Game 67, Pirates at Mariners
Gorzelanny vs Batista, 7:05 pm.
The Pirates aren’t very good. Tom Gorzelanny is succeeding through the Jarrod Washburn smoke-and-mirrors philosophy of stranding runners and not having flyballs go over the wall. He’s also a lefty, and you know that the M’s hit lefties well. Put it all together, and let’s just say there’s a good chance that we’ll have some regression to the mean going on tonight.
Also, Adrian Beltre is back. Huzzah!
However, I do have to make one request. Mr. Hargrove, I know you don’t believe in platoon splits or think it’s worth your while to set different line-ups against RH and LH pitching, despite the fact that there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that shows that you’re leaving runs on the table. But, do you think you could consider not hitting Raul Ibanez clean-up against lefties?
He’s hitting .250/.257/.306 against southpaws this year with a whopping 4 extra base hits in 72 at-bats. His .573 OPS vs LHP is 36% below the league average. He hit .243/.301/.362 against LHPs last year, and he’s a career .261/.313/.395 hitter against pitchers that throw from the left side.
Raul Ibanez cannot hit left-handed pitching. This isn’t a new development. Maybe, just maybe, he shouldn’t be hitting clean-up when the other team throws a southpaw? I won’t even mention the fact that the Mariners best left-field option is stretching down in Sacramento. Just, you know, take a look at reality and realize that Raul Ibanez has no business hitting 4th in a major league line-up when a left-handed pitcher is on the hill.
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Beltre wooooo!
FINALLY! I have been waiting all day to tell y’all my anecdote from last night, on this evening of (hopeful) victory.
So I’m in a Monday night bowling league here in Ballard. No game on TV last night, so I’m all prepared to fully dedicate myself to the other noble sport.
So who comes in to the Sunset Bowl last night?
Yuniesky Betancourt.
NO. FREAKIN’. LIE.
(The uninteresting details are that no, I didn’t greet him, and he was with some bleached-blonde chick, holding hands. It was kinda cute. Oh, and he was wearing an Armani Exchange tshirt.)
2. How’d he do?
He didn’t bowl. He was just there, very briefly, and then left. Don’t know why.
Still. What are the chances?!
Granted that the “momentum is tomorrow is starting pitcher” phase is commonly used, Rizz just broke it out in the pregame the day after Dave used it in a reply to a post. I wonder if they read ussmariner.
It seems as if Grover is reverting back to his auto-pilot days of last year and early May ‘07.
I don’t mean to be “that guy”……………………………………………… but I was reading an ESPN article talking about several teams are watching Brad Lidge and how short top-shelf relief pitching is. The Tigers with Zumaya and Rodney out were listed as competive teams with the need for relief pitching.
Would you trade Putz (the best reliever in the game today) for Miller? Or Maybin? Would it take both?
The best time to sell is when your price is high and you have a buyer.
Without sounding too ridiculous, it’s probably just best to assume that most people connected to the Mariners in some fashion read the blog. You’ll be right more than you’re wrong.
Does King Felix?
He named his dog King. I’m not kidding.
a moment of silence for Ian Snell’s sad chicken grilling injury, depriving him of the chance to start against the Mariner offense.
No, I’d rather trade Putz for Phillip Hughes and A-Rod, provided the Yankees subsidize a lot of his contract, and he agrees not to opt out.
13#
Would you play A-Rod at short or 3rd?
Hahaha, that’s awesome.
Honestly, even though this site is often critical of the way the Mariners are run, they have to love all the free advertising. What’s the old adage, no such thing as bad publicity?
I know I have gone to measurably more games since I started reading this site on a regular basis.
Are managers like Grover so damn arrogant that no amount of overwhelming evidence will show them the error of their ways?
It seems terribly difficult to believe someone could be as set in stone as he is – refusing to alter lineups, refusing to take into account the overwhelming amount of data to make better decisions. How does this guy still have a job?
I think we’ll get a decent night out of Batista. I just don’t think there are enough guys in Pirate uni’s to rough him up. 7 ip 3 runs
Batista — K machine.
14: There’s a shortage of evidence that A-Rod can still play a major-league caliber shortstop. Most players peak defensively in their mid-20s, before they peak offensively. It’s possible that he can shift back to short, but it’s also very possible that he can’t.
“Richie’s first error of the season.” Wow, he must not get to many balls at all. Is he really that bad defensively?
16, who do you think is showing him the evidence? I’m sure he’s not reading up on it himself. He has to know about it to be influenced by it.
I take back everything I said about Richie being mediocre on defense. That was ugly.
Quit being a pussy and get in front of the ball. If you can’t hit you had better be able to field. Dammit it Richie.
say, with Snell out, on thursday we’ll get power-hitting John Van Benschoten and his mysterious new slider.
Dave, did you see him when Indy would play Charlotte?
Thanks Richie. You alone cost the M’s a run.
No, but I saw VBS pitch when he was with Hickory and Lynchburg a few years ago before he got hurt. I wasn’t a big fan.
his numbers before call up were pretty good; just wondered what the two years off had done to him — on top of the general bewilderment when the Bucs first drafted him and then announced he was a pitcher.
dave,
any comment on #8? Or is that bad material that is not going to be touched with a ten foot poll? I know you have feelings for Miller. Its the only reason I ask
Doumit looks like he could take his pick of Mariners and break them in half over his knee.
This game has soured me already.
Of course, no need to worry. Batista will take care of that.
If ever we wanted a lesson in the weaknes of ERA as a measuring tool, Batista’s first inning earned run performance ought to provide it.
#32
no kidding. Batista piched great! (sarc)
The M’s aren’t trading Putz, and the Tigers wouldn’t give up Miller or Maybin for him.
howsabout y’all take some pitches and let Batista sit a moment?
Sexson’t trade value must really be great right now (eyes rolling)
35
Your kidding, right? Although the M’s usually won’t swing when the ball is behind them.
So Batista gets out with only giving up two runs.
#16
I would guess it is the reverse of arrogance. It is the basic problem of telling a highly paid veteran, who makes more than you, what to do. In any management situation, knowing what the right thing to do is, isn’t the whole story. The real problem is getting people to do anything at all, especially prima donnas who you want around when they are not being a royal pain. And when you’ve got a bunch of men on testosterone overload, making a lot of money, of no more than average intelligence and with limited education, who are simultaneously immesely arrogant (because they have been told since they were small children how wonderful they are because of their athletic gifts) and very insecure (because every mistake they make is viewed by thousands), than management becomes really hard. Especially since the chief value with athletes now is not winning, it is “respect”; even at the college level, coaches have to be enormously careful to avoid having a player think you are disrespecting them. So, yeah, it makes sense to not play Ibanez against left handers–it does not follow it is easy to order that.
No one can read a media guide like Rick Rizzs can.
that was kind of predictable
Lauren, you’re some kind of stud magnet. Or something.
When did the Pirates get rid of their pillbox style caps? They were unique enough that they made me a fan back in the Stargell/”Family” era. I wonder what happened to that cap I had as a kid. You have all these teams copying the Yankee pin stripes in one way or another, or doing the tired sleeveless look, and yet there’s one unique uniform item that was really distinctive and classy and they don’t use it.
(I didn’t know about the Pilots “scrambled eggs” cap back then — I still think it would be amusing for the Mariners to do naval style braid, so that the coach looks like an Admiral in “Pirates of Penzance”… I might actually look forward to seeing Hargrove if he was dressed like that).
Ha. That WOULD be awesome. Or Bavasi: the very model of a modern major general manager.
Griffey just hit 582.
Ah, baseball. Ibanez, who can’t hit lefties, has the only Mariner extra base hit of the evening thus far. I love that, how it’s never all that predictable.
welcome back AB.
about ‘87, I’m guessing.
so one more & Jr ties McGwire, right?
43- Did you know Griffey is coming to town this weekend?! Hope you have your tickets already!
Ichiro!
It’s oddly comforting knowing that Vidro can’t GIDP this at-bat.
dang, really?
I’m waiting for the first ‘prodigal son’ headline.
It hurts my eyes every time I see Vidro do anything.
Maybe I’m just old and my memory is fading, but I don’t remember ever seeing Vidro actually do anything useful with his bat.
Damn I’m happy we’re back home and have Vidro back in the #2 hole!
As a displaced M’s fan, if I could make it to one game at Safeco this year it would be Friday. I hope that ovation lasts 10 minutes.
hey, Dave Mahler just noticed today that perhaps Vidro isn’t the Mariners answer at DH …
Nice Guillen! But was he always so slow???
Blowers interrupting himself:
‘wow, Raul trying to bunt, haven’t seen that much this year’
Ahhhhh Richie
Gotta admire his amazing consistency this year
Guillen should have been on third. He trotted until he saw the ball hit off the wall. Had he hustled, he had a good chance of scoring on the ball Nady caught.
#59: My thought exactly. He was admiring his “home run” instead of running full out. Guillen not Ichiro. And there’s that disgusting wad of chewing tobacco . . .
Batista is pitching like I would if I used my left arm (my left arm just tore its rotator cuff, too)
Sorry, this doesn’t exactly scan according to the meter of the song, but then I was only willing to put a few minutes into it:
I am the very model of a modern General Manager,
I’ve information vegetable, animal, and statistical,
I know the kings of baseball, and all the players historical,
From Ruth to Felix, in order categorical;
I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both monetary and SABR-natical,
But what troubles my shiny dome, in matters contractual,
Is in getting players, who are actually impactual,
Players who can pitch and field, and hit it on the screws,
I’ve paid out millions, and yet the Mariners still lose
62
BRAVO!!! lol’
More entertaining than this game. Maybe that’s why I’m flipping channels between it and a MASH rerun.
Doumit reminds me, did BJ Garbe retire?
“not far from here”? it take three hours to get to Moses Lake …
I’m not sure I ever remember seeing a team where the two worst hitters were the firstbaseman and the DH.
Although he doesn’t hit lefties, at least Ibanez has had some good swings tonight. Even so, he should be hitting 7th, right ahead of Sexson and Vidro.
DAMMIT! Why is the 3 foot outside fastball the death of this team?!?
64: yes
65: It takes me 2 hours to get to the nearest McDonald’s. Three hours is not far at all
Hacktasticitus on display tonight in spades.
No more bowling for Yuni! (”mumbling…stupid bleached-blond chick…mumbling”)
So is this post implying that Raul DOES belong in a major-league lineup at cleanup at all, even if only against RHPs? Because I was under the assumption that he wasn’t very good.
Who put the novocaine in the Mariner bats?
I’m not sure I ever remember seeing a team where the two worst hitters were the firstbaseman and the DH.
Well, depending on how you define “worst” Vidro isn’t the worst hitter on the team. His batting average is behind only Ichiro, Johjima, and Betancourt. But he has no power, which is ridiculous: usually you have to trade off defensive agility in the field for power at the plate, but that’s just not a consideration for a full-time DH. Seriously, Bavasi: how do you look at this trend and say to yourself “There’s my slugger in ‘07!”?
Hargrove: “Boy, this lineup sure needs a spark huh?”
Bavasi: “Yeah. You want me to trade for a veteran bat?”
Intern: “JUST CALL UP ADAM JON—” (dragged off by security)
72 – Hargrove did.
Vidro……………
Can we get another one of Hargrove’s kids to graduate, or get married, or just abduct him on a family trip to Borneo or something? The last winning streak was sparked by MacLaren, as I recall. (On that note, am I alone in feeling dismay at the O’s talking to Giardi? The best manager available in the offseason may be Torre. On the other hand, there’s still the GM position to talk about, and Giardi may still be available: if he couldn’t get along with the ownership in Florida he must know better than to take on Angelos).
Finally a Vidro AB with a positive result!
Ichiro: Oh, crap, that’s right: Vidro’s batting behind me. Gotta go!
Man, he looked out. Thanks, Blue.
Our team … not good. This is depressing and makes me wonder what I ought to be doing else. Because I can’t justify sitting here watching this inanity.
go FSNW!
Maybe we can get a Hargrove impostor. It can be like “Dave.”
Just logged in and noticed it’s the top of the 6th and the M’s have yet to manage a walk. So what else is new?
Also, since I just came in…
How can we be losing to the Pirates?
I wonder how much longer Hargrove will leave Batista in? I know the pen is spent but Batista looks like he’s on the verge of imploding.
Sean Green warming up! Woohoo!
Well, depending on how you define “worst” Vidro isn’t the worst hitter on the team. His batting average is behind only Ichiro, Johjima, and Betancourt
You know that BA is not a good way to judge value of a hitter.
Vidro is our very own Slowski.
Batista always seems to hit a wall around 90-100 pitches, crossing the line between pretty bad but just barely good enough to keep us in the game into the realm where another Jeff Weaver start doesn’t look so bad anymore.
Of course I do. But he’s “worst” in a different way than Sexson is, is all I’m saying.
Nice pick, Grover.
I think he knows. Vidro’s OBP is still 2nd on the team, so it’s all relative. We all know he’s not a good DH.
As a Pittsburgh native, and a Seattle resident, I am stunned at the results of this game so far. But fear not, Mariners fans – the Pirates bullpen is like nothing you’ve ever seen. And not in a good way.
Normally this is where we’d see Mateo come in to allow the inherited runners to score.
First the Superbowl, now this??? Damn you Roy Hobbs!
I always reminisce about the Mariners ballclubs of my childhood. This team is just as bad as those.
@96 – No bad calls yet, so I don’t want to hear it. But I will be bringing a Terrible Towel to the Safe the next two nights.
My God – Richie got a hit!
joser: but how could you pass up…
“I can hardly build a roster even tho’ it’s not in cuneiform
Or bring up Adam Jones into a Mariners white uniform…”
#99
Too good
I am greatly looking forward to seeing my Beloved Red Sox (TM) come to town and kick some Mariner ass.
Actually, the way the last few seasons have gone, don’t be so sure it’s nothing we’ve ever seen.
And yeah, I’m having serious 80s flashbacks. And the 80s Mariners pretty much put me off baseball for the entire 90s. The way this team is going, I may not check in again until 2021. At which point the Portland Marlins will probably have already won a couple of World Series. And the Nevada Non-Gamblers probably will have also.
wacky. Richie scampering.
in the last 9 games, there have been 7 unearned runs in the 1st awarded to Mariner starting pitchers.
sigh.
I may go back to Murder must advertise.
At least Sexson’s hit means that I don’t need to bring pennies or nickels to the local watering hole’s Cheap Sexson Mondays.
105… soon it will be free
Did Sims just say “just two earned runs”?
I’m afraid to ask what our ghastly numbers w/ RISP are today
Let me guess Joe, you are “really from Boston”? Just like about 10 billion other people since 2004?
Lauren, that’s awesome. I stopped after the first stanza, though. There were some other rhymes lurking in there, like
“For my trading acumen, though I’m plucky and adventury,
Has only brought us Aurilia, Reed, and Spieziosity”
But I was hoping others would pick up the ball (so to speak). Plus listening to this ball game was making me tired.
If they keep playing this way, the Ms may need to go back to the old days when they did not check backpacks. We’d bring a jug of gin and tonics and sit in the upper deck of the Dome. Didn’t bother anyone, since there wouldn’t be anyone within fifty yards of you.
Well the bright spot here is . . .
Damnit.
109 – I think it is acceptable to have a soft spot in one’s heart for the Red Sox whether you are from there or not. It is after all their job to keep down the hated Yankees
109… I was born in Providence. I was there (well, watching on TV) back in 1986.
111: Amen brother! A good buzz made Alex Diaz look like a hall of famer back in the Dome!
Ugh.
On the mound:
“Green, you need to throw those balls low and in the strike zone.”
“OK, boss.”
114: Ok Joe, you deserved it then! I’m just jaded b/c here in LA half the damn town claims Pats/Sox. I mean, what are the freakin odds???
How in God’s name are we getting beat by such a bad team?! I can’t believe I pay MLB.com to watch this crap every night. I’m out!
Yep, and Gary Matthews senior looked like a hoss
I guess Hargrove wanted to take a different approach with the M’s this season, instead of waiting till the end of the season to go into a 11-game losing streak, he’s decided to do it now before the all-star break.
118 – forgiven. Heck, I was rooting for the Pats back when Chicago cleaned their clocks!
I did miss the glory days of the Bruins, but I can deal.
All natural though baby!
Didn’t Heaverlo play with Doumit, Cooper and Garby?
That was cool.
Where is this Cheap sexson mondays held at?
I’m hoping to go back East this summer for the family reunion. Eat some clam cakes, lobster rolls, stuffed quahogs, and of course fried clams with bellies.
122: That’s also why, living here, I hate the Halos so much. They will all become Sox fans during the ALCS!!! (after the Angels are eliminated of course).
Just so long as you admit Seattle has better seafood than Boston, we are a-ok.
126 – Norm’s in Fremont. All day Monday, not just happy hour.
Let me just quote this exchange from the end of a past game thread:
Date on that post? June 12, 2007. One week ago, exactly.
I swear, the entire Mariners fan base needs to be treated for Bipolar Disorder. If we weren’t already all on SRIs…
Dude. If you think Seattle seafood > Boston seafood, well, you have different opinions on seafood than I do.
Lobstah is the best. And Atlantic mussels are awesome.
The only thing Seattle has on Boston is salmon.
thanks
It’s a great night to be a Pirates fan. I only wish I was one.
Geoducks. Fresh Dungeness Crab
Dude. Salmon is HUGE! And dungeness crab blows your Lobstah out of the water. Plus oysters. No contest.
The only thing Seattle has on Boston is salmon.
Uh, dungeness crab? Not to belittle lobster, but don’t diss the dungeness.
YES! Go Astros!
I’ve never had dungeness crab.
When I head back to school in August, I will certainly acquire some and report back with an updated opinion.
Astros are whupping on the Angels, which makes the M’s look mildly less like utter losers. Of course, the Reds are whupping on the A’s, which doesn’t bode well for later in the week in Seattle.
I think this is a good time to kill my tv.
I’ve never had dungeness crab.
Dude, that’s like saying “I’ve never had sex.”
141: Or like saying, “I love beer, but I’ve never tried Guiness”
In fairness, it needs to be fresh Dungeness. If it’s been frozen, it’s not that different from other crab.
I may have to start going to Norm’s.
Is there a sizable number of Ms fans there watching the game?
Does the price of beer go up/down during the game?
Do people whine about how useless BA is and that the price of beer should be determined by OBP?
[Mike Rowe voice]
What about ALASKAN KING CRAB?
[/Mike Rowe voice]
Yeah, I have to say I prefer Dungeness Crab to Lobster. In fact I’d put Atlantic lobster third, after Dungeness and Morton Bay Bugs (though you can’t get those in Seattle either).
Also, Halibut is way better than whatever they’re pretending is “cod” in east coast restaurants these days.
And, coincidentally, I keep getting lured away from this gawdawful ballgame by “Deadliest Catch” on Discovery.
Well, if I’m going to school in Tacoma, I should be able to make a quick hop up to Seattle to get some.
Is it better to get it at a restaurant, or to buy it fresh at Pike Place and then cook it?
And if so, how should I cook it?
“Fresh” should be a given, whether we’re talking crab, lobster or princes.
Maybe one of you stat guys can do an analysis of a game thread that degenerates into nattering about seafood. What are the odds the Mariners are stinking the place up like not-fresh fish?
Just don’t get fish from those guys that throw it.
I am hoping that it is Ichiro’s fondness for the fresh geoduck sushi he can get in Seattle that will keep him here.
#147: That all depends. Can you cook?
When you get to school, take some geography. Tacoma is on Puget Sound, where the crabs like to hang out. No reason why you can’t find perfectly good crab there, just as easily as Seattle. Just wave away the pulp stench.
144 – not a huge Mariner bar, and Monday games are not that common anyway. The owner just hates Sexson and came up with a creative way of expressing his frustration. Then again, this is the guy that came up with the concept of the 40 of PBR served with a paper bag.
Can’t help with cooking instructions, cause I get sticker shock in the grocery store. But at a resuarant, you just gotta splurge. Totally worth it!
Great point 148: quite the commentary on this team.
I’m excited to go back to school then, both because of that and because I’m having withdrawls from my pursuit of driving every mile of state highway in the state of Washington.
I can cook, and I’m aware that crab can be got in Tacoma, but I don’t know of any seafood markets in Tacoma.
Talk about feast or famine with that guy….
Prices are going up at Norm’s.
And Richie gets his stroke bat. Just wish he’d get his eyes. But hey, maybe his “second half recovery” is coming early?
Ooooh look. The Pirates bullpen gave up a dinger on the first damn pitch. Cue the Jaws music.
SEXSON!!! I forgot there was a game still on. I’m hungry.
Also, I’ve been in Tacoma for over a year, I’m fully aware of its location.
Steve, the owner at Norm’s, is a cool guy. But he’s from Cleveland, so there you go.
BlUNK FAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good. Cleveland kicks butt. I’m from Columbus.
I can’t help you buy crab in Tacoma, but there’s bound to be something good there. You just steam crab. Always nice to have some really good sourdough bread on the side.
And a nice baseball game on the tv.
That would explain the 40 oz beers.
Geez. Johjima’s hitting .174/.174/.217 last 6 games.
Yeah, Joh’s been off. As much as he loves to play every game, I think he’s over worked.
Sweeeet. I’m really excited to head back and get seafood. Only 70 more days.
I have to get up early tomorrow morning. Do I have a healthy cereal breakfast at work, or go to Chace’s Pancake Corral and get a Hash Brown Omelet or Potato Pancakes?
I’m picking up good vibrations
165… the Rainiers are on TV there?
God I miss NW seafood! I’m going back to school…
it doesn’t help.
Ooooh look. The Pirates bullpen gave up a dinger on the first damn pitch.
sadly, it wasn’t the first pitch by the bullpen. that was from the lefty with the inflated ERA who should have been dead meat, but instead got a one pitch, one out thanks to a hacktastic Mariner batter.
I am overflowing with rage.
Behind the 8-ball yet again.
So, i’m trying to determine how bad the M’s starters have been starting games (ie, the first few innings); the ESPN stats have me screwed:
apparently, in 66 games, the mariners have only pitched 190 innings through innings 1-3. Simple math tells me they should have pitched 198 innings, minus innings lost due to weather suspension for games already started: IE, a game that starts, but is called before the 3rd inning is complete. I don’t think that’s 8 innings worth. Where are those missing innings?
I’m feeling particularly prescient about my comment (#94):
“As a Pittsburgh native, and a Seattle resident, I am stunned at the results of this game so far. But fear not, Mariners fans – the Pirates bullpen is like nothing you’ve ever seen. And not in a good way.”
It’s Walk like a Pirate day!
the looming precedent behind this broussard ph at bat is we’re going to get to see willie in a few minutes.
Well that kind of sucked
chace’s corral
That was such a total letdown. Like Atlantic Salmon. (too far?…yes ryan, too far).
and followed by the Seniors housing outfit who thinks a good ad for themselves is a story about a 91-year-old day-dreaming as he drives alone up the coast from California ….
The M’s are gutless tonight
Er, I know there is some sort of unspoken barrier between the “journalists” and “bloggers” – especially in the world of sports, but could we please get Derek showing up after games with goofy oversized microphone asking Hargrove when Jones will get called up, or any of this stuff that looks like common sense?
i dont know if I like Putz here in a situation where we probably don’t need him, but I guess it goes along with subbing in Willie at short for a pinch hit ground ball out from Broussard.
I think they have guts. They just don’t have bats.
or patience.
And as the immortal John McKay used to say, “…and the ones that aren’t gutless are brainless!”
Can’t imagine the good stuff he’d have said if he were running the M’s the last week or so.
fish don’t have guts. or brains.
er..fish have guts, but not brains.
180 – thank you. I think I shall have the hash brown omelet, though I do love those potato pancakes (sour cream only!)
182: Damn I wish I got the commercials on mlb.tv
Putz in without a save situation? Has Hargrove finally discovered that it is impossible for the home team to get a save if they don’t lead after 8? Nah, probably just trying to get him some work.
It DOES take guts to drive in McCall during rush hour
actually I was thinking about that pregame — they have an ‘ask the skipper’ segment, where you can text message a question for Hargrove; I bet if it were phrased politely, they might even ask Grover.
and “you’ll receive a gift certificate to your local Skippers restaurant and an autographed baseball from Dave Niehaus. Plus, you will be entered to win the grand prize of a fishing trip for two on the Campbell River, with airfare provided by Kenmore Air and accommodations at the April Point Resort and Spa. “
It does! Holy crap! We had a flagger downtown for some reason, and traffic was backed up about 2 miles and it took forever and you had to be incredibly aggressive…traffic in McCall was HORRIBLE today.
Although, having lived in Tacoma and McCall (and for some reason continually getting on I-5 during rush-hour as I forgot that rush-hour existed), Tacoma’s traffic is a hair worse.
Yep… J.J. Putz is still awesome…
…. and the world swings back into balance. The Mariners are losing, and Corco is bitching about the traffic in McCall.
Putz needed the work. Now, they’re down by two and against this bullpen you’d think they might have a decent shot. But that would assume they remembered how to hit.
never say die. the darkest hour is always just before it becomes entirely black.
marte has been an exception to the pirates terrible bullpen so far.
he also appeared in 5 games for the mariners back in 99
not bitching, just complaining
201: Thanks, Dave Sims
that would be the cherry on top. End the game with Damaso Marte closing it out for the Pirates 31st win.
Is it wrong that I’m rooting for Vidro to GIDP?
#200– How much blacker could this be? The answer is none– none more black. …
205: Yes. Yes it is.
i just jinxed him, clearly, by saying he’s been pretty good this year.
Now I probably jinxed us by saying that.
Yeah, I thought it was. But my Dad is convinced Vidro is a
goodgreat hitter, and really obnoxiously rants about it, so I root for him to failDamaso Marte gives me memories of Josias Manzanillo.
who I recall as being effective (the numbers don’t seem to back that up) before getting nailed in groin by a Billy Swift style comebacker (that also recalls Kirby Puckett’s ground rule double off of Swift’s forehead… which then turned billy in a near or 20-game winner in Colorado.
Turbo probably did get all of that one.
c’mon, guys, it’s Shawn Chacon! You know him! You can hit him! Really you can!!!
Now might be a good time for a Broussard PH?
#206
But you know where you stand in a hell hole
Shawn Chacon is a guy I totally forgot about. What a career he’s had.
Holy ****! Junior is coming back to town! Wow!
213– if he hadn’t already had one?
too late for broussard, this is kind of a funny move by pittsburgh to go away from probably their best reliever (and a lhp) with Raul on deck? Or maybe this is just how you get to manage a pen that isn’t completely spent.
No more snippy Junior quotes!!! I mean, COME ON!
sigh.
I’m living in a hell hole
Don’t want to stay in this hell hole Don’t want to die in this hell hole
Girl, get me out of this hell hole.
Whoops, sorry guys. I tried to pay attention to this whole game, I just couldn’t.
crap…
Well that ended with a whimper.
Beaten by the Pirates.
The columnist for SI online on baseball, Heyman, suggested Bavasi and Hargrove were off the hot seat. I don’t think so, somehow.
Wow! Back to back strike outs by our awesome corner outfielders! I’m sure a AAA outfielder couldn’t do that! nevermind.
At least we didn’t lose any ground, except against Detroit and Minnesota.
Time for a haiku:
Now six in a row,
is Hargrove starting to sweat
or am I wishing?
Will it take something symbolic to finally force something, such as losing five more to make it eleven?
Seriously though, what’s with the Junior promotion backlash? I mean, shouldn’t we all be at least as excited at Dave Sims? Do we need to mock the celebration?
I saved this until the game was over. Mr Cocoran, in case you’re still reading:
It’ll be cheaper if you buy the crab and cook it yourself. Anything frozen is already cooked, so all you really need to do is steam it until it’s warm enough to eat. (Which is why frozen tends to give you inferior results). It’s really easy, and one crab can feed two (with a salad or something on the side) so it makes a “I’ll cook for you” date meal that seems far more impressive than it actually is. Note that everybody gets messy eating crab out of the shell, and that should be a plus for a date too, though maybe not a first date.
You can buy dungeness live at the Pike Place Market but other places are cheaper (some of the bigger QFCs have them, and Uwajimaya always has a good selection). Cooking is about as basic as it gets: you get a pot big enough to submerge the crab, fill it up with water and some salt, get the water absolutely boiling, and then throw the crab in (grab it from above, along the sides of the shell above the legs). Yes, you literally boil it alive. Make sure your pot has a lid. (It may sound like it’s screaming, but that’s just the steam coming out of the shell — it dies quick). Cook it until it looks orange-red like a cooked crab should. (There’s a formula for time per pound that I’m sure you can find on the web). Then clean it — just pull the main shell away starting at the rear and wash away the gooey bits — and eat. There’s a fair bit of meat in the body, as well as the legs.
If you try crab at a restaurant it’s going to be expensive, but it’s a great “special occasion” meal as long as it’s a casual meal — shelling a crab is a messy business even if you know what you’re doing. Make sure you dine at a place that specializes in fresh seafood and doesn’t dress the crab up — you just want the animal cleaned in its shell and some butter to dip it in. McCormick & Schmick’s used to do a good crab dinner, but I haven’t been there in several years.
Also, winter is crab season — you’re not going to find fresh live crab in the summer (anything you find now has been frozen for at least a month). Local dungeness starts showing up about October (the Dungeness Crab Festival is the second weekend) and runs until about January; anything earlier than that is from Oregon or California; anything later is from Alaska. I often have it for Thanksgiving.
Say, having written all that, don’t the USSM authors count some kind of culinary genius among their august ranks?
Awesome Joser. Truly awesome. If we can’t see the M’s win, at least we can all be better humans.
Joser, you are my hero.
and the season is even better, as I’m not in the area during the summer
Keep losing. People need to GO and changes need to be made. The only way that’s going to happen is if we tank hard.
At what point does the current team ‘funk’ get labelled a full-fledged ‘tailspin’? Losing 7 of the next 10? Losing 8? Losing 9?!?
msb,
you are truly a hero. A Spinal Tap reference could have gone unacknowledged if it wasn’t for you.