Top 50 Mariner Moments, 2007: #13

July 29th: Ben Broussard points at something.

Box score & PBP

Game thread, part 1

Game thread, part 2

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Ever since Broussard hit this game- and - for a few weeks - season-changing home run, people have been trying to figure out what he was pointing at as he jogged to first base. Some of the hypotheses include:

(1) Richie Sexson, whom Broussard had replaced after Sexson got ejected an inning earlier

(2) the Mariner dugout

(3) the crowd

(4) the heavens

However, I don't think any of these are correct, for the following reasons:

(1) having been ejected, Sexson would've been somewhere in the clubhouse and unable to see the point

(2) you'll notice that Broussard is clearly pointing somewhere above the dugout. It isn't hard to control where you're pointing. If he wanted to point at the dugout, he'd have pointed at the dugout

(3) why would he point at the crowd? What did the crowd have to do with anything?

(4) the sky is up

After spending countless hours trying to solve this particular mystery, I decided that if we were ever going to get a satisfactory explanation, we'd have to think bigger picture. What if the thing at which Ben was pointing wasn't actually inside the stadium? This was an angle that had yet to be explored, so with the help of the screenshot and Google Maps, I set about my investigation.

Estimating Broussard's location and the direction of his point, I drew a line out of Safeco, heading southeast.

Nothing there. Just parking, warehouses, and railroad equipment. But what if we extend the line a little further?

Bingo.

After blasting his dramatic home run, Ben Broussard raised his right arm and pointed at Mount Rainier, as if to say "today, it's my turn to tower over the city." And, by concealing itself within a blanket of clouds, the mountain complied. Some may criticize the gesture as being needlessly brash, but Broussard was merely embracing his newfound status as local folk hero and bringer of joy. One man's braggadocio is another man's befitting self-assuredness.

Broussard would never again achieve the same level of theatrical awesomeness, but he didn't have to - he'd already left his footprint, and the memories will surely last a lifetime. Players will hit home runs and players will point, but they'll never point like Ben. They'll never point like Ben.

Honorable Mentions
#50
#49
#48
#47
#46
#45
#44
#43
#42
#41
#40
#39
#38
#37
#36
#35
#34
#33
#32
#31
#30
#29
#28
#27
#26
#25
#24
#23
#22
#21
#20
#19
#18
#17
#16
#15
#14