ALL RISE
Hi LJ/DW! I have been a terrible, TERRIBLE internet citizen of late, and I am so so sorry. The short version of the story is that a) work has been extremely busy (including a lot of looooooong meetings where I am required to do completely unreasonable things like PAY ATTENTION and not check my email every five seconds, it's inhumane), b) I have been having some fun summer adventures, and c) P90X is my new fandom (at least in terms of mental and temporal investment). Also I keep meaning to post and then not posting and then "well, I can't post THIS till I post THIS but I should also post THIS and now I can't post THAT but I have something NEW to post about but I CAN'T because WORK" and arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. So I'm just POSTING. WHATEVER. Hi!
I am here today because it is actually really fun to be a Mariners fan right now, in this moment, and as that has not been the case for YEARS, I am feeling disproportionately awesome about it. And I want to share! Even though this is kind of a hilariously bad first-post-in-a-while post, because it is relevant to the interests of very few of you, but here we are. I will post something of more general interest next time, I promise!
First of all, Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game last week (the first in Mariner history, the 23rd in baseball history) and IT WAS AWESOME. I, of course, did not see it live, because it was an afternoon game and I was at work, but I watched the ESPN Gamecast thingy on my computer for the last four innings and ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK. I HAVE LOST MY STAMINA FOR THIS LEVEL OF BASEBALL STRESS. (Also I had to miss most of the 7th and 8th because I had to go fetch this vendor dude who was coming in for a meeting, and he was early, so I had to chat with him for a while while we waited for my boss to show up--he was actually meeting with her, but she was running late--and I was like ARE YOU A BASEBALL FAN?!?!?!?! and he was and I was like UM FELIX HERNANDEZ IS PITCHING PRETTY WELL TODAY, all non-specific so as to avoid jinxing, so we chatted about baseball for a while and then he went off to the meeting and then he called me the next day and was like, "I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING YOU AWAY FROM YOUR DESK DURING THAT GAME, OH MY GOD, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING." Heeeee. It was really sweet, actually.) AND it happened to be the free MLB.tv game that day, so my dad got to see it even in Colorado, and THAT made me REALLY REALLY REALLY HAPPY.
So last night was Felix's first start since the perfect game, and the Mariners did this whole "Supreme Court" promotion because, okay. Every time Felix pitches, there's a special section in left center field called the King's Court (Felix's nickname has been King Felix since he was in the minors). And when you buy a ticket there, you get a special yellow t-shirt and a big yellow "K" card to wave when Felix gets to two strikes on somebody ("K" is the symbol for a strikeout if you're scoring a baseball game, so everyone waves their cards and shouts "K! K! K! K! K!" to summon the strikeout). It's super-fun and often sold out, even though the Mariners' attendance has been way down this year. Well, last night, to celebrate Felix's perfecto, the Mariners expanded the King's Court to the SUPREME COURT, which meant that a) they way discounted ticket prices and b) pretty much everyone who came to the park got a yellow t-shirt and a K-card. (It was only supposed to be the first 34000 fans--Felix wears #34--but I guess they spent all day yesterday printing up extra shirts to accommodate the extra ticket sales, which were about 39000. Awwww.) So it normally looks like this:
And last night it looked like this:
IT WAS EPIC.
And as it happened, I was already planning on going to the game, because of a Whitman alumni thing, so not only did I get to go, I got to go sit in a SUITE. You guys, I love going to the ballpark and as long as I can see, I am honestly not that picky about where I sit, but I have to say, the suite thing was AWESOME. SO comfortable (the chairs are CUSHY; as Mr. McK put it toward the end of the night, "At no point tonight did I feel like my ass was going to fall off") and the view was AWESOME. Damn.
Also we happened to walk in on the complete opposite side of the ballpark (there was a LINE to get in, a BIG one, two hours before game time; I honestly cannot remember the last time that happened at a Mariners game that did not involve bobbleheads), so that meant we got to walk through the entirety of the suite section, which is lined with photos and news clippings from Mariners and general baseball history. IT WAS AWESOME. And bittersweet. (After Felix's perfecto, "King Felix" was trending worldwide on Twitter, and so was "Dave Niehaus," because so many people were saying they wished he'd been here to see it.) But awesome. And it just felt... right, to walk through all of that history on a night when we were all there to celebrate a new piece of history. The M's have been doing this thing the past few years where they're celebrating their history in a way that is clearly meant to distract us from the current general suckitude occurring on the field, so it's SUCH a nice change to have something so exciting happening NOW. And Felix really, really deserves it; he has struggled through the last few years with absolutely terrible run support (which is why wins are the DUMBEST STAT EVER by which to measure a pitcher, and fortunately seem to be falling at least somewhat out of favor, judging by Felix's Cy Young win a couple of years ago) and the general drama and despair and ineptitude and everything else, and yet he still wants to stay here and wants to help make the team better, with his skill AND with his leadership, as well as by being, by all reports, a genuinely good guy. And we NEED that, which is a big part of the reason that he's kind of uniquely capable of inspiring the fandom like this.
Because Mariners fandom is EXCITED right now. There was energy in the ballpark last night like I haven't felt for YEARS. Larry Stone summed it up really well:
It would be naive to say that one winning streak means the Mariners are back, or that one packed ballpark means that fans have bought back into The Plan. But I've felt for awhile, even amidst they cynicism, that Mariners fans are hungry to fall back in love with their team. And it just feels to me that Felix Hernandez's perfect game was the sort of galvanizing moment that this fan base has been craving. Throw in the fact that the Mariners are the hottest team in baseball since the All-Star break, and you have the ingredients for a magic night like tonight.
YES. THAT. So to be there last night, on a beautiful night, with that kind of electricity sparking around the park (Felix said it gave him chills, awwww), and a mostly-new crop of guys who are making spectacular catches (Trayvon Robinson, you may yet fill the place in my heart that has been vacant since Mike Cameron left) and getting timely HOME RUNS OMG WHAT ARE THOSE I HAD FORGOTTEN (Jesus Montero, my awkward catcher of fish, never leave me, and you either, John Jaso, with your ever-more resplendent beard and your adorable bond with Felix) and actually finding ways to WIN. I mean, Felix didn't have his best stuff last night, and Brendon Ryan made an EXTREMELY rare error in the 8th inning that could have buried them (and Felix made sure to tell him it was cool and not to worry about it, AWWWWWWWWW, TEEEEEEEEEEEAM), and it was a big moment, with the full house and everybody so excited and anxious for a win, and it just felt like the team of the past few years would have lost that game and sent everyone home depressed and defeated. But even when the wheels started coming off, this team was able to bolt them right the hell back on, and it was AWESOME. (I mean, the Indians are in a terrible skid, so that absolutely helped, but still--part of being successful in baseball is beating the teams you're supposed to beat, which the M's have had a really hard time doing the past few years, so.) And I'm so glad I got to be there. And that Mr. McK was there, because he hasn't been to a game in at least two years. I really wish my dad could have been there, but otherwise, it was a pretty perfect night, even considering the decidedly imperfect game. This ride has to end sooner or later, but for now, I am enjoying the hell out of it.
And did I mention it was a really beautiful night? And that the suite thing is really cool? Because seriously. You all know that I am the absolute classiest, and therefore I have nothing but extremely classy pictures to share with you. BEHOLD:
The early-bird crowd!
Mr. McK enjoying the free food in the suite interior! (Okay, these pictures are sort of neutral on the classiness scale, but I promise: CLASSINESS FORTHCOMING.) (You can also see on the TV screens in both these pictures the new phenomenon of FELIXING, i.e., mimicking the pose that Felix made immediately after sealing the deal on the perfect game. It is hilarious--the #Felixing hashtag on Twitter is very good times for me.)
The FREE DRINKS! (No free alcohol even in Magical SuiteLand, sadly. Or at least in our county of it.) (The real classiness of this picture lies in the fact that I took it at all, in the manner of a slack-jawed tourist.)
But as we all know, what really separates the other half from the rest of us mere mortals is their bathroom accommodations. So. In Magical SuiteLand, you get AMENITIES:
And. AND. In Magical SuiteLand, your bodily wastes are referred to only in the most euphemistic terms, wry yet somehow delicate, and whisked away from you in the most effective yet efficient manner, probably by secret invisible unicorns:
BEAUTIFUL, no? Ah, Magical SuiteLand. You will not soon be forgotten.
So. It was a GOOD NIGHT, and I am in a revoltingly good mood! And I hope to be around a bit more in the future! <33333
This post is also at Dreamwidth! http://brynnmck.dreamwidth.org/288845.html Comments at Dreamwidth:
I am here today because it is actually really fun to be a Mariners fan right now, in this moment, and as that has not been the case for YEARS, I am feeling disproportionately awesome about it. And I want to share! Even though this is kind of a hilariously bad first-post-in-a-while post, because it is relevant to the interests of very few of you, but here we are. I will post something of more general interest next time, I promise!
First of all, Felix Hernandez pitched a perfect game last week (the first in Mariner history, the 23rd in baseball history) and IT WAS AWESOME. I, of course, did not see it live, because it was an afternoon game and I was at work, but I watched the ESPN Gamecast thingy on my computer for the last four innings and ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK. I HAVE LOST MY STAMINA FOR THIS LEVEL OF BASEBALL STRESS. (Also I had to miss most of the 7th and 8th because I had to go fetch this vendor dude who was coming in for a meeting, and he was early, so I had to chat with him for a while while we waited for my boss to show up--he was actually meeting with her, but she was running late--and I was like ARE YOU A BASEBALL FAN?!?!?!?! and he was and I was like UM FELIX HERNANDEZ IS PITCHING PRETTY WELL TODAY, all non-specific so as to avoid jinxing, so we chatted about baseball for a while and then he went off to the meeting and then he called me the next day and was like, "I'M SO SORRY FOR TAKING YOU AWAY FROM YOUR DESK DURING THAT GAME, OH MY GOD, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS HAPPENING." Heeeee. It was really sweet, actually.) AND it happened to be the free MLB.tv game that day, so my dad got to see it even in Colorado, and THAT made me REALLY REALLY REALLY HAPPY.
So last night was Felix's first start since the perfect game, and the Mariners did this whole "Supreme Court" promotion because, okay. Every time Felix pitches, there's a special section in left center field called the King's Court (Felix's nickname has been King Felix since he was in the minors). And when you buy a ticket there, you get a special yellow t-shirt and a big yellow "K" card to wave when Felix gets to two strikes on somebody ("K" is the symbol for a strikeout if you're scoring a baseball game, so everyone waves their cards and shouts "K! K! K! K! K!" to summon the strikeout). It's super-fun and often sold out, even though the Mariners' attendance has been way down this year. Well, last night, to celebrate Felix's perfecto, the Mariners expanded the King's Court to the SUPREME COURT, which meant that a) they way discounted ticket prices and b) pretty much everyone who came to the park got a yellow t-shirt and a K-card. (It was only supposed to be the first 34000 fans--Felix wears #34--but I guess they spent all day yesterday printing up extra shirts to accommodate the extra ticket sales, which were about 39000. Awwww.) So it normally looks like this:
And last night it looked like this:
IT WAS EPIC.
And as it happened, I was already planning on going to the game, because of a Whitman alumni thing, so not only did I get to go, I got to go sit in a SUITE. You guys, I love going to the ballpark and as long as I can see, I am honestly not that picky about where I sit, but I have to say, the suite thing was AWESOME. SO comfortable (the chairs are CUSHY; as Mr. McK put it toward the end of the night, "At no point tonight did I feel like my ass was going to fall off") and the view was AWESOME. Damn.
Also we happened to walk in on the complete opposite side of the ballpark (there was a LINE to get in, a BIG one, two hours before game time; I honestly cannot remember the last time that happened at a Mariners game that did not involve bobbleheads), so that meant we got to walk through the entirety of the suite section, which is lined with photos and news clippings from Mariners and general baseball history. IT WAS AWESOME. And bittersweet. (After Felix's perfecto, "King Felix" was trending worldwide on Twitter, and so was "Dave Niehaus," because so many people were saying they wished he'd been here to see it.) But awesome. And it just felt... right, to walk through all of that history on a night when we were all there to celebrate a new piece of history. The M's have been doing this thing the past few years where they're celebrating their history in a way that is clearly meant to distract us from the current general suckitude occurring on the field, so it's SUCH a nice change to have something so exciting happening NOW. And Felix really, really deserves it; he has struggled through the last few years with absolutely terrible run support (which is why wins are the DUMBEST STAT EVER by which to measure a pitcher, and fortunately seem to be falling at least somewhat out of favor, judging by Felix's Cy Young win a couple of years ago) and the general drama and despair and ineptitude and everything else, and yet he still wants to stay here and wants to help make the team better, with his skill AND with his leadership, as well as by being, by all reports, a genuinely good guy. And we NEED that, which is a big part of the reason that he's kind of uniquely capable of inspiring the fandom like this.
Because Mariners fandom is EXCITED right now. There was energy in the ballpark last night like I haven't felt for YEARS. Larry Stone summed it up really well:
It would be naive to say that one winning streak means the Mariners are back, or that one packed ballpark means that fans have bought back into The Plan. But I've felt for awhile, even amidst they cynicism, that Mariners fans are hungry to fall back in love with their team. And it just feels to me that Felix Hernandez's perfect game was the sort of galvanizing moment that this fan base has been craving. Throw in the fact that the Mariners are the hottest team in baseball since the All-Star break, and you have the ingredients for a magic night like tonight.
YES. THAT. So to be there last night, on a beautiful night, with that kind of electricity sparking around the park (Felix said it gave him chills, awwww), and a mostly-new crop of guys who are making spectacular catches (Trayvon Robinson, you may yet fill the place in my heart that has been vacant since Mike Cameron left) and getting timely HOME RUNS OMG WHAT ARE THOSE I HAD FORGOTTEN (Jesus Montero, my awkward catcher of fish, never leave me, and you either, John Jaso, with your ever-more resplendent beard and your adorable bond with Felix) and actually finding ways to WIN. I mean, Felix didn't have his best stuff last night, and Brendon Ryan made an EXTREMELY rare error in the 8th inning that could have buried them (and Felix made sure to tell him it was cool and not to worry about it, AWWWWWWWWW, TEEEEEEEEEEEAM), and it was a big moment, with the full house and everybody so excited and anxious for a win, and it just felt like the team of the past few years would have lost that game and sent everyone home depressed and defeated. But even when the wheels started coming off, this team was able to bolt them right the hell back on, and it was AWESOME. (I mean, the Indians are in a terrible skid, so that absolutely helped, but still--part of being successful in baseball is beating the teams you're supposed to beat, which the M's have had a really hard time doing the past few years, so.) And I'm so glad I got to be there. And that Mr. McK was there, because he hasn't been to a game in at least two years. I really wish my dad could have been there, but otherwise, it was a pretty perfect night, even considering the decidedly imperfect game. This ride has to end sooner or later, but for now, I am enjoying the hell out of it.
And did I mention it was a really beautiful night? And that the suite thing is really cool? Because seriously. You all know that I am the absolute classiest, and therefore I have nothing but extremely classy pictures to share with you. BEHOLD:
The early-bird crowd!
Mr. McK enjoying the free food in the suite interior! (Okay, these pictures are sort of neutral on the classiness scale, but I promise: CLASSINESS FORTHCOMING.) (You can also see on the TV screens in both these pictures the new phenomenon of FELIXING, i.e., mimicking the pose that Felix made immediately after sealing the deal on the perfect game. It is hilarious--the #Felixing hashtag on Twitter is very good times for me.)
The FREE DRINKS! (No free alcohol even in Magical SuiteLand, sadly. Or at least in our county of it.) (The real classiness of this picture lies in the fact that I took it at all, in the manner of a slack-jawed tourist.)
But as we all know, what really separates the other half from the rest of us mere mortals is their bathroom accommodations. So. In Magical SuiteLand, you get AMENITIES:
And. AND. In Magical SuiteLand, your bodily wastes are referred to only in the most euphemistic terms, wry yet somehow delicate, and whisked away from you in the most effective yet efficient manner, probably by secret invisible unicorns:
BEAUTIFUL, no? Ah, Magical SuiteLand. You will not soon be forgotten.
So. It was a GOOD NIGHT, and I am in a revoltingly good mood! And I hope to be around a bit more in the future! <33333
This post is also at Dreamwidth! http://brynnmck.dreamwidth.org/288845.html Comments at Dreamwidth: