Hargrove Resigns

In a shocking, completely unexpected move, Mariners manager Mike Hargrove suddenly resigned today. He is managing his final game starting at 4pm EDT and will then be succeeded by bench coach John McLaren for the remainder of the year. There was no forewarning of this with the Mariners 11 games over .500, winners of seven straight and in the playoff hunt.

Speculation abounds to the motivation behind this move. Hargrove’s official statement is that he lacks passion and the team deserves better, but that is unconvincing. There has been rumors of internal arguments between Hargrove and GM Bill Bavasi and Hargrove and star Ichiro, but nobody who’s talking know how serious those were.