When I had the pleasure of meeting Susan Sophia last fall, she said "What I learned from reading her blog is that Mimi loves baseball". Very true. I've not said much about the Mariners this year, as I don't want to offer an opinion and have it spectacuarly fall apart. Suffice it to say, it's not been a bad season so far.

We watched some Giants games (because my family wouldn't watch a Dodgers one, natch) while in California, but it was sure nice to get in our neck of the woods and watch the Mariners play.

On Sunday, I turned on the radio on our way home from church to this surprising news:

SEATTLE -- When Mike Hargrove realized he couldn't give his players what he asked of them, he decided there was only thing he could do -- resign as the Mariners manager.
And so, with the team on a seven-game winning streak going into Sunday afternoon's series finale against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, the organization announced that the 57-year-old skipper would be managing his final game with the team and bench coach John McLaren would become the full-time skipper, effective Monday night in Kansas City against the Royals.
"It's just time for me to move on," Hargrove said. "I challenge my players every day to give me the best that they've got, 100 percent of what they've got that day, physically and mentally, because as I've said before to many of you, the big separator of this game between so-so players, mediocre players, good players and great players is their mental toughness and their mental ability to focus. (full story)

It was completely unexpected, and I suspect made national headlines. My best wishes to Hargrove, and continued best wishes to the Mariners.

Play ball...