Thursday, September 25, 2003
THIS IS ONE MARINER-RELATED ITEM I'LL ENDORSE
This is an excerpt from Art Thiel's new book, "Out In Left Field", based on the rise of baseball in Seattle and the Northwest. All week, the P-I has been running excerpts from the book, and today's excerpt is on the bitter Randy Johnson story from 1998, when he all but tanked it, wanting out of Seattle.
Remember when Randy was almost traded to the Dodgers? Well, I never knew until now that the deal was killed by Hiroshi Yamauchi, the reclusive owner of the M's. Hideo Nomo was in that proposed M's/Dodgers deal, but Yamauchi didn't want him. But when he was a free agent before the 1995 season, the reclusive Japanese owner wanted Nomo. But Howard Lincoln misinterpreted Yamauchi, and Nomo instead went to Los Angeles.
It's been anything but a rumor that Yamauchi will spend whatever it takes to bring Japanese players to Seattle. Although this quote is from 1998, this is the first time I've seen Yamauchi quoted on anything baseball-related.
"I thought I told you you can run this damn club," Yamauchi said through his interpreter, "but when it comes to Japanese players, you check with me first."
WOW. I'll say it again, if Yamauchi could, he would put the Orix Blue Wave players into Mariner uniforms, lack of Major League experience be damned. I really don't want to come off sounding iggnorant here, but the main focus of the Mariners should be to cater to the SEATTLE FANS, not the Japanese fans.
But that's not the way it is, unfortunately. I'll give Yamauchi and his group credit for saving the ballclub. But that honeymoon is long gone. It's time to go out and win a championship.
Too bad it has to wait at least another year.
Remember when Randy was almost traded to the Dodgers? Well, I never knew until now that the deal was killed by Hiroshi Yamauchi, the reclusive owner of the M's. Hideo Nomo was in that proposed M's/Dodgers deal, but Yamauchi didn't want him. But when he was a free agent before the 1995 season, the reclusive Japanese owner wanted Nomo. But Howard Lincoln misinterpreted Yamauchi, and Nomo instead went to Los Angeles.
It's been anything but a rumor that Yamauchi will spend whatever it takes to bring Japanese players to Seattle. Although this quote is from 1998, this is the first time I've seen Yamauchi quoted on anything baseball-related.
"I thought I told you you can run this damn club," Yamauchi said through his interpreter, "but when it comes to Japanese players, you check with me first."
WOW. I'll say it again, if Yamauchi could, he would put the Orix Blue Wave players into Mariner uniforms, lack of Major League experience be damned. I really don't want to come off sounding iggnorant here, but the main focus of the Mariners should be to cater to the SEATTLE FANS, not the Japanese fans.
But that's not the way it is, unfortunately. I'll give Yamauchi and his group credit for saving the ballclub. But that honeymoon is long gone. It's time to go out and win a championship.
Too bad it has to wait at least another year.
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