Mariners manager Hargrove is resigning

[Kurt]

huh?!?!

 

By Larry Stone

Seattle Times staff reporter

 

In a stunning development, Mariners manager Mike Hargrove is resigning, the Seattle Times has learned.

 

The Mariners have called a major press conference at Safeco Field for 11:30 this afternoon.

 

No details were immediately available on the reason for Hargrove's resignation, which comes during the Mariners' best stretch of baseball since he was hired prior to the 2005 season. The Mariners have won seven games in a row and stand 11 games over .500 at 44-33.

 

They have moved into contention in both the AL West race, where they trail the Angels by four games, and in the wild-card race, where they are one game behind Detroit.

 

Bench coach John McLaren would be the likely choice to replace Hargrove as manager.

 

 

 

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

[pitchleague]

wow. I would venture to guess that it is health related, assuming it's true. Hope he's okay. I always thought he was a good manager and kinda got a bum rap in Cleveland even though he won there.

[brettac1]

You'd have to guess it's a health issue. Maybe he realized Bavasi will just screw it up, too.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

speculation is that it's ichiro! related.

 

Hargrove and ichiro! have never seen eye to eye and now that the M's have a real chance to resign him, they told Hargrove he wouldn't be back and he told him to shove it and grabbed the headlines.

 

Total rumor on that one though.

[DougJones43]

ESPN is reporting that Hargrove lost his passion for the game. Most likely just cover-up of something more going on, but HERE is the link to the story.

[JoeHova]

This is bizarre, but "Grover" never impressed anyway. The M's are playing well this year, but they are outperforming their pythag by even more than the Brewers. Maybe he knew that and wanted to get out in case they collapse later.

[RU Rah Rah]

"Losing passion for the game" is the managerial/coaching equivalent of a politico "wanting to spend more time with his family."

[Schlitz001]

speculation is that it's ichiro! related.

 

Maybe the Mariners will hold another press conference later today announcing that Ichiro! has just signed a multi-year contract extension.

 

Obviously something is fishy. The Mariners are finally playing decent ball and Hargrove gets fired after a seventh straight win? I bet it's either Ichirio! related or something behind the scences.

[dadofandrew]

Hargrove did not get fired.

[Schlitz001]

double post

[Schlitz001]

I resigned from my last job after being told I was going to get fired. I'm not saying that Hargrove got fired, he probably didn't, but that doesn't mean he wasn't pressured into resigning. Doesn't it seem just a little fishy?

[RU Rah Rah]

I am sort of vaguely reminded of when Dick Bennett walked on out the Badger hoops team.

 

I mean, it's a tough decision, and you have to take at face value and respect the explanation offered. And yet . . . part of me thinks that it's irresponsible to "lose passion for the game" midway through a season. A lot of people are relying on you, and maybe you just have to suck it up for awhile.

 

(And we all know that Bennett eventually regained his passion and took the job at Washington State. I would not be surprised to see Hargrove do something similar.)