SO THIS IS WHAT BASEBALL LOOKS LIKE...

Hitting! Pitching! And all kinds of derring-do!

I must admit that the Fox network has cleaned up its act during the World Series. I mentioned in a previous post that the the Volume was swinging wildly up and dow; it wouldn't stay at a consistent level, and so far that hasn't happened during the World Series. Also, Fox hasn't broadcast its promos for an obviously annoying TV series about 4 Nerd-guys and 1 Nerd-girl. The promo's stated that the program would air three nights a week, and I know why: They wanted to get as many shows on the air as possible before the program got cancelled. Now if someone could get that really annoying commercial featuring big beefy out-of-tune guys singing, "it's the most wonderful time of the year" off the air...please?. I run for the remote when that one comes on. I think it's promoting some kind of a sports-TV package, and I cringe just thinking of it.

In one of the most exciting Baseball Games I've Ever Seen, St. Louis beat the Texas Rangers in game 6 of the World Series, forcing a Game Seven, tomorrow (Friday) night. Twice, the Cardinals were down to the last strike, and twice they hit their way out of it, got a couple of home runs along the way, and beat the Rangers. I'm finding I want St. Louis to win out; why, I'm not sure. Must be something about Being the Underdog; I've heard that the Cards came back from ten and a half games out to claim their division on the last day of the regular season. Being a Seattle Mariners watcher during the regular season means that I never get to see some teams except on the highlight reels. I was on the edge of my seat while watching this game. It was a privilege to watch this game, drink in the fervor of the crowd and trying to Will the Cardinals to win. Regardless of what squad wins the Series, tonight's game, as Tim McCarver said, "is a classic".

There was more excitement in this one game, than in two-thirds of the entir eSeattle Mariners 2011 season. One could almost forget that fans Actually Cheer For Their Team. One might forget that any team, at any given time, can pose a threat. One might forget that hitters actually GET HITS with men on base. One may not realize that with some teams, pitchers actually get RUN SUPPORT. These are the kind of games you see when you watch WGN, or TBS, or any of the games you see on other Big Networks. You can see plenty of that when you watch the Mariners on "ROOT" Sports, if you don't mind that it's the OTHER TEAM that does all the hitting/scoring/winning. Every year is a rebuilding year, or so we're told, but if the M's can't win HALF of their games, it's going to be well into the next century to see the M's in any kind of post-season action.
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UPDATE: Tonite, the St. Louis Cardinals are World Series champs. The Texas Rangers actually walked a couple of hitters with the bases loaded which contributed to the Cards' 5-2 victory. No one expected St. Louis to get to the series, let alone win it. And, this game was strangely anticlimactic on the heels of last night's wild game. In the end, the Cardinals' pitchers seemed to have more depth. It could also be that Texas, after getting their hearts torn out last night, was a bit flat tonite, but that's only speculation. And the 2011 Baseball Season is now over (snif).
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As a reward for you putting up with my gripes this far, I figure I should give your eyes a break, which I've tried to do with the pictures I've enclosed below...The Southern Oregon Coast is usually fairly warm this time of year, but this year, we seem to be having more wind and cold temperatures so far. Still, most of the tourists are all done touring, and it's a good time to visit the area to see what you can see. These were taken about a week and a half ago, when things were still fairly warm...

Taken at low tide on the bay...in the foreground you can see a guy who's clamming; when the water's this low, you can walk right up to that big maritime warning scaffold. In the background, that big rectangular thing is a barge being towed up the bay to pick up wood chips. This photo gives you an idea why the bay needs to be dredged now and then.

Just what you wanted to see...a seagull eating (or trying to eat) a starfish. Those birds with the cast-iron bellies will try to eat anything. This was taken from up on the pier. The tide always leaves a bunch of sea garbage in its wake, which makes makes me think of those who get great nutrition by dining on seaweed. Isn't it supposed to contain mega-protein? I think I'll pass...

This is my really Artsy Photo, designed to appeal to those with a sense of Perspective. I'm just hoping it HAS some perspective. This one's called "Water through the Weeds".  Isn't a photo supposed to make the viewer see things in a new perspective? I can only hope this photo does that. It's a different way of looking at weeds, if nothing else. Weeds and beachgrass.


Back to baseball for a moment, many of us who post on the Seattle Times Mariners' blog page, game after game, year after year, really miss Dave Niehaus who passed away last November 10th. Dave deserved to call more games like this 6th game of the World Series. While watching the M's this past season, there were times where I could almost hear Dave's voice calling the play. He is missed greatly by a lot of folks, among them I.