Game 1, Post-Ichiro Era: Yankees at Mariners
Kevin Millwood vs. Hiroki Kuroda, 7:10pm
This is going to be strange. Ichiro, in LF, *in pinstripes* wearing some new number, facing the Mariners.
Kevin Millwood looks to…aw, who cares. Hiroki Kuroda throws a splitter, slider and a sinker. The Mariners new starting RF is Carlos Peguero.
The line-up:
1: Ackley
2: Wells (LF)
3: Jaso (C)
4: Montero (DH)
5: Seager
6: Saunders
7: Smoak
8: Peguero (RF)
9: Ryan
SP: Millwood
I really hope Ichiro knows how much he meant to Seattle and to MLB. I grew up at a time when you’d still hear respected baseball folks casually state that no one in Japan was good enough to play in MLB. Even after Hideo Nomo’s spectacular start, a lot of people doubted whether or not a Japanese position player could perform at a high level. Ichiro was different in everything he did – from talking to the press, to his approach at the plate, to his pre-pitch ritual – and that clearly rubbed some people the wrong way. Personally, I’m just thankful I got to see something so different, so singular, for the past 11.5 years.
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I would trade the Mariners for the New Jersey Devils and the LA Clippers, straight up.
Okay, so the M’s have given up Ichiro, Griffey, A-Rod (kinda) and Randy.
And the M’s have gotten… uhm… Gaylord Perry.
I wonder if Angie Mentink would be interested in playing RF for the Mariners? She was a CF with the Silver Bullets after all.
I think I’m in the anger step of grieving, because at this point, I just want to trade Vargas, League, and Millwood, and have the team sold early in the offseason.
Let’s move on, because this has now become a train wreck with only Felix to distract us once per week.
Come on Henry, it isn’t that bad…Ichiro was only hitting 260 something….it would have been way worse if he had been hitting 330 and stealing bases at will for the past few years.
A-Rod is dominating!
A-Rod, who committed the unforgivable crime of playing out his contract and then getting offered more money than anyone else in the history of the sport.
And he’s a Yankee. And he’s a douchebag.
Ichiro (sort of) wanted out, Griffey wanted out, ARod (you really think giving him $250 mil was a good idea?), and Randy wanted out. Not sure what the M’s could have done with 3 of the 4.
I agree Westy, any one of us would have done the same thing as A-Rod. His only fault was that he didn’t just come right out and say it was about the money…that guy has a nack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time…
Ackley is looking a lot better watching strike 3 down the middle. He must be getting used to it.
Oh, yeah, no arguments with anyone here that A-Rod is an eminently unlikable person. I’ve just always found it funny that he gets hate for leaving even though he played well for us through his contract, while Junior was universally beloved even though he forced his way out of town and seemed to do his darnedest to screw the team.
And to be clear – I was a huge fan of Junior as a player.
He could also be the nicest guy in the world… or the hugest dick in the world. And sometimes both in the same conversation.
Yeah but Jr left for less money to be closer to his family. For A-Rod, at this point it’s more the unlikeable thing and that he’s a Yankee.
Holy shit Westy, we may be the only 2. I was against Griffey coming back because of the way he left and was told on numerous occasions that that was in the past. And what happened? He left on the same negative note as the first time. There’s a reason why in college we called taking a shit “taking a Griffey.”
Frankly the fact that we got Cammy out of Junior’s departure may have had a lot to do with it, methinks…
Waco, I gotta agree with Westy….A-Rod left at the end of his contract, in the offseason, for more money. TONS of players do that. AND, he went to Texas. How’d they do while he was there???
I dislike A-Rod, cause “It’s not about the money”….riiiiggghhht….
Hahaha Mid80s! That’s great!
Lord, Andruw Jones makes Montero look like Usain Bolt.
Love these DPs!
WTF_Ms I agree with you. “It’s not about the money” was my main problem.
We even had a picture of Griffey above the commode. 🙂
Anyone else remember when there was debate about who was a better defensive center fielder, Junior or Andruw Jones?
Haha, USS Mariner twitter feed having same A-Rod debate.
I saw Jones play at Safeco when he was with the Braves and he positioned himself about 60 feet behind second and STILL got to the warning track to catch the ball. Obviously EXTREMELY impressive. Side note Gary Sheffield had the quickest bat I’ve ever seen.
Ah, Zumsteg has come out of seclusion briefly!
Granderson was a guy I really wanted to see in a Mariners uniform while he was a Tiger. Can’t say my feelings have changed. Wonder what kind of dough the Yankees will throw at him to keep him around.
A-Rod’s apparently got no problem with the distance to Safeco’s center field fence – maybe Delabar had something to do with that though.
I picked a good moment to stop watching.
Well, I left for nearly an hour, and the M’s offense did nothing. What a big fucking surprise.
Lets play a game…. Who can guess the remaining number of K’s Smoak will have before he gets optioned. I’ll go first…. one.
As for A-Rod, I have no problem against him leaving. Given his value, I would have given him pretty close to 10 years for $250M.
But that has nothing to do with why I hate him. He is a terrible person. Like Bonds terrible. Makes Tiger Woods look like a pretty good dude. Just a smarmy, unlikable dude. But whatever.
Groin chop!
Jesus…this is just a horribly bad offenseive team. At least at home.
For fun, look up some of our marginal players Home/Road splits:
Montero has an .802 OPS on the road
Seager an .848.
Pretty good I’d say.
dw
Saunders .868
Olivo .593 … wait, how did that get in here?
Ackley- .677. Ooof. He’s really had a depressing sophomore season.
There is a lot of competition for the worst trade in Mariner history, but the Soriano trade would be in my top five.
🙁
Take away the former Mariners from the Yankees, and they wouldn’t be nearly as good.
I don’t think the Bedard deal will ever get topped.
Oh that closing shot following Ichiro through the game-end high fives just makes me sadder.
I don’t have tv right now, so I have to follow the game online. I’m glad I didn’t have to actually see Ichiro in a Yankees uniform.
It was weird to see him in a Yankee uniform for sure. It was almost as weird to see him clean-shaven!
Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe beats them all, guys, I’m sorry. Bedard is #2, I’ll give you all that.
Especially considering that most thought that Slocumb was about to get released by Boston. It takes talent to be this unsuccessful of an organization.
You might be on to somethan, Henry… Maybe the problem stems from the organization misinterpreting the definition of ‘talent’?