Seattle Mariners did the right thing, finally
Chris Phillips
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It’s been a tough few days for the Seattle Mariners, in the wake of former team president Kevin Mather’s comments over the weekend. They will affect the team and MLB for years.
The offseason is always problematic for not only the Seattle Mariners but all teams. Players aren’t formally practicing and don’t have required training. Most players participate in their own offseason training regimen. For the rest of the organization, there is more free time than during the season. Free time can be dangerous.
Any time news breaks about a player or coach, management holds their breath with weighted trepidation. “Please be good news. Please be about some other team.” They say with their fingers crossed. Unfortunately, for the Seattle Mariners, this time, it was about them. The M’s made headlines this week for all the wrong reasons.
Former Mariners President and CEO Kevin Mather’s 45-minute meeting with the Seattle Rotary Club went public. Those may be the worst 45 minutes of Mather’s life. Before diving into this topic, Mather was incredibly transparent, honest, and forthcoming with his statements and answers to the questions. In listening to the tape, it’s obvious he’s an astute businessman. But like all people, he made a dumb mistake. His was in public.
Some mistakes just can’t be made, in the first place, especially when representing a staple of the community like a Major League Baseball team. This is one of those such examples. In reviewing Mather’s comments and having time to reflect on them, it feels like, on some level, he wanted out.
The former team president went after just about everyone in the organization. Sunday, wasn’t the first time Mather brought shame and a black eye to the organization. (his sexual harassment settlement). There’s a lot to unpack here.