Earlier this month there were some rumors that current minority owner Chris Larson was attempting to take control of the franchise, pushing Nintendo, CEO Howard Lincoln and President Chuck Armstrong out of the picture.  The change would have been a good one, but the parties involved are doing their best to dispel the rumors.

“There is absolutely no basis in fact to what you have heard,” Larson wrote in an e-mail exchange with Geoff Baker recently. “I have never had any discussions with Howard Lincoln, Nintendo, or Mr. Yamauchi about increasing my ownership interest beyond where it is now, and I have no plans to do so. What you suggest is simply not true.”

“I don’t anticipate any change to occur in the ownership structure,” Lincoln told reporters yesterday.

Ownership isn’t changing, and Lincoln is staying put, and Armstong isn’t retiring as rumored.  When asked by reporters about the possibility of retirement Armstrong replied, “I feel just the opposite.”

This is unfortunate news.  We’ve all been hoping that the organization would begin a complete overhaul from top to bottom this offseason, but it appears the only major change we’ll be getting is a new GM.  That said, many are convinced that Lincoln and Armstrong are incapable of making a smart choice in the matter. 

Maybe they are.  After all, they signed Bill Bavasi, a guy who’s name is said to cause laughter in pro baseball circles and has only gotten GM opportunities because of his father’s legacy.  Maybe Lincoln and Armstrong will go out and get John Hart, the not-so-good former GM of the Indians and Rangers, or someone worse.  We don’t know, but if you squint real hard there may be reason for hope.

“It’s time we get some fresh thinking.  Inside, we have our own thoughts, but it’s good to go outside and get some fresh views. Our perception of things from the inside may not be the same as someone from the outside.  We’re looking some fresh new blood,” Armstrong said.  That rules out interim GM Lee Pelekoudas, which is a start, and hints that they’re willing to look at the up-and-comers and not just the old school GMs.  Armstong also mentioned that he’s been paying attention to GM suggestions in the local media, which may or may not be a good thing depending on who he’s reading.  He continued to say that they will be “gender blind” when it comes to picking a new GM, which is a clear hint that Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng could get legitimate consideration.  Ng is expected to be the first woman to get a big league GM gig, and many believe she’d make a great choice and I agree.  (Note: Rob and I are going to try and start profiling a bunch of potential GMs shortly, so there should be info on Ng and others on BBT soon.)  Of course, hinting at a new approach and executing it are completely different things, and I’m not quite convinced that the Lincoln/Armstrong duo can make a smart move.  All we can do is hope that they’ve learned from some of their mistakes like normal people do.

Another interesting note to come out of the Lincoln/Armstrong interviews is how they see the 2009 ballclub.  “As I’ve been saying all summer, I’m not willing to concede anything for next year,” Armstrong said. “Let’s see what the plan looks like. There are some in organization, e.g. our field manager, who think we’re not that far away.”

As far as I can tell this means one of two things: one, perhaps the organization won’t be as stingy as expected in the free agent market this offseason.  Two, perhaps the organization thinks the team is better than they are. 

I’m not fully convinced that Seattle is one or two pieces away from contending, especially if the higher priced free agents are still off limits, so I’m not excited to see the future of the organization compromised by lofty hopes of 2009 contention.  That said, it’s hard to discern exactly what the comments mean, and we really won’t know what’s going on until a new GM is hired and starts making deals.

Sources/Further Reading: Geoff Baker, Ryan Divish, John Hickey, ESPN