Hargrove walks away on his terms

SEATTLE — One of the most bizarre days in Seattle Mariners history ended with Mike Hargrove heading into sudden retirement while in search of a new, red pickup truck to drive down the Pacific Coast.

Hargrove, 57, left in the rear view mirror as many conspiracy theories as questions as to why he had resigned as manager Sunday while peaked at Seattle's highest point in more than four years.

"I don't expect people to understand it, I really don't, because at times I don't understand it myself," said Hargrove, who's been in major league baseball since 1972.

As Hargrove abruptly and stunningly resigned — citing an inability to muster the daily dedication he has demanded from players for his 15 1/2 seasons as a major league manager — his Mariners won their eighth consecutive game, 2-1, over Toronto on Sunday. He became the first big league manager since at least 1900 to depart while on a winning streak of more than seven games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Seattle was soaring at 12 games over .500 entering Monday night's debut of new manager John McLaren, Hargrove's bench coach, at Kansas City. The 55-year-old McLaren, who said the startling events were tough for him to comprehend, hasn't been a full-time manager since 1985, when he was at Knoxville in the Southern League. He rejoined the Mariners this season, after 15 years working on the staffs of manager Lou Piniella that included 1993-2002 in Seattle.

"This is not a perfect scenario to take over a ballclub," the 12th manager in Mariners history said, his right arm in a sling following rotator cuff surgery last week. "But I'll run with it."