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Woo hoo! The Orioles scored three in the ninth, including two on a walk-off home run by Adam Jones, to beat KC, 5-3.

The Mariners start a 10 game home stand tonight with the first of three games against the Yankees. Rookie Michael Pineda (6-2) is on the mound for the M's. King Felix pitches tomorrow night so it would be really nice to start this home stand off with a couple of wins. The M's are 24-25, have gone 8-2 over their last 10, and really need to win at least six of the 10 home games. Baltimore and Tampa Bay are the next two opponents.

EDIT: I'm anxiously awaiting the line-up announcement for tonight's game. Chone (my momma can't spell) Figgins* is really stinking it up at the plate (~.202) and popular discussion on Seattle Sports Radio is he will either be benched or dropped in the line-up from batting 2nd to batting 9th. Figgins is an extremely unpopular player and dropping him to 9th in the batting order will be interesting. Perhaps he will blow a gasket and the M's can dump him the way they dumped fellow troublemaker Milton Bradley.

* His first name with conventional spelling is Sean. Wow! Chone? Really? If Sean is good enough for Mr. Connery it should be good enough for anyone.

The Reds topped the Braves last night, but so far this has not been a very good road trip(2-6 after last night's win).

The Mariners went 7-3 during their 10 game home stand winning two of three against the Yankees and Orioles and three of four against the Rays. Now it's off on a seven game road trip to play the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. The M's are 31-28 and have won 15 of their last 20 games. It is shaping up to be a fun baseball summer in Seattle.

The Reds have not been playing well, thankfully one of the beneficiaries has been the Dodgers. The Red Sox are one game out of first in the AL East after a miserable start. Why it's always too early to throw in the towel after 12 games.

Okay Braves, please beat up on the Rangers in inter-league play! Us Mariners fans are Braves fans this weekend. Let's go Wilson and EarlJam work your mojo and will the Braves to victory.

Bob Green wrote:Okay Braves, please beat up on the Rangers in inter-league play! Us Mariners fans are Braves fans this weekend. Let's go Wilson and EarlJam work your mojo and will the Braves to victory.

Bob, the pride of Walnut Cove, NC, Dustin Ackley, is supposed to make his major league debut tonight for the Mariners. B's church is in Walnut Cove, and the town is throwing a big bash at the local high school auditorium so people can watch on the big screen, and Rotary is selling hot dogs and popcorn and the like.

Since young Mr. Ackley is from that school at the dump on the hump, I will stay home and paint my nails or wash my hair or something.

lawgrad91 wrote:Since young Mr. Ackley is from that school at the dump on the hump, I will stay home and paint my nails or wash my hair or something.

Yeah, everyone is excited about Ackley. He is starting at 2nd base and batting seventh. Sports Radio is saying this is the most anticipated debut since Alex Rodriguez. Even though Ackley is a Tar Heel, I'm watching the game.

Bob Green wrote:

lawgrad91 wrote:Since young Mr. Ackley is from that school at the dump on the hump, I will stay home and paint my nails or wash my hair or something.

Yeah, everyone is excited about Ackley. He is starting at 2nd base and batting seventh. Sports Radio is saying this is the most anticipated debut since Alex Rodriguez. Even though Ackley is a Tar Heel, I'm watching the game.

My friend Robin, who says she hasn't watched a baseball game since Hank Aaron played for the Milwaukee Braves, just texted to ask if I could tell her how to find the game on TV.

Dustin Ackley batted 1-4 and hit the ball hard all four at bats. Moreover, he turned a critical double play as the Mariners won 4-2.

What's up with the Braves????

Bob Green wrote:Dustin Ackley batted 1-4 and hit the ball hard all four at bats. Moreover, he turned a critical double play as the Mariners won 4-2.

What's up with the Braves????

He also had a great assist on a key double play. Chone Figgins, on the other hand, still struggling in the field. (And am I the only one who wants to call him "Choe-nee" instead of "Sean"?) Still, great win, good to see League get another save, and a solid victory against a current NL powerhouse.

I was there for ARod's first trip to the majors with the Mariners...

I saw Juan Marachal's first pitch in the Astrodome...it was wild. Really wild! It hit the backstop after flying at least ten feet over the batter's head.

I'm so far behind that I'm reaching back to '66? 65? I can't f&%kin' remember.

My first (and only) Orioles game was the last game Cal Ripken didn't play in before his streak started. That was in 1982.

lawgrad91 wrote:My first (and only) Orioles game was the last game Cal Ripken didn't play in before his streak started. That was in 1982.

The last Orioles game I attended was in 1998, and Cal Ripken was on 3rd Base!!! Beautiful stadium.

The Mariners are turning into Carolina West. They have called up Kyle Seager from AAA Tacoma and he will be starting at 3B tonight in his MLB debut. So in tonight's line-up, we have Dustin Ackley (North Carolina) at 2B, Kyle Seager (North Carolina) at 3B and Justin Smoak (South Carolina) at DH. Smoak normally starts at 1B but is being given a fielding night off in this weird quasi-baseball game we play in the AL.

Seager started the year in the Southern League playing for AA Jackson. He was called up to AAA Tacoma when Ackley was called up to Seattle. In 12 games at AAA, Seager batted .455 with 12 RBIs and 16 runs scored. For a team with an anemic offense like the Mariners have, that represents way too much potential not to be given an immediate opportunity at the top level.

Meanwhile, the city of Seattle continues to have a love affair with Ackley. Young Dustin is hitting .302 with 3 HRs, 8 RBIs and 9 runs scored. Ackley has immediately become the most consistent hitter on the Mariners roster.

I wonder how many Seattle Mariners fan have been to Winston-Salem, Kannapolis and Goose Creek which are the birth places of the above mentioned players?

DevilWearsPrada2.0 wrote:

lawgrad91 wrote:My first (and only) Orioles game was the last game Cal Ripken didn't play in before his streak started. That was in 1982.

The last Orioles game I attended was in 1998, and Cal Ripken was on 3rd Base!!! Beautiful stadium.

Unfortunately, that was about the last time they were even remotely worth a shit (i.e., relevant) in baseball.

The Orioles DO, however boast one of the greatest contributions to present-day baseball: Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This park set the mold and the standard for all other parks built over the last 20 years to follow. Seriously, quite a cool legacy. Now they just need to get a winning team to play in it again.

-EarlJam

Tired of the closer blowing 2 of the last 3 games. And nearly blowing the 3rd.

EarlJam wrote:

DevilWearsPrada2.0 wrote:

lawgrad91 wrote:My first (and only) Orioles game was the last game Cal Ripken didn't play in before his streak started. That was in 1982.

The last Orioles game I attended was in 1998, and Cal Ripken was on 3rd Base!!! Beautiful stadium.

Unfortunately, that was about the last time they were even remotely worth a shit (i.e., relevant) in baseball.

The Orioles DO, however boast one of the greatest contributions to present-day baseball: Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This park set the mold and the standard for all other parks built over the last 20 years to follow. Seriously, quite a cool legacy. Now they just need to get a winning team to play in it again.

-EarlJam

Absolutely right re Camden Yards, EJ. But I saw quite a few games at old Memorial Stadium, and it was a perfectly good ballpark - it should have been one of the last to go, not the first. With the right kind of vision, they could have kept it as a classic neighborhood park like Fenway or Wrigley... IMHO, the powers-that-be should have started blowing up the concrete bowls first - the Vet, Three Rivers, Riverfront, etc...

Turk wrote:

EarlJam wrote: The Orioles DO, however boast one of the greatest contributions to present-day baseball: Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This park set the mold and the standard for all other parks built over the last 20 years to follow. Seriously, quite a cool legacy. Now they just need to get a winning team to play in it again.

-EarlJam

Absolutely right re Camden Yards, EJ. But I saw quite a few games at old Memorial Stadium, and it was a perfectly good ballpark - it should have been one of the last to go, not the first. With the right kind of vision, they could have kept it as a classic neighborhood park like Fenway or Wrigley... IMHO, the powers-that-be should have started blowing up the concrete bowls first - the Vet, Three Rivers, Riverfront, etc...

What Turk said. Memorial Stadium was a perfectly good venue, and with renovations, it could easily have been the classic baseball park. I also agree that the concrete bowls should have gone first.

Also agree with EJ that the Birds need a team worth a shit. They could use an owner worth a shit, too.