May, 12, 2008
MARINERS
MARINERS: Leadership needed for M’s
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MCCLATCHY
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Before his Seattle Mariners took the field Sunday, manager John McLaren admitted that losing 10 of the previous 11 games had taken a toll on his team’s mental state.
“They’re frustrated, and there’s some tension in the clubhouse,” McLaren said. “… Let’s be honest, when you’ve won 10 in a row, you can’t wait to get to the ballpark. When you’re going through a period like we’re going through, it’s not a fun place to show up.”
McLaren has repeatedly said that he thinks there is good leadership on his roster. However, he admitted Sunday that the roster lacks an obvious “bad cop” to funnel the frustrations into something more like productive anger and also a “good cop” in the Bret Boone mold to lighten the mood.
McLaren on the bad cop: “We have a good clubhouse and I think guys do things in their own way. I don’t think we have one vocal leader. I see (Adrian) Beltre all the time talking to the young kids. We have different players doing things in different ways — as in the old days with Edgar (Martinez) who wasn’t very vocal, but when he said something, people listened. I think we have guys like that, like Raul (Ibanez), who do things in a quiet way.”
And on the good cop: “I think J.J. (Putz) is a lighter-touch guy. I saw him (Saturday) with the drum set of Guitar Hero. … I think a light moment and a good laugh for everybody is good. And then when it’s time to grind, you put the game face on, there’s a place for that, too. But I think a light moment is good for ballclubs. When you’re struggling, sometimes you’re afraid to offend someone with a light moment, because they’re getting in focus and they’re a little frustrated, and I’ve seen it where some guys try to get light and some guys aren’t in the mood for it.”
