Full Disclosure Dept: for awhile there, the T'ree Amigos at SportSpot consisted of Silentpadna, Dr. Detecto and Mariner Analyst...
So if we seem like we're piling on with handpicked analysts, it's only because we are...
Also, we're giddy to see MA posting at SSI. :- ) Cherrypicking a few ideas from his debut post:
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The greatest manager in the history of this franchise is Lou Piniella.
Which is a little like saying, the 2005 Seahawks were the greatest NFC finalists in the history of Seattle.
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Or like saying, Dave Niehaus was the greatest lead radio voice in the history of the Mariners. Wait, hold it. That one isn't analogous; there weren't 15 poor announcers that mangled their jobs, in contradistinction to Niehaus' HOF work.
Okay, it's a little like saying, the greatest designated hitter in the history of the franchise was Edgar Martinez. There, I like that one. Branyan was a good DH in spurts; Wakamatsu and Lefebvre were good in spurts.
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Ever since Piniella stepped down after the 2002 season, it's like the organization has said to themselves that never again are they going to have a manager who will dare to challenge/question them.
Of course, since Bob Melvin, SSI has gleefully stomped on this point with metal spikes: that every manager since Piniella was selected primarily to be photogenic, "professional" with the media, and easy to get along with for his superiors.
It is one more lens, though which the blog-o-sphere can appreciate that in Seattle, winning would be nice, if it doesn't come at too much discomfort.
But come now -- let us reason together. Here are Bobby Valentine and Lou Piniella on the precious Nintendo-baseball qualification tick points:
- Photogenic: Lou = 10%
- Photogenic: Bobby V = 90% (and good enough for ESPN)
- Professional: Lou = 10%
- Professional: Bobby V = 85% (a tad unpredictable, but generally well-spoken. And: J-a-p-a-n)
- Defers to superiors: Lou = 5%
- Defers to superiors: Bobby V = 40%
So there you go. You've got a photogenic Lou Piniella; what more do ya want? And even when it comes to having a set of stones with the bosses --- Bobby V takes the edge off, as it were.
Maybe this gives the M's the best of all worlds. The P-I seems to think so; on Oct. 13, they called Valentine the number one on Zduriencik's list.
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Lou most certainly had his flaws, but there was one thing you could definitely say about him -- he was a winner. He expected to win and demanded excellence from everyone around him (players, staff, GM, Front Office, etc.) I would argue that the central reason that the Mariners won and experienced the success they did was BECAUSE of Piniella.
One anecdote: We remember the M's first-ever playoff series, and in the first inning or two the other guys came up-and-in, about 94 mph and the pitch could have killed somebody. Playoff baseball is take no prisoners, baby...
The Mariners sat cowed in the dugout. Lou jumped up, screamed across the home-plate-umpire area into the other dugout, YOU'RE GETTING ONE IN YOUR EAR YOU *($(*U#s AND WHEN YOU DO, REMEMBER I ORDERED IT!
Lou grabbed a bench full of wussies and single-handedly yanked them up into center ring.
Which is, of course, again Job One heading into ST 2011.
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