The Mariners announced yesterday that Manager John McLaren and General Manager Bill Bavasi will both be back next year. McLaren took over in mid-season, the team was 40-41 under his guidance. 2008 will be Bavasi's fourth year as Mariners GM. Out in blogland, they've been calling for McLaren's head since the M's went on a 15 of 17 losing jag, one of the biggest collapses by a contending team in baseball history. The main complaint:......

Well, that was spectacular. From the heady days of August 25th, when the M's were three up in the wild card and only one back in the division, had won two straight in Texas, when we were all excited about Blue-za-palooza or whatever the fuck it was...to now, after 11 losses in 12 games, when we're all pretty much in wait 'till next year mode. You've all seen the boat sink, here are the numbers.......

--A reviewer of a rave has a reasonable point: "There were definitely more girls wearing awesome revealing outfits than I have ever seen in Seattle, which brings me to the negatives: Why in the world were cameras not allowed?" --When he isn't pitching, Mariner Miguel Batista is saving marriages. --Why you should buy local, even if you're buying Deathly Hallows --Nine cents more -- better recalibrate prices on all those things that cost less than......

Vitals: 26 yo RHP. Born in New Castle, PA. 6-0, 170. 0-0, 1.29 this year (he's a rookie). Arsenal: DeSalvo told Baseball America in 2005: “I throw seven different pitches: a four-seamer, a two-seamer, a cutter, the [knuckle] curve, a slider, a forkball, and a change. Having a lot of pitches gives me backup options." His fastball is low 90s. Recent Battles: Last Monday, in his first major league start, DeSalvo allowed a double to......

Vitals: 26 yo RHP. Born in New Castle, PA. 6-0, 170. This will be his first major league game. (3-0, 1.05 at AAA in 2007) Arsenal: DeSalvo told Baseball America in 2005: “I throw seven different pitches: a four-seamer, a two-seamer, a cutter, the [knuckle] curve, a slider, a forkball, and a change. Having a lot of pitches gives me backup options." His fastball is low 90s. Recent Battles: None Our Best Weapon: A guy......

Vitals: 22 yo LHP. Born in Austin, TX. 6-1, 200. 0-3, 5.32 career and 2007 (he's a rookie). Acquired via trade from Texas (Brandon McCarthy) before this season. $380,000 salary. Arsenal: Same was Barry Zito's. He's got a 88-91 fastball, a 80 mph change that he appears to locate well (and likes to use with two strikes) and a big looping curve--which, from what I've seen, isn't as big and looping as Zito's is. Recent......

Jeff Weaver had a terrible 2006, but then had a couple of good games in the postseason and earned himself a contract for next year. Sound familiar? Yes, it appears the M's are going to be the losers of the Jeff Weaver sweepstakes, signing a guy who had a 6.29 ERA in 16 American League starts last year. How bad was Weaver? Put it this way: the Mariners beat him three times. At least it's......

Since day one we've said that being a Seattle sports fan is like sneaking up behind Kicky the Paranoid Mule. The past week has reminded us of this all too well. Let's look at the past seven days shall we? Saturday: The Huskies get their nuts smashed in by Gonzaga. Sunday: With a chance to be crowned division champions, the Seahawks lose to the last place Cardinals. Monday: The Mariners sign 36 year old Miguel......

Fueling speculation that the 2007 Mariners ad slogan may be "Mariner Baseball: Wanna Pitch?", the M's signed the author of the 465,629th best-selling book on Amazon.com to a three-year, $24 million contract tonight. Author, searching-eyes-possessor, and 36-year-old right-handed starter Miguel Batista, best known for his work with the Arizona Diamondbacks Writers' Workshop, is the newest Mariner. He won 11 games last year as a starter with the D-backs, after a one-year stint as the Blue......