Why I'll Need a New Hobby

In 2001 the Seattle Mariners were the American League champions, having won 116 games in the regular season. The only other team to have won that many games was Chicago, in 1906. (And technically, one of those games was a forfeit so the Ms actually have a better record, in my estimation). Right. It is my firmly held conviction that, had 9/11 not happened, the Ms would have gone to and won the World Series. Unfortunately, the first team they faced in the playoffs was the New York Yankees and I don't care what anyone said at the time, it was a series of pity losses.

In 2002 and 2003 they finished the season with 93 wins. They haven't managed to do anything comparable since. The team has changed substantially since 2001 (way too many chaps from the 2001 team are in Yankee pinstripes) and up until yesterday, there were only 2 guys still on the team for whom I had any particular affection.

And now the Ms have traded Jamie Moyer to the Phillies. Jamie is in his early 40s, rather "old" to still be in the game, especially as a pitcher. He hasn't had a great season, 6-12. But in the 11 years since he's been with the team he has a record of 145-87. And he's a great guy. A stand up guy. A guy who is very involved in the community. He's got a slow, soft pitch but when he's on his game the best hitters in the game can't figure out what do with it. But he's old, the Ms stink and apparently 2 right-handed minor leaguers offer more hope for turning the team around than he does.

So it goes.

But this means that the only guy left on the team who I even care about is Ichiro. And he's young, he hates to lose and my guess is that as soon as his contract is up he's going to want to go somewhere else. Probably to the fracking Yankees. Which would really hurt.

Pft.