Economic Showers Leave M’S Without Tino And Blowers

Somewhere here I have notes scribbled back in October detailing the shrewdness of Woody Woodward and the indulgence of Seattle Mariners ownership.

What’s that? Burn them?

Throw another effigy on the fire?

The snow’s come, 207 RBIs are gone and that’s Mariners management doing the flamenco atop the barbecue.

Guess it’s official: Seattle’s a baseball town, and all other precincts hereabouts by association.

For the longest time, the Northwest didn’t have a franchise in the Hot Stove League, what with the M’s idea of a blockbuster trade being Darnell Coles-for-Tracy Jones. The pointlessness was driven home about 10 years ago, when a book was published ranking the best and worst trades of every major league team.

One of Seattle’s steals? Ron Musselman-for-Pat Putnam.

Now the M’s are players, but the game has changed. The anticipation of a deal that might propel Seattle into a World Series has been supplanted by the dread of the team being dismantled to save a buck or 10 million.

Hence the hand-wringing - much of it justifiable - over Woodward’s grand salary dump: third baseman Mike Blowers to the Dodgers for two Double-A infielders you may never hear of, and first baseman Tino Martinez and pitchers Jeff Nelson and Jim Mecir to the Yankees for Sterling Hitchcock and Russ Davis.

In addition, the Mariners have passed on offering arbitration - and thus bid farewell - to Tim Belcher, Andy Benes and Vince Coleman.

Not to worry. The Moose will be back. Not to mention Junior, Edgar and Randy.

“In a perfect world, we don’t make this trade,” Woodward said after the last “i” was dotted on the Martinez deal. “We keep the whole team intact and move on. That’s not reality.”

Well, if you’re a recent immigrant to Mariners Nation, you don’t respond to the reality argument. Reality was suspended while the M’s soared into the American League Championship Series and the Great Fan Conversion ensued.

In reality, Randy Johnson’s arm falls off pitching on a day’s rest and Joey Cora is called out for leaving the basepath.

And after being scammed by previous owners, the M’s hardcore doesn’t care that Mr. Nintendo and his partners did the backstroke in $23 million of red ink in 1995. Hey, didn’t we buy these guys a new stadium?

Nice try.

You know basenomics are bogus when you hear M’s manager Lou Piniella admit that “on balance, the Yankees got the better of the trade, but clubs that can pick up salary are in a better position than teams that have to cut salary.”

And the M’s aren’t even cutting salary. They’re just trying to hold the payroll at $34 million.

Not only does money talk, it never shuts up.

The ugly truth is Seattle had to swallow hard on both deals. Blowers may have had the season of his life in ‘95 and - who knows? - could well be a Jim Presley career-alike, but a 96-RBI guy should fetch more than Double-A suspects. And with the Yankees, the M’s weakened themselves at two positions - not that Piniella ever allowed himself to completely trust Nelson.

Now, however, Woodward insists the Mariners have the leeway to at least get spare parts - pitchers and a left-handed bat. Paul Sorrento, the power-hitting Cleveland first baseman, may be available on the cheap and could wind up in a platoon with Greg Pirkl, who still awaits his big chance. Left field will, for the 20th straight year, go to committee.

“The final product isn’t in place yet,” said Piniella. “If we add a little offense at first base, pick up another starting pitcher, maybe a backup catcher, that’s a pretty good team.”

You have to admit Woodward and Piniella did splendidly in piecing together the ‘95 team. Belcher, Cora, Coleman, Norm Charlton - all pretty much bargains from the Saturday garage sales.

But the reality - there’s that word again - is that there would have been no pennant race if ownership had pleaded po’ when Jay Buhner had his ballpoint cocked to sign elsewhere, or when Johnson and Edgar Martinez seemed to be destined for spring trades.

They were, in the end, untouchables. In these hard times, a Seattle can only afford a few.

, DataTimes MEMO: You can contact John Blanchette by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 5509.

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