Mariners Insider Blog
The Mariners will introduce their manager today - and then start the off-season in earnest
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.
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