Embrace these guys

Why can't the Mariners win the division? Why can't Seattle be buyers at the trading deadline when the contenders put up or shut up? Doesn't pitching and defense mixed with some timely hitting win championships?

They can, they will and yes it does.

This young Mariners team is growing up on the fly and not as awkward as I had imagined. The core of the roster is made of "80's babies". Meaning every key member of the team's present and future save Ichiro and Bedard were born between '83 and '89. When your team consists of 20-somethings it means two things: you lack experience but have plenty of great years to gel into a force.

Can you remember the last time the Mariners made a fantastic free agent signing that made an immediate impact? I know you're first thought was "yeah, didn't the M's sign 2004 NL MVP Adrian Beltre?" Sure he brought his magnetic glove to third base but he also never batted over .275 and cost the team $64M over 5 years.

Or maybe your first thought was about "Big Sexy", aka Richie Sexson. 4 years $50M....If it was, then I feel sympathy for your memory bank. I extricated that man from my mind as quickly as Sexson struck out at the plate.

See, the M's have typically sought talent outside their own organization as opposed to raising it themselves. Today, Seattle is finally making strides with in-house talent. It took a long time but general manager Jack Z's calculations are adding up to a bright future.

In his first 10 Major League games, Dustin Ackley is hitting .303 with a double, two triples and a homerun. The 2009 second-overall draft pick looks like the real deal and Mariners fans couldn't be happier. If he can shore up his defensive game at second base then Seattle will surely have a middle infield staple for many years to come.

Speaking of infield staples, have you noticed how mature and Major League ready Justin Smoak is? The M's first baseman leads the team with 12 homeruns and 40 RBI. Not bad for a rookie. With half the season almost done, Smoak has the chance to double those numbers by September. If Smoak stays consistent and finishes strong in his first full season the Mariners should feel really solid about trading Cliff Lee.

A third rookie is making a good impression in the outfield. Left field has been a rotating door since Raul Ibanez left. Today, Carlos Peguero is slowly shutting that door on the competition. Through his first 37 games Pegeuro has 24 hits including 3 doubles, 2 triples and 6 homeruns. He also has made a couple acrobatic outs in left. I think this is the guy that actually sticks and will be patrolling the yard with Gutierrez and Ichiro.

There is plenty to like about this group and manager Eric Wedge has his stern finger on the pulse of this ball club. His philosophy is obviously working. So Seattle fans sit back and watch the foundation of future success develop in front of you this summer at the Safe.

And who knows, maybe these young guns will continue defying logic and capture the division too...

Mariners moves are coming to frution

When Mariners general manager Jack Z is alone in his office he probably does a little dance. The roster he formulated over the last couple years is coming together and the progress is obvious. Sure the lineup still needs a threat at the cleanup position and it still needs Ichiro to man up and act like a leadoff hitter.

Instead of nit-picking the lineup to death, I choose to instead present to you the silver lining that exists. First of all, the Cliff Lee for Justin Smoak and some good minor-league pitchers is proving to be a great move. Smoak has shown lots of potential. He leads the team in homeruns and on-base percentage. Not bad for a kid with a mere 156 career games played.

How about when Jack Z brought back catcher Miguel Olivio? All he has done is clutch up for Seattle multiple times with huge game-winning hits. Guys like Adam Kennedy and Brendan Ryan have filled in nicely while the future works itself in the minors. Second baseman Dustin Ackley is set to arrive in Seattle in the next couple weeks and will hold down that part of the infield for at least the next 5 years. Ackley is the type of player teams drool over. He hits for average and has pop. While in college he won the top hitters award. Currently, he is dominating Triple A in Tacoma so we will see if that translates this summer in the bigs.

The Mariners also called up outfielder Mike Carp who forced himself onto the team by crushing minor league pitching. He batted .350 and hit 19 HR with 58 RBI in 56 games. You think Seattle could use that bat? Carp figures to play DH and left field.

Management has shown they can judge pitching as well. Their pitching staff leads the American League in many categories. We all know the rookie Pineda is on fire and Bedard is finally showing his worth but did you know the future of this staff is even brighter than it was last week?

Seattle had the 2nd overall draft pick in this week's MLB draft and they selected the best left-handed pitcher available. Danny Hultzen, who is rated as the most major league ready player in the amateur draft absolutely dominated the collegiate level. He won the Atlantic Coastal Conference pitcher of the year award the last two season by going 31-5. Hultzen was a wise choice but he won't reach Seattle until 2012 spring training.

Mariner fans should embrace this team for what it is and for where it is going because I can tell this is going to be fun ride back to the top...

We are all just Mercenaries

The contempt surrounding the NBA Finals this week is palpable. Rarely has there been such a lopsided opinion on who fans want to see win a championship. Yet the reasoning behind their choice is unfounded and very subjective. People are quick to deny reason in the face blind love.

I know very few people who are rooting for the Miami Heat to win over the Dallas Mavericks. I understand that position but only to a small extent. The basic argument against Miami is that they are trying to buy a championship. LeBron James has played the villain since last July when he decided to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. LeBron's one-hour special on ESPN regarding his free-agency decision pissed off thousands. That part I understand and agree with. He obviously could of handled that a lot better but he didn't.

Back to the stars joining forces, since when has that been against the rules? Haters want to claim LeBron lost his cache' as a true superstar when he left Cleveland. How is that possible? All he did in Cleveland was win two MVP awards and willed a very weak Cavs team to the Finals on his own. Now he didn't win a ring that year, in fact he got swept. He tried his hardest but without legitimate star power alongside him he had hit his glass ceiling.

Now that LeBron plays with Wade and Bosh there is no ceiling. Throughout NBA history, players that win championships never do it alone. Every champ has an outstanding one-two punch paired with a solid bench. Jordan had Pippen. Kobe had Shaq and then Gasol. Pierce added Garnett and Allen. Robinson had his "Twin Tower", Duncan. The list goes on and on. None of those guys won a ring without the other. Very few were drafted to the same franchise, thus they were acquired via trade and free agency. Sound familiar?

The sub-level to this trend are the Mavs and Heat role players that are essentially mercenaries seeking their first ring. You think one team deserves this championship more than the other? Tell that to this list of NBA veterans now in the Finals; the Mavericks have Dirk Nowitski, Jason Kidd, Peja Stojakovich, and Shawn Marion. The Heat have guys like LeBron, Bosh, Mike Bibby and the NBA's oldest player (38) Juwan Howard.

The beauty of sports is taking a side and standing by it. Passion tends to get in the way of logic, hence the "homer" mentality. Unfortunately for all the sudo-Mavs-fans that will surely not care for Dallas next year, the Heat have weathered the venomous storm and rose to the top where they are sure to stay for the foreseeable future...