Sometimes a Bee Jay every day gets you wanting more. Mike Hargrove, who resigned as manager of the Mariners last July, claiming that he had lost his passion for the job, told the AP that he wants back in the big leagues. Hargrove has been managing the Liberal (Kansas) Bee Jays, a summer team for college players, an experience that has re-awoken the fire within. "Seeing these college kids love the game as much as......

Our Mariners begin the second half of the 2008 season hoping to avoid the history books. No team in history has lost 100 games in a season while fielding a team with a payroll over $100 million. (For that kind of cash, we could buy TWO hoops teams.) The highlight of the season thus far (as Seattlest David reminds us) is that no one has been run-over by a train outside the stadium. And when......

Last night the Colorado Rockies won the National League pennant and removed themselves from the dreaded list of franchises that have never made it to the World Series. The four teams still on that list: Texas Rangers/Washington Senators, Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos, Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Tampa Bay Rays, and our home town nine, the Seattle Mariners. If it's any consolation of those four teams the Mariners have come the closest in the past twenty six......

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:......

Got an email from a friend the other day: "My boss says he's officially back on the Mariners bandwagon." We were thrilled--the more bosses that join the bandwagon the better, in our view, even if it means it'll be harder to get the company seats. The Mariners finished the first half of the year with the best record of any Mariner team in history that didn't include Mark McLemore, and it's not easy to explain......

Vitals: 40 year old RHP. Born in Melbourne, FL. 6-2, 204 lb. 151-135, 4.21 career. 0-1, 1.50 this year. Signed as a free agent in 1995. $4 million salary. Arsenal: Knuckleballs, almost exclusively. He'll only throw his low-80s fastball if he's ran to three balls on a hitter. He has a curve, but he almost never throws it. Recent Battles: Back when Josh Bard was still trying to catch Wakefield, the M's played him.......

Vitals: 36 years old, born in Louisville, signed as a free agent by the Indians in '05. 82-73 career record. $7 million salary. Arsenal: A below average (84-89mph) fastball. To lefties, he'll work up and away with the fastball, a 12/3 looping curveball and a change. To righties, he'll work low and away with the fastball and a slider. Recent Battles: Triumphant! The M's knocked Byrd around in his one start against them last year,......

The thirtieth edition of our local professional baseball club ended their campaign yesterday afternoon with a 3-2 win over Texas. They finished in last place (a-GAIN!) and with a 78-84 record. To recap: Larry Stone of the Times says the M's are closer to contending, but contention is expected in 2007. Geoff Baker of the Times talks to the players. Raul Ibanez expects to contend in 2007. Richie Sexson says the team needs better......

The Mariners announced in a letter to fans yesterday that Mike Hargrove will be back as manager. The man has now led his charges to six consecutive losing seasons--two here, four in Baltimore. Over at USS Mariner, the masses are in revolt--if "revolt" can be defined as "leaving angry comments on a blog." JayR says: The Hargrove thing is enough to make me write to the Mariners and tell them I am serously considering not......

Something happened yesterday that hasn't since April 16th. No, not Dino Rossi waking up before noon, but the Mariners getting to .500. After an 11-7 victory over Arizona in their 78th game, the M's are once again treading water at 39-39. In yesterday's top of the ninth, the M's displayed in microcosm what they'll need to contend in the AL West--production from their highest-paid employees, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson. With one out and the......

Mariner Manager Mike Hargrove deviated from his heretofore stone-set lineup yesterday, moving Adrian Beltre into the #2 spot and sliding Jose Lopez to #3. Richie Sexson sat in favor of Roberto Petagine. After Raul Ibanez got tossed in the first arguing balls and strikes, the lineup got really interesting. Willie "Sultan of Seeing-Eye Grounders" Bloomquist made a cameo appearance as cleanup hitter, which is like subbing CarrotTop in as Hamlet. The new lineup didn't alter......

Does Fox Sports NW have two hiring managers? One who is a brilliant mind, the other an evil genius...or just one with Jekyll and Hyde characteristics? How else to explain an organization that employs one terrific sideline reporter (Brian Davis, who works Sonics telecasts) and one atrocious sideline reporter (Brad Adam, who works Mariner telecasts). After every game, Davis (whose noticeable for his shiny, hairless head; the picture at right doesn't do it justice)......

During the telecast of the Mariners' 6-2 win over Oakland last night, the TV cameras captured an activity we haven't seen much of in the Mariner dugout recently--laughter. The Mariners are having fun, and with good reason. They're two games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2003 season, they've gotten two solid performances from the two biggest questions on the pitching staff, and the young guys--Jeremy Reed (with seven total......

All-time catchingest Mariners catcher Dan Wilson announced yesterday that he will retire--but not before he attempts to don the tools of ignorance one final time. It's more reminiscent of the Japanese retirement ceremony than anything we typically see in American baseball, but Wilson, who has missed most of this year with a knee injury, will try to play at least one last inning in the Mariners' final series of the year. In 12 seasons as......

Yesterday's Mariner win was the most satisfying game the team has played in months. Why? A six-run seventh inning. Six-run seventh innings, we have decided, rank with oysters, Johnny Hodges' tone, and the love of a good woman at the apex of life's pleasures. Best of all, the Mariners scored their six runs off of Marlins ace Josh Beckett, icing the game and securing a 2-1 series victory. Here's the "How they scored," only......

The Mariners begin interleague play tomorrow, in Florida against the Marlins. Because the designated hitter is not permitted in these games, manager Mike Hargrove faces a dilemma--which of his nine regular hitters to sit. Designated hitter Raul Ibanez is one of the team's best hitters, and the M's anemic offense can't afford to be without him. Thus, the most likely scenario has Ibanez moving to leftfield, with Randy Winn moving to centerfield, bumping rookie......