Mariner Fans Unite for Change!!!!

This letter is being written to you from the loyal fanbase of this ballclub. Many of us have grown up with this club and seen it evolve from the doormat of the league to become one of the perennial powerhouses in all of Major League Baseball. Along the way, weve had the opportunity to witness many wonderful and memorable moments in the history of this franchise. Weve thrilled to both individual milestones such as Randy Johnsons no-hitter and to heights such as 1995 and 2001, which were a far cry from the dark early years of this franchise. Moments such as these have given many of us reason to believe that the realization of a World Championship for this franchise is possible, a notion that was unthinkable and laughable just a few short years ago.

Over the past few years, we fans have seen a disturbing trend in terms of decisions and comments that have come from Ms management. Examining the decisions that have been made (or lack thereof) along with the numerous examples of comments coming from management, players, and coaches (both in the form of written and verbal comments) a very clear and consistent pattern has emerged. These combined factors have served to articulate very clearly to the fans of this team what managements true values and operating philosophies appear to be. The following messages have come through loud and clear to the general fanbase of this team:

1) This team will stick to a self-imposed budget regardless of the consequences.

2) This team is afraid to make calculated business risks despite very clear evidence of probable high return on those investments (unwillingness to make big trades and sign Big Name free agents to lucrative contracts).

3) This team wants only to surround itself with players and personnel who will go along with decisions made by upper management without question. If there is any hint of dissention on the part of a particular player or employee, that person will be shown the door.

4) This team does not appear to have a clear vision in mind of where it would like this team to go.

5) Management wishes only to field a competitive team that is just good enough to keep its fans interested and coming to the games. Management doesnt have the World Series and "dominance within the division" in mind as its primary goals.

Since 1995 this club has undergone many changes. This club saw the departure of Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., and Alex Rodriguez each of whom appeared to have manipulated his way out of Seattle in one form or another. It saw the greatest manager in its history, Lou Piniella, grow increasingly frustrated and more vocal year after year over the lack of needed personnel, culminating in himself finally asking to be allowed to leave. It saw one of the best general managers in the history of baseball, Pat Gillick, be unable to make crucial changes at critical junctures, step down from his general manager position this offseason, and then apparently to have considered the GM position with the Dodgers. These combined factors have served to plant the seed of doubt in the minds of many Mariner fans towards Mariner management.

We want management to understand that these views are NOT simply the views of any one person, they reflect the views of the vast majority of the fanbase of this club. These views are generally widespread and are being disseminated on a daily basis via the internet, via comments made by talk radio show hosts and the fans who call into their shows, and via comments in the papers made by local writers and fans. Based upon this evidence, it is almost without question that the vast majority of fans share these views and have little faith in managements ability and/or sincerity to do what is necessary to create a perennial title contending club.

We would expect that this apparent lack of faith would soon begin to manifest itself in terms of dropping ticket sales if it hasnt already begun. Articles such as the one recently published in Forbes magazine have underscored what many fans have known for some time now -- that the Mariners have become a very financially prosperous team. Unless something is done to correct this teams problems soon, the Mariners could very easily find that status in jeopardy. This team could find itself in the same position as other clubs whose stadiums echo with empty seats and whose glory days are long past. Unwillingness to risk and to make changes when needed is also a risky move and one that could easily spell dropping ticket sales and bring about the return to the dark ages of this franchise.

Attached below is a list of those fans whom have both read this letter and agree with its sentiments and contents. With that in mind, the following statement reflects the collective desires of the fans listed below:

We the fans would like to see Mariners' management change its philosophical approach and unequivocably commit itself to creating perennial World Series Caliber and not simply competitive baseball. Though we recognize and agree with the need to maintain fiscal responsibility, we also maintain that there are also occasions when it comes time to make calculated business risks. Businesses that are too inflexible and that are either unwilling or unable to risk are ultimately destined to failure. We would therefore request that management make whatever changes are necessary to achieve this goal.

Signed,
The loyal and concerned fanbase of the Seattle Mariners