Mariners McLaren Misfired Mess Maybe Makeup?

If the Seattle Mariners could get anything right, perhaps it could begin with the current shakeup of the organization.

With the firings of both Manager John McClaren and GM Bill Bavasi this week, they may have saved the franchise via a heart jolt.

Sometimes, it isn't the fact that you did poorly, it is just that you have gotten placed in a bad predicament. McLaren caught that problem by taking over Mike Hargrove's skipper spot after Hargrove suddenly upped and quit. McLaren did a good job at first, keeping the Mariners in the race and garnering some adulation as a guy who took the reins and kept fighting, even after jumping on the horse late.

But after the 9 game losing streak, the end of McLaren's job came. Sure, it was hard to see then but the Mariners fell out of the race in the very competitive AL West.

No one saw it because the Mariners were a 100-million dollar team and had what may be the best contact hitter in our era, Ichiro.

However, it was the tipping point to the collapse of a club. A managers worth isn't how he behaves when he is winning, but when slides happen in tough periods. It was a task that nice guy McLaren was not capable of handling.'

CEO Howard Lincoln recently declared that no player was off-limits to a potential deal. THis is a step in the right direction as well. Perhaps this will light a fire under the team to make a move in the right direction. Not just for this year, because their playoff hopes are dashed since they are behind the Angels by 18 games; but for pride; for not being the first team on a 100-million payroll to lose 100 games.