply and we are left with a Pacer, or a Gremlin. Let’s hope those days are well behind us. Because if they aren’t, well, let’s just hope they are..

Seattle Mariners midseason report card

By Kshell

The Seattle Mariners were recently swept by the Atlanta Braves which dropped their record to 39-42. That also was the end of the first half of the season. Now many will consider after the All-Star game to be the true second half I figured I'd do a midseason report card. What I'll do is grade on a bit of a curve based on player expectations heading into the season. I'll grade each player on the roster if healthy while posting their stats. I"ll also explain my grade on each player. If you have been following my weekly recaps or the Mariners in general you'll notice the pitching will grade out. The hitting probably won't grade well at all as the hitting for the season has been down right terrible. Also any player like Milton Bradley for an example who was released during the season would receive an F. So I'll start off by grading the regular starting nine.

Hitters, Grade: D

Ichiro, right fielder. Grade: C

Hitting .275/.321/.335 on the season. Has 92 hits, 1 HR, 22 RBI's, 42 runs, 20 SB's

Ichiro is experiencing by far his worst season of his major league career. At the halfway point he is a negative UZR(Ultimate Zone Rating) defender and isn't hitting like he usually does. As you can see Ichiro for the first time in his career isn't on pace to record 200+ hits in a season. Ichiro is still stealing bases just fine as he's on pace for 40 stolen bases. Ichiro is capable of having a big second half which the Mariners are hoping he will do.

Brendan Ryan, Shortstop. Grade: B-

Hitting .252/.317/.306 on the season. Has 61 hits, 0 HR's, 24 RBI's, 23 runs, 3 SB's

Brendan Ryan has been a nice addition to the Mariners this season. I know the local media tends to overrate him due to him being a great interview. He has also played great shortstop defensively and has hit better than I expected going into the season. Ryan has been the #2 hitter in the lineup by default since the Mariners lineup has been so terrible. Ryan has exceeded expectations so far and isn't the problem on offense.

Adam Kennedy, second base/third base. Grade: B

Hitting .264/.304/.410 on the season. Has 56 hits, 6 HR's, 24 RBI's, 25 runs, 6 SB's

Adam Kennedy currently third in the Mariners lineup started the season off as a spring training invite. It didn't take long for Kennedy to take Jack Wilson's job at second base. Then with Dustin Ackley being called up and Chone Figgins struggling Kennedy has taken over at third base. Kennedy is on pace to hit 12 HR's while driving in 48 runners which is way more than even the biggest Mariners homer could have ever predicted.

Justin Smoak, first base. Grade: C+

Hitting .243/.345/.449 on the season. Has 64 hits, 12 HR's, 40 RBI's, 22 runs

Justin Smoak was the key piece in the Cliff Lee trade from the Texas Rangers last year. Smoak currently is slumping badly but for the most part is having a good year. He is on pace for 24 HR's and 80 RBI's which the Mariners would take from him heading into the season. He has a good OB% that will go up when he makes more contact. So far Smoak is progressing well and the Mariners are glad he is part of their future for a while. If Smoak can hit in the .260 range with those power numbers the Mariners will take that for the next decade.

Dustin Ackley, second base. Grade: A

Hitting .300/.378/.575 on the season. Has 12 hits, 2 HR's, 6 RBI's, 7 runs, 1 SB(12 games)

Dustin Ackley the #2 pick overall in the 2009 baseball draft has been great since he has been called up. In 12 games he has flashed some good defense and has been terrific at the plate. Ackley who is a lefty is 6-8 on the season against left handers including three tough left handed specialist and Cole Hamels. I know this is only 12 games but if Ackley does this for a whole season he would have 162 hits, 27 HR's, 81 RBI's, 94.5 runs and 13.5 SB's which would put him in the All-star game ever season as a second baseman. Ackley has definately given the fans one hitter you look forward to watching hit.

Miguel Olivo, Catcher. Grade: C-

Hitting .222/.267/.399 on the season. Has 55 hits, 12 HR's, 38 RBI's, 34 runs, 2 SB's

Miguel Olivo in his second stint with the Mariners is having a weird season. On one hand he is on pace to hit 24 HR's, 76 RBI's and score 68 runs at the catcher position which would be incredible. On the other hand his defense this season has been terrible and he's hitting in the .220 range. His on base percentage is well below .300 which is also horrible. Olivo since most catchers are bad grades as a C- as I thought he was going to be a disaster in Seattle so he has exceeded my expectations barely.

Jack Cust, DH. Grade: D

Hitting .219/.359/.339 on the season. Has 42 hits, 3 HR's, 21 RBI's, 17 runs

Jack Cust was brought in to walk and hit for some power. He is walking as he leads the team in on base percentage amongst those who have played all season long. However he was brought in for power and being on pace for just six HR's and 42 RBI's simply won't cut it. He avoids getting the dreaded F due to his walking. Cust needs to show he can do more than just walk or he won't be on this roster very long.

Carlos Peguero, Left Fielder. Grade: D+

Hitting .202/.264/.412 on the season. Has 24 hits, 6 HR's, 16 RBI's, 14 runs

Peguero wasn't even on the radar heading into the season so for that he avoids an F. He has also shown decent power with six HR's in 119 AB's(one HR every 20 AB's) so that is the good. The bad is his negative UZR rating in defense, his inability to make contact enough, and he never walks. Peguero looks lost at the plate and if he has any chance of ever being a productive hitter he needs to be sent down to triple A. He is striking out over 33% of his at bats so his power is nice but not at the rate he strikes out. The fans have came around on Peguero as I'm no longer an "idiot" for saying he's not very good.

Franklin Gutierrez, centerfield. Grade: F

Hitting .197/.228/.246 on the season. Has 24 hits, 1 HR, 8 RBI's, 7 runs, 2 SB's

Franklin Gutierrez is playing great defense this year and started the season off sick where he lost over 30 pounds. Still through 122 at bats this season he has looked terrible. Gutierrez in the past has been a decent hitter with decent power but this year he has been terrible. He isn't walking either so he is getting out on average seven times out of every nine plate appearance.

Chone Figgins, third base. Grade: F

Hitting .186/.232/.249 on the season. Has 47 hits, 1 HR, 14 RBI's, 21 runs, 8 SB's

Chone Figgins is having one of the most unproductive seasons in Seattle Mariners history. Figgins has over 250 AB's yet is on pace to drive in 28 runs and score only 42 runs. The only people who like Figgins are alcoholics. Due to Figgins piss poor batting average Norm's a local bar in Seattle is selling beer at the price of Figgins batting average every monday for all day long. Figgins who is getting worse as the season is going on is due to be on the DL for "suckitis" at any moment. Figgins is owed 18 million the next two seasons and 4.5 million the rest of this year so the Mariners can't afford to burn 22.5 million dollars. They already lit 12 million dollars on fire by releasing Milton Bradley earlier this season. The Mariners are stuck with Figgins for a while which sucks.

Jack Wilson, second base/shortstop. Grade: F

Hitting .230/.256/.254 on the season. Has 28 hits, 0 HR's, 6 RBI's, 18 runs, 5 SB's

Jack Wilson who has been the Mariners starting shortstop the last season and a half was the opening day second baseman this year. He quickly got in manager Eric Wedge's doghouse and hasn't really done well enough to get out of it. Wilson has been a terrible hitter this season and look for him to be dealt soon as he serves no purpose on this ballclub. Wilson is another expensive contract that is thankfull off the books at the end of the season.

Pitchers, Grade: B+

Felix Hernandez, starting pitcher. Grade: B-

Has a record of 8-7, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP for the season. Has pitched 129 innings, struck out 124 batters, 2 Complete games and .233 BAA

The reigning Cy Young award winner Felix Hernandez has pitched below his capabilities that is for sure. Hernandez has been an innings eater this year as on average he is giving the Mariners a little over seven innings a start. Hernandez has had some dominant starts on the year but too many times he has had a rough inning every other start. Hernandez the Mariners are still waiting for him to have that dominant month which is capable of. As of right now Hernandez is on pace for 258 innings pitched with 248 strikeouts which is quite a lot. I think because Hernandez is so good people forget he isn't having that terrible of a season.

Michael Pineda, starting pitcher. Grade: A

Has a record of 7-5, 2.65 ERA, 1.03 WHIP on the season. Has pitched 102 innings, struck out 99 hitters and .198 BAA

As it stands now Pineda might be the only guy representing the Mariners at hte all-star game unless Hernandez has two dominant starts in his next two starts. Pineda going into the year was supposed to be the teams fifth starter yet he has pitched the best. In fact I'd call Pineda the team MVP for the first half. Pineda has been great this year but you have to be concerned about his workload as he has never thrown more than 140 innings in a season. He is on pace for 204 innings this year with 198 strikeouts. Pineda is the leading candidate for the American League's rookie of the year.

Erik Bedard, starting pitcher. Grade: B+

Has a record of 4-6, 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP on the season. Has pitched 90 innings, striking out 85 hitters and .222 BAA

Erik Bedard was recently placed on the DL which is never a good thing given his injury past. Bedard for the first half of the season has been terrific. After a horrific first four starts to this season Bedard has been lights out. In his last 11 starts Bedard has pitched 71.1 innings with an ERA of 1.76 and a 0.88 WHIP with 68 strikeouts. Bedard has been great for the Mariners considering going into the year nobody knew what they were going to get from him this has been incredible. Bedard if this latest injury to his knee isn't too bad could win the comeback player of the year award in the American League.

Doug Fister, starting pitcher. Grade: B+

Has a record of 3-8, 3.18 ERA, 1.20 WHIP on the season. Has pitched 110.1 innings, struck out 70 hitters, has 2 complete games and .260 BAA

Doug Fister has been great for the Mariners despite his bad record. He is keeping the team in games with his low ERA and is giving the team innings averaging almost seven innings a start. Fister has done everything and more a team could ask for from their back of the rotation starter. Fister every fifth day is giving the team a quality seven innings just has had a hard time getting run support this year. Fister isn't putting up flashy numbers but is on pace to give the Mariners 220.2 innings this season.

Jason Vargas, starting pitcher. Grade: B-

Has a record of 5-5, 3.88 ERA, 1.21 WHIP for the season. Has pitched 104.1 innings, struck out 68 batters, has 2 complete game shutouts and .241 BAA

Jason Vargas is having a solid season for the Mariners. Vargas my only complaint on him is he needs to be more consistent. Vargas this year too many times is terrific or terrible in a start. Still for basically the Mariners fifth starter Vargas is on pace to give them 208.2 innings pitched this season. Vargas was the fifth best player when Jack Zduriencik traded J.J. Putz and now he is the best player in that trade. Vargas like all the starting pitchers this year have been lights out.

Brandon League, closer. Grade: B

Has 21 saves, 0-4, 3.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP for the season. Has pitched 33.2 innings, struck out 21 batters and .242 BAA

Brandon League who was supposed to be the set up man this year has done a good job as the closer. He has 21 saves in 24 opportunities which is a little over 85% success rate. League would be having an all-star season if not for one awful week in May. As is League is exceeding most fans expectations and has been lock down closer for the team.

David Pauley, reliever. Grade: A

Has a record of 5-1, 5 holds, 1.44 ERA, 0.87 WHIP for the season. Has pitched 43.2 innings, struck out 27 batters and .184 BAA

David Pauley has been a great story for the Mariners this season. Pauley who was a journeyman failed starter is having an all-star season as a setup man. Pauley began the season as a long reliever then has taken over the eighth inning job this season. Pauley is a big reason why the Mariners are competing so well for the division race.

Jamey Wright, reliever. Grade: B

Has a record of 0-2, 11 holds, 3.18 ERA, 1.35 WHIP for the season. Has pitched 34 innings, struck out 22 batters and .256 BAA

Jamey Wright another setup reliever the Mariners didn't expect much out of this season. He is also like Pauley a failed reliever who is a big reason why the Mariners are contending for the AL West. Wright has slowed down this past month but that shouldn't take away how great he was the first two months. He leads the team with 11 holds as he was the eighth inning man for the first two months. Wright had a good first half and hopefully he continues to pitch like he did in April and May.

Chris Ray, reliever. Grade: C-

Has a record of 3-2, 1 hold, 5.24 ERA, 1.30 WHIP for the season. Has pitched 22.1 innings, struck out 16 hitters and .271 BAA

When the Mariners signed Ray he was supposed to be second setup man. Then with David Aardsma being on the DL he was supposed to be the eighth inning man. Ray was terrible in April but has since recovered. If Ray continues to pitch like he has in May and June the Mariners will gladly take that.

Aaron Laffey, reliever. Grade: A-

Has a record of 1-1, 3 holds, 1.93 ERA, 1.32 WHIP on the season. Has pitched 32.2 innings, struck out 17 hitters and .254 BAA

Just like with most of the bullpen Laffey is another failed starter who is in the bullpen. Laffey the only Mariners left hander in their bullpen has done a pretty good job this season. Laffey has an ERA under two and has been lights out for them out of the bullpen. His recent outing since it is so fresh in my mind is why he didn't receive an A grade. Laffey like the rest of the bullpen has been great this season.

Manager Grade:

Eric Wedge, Manager. Grade: C+

I think Eric Wedge has done a pretty good job in his first season despite the recent struggles of losing 14 of 22 games. The Mariners are on pace to go 78-84 which is a losing season but still a 17 game improvement from last season. I still think Wedge has some room to improve especially his batting order, how he wants every hitter to be a hacker. I do think Wedge for the most part is doing the best he can with what little he has on offense. However you do this Mariners lineup the lineup won't produce many runs as they simply aren't a good offense. With that I'd say Wedge has done an above average job so far this year.

In conclusion, the first half of the season is over for the Mariners. I know it ended in a way that we wouldn't have liked. On the other hand this was a team that I thought would win just 72 games so they have exceeded my expectations so far. Overall I'd give the team the same grade I gave Wedge which is a C+. The pitching has been great while the hitting has been terrible. The one thing I'll point out is at least the Mariners so far have the fans caring again. This first half ended on a bad note and the team is under .500 but the first half of the season mattered. While last year mid May it no longer mattered anymore. So I hope you enjoyed the grades I gave out on the players who had enough evidence to grade(why I left out Mike Carp, Greg Halman and Jeff Gray). The first half ended and hopefully the second half can produce some offense with a few more wins than the first half.