Seattle: Baseball PURGATORY...
Is it the water? Is it the air? Is it the coffee?

The other night, I saw former Mariner Carlos Guillen playing in the post-season. As I write this now, former Mariner Scott Spezio is up to bat for the Cardinals. And he just came up with a clutch hit to bring home a run. Former Mariner Mike Myers, a submarine-style lefty pitcher, is a part of the Yankees organization, who just lost out in the playoffs. But at least the Yankees got there. And, I've seen former Mariners reliever Ron Villone in the playoffs, as well as former Mariner Mike Cameron. Makes me wonder if the Mariners are the farm-club for the all the other teams in baseball. And, after next season, Ichiro's contract will be up, and all the stuff I've written here will probably apply to him, too. But I'm enjoying the playoffs. I'm seeing Pitchers who can actually pitch. Baseball strategies that actually work. Players who are playing with fire and passion.

I've been thinking for a while, though, that in Seattle's case, it must be something in the air, or the drinking water. Or, perhaps, Seattle is where great coaches and players go to die. It's strange; all of the former Seattle players who are more successful elsewhere. Productive players come to Seattle and turn into mere shadows of their former selves. Great coaches have come to Seattle only to have losing season after losing season. I don't know what the deal is. Is Seattle "baseball purgatory"? The way things have gone, they must be paying for SOMEONE'S sins. I'll bet, tho, that Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) is wishing right about now that he'd stayed in Seattle. That $252-million dollar contract and the pressures heaped upon him by the Yankee organization have changed him into a two-dimensional, largely ineffective player. I think Alex would be having lots more fun playing for less money in a more tolerant organization. You couldn't PAY me to be A-Rod right now.

Of course, I wouldn't wanna be a dog these days either:


This satire of a www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/hbo photo proves that this post has gone to the dogs. Arf.
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An unexciting weekend. An unexciting post. Yawn...