TERRY MOSHER
TOP OF THE TOWN – Scott Servais is a good baseball manager. One of the best, and probably should be the American League manager of the year for this past season. Even good managers, though, are entitled to making bad decisions once in a while. Servais made a bad one in Game against Houston. He brought in Robbie Ray in the ninth to face Yordan Alvarez with two out, two runners on base and the Mariners ahead 7-5. Alvarez pounded the second pitch he saw deep into the bleachers in right field for a walk-off three-run home run. It should have been expected. Houston has roughed up Ray this season in three previous appearances, smacking him around for six home runs and 13 earned runs in 10.2 innings. It was disaster waiting to happen. Pitch anybody but Robbie Ray. Servais could have gone with Mickey Mouse and been better off. The devastating defeat probably cost the Mariners a real chance at advancing to the American League championship series. They still can if they win three of the next four games in the best-of-five against Houston. The odds, though, are way against that from happening. Houston is the best team in the AL and may be even the best in MLB, although the Dodgers will have something to say about that. But that first-game win would have put the Mariners in the driver’s seat to upset the Astros. Now the Mariners have to rebound from that terrible defeat and play against a Houston team that will be pumped up to roll to the ALCS. The Mariners will have their best pitcher on the mound for Thursday’s second game. Luis Castillo gets the call. So we’ll see how resilient the Mariners are. Does it seem to you that things aren’t going well for our major sports teams? The Seahawks and Washington Husky football teams can’t play defense and I find it tough to watch them. I covered the Huskies for nearly 30 years for the local paper and defense was the name of the game for them. Opponents dreaded coming to Husky Stadium because they knew it was going to be a black and blue day. They might defeat the Huskies, but they often limped back to the airport for their flight home. There was pride in that defense and the reputation it gave the Huskies. But no more. It was the same with the Seahawks. It used to be the legion of doom and now it’s the legion of gloom. Of course, nothing remains the same. The Huskies and Seahawks can move the ball and score, so there is that. If you like pinball football this is it. That’s it for today. Stay safe.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.