My New Favorite Player

The Mariners had a great walk off win tonight, and I got to hear it on the radio. It was a great game all around, the kind of game where you just knew they were going to come through with a win. It meant they took the series from the Red Sox, too, which is always great. (If you live in Boston, congratulations for having a good team and supporting them. If you live anywhere outside of New England and wear Red Sox gear, then boo to you, sir or madam.)

I also have a new favorite player, as the photo at the top of this post will tell you. It's new Mariner Mike Sweeney. I don't know much about him, except that he is a longtime Royal and getting ready to retire. But I heard a radio story about him babysitting Mariner's catcher Rob Johnson's baby boy so that Rob and wife could have a date, and I was impressed. Okay, so I am mostly a stay at home dad, and I have a lot of love for people that don't pawn their kids off to daycare forty hours a week, sure. But a major league player volunteering to watch a baby for a teammate? That is first class. You are awesome, Sweeney. You get extra cheers from me.

This game also had some great defense, which doesn't translate quite as well on the radio. Overall, baseball is the perfect game for the radio, but I do have to check out video highlights of the great defensive plays. It says a lot about me that my two favorite baseball plays are throwing out a runner, and hits after intentional walks. I like justice and redemption, apparently. Tonight had both, with a game winning hit after an intentional walk to Ichiro. I love when the hitter makes you pay for thinking he is an easy out.

This is all I ask from baseball. I don't need a World Series champion, or even a perennial playoff winner. I just want good games, with some great plays, and some nice numbers to look at in the box score. (Ichiro's hitting .321, by the by)

I won't make my Father's Day game, since J is getting crowned Dr. Jaime the next day. Maybe I'll catch Minnesota the first week of June. I need to cheer on Mike Sweeney, show him he has the stay at home dad support. He'll appreciate that.