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"I'd like to remain friends."
You know what it means when you hear that. You've been dumped. And the dumper already is seeing someone else. That's the gist of the Seattle Sonics' latest ultimatum, a three-page letter sent this week to the city.
The team calls it an "offer." It sure reads like a breakup note.
Our relationship isn't working, the basketball team writes. So here's how you, the people, can fix it. If you won't do what we propose — bear almost all the costs of this union while giving us all the benefits — then we're splitsville.
"We say this without acrimony or recrimination," oozes Sonics CEO Wally Walker. "In the event we do part company, we hope to be able to do so in a mutually respectful way in the spirit of a partnership of such long and honorable duration."
As in: So long, Seattle. It was great while it lasted.
What else am I to think about an offer to stay together that makes such a mockery of the concept of sharing?
The Sonics now say they're willing to pay $18.3 million toward the $220 million cost of a new arena and shopping complex at Seattle Center. The public would pay the rest.
In return for its paltry 8 percent contribution, the Sonics would get all of the revenue from all events held at the arena, as well as from the shopping complex.
For a 92 percent stake, taxpayers would get ... essentially nothing. Though we'd be on the hook to fix the building if anything went seriously wrong.
This deal is so lopsided it makes the baseball and football stadiums look like bargains.
The Mariners paid 25 percent of Safeco Field. Seahawks owner Paul Allen paid 30 percent of Qwest Field.
Surely the Sonics know this plan is not serious enough to cut it at City Hall. Or with voters. It's as if the team's heart is elsewhere — say, in Oklahoma City. Or Vegas.
And yet the NBA commissioner, David Stern, recently had the gall to blame Seattle for being "not interested" in having an NBA team.
Sonics' lead owner Howard Schultz has echoed that, saying he's "stunned by the lack of respect." He added if the team leaves, it won't be his fault.
Which means it's our fault. Which is the last straw.
Look, everyone wants to keep the team in town. I know I do. But not if we have to be in an abusive relationship to do it.
People are trying. City Councilman Nick Licata offered to renegotiate the Sonics' lease so the team is profitable again. Not good enough.
Last year I suggested giving KeyArena to the Sonics, forgiving some debt and letting them fix it up and run it for their own profit. They weren't interested.
OK, how about we at least get an equity stake in the team in return for all our venture capital?
No, the Sonics have become all get and no give. The team wants to be on the dole on the expense side, but a private enterprise on the profit side.
One-way relationships like that never work.
I salute the Sonics for grasping the obvious: This union is broken. A 40-year affair is over.
The only question now is whether we'll humiliate ourselves begging to keep an old flame who's already gone.
It is four hours before the first pitch and many of his teammates and opponents have not arrived at the ballpark, so he has the entire field to himself. He begins to stretch. He will continue to stretch, on and off, for most of the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.
Ichiro is as loose as a bowl of overcooked linguini. He probably rides to the park in a stretch limo.
His preparation is meticulous, almost ridiculous. Cap backward, wraparound shades in place, iPod strapped to one bicep, he stretches everything but his teeth. During the half hour I watch him, at no time does Ichiro rest or even pause.
Later in the visitors' clubhouse, as other Mariners play cards, sprawl on couches, watch TV and graze the pregame buffet, Ichiro massages his feet and calves with a small tool. He talks to no one.
Pregame interview?
"What do you want to ask him about?" Ichiro's interpreter asks politely.
"Uh, hitting."
I have never been pre-screened for a clubhouse interview.
"What kind of questions about hitting?"
I mention a couple of possible topics.
"Usually he is busy preparing for the game, but I will ask."
No dice. Not today.
"He's preparing mentally for the game," the interpreter explains apologetically, as Ichiro thumbs through a car magazine.
He eats a small biscuit. For home games, he often brings a rice bowl prepared by his wife. Plum sauce is his favorite.
Ichiro usually talks to the media after a game. He speaks some English, but with the American media, he always uses an interpreter. His comments are sometimes Zen-like. Did he consider that a great catch? "That is for each individual who saw it to determine."
Ten reporters from 10 Japanese newspapers cover every Mariners game, writing stories about Ichiro, and now about rookie catcher Kenji Johjima. If a Mariners pitcher threw a no-hitter and Seattle won 12-0, the 10 writers would focus their stories on Ichiro's seventh-inning single.
In the big leagues, Ichiro is 5-for-5: Five seasons with the Mariners, five times with at least 200 hits, 100 runs, .300 batting average, a Gold Glove and an All-Star Game appearance. He had 262 base hits in 2004, more than any big-leaguer ever.
His bats are magic wands -- he is probably the only big-leaguer whose bloop hits are intentional -- and are treated accordingly. They are lathed from only the finest wood and delivered to him wrapped in plastic. Every other big-leaguer's bats are tossed into canvas bags; Ichiro's bats travel the baseball world in a rectangular steel humidor, as carefully protected as plutonium-reactor rods.
Never does Ichiro flip, fling or toss his bat. No ordinary bat rack for his wands; they are placed on a rack above the dugout bench, like trophy rifles. If Ichiro must rest the bat on the grass, Japanese reporter Keizo Konishi says, "He puts his bat in his glove and lies it down quietly, like a just-born baby."
Ichiro oils his fielder's glove before and after each game. He cleans and polishes his shoes before and after each game.
In the outfield, he runs like a deer and throws with a cannon. The only thing he doesn't do is dive for a ball. He will slide, but not dive. This is at least a minor violation of baseball's swashbuckle code, but Ichiro believes he is most valuable to his team when he actually is able to play. In Wednesday's newspapers, it was reported that Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui is out of action for three months -- he broke his wrist diving for a ball.
Ichiro comes into Wednesday's game batting .299, but having hit in 10 straight games. At 32, after nine seasons in the Japanese big leagues and five-plus seasons in the United States, maybe his greatest batting feats are behind him. But he still commands respect.
"He intimidates the other team," says A's hitting coach Gerald Perry, formerly the hitting coach for the Mariners.
You can't strike Ichiro out, throw him out (57 infield hits in '04), double him up, gun him down (13 steals in 15 attempts), run on his arm, throw a pitch he can't turn into a hit or keep him off the field (never fewer than 157 games played).
They love him still in Japan (most Mariners games are televised in Japan, and the cameras focus almost exclusively on Ichiro) and in Seattle. Huge photos of the player adorn the walls outside the Mariners' ballpark; buses stop, Japanese tourists pour out, take snapshots in front of Ichiro's photo and get back on the bus.
In the age of power, the Steroid Era, he seems to be not from a different country, but from a different planet, planet Plink-'n'-Slash. He sometimes puts on power shows in batting practice -- he slammed 10 homers Wednesday -- but once the game starts, he swings as if trying not to harm the ball, a pool shark caressing and shaping. Does he mentally call his shots? Slow dribbler between short and third.
In the sixth inning Wednesday, Ichiro slashed a single into short left field. Batting average: .300 on the nose.
Jamie Moyer threw a two-hitter and the Seattle Mariners hit a pair of homers in the seventh inning of a 4-to-0 shutout of Kansas City.
Moyer pitched his first complete game since May of last year, and his first two-hitter in almost ten years. The lefty threw just 93 pitches in improving to 3-and-5.
The game was scoreless until Jose Lopez and Raul Ibanez (ih-BAHN'-yehz) homered on Bobby Keppel's first two pitches of the seventh. Lopez added a two-run double off Jeremy Affeldt an inning later.
Keppel pitched into the seventh but fell to 0-and-1.
Sonics officials denied on Monday a published report that the team's majority owner, Howard Schultz, has set an asking price of about $400 million for the franchise.
Schultz has indicated his group may be forced to sell the franchise if the Sonics do not receive $220 million in public funds for improvements to KeyArena or have a new arena built in a suburb such as Bellevue. But Sonics management, through spokesman Kurt Fedders, said Schultz has not set an asking price, nor has he intimated the team is for sale.
The Puget Sound Business Journal reported in Monday's editions that Schultz has set an asking price of "at least $400 million." A $400 million sale price would be just $1 million short of the highest acquisition price for an NBA team. Real estate tycoon Robert Sarver purchased the Phoenix Suns for $401 million in June 2004.
Schultz's group, the Basketball Club of Seattle, purchased the Sonics from Barry Ackerley in April 2001 for $200 million.
There have been rumors the Sonics' ownership group has warmed to the idea of selling because efforts to get funding for KeyArena improvements have failed to gain the necessary support from the City of Seattle or the state legislature.
The Sonics' lease at KeyArena expires after the 2009-10 season and Schultz has repeated said the team needs to break ground on a renovated KeyArena by 2007 for the project to be completed in three years. That is unlikely to happen because the state legislature has yet to vote on the proposal.
The City Council passed a measure on May 1 insisting the city make a profit on a potential new lease with the Sonics. The council agreed that the Sonics and Storm must pay for all operating costs and construction work at KeyArena.
Also, any new deal must satisfy the existing city debt from the 1995 reconstruction of KeyArena and the new lease must last as long as required to cover costs for the Sonics' proposed renovations.
The Basketball Club of Seattle, which at first offered to contribute nothing to the project because of its estimated $60 million in losses over the past five years, has pledged $18.3 million toward any project -- a total that is likely well short of acceptable for the City Council.
Ichiro's going with a classic look for the World Baseball Classic. When he takes the field this week at the Yahoo Dome in Fukuoka to train for the tournament with Team Japan, he'll be wearing his pants short to just below the knees, exposing his stockings.
The look is a departure from his customary style of wearing his pants long to his shoe tops, but Ichiro insists this will be his look throughout the tournament and maybe even beyond. For now, at least, he's not acknowledging the change as anything more than a fashion statement.
"It's a pretty sharp look, if I do say so myself," he said with a big grin.
A change in fashion isn't the only thing new for Ichiro. He's also representing his country in an international tournament for the first time. That means he might not be in the Mariners' camp much this spring, but he says that won't be a problem because the WBC will offer plenty of competition and intensity. He also says he's looking forward to a happier season in Seattle, after clear-the-air meetings with manager Mike Hargrove and other Mariners officials after the disappointing 2005 season.
Ichiro had declined an offer to join a team of Japanese professionals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but he responded differently to the WBC invitation. Japan will play in Pool A games March 3, 4 and 5 at the Tokyo Dome, against China, Chinese Taipei and Korea. Two of the four teams will advance to the next round, March 12-16, in Anaheim, Calif.
"All my life, I dreamed of being a professional baseball player," Ichiro said. "To me, the Olympics are for amateurs, at least in baseball. It doesn't determine the best pro team in the world. As a professional, I didn't see the value in competing for a gold medal that wouldn't mean my team was the best in the professional world. The WBC offers that chance, so I'm interested in playing."
Through his participation in the WBC, Ichiro takes great pride in the chance to show the world there's more than one way to play the game of baseball.
"There's many different styles of baseball in the world," he said. "The brand people in America are most familiar with obviously is the one they see the most, with powerful and naturally gifted athletes. Japan can't compete playing that game. We have to compensate for our physical deficiencies by relying more on our mind, by figuring out an approach that's best suited for combating physical strength and natural ability.
"Baseball is a sport where the most physically imposing team doesn't always win. If Japan wins this tournament, I think it will underscore that point and validate our brand of baseball."
While the Fukuoka camp officially marks the beginning of training, Ichiro has been working out on his own since Jan. 2. His former team, Orix, gave him use of its stadium in Kobe, where he assembled a personal training camp complete with three batting-practice pitchers and a training partner.
It wasn't unusual for him to take 100 swings off live pitching on a given day — half against a right-hander, half against a lefty. Nor was it uncommon to see him fielding balls in right field and firing bullets back home. It was like a full-fledged spring training for one.
"My training schedule isn't all that different from any other year, but the contents of what I was working on was different. I spent a lot more time getting my arm ready. That's the biggest difference. My arm's already ready to go."
And that goes for the rest of his game, too. He caused a great stir throughout Japan when he accepted an invitation from Orix to play in a pair of intrasquad games at their spring-training camp on Feb. 11 and 12. Appearing in those games dressed in his Mariners home uniform, he showed himself game ready with a 3-for-6 performance over the two days.
Actually, every member of the Japanese team is game ready because players have been in spring training with their respective pro teams since camps opened here on the customary date of Feb. 1.
Many starting pitchers have already thrown more than 100 pitches off a mound, with some topping 200. Ichiro's preparation is impressive because he didn't have the luxury of attending an organized spring camp; as one of only two major-leaguers on Team Japan, along with Akinori Otsuka of the Texas Rangers, he designed his own program and assembled his own staff.
Once Ichiro has committed himself to a competition, he knows no other approach than all-out focus and preparation. His own values, coupled with Japan's overall commitment to preparation, makes Ichiro critical of one of the main rules that will govern the inaugural WBC tournament.
"I can't believe they're imposing pitch limits," he said. "If they're serious about creating a meaningful baseball tournament, how can they come up with a rule like that? If this is really going to be a tournament to determine the world's best baseball team, then they should let us compete with normal rules.
"It should be up to each country's team to prepare for the tournament as they see fit, with no artificial rules designed to make the regular season more important than the tournament. That only compromises the dignity of the tournament. I think it's a real shame they're doing that."
If Japan does advance to the finals, March 18 and 20 in San Diego, it would mean only about 10 days in the Mariners' camp for Ichiro before the season opener on April 3. Some Mariners fans may find that unsettling as the team tries to resurrect itself, but Ichiro was quick to downplay his absence.
"With pride for your country at stake, I expect everyone in the tournament will be playing with the same intensity as if it were a regular-season game," he said. "To be involved in a competition with that level of pressure and competitiveness can only be a positive. Now that's not to say that you take spring training lightly and don't play at a high level in those games, but when you take that level of intensity and add to it the fact that you're now playing for something you've never played for before, there's no way that experience can be a detriment."
Regardless of when Ichiro finally does get to the Mariners' camp, he also left no doubt he's looking forward to that day and that he harbors no ill feelings from the frustration he expressed after last year's disappointing season.
"After the season was over, I had a chance to sit down with the manager and other key people from the organization and express my sincere feelings on a variety of issues," he said. "I may have only worn the Mariners uniform for five years, but I've played professionally for 14 years.
"I've learned there are reasons beyond just good players why some teams are strong and others are not. I expressed my thoughts on why I felt ours was not a strong team last year. I was concerned that if things were just left to drift in the direction they were going without someone stepping up, we wouldn't move forward.
"Mike Hargrove was one of the people I spoke with face to face. Some of the things I had to say were quite harsh, but the manager gave me the courtesy of listening intently and he especially made me feel he understood my feelings.
"Although the issues we talked through were tough ones, I would actually describe it as an overwhelmingly productive dialogue. So much so, in fact, that I think we achieved a new level of mutual understanding, and a far stronger manager-player relationship has emerged between us.
"From a team standpoint, I believe this season we'll be more effective at playing toward a common goal. Every player has his own unique style and approach, but I believe we will all be better focused on a common team goal. If that's the result of our dialogue, then I believe we'll have the foundation for what it takes to be a strong team and a team that I'm looking forward to being a part of."
For Ichiro, a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, this year he may also be wearing his optimism for a fresh start on his stockings.
Seattle Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi didn’t pull off a big trade on Monday, nor did he make a big splash at the winter meetings with a free-agent signing.
That said, the first day of the winter meetings was still an unmitigated success for Bavasi and the Mariners, who made signifigant inroads toward signing free agent pitcher Kevin Millwood.
According to several sources, Bavasi and a representative for Millwood’s agent, Scott Boras, had encouraging talks at the Wyndam Anatole Hotel and that the two sides are supposedly are close on terms for the 30-year-old right-hander who led the American League in ERA last season.
Sources said the Mariners have offered Millwood a four-year contract worth $44 million. There’s a potential that the deal will include numerous incentives and possibly an option for a fifth season.
“Nothing is impending,” Bavasi said of any potential deal involving trades or free agents. “... It’s been an active day.”
Bavasi did say that by 4:30 p.m. PST that the team had talked with representatives from 11 different major league teams and that discussions, to that point, had focused more on trades than free agents.
“We’re talking more on the trade front,” he said. “Most of our work here is with clubs.”
As for the trade front, the Mariners have had discussions with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays about Aubrey Huff, a left-handed first baseman and outfielder.
Seattle has reportedly dangled pitcher Gil Meche in the past but the Devil Rays are not interested. They may have interest in reliever Julio Mateo, though Boston might be able to offer more to land Huff.
“Seattle does want Huff,” said a source familiar to the Devil Rays situation.
And, from the looks of it, they want Millwood.
Seattle is believed to have turned its attention to Millwood, who was 9-11 with a 2.86 ERA with the Indians in 2005, after the price tag for Florida’s A.J. Burnett got too high.
Burnett is reportedly close to signing a contract that could cover five years and $55 million. Burnett - who has a 49-50 career record - is looking at St. Louis and Toronto with the Blue Jays being the frontrunner.
The Mariners are fond of Millwood - who will turn 31 on Dec. 24 - for many reasons.
First of all, Millwood fits a need. Bavasi came to Dallas looking for a starting pitcher to help upgrade a rotation that was terribly inconsistent in 2005.
The Mariners also like Millwood’s durability. He has pitched at least 200 innings four times during his nine-year career.
Millwood came close to that again last season when he threw 192 innings over 30 starts for the Indians.
Other than Jamie Moyer (200 innings), Ryan Franklin (190.2) and Joel Pineiro (189) threw more than 180 innings and Franklin isn’t expected back in 2006.
Then there’s the market the Mariners are looking at. Aside from making a trade to land a pitcher, there’s not a whole lot of attractive options on the free-agent market after Millwood and Burnett.
On Monday, 35-year-old Paul Byrd signed a two-year contract (with an option for a third year) with Cleveland for $14.25 million. Byrd was 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels last season.
Late last month, the Oakland A’s gave starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza a three-year contract worth $21.4 million. So, while four years and $44 million for Millwood isn’t a bargain, it might not be a bad contract.
The Mariners aren’t the only teams interested in Millwood.
The Detroit Tigers are said to be high on Millwood and the Indians, according to general manager Mark Shapiro, aren’t out of the race.
“There still might be room for Millwood or there still might be room for another starter,” Shapiro said.
But Byrd, a friend of Millwood’s, didn’t sound like Cleveland had much of a chance to retain Millwood.
“With what he was looking for, a five-year deal, the window had passed for Cleveland to sign him,” said Byrd, who talked with Millwood a week ago.
If the Mariners do sign Millwood, they most likely will not do it until after midnight on Wednesday, the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to eligible players.
Should the Mariners sign Millwood before then, they would surrender a second-round draft pick - Seattle’s first-round pick, No. 5 overall, is protected. That’s something Bavasi said the club didn’t want to do.
There was no shortage of players linked to the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, the second day of the baseball’s winter meetings at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel.
Want pitching? Boston’s Matt Clement, St. Louis’ Matt Morris, Cleveland’s Kevin Millwood and even Scott Elarton now rank as more than blips on the Mariners’ radar.
Left-handed bats? The Mariners apparently have considerable interest in Carl Everett (White Sox), Trot Nixon (Red Sox) Jeromy Burnitz (Cubs) and Jacque Jones (Twins).
Yes, a lot of talk. But no action – yet.
Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi, in his daily briefing with Puget Sound area reporters, might have nailed down the most fitting description of the day when he referred to it as the “same stuff.”
That could change soon.
Even though the Mariners didn’t make any deals Tuesday, Bavasi said the team was active.
“We had a couple of follow-up visits with clubs, but nothing is pending,” Bavasi said.
The most intriguing rumor of the day involved Everett.
USA Today Sports Weekly said the Mariners were expected to sign the 34-year-old switch hitter who hit .251 with 23 home runs and 87 RBI for the World Series champion Chicago White Sox in 2005.
Everett – who reportedly met with Seattle on Monday – became a free agent when Chicago failed to pick up his $5 million option for 2006.
But Everett comes with baggage. He criticized gay people in a Maxim magazine article in July and was roundly ripped for saying dinosaurs never existed because Adam and Eve were the first living things God created.
The Mariners started the day by asking the Red Sox about Clement and Nixon, players the Red Sox are shopping around to other teams, as a pair and separately.
Clement was 13-6 with a 4.57 ERA in his first season in the American League after spending the previous three seasons with the Cubs. Clement, a 31-year-old right-hander, had 146 strikeouts in 191 innings.
Nixon, a 31-year-old, left-handed-hitting outfielder, batted .275 last season with 13 home runs and 67 RBI in 124 games. He missed playing time in 2005 with a strained oblique.
Those players would satisfy Bavasi’s desire for a frontline starting pitcher and a left-handed hitter with power.
The problem is the Mariners might not have enough to give Boston in return. They would almost certainly have to part with a top minor league prospect to land either.
With A.J. Burnett officially off the market – he signed a five-year, $55 million deal with Toronto – the Mariners are said to be looking at Morris and Millwood.
According to a source, the Mariners offered Morris a three-year deal worth about $18 million before the meetings. It was not known if that offer had been revisited, though the Cardinals are said to have renewed interest in Morris after losing out on Burnett.
As for Millwood, Bavasi met with his agent, Scott Boras, on Tuesday.
Team officials denied making an offer to the right-hander who led the American League in ERA. But a source familiar with the situation said an initial offer of four years and $44 million was made.
Another option might be Elarton, the No. 5 starter in Cleveland last season.
One American League executive suggested the Mariners might be looking to add as many as two pitchers.
Bavasi wouldn’t get into specifics but said “by the time we go to spring training, we would like to change out the starting pitching a little bit.”
The only starters certain to be in Seattle’s rotation are Felix Hernandez and Joel Pińeiro.
The Mariners could offer salary arbitration to veteran Jamie Moyer, but they must do so by 9 p.m. PST today. Bavasi said the Mariners are “very hopeful” that they’ll sign Moyer, who has no agent.
Another starter, Gil Meche, could be moved in a trade or not tendered a contract by the deadline of Dec. 19. Ryan Franklin isn’t expected back, either.
As for finding a left-handed bat with power to hit between sluggers Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson, the Mariners will make an offer to Jones today, according to a baseball source.
The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals also are said to be pursuing Jones, who hit .249 with 23 home runs and 73 RBI for the Twins in 2005. Jones is 30.
Burnitz, 36, hit .258 with 24 home runs and 87 RBI for the Cubs. He figures to get a smaller deal than Jones, who has been offered a three-year contract by the Royals.
Ray Allen, Sonics starting to put together some wins
The Seattle SuperSonics are starting to play solid, winning basketball. They have won three in a row and six of their last nine contests overall.
The Sonics, who are 8-8 this season, are tied with the Denver Nuggets for second place in the Northwest Division. They trail the division-leading Minnesota Timberwolves by two games.
Seattle targets its fourth consecutive win on Tuesday when it concludes a five-game homestand against Stephon Marbury and the New York Knicks at KeyArena.
On Sunday, All-Star Ray Allen poured in 25 points and added six rebounds and three steals, as the SuperSonics knocked off the Indiana Pacers, 107-102, in front of their home crowd. Rashard Lewis added 23 points and six boards for Seattle.
Ronald Murray netted 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting off the bench, while Luke Ridnour posted 13 points and seven assists in the victory over the Pacers. After scoring a combined 10 points in his first three games, Murray has reached double figures in five of his last six contests.
The SuperSonics are 7-0 this season when scoring at least 100 points. Seattle, which will head to Utah for a game with the Jazz on Thursday, is 6-3 in its arena this season.
Allen leads the Sonics in scoring (23.9 ppg) and has also registered 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assist per game. He is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The 30-year-old Allen has scored in double-digits in all 16 of Seattle's games this season. The Connecticut product has poured in more than 20 points in 10 contests.
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