In one year, 1995, baseball was all but lost in Seattle and at the same time, baseball became this area's love.

Obviously, we have Sweet Lou to thank for saving baseball in Seattle.

With a bitter sweet ending to one of the great managerial runs in baseball history upon us who can blame him for leaving Seattle??

His desire to be close to his family is a driving force behind his leaving but I can guarantee you, if the M's ownership would have stepped up to the plate and givem Gillick (the best GM in baseball) the oppurtunity to better this team prior to the deadline, Lou would no doubt be managing another year in Seattle.

So who should guide this team next year?? Their has been mention of Bryan Price or John McLaren but in my opinion, the M's need a proven winner and leader to propel this team to the next level. They are an older team that is quickly running out of time so why gamble on leadership.

Bobby Valentine is a proven winner but he also carries alot of baggage and does not hold the integiry and the standards the M's franchise does.

Dusty Baker is a free-agent at this end of this year but if the Giants do not win the Series, I almost positive they will want Dusty back for another year to see if they can take it all.

Davey Johnson and Cito Gasten have been mentioned as well and Cito is a proven World Series winner but he does not have the fire I like to see in a baseball manager.

Too bad Buck Showalter was already scooped up as I believe he would have been an excellent match for this team.

We need a manager that knows how to play small ball, is more mature then his players (which Valentine is not) and at times can fire up an aging team.

Thanks for the memories, Lou and thanks for saving baseball in Seattle!!!

I don't know. If I was Howard, I'd promote one of the bench coaches. They've been there for a while and have worked with Lou and know his style and how he thinks. That way, we could use Lou to get some better players.

mike holgrem will be looking for work soon, hire him & we could fire the GM & ALL of the bench coaches, that way we could get a power hitter ...

I sure liked Lou and it's sad to see him go. I liked the way he called games and will miss seeing him toss a base while arguing with an ump while in a Mariners uniform.

On the other hand things need to be refreshed every now and again. I don't think the orginization will fall apart without him. We have done OK in the past without some other big name guys in our club house. I think everyone sensed that things were a little stale this past season.

Who knows maybe the change will send the team to higher plateau?

We should still stay on the bandwagon!

FJ...out.

Lou was just an awesome coach. I'm truly going to miss him and his fiery competitiveness. He was all about winning and he pulled out every trick in the book to try and win. I think he was the best coach Seattle ever had. It's going to be hard to replace him. Now that he's going , I wonder how many other players will bail?

I second that. Baseball's always been a part of my life. Sweet Lou was an incredible manager. He had an enthusiasm and a personality that would draw the fans. His knowledge of the game was phenomenal. I'll never forget the various managers that would state that they simply got "outmanaged" when facing the Mariners. It's going to be a tough void to fill. Lets get behind Brian Price or John Maclaren. I'd love to see one of those guys take the helm.
Cuthroat