Bizarro day for M’s
MARINERS
Just another Sunday, right?
The M's win again (that makes eight in a row), Jeff Weaver pitches another superb game (yielding just a solo home run to Frank Thomas), Adrian Beltre scores the game winner on Jose Guillen's single to left (after drawing a walk) and, oh yah, Mike Hargrove up and quit.
What is this, Bizarro Baseball?
Now I know a lot of you in M's fan-land are rejoicing over all those things, especially the last one. But with the team having won eight consecutive games, reaching 12 games over the .500 mark and being only four games back of maybe baseball's best team, the Angels, in the AL West, everyone – even those who wanted Hargrove out – has to be muttering "why now?"
Every one in the media seems to be.
So we are going to divide this post into two areas. It will lead with all the Hargrove-related stories, then move into the game stories. The questions will be the same as Sunday's Hargrove post.
And, just so you don't forget, the M's have their first game in the John McLaren Era tonight (5:10; FSN; 920-AM) at Kansas City, with Felix Hernandez (4-4, 4.33 ERA) facing former M's pitcher Gil Meche (5-6, 3.28).
Today's Hargrove hot list …
• The columns are out there with one from our John Blanchette, two from the Times, Steve Kelley and Jerry Brewer, two from the P-I, Ted Miller and Art Thiel, one from the News Tribune's John McGrath, and one from the Herald's John Sleeper.
• The news stories have the same "what-just-happened?" aura, with this from the P-I, followed by stories in the Times, the News Tribune and the Herald.
• There are more sidebars than I could ever read on a workday, so here are the best …
• Ichiro dodges question whether he'll re-sign with M's (P-I)
• Ichiro on the decision (Times)
• McLaren speaks about his new role (News Tribune)
• McLaren has mixed feelings (Times)
• Now on to the game stories with the M's overcoming the circus of the day, Weaver's pitching performance and the comeback all big news. Here are the stories from the P-I, Times, the News Tribune and the Herald. There is also this from Toronto's Globe and Mail, which features a great two-word lead.