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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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It’s past time to put the heat on the Mariners’ organization

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Steve Cishek looks down as he sits in the dugout after giving up a home run and being relieved in the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)
Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Steve Cishek looks down as he sits in the dugout after giving up a home run and being relieved in the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, in Seattle. (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press)

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Ever make tea? Sure you have. The kettle sits on the burner for-freaking-ever with nothing happening, then a low whistle begins. Before you can get to the stove, the kettle is jumping all over the place, the cat has raced into the basement and the noise makes you wonder why you just didn’t go to Dutch Brothers for a cup of joe. Take the kettle off the heat, though, and the calm returns. It’s sort of how I felt yesterday about the Mariners. Read on.

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• Only problem is, the heat came back on just before I headed to bed and I boiled over again. But I am giving you the final chapter of the story first. Let’s go back to the beginning. Yesterday morning. Look, it was obvious the Mariners’ administration has given up on this season. The white flag came out about two weeks ago when they traded Mike Montgomery (pictured), a versatile left-handed pitcher having a solid season, to Chicago. They received a potential first baseman/designated hitter in return, a guy who might just be a perfect fit for Safeco. Fine. Pitching being what it is – high demand, low volume – they also had Wade Miley on the market, a left-handed starter who has pitched a lot of innings in a short major league career. Who else would go? As it turned out, no one. The M’s were sellers at the non-waiver trade deadline, sure, but not really. As yesterday’s deals showed, this is when an organization can restock. The Yankees, the richest organization in the game, did just that, deciding to trade some valuable pieces – and one over-the-hill star – for potential talent. Get enough guys that seem destined for greatness and a few will reach it. That’s the theory. As the day wore on, the trade heat began to bring my baseball senses to a boil. Look, the M’s have tried piecemeal rebuilding for years, first under Bill Bavasi, then with supposed minor-league guru Jack Z. Even new general manager Jerry DiPoto did it his first offseason, adding pieces here and there and hoping for the best. Fine, DiPoto was getting the lay of the land, some of his moves worked and the team seems improved. But the new ownership group, in their introduction to Mariners’ Nation, emphatically stated the World Series was the goal. This team isn’t getting there. Heck, after the past decade and a half, the playoffs would be nice. But that doesn’t look to be happening either. So, after six months of observing, it seemed as if DiPoto was ready to make major changes. And there is no better time to add talent to the organization then the end of July. Teams are willing to part with their future to win now. Texas did. Los Angeles did. Others. But the M’s didn’t sell. Nelson Cruz is still in an M’s uniform. So is Hisashi Iwakuma. Felix. And they’ll continue to be part of a mediocre .500 ball club. They all can still contribute but it’s been proven they, along with the untradeable Robinson Cano (who is going to take that contract?) and young budding stars like Kyle Seager, aren’t enough to reach the M’s – and their fans’ – goals. Patching up a dilapidated house is fine if the foundation is solid. But sometimes you have to take it down to a couple studs and rebuild. Now is the time. The M’s tradeable chips aren’t getting any younger. That’s what I was looking for yesterday, some signal DiPoto had figured out, as Theo Epstein figured out when he joined the Cubs, to get ahead you sometimes have to go back. But, as the minutes ticked by, the fire only got hotter. There was no relief, no news a rebuild had begun. Luckily, I had the opportunity to let off steam, boiling over on the radio yesterday afternoon. So, by last night, my zen had returned. I was resigned to fate. Mariner fans are so nice they won’t force a change. They will support “their” team year after year, lamenting the lack of success sure, but still buying tickets and replica jerseys and the company line that prosperity is just around the corner. Then Steve Cishek happened. Again. And the cat made a dash for the basement.

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• WSU: If you are a person of the Twitter, you may have noticed a change yesterday. Lots and lots of retweets by college coaches. The reason is simple. The rules changed. Jacob Thorpe explains it and passes along some recruiting news in this blog post. ... It was a good day for WSU’s football recruiting, that’s for sure. And for fans of Twitter and other social media. ... Oregon’s compliance office deserves a bonus.

• Gonzaga: Just when it looks as if BYU has a shot at being Big 12 bound, the conference’s TV partners seem to be balking.

• EWU: Football practice is just around the corner. Jim Allen has this piece on next week’s opening day. ... Portland State has an All-America player in its secondary.

• Chiefs: Another draft pick has signed with the club, though he won’t be available full time until down the road a bit.

• Indians: The trade deadline doesn’t just hit major league players. It can reach all the way down to short-season A ball. Josh Horton explains in this online notebook.

• Preps: It’s Tuesday, so Greg Lee has his youth sports notebook.

• Mariners: The M’s returned home to a Safeco Field crowd of Red Sox fans. So they did the nice thing and gave those in attendance what they wanted: A Boston win, courtesy of a couple solo home runs. The 2-1 loss included the M’s coming up empty in the seventh when they had the bases loaded and just one out. ... Taijuan Walker made a rehab start in Tacoma last night.

• Seahawks: And our region’s eyes turn to football. The Hawks are in training camp which means there are a variety of stories about make-or-break years or guys being injured or coming back from injury or other subjects.

• Sounders: Seattle is in a transition phase. So what does the future hold? ... Portland signed a player yesterday for the stretch run.

•••

• I’m done with accepting mediocrity from our regional professional sports franchises. I’m still going to be in their corner, sure, but from now on the B.S. needs to stop. Get better. Do what it takes. Being OK isn’t good enough. Until later ...



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Looking for a Grip on Sports?

Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.