Wednesday, September 01, 2004
The Return of the Optimist
Well... that didn't take too long, did it? I think I started this post on May 27th after a 3 game winning streak had me thinking the M's would get their act together this season. Alas, it was not meant to be for the Mariners in 2004.
Thank you for everyone who emailed me, commented on the blog, or wished me well in their blogs in my absence. A special shout out to those bloggers who have found their inner optimist, at least once or twice, during this painful season. Thanks for picking up the slack.
I debated whether or not I should post immediately, because I'm afraid that by acknowledging the streak, I will immediately jinx it. As the immortal Crash Davis once said, "never mess with a winning streak" (at least "mess" is the word he uses on the edited version I last saw on TBS).
After reading a tide of comments and email, I've decided that it is time to post, jinx be damned. Heck, I think the only reason this winning streak began is that I started to go to the dark side and thought that maybe the M's would lose to the Royals and guarantee that they land the prospect of the day in B.J. Upton's little brother. And it was during this streak that I remembered why I love baseball - in every 162 game season there is one and only one champion, but every night there is a story and a chance for victory, and each victory is there to be enjoyed, if you want it.
So, tonight, WHEN the M's win again, I'll enjoy the win without the superstitious baggage. And if we lose, there's always the fun of watching Roddick and Sharapova at the U.S. Open (I'm a big tennis fan!)
All in all, I'd have to declare my strike a bust for the Mariners, but it was good for me personally. Though it does not appear that my strike inspired the Mariners to quickly win 5, it at least got Bavasi to make one excellent trade of Freddy Garcia (which brought out the optimist in EVERY blogger). As for me, I buried my negative thoughts over the course of a month in San Diego visiting family (and being chided as the only family member who remained a loyal Mariner fan long after I left Redmond at the age of 11). And as the Mariners accepted the need to rebuild over the course of the summer, so did I.
I'm looking forward to re-introducing myself to y'all over the upcoming weeks. Reliving the pain of 2004 a little bit, and trying to figure out what we learned, emphasizing, of course, what went right. Looking forward to the M's certainly bright future. Marvelling at the hitting machine that is Ichiro!. Jerking tears at the final month of Edgar. And just plain enjoying the likes of Bucky Richardson and Bobby Madritsch playing their hearts out to show they belong in the bigs and in a Mariners uniform in 2005.
Today's picks:
Okay, the real reason I came back is that I can't just sit here and see myself more than a thousand dollars in the hole. Its time to start earning my money back. The betting theme over the next few weeks will be that the Padres are going to win the World Series and the Yankees are gonna fall. And I'm putting my money where my mouth is.
Padres (Eaton) +160 over Cardinals (Carpenter) - Padres World Series run starts here.
Mariners (Meche) +123 over Blue Jays (Bush) - Easy money
Indians (Sabathia) +170 over Yankees (Hernandez) - Character test for the Yankees. F.
Rockies (Wright) +170 over Giants (Rueter) - Wright stuff away from Coors
Money to date: $-1393 (picking dog/favorite = +427/-1820, 27-38, 21-25) - My picks to date have been much like the M's season. Cursed. My final 1-4 cost me $330 more dollars and reminds me why I continue to put my real money into the stock market rather than my bookie's hands.
Thank you for everyone who emailed me, commented on the blog, or wished me well in their blogs in my absence. A special shout out to those bloggers who have found their inner optimist, at least once or twice, during this painful season. Thanks for picking up the slack.
I debated whether or not I should post immediately, because I'm afraid that by acknowledging the streak, I will immediately jinx it. As the immortal Crash Davis once said, "never mess with a winning streak" (at least "mess" is the word he uses on the edited version I last saw on TBS).
After reading a tide of comments and email, I've decided that it is time to post, jinx be damned. Heck, I think the only reason this winning streak began is that I started to go to the dark side and thought that maybe the M's would lose to the Royals and guarantee that they land the prospect of the day in B.J. Upton's little brother. And it was during this streak that I remembered why I love baseball - in every 162 game season there is one and only one champion, but every night there is a story and a chance for victory, and each victory is there to be enjoyed, if you want it.
So, tonight, WHEN the M's win again, I'll enjoy the win without the superstitious baggage. And if we lose, there's always the fun of watching Roddick and Sharapova at the U.S. Open (I'm a big tennis fan!)
All in all, I'd have to declare my strike a bust for the Mariners, but it was good for me personally. Though it does not appear that my strike inspired the Mariners to quickly win 5, it at least got Bavasi to make one excellent trade of Freddy Garcia (which brought out the optimist in EVERY blogger). As for me, I buried my negative thoughts over the course of a month in San Diego visiting family (and being chided as the only family member who remained a loyal Mariner fan long after I left Redmond at the age of 11). And as the Mariners accepted the need to rebuild over the course of the summer, so did I.
I'm looking forward to re-introducing myself to y'all over the upcoming weeks. Reliving the pain of 2004 a little bit, and trying to figure out what we learned, emphasizing, of course, what went right. Looking forward to the M's certainly bright future. Marvelling at the hitting machine that is Ichiro!. Jerking tears at the final month of Edgar. And just plain enjoying the likes of Bucky Richardson and Bobby Madritsch playing their hearts out to show they belong in the bigs and in a Mariners uniform in 2005.
Today's picks:
Okay, the real reason I came back is that I can't just sit here and see myself more than a thousand dollars in the hole. Its time to start earning my money back. The betting theme over the next few weeks will be that the Padres are going to win the World Series and the Yankees are gonna fall. And I'm putting my money where my mouth is.
Padres (Eaton) +160 over Cardinals (Carpenter) - Padres World Series run starts here.
Mariners (Meche) +123 over Blue Jays (Bush) - Easy money
Indians (Sabathia) +170 over Yankees (Hernandez) - Character test for the Yankees. F.
Rockies (Wright) +170 over Giants (Rueter) - Wright stuff away from Coors
Money to date: $-1393 (picking dog/favorite = +427/-1820, 27-38, 21-25) - My picks to date have been much like the M's season. Cursed. My final 1-4 cost me $330 more dollars and reminds me why I continue to put my real money into the stock market rather than my bookie's hands.
