big game II: the game just got bigger

follow-up q & a

What kind of beer?

“Usually I enjoy Japanese beer, but given the situation, if I was objectively watching the game, I wouldn’t care if it was Japanese beer, American beer or beer from Papua New Guinea,” he said.

xo ichiro

ilb could probably use this gif

http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/6651/raul3.gif

YESHD

The sonning of Bavasi might never end

Build a good baseball team, and you won’t have to talk about all this psycho babble crap that you guys invent to try to justify your horrible decisions. Learn more about baseball than a blogger who lives 2,500 miles from Safeco Field and covers the team as a freaking hobby. I shouldn’t know more about how to build a baseball team than you, but I do, and that’s why you and your entire staff deserve to be fired.

via pi via ussm:

Ichiro and Kenji

When Kenji Johjima stole third base without drawing a throw Tuesday night, the Red Sox weren’t the only ones he caught off guard.

McLaren and the coaching staff were equally surprised.

“I thought I saw the green light,” Johjima said of his first steal of third in two-plus seasons.

Hearing that, center fielder Ichiro Suzuki, sitting next to Johjima in the clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, chuckled.

“Yellow light,” Ichiro said, drawing a smile from Johjima.

And his recollection of Bret Boone

“I don’t know if it’s a good memory or a bad one,” Ichiro Suzuki said. “But when I first came over to play in the United States, I had had a few teammates from the U.S. who had played on my team in Japan. So I had somewhat of an idea of what American players would be like.

“But when I met him, he was kind of a human being that you would never meet in Japan. So, whenever I was around him, I almost felt like I was witnessing a creature, not a human being. It was fun for me to watch him.”

i love this guy: http://assets.espn.go.com/i/nba/profiles/players/65x90/3006.jpg

Detroit's Rasheed Wallace was fined $25,000 Thursday by the NBA for using profanity and criticizing the officiating after a playoff game the night before.

After the Pistons' 106-102 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, Wallace went on an expletive-laced rant targeting officials Mike Callahan and Kenny Mauer.

"The cats are flopping all over the floor and they're calling that," Wallace said. "That ain't basketball out there. It's all entertainment. You all should know that."

lol love jeff sullivan at lookout landing (except for namechecking Muse. what? are they a band? does anyone care about them seriously?):

Since the minute we signed him, I'd been looking forward to the day that Jarrod Washburn's contract runs out. It was to be a day of celebration. There were going to be pony rides, and mariachis, and cotton candy, and Muse, and microbrewery representatives, and all the sorts of things you'd want at a party commemorating the end of something miserable. Like high school graduation, only better, because unlike Jarrod Washburn, high school at least came with little perks like easy girls and calculus for the functionally retarded.

lol manny as always:

When someone offered birthday wishes to Manny Ramírez yesterday afternoon, he had a ready response.

"Thirty-six here," he said. "Thirty-nine in the Dominican Republic."

tb vs. bosox, not manny but coco crisp. looks like a shop!
http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2008/0605/mlb_a_shields_crisp_sq_300.jpg

Mike Bolt is the official keeper of the Stanley Cup. Where it goes, he goes

It's been used to chill champagne... Doug Weight [of the Hurricanes] made an ice-cream sundae in it with his kids... The Devils made a margarita in it at a nightclub—they even salted the rim... Guys have taken it fishing, putting bait in the bowl... [Former Ranger] Ed Olczyk fed a Kentucky Derby winner from it.

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/mlb/players_l/20080402/5763.jpg?x=65&y=85&xc=1&yc=1&wc=164&hc=215&q=100&sig=GBIHo7sBAMYoFa039d_sJA--

People ask, "What if a player wants to sleep with it?" I say, "Move over."

i love this guy!

cup got a dent at bar

what the heck was mike bolt doing during this episode?

bolt, shot

haha someone got onto wikipedia to tell the truth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Mariners
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/marinersfalsehope.jpg

stolen from ILBB (though i heard about it on the radio this morning). LOL hank steinbrenner:

Yankees ace Chien-Ming Wang is expected to be sidelined until at least September after injuring his foot running the bases, prompting club co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner to chastise the National League for playing without a designated hitter.

"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century," Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. "They need to grow up and join the 21st century.

"Am I mad about it? Yes," Steinbrenner added. "I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

bye bye john mclaren u are fired. jim riggleman to manage interim.

part of sullivan's take:

I don't know the first thing about Jim Riggleman the man, but based on his picture and my awesome level of perception, I bet he's never cried in a press conference. When Hargrove resigned Riggleman probably would've said "whatever queer" and given that fake handshake where he extends his hand then pulls it away behind his ear and laughs like a dick. I hope this isn't libel.

uhh

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/payrollcomparisons.jpg

Sonics are so pissed at jergins/lxy leaving town that they are moving to Oklahoma City!

SEATTLE (AP) -- The Seattle SuperSonics will cease to exist very shortly, but the Oklahoma City Sonics won't be taking their place.

Team owner Clay Bennett has agreed to settle a lawsuit with the city of Seattle, one day before a judge was due to issue a ruling. Bennett said the settlement calls for an immediate payment of $45 million to the city. It also includes another $30 million paid to Seattle in 2013 unless the state authorizes at least $75 million in public funding to renovate KeyArena by the end of 2009.

The $30 million payment also would be nixed if Seattle obtains an NBA franchise of its own within the next five years.

The settlement paves the way for the franchise to move to Oklahoma City, but they will do so without the team nickname and colors. The NBA already has approved the team's relocation.

shitass

oklahoma shitty, more like

NEW YORK - Yankee Stadium has been home to several famous speeches, from Knute Rockne's "Win one for the Gipper," to Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

Tonight, Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki could add to the lore.

His pregame pep talks apparently have become a staple for the American League. Twins first baseman Justin Morneau described the scene from last year in San Francisco.

"Suzuki was sitting in the locker back there, and David Ortiz said, 'Ichi's got something to say.'

"And then he pops out and everybody started dying. I had no idea it was coming. It was hilarious. If you've never seen it, it's definitely something pretty funny."

Anything printable?

"No," Morneau said. "That's what gets you, too, is hearing him say what he says. I've talked to him a little bit when he gets to first, but I didn't know he knew those words."

Cynthia Rodriguez wants to know if her estranged husband, New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, had her wiretapped and secretly followed, according to court documents filed last week in a Florida court.

the horror of coming home to 'MADONNA+A ROD' made me appreciate china so much

yao ming and ron artest, soon to be houston rockets teammates:

"Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands," Yao said, according to the Chronicle.

When asked about those comments, Artest said Yao had bought into "all the propaganda" about him, according to The Sacramento Bee.

"I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto," Artest said, according to the report. "That's not going to change. I'm never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don't think he's ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture."

do you guys still love ichiro? he is a treasure, i hope you never stop appreciating him.

i <3 ichiro all time

ichiro is always and forever
and a very funny man
i don't think about him as much as i should

jeff sullivan on the mariners vs. orioles today
Why, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, would anyone in his or her right mind stay inside to watch this? Those of you who did that very thing - you guys are crazy. I mean, sure, it's baseball, and there were a handful of interesting players in the lineup, but while both baseball and Clement will still be there tomorrow, Sunday will not. Congratulations. You just wasted a chunk of your weekend watching a bad team defeat a bad team. If any friends or coworkers ask what you did today, you should probably lie to them.

vicente padilla is not an attractive man

lx watch this sometime weirdest double u will ever see
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200808053259781

there's a soccer referee named Hilario

sexson waived
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08152008/sports/yankees/melky_to_minors__sexson_waived_124621.htm

Bengals wide receiver changes last name to Ocho Cinco

jergins, all day long: but lxy, it's your alma mater and your employer... don't you care?
lxy: oh my god they suckkkkkkkkk hahaaaha

sullivan on felix' no hitter getting broken up:
A year ago, JD Drew made me think about homicide. To this day I still think about buying enough tickets to be able to boo him once in every ballpark in the country.

Bedard has a torn labrum-he may not make it back next year-and sullivan is hilariously apoplectic:

Erik Bedard hurt his hip...(on) Opening Day, or better known now as the last day any single of us was ever happy with this loony bunch of retarded monkey bangers called a professional baseball team.

God dammit, Bavasi. God dammit. This organization has now been set back even further than I feared, and it's all thanks to you. Tomorrow morning I hope someone farts in your coffee.

trying to figure out who deserves what proportions (of blame) is ultimately more fruitless than trying to figure out why Jim Riggelman draws a salary while a collection of penguins with down's syndrome and a fetish for swimming into the mouths of killer whales would make a better manager.

omg so funny

today is the day

our city's chance to reach a new plateau

100/100 club baby

i need more information please

Your Seattle Mariners

100 losses

100 million dollar payroll

the founder of this heady club

i was afraid it was something horrific like that

i miss minda. this is always one of my favorite sporting days of the year, the day i call her and laugh cuz the yankees are out

oh hey congrats mariners way to get there. now PLZZZZZZZZZZ lose the most so we get the # 1 pick

Dusty Baker finally had enough. When players on the Astros asked him about his daughter dating Corey Patterson, he felt the need to publicly address the issue. Baker has heard the rumor for weeks. There's no truth to it. Natosha is not dating to Patterson.

"She hasn't even been to Cincinnati," Baker said. "This is so far out of line. It's hurtful to my wife and daughter. How can people stoop that low? I don't know who started it. But I've been hearing from fans, players, announcers."

oh yeah so for the record 101 losses

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/manny.jpg

LET'S GO RAYS

i love baseball but that was too f ing long of a game

http://assets.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/17105/929bag.jpg

trader joe's bag

post pic on guess the city thread

lol re: manny

Buck: Have you ever seen a hitter as hot as this?
McCarver: Never.
Me: Barry Bonds.
McCarver: I've never seen a hitter this locked in...
Me: BARRY BONDS
McCarver: ... for this long, ever.
Me: BARRY BONDSSSSSSSS WHY WILL YOU NOT
McCarver: He's been doing this for two months!
Me: LISTEN TO MEE BARRY BONDS ARGH YOU MORON11

― polyphonic, Monday, October 13, 2008 8:57 PM

manny on his future job prospects:
"I just want to go home and spend some time with my family. I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10212008/news/nationalnews/beer__a_potshot_for_joba_134562.htm

Taunts about his team's lousy season prompted Yankee pitcher Joba Chamberlain to storm out of a Nebraska strip joint just before he was busted for alleged drunken driving, associates said yesterday.

The pitcher was spotted tossing back at least two Grey Goose vodka drinks at a friend's watering hole before hitting a topless club, where patrons said he had been enjoying the sights and tipping big - before stomping out early Saturday morning after a customer teased him about the Bombers' poor performance.

"Too bad you didn't play for the Red Sox," the customer said, according to another patron at the club. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be sitting here in a strip club in Nebraska."

lance armstrong is such a little bitch
Armstrong Will Only Race in Tour '09 If He Feels Welcomed

that was a really great baseball game

i like not caring who wins

go jamie is what. yay!

WINSTON-SALEM N.C. -- Golfer John Daly was taken into custody Sunday morning by Winston-Salem police after he was found drunk outside an area Hooters restaurant.

ohdear

:/

what a dumb fucking baseball season fuck the phillies

i *love* cankles when he's funny:

[00:15] me: welp, that's it
[00:15] me: never watching baseball again
[00:16] mets fan: what if Los Bravos win it next year?
[00:16] me: hm
[00:16] me: that would prob make up for it
[00:17] me: i was just thinking actually, the only way i care about baseball again is if the front office goes apeshit and spends a billion dollars to create some unholy phillies-destroying machine
[00:17] mets fan: i was hoping a different front office would do exactly that~
[00:18] me: and by phillies-destroying machine i dont mean build up a team, i mean i want them to fill a bus with C4 and drive it into the hotel they're staying at
[00:18] mets fan: hahaha

― ಥ﹏ಥ (cankles), Wednesday, October 29, 2008 9:21 PM

San Francisco coach Mike Singletary, in an interview with ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago on Friday, addressed his decision to drop his pants in the locker room at halftime of the 49ers' loss to the Seahawks on Sunday, discussing his reasons for doing so and expressing frustration that the episode was "leaked" to the media.

"The only point I was tying to make is 'Guys, this is what's happening on the field,' " Singletary told the "Waddle and Silvy" show on Friday. "There are a lot of different words to express it ... there are a lot different things to try and get it across. But I've only got so much time [at halftime].

god i hate him

Lance Armstrong fears he could be attacked by spectators if he returns to the Tour de France next year.

what a fucking pussy

i like this little dig:

It's unclear why Armstrong is worried about his safety now, given that attacks on riders are extremely rare. Organizers have in recent years taken additional steps to protect riders from spectators, including increased use of crowd barriers.

The Tour has its own police force to guard the route and ensure safety, and French police paid particular attention to Armstrong's safety when he was riding.

Armstrong plans to meet with Tour officials before deciding

i hope they tell him he will be in great danger and they can't possibly protect him from the gangs of haters, so he better just stay home

"why not try the tour of texas, abruti."

lol

don wakamatsu is the mariners' new manager

lxy's boyfriend mike mussina, he retired

before anyone jumps on my case, i just want to say it's possible to love the player without loving the team

also i want to reiterate that lance armstrong is a fucking pussy

i love mike mussina, i love the new york yankees, i love crossword puzzles, i am neutral leaning to positive toward the baltimore orioles, i dont love stanford

love the player, hate the game

im glad he retired too i think it was the right decision

i love crossword puzzles

my favorite sport!

we get a shoutout from shaq:
@XYTREX, I MISS SEATTLE 2, REMEMBA RAIN MAN AND GP 7:36 PM Nov 23rd from web in reply to Xytrex

at least there's this:

The UW women's cross-country team caps off a season for the ages by winning the first NCAA title in program history.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1092632/Manchester-United-star-Ronaldo-wrecked-marriage-claims-millionaire.html?ITO=1490

'The text messages looked like they had been written by a seven-year-old it was dreadful English and they mentioned Portugal.
‘They were very coyly written. They were things like: “Do you miss me baby? I miss you.”

bye jj

i'll miss your acdc walkin in from the pen music

also bye jeremy reed. you probably won't ever amount to anything baseball-wise but at least it won't be on my conscience

aww, this is sad, i yelled it so many times, my exhortation when he'd come up:

C'MON JER

i will miss that

(for those of you who don't know, jergins can yell loud like a motherfucker it is brilliant)

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/452839295_629aa26a53_o.jpg

Sabathia's always a threat to rupture a manboob.

― sad man in him room (milo z), Tuesday, December 23, 2008 11:45 PM

two favorite words, right up next to each other:

BEAVERS RALLY

^sporstcaster, not me

http://www.king5.com/about/bios/stories/D_IMAGE.11432118fbd.93.88.fa.d0.178b1dea5.jpg

the combination of dead eyes and talking about nascar is gonna make you hot, don't deny it

chin it to win it
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/julyphotos/lisa1.jpg

we never talked about how historically shitty seattle sports was in 2008

sonics left

mariners 101 losses 117m payroll

huskies football 0-11

seahawaks lol 2-15 or whatever shit fuck u u suck i'm glady

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/seattlesports.jpg

2009 looking up already, we gettin a soccer team andthe mariners have smart guys running shit even if they might still lose 90

am pretty stoked to see hockey here
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/showarecenterkent.jpg

holy shit, tom tango, now consulting
http://ussmariner.com/2009/01/05/ms-hire-tom-tango/
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2009/1/4/709001/cat-s-out-of-the-bag

hell yeah i think i'm gonna go see knicks and bulls on mlk day

oh yeah i did and it was a good game

LOL JOE TORRE

Scorned skipper Joe Torre is blasting the Yankees - calling many of his former players prima donnas, confessing he stopped trusting the powers that be years before he left the team and charging that general manager Brian Cashman betrayed him.

In an explosive new book called "The Yankee Years," Torre gets most personal in his attacks against Alex Rodriguez, who he says was called "A-Fraud" by his teammates after he developed a "Single White Female"-like obsession with team captain Derek Jeter and asked for a personal clubhouse assistant to run errands for him.

it is really surprising to me that torre is kind of jerk, cashman is a weaselly little shit and a-rod is a psycho

the first one was surprising to me

alex rodriguez is so much more than a psycho, it's just one small part of him. watching him, knowing he's overthinking, knowing he's going to fuck up either on the field or off, it's one of the most compelling stories in sports. i feel sorry for him, some times.

and then i remember the purse incident

A Mexican sports daily is pinning its hopes of beating the United States in a World Cup qualifying match on voodoo — with help from a U.S-based electronics chain. An advertisement in the sports daily Record on Tuesday invited fans to clip coupons and redeem them at their local Radio Shack store for a voodoo-doll likeness of a U.S. player.

world team handball championships on sunday, looks like superbowl's got some competition!

i will be watching argentinian soccer

faith hill super bowl opening song fucking suuuuuuccckeddd
"al and john/the best on tv/right here on NBC" soaring country

hertha berlin @ the top of the bundesliga

i still laugh when i think back to trying to search for 'bertha berlin'

sounders tickets go on sale monday march 2nd at 10 am through ticketmaster
two weeks from today!

BERTHA BERLIN! SOUNDERS! YAY!

whoa, karl has some strong feelings:

Griffey. After they remove Cheney’s carcass from the electric chair, they should toss his in it. Don’t do it Seattle. He’s a bum!

jeez karl, it's not like that. pissed he's never won anything? the smile is too sweet?

soooo many bigger bums in baseball

http://www.soundersfc.com/Matchday/March-to-the-Match.aspx

lol karl:

My brackets are a disaster. I want to thank P and N for the Western Kentucky victory. I picked it! I would like to thank L for the UW victory. I’ve got a real bone to pick with K, B, and J with Utah State choking in the last five minutes. Thanks a lot for screwing things up!

maybe i'm getting a little tired of the tilt-shift thing, but this is cool. from last thursday's sounders game
http://seattlest.com/attachments/seattle_seth/sounders_tilt.jpg

that's a really good one

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/streamers.jpg

ok this kinda stuff is gonna be endlessly faascinating

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/oceania/standings/round1.html

Good News!

Tiny by Jeff on Apr 5, 2009 5:56 PM PDT in Good News Comment 10 comments

That asshole Travis Metcalf got DFA'd by the Rangers.

After he goes home and packs up all his things I hope someone steals his luggage.

we both love frank deford so here

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102837901

In a front-page article in The New York Times, architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff expressed "disappointment" on behalf of "students of architecture," because the Mets' and Yankees' new baseball parks don't embrace the modern but, instead, celebrate a "nostalgic vision."

Speaking for students of baseball, I'm sorry, but in constructing some things, the trick is not to run away from nostalgia but simply to monkey around with it and try to gussy it up a bit. Architecturally, baseball parks are like mousetraps. No one has found a way to build a better one than the Orioles did in 1992, when they gave Camden Yards to a grateful world. All of the 18 major league fields and scores of minor league parks built since then have been wise enough to follow that pretty model. Well, yes, the new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium is a little grander — gold lettering on limestone, with something of a mausoleum aspect to its massive front palisade — but then, the Yankees are as nostalgic as everybody else in baseball. It's just that Yankee nostalgia deals with the majestic instead of the lovely.

People simply feel more affection for ball yards than they do for other sports' stadiums and arenas. Madison Square Garden, for all its fame, is merely an address, not a home. And a place like Gillette Stadium may be a cathedral to New England Patriots fans, just as Old Trafford is to Manchester United fans, but linear football stadiums — of both varieties — and the cereal boxes that accommodate basketball and ice hockey are pretty much just so many efficient people containers. Ball yards are quirky and idiosyncratic living things, because the architecture is part and parcel of the outfield itself — all the better that that's in utter counterpoint to the infield, that diamond of inviolate geometry.

In a subversive way, ballparks even sort of divert attention from the game itself. Football and basketball and soccer and hockey fans probably pay more attention to the action, but baseball fans are more engaged by the whole experience. It's rather like how some people go to restaurants primarily for the food, others just as much for the ambience. If football fans act more like baseball fans, it's when they're outside the stadium, tailgating. Baseball parks are sort of made for interior tailgating.

Well, two more major league parks — in Minneapolis and Miami — are coming. May we hope that they are wonderfully up-to-date with the toilets and the concession stands and the escalators and all that stuff, and horribly nostalgic with the architecture and the atmosphere.

Commentator Frank Deford reports from member station WSHU in Fairfield, Conn.

not like we needed more proof that jason giambi sucks, but here:

After seven innings against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, Jason Giambi had to tell A's manager Bob Geren his tank was running on empty. Giambi, 38, already had legged out an infield single and sprinted after a foul ball that landed just out of his sliding reach.

"I told Bobby, '(The legs) are dead'," Giambi said.

In the A's home-opener on Friday night, Giambi ran all the way to third after he hit a slow ground ball to pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, whose errant throw went past first base and down the right field line.

"This is way too much running for me," Giambi said. "This is a little out of control for me. This is way too much running this early in the year."

i love east coast baseball fans. mets fans at the first night in the new park:

They booed the introductions of the governor, David Paterson, the speaker of the New York state assembly, Sheldon Silver, and baseball commissioner Bud Selig, while mixing in a few cheers with the catcalls for the mayor, Michael Bloomberg. They gave a mock cheer to Mets left fielder Daniel Murphy, whose dropped fly ball had cost the Mets and Johan Santana (13 whiffs) a win the day before, when he made a routine catch...

the commentary on the soccer game i'm watching sounds like two russian guys in a bar

is there a punchline?

we might need a russian translator for that :(

jose reyes of the mets about jackie robinson, and then about himself. i like the pluck!

It’s unbelievable,” Reyes said. “Imagine a guy stealing home 19 times? After you did it the first time, everybody is aware. So he stole 18 more times. There’s something amazing about that. There’s something that’s hard to believe.”

“Maybe, one day soon, I’ll try it,” Reyes said. “I want to try, but they always talk to me about it. When Carlos Delgado is hitting, the third baseman is almost playing at shortstop. That’s why I can take a huge lead there. I’m going to try and do it. Sooner or later, you’re going to see me.”

If Reyes is on third when Delgado is batting, he salivates as the third baseman relocates about 40 feet to the left to play Delgado to pull. With each step the third baseman takes, Reyes wanders closer to the plate. Reyes says he knows some methodical left-handed pitchers that he feels he can steal home against.

“I’m going to try and do it,” Reyes said. “At least once, you’re going to see me do it.”

Cleveland scores 14 runs in second against Yankees

NEW YORK (AP)—Asdrubal Cabrera hit his first career grand slam and drove in five runs Saturday as the Cleveland Indians scored 14 runs in the second inning, the biggest inning ever against the New York Yankees.

It was the most runs by a major league team in an inning since the Boston Red Sox scored 14 in the first against the Florida Marlins on June 27, 2003, at Fenway Park, according to STATS LLC. Cleveland tied its franchise record set in the first inning on June 18, 1950, against the Philadelphia Athletics.

The 14 runs and 13 hits amassed by the Indians were the most allowed by the Yankees in an inning.

Shin-Soo Choo delivered the first big blow, hitting a three-run homer off Chien-Ming Wang to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead. Cabrera singled in a run, Mark DeRosa had a two-run double and Victor Martinez an RBI single before Wang was replaced by Anthony Claggett, who was making his major league debut after being recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the game.

Jhonny Peralta doubled in two more runs and Cabrera hit a drive to right on a 3-1 pitch for his first homer of the year. Sizemore followed Cabrera’s shot with his fourth homer to make it 14-2 as the crowd at the new Yankee Stadium booed loudly.

The fans started chanting “We want Swisher!” for the second time in the series as Claggett struck out Mark DeRosa for the final out. Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher pitched a scoreless inning during a blowout loss at Tampa Bay on Monday.

Wang and Claggett combined to throw 69 pitches during the half-inning, which lasted 37 minutes.

Cleveland was ahead 15-2 after three innings.

betancourt booted two the other day in the space of an inning and hacks at everything in sight at the plate. the bloggers have started calling for him to be gone. jeff, on yuni being in today's lineup:

After an offday of speculation, Yuni's in the lineup tonight, so if Wakamatsu's sending a message, it's a vote of confidence instead of a threat. My hope is that the two have talked behind closed doors and this is the beginning of a probationary period of sorts for our delightfully spherical little shortstop

http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/142856/marinersflowchart.jpg
Yellow border: Drafted

Red border: International/Amateur Free Agent signing

Black border: Originally signed to minor league contract

Green border: Free Agent signing

Teal border: Traded for

Purple border: Rule 5 guy

Filled in blue means still in the organization, filled in white means no longer with the org. The original Griffey is some sort of hybrid.

dreyer:

Don Wakamatsu has tightened up the dress code on the airplane and Ken Griffey Jr. has been less than happy with the tie policy. Well, he got his revenge today.

When we arrived at the airport, the coaches and staff got on the plane first. About 10 minutes later, the team boarded. Wak, as is the custom for the manager, sits in the first seat. Jr was the first player to step into the airplane. He was wearing a nice dark suit and a tie. A white tie with a smiling Don Wakamatsu in his uniform silk screened on the bottom of it. The rest of the team followed in the same ties.

:)

shannon drayer is great. she's got a blog now. this post is very much worth reading
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=374&sid=160440

some of these are really pretty awesome. be sure to scroll down and look at the last one
http://www.thebesteleven.com/2009/04/look-alikes-tvs-lost-with-mls-and-wps.html

yeah, really worth. made me cry.

(x-post, not the hurley look-alike)

don't need to read this, really. i just like the title
Yankees Tiring of Flopping Wang?

another one i liked recently, this one golf
Gay In Comfort Zone At Hilton Head

leaks from a new arod book. first is the haha:

Roberts broke the story that A-Rod failed a steroid test in 2003. Yankees teammates, Roberts writes, nicknamed Rodriguez "Bitch Tits" in 2005 because he put on 15 pounds in the offseason that resulted in round pectorals, a condition called gynecomastia that can be caused by anabolic steroids.

and now the this guy is a fucking fuck section:

Other allegations in Roberts' book, according to the Daily News:

• A-Rod "pitch tipped" when he played for the Rangers by letting opponents at the plate know which pitch was coming in lopsided games. A-Rod expected players he helped would reciprocate when he was having an off night and needed to get his batting average up.

• A-Rod's off-the-field antics including his poker habit; his divorce from his wife, Cynthia, his relationship with Madonna and his other affairs are detailed.

• A-Rod was hated at Hooters, where he tipped the minimum 15 percent.

officially now a fucking fuck won't karl be happy to know

want this
http://www.seattleteams.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=CLASSICBAR-SEA!RUFF

and this sorta
http://www.seattleteams.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=VIVAELSOUNDERS!WHOAR

http://www.seattleteams.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=IVOTEDSOUND!WHOAR

did you buy it

will

how cute is shannon drayer, blogging about our mariners:

I don't know if I have ever explained this before but whenever anyone asks if the travel is tough, I answer, actually, the home part is tougher. Don't get me wrong, I love to be home, but when I am home, especially if it is for a short homestand, I find I spend all my time catching up from the last road trip and getting ready for the next. When I am on the road, I have already taken care of everything before I left. Make sense?

<3 her

i like anomalies even lil ones
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=290505120

this is pretty god damn cute
http://www.lookoutlanding.com/2009/5/13/873849/favor-lineup-optimization

yes yes

daaang
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/98f5b1416e969a08c883367c4850d3df-ge.jpg
Supporters of Caracas FC celebrate with fire the victory of their team against Deportivo Cuenca of Ecuador in their 2009 Libertadores Cup football match at Olimpico Stadium in Caracas on May 12, 2009. Caracas FC won 4-0. AFP

oh my god.

ken's has some aerosol deoderant on clearance. we could pick some up for the next sounders game?

wanna learn something about a breaking ball?

<3<3<3 jeff sullivan:

I'm beginning to think the reason there's been a rift in the clubhouse between Ichiro and the rest of the Mariners is because Ichiro isn't retarded.

now watching mariners v angels

aww lucky!

what a fast game btw

hope they can hold it down

they did!!!

nice work marinaros

yeah, that was pretty fun

maybe when you're watching them they'll win. then it WOULD be fun

so they'll win one more time (tomorrow)?

bad shape if they're relying on me!!

well yeah this team is terrible. they'll take what they can get

http://www.typesett.com/2009/05/retired-baseball-logo-showcase/

lol @ last comment:

Mikey says:
May 20, 2009 at 10:48 am

The 1970’s Pittsburgh Pirates logo looks like Tim McCarver.

aw underdog stories
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/may/23/championship-play-off-final-burnley
this one's on first thing in the morning

liked this comment about the proposed us iran friendly

All American eyes turn to Tehran, as a brave group of Yanks step out on the field. Each one of them represents America — Jozy Altidore, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, José Francisco Torres — and children across the states watch in awe.

A love for the sport grows in them. What a beautiful game. The impact isn't lost on them, as they look up at their parents and grandparents, the very ones in which fear and confusion of Iran is so deeply instilled.

With each kick of the ball, little Johnny or little D.J. or little Pablo or little Lee watch their new idols and strive to be like them.

Then they see Heath Pearce stink up the left side of the field, and they turn off the TV to go outside and play basketball and baseball.

Posted by: Ted | May 25, 2009 at 07:34 PM

u.s. ended up losing 3-2 but hey it was an amazing tour nament overall

ye, the twitterers were generally decent about the loss, mad respect for the team and especially mr. howard.

eb told me that on tuesday junior wore only one batting glove, and they played billie jean for his first at bat. cutie.

joel piniero has a really gross mustache right now. look it up

gross! i was thinking about mustaches this morning, and how hard it is for me to like them. except in the case of thomas fehlmann, perhaps.

i have to say, though, it's better than ryan franklin's beard

felix threw a gem tonight. he is so fun to watch when he's on. reminds me of when we watched him starting out

they traded yuni!!!

bye tubby cuban, hello pitching prospects. thanks KC!

mark cuban's stuckush brother

was so hoping when i went to cunan's wiki that he'd be from KC but no. pittsburgh

sounders two houston one. looked good in HD

mariners made another trade today. minor league shlub for shlub but still, i like the activity

way to go seattle teams!

i had always heard this guy was a good writer .... writing about the kc royals never interested me that much. except for now
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/07/11/gimme-a-u-a-knee-an-s-a-key/

llol at this about yuni

I like John Dewan’s plus/minus numbers for defense so maybe those will be a bit better …

Dewan plus/minus
2007: -10
2008: -19
2009: -13

OK, well, that’s horrific. Betancourt last year ranked 35th among shortstops, this year he’s 33rd, and you might recall there are only 30 teams in baseball.

greAt larry stone article on the tenth anniversary of safeco field, today
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2009456630_safeco12.html

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/powerranking?team=USA&season=2009&month=7&cc=5901

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mikenorrish/100000729/booing-david-beckham-means-us-soccer-is-finally-credible/

good news! not only is the tv working but the spanish channel 51 kuns is showing today's gold cup final between the usa and mexico. twelve noon baby

well whaddaya know about that?! very awesme!!!

easy bet my k-market guy's watching.

this was a disaster btw

tv worked, US TEAM DIDN'T

montreal is getting the next MLS team. should be announced tomorrow
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/concacaf-mexico-montreal-2009-2-26-.jpg

jeff clement has been traded to pittsburgh. bye dude

seattle and clement were never meant to be

i guess not

Drayer, isn't she cute:

Did not much enjoy the Mariners clubhouse today. Walked in to see most of them watching 300 on the big screen with a powerful stereo surround. I hate violent movies, and while I didn't watch, it sounded horrible!

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/premier-league-map-crop.jpg

neat map

i like the logos, that would be a fun stencil set.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/premier-league-the-season-2009-10

http://www.flipflopflyin.com/flipflopflyball/info-orientation.html

long but very worthwhile article about going to azteca in mexico city to see last week's game
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090817

poor mets
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4420095&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

http://www.kickette.com/

that's a funny website. i like it.

:)

jozy with a goal in his (non premier league) game today

http://www.thebesteleven.com/2009/08/scenic-soccer-stadiums.html

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/arsene-wenger-sent-off.jpg

i watched VERY little MLS before this year. the fact that there wasn’t a local team was the major part of that, but i would be lying if i said it didn’t have anything to do with some of the level of play.

this year however, i have been very surprised with what has transpired on the pitch. i think the sounders have played some beautiful footy almost all season. of course it is intermixed with a poor pass here, an immature decision there… but all in all, it is entertaining to watch and not only do i support my local team now, but i have to take back my reserve on the level of play.

well that is until yesterday. that was a game that i expected to see in the MLS. it was sloppy, no movement, missed chances left and right and generally down right boring at parts. the second half picked up a bit from the first, but all that is saying is that it went from a giant pile of poop to a slightly less stinky pile of poop.

otm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgJZziS2D1g&feature=player_embedded

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/charmed.jpg

is gossip girl a sport now?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/05/world-cup-2010-cristiano-ronaldo-lionel-messi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVQhIEPbM0g&feature=player_embedded

what in the hell
http://www.thespoiler.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/juliaa3.jpg

http://www.101greatgoals.com/picture-special-the-gay-kiss-rocking-honduran-football-orlin-peralta-brayan-beckeles/36231/

charming, over-the-top commentary:

Watching someone cheat stylishly is far more entertaining than prosaic probity. Thierry Henry, upon whose elegant shoulders has been heaped the corpulent bulk of the insufferably high minded English sports press’ opprobrium, remains the most charmingly witty and scintillatingly intelligent player to have ever graced the Premier League. He has single-handedly (no pun, etc.) prevented a pedestrian Irish team from clogging up next summer’s World Cup, to the forgivable outrage of the Irish (...), and the tiresome condemnation of everyone else.

referring to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KIqwTNm8ZA

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2009/12/04/WC2010_WALLCHART_0510.pdf

that's a nice page. i love things that make sense.

good draw
for us btw

yeah, i thought so, but i wasn't sure about england. seems like the only team they might have to worry about? just guessing, though, i don't know anything about them, or the other teams for that matter.

could still lose to england and go through to 2nd round. probably will lose to england. that game
is
gonna be huge
i dont know much about the other teams
either, every1 is
dangerous in the world cup, but still, looks
good

http://twitter.com/#search?q=%22Peter%20Gammons%22

http://www.thebesteleven.com/2010/01/pictures-and-videos-stadiums-of-faroe.html

ray hudson

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/29/the-professors-appeal-saves-him-with-one-arsenal-fan/

loooooooooooooooooool
http://www.youtube.com/v/H8gKmQ6Hrro&hl=en_US&fs=1&

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/PA-677570.jpg

http://sg.wsj.net/public/resources/images/NY-AE396A_NYNUM_NS_20100425195901.gif

a-rod, more like a-plod

here's that great article about zakuani i mentioned the other day
http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2010/04/26/stories-of-african-and-english-and-american-soccer-steve-zakuani-and-the-congo/

this is a breakdown of US world cup squads by whether they are MLS or european-based kind of what we were talking about the other day

Inimitable

Guardiola is not your average coach, a point that has been underlined again in the build-up to tonight’s tie. With all the pre-match talk focusing on Barcelona’s hopes of staging a dramatic comeback, the 39-year-old appeared in a press conference to say he had been spending his time reading In Praise of Pessimism by the French philosopher Lucien Jerphagnon, which he had been given on Catalunya’s Book Day, celebrated every 23 April.

Aside from being a bookworm, Guardiola is also an avid cinema and theatre-goer and a dedicated follower of fashion.

i would totally follow fashion with him

http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/arsh1.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XHx--ETqRVY/S9wTnSbiIQI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/yKMBU3i8xQE/s1600/total-pts.gif

http://www.qatar2022bid.com/qatars-bid/stadiums

PNC Park Sold Out For 'Fan Euthanasia Night'

May 5, 2010

PITTSBURGH—PNC Park boasted a rare sellout crowd Tuesday when more than 38,000 eager Pirates fans showed up for "Fan Euthanasia Night," during which each attendee was guaranteed "the sweet release of a quick and painless death" courtesy of sponsor PepsiCo. "For a diehard Pirates fan who has been following this team for nearly 20 consecutive losing seasons, or really just anyone who watched them get beat 20-0 by the Brewers last week, this is certainly a well-deserved treat," said 46-year-old Jim Martin, walking through the turnstile to receive his souvenir program and his lethal dose of sodium thiopental. "I haven't seen so many people so relaxed and generally happy to be at a Pirates game in a long time." An estimated 200,000 Pirates fans who were unable to get tickets to the game reportedly listened to its radio broadcast while idling their cars inside closed garages.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/14/SPIG1DDKCT.DTL

Mat Latos hurt the Giants in many ways. The Padres starter, goofing with fans Wednesday, heaved a ball over the left-field bleachers. It hit broadcaster Dave Flemming's car, shattering the sun roof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YVDRTCM4KE&feature=player_embedded

skandal!

got to look at these together sometime
http://community.livejournal.com/ontd_football/2195031.html

http://www.marca.com/deporte/futbol/mundial/sudafrica-2010/calendario-english.html

http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/5415/38/

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/01/magazine/20100606-nextgen-soccer.html

kyle davies: any relation?
university of akron must have a good program.
my favorite is kofi sarkodie.

that calendar is WOWIE BEAUTIFUL AND SMART!

long but worth a read at some point

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,druck-698508,00.html

http://www.thebesteleven.com/2010/06/world-cup-2010-team-group-stage-travel.html

WIMBLEDON, England (AP)—The longest match in tennis history has been suspended for darkness at 59-59 in the fifth set at Wimbledon.

The first-round match between 23rd-seeded John Isner of Tampa, Fla., and qualifier Nicolas Mahut of France was halted at dusk Wednesday. It already had been suspended because of fading light Tuesday night after the fourth set.

They have been playing for a total of exactly 10 hours—7 hours, 6 minutes in the fifth set alone, enough to break the full-match record of 6:33, set at the 2004 French Open.

that's really weird.

damn. this made me think of u
http://www.soccerquantified.com/project-updates/huggingattheworldcupteamsthattouchmorewinmore

                    Points  Goal Differential Goals Scored
32. North Korea       0           -12             0
31. Cameroon          0            -3             2
30. Honduras          1            -3             0
29. France            1            -3             1
28. Algeria           1            -2             0
27. Nigeria           1            -2             3
26. Italy             2            -1             4
25. Greece            3            -3             2
24. Denmark           3            -2             3
23. Serbia            3            -1             2
22. New Zealand       3             0             2
21. Australia         4            -3             3
20. South Africa      4            -2             3
19. Switzerland       4             0             1
18. Slovenia          4             0             3
17. Ivory Coast       4            +1             4

http://www.thebesteleven.com/2010/07/pictures-iceland-soccer-stadiums.html

this is cute, let's watch it sometime
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0OsOzoOx5Q&feature=player_embedded

cute
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gil-asakawa/rapids-defender-kosuke-ki_b_792107.html

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Watch-hockey-puck-split-in-half-on-shot-o?urn=nhl-303913