The Mariners (and Jerry Dipoto) must be cautious, mostly with regards to Soto

 The trade deadline rapidly approaches for the 2022 MLB season, and as always happens, players' names circulate among the rumor mill.  The Seattle Mariners, in contention after their 14-game winning streak, will likely be looking to add a piece or two.  The biggest name on the market is one Juan Soto, an outfielder for the Washington Nationals.  He's still only 23 and rejected a gigantic contract extension, meaning he wants out of Washington (D.C.).  He's arguably one of the most valuable trade pieces ever on the market.  And the Mariners are rumored to be one of 4 teams strongly interested in him.  I say this to Mariners Team President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and the rest of the Mariners front office: Do not sell the farm for Soto.  He is one player.  What if something happens to him?  

The Mariners must be cautious.  We have built a strong core, one that is as strong as we have seen in the past twenty years.  To sell a huge chunk of it for one player is risky at best and foolish at worst.  What if a health condition is discovered in Juan Soto a year or two from now?  With the news of Mike Trout, it makes you want to be cautious about what you give up for certain stars.  Or what if he decides he doesn't like Seattle?  That would completely derail this rebuild, one that has taken eight years so far.  

Not to mention, the Mariners already have a Dominican young star in Julio Rodriguez.  They also have a plethora of other outfielders, just waiting for a pair to be healthy and playing well simultaneously.  Those outfielders include Jesse Winker, Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic, and Mitch Haniger.  Surely 2 of those could pan out and be very capable players.  Yes, trading for Soto would acquire someone we wouldn't even have to worry about.  But is ownership really willing to pay both Julio and Soto contracts that would total close to a billion dollars?  

The best players in Mariners history almost all come from the draft or they were signed as amateur free agents.  Griffey, A-Rod, and Seager were all drafted.  Felix and Julio were signed as amateur free agents.  Ichiro was brought from Japan.  The one exception being Randy Johnson, but he was not highly touted when the Mariners acquired him from Montreal.  My point is, trades or even free-agent acquisitions hardly have been huge successes in this team's history, especially when acquiring big name stars.  

If the Mariners could somehow get Soto for a handful of mid-range prospects, and maybe Kelenic or Lewis, I'd say go for it. But the Nationals apparently want a team's top 3 or 4 prospects.  Jerry Dipoto and the M's simply cannot afford to blow this up for one player.  Are all the top prospects the Mariners would trade for Soto going to live up to their billing?  Maybe not.  But it's an almost certainty that most of them will be big contributors in a few years.  

I just hope Dipoto is cautious.  I'd rather miss the playoffs barely again this year and go into next year stronger and hungrier than trade for Soto and have a quick playoff exit.  I want to end the playoff drought just as much as any Mariners fan, but not at the cost of our future.  

Ten Items I want to see Unvaulted in Fortnite

The game Fortnite has been around for five(!) years now, and they've gone through hundreds of weapons and items.  I'm going to list my personal top 10 items I remember using that have since been removed from the game or "vaulted" and would like to see "unvaulted".  I think bringing these items back would definitely help make the game even more fun.  These are in order of how much I'd like to see them brought back and I will be including items that have made an appearance in the "unvaulted" game mode, as that doesn't count as officially unvaulting them.

10. Bandage Bazooka
Yes, we have the Chug Cannon, but you can only get those from Llamas.  The Bandage Bazooka you could at least get as floor loot or from a chest, I believe.  I'd love to see them brought back.

9. Portable campfires
I don't know if this will ever happen again, as campfires are pretty common on the last two islands (Ch. 2 and 3).  But it's nice to know you can heal your health without having to take up an item in your inventory.

8. Crash Pads
I believe they are unvaulting these for a limited time soon, but regardless, they need to be a regular part of the game.  They're another item I can use to survive falling from a skybase and they're good for surprising unsuspecting enemies.

7. Launch Pads
They're even better than crash pads because they don't take up a spot in your inventory (instead, the trap spot).  I know there's some set ones around the lake currently, but we need the portable ones back. 

6. Decoy Grenades
I may be the only person in the world who'd want decoy grenades back, but I do.  They're a great tool to use to confuse your enemy or to help you run away from them.  

5. Pizza
It wasn't around for very long and it hasn't been gone long, but I already want pizza back.  I liked the idea of a healing item that you could separate once you place it and share it among allies.  I also liked that it healed both health and shield.  

4. C4 Remote Explosives
It seems like forever since C4 has been in the game.  I think they removed it because of all the glitches it caused.  But man, setting traps for unsuspecting enemies with the C4 is still to this day one of the most fun things to do in Fortnite history.

3. Balloons
They're just really fun.  They're a great way to get high ground or even move around the map.  I love any item that can help me survive fall damage from a skybase.  

2. Shield Bubbles
With it seeming like Epic is keeping the no-build versions, shield bubbles would be a very welcome addition, at least to those game modes.  They brought back port-a-forts, but shield bubbles would be great to have back as well.

1. Glider Redeploy
Glider Redeploy is still in Team Rumble automatically (not taking up an item slot), but I'd love for it to come back to regular game modes.  It would be another item that would help people like myself survive large falls (from say a skybase), and it would be great for navigation if people were on high ground.

My initial thoughts of the Survivor 43 and 44 casts

 With the casts of Survivor's 43 and 44 leaking, I thought I'd give about a one or two sentence thought on each player.  It'll be interesting to come back after each of these seasons and see how close my first impressions were.

43:

Cassidy Clark - Definitely a bombshell, I think someone or a group of people will find her intimidating.  Mid-merge boot at best.  

Cody Assenmacher - He seems like he'll be one of the more interesting characters.  I could easily see him getting blindsided and having an all-time great reaction.

Dwight Moore - Could be a finale goat or a forgettable boot.  I'm not sure if we're supposed to get too attached to him.

Elie Scott - Likely targeted for being the next Parvati, as many women have before her.  Can she lower her threat level?  

Geo Bustamante - He looks like he says "Bro" a lot.  I cannot see him winning.  

Jay Jones - Will he be more Rocksroy or more Deshawn?  If he's more Deshawn I could see him doing well.

Jeanine Zheng - My dark horse for the season, she looks smart and mature for her age and I could see a deep run, if she can survive the pre-merge.

Jesse Lopez - My pre-pre-season winner pick.  He got a great confessional in the preview for the season and no pure Latino man has ever won Survivor.  About time to change that.

Justine Brennan - Anything from a very early boot to a possible finale player.  Hard to tell.

Karla Godoy - Her confessional about her willingness to do anything I think is a bad sign... I think she'll do something that'll bite her in the butt.

Lindsay Carmine - Early boot or finale loser.  She's the Chrissy of this season.

Mike Gabler - He'll either be like Mike from 42 or Brad from 41.  For his sake, hopefully the former.

Morriah Young - I love her colorful personality and I can't see anyone disliking her.  She should get fairly far.

Noelle Lambert - We haven't had contestant missing a limb since 21, so it'll be interesting to see how she is viewed.  So that makes predicting her finish very difficult.

Nneka Ejere - Can't see her gelling too well.  Even if she gets in a sizable alliance, I think she'll be towards the bottom.

Owen Knight - I think he'll be a fan favorite, like a smarter Woo.  

Ryan Medrano - This season's Jonathan, likely a mid-merge boot.

Sami Layadi - Early boot or finale goat.  Nineteen-year-olds cannot win.


My EARLY final 3 prediction is Jesse, Janine, and Dwight.  


Now for 44:

Brandon Cottom - I remember when he played for the Seahawks (he never made a final 53-man roster, but was in training camp three straight years).  I'll be rooting for him, and I do think he'll do pretty well, based on his application video I watched.

Bruce Perreault - Another Eric Abraham?  He's not quite as old, but he's definitely a longshot to win.

Carolyn Wiger - Her personality will determine everything, if she survives the pre-merge, and how well she'll fit in an alliance.

Carson Garrett - He should do better than Zach in 42, but his age will work against him.

Claire Rafson - Not much to say, I'd have to see her more, but she could do well.

Danny Massa - Reminds me of Voce from 41, appearance-wise.  If he can survive the merge, he's got a shot.

Frannie Marin - She reminds me of Kelyn from Ghost Island.  Hopefully she won't be as emotional.

Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt - She looks like she's going to want things her way, and that's not a good thing.  

Helen Li - Erika 2.0?  She'll likely be a social/strategic threat at some point.

Jaime Lynne Ruiz - I followed her on TikTok; she has good content.  I hope she does well, too.  I think she could.

Dr. Joshua Wilder - Hard to say how well he'll do... don't have much of a read on him.

Kane Fritzler - No exact age, from Saskatchewan... I have a feeling he'll have a tough time fitting in.

Lauren Harpe - I get Shan vibes from her, but not as assertive, which is a good thing.  She could do well.

Maddy Pomilla - Either a great player or early boot.  No in between.

Matthew Grinstead-Mayle - He will rub someone the wrong way.  Or multiple people.  I can't see him doing too well.

Matt ??? - No picture, age, or occupation, just his name and location of San Francisco.  I get the feeling we're not supposed to get too attached to him (like Rocksroy).

Sarah Wade - She'll be an early merge boot, following in the steps of Sydney, Tori, and Lydia.

Yamil "Yam Yam" Arocho - He's like Ricard, Naseer, and Omar rolled into one person.  Could he have all of their good qualities?  Hopefully.  But if he does, he'll be a huge threat.


It looks like Survivor cast very well again, and I'm looking forward to these seasons.  I might come back after these seasons have aired and see how my first impressions were.  

Top Ten Food and Drink Combinations

I thought I'd do a different type of blog post and talk about food.  Who doesn't love eating food?  Who also doesn't love drinking some of their favorite drinks?  I'm going to rank the top 10 food and drink combinations.  Some food and drinks just go so well together, like peanut butter and jelly.  I'm not going to include food items more than once (with a different drink), but I will include a drink more than once.  Also, these are my preference, and they are ranked by how well they pair together.

10. Protein Bar and Energy Drink
This one isn't so much for the taste combination as it is the effects of the combination of the food and drink.  But they do typically taste well together.  If you're working hard through the day, there's not really a combination that'll pick you up better than this combination.  The protein bar will fuel your muscles and give you the carbs and calories needed, and the energy drink will give you the energy you need from the caffeine.  Generally, if you have this around early-midday, it'll last you until the end of the day.  I don't recommend having this every day, but if you're feeling completely devoid of energy, it should be all right to have this combination every once in a while.  I used to have it fairly often on my first break when I worked retail, and boy did it help.

9. Barbecue and Iced Tea
This one isn't higher mainly because the "Barbecue" moniker is vague and some barbecue items don't pair as well as others with iced tea, but it's still hard to go wrong with having iced tea and any barbecue item.  Whether it be ribs, hotdog/hamburger, or chicken, it's hard to go wrong with a good ice cold iced tea.  And of course, this combination works best (some would say only) in the summer.

8. Pasta (Spaghetti) and White Wine
This is one of my girlfriend's favorite combinations, and I'd have to agree.  There's just something about the sauce and meat paired with the sweet crispness of a glass of white wine.  You have to be careful, though, because you can't use the wine as a hydration source from eating pasta as you'll get tipsy very quickly.  I'd recommend adding some water (sparkling, possibly).

7. Sandwich & Chips and Soda
The all-American lunch, I call it.  You get a sandwich, preferably with your choice of deli meat and other fixings, some chips, and a soda of your choice.  It just reminds me of when I would have that for lunch as a kid (especially camping).  There's also a reason this is the most popular meal at Subway.  Nothing better washes down a sandwich and chips than soda.  

6. Breakfast Foods and Coffee or OJ
If you're having a combination of any of bacon, eggs, potatoes, toast, pancakes/waffles for breakfast, both coffee and orange juice pair extremely well with those food items.  It seems weird since the tastes of coffee and orange juice are so different, but both complement the saltiness and savoriness of the aforementioned foods very well.  

5. Steak and Red Wine
Now if you want to feel classy, have a steak dinner with a nice glass of red wine.  For maximum effect, however, you have to pair the right cut of steak with the right wine.  Most winemakers will have pairing suggestions, whether it be on their bottle or website.  Sometimes a good bottle of wine goes better with a nice pork loin or seafood, but whatever it is, if you pair it up correctly, you're definitely in for a great food/drink combination.

4. Tacos and Margaritas (Or lemonade)
If you're having a taco night with friends and they consume alcohol, you've gotta make margaritas.  They're both part of Mexican-American cuisine, and for good reason.  The citrus pairs well against the spices and savoriness of tacos.  For those who don't drink, I recommend lemonade, which pairs very well with Mexican food/tacos as well.

3. Baked Good(s) and (Iced) Coffee
These baked goods could be a muffin, croissant, danish, donut, cinnamon roll, you name it.  Any of those pair so well with a good cup of coffee, whether it be hot or iced, although I prefer iced.  There's a reason a lot of us choose to start off our day this way.  Although it may not be the healthiest, the caffeine from the coffee paired with the sugar rush from the baked good is enough to get most people going.  For the Europeans or people who don't like coffee, tea works almost as well.  

2. Pizza and Beer/Soda
I couldn't decide between beer or soda, so I decided on both.  For a casual night or even a chill party, you can't go wrong with pizza and soda.  And honestly, after a long day of work, not much beets a pizza and beer.  The pizza satisfies your comfort while the beer takes the edge off.

1. Cookies and Milk
The classic, how can you beat it?  The answer is, you can't.  Milk cuts away with the sweetness of the chocolate and sugar so well; it's just hard to explain.  Obviously, the best cookie to have with milk is either a chocolate chip or an Oreo (depending on your preference), but even sugar cookies work well, too.  I'd also recommend brownies and even graham crackers with milk.  

Five Things I would change about each Star Wars trilogy

Anyone who knows me knows I love Star Wars.  It's my favorite series of films and my all-time favorite fandom.  But Star Wars, like anything else, is not without its flaws.  I'm going to list 5 things that I would change about each of the three film trilogies.  Some of these I've known for a while, others like for the original trilogy, I had to really think hard for.  

Prequel Trilogy
1. Introduce Anakin at an older age
Do we really need to see the person that becomes Darth Vader at 9 years of age?  No.  We got introduced to Luke at age 19, why not split the difference and introduce Anakin at 14 or 15 years of age?  That's old enough that we could see a bit of his rebellious side already when he is introduced, but still young enough to show some innocence.  

2. Either cut out Jar Jar or change him completely
I get why Jar Jar Binks was put in the prequel trilogy, to appease and entertain children.  But Star Wars, for the most part, is enjoyed by adults, young and old(er).  I would either remove him or change him so he's not the clumsy fool that we know, but is maybe instead a wise-cracking Gungan that tries to bend the rules.  A Gungan Han Solo, if you will.  

3. Remove midiclorians
Was this a necessary inclusion?  Most Star Wars fans would say no.  There's no measure of a wizard's power or potential in the Harry Potter universe, why does there have to be that in the Star Wars universe?  

4. Don't have Anakin as a virgin birth/created by the Force
Is this even clear yet, 17 years after the release of Ep. III?  There's still speculation on how Anakin was created.  Anyway, I would have introduced Anakin's father, have him be a scumbag who deserted Shmi shortly after Anakin was born.  Maybe have a plot point where Anakin kills him, even?

5. Changing or removing the line, "What have I done?"
For a while, Anakin's full fall to the dark side has kind of bothered me.  And I realized the one little thing that's always bothered me.  It's after Anakin cuts off Mace Windu's hand to prevent him from killing Palpatine and Palpatine blasts him out the window.  Anakin then stumbles back and says in a regretful tone, "What have I done?".  Instead, I would have Anakin mad at Mace Windu for attempting to assassinate the chancellor (someone who he had grown close to), and just have him not saying anything.  He would simply breath heavily, realizing what he had done and how he had chosen Palpatine's dark side over the Jedi.  

Original Trilogy
1. Have things thought out ahead of time
One of the few flaws with the original trilogy is the fact that George didn't plan things out, seeing as when he was writing the original Star Wars, he was not planning on any sequels.  I would change how Obi-Wan describes how Luke's father dies, and I would remove any kisses between Luke and Leia and any desire Luke has for her (and have their relationship be more like Harry and Hermione in Harry Potter).  

2. Have a little better choreography between Obi-Wan and Vader in their final fight
Their fight scene has not aged well, but keep in mind it was the first lightsaber battle in Star Wars history.  If I could, I'd have the choreography be at least a little more intense.

3. Have the Ewoks be the final reason, not the sole reason, the rebellion wins in the end
It's been long criticized how a civilization such as the Ewoks, essentially giant teddy bears, were able to take down "A legion of the Empire's best troops".  I would make it so the rebellion had more forces and just needed a tiny bit more help, perhaps with stalling the Empire.  

4. Flesh out Boba Fett more or don't kill him off
Somehow Boba Fett developed a cult-like status after the original trilogy.  I'd either develop a bit more of a backstory for him (which lines up with the prequel trilogy) or I wouldn't have sent him down the sarlaac pit.  

5. Have Han be a bit younger
I'm grasping for straws here, but I'd have Han be a bit younger in the original trilogy.  At the start of Ep. IV, he is 31 while Leia is 19.  Not exactly an ideal age difference.  I'd make him somewhere between 25 and 28, old enough to still have some life experience.

Sequel Trilogy
1. Have Rey be Obi-Wan's great-niece, not Palpatine's granddaughter.  Or have her ancestry be inconsequential.
Rey's ancestry is one of the critical points of the sequel trilogy.  She is descended from pure evil.  This is equivalent to finding out Harry Potter is Voldemort's grandson.  I mean, they technically had a common ancestor, but it was back hundreds of years.  I think it would have been much better if Rey was related to someone else or no one (that we know of) at all.  My ideal choice would have been Obi-Wan.  We did see in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series Obi-Wan mention that he had a brother; that would have been a perfect opportunity to create Rey's lineage by making her Obi-Wan's great-niece.  Such a shame.

2. Have the Jedi appear as ghosts to help Rey
In TRoS, we hear from many different Jedi calling out to Rey.  I think what would have potentially saved the film is having them appear as Force ghosts and rallying behind her to help her.  Imagine seeing Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon (potentially), and Ahsoka (also potentially) gathered behind her to help her.  It would have been equivalent to seeing all of the heroes and Avengers in Avengers: Endgame at the end fighting Thanos.  It would have given many Star Wars fans like myself goosebumps.  

3. Don't kill off Snoke in TLJ and replace him with Palpatine
I'm okay with Snoke being an altered clone or whatever he is, but I'm not okay with bringing Palpatine back.  It was Anakin's way of returning balance to the Force, and they undid all that.  Instead, I'd have Snoke survive TLJ and be the main antagonist in TRoS.  Not much needs to change.

4. Have Finn somewhat explore his force abilities and train with Rey
Another wasted opportunity.  We basically have it confirmed that Finn was Force-sensitive, so what they should have done was have his abilities be discovered in TFA (which they almost were), then in TLJ, he and Rey could be training together with Luke.  They don't have to necessarily be joined at the hip, but it would be cool to see two Jedi learning together.

5. Handle the OT characters better
The overall treatment of the OT characters was pretty bad, to put it nicely.  I'd have Luke and Han reunite, I'd have Leia and Luke reunite, likely with Luke leaving Ahch-To with Rey (and Finn in my version).  Also, imagine if it was Leia who talked to Ben in TRoS and was able to bring him back to the light.  We didn't even get to see Leia interact with her son.  

Honorable mention: Don't kill off Ben/Kylo Ren
I had to include a sixth, just because there are so many things I would change.  I would have Ben survive Exogol and form a bond with Rey (doesn't have to be romantic).  I know they wanted to end the Skywalker lineage, but they didn't have to kill off Ben.  Maybe, like Luke, he just doesn't have kids.  


Again, I can't stress this enough, I still love Star Wars.  I love the music, special and practical effects (outside of the prequel trilogy, maybe), and the action.  There are just a few plot points that could've made each trilogy even better.  

Grading each Mariner so far in 2022

The 2022 Mariners season is quickly nearing its halfway point, and this season has been less than ideal.  It seems the Mariners have taken a step back, although there have been a lot of things to not go there way.  One is injuries.  Mitch Haniger has missed time with two injuries, Kyle Lewis came back for about a week only to miss significant time with a concussion, and we have been without two relievers we were counting on, Casey Sadler and Ken Giles.  

Although the season is not over nor is it a "lost cause", there's still a lot of reason for concern.  However, there's also reason for optimism.  I'm going to give each player that's seen significant time a letter grade, and assess their overall games based on their expectations coming into 2022.  First off, Lewis, Haniger, and Murphy all get an "incomplete" due to being injured for a majority of the season so far.

Hitters

Cal Raleigh: C+
Cal got off to an extremely slow start offensively, causing him to be sent down.  However, his bat woke up, and he's done a very good job of handling our pitching staff.  A lot of Logan Gilbert's success has to be attributed to Cal.

Luis Torrens: D
He's been ok, his bat seems to very slowly be waking up.  His defense does seem to have improved from last season.  But as of mid-June he is still looking for his first home run of 2022.

Ty France: A+
Could we have asked anything more from Ty?  His defense has been great, and his offense has been even better.  He's been drawing comparisons to Edgar Martinez, and for good reason.  His average has dropped while his strikeouts have ticked up in recent weeks, so he's a borderline A/A+, but he's definitely the one lock to be an All-Star on the roster.

Adam Frazier: D+
He was expected to provide a high avg/OBP bat at the top of the lineup, but he has not.  His average has hung around the .230/.240 range, and we were expecting at least 50 points higher.  He's been riddled with awful luck, hitting straight to defensive players.  His defense has been adequate.  

JP Crawford: A-
JP is one of the bright spots on this team, and he easily could be slumping after signing a contract extension at the start of the year, but he really hasn't.  If anything, his defense has taken a hit, causing him to be near the top in errors by an AL shortstop.  But he's still made some great defensive plays.  

Eugenio Suarez: B
Suarez was almost an afterthought in the trade that netted him and Winker, but he has been definitely the better piece so far.  He's leading the M's in home runs currently and likely will the rest of the year, barring injury.  He's shown a propensity to strike out too much, especially in high-leverage situations.  But his defense has been outstanding, hardly a drop-off (if at all) from Seager.

Jesse Winker: D
Winker, along with Frazier, was acquired due to his ability to hit for a high average.  And also like Frazier, he has struggled.  His average is even lower.  Some worry about his lack of power numbers, but he never has hit too many, only hitting 24 last season.  One good thing has been his eye, as he leads the team in walks.  His defense leaves a lot to be desired, as there have been more than a few fly balls to left that a more athletic outfielder could have gotten to while Jesse did not.

Julio Rodriguez: A-
Julio got off to a slow start, which wasn't wholly unexpected, but that was partly due to the awful strike calls he was getting called against him.  But he heated up in May, coinciding with his first Major League home run.  He has relished hitting in the middle of the lineup.  But the best parts of Julio's game has been his baserunning and defense.  He currently leads the majors in stolen bases and has played great defense in center.

Jarred Kelenic: D-
It's a shame Kelenic wasn't able to produce, because come June the team has definitely needed him.  Fortunately, Trammell has done somewhat decently in his place.  But given that Jarred made his debut last year and had a chance to work on things this offseason, his slow start is concerning.

Abraham Toro: F
Just about every Mariners fan is done with Toro at this point, and I'll be shocked if something doesn't happen to him before the All-Star break (unless he miraculously catches fire).  He's provided some late-inning pop, and yes, if it wasn't for him, we lose that game to the Red Sox where he tied it up with 2 outs.  But so often we have asked him to come through and been let down.  I think Scott's getting tired of Toro's inability to come through.

Dylan Moore: C+
Dylan has been about what we expected.  We did not expect to see him start so much in the outfield, but injuries and Kelenic's struggles have necessitated it.  He's been adequate.  He did have a walk-off hit against the Red Sox.  And his defense and base running has been above average.  

Taylor Trammell: C
Taylor's done well in his short stint, but hasn't really quite broken through yet.  He has played solid D.  It's unfortunate that Servais feels the need to pinch-hit Moore or Toro for him every time he's scheduled to face a lefty.  How's a young left-handed hitter supposed to get better if he is never allowed to face lefties?

Sam Haggerty: C-
Not much to say about Sam, and he's really just a body to have on the Major League roster while we wait for guys to heal up.  He's been good defensively, but his bat leaves a lot to be desired.

Pitchers

Robbie Ray: C-
Given his expectations, we were expecting more from Robbie Ray.  He's given the Mariners length, pitching the most innings this far.  But he's also allowed a lot of home runs, 14, which is 3rd most in the AL.  His last start where he went 7 scoreless is promising after he developed a 2-seam fastball and used that effectively.  

Logan Gilbert: A
Logan has taken a big step forward in year 2.  Imagine if Kelenic, who was called up last year at the same time as Gilbert, looked as good as Gilbert does now.  Anyway, Logan has been mostly dominant, winning AL pitcher of the month for April, and for good reason.  His ERA was under 1 for that month!  

Marco Gonzales: B-
Marco's been fairly inconsistent, but when he's on, he's on.  His maturity and poise have shown.  If he can locate his change-up and get calls from the umpire, he's very hard to hit off of.  

Chris Flexen: C+
If there was ever a guy who was 2-8 who was actually pitching well, it's Flexen.  Flexen has gotten some awful run support, forcing him to leave games barely behind or tied, despite many quality starts. 

Matt Brash: D+
Is it fair to count Brash?  Eh, I'd say so.  He started off fairly well, but then hitters started to figure him out while at the same time he was losing a bit of control.  He also failed to reach 6 innings pitched in each of his 5 starts, something that cannot be said for any other pitcher to start a game this year.

George Kirby: B-
George sure had a nice debut, but unfortunately, it did take him a little while to get his first Major League win.  He definitely looks better than Brash, and hopefully, it won't take him that long to get win #2.

Paul Sewald: C+
I've gone from trusting Paul each time out to waiting with baited breath each time he pitches.  I think Servais shouldn't use him in high-leverage situations for a while, not until he gets his control back.  Seawald has definitely cost us a couple games at least.

Penn Murfee: A
I remember first seeing Penn, first thinking he had a weird name, then thinking, "Well here's a guy that will probably be sent back to Tacoma pretty soon."  Boy, was I wrong.  He has been magnificent, although his most recent outing against the Twins was not pretty.

Diego Castillo: B-
It's certainly been a tale of two seasons for Castillo.  He was looking so bad at one point that I was surprised he wasn't DFA'ed.  But he righted his ship and is now the most dominant arm in the pen.  

Andres Munoz: C
The velocity has been nice, but the control and the amount of hits off of Munoz leave a lot to be desired.  He's still young, so I can't be too harsh, but he's certainly got potential to be a dominant arm in the pen.

Matt Festa: C
Like Castillo, Festa had his struggles early on, but he has quietly become one of the more reliable arms in the pen.  

Erik Swanson: B+
When you have gone 2+ months into a season and you can't think of a time when a reliever has blown a game, you know he's doing at least somewhat well.  Swanson has been a surprising bright spot in the pen.  Shame we lost him for a bit to injury, but fortunately, he's back now.

Sergio Romo: C-
Romo has been wildly inconsistent, with at times looking like his old self and at other times looking like the old guy that no one wanted.  

Drew Steckenrider/Anthony Misiewicz/Ryan Borucki/Roenis Elias/Anyone else: D
I didn't think it was fair to count each of these guys as individual grades, as none of them have been with the big league club all season.  The rest of the bullpen here has been mostly disappointing. 

So with all those grades, what is the team's GPA?  Well I did the math, and the GPA is...

C+.  Well, if the team has a losing record, why do they have an above average grade?  Remember, this is based on expectations for each player, so players like Julio, Penn Murfee, and Erik Swanson have higher grades than if I were to grade their seasons not considering expectations.  I think this is about right, and if I were to wholly grade everyone without taking expectations into consideration, I'd say their grades drop one spot on average (so a B to a B-, for example).  That would mean the team GPA is a C, which makes sense.  Were the Mariners expected to run away with the division?  No.  But some bad luck and injuries have really hurt them, because otherwise this team has a winning record and is in the hunt for a wild card spot.  

I might grade these guys around the end of the season.  Hopefully, we'll have a GPA a bit higher next time.

Initial Thoughts of Seahawks 2022 Schedule

 The Seahawks 2022 schedule just came out, so I thought I'd give my thoughts on it.  I'll go game by game and give at least one thought or comment on each matchup, it's timing/network and sum up our schedule overall at the end.  

Week 1: vs. Denver (MNF)
Well, we might as well get it out of the way week 1!  Russ comes back and I like that we see him early as he may not be fully situated in the Broncos offense.  I think this will be low-scoring.

Week 2: at 49ers
I never like giving the 49ers the advantage, and we'll be playing them on a short week.  Yuck.

Week 3: vs. Falcons
Some nice skill players (Kyle Pitts, DK Metcalf) but no legit QB's to throw to them.  Yawn.

Week 4: at Lions
I worry about this game, actually.  The Lions may be an improved team next season.  

Week 5: at Saints
Three beatable opponents in a row finishes with the Saints.  The best QB the Hawks will see in this time is Jared Goff.  But knowing the Hawks, they'll find a way to lose one or two at least.

Week 6: vs. Cardinals
Let's hope the Cards are in the midst of a rough start like I think they might be.  We could catch them at a great time (for us).

Week 7: at Chargers
I'll be shocked if we win this.  But it'll be fun to watch Justin Herbert.

Week 8: vs. Giants
Takes place the day before Halloween, and the Hawks hope to deliver their fans a treat.

Week 9: at Cardinals
Both Cardinal matchups before week 10 and both before we play the Rams once.  Hopefully the Hawks won't be looking ahead to the following week before playing this one...

Week 10: vs. Tampa Bay in Munich, Germany
Too bad the Hawks couldn't be at home before this game, but oh well.  This was announced a week ago and it should be a game we'll remember for a while.  It will likely be the last time Tom Brady faces the Seahawks.

Week 11: BYE
The NFL was smart to put our BYE next to our trip to Germany.  I like how the team pranked players by showing them schedules where the BYE wasn't anywhere near the trip, haha.

Week 12: vs. Raiders
The Raiders could be in an offensive groove by this point, or missing a key starter to injury.  Either way, I'm not big on our chances.

Week 13: at Rams
We finally play the defending champs in Week 13.  Let's hope the refs don't screw us like they did last year.

Week 14: vs. Panthers
This will either be a Panthers team on the cusp of a wild card or a Panthers team that's out of it.  Let's hope for the latter.

Week 15: vs. 49ers (TNF)
I was hoping to take my girlfriend to a 49ers game, but seeing as they're playing on Thursday, that'll be hard to do.  Let's hope at least the Hawks are somewhat competitive at this point for a national viewing audience.

Week 16: at Chiefs (Saturday)
Can we pencil in an "L" already?  Unless something crazy happens before then, the Hawks won't be headed home on Christmas Eve very happy...

Week 17: vs. Jets
Playing New York on New Year's Day.  I kinda like the sound of that.  Hopefully the Hawks first game in the calendar year of 2023 is a W.

Week 18: vs. Rams
I like how the Hawks play their final two games at home, so if there's any chance they're competing for a playoff spot, they'll be fairly rested (from travel).  Unfortunately, we finish with the Rams, which could be a blessing in disguise, as their playoff seeding may already be determined by this point.

Overall, not a bad schedule.  Only two primetime games (yikes) and only one on a regular network and not a streaming service.  That's what happens when you trade your star quarterback away, I guess.  This must be the first time since we drafted Russell Wilson that we don't have a single Sunday Night Football game.  Crazy.