So this time last year, everyone was probably scratching their heads over the decision that Target Field in Minneapolis would be an open air stadium. But doesn't it snow and rain alot there in April? Somewhere in some executive boardroom, the decision was determined that a roof would be an unneccessary addition to the already high costs it takes to build a brand new stadium, and that they would forgo it.

Meanwhile, we've been enjoying a roof over our heads at Safeco FIeld for over ten years now. Was it worth the money?

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When I head the news about this exchange of Brandons, a flurry of emotions flooded through me. First curiosity, then excitement, and finally fear. Well, considering I've never been a Blue Jays fan, nor been to Toronto, I cannot give the same in depth analysis that 3744nSheffield kindly shared with us. But I am a Mariners fan with Google at my fingertips, so this is what I was able to find on Wikipedia. 

Has Z proven that he is a mere mortal, or has he pulled off another major League deal in disguise? Only time will tell, but for now, I found some troubling excerpts from his profile on Wikipedia.

In the offseason following League's breakout 2006, he engaged in strength conditioning, while, at the behest of the Blue Jays, did not pitch until spring training. As a result, he overdeveloped some shoulder muscles, resulting in a significant drop in the velocity of his sinker.[2] This led to being placed on the 60-day disabled list, and League was largely ineffective for the 2007 season. 

Ok, lesson learned, but there's more. 

He has had high potential throughout his career but has never lived up to expectation. Recently, he has developed a splitter that he now uses as a strikeout pitch. However, struggles with command have landed him with a higher than normal ERA.

Crap, higher ERA, not living up to potential. Sound familiar? Doesn't Z check the back of baseball cards before making trades? This is just a disaster waiting to happen. The Seattle Media machine might continue to put pressure on League depending on Brandon Morrow's performance. He better hope Morrow gets a demotion, or else League will fare no better than Eric Bedard, Jeff Weaver, or Carlos Silva, or worse, get a minor League demotion himself. Hope he doesn't decide to stir in Milton Bradley's corner of the locker room. When League starts to put up less than big League numbers, and becomes a major League disappointment, don't say you weren't warned. 

One thing we can look forward to is Brandon League bobblehead night. And being the only team in the League (no pun intended) with two goggled pitchers. 

via www.mopupduty.com

So as the year winds down and the excitement of the Cliff Lee trade settles, we look forward to our various holiday celebrations to give each other a pat on the back for making it through another year. Let's use this opportunity to either reflect on 2009 or look forward to 2010. I choose to look ahead rather than look in the past.

What I am looking forward to in 2010:

Turning 21
Graduating college
The subsequent summer road trip to Las Vegas
Summer concerts
The Chevy Volt (and other plug in electric cars coming out in that year)
Iron Man 2
The Mariners
UW Football

Anyone got a list of what they are looking forward to in 2010?

Also, anyone know the best brick and mortar place to sell back video games? I want to sell some of my Wii games I never play anymore quickly, but GameStop use their monopsony power to rip off gamers, so I am looking for some alternatives. I realize ebay/amazon might be the best solution, but that takes too much time and shipping costs. 

Hey guys, 

Social Networking night is on Tuesday, August 11th. 

Join us for the first ever Mariners Social Media Happy Hour from 5-7pm at the Safeco Field Ellis Pavilion. There will be a panel discussion with Seattle social media experts and a specially-priced happy hour food & drink menu.

Plus, Mariners pitcher, blogger and Twitter personality Ryan Rowland-Smith (@hyphen18) will be a special on hand for a special Q&A session.

Everyone in attendance gets a free "I Follow @hyphen18" T-shirt and will be invited to Tweet during the event and the Mariners game.

So we will get to meet the Sexy Aussie from Down Under himself (I will struggle to maintain my composure), as well as an assortment of people involved in the media or marketing, the social media panel. For someone like me who is majoring in Business with a concentration in marketing, this is an incredible opportunity. Even if you don't care about marketing, this would still be a fun event, you get a Hyphen T-shirt, and discounted game tickets! Anyone else going to be there? 

In light of the event, I present to you this:

Update: I feel stupid now for posting this. I am going to the game Wednesday with co-workers from my new job instead of Tuesday. This is too bad, I wish I could meet RRS, but I am sure I will get another chance sometime. Sorry guys, I hope whoever does end up going has fun and posts any pictures they get with RRS. 

So here is the tale of Eli Whiteside that I created. I had to attached it through pictures since the copy and paste didn't quite work out. I've heard things around here about the story of Eli Whiteside, because despite his overall mediocrity, his surname is quite fascinating to some of us (me included). This is what happens when you are bored and buzzed on a Saturday night. Enjoy and be sure to answer the poll. 

Don't worry, I am not actually posting any lolcats for the fear of getting banned, but I was heading out to the game and wanted to see if any of my Lookouting Landing brethren will be going. It should be good, as it will be Felix's final start before the All-Star game. Hopefully he will further prove why he had been selected for his first All-Star game. Also, hopefully he can stop this two game skid, and give us 9 innings so we don't see another bullpen implosion. 

So here is the website: http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/05/19/funny-pictures-cheezburger-nite-seattle-mariners/

Enter at your own risk!

This is especially sad:

michiko May 22, 2009 at 12:50 pm

yay!! i live in seattle!! (=

• Mrrphh May 22, 2009 at 2:50 pm

  Wanna du a cheezmeet? Mrrphh@gmail.com

Hi guys, 

I am a Mariners fan here in Seattle. Earlier today, I joined a league on Baseball-manager-online, and I chose to be the Brewers. After thinking about it, I do not have an NL team, and the Brewers would possibly be a smart team to follow. The Mariners now have Zdurencik as GM, who is currently working hard to reverse the failures of Bill Bavasi. Of course, it will take more than a season to do so. It seemed like he did a great job as the scouting director for you guys. 

So I am asking if you guys would like to introduce me to yourselves, and the team, and basically tell me what I should know about the team that the MSM tends to miss? 

Ok, so after the incredibe experience that I had this past Wednesday, it had me thinking. And I finally thought, why reserve a Private or Group suite for Lookout Landing, and just have a whole room exclusive to Lookout Landing members. 

So these were the two Suites that I was thinking of, check out the information by going to the links below. 

Private Suite

Group Suite

Basically, the Private Suite should fit up to about 24 people (4 people standing), and the Group Suite could fit up to 49 people (9 people standing). I broke down how much it could cost each of us if we chose to do this. 

Private Suite - $2,400 in total. About $120 per person. (The standing tickets have to be bought separately) I believe catering is extra here, but when broken down, it could cost an additional 30-40 when considering food and drinks. Before you cringe, may I explain why this would be sweet (no pun intended). Basically, outdoor seating and a private room, all for ourselves, with a TV, bar, etc, while getting to watch the game, not to mention parking at the stadium is paid for four cars. 

Group Suite - Now this is the one I would prefer, but who knows if we could get 40-49 people to come along. Basically, Total cost would be $4,100, which breaks down to $102.5 per person (9 extra have to be bought separately). But in this deal includes $1,055 towards food and drinks, a larger outdoor seating area, large indoor seating area, with a bar, concierge service, HDTV, etc. Parking is also paid for six cars, I guess we would be carpooling or whatnot. This would be excellent, and would be right above the hit it here cafe. 

I think the prices are greater when teams like the Red Sox or Yankees are in town, so maybe we can see the Mariners play the Rays or some other break out team this year if possible. I realize this is a crazy idea, but I was thinking that doing an LL softball game and then going here at night would be an incredible day. Let me know what you guys think!

Probably best now to keep track of everyone who would be on board for this. This would probably be scheduled in advanced, at a time from mid to late June, seeing that that is the time frame that works best for people's schedules. These are the games that are happening at home in Mid to Late June

June 19-21 - Arizona

June 23-25 - San Diego

Choose which one you would prefer. 

List (16(21?)):

Fin

camomilk

James F'n X

Decatur

Decatur's Dad

d0nkey

Enrique

FWombat

seattlecougar

appleshampoo

Corco (Maybe)

Jaejo

Willy Mays Haze

Fett42

Ike Clanton (maybe)

Sinking Away

Rachmaninoff

GoodKeith

Jeff?

Matthew?

Graham?

A good idea suggested may be to bump up the contribution to about $120 or so (would be about $105). The extra $15 would be a donation to pay Jeff, Matthew, and Graham's way into the suite, kind of as a way to say thanks for all of their hard work on the site. I haven't yet been contacted by any of these gentlemen, so I put their name down tentatively, because I couldn't guess why they would turn down this offer.

Hey, that game was fucking incredible! Had a blast, even with all things considered. Special thanks to Nick (Appleshampoo), Graham, and my friend Jeff (not LL Jeff) for joining me tonight. Having intelligent company really does make a difference when it comes to going to baseball games. I do not think I could've asked for a better mix of offense, defense, and pitching from the Mariners (well, nix Batista, but other than that it was good). I would really want to try one of these LL meet ups again later in the season. It was fun. 

Also, it should be a warning not to say something potentially stupid on the internet. I think I dodged a bullet, but I learned my lesson. 

Hey guys,

So I bought four tickets to the April 15th, game after the home opener, back in late February, thinking that I would be able to find three other people to join me. Well, that isn't the case, since it is on a Wednesday night, and apparently most people I know would rather study for school or get up early for work the next day then have an awesome time at the ball park. 

I figure it won't be quite like Opening Day, but it should still be quite an exciting atmosphere. Now the deal is, I still want to go, but haven't found anyone since the people I originally asked had plans that came up. So, I figured, this would be a great way to meet some LLers and have an intelligent conversation about baseball while watching the game and getting drunk. I am wanting to meet up maybe around 5 or so at Safeco to be able to watch the M's batting practice and maybe get an autograph. 

It will be completely free, only two requirements. First, I will still be coming along, and second, be old enough to buy beer, because I am not and I need someone who is. 

Post here if you are wanting to go, and I'll shoot you an e-mail and figure out what works best for us. 

O yes, and the seats are in Section 109, Row 26 (I believe lower OF reserved start at 23), seats 18-21. 

If anyone is going to the game, let it be known so that there could be a potential LL meetup before or during the game. I figure some guys might already be there, (Brett, Sec 108), so we could have a mini meet up before hand. 

Jeff Zimmerman that is. 

If you are like me, you are probably thinking "Who the fuck is this guy?"

In another low-risk, high-reward transaction, the Mariners on Tuesday signed former Rangers right-hander Jeff Zimmerman to a Minor League contract.

It appears that even Jim Street has caught Z-fever, even though he is late on the bandwagon. 

It has been more than eight years since the 36-year-old reliever pitched in the big leagues, but Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said a recent tryout in Arizona was impressive and the hurler passed a physical that spanned Monday and Tuesday in Seattle.

Zimmerman will begin workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday, and he will be on a program that, according to Zduriencik: "Will get him ready to pitch for us this year. I can't tell you the time frame."

It appears that Zduriencik continues to build his team of relievers. Seriously, Jeff, I don't think you realized what the consequences would be for making fun of Jim Bowden's outfielder fetish. Wonder what position Zimmerman will play? Closer? 3rd base? No, probably a bench role, as he appears to be signed for his veteran grittiness. 

Zimmerman will join relievers Chad Cordero and Tyler Johnson in an extended spring program in Peoria, Ariz.

"That might be the best extended group ever assembled," Zduriencik said.

Chad Cordero - the unluckiest comeback attempt in MLB history. 

So earlier today (Sunday), I finally bought my first professional sports jersey. I decided that since I am going to get a jersey, I better go all the way and get an authentic one. JI suggested on an earlier thread that I should go for the alternative rather than the home white because it will stain less. Plus, it looks much cooler, so I decided to get it.

Choosing which player wasn't hard, ever since becoming a devoted Mariners fan in 2005 (four years and counting!), Felix was by far my favorite player. He was basically supposed to be the icon for the new up and coming Mariners under the now failed Bavasi regime. 

He is still very young though, and has yet to hit his prime, and is under Mariners control for several more years, so I figure between Felix and Ichiro, Felix was a safe bet to invest $230 on an authentic jersey. (Not to mention I saved 10% by buying a couple of tickets while I was at the team store) Plus, I am glad to give him whatever royalty I can, since ownership is shafting him by not extending him long term as of yet. 

I decided in order to make this OT thread not LLLJ, that this could be a place for us all to share our various memorabilia items. I took the liberty to take a couple pictures of not only my Felix jersey, but also my grease-stained Edgar autographed ball (Edgar was eating a cheeseburger when he signed it). Now all I need to do for the Felix jersey to leap beyond the value of the Edgar ball is to somehow be able to hang out with Felix at his apartment for a day and get an autograph and a picture of me with him. 

So, does anyone have any cool memorabilia that they can share?

Edit: I also forgot to ask to anyone that owns an authentic jersey, is it ok to throw it into the wash with the rest of the clothes, or does it have to be taken to the cleaners?

Edit #2: Shameless Promotion!

So at the company I work for, J&D's (The makers of Bacon Salt and Baconnaise), they were looking into doing Bacon body spray, they found a supplier of flavored personal lube. They decided to post this picture on their blog, and it has started to gain nationwide attention, and now I post it here for shiggles. Now they are going to put this plan into action and for all you bacon lovers, you will be able to spread your bacon love into the bedroom!

According to mlb.com, the vote for the new Ballpark in Miami has been finalized for the Marlins, which will open in 2012

Miami-Dade County commissioners on Monday put to rest more than a decade-long quest by voting in favor of a retractable-roof ballpark for the Marlins on the Orange Bowl grounds. Commissioners cast two separate votes, the first came back, 9-4, and the second was 10-3.

As all of you may know, the Marlins have struggled to get a new ball park for a long time, as their attendance numbers have been horribly low, even despite getting two championships in their 15-year franchise history. Their ball park has been the main factor, as in the summer time, the weather is miserable, from either thunderstorms, or nasty, humid heat. It's no wonder that the attendance is as low as it is, having to watch a baseball team play in a football stadium in that weather. I understand that this probably has little relevance to most people here, since Miami is the farthest city in the continental US from Seattle, but as a former South Florida resident, and a part-time Marlins fan, this is a big deal. I can tell you from personal experience that the stadium is pretty depressing. And for a city with such a big hispanic population, major league baseball should be thriving, but the current stadium is holding the team and baseball back. 

For those of you that don't know, the Marlins currently suffer the same problem as the A's, smart management but small budget. Ironically, I believe the A's also will have their new ballpark open in 2012. I wouldn't be surprised if both of these teams go far in the playoffs once their stadiums open. 

Since we all also currently have WBC fever, I thought this would be interesting to point out. 

Last week, Dolphin Stadium was the site of second-round games of the World Baseball Classic.

The Marlins will seek hosting the finals of the 2013 World Baseball Classic. And the organization is confident it will be awarded an MLB All-Star Game within a few years after the doors in the new park are open.

This would be great for Miami, especially if Cuba, or any other Latin American team make it to the final round. And the stadium looks great, I can't wait to go. As you may notice, the Marlins borrowed their stadium design from the M's, with the Umbrella type, sliding retractable roof, which covers the top, but doesn't fully enclose the stadium. And I am still pulling for A-rod to one day be player/owner of the team. 

via mlb.mlb.com

Edit: I just saw that someone posted the link to the article under Fan Shots already, so I am late. But I put too much effort into this to take it down. 

I am dying here in class without an off topic thread. I guess it isn't everyday that a dunce will make a fan post for us to take over.   

Today is Groundhog day! Woot! (Great movie by the way). Apparently, Punxetawney Phil has predicted a longer winter. O well, feels like spring up here in Seattle. 

Michael Phelps is busted for drug use. Man, I don't know why they are giving the guy such a hard time, if he could smoke and still be the beast that he is, he deserves at least some more recognition for his achievement. 

DJ Hero is coming. Take that, Rock Band. Well, not a big fan of hip hop so it doesn't have much relevance to me, but I assume there are hip hop fans here that would be interested in it. 

Well, according to last weekend's OT thread, Corco has now obligated himself to set himself on fire and GIF it for our viewing pleasure, so we can sidebar it and use it whenever Corco, or anyone else, says something Corco-like.

In other news:

Toyota output has dropped, meaning that it isn't just the U.S. auto industry that has been sucking, but basically every car company has doing poorly thanks to the recession.

Joe Torre reminisces about his old team in a soon coming book, going as far as revealing that the Steinbrenners are indeed assholes and A-rod was needy and picked on by his teammates. 

And a video!, which basically further questions why Marijuana is illegal. 

It seems everyone has gotten to make one of them and the times for making their own OT thread, so I thought in order for me to get the privilege to make one (since I am never up before 9 or 10 in the morning), I have to beat everyone to it!. Anyways, a few possible icebreakers...

• Anyone go see the House Bunny? Yea, I thought it sucked to, but I think I am man enough to admit there were one or two funny moments in the movie. 
• Fall is just around the corner, meaning new seasons for our favorite prime time shows, which are...?
• The Olympics are just about over. They were fun, watching Michael Phelps win 8 medals and all, but if the Olympics were a meme, I think they've been dead memed by now. 
• Des anyone exercise here? If so what's your favorite exercise regiments? Cardio machine?
• Anyone play the guitar around here and have a spare acoustic laying around?
  

O yes, and

This could possibly have gone in today's or tomorrow's OT thread, but this is such big news I think it deserves its own fanpost. Like the title says, this is a big step forward for the likes of me, Brett, and anyone else under 21 who are discriminated against in America and deemed "irresponsible" simply because of our age. 

"College presidents from about 100 of the best-known U.S. universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws actually encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus."

Presidents of prestigous schools such as listed above think the drinking age is bad. This is great as everyone who is either 21 or has been under 21 knows alcohol is still pretty easily accessible if you have friends over 21 (or drive up to Canada like Brett), but yet are barred from places such as bars, concerts, pool halls, or other adult events here in the states, even though 18-20 year olds can smoke, play the lottery, go to strip clubs, buy a gun, buy porn, sign into legal contract, vote, join the army, and most importantly, buy dry ice. 

Here is a quote that states what I mean:

"But the statement makes clear the signers think the current law isn't working, citing a "culture of dangerous, clandestine binge-drinking," and noting that while adults under 21 can vote and enlist in the military, they "are told they are not mature enough to have a beer." "

Of course, with making progress there is always some roadblocks.

"Mothers Against Drunk Driving says lowering the drinking age would lead to more fatal car crashes. It accuses the presidents of misrepresenting science and looking for an easy way out of an inconvenient problem." (facepalm)

Nonetheless, this is still a huge step forward if you have very smart people gathering to propose a debate on the drinking age. 

Here is one more quote from a smart person:

"Moana Jagasia, a Duke University sophomore from Singapore, where the drinking age is lower, said reducing the age in the U.S. could be helpful."There isn't that much difference in maturity between 21 and 18," she said. "If the age is younger, you're getting exposed to it at a younger age, and you don't freak out when you get to campus.""

This is true, and I can't agree more with this statement. Here is the article to read it in full. 

A couple of fun facts: The U.S. is the only country in the world with the drinking age of 21. Also, each state can decide what to make their drinking age, but a law was passed in 1984, saying that if their drinking age is lower than 21, they lose out on 10% of their highway funding. 

It's that time again, when the PNW chapter of the Red Sox Nation invades Safeco Field once again in their Red Sox gear to cheer on their beloved Red Sox as they face the last place Mariners. So once again, this begs the question, who will out to defend Safeco Field as it is invaded by a flurry of "fanatics" proudly adorning their preppy Red Sox caps and Papelbon T-shirts? I am considering going out Tuesday or Wednesday, as Tuesday is Dice-K v. Dickey, and Wednesday is Felix day. But I am most likely going to be in the minority showing in my Mariners gear. 

Also this thread could be used to vent our hatred of the RSN, and more importantly, sightings of people in Red Sox gear around here in Seattle and wherever else no where close to Boston or New England. I for one live in Bothell/Mill Creek, and I tend to see people wear Red Sox caps almost everywhere, and most look like middle-upper class preppy family people. In fact, in my class the other day, I saw this fruitcake wearing a Red Sox visor, while wearing a Seahawks polo shirt. The Red Sox caps probably bother as much as seeing white people confederate flags bother black people, and in this case, words couldn't describe the rage I was feeling, I mean who dares represent the 'Hawks and the Sox at the same time. 

Madonna? We all knew that Alex Rodriguez, former Seattle Mariner and 9 figures worth, was probably unfaithful, and whose to blame him, he makes so much money and is on the road all the time, athletes probably have a hard time staying faithful. (I hope this doesn't get categorized as religion). But Madonna, who is also facing rumors of divorce, shouldn't be as big of a surprise, especially if the allegations of her and Jose Canseco being together is true. But seriously? She is kind of old. Anyway, so the quote goes:

" Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and his wife have split less than three months after the birth of the couple's second daughter, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

Rodriguez

The story on the newspaper's Web site comes amid reports linking Rodriguez to Madonna. Rodriguez refused to address the topic on three occasions Tuesday, once saying "no" when asked if he had any comment."

I guess we should wait in the coming days to see if these are true or not. I would certainly have a hard time forking over half of my salary is it was $270 million. 

She's pretty smoking if you ask me, hotter than Madonna (Madonna today at least), but I guess that's what $25 million a year could get you. 

I noticed that despite probably one of the highest turn outs for LL softball this year was today, a lot of potential players had father's day plans or something else that prevented them for going (myself included). I am going to make sure there is nothing that prevents me from making this one in two weeks. I figure two weeks is enough notice to make plans, and last time I checked, there is no major holiday on June 29. Basically just commit yourself if you can make it. 

Here is the information of time and place:

Time: 1PM, Sunday
Place: 14th and Cherry or 12th and Cherry (Seattle U soccer or Softball field. Depends on what is available)

Roll Call: 8 (9?)

Fin

Two Rs and Two Ls (+1?)

Gomez

Jaejo

wlad-o-matic (Paul)

LantermanC

RED

wwbaker3

Despite people bailing at the last second, its still happening, so its not too late to commit or just show up at the Seattle U softball field at 1 (Address is stated above). If you have friends who have nothing to do on this sunny, warm day, bring them along as well!

Its all here.

 Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long.  Your FanPost must be at least 75 words long. 

We all know that McLaren isn't manager material and should be fired, but now the team is starting to play as if he is completely ineffective. If this keeps up, he will probably be fired by June or July, I'd guess. I feel that there is enough blame to go around for everyone, from Bavasi all the way to the players and coaches, but John McLaren will most likely be the scapegoat, even though he deserves it after his shoddy bullpen management and horrible line-ups he draws up day in and day out. The issue is, who will he be replaced with? Will the franchise go outside for the replacement, or promote from within? I have seen the off season coverage of McLaren building his coaching staff, recruiting veteran coaches, such as Mel Stottlemyre and so on. I know that Jim Riggleman and Sam Perlozzo were both managers before. I am scared that if McLaren is fired, one of those two would be promoted rather than having an external replacement. Any suggestions for McLaren's replacement? 

I would feel confident if the right manager is hired soon enough, the Mariners can turn the season around. I was a fan of the Marlins in 2003, and they had went from a 19-29 record to win it all after replacing their manager in mid-May. The only concern is that I guess it is either Howard Lincoln, Chuck Armstrong, or Bill Bavasi who gets to choose the replacement, which scares me. 

I was wondering if someone could walk me through it, I am not very good at html. I got some good pics at the Mariners vs. the Yankmes last season. 

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