Back to the Future

Flipping aimlessly through the channels, I saw that Back to the Future, Part II was being replayed for the one millionth time on HBO tonight. Seemingly for the first time in the Bavasi era, a version of that theme is being played in Mariner-land as we speak.

The Mariners have finally taken a step toward a significant youth infusion on the big club level. Seemingly every previous effort to squeeze the final vestiges of talent from aging, barely ever has-beens (as the Goose/Slider exchange from Top Gun goes: "The list is long, but distinguished - yeah, well so's my Johnson": Scott Spezio, Rich Aurilia, Carl Everett, Matt Lawton, Jeff Weaver, to name a few) has roundly failed. The worst part about it was that the team refused to recognize the inevitability of the failures until far too late to salvage anything. At least the latest dumpster dives - Wilkerson and Norton, to be specific - were cut loose early.

This small dust up covers two issues I addressed in recent posts: age and suckitude. I labeled both Wilkerson and Norton as "crap" in my last post and had a discussion as to how old the Mariners were for a rebuilding team in my A Rented Mule piece. Therefore, I feel especially pleased that both issues were addressed quickly by the previously slow-witted Mariners front office.

I don't care if Balentien and/or Clement may take time to produce at this level. They are replacing or augmenting positions that aren't producing as it is in right field and at DH. Moreover, it's exciting to see top young players break in and kick start their careers. Watching a team of mostly mediocre 30+ veterans go through the motions just isn't that enthralling. Plus, one can only hope that the youth movement might serve as a Vitamin B-12 injection to the veterans, not to mention the team's chances as this season unfolds.

I'm going to the May 9th game against the White Sox. Row 10, directly behind home plate, pretty close to the best seats in the house. All of a sudden there's a new sense of energy around watching this team play. Let's hope it translates into results on the field.