Alvarez launches game-winner, Oct. 13.   2022 Record MLB rank   (of 30) 2002 Team payroll MLB rank Seattle Mariners 90-72 9 $107 million 22 Houston Astros 106-56 2 $176 million 10     [ MLB Teams With Highest 2022 Payrolls: Dodgers on Top | BetMGM ]

    Wow, that was some ball game yesterday! [Sat., Oct. 8] I am referring of course to the Mariners’ improbable come-from-behind victory in Toronto that eliminated the Blue Jays and sent the Ms to the next round of the play-offs. From my standpoint, it doesn’t rate as a “great” or even a “good” baseball game.   It was just unbelievable, i.e., literally hard to believe, an outlier. I’ve watched a lot of baseball games, (God help me), but I’ve never seen one quite like that. Not that I watched the whole thing.   In fact, I wonder how many Mariners fans, aside from those who were stuck at the “watch party” [i] at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, actually watched the whole game, beginning to end.   The Ms’ starter, Robbie Ray, had a wretched outing, falling behind 4-0 in the early going.   At that point, recalling the previous day’s 4-0 victory by Seattle [ii] , I remarked to my wife, “Well, the old saying ‘Turnabout is fair play’ comes to mind.   The procession of Mariner’s relief pit

  Good luck to the Mariners as they begin their best-of-three series against the Blue Jays later today!   Personally, I don’t think the Ms have a very good chance.   They’re an abysmally poor-hitting team, for one thing, with a team batting average of .228, (28 th (of 30) among all MLB teams.)   The Blue Jays are #1 at .263, blistering by today’s standards.   Not one Mariner hitter is even close to .300.   We can only hope that they can get two (very) good showings from their admittedly good pitching staff. JRod The Ms pulled me in this year.   After a long hiatus, I became a fan again.   I was an avid Mariners fan from 1982, the year 43 year-old spit-baller Gaylord Perry, aptly nicknamed for that one season The Ancient Mariner, picked up his 300 th career win, until 2004, when Edgar Martinez, my favorite player, retired.   That’s 22 years as a fan, watching or listening to most of the 162 games (in non-strike years) every summer.   At the time of my death, presumably, every innin

How would you feel if Jesus showed up at your house?   And not alone, but with 10-12 of his friends, all of them tired and hungry from traipsing around the dusty countryside. Christ in the House of Martha and Mary ,  Johannes Vermeer , before 1654–1655, oil on canvas ( National Gallery of Scotland ,  Edinburgh ) – Mary is seated at the feet of Jesus “ "Almost all his paintings",  Hans Koningsberger  wrote, "are apparently set in two smallish rooms in his house in Delft; they show the same furniture and decorations in various arrangements and they often portray the same people, mostly women “ [Wikipedia Reading from the Gospel according to Luke, at 8:00 mass, Friday, July 22, the Feast Day of St. Martha [i] : Luke 10:38-42 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village [ii] where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all

  July 12, 2022 Reading from the Gospels heard at 8:00 mass this morning at St. Al’s.   Short commentary to follow. Matthew 11:20-24 20 Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. 22 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the nether world. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” 24 But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” For the second time in one week, Matthew has the Lord threatening whole towns with same fate that befell Sodom (and Gomorrah).   (See last week’s blo

  June 24, 2022 Gospel according to Luke, as heard at mass this morning--Nativity of St. John the Baptist--at St. Al’s.   (Short commentary to follow.) Luke 1:57-66, 80 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child           she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard           that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,           and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,           they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,           but his mother said in reply,           “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her,           “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,”           and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,           and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors,       

July 7, 2022 Gospel according to Matthew, heard this morning at 8:00 mass, St. Al’s. Short commentary to follow. Matthew 10:7-15, (Speaking to his apostles, just previously named) 7 And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those suffering from virulent skin-diseases, drive out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. 9 Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with coppers for your purses, 10 with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the labourer deserves his keep. 11 'Whatever town or village you go into, seek out someone worthy and stay with him until you leave. 12 As you enter his house, salute it, 13 and if the house deserves it, may your peace come upon it; if it does not, may your peace come back to you. 14 And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet .