C&E McSports

Is It Too Much To Ask?!??!?!?!?!

2010-03-03T11:17:00.005-05:00

All I wish for today is for the Oilers to do this...
With Grebeshkov already traded the other day to Nashville for a 2nd round pick who is next to go? Comon Tambo DO SOMETHING!!!! Anything!! Trade our garbage for sticks, pucks, water bottles or towels.

2009-05-11T14:07:00.001-04:00

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs well under way I thought it was time I write down some of my thoughts about the teams that are left and my predictions for the conference and Stanley Cup finals.

Let's start with the Western Conference.

Chicago-Vancouver

There was a time I would cheer for a team in the playoffs because they were the only Canadian team left. Not anymore because really it is a dumb reason to cheer for a hockey team. Considering how many Canadians play on teams from all over the US I think it makes the whole cheering for a Canadian team irrelevant.

Clearly from my above statements it is obvious I am rooting for Chicago in this series. Chicago is sitting pretty heading into game 6 tonight @ home with a 3-2 series lead. Chicago is a young explosive team with all the right pieces. Young star forwards, solid d and a goalie who has been outstanding. Vancouver also has a great team but it's going to be a tall order for them to win these next 2 games. Then again you just never know in sports but as of right now I say Chicago wins tonight and moves on to the Western Conference finals.

Anaheim-Detroit

2009-05-11T14:07:00.000-04:00

Pre Game Notes April 19, 2009

2009-04-19T15:53:00.002-04:00

Mariner will be looking for their 3rd series win in a row today as they try to defeat the Tigers at Safeco Field.

Pitching Match ups

Seattle -- Carlos Silva (0-1, 6.00 ERA)

Silva was outstanding his last time out. He needs another great game in front of the home crowd today against a tough Tigers lineup.

Detroit -- Rick Porcello (0-1, 7.20 ERA)

Only his second career start the Mariners will surely be looking to get to him early and not allow him to gain any confidence or momentum.

Starting Lineups

Seattle

Ichiro RF
Endy Chavez LF
Ken Griffey Jr. DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jose Lopez 1B
Yuniesky Betancourt SS
Jamie Burke C
Ronny Cedeno 2B
Franklin Gutierrez CF

Branyan still has a sore back so Lopez will get the start at first today while Cedeno draws in at second base. Burke gets his first look behind the plate this season.

Detroit

Curtis Granderson CF
Placido Polanco 2B
Magglio Ordonez RF
Miguel Cabrera 1B
Carlos Guillen DH
Brandon Inge 3B
Josh Anderson LF
Ramon Santiago SS
Matt Treanor vC

Tidbit of the day:

Wakamatsu was still smiling about Ken Griffey Jr.'s mad dash home to score standing up from first base on Adrian Beltre's double on Friday night. "I told him, I said he tried to go 'Invisible Man' there," Wakamatsu said. "No one could see him. Again, it's neat to be able to watch the dugout and the players' reactions to him coming all the way around and scoring is priceless." --MLB.com

Angela @ Mariners - Game 9 Mariners 11 Angels 3

2009-04-19T15:39:00.003-04:00

Honoring the great Jackie Robinson!!

Nothing makes me smile more than a good butt kicking of our division rivals the Angels. Some quick thoughts...
Washburn was sick as a dog in this one but pitched a heck of a ball game.
Chavez and Griffey had back to back solo HR's in the 5th inning. Jr's was his 400th home run in a Mariner uniform. How exciting for him to get that one at home.
Ichiro tied former Japanese league legend Isao Harimoto for most hits ever by a Japanese player. And Ichiro did it exciting fashion when he hit a grand slam in the 7th inning. Not bad for his first game of the season!
Another great game by the M's. I am really enjoying watching these guys play.

Pre-Game Notes April 16, 2009

2009-04-16T21:39:00.002-04:00

Mariners go for the sweep over the Angels, and their 7th straight win.

Pitching Matchup:

SEA: RHP Chris Jakubauskas (1-0, 4.50 ERA)
An injury to left-hander Rowland-Smith gives Jakubauskas the first start of his Major League career but the 63rd of his professional career. The former Independent League hurler was the biggest surprise of Spring Training, compiling a team-best 1.99 ERA. That was good enough to earn a spot in Seattle's bullpen, where he has made two appearances this season. He has been able to handle left-handed and right-handed hitters equally well, but will be on a strict pitch-count limit in his first start, probably around the 60-pitch mark.

LAA: LHP Joe Saunders (1-1, 2.63 ERA)
Saunders seemingly made just two mistakes against the Red Sox on Saturday, but they both came in the form of two-run home runs in the Angels' 5-4 loss at Angel Stadium. Saunders actually pitched well despite the loss, allowing seven hits over seven innings while striking out two. The loss also marked the first time in his career that he's lost in April. Saunders is 4-1 with a 4.61 ERA in his career against Seattle.

Tidbits
The home run Ken Griffey Jr. hit on Wednesday night was his 400th as a Mariner and the 90th in April, the most of any active player and third most in MLB history behind Barry Bonds (117) and Hank Aaron (93). ... Ichiro Suzuki needs one more hit to become the all-time hits leader for a Japanese player. He is tied with Japanese Hall of Famer Isao Harimoto at the top of the list with 3,085. ... Right-handed reliever Shawn Kelley, who started last season at Class A Wisconsin, continues to pitch like he belongs in the Majors. He tossed two scoreless innings on Wednesday night.

Lineups:

Mariners

Ichiro RF
Endy Chavez CF
Mike Sweeney DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jose Lopez 2B
Russ Branyan 1B
Wladimir Balentien LF
Rob Johnson C
Yuniesky Betancourt SS

Angels

Chone Figgins 3B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Bobby Abreu LF
Torii Hunter CF
Kendry Morales 1B
Mike Napoli C
Gary Matthews Jr. RF
Juan Rivera DH
Maicer Izturis SS

Mariners Pre Game Notes April 15, 2009

2009-04-15T17:57:00.002-04:00

So excited to have Ichiro back in the lineup tonight. Can't wait to see how these guys look with him considering how well they have played without him.

Pitching Match ups

Seattle - Jarrod Washburn (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

If Washburn can pitch even half as good as he did last week against the Twins the Mariners could be in good shape tonight. Another win against the Angels would be huge for the M's this early in the season.

Oakland - Jered Weaver (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Weaver pitched outstanding only 1 day after good friend and fellow teammate Nick Adenhart was killed in a car accident. My guess is Weaver is going to come out with fire in him tonight to win another for his friend and to try and turn things around for the Angels.

Tidbit of the day:

Endy Chavez is just the eighth player in franchise history to begin the season with at least an eight-game hitting streak. Former second baseman Joey Cora is the all-time leader with a 16-game hitting streak coming out of the gate in 1998. Gorman Thomas hit in nine straight to start the '86 season. David Segui ('98), Ken Griffey Jr. ('97) and Dave Henderson ('83) had eight-game hitting streaks. --MLB.com

Angels @ Mariners - Game 8 Mariners 3 Angels 2

2009-04-15T17:33:00.004-04:00

What a GREAT night in Seattle. 5 game winning streak, 4 game winning streak against our division!! Who would have thought?!I don't need to go on and on about Griffey and how I had goosebumps listening to the crowd go wild for him last night when he was introduced and again when he came to the plate for his first at bat. I was so happy when he got the hit in his first at bat. Great to see him back in the stadium they built for him. I love his leadership and what he brings to the younger guys on this team. How many current MLB players can say they play with a first ballot hall of famer?Carlos Silva NEEDED to be good last night. He NEEDED to give the Mariners a chance to win and boy did he deliver. What a great outing from him. 7 SOLID innings from Carlos. 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 1BB and 4 k's. He didn't get the win but he deserves most of the credit in my opinion for giving his team a chance.

Frankin G has been struggling a little at the plate so how nice was it for him to get that huge double in the 10th inning. And how about Yuni laying down the perfect bunt that forced Shields to rush his throw. Great game and great plays at the right time. LOVE IT!!
Only 8 games in but boy is this team looking good. So many little things going right for them. I love to see their smiles and the teamwork and seeing them play and work together. Go M's!!

Mariners Pre Game Notes April 14, 2009

2009-04-14T12:43:00.007-04:00

And so here we are. Opening Day at Safeco Field. So much anticipation for tonight's game for so many reasons. One the Mariners are off to a great start after such an embarrassing season last year. They are playing as a team and winning as a team. Ken Griffey Jr will make his return to Safeco Field tonight as a member of the Seattle Mariners. I wish I was going to be there because that stadium is going to go nuts when Griffey is announced tonight. I really hope they leave him for last.

The Mariners will pay tribute today to "Tuba Man" who died last year after being attacked and beaten.
Starting Pitchers

Seattle - Carlos Silva (0-1, 10.80 ERA)

Silva's first start in Minnesota did not go well. Tonight is his chance at redemption with Mariners fans by going out and pitching well and giving them a chance to win here on opening day. A good out today could go along way in helping repair the reputation he has made with himself amongst Mariner fans. Pitch bad today and ruin opening day and he likely because the resident whipping boy for Seattle fans.

Anaheim - Shane Loux

Loux has not started a Major League game since 2003. He was out of MLB in 2007 before signing a minor league deal with the Angels.

With a sweep of the A's already in the bag, the Mariners will be looking to continue their winning ways against the division rival Angels in this one. The Angels have owned the Mariners the last few seasons and my hope is that tonight is the start of a new trend against the Angels and that is winning. It makes me a little nervous we have our bottom 3 pitchers going against them in this one but I believe these guys can come out strong.

"I am real happy with it, I like this club, I like the chemistry. It's a pretty close-knit group."

--Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu

"Why can't we win?"

--Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik

Ichiro is expected to be back in the Mariners lineup on Wednesday night. Talking to the media yesterday Ichiro had this to say...

"I feel so good that it's annoying," a smiling Ichiro told reporters through interpreter Ken Barron. "I feel so good that I feel like I would do something bad."

When asked if the WBC had an effect of the ulcer...

"That's just a guess," Ichiro said. "If you think about it, I could get an ulcer from the stress of talking to you guys [the media] as well. Right now, something might be happening to my stomach as we speak."

Speaking about the Mariners hanging his jersey in the dugout during his absence...

"It made me very happy, but at the same time, I'm not dead yet. I'll make sure to get that jersey back.''

At least he still has his sense of humor. Can't wait to see him back in the lineup!!

Tidbit of the day:

When rookie Chris Jakubauskas won his first MLB game and right-hander reliever David Aardsma registered his first MLB save on Friday night, it marked the third time in franchise history that it happened. Joel Pineiro and Brett Tomko did it on Aug. 8, 2000, and Roger Salkeld and Tim Davis were the first firsts, on April 28, 1994 -- MLB.com

Mariners @ A's - Game 7 Mariners 1 Oakland 0

2009-04-14T12:28:00.003-04:00

What a game. I pretty much only have ONE thing to say -- ERIK BEDARD!! WOW! What a gem he threw. Games like this one from Erik make me once again remember why the Mariners gave up so much to get him. If he stays healthy this year, watch out. The guy has nasty stuff and everything is working for him right now. Who cares if he is a quiet and shy Canadian kid who would rather fish than talk with the media. He isn't here to talk he is here to pitch. If he continues to pitch like this I could care less if he ever says another word.

8.1 innings, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 BB and 7 K's.

All the offense Erik needed in this one was off the bat of Mike Sweeney in the 7th inning. An timely RBI double put the Mariners on top and that was that. Let's not forget about Oakland starter Trevor Cahill. He had a no hitter going into the 7th inning and ended up giving up only the 1 earned run on 3 hits. This was a great pitching battle, I am just happy the Mariners won this one!!

Mariners Pre Game Notes April 12, 2009

2009-04-12T14:15:00.003-04:00

Pitching Match up

Seattle Mariners - Erik Bedard (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

- 8 strikeouts in 5 innings last time out. Bedards pitch count got up early in this game but he didn't walk anyone and his stuff was downright nasty. I would like to see him go at least 6 strong innings today. Rob Johnson will get the start and catch Bedard this afternoon.

Oakland Athletics - Trevor Cahill (0-0, 3.60 ERA)

- Made his debut Tuesday against the Angels and didn't look so great. He walked 5 in 5 innings of work. Would be nice to see the M's work the count against him today, make him throw a lot of pitches early.

Projected Starting Lineups

Seattle

LF Endy Chavez
CF Franklin Gutierrez
RF Ken Griffey Jr.
3B Adrian Beltre
1B Russell Branyan
DH Mike Sweeney
2B Jose Lopez
C Rob Johnson
SS Ronny Cedeno - Yuni gets the day off today

Oakland

RF Ryan Sweeney
SS Orlando Cabrera
1B Jason Giambi
LF Matt Holliday
DH Jack Cust
3B Endy Chavez
C Kurt Suzuki
2B Mark Ellis
CF Rajai Davis

Mariners are gunning for their first sweep of the season. Would be nice to get it against a division rival.

Tidbit of the day:

Of the players on the 25-man Opening Day roster, backup infielder Matt Tuiasosopo is the only one that has not appeared in a game. Not a shocker considering he is only on the team to take Ichiro's roster spot. He will be sent back to Tacoma when Ichiro is activated on Wednesday.

Mariners @ A's - Game 6 April 11, 2009 Mariners 8 A's 5

2009-04-12T13:58:00.002-04:00

Maybe Felix's ankle isn't feeling as great as we would all like to think. I think it definitely bothered him in this game and I definitely think it affected his delivery more than he would like us to know. Either way Felix didn't have the best of outings. He left after 5 and his line on the night was -- 7 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 BB's, 8 K's and 1 HR. In his defense Kenji did drop a ball that would have gotten them out of the inning. The inning stayed a live and before we knew it Jack Cust hit a 2 run HR to give them a 5-3 lead. Kenji made up for it though with a 2 RBI hit in the 8th.

Out came Felix and in came Batista who pitched well through 2 innings giving up only 1 hit. Lowe got the hold in the 8th and Morrow came in in the 9th and shut things down. He did walk a batter but in his defense he only had 4 innings of work in spring training. This is still spring training for him but I think once he settles in and finds his command he will be great for us in the 9th inning.

Once again the offense spread things around with hits and walks. It really is nice to see it come from all over the batting order and not just the same 2 or 3 guys. Balentien hurt his wrist in this one which ended up with him leaving the game in the 5th inning. Cedeno moved to LF and Lopez came into the game even though he was having the day off. Good tho since he had a 2 rbi double in the 8th inning that helped put the M's on top for good. We added another run in the top of the 9th to give Morrow a little more breathing room. Branyan hit his second HR of the season and he seems to be settling in well to our lineup and playing nice D over at first base.

That is 4 wins in the books for the M's out of the first 6. Yes it is early in the season but there are so many positives we are seeing from these guys that I think has been missing from this team for a few years now. They are most importantly playing as a team. They are playing as a team and winning as a team and it is exciting to see. 6 games in and our offense has scored 5+ runs in all but 1 of those games. Boy how many times did this team struggle to score more than 2 runs last year.

Mariners Pre Game Notes - April 11, 2009

2009-04-11T14:17:00.002-04:00

Felix's ankle is apparently fine and he is ready to go this afternoon. He takes the mound looking for his second win in as many starts. If only we could convince him not to make defensive plays and give us all a heart attack in the process.

Pitching Match up

Seattle Mariners - Felix Hernandez (1-0, 1.13 ERA)

Oakland Athletics - Josh Outman - Great name for a pitcher. ha ha!

Tidbit of the day:

- When the Mariners started Ronny Cedeno in left field, Franklin Gutierrez in center field and Endy Chavez in right field against the Twins on Wednesday night, it was the first time in Major League history that three players from Venezuela started in the same outfield.

Mariners @ A's - Game 5 April 10, 2009 Mariners 5 A's 4

2009-04-10T22:00:00.001-04:00

So things never really went the way Ryan Rowland-Smith had hoped they would. But hey, it is early in the season and all pitchers are going to have those outings where they just can't get it going.

3.1 innings, 4 hits, 2 runs, 0 earned, 4 BB's, 1 K, 1 throwing error. Looking at that pitching line you might think that doesn't seem so bad. But when you realize he just could not get anything going and his pitch count was already 82 so early in the game you had to take him out. That is one difference with Wak as opposed to people managing the M's the last year or two. HE TAKES GUYS OUT!! None of this buddy buddy and not wanting to hurt peoples feeling crap we saw so much last year. I don't know how many times McLaren left guys out there to get lit up when they should have been taken out. Nice to see Wak managing these games the way they should be.
Chris Jakubauskas gave up 2 earned runs in two innings of work but earned his first win. Corcoran got himself into a little bit of trouble but got himself out of it. Rookie Shawn Kelley had his first major league appearance and did a nice job striking out 2. Aardsma shut things down in 9th inning and earned his first career save.
Once again the bullpen was strong. A lot of people had serious doubts about the abilities of our bullpen coming out of spring training but so far so good. Nice to see.

The offense continues to roll getting timely hits and walks from everyone in the order. Chavez continued his hot start to the season with 3 more hits and 2 RBI's in this one.

The defense was a little sloppy making it's first 2 errors of the season. That is bound to happen in some games and they certainly didn't cost us.

GREAT start to the season for the whole team.

Ichiro

2009-04-10T17:08:00.003-04:00

Thursday afternoon Ichiro was the lead off hitter for both teams in a 5 inning Rookie League intrasquad game in Peoria, Arizona. He went 7-for-10 with two triples and one double. NICE! Good to hear he is feeling better and swinging the bat well. Looking forward to having him in the lineup ASAP!

"It always feels good to play in games, it's not like I haven't been playing all winter."

"I wanted to play. It was something that was chosen for me to do," said Ichiro. "Especially because I had a strong feeling that this team is a young team and I wanted to start the season with them." --in regards to being put on the DL

Ichiro was asked if his ulcer remained an issue

"It if was, I wouldn't be playing."

Mariners Pre Game Notes April 10, 2009

2009-04-10T16:54:00.004-04:00

Ryan-Rowland Smith has been eagerly awaiting tonight's game. Ending last year in the rotation and on a really high note RRS is ready to pick up where he left off. It might not be the easiest of tasks considering this start comes in Oakland against division rivals. A's off season acquisition Orlando Cabrera tormented Mariners pitchers when he was the shortstop for the Angels. Lets hope RRS can keep Cabrera and guys like Matt Holliday quiet tonight.

Tidbits of the day:

--Griffey's first Major League hit occurred at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. He doubled to left-center off right-hander Dave Stewart in the first inning

--The Mariners went through the four-game series against the Twins without making an error, the first time that's happened since 2006

Pitching Match ups:

Seattle Mariners -- Ryan Rowland-Smith
Oakland A's -- Brett Anderson

Mariners@Twins - Game 4 April 9, 2009 Mariners 2 Twins 0

2009-04-10T16:32:00.002-04:00

Whenever you can get 8 solid innings from your number 4 starter it is a blessing. Jarrod Washburn dominated the Twins yesterday afternoon and the defense behind him helped him earn his much deserved first win of the season.

"I gave him a big hug," Washburn said. "I'll probably give him another one."

--Jarrod Washburn in reference to Franklin Gutierrez's diving grab of a gapper by Casilla in the first inning.

8 innings, 5 hits, 1 BB and 4k's. Most important stat here is the ZERO earned runs on the day. As usual Washburn got little run support but on this day it didn't matter. Morrow did make things a little nerve wracking when he came in and walked the first batter on 4 pitches in the bottom of the 9th. But he composed himself got the 3 outs needed, including 2 k's for the save and to nail down the win for Washburn and the Mariners.

"I might have been a little jacked up for the first batter after Tuesday's game," Morrow said. "I just said, `I'm not going to let this happen again."

--Brandon Morrow

Chavez and Franklin G continue to hit the ball well. Beltre and Johnson come away with the RBI's in this one.

Not a bad start to the season if you ask me. Series split on the road not too shabby. Our offense has been there, guys have been patient at the plate, moving the runner over, stealing bases. Doing all the little things that helps teams win games. Our pitching aside from Morrow's mental breakdown in game 2 and Silva's terrible 5 innings in game 2 has been outstanding. It is still early in the season and these next two series against division rivals will be a tall order. Let's see how they look at the end of next week.

Mariners Pre Game April 9, 2009

2009-04-09T11:27:00.003-04:00

I have not yet had a chance to do my recap of last nights game. That will have to wait till a little later and I will post a recap of both last nights game and today's game. For now he is some thoughts on today's game.

Pitching Match ups

Seattle - Jarrod Washburn (5-14, 4.69 in '08)

I think A LOT of Mariners fans including myself are happy to see Washburn enter the final year of his contract with the Mariners. He never really brought much to the team after his success with the Angels. Sure it is not all his fault considering he has always had terrible run support with the Mariners. But his spring numbers weren't that great coming out of it with a 6.12 ERA in seven Cactus League outings. Hopefully he can pitch a decent 5 innings this afternoon and give these guys a shot to win unlike Silva last night.

Minnesota - Glen Perkins

Perkins apparently has a habit of giving up HR's so let's hope we continue hitting the ball well and put some balls into the seats this afternoon.

Mariners tidbit of the day - The next home run Ken Griffey Jr. hits this month will be the 90th of his career in April. Only Barry Bonds (117) and Hank Aaron (93) have hit more in the first month of the regular season.

Come on boys. Let's play hard today and get out of Minny with a tied series and a great start to the season.

Sad news out of Los Angeles this morning. Rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart who pitched 6 strong innings for the Angels last night was killed in a car accident in Fullerton, CA only hours after the game. A mini van ran a red light and killed three people in the car Nick was riding in. Driver of the mini van then tried to flee on foot but was caught and arrested. Thoughts and prayer to his family and to the Angels organization.

Mariners@Twins - Game 3 April 8, 2009 Twins 6 Mariners 5

2009-04-08T23:13:00.000-04:00

OH CARLOS!!!!

5 innings, 8 hits, 6 earned runs, 1 BB, 2k's, 2 HR's

It is only one game and certainly too soon in a season to write anyone off. Even CC Sabathia was terrible for the Yankess on opening day. Daisuke Matsuzaka was terrible for the Red Sox yesterday in his first start of the season. So let's not throw Carlos too any wild alligators anytime soon. However, Carlos was not good enough for his team to win. End of story and he has to be better next time out. Considering it is the home opener against the Angels it won't be an easy task.

The team itself played a decent game. Lopez and Branyan each had their first HR's of the season. It is really exciting to see Jose off to a great start. Chris Jakubauskas was outstanding in his first appearance of the year going 2 innings with one BB one hit and 2 K's. Not bad. Mark Lowe also had a nice appearance in the 8th inning striking out 2.

Mariners Pre Game Notes April 8, 2009

2009-04-08T16:13:00.004-04:00

"The expectations were so high," he said during the exhibition season. "For me, I didn't show it to my teammates, to the fans. This year, it's time. ... I have to. But the thing I can tell you now is I expect to do well." --Carlos Silva

We all saw what happened to Silva last year. Started the year 3-0 and looked un hittable. Then with each start he seemed to get fatter and he seemed to pitch worse and worse. It was a bad bad season for Carlos. Last year his first start back in Minnesota since signing with the Mariners he gave up 9 runs on 9 hits through 3 1/2 innings and you can bet he is looking for a little redemption against his old club tonight. Carlos has lost weight and looks ready to put last season behind him.

Kevin Slowey takes the mound tonight for the Twins. He is projected to have a breakout season this year for the Twins. My hope is that he waits till his next start for that!
Interesting Griffey stat to keep in mind going forward. His next HR will be his 400th in a Seattle Mariner uniform. Go Jr!!

Projected Starting Lineups

Seattle Mariners

Endy Chavez RF
Franklin Gutierrez CF
Ken Griffey Jr. DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Russell Branyan 1B
Jose Lopez 2B
Kenji Johjima C
Ronny Cedeno LF
Yuniesky Betancourt SS

Minnesota Twins

Denard Span LF
Alexi Casilla 2B
Michael Cuddyer RF
Justin Morneau 1B
Jason Kubel DH
Joe Crede 3B
Carlos Gomez CF
Jose Morales C
Nick Punto SS

Mariners @ Twins - Game 2 April 7, 2009 Twins 6 Mariners 5

2009-04-08T15:22:00.004-04:00

It would be easy to sit here and talk about the negatives of last nights game and talk about how the Mariners are horrible and how they won't win 75 games this year and so on. But I am not going to because I don't think last nights game was horrible and I still believe this team is better than a lot of people are giving them credit for. So let's talk about the positives first...
- Endy Chavez was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI's, 2 runs scored and a stolen base. Nice to see Endy doing well in the lead of spot in place Ichiro

- Franklin Gutierrez was 2 for 5 with a RBI

- Adrian Beltre was 1 for 3 with 2 RBI's

- Wladimir Balentien was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored

- Branyan got his first hit as a Mariner and that should build his confidence. His defense at 1st has been great also.

-Yuni's amazing diving superman catch reminded me how good he can really be when he has his head on straight.

Again the Mariners did a lot of little things right in this game. Moved runners over and brought guys home who were in scoring position. They NEED to keep this up through out the season.
- Erik Bedard was very good last night. You can say all you want about him going only 5 innings but remember he is still coming off off season surgery and will need some time to build his endurance back up. Plus most starters start off the year on somewhat of a pitch count. Erik was dominant last night in those 5 innings. 8 strikeouts seems to be expected from him on any given night. He did get into a little trouble in the 5th when it was clear he was tiring a little but anyone with eyes in their heads knows he should have been out of that inning having given up only 1 earned run. But of course the ump was lame and forgot what a strike looked like. Overall I was happy with his performance and am excited about how dominant him and Felix can be back to back nights.

- Corcoran and Aardsma were both outstanding out of the bullpen last night giving me a little more confidence in our middle inning guys going forward.

- The Mariners SHOULD have won this game. They played a great game and until the 9th inning they were getting GREAT pitching.

Which brings me to the negative and yes that is singular because there was only ONE!!

BRANDON MORROW!!!!! Now in Brandon's defense he barely got any work in during spring training. In my opinion he should have been sent to the minors for a week to just get some work in and build his arm and make sure he had his control down. I am not even mad he blew the save, I am mad at how he blew it. He got the first two out like it was nothing and then it all fell apart on him. He couldn't find the zone to save his life, everything was outside. Not his best moment for sure. I wondered why Wak left him in there to walk 3 batters but I also tried to understand his reasoning behind doing so. He gave Morrow his vote of confidence and I guess sometimes you have to believe in your player and let them try to play through whatever it is. I for sure didn't expect to see him walk 3 straight to load the bases. And Batista I don't blame him at all. He shouldn't have to come in the 9th on the road bases loaded. Best case scenario if for Morrow to get another opportunity asap and if he can't deliver you take him out of that role for the time being.

Morrow aside I am happy with the M's in these first two games. They have played smart baseball and our pitching all around has been outstanding. They haven't lost the series yet. Today is a new day.

Mariners @ Twins - Game 1 April 6, 2009 Mariners 6 Twins 1

2009-04-07T08:59:00.007-04:00

Everyone expected them to fail. I honestly wasn't even sure what I expected as I prepared to watch last night's game. Last year left a lot of people with bad tastes in their mouths including me. Who can blame us really. The Mariners couldn't seem to to do anything right last year.

It is only one game and certainly too early to tell if all the things they did right last night will continue and actually help this team win some games. But the Mariners could not have asked for a more perfect game on the road to the start the season.
Felix of course was outstanding. Even after twisting his ankle early in the game he did what the ace of a pitching staff should do. He led by example and pitched through the pain for 8 solid innings. Moments like this show how much he has matured. Felix is primed for an excellent season as long as he stays healthy and his team plays for him the way they did tonight. I really expect great things for the King this year. 8 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. Had Felix not hurt his ankle early in this one my guess is that he would have pitched the 9th as well and started the season with a complete game.

One really important thing that stood out for me in this one was us MOVING the runner OVER and putting them into scoring position and then actually bringing them home to score. Last year this killed us. Every time we had someone on base it was inevitable that runner was going to be stranded on second and no one was going to bring him home. We lost so many games because of our inability to do these little things that go a long way. Last night was different. In the 2nd Beltre doubled off the wall. Next batter Ken Griffey Jr. flies out and moves Beltre to 3rd base. Next batter Jose Lopez hits a sac fly and Beltre scores. 1-0 Mariners. SMALL BALL people. Baseball isn't all about the base hits. Let's hope this was a sign of things to come for this team in regards to things like that.

Another thing I took note of tonight was a foul ball Chavez almost got to early in the game. His speed was amazing. Chris and I looked at each other and said "Raul would have never even gotten close to that ball." As much as I loved Raul and this team will miss what he can bring offensively he wasn't the greatest outfielder. I really think the defense of these guys in the outfield paired with Ichiro is really going to help this team.
How about Griffey? How awesome was it to see him hit that HR in his first game back in a Seattle uniform. I am crossing my fingers he can pull that off in Seattle next Tuesday. That would be amazing. In case you weren't aware that was his 8th opening day HR tying him with Frank Robinson for the MLB record. I was shocked when Franklin G hit a 2 run HR in the 6th inning. He was brought here for his defense but if he can do that everyone once in a while and help us win that way I am all for it.

Jose Lopez was great last night. Couple of nice plays in the field and 3 RBI'S. The biggest ones being his 2 run single late in the game to help put the Twins away for good. Huge hit by him and it is great to see. I really feel Jose is going to have a great year.

I was really hoping to see Morrow get his first save opportunity last night. Although I suppose I would rather see us with a big lead. Batista pitched really well last night, I hope he will be able to pull that off most of this season.

All around this was a great game for the Mariners and a great start to the season. These guys need to get some confidence early and get some wins under their belts. In my opinion everyone thinking they will be horrible is only going to help them. They have nothing to lose and teams always perform better with no pressure.Could someone PLEASE tell Russell Branyan to get some new bats!? I mean really!Nothing wrong with paying Ichiro respect and hopefully in turn receiving some good vibes from him!!

Mariners Pre Game Notes - April 6, 2009

2009-04-06T11:33:00.006-04:00

And here we are, waiting for the Mariners to take the field for the first time this season. My expectations aren't high but I am still excited. Win or lose, I am just happy baseball season is back!

Starting Pitchers

Seattle - Felix Hernandez
Minnesota - Francisco Liriano

Projected Starting Lineups

Seattle Mariners

LF Endy Chavez
CF Franklin Gutierrez
DH Mike Sweeney
3B Adrian Beltre
RF Ken Griffey Jr.
2B Jose Lopez
1B Russell Branyan
C Kenji Johjima
SS Yuniesky Betancourt

Chavez will bat lead off in Ichiro's absence.

Minnesota Twins

CF Denard Span
2B Alexi Casilla
RF Michael Cuddyer
1B Justin Morneau
DH Jason Kubel
3B Joe Crede
LF Delmon Young
C Mike Redmond
SS Nick Punto

Fresh Start

2009-04-06T09:53:00.004-04:00

So when the baseball season ended last year my interest had almost completely faded in the Mariners. Every game was an embarrassment to watch and you always knew what the outcome was going to be. So what was the point in even watching? We didn't watch much the last month of the season.

During the off season I found myself checking in once in a while to see what was happening in Mariner land. Still not much interest though. But then we made some moves, singed some veteran leaders, made the JJ trade and got a handful of great possibilities in return and then of course the signing of Ken Griffey Jr. Slowly my interest grew. Slowly I started to realize I love these guys win or lose. If you can suffer through last years HORRENDOUS season then you can suffer through anything with your team. That's what makes the true fan.

So here we sit on what is Opening Day for all of baseball aside from the Braves and Phillies. Speaking fo the Braves did anyone see how Derek Lowe dominated the Phillies all night long and ruined their home opener? Anyways, I thought I would take some time to put down my thoughts and predictions for the Mariners season.

First of all let me be clear the I do not have any rose colored glasses on and I do not expect the Mariners to contend for anything this season. I am not convinced that with the health of Jr, Felix and Bedard that this team will be great. What I am convinced of is that they will be better than a lot of people think they will be.

First and foremost they have a more solid clubhouse this year. With guys like Sweeney and Griffey bringing leadership I think that its a given that things wont be like they were last year. Sweeney didn't make this team because he can still hit a baseball. He made the team because of what he brings to the clubhouse. The leadership he will bring to this team is worth far more than what he can or can't do with his bat.

A new coaching staff with a new outlook and approach. We finally hired from the outside and didn't just promote someone from within. I am eager to see what Wakamatsu can do with this young team and how the will grow under his leadership. We also have a new GM who in my opinion has made some great moves since taken over the reigns. Moves in the right direction.

The 25 man roster is set and looks like this...

Catchers - Kenji Johjima, Rob Johnson

Kenji had a terrible season last year, we are all aware of that. But towards the end of the season we saw more of the Kenji we were used to and he finished the year on a high note. He was outstanding in the WBC for Japan this year so let's hope his confidence is back and we will see a more productive at bats from him.

Infielders - Adrian Beltre, Yuniesky Betancourt, Russell Branyan, Ronny Cedeno, Jose Lopez, Mike Sweeney, Matt Tuiasosopo

Beltre is healthy going into the season and is in a contract year which can only mean good things for him and for the Mariners. Beltre is still in my opinion one of the best 3rd base gloves in the league and if he can swing that bat with some consistency he could really help this team. Lopez was amazing in the WBC and looks like he is in full stride and ready for the season to start. I expect big things for Jose this year. Tuiasospo is only on the roster until Ichiro returns from the DL. Cedeno and Sweeney will be our spare infielders and will also share DH duties with Jr.

Outfielders - Wladimir Balentien, Endy Chavez, Ken Griffey Jr., Franklin Gutierrez, Ichiro

Chavez will get to take over the leadoff duties while each recovers from his ulcer. Jr will most likely see a few games in RF as well. There may not be a lot of power in this outfield but there is a lot of speed and amazing defence. Both Chavez and Gutierrez are great fielders and will most likely help this team win some games with their defensive skills.

Relief Pitchers - RHP David Aardsma, RHP Miguel Batista, RHP Roy Corcoran, RHP Chris Jakubauskas, RHP Shawn Kelley, RHP Mark Lowe, RHP Brandon Morrow

The bullpen makes me a little nervous. Batista as always gives me fits. I mean if he is on he can me really good but if he isn't we have all seen how bad he can be. Morrow starts the season as the closer, I am crossing my fingers he does well and holds on to the job. The last thing we need is for him to lose his confidence.

Starting Rotation

1. Felix Hernandez (18 wins)
2. Erik Bedard (14 wins)
3. Carlos Silva (11 wins)
4. Jarrod Washburn (10 wins)
5. Ryan Rowland-Smith (12 wins)

What do you say about our rotation. With a healthy Felix we know what he is capable of. If he can stay healthy all year and get run support I could see him having his first 18-20 win season. It's time a Mariner pitcher was in the running for the Cy Young. Bedard needs to stay healthy. I still really like him and still think that when he is healthy and on his game he is still has the abilities to be one of the most dominant left handed pitchers in the game. Silva lost a ton of weight and all I am doing is crossing my fingers he keeps it off and can win 10 games. Washburn is someone I like but don't like. He has had terrible luck with run support the last few seasons. I guess we will just have to see what happens this year. Rowland-Smith I am really excited about. I think he has the talent to be a legitimate mid to late rotation guy and I really hope he does well in his starting role.

Disabled List

60-day DL: Ryan Feierabend
15-day DL: Cesar Jimenez
15-day DL: Ichiro

I have yet to really think about the numbers I project our hitters to have this season. I will come up with that later on today and post it. I don't want to guess what the Mariners record might be cause I really have no idea. But it can't get worse than last year so that's good I guess. Here is to a new season. Go Mariners!!

The Prodigal Son Returns

2009-04-01T10:55:00.001-04:00

I was not a Mariners fan when the Kingdome was still around. In fact there is probably a good chance I had no idea who the Seattle Mariners were. Funny how things change. Some great Mariners players played in that building...

Randy Johnson- a for sure Hall of Famer who has expressed his wishes to wear a Mariner cap when he is inducted. Randy Johnson is the only Mariners pitcher to ever win the Cy Young award. Boy I hope that changes some year soon.

Edgar Martinez- who doesn't love Edgar? Will he get into the Hall of Fame? Most people say he should be a first ballot nomination. I say if you have a MLB award named after the guy he absolutely deserves it. He is eligible next year and if he makes it Chris and I will surely be going.

Alex Rodriguez- love him or hate him, I chose the latter but A-Rod is one of the best hitters this game has ever seen. He is weird and conceited and greedy and I am glad he is not on my team. BUT he is still one of the greatest players to wear a major league uniform. If only he didn't let the money go to his head and had stayed in Seattle all those years ago.

Jay Buhner- "Bone" as most people like to call him was one of the most popular players in Mariners history. Bone retired in 2001 and the Mariners have not issued his #19 to any player since.
Oh yeah and a kid name Griffey made his MLB debut in that building on April 3rd 1999. That "kid" went on to become one of the best and most exciting baseball players in the 1990's. 10 years into his career he had 1,752 hits, 398 home runs and 1,152 RBIs. Griffey's career in Seattle set him well on his way to what will surely be a first ballot hall of fame nomination. Ken Griffey Jr WAS the Seattle Mariners. He was everything baseball was supposed to be. How fitting a new stadium was built right across the street with Griffey in mind. And why wouldn't they? Griffey had pretty much carried baseball in Seattle on his back and was a key factor in keeping baseball in Seattle.

Goodbye Kingdome...

Hello Safeco Field...

THE HOUSE THAT GRIFFEY BUILT!! Funny it would be referred to as that considering the season it opened Griffey asked to be traded after only playing at Safeco for 4 months. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds so he could be closer to home and his family. I was not around when this happened but I can only imagine the devastation and shock that went through the city of Seattle. Just like that every ones hero, every kids idol is gone. You don't expect the ones like Griffey to leave. Just like the Oilers fans thought Wayne Gretzky would be an Oiler his entire career. It just doesn't always work out that way.
Griffey's career was never the same in Cincinnati. He was often injured and never seemed to be able to play to the level he always had in Seattle. On June 22 nd 2007 Ken Griffey Jr finally made a return to Seattle with the Cincinnati Reds. I don't think he expected the warm welcome he received. Before the game the Mariners did a presentation that included a highlight reel of his Mariner days. He was presented a "House That Griffey Built" memorial by former teammates Buhner and Martinez followed by a rousing and long standing ovation by the faithful at Safeco Field. Signs filled the building saying things like "The House that Griffey Built." The 3rd game of the series Jr hit 2 HR's and received a thunderous applause and cheer each time. While in Seattle Jr sat down for an interview with FSN's Angie Mentink and when asked if he would come back to Seattle to play he answered...

"Would I do it? Yeah. I think for the simple reason that this is the place where I grew up and I owe it to the people of Seattle and to myself to retire as a Mariner."

Jr stayed true to his word and signed a 1 year contract with the Mariners this off season bringing a magnificent career full circle. Seattle is the place he had all his success. Seattle is the place he became a star so it is only fitting he returns at this time in his career. Is he the Jr of old? Not even close. He is not "the kid" everyone remembers. He is older, his body is older, his abilities are not what they once were. Signing Jr was not done because they think he will save this team and hit 40 home runs. Seattle management owed this to Seattle and to Jr to allow him to return to the place where even after all these years he is loved beyond measure. Could a return home to Seattle fuel a resurrection in Jr? Of course it could. Whether it does or not remains to be seen. All I know is that I am excited to watch one of the greatest players of all time wear a Mariners uniform once again and continue to chase his place in history.

Jr's stats speak for themselves--

611 HR's
1772 RBI's
Career BA of .288
10 Gold Gloves
7 Silver Sluggers
10 All Star appearances
1997 AL MVP
Led the AL in HR's 94,97,98,99

Regardless of what he does in Seattle this year he is a Hall of Famer who deserves a hero's welcome when he is announced in the starting lineup for Seattle's home opener. He chose Seattle over the Braves. He chose to come "home" instead of going to the Braves who actually have a chance at competing this year. Whatever you call him--Jr, the Kid, the Natural--we should all feel honored to get to watch him play once again for the Seattle Mariners. I can't wait for the season to start.

Thrashers vs Oilers Feb 11, 2004

2009-03-12T09:32:00.001-04:00

This was awesome! Nothing like everyone on the ice getting into it. Good times!

Back Where He Belongs

2009-03-11T11:00:00.002-04:00

WELCOME BACK JUNIOR!!

A post is coming I promise. I have been working on it for a few weeks but just have not gotten around to finish it. Soon, I promise.

2008-11-13T11:38:00.002-05:00

So I promised myself that when I started this blog that I would not neglect it. Clearly I HAVE neglected it. But you know baseball season just left me with a bad taste in my mouth that I had no desire to write about anything sports related. And then the Seahawks season started and boy have they sure stunk it up. BUT that is okay because hockey season is in full swing and there is plenty more to talk about than the suckage of any and all teams from Seattle. So stay tuned...

Laid to Rest

2008-09-28T08:21:00.001-04:00

Stay tuned in the next couple of days for a recap of the Mariners disastrous season. Mariners fans around the world will FINALLY be put out of their misery today as the Mariners play their last game of the season. THANK GOD! Time to close this chapter in Mariners history and hope to God we never have to endure a season quite this painful ever again. YUCK!

Our Trip To Cooperstown--My Oh My! Part 1

2008-08-15T01:27:00.002-04:00

Its funny. Six years ago I would have been the last person you would have seen in Cooperstown, New York, visiting the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. I would have laughed at you if you had told me that one day I would end up there and would spend hours walking around and looking at baseball's past and present as it is captured within the walls of the Hall. I would have told you that you were crazy if you had told me that I would spend hours standing on a street waiting to catch a glimpse of the stars that have made the game of baseball what it is today. If you had told me I would attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and have a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes, and goosebumps from head to toe as they introduced the 56 living Hall of Famers I would have shook my head in disbelief. If you had told me that when they announced Hank Aaron and Willie Mays back to back that as they walked upon the stage I would have been moved to my feet and joined the thousands in thunderous applause for two of the greatest to ever play the game I would have told you to get your head checked. Me, love baseball and all it means? Not a chance. But you know, just when you think you have it all figured out, you find a passion for something you never imagined could exist.

You would think Chris would be the one to blame for this love and passion I have for the game of baseball and the Seattle Mariners. But all the credit goes to my mother in law Linda. When I spent weekend at their house when Chris and I were first dating it seemed all they watched was baseball all weekend long. Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. At first I fought it. I swore up and down I would never watch such a boring excuse for a sport. Being Canadian and a passionate hockey fan the thought of watching baseball was nauseating. But slowly I got sucked in. I would sit with Linda and watch the games and before too long I was asking questions, and I was learning the players names and positions. I don't think we will ever forget the day I tried to say the name of the player who became my favorite Mariner. RP pitcher #17 Shigetoshi Hasegawa. I tried and tried but over and over his name came out in all sorts of odd sounds. We laughed and laughed. Shigersnooki Hashegowi. But I learned his name and with each game I was eager to learn more about different things. What a bunt was, what a double play was, what a ground rule double was. Before long I found myself fascinated with the pitchers and how complicated the art of pitching really is. The different grips, release points, the pitches. I couldn't get enough.

My mother in law may have introduced me to baseball and planted the seeds that would turn my into the baseball fan I am today. But it is Dave Niehaus that made baseball real to me. Night after night it was Dave who made me feel like I was at the ballpark sitting in the front row. It is Dave who gives me goosebumps when he utters the words he is so well known for. None better than his grand slam call--"Get out the rye bread and mustard Grandma it is grand salami time!"
There is nothing like it when a ball is crushed out of the ball park and Dave makes you feel as though you are right there--"that ball is belted to deep right field and that ball is going to Fly Away, My oh My!"

Click HERE and HERE for 2 classic Niehaus calls. The first probably being the greatest one in Mariners history. There is nothing like it. And even though I was not a Mariners fan back in 1995, listening to that gives me goosebumps every single time.

Dave Niehaus for those of you reading this and don't know who Dave is, he is the play by play announcer for the Seattle Mariners and has been since their inaugural game in back in 1977. In 32 years Dave has missed only 82 games. Quite the feat considering baseball has 162 game seasons. Through all the bad times in Seattle Dave has always been the constant. Game after game he has always been there. What makes Dave so special is how much he truly loves the game of baseball. He has a passion for the game that is heard in every word he speaks. If a broadcaster does not have a passion and love for the game he is calling then there is no substance to his words. They are merely that, words. With Dave you know it is more than a job to him. He has been living his dream for 32 years calling a game that he is passionate about and a baseball team he truly loves. Being able to be there and see Dave receive the Ford C Frick award and honored by the Hall of Fame was truly a special experience for me, one I won't soon forget. Dave is an honorable and gracious man who deserves all recognition in this world for what he does day in and out. At the end of Dave's speech he said--

" I know there are several bigger names who have preceded me in winning this award. There will be several bigger names after me to win this award, but no one will ever be more appreciative."

Dave is right that no one will ever be more appreciative but in my opinion he is the greatest there is. His name is much bigger and much more important to baseball and the Seattle Mariners that I think he realizes. Living in a city where people seem to move to and immediately desert the team the grew up cheering for just to cheer for the Boston Red Sox makes me sick. There is no loyalty in that and I think it's sad. Dave said it best when he said--

"Millions of fans from the northwest stand here with me today. Believe me, without them, I wouldn't be here today. Over the years, they have been my biggest supporters and they've been loyal to the Mariners through thick and thin, and there was never a doubt in my mind about Seattle being big league territory from the first pitch Diego Segui threw to Jerry Remy 32 years ago, it's been quite a ride and it's not over yet. Believe me, the best is yet to come."

Win or lose my heart is in Seattle with the Mariners. You will never see me cheering for another baseball team with the passion I have for Seattle. I thank Dave Niehaus for that. And he is right, the BEST is yet to come. And when that time comes it will be worth every moment of heartache. It will be worth every loss and it will be worth every season the Mariners have let Seattle down. My only wish is that Dave Niehaus will be around for that, I wouldn't want to hear anyone but him calling the final play in a Seattle Mariners World Series clinching game.

Dave Niehaus will forever be in the hearts of Mariners fans. Long after he has retired from baseball he will be in our hearts and he will always be the greatest there is in my eyes.

Congrats Dave, and thank you for sharing you love and passion for baseball with all of us. My oh My!

Patience...

2008-08-01T07:48:00.002-04:00

A new post is coming, I promise. Hopefully this weekend once we are all moved to our new place I will be able to take some time at the computer to blog all about our trip to Cooperstown as well as everything else going on with the Mariners and in baseball this week. Some hockey news and football news coming your way as well. Both the NFL and NHL season are right around the corner. It could get crazy in here.

My, Oh My!!

2008-07-26T06:29:00.002-04:00

Chris and I are off to Cooperstown, NY this morning to take in the Hall of Fame festivities. We will tour the Hall today and then spend tomorrow at the induction ceremonies where we will get to see Seattle's own Dave Niehaus recieve the Ford C. Frick award for excellence in broadcasting. It should be fun, and hopefully not too hot, since the ceremony is held outdoors. Pictures to follow--hopefully one will be of us with Dave!

Seattle Mariners Game 101: Red Sox 6 Mariners 3

2008-07-25T16:49:00.003-04:00

Ichiro robs J.D Drew of a 3 run HR. This game could have been much uglier otherwise. Felix didn't have his best stuff in this one. The team can't expect him to be perfect, they have to help out. The Mariners had their chance to win this one but as usual they could not bring a run home when it mattered the most. They had 2 on with 1 out and Johjima hit into a double play to get Papelbon out of trouble. Then in the bottom of the 12th after the Red Sox had scored 3 in the top of the 12th the Mariners loaded the bases but Vidro was up and ended up making the final out of the game. Who cares that Ibanez and Vidro both hit HR's earlier in the game? They end up being HR's that mean nothing. Sure it looks good beside your name, but at the end of the day if it didn't help the TEAM win then who really gives a crap.

The boys are in Toronto for a 3 game set this weekend. Batista *GROAN* takes the hill tonight. Any guess on how many runs he gives up in the first couple of innings? I say 6 runs and 4 walks. Don't worry folks, only 61 more games of this torture to endure:)

Seattle Mariners Game 100: Red Sox 4 Mariners 2

2008-07-25T16:45:00.004-04:00

It would be nice if on the nights our pitchers actually pitch well that our offense would feel like helping even a little. Another decent outing from Dickey. Another dismal outing by the offense.

The only thing worth mention from the offensive side of the game is that Bryan LaHair had his first major league hit. How exciting for him to get it against the team he grew up cheering for. Bryan is from Worcester, MA. He will never forget his first hit and the fact it was against the Red Sox only makes it that much more memorable.

Seattle Mariners Game 99: Red Sox 4 Mariners 0

2008-07-22T23:57:00.004-04:00

Ichiro is looking at that ball like he is trying to use some Japanese Ninja mind trick to help him hit it. It is like he is willing the ball to his bat. Well it didn't work cause he went 0-4.

Washburn pitched well. But as usual who cares. It doesn't matter with this team anymore. They just can't put it together. We continue to see Batista pitch. We continue to watch Cairo, Vidro and Johjima take up space on our roster. 3 guys who are barely hitting above 200. This season is OVER for the M's and has been since they got swept by Baltimore back in April. So why keep these guys in the lineup? Why let them take away from guys like Lahair and Clement, even Balentien? Same old M's. Even when the season is totally in the crapper, they still feel the need to try and prove something, instead of making the right decisions and start worrying about the future and stop worrying about winning games this season. *SIGH*

The Mariners Team Motto

2008-07-21T21:42:00.001-04:00

Seattle Mariners Game 98: Cleveland 6 Mariners 2

2008-07-21T21:39:00.001-04:00

No words needed, the pathetic look on his face says it all.

Seattle Mariners Game 97:Cleveland 9 Mariners 6

2008-07-21T21:25:00.003-04:00

2 innings pitched, 8 earned runs. You know what that is? Another terrible excuse of a "start" by a major league pitcher. If Batista takes the mound for one more start this season I may lose my mind. It is sad in a way because last year Batista was outstanding for us. He won 16 games and we could rely on him to go deep into the game each start. Now we are lucky if he makes it past an inning or two. If medical reasons really are the reason for his struggles then they shouldn't be trotting him out there except for out of the bullpen in a pinch.

The offense tried to claw their way back into this one but as usual it was too little too late. Ichiro made it interesting in the 9th inning with a 2 run HR but in the end it didn't matter.

I won't get used to this anytime soon....

2008-07-19T02:26:00.002-04:00

Now that's a weird thing to see. Richie in pin stripes and wearing the number 39. Not a bad debut for him tonight in the Big Apple going 1-3 with a RBI single in his first plate appearence.

Seattle Mariners Game 96: Seattle 8 Cleveland 2

2008-07-19T01:37:00.004-04:00

Well that is one way to get the second half started. The was a well played game by the Mariners, pitching, defense and offense. Patience and discipline at the plate led to runs. Funny how that happens isn't it?

Every time he takes the mound I realize more and more the special talent that is Felix Hernandez. Not only does he have some of the best stuff in all of baseball but he has a drive and desire to be the best at what he does. Considering where he is at only 22 years old it isn't too far of a stretch to believe Felix could become the next great pitcher of our generation, he is well on his way. It would have been nice to see him go at least 7 innings tonight, but regardless he was outstanding. Attacking the hitters from the start and not getting frustrated when he walked someone or when he didn't get a pitch call in his favor. 8 strikeouts, 4 hits and 2 earned runs. As good as Bedard can be when he is healthy, Felix is the true ace of this pitching staff and he continues to show us why each time he takes the mound.

The guys sure had their hitting shoes on tonight. They were patient at the plate, forcing Laffey to throw a lot of pitches early. 13 hits in this one. The only hit the Mariners really needed though was from Raul Ibanez. In the 2nd inning Ibanez hit a grand slam to break open the Mariners 1-0 lead. 5 runs in the second and with the way Felix was pitching I felt pretty confident about this one early. Jose Lopez added a 3 run HR in the 4th inning to pretty much put this one away.

Good start to the second half for the team as a whole. Now if only they could win every game for the rest of the season they just might make the playoffs. 66-0, what do you think? HA! Honestly I would just like to see these guys finish this season with a little consistency in the win column and end with some dignity still in tact.

Richie Sexson

2008-07-18T09:53:00.003-04:00

We all knew it was only a matter of time. For some Mariners fans it came way too late. Richie Sexson was finally released by the Mariners last week. It was bittersweet for me. Richie has been my favorite Mariner since the day they signed him. He has always been a great defensive 1st baseman. a lot of that has to do with his height. He is able to dig balls out of the dirt or reach errant throws that would normally fly far over a regular guys head. If you throw a ball too far over Richie's head you know it was a BAD throw. Sexson has always been the guy who could change the entire game with one swing. For whatever reason this year and last he has lost that ability. But first lets look at his stats over his career.

1999 - 134 games/31 HR's/116 RBI/.255 avg - Cleveland Indians

2000 - 148 games/30 HR's/91 RBI/.256/.296 avg - Cleveland Indians/Milwaukee Brewers

2001 - 158 games/45 HR's/125 RBI/.271 - Milwaukee Brewers

2002 - 157 games/29 HR's/102 RBI/.279 - Milwaukee Brewers

2003 - 162 games/45 HR's/124 RBI/.272 - Milwaukee Brewers

2004 - 23 games/9 HR's/23 RBI's/.233 - Arizona Diamondbacks

2005 - 156 games/39 HR's/121 RBI/.263 - Seattle Mariners

2006 - 158 games/34 HR's/107 RBI/.264 - Seattle Mariners

2007 - 121 games/21 HR's/63 RBI's/.205 - Seattle Mariners

2008 - 74 games/11 HR's/30 RBI/.218 - Seattle Mariners

2008 is far from over for Richie. But it is clear to see that the last season and a half in Seattle have been atrocious for him. The Mariners signed Richie for the numbers he put up consistently from 1999 through 2004. He lived up to those numbers his first two season in Seattle. If only we had had pitching those years who knows what his bat could have done for us in the playoffs.
In 2007 Richie battled leg issues all season long. I am not making excuses for him but I imagine bad legs will make it tough to get the proper power and follow through that a power hitter like Sexson needs. He missed 43 games and by his numbers it was clear he was not himself. I had a lot of hope for Richie going into this season. I really believed he would bounce back from 2007 and regain the form he was known for. But it never happened. I know a lot of baseball is mental and honestly I think Richie just tried to hard. I think he hated getting booed and I think he tried to so hard to hit it out of the park every at bat that it hurt him more than it helped him. The booing bothered me a lot. I realize he is getting paid a lot of money to do what he does, but he is also human. How would you perform at your job on a daily basis if you had 30 000 people booing you? Something tells me it would seriously affect your confidence and your job performance. I don't believe it is any different for athletes. It is sad for me to have seen Richie leave Seattle on such a sour note. I feel he deserved a much better fate than what he got. A lot was made of Richie's "attitude" in the days leading up to his release. Yet the media failed to make anything of how much Richie had a good attitude most of this season. He worked his butt off in the cages trying to regain his swing, he supported his team mates and barely complained when he was benched in favor of Miguel Cairo. But no one cares about that part. No one wants to here about the Richie that has tried harder than anyone, and who cares and wanted to help Seattle win. I suppose in sports there is always that one guy people villanize and make the whipping boy. Some of it was deserved for Sexson and some of it wasn't. Richie has needed a change for a long time now. Although I am not sure the bright lights of New York City and Yankee Stadium is the place for him to overcome his struggles. Only time will tell for Richie. I wish him nothing but the best in New York and wherever he may play after this season. I know I will be watching the Yankees box score on a daily basis to see if Richie is playing and what he did. I hope the change is all he needed and he can find at least some of the form and be a little of the old Richie.

Seattle Mariners Game 95: Mariners 4 Royals 3

2008-07-15T10:07:00.002-04:00

Quick recap:

- Silva was decent, he pitched 6 innings giving up only 2 earned runs
- The bullpen was solid giving up only 1 run in their 3 innings of work
- Jeff Clement blasted a 2 run HR in the 7th inning
- Mariners actually only won because of a fluky error in the 9th inning by the Royals

And now is the All Star break. Will the Mariners actually find a way to come back in the second half and finish this season with a little dignity? Or will they force me to cancel my MLB.TV subscription because I just can't stand to watch anymore?

Seattle Mariners Game 94: Royals 5 Mariners 4

2008-07-15T10:02:00.003-04:00

Another good outing by lefty Jarrod Washburn. 6 innings pitched and only 1 earned run. Not bad. It wouldn't matter though because in the bottom of the 9th inning with a 4-3 lead Brandon Morrow gave up a 2 run HR to David DeJesus for his second blown save of the season. Morrow has been lights out, he was due for a couple bad outings. Just unfortunate they had to come so close together.

Seattle Mariners Game 93: Royals 3 Mariners 1

2008-07-15T09:58:00.002-04:00

Felix returned from the DL and looked on fire to start this game. It was one of those games where it looked like he was going to be un hittable. He didn't give up a hit until the 4th inning, but then it all came apart in the 5th. He completely ran out of gas and ended up give up 3 earned runs in the inning. The bullpen came in and did a great job of holding the Royals to only those 3 runs but it didn't matter. As usual our pathetic offense made a mediocre below average pitcher look like an all star.

Seattle Mariners Game 92: Oakland 3 Mariners 2

2008-07-15T09:50:00.005-04:00

R.A. Dickey was outstanding. His best start of the season. 7 innings pitched, 4 hits, 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. The important number of the day though was his ZERO earned runs. It felt good to see him pitch so well. It felt good to know there was know way we were going to lose that game even though as usual the offense didn't show up.

They headed into the bottom of the 9th inning with a 2-0 lead. All we needed was for Brandon Morrow who has been outstanding in J.J. Putz's absence to come in and shut things down. Morrow gave up not 1 but 2 solo HR's to Jack Cust and Kurt Suzuki that tied the ball game. The game went to extra innings and in the bottom of the 11th Emil Brown hit a solo HR off Jimenez to seal the victory for the A's. What a crappy way to lose.

Seattle Mariners Game 91: Seattle 6 Oakland 4

2008-07-15T09:47:00.002-04:00

Batista's return to the rotation lasted barely 3 innings as he had to leave the game with a groin strain. We somehow managed to score 5 runs in the 5th inning. We barely score that in a game, never mind an inning. The biggest hit in that inning was probably off the bat of Jose Lopez who had a 3 run double.

Seattle Mariners Game 90: Oakland 2 Seattle 0

2008-07-15T09:44:00.002-04:00

Silva pitched well but who really cares anymore. This team can't win with any consistency and they certainly can't win when he is on the mound. Pitching has been the least of the Mariners issues. It is that whole HITTING thing and the fact they cannot do it when it matters the most. Richie Sexson hit a 3 run HR in the first inning yesterday to give the team and early lead. But instead of lighting a fire under them they just layed down and took a nap.

Seattle Mariners Game 89: Oakland 4 Mariners 3

2008-07-15T09:41:00.002-04:00

This one in a nutshell....Beltre was 4-4 going into his final at bat. The tying and go ahead runs were on base. But when it mattered the most he could not get a hit and made the final out of the game.

Seattle Mariners Game 88: Tigers 2 Mariners 1

2008-07-07T19:56:00.000-04:00

Where to start? Well I guess first up should be the performance of Ryan Rowland-Smith in his second start of the season. He definitely pitched better than his first time around and made it through 5 innings giving up only 1 earned run, a solo HR to Raburn in the 4th. He gave up 5 hits, walked 3 and struck out 2. Not a bad night for a guy making only the second start of his career. After him the bullpen was outstanding. Lowe, Corcoran, Batista, Green and Jimenez held the Tigers to only 2 hits the next 9 innings. That's right I said 9 innings, after the 5 RRS already pitched. It seemed like this game would never end.

Heading into the top of the 15th inning it seemed the Mariners were out of pitchers. Some were injured, others not available due to recent outings. Riggleman's mistake in my opinion was Not using Green or Batista for more than 1 inning a piece. Either one of them throws one more inning then Riggleman might have not been in the predicament he found himself in. Catcher Jamie Burke made his way out to the mound. I had to take a double look. Only in the Mariners season could this be happening.

He actually did a pretty decent job. He gave up only 1 hit and one earned run. The hit he gave up was a double and then the runner advanced to third on a wild pitch. The next batter hit a sac fly and the run scored. That wild pitch never happens and Jamie likely gets out of that inning unscathed. Too funny. Of course our offense was in able to tie or win the game in the bottom of the inning.

15 innings of baseball, wow. The Mariners had so many chances to put this one away that it never should have come down to our backup catcher having to pitch. Richie Sexson had 2 glorious opportunities to put runs on the board, but failed as usual. I am shocked he hasn't been cut yet. Let's not just blame Richie though. No one got the job done. The only people that deserve any credit in this one is the pitching staff on both teams. That was a long one.

Seattle Mariners Game 87: Mariners 3 Tigers 2

2008-07-07T19:46:00.000-04:00

Another excellent start for RA Dickey. He was solid for 6 innings giving up only 2 earned runs. His final line was 6 innings pitched, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts. His only 2 blemishes on two separate solo HR's. One by Guillen in the first and one by Miguel Cabrera in the 4th. His walk total was a little high but that is too be expected with a knuckle ball pitcher. He ended up with the no decision since the Mariners didn't get the go ahead run until the 8th inning. All the Mariners runs in this one game by way of the HR. Jeff Clement hit a solo shot in the 6th inning and a 2 run shot in the 8th to give the Mariners a 3-2 lead. Clement has looked more comfortable at the plate as of late and I am excited about his future with this team and in baseball in general. Tell me again why we extended Johjima for 3 years when we have this kid?

With this win the M's have a chance to win their 4th series in a row. Even if they lose tomorrow, taking 2 of 4 against the Tigers is not a bad thing.

Seattle Mariners Game 86: Mariners 4 Tigers 1

2008-07-07T18:27:00.000-04:00

I have said it all season long and I stick by my thought that Erik Bedard is not pitching healthy and I don't think he has been since the season started. He was not a 5 inning guy in Baltimore and he certainly wouldn't be in Seattle if he was healthy. You can't convince me otherwise. I think he has had an assortment of things ailing him since spring training. His line on the day was 5 innings pitched, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks and 6 strikeouts. Not bad for only 5 innings of work. The Bedard trade talk has me groaning. We gave up a lot to get him and half a season is not enough in my opinion. Wait until he is healthy before you write him off.

Ibanez, Lopez and Betancourt had the 4 RBI's for the M's. Ibanez got his off his 10th HR of the season. Lopez had a 3 run double in the 8th inning to put this one in the bag.

Seattle Mariners Game 85: Tigers 8 Mariners 4

2008-07-07T18:15:00.000-04:00

Carlos Carlos Carlos!!! Apparently it was donut competition day and therefore Carlos was not able to pitch well since he was overloaded on donuts. 5 innings, 9 hits, 5 earned runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts. Same old story here. One day he looks great out there and the next he looks like can't stop about thinking about the donuts awaiting him in his locker. Come on Carlos, get it together man.

Another typical night for our offense. Guys getting on base but no one bringing them home. Ichiro however was 3-5 and had his 1700th hit of his MLB career. Congrats to you Ichiro! Ichiro is the 30th active player in baseball to reach that milestone.

Seattle Mariners Game 84: Mariners 4 Blue Jays 2

2008-07-07T17:46:00.000-04:00

Another solid outing by Washburn for his second win in a row. 6 innings pitched, 7 hits, 2 earned runs, 4 strikeouts. His only blemish in this one was a HR in the 5th inning which got the Blue Jays their only 2 runs of the game. Washburn has really battled hard in his last 7 or so starts and certainly deserves credit for turning his season around.

Miguel Cairo was pretty much the only offense the Mariners needed in this one. Cairo of all people provided 3 of the 4 Mariner runs. He had 2 doubles and 3 RBI's. Nice to see a guy like that contributing to the team effort.

Oh and with this win the Mariners have now won 3 series in a row. Never thought I would say that this season.

Seattle Mariners Game 83: Mariners 7 Blue Jays 6

2008-07-07T17:34:00.000-04:00

Everyone on the team had a least one hit except for Lopez who was 0-5. But at the end of the night the only hit that mattered was the one Willie had in the bottom of the 9th. With 2 on Willie smacked the ball into the center field gap for the game winning RBI.

Let us not forget the HR Beltre hit that had him wondering just how the heck he hit it. Considering he practically had to swing above his head to make contact it is no wonder he was confused. He definitely keeps it interesting. Richie also hit a HR which was his first in over a month.

Aussie Ryan Rowland-Smith got his first start of the season. He was cruising through the first 3 innings giving up only one hit. But then it all fell apart for him in the 4th. His night ended in the 4th when he gave up 3 earned runs. He definitely deserves another start, I really think he just needs a good 3 or 4 starts to extend his stamina and get his arm used to throwing that many pitches as opposed to just 1 or 2 innings out of the bullpen.

Seattle Mariners Game 82: Blue Jays 2 Mariners 0

2008-07-07T17:09:00.000-04:00

Well I called it. I said I didn't think they could make it 4 in a row. The team has definitely been playing better baseball as of late but Roy Halladay is just flat out good. So good in fact that before this game he already had 3 complete games. 9 innings pitched, 4 hits. Now normally I would rip on our offense for not hitting well and not being patient at the plate. But this game was different. Halladay was untouchable. Sometimes you just have to give credit where credit was due. No one was going to hit Halladay tonight. Kudos to him.Let's not forget Dickey. He was pretty good himself going 6.1 innings giving up only 2 earned runs. He gave his team a chance to win and that is all you can ask.

BREAKING NEWS!!!

2008-06-30T01:54:00.000-04:00

This just in...

Seattle Mariners SWEEP the San Diego Padres!!

First sweep of the season. Can you believe it? I know I sure can't. I know it is only the Padres, but STILL that is THREE wins in a row. I didn't think I would see this happen this season. I am almost speechless. It makes me want to do a jig, sort of like this...

Can they make it 4 in a row? My guess is no but then again who knows. Tune in tomorrow night to see. Blue Jays will be in town for 3 game set. Dickey will look to do what he did last time out as he takes the mound for the M's vs Roy Halladay for the Blue Jays. Halladay is the main reason I am not so sure we can pull out 4 in a row. The guy is good.

The Sexson/Vidro watch is on. If I was a betting woman I would say Richie has played his last game as a Mariner. We shall see. Stayed tuned folks, things could get interesting.

Seattle Mariners Game 81: Mariners 9 Padres 2

2008-06-30T01:33:00.000-04:00

Beltre really loves playing the Padres. He went 7 for 14 with 8 RBI's and 1 HR. Love it. Beltre is hitting the ball so well right now he was able to hit a 2 run HR today from his knees while blowing a bubble with his bubble gum...

The Mariners as a whole hit the ball well today. 18 hits is always a good thing. Ichiro was unstoppable today going 5-5 . Ibanez was 2-4 with 2 RBI's and added in a nice sliding catch for good measure. Jeff Clement hit his second HR of the season with a solo shot in the 9th inning. Let's hope that this is another sign his bat is settling down and he will hit MLB pitching with a little more consistency. Betancourt was the only starter in the lineup to go hit less today. He was 0-5 with a strikeout and hit into a double play. Ouch, not a good day at the ballpark.I am still waiting for Erik Bedard to break out and have a 8 or 9 inning dominating start. We all know he is more than capable of being one of the best. I don't think he is 100% healthy and haven't since the season began. And all this trade talk surrounding him is just stupid in my opinion. For starters we gave up an awful lot to get him. That and pitching is what helps you win in this league, especially in the playoffs. Left handers as talented as Erik do not come along everyday and trading him will only come back to haunt this team for many years to come. It is my hope he ends up with a decent extension and is around to help this team going forward. Today was a better day for him on the mound. Only 5.2 innings but he did give the team a chance to win. He tired earlier than I think most would have liked but I really think that goes along with the whole not being healthy thing. We shall see how things play out going forward. For now I am happy he got the win.

Seattle Mariners Game 80: Mariners 4 Padres 2

2008-06-30T01:13:00.000-04:00

I liked the Silva signing from the very beginning. I have always thought the money to be a little much but I stand by my opinion that I thought that this was a good signing. Silva is a workhorse that will generally give you 7 hard innings on any given night. To start the season Silva looked like a man on a mission to prove to everyone that he was worth every penny of the contract he had signed. He started the season at 3-0 giving up only 9 earned runs in his first 4 starts. But then something happened and it looked like the only thing Silva was trying to prove was how many donuts he could eat on any given day. Looking heavier than his normal heavy self Silva went on to lose 9 of his next 12 starts and. Going into this game he had not won a game since April 17th. In 7 of those starts he failed to make it past the 6th inning. NOT good times.

Tonight however the Carlos Silva that I advocated showed up. The Carlos Silva that I still think was a good signing regardless of the cost. I'm not paying him so why do I care what he is making. Tonight was more of the Silva I expect to see on a consistent basis regardless of how many donuts he ate that day. 7 innings pitched, 8 hits, 2 earned runs, ZERO walks. MUCH much better. Let us all hope THIS Silva takes the mound next time around and not the Fatty McButterpants who ate too many donuts for lunch.

I bet Adrian Beltre wishes we could play the Padres every night. So far in this series he is 5 for 9 with 5 RBI's. I have been waiting for Beltre to break out all season long. Maybe this is his time.

Seattle Mariners Game 79: Mariners 5 Padres 2

2008-06-30T00:56:00.000-04:00

Kicking it old skool! How sweet were those jerseys? I bet Jarrod Washburn wishes we could wear those jerseys everyday. Washburn has been solid for his past 7 starts. But in all of those we had weak offense or the bullpen gave it up after he left the game. He was solid in this one. 7.2 innings, 7 hits, 2 earned runs. Good for him. Nice to see him finally get a win for all his hard work the last month.

Lets not even talk about the offense. Yes they scored 5 runs but they also managed to set a new franchise record by stranding EIGHTEEN runners on base. No that is not a typo. 18 runners left on base? Are you kidding me? If that isn't a sign of a team that has serious issues from the offensive side of the ball I don't know what is.

I really do love these uniforms.

Seattle Mariners Game 78: Mets 8 Mariners 2

2008-06-26T20:35:00.000-04:00

Oh Miguel why must you hurt us so? 3 weeks in the bullpen clearly did you NO good cause you sucked just as bad in your first start back as you did before you were banished to the bullpen. You claim that it is because you aren't healthy. Well if this is true then why do you feel the need to allow them to trot you out there as if you are going to pitch well. I think this game proved more than ever that until you are healthy you should not be allowed to step foot on the pitching mound. 2.2 innings pitched, 5 hits, 8 runs, 4 earned runs, FIVE walks, 3 K's. FIVE walks in just over two innings of work? It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out your command is completely gone. Yet there you were, starting yet another game and digging a huge hole for your team and giving them virtually no chance. You said you were embarrassed and you should be.

Nothing else to say about this one. The offense wasn't there tonight. The bullpen shut things down after Batista was pulled but it didn't matter. This one was over long before the first pitch was thrown. This one was over the minute it was announced that Batista would be starting.

It is off to San Diego now for a weekend series before heading back home on Monday. It is my feeling that Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro will be playing their last games in Mariners uniforms over the weekend. I imagine one or both of them will be released once the team is back home in Seattle. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Seattle Mariners Game 77: Mariners 11 Mets 0

2008-06-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

R.A Dickey made a phone call to the only other pitcher in baseball who throws the knuckle ball. That pitcher was Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox. Whatever Tim had to say it worked because Dickey threw one heck of a ball game. 7 innings pitched, 6 hits, 0 earned runs, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. He was outstanding. I hope he builds off this start and we can see more of this Dickey than the Dickey we have seen.

The offense certainly showed up for this game. Kenji Johjima and Ibanez both had HR's and even Richie Sexson had a 2 hit night with 3 RBI's.

Now if only our offense could find a way to do this consistently...

Seattle Mariners Game 76: Mariners 5 Mets 2

2008-06-26T20:25:00.000-04:00

JOY

THEN PAINLet me paint a picture for you. You have two uber talented pitchers facing off against one another in one of the best pitching match ups of the season. One is a 2 time Cy Young award winner while the other is a Cy Young winner in the making. Both hail from Venezuela, one is 29 years old and the other is 22. Both are very likely to end up the Baseball Hall of Fame one day.

Let us skip to the top of the second inning. The Mariners have the bases loaded with 2 outs. The batter walking up to the plate is none other than Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez. His first at bat of the season is against perhaps the best pitcher in all of baseball, Johan Santana. I am pretty sure all Mariners fans had accepted the fact the top of the second inning was going to end with the bases being left loaded. Felix had other plans. The first pitch he saw he crushed to deep right center field for a GRAND SLAM!! FELIX! Are you kidding me? What are the chances? I am not even sure Felix looked at the ball as it was being thrown toward him. He just swung with all his might and probably was hoping it might sneak through for a single. In a season that has been a complete train wreck for the Mariners it is nice to see guys like Felix have success. It is nice to see him work so hard and be rewarded. Maybe this was the baseball God's way of patting him on the back and rewarding him for his hard work this season. Just how special was Felix's slam...

1. First grand slam by a pitcher in inter league history

2. First HR EVER by a Mariners pitcher

3. First time in 37 years an American league pitcher has hit a grand slam

Pretty impressive. When asked what his approach was going into his at bat he replied by saying “My approach? Just swing. I closed my eyes, I was happy and I was thinking that’s all I need — four runs.”Sadly his night didn't end with the joy it should have. In the 5th inning Felix went to the plate to cover a play and was run into and his ankle rolled. He tried to stay in the game but couldn't put pressure on his foot and they took him out of the game. Fortunately it was only a mild sprain and he isn't expected to miss any time, just have his next start pushed back a few days. PHEW! Regardless of how his night ended, he will never forget what he accomplished in the top of the second inning. I know I won't soon forget.

The bullpen did a great job of shutting the Mets down after Felix left the game giving up only 1 earned run. Thank goodness because it would have been a shame for us to lose this one after what Felix did. The guy is a fighter, he wanted to so badly to stay in this one. Glad the guys could pull together the win.

Mariners Season in a Nutshell

2008-06-26T20:18:00.001-04:00

Seattle Mariners Game 75: Braves 8 Mariners 3

2008-06-25T17:29:00.000-04:00

For the 9th straight time Carlos Silva got the loss. After starting the season 3-0 he has lost 9 straight decisions. Perhaps it is time for Carlos to figure out that giving up runs early in the game is not the way to help your team win games. 9 hits and 4 earned runs through only 4 innings of work. Not a good day on the hill.

As usual the the Mariners could not muster up any offense so I suppose it didn't really matter what the starting pitcher did or didn't do. We didn't put up our 3 runs till the 9th inning when it was much to late to try and salvage a win. The only positive in this game in my opinion was Jeff Clements 2 run HR in the 9th. Hopefully his is a sign his bat will come around and he will start hitting the way everyone knows he is capable of.

Seattle Mariners Game 74: Braves 5 Mariners 4

2008-06-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

Washburn can't cut a break. Another good game for Washburn ruined because the bullpen couldn't hold a lead. And thanks to Batista for blowing the save in the 9th and getting the loss. Typical.

The offense was inept as usual. 2 of the 4 runs they did score came on errors by the Braves defense.

Another day in the life of a Mariners fan.

Seattle Mariners Game 73: Mariners 10 Braves 2

2008-06-25T17:12:00.000-04:00

Bedard was cruising along the first 3 innings until he started having back spasms and had to leave the game. I was convinced once he came out out that we would lose. Whenever you have a pitcher throwing well and he leaves the game it seems the bullpen just gives it up. The bullpen proved me wrong and held the Braves to only 2 runs the rest of the way.

The offense showed up tonight. Well everyone except for Sexson and Clement. Sexson was 0-3 and Clement 0-5. Yikes. Jose Lopez continues his strong season going 3-5 with 2 doubles and 4 RBI's. Beltre also had a decent night going 2-4 with 3 RBI's. It is frustrating to watch this team hit well one night and know the next day they will probably go right back to their ways and swing at everything and anything and not score runs. But for this night we might as well enjoy it. Wins have been few this season, better savor them.

Will have to wait and see how much time if any Bedard will miss.

NHL Draft Wrap Up

2008-06-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

With the first overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft the Tampa Bay Lightning select from the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, Steven Stamkos.

It is no surprise that the Tampa Bay Lightning made Steven Stamkos the first overall draft pick in this years NHL Entry Draft. Any hockey fan that has not been sleeping under a rock has known this for quite some time. The kid is going to be a star. He certainly has his work cut out for him to live up to the hype the first overall pick status brings a young hockey player. In the last 11 years the first round pick has gone on to become a star or star in the making all but 1 of those years.

1997 -Joe Thornton (Boston Bruins)
1998-Vincent Lecavlier (Tampa Bay Lightning)
1999-Patrik Stefan (Atlanta Thrashers)
2000-Rick DiPietro (New York Islanders)
2001-Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers)
2002-Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets)
2003-Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2004-Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
2005-Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2006-Erik Johnson (St. Louis Blues)
2007-Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
2008-Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Patrik Stefan in 1999 was a total bust for Atlanta. He has never had more than 13 goals in a season. Not a good outcome for a forward picked first overall. Patrick Kane and Erik Johnson are still young and very early in their careers but all signs point to them having very successful and long NHL careers.

I imagine Stamkos will follow in the footsteps of those before him. He may never change the face of the game the way Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin have but he certainly will leave his mark on this game. 20 or so years from now when he has retired I would bet he will have left a legacy like those great ones before him.

I was pretty happy with the Oilers picks. Because of the Penner signing to an offer sheet last year from the Ducks the Oilers didn't have a pick of their own till the 4th round. They did however hold Anaheim's first round pick (22nd overall) from the Chris Pronger trade. With their first pick the Oilers selected forward Jordan Eberle. I really liked this pick and was hoping this was the guy the Oilers would be able to grab all along. Eberle spent the past 2 seasons with the Regina Pats of the WHL Last year he had 42 goals and 33 assists in 70 games. Will be fun to see how he transitions to pro hockey and see what kind of impact he will have on the Oilers in the coming years.After Eberle the Oilers selected Swedish defenseman Johan Motin, F Philippe Cornet from the QJMHL, F Teemu Hartikainen from Finland and D Jordan Bendfeld from the WHL. Who knows if any of these guys aside from Eberle will ever crack the Oilers roster. Just have to wait and see how the develop.

Oh I nearly forgot to make mention of some big names that switched teams on draft day. Alex Tanguay was shipped to the Montreal Canadiens for a draft pic. Mike Cammaleri was shipped to the Calgary Flames in a three way trade with the Ducks. Panthers traded Captain Olli Jokinen to the Coyotes in what I thought was a really lopsided trade.

Is it hockey season yet? The Mariners season has been a total bust and has me wishing for fall and Oilers hockey and Seahawks football.

2008 NHL DRAFT

2008-06-20T18:32:00.000-04:00

http://www.nhlentrydraft2008.com/

Time for a little break from baseball to talk hockey. The draft gets under way in less than an half hour and it could be an exciting weekend for all the hockey fans out there. I know I have been looking forward to tonight since the Stanley Cup Finals ended earlier this month.

All sort of rumors flying around about the Oilers and possible moves they may make this weekend as far as trades go and perhaps acquiring another pick or two. Should be a fun weekend. Oilers pick 22 overall in the 1st round, after that they don't pick again until the 4th round. The Avalanche don't pick until the 2nd round.

Moves around the league so far today:

Nashville trades G Chris Mason to St. Louis for a 4th round pick

St. Louis trades F Jamal Meyers to Toronto for 3rd round pick

Ray Emery waived by Ottawa Senators

Dan Cloutier waived by the Los Angeles Kings

more to come...

Grandpa John Out as Manager

2008-06-20T18:21:00.000-04:00

John McLaren was fired yesterday. Riggleman will take over as the manager for the remainder of the season. More on this later because I definitely have something to say about it. What else is new? I always have something to say ;)

Seattle Mariners Game 72: Marlins 8 Mariners 3

2008-06-20T18:14:00.000-04:00

Bad pitching in this one. Lack of ability to move runners over. Story of the season with this team. I am sick of seeing these guys have 2 on with 1 out and not being able to bring the guys home. Same thing everyday. Sometimes I wonder why I still watch.

Seattle Mariners Game 71: Mariners 5 Marlins 4

2008-06-20T18:04:00.000-04:00

Felix has proved again why he is the true ace of this team and why he is a legitimate top of the rotation starter in baseball. The kid is just good. He has won his past 4 starts and his certainly done his part to stop losing streaks. If only the other 4 in the rotation could do that. Felix did end up giving up 4 in this one but he fought it out to keep his team in the game and give them the chance for the win. Lock this kid up for a long long time. He is something special.

Good night for Jose Lopez. He was 2-5 on the night with 2 RBI doubles. Jose has easily been our most consistent hitter all season long and I really hope he gets some all star consideration as a back up. I certainly think he deserves it.

Seattle Mariners Game 70: Marlins 6 Mariners 1

2008-06-20T17:56:00.000-04:00

Gave up early runs, pitcher got tossed, offense couldn't score and of course at least 1 error. There are your highlights. Just another day in the life of a Mariners fan.

FINALLY....

2008-06-19T10:57:00.000-04:00

...the biggest tumor of them all has been removed. Now they can focus on the treatments needed to remove any additional smaller tumors and begin to restore this organization to a healthy place that the players, fans and the city of Seattle can be proud of.

Of course I am talking about the long overdue firing of GM Bill Bavasi. Bill came into Seattle and day by day drove this organization so deep into the ground it has seemed at times like they will never get out of it. He has taken an organization and single handedly demolished it. Sadly he was allowed to do so for far too long. Let's just look at some of the moves Bill Bavasi made during his time as the Seattle GM...

Free agent signings:

** = good signing
names in bold = horrible signing

**Raul Ibanez** - for the most part this worked out well
Eddie Guardado
Scott Spiezio - HORRIBLE - eventually released
Rich Aurilia - HORRIBLE - eventually released
Mike Myers (minor league contract)
**George Sherrill** (minor league contract) EXCELLENT signing
Ron Villone
Richie Sexson - good signing but too big of a contract
**Adrian Beltre** - Beltre's defense makes him worth every penny IMO.
Pokey Reese - this may have been a joke...
Aaron Sele - another joke
**Yuniesky Betancourt** - still love this signing
Jorge Campillo - never gave the guy a chance, now pitches for the Braves
Carl Everett - HORRIBLE - later DFA'd
Matt Lawton - HORRIBLE - later DFA'd
**Jose Guillen** - GREAT signing but declined option for this season, terrible call
Miguel Batista - this was a good signing last year, this year its looking sketchy
Chris Reitsma - BOMB
Jeff Weaver - EPIC FAILURE
Rick White - *shakes head in disgust*
Carlos Silva - money a little much, but I like Silva in the middle of the rotation
Brad Wilkerson - FAILURE

Look how many names are in Bold letters. It is pathetic the judgement Bavasi showed over and over. His evaluation of ability was out of this world, and not in a good way. And yet over and over he was allowed to bring these guys in. And almost everyone of them failed in a huge way and were released before their contracts had barely begun.

Now for some classic Bavasi trades:

Dec. 15, 2003 -- Acquired outfielder Quinton McCracken from the Arizona Diamondbacks for infielder Greg Colbrunn and cash. *McCracken was DFA'd just 6 months later.*

Jan. 8, 2004 -- Acquired infielders Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzalez from the Detroit Tigers for shortstop Carlos Guillen. *The Mariners gave up on a young Carlos Guillen because he liked to party. Instead of nurturing him and helping him become a better person on the field and allow him to grow into the player he is now on the field they threw him away. The basically gave him to the Tigers for free. Good move by the Tigers considering Carlos is now one of the best infielders in the American League. Boy he would look good for us a 1st base right about now wouldn't he?*

July 31, 2005 -- Acquired RHP Jesse Foppert and catcher Yorvit Torrealba from the San Francisco Giants for outfielder Randy Winn. *Torrealba traded to Colorado Rockies 6 months later for player to be named later. Foppert released following season. Randy Winn still plays for the Giants. *

March 20, 2006 -- Acquired outfielder Joe Borchard from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for LHP Matt Thornton. *Thornton is still pitching for the White Sox while Borchard was DFA'd just a month after the trade and then claimed off waivers by the Florida Marlins. He is currently in the Atlanta Braves organization.*

June 30, 2006 -- Acquired first baseman Eduardo Perez from the Cleveland Indians for infielder Asdrubal Cabrera. *Mariners decline option on Perez at end of season (who retired) while Cabrera although he has struggled offensively has a dynamic glove in the field and is young with a bright future.*

Aug. 19, 2006 -- Acquired RHP Andy Baldwin and RHP Andrew Barb from the Philadelphia Phillies for LHP Jamie Moyer. *Baldwin is in the Mariners minor league system right now not put up great numbers with Tacoma. Meanwhile Moyer is still trucking down in Philly. At 45 years old he is still an effective pitcher and you have to think he would be better at the back of our rotation than what we have. He never should have been traded, he should have retired a Mariner. *

Dec. 7, 2006 -- Acquired LHP Horacio Ramirez from the Atlanta Braves for RHP Rafael Soriano.
* This will go down as one of the worst trades during Bavasi's tenure with the Mariners. Soriano was a power throwing bullpen arm that we never should have parted with. If we needed to part with him his value was much higher than Horacio Ramirez. Ramirez was due to be released in the coming weeks by the Braves, yet Bavasi made the trade anyways. While Soriano has had health issues he is still a very talented pitcher. Ramirez on the other hand was a train wreck for the Mariners last season and was released before this season started. He is now in the Kansas City Royals organization. Soriano is now on the DL for the second time this season. But DL or not the Braves will continue to enjoy his services while laughing every time they think how they got him for Horacio Ramirez*

Dec. 18, 2006 -- Acquired infielder Jose Vidro and cash considerations from the Washington Nationals for outfielder Chris Snelling and RHP Emialiano Fruto. * This was a bad trade not for the people we gave up but for the very reason that we traded for Vidro with the intention of him being our DH. The DH position is supposed to be an advantage. It is supposed to be a power hitting position. Vidro has ZERO power and gives the M's no advantage. He is a career 300 hitter yes. And yes he had multiple all star caliber seasons as a second baseman. But he is NOT nor has he EVER been a power hitter. Bringing Vidro in as the everyday DH was a mistake. The DH is posistion is one of the biggest holes on the M's right now and we have Bavasi to thank for that.*
Feb. 8, 2008 -- Acquired LHP Erik Bedard from the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Adam Jones, LHP George Sherrill, RHP Chris Tillman, RHP Kam Mickolio and LHP Tony Butler. *It is far too early to determine whether this trade was a good or bad one. Bavasi probably did give up a little too much for Bedard but the reality is if you have a chance to grab a talented left handed pitcher you do it. This team needed pitching and he went out and got it. It is not his fault Bedard has not performed to expectations yet. Sherrill is having an amazing season in Baltimore and Adam Jones still has the potential to become a great player but I do not believe that these 2 guys would make this team any better right now. The jury is still out on this one. Although I for one am glad we have Bedard. My decision on whether this trade is a failure or not will be when we do or don't sign Bedard to a multi year extension. *

The theme that you must notice in all of these trades aside from the Vidro and Bedard ones is that all the players we received in return are either not playing baseball at all anymore, on a different team or rotting away in our minor league system. While the players we traded are actually having success elsewhere. So from that view point we traded them all for nothing. ZERO. ZILCH. Randy Winn, Jamie Moyer, Matt Thornton, Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Guillen all for nothing.

In the offseason last year Bavasi should be credited for bringing in Silva and Bedard. You can say what you want about Silva being signed for too much or the Bedard trade being bad. That aside he still went out and got the 2 best pitchers available to him. His mistake was the offense. He fixed only one problem on this team. 1st base, RF, and DH needed to be fixed this offseason. The Mariners needed at least TWO bats to improve their offense and he went out and signed Wilkerson. We all know how that ended. Jose Guillen should have been resigned, he wanted to be here and he was a HUGE asset on this team on and off the field. But Bavasi let him walk. Bavasi went into this season banking on Richie Sexson returning to form and crushing 4o HR's and leading the offense all the way to the playoffs. Well, that didn't happen and there was no backup plan. He led us all to believe we were a contender and some of us were stupid enough to believe him.

Thank the Lord he is gone. He was a disgrace to this organization. My only hope is that whoever is hired in the offseason has a real vision for this team. A vision that will bring a chamionship to Seattle after all these years. A vision that will spend 117 million dollars wisely instead of throwing it at garbage like Jeff Weaver and Scott Spiezio.

Good riddance to you Mr. Bavasi!!

Seattle Mariners Game 69: Nationals 6 Mariners 2

2008-06-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

Good outing by Washburn spoiled yet again by our piss poor offence.

Swept by the WASHINGTON NATIONALS. It just goes to show how low things have gone for the Mariners because the Nats are truly a BAD baseball team and they just took 3 in a row from us in our home stadium. This team has become the laughing stalk of baseball and all I can do is hope someone has the guts to do the right thing and make the right decisions and moves for this team.

Seattle Mariners Game 68: Nationals 5 Mariners 2

2008-06-19T10:40:00.001-04:00

Bedard is apparently a robot and programmed to throw exactly 100 pitches and that is it. That makes me angry. I am still all for the Bedard trade, good pitching is hard to find. It is a little unfair to single him out when pretty much everyone else on this team sucks too. But willingly quitting after only 6 innings of work and not even being willing to go 1 more and throw 1o or 15 more pitches is just selfish to me. Hopefully that attitude will change in the coming weeks. He did only give up 2 earned runs and struck out 8 so I guess he deserves some praise.

Vidro and Beltre each had a solo HR in this one. Once again it was the only meager offense the Mariners could muster. Pathetic. I am so sick of watching us make rookies look like Cy Young. Is the concept of HITTING the ball really that tough? I mean these guys are getting paid more money than most of us will see in a lifetime to HIT A BALL and they aren't doing it.

Seattle Mariners Game 67: Nationals 7 Mariners 6

2008-06-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

Dickey, say it ain't so!! 1.2 innings, 8 hits, 7earned runs. YIKES! That knuckle ball was doing everything but knuckling tonight. Oy!

As usual the M's got people on base (15 hits) but constantly left runners stranded in scoring position and only managed 6 runs which just wasn't enough to overcome the early 7 run hole Dickey put them in.

No positives in this one, I don't care how many runs we scored. The Nationals are the worst team in the National League and have been one of the bottom feeders in baseball for years. There are no positives when you lose to a team like that.

Putz on DL

2008-06-19T10:18:00.000-04:00

Diagnosed with a "hyper-extended elbow that caused triceps tendon inflammation and an irritated ulnar nerve." Good news I suppose considering the alternative. I really hope JJ is ready to come back this time. I never fully believed he was when he was on the DL the first time around and really felt like they rushed him back because they were trying to spark something with this team. Hopefully now that the season is all but over for the Mariners on any competitive level they will let JJ take all the time he needs.

McLaren has said it will be "closer by committee." I think this is a BAD move. He needs to have people set in their defined roles. Guys need to know what they are coming to the ballpark preparing for every day. He did this the first time around and it blew up in his face and I am certain it will this time as well. The smart move would be to let Morrow close out the games for now.

JJ Putz

2008-06-12T14:50:00.000-04:00

No word yet on what was causing JJ's sore elbow. I honestly would not be surprised if something shows up after he is looked at by team doctors back in Seattle tomorrow. JJ has not looked right for a long time. He has lost velocity on his fast ball, he has completely lost the strike zone. Something is wrong with him and I hope they can pin point just exactly what it is. The Mariners need a healthy JJ and they need the dominant closer that he was last year.

Seattle Mariners Game 66: Mariners 2 Toronto 1

2008-06-12T14:36:00.000-04:00

Felix was outstanding last night. Had it not been for his calf acting up again he probably would have went the distance in this one. His final line on the night was 8 innings, 4 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. Felix has now won his last 3 starts giving up ZERO earned runs. His ERA now sits a 2.81.

Once again the Mariners couldn't muster much offense but they got it done when it mattered. Betancourt had a RBI in the 7th and Ibanez with one in the top of the 9th.

JJ came in in the 9th to try and close this one out. After walking the first batter (go figure). JJ then got ahead in the count 1-2 to Vernon Wells before he started shaking his arm in what was clearly some discomfort. McLaren immediately went out to the mound and removed JJ from the game. Brandon Morrow came in and sent Wells, Stairs and Overbay down in order to earn his first career save. I have a feeling whether JJ is injured or not that we will be seeing Morrow getting some chances to close games in the near future.

Today is an off day and the Mariners are back home to open up a 3 game set against the Nationals Friday night. They could really use this weekend as an opportunity to get some confidence. The Nationals are not a very good team.

Seattle Mariners Game 65: Toronto 3 Seattle 1

2008-06-12T14:25:00.000-04:00

Carlos Silva was strong again in Toronto on Tuesday. He pitched 7 innings giving up only 3 earned runs. It didn't matter though, he could have had a complete game and we still would have lost. Once again the Mariners FAILED at scoring runs. No wonder this season has gone so terribly wrong. These guys managed only 5 hits in 9 full innings. The only run on the board for the M's was a solo HR in the 5th inning by Jeremy Reed.

I suppose the good news is that Felix pitched tomorrow and if we can managed to score 2 or 3 runs he will probably give us a legitimate chance to win this series.

Seattle Mariners Game 64: Mariners 3 Blue Jays 2

2008-06-12T13:51:00.000-04:00

Washburn looked good in this one. That is not always something we can say about him after games, but he pitched well. 6 innings, 5 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts. For our 4 starter this is not a bad outing. He pitched well enough the entire time he was out there to give his team a chance to win. He left with a 2-1 lead but the bullpen gave up a run in the 7th to tie the game. Washburn ended up with the no decision.

Jose Vidro crushed a 2 run HR in the first inning to give them Mariners a quick 2-0 lead. That was all the offense they could muster though until the top of the 10th inning when Miguel Cairo bunted home the runner from 3rd with the bases loaded. Cairo had come into the game to pinch run for Sexson in the 9th inning and stayed in the game afterwards. The Mariners headed to the bottom of the 10th with a 1 run lead and closer JJ Putz heading into the game.

JJ got it done, but barely. First Vernon Wells lined a ball to right field which should have been an automatic out except for the fact that right fielder Wladimir Balentien dropped the ball. JJ then gave up a single to Rod Barajas and then walked Brad Wilkerson to load the bases with nobody out. YIKES! Perhaps JJ had a horseshoe up his butt because Lyle Overbay came to the plate next and grounded out to 1st basemen Miguel Cairo who promptly threw to home plate to get the lead runner and Johjima threw the ball back to Cairo to get Overbay at 1st. Excellent double play started by Cairo. JJ went on to walk the next batter to once again load the bases. YIKES! Once again the Blue Jays had the tying run 90 feet away. The way JJ was throwing the ball I really had no confidence he would get it done. But thank goodness he was able to get David Eckstein to fly out to end the game. JJ ended up with the win and Mariners started off on the right foot in Toronto.

Carlos Silva will take the mound in game 2 of this series. Carlos has struggled as of late but did pitch well in his last outing vs the Angels. Hopefully we can see more consistency from him.

Mariners Fire Pentland

2008-06-12T11:48:00.000-04:00

I am not really sure why it took until June 9th for the first casualty of this coaching staff to fall. I kinda feel bad for Pentland. I mean what could he do really? Was he supposed to accompany each hitter to the plate in each at bat and hold their hands? I am not sure that with this many free swingers on one team that there is anyone out there that could change their approach. But when your players aren't hitting the batting coach should be the first to go. I wish Bavasi would fire himself. Or at the very least put his head back in the vice that started to squish it and allow it to finish the job. Lee Elia will take over for the time being.

Seriously does he not look like he got his head stuck in a vice? Speaking of Bavasi getting fired, he really should have been fired on this dreadful day in the off season last year.Ah, Jeff Weaver. Worst start by any pitcher in MLB history. And our man Bavasi signed him. Gotta LOVE it!!

Seattle Mariners Game 63: Boston 2 Seattle 1

2008-06-12T11:22:00.000-04:00

First off let me say how freaking hot it was at this one. It was just gross. Temp was 98 but with the humidity felt much hotter. Thankfully our seats were covered so we didn't have the sun beating right down on us but it was still hot either way.

Bedard was good in this one aside from the 3rd inning in which he threw over 20 pitches. Not exactly a good strategy in the nearly 100 degree heat. Some could say Bedard got a raw deal from the ump with the count at 2-2 on Dustin Pedroia and 2 outs in the inning. Bedard threw what should have been a called strike 3 and the inning over, but instead it was called a ball. Of course the next pitch Bedard through was an actual ball and Pedroia walked prolonging the inning. Next up was Drew who was hit by a pitch and the tying run walked home from 3rd base. Bedard was at fault for hitting Drew but it never should have been allowed to happen had Pedroia been called out on strikes in the first place.

Bedard ended up going 5 innings giving up only the 1 run, 2 hits and struck out 5. You can say what you want that he should have went deeper in the game etc. But the reality is was so hot in that day that there were fans who had passed out from heat related reasons. I cannot imagine what it was like to have been on the field in full uniform. Also, for a guy who doesn't have a good track record at Fenway Park he did a good job keep the Red Sox quiet. Is it Bedards fault that our offense cannot score runs against a pitcher who was making only his 3rd career start and who was called up from double A ball? Not even Triple A, DOUBLE A and yet we made him look like a seasoned veteran.

Richie Sexson got totally robbed by JD Drew on what was a certain 2 run double if not a 3 run HR in the second inning. Sexson hammered a ball to right field and Drew made a spectacular running, lunging, jumping catch. ROBBERY!!

The boys are off to Toronto now for a 3 game set in good ole' Canada. Toronto has been struggling as of late so it would be nice for us to get a series win and gain some confidence.

Seattle Mariners Game 62: Boston 11 Seattle 3

2008-06-12T10:47:00.000-04:00

Not really shocked we lost this one at all. First of all Batista was pitching against the Red Sox AT Fenway Park. There was really no hope for him in this one. Second, Wakefield was pitching for them. If you consider the fact we have a team full of guys who like to swing at the first pitch EVERY time it is a recipe for disaster against a knuckle ball pitcher like Wakefield. The key in my opinion is to be PATIENT with him, make him throw a lot of pitches. Not sure why NONE of the Mariners can figure this concept out. It's the knuckle ball folks, it is unpredictable and he is bound to throw lots and lots of balls out of the zone if you just let him. But instead we just flail away like little girls at their first ever t-ball game hoping to make contact with that little baseball for the very first time.

Who even cares how we got our runs. It was another day of flailing at balls out of the zone and not getting runners home from scoring position.

Next up is Bedard vs Masterson in a day game at Fenway. Chris and I will be at the game and the temperatures are going to soar, so it should be HOT HOT HOT!!

Seattle Mariners Game 61: Mariners 8 Red Sox 0

2008-06-06T22:35:00.000-04:00

WOW! Is all I have to say. There have not been a lot of bright spots in this season for the Mariners but tonight was definitely one. Anytime you can take a game from the Red Sox is huge. They took 2 of 3 last week against the Sox at home and now have taken the 1st of this 3 game series here this weekend in Boston.

Fenway park is a tough place to play. The Sox had an 11 game home winning streak going into tonight's game. The Sox are a well coached team, they hit when it matters, their defence makes plays when it matters and their pitching shows up every night ready to play. They have great leadership and a clubhouse that is perhaps like none other in baseball. Bottom line, the Sox are a good team from top to bottom. There is no easy game against the Red Sox.

To be honest I expected us to lose tonight. Felix is a great pitcher, but I just didn't believe we could get the runs we needed to help his cause. Boy was I wrong. Felix pitched 6 strong shut out innings and the bullpen shut it down the rest of the way. We took advantage of errors by the Sox and we brought runners home from first and second. Funny how easy it is to win when all facets of the game are in working order. The Mariners biggest problem has been the inability to play as a team with any consistency. Tonight they played like a team and I sure hope we see more of it tomorrow.

Miguel Batista will take the mound tomorrow afternoon against knuckle ball pitcher Tim Wakefield. Last week in Seattle Batista pitched 7 strong innings against the Sox giving up only 2 earned runs in what was a 4-3 win for the M's. Wakefield also pitched in that series and he ended up being the loser in a pitchers dual between him and Erik Bedard. Wakefield went 8 innings giving up only 1 earned run in what was a 1-0 win for the Mariners. Should be an interesting weekend at the ball park.

We are currently the worst team in baseball and yet we are 3-1 against the World Champion Red Sox. Go figure!

Mariners Manager Blows Up After Another Loss

2008-06-06T22:34:00.001-04:00

Johnny Mac finally tells it like it is. Good for him!

Seattle Mariners Game 60: Angels 5 Mariners 4

2008-06-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

Yet again pitching gives up runs early and the offense never recovers. Silva gave up 3 in the 1st inning. He did go on to pitch strong the rest of the game but it doesn't make it okay. Our pitchers have got to stop putting us in the hole early.

Lopez hit another HR in this one. Good for him. He has been our most consistent player this entire season, nice to see him rebounding from a tough year last year in which he lost his brother in a motorcycle accident.

Will Tonight Be the Night?

2008-06-04T18:47:00.000-04:00

Will it be the night that the most cherished trophy in all of sports is presented to Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom? Will tonight be the night he becomes the first European captain to be presented with the cup? Will tonight be the night the Detroit Red Wings claim their 11th Stanley Cup? Will tonight be the night that the Red Wings players will one by one hoist the hallowed trophy above their heads? Will tonight be the night the dreams of the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans will be finally put to rest?

Or will the Penguins find a way to force a game 7. Can they rise to the occasion and give themselves a shot to hoist Lord Stanley's cup themselves? Will they or won't they? Find out tonight at 8pm Eastern. If game 6 is anything like the wild ride game 5 was then we could be in for a fun night.

Let's Go Pens!!

Seattle Mariners Game 59: Angels 5 Mariners 4

2008-06-04T18:41:00.000-04:00

Bedard sucked, the defense sucked and the offense sucked.Only bright spot was Dickey coming in in relief of Bedard and going 5+innings only giving up 3 hits and no runs.

Lopez hit another HR.

Seattle Mariners Game 58: Angels 4 Mariners 2

2008-06-04T18:37:00.000-04:00

Blah blah blah. Another day, another loss.

Lopez did hit a HR so good for him.

Seattle Mariners Game 57: Tigers 7 Mariners 5

2008-06-04T18:28:00.000-04:00

What is there to say? Tie game going into the 9th inning. Mariners bring in Mr "I use to be reliable" JJ Putz and what does he do? He goes ahead and gives up 4 hits and 4 earned runs to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead. How fitting really for a season that has long been in the crapper. The one guy we could always rely on has turned into one of our biggest weaknesses and it sucks.

Beltre had his 13th HR of the season in this one and Ibanez had his 8th HR of the season in the bottom of the 9th to make it a 7-5 game. That of course was the final score. If only JJ didn't suck so bad in this one.

ARGH!!

Seattle Mariners Game 56: Mariners 5 Tigers 0

2008-06-04T18:24:00.000-04:00

The Mariners pitchers sure like to go with an all or nothing attitude don't they? Either they give up a crap load or they give up nothing. Felix through 7 innings of 2 hit ball tonight. Morrow and Putz took care of the rest.

Nice to see Jeremy Reed get his first HR of the season. Kenji Johjima had himself a good game going 2-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. He also stole home plate. Good times.

Seattle Mariners Game 55: Tigers 7 Mariners 4

2008-06-04T18:20:00.000-04:00

Silva blew any chance the Mariners in this one long before our offense even picked up a bat. Silva left this one in the first inning with only 2 outs after giving up 7 hits and 7 earned runs. Dickey came in and did a good job keeping the score at 7 the rest of the way, but the damage was already done. We never had a chance.Beltre had himself a good day though as he had 2 solo HR's. Might as well celebrate the individual milestones on this team because we sure aren't celebrating wins this year.

Seattle Mariners Game 54: Mariners 1 Red Sox 0

2008-06-04T18:16:00.000-04:00

Yes you read that right. The Mariners won a series and against the Boston Red Sox no less.

Bedard was untouchable tonight. 7 innings, 2 hits. Morrow and Putz took care of the rest. The Mariners lone run tonight was on a solo shot by Yuniesky Betancourt.

There have not been a lot of bright spots in this season for the Mariners or their fans. But for me beating the Red Sox is always something to brag about.

Seattle Mariners Game 53: Mariners 4 Red Sox 3

2008-06-04T18:09:00.000-04:00

Weird things happened in this one. Batista of all people shut the Red Sox down for 5 innings before giving up 3 runs in the 6th inning. His final line on the night was 7 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks and 2 k's. Not a bad night from your number 5 starter against a line up like the Red Sox.

What made this game even weirder was that going into the bottom of the 9th it was tied 3-3. Jose Lopez has a clutch 2 out single and brought home the winning run. First time all year the M's have had a walk off win. Might as well enjoy it, it could be the only one we see all year.

Seattle Mariners Game 52: Boston 5 Mariners 3

2008-06-04T18:02:00.000-04:00

For 7 innings Felix was unhittable. They left him in just 1 inning too long. He gave up 4 earned runs in the the 8th inning to give the Red Sox a 5-1 lead. The M's got 2 back in the 9th inning but as usual it was too little too late.

Seattle Mariners Game 51: Yankees 6 Mariners 5

2008-05-26T16:51:00.000-04:00

We actually played good in this game. Washburn pitched well. But then everything went wrong in the 8th inning. There is nothing I can say that will better describe the current state of the Mariners than the picture below.
Tonight the Boston Red Sox roll into town for a 3 game series. A series win could go a long way in building some much needed confidence in themselves. Sadly, I just don't see it happening. Either way I will be watching and hoping the guys can pull it out. Felix takes the mound tonight vs Bartolo "I need another donut" Colon.

GO MARINERS!!

Seattle Mariners Game 50: Yankees 12 Mariners 6

2008-05-25T10:29:00.000-04:00

Too many errors, too many guys flailing at any pitch they see. It is like they just close their eyes and hope for the best. The pitching has been grotesque as of late. They are all better than this but they don't care. Why should they really, they are the ones with the big fat pay cheque whether they win or not. I suppose we should be happy about the 3 HR's we hit in yesterdays game. YAY!
A lot to talk about after the words of Bavasi, Armstrong and even Carlos Silva yesterday. But right now I don't care to take the time. I will get to that later.

For now let us all just prepare for yet another loss. If we win today I will be shocked. Washburn has done nothing lately to show us he deserves to be out there. I hope he proves us wrong cause losing sure sucks. Oh yeah, Wang pitches for the Yanks. Good luck with that boys!!

I think we can all agree that McLaren is not the issue here. But I still thought the below photo was perfect regardless.

Seattle Mariners Game 49: Yankees 13 Mariners 2

2008-05-24T11:21:00.000-04:00

Who can even bare to watch anymore? This entire thing season has been a complete embarrassment. The sad part is that it isn't even about talent anymore. The reality is the Mariners have some good players. In fact they have some very good players. The problem is that none of them care anymore. They have all given up. They have chosen to be losers. They believe it and they play like it. Not one guy on the team (and yes that includes Ichiro) is pulling their weight the way they should. I am sick of pitchers having bad games (Washburn) and after the fact blaming it on his catcher Kenji Johjima. Funny how his next start Burke was catching him and he sucked even worse. And that catcher is the problem is he? Right. The problem is Washburn flat out stinks.

Not one of these guys is standing up and getting mad. Not one is calling themselves or any of their teammates out. No one is holding anyone else accountable. All it is after every game is the same BS being spewed from their mouths.

"We believe in ourselves"
"We are a good team, we just need to win"
"I pitched well, they were just hitting it"

Everyone is calling for McLaren to get fired. He probably will be if things continue through the weekend the way they have the last 4 games. But is McLaren really to blame? It is Bill Bavasi that has built this team. The Mariners have NO bench. They have no options to go to late in games when they need a pinch hitter etc. In my honest opinion this is on Bavasi NOT John McLaren. What would you have McLaren do? He can't go out and play the games. The only thing firing McLaren does is send a message to the players. But does any believe that message will get through? As long as the 3 ring circus of Bavasi, Lincoln and Armstrong are running this team it doesn't matter who is coaching. The players don't believe in this management. They don't believe what they are teaching. The only hope for this team is a GM who KNOWS baseball. Bavasi has spent five years running this organization into the ground and God only knows how long it will take for the next GM to pull it out.

Proof Bavasi has no idea what he is doing...

Florida Marlins--27-20. Lead their division which includes teams such as the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. Florida's payroll-$21,836,500

Tampa Rays--28-20. They sit second in their division only 1.5 games back of the Boston Red Sox. Tampa's payroll-$43,820,598

Seattle Mariners--18-31. Last in their division and 10.5 games back of division leading LAA. Seattle's payroll-$117,993,982

The Mariners have 96 million more invested in their team than Florida and 74 million more than Tampa. And look at us. We are the worst team IN ALL OF BASEBALL. The only team as bad as us is the San Diego Padres. Smart baseball men can build teams from nothing. Bill Bavasi has been giving 100's of millions to build a winner and he has built a loser and spent a lot of money doing so. How he keeps his job is beyond me.

Who honestly believes Bedard or Felix will sign long term with this team? Who believes any legitimate free agent will want to sign in Seattle this coming off season with Bavasi at the helm? How long before Ichiro demands a trade? How long before the seats at Safeco are completely empty? Will this organization wait until there are no fans and no money before they realize they need a change? Will the attendance ever recover? The Mariners are in sad state and it starts from the top. Changes are needed. Until then we will continue to watch this team lose.

Oh yeah after saying all that there is a game today. Wooppee! Silva takes the mound vs Mussina. Chances are once this one is over it will be another loss and the same excuses.

Ichiro said it best after last nights debacle...

"Playing on this team and seeing what is happening around me, I feel that something is beginning to fall apart. But, if I was not in this situation, and I was objectively watching what just happened this week, I would probably be drinking a lot of beers and booing.''

Seattle Mariners Game 48: Tigers 9 Mariners 2

2008-05-23T18:20:00.000-04:00

Swept away by the Tigers. The Tigers were the worst team in the American League. That was until the Mariners rolled into town. They swept the M's away like they were a team of little leaguers trying to play with the big boys. The Mariners sit alone at the bottom of the American League. It is going to get much worse before it gets any better.

3 games this weekend at Yankee Stadium. Good luck with that. Sure we have Bedard going tonight. But tomorrow is Silva who has never pitched well at Yankee Stadium. Felix still has a sore calf and will be missing his start pushing Silva up a day. Of course this means we get to watch Jarrod Washburn show us all on Sunday why he doesn't belong in this rotation. How fun for all of us. It could be a LOOOOOOOOOOONG weekend!!