Baseball-Mariners& A's

After losing the first game the Mariners kicked the A's back downstairs. They tumbled back behind the Angels thanks to Seattle. Zito, one of the best AL hurlers, could not even save them from this fate. Edgars back in the lineup and so is Boone. The Mariners, at 50 and 29, are tied with the Dodgers for the best record in the Majors. Not bad. Things are looking great - till August that is, when all this will become moot.


-Zeno

Say what you want about the Mariners, the A's, the Red Sox, anyone in the AL, they all still have to get past the Yankees. Two years ago the Yankees staggered into the playoffs 87-74, losing something like 17 of their last 20 games, and getting plasterd in most of them. They swept through the playoff and world series with little trouble.


Last year Oakland had the Yankees 2 games to none and had Jeter not made the "play," they beat 'em in 3 straight. Not to be. Seattle won 116 games and looked invincible. Not to be.


This year the Red Sox have looked like the best team in baseball for just about the entire year; yet today, I see they're one game back. To you know who.


Is the strike/lockout situation supposed to come to a head in August?

Andy, I Don't really know when it will all come to the breaking point, I just wrote down a month that sounded good.


Did you have to bring back the Jeter Play. Ugh.

(I always root against the Yanks). All your points are valid of course. But I think the Mariners will be in a better mind set this year - they were too distracted last year with all the wins etc, and a few of the regular guys went into a hitting slump against the Yankees. But then Yankee pitching was great during the playoffs last year.


Both the AL west and NL west should be great the second half - with the NL west a real dogfight, like last year. Just hope the nutheads don't strike.


By the way, I saw your back to poker post on the News, views...etc forum. I'll add, a glad your back in action, over here. You sound peppery and lively - which is good. Stay that way.


-Zeno

"I think the Mariners will be in a better mind set this year"


-I agree. Less pressure.


BTW, the Yankees' fielding is terrible. Jeter's play was wonderful, but let's not forget that it was poor fielding (by Rivera on the first bunt, and also by Brosius, not throwing to complete what should have been a double play on the second bunt) that cost them the most important game of the year last year, the 7th game of the World Series. Fielding could do them in again this year.


Thanks for your kind words in your last paragraph.