As many may know, on September 16, 2008, Robert made a bet with Jeff:

First, let's clearly define the conditions for Robert to win. At the end of play on August 31st, the Mariners will have played 132 games, making .500 a 66-66 record. At 132 games played, the Mariners can't be exactly 5 games over or under .500. The closest they can come (without going over/under either way) is 4 games.

Some examples to help clarify:

A record of 68-64 is 4 games over .500. 69-63 is 6 games over, which is greater than the stipulated range of 5. So the upper limit for Robert to win is 68-64.

Similarly, a record of 64-68 is 4 games below .500. 63-69 is 6 games under. Therefore, the lower limit for Robert's victory is 64-68.

To simplify, the Mariners need to be in the range of 64-68 wins at the end of the day on August 31st for Robert to become a mod for the month of September. If the Mariners fall outside of that range, higher or lower, Robert gets cockpunched by the sexy people.

Tonight, the Mariners beat the Athletics to raise their record to 64-61. Robert is now in victory territory, and can no longer lose by the Mariners losing too many games.

There are 7 games remaining in August. The schedule is as follows:

The Mariners can win a maximum of 4 of these 7 for Robert to win. If there is any solace to those who fear the reign of Robert, this is a pretty weak schedule overall. It's not hard to imagine the Ms taking 5 of these games.

I, for one, welcome our new Robert overlords.

I imagine a great deal of the posts today will be discussing aches and injuries from the softball game yesterday. Great to see so many people come out. It was really fun to be able to play with full teams and still be able to sit for an inning now and then. Post links to pictures, or tell your war stories.

In other news, Russell Branyan and Franklin Gutierrez are pretty awesome. Their homeruns from yesterday here and here, respectively.

Holy crap - has everyone seen Baker's blog today? For those who love rosterbation, this is an insane story:

I'm told the Red Sox apparently approached the Mariners and first tried to do a Hernandez trade with Seattle exclusively. Boston wanted Hernandez and gave the Mariners a list of eight prospects, from which Seattle would be allowed to pick any five.

They included:

RHP Clay Buchholz
RHP Daniel Bard
RHP Justin Masterson
LHP Nick Hagadone
RHP Michael Bowden
LHP Felix Doubront
OF Josh Reddick
SS Yamaico Navarro

Seattle turned that down. But that was just the warm-up act to the blockbuster proposal that followed.

It has since come out that Epstein and Towers were discussing a trade that would send home run slugger Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. But wait. Apparently, Epstein wants Hernandez more than anybody, even Gonzalez.

So, the three teams start discussing a possible three-way deal with Seattle that would send Gonzalez to the Mariners, along with Buchholz and a couple of other Red Sox prospects.

The Red Sox would get Hernandez.

And the Padres would get Brandon Morrow, Phillippe Aumont and Carlos Triunfel from Seattle, along with a couple of other top Boston prospects.

I mean, holy crap what a huge trade that would have been. I know Felix is amazing and some around here would never trade him, but that is quite a haul. Would you have taken either deal?

The last offtopic thread is getting a little full, so I figured we could use a new one for the new week ahead.

During SIFF, I saw Moon. Has anyone else seen it? I thought it was very good, though probably not super-fantastic amazing. It's more of a moody, thinker of a sci-fi movie, and it's stuck with me. It's odd, it just pops into my head again and again and I wish others around here had seen it so I'd have someone to discuss it with. No more showings in the area, at least for a little while. So, has anyone seen this? Or do you have any other movies (sci-fi or otherwise) that just kind of stick with you and keep popping up?

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Hahahaha Frankie. Mariano Rivera got his 500th save last night, but also his first RBI, off a bases-loaded walk by Francisco Rodriguez.

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Who is your favorite active non-Mariner baseball player? What is it about them that makes you like them?

Who is your least-favorite/most-hated active non-Mariner baseball player? What is it that makes you unable to stand them?

The new Mariners commercials are up. On first viewing, this seems like an off year. There's no real standout one. Maybe the Felix one? I guess that's pretty good. And it's always fun to watch Ichiro hit. But I'm kinda disappointed about the RRS one. Such a lame/easy joke. And I'm sad there's no Beltre commercial this year.

Or maybe I'm totally wrong. Are my expectations just too high?

The Royals, apparently not happy with acquiring just ONE white, scrappy, former-Mariner utility infielder this offseason, have claimed Tug Hulett on waivers.

[T]he club claimed Tug Hulett on waivers from Seattle. Hulett, 25, made his big-league debut last season when he batted .224 in 49 at-bats over 30 games.

The Royals cleared space on their 40-man roster by designating left-handed reliever Neal Musser for assignment. Hulett is expected to join the Royals in time for Friday’s workout.

"He gives us some depth," general manager Dayton Moore said. "He can play second, third and a little short. And he's got two options left.

"We see him beginning the season at (Class AAA) Omaha, but I wouldn’t put limitations on him. He'll come in here and compete for a job."

The Kansas City Star

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Ken Griffey Jr. has chosen to sign with the Braves, according to a person close to the veteran star and familiar with the on-going negotiations. Griffey and Braves general manager Frank Wren met Monday night in Orlando. Wren and Griffey’s agent were scheduled to meet today in an effort to finalize a deal.

...

He’s expected to play primarily in left field for the Braves, probably in a platoon role right-handed hitter Matt Diaz, though Griffey could also play against some lefty pitchers.

He could also serve as a backup center fielder for the Braves, who only got 27 home runs from their outfield last season, the lowest total in the majors.

from ajc.com

Update: Maybe not.

Both Griffey and Goldberg said a story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday morning that said he had chosen the Braves, is not accurate.

Griffey said he heard about the story and sent a text message to Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik and CEO Howard Lincoln, telling them that the report was not accurate.

Mariners.com

Sources: Nats Sign Adam Dunn

The Washington Nationals have agreed to a preliminary deal with 29-year-old free agent Adam Dunn, a signing that would fulfill their offseason-long search for a left-handed power hitter. Two independent sources have told the Post that Dunn will sign a two-year deal, possibly announced as early as tomorrow.

Washington Post

That's all there is right now. The article promises more details are coming. It really is looking like it's down to Griffey or Anderson for the Mariners.

I just saw this on MLB.com, and while I'm not a hockey fan, I know a lot of people around here are. I figured I should share it so people could be informed before they start purchasing their MLB.tv for the year.

Now [MLB and NHL] have come together in a new way, as Major League Baseball Advanced Media and the National Hockey League on Monday announced a partnership that will make available each league's live online streaming product. MLB.TV Premium and NHL GameCenter LIVE will be available to U.S. residents through a bundled subscription for a one-time fee of $139.95 beginning Feb. 16 at MLB.com and NHL.com.

Earlier this month, MLB.TV Premium went on sale with its full-season package (March-October 2009) for $109.95, a $10 discount off the 2008 yearly pricing. The NHL will launch its own standalone Race for the Cup streaming product on Feb. 16 for $79.95.

MLB.com story