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Mariners Moose Tracks, 11/2/19: Phillips Valdéz, Juan Soto’s dad, Sean Doolittle, and Mariah Carey

All I want for Christmas is meeeeeeeeeee

MLB: Game One-Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers
Phillips Valdez: Very Long
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Hello! It is I, your friendly neighborhood Kate, doing the links today, as Becca is off taking her SATs. Everyone send some good thoughts Becca’s way. I had to take the SATs twice because my math score was so poor the first time around it wasn’t even passable for “okay we know you’re going to be an English major.” Also, though, down with standardized testing. Once I was proctoring a test to a bunch of third graders in North Philly and the reading passage was all about a girl who was getting her horse ready for a dressage competition, because the test covered all of Pennsylvania, including the horse-having parts. Dressage! I’m still mad about it. Let’s have some links to smooth things over.

In Mariners news...

  • In case you missed it, the Mariners made a waiver claim yesterday, plucking 6’3” righty Phillips Valdez out of the Rangers organization.
  • Talented pitching coach Rob Marcello Jr. not only is staying with the organization (losing him was one of my biggest off-season fears), but also receiving a promotion up to Triple-A Tacoma. Here’s hoping they de-juice the baseballs before he gets there.

Around the league...

  • I don’t know about you, but Juan Soto’s dad was my Series MVP.
  • Vera Clemente and the Clemente family are in our thoughts.
  • Nothing official yet, but it looks like the Mets will be hiring Carlos Beltrán as their next manager.
  • While Beltrán moves on, former teammate Mike Cameron is not about that managerial life...at least, not yet. (I am #TeamCammy on this front. I would have no interest in being sliced and diced every day on sports radio.)
  • Nelson Cruz has decided to start hitting golf balls. Be afraid, golf balls everywhere.
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Getting some cuts in ¿Futuro golfista?

A post shared by Nelson Cruz (@ncboomstick23) on

Kate’s Pick:

I fully admit to being one of these terrible people who switches full-on into holiday mode the day after Halloween ends. Get out of my face, fall! I only love winter now. Fetch me my holiday-scented lotions and candles with idiot names like Frosted Cranberry Noel Campfire, and my set of red-and-green flannel pajamas that it is objectively too warm for but I will wear anyway until I pass out from heat exhaustion, and cue up the worst Christmas songs on the hi-fi. Debbie Gibson? Baha Men? Rebecca Black? I will consume all their holiday songs GLEEFULLY. Look, I know it’s awful, but I take solace in knowing it’s not just me.

Every year, Mariah positions herself a little closer to one day textbooks being written about the ancient 21st century rite of Mariahsmas and while I don’t condone it, I respect it.