No offense intended to our Japanese friends, of course — see comments #5, #11 and #23. — Dr D

 

"Really one bad pitch, the changeup to Olivo," Washburn said. "It seems to be a recurring thing — bad changeup in a game. I wish I wouldn't have thrown a changeup in that situation [a 2-2 pitch with one out]. I didn't really want to throw it, but I said yes when he [catcher Johjima] called it, and it lost the game for us."

Dickey admitted he'd "flogged himself" repeatedly for not shaking off catcher Kenji Johjima when he called for the first-inning fastball to Hunter, who'd ruined the Mariners on similar pitches while playing for Minnesota last season.

I've been watching baseball since Johnny Bench broke into the big leagues, and I don't ever remember seeing anything quite like this. I thought it was a given that, after a loss, you don't throw your teammates under the bus in public.

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=== Even If You Were Right, You'd Be Out of Line === 

It doesn't even matter that Washburn and Dickey are wrong, which they are.

Saying that "in the fourth inning on 1-2 the curveball was the correct selection" ….

That is like Kevin Durant saying, "at 4:38 remaining, the correct thing was to go to my left instead of to my right.  If I'd just gone right I wouldn't have gotten the ball stripped, and I should have known that with 4:38 left.  But Collison thought the key was open, so I listened to him.  Next time I'll remember to go right with 4:38 left."

There is no "correct" direction to go based on the clock, or the count, or the down/yardage situation.  What, are you telling me that on every 1-2 count the rest of the year, Washburn is going to throw 100% fastballs?  Because that is the "correct" pitch in that situation?   Pitchers vary their selection all the time, and they have to.

If there is any "correct" thing to do, it is to do whatever the enemy is not expecting.

And the "correct" thing for Washburn to do to Miguel Olivo would have been to throw one of his sharp 76-77 change-slurves to a decent location, rather than throw a 79 tumbler with terrible arm action, that was belly high and outside third.

……………

When you only have two pitches, Jarrod, the other guys are going to guess right sometimes.  There isn't any catcher who can fool the hitters for you on your next 3,000 pitches.  Hitters guessing what you're throwing — both FB and slurve– is part of baseball life.

Three days after Erik Bedard started a game, Washburn lost a game — and gave a shockingly frank admission of how it is his fault that he doesn't have good pitches to throw.

Bedard's out one week, and it's back to same old, same old — I'd be great if not for the Jap catcher. 

…………….

And is R.A. Dickey saying that in every clutch situation from now until 2015, he will always throw a knuckleball?  That fastballs are completely ruled out whenever men are on base and the score is close?

Preposterous.  And Kenji Johjima knows exactly what you do about this second-guessing — that next time, the pitchers will expect him to call for pitch mixes.  He knows that if they get hit, he'll be told he shouldn't have mixed the calls, and he knows that if he does not mix the pitches, they'll give up ten runs.

…………….

But the issue isn't whether Washburn / Dickey were in the right.  The issue is that they refuse to extend to Kenji Johjima the normal, minimal rights of a teammate. 

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=== Hostile Work Environment, Dept. === 

This is no isolated incident.  During 2006, the Mariners' pitchers — as a staff — whined so incessantly that it trickled to the Mariner blog-o-sphere, which spent the 06-07 winter writing that the ballclub would never win with Johjima behind the plate.

Since March 07, things had seemed to change publicly, but… 

How come Eddie Guardado got to blow 9,412 saves in April-May 2006, destroying the season, and all anybody ever did was make excuses for him?  Why does the "don't show up your teammate" code apply to everybody except Johjima — and Ichiro, for that matter, if he's hitting under .300? 

Why is it open season on the Jap catcher?   Because he can't fight back.  He's an easy target, much easier than if you ripped Eddie Guardado or Mike Hargrove or Adrian Beltre in the press for the world to see.

……………… 

And, because Johjima brings different ideas to the table.  Different = uncomfortable.  Who is this guy to change the way we do things?

I'm not PC by any means.  But Kenji Johjima would not be reading in the papers that he is the reason for every defeat, if he were white. 

Let me know the next time Jamie Burke gets publicly kneed in the cup by Jarrod Washburn.

Never happen.  And you know why?  Because Burke would read that, and he would walk over the next day and punch Washburn into his locker, and Washburn knows that. 

But Kenji Johjima is tied to the school flagpole.  If he walks over to Washburn's locker, 23 non-Japanese teammates step over behind Washburn (figuratively) to protect him.

…………….. 

For a city that wallows so luxuriously in its manufactured racial issues, we are awfully slow to stand up and say something — when we are presented with a rare case of authentic racism.

A response to real injustice is not nearly so much fun to enact.  The PC charades, such as piling onto Carl Everett 500,000-on-1 for traditional beliefs mildly stated, are enjoyable; a real problem is unpleasant to deal with, and therefore ignored.

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=== Extenuating Circumstances === 

I understand that both Washburn and Dickey are hanging on by their fingernails, and they are desperate for people to believe that next time out, they'll do better and win.  I can sympathize.  Both pitchers actually can do better than they did in the games in question.

I also sympathize that if Jarrod Washburn went over to play in the Central League, roles reversed, he'd be swimming more than a little upstream himself.   

………………. 

Also, there are teams that point fingers and win. When I was a kid, the early-70's A's and middle-70's Bronx Zoo didn't hesitate to get feline with each other.

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=== Lemons Into Lemonade Dept. === 

But if I were Kenji Johjima, I wouldn't even consider returning to this organization.  If I were him, behind the scenes, quietly, I would send my agent to Bill Bavasi and DEMAND a trade RIGHT NOW.   Not that the front office appears to be obsessed with the subject of fairness for Kenji Johjima.

All Kenji has ever done was work his tail off, keep his mouth shut, and give thanks for being a Seattle Mariner.  He doesn't need this stuff.

You know who needs a catcher?  The Cincinnati Reds.  Johjima would hit .300/.340/.500 in that park, for way less than Varitek money.

What does the lineup look like with Junior and Clement in it? 

……………….

And man, could this ballclub use Erik Bedard. 

Cheers,

Dr D