Book Notes: ‘Shipwrecked’ pins blame for M’s failures

Sure, the college football season just wrapped up, the NFL is going strong and the chatter in Seattle is focused on the possible return of the NBA.

But for some folks, spring is around the corner, which means baseball.

Spokane area fans of the Seattle Mariners will have two opportunities to hear and visit with Jon Wells, founder of The Grand Salami, which has covered the Mariners since 1996. He will talk about his book, “Shipwrecked: A People’s History of the Seattle Mariners,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday the Coeur d’Alene Hastings, 101 E. Best Ave., and at 1 p.m. Thursday at Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave., Spokane.

The book, published last year by Epicenter Press, examines how the Mariners have become the only team in the American League to never make the World Series, despite the efforts of many talented players over the years. Wells’ conclusion: Short-sighted management has derailed success with decisions driven by devotion to the bottom line.