Veteran M’s players don’t need Melvin to win

Pitchers, catchers and position players for the Seattle Mariners reported to camp at the Peoria Sports Complex on Sunday Feb. 9. New M’s manager Bob Melvin is gathered with the veteran boys in Peoria to help prepare for a title run in 2003 that starts in a mere 41 days.

M’s fans such as myself have worried about the switch to former D-backs bench coach Bob Melvin, but the truth is that the veteran players of the M’s can practically run themselves.

Melvin can offer wisdom and general guidance, but the bottom line is that the Mariners baseball club knows how to play ball.

Melvin is a 42-year-old former big-league catcher who has virtually no experience being a manager.

After losing Lou Piniella to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Melvin won the race for a new manager and signed a 2-year contract with the Mariners, which includes a club option for 2005.

“To land in a spot like this, being a first-year guy, just doesn’t happen,” said Melvin. “Usually you start in a place where you have to turn things around and bring in a bunch of younger kids trying to fill roles you don’t even know.”

The season opener for the M’s will be played in Tokyo, Japan on March 25, marking the earliest Major League Baseball regular season opener ever.

The M’s will be facing their rivals the Oakland Athletics, so it will be a great way to see how Melvin will handle the team and how the team will operate under Melvin.

“I’m very, very excited and I’m glad we’re going to Japan because it gets us onto the field early,” said Melvin.

Melvin is lucky that Lou did such a phenomenal job with the ballclub during the 10 years that he was around. Otherwise, the new manager would be sinking.

As it stands now, Melvin is in a pretty good place. The line-up is practically permanent, and with the exception of looking for some changes in the bullpen, his veteran club can practically run themselves.

Between booster breakfasts, media lunches, banquets and the all-popular Mariners FanFest, Melvin has been busy in Seattle for the past few weeks.

The two-day FanFest drew a record breaking 15,437 fans to SAFECO field on Feb. 1and 2 and provided fans with a chance to tour the clubhouse.

“I think it’s good for the fans to see where we basically live in the summer,” said second baseman Bret Boone. “I went to the clubhouse and there was a huge line waiting to get in.”

Although the M’s didn’t make it as far as fans would have hoped last year, lets remember that they have still won over 300 games in the past three years. These boys know how to play ball.