Category Archives: Rosy’s Ramblings

ALDS eve . . .

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What a truly amazing weekend!

There were, just in case you’ve been under a rock, a couple little baseball games played in Toronto . . .

On Friday, what more could you ask for but a SHUTOUT?!?
An absolutely DOMINANT pitching performance by Luis Castillo: 7.1 IP-6H-0R-0BB-5Ks
And, Andres Munoz put the cherry on top with 1.2 walk-less/scoreless innings of his own.
As for the offense, they did more than enough, scoring early and often. J-Rod was HBP –twice!– and scored both times: first IN the 1st, on a double by Geno and then in the 5th on a force out by Geno. And, there was -of course!- a Cal home run: a two-run variety that put the M’s up three runs in the 1st and they wouldn’t look back.
The defense was crisp and clean – just like it should be in October!
It featured one DP (Geno-Adam-France), some good to great OF catches and holding runners.
Anyhoo – it was just really swell 🙂

And then came Saturday . . .

Likely the most improbable playoff win in decades. Hard to find the words to describe how unbelievable this game was (though I’m sure Blue Jays fans would easily find a few rather quickly 😉 )

Robbie was great! in the 1st inning – in which he retired the side in order and then, it was all way down hill from there. He exited in the bottom of the 5th to be replaced by Brash (one of the few relievers, along w/Munoz and Kirby (yes, Kirby!) who performed well).
The M’s wouldn’t score until the 5th inning (and then it was only one run – sac fly by Jarred to score Adam). By the end of the 5th, they were down 8-1 – and then, the magic happened. Three consecutive singles (Ty, Geno, Cal) in the 6th basically ran the Jays starter and their reliever promptly gave up a run on a bases loaded wild pitch and then a THREE-run homer to Carlos – and suddenly, 8-5 wasn’t looking so bad. Thought the Jays would get one right back so, it was 9-5 headed to the 8th – and the M’s magic was far from depleted – they would score FOUR more runs to TIE THE GAME AT NINE!!! (a Cal single to score Geno; JP double with the bases loaded scored Cal, Mitch and Adam). And then we would see more mystical, magical M’s – Adam would hit a double down the right field line (incidentally on the 26th Anniversary of Gar’s double down the left field line 😉 ) to break the tie and George would come in the the bottom of the 9th to recored his first major league save (posting a groundout, walk, strikeout, line out) after which jubilation would ensue on the field and in the locker room 🙂

Now, the M’s head to Houston, where we hope they will pose a problem 🙂
While I’m BEYOND excited that the M’s are in the ALDS, I’m beyond FRUSTRATED with the scheduling by MLB – both of the games in Houston this week are scheduled for a 12:37pm PT first pitch – I happen to have a 3-day, all day training class for work from Tue-Thu . . . argh!!! After an entire season of not being able to watch games because Dish no longer carries RootSports, they are finally aired on a Channel that Dish provides and I can’t watch live.
So, for the first time ever, I’m going to attempt to stay uninformed about a sporting event so that I can watch the recording as if it were live and truly not know the result until the last pitch of the recording.

Here we go into the long time uncharted territory that is Mariners playoff baseball. After what we have seen this past weekend – ANYTHING is possible.

Go M’s

counting the minutes, after counting the years . . .

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In just about 90 minutes . . .

after years, and years, and years of watching nearly every pitch (some years, many in person) and documenting (in one way or another) every regular season game, I – and Mariners fans everywhere – are finally about to be rewarded again with postseason baseball.

While my viewing and documenting has waned over the past several seasons, it’s not been for lack of interest or passion but, more of circumstance. Moving to an island has a lot to do with that – at first, the ferry schedule and my very long commute made it difficult to watch, let alone document or attend. Then, last October, my TV provider dropped RootSports so, this was a “radio only” season for me – which I actually quite enjoyed.

I was lucky enough to attend several games this season – all with my dad ❤
Unfortunately, that magical Friday night on the last day of September wasn’t one of them.
But, I was listening when, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th and the game tied at one, Cal Raleigh hit a 3-2 pitch off the windows of the Hit it Here Cafe at T-Mobile Park to drench Mariners fans in the sparkling excitement of possibility that is postseason baseball after 21 years of drought. I’m not sure that the hit has an official name yet but, undoubtedly it ranks with “the Double” that sent the M’s to their very first postseason. And, just as Dave’s call of Edgar’s historical hit, Rick’s call of Cal’s homer will be forever etched in M’s fans’ memories.

I may be tempting fate, as baseball fans tend to superstition but, I did purchase a few postseason tickets – as not even the ferry schedule will stop me from attending at least one if they come back home. As I was exiting the ballpark after the last regular season game I attended on Sunday, October 2nd, I very cognizant that it was not a given I would have to wait at least six months to return . . .

Never has uncertainty been so welcome.

Go M’s

of great starts, homer streaks and too many errors. . .

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Well, this was unexpected!

Whodathunk that the Mariners would be leading the majors in WINS after the first ELEVEN games?!? Granted, they’ve played TWO more games than every other team but the A’s but, still . . .

Going in to today’s rubber match w/the White Sox, this was the stat leader board . . .

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Yes! YOUR Seattle Mariners were leading in ALL the above offensive categories! (plus doubles and stolen bases – which didn’t show within the screen print) 🙂

And, AFTER today’s game . . .

the homer streak is alive! ELEVEN straight games with a home run!

And, the pitching isn’t all that bad – EIGHT wins from starters and SIX saves from relievers (despite our closer being on the IL)

And then there’s the defense . . .

once upon a time, among our strongest suits, now the weakest sauce 😦

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

best laid plans . . .

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Where did the first half go?

Well, at least I cannot be accused of being a fair-weather fan (not that the weather hasn’t been more than fair this summer) . . .

During the way too long stretch of lean years, I posted religiously (it seemed baseball WAS my religion) . . .

  • season after season
  • series after series
  • game after game
  • at-bat by at-bat
  • pitch by pitch

And now – FINALLY – they are enjoying some success despite some injuries (as usual) and a significant suspension (totally UNusual) but, my recent move necessitates a 4am wake-up call to start an extremely long daily commute that makes it nearly impossible to even watch entire games, let alone sit up and blog. And, attending in-person requires a lot of preparation and accommodation (the ferry only runs so late). I say this not to elicit pity – I would not trade my new home (or view) for anything – but, merely as a reason for my prolonged absence. Add to that planning (hosting) our daughter’s wedding this coming September . . . just not a lot of time for my Mariners 😦

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view from my living room on Anderson Island

But, hey – they seem to be faring pretty darned OK without me 😉

Sending FOUR well-deserving players to the All-Star Game (Edwin, Mitch, Nellie and Jean) and re-signing BOTH their GM AND their Skipper to long-term deals. They may have finally found the consistent leadership they’ve been seeking. Couple that with young players and vets alike that are contributing night-in and night-out and it’s made for a pretty special first half.

2018 All Star M’s

Jerry D

The Skip

Just know that they are always in my heart and on my mind – even if I’m not putting pen to paper (or keystrokes to the Internet)

Best,

~ Rosy

Anderson Island #WHEREiROOT

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OK, not the best game to get back in the swing . . .

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Made the journey down to AZ . . .

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though I freely admit, M’s Spring Training was not the only thing on my mind . . .

After many months of house sale/house purchase, moving into a rental and finally, moving into our “forever home” and out of storage ~ all during one of the coldest winters on record and so far, one of the wettest springs ~  I was ready for a little rest, relaxation and sunshine!!!

As it happens, I was with two gals from Seattle (one a non-baseball fan; one who likes, not loves it) and another who is a passionate Indians fan (she hails from Ohio) AND Padre fan (currently resides in SanDiego) so, all this to say I only managed to see ONE Mariners game . . . 😦

Mariners 2 | Padres 12

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which I can’t say I gained any sort of reasonable data from (other than, the Pads can hit ’em out when the wind is blowing 😉 )

Just a few observations/predictions . . .

  • MOST IMPROVED: the fact that (at the time of this game) Mike Zu was leading the team in walks, is a very good thing!
  • BEST NEWCOMER: have since heard an interview with Mitch Haniger and (with the notable exception of his love for ‘Bay area sports” – yuk!) he seems as advertised in both talent and like-ability 🙂
  • COMEBACK KID: as I’m sure others were – so excited when I saw Smiley in the WBC and now, he’s down with “soggy” arm – not exactly encouraging words from the Skipper 😦
  • TEAM COMPONENT IMPROVEMENT: speed and great outfield defense may actually be a thing this season
  • UNSUNG HEROS; I’m getting really good vibes about the bullpen (and that was even before we signed old friend Mark Lowe!)
  • ACE IN THE HOLE: and then there’s Felix – seems more motivated than ever before (down season last year when we finally had a little offense) – methinks he’s gonna do good 😉

 

One thing’s for sure . . .

craziness happens at ST for the previous WS winner ~ the line at the Cubs/Tribe game was insane!

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On a non-baseball note . . .

I highly recommend two restaurants: Indigo Crow (Cave Creek) and Dick’s Hideaway (Phoenix)

FOUR MORE DAYS ~ Go M’s!!!

Is this thing on???

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Been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time!

OK, not really lonely, just so many major events going on in my life the past year or so . . .

Not the least of which has been the joy of becoming a grandmother for the first time and the most recent of which was the huge life style change of selling our family home and moving to an island in the south Sound. My husband and I still have our same jobs but, wanted to downsize in anticipation of retirement but now, have an extreme commute. It’s all been good and all been worth it ~ just will take a bit of time to find a rhythm, adjust, adapt and fit everything in.

Can’t help but feel like a “bad fan” . . .

Not only for neglecting the blog but, also for my lack of keeping up with the news and notes on my favorite team. So, “whatever it takes” 😉 I vow to stay informed and provide some thoughts and feelings on a more regular basis from now on – starting tomorrow!

I’m currently in Arizona . . .

Needed a break from moving and unpacking so, decided to take a long “girls’ weekend”. I’m with more than Mariners fans so, we went to Giants/Padres yesterday, going to M’s/Padres tomorrow and Cubs/Tribe tomorrow night.

But, this trip is not only about baseball (gotta ease into it after so long) . . . .

So, it’s time for dinner and a casino 🙂

In the meantime, I’ll just leave this here . . .
(the view from out new home)

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the countdown begins . . .

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Sadly, the gridiron season ended much too soon for Seahawks fans but . . .

the good news is those of us who also love the M’s can get back to that diamond focus!

Although, I must admit, my attention and heart has been elsewhere for the past month or so, as I became a first time grandma in December – and, so far, it’s been quite the journey (see my other blog: Letters from GiGi). Can’t wait to take my grandson to Seahawks and M’s games 🙂

Anyway, was listening to KIRO 710 on the way home tonight and caught most of the interview with new Mariners manager: Scott Servais. I was quite impressed. He’s fairly soft spoken but, very thoughtful and articulate. I’ve heard various concerns regarding the fact that he’s never been a field manager but, listening to his experience with scouting, in the front front office, his history of working directly with Jerry Dipoto as well as the experienced coaches he’s surrounded himself with, gives me confidence 🙂

And, he has a plan and a vision.

Yes, we’ve heard that before but, I’m drinking the kool-aid because both he and Jerry seem to go out of their way to ensure everyone knows that it’s not just a plan for the big club. It is an organizational philosophy that will trickle down and float up. A competitive environment and a winning atmosphere – from Everett to Seattle and everywhere in-between.

hmmm… that sort of brings me back to the Hawks . . .

sounds a bit familiar, doesn’t it?

If Scott and Jerry can come anywhere close to Pete and John’s success, we are in for a fabulous summer ride for years to come ❤

 

 

1st 10 | of Spring Training stats and small sample sizes . . .

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sample size

 

So, if there was ever reason not to put too much stock into EITHER Spring Training stats OR the first two starts of the regular season for the rotation, this would be it . . .

 

 

Taijuan ~ best spring, worst so far
ST ERA = 0.67 in 27 IP
1st 2 ERA = 17.18 in 7.1 IP

Felix ~ bad spring but, no one was really worried
ST ERA = 10.22 in 12.1 IP
1st 2 ERA = 3.00 in 12 IP

J.A. ~ surprise of the bunch! 
ST ERA = 6.11 in 17.2 IP
1st 2 ERA = 2.70 in 13.1 IP

James ~ behind in spring so, expected to start slow
ST ERA = 7.84 in 10.1 IP
1st 2 ERA = 5.11 in 12.1 IP

Kuma ~ decent but short spring, maybe the most worrisome of them all
ST ERA = 3.27 in 11.0 IP
1st 2 ERA = 6.55 in 11.0 IP

not so great tidbit from Gary Hill . . .

BUT, this is precisely why I’m not going to panic just yet – you KNOW the pitching will get better. It’s just in their DNA

As for the hitters
~ Nelson and Ack are really the only starters to have carried over a great spring into the regular season.
~ Robbie, Kyle, Brad and Austin are off to very slow starts after decent springs.
~ Poor Zu had an awesome spring but is really struggling at the plate (glad he is so great behind it)
~ LoMo didn’t have a great spring but, he is running into extremely bad luck so far
~ Seth is really the only one that had a marginal spring but, came out on fire

And the relievers
Trying to assess them in spring, other than health, is an effort in futility with the small amount of work they get. That said . . .
~ The Bartender is on the 15-day DL (due to come off soon – supposedly nothing serious – some sort of collision with Danny in stretching drills).
~ Here’s hoping that Nando got his bad roller coaster endings out of the way early!
~ The “young ones” (Carson and Tyler) are doing great and fitting in
~ The rest of the “old guys” (Danny, Yoervis, Charlie and Dom) are pulling their usual weight nicely

And, from Gary Hill again (always full of interesting tidbits!)

So, that’s the first TEN in a nutshell.
Here’s to much improvement over the next 152 and beyond 🙂

 

will he, won’t he . . . will he, won’t he . . . stand pat today?

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buyers-sellers

With the yearly trade deadline fast approaching, teams are deciding whether they are buyers, sellers or stand-patters.

The M’s players I have heard mentioned most in the “rumor mill” are . . .
Kendrys Morales, Raul Ibanez, Oliver Perez and, to a lesser extent, Michael Morse and Tom Wilhelmsen

 

Here are my reasons for wanting to stand pat when it comes to Kendrys and Raul . . .

We FINALLY have seen the elusive “veteran presence” actually come to fruition ~ and be effective ~ in Seattle.

  • With Kendrys, there was good reason to expect he would provide a bit of a threat in the middle of the line up, and he has. What has been a somewhat pleasant surprise is the level of mentorship he has provided ~ reportedly, willingly sharing his knowledge and experience from the clubhouse to the dugout.
  • Then there’s Raul, who we knew would embrace the mentorship role but, the pleasant surprise with regard to him, has been the amazing production on the field. Due to the spate of OF injuries, he’s been pressed into way more regular service than was ever planned – man, has he delivered!

So, here we have two veteran players who are not only helping the team with their on field production (which is in turn helping the young players develop by taking some of the pressure off them) but, who are also providing mentorship so critical to a young team.

I think these two vets are worth way more to the M’s (even though, short of a ’95 miracle, they have no true hope of playing in the post season) than anything they might acquire in trade. Especially considering they would be “rentals” (due to their one-year contract status) therefore, reducing their value to other teams. Also, there’s the new qualifying offer deal that ensures the M’s would get some sort of compensation if they chose to become free agents at the end of the season.

As for Michael, Tom and Ollie . . .

I’m not really sure why Michael has been rumored in trade, since he’s currently on the DL (not yet even assigned to a re-hab stint).

I would be surprised if any teams were really interested in Tom, given the struggles he’s encountered this season. That said, I hope he can work through the funk he’s been in. He’s still young and there’s certainly nothing wrong with his velocity, seems it’s more of a location/confidence (or lack thereof) issue. What doesn’t kill ya makes ya stronger, as they say – hopefully, if he can work all the way through this, he’ll be better for it.

It seems like Ollie is the most likely candidate for trade, as good set up guys are always in demand and the M’s could “reshuffle” the deck to replace him easier than they could the others – what with Stephen Pryor coming back soon and the fact that there are other arms down on the farm that might be ready for a cup of coffee. Just all depends on the quality of return.

So, tomorrow is July 22 ~ nine days and counting . . .

 

Homer Happenings

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Here we are at the All Star Break and The King and Kuma are on their way to join in the festivities in New York.

In the meantime, I’ll take a look at the “1st half” highlights over the next couple of days – starting with the consecutive home run streak. Now, those who know me, know my love of defense and that my mantra has always been . . .

Chicks did the long ball but, REAL women love leather

That being said, even I must admit this little home run barrage the guys are on is pretty fun. I mean, it’s been more than a   L  O  N  G   while since the Mariners were tied for SECOND highest homer total in the MAJORS (115) at the break.

Here’s the distribution of the THIRTY-SEVEN home runs the Mariners have hit during the streak that started on June 20th in Anaheim . . .

  • Raul 10
  • Kyle 7
  • Kendrys 6
  • Justin 4
  • Jason 3
  • Nick 3
  • Michael S 2
  • Brendan 1
  • Guti 1

Multi-homer games
Raul and Kendrys each hit 2 homers in 1 game twice

Team breakdown

  • 1 homer – 12x
  • 2 homers – 6x
  • 3 homers – 3x
  • 4 homers – 1x

Here’s to the guys picking up the streak where they left it upon resumption of play on Friday!
and maybe Brad, Dustin, Endy, Henry and Mike Z can get on the board with a contribution or two 🙂