Mariners In September

Wow, I can’t believe the season’s over already--at least for my Mariners. I haven’t watched any post season games, since the M’s aren’t in it. I may catch parts of the World Series though.

I had the priviledge of going to 3 M’s games during the last three weeks of the season. My first game was on September 14, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Katelin, a seventh grader from our church, went with me. She’s come with me before, so we had a lot of fun together. Below are a few pictures from the game.

The mighty Ichiro leading off:



Here’s Felix Hernandez throwing one of his fastballs:



Closing the game is J.J. Putz (the M’s Closer) who is winding up for one of his fastballs. Check out his pitching form:



Although my favorite player, Jeremy Reed (#7) was sent down to the AAA Tacoma Rainiers this season, he was able to come back up to the M’s for the month of September. For those who don’t know Major League Baseball (MLB) rules, teams have a roster of 40 players, but they only have 25 men during the season. For the month of September, MLB rules allow the teams to have all 40 guys on the active roster (meaning they are all suited up and can play) as they head into the playoffs. The M’s brought Jeremy up, but he didn’t play in this game. :-( Here is a picture of Jeremy by the dugout (he is in the center-to the right of Ben Broussard (#23):



Here’s my traditional scoreboard photo (for those who haven’t gone to Safeco Field, this is their hand-operated scoreboard). Notice that this was taken in the bottom of the 9th inning with the score tied. The M’s scored in the bottom of the 9th with a bases loaded sacrifice fly that brought Ichiro in from 3rd Base:



Final Score: Mariners 2 Tampa Bay 1


FRIDAY, SEPT 28TH--FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT

On Friday, September 28th, I went to another M’s game, this time they were playing their division rival--Texas Rangers. It also happened to be the Mariner’s Fan Appreciation Night. They have a ton of stuff to give away, although in my 5+ years of going on this night, I’ve never won anything. Oh, well. The Lord must know that I don’t need a new big screen tv or a trip to Hawaii or a $250 M’s Team Store shopping spree or........one of many other prizes. I went to the game by myself (one of many games that I’ve been to by myself over the years). Mom’s cousin, Kathy, had my other 3 seats, but I hadn’t connected with her before the game to find out if she was coming. Three younger people came during the 5th inning, but I didn’t ask them how they got the tickets. I ended up talking with the four people in front of me. We had a lot of fun even though they were from Eastern Washington and were Wazzu fans. We did get in some discussions about that when they found out that I was a major Husky fan. I found out that the son who was there had not been to Safeco Field yet, so he was so excited to be there. I gave him some tips on what he should see and do. He was hoping for a foul ball, but that’s hard for us to get in our seats. We’re under the Press Boxes and we have that pesky (at least for photos) screen in front of us. Check out these photos from the game.

Here are the pennants that the M’s have won:



Since this was the M’s 30th Anniversary Season (yes, they started the year I was born), they honored the Season Ticket Holders who have been coming since the beginning. The M’s invited them onto the field before the game (have to say that I don’t think all of them were over 30 years old though):



The M’s then came out onto the field to thank everyone too:



Here’s a picture of that night’s pitcher, Jeff Weaver:



I think Adrian Beltre is trying to figure out where the ball went:



Notice that the score is tied in my traditional shot of the scoreboard:



Game is tied in the bottom of the ninth with one on and two outs. Jeff Clement is up to bat and the count is 2-1 (walks-strikes). I took this picture of him just as he was going to start swinging for his 2-run walk-off Home Run:



Final Score: Mariners 6 Rangers 4

SATURDAY, SEPT 29TH

For Saturday’s game, my co-worker Debbie came with me to the game. We met some friends of hers there, so had a lot of fun with them. Deb hasn’t been to a M’s game before, so since we got up there early we walked around the whole stadium. Some of the areas I haven’t been by for several years, so it was great to see some of them again.

Mom always teases me, because I have a tendancy to take pictures of everything, except of myself and those I go with. As an example, when Katelin and I went to the M’s game in June, I took about 115 pictures (including Edgar’s Mariners Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony), but none with Katelin or I in them. I have to defend myself here though, with the cameras I have, I don’t let just anyone touch them, especially my new one. Since I’m often at games by myself, I don’t give my camera to a stranger. When I’m with others, they usually don’t know how to handle my cameras. I work with Debbie and both of us use cameras a lot, so I knew she could handle mine.

Debbie took this pic of me from our seats before the game:



The M’s always have someone come to throw out the First Pitch and at this game they brought Kevin Durant (wearing the M’s shirt). He is the Seattle SuperSonic’s rookie basketball player. I don’t follow the Sonics, so I don’t remember which position he plays:



Even though Sammy Sosa is not a Mariner, I do have to get his picture since he is a great ballplayer:



The hero from the night before, just before he walks up to the plate:



This is the last of my traditional scoreboard pictures for this season:



There was an awesome surprise for me during the game, but you’ll just have to read my next post to find out about it. I should get it posted sometime this week.

I’m so amazed that the season is now done. I had a great time at all of the games I went to, with and without friends and family. Hopefully more of you can join me next season.

M’s Season Record: 88 wins and 74 losses for 2nd Place in the American League West!!!

Don’t worry, I’ve already got March 31, 2008, blocked out on my calendar for the Mariners 2008 Home Opener.

Young Peoples Reunion

On Saturday, August 4th, Mom and I journeyed down to Mossyrock Park (south of Olympia) for a Young Peoples Reunion. For those of you who don’t know,Young Peoples was what our high school youth group at church was called for many years. We had all grown up together in the church, although we didn’t attend the same schools. We were all in Young Peoples during the 1990s, but I won’t say when each of us were. :-) Since family is important to each of us, our parents, spouses, and kids were also invited to our reunion.

Seven of us kids were there (Dave, Aaron, Sarah, Kim, Lisa, Michael, and me). I was the only one without spouse and kids there. My Mom was there along with Jack and Sue (Aaron, Sarah, and Rebecca), John and Mary (Kim, Lisa, and Michael), John’s parents (Lawrence and Gwen), and Bob and Jane (Rob and Julie, who couldn’t attend). Those from Young Peoples who we missed were: Ron and Jo (our Youth Leaders and the parents of Dave, Sam, and Andre), Elliot (my brother), Raymond, Alieda, Renee, Rob and Julie, Marc and Kara, Anna, Sam and Andre, Ian and Matt, Anneke, Rebecca, and Heidi and Chris. I’m sure I missed some, so if you’re reading this and you were in our group and aren’t mentioned here, I’m sorry.

We had a great time reconnecting with each other, eating, swimming, canoeing, boating, relaxing, and playing volleyball. Mom and I didn’t camp, but the rest were out there all weekend. Many thanks to Sue for setting this event up. Hopefully we’ll be able to do another one in the near future and get more to come. For those who were there and are reading this, if you have pictures that you want me to post here for others to see, please e-mail them to me.

Here are some of my favorite pictures. Hope you enjoy them.

We started the afternoon by gathering together for prayer and then ate. From left to right are Jane, me, Mary, and Bob:



Here’s Mike (Sarah’s husband) cooking on the grill and I’m in the background:



Michael and Keri getting ready to eat their juicy burgers:



Enjoying lunch and a great conversation are from right to left: Jack, Dave and Nikole (Dave and Juanita’s daughter).



Keeping cool in the shade are Jeremy, Sarah, Sue, and Aaron (holding Dylan):



Here’s Caden (Aaron and Jen’s middle child) taking a ride around camp:



Here’s a cute one of Caleb (Lisa and Brian’s son). I personally love his hat. Already showing his Mariner spirit:



Although they moved here after all of us were out of high school, John’s parents (Kim, Lisa, and Michael’s grandparents), Lawrence and Gwen, joined us for a few hours:



Nikole is hanging out in the shade with her mom, Juanita:



Relaxing in the shade are from left to right: my Mom (Karyl), Sarah, Jane, and Kim; with Nikole and Juanita in the background.



Caden loved playing with the water:



After eating and hanging out at the camp, we went down to the lake and relaxed some more. Here’s Bob and Jane floating in the lake:



Taking a dip are Aaron and his oldest son, Jorren:



Tired and cold, Jorren and his cousin, Annika (Sarah and Mike’s daughter), hang out on an air mattress:



Not wanting to play in the water, Caden and Nikole relaxed on the beach:



Wanting to show off their power to Michael and Kim, Jakob (Dave and Juanita’s son) and Gabriel (Kim and Jeremy’s son) row the last few feet to the shore:



Lisa and Brian are trying to coax their son Caleb into the water. He did go in for a minute or two, but then wanted out:



Aaron and Jen take their oldest two, Jorren and Caden, out for a ride:



After hanging out at the beach, we went back to camp, changed, and started a volleyball game. Here’s some pictures from our very competitive game:

Dave, Kim, me, Keri, and Aaron



Me, Jeremy (back to camera), Jen, and Sarah



Keri, Brian (#34), Michael, and Jen



Not long after these pictures were taken, Mom and I headed home.

Where has this season gone!?

There’s only one month left in the regular season and I think my team needs a pick-me-up. I won't dwell on how they are doing right now, but will go into the past to celebrate how they were doing.

On June 23, I went to a Mariner’s game with Brian and Melissa, and Melissa’s mom Hildred, and her sister, Michelle. We didn’t sit in my normal seats, but were way out in the upperdeck (towards centerfield). We had a great time, although we got our workout climbing all the way to our seats. Here’s a view of the Seattle skyline from our seats (using telephoto lens).



Since many of you have not been to a game with me nor have used my season tickets, here is a view of where our seats are (one with and one without telephoto lens). Our seats are directly under the “C” in “Welcome.” Notice where homeplate is.





This weekend was Ken Griffey Jr.’s homecoming to Seattle. It was great to see him again. Rumor has it that he might return to the Mariners before he retires. Only he knows if it will happen. Here’s a picture of him in the outfield below our seats and one of him up to bat.





When we left to go to the game, we were all worried that the roof would be closed and that we’d end up with rain. Instead, the Lord gave us a beautiful sunset to enjoy. Here’s two of my favorite pictures of that sunset.





For those who were supposed to go with us (you know who you are!!), you missed an awesome game, although I'm sorry that there were no stolen bases (I guess the M's didn't get my memo). We were with great friends, had good food, and an awesome view, plus my guys won!!!! We saw Raul Ibanez hit a grand slam, Richie Sexson hit two solo homeruns, and Ben Broussard hit a two-run homer.

Final score (this is a traditional picture that I always take during the top or bottom of the 9th inning):



On July 28, I drove up to an early afternoon Mariner’s game. I met my college friend, Leslie, there. We reconnected at my cousin, Brittney’s basketball games at Seattle Pacific University. We have gone to a game together for the last few summers, just to catch up on each other’s lives. We sat in my normal season ticket seats, so here is a photo of homeplate from our seats (one with and one without telephoto).





We knew that it was our college’s Alumni Day (George Fox University), but I had forgotten that it was also State Employees Appreciation Day too. We didn't see anyone from our college, but it was our understanding that those who were attending the BBQ before the game were older or we didn't even know them while at Fox.

Leslie and I had a lot of fun talking and cheering for our Mariners. The only bad thing that happened during the game, was that someone ran onto the field to meet Ichiro. We’re assuming the guy was drunk and/or was dared to run out there. He did make it all the way to Ichiro, but then was captured by security. I did get some pictures, but won’t post them here. He’s already had his 15 seconds of fame and doesn’t need any more. We did get to see Kenji Johjima hit a two-run homer and Yuniesky Betancourt hit a solo homer, plus we won!!

Final Score:



My next games will be September 14 and then September 28 and 29, unless they go into the playoffs. Hopefully they get into the playoffs and then maybe I can actually go to a game on my birthday. The last five years, I have gone to the last Friday and Saturday games as a gift to myself for my birthday. Because of that, I have seen Ichiro break the hits record, Edgar and Dan retire, and the M’s knock other teams out of the playoff race (even though we weren’t going). Don't know of any players planning on retiring this year, but maybe the M's will be in the playoff hunt, so these games would really matter. No matter what, the games are just a lot of fun to go to.

35th Anniversary

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but we've been busy and then we were in Michigan for two weeks. More about that visit in another post. I wanted to get this posted before I left, but time flew by and then we were on vacation.

Sunday, July 29th, my parents would have celebrated their 35th Wedding Anniversary, if my Dad was still alive. I thought I’d pay tribute to them with a few pictures and words. Here’s a picture of Mom and one of Dad when they were babies. Mom was born in Everett, Washington and Dad in Muskegon, Michigan.





Mom went to Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois and Dad went to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They both went to New York University for Grad school, but at different times. They met in New Jersey, while Mom taught at Eastern Christian School and Dad worked for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City. They were married in Anchorage, Alaska, where Mom’s family had moved to in 1959. This picture is from their wedding on July 29th, 1972. Left to right are: Dad’s sisters (Debbie and Diane), Mom and Dad, and his parents, Jeanette and Rich.



They lived in New Jersey while Dad worked in New York City. After my brother was born, they moved out to Vancouver, Washington, where I was born. We moved to Shelton (December 1977) and then to Olympia in 1988 to be closer to our church. This coming December we will have gone to the same church in Olympia for 30 years. This is a picture of the four of us not long after I was born. Also, here are two of my favorite pictures of my brother and I growing up.







So I don’t bore you with details, I’ll skip a bunch of years and include some more recent photos. These last pictures are of Dad in May 2000 not long after his second round of chemo. We were celebrating his birthday (May 18) and Mom’s birthday (May 20). The next picture is of Dad with his two sisters in July 2000. Aunt Diane and Aunt Debbie came out for about a week to spend some time with Dad, since he couldn’t travel much. Dad died on November 17, 2000, of complications to colon cancer. He was 53. The last picture is of Mom, my brother, sister-in-law, and myself on Mother’s Day 2007, six and a half years after Dad died. As you can see, we are doing well, which we give all the credit to our Lord. He has provided an awesome family and a wonderful church family who have supported us throughout our lives and I know they will continue to do so.







So although Dad’s not around to celebrate their 35th Wedding Anniversary, I know he’s with us and will never be forgotten.