Geoff Baker has a couple of articles called Rebuilding the Mariners about Seattle’s finest (found via MLBTR), who have now become the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games. As you can imagine there’s a lot of blame to go around, but featuring prominently are Ichiro and Kenji Johjima, the latter who Baker describes as a player that “symbolizes a team at a contradictory crossroads.”
I’ll start with the Ichiro stuff since he’s the better player and what’s said is a little more shocking. This is actually from Part 2 of the series.
“I just can’t believe the number of guys who really dislike him,” said one clubhouse insider. “It got to a point early on when I thought they were going to get together and go after him.”
Woah. “Go after him”? As in corner him and beat him up? The accounts of Ichiro in the clubhouse are differing and have been for years, and granted this Mariners team is terrible and disappointing, but teammates wanting to gank him? Definitely a different story than what we heard during the All-star game when his fellow All-stars were laughing and talking about his famous pregame speech that gets everyone primed to win.
The coaching staff and then-manager John McLaren intervened when one player was overheard talking — in reference to Ichiro — about wanting to “knock him out.” A team meeting was called to clear the air.
I’m curious who it was.
It was a repeat of May 2007, when Mike Hargrove was in charge and a team meeting had to be called during a series at Tampa Bay because of clubhouse bickering over Ichiro being a “selfish” player.
Ichiro this year had to battle a midseason hamstring problem, and he was shifted from center field back to right because McLaren thought Ichiro was a better defender in the corner. While Ichiro is said to have recovered from his injury, his stolen-base totals dropped as the season progressed. He also did not get to some balls in the gap and the right-field corner at times, prompting more clubhouse complaints that he cared only about piling up hits instead of sitting out to heal properly.
But others point out that Ichiro, along with Ibanez, is one of the few Mariners to put up consistently high numbers during a season in which the team has all but collapsed. They also suggest that Ichiro, being Japanese and not a vocal clubhouse presence, is somewhat vulnerable to scapegoating in a clubhouse that at times appeared divided along linguistic and cultural lines.
Yuck. The Mariners must have some real jerks on that team.
One of them is/may have been Erik Bedard, whose off the field personality I know little about, but the reviews aren’t usually very good. Here, in the beginning of Part 1 Baker describes a scene involving Bedard and Johjima. He seems to be using this scene to illustrate a pivotal point in the season.
And a nervous Kenji Johjima seemed to be dying a little inside as he spoke to reporters after an extra-innings loss in mid-May against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. Less than 20 feet away, the night’s starting pitcher, Erik Bedard, was huddled with Felix Hernandez. They were eyeing Johjima, as if attempting to overhear what he was saying, especially when it came to the subject of Bedard.
The Rangers had rocked Bedard for six runs in just two innings, but a clearly uncomfortable Johjima, continuously looking over at the pitchers, kept dodging questions about the left-hander’s performance. It would be the final time Bedard and Johjima worked together all season, a battery terminated at the pitcher’s request.
That night also ended the last real hope the Mariners had of climbing back into the American League West race. Their No. 1 starter had taken the mound, with the Mariners desperately hoping for a series sweep, but Seattle instead came up short once again.
As many of you know Johjima lost his starting job during the season, although he’s picked it up a little in September (340/.404/.447 plus 10 RBI).
And yet, the team will move into the offseason, likely the first club with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games, knowing that Johjima is still on the books for three more years and $24 million. The signing, said to have come at the insistence of Japanese ownership, makes almost no sense for a team that currently employs four other catchers at the major-league level or close to it.
One oft-repeated rumor making the rounds these final weeks is that Johjima has an “opt-out” clause in his contract that enables him to head back to Japan after this season. But in fact, Johjima’s agent, Alan Nero, said the clause won’t kick in until the end of 2009, once the second contract — the one containing Johjima’s extension — has been in effect a full season.
“He does not have an opt-out for this year,” Nero said.
Nero added that, while there is an opt-out clause following 2009, specific language in the contract limits the reasons why Johjima could leave.
“It has to do with something catastrophic happening to a member of his family, that would force him to return to Japan,” Nero said, declining to get any more specific. “Not him bailing because he’s unhappy.”
The signing was surprising given the team had two very good catching prospects in Jeff Clement and Rob Johnson waiting in the wings. It might have been better to put a little heat under Johjima and make him earn or not earn his new deal. He seemed on the cusp of a breakout season offensively, said the guy who took a flyer on him in a fantasy league after he dropped into the 13th round, but it’s been quite the opposite.
11 responses so far ↓
1 yoshi // Sep 26, 2008 at 10:03 am
being from seattle and an ichiro fan, i have my own thoughts on this whole ordeal. BUT, i will wait and see what others have to say about this first. one thing i can and will say is this…..the sports scene here in seattle stinks. i cant pinpoint one reason why, but it smells foul. the mariners have sucked. 2001 was a good year but it looks like it will be 3001 until we see another good one. then there is the team formerly known as the sonics. the washington huskies and so on……seattle stinks.
2 Matt // Sep 26, 2008 at 10:46 am
I’ve heard pitchers complain about Johjima before. I guess communication is an issue, but the Ichiro stuff is surprising. Especially considering the, erm, “effort” some of the Mariners have put forth this season.
3 John Brooks // Sep 26, 2008 at 10:51 am
One of them is/may have been Erik Bedard, whose off the field personality I know little about, but the reviews aren’t usually very good.
Take it from someone who watched Bedard’s antics for years in Baltimore, he’s a headcase. He’s all but gone this offseason after his disappointing season.
Moving on, it would been in Seattle’s best interest to trade Ichiro. Yeah, I know that would be disappointing and depressing to Mariner fans and for years I didn’t agree with it, but for both parties it be in the best interest.
Ichiro wouldn’t have to be subject to the whining of the Seattle news media and the complaining in the clubhouse and not to mention get a chance to play on a team with a chance to go to the Series. Also, the M’s be able to rebuild their farm system after the Bedard trade(which as a O’s fan I couldn’t be more ecstatic about).
Though I also highly doubt Nintendo(despite being run day to day by Lincoln & Armstrong) will sign off on trading Ichiro.
As for Johjima, I like him as a player, but it was stupid to re-sign him to such a big deal. It’s going to be nigh impossible to unload him.
the sports scene here in seattle stinks. i cant pinpoint one reason why
It’s simple, lackluster ownership and team management(Lincoln, Armstrong, and Bavasi). They traded the farm for Bedard, traded Choo for Broussard, traded Carlos Guillen for Ramon Santiago, traded Rafael Soriano for Horacio Ramirez, traded Moyer who has went on to be a great starter for the Phils, traded Winn for Jesse Roppert, made the stupid trade for Jose Vidro, and signed numerous FA busts(Sexson, Everett, Weaver, Batista, Beltre, Washburn, Silva).
The M’s get to join the 100/100 club. A payroll of over $100 million and 100 losses. The M’s are a joke of a franchise. They need to get the rebuilding effort underway now by trading Ichiro and Beltre. They should dealt Ibanez at the deadline. Under idiots like Lincoln/Armstrong and the help of Bavasi the M’s will suck for a long time.
4 John Brooks // Sep 26, 2008 at 10:54 am
I guess communication is an issue, but the Ichiro stuff is surprising. Especially considering the, erm, “effort” some of the Mariners have put forth this season.
Nah, its been going on for years. The Seattle news media and players have been whining about Ichiro and a lack of communication for a long time since like 2004. It’s the culture of losing that has tried to make Ichiro into a villian. Hopefully, Ichiro gets the trade out of Seattle he deserves.
5 yoshi // Sep 26, 2008 at 12:48 pm
a few tidbits…….since his start with the mariners, ichiro has been at the ballpark everyday at 2:30 pm for their 7pm games. the only player on the team besides ibanez who is at the ballpark getting prepared for the nights game. if there is one player who we can almost certainly rule out on “calling out” ichiro is ibanez.
as noted earlier, i just dont understand the johjima thing. obviously there is something behind that signing. especially with rob johnson a mariner as well. i know there are some personal/family issues johjima came into the season with and maybe that is where the clause comes in to opt out of his new contract. but why give him the new contract?
mariners fans in seattle are sick and tired of the mariners circus. because of this, they too are looking for a scapegoat. take one guess- ICHIRO. of course there are grumblings about bedard, sexson and even king felix but ichiro seems to be taking a whole lot of heat for this failure. i havent heard a single reasonable reason why the people of seattle are hating on ichiro. as a leadoff hitter, ichiro is batting close to .350 this season. the only semi-knock on ichiro is his b.a. with risp. but then you look at what the rest of the team has done and you can’t say too much.
seattle has some work to be done in all facets of its organization. i have given up on them and really dont care what they do from now on. another issue that puzzles me is the players they have drafted over the past few years. obviously they are good players but i think there were far better players available at that time. oh well.
6 Shinsano // Sep 26, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Some good comments here. I think if I was the new GM I might try to find out who was saying these kinds of things and start by getting rid of them. I guess if it was Felix Hernandez I might pause, but other than him…that’s not acceptable.
Back in the real world, I guess when you have a team having as bad a season as the Mariners have everyone is going to get the finger pointed at them at some point. But Ichiro’s career demands respect, regardless of what he’s doing in the lockeroom.
7 yoshi // Sep 26, 2008 at 2:34 pm
i just think its crazy that ichiro is about to tie LOU GEHRIG’S record and his teammates are talking smack. go figure.
8 Shinsano // Sep 26, 2008 at 4:04 pm
An ESPN article about the whole thing…I was thinking it might be Putz, but doesn’t sound like it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3609799&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines
9 Ken // Sep 27, 2008 at 5:02 am
USS Mariner very loosely implies that it was Carlos Silva. It sounds like a throw-away at the end of the post, but those who read the blog regularly say it isn’t the first time Silva has been mentioned in this context. FWIW.
Seattle has some serious roster problems, and much of the blame deservedly falls on the ousted Bavasi. Guess where he is now, Aaron?
10 Shinsano // Sep 27, 2008 at 10:02 am
I know. I almost said something about that when you brought up the Broussard for Choo trade. Funny how the name just keeps coming up. It’ll take Seattle years to get out of that hole.
11 DJ // Sep 27, 2008 at 12:23 pm
It’s all Bret Boone’s fault. I’m not sure how, but I’ll figure it out one of these days.
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