donald_rumsfeld_official.jpgAfter a three-game sweep in New York, the M’s have the AL’s worst record. Who’s to blame? It’s the troops, say media folks.

Geoff Baker suggests that these Mariner players may be part of a “culture of losing.”

Steve Kelley: Don’t blame McLaren: “The players are letting the manager down, not the opposite. The players, not the manager, aren’t doing their jobs.”

Dave Valle said something interesting on Saturday’s postgame show. To paraphrase, he said that the Mariners talk about how things will get better, how it’s early in the season, etc…but you can’t talk about that stuff if you are a winning team. You have to play for today.

USS Mariner does that thing they do where they look at the winning percentage the Mariners will need the rest of the way to overtake the Angels. It’s not pretty. But it never is. Every year, some team that “would have to play .600 ball” does just that. Like last year, when the Yankees had a 1.5% chance of making the playoffs on May 31.

Meanwhile, bigger problems at Lookout Landing as founder Jeff’s Gmail was hacked.

From Disappointment to Promise…
Over at Seahawks HQ, they are in a diametrically opposed place. No games are happening, just scrimmages, and so every receiver is fast, every lineman looks good, and the whole season is filled with promise. Frank Hughes of TNT says the rookies are giddy.

Theirry Henry watch…
The latest gossip has him going back to England to play for Chelsea.

Other news…
Isaiah Thomas got a high enough ACT score that he’ll be able to play hoops for the Huskies next year. Don Ruiz of TNT has Thomas’ reaction.

Storm center Janell Burse may miss the year with a couple of injuries.

David Stern did an interview with Sports Business Radio, he didn’t say anything new or interesting as the interviewer simply rehashed the old and already addressed issues of whether the Sonics leaving is bad for business. Said Stern: “My guess is that Oklahoma City is fine and may even increase revenues.” Obviously, that isn’t the issue, the issue is whether a sports league ought to be breaking leases and plotting to move teams out of viable markets–the interviewer didn’t get to that topic, which is too bad.

A long piece in the Oregonian about Phil Knight’s impact on UO athletics. I didn’t see anything that anyone with any sense already figured out–that if Phil Knight says jump, the University of Oregon puts on Nikes and asks how high. The article shows how two people–the former AD and former track coach, where given big buyouts after getting on Knight’s bad side. John Canzano essentially says UO has sold out.