I had the priviledge of attending the Seattle Mariners home opener versus the Los Angeles Angels.  Was that ever fun!  As a baseball fan, I had a great time observing the opening day festivities complete with a WBC flag procession, dancing girls, the “first pitch,” a ceremonial opening of the roof, and introducing the players.  It brought a tear to my eye and yes, down my cheek when the 47,000-strong crowd greeted Ken Griffey, Jr. back to the city.  It was a thunderous roar, which caused Griffey to salute back with a tipping of his cap.  The crowd truly played a large role as the 10th man, encouraging hits when they were needed.  The game was a gem, and Carlos Silva pitched very well allowing 2 ER over 7 innings.  It went into free baseball, and the Mariners home crowd got what they wanted, a walk-off victory in the bottem of the 10th.

This weekend I will be attending 3 more games in Seattle, this time against MY team, the Detroit Tigers!  Today Armando Gallarraga pitched shutout ball against the White Sox for a series split.  That was something to see, especially the back end of the batting order (Inge, Anderson, and Santiago) coming through very nicely.  I’ll get to see games pitched by Verlander, Jackson, and Porcello.  Seattle, very deservedly, is 1st place in the AL West, and will be some tough games.  But the Tigers are no slouch, being over 500 much earlier in the season than last year.  But I have to say that Seattle is quickly becoming an “alternate” favorite of mine, much like the Brewers and San Diego are currently.  The players, city, and fans are good people.  I’ll be sporting my Tigers gear, but at least I know I won’t be hurled insults like I was in Chicago.

TCS