Piniella confident M's will steal New York's thunder

The perception that the M's are in over their heads is why Piniella is ready to fight

GREG JOHNS

Originally published October 20

NEW YORK -- There's a lot of the Big Apple in Lou Piniella, but his heart now is pure Seattle.

When Piniella exploded with his promise to bring the American League Championship Series back to Safeco Field after Thursday's Game 2 loss, he was falling back on his old, aggressive New York attitude.

But his motivation was all Mariner, all Seattle, all Pacific Northwest.

Piniella explained his vow yesterday after the M's arrived at Yankee Stadium in preparation for today's Game 3. Turns out, Sweet Lou figures the time is now for Seattle to see a World Series. He doesn't want this chance to slip away.

"Last night I talked out of my heart, I talked out of pride and passion, but also out of frustration," Piniella said. "Seattle has been in baseball 25 years now and I'd like to see the city of Seattle, our fans and our organization feel the same thing this (Yankee) organization has tasted.

"I've been to the World Series five times myself," he said, "so it's not about me or anything else. It's about the city of Seattle."

Today, however, it will be much more about the city of New York when the Mariners and Yankees take the field. As if the Yanks don't already have enough in their corner, now they carry the hearts of much of the nation after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack devastated their city.

Nobody knows better what the Mariners are in for than Jay Buhner, who played for the Yankees prior to joining the M's in 1988.

"It's a crazy place to play," Buhner said. "The fans are wild and crazy. It's not for the meek, that's for sure.

"At the same time, with the situation that happened (on Oct. 11), it'll be interesting to see if it's changed a little bit," said Buhner.

"But I doubt it. Those people that come to the ballpark are behind their Yankees all the way. And with them having a 2-0 advantage, I don't see them letting up. They go for the jugular when they get the chance."

That chance could come this weekend. New York can pull the plug on Seattle's season by winning two of the three upcoming Yankee Stadium games, which is why Piniella tried rousing the troops with his guarantee the Mariners will bring the series back to Safeco for a Game 6 on Wednesday.

"We definitely have our backs to the wall, down 0-2," Buhner said.

"But what the heck? What better way to come back than by winning four in a row?"

Of course, all the Mariners actually have to do is take four of the next five against a franchise that has won 75 percent of its playoff games over the past six seasons.

So the odds don't look good. But the perception that the Mariners can't match the Yankee mystique and are in over their heads is precisely why Piniella let everyone know he's ready to fight.

Piniella's motivational ploy raised eyebrows in New York, where any challenge to the Yankee Dynasty is met with incredulity. But Piniella is nobody's fool. He sensed a Mariner malaise setting in and quickly sent a strong message to his players that he believed in them, so they should believe as well.

What will it take for the Mariners to get back in this series?

For starters, today's game is absolutely a must-win with Jamie Moyer on the mound. This is the one pitching matchup -- Moyer vs. an injury-plagued Orlando Hernandez -- that favors Seattle.

El Duque has been nearly unbeatable in the playoffs over the years, but his dominance right now is based on past numbers, not current strength.

Similarly, Roger Clemens is vulnerable tomorrow against Paul Abbott, only because he's nowhere near the man who went 20-3, thanks to a sore hamstring.

But betting against Hernandez and Clemens is risky business indeed. If this is the Yankee vulnerability the M's must seize upon, it's not exactly a gaping hole in the armor. El Duque and the Rocket are intense competitors. The Mariners are in for a street fight both days.

Who better to lead the way into a brawl than the feisty Piniella? Yet the fight the Mariners must raise is with their bats, which have been sadly silent so far.

This series looks entirely different if the M's come up with a timely hit at any point. An 0-for-10 mark with runners in scoring position is killing a club that feasted on such situations in the regular season.

That, in part, has led to Piniella's pent-up frustration. He knows his team is a hit or two away from controlling this series.

He knows these chances don't come along very often.

He knows what it feels like to win a World Series.

He'd like you to feel that, too.

Greg Johns can be reached at gjohns@juno.com.

On the web:

Mariners American League Championship Series Special Section (Oct. 17)

Seattle Mariners

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