Name Change; M's Lose

From the very beginning of this blog, I felt the name "Washington State Cougars" was a little generic. It was taken from my handle over on Cougfan (washingtonstatecougars), which came about because just about every other name I wanted to use was taken. So I started toying with ideas for a new name. It wanted it to be something every true Coug fan knows, and something inside enough that outsiders might not understand it. In other words, I wanted it to be original and recognizable to every member of the Coug Nation; something that instantly gets you thinking about Pullman. I ran through a bunch of ideas (most of which are too lame to mention) before arriving at my favorite: Stadium Way. I hope you like it.

Blue Jays 8, Mariners 0

Let's recap. In the three game series, the Mariners (54-41) scored 4 runs, all in the first game (a win). In games 2 and 3 a bundle of pitchers and Roy Halladay respectively held the Mariners to zero runs and six unproductive hits. The dam has burst, folks. It is time for the organization to realize a bundle of things that USS Mariner and others have been pointing out for weeks. First, Raul Ibanez is not a productive #3 hitter. Second, Adam Jones is ready for the major leagues and is an offensive upgrade over Jason Ellison and a defensive upgrade over Ben Broussard and Raul Ibanez. Third, Jose Vidro's .299 average is as productive as he'll get as a DH (only 3 home runs) and a platoon at DH or Ibanez at DH seems like a much better option. If I was in charge we'd see a Jones/Ichiro/Guillen outfield with Raul at DH and Broussard off the bench to play DH and 1st base when Sexson and Ibanez are struggling. I'd ship Jose Vidro to a contender for a prospect (he's not hitting for power or driving in runs, and we know Sexson and Ibanez can when they're hot). In fact, I wouldn't have touched the original Snelling/Fruto for Vidro trade with a 10 foot pole, but then again I'm not Bill Bavasi.

The Mariners' season so far has been magical. A welcome comeback from possibly the northwest's favorite franchise. That's why I'd hate to see it go down the drain with a lack of creativity and playing favorites with slumping veterans. As much as I'd love to see Vidro, Sexson, and Ibanez play like all-stars, this series against Toronto makes me wonder if their best days aren't behind them.