November 28, 2003 · Filed Under Mariners · Comments Off on  

I squeezed three quarts of stock out of that turkey carcass. Woo.

November 28, 2003 · Filed Under Mariners · Comments Off on  

Try 2,827.1 miles, Jason. But yes, thanks to the goodness of people (and my irresistable charm, no doubt), my biggest concern was figuring out how to not offend the people whose invitations I had to turn down. Choosing between good friends, great friends, and people who consider you family is harder than one might think. I even adventured into cooking (for me, a serious step) by making my Mom’s orange roll recipe. They’re yeast rolls with grated orange peels and orange juice baked in and an orange frosting applied to the top. So good. People were stunned when I showed up with food, made from scratch, no less. It was something like the reaction you’d see if Willie Bloomquist had a four homer game.

Also, since we’re meandering about non-Mariner stuff, here’s my interesting holiday story, because stuff like this only happens to me. My birthday was last Monday, and my friends John and Shannon decided to get me a gift, despite my insistance that none was necessary. They passed up the easy options that most people go for and decided instead on a heavy duty Mag-Lite flashlight, knowing that I did not have one and thinking it to be a practical tool. A slightly odd gift, perhaps, but certainly one that fits my “only-buy-stuff-thats-useful” personality, but I wondered if I’d ever get a chance to put it to use. For no real reason, I decide to put said flashlight in my car Thursday morning.

Thursday, I trek down to Hemby Bridge, North Carolina for thanksgiving with friends. Now, I was going to explain that Hemby Bridge is in the middle of nowhere, but figured the Mapquest link showing NO ROADS ANYWHERE AROUND would give you the picture. This little town is on the outskirts of the middle of nowhere. They’re due to discover electricity sometime next year. Slight exaggeration, but you get the point. So, around 9:30, after a nice meal, I begin to make the trip back home (side note: never, ever, ever drive 100 miles immediately after eating turkey again). I get about two miles down Middle Of Nowhere road when my right front tire explodes. Giant chunks missing from the rubber. I skid across the road, end up in a small dirt lot with no lights, and am faced with changing a tire in the dark. But, voila!, John and Shannon are the greatest friends of all time and have just purchased a flashlight for me 3 days prior. So, tire changed, trip made, and all is well.

Moral of the story: Whenever a friend buys you an unorthodox present, immediately stick it in your car. Or something.

And no, Mike Cameron won’t be a Mariner next year.

November 28, 2003 · Filed Under Mariners · Comments Off on  

That’s what I get for speaking too soon, I suppose. Here’s a weird story out of Everett — apparently somebody has been scamming Ryan Franklin and his older brother Jay.

Gotta go check on my turkey stock.

November 28, 2003 · Filed Under Mariners · Comments Off on  

As long as there’s nothing M’s to discuss…

I’m curious about the legendary Zumsteg Potato Dish. Yesterday my T-Day contributions were: the turkey (organic free-range from Oregon), gingered sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce with sage and Uncle Gerry’s (not my uncle) butter rolls. I hope that Dave, some 2500-odd miles from home, was able to track down a decent meal.

OK, I thought of something M’s related. Does anyone see a scenario in which Mike Cameron returns to the M’s? When Ibanez signed, they announced that he’d be playing LF. There’s that Ichiro dude in RF. That leaves free agent Cameron and arbitration eligible Winn; I have a hard time believing they’ll non-tender Winn in order to pay Cameron bigger money. Just a thought.