WHAT IF: The Seahawks took Odell Thurman instead of Lofa Tatupu in the 2nd round of the 2005 NFL Draft?

·         If the Seahawks did that, our defense would be nowhere near it is today. Tatupu is the leader of our defense and arguably the best player on our entire team. In fact, during the 05’ Draft, Tatupu was considered a huge reach (primarily because of his size) while Thurman was considered 1st round talent, but fell into the 2nd round due to some personality issues. Thurman was taken three picks after Tatupu, and in the rookie season of each player, they both were solid, in fact, Thurman was a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender. Three years later, Thurman has been suspended for two consecutive seasons while Tatupu has made three consecutive Pro Bowls. In other words, if we did that, we ought to be punching Tim Ruskell in the nuts for the rest of his life.

WHAT IF: The Mariners never made the trade for Erik Bedard?

·         I was never a fan of trading Adam Jones, and I still think he will be a star in the future. Bedard on the other hand has been injured much of the season. Today, I’m a fan of trading Bedard, but I doubt he can make an appearance prior to the trade deadline. If the trade never occurred, we’d still have a solid team. In fact, if we didn’t trade for Bedard, we could put Brandon Morrow or Ryan Rowland-Smith as the 5th starter and George Sherrill as our closer keeping in mind J.J. Putz has been unhealthy all year long; and we’d still have a solid pitching rotation and bullpen.

WHAT IF: The Mariners selected Tim Lincecum instead of Brandon Morrow with the 5th pick in the 2007 MLB Draft?

·         The Mariners would be a much better team had we selected Lincecum. I’m not saying Morrow instead a good player. In fact, I think the kid has tons of potential. But until we’ve seen Morrow as a starter, Lincecum will forever be the much better pitcher. Of course, Lincecum wouldn’t have burst with the Mariners if we took him until this season; so look to the future, just imagine a pitching rotation with the likes of Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Philippe Aumont, and Juan Ramirez. The latter two aren’t ready just yet, but just imagine in the future, once the five develop, a rotation like that…

WHAT IF: Tim Ruskell never hired Mike Holmgren as the Seahawks’ head coach?

·         I could never imagine a Seahawks team without Holmgren. But that’s reality after next season, but what if he NEVER was. Think of the impact. That probably means Matt Hasselbeck would be a nobody, just like his brother, Tim. Why? If Holmgren never came to Seattle, Matt wouldn’t have (since Matt came via trade thanks to Holmgren), which would have meant Matt would have still needed to stay with the Packers, and backup up headline-magnet Brett Favre. In fact, we probably wouldn’t even know what a Hasselbeck even is. Just imagine, guys like Trent Dilfer and Jon Kitna as your starter instead of Matt Hasselbeck. Can you say Super Bowl team???

WHAT IF: The Seahawks traded several picks higher to select Antonio Cromartie rather than Kelly Jennings with their 1st round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft?

·         No Seahawks fan has probably ever considered this, but I’ve thought about it many times. The Seahawks defense would be even better if this happened. Think of a Seahawks secondary in the near future with the likes of Marcus Trufant (7 interceptions last year), Antonio Cromartie (10 interceptions last year), Jordan Babineaux, and Josh Wilson. I’d definitely be pretty optimistic about our pass defense.

WHAT IF: The referees in Super Bowl XL weren’t Steelers and were actually doing their job?

·         The normal person who say, simple. The Seahawks would have won their first Super Bowl in franchise history. But there’s much more to that. If that happened, Mike Holmgren would be a lock for the Hall of Fame (he won’t be unless the Hawks pull off a miracle in 2008), Bill Cowher wouldn’t have retired, while Jerome Bettis would have retired as just another oversized and overrated back, and Ben Rothleisberger would be a nobody who has a messed up last name and is a cheater.

WHAT IF: What if the Seahawks never traded Darrell Jackson?

·         To tell you the truth, I don’t think Jackson is ever going to have any year like the ones he had here in Seattle. While with the Seahawks, Jackson averaged 63 receptions and 920 receiving yards per season. However, he had a very disappointing year with the 49ers last year. However, I do believe had Jackson stayed with Seattle, I think Jackson would still have a career and would be one of the best receivers in the league. With D.J. Hackett and Deion Branch injured for portions of last year and Marcus Pollard nowhere close to expectations; think of how much 63 catches and almost 1,000 receiving yards would have helped us. That would definitely have given Seattle one of the most solid receiving corps in the league, and would have added AT LEAST one more win onto the 10 we got. Now with Denver and emerging young guys like Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler more looked at by Jay Cutler, Jackson will be no more than a reserve for the rest of his career.

Let me know what you think.

Everyone who follows major-league baseball knows that the Seattle Mariners are out of the playoff hunt already even though we’re not even at the All-Star break yet. For the Mariners, this year was a waste of a season. Whether the moves at general manager, field manager, and pitching coach are the right moves, we’ll have to see; but before that, here are some serious moves I must see during the offseason or earlier:

·         First and foremost, get rid of first-baseman Richie Sexson – Release him or trade him; either way, he must be gotten rid of. He is holding this team back and is getting paid way too much.

·         Make Jeff Clement the permanent starting catcher – Clement is the better hitter than current starter Kenji Johjima, and he will be a wasted draft pick if he returns and stays in the minor leagues for too long.

·         With Clement at catcher, move Kenji Johjima over to first base – The problem with moving Clement is Johjima will still be hanging around. And with a recent contract extension, cutting him isn’t an option. The best choice is to make him replace Sexson at first base.

·         Move Ichiro from rightfield back to centerfield – Centerfield is the main outfield position, and moving Ichiro in the first place was pointless. Ichiro has the range to cover centerfield, and moving him back is the right thing to do.

·         Make Wladimir Balentien the new starting right fielder – Balentien hasn’t been great when up with the Mariners this year. But he needs playing time, he has a lot of potential.

·         Move Brandon Morrow into the pitching rotation – Morrow is another young guy who is booming with potential. Injuries have hurt Morrow; but like Clement, he’s a wasted pick if we don’t see him more.

·         Get rid of designated hitter Jose Vidro – Vidro has not been contributing this season, and he is not consistent enough as a fielder either.

·         With Vidro gone, move Raul Ibanez from leftfield to designated hitter – Ibanez is a marginal fielder at best, and at the age of 36, that leg of his won’t be getting quicker anytime soon. However, what he does have is power and the ability to drive in runs.

·         Find a replacement at leftfield – With a big hole at leftfield, the Mariners have two main options here. Try to find a free agent replacement, or move an existing Mariner there. Possible replacements include Willie Bloomquist or Jeremy Reed.

·         And finally, keep Miguel Batista in the bullpen – With Morrow in the pitching rotation, that means a guy is out. And that guy will be Batista. Batista is much better working out of the bullpen as a reliever rather than a starter.

With that said, I think those 10 propositions should add a number of wins to the Mariners count next season. However, that is only the tip of the iceberg and only a few solutions to the many problems the Mariners currently have. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.