One Hundred!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.

What if...

Thanks, Brandon! Thanks for bringing some excitement back into Marinerville tonight. Seriously, thanks a ton!

While it would've been the most incredible pitching accomplishment I've seen in a long, long time had Morrow completed the no-hitter, I'm actually almost equally happy with the fact that he didn't get it. See, it gives us a lot to talk about. Lots to say "What if?" to.

Isn't that one of the more entertaining things about sports in general anyway? I mean, if you're given the carrot all the time, it's not quite as fun, and the carrot starts to taste like crap. You gotta keep things exciting by dangling that carrot just out of reach most of the time...

What if, though...

What if Brandon had gotten that third out. With a pitch count preference of 90-95 for Brandon established by the coaching staff before the game, would they have let him go out there after having thrown 106 through 8? In the post game show, Riggleman hinted that he might've. I wouldn't've disagreed with that decision. While Morrow was starting to show signs of tiring, he still was doing a pretty good job of keeping his form. He seemed to be mostly in a good pace, and might've been able to benefit from a few moments of rest between innings to gather the adrenaline to start the 9th. I would've had Putz warming up and ready to go, and given Morrow a "Go get 'em" kick in the ass to start the ninth. It's the end of the season, and it's not like you're counting on him to carry you into the playoffs. While he may not have been ready and stretched out enough to go further, it's not like he's pitched a lot of innings this year either. When a guy's throwing like that all game, still showing his velocity, and in that big of a zone, sometimes it's OK to throw caution to the wind.

What if, too, they would've moved him down to Tacoma to begin his tutelage and preparation for becoming a starter a few weeks earlier? Yeah, there's a risk that he could've been more fatigued coming into this start. But there's also the possibility he's built up his conditioning even more, and when combined with the adrenaline rush of making his MLB starting debut, he cruises easier through the 8th, and has the stamina to stay in that zone that he was in pretty much all night.

There are probably a lot more "What ifs" that could be discussed, too. But for tonight, Brandon won me back as a fan. He showed that there's some definite promise for the future. You know what I'd like to see tomorrow? Ryan "Hyphen" Rowland-Smith going out there and not necessarily trying to 1-up Brandon (it'd be nearly impossible for him to do so), but making a statement in his own right. I suspect with Hyphen's ultra-competitive spirit, he's probably itching to take the mound after Brandon's performance. He doesn't quite have the stuff that Morrow has, but he almost makes up for it with his bull-doggedness.

When we ask "What if..." we tend to look at the past. Certainly, though, the M's have some bright spots moving into the future. It looks as though Brandon Morrow is one of them. I'm REALLY glad they made the decision to move him into the rotation.

The only regret they might have would be that they didn't do it sooner.

Wow? No posts in August?

I have been completely slacking off and neglecting this place. Yes, Mariners Morsels is still alive. I do want to keep writing about the Mariners and baseball.

Honestly, though, what more can be said?

The Mariners have sucked me into apathy. I'll still watch the occasional game, but I'm finding myself not really caring much if I miss the game. I did see Beltre hit for the cycle yesterday and that was pretty darn sweet! Other than a few moments, the lure of baseball has been pretty un-strong for me for many reasons this year. I'm definitely spending more time posting in non-baseball-related FanPosts (Diaries, dammit!) over at LookoutLanding than I am posting in the game threads over there. And I went to more R's games this year -- though still not nearly as many as I'd hoped -- than I'll likely have gone to M's games.

The regime that has run the Mariners since the early 90's has sucked any sort of hope for the future out of me. I'm tired of being disappointed by Chuck and Howie. Come October, when this season is finally finished, and the M's are moving forward towards 2009 and beyond, if those two are still part of the picture, I'm not sure how things will change. Yeah, sure they'll get some new faces in -- but let's be clear, does anyone think those two have the knowledge and desire to completely overhaul the entire organizational philosophy the way it really needs to be done? I can't -- and won't -- trust them to right this ship. They have the money to do so, sure, but this administration (Chuck and Howie, specifically) are very likely to recieve the scarlet letter of becoming the first franchise to spend $100 million on a 100-loss club. If that's not enough to get ownership's attention, then really what will?

I've also spent a lot of time doing non-baseball things with my family. It hasn't just affected baseball -- I've also neglected my photography blogs. I'm still taking photos, but writing just hasn't been my thing this summer. Having also spent a lot of time with Churchill this summer, I can totally relate to his recognition that there's more to life than baseball, and see why he'd want to "retire" from ProspectInsider. I think Munchausen (rest his blog identity) would be proud :-)

Since the impact of this little blog isn't anywhere close to the impact of ProspectInsider, LookoutLanding, USSMariner, etc., I'm not as concerned about neglecting it. Obviously the other "authors" around here haven't had much to say here either, and it's honestly not that big of a deal to me. This place ultimately exists for those times when I want to jot some thoughts down that may not fit anywhere else I hang out in the M's blog-o-sphere. And the same goes for the others I've partnered around here with. MarinersMorsels is more of a sketch pad than a full-fledged art gallery. A Post-it Note, etc.

If the subtle backchannel chatter does come to fruition, though, and the M's ownership changes hands, you better believe I'll be inspired to write again. Even still, really, baseball has fallen a few notches down in the priority list.

And, honestly, I think I'm fine with that.

I'm still gonna root for George. And Adam. And Austin. I'll write more on all three of them very soon. I just have to finish sifting through the 2000+ photos my assistant and I took at a paid wedding gig. And a few other things, too.