Tagged: Lopez
My First Game of 2010 ♥
I know that there’s a lot baseball going on but just for a few seconds, I want you to rewind back to last Friday and place yourself with me in beautiful Seattle, Washington.
DG has finally taken on Safeco Field for the first time in 2010. The phrase, “a kid in a candy store” comes to mind when I think of that fluttering feeling I got when I walked up those stairs from the CF entrance at Safeco with a Ken Griffey Jr “The Kid” bobblehead held tightly against my heart. I’m sure I looked like a freak as I just stood there in awe with a dumb smile on my face. How can one place make you feel so at home and content not mattering how many times you go there? That’s Safeco Field for me.
Safeco Field, will you make a studio apartment for me in one of your suites? Thank you ♥.
This day was exciting, nerve-wrecking, bittersweet, all at once. It was exciting because I was finally going to a Mariners game. because I was able to reunite with a dear friend from my college days that I haven’t seen in a few years and because I was going to get a Griffey Jr bobblehead. It was nerve-wrecking because the drive to Safeco Field is a bee-ai-tee-see-eich on gameday, because I was scared I won’t make it in time to get a bobblehead, and because the Mariners were facing Bonderman was pitching (he had an 1.80 ERA from his last start). It was bittersweet because the visiting team was the Tigers and most of you know I used to live there and am overcoming a break up of which my former other half is still in Michigan.
Anyway.
After Kaylee and I got our bobbleheads, we headed to the Team 
Store where we purchased matching hoodies and Mariners headphones (I know, ridiculous). We strolled around the park, taking all the beauty of it in until we realized that the Mariners Moose was taking photos! We joined the lines with all the other 10 year olds because we have no shame. The moose was so furry and friendly; love him! Post Moose loving, we got our signature garlic fries and whole lemon lemonade and headed up to our seats.
Section 184.
The LF Bleachers is by far my favorite place to sit. Sure, when my parents are in town and they’re willing to cough up $100 per person I like to sit elsewhere, but since that wasn’t happening on Friday, we sat in the 180’s area. It’s right above the bullpen which is nice because if a great pitcher from the visiting team was practicing, I can potentially accidentaly drop something on his head?
Ok, no. I’m not that mean.
If by any chance you (yes, you) were sitting in section 184 on Friday night, I have a message for you guys at the end of this entry.
I know this is quite the fast-forwarding but the Mariners won 11-2 against the Tigers that night. It’s kind of hard to write an entry about a game when a team scores that much. He did this, he did that, then he stole this and then that….
Let’s just say that everyone contributed one way or another to the 11, King Felix finally got his first well-deserved win and let the pictures do the talking,….
Kaylee and I rejoicing right after we got our bobbelheads!
Welcome to Safeco Field! YAY!
Felix warming up in the bullpen!
It was Jackie Robinson Day! Everyone was wearing #42 🙂
YES, this is the Griffey Jr bobblehead! Are you jealous?
Ah, the (in?)famous Garlic Fries and whole lemon lemonade.
Look how happy Kaylee looks with her Shishkaberries! 🙂
Happy to be reunited and with the bobblehead!
Yes, we scored ELEVEN on the little kittehs.
Oh, you talented person, you. Oh, and his picture was the only decent looking picture.
I LOVE it when they do their little dance routine! Do they do this at other parks too?
What’s a reunion without a goofy picture?
Must I explain?
If you can’t tell from the pictures, the game was amazing. Did it cost me a fortune to eat at Safeco? Yes. Did it cost me an arm and a leg to park anywhere near Safeco? Yes. Did it take me 1.5 hours just to get out of the vicinity of 1st Ave? Yes. Did I get home at 1:30AM just to have the alarm blast in my ear at 7:00AM? Yes.
But does any of that matter?
NOPE!
I’m a slave to the game of baseball, everyone! ♥
….till next time. 🙂
P.S
Dear Section 184 from 04/16/10:
A big thank you. I always tend to have the worst luck and have some d-bag (or multiple) sitting around me that makes the game a little less enjoyable but I can honestly say that last night the crowd was great. Who knows if any 184-ers are reading this? I’m just taking a shot and thanking you. The kids were well behaved and the adults surrounding us were enthusiatic yet not overboard. The four guys behind us were making the most hilarious comments and I also enjoyed that a lot. I figured it would be more than creepy to turn around and say, “Hey you guys were real funny, thanks!”. Plus, our section started the extremely successful wave at Safeco! HOLLERRRRRR! 🙂
xoxo,
Deena
[[Some pictures courtsey of Kaylee Engels aka my Mariners partner in crime]
Post Season Mariners Update 2
How dare I get numb to the notion of a cold, baseball-less season?
I have such amazing news about the Mariners….
….which I’m sure everybody and their brothers know about already but what the hey.
No exciting build-ups, no beating around the bush….
MARINERS SIGNED CLIFF LEE!
Can I just say, WOW? I knew we had plenty of money this off-season to acquire some great players but Cliff Lee? I’m almost overwhelmed by the news. Lee rocked the World Series beating the Yankees not only once, but twice, and not only that, but Lee has a 5-1 3.49 ERA at Safeco Field! This Cy Young winning southpaw with a Cy Young contender (Felix, of course), both backed up by one of the league’s best defense, we are going to have a vicious starting rotation.
Watch out AL West, we’re gonna take all of you down.
Oh and to put the cherry on top of this wonderful Mariners sundae, we acquired Chone Figgins (he’ll be sporting a No.9 jersey) last week from the Angels. He is the guy I always get nervous about when we play the Angels…gosh, not having to worry about him is going to be awesome. Figgins signed a four year, $36 million deal with a vesting option for 2014. Figgins was a third baseman for the Angels which brings up the question as to where he’ll be defending next season if Beltre chooses to stay. Personally, I think he would own second base but I would hate to have to see Lopez benched for that. As far as I’m concerned, the only spot available right now is left field and with his third baseman arm, I figure he would excel. With his above-average batting and last year’s career high runs and doubles, I have no doubt he’ll be sending Ichiro home more often than not.
Our starting lineup will consist of Ichiro batting first (duh), Figgins, Lopez/Gutierrez, Branyan (still crossing my fingers for that one)….
…and of course our deathly pitching rotation.
Fellow Mariners fans, my baseball itch is worsening as we speak! The 2010 season is going to be…enthralling, captivating, engrossing, and riveting; I can hardly wait!
Now for all non-Mariners fans, you should probably be afraid.
Very much afraid.
I end with an evil laugh.
Mwahahahaha.
xoxo
Thank you boys…♥
I’m slowly adjusting back into the working girl life (thank you for the wishes, I got the job!) in the best coast…I mean, west coast, while I, together with my Grandpa, sulk that baseball season is practically over.
For Mariners fans anyway.
Now call me cheesy but I got teary-eyed watching the final game of the Mariners season. The boys won 4-3 against the Texas Rangers and so much happened in the game. Not one player gets honorable mention because practically everyone did. Felix got his 19th win this season while he vies for the Cy Young, David Aardsma closed the game, Ichiro had a hit and a run, Griffey had a hit, Guttierrez scored some runs, Lopez scored the winning run, Batista had a perfect 8th inning and Wakamatsu led the team for their 85th win of the season.
I cannot believe the Mariners had such a great rebound year after last year’s 101 game loss. With Bavasi gone, that should have been a good sign anyway, but when the new GM chose Wakamatsu, there were definitely some speculation as to how he was going to perform as the new skipper for a disconnected 40-man-40-cab team after the 2008 season. I hate to say it but the 2008 Mariners were plain sad to watch. No player chemistry or respect, no smiles or hugs….and of course barely any wins. I am a Mariners fan through thick and thin but no season was as tough as the ’08 season.
Hiring Jack Zduriencik (GM) and Don Wakamatsu was truly the best change the organization could have made.
Now only if they would hire me as the assistant coach, right? :] 
Actually, I’ve always wanted to organize a dance team for the Mariners. I admit, one of the many things I like about baseball is that there are no cheerleaders or dancers dressed in close-to-nothing making provocative moves. However, as a former dancer (jazz/hip hop) and a Mariners fanatic, I would have so much fun making up a dance team for the M’s! It would consist of dancers of all ages, we’d wear Mariners jerseys and have dance moves that everyone in the stadium can learn! Oh I wish ♥
Anyway……
As the Yankees and Phillies compete for the World Series Championship, I truly wish the best for both teams! I’m going to have to jump on the Phillies band-wagon though, because I’m assuming the Yankees have enough intense supporters and I think the Phillies can use some DG oomph ♥ Good luck to both teams, though!
Also, I’d like to say a special farewell to my favorite catcher, Kenji Johjima. The news came as a surprise when the fans were informed that he was breaking his 3 year contract to return to Japan. In a nutshell, there was some controversey with the reason of breaking the contract. Joh had told the Mariners he was leaving due to the fact that he wasn’t close to his family. However, Joh told the Japanese media that he was leaving because he wasn’t going to get any playing time next year with Johnson taking most of the spot-light this season. Joh had told them he wanted to be their main catcher, not their back-up. According to a Japanese article I read, you can’t opt out of a contract just because you aren’t satisfied with your position or playing time; yet you can opt out if it’s for a family issue. Apparently Mariners management are not happy with Johjima and his communication discrepancy between the Japanese media and the U.S media. Ah well. As a fan, none of that matters. I just have to say I’ll miss him and wish him the best back home in Japan. I’m sure he’ll continue to play amazing baseball.
But jeez, now I have to buy a new Mariners t-shirt. I’m starting to accumulate ex-Mariners t-shirts in my bottom drawer. It’s kind of a dilemma for a Mariners fan to choose whose t-shirt they should buy without it becoming unwearable after a season. I’m guessing I’m good to go for a few years if I buy an Ichiro t-shirt.
As far as next season….
……will the Mariners go for 85+ wins next season? Is Griffey returning for perhaps one more season? Is Johnson’s hip surgery going to affect his performance next season? Is Moore going to be a sufficient enough catcher to fill the shoes of a departing Johjima? Will Ichiro keep breaking his own record and go for 10 years in a row to hit 200+ hits? Will Felix get 20 wins? Will Aardsma have 45+ saves once again? Is Beltre coming back to man third base? Which J.Wilson (Jack or Josh) will rise above during the off-season to dominate as SS? Will Gutierrez continue to build on his successful season? Is Branyan signing with the Mariners and will he lead in HRs again despite his back? Will Zduriencik and Wakamatsu find an efficient third-base coach?
As you can see, fans and I have a lot of questions. Yet, all I want to do now is sit back and reminisce on the fantastic season the Mariners have given us this season.
Thank you boys for giving me a reason to be passionate!
Rest up though, because spring training will be here before you know it ♥
xoxo
If I were the GM…
Let this be the first “real” entry I’ve written since…oh, a month ago? Either way, too long ago! Not only do I finally feel settled back in the Pacific Northwest, but I even have internet! I haven’t been up to much, just working from home and waiting for a response from the interview I had last week (crossing my fingers!). No offense to any Michiganians but I am truly glad to be back here where I’m surrounded by friends and family and am extremely excited to see how my life pans out from here on!
First of all, congratulations to all the teams (and their dedicated bloggers) that are competing in post-season! I only wish I could say the same for my boys but it’s alright because this season has been such a huge turn-around for them; who would have thought we would go from 101 losses to 85 wins? I definitely didn’t! I believed in baby steps but apparently the Mariners are making much bigger steps than that!
Now speaking of making big steps into a successful season, I’d like to present to you the 2010 Mariners lineup DG style.
Skipper: Don Wakamatsu – No brainer here; as a first-time Major League skipper, he invented the “belief system” for the then-40-man-40-cab team of 101 losses in the ’08 season and with the help of Griffey Jr and Sweeney‘s amiable nature, Wakamatsu (aka Wak) made a family out of the team. ..and not to mention a winning season with 85 victories.
1st Base: Russell Branyan. Yes, this poses a couple problems. 1, he has been out of the active roster for the past month and a half with a herniated disk in his back. Apparently his back had been an issue for almost the whole season despite leading the team with 31 homeruns (none of the Mariners caught up to that even after he was placed on the DL) and setting career highs in RBIs and doubles…but that’s probably because Wak gave him a chance to play (also a career high) 116 games. Of course the other problem is his number of strike outs. 149 of them this season but perhaps it comes with swinging for the fences? Oh and another thing…Branyan was a gamble for the Mariners and only signed him for a year. Now he’s a free agent and although he’s expressed his intentions of returning, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.
2nd Base: Jose Lopez. Another no brainer, especially after this season where Lopez reached his career high in doubles (42), homeruns (25) and RBIs (96). He’s even nominated for the Heart and Hustle Award after his performance and improvement this season. With this years’ stats, he was one of the most productive AL second baseman.
Shortstop: This one is a complete tossup. Do I want solid defense and poor quality offense, or do I want mediocre defense in such a crucial position and a matching level of offense? I’m talking about Jack Wilson (mid-season addition from the Pittsburgh Pirates) and Josh Wilson (also a mid-season addition but from the San Diego Padres). Jack Wilson’s defense is stunning but it seemed as though he was having a hard time maintaining the same average from his Pirates days. As far as Josh Wilson, his defense is not as great as Jack’s yet his batting average is a lot better. I’ve talked to a lot of Mariners fans and interestingly they all fall 50/50. Who will climb to the top and take on the daily role of SS in ’10? Only the off-season improvements will tell.
3rd Base: This will largely depend on Beltre‘s return to the team or the lack thereof. Beltre is a management and fan favorite at third base which mean if he returns, he’ll be back manning the territory. However, the base is empty if he chooses to leave. Who would be able to fill Beltre’s shoes as far as defense goes? Jack Hannahan has played third base while Beltre was on the DL and did a phenomenal job, yet his batting average of .213 is not all too impressive. Perhaps Bill Hall, one of our newest members of the family from the Brewers can attempt to take on the role. However it’s the same issue as Hannahan; batting average issues.
Right Field: I’ve got 3 syllables for you and no explanation; I-CHI-RO.
Center Field: Franklin Gutierrez. Wow what a great idea to acquire Gutierrez from the Cleveland Indians! Not only can he play center field seamlessly, but this man can hit! He’s played very well batting after Ichiro with an average of .283 and 70 RBIs which are both career highs.
Left field: Oh boy, what a tough one. The most interchanged position of the season. We’ve had Bill Hall, Ryan Langerhans, Mike Saunders. We’ve already discussed Hall so onto Langerhans hailing from the Washington Nationals. He had a couple walk-offs which was memorable, but two walk-offs and a .218 average isn’t going to get you a permanent spot on the daily lineup. Now Mike Saunders seems like another management favorite although his batting average is .221; sure a little better than Langerhans but he did play more games than he did. Actually, I’m going to go on a limb and say Saunders. This is because my Grandpa loves Saunders and thinks he’ll succeed. But mostly because I love my Grandpa.
Catcher: Putting aside my bias for favorites, I’m going to call up Rob Johnson as next season’s daily catcher. He was Felix’s personal catcher all season and obviously he was successful. His offense struggles but are there many catchers with great batting averages with the exception of Joe Mauer? Johnson is such a fan favorite and I think I’m alright with Kenji Johjima being back-up. At the end of the season, we were introduced to Adam Moore. I can’t judge much considering he played only a handful innings but as far as watching him bat, I’m not too optimistic. Perhaps he’ll be back next season and prove me wrong.
Well there we go, If I were the GM, I would have it this way. A team mostly full of newbies but just enough veterans to keep them together. After this successful season, I can’t imagine them doing anything but get better, and it’s never been more exciting!
Recipe for a Home Cooked Extra Inning Victory
Ingredients: 
1. A rookie catcher that can remain in the game for 14 innings and catch 213 pitches.
2. A struggling starting pitcher that is newly back from AAA.
3. 7 relief pitchers that can hold the White Sox down.
4. 1 homer in the bottom 7th for joy.
5. 1 homer in the bottom 9th (0 outs) for hope.
6. 1 homer in the bottom 9th (2 outs) for a tie.
7. 14th innings worth of time.
8. A ‘single’ drop of Ichiro.
9. A sprinkle of quick feet.
1. The Mariners had their newbie catcher, Moore, making his Major League Debut after getting called up from AAA Tacoma. He didn’t drop one ball and caught all 14 innings and an unbelievable 213 pitches.
2. The Mariners starter Brandon Morrow had much proving to do to Wakamatsu, his teammates and fans after becoming a little bit of a let down earlier this season; thus getting sent to AAA Tacoma for a while. Considering the great line up of the White Sox, I think Morrow did alright. Went 5 and 2/3 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs.
3. Not only did newbie Moore catch the whole game, he was basically introduced to 8 Mariners pitchers in total. After Morrow, 7 relief pitchers came out to throw an outstanding 8 innings while the Mariners offense tried to conjure up some runs.
4. A home run from Beltre in the bottom 7th gave fans at the game some joy knowing at least the Mariners scored once even if they did lose (because we all know that as much as we love our home team, when we’re at a game, we’d like to see them score…someone! Anyone!).
5. After a quiet 8th inning and praying for a miracle, Lopez hits his 24th home run with 0 outs against White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks.
6. 1 out….2 outs….a few fans starting to pack up…until Hall comes out to hit a game tying home run!
7. Awesome! Extra innings! Maybe 10…maybe even 11 innings? Yeeeeaaah, no. The White Sox and Mariners decided to pitch it out for 14 innings. Thank goodness the game started early yesterday or else lil’ ole me couldn’t have witnessed the victory here in Mo-Town!
8. Bottom of the 14th, Langerhans hits a single against the soon-to-be losing pitcher Linebrink who beans Johjima (Joh gets beaned a lot..I think he actually held a record there for a while.). 2 men on base and our future Hall of Famer comes up to base. *Drum rolls please*. Ichiro hits a line drive single between CF and RF just enough for Langerhans to score the winning run.
9. Oh, and the quick feet? You need quick feet because if you don’t, you can’t chase after a grinning Ichiro as he runs away from his teammates. It’s true.
Don’t believe me? Click Here! It’s pretty comical, actually.
There you go, a perfect recipe for a home cooked Extra Inning Victory.
Enjoy!
Toodles,
xoxo
Royalty Unswept
After losing our last series to Texas, I was optimistic about facing the Royals. Not only because they have the worst record in the American League but the Mariners generally have done well against them. As I wrote in my last entry, the first game went well. Too close for comfort, but well.
It’s been two games since then and I’d much rather talk about the second game of the series :]
The results were:
8/5: 11-6 Mariners
8/6: 2-8 Royals
Let’s start with 8/5:
Our second game against the Royals was a batting clinic game that was much needed for the Mariners. We haven’t scored 2 digits in so long yet we’ve lost by 2 digits plenty of times in the last couple weeks. So that night felt good for us Mariners fans.
It must have felt great too for the new member of our family, Luke French. It was his debut as a Mariner after being acquired from the Tigers for the Jarrod Washburn trade.
I admit, he wasn’t exactly superb (5 innings, 4 ER and 2 SO) but the combination of Royals SP Davies horrible night (8 ERs in 3 IP) and his new teammates helping him out, French was able to earn his first comfortable win as a Mariner. Congrats and welcome Luke!
As far as offense, it’s one of those games where everyone contributed and each person on the lineup had at least one hit. Our first 3 men in the lineup did an outstanding job each batting at least 2 hits (Branyan had 3), Branyan and Lopez with 3 RBIs each, Ichiro with 2 runs and 1 RBI.
By the end of the night, the Mariners had 16 hits and reached a season high in runs.
Mmmm….felt so warm and fuzzy inside watching (forcing them to watch) that game with my girlfriends (that had no clue about what was going on) under the blankets drinking a bottle of Apricot Ale.
If only that carried over to the next night……
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Well,
…the warm and fuzzy part actually did carry over. Apart from the fact that the Mariners had to put away our brooms pretty much after the 1st inning, it was a memorable night for our Mike Sweeney.
Sweeney, a former and long-time Royal hit his 100th career homerun in Kauffman Stadium that night in front of all his former and current teammates and fans.
How memorable is that? It really pulled me aside from being livid with Vargas.
I’m a crazy ball of emotional and almost cried when the Royals fans gave him a standing ovation.
Awwwwww, warm and fuzzy. ♥
We lost 2-8 yes, and it was rather disturbing because Chen was 0-6 with a 5.28 ERA and I think we all assumed we would be alright. True, Vargas was not all that much better with a 3-5 record with a 5.08 ERA but it was slightly better.
Another Mariner that deserves special mention is Adrian Beltre. It was his second game after returning from the DL and he went 4 for 4 scoring the other run of the game. If only the rest of the team could have helped him out!
Of course it would have been nice to sweep the Royals, but it was a great series all-in-all.
Our next series is against the much anticipated (personally) Tampa Bay Rays! We’re putting Felix (12-4) out on the line today against Niemann (10-5).
I’m upset I won’t be able to make it up there to sit right by third base :]
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On a non-Mariners note, I was glad to see Brad Thompson suspended for three games and fined for throwing a pitch near New York Mets 3rd baseman David Wright’s head.
“Major League Baseball vice president Bob Watson said Thursday the pitch in the sixth inning a day earlier was intentionally aimed near Wright’s head. It came one inning after the Mets’ Nelson Figueroa hit Cardinals star Albert Pujols near his elbow, loading the bases.
The suspension had been set to start Friday, when the Cardinals play at Pittsburgh, but the players’ association appealed and any penalty will be delayed until after the disciplinary process.” -ESPN
This is a picture of David Wright getting beaned against the St.Louis Cardinals in late June 2009. Poor David, please stop trying to ruin his pretty, pretty face.
Toodles,
xoxo
Grabbing the white flag
Oh boy, the time has come to crawl out of my fantasy world where I’m determined that the Mariners still have a shot at winning at least the Wild Card race.
I know that sounds completely ridiculous but I’m sure everyone knows the feeling of purposely being a teeny tiny bit ignorant about watching your favorite team fall out of contention.
So here I am, finally (and forcefully) waving the white flag. When the Mariners traded away Jarrod Washburn, that was pretty much the GM waving the flag but me being stubborn, I knowingly ignored that. Oh to find out your team has become a “seller”.
How lovely.
Mariners, you broke my heart again!
Thank your lucky stars I’m going on vacation so I don’t have too much time to sulk and be depressed. However, I will be back in Seattle for vacation so you guys had better be ready for some Diamond Girl power at Safeco Field. ♥ I’m so excited I can actually watch the Mariners on FSN every game!
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
What really forced me to admit to the team becoming a seller was the four game series against the big, bad Texas Rangers. It was a four game series and after the 3rd game I thought maybe we can at least tie the game but that didn’t happen.
This is the result of the series:
7/30: 1-7 Rangers
7/31: 4-5 Rangers
8/1: 7-2 Mariners
8/2: 2-4 Rangers
I guess I can find solace in knowing we didn’t get swept but losing 3 games is kind of a sweep.
It’s hard to criticize the Rangers, 1. because they’re better than the Mariners and 2. because I’ve always liked the Rangers. I don’t know what it is about them (yes, apart from the fact that I ♥ Kinsler, Hamilton and Saltalamacchia :]) but I always find myself cheering them on when the Wild Card rankings really start to matter (they always start showing the wild card rankings right after the All Star game…too soon!).
For the fourth game, Snell, our newest member from the Pittsburgh Pirates made his first start as a Mariner.
Considering his win-loss ratio from when he was a Pirate and the fact that he was playing against the Texas Rangers, I suppose his performance was fairly solid. He gave up 2 runs which were both homers and struck out 4.
Meh.
Personally, I’m not quite sure if I was satisfied or not. I mean, he’s better than Olson (most are, and please don’t get me started on Olson. I’m highly irate and dangerous when I hear his name) but my expectations were probably set too high for him. I think he did well against the Rangers, it was just a tough loss that night and it wasn’t his fault. Again, our RPs messed it up. Thanks to White, we threw away what could have been a tied series against our arch nemesis.
The 3rd game was very nice. Felix got his 12th win despite his struggle. Jose Lopez and Ken Griffey Jr. both went 3 for 5. When Felix pitches, Lopez averages a .338 with 8 doubles, 5 homers and 18 RBIs.
Felix and Lopez = BFFs. :]
Adorable. ♥
How can I forget Ichiro? Although he went 0 for 4 in the first game of the series (wow!), he had at least 2 hits a game for the rest of the series. With his batting average, I feel it’s the best decision to put a higher average player to bat 9th. I’m guessing that would help produce more runs for the team. That seems pretty obvious but perhaps I’m too naiive.
Ichiro is also well on his way to 200+ hits for 10 seasons in a row.
Wow.
What an amazing feat.
Just like President Obama told Ichiro that made him giggle like a kid, he’s a future Hall of Famer for sure. It won’t be anytime soon since there’s apparently no slowing down for #51 but in the years to come, I’m excited to see him inching closer to his entrance to Cooperstown. ♥
So the next three series are against the Kansas City Royals. Unfortunately we won’t be facing the amazing Zack Greinke or Gil Meche (I believe he’s on the DL) but I’m crossing my fingers that I get to see the Royals in their baby blue uniform that makes them look like softies (see below). Note, I’m not making fun of that, I actually ♥ it. I like the Royals, mostly because there are a few former Mariners so I’ll be able to enjoy watching the game without getting livid and/or stressed out. Hehe. :]
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On a personal note, I’m going on vacation and leaving Mo-Town tomorrow morning for Portland, Oregon and then to my second home-sweet-home, Seattle, Washington. For the next week while I’m in Portland I highly doubt I’ll be blogging at all but once I’m home in Seattle, I’ll be back. :]
Wait, the Pacific Northwest doesn’t look like that. More like this:
Till I’m back, best of luck to all your teams!
Toodles!
xoxo
The Unexpected Stars
I have to admit, I was more than surprised with last night’s win against the Toronto Blue Jays for three reasons: 
“He’s good. They don’t call him Doc Halladay for nothing”- Ken Griffey Jr. 
Just a personal opinion, but I will miss Ronny Cedeno. As far as I know, he was an extremely amiable guy and reading about how he was in tears in the clubhouse after the news came in, makes me want to cry too :[ Sure, he was in a 0-26 slump and this is the baseball business, but his hard-working, positive attitude and huge smile really came across to us M’s fans. Good luck in Pittsburgh Ronny, we’ll miss you! Batting practice, anyone?
I’ve been ecstatic about the Mariners coming into town (Mo-town) and being able to watch them on FSN Detroit and of course being able to attend a game (tonight!) but boy was I disappointed within the first hour….no, first 30 minutes of the game.
Oh, I don’t know, I thought maybe the Indians game taught Olson a lesson or two but he just couldn’t keep his balls down. His fastball was too high and his curveball wasn’t, well, curving.
It was the cherry on top of this crappy pitching sundae when the somewhat struggling Ordonez crushed the ball for a grand salami in the bottom 1st with 0 outs. I went from pale (the second Ordonez swung) to raging red (when the bases cleared)…..
….gosh so stressful!
But did it end there? Oh heeeeeeeeeeeeeck no. (Ugh!)
Olson left the mound putting the Mariners in the hole after a mere 1.1 innings and yet gave up 7 runs.
And what better idea than to bring in Jakubauskas, the same pitcher they brought in after Olson last time they lost?
Jakubauskas gave up 3 hits, 1 run and injured Gutierrez. Gutierrez slammed into the back of CF and was rolling on the floor in agony. Apparently it’s too far from the pitching mound to the back of CF because Jakubauskas didn’t walk over to Gutierrez when he was down on the floor for a good 15 minutes while Ichiro, Lopez and Cedeno ran over to him immediately. He was trying to catch a ball that YOU let out that far and all you do is stand on the mound and scratch your head? Shame on you.
I give ♥props♥ to the Tigers fans though, because when Gutierrez finally got up and was assisted back to the dugout, they gave him a standing ovation. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks Tigers fans! Apparently it turned out to be a slight concussion, bruised knee and arm so I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious. We love Gutierrez.
Jakubauskas ended up calming down a little bit and after the first 2 innings, our pitchers ended up only giving up 1 run (to Cabrera) but that didn’t mean it wasn’t disappointing.
As far as offense, I give them so much kudos because I went from hopeless to hopeful throughout the whole game. Even though we lost, we made the Tigers pretty nervous by inching closer almost every inning. Hannahan had two solo homers, Langerhans had a 2 run homer (with excellent defense!), Balentein had a homer, Ichiro had a hit and a run (is that even a surprise anymore?), Lopez went 3 for 5 with an RBI….
…sigh, four homeruns and that didn’t cut it. :[
Thanks to and on behalf of Olson and the rest of the pitching staff, Tigers fans can enjoy a free Arby’s roast beef sandwhich since they gave up 3 homeruns to the Tigers! Enjoy that, Tiger fans! I could technically get a free sandwhich but there’s no way I’m eating a roast beef sandwich covered with yummy horsey sauce and guilt!!!!
With all that said, I’m hoping tonight’s game between Felix and Gallaraga will be better. I had posted that it was Felix vs.Verlander, but apparently Leyland is saving their aces for the four game series against the White Sox that’s coming up. Gallaraga is going into the game with a 5.09 ERA while Felix enters with an amazing 2.41. It’s almost a given that we’d win….
….at least we should.
….but you never know in baseball! That’s the beauty of it though, isn’t it?
Plus I’m going to the game tonight so I should be all the luck they need! ♥ I told my boyfriend he should probably drive because I don’t want to risk any mean person to ruin this beauty:
[Yup, that’s my car.]
I’ve got my Johjima shirt, M’s cap, blue and green face paint and drinking plenty of fluids here at work so my throat will survive all the cheering (or yelling, hehe!) so I think I’m good to go! ♥
Tomorrow’s entry should be full of fun pictures and hopefully happy news! :]
Toodles,
xoxo
P.S It was so fun and exciting to be quoted on the MLB website! My Dad and Grandpa would be proud! :]
This is what the girl thinks.... 