The "Kiddie Corps"

I'm sorry if that headline causes some major twitching or nightmares about Evil Rick Rizzs, and if you're as annoyed as I am about that term, you probably twinge at the thought of those words...

Still -- it's been almost a week since Locked on Sports begged the fans to resist the urge to throw in the towel by bringing up the youngsters. It's not like Locke has been wrong before. Sure, Mike Morse and Jose Lopez won't end up the season at .400 or higher. I doubt either of them last through June at that clip. To put things in perspective, though, Jose Lopez was more productive this weekend than Bret Boone has been all season (according to Dave Cameron's VORP analysis).

Just about every comment I've heard regarding Locke's article has had an "eat sh*t" tone about it. Even what I wrote, too, contributed to that, I would imagine. Still, that's the nature of a sports radio personality (Locke's day job). He's inspired lots of discussion, even if it hasn't been all together charitible, and that can truly be a good thing. It's vital for us to keep things in perspective, and to avoid looking at things from only one perspective. Life isn't exactly black and white all the time.

It's amazing, too, how many articles have been written a week later in their own way contradicting what David Locke had to say. Here are just a couple of recent samples. I'm not overly surprised by Lopez and Reed. I am, however, quite surprised and excited by the play of Morse and Rivera. Will it continue? I'm not expecting it to. Still, it's fun while it lasts, and makes Mariners baseball, "What a Show!" that much more of an enjoyable show. The key is that they're now here, and they don't want to leave. They're doing everything within their powers to bond and gel, and to ultimately stick in the major leagues. If it means millions of dollars riding the pine, I'm totally fine with that. I want the best team on the field, regardless of the contract cost. Like I said last year, it's all just a game. You have to enjoy it and want to play to be successful. Having youngsters battling entrenched veterans is a good thing for everyone. All the more enjoyable when the team is winning because the kids are succeeding.

"Bottom Babies"; "Kiddie Corps"; "Youth Movement" I don't care what you call 'em (well, I'm still not too fond of Rizzs' "Kiddie Corps"). Bring on the kids! Even if the combined age of our double-play combination is barely equivalent to the age of our catcher. Heck -- keep Borders around. He's acting like someone half his age, even if he's hitting half his age. He's got a big dose of Peter Pan Syndrome, and is helping to keep this team young.

Maybe Cranky Yankee is on to something...