All I Can Say Is . . . . Wow!

My Baseball Game MO is - get to the game before the 1st inning - get an order of Garlic Fries - head to my seat - chat and sort of watch the game - head home either right before or just after the 7th Inning Stretch. You see - the games that I go to are rather slow, not very exciting, and the Mariner's usually lose. Not sure if it's me bringing bad luck to the Mariner's or if I just don't have the right timing to go and see a good game.

Lyd called me this morning and said she had gotten some tickets at her work and wanted to know if I would go to the game with her. Sure - it's Friday Night and I didn't have any other plans. I started thinking about the Garlic Fries and looked forward to chatting with Lyd.

When we got there I was disappointed to see that Griffey was not in the starting line-up. Man - that was the one thing outside of my usual ball game schedule that I was looking forward to. Oh well - Everything else was going according to plan - got the fries and did some chatting!

The game followed my usual experiences - by the 4th Inning we were losing 3 - 0 and it didn't look very hopeful. After the 7th Inning stretch we started talking about leaving but for some reason we decided to stay for just a little bit more. I am so glad we did! Bottom of the 8th - we got a single home run and a runner on base - things were looking up. Then - there was a slight hush in the stadium - then the crowd erupted in to loud cheers, clapping . . . . The player we all wanted to see was coming off the bench . . . the mighty Ken Griffey Jr was coming up to bat!!!! The flashes on every camera in the stadium started going off! This is what we all came to see! The other team was caught off guard - they had a meeting out at the pitchers mound while Jr stepped up to the plate and took some practice swings. Everyone got in to their positions - the pitcher looked for the signal - Jr stared him down - the pitcher winds up - throws a fast ball - Jr swings the bat . . . going . . . . going . . . . gone . .GOOD-BYE BASEBALL!! Jr hits a home run on his first swing of the bat!! The crowd goes wild!! Jr trots around the bases just like he did years ago when he was a Mariner and he had his trademark grin! You could feel the magic in the air as he circled around 1st - 2nd - 3rd - on his way to home plate! It was the most exciting time I have had at a game - it was magical and I am glad we stayed and were able to see it. I think this play may have been a turning point in the Mariner's season - we shall have to wait and see. We did win tonight 4 - 3!!

I think I am a born again Mariner's Fan!

De