Other Reasons For Hargrove's Resignation

Today, the Seattle Mariners received some stunning news when manager Mike Hargrove announced his resignation. The club was on a seven-game winning streak, extended to eight with a 2-1 victory over Toronto in Hargrove’s last game at the helm. Bench coach John McLaren will now assume the reins at Safeco Field.

In explaining his unusual decision to leave a hot team at mid-season, the outgoing skipper said that he was finding it increasingly difficult to give the effort and commitment demanded by the position. Many baseball observers will surely look for something deeper. With that in mind, here are some other possible reasons for Hargrove’s resignation.


Seinfeld: Following the advice of Jerry, George Costanza triumphantly walked out of a meeting after cracking up his co-workers. With the winning streak still going, Hargrove similarly decided to leave on a high note.

Motivation: Managers sometimes decide to get ejected to fire up their players. If missing the rest of the game can have that effect, imagine what missing the rest of the season can do!

Supersonics: With Ray Allen being sent out of town, Hargrove figured that all the local teams were undergoing a youth movement. So the 57-year-old skipper gave way to 55-year-old McLaren.

Lack of Consistency: Including his four years in Baltimore, Hargrove had finished his last six seasons as manager in fourth place. With the Mariners in second, he had little hope of keeping his streak intact.

The Human Rain Delay: That was Hargrove’s nickname as a batter, due to his long, drawn-out routine between pitches. Given that deliberate style, it’s possible that his resignation actually started last month.

All-Star Selections: As a player, Hargrove made just one All-Star Game, going 0-1 for the American League in a 1975 loss. He is also the last AL skipper to lose the Midsummer Classic, dropping the 1996 contest. Despite winning in 1998, he still harbors ill will toward the game and decided to overshadow the announcement of this year’s rosters.

Adrian Beltre: He scored the winning run for Seattle today in the bottom of the ninth inning. Hargrove must be a Rocky fan, as he chose to end his career by hugging Adrian in celebration.

4th of July: Forgetting that his team would be in Kansas City, Hargrove invited lots of buddies over to his place to watch the fireworks. Canceling the party at this point would have been really inconvenient.

John Mc: In his first managerial job with Cleveland, Hargrove succeeded John McNamara. He came full circle as he ended his managerial career by turning things over to John McLaren. Preferred choices John McCain and John McEnroe were unavailable.

Apple: Now Hargrove finally has the time to go out and get an iPhone.