USSM tech request: Apache upgrade
We’re running Apache 1.3.x for our webserver. This is old. Capacity numbers I’ve seen show that Apache 2.2 would be way, way better for us. However, I’m worried (well, generally, about why 1.3 remains the most common Apache version used by FreeBSD servers), but also about hosing the site. If you’ve got the time and willingness to help work through the upgrade, well, by all means, hold your hand up now. The reward comes from not having a site outage.
Sexson’s Strikeout
Tie game, bases loaded, one out in the 8th inning – this is a situation the Mariners created by having Lopez lay down a sacrifice bunt, knowing the Rangers would walk Ibanez to get to Richie Sexson. This is what Richie Sexson saw:
Six pitches, all of them out of the strike zone. Joaquin Benoit did everything he possibly could to walk in the go-ahead run, and Sexson just wouldn’t let him. If the Mariners continue to hit Sexson cleanup and ask Lopez to bunt Ichiro over every time he gets on base in high leverage situations, we’re going to see this a lot – Ibanez walks and Sexson leaves the man on.
There’s just no reason a team that wants to be a contender should be hitting Richie Sexson cleanup in 2008.
Awards for April 1st
Things Mike Blowers Has No Question About:
* It’s cold
* Playing for a new team affects a player’s performance
* Betancourt is going to be a star
Tonight’s Cure for Insomnia: Vicente Padilla
Best Effort in a Losing Cause: Betancourt, 4-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, scoring on a passed ball.
Makes You Appreciate What you Have: Michael Young, for his defense at short
But I Thought The Whole Point of Cairo Was This Exact Situation Head-Scratcher: Not pinch-running for Turbo in the 9th, but using Jimerson to run for Johjima, forcing Jimerson to run *behind* Vidro, then burning WFB as a pinch-hitter for Ibanez one run down, two outs, Ibanez on second… running behind Ichiro.*
Hope for the Future Award: McLaren leaving Bloomquist in left field after having him run for Ibanez. Did he make the substitution in part because he realizes Ibanez needs a defensive caddy?
The “High Strategery” Award: Jose Lopez sac bunting runners over against a pitcher doing terribly to bring up Ibanez with an open base, with Sexson on deck.
Might As Well Wear Sexson’s Glove: Felix
* So What Would you have done, smart guy?
PR for Vidro with Cairo, the runner who is least useful in other ways.
PR for Johjima with Bloomquist
PR for Ibanez with Jimerson (or vice-versa)
Top of the 9th:
Bloomquist to 1st
Jimerson to LF
Cairo stays as the DH, but you look to PH Morse for him if it comes to that.
Burke enters the lineup for *Sexson* at C (and wouldn’t have to bat for a while)
Making your lineup
CF Ichiro!
2B Lopez
1B Bloomquist
C Burke
3B Beltre
RF Wilkerson
>DH Cairo
LF Jimerson
SS Betancourt
You’re punting the 9th a little, but the defense is way better.
But everyone knows by now, I’m a throw-the-kitchen-sink-in guy when it comes to trying to break a game open.
Game 2, Rangers at Mariners
Hernandez vs Padilla, 7:05 pm.
Every night, baseball has the chance to entertain, to bring joy, and make us all happy, even if we don’t have anything to do with the game on the field. On certain nights, however, baseball possesses the ability to also be magical – to give us a memory that we’ll never forget, a story we can tell our grandkids, and an experience that will go down as one of the best of our lives.
Every single time Felix Hernandez takes the hill, that potential magic comes alive. It’s not just a baseball game, but instead, a chance to watch our 21-year-old Venezuelan phenom make history. There’s no ceiling for Felix – he literally could strike out all 27 batters he faced and I’d just say “yep, that’s Felix.”
It’s not just another day – it’s Felix Day. Happy Felix Day.
Rangers
2B-R Kinsler
SS-R Young
CF-L Hamilton
3B-L Blalock
DH-B Bradley
RF-L Catalanotto
LF-L Murphy
C-R Laird
1B-L Broussard
Mariners
CF-L Ichiro!
2B-R Lopez
LF-L Ibanez
1B-R Sexson
3B-R Beltre
RF-L Wilkerson
DH-B Vidro
C-R Johjima
SS-R Betancourt
Bedard and the invented media controversy
Now maybe this is me being cranky because I finally saw a doc about this sickness and the options were bad and worse, but I don’t care at all if Bedard gives good quote or not as long as he pitches well and doesn’t commit any crimes that involve hurting other people. Ibanez and Bloomquist are well-paid to be the public face of the franchise and provide quality post-game interview content.
This is the same kind of baloney that gets peddled about Ichiro not being a leader because he’s quiet, not demonstrative, always uses an interpreter when he does interviews, and frequently gives interesting and thoughtful comments that defy easy dissection for quotability.
None of this matters.
Happy Felix Day
It’s the first one of the season, and we should all be happy that we get to enjoy seeing Felix in a Mariners uniform every 5th game.
Opening Day Awards
Time to hand out some hardware.
The Mike Hargrove Memorial Award for Aggressive Baserunning:
Jose Lopez, for getting thrown out at third
The Feigned Deafness Award for Ignoring Coaching Philosophy:
Eric O’Flaherty, for use of non-fastball pitches to dominate
The Turbo Giddy-yup Award for Excellence in GIDP:
Jose Vidro
Safeco Field Scorer Charity Hit of the Day to:
Jose Lopez
John Shulock Memorial Award for Umpiring:
Jim Joyce
Absolute Certainty Award:
No question about it, Mike Blowers
First Place Woo!
One win down, 90ish to go.
Bedard struggled, the offense got themselves out a lot, the baserunning was bad… and the team still won fairly easily. Green and O’Flaherty were tremendous – EOF in particular looked outstanding throwing nasty breaking balls and getting whiffs.
Toss in the Angels losing and it’s a great first day in Seattle.
Game 1, Rangers at Mariners
Let’s stay calm, okay, let’s not lose our heads. It’s-it’s-it’s-it’s a fine ID, it’ll-it’s gonna work, it’s passable, okay, this isn’t terrible. It’s up to you, Fogel. This guy’s either going to think here’s another guy with a fake ID, or here’s McLovin, the 25-year-old Hawaiian organ donor. — Superbad
My thoughts on the team, or what Dave believes about the season, don’t matter at all to what happens this season. All the team has to do is take the field and win, over and over, for us all to see the Mariners to have a chance at the postseason success we all want.
So win.
Dave adds: Watching Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk off bomb to open the Nationals new park last night, I was reminded that baseball often gives us amazing stories that sound straight out of a movie. We can talk about probability and likely scenarios all we want, but in the end, there’s always a chance that baseball writes a narrative that just doesn’t go along with expectations. Here’s to hoping the 2008 Mariners narrative blows probability out of the water. Go M’s.
3:45 Seattle time. Millwood v Bedard. FSN or another outlet, depending on where you are.
Rangers
2B-R Kinsler
SS-R Young
CF-L Hamilton
3B-L Blalock
DH-B Bradley
RF-R Byrd
LF-L Murphy
C-R Laird
1B-L Broussard
Mariners
CF-L Ichiro!
2B-R Lopez
LF-L Ibanez
1B-R Sexson
3B-R Beltre
RF-L Wilkerson
DH-B Vidro
C-R Johjima
SS-R Betancourt
USSM on the Radio
I’ve got two radio spots today – the regular 2:20 gig (actually around 2:35 today) on KJR with the Groz, and then at 4:30 (yes, during the game) on KJRB out of Spokane with Sean Widmer.
Ahh, opening day – good times.