It won't surprise anyone who reads, watches television or listens to the radio, but the Seattle Mariners will introduce Don Wakamatsu as their new manager this afternoon.

At 45, the son of a Japanese father and Irish mother will be named the 14th fulltime manager in franchise history.

And the sixth since 2002.

For those who might have missed it, here's a marvelous John McGrath column on Wakamatsu.

Not much will be asked of Wakamatsu as a first-time big-league manager - only to win with a team that just lost 101 games, unite a clubhouse filled with small cliques and bring back stability to a team that hasn't had it since Lou Piniella.

His first job will be assembling a coaching staff, and along the way conferring with GM Jack Zduriencik on what players to keep and which ones on the free agent market to pursue.

It's been a busy off-season for Seattle already, hiring a new GM and now a new manager.

It's only mid-November, but the Mariners recognize reality. When it comes to repairing what's broken, they're just getting started.