Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 16,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

- “Unknown Brother” by The Black Keys

August 26, 1987 – November 21, 2011

I could not write this post yesterday. I was too pissed off. Too sad. Too hurt. It took me awhile to gather my thoughts on Greg Halman. I’m not sure if I can really pen it all out but I’ll try my best.

Greg Halman was a product of the Seattle Mariners since he was a young teenager. He came to this country as the rawest of the raw in regards to baseball prospects. You don’t have to look too far into your Google search to know not many players come from The Netherlands; Halman bucked that trend.

For a minor league system that struggled for much of the 2000’s, the Seattle Mariners did great by landing Halman.  June 26, 2004 to be exact.  Two days after I turned 21 years old. Yes, I still had (and still have) much ahead in my life but Greg Halman was two months to the day shy of turning 17.  Think about that.  16 years old and signing with a professional baseball team. The odds were against him and he proved them wrong.

One of my most knowledgeable and creative minded friends Kenny Stein (@casetines) and I salivated at talking about the Mariners minor league system. It became “our thing”. Many friendships grow for various reasons, but with Kenny and I, talking minor league baseball has always been one of those things. Simply put, we both loved Greg Halman.

Halman grew through the Mariners farm system; he was home fed. The incredibly gifted 6‘4, 200-pounder spent seven seasons in the organization. For me, Halman “arrived” on the scene with my favorite minor league team, the Everett AquaSox. In 2007, he smacked 16 HR in 62 games with Everett and by all accounts, proved himself worthy of “prospect status”. But 2008 is when I really had the sunshine and lollipops dance in my head.

Greg was the Mariners’ minor league player of the year in 2008, when he hit a combined 29 HR with 31 stolen bases at Class A High Desert and Double-A West Tenn. He was rising up the charts so much that prestigious Baseball America ranked him as the #57 prospect before the start of the 2009 season. It felt like it was only a matter of time before he would be in the Emerald City dropping bombs on our A.L. West rivals.

But you know what, I’ll stop there with the stats.  Yes, Greg Halman was a baseball player and stats often describe and define a player… but Halman was much more than a Mariner prospect. For Dutch baseball, he was an icon. His love for the game was the most evident I have seen in a ballplayer since Ken Griffey Jr. was growing into a man here in Seattle. Halman loved to smile. He loved to hustle. He loved to play the game of baseball at 110%.

For many of you who know me, the game of baseball has meant a lot to my life. Some days I’ll even go as far to say baseball saved my life. I never got the chance to play baseball past my early teenage years but that doesn’t mean my childhood dream had to die. Vicariously, through players like Greg Halman who savored every at-bat, every catch, every teammate’s accolade, I could still re-live it.

Halman with his first MLB HR - June 15, 2011 vs Angels at Safeco Field

I never got the chance to meet Halman but I work with people that did and every single one of them have something nice to say. You don’t find that “real” genuine emotion towards a player too often nowadays. And it’s not because he was a professional athlete that he garnered this praise. They saw the hustle.  They saw passion.  They saw a little piece of themselves playing whiffleball in the backyard in Greg Halman.

That smile… man, that was infectious. Halman showed us why we love baseball.

I’m really bumming about this. It put a lump in my throat yesterday and I haven’t been able to shake it.  My thoughts have been with everybody involved in this unbelievable tragedy of events.

The Seattle Mariners organization is reeling. Back-to-back Novembers with tragic losses. We as fans are hurting. We love this team. We love these players. We love to spend our money to watch the world’s best athletes entertain us with a game we love. Greg Halman gave us that. He gave us hope for a better tomorrow, a better team next season, better days in the future. He gave us his hustle and despite playing less than 100 career games with the M’s, he made his mark.

I remember when Greg was called-up and one of his first quotes was “all I want to do is bang”.  I loved it! I appreciated his moxie, his confidence, his passion.

Greg Halman was a 24-year-old knocking at the door of potential stardom. The Mariners will honor him accordingly during the 2012 season with “GH” on their jerseys.

Halman spent a good portion of the last month of his life doing what he loved; being an ambassador to the game. He was on a European tour with other major league players and when they traveled to The Netherlands, he was treated like a rockstar. Reports say he was sought out for autographs and photos at baseball clinics in the same capacity as fellow traveler Prince Fielder.

Greg Halman, I will miss your passion. Thank you for everything you did for the game of baseball. Your legacy will live on forever and someday soon other Europeans will be giving you kudos for them reaching the bigs. You’re gone but never to be forgotten.

Your life in baseball was such joy… R.I.P. to you, my unknown brother.

]

One year ago today, the city of Seattle lost its most iconic sports figure of all-time.  The voice of the Seattle Mariners Dave Niehaus passed away from a heart attack.  The city was left with a giant hole in its stomach.  His passing completely gutted me that day and it still does now.  The man may be gone but he can never ever be replaced.

For me, Dave Niehaus was a huge part of growing up.  He was like family.  Or a friend I knew I could rely upon.  I knew where to find him when I needed him.

I grew up in North Seattle (now commonly known as Shoreline, WA) and was roughly a 10-15 drive away from The Kingdome.  My dad would take my brother and I to as many games as possible in those early adolescent years.  But when we weren’t at the games, we had Dave on the radio.

Like many other Seattlites, I too can recall summer afternoons with Dave’s voice blaring through a transistor radio; “Lowwwwwww and outside, 2 and 2.”  Before the glitz and glam of nearly every game being on TV, Dave was your source of all things Mariners.  His opinions were taken as facts.  His agreements became the way of thinking.  His passion… became yours.

I miss Dave Niehaus.  In death, we reflect back on the impact one has had on lives.  Dave struck a chord with so many people, his voice and mystique will live on for generations.  If I ever have children, I will do my best to inform them on what Dave Niehaus meant to the team, the city and what he meant to me.

I sit here on the 1-year anniversary of his unfortunate passing and the same level of emptiness resonates in my baseball soul.  As I discussed in my last post, the Mariners are in a playoff rut; a World Series rut. But when that day finally comes, I’ll think of Dave Niehaus and how much he dreamed of the chance to call a World Series game for the team he was with since Day 1.

“The stretch… and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martínez swung on and LINED DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE FOR A BASE HIT!

HERE COMES JOEY, HERE IS JUNIOR TO THIRD BASE, THEY’RE GOING TO WAVE HIM IN!

THE THROW TO THE PLATE WILL BE … LATE!  THE MARINERS ARE GOING TO PLAY FOR THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP!

 I DON’T BELIEVE IT!  IT JUST CONTINUES! MY, OH MY!”

                                                                  – Dave Niehaus, Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS vs NYY

We all miss the great Dave Niehaus.  The Mariners have honored him in incredible ways and his legacy will live on forever.

R.I.P. Dave

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – “My Oh My”

Where will I be?  At what stage in my lifetime does this happen?  For all that we’ve been through, jealous of those who did it before, no more wasted time.  All I’d see in my vision is “champions”.

I want this so bad.  I want that uncanny feeling of enlightenment that comes in sports when winning a world championship.  To taste from the cup of victory as a fan, at the highest level within a sport I would never want to live without. Baseball has kept me going my entire life.  In good times, in bad times, in just passing the time times; it has been my rock.  The Seattle Mariners have me forever. They have my fandom and allegiance until the day I die.

The magical run in 1995 made winning a baseball championship in this city a reality.  A downtrodden franchise proved that eventually darkness would turn into light; they had a chance.  And honestly, one thing I have learned in life and constantly get reminded of is the fact that sometimes all you need is one chance.

Moving to Safeco Field made the Mariners feel like a real team in a city that cared.  I enjoyed many games in The Kingdome, but something about a fresh, new, state of the art facility pushed this franchise into contender mode.  The city became hungry.  The team fed them well.

2001 will never happen again.  It just won’t.  The worst part about that entire season is the simple fact they didn’t finish.  They went from April to September kicking ass and taking names but stumbled to play the style of game that led them to 116 wins.  Sadly, the team we saw all season long was not the one we witnessed in the playoffs .  Despite that feeling of “incomplete” that hovered over the Pacific Northwest, visions of better days danced in our heads.  It went from “they” to “we”.  It went from “them” to “us”.

10 long years have rolled by since my beloved franchise reached the playoffs.  Does it seem that long?  Yes, it really does.  I reflect back on what my life was like 10 years ago… wow. A lot of great memories have passed through that timeline. But I have a void.  I have an itch.  I want them to give me more hope.  I want October playoff baseball.

First and foremost, they need to build themselves into a competitor.  They’re going to need to be lucky.  Stars will need to align.  Safeco Field needs to be a home field advantage.   Seattle will need to be an ideal home for free agents.  These free agents will need to be booms, not busts.  October baseball will need to be more than 3 games.

The day the Seattle Mariners win the World Series, I hope I’ll be here.  I need to look no further than what Chicago Cubs fans have suffered for 100+ years; there’s no guarantee the law of averages of time will be in your favor.  The Florida Marlins have 2 championships and roughly 20,000 fans.  Baseball can be a funny game, but it will forever have my sports heart.

The day the Seattle Mariners win the World Series, my eyes will swell with tears of euphoria.  I will feel vindicated.  I will feel full.  I will feel complete.  It will be an incredible day.  It will probably be raining.  And not just a slight drizzle, probably a downpour that feels like it is blowing from all four sides.  But it will be a day of not just northwest rain… but a day of a Northwest Reign.

The day the Seattle Mariners win the World Series, everything I have invested into this team will flash before my eyes.  This franchise is more than just a ballclub.  It’s my passion.  It’s my employment.  It’s my life.  The seasons change but I keep coming back for more.  I’ve hollowed out incredible memories through baseball.  And from my love for baseball, I’ve met someone I truly love.  Baseball continues to bless me.

The day the Seattle Mariners win the World Series, everything will feel alright.  I hope you’re there with me.

The Mariners had a terrible 2011 season (Thanks Captain Obvious!).  Despite this uninspiring and downright gut-wrenching bomb (17 game losing streak) of a season, I do applaud one thing: the Mariners brass made a commitment to letting young players play.

Now with that last statement comes an instant realization your beloved team is bad.  If your lineup is filled with rookies/sub 25′s/ and half the active 25-man roster was with another organization in March, you’re fielding a Triple-A talent level team.  And ultimately that leads to many losses.  Growing pains so to speak.  GM Jack committed to this around the time Dustin Ackley finally got the call from Tacoma in June.  Guys like Carlos Peguero and Mike Wilson came before him… but you catch my drift.

However, one thing I still do not understand, is the fact Jack Cust was on this team until AUGUST.  When Mike Carp was called up the first time, he sat the pine while a useless Jack Cust was penciled in somewhere between the 3-6 spot in the lineup.

Carp was sent back to Tacoma, caught fire once again, was recalled and you know the rest.  But manager Eric Wedge trotted Cust out there despite the fact all of us knew he was horrible.  It was incredibly frustrating and something I’ll never understand.  Luckily Carp got the chance to play everyday once Cust left for good.

I would have been sick to my stomach had Mike Carp left this organization before we got the chance to see his future role on this team.  Think of Mike Morse (info below that makes me wanna cry).  Carp has a spot on this team in 2012.  Whether it’s as a full-time DH or a hybrid DH/1B/LF, I don’t care.  He needs to be on this team and play every day.

So it got me thinking about just who the Mariners in fact traded and released during this clunker of a season.  When the chips are down, you’d expect a lot of the guys being DFA’d, but that wasn’t really the case.  It felt like a door was constantly swinging from Tacoma to Seattle with left fielders.  Blake Beavan was called up once and never went back.  Josh Lueke, Tom Wilhelmsen and a cast of misfits felt like they’d be up, then down, and be back by default.

Research below.  And I promise you will not miss the ones released, but may miss one or two of the traded (Dougy!).  Educate yourselves.  Thanks!

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Mariners Traded in the 2011 season:

7/29 – Ryan Langerhans “purchased” by Arizona Diamondbacks (I’ll categorize this a trade more than a release.  Cool?)

• Seattle: 19 games, .173 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI (Earned an Opening Day roster spot/Gutierrez was hurt)

• Triple-A Tacoma: 57 games, .313 AVG, 16 HR, 37 RBI

• Triple-A Reno: 38 games, .308 AVG, 6 HR, 23 RBI

• June 28, 2009: Traded by the Washington Nationals to the Seattle Mariners for Michael Morse
• Morse in 2011?: 31 HR… yes, 31.

7/30 – Doug Fister & David Pauley traded to Detroit Tigers

• Fister with Mariners: 21 starts, 3-12, 3.33 ERA
• Fister with Tigers: 11 games (10 starts), 8-1, 1.79 ERA — Amazing!

• Pauley with Mariners: 39 games, 5-4, 54.1 IP, 2.15 ERA
• Pauley with Tigers: 14 games, 0-2, 19.2 IP, 5.95 ERA

7/31 – Erik Bedard traded to Boston Red Sox

• Bedard with Mariners: 16 starts, 4-7, 3.45 ERA
• Bedard with Red Sox: 8 starts, 1-2, 4.03 ERA

8/31 – Jack Wilson traded to Atlanta Braves

• Wilson with Mariners: 62 games, .249 AVG, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 9 BB in 187 PA
• Wilson with Braves: 15 games, .235 AVG, 0 RBI, 1 walk in 37 PA, -0.3 WAR

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Mariners Released in the 2011 season:

5/9 – Milton Bradley

• Did not play baseball again this season

Unemployed.... yet very wealthy

8/4 – Jack Cust

• 6 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Phillies)

• 5-20, HR, 3 RBI (August 13-19) — Released for reason I could not find

8/15 – Chris Ray

• Did not play baseball again this season — made more beer

9/1 – Matt Tuiasosopo (with Tacoma)

• Did not play baseball again this season
• I felt the need to add Tui because so many people wanted him to workout here.  He never did.  His last name carried him.  He was a 3rd round pick that was paid like a Top 15 pick.  For all intensive purposes, he is a big bust.

Paid well... never got it going ever in Seattle

I know it, you know it, the baseball world knows it. The Seattle Mariners are an undesirable and very limited offensive team in their current state. As the 2011 season comes to a halt, arguably the two best Mariner hitters were not on this team to start the season. That’s both sad and uplifting in a way.

Dustin Ackley and Mike Carp saved this franchise from complete “record book bad”. Yes, the team will still finish last in many key stats such as batting average, runs scored and on-base percentage, but if you removed them, I don’t know what I would have done… cried?

The season started with free agents Jack Cust and Miguel Olivo in the Opening Day lineup. Jack Cust was a complete bust, never playing anything but designated hitter and failing at that job title. Miguel Olivo? Well, I don’t think any of us wanted this, but he will be the team’s leader in HR and RBI. No offense to Miguel and I applaud his efforts, but this franchise cannot (and will not) be successful anytime soon if Olivo is the #4 hitter.

Looking back on the past we’ve had, we as Mariners fans were spoiled on offense. The Kingdome was full of crooked numbers on the scoreboard (usually for the opponent in the early years) and Safeco Field opened with less boom but still a lot of runs scored. Okay, maybe not “a lot”, but when compared to the current setup… it feels like a fair analysis. (And yes, the quality of ballplayers on the roster was better back then)

I cannot hypnotize Seattleites into believing they are seeing a great product offensively. This is probably the worst possible time in franchise history to attempt to convert somebody to be a Mariners fan. In the 80’s, ticket prices didn’t cost an arm and a leg, 150+ games were not on TV, and the internet didn’t exist. Now that all three of those things are part of our culture, it becomes a much more difficult selling point when the team is bad.

So what is one constant in sports to spark interest in a fledgling franchise? Bring in some new blood! Free agency is the way (or is it? – foreshadowing!). By removing bad players, disgruntled fans find renewed excitement in a new face, new hope, a new team.

Unfortunately for this style of thinking within the economics of baseball, greed does not always mean good. When you misfire on a free agent signing, it’s a double-whammy of non-awesomeness.  The GM instantly becomes an “idiot”, the owner(s) get labeled as “idiot(s)” and the fans feel slighted and duped by believing “the powers that be” were educated enough to sign a quality ballplayer.  It’s a lose-lose and when it happens repeatedly, heads will roll.

Sadly, the team I love more than anything else, has failed time and time again when trying to address their flaws and weaknesses through free agency. More often than not, signings have been designed 1-3 year stopgaps, but many have failed to give at least one good season.  One may argue “who would want to play in Seattle?”.  Through the dark years of the franchise, yes, I can understand that way of thinking but once Junior arrived, I asked “Who wouldn’t want to play next to that guy!?”

I asked around, I looked through some media guides, I went to my favorite website Baseball-Reference.com and I didn’t come across many “happy totals” (shoutout to Rick Rizzs). Below is a list of the greatest Mariners of all-time.  They have an interesting connection…

The Best (no particular order):

Edgar Martinez (Mariner Years: 1987-2004) = International Free Agent

Ken Griffey Jr. (Mariner Years: 1989-1999, 2009-10) = Mariners#1 pick in 1987 draft

Randy Johnson (Mariner Years: 1989-1998) = 5/25/1989: Traded by Montreal Expos

Ichiro Suzuki (Mariner Years: 2001-present) = International Free Agent

Jay Buhner (Mariner Years: 1988-2001) = 7/21/1988: Traded by New York Yankees

Jamie Moyer (Mariner Years: 1996-2006) = 7/30/1996: Traded by Boston Red Sox

Alex Rodriguez (Mariner Years: 1994-2000) = Mariners #1 pick in 1993 draft

Felix Hernandez (Mariner Years: 2005-present) = International Free Agent

Alvin Davis (Mariners Years: 1984-1991) = Mariners 6th round pick in 1982 draft

Mark Langston (Mariners Years: 1984-1989) = Mariners 2nd round pick in 1981 draft

(Too Soon Addition To The List?) Dustin Ackley (Mariners Years: Present) = Mariners 1st round pick in 2009 draft

What is the connection? None of them were ever free agent signings from another MLB team.  Teams need to have a great farm system, which Jack Zduriencik is stockpiling by the month. Teams also need to sniff out other abandoned players from around the league and turn them into gold. Sadly, the M’s have failed to ever really do that.

Outside of an amazing week in 1999 by Pat Gillick, it’s slim pickings when it comes to the “All-Time Best Free Agent Mariners Signing”.

You want Prince Fielder?  Jack Z. drafted him, he’ll cost over $150 million to sign and he’s represented by “El Diablo” himself, Scott Boras.  Yankees and Red Sox don’t need a 1B.  Where does he go?  San Francisco.

You want Albert Pujols?  “The Machine” is going to go to a team with a chance to win now.  I’m almost certain he goes back to St. Louis.  The M’s can’t match this so I’m squashing any true “hope” with him coming to the Emerald City.  It just makes too much sense for him not to.

Yeah, as much as I want somebody who can knock in 100 RBI, I’m terrified on what a big money bat would do in Seattle. The track record is terrible.  You hear the rumors Joey Votto might be obtainable? Maybe since they’d be trading for him, he’d work out (jinxes are annoying… but damn).

Will the law of averages ever turn for the Seattle Mariners? Gosh, I hope so…

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The Best of the “We Were Mariners and Came Back” Free Agents:

Bret Boone (Mariner Years: 1992-93, 01-05) = Originally drafted by Mariners in 5th round of 1990 draft. Signed as a FREE AGENT after 2000 season.

Raul Ibanez (Mariner Years: 1996-2000, 04-08) = Originally drafted by Mariners in 36th round of 1992 draft.

Jeff Nelson (Mariner Years: 1992-95, 2001-03, 05) = Was not drafted by Mariners in 1984, but was acquired 12/9/1986 from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1986 minor league draft

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The Best of the “We Were Never Mariners and This is Our First Time” Free Agents:

John Olerud (Mariners Years: 2000-04) = 12/15/1999: Signed as a Free Agent

Mark McLemore (Mariner Years: 2000-03) = 12/20/1999: Signed as a Free Agent

Arthur Rhodes (Mariner Years: 2000-03, 08) = 12/21, 1999: Signed as a Free Agent

Note: Pat Gillick was on a roll in December of 1999! In a span of 6 days he acquired these three players. All key cogs for the next couple seasons.

Should a pitcher be able to win the prestigious Most Valuable Player award? Yes. Justin Verlander has made the case in the 2011 season to be honored as the Most VALUABLE Player in the game of baseball. Until the recently ended 12-game winning streak, where would the Tigers be without him?

I personally think it would be great to see. Much like King Felix Hernandez winning the Cy Young last season, the “old school” way of thinking needs to be shifted; shifted for the better. However, I still feel that most of the writers who decide on this are too stubborn. Why? Because time and time again you will hear this statement as the leading argument: “The MVP award belongs to an everyday player.”

Who was the most dominant American League pitcher in the past 15 years or so? Pedro Martinez. In 1999 and 2000, he was the most dominating pitcher I had ever seen. How did he fair in those seasons in regards to MVP? 2nd and 5th.

1999: 23-4, 2.07 ERA, 213.1 IP, 313 K in 31 games (29 starts)
2000: 18-6, 1.74 ERA, 217 IP, 284 K in 29 starts

There are other players in the American League who are having pretty good seasons that should also be viewed as favorites. Playoff bound New York will have Curtis Granderson, likely playoff bound Boston will have Adrian Gonzalez (and Jacoby Ellsbury could get a grip of 3rd/4th place votes) and “Joey Bats” Jose Bautista won’t be partying in October, but is likely to lead the league in home runs yet again.

My key thing in this whole equation is the word “valuable”. Justin Verlander has been the most valuable player to any team in baseball this season. Would the Yankees be in last place without Granderson? No. Adrian Gonzalez replaced Adrian Beltre’s output from 2010 for the Sox, so I can’t see him being as important. Joey Bats makes Toronto relevant on a national level, but not enough for voters to fall in love with.

Pitchers to win MVP (since 1971): There have been four pitchers to win the MVP award since 1971, all in the American League:

1) 1981 – SP Rollie Fingers, Milwaukee Brewers
2) 1984 – CL Willie Hernandez, Detroit Tigers
3) 1986 – SP Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox
4) 1992 – CL Dennis Eckersley, Oakland Athletics

Roger Clemens, who went 24-4 in 1986 for the Red Sox to become the most recent starting pitcher in either league to win the MVP. Ever since Roger Clemens won it in 1986, starting pitchers have gone 0 for 48 in MVP races.

Throughout the history of MLB, the MVP award has been hitter-dominant.  The MVP award began in 1931 and since that time, only 10 pitchers have won the A.L. version of the award.  Surprisingly enough, this list includes a handful of Tigers: Hal Newhouser (1944 &1945); Denny McLain (1968) and Willie Hernandez (1984). Fun Fact: The Motor City Kitties won the World Series in three of those seasons (1945, 1968, 1984.)

The first Cy Young Award was given in 1967. McLain, Hernandez and Eckersley all won the Cy Young the same year they were named AL MVP’s.

I understand the argument that “the Cy Young award is for pitchers only, so that should be theirs and MVP be for the hitters.”  Most years, I’d say that needs to be distinguished.  But with such an incredible year by Verlander, he is the best player.  I’m sure the voters will be loud and clear leading up to the vote, pro or con, but I’m hoping they get past just the “he’s a pitcher” argument.

Just Verlander: your 2011 A.L. MVP and Cy Young Award winner

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All-Time List of Cy Young Award Winners

1992 – Dennis Eckersley, OAK – 7-1, 93 K, 51 SV, 1.91 ERA

1986 – Roger Clemens, BOS – 21-7, 292 K, 2.05 ERA

1984 – Willie Hernandez, DET- 9-3, 112 K, 32 saves, 1.92 ERA (Tigers won World Series)

1981 – Rollie Fingers, MIL

1971 – Vida Blue, OAK

1968 – Bob Gibson, STL

1968 – Denny McLain, DET

The first Cy Young Award was given in 1967

1963 – Sandy Koufax, LA – 25-5, 306 K, 1.88 ERA

1956 – Don Newcombe, BKN

1952 – Bobby Shantz, Philadelphia Athletics

1950 – Jim Konstanty, PHI

1945 – Hal Newhouser, DET

1944 – Hal Newhouser, DET

1943 – Spud Chandler, NYY

1942 – Mort Cooper, STL

1939 – Bucky Walters, CIN

1936 – Carl Hubbell, NY

1934 – Dizzy Dean, STL

1933 – Carl Hubbell, NY

1931 – Lefty Grove, Philadelphia Athletics

If you only read one thing that I ever write, please let it be this “real life” post.  It’s from my heart and something that means so much to me that I truly cannot pen all of my emotions. This is my story of a serious, life-altering, scary, unique portion of my life in 1991.

20 years and counting, I share my story with you…

“Through Baseball Comes Survival”

- IF you have read my original post from a year ago, I do have new commentary below the next “——” bold line.  Please skip down and read that too.  IF this is your first read, thank you in advance.

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This is a very special blog to me. I decided to create a “voiceover” for you to play-along while reading the blog if you want to.

(It’s simply me reading the blog post almost word for word from what’s beneath it.)

Many things in life we feel we have control over. We can prepare, practice, and do repetitive things over and over in anticipation. But for some things, to use a sports analogy, the ball is taken from you on the mound and the remaining innings are out of your control. Life has an interesting even flow to it. Some people get dealt a great hand and some have what seems like never-ending bad luck. But it’s when adversity strikes and you bounce back with a resounding effort to turn the tables in your direction, when you can really appreciate something for what it is.

I will always remember the date of August 29th for one main reason: Survival. This may come as a shock to some of you that read this, but I am a childhood cancer survivor. It was on this date in 1991, that I had the life-changing procedure to remove a grapefruit sized tumor from my body. This day reminds me of all the things I have been blessed with in life.

I was diagnosed in April 1991 with a malignant Ewing’s Sarcoma tumor located near my spine. At the time, I was 7 years old with no idea of what cancer was. I was under the idea that “I’m sick and Children’s Hospital is going to make me better.” I was just getting ready for my 2nd year of T-ball. First grade was ending. All I wanted to do was play Super Mario Bros. 3. I’ll never forget how people looked at me as if I was going to die.

I was in and out of Children’s Hospital in Seattle for a year and a half. My first surgical procedure happened within days of being diagnosed. The doctors wanted to take a biopsy to see how to combat the disease; I was in for a very bumpy ride that summer.

1st Grade T-Ball - About 5 weeks before I was diagnosed

I went through one year of chemotherapy (pre and post-op). I had 3 months of radiation therapy following my August 1991 surgery. I went through 6 different surgeries, including the tumor biopsy, the removal of the tumor, attempting to fuse 6 vertebrae on my spine, putting in/removing the chemotherapy “access line” in my chest, and the last surgery that ultimately structured my severely weakened spinal chord area with metal rods. Only 4 of the 6 vertebrae fused correctly, one of the reasons why I still have a 6-inch steel rod in my back today.

At that tender age, grasping a sickness such as cancer was unfathomable. The mind doesn’t understand or process that magnitude. I was told I was sick but what did that mean? Go home in a few days? No, unfortunately not. But there was one key thing that got me through the countless hours of being too weak to do anything except lay in bed. That one thing? Baseball.

Ken Griffey Jr. burst onto the scene in 1989 for the Seattle Mariners, so by the time the 1991 season rolled around in April (when I was diagnosed), baseball is all I could think of. Being a child in Seattle in the early 90’s, you cherished Griffey as more than an idol, he was simply a way of life. I wanted to be outside playing wiffle ball in the backyard with my brother and my big red “fat bat”.

From what I can remember, when the M’s were on TV, that’s what was on at my house. It was cartoons from 3 to 4 PM and baseball was on sometime after that. Not all the M’s games were on TV back then so you had to savor them. However, there was this special and exciting team that seemed to be on everyday and was the perfect lead-up to a Mariners game: the Atlanta Braves. TBS would carry what seemed like every game at the time and I soaked it up like a sponge. Guys like David Justice, Ron Gant, and Terry Pendleton were close seconds to Junior, Alvin Davis, and Randy Johnson. The “Tomahawk Chop” was becoming the big thing at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium; I lived for it.I can remember lying in my bed and being ravaged from the chemotherapy when the Braves played the Twins in the 1991 World Series. I can remember Kirby Puckett hitting a HR to win Game 6 like it was yesterday. I’ll never know how I managed to stay awake for long periods of time during that whole ordeal, but something inside me knew “if baseball is on, you ain’t missing it”. The Braves lost that World Series but they gave me something to believe in, something to fight for, something to come back for next season. Baseball kept me going.

Friends and family members would come to see me in the hospital. I’m sure it was a very hard thing for them to see. Many would bring gifts. Some would be coloring books, or sticker albums, things that would help “take my mind off of being sick”. But there was one thing that I loved more than anything at that time: opening wax packs of baseball cards.

They’d come by the boxful; one after another. A baseball card collector’s dream come true. I’m pretty sure I had the entire Topps 1991 set 10-times over. I would sort them by team, then by name (A-Z) and ultimately that became my source of literature. To this day, I know for a fact that baseball cards are a reason I have such a good memory when it comes to sports statistics.

There are so many stories and so many people that had an impact on everything I went through… it’s tough to really start in one area.

I’ll never forget Dr. Conrad at Seattle Children’s Hospital who performed my surgeries and helped assure my family that I was in the best hands possible.

I will never forget a summer car wash sponsored in my honor in Kenmore, WA to help raise money for my doctor bills when I had used up all of my dad’s insurance coverage.

I will never forget Ms. Goldaide’s 6th grade classroom at my elementary school that raised money to buy me a new Nintendo when they found out mine was breaking down.

I’ll never forget Janis Blair. I was too sick to go to school and was home schooled for all of 2nd grade. Her understanding, kindness, and warm nature will always stick with me.

I will never forget the other sick kids I lived with at CHMC. Some made it like I did, and sadly, others did not. It’s a dreamlike feeling at 7/8 years old, finding out a kid that had a bed 15-feet away from you the night before, had died overnight. These were mind-blowing experiences. Experiences that in a way, mentally, made me grow up quickly; a lot quicker than most.

I wish I could go back and thank every person that had an impact on my survival. The doctors, the nurses, the charity workers, and anybody related to Children’s Hospital.

Mariners 1st Baseman Pete O'Brien and I - Summer 1991

The friends of the family: their support, thoughts, prayers, and gifts, helped in more ways than they will ever know. My family was my heart and soul.

I was announced cancer-free in 1993. At times I have dodged discussing my battle with cancer. Many of my friends, co-workers, classmates, etc. throughout the years had no idea I was ever sick and/or the severity of what it was. It’s not something I have been ashamed of, but at the same token, it’s not something I have wanted to sit around and have a discussion of “all about me”.

But on this date, I feel I can tell the world and have no real doubts about it. Cancer did not beat me, I beat it. I am thankful for everyday that I am here. I was given a second chance. That’s something I live by and am reminded of all the time.

As the late great Coach Jim Valvano said just months before cancer took his life: “Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.”

Thanks for letting me be who I am and sharing this special day of survival with you.

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(After you’ve read the story above, continue on to my new commentary below.  Thanks! – Chris)

My 8/29/2011 Thoughts:

20 years ago today, my malignant Ewing’s Sarcoma tumor was removed from my 8-year-old body.

The stats were against me.  The stats said I shouldn’t make it.  The stats said I wasn’t long for this world.  But you know what, the stats were wrong.

The cancer that almost ended me fell short of its goal.  It did not defeat me… I defeated it.  Every single August 29^th since then, this day has marked an anniversary for me.  An anniversary that reminds me that I’m here.  An anniversary of the pain I went through.  An anniversary of the worst thing that ever happened to me, being vanquished from my body.

When I reflect back upon what I had to go through, it numbs me.  I can and will still shed a tear when I look at certain pictures for more than a few seconds.  I’m lucky to be alive.  I’m blessed.  “You gotta swim, swim for your life, swim for the music that saves you.  When you’re not so sure you’ll survive, you gotta swim, and swim when it hurts.  The whole world is watching, you haven’t come this far to fall off the Earth.”

I’m still here for a reason.  Whether you contribute my survival to science, divine intervention, or luck, that’s totally up to you, and labeling a “reason” shouldn’t matter on a day like this.  A day like this should be about the big picture; life as a whole.  Don’t take things for granted.  Life is so precious and we have only one chance of blazing a trail and leaving our impact on other lives and society.  I want to help.  I want to impact lives.  I want my story to inspire people to never ever quit.

In order for me to understand all my emotions from being a childhood cancer survivor, I had to go about finding inner-peace. I learned that you can’t live in the past and that it can be really tough sometimes to keep living and fighting, but it will get better.  You will find the light from within the dark.  The scars are just scars and yes, that it’s time to move on.

Not everybody can be saved by shear willpower, but if you let a disease take over your mind, you’ve lost the good fight.  You must be strong, you must believe, you must fight back.  Life throws us curveballs.  We’ll foul off some, we’ll watch some whiz by, and some of them we’ll put into play.  Timing is everything.  But with the time we have, make the most of it.

If you have gotten this far, I appreciate your time and support. It took me quite awhile to be able to “put myself out there” with my story.  Who knows, maybe I learn how to draw and turn this all into a children’s book for childhood cancer patients.

If this is your first read, thank you.  I hope you can find some encouraging things from it.  If you know somebody with cancer, please forward this posting along to him or her.  If I can provide even the smallest amount of encouragement or strength, then writing this has paid an amazing and humbling dividend.

20 years ago today my cancerous tumor was removed and not a day goes by without the ramifications of it impacting me.  I hurt, I’m limited, I’ll have some roads to cross in the years to come.  But at the end of the day, I’m here with all of you, blazing my trail and that’s what matters.

I’m a survivor.

Thank you for letting me be me and God Bless all of you.

Sincerely,

Christopher M. Boyd

Webbly and I before the game!

It was an absolutely picture perfect night for a baseball game.  The sky was so blue.  The weather never felt like it dipped below 70 degrees.  It was “Thirsty Thursday”, which if you know me, definitely brought a smile to my face.  I got to take somebody to their first AquaSox game (I think she liked it!).  But on top of all of this, when it actually came to game action, everybody in the Everett Memorial Stadium on Thursday, August 25th, may have witnessed greatness.

Maybe I’m jumping way ahead of myself here (and I’ve always used the disclaimer of by no means do I play the role of scout) but Jose Campos’ outing was an absolute treat.  He pounded the strike zone, his swag level was off the charts, and it looked as if the Yakima Bears really couldn’t find any rhythm.  He was nasty.

Campos’ line: 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R (0 ER), BB, 12 K — Lowered season ERA to 2.12

He’ll go down in the box score as the losing pitcher but he was anything but a “loser” on Thursday night.  The powers that be who work for the Everett AquaSox came up with another gem of a promotion: “Campos’ Court”.  There were probably 2,500 fans at the game but nestled away in a corner behind the opponent’s dugout/1st Base line lied “The Court”.  If you’ve ever witnessed “The King’s Court” in regards to Felix Hernandez, then you know what this is all about.

The AquaSox lost the game 6-0 (it was close til the 9th inning) but it was an incredible evening.  I witnessed an incredible pitching performance by a recently turned 19-year-old (7/27/92).  Could he ascend to the top of the Mariners minor league prospect chart?  Hopefully so!

2011 with Everett: 13 starts, 5-4, 2.12 ERA, 82 K in 76.1 IP, only 11 walks

I had yet another amazing night in Everett.  Great people to spend a game with!  Great service by the entire AquaSox staff!  Great to see the birth of “Campos’ Court” and a great young propsect I finally got to see in-person, who lived up to the hype and then some.

The bats were silent on this night but Jabari Blash is “one to root for”.  He has an aura about him where you think to yourself “this guy LOOKS like a baseball player”.

*IF* this is my final AquaSox game of the season (fingers crossed for playoffs!), I went out with a bang.  It’s nights like these that I can really sit back and say “Damn, today was a good day!”

P.S. – Yes, I made my pregame meal Alfy’s Pizza.  I love that place oh so much!

I was drinking some adult beverages at a local establishment in good ‘ol Issaquah, WA when my most recent hat purchase was complimented.  It then got me thinking about the success of the Mariners (or the lack thereof) while wearing their original logo.

And you know I couldn’t just leave it as a thought!  Detective Boydwonder got to work.  A little surprising, but we all need to remember how many winning seasons the Mariners have had compared to losing seasons.  Unfortunately, they’ve chalked up more “L’s” than “W’s”.

But as an unofficial Mariners historian, here’s what I found to share with all of you.  A simple statistical breakdown of the Seattle Mariners by logo/hat.

SEASONS: 1977–1979

OVERALL RECORD: 187-297 (484 games)

Mariners Runs Scored: 1,949 – 4.03 per game

Mariners Hits: 4,215 – 8.71 per game

Opponent Runs: 2,509 – 5.18 per game

Opponent Hits: 4,615 – 9.54 per game

Boydwonder Notes: 110 games under .500, the first three seasons of their existence… they get a free pass.  The city was simply happy to have a team back and stars like Ruppert Jones made the losses not hurt so much.  Tough to win when your opponent averages an entire run more than you over a 3-year period.

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SEASONS: 1980–1986

OVERALL RECORD: 454-627-2 (1083 games)

Mariners Runs Scored: 4,364 – 4.03 per game (same as before!)

Mariners Hits: 9,251 – 8.54 per game

Opponent Runs: 5,193 – 4.80 per game

Opponent Hits: 10,033 – 9.26 per game

Boydwonder Notes: The trident became blue and was met with a white star with blue outline.  I know I’m incredibly bias, but I’m fond of this logo large in part to this being the logo at the time Alvin Davis and Mark Langston burst onto the scene in 1984. I was born when this logo was in use too. I’m glad the trident logos are starting to get a lot of new love.

And special kudos to the Everett AquaSox (the Mariners short season A-Ball team) for turning the trident sideways to create an “E”!  Genius!

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SEASONS: 1987–1992

OVERALL: 443-528 (971 games)

Mariners Runs Scored: 4,139 – 4.26 per game

Mariners Hits: 8,598 – 8.85 per game

Opponent Runs: 4,426 – 4.56 per game

Opponent Hits: 8,483 – 8.74 per game

Boydwonder Notes: Probably the most disliked of the four main Mariners logos. However, this logo is/was synonymous with Ken Griffey Jr.’s rookie year and the “Safeway looking ‘S’” he dawned on his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card.  Come to think of it, I STILL do not own that card… note to self: Get one!

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SEASONS: 1993-present

OVERALL: 1491-1478 (2,969 games)

Mariners Runs Scored: 14,363 – 4.84 per game

Mariners Hits: 27,524 – 9.27 per game

Opponent Runs: 14,151 – 4.77 per game

Opponent Hits: 26,885 – 9.06 per game

Boydwonder Notes: Ah yes, the current logo.  The most successful one of the bunch.  It’s timeless in my eyes.  The M’s will always be near water, thus the nautical compass being incredibly unique. The 1995 Mariners made their run with this logo and 3 more playoff appearances after that.  I really hope the powers that be never change it.  It’s uniquely ours and the colors are perfect.  I’ve always respected teams like Detroit, both Chicagos, Boston and even the Yankees for their continued look decade after decade.

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Not done just yet!

So how did the Mariners do when they played in Seattle?  You know I had to turn up that stone of knowledge too!

Mariners at The Kingdome: 852-903 (1,755 games)

Mariners Runs Scored: 8,196 – 4.67 per game

Mariners Hits: 15,556 – 8.86 per game

Opponent Runs: 8,629– 4.92 per game

Opponent Hits: 16,365  – 9.32 per game

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Mariners at Safeco Field (Through 8/17/2011): 545-454 (999 games)

(999 includes 3 “road” games vs Marlins and 1 of 2 games of a doubleheader as the “road” team vs Indians in 2007)

Mariners Runs Scored: 4,310 – 4.31 per game

Mariners Hits: 8,619 – 8.63 per game

Opponent Runs: 4,227 – 4.23 per game

Opponent Hits: 8,657 – 8.67 per game

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Hopefully you found this latest post worthwhile.  I know many things make this almost silly to compare time frames, eras, and sample sizes.  We all know the M’s struggled to have a .500/winning season until 1991.  And yes, obviously most of the best Mariners of all-time played between 1993-2003 and that’s when the wins rolled in.

It was a fun idea of mine and thanks for checking it out!

***Special blog coming on 8/29/2011. It’ll be of a “serious” nature, but something I hope you can all find encouraging.  Thanks – Boydwonder***