A Grip on Sports: The inevability of change has us wondering just when the hammer will fall, not if

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Is today the day? We’re not sure, but signs are becoming even clearer a change will be made. We will be trimming our mustache. Wait, you thought we were referring to Scott Servais’ job status or something? Ya, we were. Sorry for the awful attempt at misdirection.

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• Sleight of hand has never been our forte. Mainly because we show our emotions at a drop of a hat. Seriously, someone drops a hat and we jump. Just think how we will react when the hammer is dropped on Servais’ nine-year tenure with the Mariners?

As we wrote yesterday, we don’t think firing the manager will have a material impact on this year’s fortunes. With 35 games left on the schedule and a five-game deficit in the American League West (six in the all-important loss column), the M’s chances of rallying and making the postseason – where their pitching might just be good enough to throw fear into the hearts of the league’s best – are slim or fat or none or whatever.

But that doesn’t make us blind to the inevitable.

When the Times’ Ryan Divish alludes to it in a game story (as he did following Monday’s loss), when The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal talks with Jerry Dipoto, who answers a question about Servais’ status Tuesday with “It definitely has to be a consideration for us, to talk through everything. That’s just reality,” you have to know the end is near.

We’ve always felt you don’t fire anyone in sports until you are sure you have someone better to fill the spot. Just who that might be – sorry, Stephen Vogt got away and is doing pretty well with Cleveland – is unclear in our mind.

We searched the names on the coaching staff. Other than pitching coach Pete Woodworth or infield coach Perry Hill, who has done enough to earn a promotion? And those two are either too inexperienced (Woodworth) or too ingrained in their niche (Hill) to be seen as a massive improvement.

The best bet? Tacoma’s former PCL-title-winning manager, and current Mariner first-base coach, Kristopher Negrón. He is youngish (38), has been in charge before (when Servais had COVID-19) and has a voice the offensive players recognize, even if they don’t get to first base often enough.

But is he a guy who could unite the clubhouse, a la Lou Brown in “Major League,” and lead a charge down the stretch? And is it even possible to find a life-size cutout of John Stanton wearing a bikini at such short notice?

Stanton is the face of the ownership group. And, despite Dipoto toeing the company line concerning spending in Rosenthal’s story, their artificial financial restraints are the main reason this team is sinking fast.

What did Dipoto say?

“I don’t think it’s been a problem for us. I really don’t think it’s ever been a problem for us,” he told The Athletic’s national baseball writer. “Somebody is going to have the highest payroll. Somebody will have the lowest. Our general place in that continuum has been consistent with our revenue streams. We operate to our market.”

Uh, no, they don’t. The M’s spend a smaller percentage of their revenue on the roster than many teams in baseball. A lot less than most contenders.

With all that being said, it’s not as if Servais’ record has made him hard to let go. His best season in charge, if you are going by overachievement, was his first.

In 2015, Lloyd McClendon’s Mariners were 76-86, finished fourth in the West and looked, at times, even worse.

Servais (and Dipoto, in the front office) took over, the M’s won 86 games in 2016 and for a long stretch actually seemed capable of making the postseason. Then came the great reset, with four years of rebuilding – though somehow Seattle was 89-73 in 2018 – in the pursuit of a team that could, by Dipoto’s admission after last season, win 54% of its games every year.

This year’s team isn’t even doing that well. And Servais’ nine-year winning percentage, at 51.5%, also falls short of that. Then again, so does everyone connected with the franchise. But someone has to be the nail. Even if the guy wielding the hammer is even worse at making contact than the M’s hitters.

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WSU: Anyone who follows the Cougars knows punter Nick Haberer come to Pullman from Australia. But just how he got from there to here is a pretty interesting story, as told by Greg Woods this morning. … The Times’ Scott Hanson makes his yearly trip to Pullman and has a story on Kapena Gushiken. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, the bowl lineup for any school with Pac-12 ties remains the same for the next couple years. Jon Wilner has his early predictions in the Mercury News and he does have WSU headed to one. … That’s if the schools don’t qualify for the expanded CFP, of course. … John Canzano focuses on football with this notes column. … Oregon State has a history of developing tight ends. Will it continue? … The numbers stories on the Oregonian website roll on, with No. 11 for Oregon State and Oregon. … The season is closing in fast. Who will Washington have on its depth chart against Weber State. … There is a lot going on in Eugene, with offensive linemen returning from injury and the quarterback signing a loud NIL deal. Oregon is also is trying to develop depth at linebacker. … Another coach has disappeared from Colorado, though we haven’t seen anything on the change from the newspaper that covers the Buffs in the most depth. … Can we guarantee Utah will make the playoffs? Well, the Utes need to stay healthy, something that hasn’t happened recently. … Miller Moss waited his turn to quarterback the Trojans. … UCLA’s cornerbacks believe it’s their turn to turn up the pressure. … The new Arizona State quarterback knew he won the job before anyone else. … In the Mountain West, wide receivers at Boise State and Wyoming look to make more of an impact this season. … Even if Hawaii is improved, winning more than six games will be hard, though Delaware’s travel woes might have helped for the opener. … The game day experience at San Diego State should be better this season. … Utah State’s tight ends should be improved too. … Not having to look over his shoulder should help New Mexico’s quarterback. … Air Force has a great fit in the secondary. … If you had a desire to watch Colorado State and Colorado face off, while sitting in the student section, sorry. The tickets are all gone. … There is basketball news. From many sources, including Colorado, which will be part of the Maui Classic this season. The tournament returns to Lahaina after a year away due to the horrendous fires. … Utah has added to its roster. … Arizona has added another open intrasquad scrimmage, this one in the Phoenix area.

Gonzaga: The Zags played in the Maui Classic last season. They will return soon. When they do, they may have a Texas point guard in charge. Jim Meehan tells us high school senior Kingston Flemings has Gonzaga in his top five schools.

EWU: If you attend Eastern Washington University home football games in the fall – and we know quite a few people who do – you will be experiencing new amenities this season. One emphasis? More time for tailgating. Dan Thompson’s story covers how that is coming into play as well as the other changes planned. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Idaho State women’s basketball team will host BYU as part of this season’s nonconference schedule. … A Northern Arizona defensive lineman has made his own path to Flagstaff – and hopefully beyond.

Indians: It’s looking more and more as if Spokane will host Vancouver in the Northwest League’s championship series. The regular season is winding down. Only Hillsboro looks as if they can catch Vancouver for the second spot though its hopes took a blow last night when the Hops blew an eighth-inning lead and Spokane went on to an 11-3 victory. Dave Nichols has more in this story. … That’s not all from Dave, however. He also has a feature on Connor Staine, who deals with Tourette syndrome as he tries to pitch his way to the big leagues. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League on Tuesday, yes, Vancouver won, topping visiting Everett 6-2. … Tri-City also shut out visiting Eugene 5-0.

Mariners: Two runs in the first. Another added on later. All courtesy of Jorge Polanco. But that was it. And when Andres Munoz, called on in the seventh inning, couldn’t get it done, the M’s were cooked. The final from Dodger Stadium? A 6-3 defeat and Seattle’s record on the road trip to 1-7. … No, we don’t have faith this team will rally, even if a change is made in the manager’s office. What have they done to give anyone hope of a late turnaround? … Julio Rodriguez is about ready to return to centerfield. Not in L.A., though. … Guess what player is on a heater for the Reds? Yep. A former Mariner.

Seahawks: This is fun. Pete Carroll spoke yesterday, doing an interview on Seattle radio. He’s not sitting home waiting for the phone to ring, that’s for sure. … Who out there believes the offensive line will be good enough this season to make a material difference? Anyone? Anyone? Buehler? … The return rules are on everyone’s mind.

Kraken: Talk about lost in the part of the offseason dominated by the Hawks’ beginning and the M’s sad, slow ending. Matty Beniers and the Kraken agreed to a seven-year contract extension Tuesday. Another young star locked into Seattle for the foreseeable future.

Sounders: Just what is Seattle doing with its keepers? Will it be the young guy or the older one the team depends on the rest of MLS season?  

Storm: The outside shooting Tuesday night was horrendous. No matter. Seattle relied on its defense and handed the Mystics another loss. The 81-77 win snapped the Storm’s two-game losing streak following the break. … We knew we remembered France’s star, Gabby Williams, from somewhere as the nation’s team battled the U.S. for the Olympic gold medal. It was the Storm, though it took a while to figure it out. Anyhow, she’s coming back to Seattle and just in time.

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• We write this column for two groups of readers. Those who acess it in the morning on the S-R’s website. And those who read the Chronicle online in the evening. Which is why we are hesitant, at times, to delve into issues like Servais’ future employment. What we write in the morning may be somewhat moot by the afternoon. However, we have the feeling if a change is to be made, it will come after tonight’s road-trip ending game in L.A. That allows whomever is the interim manager to start fresh in Seattle against a Giant team that isn’t having the best season. The three home games with San Francisco are followed by three more with Tampa Bay and then a road trip to Anaheim and Oakland. If the new guy is going to have a good start, that’s not the worst schedule he could face. Until later …