For the second time in 2012, welcome to Seattle! Unlike the first time I came up here, I am confident heading into the second day of travel, not completely exhausted, and had a very pleasant experience at Safeco Field.
In a unique twist, I got to sleep in this morning and take the later train north. Leaving at 9am, the train out of Eugene was packed. While I really did appreciate the extra four hours of sleep, part of me has grown attached to that early morning Amtrak. I don't know, getting on that train always means I'm on my way to someplace super cool and unique. The later train just didn't have that allure. Whatever might be the case, the train ride up here was flawless and seamless.
The entire ride up, and even for the first part of my time here in Seattle, I was battling problems with my phone. As you know, I have ditched my laptop in favor of using my Blackberry to update this blog, Twitter, FourSquare, Facebook, etc. It saves a lot of room in the packing, and gives me all the tools of social media at my fingertips. But, like today, I was at the whims of technology and couldn't get the internet to work on my phone. While walking to Safeco, I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to update anything.
Today was a weird day for sports in Seattle. This city had multiple professional sporting events going on, so the match-up of the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners didn't draw the common large Saturday night crowd. This was a blessing in disguise, I think, because it kept all the riff-raff and drunks away from the game, saving it for the real fans. I didn't have to deal with a lot of the bad apples that I have spouted off on here in this blog. Everyone was civil, into the game, and respectful.
As I was walking up Occidental to Safeco Field, the vibe of the pre-game festivities just wasn't there. Maybe it had to do with the aforementioned topic, but I think that the toll of losing has taken its toll on the fans here. Couple that with the Mariners shipping off their most prestigious player, Ichiro, to the Yankees, there just isn't a lot of reasons to be excited about Mariners baseball nowadays.
I got to Safeco about 90 minutes before the first pitch. I decided to head out to the outfield and try and catch some bp balls. It was at this time that I became really annoyed with the little kids screaming and yelling at the Twins players for balls. Every time a ball would roll into left field, shrill screaming and yelling ensued. I wonder how these guys in the MLB deal with this at every single park they go to. It has to get to them psychologically over a 163-game season.
Look, I know catching a baseball at an MLB game is pretty much the lifetime dream of any kid below the age of 13. I know it was a dream of mine. I'm not saying the kids need to shut up and stay quiet. This isn't a church or library. The honus needs to be on me to recognize that the kids are part of the game.
After bp, I sat down at my seat and turned to on my phone. I got it working, so I tried to get my small pocket radio to work. I got that to work too, so I rewarded myself with a beer and a hot dog. I was wired and connected for the first time all road trip. All of the success in technology made me pretty proud.
Having the radio really helped keep me focused on the game. It adds a level of companionship that I'm lacking at the game. In addition, I went out and bought a real scorebook for all the games I go to. This also keeps me focused on the game and prevents my mind from wandering.
For the first time all season, I got to watch a stellar game end in a walk-off. Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Mariners had the bases loaded with nobody out. John Jaso, who caught Felix Hernandez's perfect game on Wednesday, hit a sacrifice fly to left to score the winning run giving the Mariners a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
After the game, I walked down to Red Robin to grab a bite to eat. I caught up my scorebook and log entry, but it was at this point that I became incredibly lonely. I just wish that I had someone to talk about the game with, go grab a drink, maybe do a little bar hopping. I know I talked about this after the NWL East, but doing these road trips solo is becoming kind of a drag. Once this season is over, I'm going to have a serious sit-down and evaluate this aspect of the hobby that I really do love.
After dinner, I walked back to the hostel. Now the fun part starts. I'm expecting a horrible night sleep, but it was either this or spend hundreds of dollars on a hotel that I'm staying one night at. The dread I have right now is pretty high. I do think I'm prepared with a nighttime eye shield, ear plugs, and a lock for all my belongings, so I am taking some comfort in that. But we'll see what the morning brings.
In the morning, I will wake up and take the bus down to Tacoma. I have quite the adventure planned in Tacoma using public transportation, but I have it all mapped out to get to Cheney Stadium in plenty of time to see the Tacoma Rainiers play host to the Reno Aces.
Until we talk tomorrow...
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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