I grew up a fan of two teams. My first team was the San Francisco Giants. As a young child, the name Willie Mays stuck in my head, and he became my boyhood idol. Living in Idaho, my second team was the Minnesota Twins. With Harmon Killebrew as their big star, it was a natural fit. I flirted for one season with the Seattle Pilots, because I could listen to their games on the radio. That ended when the Pilots became the *Milwaukee Brewers.

As is prone to happen, I lost interest in baseball (and other sports) when I went to college. Ours was not a big athletic school (the football program was disbanded while I was there), so there wasn’t a lot of interest in collegiate sports. Between getting busy with studies, friends, and relationships, plus the thoughts that I didn’t have time for such childish and trivial things, baseball went by the wayside.

This changed in 1983. I went to a convention in Seattle in early April. While there, someone suggested we go to a baseball game. Sure, why not…I used to watch baseball, I’d never seen a major league game before, and it was something to do.

I was mesmerized. Here was a chance to see a real major league game. I couldn’t believe the size of the stadium, and we were watching real major league baseball! I had a great time…hollering insults at the Yankees, watching Todd Cruz hit two home runs to lead the Mariners to a 4-1 victory. I was reminded just how wonderful the game of baseball was.

I returned home a few days later. My six month old son was already asleep, and as I checked on him, I remember thinking that I wanted to teach my sons about baseball. While my father had taught me about fishing, I wanted to pass baseball on to my sons.

That is how I became a Mariner fan.

What does it mean to be a fan of the Seattle Mariners? I think the answer may surprise many of you. In one word…HISTORY. Scoffers may wonder how an expansion team can be a historical team. Teams like the Yankees, the Dodgers, the Giants, the Red Sox…now that’s history. Why, the Mariners have only been in existence for 30 years.

That, my friends, is why I chose history. Many of us who are Mariner fans can recall the entire history of the team. To fully appreciate the modern day Mariners, you need to be able to remember what it was like way back when.

1977 brought us the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays. While 1992 saw the Blue Jays win their first of two consecutive World Series Championships, it also saw the Mariners finish 64-98. The Mariners had achieved only one winning season, that being in 1991 when they won a whopping 83 games.

Not that the early years didn’t have their moments. There were memorable players like Mark Langston and Harold Reynolds. Randy Johnson learned how to control his thunderbolt of an arm in those years. Ken Griffey Jr. became a man in a Mariner uniform, and provided one of the “feel-good” stories of 1990 when father and son hit back to back homers. Jay Buhner became a fan favorite and provided some wallop in right field.

But for every great player, there were painful counterparts. Watching Steve Trout enter a game provided a feeling of doom. When closer Bobby Ayala came in to pitch the ninth, an entire ballpark would hold it’s breath, wondering if it would be the good Bobby or the awful Bobby we’d see that night (there was nothing in between). Left field seemed to be a  place that careers came to die. The likes of  Kevin Mitchell, Jeffery Leonard, Vince Coleman, Rickey Henderson, and many more made a brief stay in left field, never reaching the brilliance they had achieved in other places. The Mariners, god love ‘em, were nothing short of an awful team for 19 seasons.

But all that changed in 1995. Lou Pinella’s ballclub, 12 ½ games back of the Angels, came charging back. Led by Edgar Martinez, who arguably should have been the MVP that year, the Mariners caught the Angels by the end of the season. In a one-game playoff, they won their division and reached the playoffs for the first time ever. The city was ecstatic! No longer were they the inept stumblebums of baseball. Seattle finally had a winner, by god! Not only did they reach the playoffs, but they knocked out the mighty Yankees in the division series. It was a magical time to be a Mariners fan, even if they were beaten in the League Championship series by the Indians.

To prove that it wasn’t just a fluke, the Mariners went on to reach the playoffs in 1997, 2000, and 2001. The 2001 season was one for the ages. The Mariners set a major league record with an incredible 116 wins!

The length of a blog doesn’t allow me to talk about everything it means to be a Mariner fan. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Edgar Martinez. Edgar was the heart and soul of the Mariners during his career. A third baseman turned designated hitter, Edgar was not only one of the best right handed hitters ever, but was truly a gentleman and leader to his ballclub. Plenty of big stars have played for the Mariners. But for every mention of Griffey, Johnson, Buhner, Ichiro, and many more, the one face that exemplifies the Mariners and their history is Edgar Martinez.

Two other things I’ll mention briefly. Being a Mariner fan means you are treated to the best commercials in baseball! With the exception of the year that they made “home shopping network” style commercials, the Mariner commercials have always been very entertaining and often downright hilarious. The other is the ballpark. Safeco Field, for those of you not fortunate enough to visit the beautiful Pacific Northwest, is a gem. It helps make the Mariners a regional team, inviting many of us to drive 5 hours to see a game (sometimes even driving to and from the game in the same day!)

It’s been a challenge to write this in the middle of a Mariner slump that is likely going to keep them out of the playoffs this year. But, the history of the Mariners always points to hope…hope that, like in 1995, the Mariners can once again “Refuse to Lose” and once again have us on the edge of our seats, cheering every pitch, every hit, every stolen base.

(Author’s note: I have deliberately not been reading the entries since September 1, in order to attempt to avoid being influenced by anyone’s writing style. My apologies for posting this a few hours early, but my schedule tomorrow would keep me from posting until tomorrow is over for many of you. I hope you enjoy, and I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s entries in a day or two!)

PART ONE

One week ago, the Giants appeared to be on the verge of being the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

Barry Zito and Matt Cain were both winless, the Giants were floundering at the bottom of a weak division at 3-7, and the team appeared headed nowhere fast.

Fast forward to today.

While Cain is still winless, Zito has picked up his second win, Barry Bonds is crushing homers at a regular pace, and most importantly, the Giants are riding a five game win steak, and have pushed above the .500 mark.

I'm more than happy to see the Gigantes coming around. Most experts predicted the Giants to have a poor season, but I was more optimistic. Hopefully this turnaround is a sign of better things to come for the boys by the bay.

I would certainly liked to have seen more of the Giants, however. Due to a screw up at my cable company, the games were not available on Extra Innings until Wednesday. Seems they had already allotted the channels to...get this...hockey playoffs. Hockey??? There are few things I'd rather see than a hockey game. Okay, maybe a soccer game. Or Nascar. But beyond that, there isn't much. Saturday, I cringed when I saw the start time...1:00 p.m. Pacific. I knew that the Fox Channel would only be showing the Yankees/Red Sox game, because, after all, those are the only baseball teams that exist. (more about the Red Sox later). For some unkown reason, the Sunday game wasn't carried on Extra Innings, either. That being said...I STILL am glad to have the Extra Innings option...because MLB.TV, quite frankly, bites the big one.

PART TWO

A week ago, even though they hadn't played many games due to weather, the Seattle Mariners looked, surprisingly to me at least, respectable.

One week later...oh my lord, what has happened?

Well, let's start with the starting pitching.

My apologies for the above formatting issues, but the gist is this: Mariner starting pitching sucks. The injury to Hernandez is indeed unfortunate, and Washburn was at least semi-respectable, but the newcomers? Well, they're just not getting the job done. And I can't say I'm surprised, in spite of what the illustrious Mr. Bavasi wanted us to believe before the season started.

In our latest "Meet the Mariners" segment, we asked Mr. Bavasi, "what did you do before you went into baseball?"

Okay...that explains a lot.

In the series against the Angels, Richie Sexson is 0-11. But in all fairness...will SOMEONE please explain to the umpires that when you are 6' 8", your knees are higher than most other players, and what is above the knees to David Eckstein may not be a strike to Richie? It gets old watching him get called out on strikes that are clearly out of HIS strike zone.

IN OTHER NEWS:

I fully expected to see Santa Claus throw out the first pitch in this game.

I guess what it does show is that Dan "Action Dan" Harrington has been ahead of his time all these years:

One final thought: My wife verbalized something yesterday that I had been thinking. She said, "What is with A-Rod and all these homers? Is he on something?" She said it tongue in cheek, but it was a valid point. If Barry Bonds was on a tear like A-Rods (which I will grudgingly agree is nothing short of phenomenal), everyone would be pointing fingers and blaming 'roids, even though testing would have busted him long ago. But with A-Rod, everything is clean right???

Have a great and wonderful week, all!

These thoughts (typically disconnected) actually have nothing to do with Friday the 13th, but are just my random thoughts on various sports topics of the past few weeks.

I would normally have posted a blog at the beginning of baseball season extolling the virtues of baseball as a whole, and my teams in particular. However, this baseball season began with my baseball brain in limbo. That was due entirely to the whole situation with the MLB Extra Innings package. I have been a subscriber to Extra Innings (thanks to my wife and my birthday falling in early April) for the past 2 years. I’ve REALLY enjoyed watching the Giants (and occasionally someone else) on Extra Innings. With the season beginning and Extra Innings available only on DirecTV (my motto is, “no way in hell”), I was in a real quandary. Do I wait it out and hope for the best, or do I take the plunge and get MLB.TV via the internet? I was hoping for a settlement for a couple of reasons. One is, I already spend way too much time in the computer room, and I tend to get distracted by Full Tilt and PokerStars. Two, my recliner is in the living room! While investigating, I discovered that MLB.TV was having a free five day trial. Thank goodness…I was able to find out that, at least on my 3 year old computer, that MLB.TV is ####. The first day, the mosaic feature wouldn’t work at all. The slower feed I had to use had a hiccup literally once a second. Sound quality was also poor. By day 2, the mosaic feature was working, and the hiccups were less frequent, but bigger (2 or 3 seconds) when they happened. So, the product had improved from #### poor to mediocre. Thankfully the whole issue was resolved before the trial period ran out, and I could settle back into my recliner and enjoy Kuip and Kruk.

Which brings me to my next musing. If you had told me that by Friday the 13th that one of my teams would be a game above .500 (we’ll ignore the 3-2 part for now) and hal####ame out of first, and the other would be 2-7 and 4.5 games back, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Had you told me it’s the Mariners at 3-2 and the Giants would be 2-7, I wouldn’t have bought it.

What the hell happened??? I vehemently poo-pooed (can you vehemently poo-poo something? Ah, well…) all those who talked about the Giants being awful this year. They’re still too old, everyone said. Nah, they picked up some great players, made some significant upgrades. I know it’s early, and trying to stay away from the panic button, but so far Zito hasn’t come through (although I really think that’s temporary) and the bats…holy cow, the bats have been nearly non-existent. I wouldn’t have anticipated that from a veteran (i.e. ancient?) team. I would think that any hitting slumps would happen late in the season. Winn and Feliz in particular haven’t been coming close to producing, and I fear their jobs are in jeopardy. There are a few bright spots…Cain has been terrific, Morris has done well, Molina and Aurilia are hitting, Durham is playing some great defense. But the Giants need to turn some things around in a hurry before they dig themselves too deep a hole.

And how ‘bout those M’s? I know it’s too early to really tell (5 games in two weeks…who saw that coming?), but there are some signs that they may be a better club than I anticipated. At the very least, we ARE going to be able to look forward to and exciting game every five days. Felix Hernandez has been nothing short of amazing. Has anyone else gotten off to the start he has? I’ll echo what sleepless has been saying…Santana has some real competition for the Cy Young this year, and it comes from a fireballer who is just 21.

Other thoughts…is anyone who has ever listened to more that 5 minutes of Don Imus even a bit surprised that he would say something so stupid? I’ve never understood the appeal of that man…personally, I think he should have been off the air years ago. I think it’s a real reflection on how our culture seems to embrace the stupid and the offensive. I do think the statement made by the Rutgers coach was well thought out and eloquent. (I also have to admit to you…I had to ask my wife what “nappy-headed” meant. The “####” part I figured out…)

Someday I will write a post about an overlooked comic genius. Yes, I’m talking about the incomparable Norman Chad. No, I’m not kidding. Yes, I can hear some of you groaning…those who only know Norm from World Series of Poker coverage. I invite you to read his column. Here’s a link to his most recent  effort:   

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/chad/4
700666.html

When you read Norm long enough, you start to understand his sel####eprecating humor, and his WSOP commentary becomes much more enjoyable.

Julio Franco is still playing…woo hoo! Having just hit the big 5-0 (and not handling it quite as well as I’d like), I’m pulling for Julio to keep playing at least until the end of next season. You go, big guy!

One final note…the injury was not as bad as feared. It wasn’t a torn ACL after all, just bad knees, and the knee has been repaired. The Dr. said about 8 weeks on the DL and then things will be back to normal. I’m talking about Lola, our basset hound. It’s still a mystery as to how she injured it…I don’t recall her setting any picks or getting taken out while turning a double play. But she’s back, and we’re thankful. The vet did hit the nail on the head when he called her a drama queen, however.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Here I sit, a mere hour away from the beginning of my Christmas break...couldn't be happier! I'd gripe about the fact that it's less that the customary two weeks, except 1) I know a lot of you don't get any extended break and I wouldn't want you to feel bad, and 2) my wife, for the first time since...well, since she was five, I guess...doesn't get any break to speak of except for Christmas day and New Years Day. So, I'll refrain from whining and throw out a few (mostly, but not all sports related) thoughts.

DENVER NUGGETS

Everyone is so concerned that AI and Carmello won't function well together. My thought is this...at least one of them is always going to be double teamed, or have a zone collapse on them, so wouldn't that mean the other is likely to be single covered? I'm guessing that they'll both warm to the idea...

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

I've understood most of their moves, but Ryan Klesko? I'm kind of baffled by this move. Will he stay healthy enough to actually help? Where are they planning on playing him? I thought Rich Aurilia was the answer to the first base issue.

SEATTLE MARINERS

Please...do SOMETHING! If you do indeed go out and get Barry Zito, then all is forgiven. If not....just what the F*** have you been doing this offseason? I haven't seen one deal yet that made sense.

YOU HAVEN'T LIVED UNTIL...

you've been watching (or running scoreclock in my case) a small school JV girl's basketball game where the ball gets stuck between the rim and the backboard. Of course, no one can jump up to get it...so they grab a practice ball, and one player throws it up to knock the ball loose...and it doesn't budge. She tries again...nothing. 3rd attempt...still nothing. Another player from the other team tries...heaves it up there mightily...and misses everything! Finally, a fifth attempt succeeds. Oh, joy...

LEADING ROLES

I would love to see the male lead in ANY movie played by that amazing actor, Randy Quaid. Imagine your favorite film roles. Randy Quaid as James Bond! RQ as General George Patton. RQ as Tony in West Side Story...you get the idea. And if the film calls for two leads...well, none other than Master Thespian himself, Jon Lovitz. Quaid and Lovitz as Batman and Robin...now that's good stuff!

POKER

Mike Matusow is a ####.

BOWL GAMES

Two things I'd like to see in tandem (the rest I don't care about). I'd love to see Boise State beat Oklahoma, and see Ohio State lose to Florida. Then let the discussion begin...after all, undefeated is undefeated. Maybe then we'd edge a bit closer to a real playoff.

ZAGS

Talk about a case of bad timing...I have choir rehearsal at the same time as the Gonzaga/Duke game (no, I can't skip...I'm the director). And we're not getting our DVR until the next day. Yikes! Let's hope for the North Carolina/Washington version of the Zags and not the Washington State/Georgia version.

TEMPTATION

I'm trying...really trying hard...to resist the temptation to "safety-test" a Christmas present I ordered for my sons (yes, they're adults...so what?). It's a burp gun that shoots ping-pong balls! I had one when I was a kid (then called the "Super-Duper Goofer Gun"), and loved it! Think I can make it until Christmas???

CHRISTMAS BREAK AND HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

It'll never happen...but I strongly feel that winter sports teams should have a ban on games AND PRACTICES for the duration of winter break. Those kids...and their families...and coaches...and cheerleaders...and band members (mine do)...need a break as much as anyone else. Imagine...an athlete getting to spend some family time!

THE ULTIMATE PICK UP LINE

I developed this after it would do me any good (being very happily married to a wonderful woman), but if anyone else can use this, I'll know I benefitted the world in some small way...   "If you could read my mind, you'd either slap me or take me home."

DVR

Since we're getting one of these soon...is there anything anyone can recommend that is worth recording?

Well, if you didn't get thoroughly bored by all this, Merry Christmas!

Of course, this is the way things work in my life. I’ve been starving for baseball news since the World Series ended. This past week, there has been a veritable dumpload of activity, and me? I’m too damn busy to write about it!

Well, I have a few moments (translation: I’m out of money on Full Tilt Poker until after Christmas shopping is done), so I’ll offer my viewpoint on baseball and a handful of other sports topics.

Let’s begin with my first team, the san Francisco Giants. The Giants have been BUSY…and for the most part, I think it’s been a good busy. My only real concern is their inability to resign Jason Schmiidt. It’s bad enough to lose a pitcher with his credentials…but to let him go to the Dodgers? I fear this will return to bite them in the #### sometime during the season.

However, on nearly every other front, I Like what the Giants have done. The first positive move was to pick up Dave Roberts. The Giants have of late been a station-to-station team, despite having a couple of guys capable of swiping bags in Winn and Vizquel. Roberts is a proven speedster and lead off hitter, who should definitely add some zip to the top of the lineup. The question it leaves (and a good problem to have to deal with) is, where will Winn bat in the lineup? If winn starts the season as he did midyear in 2005 when he arrived from Seattle, he could bat third. That would put three speedy guys ahead of Bonds in the lineup. If he hits more like he did in 2006, look for him to bat farther down, perhaps sixth or seventh.

I didn’t think the Giants particularly needed to go after a catcher. I was very pleased with the work of Eliezer Alfonzo in replacing perennial Gold Glover Mike Matheny. However, I can’t say I’m unhappy with the signing of Bengie Molina. I can learn to stop cringing about the idea o####rown man with the first name of “Bengie”, and learn to like him. That won’t be difficult…he brings great defense, handles a pitching staff well, and has some pop. What’s not to like about that? We’ll overlook the fact that he can’t run…

I may be the person most excited to see Rich Aurilia return to the Giants. Rich was my favorite Giant during his first tour of duty. He struggled a bit while with Seattle and San Diego, but seems to have returned to form while playing for the Reds. In addition, he now plays all the infield positions. With Shea Hillenbrand all but gone (sounds like the Yankees? Yikes.), Look for Rich to play first on a regular basis. An added bonus to the aurilia signing? That’s right…Raquel Aurilia returns to San Francisco. If you don’t already know, she is a major babe. I’d post a picture, but my wife is right next to me at her computer. I’ll simply direct you to her website: www.raquelaurilia.com

I am very pleased to see the re-signing of the rest of the Giants infield. Ray Durham had a career year, was healthy, and should be able to produce more of the same. Bruce Bochy (I watched his managerial debut season at short season A Spokane year ago) is smart enough to give Pedro Feliz the rest he needs to stay sharp. Say what you will, but the man can hit. He showed more discipline at the plate last year than in the past, he drove in runs, and playing third on a regular basis helped him develop into a very fine defensive third baseman.

Of course, this brings us to the big one…Barry Bonds (You may interpret that remark however you wish). I think resigning Bonds was the right thing to do. Barry should break the record in a Giants uniform, in front of a crowd who appreciates him. I won’t rehash all the other stuff that’s been said…I’ll just say that I’m happy to have him back.

Now, on to my other team…the Seattle Mariners.

Could things be any more different? While the Giants were busy, improving on many levels, what did the Mariners do?

Um…er…well…

Let’s see…they signed a power hitter (Jose guillen) who was hurt a great deal of last year, and who was KICKED OFF THE TEAM (perhaps not literally, but it’s the same result) a few years ago by a team in the middle of a division race. There’s someone you want in your clubhouse.

The Mariners biggest need in the offseason was starting pitching. It may or may not be a wash letting Gil Meche go (he is NOT worth the money the Royals paid him, I can assure you that), but we as mariner fans were assured that a top line pitcher or two would be heading our way. Would it be Schmidt? He’s a semi-local guy, and he wanted to come pitch in Safeco Field. Would it be Barry Zito? Adam Eaton? Randy Wolfe? Mark Mulder?

Nope. We got HOracio Ramirez and Sean White. And had to give up one hell of a set up guy in Rafael Soriano.

You may be asking, “Who?” And so are Mariner fans. Perhaps the only people who aren’t wondering who are Braves and Pirates fans. If I’m not mistaken, that’s who I hear snickering over there in the corner.

Let me just say that the run the Mariners had from 1995 to 2003 was fun while it lasted. It appears that we’re back to the old Mariners…laughing stock of the American League. It’s too bad, too. Such a beautiful ballpark, some really outstanding young talent…but no leadership in the front office to produce a winner.

Other quick baseball thoughts:

J. D. drew is NOT worth the money he will get from the Red Sox. Look for the Sox to have the most overpaid DL in baseball.

Gil Meche is NOT worth the money he’ll make in Kansas City. I don’t think he’ll do poorly…just not THAT well.

Oakland made a brilliant move in signing Mike Piazza. The man can hit…has there ever been any doubt about that? Moving into the DH role can only help prolong an outstanding career.

The Mets will be disappointed with the amount of playing time they will get from Moises Alou. He’ll produce when he plays…which won’t be often.

Other sports thoughts:

It’s time for college Football to stop pretending that any team has a chance at the national title. Boise State did everything it could possibly do, and still gets no consideration for the title. You are probably right in saying that they aren’t the same caliber of team. But let’s state right up front that only teams in certain conferences can be national champions. Maybe another division is in order, I don’t know. But wouldn’t it be funny to see Boise State beat Oklahoma to remain undefeated while Ohio State loses to Florida?  (Blogger’s Note: I am NOT a Boise State fan…far from it. But undefeated is, after all, undefeated.)

Gonzaga has seen the high and low this past week. They lost to Washington State, who was AWFUL last year. This shows two things: One, that Gonzaga has to bring their “A” Game every single night. Two, Washington State is VASTLY improved this year.

In the Saturday Game against University of Washington, Gonzaga was nothing short of Phenomenal. I’ve written here that they are good…but I had no idea they were THAT good. It was a dominating performance, and that was against a very good UW team. The team is the deepest I’ve ever seen at Gonzaga. I mentioned before that Matt Bouldin is going to be something special…and it appears that his time is going to come sooner than I thought.

That’s it for now. Another week from hell coming up (I defy you to find a public school music teacher who isn’t crabby as hell in December), so I’ll see you all next weekend!

Back in early August, I posted that in order for either of my two teams (Giants or Mariners) to make the playoffs, they would have to win every single series within their division. Well, the Mariners collapse goes without mentioning.

...But the Giants...hmmm...they're keeping it interesting. They haven't won every divisional series, as I had stated...but they still find themselves in the thick of things.

Let's recap for a bit...since I wrote, they have gone:

1-2 vs. Arizona

0-3 vs. Los  Angeles

4-0 vs. San Diego

1-2 vs. Los Angeles

3-0 vs. Arizona

3-1 vs. Cincinnati

1-2 vs. Atlanta

2-1 vs. Chicago

2-1 vs. Cincinnati

2-1 vs. San Diego

2-1 vs. Colorado

They are 21-14 over that span, and have won 7 of 11 series.

Another interesting part of that is what has happened to the hitting. Over each player's last ten games coming into Thursday afternoon's game against the Rockies, five of their regular ten players (Winn, Vizquel, Hillenbrand, Feliz, and Alfonzo) were hitting near the .200 mark. Steve Finley was well below that at .143. But the big three bats are hitting, and hitting prolifically. Bonds hit .303 in his last ten, including 5 big flies. Alou hit .333 with 3 dingers, and Ray Durham hit a blistering .371!  However, even among those floundering around .200, it seems like the hits they did contribute came at pretty crucial times.

I don't think enough can be said about the efforts of Matt Cain on the mound during that stretch. Another great effort today showed that the kid is here, and here to stay. It's too bad that his crummy start is likely going to cost him a rookie of the year award. This is one guy the Giants need to wrap up long term, and fast.

You don't wish injuries on anyone, even your own worst enemies. That being said, one of the things that may help the Giants during the final two weeks is addition by subtraction, coming in the form of Armando Benitez. Benitez's struggles are no secret to anyone, but what might surprise some people is the way that Mike Stanton has stepped up. Five saves in his last ten appearances, with a 1.69 era....pretty heady stuff.

What do the Giants have to do to make the playoffs? Simply put, just win, baby. The big three need to keep hitting, the others make a little hot streak, the starting pitchers have to avoid the big meltdowns that can happen this time of year, and oh, yes...the Giants need to find SOME way to beat the Dodgers. Last three games at home against the boys in blue...what could be sweeter than to be two games back and sweeeeeeeeeeep?????????

I have to admit I don't have the answer here, not having seen any of the game before the 8th inning. But after reading that the Mariners plan to take it easy on Felix Hernandez by skipping two of his last starts of the season, why leave him in long enough to surrender 3 runs in the 8th and lose the game?

 Much has been made of the Mariner's handling of the young phenom, and after watching Wood and Prior implode for the Cubs, I can certainly appreciate that.  Much has also been made of the proper way to psychologically handle a young pitcher...giving him chances for success, not setting him up for failure, and so forth. So, wouldn't it make more sense to pull him earlier in the game (perhaps at the top of the inning, but certainly once a runner or two got on) than wait until he was behind?

Like I said, I didn't get home to see the game until the 8th, so I really don't know what transpired. And I'm certainly not a "Fire Mike Hargrove" kind of guy...yet, anyway. But I really have to wonder. Can anyone shed some light on this one for me?

Saxman
 

This is the first time in MANY years that I haven't had a team (Giants or Mariners) still involved in a division or wild card race by mid-August. (Yes, I know, they're not mathmatically eliminated yet, but they may as well be). Some years I've been lucky enough to have two teams headed for possible playoffs. So...what do I do now?

 What this will probably do is give me a chance to pay attention to some of the other interesting parts of this baseball season. I tend to put on blinders, and I'm sure I miss some great stories. So, now is my chance!

1)  American League Central/Wild Card Race.  I do believe the Tigers are for real...I don't see them fading before playoff time. What does get interesting is the White Sox/Tigers chase. I don't anticipate them catching the Tigers, but I do think they (plus perhaps the Red Sox, but I doubt it) will make for an interesting Wild Card chase. I would give the edge to the Twins...except for the fact that they may have lost their young phenom pitcher (no, not Santana...the REALLY young one!), perhaps for the season.

2) National League Central/Wild Card Race. Just when you thought the Cardinals had it all wrapped up...the scary thing is, they can have a very cold streak and STILL have a lead. I have a gut feeling they'll still win the division...but Cincinnati (yes, Cincinnati!) is certainly making it interesting. I realize there are many other players in the Wild Card race, but I'm pulling for the Reds for a couple of reasons. One, because no one expected them to do a thing this year. After all the Cardinals/Astros hype, to see the Reds doing well (and ahead of the Astros) is pretty cool. Two, Rich Aurilia was one of my favorite Giants a few years back. I like to see him on a winning team (and did you know his wife is a total babe????).

3) The adversity of A-Rod. I know, they'll probably end up in the playoffs, he'll come through in a clutch situation, yadda yadda...but in the meantime, it's nice to see Mr. Golden Boy having to deal with some trials and tribulations. No Gold Glove for him this year...anyone for Adrian Beltre?

4) The phenomenal year of David Ortiz. The guy is amazing...what more can I say?

5) The stolen base titles in each league. Why? Because my fantasy league team sucks...and I am woefully short on stolen bases. I need to remember these folks for next year's draft.

6) The Pittsburgh Pirates. Why? Because I think they should be better than what their record indicates. There is some incredible young talent...Jason Bay (who played his college ball here in Spokane), Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson...that I think will bloom into something special given the right chance and proper leadership. I think a managerial change would be in order first, however. Not that Jim Tracy has an abundance of talent, but look at how the Dodgers perennially underacheived with him at the helm.

So, I guess there are some things to follow even with my teams out of contention. Of course, it will also be interesting to see what direction they will be going in preparations for next year. I suspect that the Giants will look DRASTICALLY different...and the Mariners lineup and bullpen will look familiar, but several new players in the rotation.

Saxman

Twelve times  this year, pitchers have intentionally walked Raul Ibanez to get to Richie Sexson. Big Richie...the underachieving slugger for the Seattle Mariners. Early in the season, his average hovered around .200. It's since inched upwards, but few are really satisfied that the Mariners have gotten their money's worth. (Side note...Richie leads the league in fielding percentage among first basemen...would you have guessed that?)

So,Tampa Bay  walks Raul (and Adrian Beltre before him) to get to Richie. Bottom of the 10th inning, tie score, bases loaded, one out. And how does Richie  respond? Just like he has 7 previous times this year. He delivers...and he delivers big. All they needed was a long fly ball. Well, they got it...a long fly ball over the center field wall. Richie has been clutch in those situations this year. Well done, big guy!

Two other mentions about this game. Felix Hernandez pitched a whale of a ball game...8 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 5 stikeouts, 1 walk. And the Mariner defense was solid. Not a lot of flash, but consistent, unlike the error prone Devil Rays.

I realize it's Tampa Bay...but hey, a win's a win!

Lloyd: What are my chances?
Mary: Not good.
Lloyd: You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?
Mary: I'd say more like one out of a million.
[pause]
Lloyd: So you're telling me there's a chance.

And so it sits, my friends, with both of my clubs. The Mariners and the Giants are both in nearly identical situations as the weekend begins. Both teams are within 4 1/2 games of the division lead, but both are at the bottom of the division. And just like Lloyd....they're telling themselves they have a chance...

Well, they do. But...it comes down to one crucial thing. They have to win...and they have to win now. Every single series against the division. Not some series, not most series. They have GOT TO WIN THEM ALL. Playing out of the division, they might be able to win two of three series and hang around. But within the division, there is no room for error. Period. None.

The two teams come into the series a bit differently. The Mariners have been on a decent roll. The kids are playing playing well, they seem to be discovering a new wonderkid every rock they look under, Beltre and Sexson are showing signs of life, the DH position actually has something going there. I think things look great...for next year. But I just don't think it's going to happen this year. They can't get anything together against the A's. Willie Bloomquist needs to be in the lineup a lot more (hell, just a rotating day off for everyone else in the lineup would help). And I hate to say it...I like the guy...but I think Piniero's days in the rotation are over.

For the M's to contend this year...the offense has to catch fire and STAY on fire. When they are hitting...it's a fun lineup to watch! But they haven't been able to sustain it. There have been way too many shutouts this year. I think next year will be the year. And the two names that will be on everyone's lips? Yunieski Betancourt and Mark Lowe. You heard it here first...

On to the Giants. Oh, my. I think we're seeing the beginning of the end. The team made a great push...surged into first place....and promptly dropped 9 in a row. I'll save a lot of my thoughts on the team. You can read them in my post entitled "How not to win a division title" (and hey, you just might be the first to read it!). But, like the Mariners...they have to win...and they have to win now. Every single division series. And once they're out, which will be soon, they need to start looking ahead to next year. It'll be a major retooling, but not an easy one to do. I'll address that in a future blog, also.

You gotta love the Giants fans, though. Last night's throwing of garbage on the field? Perfectly justified (okay, maybe not justified, but understandable...hear me out).

If you read the brief media account of the incident, as usual you didn't get the real story. Bottom of nine, down by 3, one on, one out, Bonds at the plate. I believe the count was 2-1. The pitch was LOW...close, but low. Bonds...who NEVER argues balls and strikes, and never shows up an umpire, was pissed, and he told him so. I've never seen Bonds that mad at an ump before. They went toe to toe for about 5 seconds...and then Bonds stepped back into the box to get ready to hit. Confrontation over, right? Wrong...umpire Ron Culpa decides to clean off the plate so that he can continue his arguement with Bonds. Bonds, being right, wouldn't back down, and Culpa tossed him.

After the at bat, if it continues...sure, go ahead and run him. But you do NOT THROW OUT A HITTER IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AT BAT IN THE NINTH INNING. That was the most unprofessional thing I've ever seen an umpire do. And how do the fans respond? Chants of "Barry, Barry", and showing their displeasure of the umpire's bush league action. It was nice to see someone supporting the greatest hitter to ever play the game, instead of all the #### that he has to hear everywhere else in baseball.

Enough of my rant. Please, if anyone has slogged through this...let me know what you think!

Saxman