Feliz Cumpleaños a Gaylord Perry

Hey baseball fans! As some of you know, I share a birthday with no Hall of Famers. The only person who is close to becoming one is Alan Trammell. However, the people celebrating a birthday tomorrow do have a Hall of Fame birthday buddy: Gaylord Perry! Perry played with the Giants, Indians, Rangers, Padres, Yankees, Braves, Mariners, […]

Three-Headed Cy Young Race

The race for AL Cy Young is down to three pitchers. Detroit Tiger Max Scherzer, Texas Ranger Yu Darvish and Seattle Mariner Felix Hernandez all have their cases for the top pitching award but only one can take home the hardware. Scherzer boasts a 19-1 record, a surefire winner in 1992. Darvish is the only […]

The Mariners Still an Expansion Team after 35 Years

I have not written a post in a couple of days mostly due to the fact that I have simply been uninspired. It seems to be a common theme amongst people around town who like myself have followed the Mariners for so long and see no real hope for a return the playoffs in sight […]

2012 Milestones (And Beyond): Runs Scored

Ten days ago I wrote that we won’t be witnessing any real milestones in wins for a long time unless Jaimie Moyer makes a successful comeback, and even that’s no guarantee.  Using Bill James’ “Favorite Toy” at ESPN.go.com (called “Career Assessments” now), I deduced that CC Sabathia has a 45% chance of reaching the 300-win […]

2011 Voyage over for Jeff’s Mariners Fan Blog

I managed to watch part of tonight’s game while I was packing for my flight to Italy in the morning and was not even fazed by the 7-0 trouncing at the hands of The Oakland A’s as I was focusing on my thoughts for my farewell Mariners Blog for 2011. I guess to sum it […]

The Most Egregious Cy Young Award Snubs of All Time (at Least on Paper)

I recently listed the most egregious MVP snubs of all time and thought it was time to give the pitchers a little love (although not the ones who were awarded a Cy Young they didn’t deserve based on my WA2RB formula).  Rather than plagiarize myself and explain my thoughts and formula, you should head over […]

If I Ran Baseball-Interleague Edition

Recently a few managers have come out against interleague play, stating the uniqueness has worn off, and that interleague play is tired.  I disagree.  I think it’s great that some interleague “traditions” have stuck around, like Cubs/White Sox, A’s/Giants, and Marlins/Rays.  Ok, so maybe Marlins/Rays isn’t the most exciting matchup, but it’s still the battle […]

Thinking About Jamie Moyer at 48

Jamie Moyer is old enough to have helped prompt the Chicago Cubs to trade Dennis Eckersley to the Oakland A’s in the spring of 1987, when Moyer was a rising prospect displacing Eckersley as a starter, and to have been traded along with Rafael Palmeiro to the Texas Rangers for Mitch Williams before the 1989 […]

CC Sabathia Does Not Deserve Cy Young

The 2010 Cy Young conversation had been a fascinating debate. It had raised questions about how to determine if a pitcher is successful, and the value of certain statistics. But, unlike other years, the 2010 debate has recently become quite a silly argument as the season comes to a close. The main discussion has been between CC […]

B(oston) Is For Bandwagon

While attending a Red Sox/Mariners game recently I saw a shirt that said, B is for Bandwagon. After laughing, I couldn’t disagree with that statement as probably 50 percent of the fans at a game 3000 miles away from Fenway Park were there for the Red Sox. And I was one of those fans. But […]

Talking With Jack Perconte About Comiskey Park, Municipal Stadium, and the Kingdome

Last year I looked up the story of the first game at the original Comiskey Park on July 1, 1910. Months later I talked with Jack Perconte about his time playing for the Mariners in the mid-’80s to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Kingdome’s implosion this March. I realized that Jack closed his career […]

Babe Ruth Talking About His Called Shot

Some time ago I picked up an early ’90 vhs of classic baseball plays, and partway through, there was Babe Ruth, hitting and then talking about his called shot in the 1932 World Series vs. the Cubs. The less-than-perfect audio (with music in the background) is on Archive.org. I’ve written out the most relevant part of what […]

Rambling on About My Glory Days – Greatness Comes in Big and Little Sizes

I usually get these questions from my students “Who did you play for?” or “What position did you play?” Adults usually follow up with “Who was the best pitcher you ever faced?” and “Who was the best player you ever played with or against?” I assume all former major league players get the same questions. […]