Seattle: Mariners Baseball

A couple of weeks ago I went along to watch the Mariners play baseball against the San Diego Padres at Safeco Field. It was a cold rainy day but that didn't stop the crowds coming out for the game. Take a look at the sign held by a fairly disinterested guy who was probably being paid minimum wage (around $7.25 / hour) to hold it up. I just want to watch some baseball!

Safeco Field, where you might meet someone famous (or go to hell according to the sign).

The build-up before the game was typical of most sporting events. Both teams threw a few pitches and did some stretching. Then the game started and I quickly discovered I wasn't really a baseball fan. The first innings was over in a snap (a couple of minutes) without anyone actually hitting a ball!

The field was in good condition with the roof up to keep out the rain.

The second innings was a little more interesting as we saw a players steal a base. There was a deliberate walk, a couple of decent hits and some fairly excited antics to rev up the crowd at the bottom of the ninth when the Mariners could have leveled the scores at 2-2.

I found myself keeping track of how long innings were taking and then trying to work out how long much longer the game would take. We saw no home runs and the final score was a paltry 2-1, with the Mariners at the losing end. It took a solid 3 hours for the game to meander to its conclusion.

Final Score: Mariners 1, Padres 2.

One major thing that seemed to be missing from the game was replays. There were very few replays of pitches or hits and from the stands it was hard to follow exactly what had happened. You certainly couldn't work out whether any of the ball or strike calls were any good.

So now I've seen the basketball (Seattle Supersonics - great fun) and the baseball. I want to see Ice Hockey, Football and maybe even watch the Seattle soccer team.