Wither the Mariners?

It has been a trying season for the former parent club of the Timber Rattlers. Geoff Baker, the M's beat writer at the Seattle Times, is working on a five-part series about this and where they go from here.

Part One has some interesting stuff. Mainly contracts, but Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn are parts of the article, too.

Part Two begins with former Appleton Fox Raul Ibanez.

There is one distraction Raul Ibanez has been unable to block out as he puts together one of his finest seasons.

Ibanez compares himself to "a racehorse with blinders on" because of the way he can focus on nothing more than the task ahead. It's part of the mental training techniques he picked up from renowned sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman, and explains Ibanez's continued production while everything around him is falling apart.

Yet as successful as Ibanez has been at shutting out questions about his pending free agency, the position he'll play in 2009 and the firings of his team's manager and general manager, he has been unable to completely zone out when it comes to the Mariners' losing ways. The embarrassing nights endured by the team have taken their toll on its top offensive star, to the point where it could become the No. 1 issue for Ibanez when he decides where to sign what will likely be his final big contract.

"It's been miserable," Ibanez said. "It's been embarrassing. It's been difficult. It's been emotional. It's been dull. There have been some exciting moments, but on the whole, it's been very difficult."

The fate of Ibanez, and veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre, will dictate just how dramatic the reshaping of the Mariners will be. While the Mariners would like to bring back Ibanez under certain financial conditions, it's the player who will ultimately make the final call.

Jeff Clement ('05) gets a brief mention here.

Without Ibanez, the team will need a slugger, preferably left-handed, to fill the first base or DH power void. There have been suggestions that catcher Jeff Clement, bothered by sore knees, would be a prime candidate.

But much of that will depend on other factors, like whether catcher Kenji Johjima can pick his game up off the scrap heap. If Johjima sticks behind the plate, the club could go with a Johjima-Rob Johnson tandem at catcher and move Clement to another position.

Matt Tuiasosopo ('05) and Carlos Triunfel ('07) also get a mention later in the article. The whole thing makes for interesting reading...Especially this part.

Along with Beltre, Ibanez also spent much of this season quietly filling a clubhouse leadership void as one veteran after another was shipped off. While not as outwardly vocal as some would like, Ibanez and Beltre are the everyday players who did the most talking to younger Mariners about how to play the game right and go about their business off the field.

And it was a clubhouse in need of some direction, given the problems engulfing it as the season came undone. When it came to Ichiro, who got off to a typically slow start in April and part of May, the internal turmoil nearly hit its boiling point.

"I just can't believe the number of guys who really dislike him," said one clubhouse insider. "It got to a point early on when I thought they were going to get together and go after him."

The coaching staff and then-manager John McLaren intervened when one player was overheard talking — in reference to Ichiro — about wanting to "knock him out." A team meeting was called to clear the air.

It was a repeat of May 2007, when Mike Hargrove was in charge and a team meeting had to be called during a series at Tampa Bay because of clubhouse bickering over Ichiro being a "selfish" player.

Wow. Part Three tomorrow.