An A-Rod Montage with Music by Chris Daughtry

Just dug this one out of the wood works. It's an A-Rod Montage that I put together for Sherman a year or so ago. Figured that I might as well put it up. Kind of brings a tear to my eye when I watch it...

p.s. 25,000 hits? lol

-dunkie

Forgive A-Rod, but the rest is up to uou

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, felt all the weight of the world on top of me to perform, and perform at a high level every day. Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance. For that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful." -Alex Rodriguez

The guy screwed up. And make no mistake about it, as far as screw ups and bad decisions go, taking steroids is a pretty big one.

Let's be honest though. We all make mistakes, we all screw up, we all make bad decisions, and in the end, we all must deal with the consequences of our actions. In this manor, A-rod is no different then anyone else. He made a mistake and he will have to deal with the consequences.

Note: If you don't ever make mistakes, or screw up, you either a) aren't being honest with yourself or b) perfect, in which case (a) also applies.

What sets A-Rod apart, along with the few others who choose to do so, is that he admitted to his mistakes (Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, as well all the other 103 players who tested positive for illegal substances back in 2003, you might want to start taking notes...). Now that A-Rod he has done so, we all have a choice, and it is an individual choice that we are all free to make.

For myself, that choice is to forgive A-Rod.

Yes, I realize that he made a mistake, one that will no doubt hurt the national pastime that I love. However, I applaud and respect the courage that it took for him to come out and tell the truth, especially when taking into consideration the possible consequences of doing so. In realizing such, I support him in moving forward in his career and hope that he will work hard to regain the trust of not only his fans, but of Major League Baseball fans too. In doing so, I hope that one day he will earn the right to be enshrined in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Don't get me wrong though, I do not support the use of steroids, and just because you say that you're sorry doesn't automatically earn you a get out of jail free card. Furthermore, if you think A-Rod should be banned from Major League Baseball and the HOF, you are probably justified in your thoughts, and whether or not he will actually ever make it there, I really just don't know.

What I do know is that I've made plenty of mistakes in my life, and if it wasn't for the forgiveness or support of others, I probably wouldn't be who, or where I am today. With that in mind, I would hope that we could all find it in our hearts to forgive A-Rod. Beyond that, whether you choose to support him or push for his banishment, is completely up to you.

-dunkie

I Just Peed My Pants

Not really... but almost. The Tampa Bay Rays just signed Pat Burrell to a 2 year, $16 million dollar deal. If you don't know anything about Burrell, he is basically a slightly crappier version of Raul Ibanez, much like Franklin Gutierrez is a slightly crappier version of Adam Jones.

If you don't know who any of those people are, then just think of buying an VW vs. an Audi, or a Toyota vs. a Lexus. The former will cost you 2/3's the price, but you will basically be getting the same thing plus or minus a few bells and whistles.

That being said, this signing eliminates what is speculated to be one of Griffey's top two choices to play next year, as Burrell will most likely DH for the Rays. This leaves Seattle as Junior's next top choice.

Is it to early to predict that Seattle sports will single-handedly be brought back from the dead by Griffey in 2009?

If I buy tickets to opening day at Safeco will I just jinx things, causing the Mariners front office to not sign him, or even worse, him being hurt before the season even starts?

Do I want to shoot myself in the face for writing that last paragraph?

Should I even mention that I broke a mirror this morning?

I'm going to shut up now.

-dunkie

p.s. one last thing... Burrell wasnt resigned by the Phillies because they decided to "upgrade" and sign Raul Ibanez. If Griffey ends up in Seattle because of this sequence of events (i.e. the Mariners not beating the Phillies offer to keep Ibanez in Seattle) it might actually pee my pants.

p.p.s. how pathetic is it that I am actually trying convince myself this is all part of Zdurienik's master plan? Ugh...

Back in the High Life Again

It only took him 11 years, but Junior is back playing in October. Thanks in part to a Jim Thome home run and this play by The Kid, the Chicago White Sox defeated the Minnesota Twins, 1-0, in a single game playoff to determine the 2008 AL Central Champion. 

The White Sox will now move on to face the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Divisional Series Playoffs.

Is it too early to hope for a Crosstown Classic... a Expressway Series... a Windy City Showdown... White Sox vs. Cubs... The Kid vs. Sweet Lou...? Ehh, maybe it's just a little too soon to be punching that ticket. Still, as Andy Dufresne once wrote in a letter to his friend Red,

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things..." -The Shawshank Redemption

So maybe I'll just cross my fingers and hope for the best anyways.  As for you Kid, you just keep playing your heart out and always remember, REFUSE TO LOSE...

-dunkie

Refuse to Lose

Tonight, if only for one night, the Seattle Mariners fought off the best team in Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, coming back from a 6-2 deficit in the 6th inning to win the game with a final score of 9-6.

In doing so, the Mariners not only ended a 12 game losing streak, but also prevented themselves from becoming the first 100 loss team since the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals both "accomplished" this feat in 2006.

With five games to go in the season in is more likely than not that the Mariners will eventually reach the 100 game mark. But for at least one night, the Mariners showed that they still have a little SODO MOJO left in their gas tank. And for this Seattle Fan, that is all the fuel needed.

"Right now, the Mariners looking for the tie. They would take a fly ball; they would love a base hit into the gap and they could win it with Junior's speed. The stretch and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martinez; 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, "The Double" - Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS

Okay... so maybe I needed a little more than just one late inning comeback win to make me feel better after this terrible season and horrific year in Seattle sports. Can you blame me? REFUSE TO LOSE.

-dunkie

We've Hit Rock Bottom

The Mariners have the worst record in baseball.
The Seahawks are 0-1.

The Huskies are 0-2.

The Sonics are... no longer with us.

The Storm is... a WNBA team.

(AP Photo: May 26, 1995. Ken Griffey Jr. breaks his left wrist crashing into the Kingdome wall while making a game-saving catch.)

Simply put, it doesn't get any worse than this for the Seattle Sports Fan. You can argue that a season-ending injury to one of Seattle's star players would make things worse, but don't kid yourself...

There is nothing beyond last place.
Zero wins divided by any number of losses...
...still equates to a 0.00 winning percentage.
Our one legitimate championship is gone.
The Storm is... still a WNBA team.

I think Lloyd Dobler said it best in the Seattle based 80's classic Say Anything.

"You probably got it all figured out, Corey. If you start out depressed everything's kind of a pleasant surprise."

Things may not fair any better in the foreseeable future for the Seattle Sports Fan, but on the bright side, things can't get any worse than they already are. I for one will continue to be depressed by the current state of Seattle sports and maybe, just maybe, the next time I turn on ESPN I might find myself being pleasantly surprised...

-dunkie