Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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Mariners welcome Angels and Athletics


Mariners split the 4 game set
against the Red Sox and
are ready to take on the
Angels and Athletics and
more than likely,
one of those two will not
be invited to the party !

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
SeattleIt is obvious that only one team
is going to advance to the
Playoffs from the American
League West. It is almost
a certainty that the Boston
Red Sox will be the Wild Card
(unless they overtake the
Yankees whom they play
6 more times staring the
weekend of the 17-20 of
September. In that case
the Yankees would be the
Wild Card.

The Anaheim Angels open
a 4 game set this Monday
here in Seatttle against
the Mariners and then on
Friday we welcome the
Oakland Athletics for
3 more.

The “Ichiro Watch”
is the main news here
at Safeco, but in the
meantime the Mariners
can be a party pooper
like they just did to the
Boston Red Sox, who came
here smoking hot after
sweeping the A’S in
Oakland. Mariners split
the 4 game series and
had two great pitching
performances by rookie
lefty Bobby Madtrisch
who blanket the Bosox
for 8 inning on game one
and then Gil Meche who
threw a complete-game
shutout on game four
for a 2-0 win.

Starting today the Mariners
have 20 games remaining
while Ichiro Susuki is on
a pace for 264 hits which
would break the record
by 7 hits over St Louis
Browns George Sisler’s
257 hits on 1920.

With this season falling
apart early, the Mariners
management committed
to starting the rebuilding
early and fans here in
Washington are hopefull
that the Marimers will
also be active participants
in the Free Agent market
during this off season.

That is why fans are
watching Greg Dobbs
at thirdbased and Jeremy
Reed play some of the
outfield while Ichiro
still plays everyday
chasing the record and
Edgar Martinez a truly
fan favorite here for
18 years says goodbye
to baseball. Edgar is
now playing more than
prior to rookie DH Bucky
Jacobsen(surgery in the
right knee this week,out
the remainder of the
season).

Although the Mariners
are facing loosing 100
games for the first time
in about two decades,
they still can surprise
the contending teams.
Of all the pitchers that
came up from Tacoma
Rainiers(Triple A)
young lefty Bobby
Madtrsich seems to
be the most ready to
stay here. A very nice
fastaball and a killer
change-up and a great
determination makes
this young man with
Lakota-Sioux blood
a tough tough pitcher
for the opposition.

Mariners will go over
the 3 million in attendance
probably during the last
homestand when they
face the Texas Rangers
on October 1,2,3. And
these fans here are truly
a great supporting bunch
during an extremely
difficult season where
this team seems to
get older all at the
same time. Olerud is
gone, Edgar is leaving,
who knows what is going
to happen to Bret Boone,
Scott Spiezio has batted
just over the Mendoza
line all season.

There is optimism on some
of the young players.
Dominican catcher Miguel
Olivo(came over on the trade
with White Sox for Freddy
Garcia)is looking like hs
is going to be one of the
best offensive catchers
in the league. Jose Lopez
the 21 year old Venezuelan
shortstop looks like he might
be the regular shortstop
here during 2005 and in
many years to come. But
who is going to play
first ? Where is the power
going to come from ?
Are the Mariners really
going after Carlos Beltran
or Carlos Delgado(I’ll
take either Carlos)or
maybe Troy Glauss who
is going to be a Free Agent
also. They do have some
money here to go shopping
during the winter and this
winter has to be the most
important in this
franchise history. Mariners
started play in 1977
and in 1995 they were
prevented to advance
to the World Series by
the Cleveland Indians
then a few years later
the Yankees did same
to this team. Even when
they won 116 games they
didn’t really win anything.

So fans are hungry here
in the Pacific Northwest
to see the Mariners as
a contender again, but
it will be a much different
bunch in 2005. Yes, there
will be Ichiro,Ibanez,Pineiro,
Guardado and many
familiar faces, but in
2005 the Mariners could
really have a completely
different look.

There is a feeling inside
the Mariners office that
this will not be like
in Cleveland. That the
Mariners want to be
right back as serious
contenders in 2005 and
that they will spend some
serious money in that
pursuit.

In the meantime and
for the 20 games left
the Mariners are left
(for local fans)to
follow Ichiro’s asault
towards an 80 year
old reacord and to
come and say
Adios to arguably
the greatest
DH of all time.
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