what kind of day has it been?

today started off with the potential to be awesome. it has pretty much failed to live up to billing at every turn.

miyuki got mariners tickets from work for today's game. erik bedard was scheduled to pitch. he's the "ace" pitcher the mariners traded their top prospects to get. five players in all went to baltimore, including their would-be starting right fielder (and future all star) and their best left-handed relief pitcher.

so what happened today? bedard was scratched from a second straight start due to a hip condition. instead, a south korean kid got the start, pitched fairly well, but got yanked in the fifth inning after giving up two runs. a respectable outing, really. the guy who replaced him? let two more of baek's baserunners score before letting six across the dish himself.

but it wasn't entirely his fault. no, some of the other joys we got to see were miguel cairo playing third base, instead of the gold glove adrian beltre. cairo played terribly. beltre would have made at least three outs on plays cairo couldn't pull off. but what was worse, the right fielder today was mike morse. I really like morse, the guy can rake. but he's a shortstop who probably should play first base or designated hitter. he badly misplayed two fly balls in the outfield leading to several runs. and just when he would have had the opportunity to redeem himself, to atone for his sins, he was replaced. he was up with the bases loaded, down by six runs, and they yanked him in favour of a pinch hitter. the guy right after him? miguel cairo, who proceeded to ground out. they pinch hit for the guy who mashed all spring long, trying to prove himself and had some obvious incentive to hit well, and then let the worst hitter on the team effectively kill any rally they may have had. pure genius.

so the star pitcher didn't play. the right fielder botched several plays (adam jones would have made them). and the bullpen REALLY sucked today. it's a bill bavasi hat trick! how that guy still has a job amazes me... almost as much as I'm amazed at how the manager still has a job. he obviously doesn't know how to utilize the assets he's given.

worst part was, it was much colder at the stadium than I anticipated, so I was really uncomfortable as well. I missed catching a foul ball by inches because some moron in front of me (without a mitt) made a half assed attempt at it and blocked me out. he didn't even bend down to reach for it at his feet after he dropped it. I've been to hundreds of baseball games and never caught a ball. that would have meant a LOT to me.

but the day was already shit. we went to pyramid for lunch. my beer was skunky, the food wasn't good, and it was ridiculously overpriced.

so we left the game during the seventh inning stretch, so I could get home in time for the puck drop in boston. habs played like shit, and the refs certainly didn't help them out.

I really do wonder why I even bother with sports. I invest too much of my happiness in the outcomes, and end up in a REALLY pissy mood when my teams lose.

so today has been about as shitty as it could have been. which is sad, since it seemed like it'd be so good. I was going to my first baseball game of the year, going to watch bedard dominate the division rivals, and then come home to watch montreal beat boston for the fourteenth straight time.

I'm a big fat 0-fer on the day.

and now I have to go back to work tomorrow. I may not even bother watching the simpsons tonight. instead I'll probably just go to bed.

I've already shaved a bit. was planning on not shaving during the habs run, but my attempts at facial hair are always tragic. so I've pared it down to sideburns and a chinstrap. if they lose tuesday in boston, I'll probably take the chin strap down to a chin beard. lose again, it goes and I'll be left with 'burns. lose again and even they're gone. I'm trying to stick to facial hair I have a proven track record with. unfortunately, it all looks ridiculous no matter what I do.

just another disappointment.