I just caught the Baseball Tonight “Year in Review” show. They had a slideshow of clips at the end, showcasing all of the top moments in 2008.
As you can already guess, there weren’t many Mariners highlights that were recognized. I was surprised that the “accomplishments” section didn’t include Ichiro getting to 200 hits for an eighth consecutive year, but the three moments that did make it were far more worthy.
The first was Ichiro’s highlight-reel catch against the Red Sox in May. You know, the one where his hat fell off because he hit the wall so hard. Good choice of a moment.
The second was John McLaren’s EPIC FAIL at rallying the team in a post-game press conference. It was from that moment on that we knew Squinty’s time as manager was coming to an end. When you can’t even muster real anger at a team that underperformed to that degree, there’s no room for you at the top.
The final Mariners moment was what, I think, a lot of fans will remember most from the M’s 2008 campaign: The image of our too-tall, too-soft, too-sucktastic first baseman running towards the pitching mound and attacking Kason Gabbard of the Texas Rangers. It’s not just about Richie’s awkward gallop to the mound, or his subsequent use of his helmet as a weapon — It’s also memorable because of the “OH, OH MY!” call of Dave Simms. In his own way, he was totally right when he yelled “Well, that’ll get something started!” during the ensuing fracas. It certainly was the beginning of something, but not a Mariners rally. Instead, it was the beginning of the end for Richie Sexson’s career and the Mariners’ chances of competing in the next four or five seasons.
