Well, let me tell you about these Smoak Mariners. That’s what they call ’em, right? The Smoak Mariners. Sounds kinda funny, don’t it?
This fella, this Justin Smoak, he’s the big cheese, I reckon. Plays first base, whatever that means. Heard someone say he’s had a rough time. Ain’t we all? He’s supposed to get stronger in the, uh, off-season. Like, when they ain’t playin’. He needs to lift more, I guess. Lift more than a sack of taters, that is.
He’s played for a bunch of teams, this Smoak fella. Seattle, Texas, Toronto… sounds like he gets around more than a hound dog in heat. Must be a good player, though, to be movin’ around like that. They say he’s a “prospect,” whatever that is. I guess it means he’s young and strong and got a lotta spunk. They say he’s 25. Lordy, 25! That’s younger than my old cow, Bessie. They say he should get real good. He should be a big-time slugger. I think that means he hits the ball real far. I don’t know.
- Seattle Mariners, that’s the main one, I think.
- Texas Rangers, too.
- And them Toronto Blue Jays.
They got this place, this T-Mobile Park. Sounds fancy, don’t it? Like a place where they sell those newfangled phones. It’s where these Mariners play. There’s a whole bunch of stuff about it. They got gates and a bag thing. There are many rules there. Don’t bring nothin’ big, I guess. There is a T-Mobile ‘Pen, which also sounds fancy.
They say this Smoak fella, he can hit from both sides. Like, he can stand on either side of the plate and whack that ball. His daddy helped him learn that, they say. Smart man, that daddy. Must be somethin’ special to be able to do that. Some big shots are watchin’ him, too. “Scouts,” they call ’em. They’re like the folks who go lookin’ for gold, but instead of gold, they’re lookin’ for good ball players. Must be a good livin’.
Justin Smoak, a big shot for the Seattle Mariners. It’s all a little bit over my head, but it’s interestin’ to hear about, I guess.
Now, here’s the thing that got folks all riled up. This Smoak, he hit the ball real good in some games. Six RBI’s, they said. Sounds like a lotta somethin’. Doubles and a home run, too. I reckon that’s when he hits it clear outta the park. Folks were sayin’ he’s the best there is for a little bit. He was named “Player of the Week”. That’s good, I guess. I’d like to be “Player of the Week”. Just for anythin’, really. Cookin’, maybe. Or quiltin’.
But then he wasn’t doin’ so hot again. They said he was battin’ .173. Sounds like a bad fever to me. But apparently, in this baseball, it’s not good. It’s like, you go up to bat a bunch of times, and you only hit the ball a few times. I think. It’s all very confusin’.
These Seattle Mariners, they got some new fellas and some old fellas. Hopin’ to do better next time, I reckon. This Cranton fella is waiting for his turn, I heard. There’s a bunch of these young’uns, these “rookies,” they call ’em. They’re playin’ in the big games now. They say it was a good year for these rookies.
These young whippersnappers got all this fancy stuff. T-Mobile Park, with all its rules. You gotta know before you go, they say. They even got a thing where you can look at the park on your computer, a “Virtual Venue.” Imagine that! Back in my day, we were lucky to have a radio to listen to the game. Now they got all these doohickeys.
This whole Smoak Mariners thing, it’s somethin’ else, ain’t it? It’s like a whole different world. All these numbers and these fancy names. But I guess it’s excitin’ for folks who like that sort of thing. Me, I’m happy with my garden and my chickens. But I don’t mind hearin’ about it. Keeps an old gal like me in the loop, you know?
They’re always talkin’ about next year. Next year they’ll be better. Next year they’ll win it all. Well, I hope they do. It is always good to have somethin’ to look forward to, ain’t it? Even if it’s just a silly game. Or these Smoak Mariners. Whatever floats your boat, I always say.
