FanHouse Howard Lincoln

Hey guys! The end of November is the perfect time for some positive content about the Seattle Mariners! November is over in like a day, so get it while you can!

Believe it or not, there are some positive things going on in Seattle. The Mariners made Don Wakamatsu the first Asian-American manager in baseball history. There might be a strip club going in 400 feet from the ballpark! They're ... uh ... getting new uniforms? No. Ichiro is getting along with his teammates! They aren't going to gang up and beat him down! Well, maybe. What else is there to get positive about in Seattle? Cobain's dead, but the Peppermint Mocha Twist is still pretty great!

The offseason is when we finally get to stop talking about teams that win and do things and get to people like the Twinkies and the M's, so pull up a chair (I assume you are standing at your computer) and enjoy tonight's late night Dugout, after the jump.

On Wednesday Watson told you about the rumors that both Walt Jocketty and Tony LaRussa are rumored to be leaving St. Louis after this season, and moving on somewhere else as a duo. A lot of speculation has the two going to Cincinnati due to their friendship with Reds CEO Robert Castellini.

There's a problem there though because it's hard to believe the Cardinals would let Jocketty out of his contract to move to a division rival. One of the other possible destinations was Seattle, with the only problem there of course being that Bill Bavasi and John McLaren are already employed there.

Well, it might not be a problem very long.

A report Wednesday that the Mariners had re-upped the contract of general manager Bill Bavasi during the summer was incorrect.

Bavasi's contract is not open-ended, but the team has not disclosed a fixed end date, either.

While Bavasi is under some fire for the team's August collapse, he's employed until CEO Howard Lincoln says he isn't.

And Lincoln, as always, isn't tipping his hand one way or the other. Bavasi and his entire staff, and McLaren and his entire staff, could all be back in 2008. Or none could.

That has to be comforting to hear from your boss. "You're here until I don't want you here."

Lincoln may be keeping his mouth shut on the situation right now because he wants to wait and see what's going to happen in St. Louis. I'll fully admit right now that all of this is speculation, but I wouldn't be shocked at all if it became reality.