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.
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.
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.
I hope our internatioal readers enjoy a nice meal today. I’m thankful we have such fine readers who write in with advice on totally-not-Mariner-related stuff (like networking advice) because they’re cool.
I’m making the legendary Zumsteg Potato Dish today. Oh, if I could give all of you a portion I would.
Happy turkey to all (and to all some good pie).
Totally off-topic, but I think at the end of computer games, particularly action games (like, say, Tron 2.0, which I recommend) whoever you’ve saved at the end should congratulate you: “Your ability to save and load games repeatedly until you got past particularly difficult levels has thwarted the universe-domination plans of that evil corporation/renegade Chinese general/H.A.R.M./Imperial Remnant.” Instead of the standard “Wow, you’re the greatest hacker/spy/U.N.I.T.Y agent/Jedi Knight in the world…”
Or, alternately, I want quick load/quick save capabilities in real life.
More on Out of Left Field
Hey, check it out, I’m in black-and-white in the Seattle Weekly with my review of Art Thiel’s Out of Left Field. Check it out. I love running in print… the web’s fine, but there’s something cool about newsprint. I was once a paperboy for the Seattle Times (“Paper of Quality”) in case you’re curious.
For those of you who are curious, here’s a couple of Art Thiel’s clunkers. Seriously, you should read the book, but holy moly… unless you’re as into writing as I am, you might not find this as funny as I do.
p2: “If there was a banana peel, or an open manhole cover, anywhere in the neighborhood, the Mariners were on it and in it.”
In order: a manhole cover can’t be open or closed, it’s a cover. The manhole is open or closed. And a long sentence doesn’t automatically need commas, though that’s really nit-picky. It should be “slipping on it” rather than “on it” — what’s so bad about being on a banana peel? And you can’t be “in” a manhole cover.
p14: Lester Smith says “If I knew what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have touched it with a ten-foot pole”
Next paragraph opens “But he did, and by 1981 the pole has splintered.”
What pole? The pole that he didn’t have, that he wouldn’t have touched it with?
p104: On the drive for a stadium after the strike of 1994: “In terms of timing, the maneuver ranked with stowing away aboard the Hindenburg.”
Since the Hindenburg made a bunch of successful voyages, stowing away aboard the Hindenburg would have worked out fine unless you specify that you mean the May 3-6 Hindenburg journey.
On Thiel’s constant transitioning and bridging throughout the book: p115, on October 1995:
“Langston’s left arm was so sore he couldn’t comb his hair….” and then the next paragraph “Even if Langston could comb his hair, his coif was destined to be messed up.”
Much of the book is like this. The Mariners were on Cloud Nine. But Cloud Nine was a thundercloud, and it would soon be raining on the team’s victory parade…
Anyway, check out “Out of Left Field,” an example of story triumphing over story-telling.
Joe Randa re-signed with Kansas City today. Everyone can now breathe a sigh of relief, as we’ll apparently settle for only overpaying for one mediocre ex-Royal.
On a non-baseball note, Happy Thanksgiving to all. If you have the opportunity to spend time with your family in the next few days, do so. Now that I don’t have the luxury of spending all the holidays with my parents and my brother, my appreciation for the amazing gift of families has grown. Enjoy the holidays, and make sure to let your loved ones know how you feel about them.
Also, please send some heat towards the east coast if you have a chance. My extremities will thank you.
Sheffield… that’s about Cameron plus Winn money, no? I have to say, the Ibanez-Ichiro-Sheffield outfield looks a heck of a lot better than the Ibanez-Winn-Ichiro trio the M’s will likely be running out next season. And sure Sheffield’s right-handed, but have you seen the guy (and his numbers)? I’d have no problems sticking him in Safeco and watching him mash. Especially if he’ll take a two- or three-year deal.
Ah, dreams.
And following up on Derek’s most recent post — is anyone out there happy with this article? Grr.
For those of you have already found it, I put chapter two up. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, uh… never you mind.