3/18: Open game thread

My walk to school this morning was, as usual, narrated by Buster Olney's Baseball Tonight podcast (which, as a side note, has gotten progressively more interesting over the years but still can't touch the majesty that was once Eric Karabell, Mark Simon, and Keith Law during their Baseball Today run), and one of the middle segments really got me thinking.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, the Giants have been having a bit of trouble this spring. They currently sit at 4-12 and have been rocked by both injuries and loss of key players from their 2010-2014 whatever-it-was-or-is-dynasty. Now sure, it's only spring training. Anyone that would put immense scrutiny upon the outcome of games which have nearly half their running time manned by 18-year-old children and 35-year-old journeymen carrying newly re-attached limbs is missing the point altogether. But then again, when the last page of the last chapter was holding up the World Series trophy with Chevy Guy, and the next starts with Bruce Bochy telling the world his team isn't "even close to being ready," well, then you have to do a bit of a double take.

Which is weird, absolutely weird to think about. Because usually what happens on the day that the Mariners release their new commercials is that you watch them and maybe laugh, and then you go right back to realizing the team isn't even close to being ready and that the baseball gods are monsters, and why do you let this happen to yourself every year? But this time you can watch them and then look at the lineup for this here game and think that wait what's this strange warmth in the bottom of my stomach? Hope? Contentment? Bad Indian food?

#Mariners #Athletics lineups pic.twitter.com/31xE8On3Gg

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 18, 2015

There isn't a single player on that there lineup card that "isn't even close to being ready." Maybe starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez, but truth be told he could be a starting five on a Major League club somewhere today, so that doesn't even work either. And what's weirder is that the Mariners don't exactly have the most sterling win-loss record in franchise history either, but...well...can you honestly tell me you care? That it matters?

Maybe you could be worried that Lloyd wants to hit Rickie Weeks leadoff today. But that's silly because he has a dental appointment and wants to get in three at bats at the expense of smart lineup construction, because it's March 18th. Maybe you could wish that some of the actual Mariners pitchers could get in time against real hitters this spring, which is kind of a legitimate concern, but also there are two more weeks of this so...eh?

Either way, the Mariners are going to play this here game against the Athletics at 1:05, and the Giants might mope around a little bit, and Felix and the gang are probably going to be laughing at Tom Wilhelmsen and Charlie Furbush or something. At this rate, I think I'm the one that's not even close to being ready. But that's a fine problem to have, in any case.

Game info

• Mariners, Athletics: 1:05 PM PST
• TV: ROOT, MLB Network
• Radio: 710 ESPN (delayed), live @ mlb.com