I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I heard that, I gave Jesus a chance. But it just didn’t work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. You see, there’s no guilt in baseball, and it’s never boring… which makes it like sex.  … … It’s a long season and you gotta trust. I’ve tried ‘em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball. – Anne Savoy from the movie Bull Durham

Pennant Races are fun to watch.

I have always been a big baseball fan. Until I reached the awkward years of puberty, I wore a Seattle Mariners uniform to every game I went to. It had my favorite players number on the back and name, Scott Bradley, no. 9. He was the backup catcher, but he always came through in the clutch and he he also had the same name as me. I skipped many school days to go to the Kingdome to watch my team play the first time they went to the playoffs. I cried in 1994 when the world series was canceled, and I’m not sure if the joy I felt when we beat the Yankees in the ALDS in 1995 has been equaled. The summer of 2001 in Seattle was boring because all the Mariners did was win, I didn’t know what to complain about. Baseball was my first love, before the other loves of my life; my wife and music.

That being said, Major League Baseball’s blackout policy on mlb.tv needs some serious help. In the year 2009, content providers should be agnostic in their delivery method. I would gladly pay twice the amount to mlb.tv to be able to watch my Mariners play every night at Safeco, or whereever they are, over the internet. I could watch games in my cubical, on the road at a coffeeshop, or at home. You can still generate ad revenue subscription fees through mlb.tv. Instead, with your current policy, you’re leaving out a whole generation that believes you should pick what you want to view, where you want to view it, and how you want to view it.

I don’t subscribe to cable. It’s not because I wouldn’t enjoy watching cable or because I can’t afford it. In fact, both of those statements are very true. I don’t subscribe to cable because I know I would enjoy it too much. So, instead I get all of my viewing over the internet. I can choose what I want to pay for, ala carte.

Please take a lesson from CBS Sports in their presentation of the 2009 NCAA tournament. Games were available for viewing through an iPhone app, streaming over the internet or on the plain ole’ television.

a lifelong baseball fan,
Brad Nelson

An encore run with the Mariners would be phenomenal. The Cincinnati Reds came to town two years ago and the Mariners sold out every game, Junior got a standing ovation all three games. I was lucky enough to have great seats for the Sunday afternoon game. He hit two solo home runs, and the Mariners won 3-2. It was easily one of my favorite Mariners games that wasn’t in the playoffs or pennant race. It reminded me of being a kid again in the Kingdome.

With Junior in the lineup, it didn’t matter if we were losing in the ninth inning, or if we were down by 5 games in September; things happened and they would find out a way to win. It was exciting to watch. There is nothing more pure than watching his effortless swing drive a pitch into a gap. 

My Freshman year of college, he was traded to Cincinnati. Baseball in Seattle never felt the same after that. 

Seattle has been hurting lately. Our sports teams have all fallen on hard times, we lost the Sonics, and every big company is laying people off.

He hasn’t been the same since he left Seattle. He has spent most of the decade injured, his stats have fallen off dramatically.

I want one more season. I want a reason to show up early and watch batting practice again. I want to see him hit a couple more out of the park that he built, but has played too few games in. I want him to play his last game in a Mariners hat. I want him to go into the Hall of Fame as a Mariner.