Lonnie's 10 Questions gig is rockin' the joint at Mariner Central. Now he even gets Baker in there, and Geoffy writes a complete blog entry to each question. :- ) Vot's Next? Dr. Zoinks his ownself?

Dr. D cherry-picks a target-rich environment:

Q1. Which is worse, Carlos Silva for 4 years at $48 mil or Kenji Johjima for 3 years at $24 mil?

A. Without a doubt, it's Kenji Johjima's deal.

The logic of Geoff's reply seems to focus on, which move was more brain-dead? Which was an easier mistake to see coming? Which was dumber? .... as opposed to, Which hurt the ballclub more?

On its own terms, I'll buy the idea that Silva might have contributed, and that Johjima's peanut-butter-and-mustard blend with the pitchers was an obvious boil on the skin of the roster.

From my own paradigm of Stars & Scrubs, the Silva-Batista-Washburn outlay of $30M is, like, the worst Civics-for-comfort-zone's sake I can EVER remember in baseball. That same $30M could have scored Santana, RRS, Morrow/whoever and left money for other stuff.

And Johjima was certainly a Nintendo decision. As well, Kenji has shown the ability to be a legitimately better-than-average ballplayer -- at $8M per, short term, that's a bargain in MLB these days. So the Johjima buried mine (if that's what it was) would definitely have been one that Dr. D stepped onto long before the Silva version.

That said, Geoff is speaking from dugout level, saying, the Johjima deal was one that the baseball folks groaned at, the same day. On its own merit, that's an enlightening observation, wouldn't you say?

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Q2. All fans like to think of themselves as unique. Are we Mariner fans unique in any way?

They are unique in the internet passion they bring to the sport ... that said, I think sometimes the Seattle fans think they know more about baseball than anyone else ... I read stuff on the internet all the time that's just flat-out wrong, but it's presented as fact and accepted that way by some fans because the websites and blogs are so widely read and trusted. A little humility can go a long way. But it's best, I suppose, to have a fanbase that cares. I'd take that over apathy any day.

I'm on good terms with Geoff, so will gingerly venture to guess that it's not D-O-V he's busting -- this time. :- )

In this incarnation, we've sworn to ourselves to stay out of catfights, so will refrain from piling on. It is interesting, however, to hear that an "outside insider" on the subject.

Geoff's people skills are outstanding, but he's not mealy-mouthed. He can be pushed far enough to narrow his eyes and set his jaw a little bit, such as when he got all that whining over his article on the Seattle "snowstorm." ... That's manhood: to be strong enough to fight, but to choose not to, as often as feasible. I think the guy's awesome.

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Q3. I continuously beat the drum about the need for a real on-field team leader. Who do you think has a chance of assuming this mantle? Should the Mariners actively seek a player who can fill this role?

... I do think it's important for the team to weed out players who might be contributing negatively towards any leadership issues in the clubhouse.

... On the Mariners, Raul Ibanez is gone and that's a huge loss leadership-wise. When Adrian Beltre goes, it will be as well. J.J. Putz and Jarrod Washburn were also leaders of this team and one is already gone and the latter will be within 12 months. ... Jeff Clement for the position players and Ryan Rowland-Smith with the pitchers are two players I can see being leaders within a few more years. Felix Hernandez, naturally, could be one as well but he has to mature.

That's an awfully lean list, if you're keeping score at home. If Jarrod Washburn is your leader, you're talking 100 losses. All he's going to lead, IMHO, is the behind-the-back bickering that Geoff mentions later. He'll throw his catcher under the bus in front of the press; he'll lead the catty sniping about Ichiro; he'll blame everybody but himself for a 6.00 ERA. That was, indeed, the team personality last year.

In fairness, Washburn is a nails-tough competitor on the field. He won't back down from anybody. That's the leadership thing. ...granted.

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Agree with the comment above that in MLB, "finding leadership" firstly means weeding out the real cancers, because those types of "veterans" will create the catty, feline clubhouse personality that helped wreck the 2008 season.

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In baseball, positive leadership comes from impact players who do not back down from other impact players. Period.

As Boston's own people will tell you, they shook off the curse when players like Keith Foulke, Jason Varitek, and Curt Schilling went out and faced the superstars of the game in a calm and confident style. That's baseball leadership, end of story.

Griffey and Dunn, by the way, qualify as such. As will Felix next year, and Erik Bedard, given meaningful games in which his performance would matter more than whether he's likeable. Ichiro's quiet leadership would come to the forefront, if the games ever mattered.

Cheers,

Dr D

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