Japan in March, who knows where come late July?
So you just had one of the most emotional experiences of your life.
And now you have to go straight back to work.
How would that feel?
Weird?
Inspirational, maybe?
In a month or two, we can ask the Seattle Mariners, because they’ll know exactly how that strange sensation can affect day-to-day business.
The Mariners flew across the Pacific Ocean last week to play two regular-season games against the Oakland A’s.
Then they got a week off before resuming serious baseball against the World Series champ Red Sox this Thursday.
But the real reason for the trip to Japan, of course, was to let Ichiro Suzuki say goodbye after his Hall of Fame career — and to do it in front of countrymen who adore him.
It played out perfectly, as the entire nation of Japan seemed to be roaring in appreciation of Ichiro.
His final two games produced tears (from many teammates, too), but also incredible appreciation for what this man has meant to baseball.
WHILE THE dramatic retirement announcement went off with everything but fireworks inside the Tokyo Dome, the Mariners actually were in action in contests that counted.
”I thought it would be great for our team, just bringing so many new guys, bringing everybody together,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said.
“The travel, going to a different country, you tend to gravitate towards everybody else you’re familiar with.
“Then to top it off with everything that went down with Ichiro. Really couldn’t have gone any better — and by the way, we did win two games.
“That kind of gets overlooked.”
Servais’ point about a new group of Mariners is no exaggeration.
There are a few holdovers from a year ago — mostly the starting pitchers — but two of the offensive heroes in Tokyo were shortstop Tim Beckham and left fielder Domingo Santana.
Neither had played a game for the Mariners prior to the trip.
Then there was the unique story of 28-year-old rookie pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who made his major league debut in his home country — just as his boyhood idol Ichiro was stepping off the stage.
Kikuchi started the second game and pitched 4 2/3 innings, permitting the A’s just one earned run.
New closer Hunter Strickland was handed two save opportunities and converted both without allowing a baserunner.
A couple of familiar names, Ryon Healy and Mitch Haniger, contributed to a pretty productive lineup.
It was only two games, but for a team that GM Jerry Dipoto said would “step back” to concentrate on contending in 2020 or 2021, the M’s looked fairly darn solid.
AND YET…
It wouldn’t be a good idea to fall in love with these guys.
Despite how they handled the emotion of Ichiro’s sayonara and made the key plays to win a couple ballgames, this is a strange team.
Unless they are shockingly good and remain in serious playoff contention, a large gang of these Mariners are in town to be sold.
You only have to look at the ages of so many key players.
Strickland and several other relievers — the ones who had success against the A’s, actually — are all on the wrong side of 30.
So are Jay Bruce, Dee Gordon and Edwin Encarnacion.
Even Beckham, who is 29 and can still hit, is in town on just a one-year contract.
Vet Kyle Seager, who swung at baseballs and passing butterflies last year and missed most everything, won’t be off the injured list for months.
AS FOR the starting pitchers, only Kikuchi and Marco Gonzales figure to be around if Dipoto’s timetable is correct.
Felix Hernandez, Wade LeBlanc and Mike Leake all saw 30 in the rear-view mirror some time ago.
When you look at the roster that way, Servais’ statement about team bonding seems a little bizarre.
By any rational evaluation, this looks like a patchwork roster — put together to fill Seattle uniforms until some of them can be unloaded later in the year for any sort of promising minor leaguers.
Unless these guys can bond their way to 90-plus wins, it’s likely most will be up for sale in July.
Frankly, this entire process really seems wrong.
It’s not like ticket prices will be discounted because many of these guys aren’t going to be “real” Mariners for very long.
The whole thing is kind of a shame, the swing from enjoying such emotion in Japan to landing on the auction block in midseason.
For what it’s worth, I stayed up in the middle of the night twice to watch the 2019 Mariners open the season, and kind of liked them.
As temporary hires go, they don’t look like a bad gang at all.
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Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns for The Press appear on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also contributes the “Zags Tracker” package on Gonzaga basketball each Tuesday.
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