Big in Japan

In eight years since Sweet Lou left Seattle, the Mariners have had six managers. With all due respect to Bob Melvin, Mike Hargrove, John McLaren, Jim Riggleman, Don Wakamatsu and Daren Brown, it takes a special kind of competitor to win consistently in Major League Baseball.

The challenge of motivating a team, not only through a 162-game schedule, but over a decade of 162-game seasons (and postseasons) is one that can only be met by a handful of special individuals. Mike Scioscia, Joe Torre, Terry Francona, Buck Showalter, Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa-- these are men that deserve their jobs as long as they want them.

Bobby Valentine, also one of the best baseball minds in the world, may now return to the game at its top level. There should be no hesitation. Mariners' GM Jack Zduriencik (pronounced ZA-REN-SICK, ask Mike Krzyzewski) should be working hard to get Valentine signed. If they do, they would instantly throw themselves right into the mix for the division crown in 2011. It's that simple.

The losers in all of this wind up being, coincidentally or not, the New York Mets. The Mets had Zduriencik working in their front office and decided instead to hand control of the organization to a trio of more camera and MS Word-friendly (and less baseball-savvy) youngsters, who wound up being sex maniac Steve Phillips, Scott Kazmir scapegoat Jim Duquette, and utter failure Omar Minaya. While Phillips was firing Valentine, Zduriencik was drafting Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder for the Brewers.

It is also well documented that Bobby V. highly recommended the Mets sign Ichiro out of Japan, having managed there and having scouted him personally. The Mets were in financial position to outbid the Mariners for the now Cooperstown-bound Ichiro, but opted against Valentine's advice back in 2001. The Mets with Zduriencik at GM, Valentine at manager and Ichiro at RF would have worked. Perhaps it will work in Seattle.

Bobby has managed in Japan twice, speaks the language, and won the Japan Series with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005. Nintendo of America owns the Mariners. America loves Nintendo. America loves Ichiro. America loves Bobby. Japan loves Bobby-san. Ichiro wants Bobby-san. Bobby lobbied for Ichiro. Zduriencik was Director of the Mets Minor League Operations for two years while Bobby was their big league skip, so they have worked together before. It makes too much sense.