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May 13--Bill Bavasi is in his fifth season as general manager of the Seattle Mariners. So he has been given sufficient time to produce a winner.
The Mariners' $118 million payroll ranks in the top 10 in baseball. So he's been given sufficient resources to produce a winner.
But the Mariners are once again last in their division, a spot they owned three of the past four seasons.
Almost by definition, considering those figures, Bavasi deserves to be fired.
I'm a softy when it comes time to write these columns. I like to remind the reader that everyone is human and capable of making mistakes (a point supported by the play of many of the players Bavasi has hired, with such names as Speizio, Aurilia, Everett, Weaver, Ramirez and many others).
And Bavasi isn't alone in this, as the culpability for failure by a franchise usually should be widely shared.
Even as we remember that franchise executives have feelings and families and extenuating circumstances, there's nonetheless a degree of public accountability that comes with the position.
And the 2008 Mariners aren't just bad. They're boringly bad. They're lifelessly bad. It's taken a lot of losing to do it, but they've eroded a huge and dedicated fan base.
Bavasi has had time to fix it and it's only gotten worse.
There really should be a lot to like about this team, which makes the situation even more frustrating to fans.
There's the incomparable Ichiro, of course, the young middle infielders, Adrian Beltre, a nice season going by Raul Ibanez, the promise of new right fielder Wladimir Balentien, a rotation that features Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez and Carlos Silva, and some strong arms in the bullpen.
When you look at it that way, you have to wonder: How can this team be this bad?
chico_fraley 
