Las Vegas of Oakland By Way Of Sacramento
As before, I will not say much, I am not a baseball writer.
2026-09-03: ATH vs SEA
Athletics
7
I went to this game with two friends, and we sat in the 200s. The game was an L but the real W was seeing that my medallion at Legacy Plaza had been installed! Standing offer for remainder of 2026 season: any friend who sends me a selfie with my medallion will be venmo'd for the price of one (1) godzilla dog.
2026-09-04: ATH vs SEA
Athletics
7
I went to this one with a friend from high school, and we sat in the 300s. Not a fun L. There was a $7 starbucks gift card giveaway at the door, which is zero use to me so I scratched off the code and sent it to someone who would appreciate it more.
There were fireworks, though, which was fun. The moose had a drum solo to In The Air Tonight, well executed.
2026-09-05: ATH vs SEA
Athletics
6
This was K-Pop Demon Hunters night, I went with two friends in our slick new purple jerseys, and we sat in the 300s. Despite the L, it was a very fun night, with one highlight being them closing the roof mid-game. Allx got a slick timelapse video (HAND-HELD!) of the closing from our seats on the 3rd base side, so it looked like a ship sailing over us.
Roof Closing Timelapse by alxzdra
2026-09-06: ATH vs SEA
Athletics
0
I went to this one with a coworker, it was their first baseball game ever, we sat in the 300s. This was a fantastic first game for someone to see! As a robotics nerd, they were very excited to learn about the tracking system. Thankfully I had just watched this awesome YouTube video about MLB technology by First Team Baseball so I didn't provide a bunch of out-of-date info about Trackman radar and was able to give an overview of Hawkeye optical tracking that was mostly competent. (Though, in retrospect, I did cite the Phantom framerate for the Hawkeye cameras. Oops!)
Plus, this might have been Woo's best game that I ever saw in person. New fan was born today! Woo!
2026-09-08: TEX vs SEA
Rangers
10
Compared to yesterday, this one hurt. Went solo, sat in the 300s. Left early. At least I got to see that Laz monster homer in person.
I would go on to skip the next game, on the ninth. It was a 1p start and I had a medical appointment at 12 that day, in addition to the obivious malaise about continuing to lose. However, since I wasn't there, we won an exciting one, I'll take credit for it.
2026-09-10: TEX vs SEA
Rangers
3
Wild that this homestand had the best games I ever saw for both Woo and Walter. Absolute cinema pitcher's duel. The stuff that inspires joy when all hope is already lost.
Great end to the homestand.
On Hope
It's extremely probable at this point that we're out of the postseason. Luck is probability taken personally, and I personally wouldn't ascribe this one to bad luck.
It's wild looking at r/mariners and tweets/threads about the Mariners and seeing the assorted stages of grief on display, most prominently anger. Hope is a vice1, derived from that difference between luck and probability. Last season gave people hope and this season takes it away and leaves them grief.
In sports, you cannot separate the thrill of victory from the agony of defeat, and in a season as long as baseball, you're going to have plenty of both. The Mariners' best season ever had 46 losses, and the Mariners' worst season ever had 56 wins. We won't ever be able to sustain hope just from single-game or even single-season wins and losses.
For the remainder of the season, real hope junkies will be looking for their fix in more-nuanced places, framed by a wider view than just a single season:
- Spectacular pitching by players like Woo and Logan.
- A bright future in players like Lazaro and Young.
- Gratitude for hustle and heart from players like Crawford.
- Excitement for the personal victories of players like Randy.
- Optimism in observed improvements for players like Cal and Julio and Naylor.
Of course, all of the above are going to be challenged by the upcoming lockout, but that's the thing about hope: you're taking it personally, which is completely irrational.
The final homestand will be with family in town. Going to be fun.
My greatest vice, in fact.