Seattle Mariners Media Maintains Mediocrity – Farting in the Fog
By Bill Dahl
Overheard on the outside, forward deck of the early morning ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. Two guys standing at the rail on the upper deck:
“Wow! It’s really foggy.
“Yeah, it sure is.”
Ferry blows fog horn.
“Ewwww! Do you smell that?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s the fog – says one guy sheepishly.
“It’s NOT the fog!”
“Yeah, it is!”
“You farted man!!! (As he begins to walk away) – That’s nasty!”
“No I didn’t” – states the guilty one – standing at the rail.
The guy walking away exclaims: “Smells like the Mariners 2024 offseason!”
Over the past 10 days, I have listened to all the main Seattle radio and podcast coverage of the Seattle Mariners. One theme that has become obvious is that the media coverage of the Mariners has become complicit in maintaining the mediocrity of this franchise. Allow me to explain.
Seattle Mariners Media Coverage
From the sports talk radio shows on KJR FM to Seattle Sports (KIRO) the airwaves have focused on “the budget,” or the financial constraints the Mariners claim to be saddled with. The same is true for Mariners focused podcasts like Locked on Mariners, Mariners Mojo, and the Marine Layer podcast. A recent segment on Mariners Mojo featured what I referred to as “The Garbage Can Show” – where the entire show was reviewing non-tendered players from other teams who might be a fit for the 2025 Mariners roster. There weren’t any. Locked on Mariners focused on prospective trades submitted by fans and a dive into the details of the reported $16mm the Mariners have available to spend this offseason. The Marine Layer podcast has championed the Mariners prospective signing of Roki Sasaki, and whether the M’s will move to a 6-man rotation. Neither will ever happen. Chris Crawford at MyOhWhy (and NBC Sports and Mollywhop Monday on KJR 93.3 FM) has been reviewing players on the 2024 squad, a 2025 offseason preview, and the non-tender decisions regarding Josh Rojas, Sam Haggerty, Austin Voth, J.T. Chargois. The flagship, ROOT Sports, has not had a press release on the website since October 13, 2021. Ryan Divish is the beat writer covering the Mariners and routinely provides articles on recent developments and interviews on podcasts and radio shows. He does not hold back….he tells it like he sees it. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times is also a beat writer for the M’s. Divish and Jude also combine to produce the Extra Innings podcast. (The link to Jude’s bio at the Seattle Times doesn’t work. When clicked it says: This site can’t be reached. The webpage at https://www.seattletimes.com/author/adam-jude/ says it “might be temporarily down or it may have moved permanently to a new web address. ERR_HTTP2_PROTOCOL_ERROR.” My sense is that the prankster Divish had somebody de-link Jude’s bio at the Times site.
The Mariners Media Nonsense Narrative
The Mariners media coverage has surrendered to focusing on the following narrative that continues to maintain the mediocrity of the Seattle Mariners franchise:
- Ownership has only $16mm to spend in the 2024 offseason. This is what Mariners ownership leaks to Jude (primarily) and Divish and everybody in the M’s media universe buys into this purported reality. The franchise is owned by a group of billionaires and millionaires. The franchise is reportedly quite profitable. Thus, the Mariners media becomes laser focused on the machinations that might be possible to improve the team within this artificial reality. This is nonsense and serves to maintain the momentum maintaining the mediocrity of this franchise. The narrative from the media must change. The voice of the fans who yearn for a sustainable, playoff contender in Seattle depend upon Mariners media coverage to boldly and consistently cry for better – for different – for more – for a legitimate playoff and World Series contender. The suggestion that the Mariners ownership has only $16mm to improve the team in the 2024 is an illusion. Honestly, it’s an intentional deception and an outright lie. The Seattle media must demand additional investment from this ownership group. DEMAND it! For those who cry for the need of a new ownership group in Seattle, this dream will never be realized as profits propel this franchise – and the media continues to succumb to distractions that obfuscate the necessity of more investment in this franchise from this ownership group. DEMAND it!
- Media machinations with money in the budget, a Cal Raleigh extension, Raleigh changes agents, trading a starting pitcher, signing 38-40 year old players to fill 3 holes in the infield, the batters eye, the marine layer effect, the travel to/from Seattle, the anticipated bounce back in 2025 of 2024 roster players who were career low non-performers, The Mitchwich fiasco, reviewing fan suggested trades, trading highly rated minor league talent, the Hatback Café, the return of Edgar Martinez as hitting czar in a limited role, 2 new hitting coaches, all the uncertainty around ROOT Sports — it is ALL a ridiculous and monotonous messaging distraction. The mainstream media narrative must change! Demand investment in success. NOW! Pound it! This franchise requires additional investment from this ownership group. NOW!
- There are windows in sports that open to allow teams to enjoy the fresh air of unrealized success. Currently, that window is open, barely open, for the Seattle Mariners. NEVER in the history of this franchise have the Mariners had a MLB dominant starting pitching rotation of this caliber. It is a unique blessing. It’s a gift – and needs to be treated accordingly. Ownership cannot be allowed to continue to sustain the lie that they don’t have the financial resources to rip that window wide open and refresh the reality that this team – with several eminently qualified additions to the infield – can display their collective talents in October 2025…at a minimum. Period.
NEXT
Additional ownership investment in the 2024 offseason must include the following:
- Sign Willy Adames to a 5 year deal to play 3B
- Sign Christian Walker to a 4 year deal to play 1B.
- Sign a quality reliever.
-
Seattle Mariners media outlets must demand – in a chorus – that the nonsense narrative emanating from this ownership group regarding the absence of adequate financial resources to take this team to the next level – is bogus. It’s an intentionally perpetrated illusion. It’s the nonsense narrative. It’s despicable deception. It’s a distraction. It’s a lie. It’s farting in the fog.
Note: The Exceptions
If there is one obvious exception to my remarks above regarding the Seattle media coverage of the Seattle Mariners, it is unequivocally broadcaster and journalist Jason Puckett at Pucksports.com. His show – The Daily Puck Drop – is must see sports talk entertainment. Puckett consistently pierces the illusion perpetrated by the ownership and baseball execs of this franchise. He is not hesitant to aim his laser focus on the elements of the illusion that mainstream media falls prey to. He has the uncanny ability to elicit poignant, direct, unvarnished, and often surprising takes from his guests like, Ryan Divish, Jim Duquette, Brad Adam and Bill Krueger. Since his departure from KJR 93.3 FM his channel has continued to grow. His recent segment entitled “The Diamond Table” reviewing the state of the Mariners is unequivocally one of the best franchise overview productions I have had the pleasure to thoroughly enjoy. His new subscription service “Puck’s Posse” is definitely worth the minimal monthly subscription of five bucks.
Chris Crawford at MyOhWhy on YouTube is also an exception to the Mariners media meandering – slog through the fog – re: coverage of the Seattle Mariners. Crawford illuminates the nuances of this franchise – and their play on the field – in his game recaps – like no other (Honestly, he deserves his own sports talk radio show). His experience as a sports analyst is on full display wherever you have the opportunity to enjoy his work. Chris’s subscription service MyOhWhy Enthusiasts is also worth five bucks a month!
Finally, Ian Furness at KJR 93.3 FM is joined by Chris Crawford and Nathan Bishop every Monday during the baseball season on Mollywhop Monday as well as episodes during the offseason when there is breaking news. In full disclosure, Furness is by far my personal favorite Seattle area sports coverage media talent. Plus, he is a superb human being.
Gotta Be Better
In summary, the Seattle media – at every level – covering the Mariners, to use Chris Crawford’s phrase regarding the team, has just gotta be better. The responsibility of – and opportunity for – the Seattle Mariners media outlets to blow the fog off the future of this franchise is now. Right now! It’s time to demand essential investment from ownership in this franchise. Do it! Just do it!
There’s no need to continue to starve this team of the oxygen they require to take it to the next level. The open window is now. It’s time to stop farting in the fog. If you do while standing with others, you’ve gotta own it. It’s time to stop blaming the fog.
Somebody has got to blow the horn on this deception…It’s gotta be the Seattle Mariners media outlets who must become the foghorn of the fans and the franchise.
About The Author:
Bill Dahl is a writer, published author, and award-winning photographer. He is a baseball nut. So is his wife. They are lifelong fans of the Seattle Mariners since their inception in 1977. Bill, his wife Jacki, and their three dogs make their retirement home in central Mexico…Queretaro, Mexico. You can find Bill’s work at https://www.BillDahl.net.
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Seattle Mariners – Shipwrecked October 2023
