About Yesterday... And Tomorrow!

For when the one great Scorer comes

To write against your name,

He'll write not that you won or lost,

But how you played the game.

- Grantland Rice 1908

I hadn't planned to score the game on Wednesday- it just happened.  I thought I might get some chores done while listening to the game and one pitch into Ichiro's at bat I couldn't take it.  My scorebook was sitting nearby and looking all shiny and lonely.  The last game I had scored was SEA @ LAA 4/25 [Ms win 9-8!].  Wednesday's game SEA @ CWS resulted in CWS win 6-3.  Of course scoring a game when your team loses is not as much fun as the opposite outcome.  One never knows how the game will play out until it has, so a recreational scorer like myself must make a decision.  I always like to score the games that I attend in person.  I also like to watch games on tv and score.  Regardless of whether the team wins or loses, there always seems to be some magical moment that is now captured forever on paper and in the mind. 

The Mariners left two men on base in each of the first three innings.  Three of the White Sox runs were single home runs hit by Pierzynski in the 2nd, and back to back home runs by Quentin and Dye in the 7th.  Quentin was hit by a pitch in the 1st and the 5th, and he was robbed of a hit by Balentien's amazing catch in the third.  He deserved that home run. 

In additions to Balentien's catch, Ichiro had great luck in the 5th when he led off the inning by hitting a ball that actually bounced off of first base and popped over and out of reach of Konerko on first.  Lopez hit a single and then Griffey hit a highly convenient double to bring both Ichiro and Lopez home.  Griffey reached third on an error by the shortstop Ramirez.  Beltre hit a single to bring in Griffey for our third and final run of the game. Other positives include Beltre's stolen base in the 3rd, and back to back outs on Chicago [Anderson and Ramirez] caught stealing in the 2nd.  Even with this loss, our record still is leading the A.L. West, and is third in the American League.

Today's break should certainly help the Mariners after their doubleheader on Tuesday.  The team returns to Seattle for the Oakland series; game starts 7:10 @ Safeco.  I'm going to bring my scorebook to the game tomorrow!  I recently checked out 'The Joy of Keeping Score: How Scoring the Game Has Influenced and Enhanced the History of Baseball' by Paul Dickson. 

This is most definately the book.  It covers basic and advanced scoring techniques, an A to Z guide of scoring and baseball history, and plenty of photos of old scorecards.  It is a very easy and enjoyable read.  If you are a baseball fan, this book will capture your attention.  I've been score keeping for awhile [see previous entries], and reading this book is like talking with a friend who has been scorekeeping forever (I would like to make friends with more people who enjoy scoring games!).  I began reading it Tuesday night.  Perhaps that is why I couldn't say no to scoring Wednesday's game!

See you tomorrow night @ The Safe!

xoxo

Your Safeco Sweetheart

Ms. Mariner Monroe

photo credit:

1.http://www.walkerbooks.com/nonfiction/books/covers/joyofkeepingscore-l.gif