Mariners Analysis

Yankees fans leaving team in droves

I was sent this form by a Yankee fan having trouble filling it out. You may already have seen a copy, but if not...

NEW YORK YANKEES TO BOSTON RED SOX CONVERSION FORM

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Boston Red Sox Fan Club. Due to an unprecedented volume of requests, we are currently processing only fan conversion registrations for New York Yankee fans. Conversion requests from other teams will be accepted once all Yankee requests are processed. We expect this to take a number of weeks based upon the current backlog of requests.

Please take a few moments to fill out the conversion form below to help

us get to know you better and prescribe any required counseling to recover from your previous fan experience.

Name: _______________________________



Address:______________________________



Who’s Your Daddy: ____________________



1. Please select your favorite recent Yankee new player acquisition:

[ ] “Flush” Gordan

[ ] “A-Hole-Rod” Rodriquez

[ ] Gary "Talk-It-Can't-Walk-It" Sheffield

[ ] “Grand Slam” Vazquez

[ ] Kevin “Charlie” Brown



2. Which of the following would you most like to see as the most played YES Network "Great Moments in Yankee History" film clip in 2005:

[ ] Rivera’s "shocking" blown save in Game 4

[ ] Rivera’s "shocking" blown save in Game 5

[ ] The Red Sox spraying celebratory champagne on their fans in Yankee Monument Park

[ ] Vasquez’s grand slam pitch to Johnny Damon in Game 7

[ ] Vaquez’s 2nd home run pitch to Johnny Damon in Game 7

[ ] "Big Papi" Ortiz accepting MVP trophy at Yankee Stadium

[ ] A-Rod crying like a little girl in the dugout after game 7









3. Please indicate the last book you read:

[ ] How to lose the ALCS in four very hard lessons

[ ] Suicide Hotline – It’s not just for Cubs’ fans anymore

[ ] The Heimlich Maneuver -- What to do when choking



4. Which recent Yankees personnel move did you enjoy most:

[ ] Hall-of-Famer Roger Clemens in an Astos’ uniform

[ ] Seeing David Wells in a Padres’ uniform

[ ] Seeing Tino Martinez in a Devil Rays uniform

[ ] Seeing Alphosno Soriano in a Rangers’s uniform

[ ] Seeing Manny Ramirez remain in a Red Sox uniform



5. Which following designation best describes Derek Jeter’s performance in this year's ALCS:

[ ] Captain October

[ ] Captain Underpants

[ ] Captain & Tenille

6. Math: The Red Sox and the Yankees played 26 times in 2005. How many more games did the Red Sox win than the Yankees? (hint: the number is the same as the number in a four game sweep)

7. Please choose your favorite movie:

[ ] Anger Management

[ ] Hunt for Red October

[ ] Damned Yankees

[ ] Still We Believe

8. Finish this sentence: “Alex Rodriquez is

a. overrated

b. overpaid

c. overdue

d. overly prissy

e. over

9. Please select your favorite recent Yankee moment:

[ ] Bucky Dent throwing out the first pitch with more

velocity and movement than Kevin Brown

[ ] The pathetic A-Rod slavishly mimicking every Jeter move and gesture in the Yankees’ dugout

[ ] The Yankees wearing themselves out by scoring 19 runs when

it didn’t really matter, then losing 4 straight while

leaving 10 million potential game-winning runners on base

[ ] Rivera failing to prevent unkempt hooligans from

eating the Yankees’ lunch and handing them their butts



10. Math: How many times have the Yankees won the World Series in the last four years? (hint: less than one)



11. Select the most vociferous, stupid, and annoying Yankee fan:

[ ] Former NYC Mayor and 9-11 profiteer Rudy Giuliani

[ ] Washed up "comic" hack and Yanks personal ballwasher Billy Crystal

[ ] Front-running celebrity phony Jack Nicholson

[ ] Tim McCarver





12. Are you ready to admit that:

a. Ted Williams was better than Joe DiMaggio?

b. Carlton Fisk was better than Thurman Munson?

c. Even Manny Ramirez is faster than Bernie Williams?

d. Reggie Jackson was a better outfielder than Matsui?

e. Gary Sheffield owes his stats to steroid abuse?

f. No self-respecting parasite would invade Jason Giambi?

g. The Yankees were unable to win the ALCS because ex-Red Sox manager Don Zimmer wasn’t sitting next to Joe Torre making all the decisions?

13. Please indicate your favorite moments in Yankee history: (Check all that apply):

[ ] Alex Rodriquez is traded to the Yankees

[ ] Don Mattingly never wins a World Series

[ ] The Yankees let Clemens get away

[ ] The Yankees steal Contreras from Boston, at the cost of many millions, then have to pay millions more to send him to Chicago

[ ] The Yankees let Petitte get away

[ ] Giambi’s steroid abuse causes his body to collapse like a screen door in a hurricane.

[ ] The Yankees let Wells get away

14. Have you experienced any of the following after the embarrassing four game collapse? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Headache

[ ] Uncontrolled Anger

[ ] Heartache

[ ] Holes punched in doors or walls

[ ] Nausea

[ ] Smashed TV screens

[ ] Depression and Broken Dreams

[ ] Avoided Red Sox fans for days or weeks



Once you have completed this form, please forward it to Fenway Park. Then burn all your remaining Yankee clothing, memorabilia, and associated reminders. After reviewing your request, the Red Sox Fan Club will contact you with notification of acceptance or rejection.



I hereby acknowledge that the real "curse" is being a Yankee Fan.



I hereby renounce the New York Yankees for all eternity on this the ______ day of ________________, 200__









____________________________________

(Signed)



(Office Use Only)

[ ] Approved

[ ] Declined

______________________________

John Henry


-----------------------

Red Sox pitching the key factor last two games

A lot of baseball writers have been wondering why the Cardinals have suddenly lost the ability to hit. They trot out statistics about the big three- Edmonds, Pujols and Rolen. They point out the Cards have made baserunning mistakes. They talk about the Cardinals not playing like the team that won 105 games.

But really, is is THAT shocking the Cardinals find themselves down in this series?

Looking at the first game, the Red Sox and Cardinals played a classic slugfest where your best pitchers aren't available due the previous series going 7 games. So the Red Sox prevail 11-9. The 9 runs the Cardinals put up win an awful lot of playoff games.

The Cards then face two of the best pitchers in baseball- Schilling and Pedro. Is it really surprising that the Cards have struggled to score runs against these guys? We knew the Red Sox bullpen was playing other-wordly in the NY series.

Instead of wondering why the Cardinals have forgotten how to hit, the writers should be focusing on which team is better built for the post season.

The Red Sox signed Curt Schilling in the off season for ONE reason. To give them the second front-line pitcher they needed to help them win the World Series. Theo and crew knew that having Schilling and Martinez each pitch twice in a 7 game series was a huge advantage they'd never had before.

Conversely, the Cardinals went into this season knowing their starting pitching lacked a true #1 starter. During the season, Tony and staff understood they had pitching issues, but were winning games by outslugging opponents. So what did the Cardinals do?

They picked up Larry Walker!!

Sure, it's nice to have extra offense, but the Cards weren't having problems scoring runs. Instead of bolstering the pitching staff, they went for offense. (Note- See George Steinbrenner '04 playbook.)

Good pitching beats good hitting every time. The Red Sox have two number one starters, a solid bullpen and can hit the ball as well as anyone.

So don't write about a pitchers baserunning costing the Cardinals a game. Write about how well this Boston team is put together.

If it wasn't for Grady Little making one of the most boneheaded pitching moves in recent memory last year, there is a chance the Red Sox could be going for their second WS ring in a row.

Don't blame the Cards. Congratulate the Red Sox.

But we still have one more game to play...

Post-season largely to script

After seeing some of the most amazing series ever played in the postseason, it would seem crazy to say everything is going to script.

And yet, if you asked most baseball experts before the post season started, a Red Sox-Cards series was expected.

Take a look at the NL postseason first.

- The Cards had the best record in baseball, and handled the Dodgers as expected.
- The Astros were red hot going into the playoffs, while the Braves have a terrible post season record. It was no surprise the Astros won, and many including myself predicted the Braves would fold. My only surprise was that it went to 5 games.
- So the Astros and Cards met, and it went to 7 games. No surprise here, and clearly the best team won.

In the AL:

- No surprise the Yanks handled the Twins. It would have been a HUGE upset if the small-market Twins beat the Yanks.
- Red Sox handled the Angels, again predicted here and plenty of other places.
- The Yanks/Red Sox matchup was clearly the most difficult to predict. Given the mystique of the Yanks and the Sox history of choking, it was hard to say you KNEW what would happen. Still, there is no denying the Sox starters were better than last year, and they actually had a closer. Combine this with Torre overusing his bullpen all year, and starting pitching concerns, and it is hard to call it shocking that the Red Sox were able to win game 7 (when they couldn't last year).

So we have the team with the best record in baseball playing in the WS. No surprise, right?
And we have the team with the second best record in the AL playing in the WS. While the path they chose to get the playoffs was shocking, the fact they made it is not.

Through the first two games, the home team won. Again, not completely unexpected.

If things go as planned, the Cardinals will play like the team that won 105 regular season games and send this thing back to Boston.

It's in the script, didn't they read the script!! -----> lol

Greatest series, Greatest choke...

After watching the '95 Mariners series against the Yankees, I wondered if I would ever see a series as exciting. While I am certainly not a huge Red Sox fan, I became one in this series, if only to root against the Yanks. While it's never the same when your team isn't involved, I have to say this series is every bit the equal of that '95 classic.

Did the Yanks choke, or did the Red Sox pull a miracle?

I don't think there is any question, they choked big time. As in quite possibly the biggest choke in the history of professional sports. Forget Greg Norman on the greens of Augusta... this was the biggest collective choke we will likely ever see again.

What makes it a choke is simple- over the years we have been told these Yankees are not just a bunch of baseball players (highly paid, I might add). They are heroes. They are warriors. They are a team filled with so much character they could will themselves to do anything that was required.

That is what the NY media and their fans told us. It's not our payroll that gets us to the playoffs every year, we were told. It's about who we are as a team.

And yet, 'The Jeter' couldn't get the big hit. Bernie couldn't turn back the clock. And remember when baseball people were telling George, "we don't need hitting, we need pitching!" were the words ever truer?

So now the Yankees have a depleted farm system, a ton of bad contracts and an offseason of discontent. Will this have an impact on the Mariners?

You bet. Now we just have to figure out what Mt. Steinbrenner has in store for all baseball fans before the first pitch in '05.

Starters for tomorrows game?

Earlier today, I thought it would be Kevin Brown and Derek Lowe in a game 7. Completely understandable why neither the Red Sox or the Yankees wanted to talk about a game 7 at that point anyway, since they had tonights game to worry about.

But now it's looking like Tim Wakefield will get the start. Will that knuckleball be working in the cold at Yankee Stadium? If I were Boston, I would yank Wakefield at the first signs of trouble if that knuckelball isn't working.

Look for the big story tomorrow to be Keith Foulke. He's pitched 5 games in a row, and has to be physically exausted.

Would you use Pedro as your closer if it comes to that??

Game 7 for Sox-Yanks? Must be rigged

How in the world are the Red Sox forcing Game 7?? This is a team that lost game 3 by giving up 19 runs! Who's leadoff hitter can't hit. Who has faced Rivera twice when behind and came back and won both.

I can only assume Fox has rigged the series...

So tomorrow, we have Kevin Brown taking on Derek Lowe. The pressure would seem to be on the Yanks, so one would think the Red Sox play loose and have the upperhand.

But we know these Yanks perform best under pressure, and the Red Sox...

Well, they are the Red Sox. I can envision them jumping out to an early lead, and then the Yanks come back late in the game to go up and hand the game to Rivera yet again.

Will I be watching? You bet.

Amazing Yanks-Sox game last night

I had been meaning to write up a breakdown of the Yanks-Sox matchup, but alas work gets in the way. Regardless, last night was an amazing game for baseball fans. Even if you are not a fan of either team, if you like baseball you have to be entertained by the series.

A few highlights:

- Schilling clearly is not the pitcher we expected to see. Why everyone saw this except the manager of the Red Sox is a mystery. Make no mistake- Joe Torre would have yanked Schilling earlier in the game and the ending might have been different.
- Mike Mussina flirting with a perfect game.
- The fans yelling "Who's your daddy" and taunting Pedro after the Yanks built their lead.
- The amazing comeback, with David Ortiz' shot just missing tying the game.
- The equally amazing Yanks resurgence to get some much needed insurance runs.

The series looks to be everything as advertised, although the outcome will likely be different with Schilling out. Before Game 1, I fully expected the Red Sox to finally win this series. Now, I would be stupid to think the Yanks won't win, but regardless I'll be watching.

This series will be far more entertaining than the WS; it simply doesn't get any better than what we are watching right now.

Caminiti, M's offseason and the playoffs

Attention MLB Players Union.

Ken Caminiti.

Dead.

Your watch.

Think about it.

Am I the only one who feels that Donald Fehr and the Players Union's reluctance to address serious issues like steroids and drug addiction make them partly accountable for their players health? If so, then isn't Fehr, in a small way, partly responsible for Caminiti's death?

I believe he is.

_________

So the M's are supposedly interested in Beltran, Beltre or Clement. I would be shocked if they signed one of them. Expect Delgado. More on this soon...

Finally, the Red Sox and Yanks get set to play in what will likely be more exciting than even the World Series. Quick Prediction- Red Sox in 7.

Working on a preview of the series for tomorrow.

Go Astros!

Playoffs continue to provide distraction

While us M's fans continue to go crazy trying to figure out what the M's will do this offseason, the playoffs remind us why we care in the first place.

A few quick thoughts:

- I figured Boston would beat the Angels, but didn't see a sweep coming. Barring a last minute comeback by Anaheim, it would seem the Red Sox should be good and rested for the Yanks.
- Tonight's Twins-Yankees game suddenly becomes even more important. If the Twins continue to push the Yankees, the inevitable Yanks/Red Sox reunion could see the Sox rested and the Yanks pitching rotation completely out of whack. A first game might have Kevin Brown facing Curt Schilling. Or Jon Lieber. Or?... Either way, the Red Sox would have no excuses this year to not beat the Yankees. Better pitching. Better hitting. Solid defense. Solid bullpen. I can't wait.
- Great game two between the Astros/Braves. I still like the Astros, but either way the Cardinals are going to the World Series.
- I am surprised I don't hear more about the salaries for this years playoff teams. Yanks, Angels and Red Sox are the top 3 in the AL. The Twins get in only by virtue of being in the Central. Does payroll matter?

You bet it does!! Hear that Howard??

Payroll does matter!!

Do the Mariners have money to spend?

Lots of hand-wringing by M's fans right now. On one hand, you have fans and sports writers who add up the money owed to players next year-

Ichiro- $11 mil
Boone- $9 mil
etc....

And you end up with somewhere in the neighborhood of $72 million tied up in contracts for next year. If you assume Lincoln will give Bavasi a $92 million opening day lineup ($10 mil more than this year) and another $5 million in reserve, it would then seem Bavasi has roughly $20 million to spend this offseason.

Considering he needs at least one starting pitcher, a CF, a backup catcher, a 3B etc... it doesn't seem possible to get a Beltran or Beltre on that sort of budget. Instead, fans are fearing the likes of Cory Lidle being peddled as reasons for hope in '05.

On the other hand, we have people who are close to Bavasi and Lincoln and swear they really have changed- out with the old model, in with the new. The idea that stars aren't needed is certainly a Gillick trait that Bavasi clearly does not hold, so we know the M's will be aggresive.

The problem is pretty obvious though- Bavasi can only do so much given all the bad contracts guaranteed for next year. The problems for Bavasi this winter are-

• Dead weight tied up in Cirillo and Gonzalez
  
• No way to trade players like Spiezio
  
• Almost certainly stuck with Boone at $9 mil
  
• No reliable innings-eating starter (their either hurt, old or unproven)
  
• No attractive players to trade (injuries, lousy drafts, poor evaluation of current talent)
  
• Reluctance for big name free agents to come to Seattle

Make no mistake, Bavasi's job this winter is monumentally hard. The only way to bring a guy like Beltran to Seattle is to seriously overpay. One only need look at the Seahawks and Grant Wistrom for an example.

Here is what Bavasi needs to do.
1) Go aggressive after big name free agents who you have targeted who you know will make a difference (eg. Beltran, Drew)
2) Don't worry about budget, sign the key players first. Backload the heck out of it.
3) Stand up to Lincoln and force him to write-off the likes of Cirillo and other bad contracts for this year (ie. tell him you are not basing your '05 budget on previous disasters)
4) After signing players to get fans excited, fill out roster with quality free agents and force Lincoln to hold true to his word to season ticket holders.

There is no rule in baseball that says the M's have to decide their budget for next year in November. If the M's are really serious about contending short-term, they need to build the team the right way now, and worry about how to pay for it down the road.

Bavasi knows he's on the hot seat. He also knows he's in an almost impossible situation. He needs to battle Lincoln over every dollar he can this winter, so if he does get fired next October, he can hold his head high and know he did everything he could to rebuild this team.

There will be no GM in baseball this winter who is being asked to do more, with less, than Bill Bavasi.

Good luck.

Amazing finish to Twins-Yanks game

What an incredible game last night in New York. Minnesota had the Yankees on the ropes, scoring a run in the 12th and giving them a chance to go back to the Metrodome up 2 games to none. And then, we have our first serious Manager blooper of the season. Ron Gardenhire decides that Joe Nathan should throw 50 some pitches in a playoff game, and allows the Yanks to even up the series.

For those that didn't watch the game, after the Twins pulled ahead by a run in the top of the 12th, the Yanks had Olerud, Cairo and Jeter due up.

Obviously you hope to get the light hitting Olerud and Cairo out, and then hope Jeter doesn't get on base. You obviously don't want to get into the heart of the Yanks lineup in this situation.

So after Nathan strikes out Olerud, the last thing he wants to do is walk Cairo. But that's what he does.

And then walks Jeter on 4 straight pitches.

AAARGH!

Yankees magic, Yankees luck. I don't know what it call it, but the Twins had a chance to take control of the series and they blew it.

All in all, the playoffs are going exactly as planned. I still expect to see the Red Sox and Yanks meet, and St. Louis to beat up the Astros.

Still, it was hard to sleep last night after watching the Twins let it slip away. Imagine how Gardenhire must feel. Maybe he should call Grady Little to find out how long the decision will stay with him...

First round of playoffs going according to script

With Houston currently leading Atlanta, there have really been no surprises so far. We expected the Cardinals to beat up on LA. We expected Curt Schilling to dominate in the post season. We know Santana is the best pitcher in the AL since the All Star break. And I fully expect the Astros to finally win a series.

Tonight's game in NY is the one I'm most interested in watching. We know that last year the Twins took game 1 and went on to lose anyway. The key for the Twins is to take advantage of the Yankees pitching problems and put the pressure on them to win both in the Metrodome. Obviously the Twins feel like they have already accomplished their first goal- namely, gain a split and regain home field advantage. So far, mission accomplished. But winning today with Radke on the mound would really change the series. Right now, Jeter and the rest of the Yankees are hardly worried. They aren't feeling much pressure right now, and they still feel they are the better team (since let's face it, they are). But this is a race to win 3 of 5 games, and the Yankees will be under tremendous pressure if they lose tonight.

What are the implications for the Mariners if the Yanks get bounced in the first round? It would seemingly lead to larger changes than if they went to the WS again. I would expect more NY players to become available, and more free agents to be targeted by the Yankees if they lose. So tonights playoff game in NY just might have an outcome on who starts in Safeco next year for your Seattle Mariners.

_________

Regarding Howard Lincoln and his interview with Art Thiel in the PI. The claim that the M's are willing to lose "millions" to get this turned around is pure and utter crap. They have been making tens of millions the past few years, and stuffed it right back into their pockets. You could write an entire column on the M's accounting practices, but suffice it to say the M's ownership have profited nicely on their initial purchase price of the M's.

I started saying this earlier in the year, but the M's will make a record profit this year. Combine a high revenue stream with a low team budget and you have record profits.

It's simple really. The M's started the season with the second highest revenue stream in all of baseball. This is a fact. Now they will certainly not continue to be the second highest if they keep losing 100 games, but that is where they started. Most of the tickets this year were bought when the public thought they would be watching a competitive team. Combine this with an $82 million opening-day payroll, and you have record profits my friend.

Even with a lower overall attendance figure, the M's still will manage to pocket somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million this season.

Let's say I'm wrong in my math and the M's actually only pocketed $10 million this year. (I don't think I am, but let's just pretend. Call it Sasaki money if you want.)

So let's imagine the M's go $4 million over budget next year. There is no honest, ethical way you can look someone in the eye and tell them you LOST money. You've been making money hand over fist the past few years, and you finally re-invested some of it back into the club. You didn't "lose" money.

Howard Lincoln truly believes we are all idiots, and will actually buy his load of crap. This is our ownership group. You gotta love these guys.

Playoffs going as planned

So far, no real surprises in the playoffs. We know that the Cardinals are REALLY, REALLY good. They should be favored over any team they play with the possible exception of the Red Sox.

So needless to say, I expect St. Louis to get the World Series. I also expect them to face the Astros, who I think will handle the Braves.

With Boston about to beat Anaheim, again no surprises. His (Schilling's) post season record is simply sick. I like the Red Sox in this series.

The most interesting series for me is Yanks-Twins. On paper the Yanks should steamroll over the Twins, but NY's pitching is simply awful for a team with a $190 million payroll.

The key is obviously for the Twins to steal game one in NY, and then put pressure on the Yanks by making them win in the Metrodome. Last year there was all the talk about pressure on the Yanks, and what sort of housecleaning we will see if they don't make it. We haven't heard that talk this year, with the Yanks leading the East for most of the year.

Look for that talk to heat up real fast if the Twins steal tonights game. The pressure in NY will go through the roof if they don't look like a championship team real fast.

I'm still picking the Yanks for all the obvious reasons, but see the biggest upset-special in the first round as the best series to watch. I hope the Twins at least make the series interesting...

Article by Levesque sums up Melvin firing

Glad to see John Levesque of the PI had the same take on the Bavasi PC as I did: link

"In describing how Melvin fought to keep Freddy Garcia on the team when management had pretty much decided not to tender him a contract offer after the 2003 season, Bavasi said the front office considered Garcia one of the most overpaid pitchers in the American League. Didn't say he was bad, or injured, or even moody. Just overpaid."

Regardless of how you felt about Melvin, the fact is Bavasi's head is next if this thing doesn't get turned around.

At least we have the playoffs tonight to take our mind of the mess that is our Seattle Mariners.

While M's begin offseason, playoffs near

So many things to talk about right now!

Who will be the next M's skipper? Who is the NL Cy Young winner? Can the Yanks beat Santana?

Before previewing the playoffs, I'll quickly go over my AL and NL awards. For the first time in many years, I think things are pretty clear cut in most of the categories.

AL Cy Young
Easy pick: Johan Santana
Leads the league in ERA, Strikeouts and second in innings pitched. Best pitcher by a long shot since All Star break. Any other choice and you are banned from voting again.

AL MVP
not so easy, but still belongs to: Vlad Guerrero
This is the only choice that actually requires one to think. The fact that the Angels won the West pushed this over the top for me instead of Manny or Shef. My vote in order would be Vlad, Manny, Sheffield. Tejada had a great season, but Vlad's meant a little more especially with his incredible September. While I don't think a teams performance should eliminate someone from winning, there are enough good candidates from playoff teams to preclude me from picking somone like Tejada.

AL Manager of the Year
Easy pick: Buck Showalter
The Rangers lose Alex, and almost win the West. One of the most amazing stories of '04.

NL Cy Young
sorta easy: I pick Randy, simply because of his superior number EXCEPT wins. Leads his league in strikeouts as usual, and would have won easily on a team that actually scored runs. Still, would the Houston Astros have won the NL Wild Card w/o Roger Clemens? I don't think so.

Still, the Cy Young award is supposed to go to the best pitcher, not the most valuable to his team. I vote for Randy, then Roger. All in all, an amazing performance for both given their age.

NL MVP
easiest pick in History: Bonds

NL Manager of the Year
easy pick: Bobby Cox


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Quick playoff predictions. I can't wait for the playoffs to get started, and will have more to say on this, but real quick:

Yanks vs. Twins
Prediction: Yanks in 5
Yanks win largely due to home field advantage. Santana wins game 1, but Yanks steal one at Metrodome to bring it back to NY.

Angels vs. Sox
Prediction: Sox in 4
Schilling is the master. Boston's superior pitching beats Anaheim, despite the Angels home field advantage.

Bavasi says little at PC; target now squarely on him

In listening to Bavasi during his press conference, a few quick thoughts.

- Bavasi's answers are evasive
- He will not explain why Melvin was fired
- He seems to be preparing M's fans for a more realistic season next year ie. we hope to be competitive, don't expect the postseason or anything

Many of the questions thrown at Bavasi are simply not being answered, or with very brief "yes" "no" type responses.

Some of the questions offered, but not really answered, include:

• what type of manager are you looking for?


• why was Melvin let go?


• what is the process for looking for a manager?


• what sort of timetable do you have for finding a manager?


• when did you decide to fire Melvin?

I know plenty of people will argue that Bavasi should be keeping these things secret, and what good does it do for Bavasi to spill any strategies/theories to the press and other organizations.

However, I disagree with this line of thinking. While it is true that Bavasi doesn't have to tell us everything, I do think this organization does need to be very honest and straightforward about its plans.

The days of "trust us, we know what we're doing" are LONG gone.

Regardless of how you felt about Melvin, the simple fact is the spotlight is squarely on Bavasi now. He knows it, you know it, Lincoln knows it.

This press conference did little to make me feel better about Bavasi and his "plan."

More to come...