Ichiro agrees with us too!

So I have officially given up my 1/4 of a season ticket. I just don't see much hope of improvement from these Mariners and I don't see much hope for the future at this point. Sure, Felix is a possible stud and Lopez, Jones and Yuni are decent cheap complementary players, but what do you have after that? Clement? Morrow? Precious fucking little after that to be sure.

And now you don't have Ichiro. Or at least you won't after this season. Reportedly he has given interviews in Japan, where he claims that he is looking to go somewhere where he can win a championship after this season. He is looking at the current club, and the current management team, and the farm system and he doesn't see it either. There is no hint that he wont give it his all this year, but he supposedly has no intention of re-upping with the M's after his contract expires next year. I say supposedly because the interview is in Japanese, and I can't read a word of it.

If this is true, it just makes the 2008 Mariners even bleaker. We'll still be playing three guys superstar money (Beltre, Sexson, and Washburn) without having any actual superstars. Barring a Felix El Rey breakout of course. In 2008, we'll have a new GM and manager of course, and they'll probably tear the whole thing down and rebuild.

Best case scenario: contenders in 2010. Crap.