Assorted Tuesday Bullet Points
by Jeff Sullivan on Feb 9, 2010 1:52 PM PST
in Miscellaneous
- My last full day in San Diego was gloomy with rain. My first full day in Portland looks like this:
Either people have been telling me lies my whole life or this is a wonderful example of why you should never judge a player by his debut.
- Yeah, I read the Steve Kelley column. Like you, I was intrigued by the headline, and like you, I was disappointed by everything else. That was a really crappy way to go about apologizing for shameful abuse.
In Kelley's defense, he did technically apologize (Jeff's note: or at least recognize that an apology is overdue). In his headline, his intro, and his conclusion. Kelley had the right thesis, and it's a thesis that we've long wanted to see come out of the major media types. Erik Bedard didn't deserve the treatment he got, and it's good to see more and more people acknowledge their wrongdoing.
But, oh man, so bad. For one thing, if "a lot of readers suggested" that Kelley issue an apology, why bother going through all the background? Kelley wasn't writing for a national audience. He was writing for Seattle. The people who read Steve Kelley will already be familiar with the whole Bedard situation, so they don't need Kelley to go into detail to explain why Bedard was treated poorly in the first place.
And for another, the first thing you learn about issuing an apology is that a proper apology should be unconditional. No mentioning excuses, no mentioning mitigating circumstances. A year ago I mindlessly tossed a softball in the air and when it came down it hit one of my friends square on the top of the head. After everything settled down, I told him "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, although that was hilarious." That's a bad apology. Even though no one got hurt and it was hilarious, I should've just told him how sorry I was and left it at that. Saying anything more makes it sound not like you're expressing remorse, but like you're saying you're sorry because you have to.
And that's how Steve Kelley comes off. No matter how he may feel at his core, his column reads like he doesn't actually mean what he's saying, like he's apologizing to satisfy public demand while still feeling like his behavior was justified. So either he's being insincere, which is a miserable quality, or he's a bad writer, which, uh
- To go along with what Dave wrote about Zduriencik praise last night, I would like to make one thing clear to as many people as possible:
We do not love Jack Zduriencik and the rest of the front office for turning the Mariners into a clear 2010 WS contender.
We love Jack Zduriencik and the rest of the front office for turning the 2008 Mariners into a possible 2010 WS contender.
There's a huge difference in there. Tony Blengino keeps a copy of the 40-man roster they inherited at his desk. I don't know what that 40-man roster looked like, but I know it was a complete mess, which you can kind of gather from this. Ordinarily, when you have a team constructed as poorly as the 2008 Mariners, it can take years upon years for the organization to return to relevance. These guys have accomplished that goal seemingly overnight.
To bring about as much progress as this front office has in so little time...the Mariners aren't a great team, and they're exceedingly unlikely to win the championship this season, but the fact that we're even able to talk about the playoffs at all - that's what's so incredible.
- In the fifth starter breakdown poll posted below on the front page, Garrett Olson got 28 votes. I can forgive the 74 votes for Ryan Feierabend, kind of, but 28 for Olson? 1.2% of the total? What this tells me is that 1.1% of all votes in all polls are submitted by complete retards and 0.04% of all votes are submitted by Garrett Olson's mother.
Wasn't it dark out by the time it started raining?
seattlebruin - February 9, 2010
Garrett Olson has 2.375 mothers
Matthew - February 9, 2010
You son of a bitch.
Matthew - February 9, 2010
Now who's the dean
Jeff Sullivan - February 9, 2010
Today in Portland is the living embodiment of Small Sample Size!
pdb - February 9, 2010
Actually, in my 13 years living here
I’ve found that we get a small amount of sunny, mild weather in mid-February. I’ve always considered it a birthday present. This is t-shirt weather. Enjoy it while it lasts.
groovewrangler - February 9, 2010
Yeah, i've been here for 7
it’s the same false spring we get every February, and it’s giving me the opportunity to finally get the ground cover down in the front garden so yay.
pdb - February 9, 2010
Western Oregon will get you back
It’s definitely a nice day outside here (in Eugene), but the weather gods will cite this when you start complaining next month about how bad the weather was (but we gave you one nice day… you’ll get over it… man up!).
I <3 Central Oregon’s weather though. 10’’ of rain a year is perfect— you can plan something for any day of the year and the odds are highly in your favor of it not getting canceled. (Think Yuni and taking a pitch. It happens 10x a year too.)
thehemogoblin - February 9, 2010
The mid-February tease is upon us
I have been in PDX for 8 years and it is like clock work. The good news is, we have an ample supply of good beer to keep the Seasonal Affective Disorder away. On second thought, maybe that is a bad way to go about things…
JaaronGriffeyJr - February 9, 2010
I have a fridge full of Super Jubel that disagrees that it's a bad way to deal with these things
pdb - February 9, 2010
YES YES YES
Phil Hatzenbuehler - February 10, 2010
It does the same in SEA, no surprise.
Matthew - February 9, 2010
We get our spring in March though.
Or maybe a second faux-spring.
Kirk - February 9, 2010
And then autum does a preview in June
wandergeist - February 10, 2010
I agree its a tease.
I just want it to be summer really bad for many, many reasons.
Fin - February 9, 2010
Guys, guys, stop trying to sell The Lie
He’s already moved here. It’s not going to take him long to figure out that it’s like this all the time and that the weather is vastly better than pitiful places like San Diego and The Lie really is just that. The important thing at this point is to get him to stop posting pictures of the actual conditions lest everybody else figure it out and we have another goddamn Grunge/Tech/Frasier mass-migration to the PNW. Somebody point him to the DrizzleGloom Photoshop filter or, baring that, the usual cache of fake rain photos he can forward to all his friends in that godforsaken SoCal hell-hole. Somebody else can fill him in on all the standard Seasonal Affective Disorder dogma he needs to be able to recite to any outsiders who ask.
Please take down this post once the indoctrination is complete.
wandergeist - February 10, 2010
Does he travel around often showing off his less than impressive package?
seattlebruin - February 9, 2010
I dunno. Olson's got steely blue eyes, a leading man's chin
and pretty good minor league numbers. I didn’t pick him, but picking him is not so inexcusable.
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2010
It's the latter point that I think is most important
Dewey N - February 9, 2010
Wait, no the former
Dewey N - February 9, 2010
You can't have a former or a latter in a list of more than two things.
First, second, and last are your options here.
RunningFool - February 9, 2010
I combined his signs of classical good looks into one thing
Dewey N - February 9, 2010
He certainly does lead with his chin.
Vatinius - February 9, 2010
Yeah I didn't pick him either
Jeff’s just a hater
Edgar for Pres - February 9, 2010
Maybe it's a sign that sunshine follows you wherever you go :)
Dewey N - February 9, 2010
My last full day in San Diego was gloomy with rain
Jeff Sullivan - February 9, 2010
It was sad you were leaving!
Dewey N - February 9, 2010
Was it Saturday?
Because I was there then and I was sorely disappointed.
Torrid - February 9, 2010
The first time I ever came here, my plane landed in a goddamn monsoon.
Teej - February 9, 2010
I'm guessing La Jolla?
JBell523 - February 9, 2010
Nope
Jeff Sullivan - February 9, 2010
I forgot you don't get paid for this blogging thing
I’m in Spring Valley
JBell523 - February 9, 2010
Your team could have Jim Hendry as GM...
and be penciling in Carlos Silva as the fifth starter… Think about that Jeffrey and Garrett Olson don’t sound so bad.
jameslcrockett - February 9, 2010
Two years ago we penciled in Carlos Silva at number three.
Holy fuck we’ve come so far.
joof - February 9, 2010
Not only that,
but we paid $48 million for that special privilege.
I Lick Squirrels - February 9, 2010
ugh...
How far backwards does that mean the Cubs have gone? (Assuming they actually ever evolved instead of just getting really lucky, which is my opinion) Or can we just coin regression by an entire organization that never really got there anyway as Bavasi-ism?
jameslcrockett - February 10, 2010
Hey! In Portland, they film the tv show LEVERAGE!
Maybe you could get cast as an extra…
(But you missed last weekend’s Thug Camp workshops….)
rtang - February 9, 2010
And you're also here in time for
the Worst Day Of The Year ride! And it probably won’t be a bad day at all.
pdb - February 9, 2010
You are forgetting the 0.002% that thought they were voting for Dennis Leary
G4Real - February 9, 2010
I refuse to believe that. Nobody would willingly give Denis Leary a role anywhere.
thehemogoblin - February 9, 2010
So true
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2010
Actually they thought they were voting for Harvey Dent.
I Lick Squirrels - February 9, 2010
Touche
G4Real - February 9, 2010
Re: Garrett Olson
“What this tells me is that 1.1% of all votes in all polls are submitted by complete retards and 0.04% of all votes are submitted by Garrett Olson’s mother. "
Probably those 1.1% of the voters only saw Olson pitch that one inning where he came in with the bases loaded an no outs, and didnt give up a run. Using results based analysis and that small sample size, they think he is awesome.
98.8% of us have seen Olson pitch more than once.
ARock - February 9, 2010
I want everyone to remember this in September
the Mariners aren’t a great team, and they’re exceedingly unlikely to win the championship this season, but the fact that we’re even able to talk about the playoffs at all – that’s what’s so incredible.
This is why people who talk about baseball success in terms of winning the World Series completely miss the point. three years ago this team was a shambles, now it’s not. The baby steps have been taken, and now it’s time to take some wobbly grown-up steps; if those steps lead deep into October, great, but if not this season will still be better than most Mariner seasons. Enjoy it.
pdb - February 9, 2010
Well put
I knew that GMZ and the front office crew had made an extreme makeover, but I had forgotten how bad that 2008 roster was. Vidro was getting paid $8.5M!?!?!?!?!?!?! Are you serious? No matter what happens this year, I will make sure to enjoy the luxury of having a well-run organization.
supershane - February 9, 2010
Jeff, I have to disagree with this: "In Kelley's defense, he did technically apologize. In his headline, his intro, and his conclusion."
About two-thirds through the article I sincerely thought it was meant as a joke, and Kelley had no intention of apologizing. There is no technical apology in this column. According to
Merriam-Webster, an apology is “an admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret.” I think the expression of regret is what’s missing from Kelley’s column.
The headline: My Treatment of Bedard has been unfair.
This is an admission of error, without an expression of regret.
The Intro: It’s time to apologize to Erik Bedard, who was playing through an injury last season.
Kelley states that this would be a good time to apologize. Still doesn’t.
The Conclusion: I expect Bedard still will be grouchy and difficult. But we (I) should learn from the mistakes of the past two seasons and realize that Erik Bedard does want the ball. And his reluctance to share his feelings with us shouldn’t be misinterpreted as a lack of fire for the game.
First of all, I find it hilarious that he turned what could have been a single sentence into two paragraphs. Classic Kelley. Secondly, this is a another admission of error without any sense of regret.
I think the problem here is the whole column is Kelley explaining why he wrote the things he did, and at no point does he say “I’m sorry I did that.” You can probably read between the lines and find it, but that really shouldn’t be necessary in an apology, especially if it’s going to be as chock-full of justifications as this one.
Lanky - February 9, 2010
Wow, that's a lot of writing about a column that should have been casually dismissed.
I sincerely regret my error.
Lanky - February 9, 2010
Fair
Jeff Sullivan - February 9, 2010
perhaps he took his cues from Mel Gibson and Family Guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPi4OcUrHkE
groovewrangler - February 9, 2010
I see ...
that Baker also feels some apologies are due …
msb - February 10, 2010
Guesses on how long it will take Robert to find Jeff's house's location using Google Earth Street View?
Fett42 - February 9, 2010
Extremely long
Dewey N - February 9, 2010
Three days.
Kirk - February 9, 2010
He couldn't even find it after three months of searching last time.
Kirsten Schlewitz - February 9, 2010
So I just tried and failed.
I see the house on the left has the address 4631 and it looks like 4619 and 4621 on the house on the right. So, from there I searched every 46th street and side street. So far no luck. Guess I should give up.
Patton - February 9, 2010
STOP TRYING TO SOLVE THIS
THIS IS MY WHITE WHALE AND I DON’T NEED ANY HELP
Robert - February 9, 2010
I think what you need to search is 46th Ave
And check every block in between 46th Ave and 47th Ave.
Fin - February 9, 2010
Yeah I did every 46th street and 46th ave.
Still no luck. But after I finish my homework I will find it before Robert.
Patton - February 9, 2010
Won't be able to find it without help
Poochie - February 9, 2010
GET OUT OF MY HEAD
Robert - February 9, 2010
3525 was between
Division and Powell, closer to Powell back in 1980.
hairofthedawg - February 10, 2010
Welcome to Stumptown
Come for the strip clubs, stay for the naked bike rides.
Lents Park Homer - February 9, 2010
Kelley's 'apology' was just an Unpology.
“Hey, I’m sorry I said that youre a Jerk. You’re a Jerk and thats why I said it”.
ARock - February 9, 2010
Right, except...
…he never said “I’m sorry.”
I guess after this, we can’t expect Erik to improve his media skills. And rightly so.
Matt Erickson - February 9, 2010
If I'm Erik Bedard, the only reason I don't set Steve Kelley's house on fire is I don't want to talk to all the people who will want to congratulate and thank me.
Gihyou - February 9, 2010
Also you'd be too busy being awesome to give a fuck
Bearskin Rugburn - February 9, 2010
And this is the face that doesn't give a fuck
that Erik doesn’t give a fuck.
Hi! I’m smarmelicious!
louklimchok - February 10, 2010
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