The 2018 Mariners Don't Inspire Much Optimism

Spring training for the 2018 MLB season is just around the corner, and I gotta say, I can't remember a time feeling less optimistic about the Mariners season.  The Mariners didn't make any particularly notable moves in the offseason and they aren't coming off a winning or even positive season.  They ended the 2017 season on a sour note, falling out of the playoff race alarmingly fast.  With the Buffalo Bills in the NFL having made the playoffs, the Mariners now own the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports.  I hate to say it, but I think that drought will continue because these Mariners just aren't good enough and play in too tough of a division.

The Mariners had a relatively quiet offseason.  They acquired Dee Gordon from the Marlins and Ryon Healy from the Athletics.  Their pitching staff didn't get a huge upgrade, just depth in Juan Nicalsio.  These moves to me to scream the typical Band-Aid type job the Mariners usually get, which never results in anything great.  They just sign or trade for who they can, constantly hoping the new guys they acquire will be able to lift a team to the playoffs.  It hasn't worked before, so I have very little hope or reason to believe it can happen this year.

But for me, the biggest reason to not be optimistic about this season is the strength of the division the Mariners play in, the AL West.  The Houston Astros are the reigning World Series champs and will no doubt be a great team again.  The Los Angeles Angels made the biggest move of the offseason and acquired Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani.  The Mariners were in the running but lost out to their division rival, something I know will haunt us for years to come.  The Angels expect to be improved and since they just missed the playoffs themselves last year, they'll be in the running again more than likely.  The Texas Rangers still boast a ton of talent and could win a bunch of games.  And the A's always have the ability to surprise and win games when no one expects them to.  If I had to pick right now where I expect the Mariners to finish, I would say fourth, not because I think they'll lose a lot of games, but because their division is just that tough.

But for some reason I think the Mariners could fly under the radar.  Felix will be desperate to prove his career is not over.  Paxton will want to prove he can be a front of the line ace and pitch an entire season.  Iwakuma still wants to pitch and should be healthy.  The bullpen should be better, and Edwin Diaz should have better control.  And that's just the pitching.  The lineup could be one of the better ones in the American League.  There's speed (Gordon, Gamel), power (Cano, Cruz, Seager), and contact hitting (Cano, Segura).  The dominoes have to fall just right for this team.  They certainly did not last year.  But if the rotation can stay healthy, and the hitters can have productive seasons, the Mariners have a shot.  But it's a slim shot, and no Mariner fan in their right mind should hold their breath over this team.  Give them a month or two to prove themselves, because I think we will learn by May what kind of team the Mariners will be in 2018.  I'm tempering my excitement, because this time the Mariners have to earn my excitement for the team.

Ranking my Top 10 Favorite NFL Broadcasters

Watching NFL Football is one of my favorite things to do, it's one of the reasons I love the fall and winter seasons.  With that comes the broadcasters who call the games.  Here I will rank my Top 10 NFL Broadcasters, including analysts.  These guys are all currently on air and I will explain why I like them.

10. Joe Buck, play-by-play, FOX
Most people hate Joe Buck and dread getting him for their team's game.  I don't exactly feel that way, because that means Fox's #1 team is covering us.  My only real problem with Buck is how much Fox overuses him, from their NFL and MLB broadcasts.  But he knows when to get excited (usually) and knows the NFL game very well and knows the players just as well as any broadcaster.  Another thing I don't like is how often he concludes a big play with "No flags," especially the DeSean Jackson punt return TD in the Miracle at the Meadowlands.  Totally killed the vibe of that play. 

9. Chris Collinsworth, analyst, NBC
Another one that most fans don't like but I kind of do is Chris Collinsworth.  I love how much he knows the game and I almost always agree with his viewpoint on certain things like rules and calls by the officials.  His call of the Odell Beckham Jr. catch certainly made it better.  The one thing I don't like too much is the sound of his voice.  It's nasally and can get annoying over time. 

8. Greg Gumbel, play-by-play, CBS
He and Dan Dierdorf made just the perfect pairing and were one of my favorites to call a game.  Now that Dierdorf has retired it's just not the same.  But Gumbel's experience and smooth-sounding voice are always a pleasure.  But he seems to be a bit better fit for CBS's college basketball games now.

7. Daryl Johnston, analyst, FOX
Kenny, Moose & Goose were quite the trio on FOX for a few years.  Now that "Goose" (Tony Siragusa) is gone, it's not the same, but Daryl "Moose" Johnston is doing a good job basically doing both roles now.  He has a voice made for TV broadcasts and it really is quite the contrast from Kenny Albert's nasally sounding one. 

6. Kevin Burkhardt, play-by-play, FOX
Kevin hasn't been in the NFL business for that long but he's done a great job, rising to FOX's #2 team with John Lynch.  He has a very good sounding voice and knows when the situation calls for excitement.  The Seahawks get him a lot, which I am totally fine with. 

5. Ian Eagle, play-by-play, CBS
Ian and his partner Dan Fouts work well together on CBS and have for years.  Ian does a good job calling NBA games as well.  He knows the game well and his calls of big plays are some of my favorite.  Whenever I see a game of his on TV I always have to watch at least part of it. 

4. Jim Nantz, play-by-play, CBS
Jim has been a CBS mainstay for years, moving from studio to broadcast booth not too long ago.  He always works with Phil Simms, who he works well with but at times brings down the level of energy generated by Nantz.  But whenever CBS does the Super Bowl, Jim always does a great job.

3. Jon Gruden, analyst, ESPN
I loved Jon Gruden as a coach and I love him even more as an analyst for Monday Night Football.  He knows the game and knows plays, formations, you name it, being a former coach.  He picks his Gruden Grinder and that always tends to be someone overlooked.  Not sure I like the pairing of Gruden and McDonough (He and Tirico  did such a great job together), but perhaps with time it'll make more sense.  After all, I wasn't a huge fan of Tirico/Gruden at first.

2. Kevin Harlan, play-by-play, CBS, Westwood One
Kevin Harlan simply put is one of the best in the business.  Not only does he excel at calling NFL games on TV AND radio (doing the radio broadcast for every Monday Night Football game), but he excels at calling College Basketball for CBS during March Madness time.  Recently Kevin made a radio call for a Rams/49ers MNF game about a maniac running on the field and it was totally epic. 

1. Al Michaels, play-by-play, NBC
He is the best in the business and has been for years.  There's a reason NBC is hanging on tight to him (and even got him to do two games a week for a bit).  It'll be a sad day for me when he decides to retire.  I will go out of my way to watch Sunday Night Football games on NFL GamePass just to hear him call a game.  For someone 70+ years old he sure knows the game and its players well.