I've got my second post up on the Brock & Salk blog this morning, and it's basically a thousand words of Michael Pineda covered in drool, so go check it out if you're in the mood to forget about the losing streak and read about a guy singularly capable of saving kittens, curing SARS, and zapping the Washington cloud cover to nothing. The first couple paragraphs:
It was just a few days ago that Brendan Ryan and the miracle Mariners walked off over the White Sox, and we couldn't help but entertain the notion that this team might actually remain a factor in the race deep into the season. With talented pitching and an opportunistic lineup, who was to say the Mariners couldn't be this year's surprise contender?
Now, less than a week later, we've come to realize that "opportunistic" is another word for "bad", and the Mariners have lost four in a row. They haven't fallen out of the race completely, and they're still only 4.5 games back of the first-place Angels, but the sudden skid has helped lend some perspective. This little losing streak is a reminder that, while the M's would love to win in 2011, the real focus is on developing for 2012 and beyond.
Here's a link to the rest. I'm not sure how much of this I haven't mentioned at some point or another already on LL, but, man, who cares? Is there anything more fun as a fan of a mediocre baseball team than reading about an incredible rookie who's exceeding expectations? I declare that, no, there is not.
Also, my five-minute radio spot has already been uploaded to the page for easy listening. Listen for the divine intervention!