Seattle

I had no idea that a series win in Anaheim could be this depressing. Nevermind the fact that the Mariners should have completed a three game sweep though, let's look at exactly how they were able to take two out of three from their division rivals, the Angels.

Game One: 5-2 Mariners

After scoring three early runs, the M's took this game pretty easily. Jason Vargas showed once again that he's got the poise to be a Major League starter, and the Mariners offense was able to tally a respectable five runs against the formidable John Lackey.

It’s all but obvious that the Mariners will draft Dustin Ackley in the upcoming amateur draft with the second overall pick. However, the team also holds picks 27 and 33.

Jack Zduriencik has been diligent in acquiring left-handed power hitters, speedy outfielders, and middling starting pitching prospects, so the bottom of the first round could be a field day for the GM.

Ackley has high value because he may be able to play center field, and recently some have begun to project him at second base. Supposedly Zduriencik likes the idea of Ackley at second.

When Jack Zduriencik signed the veteran Russell Branyan this off season, he and the rest of the organization were probably expecting a solid defensive first baseman who could put up some decent power numbers in the middle of the order. It appears that what they got was a lot more.

Everyone already knew that Branyan had a great power upside, but he has performed well above expectations over the first two months of the season. Not only is he doing a bang-up job at first base, but he's near the top of the league in homers with a batting average above .300.

The general consensus is that the American League West is the weakest division in baseball. I would have to agree with this. 

Not only does the division have just four teams, but it is also lacking a powerhouse team that most other divisions possess.

In a lot of ways, this is a good thing. Namely, it gives average teams like the Mariners a chance to compete. It's rare for anyone to walk away with the division in dominating fashion, with the exception of the 2008 Angels.

It's quite clear that Brandon Morrow isn't doing well. This much has been obvious since he came off of the DL a little over a week ago.

The burning question is: What needs to be done about him?

Everyone has an opinion as to what the answer of this question is, and one very popular one seems to be: "Make him a starter."

Once again, Brandon Morrow was pulled from closing.

First time, he went to the DL so he was pulled. But this time, he struggled to get a save in two consecutive days. Now, he is pulled from closing.

Since coming off the DL, Morrow gave up six runs in only 1.2 innings. On the first game, he was able to get a save even giving up a run.

But in the second game against the Rangers, he gave up a walk-off two run double to Hank Blalock. And finally, he gave up walk-off two run homer to Chris Davis to lose his closing job.

Enough is enough.

"There was absolutely no doubt that he (Wakamatsu) had the capabilities to one day manage in the big leagues," Mike Scioscia once said. "He was a terrific teacher, communicator, and he knew the game."

Who will win AL manager of the year?

I say not Garnedhire, not Maddon, not Girardi, and not Francona.

Who?

Don Wakamatsu.

The 2008 Seattle Mariners had the second-worst record in baseball (61-101); it was a campaign of no power and no pitching.

They paid a Carlos Silva $12 million over the season to lose 16 games—almost $1 million per loss.

They gave up five promising prospects for an ace—Erik Bedard—who pitched just 81 innings. GM Bill Bavasi probably thought he was buying job security when he swung the deal, but he was actually ringing up his own ticket out of town.

I was not shocked when I heard the news.

It was so obvious, and I would've been stunned if another city had topped us for the dubious honor. Forbes magazine tagged Seattle as "the most miserable sports city" for 2009.

This is non-debatable.

Breaking it down sport-by-sport, the Seattle fans were treated, or should I say punished, to the worst sports year I've ever heard of.

Year after year, fans seem to really dig the long ball and completely forget about the players who will pitch almost half of the game, the bullpen.

The bullpen is home to some and a foot into the door (AKA starting rotation) to others. As for the 2010 Seattle Mariners, they have three stud closer prospects in the same bullpen.

If I remember correctly, the last team to have only two stud closers was the 1998 New York Yankees, and one wasn't even a prospect. They were John Wetteland and Mariano Rivera.