First it was Ichiro saying that the Mariners were playing so poorly that he’d be drinking beer and booing the team if he were at the games. Ichiro generally keeps comments to himself, so hearing that carried even more weight. Well, after getting swept by the Nationals — truly an amazing feat — Jarrod Washburn stepped up and admitted what we all know:
Mariners fans have had almost nothing to cheer about this season, and they’ve had plenty to boo. For the most part, the booing has been muted, but Sunday it could be heard in a volume approximating that of a 737 landing at SeaTac.
“When we’ve played like this,” pitcher Jarrod Washburn said, “we should be booed.”
With a .348 winning percentage, the Mariners are currently the worst team in baseball — by a wide margin. Even the worst teams have at least 28 wins and a .400 winning percentage. The Mariners are 24-45, 21 games under .500. I never imagined things could possibly get this bad for them. Last month I was doing a radio interview and was asked which manager would probably be first to go, the obvious choice being Willie Randolph. I didn’t take the bait, instead going with McLaren because the Mariners were underachieving by a ridiculous amount. This team is far too talented to be this pathetic. Maybe they do need a change at the top. And Washburn is right — the fans should be booing a team this bad.
