IT’S A MADD MADD WORLD. . .

Of all the stupid things Mariners CEO Kevin Mather said at that Rotary Club luncheon February 5 that led to his resignation, the one that really hit a raw nerve throughout baseball was his admission that the reason the team didn’t call up top prospect Jarred Kelenic last year was because of service time and the desire to keep control of him longer. This has been baseball’s dirty little secret for years but now it’s out there and figures to be a major issue of contention in the upcoming labor negotiations. For the Mariners part, now they’ve got one ticked off player in Kelenic and it remains to be seen if this is something that can ever be mended. “This should be an exciting time for baseball,” he said, “but now the day before spring training, this is something I have to deal with. This is a team that was one game out of the playoffs going into the last weeks of the season last year.

I know for a fact I could’ve helped the team out. Not be given that opportunity was beyond frustrating. I feel guys should be rewarded for their play and have the

best guys on the field especially when you talk about a team that hasn’t gone to the playoffs in 20 years.” Ouch. Meanwhile, all eyes will now be on other teams’ top prospects’ performance, most notably the Rays’ 19-year phenom shortstop Wander Franco, beginning in spring training . ... Last Friday it was announced that Marla Miller, the highest ranking woman official in baseball, is retiring from her position as senior vice president of special events. There was a reason she was there for 21 years. Behind the scenes, she deftly and professionally handled one of the most thankless jobs in baseball — supervising all of the events from the World Series, All-Star Game and Fan Fest, Little League Classic, Field of Dreams Game as well the MLB promotions like the All-Century Team and memorable moments campaign. She was the one who arranged all the travel, hired all the talent to perform at the All-Star Game, and made sure everyone got their tickets and that all the buses were on time and where they were supposed to be. Happy trails, Marla. Nobody could have done it better.