Seattle Mariners

After hearing from multiple sources that Jeff Clement might not make the Mariners opening day roster, I starting thinking, what should they do with him? Could they trade him? Could he be the Mariners' full time designated hitter and follow in the footsteps of All-Star Edgar Martinez?

Now, the reasons for him possibly not making the roster, are bold but true. Mariner's manager Don Wakamatsu wants a defensive back-up catcher and Clement is by no means that, so that leaves Rob Johnson.

I haven't been this excited about an upcoming Mariner's season in a very long time. In my last article, I begged the Mariner's brass to hire Dave & DMZ* as the new Co-GM's before it became far too depressing to write about the M's flailing on a daily, weekly or any other basis.

Well, I don't know how to put this, but apparently I'm kind of a big deal because they did the next best thing. They ended the draconian rule of Bavasi and now the shining light reflecting off of the dome of our new GM Jack Zduriencik (or Z for the tongue-tied or drunk) has begun thawing my heart.

It seems that since October of last season, it's become en vogue to repeat a single word so as to focus on one's goal.

For President Obama, it's "economy," his work in progress.

For the Seattle Mariners it's "transformation," and they've mostly completed it.

Clubhouse chemistry, defense, the back end of the rotation, power in the lineup, and the bullpen were all addressed this offseason.

The M's traded away J.J. Putz, Jeremy Reed, Luis Valbuena, and Sean Green in a swap that brought defense and power. It also rid the team of locker room poison.

The Mariners have way too many starters. It includes young guys (Felix Hernandez, Brandon Morrow, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Garrett Olson) and veterans (Jarrod Washburn, Carlos Silva, Erik Bedard). Also, non-roster invitees like Chris Jakubauskas are also in the contension. But there are only five spots on the rotation. Who will make it?

The Mariners have a very young staff stepping forward. Felix Hernandez is the sure-fire ace but people have to watch out for Brandon Morrow is the key youngster that could make a name for himself in the rotation. Also Erik Bedard is lurking in the shadows as the number two on the staff. The Mariners also get a blast from the past with Ken Griffey Jr. who will more than likely play outfield.

After almost becoming the starting second baseman for Venezuela in the final match of the World Baseball Classic, Jose Lopez has now returned to Seattle, as the Venezuelans lost in the semi-finals to Korea 10-2 last Saturday.

And now that many Seattle Mariners are back from their respected teams, the Mariners can show that with their added players, they can improve on their .500 record, the mark currently sit at after a 5-1 win today against the San Francisco Giants.

It was an interesting game for the Mariners as former ace, Randy Johnson gave up two runs in three innings.

Ever since 2001, the Seattle Mariners have relied on one player to consistently get on base and to score runs.

Ichiro Suzuki is now starting to show his age, 35 years old, on the baseball field. Sure, his team in the World Baseball Classic, Japan, is doing rather well, but Ichiro has not done well. Right now he is posting a .214 batting average for Team Japan, not quite his typical .340 batting average.

But, what was his stats in the 2006 World Baseball Classic? Back then, he had a typical .364 average.

After watching the Seattle Mariners on "30 Clubs in 30 Days," I picked up a few tidbits of information that I wanted to pass along regarding the Mariners' offseason and the high hopes the team has for 2009.

The 2008 sports scene in Seattle was something straight out of one of those bad horror movies like Hatchet, or the Saw Sequels.

The Seahawks missed the playoffs for the first time in recent memory, the Mariners were miserable, and we do not even have a basketball team to boo anymore because they currently reside in the 44th largest market in America, playing like my High School basketball team, who have not made the playoffs in 30 years.