Grover Back

Ex-Mariners Manager Mike Hargrove will be with the Mariners for the next week or so as a special instructor, about seven months after one of the most shocking reignations in baseball history. Grover said that he lost his passion for the game and wanted to be with his family. Since then, he has no regrets, and says this:

"The decision I made then was right for me and my family and, I think, for the Mariners. Do I regret making the decision? No, not really. I've enjoyed the time off with my family, I really have."

He also says that there wasn't any "sinister manipulations" that guided him to resigning. I think that he was asked to resign by the Mariners so they could sign Ichiro long term, because Ichiro was never very fond of Hargrove. A quote from the article:

A freakishly productive first-pitch hitter, Ichiro resented Hargrove's order in an August game for hitters to take pitches. The pair talked it out, and claimed no lingering dismay.

I don't know if that little spat was enough to cause a problem, but it seemed a little fishy for me, because just days later (after Hargrove's resignation) contract negotiations between Ichiro and the Mariners began. Anyways, back to the original article, Hargrove will work mostly with the minor league players, or whatever he wants to do according to John McLaren. I wonder what kind of impact Hargrove will have with the players that he left stunned.