You’re in a bad place when Little Egypt is hitting 2nd for you.

I think having Cairo bat 2nd is also bringing a tear of joy to Moose’s eye as well.

I think having Cairo bat 2nd is also bringing a tear of joy to Moose’s eye as well.

Cairo will light Moose up.

I pity Mariner fans.
http://ussmariner.com/2008/05/03/game-31-mariners-at-yankees/

... like a post-coital cig.

Jon- with like matches and gasoline? Because that’s probably way he could.

*probably the only way he could

Dang, 5->3.

I don’t want to jinx anything, but seeing Miguel Cairo in the 2-spot makes me feel that much better about my Seattle - under 86 (I think) wins prop bet from March.

Also feeling good about Tampa Bay over 74, incidentally.

I’m losing my right hand if the Yanks lose the division.
And yet, I’m the calmest one here!

Maybe I’m in denial.

I misremembered both - Mariners under 84, and Tampa over 76; but still feeling good about both.

I’m losing my right hand if the Yanks lose the division.

Are you in Riyadh?

“I’m losing my right hand”

Against what?

“Are you in Riyadh?”
Nah, just a man who makes poorly thought out bets when it comes to my favorite teams/limbs.

rlkefan- A nuclear submarine

Cool.  What are you going to do with the sub, Sleepy?

Apparently Miguel Cairo is a professional hitter.  So I’m told.

I’m not sure yet… but the options it offers for fun and profit was just too hard to turn up.

Don’t be too angry about that missed call on the bunt attempt, Miggy. The first pitch of the AB was clearly a strike and you got the benefit on that one.

Marv- an announcer seriously suggested Cairo is a “professional hitter?”
I thought I at least knew what that term meant (a guy who can’t hit homers and isn’t much in the defense department, but otherwise can hit well)

Well, I knew that inning was going to do well once Moose got around the dangerous Little Egypt.

Michael Kay: “(Cairo) is what guys in the clubhouse would refer to as a professional hitter.”

So, basically, in exchange for money, he will step into the batter’s box with a bat in his hand and try to hit a ball that has been thrown near him.  Yep, that’s a professional hitter.

I think Damon might have just hit Keith Olbermann’s mom in the face with his bat.

Sleepy, if you don’t understand how that strikeout is going to help the Mariners win this game, you just don’t understand baseball the way McLaren does.

Marv- I suggest that all baseball announcers should have a clause in their contract that goes like this: “If an announcer suggests Miguel Cairo is a professional hitter in any shape or form, he or she shall be fired on the spot.”

It’s what a decent society would do.

Yes!  I predict three home runs, fourteen doubles, seventy-two walks and thirty-six singles in this inning.

And four HBPs.

And three Mariner errors.

And one run.

Wombat Pete- He spent years preparing for this game. The bunt single Cairo will get in the 14th inning off of Joba will score Ichiro to win the game.

Sleepy - that’s it.  More than that - if you calculate back to the first inning, you’ll see that if Cairo HADN’T struck out there, the wrong batters would have been up in the 14th and the Ms would never have scored that run.

That was different.
But it feels… good. Right, even.

I thought he was out. I like the decision to steal, though.

On second thought, I think Betancourt may have whiffed on the tag.

Mussina didn’t get that pitch, Mr Schrieber.

rLr- as long as it wasn’t as bad as a certain controversal steal in another Mariner-Yankees game.

It’s nice that they made him throw some pitches, too. Because I expect him to get through the second inning in about 8.

Lots o’ run!

Controversial?  There was nothing controversial about it - he was out by 5 feet!

rLr- Not a Melky believer?

The Bloomquist blown call game

And Betancourt definitely whiffed on the tag - good slide by Bobby.

Not a Melky believer?

He’s going to be six of the eight.

rLr- I walked right into that one.
Some times, I wonder if I could make it as a professional straight-man.

I think Michael Kay gets a free ride until the end of this year for the game last year when he and Paul O’Neill said -

“You down with OBP?”
“Yeah you know me.”

I wonder if I could make it as a professional straight-man.

You could write to Ron Jeremy and ask him about getting into the business?

Moose for President.

The 1-2 to Sexson was a definite strike.

MOOSE MOOSE MOOSE!!!

You know, Betancourt came up as a guy who has a reputation for a sick glove… but statsitically and observation wise I just don’t see it.

You know, Betancourt came up as a guy who has a reputation for a sick glove… but statsitically and observation wise I just don’t see it.

He’s a pretty lousy hitter, too.

Damn, I hope Ensberg proves rLr wrong… nice call.

I overestimated Melky and underestimated Ensberg. It would be nice to clear Molina, but I doubt it.

One more pitch & we’ll be at 8.

Does it hurt to be right like that?

I blame rLr for that.

That was, indeed, eight pitches. I need to start predicting happy things.

Unbelievable. Exactly eight pitches.

Your physcic rLr

It would be nice to clear Molina, but I doubt it.

Molina is a highlight in this lineup.

I remember Betancourt making some ridiculous plays in the field his first season up with the Mariners, but yeah, since then, I think he’s lost his lustre for sure.

Molina is a highlight in this lineup.

Seems like he’s ofer his last 49.

Mr. Johjima, a self-respecting gentleman would decline to accept such a weak hit.

Man, he got right in Balentien’s kitchen.

Molina is going to manage to make out on no pitches leading off.

rLr - that’s your way of predicting happier things?

What you get off the Moose: soft hits/homers

that’s your way of predicting happier things?

I’m trying out a reverse jinx.

Ichiro didn’t homer, did he? Noo….

WP- No, I was just stating a general fact.

It’s not good to get beat by Ichiro with two outs and Cairo on deck.

O’Neill is right. Mussina made a mistake there.

You’re going to get Cairo out anyway, let Ichiro steal two bases if he feels like it.

That was close, but he was out.

I think Molina’s come back to replace Molino.
Ah, well.

Ooooh - Ichiro was out - very close though.

Why do the umps favor the Mariners at Yankee Stadium in SB situations?

I was thinking the same thing as Sleepy.  Would it be wrong to play the infield back and maximize the really good chance of getting Cairo out rather than keeping Giambi on first & maximizing the much smaller and far less important chance of getting Ichiro out?

Why do the umps favor the Mariners at Yankee Stadium in SB situations?

Because the umpires are clowns and the Mariners suck at hitting so they steal a lot.

I don’t think 0-23 is a slump so much as Jose Molina.

rLr…it was a ONE pitch out for Molina, which is infinitely more than your zero pitches.  So Molina was infinitely better that your prediction.  Yeah.

Why swing at the first Felix pitch you see when you are 0-a billion?

Is there any way we can make Damon look like Cano so that he can get two at-bats every time through the lineup?

it was a ONE pitch out for Molina, which is infinitely more than your zero pitches.  So Molina was infinitely better that your prediction.  Yeah.

Back to the lab to figure out how to improve before next AB.

Balls are really carrying out to left today.

Hey, alright Skeets.

Damon just won’t let me hate him.

Jeter is only a singles hitter now.

I can’t remember Jeter’s last XBH.  Hell I can’t remember the last time he got a ball out of the infield.

Damon just won’t let me hate him.

When he’s in shape and not battling leg injuries, he’s a good ballplayer.

What the hell was Ibanez doing?

And Godzill is Godzilla.

Holy crap Ibanez’s throw was hilarious.  I’m still laughing.

Come on, one more and blow it open.

Hey!  Mel Stottlemyre sighting!

Nice hit by Melky - and what the heck is wrong with Seattle’s defense.  Now Ichiro?

You’re walking the worst player in the AL?  Really?

If Giambi wasn’t cloggin’ Melky would have gone inside the park.

Still laughing at Ibanez “throw,” BTW.

The Mariners suck at defense. If you suck at defense and suck at offense, you have to be super fantastic at pitching. They’re not super fantastic. The under on 86 seems wise.

Trivia answer = A-Rod and Tino Martinez.  Maybe the easiest question ever.

(2 players that have played 200 games in Kingdome and Yankee Stadium)

I thought Beltre got a lot more of that than he did.

Richie Sexson is just a brutal player now. Giambi without the walks.

5 hits, but no walks.

You see?  Molina is a big presence in the lineup.  Felix 4-pitch walked him he’s so scared of him.

i don’t know how to insert a link without it being 4 lines long, but did anybody catach the farnsworth link over at the lohud blog? it gets awesome about 3 1/2 minutes in. i’d seen pictures of it before but the footage with commentary is unreal.