The dog days of Summer are here. That stretch in the baseball season when your team is either in the playoff race or out of it. With only 8.5 weeks left in the season and as of Sunday the Mariners are 14 games back with only 49 left to play. They are what I would deem out of the race.
With the team sitting in last place why do I continue to watch? It would be different if I was at Safeco Field enjoying the atmosphere of the games. But I'm not, yet I still watch or listen to the games. I managed to catch all but one of their games during their 17 game losing streak in July.
Besides wanting to follow my hometown team, I knew at some point they would get a win to break the losing streak. Granted I didn't think it would take 18 games to get that win. As a loyal fan I continued to watch, hoping to catch a great play or special moment. A friend once told me you stay till the end of game no matter what, because you never know what you might miss.
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There was one call during that losing streak that I had been waiting to hear all season long. That call finally came on July 21, in the 12th game of their losing streak against Toronto. The M's were down 7-1 going into the 8th when Miguel Olivo came up to the plate with the bases loaded and hit a grand slam home run.
Even though they still lost that game, I finally got to hear Rick Rizz pay tribute to the late Dave Niehaus with Dave's signature grand slam call, "Get out the rye bread and mustard grandma it is grand salami time". It took 98 games into the season to hear that call. I was glad I did not miss it.
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The Mariner's are doing something smart this season they have not done in the past. They have dumped the players that are not performing and called up their young guys from Triple A. I would rather watch a young player gain experience then watch older players continue to underachieve.
Over half the Mariner's lineup last weekend against the Angels were rookies. In last Friday's game was the major league debut of Trayvon Robinson in left field. During that game he made a spectacular home run robbing catch over the left field fence(below is the attached link of the catch). It also landed him the top play of the night on Sports Center.
In Saturday's game I watched as Robinson hit his first Major League home run. He took off running, stopping at second base thinking the ball had bounced over the fence for a ground rule double. Until he looked up and notice the umpire motioning him to circle the bases did he realize it was a home run. What made it special was the Cheshire cat grin he had as he rounded third.
It is moments like that these which make the game worth watching. Who knows when the next no-hitter will be thrown, a player hits for the cycle, a triple-play will be made or a game winning walk off home run will be hit. I just know I will be following the Mariners when it does.
Robinson's amazing catch robbing Hunter of a home run: