Getting drafted in the first round by an MLB team seems like a pretty cool experience–I once ordered a medium pizza and they delivered a large instead, so I can very much relate–and MLB.com put together a nice video complication of the players’ reactions yesterday:
I also like the contrast between Bud Selig’s emotional level and every kid’s emotional level.
Two weeks ago the Seattle Mariners gave GM Jerry Dipoto a contract extension. Today they did the same for manager Scott Servais. They are calling it a “multi-year contract extension,” though the exact number of years and the money is not reported. The money rarely is reported for the managers.
Servais has a record of 222–199 (.527) midway through his third season as the M’s skipper. That, actually, makes him the fourth-winningest manager in Mariners history if you can believe it. Twenty men have held that job. A lot of them helmed some pretty bad teams.
The Mariners released a quote from Dipoto regarding Servais:
“Scott has created a culture here in Seattle that allows players to be successful,” Dipoto said. “They are encouraged to be themselves, which has resulted in a loose environment, while still maintaining the focus on team above self. His leadership has also been evident through the ongoing growth and impact of one of the best coaching staffs in Major League Baseball.
“He has been the right leader at the right time for the right team and I look forward to many more years together.”
The Mariners are currently 58–39, good for the fourth-best record in the Major Leagues. If the season ended today they’d be in the playoffs for the first time since 2001, baseball’s longest postseason drought.
