Post by Fish Troll on Jun 19, 2008 20:35:37 GMT -5
SEATTLE (AP) -- John McLaren is the latest member of the Mariners to get cut loose. He probably won't be the last.
On the day McLaren was fired as manager, Seattle executives said they agree with franchise cornerstone Ichiro Suzuki that players should also be jettisoned from the team with the worst record in the majors.
After beginning the year with playoff expectations, the Mariners are now in the midst of what appears to be a lost season. They fired general manager Bill Bavasi this week and followed by dismissing McLaren on Thursday.
Bench coach Jim Riggleman was promoted to run the team, starting Friday night in Atlanta. He became Seattle's fifth manager in six seasons.
"We hadn't shown any improvement for the last couple of months. In fact, we were probably regressing," interim GM Lee Pelekoudas said. "To give the players a chance to improve ... we thought a different voice was needed."
The Mariners are 25-47, 17 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West and "in quicksand," said president Chuck Armstrong. The team seems likely to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and could become the first team with a $100 million player payroll to lose 100 games.
"Well, if you think about it, if nothing changes things will continue to be the way they are," Suzuki told The Associated Press through a translator late Wednesday night, 11 hours before Seattle fired the 56-year-old McLaren, Suzuki's friend for a decade.
Lee Elia, called back from part-time advising earlier this month at age 70 to replace fired Jeff Pentland as hitting coach, takes Riggleman's old job as bench coach. Jose Castro, who had been a roving minor league instructor, is the new hitting coach.
The likable, folksy McLaren was an assistant for 21 1/2 years in the majors before he took over as Seattle's manager last July when Mike Hargrove abruptly quit. McLaren went 68-88 in less than a full season on the job.
McLaren was the second manager in the majors to be fired this season -- the New York Mets dismissed Willie Randolph this week.
On the day McLaren was fired as manager, Seattle executives said they agree with franchise cornerstone Ichiro Suzuki that players should also be jettisoned from the team with the worst record in the majors.
After beginning the year with playoff expectations, the Mariners are now in the midst of what appears to be a lost season. They fired general manager Bill Bavasi this week and followed by dismissing McLaren on Thursday.
Bench coach Jim Riggleman was promoted to run the team, starting Friday night in Atlanta. He became Seattle's fifth manager in six seasons.
"We hadn't shown any improvement for the last couple of months. In fact, we were probably regressing," interim GM Lee Pelekoudas said. "To give the players a chance to improve ... we thought a different voice was needed."
The Mariners are 25-47, 17 1/2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Angels in the AL West and "in quicksand," said president Chuck Armstrong. The team seems likely to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season and could become the first team with a $100 million player payroll to lose 100 games.
"Well, if you think about it, if nothing changes things will continue to be the way they are," Suzuki told The Associated Press through a translator late Wednesday night, 11 hours before Seattle fired the 56-year-old McLaren, Suzuki's friend for a decade.
Lee Elia, called back from part-time advising earlier this month at age 70 to replace fired Jeff Pentland as hitting coach, takes Riggleman's old job as bench coach. Jose Castro, who had been a roving minor league instructor, is the new hitting coach.
The likable, folksy McLaren was an assistant for 21 1/2 years in the majors before he took over as Seattle's manager last July when Mike Hargrove abruptly quit. McLaren went 68-88 in less than a full season on the job.
McLaren was the second manager in the majors to be fired this season -- the New York Mets dismissed Willie Randolph this week.
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/06/19/mclaren.fired.ap/index.html
Ichiro could be next to avoid being the 1st team to lose 100 games with a $100M payroll.
