Seattle Times: Baker: Cultural differences don’t hurt unity of M’s clubhouse, team insists

Or as diplomat turned flamethrower, Octavio Dotel-Paz, once said..."Every view of the clubhouse that becomes extinct, every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of true baseball life.”

But with this early season Mariners collapse, there have been increased questions about the togetherness in their clubhouse. And as the Mariners drift toward irrelevance, owners of the worst record in the American League after a 12-inning 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, it’s fair to ask whether some of the linguistic and cultural barriers are making it more of a challenge to mold this unit into a team.

Those who put the team together and play on it say that’s not the case.

“There are always unique circumstances on every roster, international or not,” Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said. “These are all human beings. They have different perceptions of reality. They’ve got different approaches to life. So, any club that is not as international, or doesn’t have as much diversity as we do, that thinks they’re off the hook, they’re nuts.

“For us to think we have more than another club, that’s not really true either. It’s different in that we have different cultures. But generally speaking, when they walk through the door to play, those go away.”

U.S.S. Mariner: DMZ: A quarter down, three quarters to go

Lift Up Your Hood...and let DMZ check underneath, Seattle.

Ownership

If you only listen to us once, just once, take this advice: the next time you’re looking to hire a general manager, at least interview smart people who disagree with you and weigh their approach and plans against what you’ve reaped from the strategy you’ve used for so long. Give them a fair shot, because they’ll win the job and win with the team if given the chance.

You don’t like me and I don’t like you. You want to market to women and children instead of baseball fans? You own a baseball team. Trying to please particular demographics with distractions, promotions, and playgrounds might work for a while until someone else finds something shinier to dangle in front of the babies. Put a good baseball team out there, and you’ll get women fans and men fans and you’ll turn children into lifelong fans.

Do it. Do it or hand the team over to people who can. There are some good candidates in your minority owners. If you want to run a daycare or a Body Shop, go rent some retail space and knock yourself out. If you want to run a successful baseball team, figure out how to do that.

Stone: Mirror, mirror on Mariners’ wall: Time for a hard look

Larry: stones.

It’s enough to make one wonder whose way of doing things is the right way — or at least, it should.

It’s not quite accurate to say no one saw this coming, the monumental debacle that has marked the first quarter of the M’s season.

There were, indeed, analysts who predicted this team was dangerously overrated, that it wasn’t the “one piece away” that the Bedard trade suggested — that the Mariners were, basically, a disaster waiting to happen. And they had the statistical evidence to back it up.

Kudos to them, most of whom come, it must be said, from a sabermetric bent, looking at the vast storehouse of numbers in nontraditional ways. And shame on me, who bought into the popular wisdom that last year’s 88-win record plus this year’s addition of Bedard equaled a championship run.

Crosscut: Comcast’s high-definition baseball asterisk

Great Truby’s Ghost! Are these Hi-D moments happening elsewhere?

Those Comcast high-def customers who flipped to Mojo (Channel 664) Monday night, May 12, after Kenji Johjima smacked a game-tying, three-run homer in the ninth instead saw George C. Scott starring in The Exorcist III.

While it could be true that only an exorcism will save the M’s season, it was frustrating to discover that Mojo had shut down its super-clear broadcast of last night’s slugfest against the Rangers. The extra-frame affair was still available on normal cable, but only via FSN Channel 30, a big letdown for high-deinition baseball addicts. [....]

An amiable rep explained the facts of life: Comcast leases a four-hour window from Mojo to air each M’s game. Usually that’s sufficient. But last night, for the second time this season, it wasn’t.

Sherwin: Ichiro, like everyone else, is fair game

You can’t have Sherwin Shares without having Sherloss Shares!

But does that excuse him from not wearing his jersey like everyone else? Did he have to sit there as if it was the last place in the world he wanted to be? Did he think the kids could not read his body language?

It all gives life to the perception that Ichiro plays and acts for himself. Is he more concerned about his stats than assimilating more into the clubhouse? He’s the last remaining member here from the record-setting 2001 team, shouldn’t be more of a forceful leader in the clubhouse? Why does he still not do English interviews?

He’s clearly comfortable in his own routine. He doesn’t like to divert from that. But with this team struggling as it has, is it too much to ask more from him? It’s not all about him; it’s about team. There are things he can and should do outside the white lines. He can make a difference if he would simply leave his cocoon.

How the Japanese will view this criticism is uncertain. They idolize him and most don’t want to hear anything negative. But there is a segment that appreciates telling it like it is. As I said, the way things have been going, there are no sacred cows.

Lookout Landing: Hey You Know Whose Defense Sucks? Ours

To date, the Mariners have turned 19 fewer balls in play into outs than you’d expect given their groundballs/fly balls/line drives against. This has cost them ~15 runs and goes a long way towards explaining why the team ERA is higher than the team FIP despite a pretty good strand rate and a better-than-average number of infield flies. That’s really bad.

Not convinced that defense matters? While screwing around at one point over the weekend, Matthew and I saw that the difference in BABIP against for the 2001 and 2007 Mariners was 57 points. Over a full season, 57 points of BABIP equals about 250 balls in play, or somewhere between 175-200 runs. 175-200 runs. From defense alone. Now, granted, the 2001 Mariners were kind of historically awesome with the glove, but the difference between even just a “normal” good and a “normal” bad defense can easily be 6-10 wins. That’s huge. Just look at the Rays’ turnaround - this sort of thing can make a world of difference.

Mariner exec Shaffer taking a look at Griffey

Shaffer: When you’re having Griffey more than once.

There may be more to the Mariners interest in Ken Griffey Jr. than Seattle management has been willing to let on

Reports out of New York say that Duane Shaffer, in his first season as a special assistant to Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi, was in Shea Stadium Sunday to have a look at Griffey.

The Mariners need two things - someone to get the fans’ interest revved up after a horrid start to the season and someone to provide some power to a lineup devoid of many run-producers.

Seattle Times: McLaren sums up M’s: good team, bad baseball

ugly management. Il buono, il brutto, il bavasi.

Before reporters could ask him about Richie Sexson’s suspension during his regular pregame briefing Friday, McLaren began with what amounted to a state-of-the-team address.

“It’s been very difficult,” McLaren said. “Even during our losing streaks last year I don’t remember going through a spell like this offensively. It’s hard to explain. A lot of it is mental, of course. There is a lot of frustration. With that said, we’ve got to go get them tonight [Friday]. There is no easy way about this. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You’ve got to stand up and be a man about it. The only people who can get it done is ourselves. No one is going to give us anything.”

“We are scuffling and the guys seem right and stuff, but I’m sure there is some frustration in the clubhouse because you don’t lose that many games if you have pride and are working ... “ McLaren said. “So we need to win some games and feel good about ourselves.”

MLB: Sexson sets off fracas in Seattle

SEATTLE—The location of the pitch, not the intention of it, sent Mariners first baseman Richie Sexson “into a rage” Thursday night, and ended up with him throwing his helmet and then pile-driving the pitcher into the ground.

“I understood the situation, but there is a right way and a wrong way to play the game,” Sexson said after the Mariners’ 5-0 loss to the Rangers at Safeco Field. “If you hit me below the shoulders, I am fine with that. But get up near the face, [and] I am not going to deal with that.”

Before order was restored, Rangers outfielder Milton Bradley picked up Laird, carried him away from the action and ended up shoving the catcher several times in the chest before walking away.

Quick Note: Phillipe Aumont

A quick look at Mariners’ farmhand Phillipe Aumont’s pitching mechanics.

No Blame in Griffey Saga

It’s not often that I feel badly for someone who has lived a dream and earned a 9 figure living, but I do for Griffey.

USA Today: Griffey’s days in Cincinnati may be numbered

Latest from the sweetish Nightengale…

More than eight years after departing Seattle, it might be time to leave again, perhaps returning to the Northwest.

“It’s everybody’s dream to go back where they started,” the 38-year-old right fielder says. “Everybody who plays the game would love to go out the way they see fit.”

...If Griffey reaches the milestone during the Reds’ three-game homestand that started Monday against the Chicago Cubs, instead of a citywide celebration, Griffey’s 600th home run might result in little more than a farewell present.

“We’re in a tough situation here,” says Griffey, whose team improved to 13-20 with Monday’s 5-3 win against the Cubs. “We either turn things around or they start getting rid of everybody around here.

“My situation is different only because I can tell them where I want to go. I want to be in position to win a championship. I’m not strong-arming anybody, but that’s the way it is.”

Griffey, who enters today hitting .229 with four home runs and 15 RBI, says he expects the Reds to approach him before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seeking his approval for a trade.

Rosenthal: How will wild AL Central play out?

Fans, switches, gears and sensors...all from Robothal.

Sleepless in Seattle

No team is panicking more than the Mariners.

On Wednesday, the M’s put undue pressure on prospects Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien by promoting them to boost the team’s sagging offense. On Friday, manager John McLaren closed his office to reporters after a defeat at Yankee Stadium. And on Saturday, McLaren tore into his club after another loss to the Yankees. Such is the pressure on a club with a $117.6 million payroll, a general manager on the hot seat and a manager working on a one-year contract in his first full season.

The Mariners’ desperation was evident when they designated outfielder Brad Wilkerson and first baseman/outfielder Greg Norton for assignment to make room for Clement and Balentien. It’s not that Wilkerson and Norton were critical parts. But if the Mariners were willing to part with Wilkerson after 19 games, why did they sign him for $3 million? If they viewed Norton as a duplication of switch-hitting DH Jose Vidro, why did he make the team?

Norton became expendable in part because the Mariners preferred to keep both Willie Bloomquist and Miguel Cairo as pinch-runners. Vidro, first baseman Richie Sexson and the M’s catchers all are removed for pinch-runners on occasion — another example of a flawed roster.

It’s too early to judge the Erik Bedard trade, but the suspicion in the industry is that GM Bill Bavasi overpaid. The pattern of jumpiness is clear, which is why the M’s are the team most likely to sign Barry Bonds.

AP: Brad Wilkerson cut by Mariners

Right fielder Brad Wilkerson and pinch-hitter Greg Norton were cut Wednesday by the Seattle Mariners, who promoted catching prospect Jeff Clement and power-hitting outfielder Wladimir Balentien from Triple-A Tacoma.

Wilkerson signed a $4 million, one-year contract before spring training. He was batting .232 with five RBIs in 19 games.
...
The 24-year-old Clement was taken by Seattle with the third pick overall in the 2005 amateur draft. He was batting .397 with eight doubles, five homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games with Tacoma.

Clement had 20 homers and 80 RBIs last season with Tacoma, and also made his major league debut last September. He is likely to replace struggling Jose Vidro as the designated hitter in the coming weeks.

Lookout Landing: Brian Sabean Appreciation Thread

The Pile-On Appreciation Society has new members!

I knew from the get-go that Zito was a bad idea, but never at any point did I think he’d fall apart this quickly. That’s come as a surprise. But the fact of the matter is that smart front offices knew what they were doing and stayed the hell away. They saw the red flags, understood the market, and looked elsewhere without even placing a call to Zito’s agent.

Bill Bavasi offered him six years and ninety-nine million dollars.

There but for the grace of Sabean go I, and you, and the Mariners, and all of our collective hopes and dreams. This team tried its damndest to kill itself in the face, but thanks to the existence of another, more stubborn holdout from the daunting realm of intelligent thinking, we were spared. We were spared. Mr. Sabean, I am forever indebted to your misguided courage. Regardless of your intentions at the time, you fell on a nuclear grenade, and for this gesture I cannot thank you enough. May this thread be construed as a token of my appreciation.

And damn you Bill for ever thinking this was a good idea for the Mariners. Damn everyone who thought this was a good idea for the Mariners. All of you are stupid. There, I said it. Maybe you’ve gotten smarter over the past year and a half, but if you wanted the Mariners to sign Barry Zito as a free agent, you were stupid. Stop being stupid. Brian Sabean can only prevent so many bad decisions.

Sheehan: Prospectus Today: Reality Check

Four weeks into the season, we have to start making calls. It’s still a little early in most cases, but we have enough information to reach tentative conclusions about some players, teams, and issues. For the next three days, that’s what we’ll do—evaluate what’s real, what’s not, and what we’re on the fence about. Today, five things that are real.

2. The Mariners. The AL version of the Diamondbacks a year ago, the Mariners didn’t come into 2008 with the kind of offensive upside the Snakes have, which is the biggest difference between the two teams. The M’s have a .254 EqA and 117 runs scored, about a run a game less than what the D’backs are doing (note: the teams’ home parks make for disparate run environments). The age of the team’s position players makes it hard to project a big bounce—players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Johjima will move towards their career averages, but there’s no upside in the lineup at all. This is a below-average offense.

The bullpen isn’t reprising its 2007 work, which was to be expected. Set aside J.J. Putz’s injury; Mariners relievers’ run prevention last year was disproportionate to their underlying performances. They could pitch exactly as well as they did last year—and they haven’t—and still allow more runs. Adding Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva made the rotation better, but all that did was cover the ground the pen would be giving back. This was a .500 team last year, looked like a .500 team over the winter and into the spring, and is a .500 team now. Their 12-14 record is real, and they’re not going to be the division contender so many people expected them to be.

Not Francesspool..."The Mariners are a mortal lock...they’re going to win more than 94 games!”

Sources: M’s to extend deal of catcher Johjima

Is Clement really that bad defensively?  I guess it won’t matter if he’s only going to be a DH.

Johjima, who joined Seattle in 2006 with a three-year, $16.5 million contract, is about to receive another three-year deal, according to major-league sources.

The financial terms of Johjima’s deal are not yet known. The Mariners will announce the contract on Friday afternoon.

Top 7 :: Best Long Term Baseball Contracts

Chan Ho Park is still upset he didn’t make the list of Worst Long Term Baseball Contracts

This week, showing that we’re not all about negativity, here are the best long-term contracts ever signed in terms of the value that they returned.  For the purposes of the list, it does not count when a guy is just coming into the league, they would have to sign a contract afterwards, so Prince Fielder’s rookie contract can’t be on here even though it’s about as good of a deal as you can have.  The same goes for fliers taken on a guy - Chris Carpenter’s deal with the Cardinals would top that list.  These are long-term deals that actually ended up working out well, and they are kind of hard to find.....

5. Manny Ramirez
When he turned down Cleveland’s deal and signed with Boston for 8 years and $160 million, it seemed like an insane amount of money, until two things happened—A-Rod signing for almost $100 million more, and Manny being…a guy who was worth it.  He has finished in the top 20 of MVP every year including the top 10 each year but one (plus he would be the MVP so far this season), has two titles, and a World Series MVP.  He also has 260 homers and a batting average well over .300.  It’s amazing that even in the last year of such a massive deal that he is still giving them value.

Mariners expect Safeco Field’s name will not be changed

Yeah...coming next week, The Hedges at Liberty Mutual Park.

Seattle Mariners officials said Wednesday they don’t expect Safeco Field’s name to change “in the foreseeable future” despite the acquisition of Safeco by Liberty Mutual Group. When the Mariners opened their new ballpark in 1999, Safeco landed the naming rights in what is believed to be a 20-year, $40 million deal.

“We’ve been told there won’t be any immediate impact on the ballpark or us, and they’re not planning on changing the name in the foreseeable future,” said Rebecca Hale, the Mariners’ director of public information.

...Rob Vogel, president of the Bonham Group, a Denver-based sports- and entertainment-marketing firm that has done extensive work in naming rights, said that the pertinent issue is whether Liberty Mutual will keep the Safeco brand.

“If they are keeping the Safeco name, then the name of the stadium probably wouldn’t change,” Vogel said in a telephone interview. “If the Safeco name is going away, it would be likely they would change the stadium name.

“That’s a common thing — the acquiring company rebrands the ballpark.”

MLB.com: Bavasi exploring options on [Frank] Thomas

General manager Bill Bavasi said Sunday morning that he would talk to the organization’s scouts who watched Frank Thomas during Spring Training before making a decision on whether to pursue the 39-year-old slugger, released by the Blue Jays earlier in the day.

“I didn’t see him play this spring,” Bavasi said. “But tonight or tomorrow, I will talk to our scouts that did.”
...
“We can talk to the player, but we can’t talk about salary until after the waiver period ends,” he said. “But I will say this: we are concentrating more on the 25 players we have here.”
...
Switch-hitter Jose Vidro has handled most of the DH chores the past two seasons. After a solid 2007 season, when he batted .314 with six home runs and 59 RBIs, he went into Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Angels with a .221 batting average, two home runs and 10 RBIs.

Mariners manager John McLaren said he first learned about Thomas’ departure from the Blue Jays “on my computer this morning,” and couldn’t comment further on the situation because “I don’t know the circumstances”.

News Tribune: McGrath: Focus on long ball sells Griffey short

Following baseball...the John McGrath way.

It recently was brought to my attention that Ken Griffey Jr. is on the verge of his 600th career home run. He began the weekend with 596 homers, and barring a catastrophic global event – or, in Griffey’s case, another pulled muscle sustained while chasing down a foul ball – he should reach 600 in the next week or two.

I realized Griffey had a whole bunch of homers, because he hit 398 for the Seattle Mariners, who traded him to Cincinnati eight years ago. But I sort of lost track of the career home run list last summer, as soon as Barry Bonds broke Henry Aaron’s record of 755.

That was an embedded number, 755, as synonymous with Aaron as the No. 44 on the back of his jersey. So was 714, the mark Babe Ruth held from 1935 to 1974.

Bonds, by the way, is sitting on 762. I had to look it up.

That Bonds and Sammy Sosa are among the members of the 600 club – along with Aaron, Ruth and Willie Mays – should not minimize the gravity of the milestone. Since baseball record-keeping was established in 1871, five hitters have gotten to 600, and it’s safe to say that fewer than five got there without laboratory enhancements.

John Marzano Found Dead In South Philadelphia

John Marzano…

Former Major Leaguer and sports broadcaster John Marzano has died at the age of 45.

Marzano, a native of South Philadelphia, was found dead inside his home on Passyunk Avenue.

A family member called police to break down the door shortly before noon, officials said. Marzano apparently fell down the stairs, but it is not known whether he suffered a heart attack or simply fell.

MLB: Felix Hernandez’s delivery won’t be tinkered with

Mel Stottlemyre got fired?

“He could be made to finish in a perfect fielding position,” pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said Thursday, “but his stuff would not be as good. The thing I am concerned about is how he gets all the way through his pitches, not where he falls off after that.

“He wouldn’t have as much drive off the mound, so [falling off the first-base side of the mound] is something we just have to deal with. You’re scared every time you see him throw that bare hand out, but it’s the competitive spirit and natural reaction he has. You could tell him until you’re blue in the face not to [try to snag the ball], and he’s still going to do it.”

...Before becoming Seattle’s pitching coach, Stottlemyre said he noticed how far Hernandez fell off the mound.

“I thought one thing he could do better was get him to finish up straighter,” the veteran pitching coach said, “but I’m not going to take a chance in changing him. I am more interested in the stuff he throws to home than how he finishes up after he throws it. I just don’t want him, or anyone, to be vulnerable to a line drive.

MLB: Mariners place Bedard on 15-day DL

BEDARD!

Erik Bedard, the Mariners’ No. 1 starter who has had two starts pushed back because of left hip inflammation, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.

The move is retroactive to April 9, the day after he last pitched. The club will make a corresponding roster move Wednesday.

“We have said consistently that we were not going to rush Erik back,” Mariners manager John McLaren said in a statement before Tuesday’s Royals-Mariners game. “At this point, we thought it made the most sense to go ahead and place him on the DL. It should not change when he’s available to make his next start, and gives us the ability to add another player in the meantime.”

AP: Zack Greinke tosses complete game for third victory in Royals’ 5-1 win over Mariners

Zack Greinke pitched a five-hitter for his third career complete game, and the Kansas City Royals opened a seven-game road trip with a 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.
...
Greinke (3-0) joined teammate Brian Bannister with his third win, though his ERA climbed from 0.60 to 0.75. The right-hander was efficient, striking out four and inducing three double plays while facing only three batters more than the minimum.
...
Just one Seattle baserunner advanced past first base against Greinke, who retired 18 of his final 20 batters. It was the sixth complete game in the American League this year and second by a Kansas City pitcher.
...
Greinke got all the runs he needed in the second inning, thanks to a pair of longballs from an offense that entered the night with just five homers, the fewest in the AL.

DETECT-O-VISION: Atypical Moneyball

SABR Matt asks..."Are the Mariners playing a new brand of Moneyball?” (throws Chambers)

We all gripe about how the club is loaded with civics (Vidro, Ibanez, Sexson, Beltre, Wilkerson, Johjima) on offense.  So it’s difficult to fathom this being a moneyball offense.  But let me ask you all a question.  What do you think costs the most money to acquire offensively these days - raw talent for making solid contact (something that cannot be taught…it just can’t) or razor sharp strikezone judgment (which CAN be taught)?

Some sabermetristas think you can’t teahc players patience at the big league level.  I have read the studies.  I don’t think they hold water.  It flies in the face of common sense.  Alex Rodriguez, for example had Isolated Discipline (OBP - BA) of 0.056, 0.050, 0.050 and 0.072 in his first four seasons, coupled with a net K/BB of 2.15 through the 1999 season.  Then in 2000 he grew discipline and has since average a K/BB of 1.47 and an Isoalted Patience of around 0.100.

As it turns out, the guys making the most money in baseball are almost exclusively now the guys that Beane used to pick off for cheap back in the day before he contributed to the book Moneyball and ruined his own competitive edge in the game.  Good move Billy.  The high contact players get Civic deals…John Olerud, Lyle Overbay, Jose Vidro, even Ichiro would if he weren’t also a gold glover.  Is there any logic then, to the idea of signing of bunch of undervalued highly talented contact hitters and hoping you can convert them into TTO stars?

The Mariners might be on the verge of saving millions of dollars in real productive value from their offense because they signed undervalued talents and taught them to hit like Oakland As.  Or this could be a flukishly good start and I could look silly for asking the question.

Injury forces Bedard out vs. Orioles

First Beckett, now Bedard. Are hip problems this year’s trendy injury?

“Bedard’s got a little inflammation in the hip,” Seattle manager John McLaren said Saturday night after a 6-4 loss to Baltimore. “(Head athletic trainer) Rick (Griffin) feels confident that with medication and treatment, he’ll be fine Tuesday.”

AP: Mariners place closer J.J. Putz on DL with ribcage injury

Mariners All-Star closer J.J. Putz was put on the 15-day disabled list with a ribcage injury Wednesday.

Putz, who converted 40 of 42 save opportunities last season, blew one Tuesday night by allowing a go-ahead home run to Texas’ Josh Hamilton in the top of the ninth inning.

Putz felt discomfort on a pitch to the batter before Hamilton, Michael Young, and then had an MRI exam after the game. It revealed a mild inflammation where the cartilage attaches to a rib on his right side.

Baseball Time in Arlington: Hamilton’s Ninth Inning Blast Saves Rangers

Roy Hobbs? Pfft. Texas would have to reach the playoffs first…

But after a lengthy nine-pitch battle with Putz, Kinsler smashed a line drive single back through the box to lead off the inning. Young whiffed on three pitches, setting the stage for Hamilton - the man whose singular talent, unique life story and limitless potential has already elevated him to cult hero status in Rangers fandom.

Putz’s first pitch to Hamilton? A 93 MPH fastball according to MLB Gameday’s Pitch f/x data, though Josh himself sheepishly admitted during a brief post-game interview with broadcasters Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve that he had “no idea” what type of pitch it was that Putz unleashed towards home plate.

Not that it mattered, mind you. Hamilton socked the first pitch he saw from Putz beyond the right field wall at Safeco Field for a dramatic two-run blast, staking Texas to a 5-4 lead that Rangers closer C.J. Wilson would mercifully not relinquish again.

Lookout Landing: 1-1 Putz wooo > : (

The game you waited all winter long for…

With JJ Putz, a lead in the ninth is a win in the standings. The Texas Rangers had given us this game.

Then, like ########, they took it back.

On the one hand, you could kind of see it coming. JJ had neither his usual command nor his usual velocity, and as soon as the pitch to Hamilton left his hand you knew it was going straight to Hamilton’s wheelhouse. But on the other, this is JJ Putz, and even though I say I could see it coming, based on my dumbfounded reaction, I couldn’t really see it coming. I honestly don’t remember anything that happened between that swing and Yuni’s double in the bottom of the ninth. It’s just a gap in my memory, a gap left unfilled because while the rest of the game was taking place, I was sitting here blankly staring ahead wondering how I was ever going to come to terms with this.

The answer is: I’m not sure yet. I mean, it’s early, and we had no right to so much as even be in the game. But it’s not the fact that they lost; it’s the way that they lost. I hate it when JJ blows a save because every single bad outing of his rattles my core and makes me think that he could revert to what he used to be just as quickly as he ascended to awesomeness. It’s stupid, because he’s a different pitcher now than he ever was before the splitter, but it’s a feeling I can’t shake, and it’s incredibly unpleasant. This will not be a comfortable sleep.