by | August 11, 2012 · 10:17 am

Fighting the Impossible

Earlier this week as the Huskies started practice, I wrote about the potential comeback of Deontae Cooper.  The immensely talented and likeable UW running back was fighting to make his Husky debut after losing his first two seasons to knee injuries.  Unfortunately, that will be delayed at least another year, as Cooper tore his ACL again on Wednesday.  The only possible positive is that this time it was to his other knee, making a recovery slightly more likely, but that’s hardly anything to celebrate.

Cooper hasn’t said for sure either way, but the expectation is that he will try once again to return for next season.  No one would blame him in the least if he decided to retire, and he still might do so, but that doesn’t seem to be his desire at the moment.

Barring a comeback that would be improbable and miraculous, Cooper will never be a Husky great.  It’s extremely doubtful he ever even sees the field.  His lack of productivity has nothing to do with a lack of effort or desire, though.  He has knees of glass and a will of steel.  With every setback, he works and works to overcome it, always with a smile and positivity belying his terrible luck.  If his body would only oblige him, I have no doubt he would become the Husky legend that he should be.  Injuries are a cruelty of sport that separate winners from losers in a method that has little to do with skill.

***

Before the Olympics started, I read a short article about American sprinter Tyson Gay.  Gay is the fastest American 100 meter sprinter ever and the second fastest in the world with a time of 9.69 seconds.  It’s impossible to tell, but given the way sprint times have dropped so dramatically in the course of the modern Olympics, he might be the second fastest human to ever run the earth.

Unfortunately for Tyson Gay, he has shared the track with Usain Bolt, and that means that Gay has no world records and no Olympic gold medals.  Due to an injury in the 2008 Olympic trials, when he was at his best, he has no medals at all.  It is likely impossible for Tyson Gay to beat Usain Bolt when they are both running at their best, and yet he keeps training, keeps running, keeps chasing the one man in the history of the world who is faster than he is.

***

In most sports, performance keeps getting better and better over time.  Debates can carry infinitely on whether baseball or football players are better now than they were in the ‘30s, ‘50s, ‘70s, but records keep falling and overall athleticism keeps increasing.  In individual and time-based sports, average and record times sink lower and lower, jumps reach further, swimmers swim faster and gymnasts tumble in ever more difficult routines.

The high jump is one of the few sports where people aren’t getting better.  I’m far from an expert on the high jump, but from what I understand, records just aren’t falling like they used to or like they do in other events.  Perhaps the average high jumper is growing closer to elite, I’m not sure, but there’s not the unceasing push to new highs present everywhere else in the sporting world.  It seems the human body has reached the limits of its ability to jump.  People simply can’t jump any higher than they are now.  Eventually, there may be a breakthrough, perhaps in technique or genetics or training, that will push records higher.  For now, high jumpers continue to strain at a ceiling that all the desire in the world will not help them break through.

***

Three years ago, my wife and I moved into a new house at the same time as our new neighbor.  I didn’t get to know him well, but he was the kind of guy you wanted to know: young, fun-loving, big-hearted.  There was a steady stream of friends and family visiting every day, and he always had a smile and friendly greeting.  In the course of that year, he became a homeowner, husband and father.  And then, one night, he went to the emergency room for some stomach pain and came home with a diagnosis of colon cancer.

Over the next couple of years, he underwent every kind of treatment the doctors could find.  He continued to work full time.  He took care of his young son and wife.  There was no change in his love of life, even as his weight and energy dropped continuously and dramatically.  He would have fought the cancer forever if given the opportunity, but a couple of months ago, the fight was taken out of his hands.  He passed away, just days after his 26th birthday.

***

Every day, people run and fight against odds that seem, and in some cases, are, impossible.  That doesn’t stop them from running and fighting.

We understand winning as finishing first.  That’s fine, especially when we’re cheering at a sporting event.  Someone wins and someone loses.  That’s the nature of competition.  Its thrill pushes us higher, makes us strain for something greater, teaches us where we stand and how far we have to go.

Winning isn’t always that simple, though, especially off the field.  Sometimes the body is just not up to the task, no matter how hard we fight.  Everyone wants to win, but finishing first isn’t always the true definition of winning.  Often, winning is simply having the courage to stay in the fight, no matter the odds.

-Matthew

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by | August 9, 2012 · 1:04 am

Deontae Cooper Out For Season

News has broken tonight from Coach Sark that Deontae Cooper has torn his ACL, once again, and will miss this year.  At this point, I expect him to retire.  This is his third knee injury in as many years for the young man.  He came into U-Dub with all the promise in the world but it hasn’t worked out for him due to injuries.  Our thoughts and prayers are with him, as I’m sure this is a struggle for him.

As for what this means to the Huskies, not much.  Anyone expecting Cooper to make a significant impact this year was being unreasonable.  More than anything, this is just heartbreaking news.  Get well soon, Deontae!

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by | August 7, 2012 · 4:23 pm

Getting To Know Your Dawgs – Running Back

Fall camp started yesterday for the Huskies and the Good Guys will keep track of any major news that breaks.  At this point in time, the only news that would be of major significance is an injury so hopefully we won’t have to update on any of those.  I started a series about the Huskies position groups about a week ago, talking about the quarterbacks.  Today I’ll move on to the running backs.

The running back position has been filled over the last 3 years by one of the most successful backs in school history, Chris Polk.  He ended his career as the second leading rusher in school history and has since moved on to the NFL. This year brings us the first year of uncertainty at tailback in the Sark era.  There seems to be plenty of talent available but talent and proven talent are two different things.  I’ll order these guys in what I think the depth chart looks like right now.

Jesse Callier (Jr.)

Callier has been Polk’s backup for the last 2 years and has done pretty well in that role.  Sark made up ways to get him the ball (the fly sweep is the main way that comes to mind) and he usually succeeded with the ball.  The question about Callier is if he’d be able to handle running between the tackles and picking up the tough yards.  I tend to think that he can’t but I don’t have a ton of conviction in that thought.  Jesse did run in between the tackles in high school and was given an enormous amount of carries (43 in one game).  He doesn’t seem to have a huge history of injuries, so it’s not that I don’t think Callier couldn’t handle being the feature back.  He hasn’t shown that he can pick up yards after contact and that’s what Husky fans have grown used to.  Maybe he can but that’s yet to be seen.

Bishop Sankey (So.)

I’m a little higher on The Bishop.  He’s quick, strong and looks the part of a feature back to me.  Again, I don’t have a ton of evidence in these thoughts but it’s just what I lean-to.  Sankey played sparingly as a true freshman but showed flashes of potential.  Sark often put him in when the team ran a toss sweep play.  That speaks to Sankey’s speed.  He’s short, like Callier, and weighs about 200 pounds so the question of endurance comes up with Sankey.

Deontae Cooper (RS So.)

Matthew wrote about Cooper last night and I don’t have a lot to add.  I saw him before his two knee surgeries in almost every practice of the spring and he was every bit the legend that people have conjured up.  If he comes back and is that guy, the Huskies will have found their running back for this year and the next 2 years.  At this point, that would be close to a miracle.  But, it seems like the Huskies are due for a break as far as these things go.

Dezden Petty (RS Fr.)

Remember how the USC Trojans used  Lendale White back in their glory days?  This was the role Dezden Petty was billed to be in.  He’s a large back at 225 pounds and, if the Dawgs go with a running back by committee approach, will probably have some sort of role on this team.  I could see Petty coming in during goal line situations and he could also line up at fullback.

Erich Wilson (Fr.)

Wilson is the freshman of this group.  He didn’t come in with a bunch of hype and I don’t expect him to make an impact this year.  The depth in this group is lacking though, so who knows what could happen.  We probably won’t know much about Wilson for another year or two.

I left off Cole Sager and Willis Wilson but they are walk-ons who probably won’t be used outside of special teams and mop-up duty.  The group is young, talented and unproven.  It will be interesting to watch in camp and see if anyone claims the job.

Thanks for reading,

Andrew

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by | August 6, 2012 · 9:12 pm

Here’s To Hoping

In the best sports news of the summer, college football is back!  The UW Huskies started their fall camp today and will play their first game in less than a month.  It’s hard to know what to expect from a Husky team with a bunch of new coaches and a still young roster.  They should be better, but maybe not enough to result in significantly more wins.  We’ll have a lot more coverage as the Mariners and summer winds down.

For tonight, let’s talk for a second about Deontae Cooper.  If you aren’t aware of the legend of Deontae, here’s the short version.  A running back in the 2010 recruiting class, Cooper took about two practices to whip Husky Nation into a frenzy.  Chris Polk had yet to become the unstoppable force he would be that year.  Running back was a bit of a question mark, as was the rest of the team, and Cooper looked like he might get a lot of snaps, if not challenge to be the starter.  He was extremely touted coming out of high school, with decent size, lightning speed and quickness, and excellent running instincts.  Hugh Millen is on record as saying he was the most talented running back to enter the UW since Corey Dillon.  Corey Dillon had 252 yards in one quarter, if you’ve forgotten.

Unfortunately, before the season ever started, Cooper blew out a knee.  It was disappointing, of course, but it happens.  He’d be back the next year, hopefully at full speed.  And then, before last season, he blew another knee.  When a running back has two knee surgeries, it’s hard to expect a lot from him in the future.  Even if he heals right, the explosiveness and speed might be gone.  It was entirely possible Deontae Cooper would never play a down in Husky Stadium.

Since the second surgery, most fans and media have stopped hoping for anything from Deontae.  It’s just too unlikely.  But still, there are whispers: “If Deontae could ever get healthy…”  and “Look out for Deontae.  If he can ever get on the field, he might run right past Callier and Sankey.”  The whispers grew louder as the season approached and he progressed in his recovery.  Several days ago, Steve Sarkisian said Deontae has been cleared for full participation.  Today, he took part in his first practice in what feels like years.  He’ll be limited for a while as they get him up to speed and used to playing football again, but the doctors have said he’s all clear, which is a bit of a miracle in itself.

It’s easy and appropriate to say that it’s great just to see him playing again, that any snaps he gets will be great, whether he has his old flash or not.  By all accounts, he is a great kid who has worked hard to come back when others might have given up.  Any reward would be deserved.  He’s a long way from actual game action, of course.  It’s possible that his knees don’t hold up and he is injured again or just becomes a bench player.  Everyone is hoping for the best, but anyone saying he’s a guarantee to be star or even a contributor is ignorant or naive.

This is the first day of camp, though, so let your imagination go for a minute.  Imagine that Deontae Cooper is back to the legendary skills he had coming out of high school.  Picture him slowly building up strength, and then, maybe in Eugene or Los Angeles, erupting for 200 yards and leading the Huskies to a huge upset.  It’s been a long time since the Huskies had lightning at tailback.  For everything Chris Polk did, that was not his game.  There’s something different about a running back flying around the tackle, bouncing outside, freezing a linebacker with a cut and outrunning the safety to the end zone.  Deontae Cooper can be that guy.

It’s likely that he won’t be that guy.  I hate to say it, but he faces an uphill battle until he actually plays half a season and sees how his knees hold up.  Sometimes these miracle comebacks actually happen, though.  Watch this one, because it has all the makings of a legendary story.

Here’s to hoping.

-Matthew

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by | July 28, 2012 · 8:22 am

Flipping For The Gold

We’ve got a special surprise for you loyal readers!  As most of you know, the Good Guys generally stick to talking about the Mariners and Huskies.  Joe’s yearly NBA posts come up but otherwise we stick to what we know.  So, because the Olympics are the talk of the world we called in our gymnastics expert to give you the low-down on what to expect from team USA.  Our expert happens to be Matthew and my sister, Rachel Long.  She knows more about gymnastics than anyone I know and is just a big of fan of the sport than we are of the Huskies and M’s.  If you want a quick preview, this is the place to be.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Rachel Long.

I grew up in a sports family. Being the sister of Matthew and Andrew, I’ve spent more than my fair share of time at baseball fields, in the stands of bleachers, and yelling at the huskies from my couch believing that what I say will actually affect their performance.  And, I’ve loved every minute of all of it. Nothing is better than a fall Saturday at Husky Stadium with my family.

Well…. almost nothing, because as much as I love every other sport, my obsession with gymnastics out rules them all.  I have loved gymnastics for as long as I can remember. So much so that now it is my career. I spend the vast majority of my time coaching a gymnastics team. It is my job, my passion, and, most people would say, my life.

Most people go through years of their life not thinking a single thought about gymnastics. I can’t get my mind off of it. I over think it, analyze it, and drive friends crazy because I never shut up about it. My life is spent telling girls how to get better, how they can go higher, twist faster, and improve their scores. I analyze gymnastics videos trying to learn from the technique of the best gymnasts in the world.  So when I watch gymnastics, I pick it apart. I look for every error, comment on every deduction, and yell at gymnasts and coaches just as you do at the Mariners. Sometimes, because of my knowledge level and “expertise” I find myself wondering if I have lost a little of the joy and amazement that I has as a young girls watching the Magnificent Seven win gold at the 96 Olympics.

But, then the Olympics come around again.  Every four years, the world turns their eyes to gymnastics. A sport that is often forgotten is suddenly thrust into the spotlight and the world marvels at these seemingly impossible moves that these young girls make look easy. As I watch the games with my family and friends, their comments, questions and astonishment bring me back to why I love gym in the first place. No other sport is like it. It is exciting, terrifying, and beautiful all in one. The skill level, power and strength that these teenage girls have astounds you. The focus and heart that they compete with leaves you sitting on the edge of the couch wondering if in a single second all their dreams will fall apart.

I am okay with the fact that most people could care less about gymnastics. But, as you sit at home watching these Olympics, try to feel a little of the magic of gymnastics. Let yourself be pulled in. Root for these girls who have spent their whole lives working for this one moment. And then when the games end, you can go back to pretending like you don’t care.

So, from a gymnastics junkie to a four-year fan, here is your guide to the US Olympic Gymnastics team ….

Many would say that this is the best gymnastics team the US has ever had. Five girls, none over the age of 18, make up the squad who goes into the games as the favorite to win gold. Here are the girls

Jordyn Weiber–
Jordyn is the reigning world champion and a favorite to win All Around gold in London.  She is known for her power and athleticism and excels at floor and vault. Jordyn has won every major meet she has entered this year until three weeks ago when she lost for the first time at Olympic Trials to up and comer Gabby Douglas. Some would say that Gabby is peaking at the right time to give Jordyn a run for gold. In my opinion, sometimes people get tired of the old favorites. Weiber has been so good for so long that it can almost be a little boring. Though only 17 years old, Jordyn has been around and won every major meet in the World.  Many gymnastics fans have fallen in love with Gabby because she is young, new and different. However, in my opinion Jordyn is the one to watch. She has all the skills, focus, and mind-set to win it all. Jordyn is one of the toughest competitors I have ever seen in gymnastics. If she has a weakness, it is on bars. Though she can score well, she does not have the high-flying skills of Douglas or beautiful lines of Kyla Ross. Watch for Jordyn to consistently hit her routines with very few visible errors and with mental toughness beyond anyone. Maybe she doesn’t have the personality of Gabby Douglas but Jordyn does some pretty great gymnastics.

Gabby Douglas–
As I mentioned above, Gabby is the talk of gymnastics right now. After moving two years ago to be coached by Olympic champion Shawn Johnson’s coach, Gabby has been on the rise. She has continued to improve and astound the world, climaxing in her win at the Olympic Trials. Wait till you see her bar routine. This girl flies. I had the chance to watch her compete in person twice this year and her bars is unbelievable. I find myself holding my breath through it as she barely grabs onto the bar after each release move that seem to go ten feet into the air. She has been dubbed “the flying squirrel” by Olympic team coordinator Marta Karolyi because of the way she swings bars. Gabby can also be amazing on every other event especially floor. However the  operative word is “can.” For as amazing as Gabby can be, she can also be disastrous. She has been at times labeled as a head case and is very inconsistent, especially on beam. This is the main reason I have a hard time loving Gabby. As great as she can be, I am scared to see her put up on beam in team finals. I have nightmares of the United States losing out on gold because of a fall from Douglas on beam. Though I hope not, I expect Gabby to have a fall or major error at some point in time during the Olympic games. I just hope it doesn’t cost team USA or Gabby herself a medal.

Ally Raisman–
Ally fought her way onto this team by pure work, determination and guts. Ally doesn’t have some of the beauty of the other girls and doesn’t always have the same skill set. However what she does have is much-needed on this young inexperienced team- consistency. Ally can be counted on to go up and hit her routines with no major errors. She has proven this at meet after meet and is on this team to be the rock that the US needs. Ally, at the oh so old age of 18, is the team captain and the calming influence on the some of the very young girls. Ally has a big weakness on bars and that should keep her out of competing for the all around. But, on every other event she can put up some huge number that the US needs. Her vault is messy and I predict it will not score well at the Olympics. But her floor and beam are astounding and I hope to see her make it into finals on both these events. Her first tumbling pass on floor (round off 1 ½  twist step out to double Arabian immediate punch front layout, for anyone who cares!)  leaves you wondering how in the world any human can do that. I root for Ally because you can see that she has worked so hard for everything she has. I would love to see her have her own moment at the Olympics.

Kyla Ross–
Besides Weiber, Kyla has been my favorite gymnast to watch all year. She is the youngest on the team at 15 years old and many wonder if her inexperience will hurt her. I’m betting it won’t. Kyla has all the makings of a world class gymnast- clean lines, big skills, and focus that never seems to waver. She showed all through this season that she could be counted on to hit her routines over and over with great execution. I believe that the international judges will love Kyla’s look and gymnastics. Kyla is mainly on this team because she can be counted on to put up a huge bar score, which is the event team USA is weakest on. Kyla’s bars is beautiful. At some meets this year, her scores have even topped Douglas. Kyla can also shine on beam with a difficult set that she performs with perfect form. On floor and vault, Kyla can be counted on for clean performances with solid scores but will not bring in the numbers of some of the other girls. Kyla may not be the main star of these games but she will help the US to be close to that Gold medal and I expect to see Kyla around for a few more years after the  olympics.

Mckayla Maroney–
Maroney is on this team for one reason- Vault.  I have not read or heard anyone disagree that this 16-year-old girl from Long Beach, California is without question the best vaulter in the world. Her score on vault will give the United States a huge score advantage over any other country. I’ll try to summarize her vault in a way that a non-gymnastics person can understand. She sprints down the runway as fast as possible, does a round off so she hits the spring-board facing backwards, as she flies head first at top speed into a non moving extremely hard object she turns upside down and bounces off her hands on the vault table, and finally from here she flips off her hands and, while rotating with her body completely straight, completes two and a half twist before landing on her feet. And she does it in a way that makes it look easy. Other athletes can do this vault, including Weiber and Douglas. Nobody can do this vault the way Mckayla Maroney can.  Not only does this help the US during team finals, it almost guarantees the US another medal.  Maroney will make it to vault finals and she will win. (I’m knocking on wood as I write this because I don’t want to jinx her…. But really she’s that good!) We might not see Maroney compete any other events though I would love to see her floor routine. But like I said, Mckayla was put on this team to vault and she will do that well.

These five girls come in as the favored team. The US are the defending world champions and all of these girls except Kyla were on that winning team. They are very, very good. However, this can mean nothing in gymnastics. In the team finals, one fall can cost you a medal and many countries are biting the heels of the US team. Expect the fight to be between the historically top four countries in gymnastics- Russia, Romania, China, and The USA.

– Rachel Long

(Ed. note) I believe gymnastics starts tomorrow (Sunday) during prime time, if you are interested in watching.  

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by | July 23, 2012 · 11:32 pm

Thank You, Ichiro

Matthew just wrote a post about Ichiro below this.  It’s based more on facts and what it means for both sides.  This post is more of the emotional aspect and I just wanted to write a few words about the legend.

For the last month I’d been planning to write a post about Ichiro Suzuki.  I’ve been a defender of his this past year and I had grown frustrated with the media constantly bashing him while overlooking other faults in the organization.  Every time I tried to write the post though, I couldn’t get it out.  The truth is, Ichiro just has been very good in the last couple of years and I couldn’t write a strong enough piece to totally defend him.  I guess, more than anything it bothered me how Ichiro was treated.

I’ve never been one to truly care about how much a player talks to the media.  I didn’t like it when Chone Figgins repeatedly said, “Next question.” but that’s just because I don’t like Figgins.  Unfortunately, the media doesn’t like it when players don’t speak to them and where do fans get most of their information?  The media.  With that in mind, I think number 51’s career was tarnished a little bit.  Ichiro Suzuki was one of the Mariners most productive hitters this season.  He wasn’t good, in fact, he was bad, but there truly weren’t many better guys.  Yet, talk shows spent hour after hour debating his spot in the batting order.  National media members (Jon Heyman) tweet about the Mariners once a month and it’s usually to bash Ichiro.

For some reason, Ichiro has gotten the label of being a ‘selfish’ baseball player.  This stemmed from him not interacting with people and always hitting singles.  Think about how ridiculous this notion is now that he’s not here.  You had 2,533 hits for our organization and you are selfish.  What?  Former players didn’t understand Ichiro and then bashed him, because of that, after they’d left town.

Over the course of this year, there have been many things said about Ichiro that shouldn’t have been said.  Jay Buhner said recently said he would have vomited if Ichiro was signed to a good-sized extension.  We all understood the sentiment, but don’t you think he could have made it sound better?  A Mariner legend, who will never sniff the hall of fame, just insulted a future hall-of-famer, who played in Seattle longer than he did, in front of the whole city.  No one would have done this to Jr. in his last season even though he was producing at a much lower rate.

I think, over the past year, we’ve diminished the player Ichiro was.  He’s been the face of Japanese baseball and will continue to be long after he retires.  I ask you to forget all things that were said this past year about Ichiro.  He’s not selfish, he’s from another culture and just came here to play baseball the way that he knew how.  He was great at it.  He’ll be the 2nd player inducted into the Hall as a Mariner, right after Griffey, and he should be treated like that.  He’s a legend and we won’t see anyone else do what he did, ever.  2,533 hits in 11 and a half seasons.  Read that sentence again.

Remember Ichiro for his laser throw to gun down Terrance long.  Remember Ichiro for the day he broke Sisler’s hit record.  Remember him for the player he was as a Mariner, not the picture some of the media painted him as.

I’ve always hated the Yankees.  I’m like most people.  Now, I will root like crazy for them to win the World Series.  Ichiro truly deserves that.

I’m sorry if you ever felt under-appreciated here, Ichiro.  I hope you know that you are loved in this city and you’re a legend.  Go hit .320, win a ring, wear it to spring training and punch Jon Heyman in the face with it on.

Andrew

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by | July 23, 2012 · 8:44 pm

Goodbye Ichiro

In case you somehow missed it, Ichiro was traded to the Yankees today.  In a kind of sad, kind of cool twist, the Yankees are in town, so Ichiro was still in right field at Safeco tonight, but he was wearing pinstripes instead of northwest green.

It’s long been said that the only way Ichiro would be traded is if he requested it, and that proved to be the case.  Several weeks ago, Ichiro approached management and asked them to consider trading him.  He said he realized that the club was getting younger and he is getting older, and that he didn’t feel he has a place on the club for next year.  While he didn’t specifically mention it that I noticed, I’m sure that he also wants to play for a winner in the twilight years of his career.

It’s hard to know how to feel about this.  One of the characteristics that distinguishes humans from other animals is the ability to hold competing ideas simultaneously, and I think that is necessary here.  Ichiro leaving is sad, but it’s not necessarily anything to get mad about.

Ichiro has been my favorite Mariner pretty much since he got here.  He was just so cool and so stylish.  When he was going good he fit the city perfectly: a little aloof, metropolitan, did things his own way.  He modeled for a fashion spread in GQ and made legendary pregame speeches for the all-star game.

He was also the last tie to when the Mariners were good.  Anyone who was around in 2001 will never forget the way he took the league by storm.  He changed every game and was the talk of baseball.  He made the Mariners relevant and exciting.  I think at least part of the sadness of Ichiro leaving comes from the loss of what little identity the Mariners had left.  As long as they had Ichiro, they had something.  Now they’ve lost even that, and there’s no guarantee anyone will fill that hole anytime soon.

There are a few what I would call misconceptions I’ve seen floating around.  The first is that this is a trade made to help the Mariners.  I guess in a way it is, and I’ll talk about that in a minute.  This trade didn’t bring in great prospects or anything, though.  They got two pitching prospects who might someday be major league middle relievers.  That leads to the second misconception.  Trading Ichiro, even for a weak return, is not a failure by the Mariners management.  The only reason he was traded was because he requested it, and he had no trade value due to his play and contract.  This is completely a move made to take care of and reward Ichiro, and for that the Mariners deserve credit, even if it sucks to see him in a different uniform.  In most ways, this trade wasn’t about baseball, and that’s okay.

Bringing Ichiro back next year would have been a mistake.  It was simply time to move on.  No one expected him moving on would happen in this fashion, but it does prevent a potential headache this offseason if Ichiro had wanted to come back.  I was one of those who always thought he’d find a way to play well into his 40s, so his sudden decline is surprising and disappointing.  It’s time for the Mariners to build a winning team, and there was really no way Ichiro could have been part of it.

We’ll all miss you, Ichiro.  Even the last two years, you still had those moments where you did something amazing and brought us to our feet.  Thank you for so many great memories and for making the last ten years of Mariners baseball slightly less painful.  I wish you could have seen the playoffs in Seattle this season, but I’m happy for you that you’ll at least see them in New York.  You will always be a Seattle legend.

-Matthew

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by | July 23, 2012 · 11:56 am

The Mariners Are Good At Some Things

The Mariners are, and have been, terrible.  Maybe they’ll turn the corner soon, but it sure feels like they’re just going to continue losing 90 games a year until the end of eternity.

Let’s give them some credit, though.  For as bad as they are on the field, they do many things right otherwise.  Take, for instance, this story about their response to a young boy who wrote asking if they could help him out with a birthday/Father’s Day present for his dad.  Just go read it.  It’s a great story, and the kid is automatically in the running for Son of the Year.

The Mariners are really good at stuff like this.  They work hard to give fans a great experience and to contribute to the community.  Maybe that’s the norm with all sports teams, I don’t know, but it doesn’t have to be.  Much has been made about the value of a sports team to a community, especially around here with the loss of the Sonics.  Quantifying monetary and economic value is tough, but it’s hard to argue that the Mariners and other teams are anything less than tremendously valuable in countless other ways.

Like many fans, I get tired of the Mariners seemingly putting so much emphasis on the gameday experience while delivering such terrible teams.  I would not be at all sad if this ownership group sold the team tomorrow.  Still, don’t make the mistake of thinking that a great experience and a focus on contributing to the community is bad or detrimental to the actual baseball.  The off the field things are great.

If only the Mariners would realize that a winning team is the biggest part of a great gameday experience.  Then we’d have the best of both worlds.  Thank you, Mariners, for the many things you do.  Now, if you could add winning to the list, it would be much appreciated.

-Matthew

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