What a Week...

This is an awkward time of the year where everyone is excited about the upcoming football season simply because it’s football season. No games have been played that count in the standings yet but in one week a cat fight will break out in Provo between the Cougars of WSU and the Cougars of BYU and in Moscow, EWU will take on the Idaho Vandals. The following night at Jimmie Snider Field we will get to see a bunch of teams playing in the annual Bronco Jamboree. It should be a lot of fun for all fans.

Since the regular season hasn’t started and many of you may have forgotten about baseball, this past week has been very interesting for the Seattle Mariners. The M’s took two out of three from the LA Angels of Disneyland and then followed it up by going 2-1 against the red hot Tampa Bay Rays. On the Wednesday afternoon game Mariner pitcher Felix Hernandez threw a perfect game, which equates to no runs, no hits and as a team no errors! For those of you scoring at home that’s 27 Rays’ batters up and 27 Rays’ batters down.

The Mariners followed those successes by sweeping the Minnesota Twins. Now I know many people have lost interest in the Seattle nine since they had a couple of really bad weeks where the bats were cold and the losses piled up. But since the All Star break and the Ichiro Suzuki trade the youngsters have started to win and you could really see excitement in the Mariner dugout again.

The defense is exceptional and the bats are coming alive. The team doesn’t panic when it gets behind and late game rallies, have secured several victories where last year they would have ended in sure defeat.

Now the Mariners are still a few games under .500 but they are playing with a purpose and as professionals. This team seems to like each other, which doesn’t always equal wins but teammates are cheering for each other and winning has been contagious.

We know this has been a work in progress and I think manager, Eric Wedge has been the key to much of this success. He isn’t afraid to send kids down to Tacoma to work on their game. The most important thing is the improvement that each player has made. I think it means the staff in Tacoma has been a big factor in getting the results that have led to wins in Seattle with the same but much improved players.

I’m sure that a lot of fans wonder if the Mariners can finish the season with a winning record. A lot of baseball is yet to be played and the most important thing is that each game the Mariners have played as of late has meant something. They have played the game as if they are in the playoff hunt and that should excite fans. I know it makes me want to watch on a more consistent basis.

The trade for Eric Thames has paid off in the batter’s box as well as in the outfield especially since he has taken over the spot once patrolled by Ichiro.

I like what Thames has brought to Seattle and I believe he will improve even more. Trayvon Robinson has been fun to watch since he was brought up from Tacoma. He has made some spectacular catches and his hustle is impressive when running the bases.

Rounding out the outfield is Michael Saunders who has always been a great defensive player but as a hitter he was a strikeout machine a year ago and that isn’t a good thing. But something happened in the off season and Saunders is a much different hitter. When he is on the base path he is a threat to steal and that makes him really fun to watch.

Will Franklin Gutierrez return this season? I’m sure that is the goal. But if he doesn’t come back in full force, the Mariners are still in good hands with the trio mentioned as well as Casper Wells who if he gets hot can make a pitcher’s life miserable.

It has been a good week for Seattle and I hope it continues. This kind of success can carry a team into next season where a solid start could lead to something special.