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Over the last seven days there seemed to be a lot of back and forth between the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners for the services of one Ken Griffey Jr. Last Thursday the word was that Junior was going to be returning to Seattle, and the only thing in the way was passing a physical. A few hours later, Griffey came out and said the report wasn't true.

Then on Tuesday the report was that Griffey was going to Atlanta where he could be closer to his family, as he'd reached a contract agreement with the Braves and was just waiting to pass a physical. Once again, a few hours later Junior said it wasn't true. Finally on Wednesday Ken signed with the Mariners, but who helped him decide between legacy and family? Well, any bitter Braves fans should probably direct their ire at the great Willie Mays.

So the Seattle Mariners fired general manager Bill Bavasi back in June, yet they still haven't made any ground in figuring out who their next general manager is going to be. They've interviewed four candidates for the job, including Kim Ng who would be the first female general manager in baseball history. Aside from Ng, they've also talked to Arizona's Jerry DiPoto, Toronto's Tony LaCava, and Milwaukee's Jack Zduriencik.

Now there was some speculation that the Mariners would announce their choice today, but at the moment it doesn't look like that's going to happen, which could be a problem once the World Series starts tomorrow night. MLB isn't too fond of major announcements during the World Series.

Of course, if the Mariners want to they can ask Bud Selig for a waiver to allow them to dare interrupt the World Series, and though team President Chuck Armstrong says he isn't sure whether or not he's going to ask, I am. He's not, and the Mariners won't have their general manager before the World Series is over anyway.

The reason for this is because they're waiting for Pat Gillick. Gillick is a former Mariners GM, and he's currently the Phillies general manager. He has made it clear, though, that he'd like to retire at the end of the year. I have no doubt that Seattle's plan is to wait out the Series and then gauge Gillick's interest in returning to Seattle as head of baseball operations, and then having him choose the new general manager.

The world we live in sure is changing. All one has to do is look at this year's Presidential election to see that. No matter what happens, we're either going to have our first black President, or our first female Vice President. Obviously, the fine folks in MLB have taken notice of these changes, and now they want to show that they're pretty hip and with the times as well.

Which is why the Seattle Mariners have dropped hints that they may be hiring current Dodgers assistant GM, Kim Ng, to be their next general manager.

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong said his team is vetting a wide range of general manager candidates, pointedly leaving open the possibility of Seattle hiring the first female general manager in major league history.

"It's time for some fresh thinking," Armstrong said at the end of his 23rd season with the team - what he called his worst and most "miserable" one.

"We're color blind, gender blind," he went on to say. "We just want the best person that we think would be the best person for the Mariners as we move forward," Armstrong said.

The Mariners have also been talent blind lately, and they're hoping Ng could be the woman to fix that. If nothing else, she'll probably at least get the team to start dressing better.

In the last few weeks rumors have been swirling in Seattle that general manager Bill Bavasi and manager John McLaren weren't long for their jobs. Then team president Chuck Armstrong gave them the dreaded votes of confidence, and it appears he actually meant it, because they haven't been fired...yet.

So since the Mariners still suck, and Bavasi and McLaren don't look like they'll get fired during the season, somebody has to pay the price. That somebody is hitting coach Jeff Pentland.

The slumping Seattle Mariners fired hitting coach Jeff Pentland on Monday and replaced him with special assistant Lee Elia.

Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said he hoped a "different voice" would help the team with the worst record in the majors. Elia, who turns 71 next month, was Seattle's batting coach from 1993-97 and is perhaps best known for a tirade he once unleashed as manager of the Chicago Cubs.

I have no idea if Elia is going to be able to get the Mariners bats turned around, but my first reaction to this was that it's still a great move by Seattle. With Lee around, at the very least he'll be able to help teach McLaren how to throw a real post game tantrum. Not one of those forced, transparent ones.

The Mariners will be finishing up a six-game road trip this afternoon at Yankee Stadium, and they'll be hoping to avoid going 0-6. Still, you have to wonder, despite the fact that they haven't won a game on this trip, do they really even want to go back home to Seattle? At least while they're in New York, the home fans can't kill them, so they're safer on the road.

There's probably also some fear in manager John McLaren and general manager Bill Bavasi that they may not hold those titles for much longer. The fans wouldn't exactly cry themselves to sleep at night knowing those two were gone, and they may be getting their wish soon as both have received the dreaded votes of confidence from team president Chuck Armstrong.

"Their positions are secure," Armstrong told MLB.com from his Bellevue, Wash., home. "They are not to be blamed for what's going on.

"In my 23 years, I have never ever seen anything like this. We saw it the other way in 2001. I mean, you have to ask yourself, 'How did the Mariners win 116 games that season with that roster, compared to this roster?' This is just as inexplicable the other way."

You may remember that after the new contract extension Ichiro Suzuki just signed was announced, that Marlins president David Samson wasn't too shy about his feelings towards it. If you need a reminder what it was that Samson said, well, here it is.

I would say it's the end of the world as we know it. If Ichiro's worth 20 million a year, I am speechless by that contract, I'm hoping that that report is false. Because there's no chance that a top of the lineup, forget that, there's no chance anybody's worth that. And Ichiro, who's led his team to zero? Nothing? I hope you're wrong, Dan.

Dan being Dan LeBatard who asked him his opinion of the deal. Well obviously the Mariners have heard about Samson's comments, with Mariners president Chuck Armstrong openly questioning why Samson felt a need to make those statements publicly.

Seattle General Manager Bill Bavasi is none too happy with Samson as well, and it's safe to say the two probably won't be eating dinner together anytime soon.

"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is `[expletive] David Samson,' you shouldn't say anything at all. So I'm not going to say anything at all.''

I know that a lot of Mariners fans arent' exactly big fans of Bavasi, and I myself have openly questioned some of his moves, but that quote just gave me a new found respect for the man and his mother. That's some good parenting right there.

Previously at FanHouse:
Ichiro Signs His Extension
Will Ichiro's New Contract Ruin Baseball?