Sunday July 1st will always be remembered as one the most puzzling days in Seattle sports history. The Mariners had just won their eighth game in a row, closed the gap on the division leading Angels, and the people of Seattle were buzzing like another WTO conference was in the works. The players were happy, and the managerial staff seemed adequate, at the very least. Things were looking up for baseball in the Pacific Northwest.

Then, with the snap of two fingers, Mike Hargrove packed up his stuff and resigned as manager, with no concrete explanation surprising fans and players alike. So where does this leave the team as they head into a four game at division rival Oakland? Can they continue playing above their level? Can they catch the Angels with an inexperienced, impromptu manager? Does the role of manager really matter at this level?

It is easy to value too highly the influence a manager has over his team. Big names like Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox give an aura of baseball genius as they lead their teams consistently good teams year in and year out. However, behind each of these managers is a team of specialized coaches that advise the managers what to do throughout the game and deal more directly with the players on an everyday basis. New York Mets blogger Eric Simon from amazinavenue.com says, “baseball players are big boys and I tend to believe that a manager’s effect on a team’s performance is largely overstated.â€? By losing a manager, you are not cutting the head off of the coaching staff, but rather you are cutting off the face. Someone new will be coming out of the dugout to argue with the umps, but the coaching staff itself will not have to change much in the daily routine.

Even though a team can move on with a new man in charge, the Hargrove situation does not fit the typical transitional mold. Arizona Diamondback’s blogger, Jim McLennan says, “the manner in which Hargrove quit is bound to cause some ripples. Even as an outsider, I’m wondering why on earth he’d do that, and for his players, the impact is bound to be all the greater.â€? While this story ranks well behind Joey Chesnut’s hotdog victory, it is still being brought up in the media. The players are being asked questions to which they do not know the answer, and the focus has shifted away from the game.

I refuse to believe that Mike Hargrove influenced the game so much that Mariners can’t continue playing at that high level without him. I can get on board with the notion that the conditions of his departure will affect the team negatively. If the three games thus far in the post Hargrove era are any indication (1-2 record against the lowly Kansas City Royals), things could get drearier in the city of perpetual rain. Despite it all, the Hargrove departure has taught baseball fans es, but the mini media circus and lingering unanswerable questions might.