Fixing Figgins

As I sat down to write this post, my mind was made up. It was time to finally write a post about why Chone Figgins needs to go away. He looks terrible at the plate. His offensive numbers are anemic. It already feels like there isn't a good spot for him in the batting order, and there really won't be a good place once Dustin Ackley is called up and establishes himself.

Quick aside: Ackley is struggling a bit in AAA right now, so he might be a bit farther off than I especially am willing to admit. Perhaps Ackley is a non-factor when it comes to Figgins this year.

Regardless of Dustin, it's painful to watch Chone. As a fan, watching him the past year and a month, I have the sense that this simply isn't working.

Maybe Figgins needs a change of scenery to be good again. The Mariners could hand over the hot corner to Matt Mangini or Matt Tuiasosopo and see what happens. This is a season about developing in-house talent anyway. Finding a trade partner might be difficult, but I still think someone would take a chance on Chone for a bargain bin price.

I thought the numbers would back up my view. After looking them up, I don't know what to think.

Playoff Expansion

It's been a busy week in the commissioner's office. One day, Selig is commandeering control of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The next, he lets us all know that the MLB playoffs will probably expand next year.

I wanted to write a full post just about the Dodgers, but this week at work was too long. I've wanted to dig into their ownership disaster for a while, and I still might. For now, I'll just say that it is stunning to take a step back and think about. The Dodgers, a name brand in the Los Angeles market, are struggling to make ends meet. Why? Because their owners are that greedy, and that interested in screwing the other over in their ugly divorce hearings.

Part of me wonders how MLB owners did not notice what the McCourts were like when the sale was approved in the first place, but ultimately I don't blame the other owners. It is hard to imagine anyone being as self-absorbed and classless as the McCourts have got while an entire franchise and fanbase suffers. There is a certain amount of good faith that any deal, relationship, or partnership needs to run on, and the McCourts abused every ounce of it.

For now, on to rosier business. Let's talk about playoffs (<- check that link for a classic chuckle). It looks like baseball will add two more wild card berths next year, bringing the total number of playoff participants up to 10 in a 30-team league. It compares favorably with the NFL, where 12 of 32 teams make the post-season.

Cheney Stadium Grand Reopening

I was at the Rainiers home opener tonight, and had a darn good time. Tacoma lost 6-5, but it was a good game, and in many ways a proper way to kick things off in the renovated Cheney. I will be attending may Rainiers games this year, so Rainier recaps might be a bit of a running theme for 2011. If you'd like more Rainiers coverage, let me know after reading this entry with a comment at the end. Here we go: