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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

You Make The Call

A selection of comments from fans calling our “You Make the Call” hotline:

Give Woodward the boot

It’s apparent that the Mariners are not going to go any further in this postseason and the fans should hold the management directly responsible. They traded away Jose Cruz Jr. to try and shore up a bullpen that gave up the majority of the runs in the last two games. I will look forward to the day this winter when Woody Woodward is canned and sent packing and they get someone who knows what he is doing in that office. I also don’t agree with them keeping Norm Charlton on the postseason roster. His arm is tired. They should not pick up his option.

Rick Findley

Spokane

Fans still love Mariners

The last two games watching the Mariners I want to cry, cry, cry. I was at the game last Saturday and the team was absolutely electrifying. Don’t give up on the Mariners. Randy Johnson took his hat off to the 50,000 fans in that Kingdome for his 2,000th strikeout and the team spirit is still there. The M’s need to remember without the fans it’s just a game and all of us are going to stand behind them. Go Mariners. We’re waiting for another win. Take it.

Gina Woodgerd

Spokane

Piniella is the loser

Lou had a good bullpen. He doesn’t know how to use it. Once he starts rotating it affects the other players. He got rid of a good switch hitter - Cruz - for two in the bullpen and he still uses Ayala and Charlton, which he should ship off. Lou Piniella needs to go elsewhere; he’s the loser, not the players - the best team in the major leagues. Cruz leaving affected the whole team.

Marilyn Nible

Spokane

Mariners far cry from ‘95 team

I think, unlike 1995, this year the Mariners are overconfident. They appear to think that they are so good as a team that somehow, someone will pull out the win. In ‘95 it was more an attitude of determination. One where every player seemed to say, “I’ve got to do what it takes to win. It’s up to me.”

Unless they can reshape their attitudes in one day this season is over.

Bill Schwartz

Chelan

Don’t blame the pitching

Bottom line is you don’t win ballgames with three runs. That’s what we’ve seen two days in a row. They keep talking and talking about how bad our pitchers are, but three runs don’t cut it. You don’t win games with three runs. They can go around and around about how terrible our bullpen is and how bad the starters are doing. You just get tired hearing all the announcers rank our pitchers when we’re not scoring runs.

Ron Watson

Spokane

Bullpen didn’t lose game

The game was not lost tonight by the bullpen. It was lost by the whole team. Buhner, Wilson, Rodriguez … all of those guys were aiming for the home run. If they just get on the base, that’s how you win. You can’t expect the bullpen to hold up while they are getting no runs at all and striking out.

Roben Ertter

Spokane

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