Reverse This Curse

So, after making breaking my record of most blogs in a month i seem to have all but disappeared from the blogsphere. No choice of my own as this is perhapes one of my favorite past times. However, with all the turn over at work it has left me extremely worn out and not alot of time to make entries.

Here are a few bullet points on whats going on around here.

• I was going to make a blog post yesterday about what to look at the rest of the season but there have been so many i'm kind not wanting to join the masses... just feels redundent

• Russell Branyan has actually been pretty average defensively which is a shocker... 0.2 RAR and 0.0 UZR...

• The Mariners won two games in a row and actually made a dent in the deficent towards first place...until they lost today... oh well.. -9 games back...only 6.5 back from the WC not that it matters.

• Erik Bedard should be let go. He is better off going to another team. Too many expectations and with the injuries there is no point paying him to be on the DL when we have other holes on this team that need to be addressed

• Awesome link about DH's and the HoF

Sweet Emotion

Okay, I realize being a Mariner fan that this could come off as biast and "homer" type behavior. But, I really didnt start thinking about this until Hayden mentioned something the other day. He said, "Boy, Branyan totally got screwed out of the home run durby like Ian Kinsler for an All-Star spot" my intial reaction was "Well, whatever, you know" I thought "He should be taking time off during this three day period and get pumped up for the second half. But seriously ... this guy has hit some massive bombs! Most recently off the facade of the "Hit-it-here Cafe". The guy is the equivilent to Barney off of "How i met your mother" He comes up with the most ridiculous shots. You think oh this is the time he is going to strike out and he hits yet another bomb.

Currently Russell the muscle is ranked at #4 in the American League for most "No Doubt" home runs. How exactly no doubt home runs are calculated, I don't know. I just know that he hits them a freakin long way. With an avg length of 416 feet. Thats freakin long and freakin 19 feet further than the avg major leaguer home run...

How could you want someone like Joe Mauer over a pure unadultrated slugger like Russell Branyan. Thats like saying ... im going to go ahead and choose Peter Peterilli to run hiliary clintons campain over Nathan. Like Seriously?? Your going to choose the guy who has every power except for having a steady personality over the guy that rules at politics?? Okay for those that arn't "Heroes" fans .. thats like choosing the best avilable stock brocker to sell reality. Its just dumb...





But dont just take my word for it here is Mauers home run stats.

Mauer averages home runs of just 390 in length. Now im not here to criticize the guys homers. Heck hes a great hitter. I think the best catcher in baseball right now. But, look in a HOME RUN competition dont you want a HOME RUN HITTER?

Bud Selig again you fail.

Aboard the Lepor Colony

You know as hard as it was to see melky cabera's double in the 8th .. the mariners hung with one of the best teams in the league last night... and i must say i was proud of the way that Brandon Morrow approached last nights game. he obviously had a game plan, unfortunately like the past few weeks his control hindered him from being really effective.


So uh... how about Chris Woodward ..yeah .. i feel bad for him and that single handedly showed how much we are going to miss Beltre for the next few months defensively.


Im waiting for Russell Branyan to just absloutely destroy a pitch over right field wall ...


Ken Griffey Jr in left field was a bad idea and that double highlighted it .. why wasnt balentine in at that point? i mean dont get me wrong he's not by any one standards a "good defensive outfielder" however it would have been better than someone who is having his knee drained nightly.

Yuni to second -- Jose to third -- Cedeno will stay at short .... interesting take by USSM and reported by Larry Larue

Nice to see Kenji Johjima have a good hit but that double play he hit into in the like 2nd was completely predictable and again highlights our lack of effeciency with runners in scoring position.

So i guess that whenever my PITCHf/x tracker loads ill review brandon morrows locations. i will most likely post it up here whenever im done.

chaio

And im down to my last day..

Being in the military there comes a time where you get to ask yourself. "If today was my last day what would i do?" Sometimes it comes across selfish and I would answer "I would spend it all with my family, doing the things we all love and get one last moment with them." But, lest we forget what our main goal in life is that we may continue to further the kingdom of God. Maybe spend that last day spending it with friends and family telling them about Jesus Christ and their need for salvation. Its always hard to make that call and honestly by the time you end up trying to make the best decision possible, its already over.

Sounds sad, but really for alot of people it is reality.

For me, I dont look at my situation this way. Im only leaving for a short time. Yes, Six months is a good bit of time. But, really compared to many Men and Women that serve this country that is merely a blink of an eye compared to the years of service they will spend there.

I've been trying to figure out a way to put this blog together it started out as one with my wife (AJ) while making fun of Derek Jeter and lifes little funny nuences and it turned into writing about sports and then focusing on my love of baseball and the Seattle Mariners. I know not everyone really cares about them and thats okay. I know its a silly game and compared to the real issues of life that hang in the balance daily, its nothing. But that silly game makes me smile and reminds me how simple this life really is....a simple thrown ball, a bat to hit it with and some bags to touch as you run around a dirt diamond make up a sport that our country has been in love with for about 140 years.

At 17 i knew i didnt have the athletic ability nor the talent to make it very far in baseball. Looking back i know i didnt work as hard as i could have and i know that if i really wanted too i could have very possibly pieced together a independent career (but who really wants that) struggled and was tortued by the thought that i couldn't be involved with the game that i loved as i grew up so as a junior in highschool, i junked it. i threw it away like an old t shirt. ignoring and missing out on an amazing 2001 seattle mariners season.

While i was away from reality the Mariners really didnt do much and it seems to me that they took that same mental brake from the game. Only to have now found a new direction one pointed towards a succesful future, and i refuse (to lose lol) to miss out on it again.

I know my responsibility with the Lord and i know where he has pointed me thus far in my life and i know that i shouldnt get comfortable because just that time that i do he's got something else for me. I know that in the future ahead he has something thats great for me in the future.

This all culminates to 5 easy bullet statements. What are the top 5 things i feel im going to miss out on, as the season progresses strickly concerning the seattle mariners.


5. Felix Hernandez, i think this guy might just have the ability to turn around win 18 games. THAT WOULD BE GREAT!

4. Russell Branyan 40 Hr year .. i think he can... i think he can..

3.The flurry of trades and menauvers that Jack Z and Donny W are going to make upcoming!


2. The Griffey fairwell, once and for all the goodbye to The Kid IN A SEATTLE MARINERS UNIFORM!!

1. Seeing Ichiro get hits 200th hit this year and breaking the record for most 200 hit seasons in a row.

Smile like you mean it!

Wow okay i know that i really need to try and keep up with this and like hayden was saying in his blog, after time it just becomes hard to keep up with everything. Not to mention there is some but not ALOT of things going on. News has been coming in slowly. After the MLB draft nothing seems to have been really popping.

So lets go over what IS currently going on..

- Brewers look to possibly making a play for Erik Bedard


i think this A) works in our best possible interest because Jack Zduriencik is came from that organization as scouting director. he knows the prospects and B) The phillies are more interested in Washburn than Bedard.

The reason that i saw they are more intrested in Washburn is simple. They have Sam Perlozzo (who i love!) as a coach, he has seen bedard as a member of the Mariners pitching staff last year and he knows how many issues Bedard has with the media and adjusting to a new city. Seattle was bad enough do you really think that moving him to Philly is going to be easier? Plus the phillies employ Pat Gillick as a special advisor. As a former member of both the Mariners and the Orioles, i can't believe that Gillick would be infavor of this move. If and that is a BIG IF, the mariners made this issue. i dont think we would get nearly that much back as a Peavy, a Josh Johnson or another type A pitcher.

- Project Balentine is failing .. so very badly at this point.

Now dont miss understand me. He has made great adjustments to last year. But really, there was no place to go but up. He has 38 games, and while his BB%/K% has improved, its nothing to ride home about. He is suppose to give the line-up more power but has only one home run and been homerless for a month and a half. His defense is sitting at -6.9 uzr. He has more room to grow and started this season on a great streak almost moving Endy Chavez out of the platoon spot. However, coming back down to earth the past 6 weeks he has gone the exact opposite direction currently sitting at .218/.273/.336

I have to suspect that at this point he is a trade chip in whatever deal Jack Zduriencik is working. Michael Saunders has bee killing the ball at AAA and with his prospect status i am willing to bet that by August, Saunders will make his debut in blue.


- Morrow, blah, word vomit, blah


Everyone knows that Morrow is know being converted back to a started. like the volkswagon said, thats cool.

no needs to beat a dead horse. If you want more info on the situation check out USS Mariner, Lookout Landing or either of the Seattle Times page.


- 5.5 Games behind Texas

Yeah so what, i mean seriously this isnt an issue. The Rangers arnt going to win more than 88 games (if that) unless they make a move (which with their prospects its completely possible) they dont have the pitchers to really make a move. This division is up for grabs for whoever really wants it the most.

The question is at what point do we throw in this towel? At 5.5 we dont feel out of it but what about at 8 or 9. Do we feel the same at that point or do we start looking to next year.

I really like the idea that Dave Cameron and Mike Salk discussed the other day on 710 ESPN, and that was Buying AND Selling at the same time. Much like the A's and Billy Bean in the late 90s or much like Jack Zs trade early this year with JJ Putz. He got Chavez, Vargas and Gutz but also Carp and Carerra (who i love). Its about gathering players not just for tommorrow but also for today.



Other things to think about

When does Adam Moore come up ? I really hope they continue to wait until September (atleast)

Who plays third when/if Aidren is traded? I like the idea of keep branyan to play third, and bring either clement or carp up to play first to give us another left handed bat.

Where are all those guys we drafted in 2008? I was curious so i looked it up... check out the website below.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/draft/2008/26.shtml

fly, fly, fly away....

No, this isn't refering to me being on my trip. Which i'm tottally enjoying. i love nothing more than staying up late and playing cards while listening to Dave Neihaus. It is AMAZING!

But, with the girls off watching the American Idol finale i thought it apporiate that i take some time and give a quick Top 5

Top 5: Thing i love most about the 2009 Mariners

5. The return of Erik Bedard. He has really been a great pitcher this year and will never justify the trade that bill bivasi made for him. but he has been what the Mariners thought he would have been last year. An ace equivelent.

4. The pitching of chris jakubauskas/David Aardsma has been exciting!!

--Chris's curve ball is coming along, and should it ever really progress i believe his ceiling could grow beyond a #5 starter....... Please don't misunderstand me... He has had some TERRIBLE games. But then he has some solid games. tonight was a good one...next week will probley be pathetic. it's kind of a crap shoot..

--As for David has stepped up beyond what we expected. He thought he would be solid but stepping into the closer spot being removed and then stepping back up is awesome. He goes about his buisness and is a professional. I love it and i love seeing him in the ninth even if he blows it!

3. franklin gutierrez in center field.. He has shown why he was the center piece of the off-season movement in seattle. amazing glove, great speed, and is growing as a hitter.

2 .The progression of Wladimir Balentine.. He has flown out twice and struck out in the bottom of the 8th with a runner at third. But, more and more he continues to impress me. I love seeing him hit because i feel he has a chance to do anything when he's up.

1. Russ Branyan. Dude this guy is the old man version of chris davis(without the dazzeling defense). This guy hits the ball a solid mile! I love when he gets a hold of the ball it's hit harder than anyone i have seen on the Mariners in a LONG, LONG time...Infact i think the last time i saw a guy like russ was when Jay was in right field. I love seeing him hit and just like Wlad even though he is a feast or faminie guy ... i still love watching him hit as he makes me feel he can change the game. He makes me buy into this team more than i should, and every team needs one player just like that.

...ps... 4 man--shut out... against the angles .. amazing!!!