Friday, August 31, 2007

Mike Hargrove Has Regrets

His words say that he is enjoying his retirement:

"I miss being around the players and I miss the game itself," he said. "I miss the excitement of winning, but not the dregs of losing . . . It has been like an offseason . . . I haven't missed all the things that have caused me to make the decision. I've missed all the good things and none of the bad things."

But his actions say otherwise:

Hargrove's scheduled hunting trip to Canada in October could get canceled if the Mariners make the World Series. Seattle entered Thursday night a half-game behind the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card race.

"I won't go goose hunting," he said. "I'll go to the World Series."

Let's do the math. He obviously didn't schedule the hunting trip before he quit, right? I mean, no active manager is going to schedule a trip for October. But, if we assume that he made the plans for the hunting trip after he quit, what other than a bit of regret and uncertainty is causing him to consider cancelling now? The Mariners have been in contention from the moment he quit. The possibility of the World Series has been there since day one. The only possible explanation, it seems, is that when Hargrove made his reservations, he couldn't give a shit what the Mariners would be doing in October. Now he's planning on changing his plans to watch if they do make it.

Hargrove regrets quitting and misses the game. Don't let him tell you otherwise.

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