54-73

by Jeff Sullivan on Aug 27, 2005 1:35 AM PDT in Seattle Mariners News, Regular

Your quick Friday night recap...

Rookies have rough lives. If they come out of the gate pretty slowly, then they face an uphill battle in trying to establish themselves at the Major League level. Lacking experience and much of a track record, they can find themselves back in AAA before they know it.

On the other side of the spectrum, though, rookies who start out at the top of their game bring about high expectations, with the inevitable result being a sense of disappointment when they fail to consistently achieve perfection. That murmur you heard when Brian Anderson's second home run cleared the left-center wall was an audible manifestation of said disappointment, as the 40,000+ fans in attendance were all hoping for another sparkling start from Felix, a hope which flew out the window as soon as Anderson made contact. Nevermind that Felix was, yet again, absolutely spectacular (8/1 K/BB, 71% strikes); you're bound to see a few articles tomorrow morning about how he'll hit his roadblocks in the early going, and how he'll need to overcome adversity to become a successful Major League pitcher. Hogwash. While that may very well be true in the long run, tonight, Felix was great.

(Oh, but Eddie wasn't.)

Biggest Contribution: Julio Mateo, +33.6%
Biggest Suckfest: Eddie Guardado, -35.3%
Most Important Hit: Bloomquist triple, +37.6%
Most Important Pitch: Iguchi homer, -44.6%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): -11.6%
Total Contribution by Hitters: -48.4%

(What is this?)

Fewest Walks Drawn by Players with 75+ Plate Appearances:

0 (Livan Hernandez)
1 (Jose Lopez)
1 (Yuniesky Betancourt)

Yorvit Torrealba has reached base nine fewer times as a Mariner than Miguel Olivo did this year, in 111 fewer plate appearances.

Although you hate to see a #9 hitter end Felix's homerless streak, Brian Anderson isn't really a "nobody" - he's Chicago's top prospect, a 23 year old outfielder who hit .301 in the minors with a .483 SLG and a walk every ten plate appearances. Chris Snelling's home run didn't make Carlos Silva any less of a pitcher, and neither should Anderson's for Felix.

Careers That Today's Mariners Would Have Gone Into Had They Not Become Professional Baseball Players:

Ichiro: Yakuza
Bloomquist: Anchor Blue catalog model
Ibanez: Customer service for third-leading software developer
Sexson: Lumberjack who cuts down trees with his bare hands
Beltre: Unemployed
Dobbs: Bouncer at a gay nightclub
Betancourt: Migrant worker
Reed: Department store entrance greeter
Torrealba: Influential Venezuelan poet in the mold of Rafael Arraiz Lucca
Hansen: Harmless guy in the office who has a crush on the secretary but never works up the nerve to ask her out
Hernandez: God
Putz: Deer in the headlights
Sherrill: Actor/stuntman who takes over pitching scenes for Kevin Costner after production crew runs out of patience
Mateo: Appearing in "Before" pictures for cosmetic surgeons
Nelson: Convicted felon
Guardado: Paul Prudhomme

Can't do anything else tonight. Can't do anything tomorrow, either, as I'll be out of town and away from an Internet connection until midday Sunday. Jose Contreras vs. Joel Pineiro at 7:05pm PDT.

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Comedy Gold

Sexson: Lumberjack who cuts down trees with his bare hands
Dobbs: Bouncer at a gay nightclub
Hernandez: God
Nelson: Convicted felon

Made me laugh.

Although I'm curious as to why you said Beltre would be unemployed?

Who else but Quaqmire? giggity, giggity, giggity, giggity Let's Have SEX!!

by Goose on Aug 27, 2005 1:52 AM PDT reply actions

I'd hire Beltre

I could use some help with my filing.

by Gomez on Aug 27, 2005 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions

It really sucked

how Felix's streak of no extra base hits and no homers allowed ended today, but nonetheless, he was his amazing self. Nothing should be taken away from his excellent performances so far, including this game.

At the game, it was cool how the crowd would get into it, cheering, after Felix would get 2 strikes on an opposing batter. Haven't seen or heard that energy from M's fans in a while.

Hope's he keeps it up.
By the way, I bought my self a Felix T-shirt at an M's shop today. #59. $20.

by BeltredNOT on Aug 27, 2005 1:58 AM PDT reply actions

I saw a Felix jersey on I-90 tonight.

I was sitting in the 27th row behind home plate - great vantage point; however, I was sorely disappointed with the crowd. I remember M's games when the crowd would be on their feet every time there was two outs and two strikes on a batter. The only time the crowd got on its feet tonight was after Torrealba's home run (a few were up for Bloomquist's triple).

Never more than tonight have I noticed how sterile Safeco Field is (especially after talking with a coworker about the soullessness of the place) - no character, no personality. Watching an M's game at Safeco is like viewing a dead body.

Is it okay to love the Mariners but hate going to Mariners games?

by ryanhealy on Aug 27, 2005 2:13 AM PDT up reply actions

Tell me about it

A game is much more enjoyable when the crowd gets into it.Games were lots of fun to go to a few years ago, now its not really worth it.

I would absolutely love to go to a Cardinals game.

Who else but Quaqmire? giggity, giggity, giggity, giggity Let's Have SEX!!

by Goose on Aug 27, 2005 3:02 AM PDT up reply actions

Pfft.

Try Fenway. :D

David Ortiz > God

by Brian Sullivan on Aug 27, 2005 6:34 AM PDT up reply actions

Try M's-Redsox at Fenway

Best of both worlds. Get to cheer for the M's and be in a great baseball enviroment. That was one of the best games I've been too - even though the M's lost (in 10)

My NHL Blog

by phil333 on Aug 27, 2005 9:37 AM PDT up reply actions

Experienced diehard fans needed

Please contact Safeco Field ticket office. Bring resume, and at least $7.

Keep in mind the Mariners have only existed since 1977 and the only real winning years this team had were in the mid/late 90's up until two years ago. Fans here probably don't have the diehard, live and die with the team's fortunes mentality that tens of thousands of 3rd or 4th generation Red Sox, Yankees and Cubs fans have.

Plus, the only strikeout masters we've ever had are Felix and Randy Johnson. Keep in mind who we've sent to the hill recently, Felix aside. Getting up for two strikes seems pretty dumb to the casual fan after a while, given 99% of the time the next pitch is a ball, or fouled off, or driven deep into the gap for extra bases. So I can see why relatively new fans to the game don't get amped for two strikes with two down.

Plus, the city's been spoiled with the team's recent success. Fans are accustomed to 90+ wins and great players, so the excitement level is probably down for a bunch of rookies (at least in the ignorant minds of the casual fans) and a club on pace for 90+ losses. I talked with people before the game who didn't even know who Felix was!

Not to defend it. It sucks the crowd can't get into, and get jacked for, their team, and the most you'll ever see is half the crowd up and clapping with Zombie Nation after a go-ahead or game-tying run.

by Gomez on Aug 27, 2005 10:20 AM PDT up reply actions

Speaking of bleh fans

A quartet of vocal, entertaining White Sox fans were sitting behind me in the centerfield bleachers, joyously commentating on what they saw from their beloved Sox, a far cry from the quiet, hands-clasped-in-their-laps Mariner fans around us.

Once the 9th inning was over, a slew of fans got up and left. You expect to see a smattering of fans who need to get going leaving after the 9th, but seriously, half the fans in attendance (40K+) were gone before Mateo threw the first pitch in the 10th. The Sox fans, of course, lit into a tirade on the fair-weather, ditching-their-team Mariner fans for having no dedication to their team, as dozens filed out of the bleachers around us.

I wasn't about to turn around and argue, because I agreed with what they said.

by Gomez on Aug 27, 2005 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions

Jeff..

..Have I ever told you I love you? Can't buy entertainment like the Landing, it must be said. (When was the last time a standup comic did a bit on Yorvit Torrealba?)

David Ortiz > God

by Brian Sullivan on Aug 27, 2005 6:35 AM PDT reply actions

Safety dance

I'm not sure if I had more of a problem with the designated hitter popping out foul twice, or with Ichiro popping out foul twice.

By the way, Ichiro's .245-hitting August so far is his worst month since...August of 2003 (.242).

As for the atmosphere at the Safe, I think one of the bigger problems other than that the unknowledgeable fans won't make noise and would rather talk on cellphones or try to lock up an important client, I've always thought the acoustics had something to do with it. It seems to me that there's never really any "buzz" that stays in the ballpark because that's what escapes to the sky and isn't contained by a roof. Conversely, I sat at then-Seahawks Stadium a couple years ago in the uncovered section on the south end and it was pretty loud though it was probably only at one-third of capacity. That one-third was able to see Wake Forest pound the Oregon Ducks that day.

Of course, the solution to all of this would be to make me the Safeco Field DJ. I've one one year of junior hockey experience under my belt. Nothing says "family experience" like having the Mariners take the field to "Angel of Death" by Slayer.

Sports and Bremertonians. Because we can.

by wackomann on Aug 27, 2005 7:18 AM PDT reply actions

I think...

this game will definitely be a good thing for Felix. While we still got the pleasure of watching this kid pretty much dominate major league hitters, Anderson let him know that he is not invincible. I know that Felix is very humble about himself, and may not see himself as doing anything other than just doing his job, but there needs to be a lot of respect for the quality of hitters in the majors as opposed to AAA. In the long run, this will work in the favor of the King.

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Aug 27, 2005 7:59 AM PDT reply actions

I was wrong

Felix didn't come to Earth in the Twins game last week. He only fell from the stratosphere to about 30,000 feet. It was THIS GAME in which he fell to Earth. And he was still very, very good.

I'm not sure Brian N. Anderson even knows it himself, but he has figured out Felix Hernandez. Fortunately, the rest of the league has not. And not to say that Felix can be figured out and taken to the woodshed: a) in case no one's noticed, he has a 97 mph fastball, changes speeds very well on his changeup and throws a 12 to 6 destroyer curve. Hitting that is tough no matter how well you figure the pitcher out and b) As Felix gains experience he will learn how to adapt as hitters figure out his gameplan, and continue to get guys out. All the great ones do.

But Brian Anderson, he of 13 career ABs before last night, was able to drop two bombs on Felixland (which is like flying into Russia untouched and nuking the Kremlin) and drive another pitch for extra bases. Once is a fluke, three times is something to note. He's a talented rookie, but we've seen other talented hitters wave at strike three from Felix. Brian has the ring and he doesn't even know it. Hopefully, Felix's game diversifies and by the time the rest of the league gets The Precious, it won't matter.

Big F'ing deal. I'm sure Felix was upset with himself for a grand total of 0.62 seconds. He will be back and making hitters look bad in 4 days.

by Gomez on Aug 27, 2005 10:30 AM PDT reply actions

I'm glad

that no one here is overreacting (not that I expected it from this group). If that's a bad or off night for Felix than I will gladly take one of those every half dozen or starts because he still left us in a position to win. If we didn't have the second worst offense in the AL we probably would've cruised and Brian Anderson's home runs would've been a mere footnote.

I too would like to know why you said Beltre would be unemployed.

Time to see if the Mariner's online store has those Felix tshirts...

by bluemax on Aug 27, 2005 2:16 PM PDT reply actions